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#just one day i wondered and decided to put this thought into full swing pun intended
hikari-kaitou · 3 years
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Capcom's Official AA Fanclub Surveys - DGS Edition
Many Western fans may be familiar with the Turnabout 4koma comics that get posted on the official AA fanclub site that Capcom runs, thanks to some lovely fans on tumblr and elsewhere who have shared their translations. What fewer people seem to know about is the character surveys.
Back in the old days, they used to hold a survey on Capcom's official AA fansite every few months where they'd write about the seasonal activities of a handful of characters and ask fans to vote for the funniest/most pleasant/strangest/etc answer.
They stopped doing them in like... 2016? 2017? The original text is lost for good as far as I can tell. Even the wayback machine couldn't help because the content was password locked and you can't get past the password wall while remaining in the archived version.
Fortunately, I saved some of my translations of them so I thought I’d share them.
Cut for length...
"February has begun, and the DGS cast is nearing the end of their journey aboard the RFS Alacrei. Which of them acted the most strangely?"
Ryuunosuke ~ Exhausted from his intensive study session, he decided to try some katana swinging practice as a change of pace and to combat his recent lack of exercise. But because he wasn't used to handling the katana, he swung it too hard and it went flying out of his hands and got stuck in the wall right next to Sherlock, who had just entered the room. Sherlock asked him, "aren't you supposed to be studying right now, Mr. Naruhodo?" and handcuffed him to his desk.
Susato- worked on developing a curriculum for Ryuunosuke. 'If we keep going at this pace, he won't be able to learn it all in time... It'll be hard on Naruhodo-sama, but we'll have to work hard through a couple of nights together.' With that thought, she created a harsh study schedule, and almost seemed to be looking forward to it for some reason.
Sherlock- Driven by excitement over the thought of returning to England after a long absence, he went up on deck to stare at the ocean. Being February, it was very cold out there and he ended up being chilled all the way to the tips of his fingers. He returned to the ship cabins and amused himself by putting his frozen hands on Ryuunosuke, who was stuck in his room studying.
Van Zieks- Upon hearing from Vortex that there was a Japanese exchange student coming to England to study law, he smashed a Lord's Bottle. He apparently also didn't care for the fact that that Japanese student wouldn't be alone, because he proceeded to shatter his chalice, too.
Hosonaga- in order to provide a respite from studying, he provided some hot chocolate. They enjoyed a pleasant tea time, marveling over how sweet and delicious the drink was until Sherlock piped up with some unnecessary trivia: 'Actually folks, chocolate has long been used in Europe as an aphrodisiac!' Everyone promptly spat it out."
"The long winter is nearly over and spring is on it's way, putting the DGS cast members in a celebratory mood. Who found the best way of enjoying spring?"
Ryuunosuke: the Yuumei University faculty members were holding a flower viewing event, and he joined the assistance committee. He exhausted himself keeping the blankets clean so the intense shower of flower petals wouldn't pile up too high on them, delivering sake and snacks, and mediating whatever pointless fights arose. To top it all off, for some reason his compensation was only a single piece of leftover candy. Talk about a sad result!
Susato- her father and the others living in his dormitory were  holding the flower viewing event, so she got up early to prepare the bentos. But her father carelessly forgot to tell her that they wanted tea cakes, so she had to go around the house and neighborhood collecting sweets. For some reason, she ended up being able to gather caramels, biscuits, candy sticks, basically everything but tea cakes, for the tea ceremony.
Sherlock- he disguised himself as a beat officer and infiltrated Scotland Yard to have some fun. There was a real beat officer napping on his feet in the spring sunshine, and while observing him, Sherlock ended up falling asleep too. Detective Gregson gave them a good scolding when he found them, but then Sherlock revealed his true identity with a "hey, it's me, folks!" "What the blazes do you think you're doing?!" Gregson shouted, his rage growing even more, and Sherlock ended up making a run for it.
Van Zieks- went to the vineyard to oversee the production of the contents of his Lord's Bottle. As he viewed the still unopened grape blossom buds, he thought about how they would someday grow up to fill his Lord's Bottle, and ended up going around to look at each one. But the farm hands couldn't stop wondering whether the bottle itself or its owner's heel might come flying at them and were quite uneasy.
Asougi: exhausted himself running around since early morning helping with the professors' flower viewing event. When it was over, he took a break, sharing his reward candy stick [the name of the candy literally translates to 1,000 year candy] with Ryuunosuke, who had also been helping out. 
"I wonder if the candy's effect is halved if you share it with someone."
"That still gives us 500 years."
They laughed and enjoyed looking at the flowers until dark. Then they parted ways with a handshake and a "see you later, best friend."
(This one was something about celebrating New Years. For some reason I didn't save the original question)
"Ryuunosuke ~ To celebrate New Years, he planned to pound mochi with everyone at the office. He somehow managed to get his hands on some mochi rice and he and Sherlock started pounding. Iris was having such fun watching them that she steamed a whole bunch more mochi rice so they could have some to share, and he and Sherlock spent the whole evening pounding mochi like crazy.
Asougi~ Because it's New Years, he went around to a bunch of shrines. When he drew his new year's fortune, he got a "horrible luck" result. "I'm not worried about it," he claimed, and headed up to the mountains early on New Years morning and work hard on a full training course of purification by water, meditation under a waterfall and wooden sword practice. It seems that he was working really hard to clear his mind of all earthly thoughts
Sherlock- Agreed to help Ryuunosuke pound mochi. As Ryuunosuke was flipping the mochi over, he carelessly dropped his badge into the bowl and Sherlock mixed it in without noticing, so they had to crack open both the hard and soft mochi to look for it. Fortunately they found it in the 4th one they checked, but apparently Sherlock got his hands and face covered in sticky white mochi in the process.
Susato- Wore a furisode and went with her father to do the first shrine visit of the year. The shrine was incredibly crowded and they had to wait in line for a long time, but she brought the Encyclopaedia of British Law and a copy of the Strand Magazine in her sleeves to secretly read as they waited so she actually ended up enjoying the wait.
Van Zieks- Ryuunosuke cheerfully gave him some mochi as a New Year’s (which at that time was celebrated at the same time as the Chinese New Year) gift, which he accepted confusedly, wondering “...Can the Japanese not even keep track of when the New Year is?” Because Ryuunosuke referred to it as a rice cake, he tried to eat it like a regular cake without softening it with heat first. It was so hard that he couldn’t imagine how it could possibly be food, and ended up misunderstanding the Japanese even more!
"Autumn has arrived, and the weather is starting to cool off, which means that everyone is becoming more active. Which character chose the most pleasant autumn activity to keep busy with?"
Iris was making bread but her hands are small and it’s difficult for her to knead the dough, so she asked for Ryuunosuke’s help. She wanted to make enough to hand out to Gina and all the other homeless children in the East End, so she made a massive amount and Ryuunosuke was stuck kneading this massive mountain of bread dough all day. Apparently he became such a expert at kneading that he could be a baker now.
Asougi was practicing with his sword, slicing autumn-colored ginko leaves as they fell from the tree. He cut so many leaves, though, that he ended up making a big mess on the ground, the number of fallen leaves now having increased, and it took him a long time to clean it all up.    
Sherlock: Ryuunosuke told him that he was making anpan (bread filled with sweet red bean paste, the bane of my Asian-dwelling existance) and asked Sherlock to help by being in charge of getting the poppy seeds they’d need to sprinkle on top, so Sherlock went out and gathered a ton of poppy seeds. In fact, he got so many of them that no one knew what to do with them all cuz they had a huge amount of leftovers. Sherlock said, “Well, they’re only the size of poppy seeds! Surely you two can deal with them somehow! Ahahaha!” and Iris scolded him.   
(I couldn’t capture it in English, but Sherlock’s line contained a pun, and a pretty stupid one at that, so that’s part of why he got scolded)
It’s grape harvesting season, so Van Zieks commutes to the winery regularly to direct the production of the contents for his “Lord’s Bottle.” He demands perfection in everything from the selection of the grapes to the way they’re squeezed, and the winery staff is terrified by the “grim reaper’s” gaze and heel swinging (i.e. the leg thing he does in court) so they grumble as they work. 
"Hearing that there’s a holiday in the West called Halloween, the people involved with the court in Japan decided to try it out themselves. Naturally Halloween is a big deal in England as well. So, which member of the DGS cast had the best celebration?"
Team Ryuunosuke and Asougi- Asougi got Naruhodo up on his shoulders and they draped a white sheet over themselves to make a ghost costume. They went out like that, but Naruhodo had such exaggerated reactions to the fear of the people who saw them and to bumping his head on tree branches that they ended up losing their balance and falling on top of each other?!   
Sherlock Holmes- went wearing a horse’s head mask. Iris used her skills to make it a fancy horse covered in stars, but the eye holes weren’t well made and he had to wander around blindly. Because of that he tripped hard over a pile of coal! He ended up getting so dirty that the stars on his costume were covered up!
Van Zieks- took inspiration from his nickname and dressed up as the grim reaper. He covered himself up with a skeleton mask and hood figuring no one would know it was him. Unfortunately he got angry when he saw Megundal (McGilded) pass by and started throwing bottles and glasses and ended up giving himself away.
"November has arrived, and autumn is nearing its end. However, the DGS cast is still keeping busy, even on their days off. Which character chose the most interesting way to spend their late autumn day?"
Ryuunosuke- Thinking that he’d better learn more about British culture if he was going to be a defense attorney in Britain, he went down to the East End with Gina for a little observation. However, because an Asian like him stood out so much, he got mobbed by the other children. On top of it all, his arm band got stolen from him and he had to send a replacement request to Yumei University on the other side of the ocean.
Asougi- He went for a meal at La Quantas. The customer at a nearby table got a persimmon for dessert and scarfed it down, saying “Mm! This is it! This sweetness makes it worthy of being called a treasure among foods!” Asougi tried to comment on this by saying, “The customer at that table sure is enjoying his pershim--gak!” but he may or may not have accidentally bitten his tongue in the process and been unable to finish his sentence.
Iris- She accepted Ryuunosuke’s request to learn more about British culture and prepared a bagpipe and kilt costume for him. “This outfit sure is breezy,” Ryuunosuke said shyly upon trying it on. With Ryuunosuke now dressed, he, Iris, and the others from their office headed over to Gregson’s place to get him to treat them to some fish and chips.   
Sherlock- He accepted Ryuunosuke’s request to learn more about British culture and cooked up some European style curry for dinner. Thanks to the fact that his secret ingredient was a large amount of Chinese herbal medicine style spice, it caused some strange side effects and Ryuunosuke, who’d eaten it, ended up passing out and falling over.
“Another taxing trial for Ryuunosuke has finished and now it’s December. As the year draws to a close, which character acts the strangest?”
Ryuunosuke- he was recruited to help with snow removal around Yumei University and the courthouse and he enthusiastically began his task with the help of a large shovel. He got a little carried away, though, and ended up accidentally burying his umbrella, which he’d left propped up against the side of the building, in the snow he’d just finished shoveling.  He had no choice but to share Asougi’s umbrella on the way home.
Asougi- On the way home, he nods silently to Ryuunosuke’s question of whether he’d finished his travel preparations and changes the subject: “...Come to think of it, it seems that tomorrow is celebrated in the West as God’s birthday.” “I’ve heard that they eat chicken as part of the traditional celebration. Wanna try it?” Ryuunosuke asks invitingly. Asougi is strongly opposed to that particular menu item, however, and they end up going out for their usual beef stew that night instead.           
Susato- in addition to her year-end travel preparations, she also was busy with straightening up the book room in her home. She managed to get the law books in order when she suddenly stumbled upon some old issues of Strand Magazine! She hurried through the rest of her cleaning, then began flipping through the magazines she’d found, trying to decide which to take with her on her trip. She accidentally lost herself in her reading and didn’t realize it until it was already the middle of the night.
Sherlock- he was in the middle of a long ship voyage when Christmas night came. His mind on his partner in a far-off country, he made a toast alone on deck, when suddenly the crew began shooting off fireworks with a cry of “Merry Christmas!” Sherlock had to dart back and forth across the deck to prevent the fireworks from hitting him and setting off the explosive chemicals he carries with him.
Main series edition
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illneverrecover · 4 years
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the sweetest thing (M) | myg
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➛pairing: Min Yoongi x reader ➛genre: florist!Yoongi, baker!Reader, florist AU, baker AU, enemies to lovers, humor, smut. ➛word count: 4799 ➛rating: M ➛warnings: not too many, this is pretty sweet & soft. Heavy petting, cursing, making out, neck kissing, biting/marking, icing used in a dirty manner, implied sex, mild dirty talk, bad puns, witty banter. ➛summary: Min Yoongi was sure you moved in next door to his floral shop just to ruin him and his business. But when he needs your help, he realizes that it’s much sweeter working together then apart. ➛notes: Hehehe. My sweet little angel bb Paril requested some florist shop Yoongi E2L with baker reader, and I just had to oblige. I love writing Yoongi, he truly just is perfect for me to channel sass and sarcasm and a bit of sweetness. Thank you for commissioning me @serensama​ (and the kind bank of @quinnkook​), I hope you enjoy this and that it’s what you were looking for! I love you tons and I’m proud to be your soulmate. 🖤 ➛song: People - AGUST D for the sweet fluff  & Poison - GOT7  for the dirty dirty.
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“She’s doing this on purpose.”
“No she isn’t, hyung. That doesn’t make sense.” Namjoon picks up a rose, twirling it in inspection. “Does she even know you exist?”
Yoongi scoffs then, eyes darting from the arrangement in front of him to glare at Namjoon. “Of course she knows I exist. Our shops share a wall.”
Instead of replying, Namjoon rolls his eyes before refocusing, carefully watching the stem as his hand slides the knife down it to remove any thorns. Yoongi accepts his silence as defeat, puffing his chest. “So, like I was saying - she’s doing this on purpose, and she’s going to bleed me dry.”
The door swings open then, Hoseok and Jungkook both moving to the workstations with arms full of supplies, the latter’s eyes wide as he picks up on the conversation.
“Wait! Are you talking about Y/N noona?”
“Yes, and how she’s killing business-”
“Isn’t she just the coolest?!” Jungkook interrupts, beaming over at Yoongi. “Have you seen the designs for her flower cookies? And how she’s selling twelve of them in a pack and calling them ‘coo-quets’? Get it? Like instead of-”
“Bouquets, yes Jungkook, I get the pun.” Yoongi mutters dryly, setting the finished arrangement in it’s vase and sliding it to the side. Hoseok is laughing, so hard in fact that he misses Yoongi picking up a roll of tape until it beams him in the head.
“Hey! What was that for!” rubbing his crown, he glares at the florist before reluctantly picking up the tape, fixing the customer label to the side of the vase before moving it over to the fridge. “Don’t be violent with me just because you have the hots for the pretty baker next door.”
Yoongi sputters, hand slapping the top of the table. “I do not have the hots for-”
“Yeah yeah, we know, you definitely aren’t into Y/N, at all,” Namjoon deadpans, reaching into the box for his next rose to dethorn. “You don’t find her attractive, you didn’t stalk her and pretend to be a customer just so you could see inside her business, absolutely nothing to see here.”
“Your sarcasm is noted and also not appreciated,” Yoongi sniffs, before turning away from the taller man all together. “All I’m saying is, ever since she moved into that building, she’s caused issues. And now this is how she decides to promote for the Spring Blossom festival? It feels like an attack.”
“But hyung, it’s called the ‘Spring Blossom Festival’, I think leaning towards flowers would be kind of an obvious choice, right?” Jungkook prompts, head tilting in naive innocence. 
Yoongi sighs heavily, head dropping to his chest, and wonders not for the first time why he thought hiring his friends to work with him was a good idea. 
Maybe Jungkook had a point; maybe they all did. But that wasn’t enough to convince Yoongi that your motives were all sincere in nature. He was telling the truth when he said that ever since you had moved in next door, things had gone haywire for his small, locally loved floral shop. 
He had only been in the space for about a year, but the street it was on had picked up in popularity with a new pub and restaurant concept on the corner, and a local farmers market moving in on the weekends. Quickly, his little business grew, people coming to him when seeking unique arrangements that were both beautiful and affordable. As demand increased, so did the need to hire more hands, and his friends had been enthusiastic to join his payroll. 
For the most part, things had been smooth sailing.Training the others had been relatively easy, and what shortcomings they had, he was able to find a new strength they each brought to the business. He was comfortable, thriving, going to bed with a full belly and fat wallet, and it’s all he could ask for.
Until you.
Yoongi didn’t even see you until after you had already bought and renovated the building next door, the sign for your bakery going up and accenting the coral pink of the painted brick perfectly. He had thought it was cute; how bright and cheery your shop looked, how you were always dressed in flattering sundresses and heels, despite spending your days in a kitchen baking. He walked past your place daily to get to his own, and had found himself curious about what you were like, how good your food was, how successful you’d be.
He figured the aesthetic alone would bring in some customers, if not the increased foot traffic the farmers market brought in, and he wasn’t wrong. Your soft opening had gone well, a small line forming outside the building to Yoongi’s amusement. Word of mouth worked like a charm in your neighborhood, and a steady flow of regulars would greet him on his trek into work each morning at sunrise as they awaited their breakfast pastry and hot cup of coffee.
While this was great for you, it wasn’t so good for him. Your customers would always line up in the direction where they would block his window, meaning people walking by couldn’t get a glimpse at the creations he had displayed in the windows. Not to mention the littering - flurries of light brown napkins with your logo stamped in the middle usually lining the street in front of the shops, seemingly taunting him.
And then, the festival came. The Spring Blossom Festival, to be exact. 
It was clever, he’d admit that much. The word play of ‘cookie’ and ‘bouquet’, the different color options of the edible flowers painstakingly drawn onto perfectly baked sugar cookies. You had really put thought and effort into the design, and he wasn’t surprised that it seemed to be a hit, dominating the first several days of the festival.
But that didn’t mean he liked it.
He watched helplessly as his sales dipped, as customers that would’ve wanted the real thing instead switched it up for prettily decorated consumable flowers, all cooing and preening over the treats in their matching boxes.
Yoongi had to retaliate. What else was there for him to do?
After watching you hang neon pink flyers up around the street, he had made some as well, deciding he’d place them conveniently directly over your own. Matching the paper to yours had been Namjoon's suggestion, and Yoongi had thought it was genius. That seemed to bring in a few more customers, but the lull still remained, his till and bank account making it painfully apparent.
It had been Jungkook's idea to photo bomb some of your promotional pictures when he spotted you posing in front of the shop, pristine desserts in hand and a floral dress on to match. Yoongi had shook his head but ultimately agreed, handing him one of his best designed bouquets and nudging him towards your bakery. Trying to make it look natural, he strolled back and forth in the background, making sure the flowers in his hand were always towards the camera, that he looked as if he was enjoying the festival as a patron. After about the fifth pass through, the boxy lipped young man taking your pictures had scowled, shouting after him to get out of the way. You had laughed, invited Jungkook to talk with you, even posted one of the pictures with him in it on your Instagram like it hadn’t phased you at all.
Now, here he was with only two more days left of the festival - a time that he should be making double - and with nothing more to show for it. Pre-made and custom bouquets lined the shop windows, hoping to entice anyone passing by, but most remained untouched and without a home to go to.
He was desperate.
"Why don't you just go talk to her?" Hoseok interjects, an eyebrow raised. "Maybe you can explain what's happening, see if she'd be willing to help out or team up or something."
Scoffing loudly, Yoongi kicks at the ground. "Team up? You think I want to team up with her? This is a serious business I run here, you know."
Hoseok gives Namjoon a passing glance over the blonde's head, not that he notices, too stuck inside his thoughts. It's Jungkook's loud voice that breaks the silence once more.
"Y/N noona is really nice, you know. And her cookies are so yummy, I bet she would love to help us!"
"You've tried her cookies, Jungkook?!" Yoongi’s voice raises, incredulous. "This is a sudden yet inevitable betrayal, you know. It really be your own friends."
"Seriously, Yoongi. You think she's cute anyway. Might as well go over under the pretense of business and at least see if you can score her number." Namjoon deadpanned, dropping his knife and making sure to show him every ounce of pleading desperation on his face.
Yoongi ponders for a beat or two, pretending to mull it over all the while recognizing that it couldn't hurt anything to go chat with his new neighbor, introduce himself. Who knows, maybe there was a deal to be made?
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You thought he was so cute, the grumpy little florist next door.
His mouth was perpetually in a pout, bottom lip upturned enough that it made him look like he was always inspecting, always exasperated. His eyes were sharp, but not in a judgmental way - more like in the way where you knew nothing went past his scrutinizing gaze, and they were offset by the soft white blonde of his hair, in the refined silver hoops that lined his ears. 
Your neighbor Yoongi was a walking contradiction, and you couldn’t help but to be charmed by him.
You had heard rumors about him, heard people's worries of you moving into the building next to his very popular floral shop, but you didn't pay them any mind. You had yet to meet someone that you couldn't make a friend, and if he was impervious to your charms, he definitely wouldn't be able to deny your best coworker, Taehyung, and his infectious personality.
But despite your attempts, you always seemed to miss him, unable to properly introduce yourself when he bustled by during the morning rush, or when you were cleaning up shop. It didn't stop you from observing, from watching the way he eyed your building, the way he'd upturn his lip at the line forming outside the door at daybreak.
He seemed so easily ruffled, so annoyed but in this endearing way, and you couldn't help but want to get to know him, to see if you could get him to open up.
Especially once he started his attempts at sabotage.
They had been subtle at first - the flyer trick something you wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't been for Jin, who made sure to check and replace any torn advertisements at the end of each day. The designs had looked so similar that you didn't even double take until the elder had pointed out the word change, how the name of Yoongi's business adorned the top of the page. Jin's eyes were ablaze, but you had just laughed, instructing him to leave the ones he found alone.
But it made you more curious, further intrigued by your flower selling neighbor who took such lengths to garner business, and you couldn't help but want to see what he did next.
It had been Taehyung that grumbled about some tall dark haired boy ruining all your promotional shots, though he had smirked the whole time he showed you the images you ended up with. You recognized that he was a worker at the florist next door almost immediately, the immaculate arrangement he carried carefully in his hands striking your intuition further.
Finally, Taehyung had shouted at him, and you called the boy over to introduce himself despite his red cheeks and ducking gaze. You learned his name was Jungkook and that he was indeed a coworker and friend of Yoongi’s, and that he was just trying to help, though he wouldn't go into much more detail after that. You had chatted with him briefly, offering him a cookie for his troubles, and promised him that you weren’t mad about his attempts at photobombing.
And you were telling the truth - you really couldn't be annoyed at these attempts to thwart your advertising, instead laughing at each new picture, making sure you picked one where the bouquet was clearly visible behind you as you held an open box of 'coo-quets'.
It isn't hatred, you don't think, that drives your neighbor to do this, but you aren't quite sure where to go from here. He still hadn't introduced himself, and with how busy things were during the festival, you hadn't found the time to do the same either, working long hours to keep afloat with your orders and walk-ins. You wanted to ask him why he was so annoyed with you, what he had against your little bakery, but you told yourself there would be time for that later when the heat died down.
Not to mention, Taehyung had been chomping at the bit for an excuse to go introduce himself.
"Y/N," he whined, dragging the last syllable of your name out into an obnoxious tune. "I just want to go make friends! Why won't you let me?"
"Because someone needs to run the register for these customers, Tae. Jin and I are elbow deep in cookie dough, and Jimin can't run both sides of the counter himself."
The tall man sulks, bottom lip jutting out as his caramel hair flops into his face. "You have a point, I guess. But once the festival is done, I'm going to go introduce myself and invite them over for coffee."
You smile at him then, eyeing him from the corner of your vision as your hands continue to delicately trace colored icing on the cookies in front of you. "That sounds like a deal, Tae."
"Oh! Me too though!" Jimin shouts, turning from the counter to glance into the kitchen of your shop. Normally you'd have the doors to the kitchen closed, but with the day about to start, it made it easier to prop them open while you ran back and forth between the two stations. "I want to go say hi too. They look like really cool guys!"
I'd have to agree, you thought to yourself, picturing the sharp eyed man in your mind, but you stay silent.
To say you were startled when you heard a knock at the back door would be an understatement, even more so when you saw who it was - Yoongi, the pouting florist, blonde hair flopped into his face. He was wearing a fluffy white sweater, a dark green apron tied around his neck and waist, and his sleeves pushed up to his elbows, like he had been prepping for hours - much like you.
With a single look, you shooed the other men out of the kitchen to the front, opening the door to your guest.
"Well hey! You must be Yoongi, I'm-"
"Y/N."
"Oh, I didn't know you knew who I was!" you smile warmly, gesturing for him to step into the kitchen.
"Well, I had seen you move in, of course. Plus, Jungkook hasn't shut up since he met you," he mutters, shaking his hair out of his face as he took several steps inside. "He's like a stray cat, you know. Once you feed him, he's your friend for life."
That made you laugh, a hand rising to cover your mouth, and you couldn’t help the smirk that follows. "Well, he was too cute not to feed. Is that why you're here? Are you another stray who would like to be fed?"
Yoongi’s cheeks flush then, a dusty red that you think would look perfect in the petals of a rose, and you promise yourself to try to recreate it in frosting later.
“Ha, that’s funny,” he clears his throat, hand coming to rub at the back of his neck. “Actually, I was coming to talk to you to see if we could make an arrangement, you know - as one business owner to another.”
“Is that so?” you raise a brow, hands resting at your hips. “And what kind of deal would that be?”
You're surprised at how honest Yoongi is when he explains his situation, lays his hardships bare before you right there in the stuffy heat of your kitchen. He does manage to at least look a little embarrassed when he admits what he did in order to ramp up business, and you can’t stop your heart from softening as he finishes his request, wringing his hands as he looks at you expectantly. 
“So, what you’re saying is - you want to work together, make something that the festival goers will love but will help both of our shops - is that right?”
He stands tall then, shoulders rolling back as his gaze pierces through your own. “That’s right. Think of it as a ‘I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine’ type of deal.”
“Is this another cat analogy?”
Yoongi groans, and you giggle at the roll of his eyes. 
“I already regret this.”
Stepping closer, you peer up at the florist, watching the way his eyes widen at your proximity. “No, you don’t. And technically I think I’m doing all the scratching here, but that’s okay. I think we could make a good team, Min Yoongi.”
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The event is crowded, more so than Yoongi could have ever imagined.
The tables he and you had placed in front of both buildings were stuffed with goods, the heads of your coworkers ducking back inside each entrance to refill them when they got low. Customers were milling about; some taking in the offerings, others lining up in wait to purchase, and the sheer number of people had Yoongi grinning widely.
It was your idea, of course - to offer up a half dozen flowers with a half dozen of cookies, the perfect set. That isn’t to say Yoongi didn’t help; the concept of decorating the tables and dressing formally to stand out being his own, as well as offering to match the flowers and cookies to each other. The red roses and pair set cookies were flying off the shelves fast, but so were the purple calla lilies and pink tulips, which made him smile. 
You had been more enthusiastic with the plan, gladly altering the designs of your ‘coo-quets’ to match, and it was clearly a smash hit. Yoongi thought back to how easily it had been to talk to you, to be honest, to spill his guts - how quickly you were willing to help, how natural it had been to form a plan, to laugh with you, and he felt his heart squeeze painfully in his chest.
Yoongi was thrilled with the sales and popularity, of course, but found himself distracted despite the success. He was happy to see his employees grinning and getting along with your own, glad to see the till fill knowing that he’d be able to pay everyone on time, but more than anything, he was ecstatic to see you smile, to see you shine in the sunset pink summer dress that was brushing the tops of your knees.
He himself had donned some light grey dress pants with a white button down, the sleeves carefully rolled to expose his forearms, jacket long forgotten in the heat of the outdoors. You had beamed at him when he first arrived, nodding approvingly at his attire, and he couldn’t help the pride that swelled in his heart at your approval.
And now as the day wore on, every time his elbow knocked into yours, your bodies stepping and swaying as you worked, Yoongi felt a heat build; a sizzling lick of electricity that was sparking between the two of you that he couldn’t ignore.
“You know,” he leans in, mouth inches from your ear as you grin widely at a customer. “I think we do make a pretty good team, Y/N.”
He relishes in the way your skin warms, in the way he watches your cheeks blush so prettily at his words, and feels hopefulness tighten his chest. 
“We do, Min Yoongi, especially now that you aren’t actively trying to ruin me.” You grit between frozen teeth, your smile unwavering until the patron is out of hearing range. 
“Hey, I didn’t try to ruin anything-”
“Okay, how about ‘mildly inconvenience’ then?”
Chuckling, he raises an arm to rub at the back of his neck, and you follow the lines in his arm as he does so, watching the rippling of muscles beneath the cuff of his rolled up sleeve with interest. 
“I guess that’s fair.”
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It was amazing how well things turned out, how fast the day had blown by. Jin had slaved away in the kitchen making sure that there were enough baked goods for everyone, Jimin and Taehyung teaming up with Jungkook and Hoseok from the florist shop to run items back and forth and greet customers. 
But it was Yoongi who had stolen the air from your lungs and any sense you had left rattling in your head. 
You could see now why his business had flourished before you arrived, why the customers continued to return to him when they needed their next arrangement. He was such a good and intent listener, his eyes sharp and focused on whomever was speaking to him. Even in the case of the event, where the flowers were pre-arranged, he still listened, shook and held the hand of each buyer as they spoke, fawning over his flowers. 
It was evident he was passionate about his business, which made the fact that he had been willing to do whatever it took - including partnering up with you - even more admirable.
 The sun was going down by the time things seemed to slow, your hands aching from the intricate icing work and feet throbbing from running around in heels. It seemed that everyone had satisfied smiles of hard work etched on their faces, and pleasant adoration inflated your gut at the sight, especially when you landed on Yoongi. 
The edges of his mouth had finally relaxed, his eyes creasing into half moons more and more as he laughed, stress leaving his body. It was a beautiful sight, if you could admit such a thing.
When the final customer waved goodbye, heading down to the main street for the firework finale of the festival, you left the giddy boys out front to begin cleaning, bones aching at the prospect of all the dishes that needed to be done, but not wanting to drag out the pain any longer than necessary.
“Need some help?” Yoongi was posed in the doorway, arm pressing against the jam, one leg crossed over the other, as if it was normal for him to be effortlessly handsome in sweaty bakery kitchens.
“That would be great,” you smirk, tilting your head. “I wash, you dry?”
And so that’s how you find yourself alone with Yoongi, sweat dotting his hairline as he gives you side glances and small talk over drying mixing bowls. You talk about everything and nothing, conversation flowing freely, and you feel drunk on his proximity, on the way he talks with his hands, the way his voice pitches when he laughs. His white button down is transparent in the spots where water had hit, and even the hint of a peak of his skin made you feel a bit dizzy. 
“Thank you for helping me with all of this, by the way. It would have taken hours to do by myself.”
“It’s no big deal. Plus, I’m sure one of those guys out there would’ve came back if you batted your lashes,” he leers, nodding to indicate the young men of both businesses that were currently playing around out front. “Especially Jungkook. He’s been all ‘Y/N noona this, Y/N noona that’ ever since he met you.”
Handing him a dish, you look up at him through your lashes, blinking coquettishly. “Well, can you blame him? I mean, just look at me. All this and I can cook? I’m the full package.”
You were joking; a teasing lilt to your voice as you refocused on the task at hand, but you could feel the intensity of his stare heating you thoroughly, forcing you to meet his eyes once more. 
“You really are,” he murmurs, voice low but clear, tongue darting out to wet his lips. “You’re funny and talented and so smart that it’s kind of intimidating,” he looks back at the pot in his hand, drying it thoroughly before setting it aside. “But you’re also kind hearted, and willing to listen and help those in need, even when you barely know them.”
He turns then, stepping closer until his breath is fanning across your cheek, his arms caging you to the sink as you turn to face him fully. 
“Not to mention, you’re more beautiful than any flower I’ve ever seen.”
Dropping your head to stifle the giggles, you hear him wince loudly.
“That was pretty cheesy, huh?”
Nodding, you meet his eyes once more. “It was, but I have a few baking puns that will make you cringe.”
“Hit me with one.” 
Raising on your toes, you lean into him, tentatively placing a palm on his chest. “Is that a baguette in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?”
His shoulders start shaking before he lets out a loud laugh, smile widening to show his teeth in a way that made your heart flip. Catching his breath, he sighs, leaning to rest his forehead against yours.
“Hmm, I don’t know. Wanna find out?”
Kissing Min Yoongi was a whirlwind, a focused intensity pressed in a powerful dance of his mouth on yours. Your lips answered in kind effortlessly, needing no prompting to follow his lead, to pull his bottom lip between your teeth. Electricity sparks at the base of your skull with each touch of his pout, each lick of his tongue into your mouth, and you feel your knees threaten to give out as he cradles your jaw in his hand, holding you in place.
You aren’t sure when your hands had tangled in his hair, or when he had lifted you to straddle his waist, but you found yourself moving, his body twisting to place you on the cool metal surface of your work space. Hissing as the chill bit into your bare legs, you seek the warmth of his mouth harder, legs wrapping around his form to tug him closer to you, to grind your center against him. 
He’s hard, impossibly hard, and he’s whispering all the things he wants to do to you in the shell of your ear, promising all the things he’ll make you feel with his tongue, his cock. You pull him back to your mouth, kissing him deeper, gasping when he dips his finger in the open icing container on the table, dragging it from the edge of your lips down to your chest.
He trails down your throat, sucking and nipping a marked path to your collarbone, licking the frosting off as he goes -  as if it was the sweetest thing - until he reaches your breasts, cupping them. As you pant out groans of his name, you can’t help but think you’re glad that it’s Yoongi who’s hiking your dress up around your waist, that he is the first man to help you defile your quaint bakery’s kitchen, filling it with moans.
It isn’t until you stumble out just shy of an hour later hand in hand with Yoongi, smelling of sex with mussed hair and lips swollen, that you remember your coworkers - and that little window that shows the spacious floor plan of said kitchen. 
Taehyung is shaking his head, tsking quietly with his arm draped around Jungkook. “Shame on you, Y/N. Poor Kookie here was just trying to bring the tables inside to be helpful, and instead he got traumatized.”
Namjoon scoffs then, rolling his eyes. “I didn’t realize ‘getting a boner’ was now considered trauma.”
“Hey!” Jungkook yells, eyes darting between you and Yoongi. “You said you wouldn’t tell!”
Cheeks flushing, you stifle a giggle once more, looking over to the blonde man whose fingers were still intertwined tightly with your own. Instead of embarrassment, or concern, you just feel a giddy flush of joy as you lean into him.
Yoongi sighs, exasperated, free palm rising to rub at the back of his neck. “Remind me again why I don’t fire them?”
“Because you love them. And, they work for cheap.”
Chuckling, he turns towards you, leaning in to press his forehead against yours. “I always knew I liked you.”
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buckaroosboogara · 3 years
Text
911 week - Day 2:
“Why are you sitting in a tree?” + fun 
@911week
(1900~ words, Eddie, Hen, Karen and Buck.)
Eddie explained his plan to Karen. It was easy, two swings hanging from a simple wooden structure and another hanging from a branch of the only tree in their, very beautiful in Eddie's opinion, backyard.
Of course, things had to go wrong the day before he went to the Wilson's place and arranged the swings. With wrong being Buck knowing his little secret.
He would be the death of Eddie.
Hen had accidentally slipped it in a conversation at the station.
She said that Denny and Nia wanted a new swing because the one in their house was old and worn out and then Buck had jumped with an anecdote about how he ended up with 5 stitches on his lips because a swing had crashed into them as Chim just shook his head with fond disappointment.
Eddie though, Eddie just thought that maybe a surprise visit to Hen's place wouldn't be a bad idea.
Later that day he messaged Karen, asking if he could swing by, no pun intended, in a moment when Hen wasn't around because he wanted to talk with her. Karen agreed, she always liked the mystery.
So, some days later and with the excuse to take Chris to a sleepover at the Wilson's, Eddie explained his plan to Karen. It was easy, two swings hanging from a simple wooden structure and another hanging from a branch of the only tree in their, very beautiful in Eddie's opinion, backyard.
Karen was thrilled with the idea and she offered to pay but Eddie declined it. He would gift it to his friends, after the hell year that was 2020 they deserved a nice surprise.
He had to be quiet about it though. If he told Buck he would tell Bobby and Maddie, who would tell Athena and Chimney who would tell Hen (the latter rather than the police Sergeant) and he didn't want that.
With Karen's okay he sketched the structure and made a note to himself to go and ask for an estimated budget at his to-go hardware store next time he went to his Abuela's.
So there he was, a week later.
"Hey Eddie," the store manager, Nico friendly greeted him.
"Hey Nico," He said back.
"It's good to see you here again, does Isabel's fence need another repair?" And without a beat, Nico reasoned, "No, no it's only been a month since the last repair. So it has to be paint for the deck? See, I can lower the price for you if you buy more tha-
"Uh, I came here for another reason Nic," Eddie chuckled after cutting him. "I was wondering if you could make a budget for this..."
He showed Nico the rough sketch and the materials he needed and the other man smiled.
"Ah, I see. I have some of the things you need, but the poles will be another story. I can recommend you a lumber company to get the wood." Nico said, taking the paper and looking for appropriate screws and ropes.
"That would be amazing, thanks."
"And while I do that, tell me how did that skateboard thing for your kid go,"
Eddie smiled and unlocked his phone to show him the pictures Carla had taken of that day.
"Well..."
...
Of course, things had to go wrong the day before he went to the Wilson's place and arranged the swings in their backyard.
Well, wrong would be exaggerating. More like things didn't stay as quiet as Eddie wanted.
He had just woken up on Saturday for a shift, his mind a groggy and grumpy mess until the coffee hit his lips, so he was in the kitchen trying to make his old coffeemaker work.
He really needed a new one, Eddie thought just as he heard a key on his doorlock and then said door opening.
His mind just assumed, oh it's just Buck.
OH, IT'S BUCK.
Eddie's mind got a moment of clarity. 
He could hear Buck taking his shoes off and ranting an excuse for being there so early as he helplessly looked around his dining and living room, both full of ropes, screws, papers, and God-knows-what-else.
He needed to clean everything but he did not have time.
"Hey, are you hearing me, man?" Buck said as he stepped into Eddie who was in the middle of the room looking like a deer caught in headlights, only wearing underwear and a t-shirt and lots of things on his hands.
He snorted and started laughing loudly while Eddie blushed hard.
"Oh, oh- please, what the-" Buck tried to talk but got cut by a wave of laughter that had him letting go of the box with pastries he had brought and held his belly and chest.
Eddie's embarrassment turned into slight annoyance. He tried to place his hands - and the things - lower so he could cover his underwear, and then cleared his throat. "Are you finished or you will laugh for the next five minutes?"
"I'm- I'm sorry man, it's just that-" Buck cleared his throat to stop the laughter and get serious. It didn't work as he snorted again.
Eddie gave him a look.
"Okay, okay," Buck breathed in slowly picking the pastry box again. "So, what's up with all this mess?"
"Dios, dame paciencia." Eddie muttered as he placed the things back on the couch. "Okay so, A, I'm so glad Christopher is at a sleepover because I'm sure the neighbors could hear you laughing. B, this is my house so I ask the questions darling which takes me to D,"
He stopped to take a breath. "What the fuck are you doing here so early?"
"Has anyone told you you have a damn good pulmonary capacity?" The other man asked.
"Buck."
"Okay, I was passing by to pick you up to go to our shift." Buck shrugged. Eddie knew there was more to it but let it go.
"Now go and put on some proper clothes and then answer what's going on with all this and the poles outside. I'll be here preparing a breakfast-to-go."
Eddie begrudgingly accepted and went to his room and changed clothes.
On their way, Eddie explained Buck his plans for the swings. They were arriving at the firehouse when he made Buck promise he wouldn't tell anyone about it.
And the other man put a condition, Eddie would call him if he needed help the next day.
Eddie rolled his eyes and agreed, while he had experience building things with his father he knew Buck equaled his experience.
Now he needed to survive a shift with Buck trying to keep a secret.
Great.
...
Things didn't go as bad as Eddie thought they would go.
The next day when Hen arrived at the firehouse for her shift, Eddie greeted her and Buck was vibrating suspiciously when it was his turn.
Hen quirked an eyebrow at Eddie who made his best effort to seem normal and shrugged. She made a weird face in return and let them walk away.
Once in Buck's Jeep both let out a breath they didn't know were holding. The drive to Eddie's place was filled with an excited air.
A quick morning nap was all it took for Eddie to recharge batteries and soon enough he was on his truck, poles, ropes, and tools in the trunk, and on his way to pick up his son from his Abuela and then to Hen and Karen's house.
Their garden was a view that always made Eddie's breath hitch.
Karen had an excellent hand for plants, unlike Eddie.
She had climbing plants and trees on their fences to keep away nosey neighbors, a garden of blooming roses and another with tulips, and a mini forest of growing trees in flower pots filling the place with a cool air that was much needed in the Californian summer.
Almost in the middle, there was a medium-sized oak where he was planning to hang a swing.
He put his hands to work and decided to start taking the poles out of the trunk and onto the backyard.
Of course, when he almost got crushed to the ground by one of the poles he called Buck, and in the meantime, he took his tools to the garden and climbed the tree to start attaching the rope.
The youngest firefighter arrived some minutes later, scanning the place until he found Eddie.
“Why are you sitting in a tree?” Buck asked, his head inclined to get a better look.
"Maybe because a swing is going to hang from here, but you already knew that." Eddie answered back struggling to stay seated.
"Be kind and pass me that rope?" He pointed at a rope on the floor right under him.
"Sure."
Hours passed, the tree swing was ready and strong enough to support Buck so it was safe for kids, and the support structure of the other two was almost done.
Karen invited them to go inside and eat some sandwiches the kids had helped her make for them.
"Oh, Buck these don't have pickles. I know you don't like them." Karen pointed at the ones on the left side of the plate and Buck felt warmth spreading inside him because she remembered.
Buck ignored Eddie's teasing look and moaned at the taste of the ham and cheese sandwich. "Oh my God, this is awesome Karen." 
"Is this homemade bread?" Eddie asked before Karen could say they were just sandwiches.
They were heavenly sandwiches.
"Yeah, we learned to do it during the lockdown." She answered, smiling proudly. "How's the project going?"
"On track and almost done. We just need to put the swings on the upper pole and then attach it to the supports, we put it straight, and ta-dah! Ready to have lots of fun!" Buck smiled with his hands shaking on either side of his face.
"You did it faster than I thought." Karen commented. "And tomorrow you two will come after Hen's done with her after-work nap. You have no excuse."
"Yes ma'am." Eddie answered as the other man nodded.
"Great. Oh and, thanks again. I appreciate it."
"Nonsense, it's our pleasure to do this. You are family." Eddie assured.
...
"What's this surprise you're telling me about?" Hen asked Karen the next day, as she hugged her from behind.
"Good morning darling." Karen answered while she turned around to kiss her, purposely avoiding the question.
"Please?" Hen teased.
"Well-" Karen was cut by a squeal and many laughs from their backyard. Hen tried to look outside but she grabbed her hand to have her attention.
"Come with me."
And so she did.
The last thing Hen imagined to see when the door opened was Denny, Nia, and Chris playing in the swings with Eddie and Buck taking care of them and having as much fun as the kids, but there they were.
"Surprise!" They all exclaimed.
"What in the-" Hen gasped as she walked into the garden with wide eyes. "Eddie? Buck? What are you doing here? What is this?"
Eddie chuckled as he got closer to the couple, "And here I thought it looked like swings and not just a mess."
"How?" Hen asked breathlessly.
"Well, it was all Eddie's idea." Buck added from the swings, watching the kids.
"Really?"
Now Eddie was blushing slightly, "Yeah. I heard you some weeks ago in the firehouse and I thought it would be fun to do it."
"Oh Eddie, I love it." Hen got out of her shock and hugged the man tightly. "Thanks. It means more than what you think."
"I'm glad you like it because there are no refunds!" Eddie chuckled, still in the hug. "And I know."
He let go of her and stepped aside, watching the kids enjoy the new swings.
Eddie let out a contented sigh. "I know."
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the-river-person · 3 years
Text
Renaissance
“YOU’RE ACTING VERY ODDLY, SANS.” Noted Papyrus one morning when he bumped into his brother on his way to the stairs. Sans wasn’t really ready for the day, his pajamas rumpled and his eyes sleepy, but that wasn’t out of the ordinary for him. What was strange was the fact that he was carrying a basket full of dirty laundry and was on his way to put them in the wash. If it had been the first and only time, Papyrus might have hugged him with joy and thanked the Angel for miracles. But that had happened over a week ago and Sans had since done this and other chores without prompting several more times. Blinking up at him with an expression that very clearly said that he wasn’t really all awake, Sans tried to grin. “What do you mean? I’m just trying to get some clean clothes, is that so weird?” “YES,” said Papyrus. “ YOU LEFT A SOCK ON THE LIVING ROOM FLOOR FOR OVER A MONTH, PROBABLY LONGER WITH THE RESETS IF WE’RE BEING HONEST.“ That encouraged a snicker from Sans. “It’s still there actually.” “I’M WELL AWARE. BUT DON’T TRY TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT! YOU’VE BEEN ALARMINGLY ACTIVE FOR YOU AND I INTEND TO FIND OUT WHY.” Sans gave him a thumbs up and a wink and Papyrus glared at him before stalking down the stairs, his head tilted up to give an air of disdain towards his brother, who laughed. Breakfast was an interesting affair. The Egg and Cheese Breakfast Muffins that Papyrus had made were pretty enough to look at, though entirely inedible. He’d found the recipe in a book at the dump and had been attempting to recreate the dish. The only real reason this batch hadn’t gone quite right was because they’d gone rock solid at some point during the baking. Still, he’d also made some bacon, so they’d eaten that. There was much less of a restriction on food nowadays. Normally food was collected and sold through the vendors with a stock being held in reserve in case the fields stopped producing or the garbage stopped flowing. But since the world would reset every few weeks the reserves weren’t kept as big and more foods were allowed through. Some monsters, like Papyrus, were taking advantage of the excess to experiment more with various dishes. Sans had to admit that his brother’s cooking skills were improving by leaps and bounds, and only rarely ended with something they couldn’t actually eat.
Everyone’s lives had been severely rattled by the recent events. Sans hadn’t realized how much would have to change in their new circumstances. With no need to spend time and effort farming or collecting food and resources to maintain their lives, many Monsters had turned to entertainment. At first Mettaton’s tv show boomed with success as the only real official source of digital entertainment the Underground had to offer. But it was only two Resets into their new lives that the first alternatives had begun popping up all over. Amateur musicians began uploading videos of songs to the Undernet, either of their own composition or covers of existing songs like the “Angel’s Prayer” that children were fond of singing. Not all of them were spectacular, but they got the enthusiasm, praise, and encouragement of everyone in the Underground anyway. Not a single video went unseen, and several more were created because some Monsters were inspired by what they’d seen and heard. The Spiders who lived in Hotland put on a televised performance of Web Swinging crossed with Ballet where they performed “Coppélia” to the absolute delight of all their viewers. Even the Queen, seemingly returned from death overnight and the cause of much initial confusion and fright in the populace, made a concerted effort to aid Monsters in reforming their lives in some constructive way despite the lack of work. She founded a school where all those who wished to learn were invited, regardless of their age, and various Monsters were invited to come lecture or teach all kinds of subjects to whoever wanted to learn them. Since no school building could be made that would stay past the Resets, they made do with hundreds of tents upon the crystal starlit fields of the Grand Cavern. Both Papyrus and Sans had signed up for some of these. Toriel’s baking classes were fun and there were often treats to be sampled afterward, including her famous Snail Pie. Though Papyrus would groan in feigned agony as Sans and Toriel shot pun after pun back and forth at one another while working, he didn’t really seem to mind all that much and occasionally would contribute a pun of his own, though Sans could never quite tell if it was intentional or not. Old Seam it seemed had decided to participate in the fun as well. Though he’d been a soldier in the wars and now ran a little shop in New Home, he seemed thrilled to totter his way all the way down to the School in order to teach magic tricks. Young Monsters sat wide eyed with astonishment as the old Cat-Monster made lights appear and vanish, caused rubber balls to pop endlessly from his mouth only to turn into wisps of smoke when he dropped them one by one into a glass of water, or make his wheezy laughing voice come from various objects such as Queen Toriel’s teapot or a desk or someone’s stack of books. Everybody loved the tricks and spent a great deal of time trying to learn how to do them, with limited success. Toriel only stepped in once in order to stop Monster Kid from doing his own version of one of Seam’s best tricks, which involved sawing a volunteer in half and having their lower half walk around a stage before somehow putting them back together. Wherever you looked, Monsters were creating and innovating, finding new ways to create a working life. When the world Reset itself, they’d start new projects, continued practicing hobbies, set up tents or made temporary stages for performances or meetings. Games were played, songs written, and some particularly industrious people still found ways to put themselves to work. Through it all, Sans was beginning to feel more and more like he was being cornered. Monsters talked, and many of them wanted justice for the Resets and the loss of any chance to escape from the Underground. Others weren’t sure it mattered anymore as long as the human continued their duty of Resetting, or thought maybe the human should stay hidden in the Ruins even as they Reset the world every few weeks. Whispers mentioned the Judge. Surely the Judge would know what to do? Surely surely the Judge could tell them what was right?
He hated it. With each passing day the idea of having to tell the truth about his position inched closer and closer to reality. Even as the Queen avoided him outside the structured time of their classes, and Alphys grew obsessed with perfecting the Solution so she could undo her terrible mistake, Sans found himself finding ways to stay busy, to keep moving. If he never paused for too long he wouldn’t have to think too hard about his role. Wouldn’t have to wonder how he was going to live up to their expectations. The Royal Judge wasn’t supposed to be a public duty, it was something secret, private. The Judge was an ordinary monster for a reason, someone who could judge even the King or Queen fairly if it came to it. Now... He wasn’t sure he could judge fairly, not after everything. And while the whole Underground waited for his decision. No, he didn’t want it. But there wasn’t going to be much choice. Wishing, not for the first time, that he could just fly away in a rocket ship to mars and never look back, Sans occupied himself by helping Mettaton with a class about Acting Methods. Specifically he was supposed to come in and try to sell a Hot Dog to Mettaton while the other reacted in various ways depending on the character being portrayed. It was silly, and watching the robot prance around and loudly proclaim his own virtues to his audience was kind of fun. It was like everything was still normal. Even though the world had changed and it felt like nothing could be the same, there were still things that wouldn’t change.
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chaseatinydream · 3 years
Text
pirate king (31) || atz
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“HAVANA-OHNANA-”
The five of you are walking along the streets, footsteps echoing on the cobbles as you take in the sights about you. It’s a bright and sunny day, with a stiff breeze keeping the temperature cool while you tour the town. You’re dressed lightly for the day, your hair done up in the pin Wooyoung had given you a while back to keep it out of your face.
But Jongho. What is Jongho doing?
Seonghwa sighs, turning to look at their maknae. “Well, he did get drunk yesterday after we told him I was staying with the crew and sobbed for a whole hour about how happy he was.”
“Let’s not forget how he danced around the ship trying to do a striptease to celebrate.” San mutters under his breath. You gulp at the thought and cover your eyes, as if that could change what your eyes have already seen.
You’re probably still traumatised.
“HALF OF MY HEART IS IN HAVANA-”
Yeosang stares worriedly after Jongho, who’s still dancing his way through the marketplace, belting out some song none of you have heard before at the top of his lungs.
“Is he still drunk?”
It’s funny how Captain actually let Jongho go into town with you and the others after the little fiasco yesterday. After returning to the Treasure on your little rowboat, Seonghwa had immediately explained to Captain and the rest about all that had happened. Hongjoong had simply listened quietly to Seonghwa, nodding in understanding when his cook had told him about how he had been tempted to stay in Nassau.
“It was understandable.” Hongjoong had shrugged.
But when Seonghwa had declared he was going to stay with the crew no matter what, you swore you had seen Hongjoong sigh a silent breath of relief under his breath, the tense muscles in his shoulders relaxing.
The rest of the crew hadn’t been quite so reserved in showing their joy.
Yunho and Wooyoung, once again the life of the party, had snuck down into the storage hold and swiped an entire cask of aged fire rum, giving drinks out to the whole crew, much to Hongjoong’s horror.
And absolutely the entire ship had gotten dead drunk.
The last time when you had gone drinking with the ATEEZ crew, you had thought you had seen everything. From flirting with inanimate objects to burning down restaurant kitchens, it had been bad. Until you had seen this.
Two words.
Absolute. Pandemonium.
What happened had literally been the stuff of nightmares. Your master, soft spoken oddball Choi San, had only managed two glasses of alcohol before he had gone streaking across the main deck of the ship, dressed in a grass skirt of medicinal herbs which you had been forced to toss this morning due to hygiene purposes. You had managed to save his clothes from being lost to the unknown, but your sanity had been sacrificed in the process as you tried to drag him back to the sickbay all with your eyes firmly shut against the evils of the world.
Mingi. The silent, steady quartermaster was one depressed drunk. After a few minutes of cheering like a lunatic with the rest of the crew, he had suddenly stood up, walked over to the captain’s cabin and lay down on Yeosang’s bed, hugging a terribly ugly plushie that you assumed your master had sewn years ago, a yellow bean in blue suspenders and clearly missing an eye. To it he had sobbed his life story, which mainly involved how he had joined the Treasure and how he wished Hongjoong could have had a better life. You had chosen wisely to leave the cabin before the room flooded with his tears.
Only to run in Jongho, who was in the middle of the main deck attempting to do a striptease along to a tragic ballad he was singing at full volume, hyped on by the rest of the crew chanting along. You had gone already nearly gone blind trying to escort San back to the sickbay, but with Jongho, you weren’t quite as lucky.
For a moment, you had very nearly wanted to claw your own eyes out. Fortunately for you, you had been saved when Jongho had decided to do a swan dive over the side of the ship into the sea all while screaming something that sounded suspiciously like ‘yeet’, prompting the only other sober person besides you on board, Seonghwa, to jump into the frigid waters to rescue him.
And gods. Rational, gentle, innocent and sweet Yeosang had gotten drunk. And when he got drunk, he drank even more. And when he drank even more, boy did he let his mouth run. You never wanted to hear the words that he had used to describe his father leave his mouth ever, and in the morning when they had been slightly more sober than before, Hongjoong had threatened to wash his mouth out with rubbing alcohol if he ever heard them again.
Which was rather ironic, considering that Hongjoong himself had been Yeosang’s most ardent supporter and listener the night before, cursing his own father with all sorts of colourful and creative words that had nearly made your ears bleed. The two had sat in the bow with a bottle of fine, powerful whiskey between them, screaming all sorts of unrepeatable expletives into the dark of the ocean. You had carefully kept clear of the forecastle deck, but even from the main mast you could hear them shrieking words like ‘shitbag’ and ‘bastard can’t even aim a gun properly-’ over the howling of the wind.
You had chosen not to dwell too much on that. After all, you had bigger problems to deal with.
Yunho and Wooyoung had been attempting to swing around the masts. The three of you were rigging monkeys, so this was nothing unusual. The problem with that was that Yunho and Wooyoung were on the verge of getting into a fist fight on the yardams, and that scared you more than it should have.
Because the two of them were fighting over the mast.
“The main mast is the best mast of the three! She’s tall and gorgeous, with such a slim and sleek figure! What does your mast have?” Yunho screamed from above, clinging onto the main mast’s rigging like it was his one true love. You had wondered briefly who he was talking to, until a voice from the mizzen mast had shrieked back in response.
“The mizzen mast is made of the most exquisite conifer! I’d like to see your mast made of anything better!”
It was Wooyoung, the drunk idiot second only to Yunho.
The first time you had caught wind of their argument, you had briefly wondered if you were the drunk one instead, but then you remembered that you hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol.
“Guys,” You had tried to cajole them into coming down from their dangerously high perches, “The masts are just big sticks-”
From the horrified screeching above you, you would have thought you had just murdered their firstborn children.
“How dare you, Haechin!” Yunho had blubbered, sloshing alcohol everywhere from above and you had been forced to dive out of the way to avoid a shower of rum. Wooyoung had thrown his wooden mug at Yunho with all the fury of a professional thrower but without the aim, so his shot had gone far off. The piece of tableware had flown through the air and hit Jongho straight in the forehead when Seonghwa was trying to haul him back on board, so the maknae simply toppled back into the ocean, much to Seonghwa’s horror.
“Don’t you dare call Chon Ha’s name wrongly!” Wooyoung had screeched from the mizzen mast, dangling upside down from the ropes, failing to recognise the hypocrisy of his statement. “Names are important, Yun Hoe!”
“What did you just call me, Poo Young?”
You had merely stood at the main deck for a long moment, staring up at the masts as you wondered how on earth you were ever going to get them down, the two slinging insults at each other with all the maturity of a five year old child split between the two of them.
“They’re very passionate about this.” Seonghwa had appeared at your side with a limp, kicking Jongho slung over his shoulder. He watched as the two flung rude hand gestures at each other, occasionally forgetting that they needed their hands to hold on to the rigging and almost tumbling off the masts, but somehow managing to save themselves at the last moment. “That’s how the two of them started talking when Wooyoung first joined the ship.”
You had stared at the cook incredulously even as Jongho attempted to struggle out of the sackcloth Seonghwa had tied him up in to save what was left of his shredded dignity. “By talking about which mast is better?”
Seonghwa had shrugged in reply. “Every time they get drunk, they flirt with inanimate objects. Along the way, Wooyoung and Yunho just… fell in love with the mizzen mast and main mast, I guess.”
Maybe the maturity of a five year old split between the two of them had been a little too generous. You doubted they had more brain than Shiber even if you put their minds together.
“I once woke up to see Wooyoung getting it down the mizzen mast. And Yunho attempting to seduce the mast with terrible puns about… you know.” Seonghwa had mumbled, shaking his head as he massaged his temples. He had clearly seen terrible things, you could see the trauma of his experience on the lines of his handsome face. What a difficult life he has been through. “Well, anyway, I need to get Jongho below deck before he attempts to go skinny dipping in the sea again.”
Your eyes had widened in horror as Seonghwa hoisted a whining Jongho higher up his shoulder. “You can’t leave me alone with these two idiots! You’ve known them longer, you should know what to do!”
But Seonghwa merely waved over his shoulder, opening the hatch to below the decks and rolling Jongho’s body down the stairs.
“Look at the blue she dresses herself in! The beauty of her robes, she’s such a fine mast!” Yunho screamed above you, and for a moment you had been very tempted to just grab Mingi’s ax from the cabin and hack the entire mast down.
“You’re merely dressing a swine in pearls!” Wooyoung waved his fist back furiously, his face red from hanging upside down or from the alcohol, you didn’t know. “What matters most is the person within!”
“That would have been so much more touching if he hadn’t been talking about a mast.” You shook your head, completely exasperated. But Wooyoung and Yunho had obviously not forgotten about you, because they turned to you simultaneously.
“Haechin!”
“Choo Ha!”
Their voices echoed together. “Which mast is better?”
You had buried your face in your hands. This was actually a real conversation. These two grown adult men had just asked you which big wooden stick was better than the other.
You’d had enough.
“Neither.”
Yunho had slid down his rope precariously to stare at you in the eye seriously. Then he screamed “What?” so loud in your ears you were pretty sure one eardrum had just given up on you, the sound ringing in your ears. But you had forced yourself to keep your calm.
“The foremast is better.”
Now that you think back on it, you had probably broken them. The two of them had merely gaped at you in shock and horror, and Yunho had actually slipped from the ropes to land in a crumpled heap right next to you.
Sobs had burst out from the mizzen mast.
“How could you say such a cruel thing, Choo Hoo?”
That was probably why the two other rigging monkeys had refused to join your little excursion to Havana today. Neither Wooyoung nor Yunho had met your eye, probably still unable to accept by what you had told them.
It was either that or the roaring hangover both of them had.
Suddenly, a screech pierces the air, much like a dying ostrich and you clap your hands over your ears, eyes flitting around for the source of the noise. Yeosang, too, flinches, but manages to stay a lot more composed than you. He must be too used to the sound of cannon fire and Wooyoung’s shrieking laughter.
“What was that?” You gape, but then all you see is a fruit cart, overturned, and suddenly, it explodes into flames.
Yeosang dives at you, knocking you to the ground as bits of charred wood fall all about you. To your left, you see your master crouched behind another stall with his hands protecting his head. To your right, you see Mingi and Seonghwa ushering a small girl to safety and away from the explosion.
“What happened?” You ask as Yeosang crawls off you, brushing ash from the knees of his pants as the two of you rise to your feet. The navigator frowns, coughing from the sheer amount of smoke as he attempts to see where your battlemaster has gone.
“Where’s that dumb maknae?” San yelps from the ground, and you can see him clutching a small Shiber stuffed toy to his chest protectively. “I swear, if he got into some sort of shit-”
“Language, San!” Yeosang chides, but the tips of his ears turn pink in embarrassment at his hypocrisy. Then he catches sight of something, and his eyes widen in sheer horror. “What the fu-”
You clap a hand over his mouth before he can say anymore.
“-urry cute bunny.” Yeosang manages to save his mouth from a date with rubbing alcohol. “Is that Jongho? With my new explosive, highly dangerous smoke bombs?”
You almost choke in shock as you stare into the clearing smoke. Then you see it. Jongho, hooting madly with laughter as he raises another hand bomb in his hands. Yup, definitely still drunk. “Oh, fu-”
What has Jongho done?
Before you too have a date with rubbing alcohol, San spots the town law enforcement approaching, the sound of their boots thundering across the stone pavement. The healer looks at you determinedly. You glance at him, intending to convey your message to him. Your master has always understood you intuitively, much like how you and Wooyoung can communicate through touch alone.
We’ve got to get Jongho out of there before the officials spot him.
San nods seriously in agreement.
Then he opens his mouth and screams. “Abandon ship!”
With that, he shoots down a small lane and out of sight before you can say a word. To your horror, Mingi and Seonghwa bolt as well, as if this is a drill they’ve practiced thousands of times.
Your eyes widen. Those little shits...
You and Yeosang exchange grim looks. Neither of you want to do it, but you’ve been saddled with the responsibility. You’re going to murder San when you get back to ship.
“We need to save Jongho’s ass.”
“We do.”
Saying it out loud doesn’t make it any easier to do.
So this time when Yeosang swears rather colorfully, you don’t bother stopping him.
Yeosang takes your hand and yanks you with him as he grabs Jongho by the scruff of the neck. The surprised maknae barely has the time to react before Yeosang is dragging him down the street with you, deceptively strong for such a lithe person. The three of you duck into an alley, just as the officers dash past you, shouting for the offender to step forward and admit to his crimes.
“Let the world burn!” Jongho crows, attempting to toss the bomb to the ground. Yeosang struggles against him, trying to get him to let go of the bomb and simultaneously attempting to shut him up at the same time. Honestly, what on earth did Jongho drink last night? How was he still drunk even now?
Then the memory comes back to you.
This morning, Jongho had woken up with a hangover, like everyone else on the ship. He had come to you, looking for something to help with the headache, so you had suggested a common household remedy, a splash of gin with a tomato based drink to take the edge off.
Just a little gin, you remembered saying. When you had walked into the storage hold to clear up after the night before, you had seen an entire bottle of gin, empty and bone dry on the floor. At the moment, you had wondered if Jongho had drunk the whole bottle himself in the morning, but you waved it off, Jongho couldn’t be that stupid, and the empty bottle was probably just from last night.
Well, apparently Jongho was that stupid, because he had likely downed the entire bottle of hard liquor by himself in the morning and had gotten drunk all over again.
“I heard some noise coming from over here!”
You and Yeosang exchange glances and begin panicking simultaneously. Your eyes search the alleyway desperately for some means of escape, but all you see is a shop with grimy windows that are too dirty to see through…
And that is perfect.
You pull on Yeosang’s sleeve and tug him into the door, the tinkling of chimes signalling your arrival. The two of you barely manage to bundle the screeching human shape that is Jongho into the shop after you before you hear the guards run past the door. The three of you land in a tangled heap on the ground.
“We’ve got to catch those offenders!”
You groan in exasperation and feel tempted to slap your forehead, but you reach over and smack Jongho instead. The maknae yelps, but at least he drops the bomb into Yeosang’s outstretched palm before abruptly falling unconscious.
“I wish we could kill him.” You glare at his form. Today was supposed to be a relaxing day off, one in which all of you could relax together, and you and San had intended on visiting the herb garden markets for rare plants and the like. Now it seems as if you will have to wait until tomorrow to wait for the fuss to die down.
“How may I help the three of you?”
You jump in shock, scrambling backwards and almost knocking Yeosang over. He moves in front of you protectively, and from his sleeve you see the glint of something silver just in case.
But it’s just an old man standing there, with greying hair and eyes that seem to keep shifting colour. You frown. At one moment they seem to be blue, then brown, then grey, and in the end you give up on trying to decide exactly what shade they are. He must be the owner of this shop.
“Ah!” You and Yeosang exchange glances and your eyes flit around the shop, your foot shoving Jongho’s prone form behind you as you try to find a suitable excuse. “We were… ah… we were looking for a book.”
It’s a bookshop, after all.
“That’s nice to hear. You rarely get youngsters such as yourself who are interested in books.” The old man smiles warmly, and something in you feels like you want to stay with him somehow. He radiates a sense of comfort that you want to keep with you at all times. “Are the two of you married? He seems like a sweet boy.”
You spit and Yeosang chokes at the same time, you reach over to slap his back as he tries to recover from his coughing fit. “Thank you, sir.” Yeosang thumps his chest, heart racing beneath his skin at the man’s words. “But we’re just friends.”
“Oh?” The old man raises an eyebrow, and you frown again, wondering how his eyes can be such a unique shade that you cannot identify. “Then again, there are always more choices. Fate changes, you know, like a stream flowing down a mountain. It curves and winds, overcoming whatever is in its way. No path is definite.”
You cough awkwardly. “Yes, sir.”
As weird as this conversation is, you’d prefer him to ask you about this than Jongho’s body. Maybe the man is too senile to think otherwise about a dead drunk body on the floor.
“Anyway, I might have the book for you.” The old man moves about the shelves, searching for something, you don’t know. You glance about you, the shelves are made from tree roots grown into the wall, the books leaning against a wall of soil. Then you realise why the floor is so soft. It’s a carpet of soft green grass, well kept with tiny flowers blooming. Your eyes widen in wonder at the beauty of it all.
“Your shop is beautiful.” You gush, astounded at the effort that must have gone into creating and maintaining this shop. “You must have worked hard on it.”
The old man’s fingers still on the spine of a book. “Well… I have a… talent for these sort of things and I enjoy it… I suppose you could say I have a green thumb.”
With that, he pulls out a book from the shelves and offers it to you. “That’s a beautiful necklace, by the way.” He comments, gesturing to the silver chain hanging from your neck. You smile as you accept the book gratefully, Yeosang peeks over your shoulder at the cover.
“Thank you. I’ve had it with me for a long time.”
The Little Mermaid.
“Isn’t this a kid’s storybook?” Yeosang asks, studying the rendition of the mermaid drawn on the cover. The old man nods wisely.
“It is sometimes the simplest things that hold the most truth.” He says and you nod gratefully, reaching into your pocket to pay him for the book (and for harboring the three of you from guards). But he stops you. “Ah, don’t pay me. I have a feeling you might need that book. Have you ever heard of the saying, do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it? Although it may be a little different… in this case.”
You don’t really understand what he’s saying and shake your head, but take the book anyway. “Thank you very much, sir.”
Yeosang hoists one of Jongho’s arms over his shoulder and the three of you prepare to leave, but the old man calls out to you one last time.
“Chin Hae?”
“Hmm?” You turn around in response to your name. The old man smiles at you, and suddenly you feel something wet sliding down your cheek. It’s a tear, you realise in shock, and hurriedly wipe it away before he can see.
Why are you crying in front of an old man.
“That’s a beautiful name. I’m glad they chose it for you. Stay safe.”
You frown a little at the strangeness of his words, but you thank him anyway for the compliment and well wish. Then you and Yeosang are out of the shop, the chimes swaying as the door clicks shut. The old man stares after the three of you, watching through the window as you speak to Yeosang about the book.
“Chin Hae, huh?”
He glances around the shop. This is such a measly sight of what he can do, but you complimented it and called it beautiful. If only you could see the true beauty of it, like you’ve always wanted to.
“Maybe soon.” He murmurs to himself and snaps his fingers.
Suddenly, the old, aged trees shrink back into the wall of earth, the plants wilting and dying in mere seconds, the flowers falling to the earth and vanishing into the soil. The books, shelves, everything disappears in mere seconds, and suddenly, the old shopkeeper is standing in the empty alleyway all by himself.
Except he’s not an old man anymore.
The skin on his face stretches and smooths out once more, his skin darkening till it takes on an earthy brown tone. The colours in his eyes swirl together, twisting and mixing in a kaleidoscope of shades until it finally settles on one single hue.
A bright, unearthly green that no one else in the world can replicate.
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artificialqueens · 3 years
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You've Got a Shot, Though (Gigi x Jackie) - Strawberry & Cobblestaubrey
Summary: Gigi Goode, Jackie’s sworn enemy.
Okay. Not sworn enemy. She wasn’t sure if Gigi even knew who she was. However, that didn’t stop Jackie from feeling something when Gigi was around. She couldn’t exactly pinpoint it, but it must’ve been envy or jealousy. The blonde girl was rich, and beautiful, and Jackie felt drawn to her whenever she was around. Did she want to be Gigi Goode? That had to be it.
And it pissed her off.
Jackie runs for student council president. So why does Gigi freaking Goode have to, too?
A/N: Hi everyone!! Basically @cobblestaubrey and I wrote this together and posted it on AO3 and we decided to bring it over to AQ as well! It’s half serious and half crack fic if you’re into that, I hope you enjoy :)
“I’m just sick of people not taking me seriously. I mean, who cares about student council treasurer?” Jackie threw her hands in the air, continuing to pace around the emptying hallway.
Nicky furrowed her brows. “There’s a student council treasurer?”
“Yes! Me!”
Jackie had been treasurer since her freshman year of high school, yet no one seemed to know who she was. She had tried to put herself out there time and time again to no avail, and she was fed up with consistently failing at it.
Nicky at least had the decency to look sorry. “Oh… On purpose?”
“Yes, Nicky, thanks. A good friend you are.”
“Not what I meant!” Nicky held up her hands in defense. “I’m just wondering if you’re stuck there? Have you tried running for something else?”
Jackie had never thought about leaving her spot as treasurer. No one had ever tried to snatch it from her; it felt like she owned the position. Nicky was right, though, a change of pace could be what she needed. “I guess Vice President would be nice?”
“Mm. Not big enough,” Nicky responded almost immediately.
“But, the only other option is…”
Nicky smirked. “Exactly.”
“I can’t run for student council President!” She couldn’t believe what Nicky was suggesting. It would be a total long shot.
Shrugging, Nicky continued. “Why not? The position is open,” she leaned forward, nudging Jackie with her elbow. “We all know what happened to the last President.”
Jackie grimaced, remembering the fate of Dahlia, who had been President since freshman year. She had been popular and easily snagged the votes of every boy in the grade. The only problem was she had no idea how to be President and basically had faked it the entire time, until it all finally caught up to her. Her Vice President, Jaida, had ratted her out for fulfilling none of her presidential duties, and Dahlia had ‘stepped down’ before the student council could impeach her.
“Do you really think I could do it?” This would be a big decision; it would put Jackie way out of her comfort zone.
“Why wouldn’t you be able to? You’re smart, and you’ve - apparently - been in student council this whole time. You have the experience.”
Jackie couldn’t remember a time Nicky was so unabashedly supportive, but she couldn’t complain about being buttered up.
“I don’t know…”
Nicky pursed her lips, before speaking again. “How about this, I’ll be your advisor!” She could see Jackie was still not convinced, and continued on,  “I’ll tell you what to do, make sure you don’t make any of those stupid puns you like-”
“Stupid?”
“Yes, Jackie, they’re stupid, and no one’s gonna vote for you if you say them.”
Jackie sighed. “Okay, fine. I’ll think about it, alright?”
“I think it would be… good for you.”
That sounded weird. “O-kay…”
“Well, I’m about to be late for cheer,” Nicky started, turning on her heel, before looking back at Jackie, “but definitely think it over.”
The conversation was definitely odd, but Jackie was too preoccupied with thinking about all of the things she could get done, and the power she would have if she were President.
Dahlia had never listened to any of her ideas. Jackie had spent so much time calculating how to reallocate money from their failing sports teams to the underfunded arts department, but Dahlia was failing ninth grade algebra in junior year and didn’t know how money worked.
On her way out of the school, towards the parking lot, Jackie had kept her eyes on the floor, and nearly ran into a wall. Stumbling backwards, trying to catch her balance, she got a good look at what was on the wall.
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“No freaking way.”
Gigi Goode, Jackie’s sworn enemy.
Okay. Not sworn enemy. She wasn’t sure if Gigi even knew who she was. However, that didn’t stop Jackie from feeling something when Gigi was around. She couldn’t exactly pinpoint it, but it must’ve been envy or jealousy. The blonde girl was rich, and beautiful, and Jackie felt drawn to her whenever she was around. Did she want to be Gigi Goode? That had to be it.
And it pissed her off.
Nicky did not have cheer practice that day. She wasn’t even wearing a cheerleading uniform - she wasn’t sure how Jackie missed that - but she was grateful for the brunette’s obliviousness.
Instead of going to the gym, Nicky headed down to the art wing, where Rock was. Walking inside one of the classrooms, she found Rock devouring a glue stick.
“What the fuck?”
“My mom didn’t pack me a snack and you took too long,” Rock spoke around the glue, continuing to munch on it as Nicky watched in horror.
“Well, I’m pretty sure I convinced Jackie to run.”
Rock’s eyes lit up, and she finally put the glue stick down, brushing her sticky hands on her pants. “Seriously?”
“It actually wasn’t that hard. Did you know she was treasurer?”
Rock sent her an exasperated look. “Yeah that’s the whole fucking point, Nicky, we talked about this.”
“I was a bit distracted,” Nicky smirked, giving Rock a once over, which made Rock roll her eyes.
“Slow down, Casanova, we have a different couple to get together first.”
Crossing her arms, Nicky raised an eyebrow. “How am I supposed to trust you when you eat glue sticks?”
“It was one time!”
“There are three empty glue sticks right there.”
Rock quickly shoved them off the desk, wincing as they clattered onto the floor. “No there aren’t. Anyway, you don’t have to trust me. Gigi Goode gets what she wants, and she wants Jackie.”
“Are you sure you two are even friends? How does this work?”
Rock scoffed. “I’ve known Gigi since she was in designer diapers. We go way back.”
“Suuuure.”
Rock rolled her eyes, and then got out of her seat. Walking over to the printer in the corner, she pulled out a large sheet of paper from the printer tray, and held it up for Nicky to see. “Now, come on, we have more of these posters to put up.”
Jackie had given in and signed up to run for President, and now she was sitting in the library, waiting for the first meeting. She had arrived twenty minutes before it was supposed to start, like she always had done.
A few students had taken residency in the chairs in front of her and behind her, but it wasn’t as many people as she originally thought. Her competition wasn’t too steep, either.
There was Jan, who had never won anything in her entire school career, and Scarlet, who was funny and personable, but couldn’t tell the difference between “President” and “precedent”. The others were no names who Jackie had never even seen in the library, and her confidence was on the rise.
Until Gigi Goode walked in, two minutes before the meeting started, and took a seat right next to Jackie.
Great. The last thing Jackie wanted was to have Gigi sit next to her.
Gigi sent her a soft smile, which Jackie pointedly ignored, crossing her arms and facing towards where the principal would begin speaking.
“So you’re running too?” Gigi asked, flashing her another smile.
“Uh, yeah. That’s why I’m here,” Jackie finally spoke to her, annoyed at Gigi’s ignorance.
Gigi looked firmly chastised, folding her hands in her lap and nodding. “Cool.”
Luckily for the blonde, the principal finally stood up to address the room, saving her from the awkward moment with Jackie.
“Alright, I assume you’re all here for the student council President position?”
Most everyone nodded at that, except for one student who got up and left.
The principal, after watching said student leave, turned back to the group. “Alrighty. Well, as you all know, being President means holding a lot of responsibility for not only yourself but your classmates and their time here…”
Jackie, having heard a similar speech before, began tuning the principal out, letting her eyes wander around the room.
Eventually, she was pulled out of her trance by Gigi, who elbowed her lightly. “Treasure her? I barely know her!”
Jackie flinched away from Gigi’s arm, sending the girl a glare. “What?”
“Treasurer, ‘treasure her’, get it?” Jackie stared blankly, causing Gigi to falter. “You’re the treasurer, right?”
“Yes.”
“Cool.”
Jackie couldn’t believe that Gigi was trying this hard to distract her. Shouldn’t Gigi be focusing on what the principal was saying, and not on Jackie?
She rolled her eyes. Gigi must’ve thought Jackie was real competition if she was willing to stoop so low. Jackie knew it was all a plan to get her in trouble, so she was trying her best to ignore all of the terrible puns Gigi was throwing at her.
By the end of the meeting, Gigi had finally stopped trying to speak to her, and Jackie was thankful for the silence so she could go back to zoning out. However, when everyone was dismissed, Jackie could see out of the corner of her eye that Gigi was still there, waiting.
“Well,” Gigi began, scratching the back of her neck. “Good luck!”
Jackie did her best to not react. “Thanks,” she muttered, slinging her backpack around her shoulder and leaving, barely avoiding a collision with Gigi’s shoulder.
Election season was now in full swing, and candidates were dropping like flies. Now the only two people left were Jackie and Gigi. Jackie was extremely confident that she was doing fairly well, as everyone she had asked said they would be voting for her.
Jackie had sauntered up to Nicky, leaning on the blonde’s locker as she always did in the morning, but Jackie wasn’t as tired as she usually was. Instead, she was bouncing on the balls of her feet. “How are the polls looking, Nicky?” Jackie asked, watching Nicky pull up the results on her phone. She had heard she had been doing better recently thanks to the few posters Nicky had made for her that hung around the halls, and couldn’t wait to see the polls.
The blonde skimmed the page, before looking up and smirking. “You’re up three percent.”
“Really?” Jackie grinned, trying to look over Nicky’s shoulder at her screen. “What’s my total?”
“Three percent.”
Jackie’s eyes went wide, searching Nicky’s face for the joke.
“What? But… Everyone said they’d be voting for me!”
Rolling her eyes, Nicky put her phone back into her pocket. She crossed her arms and raised a pointed eyebrow at Jackie. “You asked three people, and I was one of them.”
Jackie ignored her, shaking her head at herself. “How is this possible?”
Looking down the hallway, Jackie spotted Gigi talking to a girl Jackie recognized from her BC Calculus class. Wait, was Gigi handing her money?
Nicky had begun talking about something or another, but Jackie couldn’t be bothered to care. She had bigger problems right now. She stalked towards Gigi, ignoring Nicky’s calls behind her.
“Hey!” Jackie shouted when she was close enough to be sure Gigi would hear. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Oh hey, Jackie,” Heidi, the girl next to Gigi, said, “Have you done the homework yet?”
“Um, yes, obviously I did the homework, but that’s not important right now,” Jackie flared her nostrils, giving Gigi a piercing glare. “Are you bribing her? Seriously?”
Gigi continued handing the girl the money, albeit slower, as if she assumed that if she was quiet enough, Jackie wouldn’t notice. “No.”
“I can see you, that is, like, fifteen dollars.”
“Actually, it’s twenty!” Gigi smirked. “And there’s no rule against it, the principal didn’t say I couldn’t bribe people!”
Putting her hands on her hips, Jackie scoffed. “Is this how you get through life, Gigi? Buying your way into anything you want?”
“I feel like I shouldn’t be here right now,” Heidi said, looking between the two. She quickly pocketed the money and slipped out while the two other girls were busy staring each other down.
Gigi rolled her eyes. “Would you rather have me slander you? I’m sure I can pull up some sort of blackmail.”
“Good luck with that, I haven’t done anything remotely as bad as you have. I should be slandering you!”
“Oh, yeah,” Gigi crossed her arms, smirking, and Jackie knew this was bad news. “Freshman year, dress coded in the hall.”
Jackie sputtered, “that wasn’t my fault! It was the rampant sexism!”
“But the forty percent of undecided male voters might say otherwise.”
Jackie stopped in her tracks. “Really, forty percent?”
“Yeah, I think they hate women and don’t want to vote for one.”
“Well, they don’t have a choice.”
“Right? It’s actually ridiculous.”
“Yeah,” Jackie nodded, before lowering her eyebrows and looking away. “Wait, no! I’m mad at you! You can’t blackmail me.”
With a flip of her hair, Gigi began to turn away. “Then I’ll keep bribing whoever I want.”
As she started to walk down the hall, Jackie called out, “You won’t win this way!”
“Are you serious, Jackie? Yes I will,” Gigi laughed, causing Jackie’s cheeks to burn at the sound. Whether it was from embarrassment or something else, Jackie wasn’t sure, but she was angry, and she wanted to win.
If there was one thing Nicky hated, it was being interrupted while kissing pretty girls in her bed, but if there was anything she hated more, it was how oblivious Jackie was to everything around her.
Rock pulled away, her forehead creased. “Why is your ringer so loud?”
Nicky rolled her eyes, pulling her phone out of her back pocket. “Shut up. This better be worth it.”
[jackie.cox] Gigi is SO annoying! She’s bribing people left and right, and has no qualifications, and she keeps… smirking at me!
“Well?” Rock leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse at Nicky’s phone.
“Definitely not worth it,” she muttered, “It’s Jackie, ranting about Gigi as always.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be her advisor?”
Nicky laughed, “Yes,” before sending a message back to Jackie.
[nickydoll69] u r dumb
[jackie.cox] ??? I have a 4.0 GPA ???
[nickydoll69] dumb
Nicky looked back up, raising an eyebrow at Rock. “Gigi is bribing people?”
“As her campaign’s financial advisor, I completely support this.”
“Well, Jackie’s having an aneurysm over it.”
“Lemme see,” Rock scooted off of Nicky’s lap to sit by her side, taking her phone. “Really? She’s mad at the smirking? That was like, the opposite of what Gigi wanted.”
“Gigi planned this?”
Rock shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, she said something about no girl being able to resist the ‘Goode Charm’,” she made air quotes with her fingers, “She’s ridiculous.”
“But is she wrong?” Nicky asked, showing Rock the newest text on her phone.
[jackie.cox] I hate her and her stupid smirk on her stupid pretty face!
“That sounds kinda gay, Jackie.” Rock commented, and then looked back at Nicky. “We’re getting somewhere.”
“No we are not,” Nicky scoffed, “It’s going to take her two years to realize she likes Gigi at this rate.”
“Trust me, if Gigi ups the ante, there’s no way Jackie can resist her.”
Sending a quick text back to Jackie, Nicky put her phone down and pulled Rock onto her lap. “This sounds fucking stupid.”
Rock simpered, leaning closer. “It is, but it’ll work.”
Jackie was still fuming by the time lunch rolled around the next day, but she tried to keep her cool, as she was with Nicky and Rock. Gigi’s table of rich, future socialites was only ten or so feet away, but Jackie tried to block the blonde’s voice out nonetheless.
“Have you guys seen the TikTok where-”
“No Rock, I have not seen whatever anime TikTok you’re about to describe,” Jackie pointed at Rock with her spork, before piercing one of the cubed peaches in front of her.
“And I have seen it, and probably hated it,” Nicky added. “I hate all of the TikToks you send me.”
“Even the-”
“Yes. Even that one.”
“You guys suck.” Rock pouted, picking up her Capri Sun. “I send you guys the best ones!”
Jackie was about to respond, a quip on the tip of her tongue, until she heard an obnoxious, loud male voice behind her.
“I don’t think gay people should be allowed to run for anything, let alone president…”
It wasn’t like Jackie hadn’t heard something like this before, but with her losing numbers in the poll, this only made her angrier.
Before she had the chance to turn around and begin degrading whoever had spoken, another voice rang out.
“Hey!”
Jackie watched as the boy who had spoken and his friend turned away from her, only to come face to face with Gigi Goode.
The blonde’s glares were usually cold, but this one was especially sharp. “Jackie being gay has nothing to do with why she’s going to lose!”
“Very nice, Gigi, very cool,” Jackie muttered to herself as she watched this go down.
“Because she’ll be losing to a lesbian, anyway.” Gigi stared the boy down, “how do you feel about that, Jake?”
Sputtering, Jake looked around the cafeteria where half of the student body had been watching. “But you’re so hot, you can’t like girls!”
“And why not?” Gigi cocked an eyebrow.
“Because!”
“Because…” Gigi leaned forward, urging him on, “You’re an idiot?”
“Yes!“ He said with his full chest, and then pulled back, scrunching up his brows, “Wait - no! What?”
A few spectators began to laugh, as well as Jake’s friend, who had backed up to put space in between them. Gigi smirked, taking in the crowd, before meeting Jake’s eyes once again. “Do you think you’ve embarrassed yourself enough, or should I keep going?”
He rolled his eyes, scoffing. “Whatever. Bitch.” He walked away, motioning for his friend to follow him.
Jackie swallowed, unsure what to think. She had been so rude to Gigi these last months, but Gigi had just stood up for her, and she was gay?
“Uh,” she started, inwardly cursing herself for sounding like a moron. Gigi turned to her expectantly. “Thanks.”
Gigi nodded once. “Yeah.” She turned away swiftly, giving Jackie no chance to say anything else.
When she swiveled back around to Nicky and Rock, the two appeared to have been listening with rapt attention. However, when they noticed she could see them again, they switched positions, looking anywhere but at her.
“What are you doing?”
“Huh?” Rock asked, studying her lunchbox. “Nothing, we just - oh did my mom pack cookies? Sweet!”
“Wow, so cool Rock! No glue this time?” Nicky asked, her eyes way too wide and her excitement too over exaggerated.
Rock deflated at the comment. “I wish.”
“Uh… okay.” Jackie looked between the two, wondering what moment she had just interrupted.
Silence fell over the three, before Nicky spoke again. “So… That was really nice of Gigi.”
“And she’s gay,” Rock added, helping no one. Nicky kicked her underneath the table, which caused Rock to yelp.
“Yeah, that was really nice of her to come out to defend me,” Jackie shrugged.
“Yeah… it was… very kind of her to do that…” Nicky emphasized the thought, leaning forward in her seat.
It was really nice, Jackie thought to herself, twisting slightly in her chair to catch a glimpse at Gigi’s table. The blonde was laughing with her friends, her wavy hair going past her shoulders. Jackie let her eyes stay on Gigi for only a moment more, before she slid them back to the table. Maybe there were two sides to every story, and Jackie had written Gigi’s side without even getting to know her. She had stood up for Jackie, seemingly without a second thought, would Jackie have done the same? Of course, but… Jackie was a good person, right? Could Gigi be a good person, too?
Jackie was pulled out of her thoughts by the conversation Nicky and Rock were having at the other side of the table. “Do you think it’s working?” Rock had whispered, glancing between Nicky and Jackie.
“What are you two talking about?” Jackie asked, furrowing her brows.
Rock’s eyes went wide, before she stuttered out “Anime! Crunchyroll on mobile is so glitchy!” She gave a tense smile, and let out a high pitched, fake laugh.
“Right…”
Though she was still confused, Jackie wouldn’t let Gigi throw her off completely. It was almost the end of the election season, and Jackie knew her only way to reel in the undecided voters was to nail her speech. She had begun writing it, but had no direction. After what had just happened, an idea finally hit her.
By the time speeches rolled around, Jackie was filled with confidence. She was extremely proud of the speech she had prepared, she had been rehearsing it every single night and was ready to crush Gigi’s dreams of being President.
The two sat to the left of center stage in the auditorium where the speeches would take place. Their entire class trickled in slowly, making their way into the rows. As more and more piled in, Jackie’s anxiety rose. She could feel dozens of eyes on her. The principal began introducing the two candidates, redundantly, if Jackie had to say, and then gestured to Gigi to step up to the podium.
Gigi stood up swiftly, walking up to the stand, the clack of her heels echoing through the large room. All eyes were on her now, so Jackie could finally relax.
With bated breath, Gigi finally began her speech, dragging her eyes along the audience.
“Hey guys! My name is Gigi God, I mean Goode, fuck, I mean, not fuck, I mean, shit, I mean, hey!” She turned to the principal, cocking her head, “Am I allowed to keep going or am I suspended for that?”
He nodded, gesturing for her to continue.
“Cool. I decided to run for President because we need someone who can work! And I can, even though there’s a rumor that I can’t. Thanks, Dahlia. You wish you could be up here.”
“No I don’t,” a voice called out from the audience.
“Shut up, Dahlia. I hope that was Dahlia. Anyway, I am really good with an E, get it, Gigi Goode? Wow, funny, too? You guys are really gonna miss out if you don’t vote for me.”
Jackie watched in horror as Gigi’s speech devolved into absolute chaos. She had no idea where all of Gigi’s confidence came from, as it appeared as though she was an absolute moron when it came to public speaking.
“So, if you don’t vote for me, know you are not cool. You probably are a nerd and want to vote for Jackie for, I don’t know, longer Dungeons and Dragons meetings. Sorry Rock. Peace!”
With that, Gigi pulled away from the podium, and walked back to her seat, a smug smile on her face. “Beat that, Jackie.”
Jackie sent her an incredulous look. “I would be worried if I couldn’t.”
Letting out a deep breath, Jackie got up from her own seat, and walked to the center of the stage. She gripped the podium tightly, bending down slightly to speak into the microphone.
“Hello everyone. As you know, I am Jaqueline Cox, your treasurer, and, hopefully, your future president. I have the experience of being in the student council, and I am fully confident that I have what it takes to be the greatest President this school has ever had.” She took another breath, looking down to read the next line of her speech.
“Coming into high school was difficult, as it was for many of us. Figuring out who we are, who we want to be, who other people think we should be, it’s like we’re placed in a box before we even know how to break out. Now, look at us.” She tried to find a few familiar faces, smiling gently at Nicky and Rock, who were situated a few rows to the left. “Soon we’ll be going into the real world, where more boxes will be built around us, some less temporary than others. I want to help give each and every one of you the tools to break out of those boxes, regardless of how daunting it may seem.”
She had spent hours figuring out what her speech was going to be about, and hit several walls. However, thinking back through her own high school experience, it was not her intelligence or her drive that made her happy or successful, it was her bravery. It was her fearlessness in being herself. That was all she ever wanted for everyone else, as well.
“Because of my upbringing, my boxes were always so rigid, and I was always afraid to break out and be myself. But coming here, and seeing all of you, and finding out who I am, I’ve learned that the only way to live is to live truthfully. There is always going to be fear and danger in subverting expectations, but are you really living, if you aren’t you? Allowing diversity into our school, and allowing it to flourish, would be the best opportunity we would have to create a graduating class of unique individuals who are ready to break out of societal confines, and be exactly who we all want to be.”
Jackie scanned the audience, looking for any reactions. Everyone’s faces were blank, besides Crystal, who was sobbing in the front row and Gigi, who was staring intensely at Jackie.
“If you elect me as your president, I promise that I will fight each and every day to ensure that everyone gets to be themselves. There will be no fear in my hallways.”
Crystal stood up, starting to slowly clap, looking around and waiting for the other students to join in. They didn’t. She sat back down immediately, trying to pretend she didn’t embarrass herself in front of the entire student body.
“Um. Thank you,” Jackie spoke, shifting her eyes around the unreactive audience.
With that, she turned to go back to her seat. Gigi held up her hand for a high five, which Jackie stared at for a little too long, before slowly bringing her hand up to meet Gigi’s.
“And for our final announcement of the day, the new heads of Student Council…”
Jackie listened closely, tapping her sneaker on the cafeteria floor to keep her occupied. It was the end of the day, and after what felt like thirty activities and announcements, it was finally time to learn who had become the president. She had been in study hall for her last period, and with little homework to occupy herself, had been terribly anxious and snappy while waiting.
“Our Secretary is Widow Von Du…”
Jackie rolled her eyes. She had run unopposed, what was the point in announcing this?
“Our new treasurer is Brita Havea…”
At least some good had come out of this race, Brita would be a fantastic replacement, and she voted for Jackie.
The principal paused, which only acted to further annoy Jackie, and her tapping foot became incessant.  
“And our new President and Vice President are… Gigi Goode and Jackie Cox, respectively!”
What?
“ What? ”
What had happened? Had she been Thomas Jefferson’d? Why was she the Vice President?
“I’m sorry,” Nicky said, putting a hand on Jackie’s shoulder to console her. “Gigi’s speech was God awful, but it was the most human thing she has ever done. She won by a landslide.”
Jackie turned her head away, accidentally finding Gigi amongst the sea of students, across the room. She was clapping for herself. Jackie looked away quickly, because Gigi’s presence and her joy were making her upset. She gathered her things and started heading to the library. Once she got into the empty hallway, she heard footsteps behind her that followed her rhythm, but they were getting closer. After listening closely, Jackie could tell that it was no other than Gigi, the last person she wanted to see.
“Go away, Gigi.”
“I know you’re pissed but listen to me!”
Jackie continued walking towards the library, bunching her hands up at her sides. “Why should I listen?”
“Because!” Gigi sputtered.
“Amazing argument.”
The loud groan Gigi let out shocked Jackie for a second, before Gigi started speaking again. “I… might’ve… offered the school some things to have you be my Vice President, because I knew how much this meant to you!”
Jackie stopped in her tracks. She hated the fact that Gigi couldn’t seem to stop bribing people, but then again, that money could go towards a lot of the programs that desperately needed funding.
“Why would you do that for me?” She asked, staring at the linoleum floors under her. “I don’t think I’ve ever been nice to you.”
“Does it matter?” Gigi asked, putting her hand on Jackie’s shoulder to turn her around. “You can make it up to me,” Jackie furrowed her eyebrows; Gigi actually looked… nervous? The blonde put a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, looking down, before looking back up at Jackie. “I was planning on going bowling tonight, if you want to join me?”
“You were going bowling… alone?”
Gigi nodded fervently, “Yeah! To, um, celebrate my win!”
“…Alone?”
“No one else won the presidency, did they?”
Jackie chuckled, shaking her head. Gigi was a lot more than the bitchy front she put up in the past, and Jackie was actually enjoying getting to see this other side of her, in a weird, ironic way.
Jackie finally gave in, smiling despite herself. “You really bribed the school for me?”
“Yes!” Gigi laughed, and Jackie joined in, because the situation was ridiculous. “Go bowling with me?”
Jackie rolled her eyes, still smiling. “Sure, why not?”
“Great!”
There was a pause, before Jackie spoke again. “So, are you picking me up?”
“Um…” Gigi looked around, tapping her shoe on the floor pointedly. “You are aware I’m gay, right?”
Jackie took a mental step back. “What?”
“I can’t drive, Jackie, I’m gay.”
“Okay?”  Jackie was even more confused, now. “I’m gay too, and I can drive?”
“Yeah, but, you’re… sophisticated.”
Laughing, Jackie nodded. “Okay, okay, fine. I’ll pick you up, just text me a time.”
“I don’t have your number, though?”
“DM me on Instagram,” Jackie said, giving Gigi another easy smile.
“Okay.” Gigi flashed her a toothy grin before turning around and heading back to the cafeteria to celebrate her win.
Jackie rolled her eyes, wondering what she had gotten herself into.
Clothes were strewn everywhere in Jackie’s room, covering her bed and desk. She couldn’t find a single, cohesive outfit she wanted to wear, but she had never cared before. What had changed?
Did Jackie… like Gigi? No, that couldn’t be possible, she had felt nothing but anger towards Gigi until recently. Everything Gigi did had made her mad, or confused, or nervous, or…
God damnit. She did like Gigi, but there was no way the blonde could feel the same way. Gigi was out of Jackie’s league, and she had no chance after she had been flat out rude to her the entire election season.
And now, they were hanging out, only because Gigi felt bad for her, and Jackie was going to be weird about it. Great. Gigi had done such a nice thing for her (ignoring the bribery), and even had offered up a friendship, and Jackie was going to ruin it by being a dumb lesbian.
It was less than thirty minutes until she was supposed to pick Gigi up, and having this crisis was not it. She looked over to her bed, where her phone was lying on her comforter, and wondered if it was too late to cancel. Sure, Gigi would be disappointed, but Jackie was not willing to put herself and her dignity through this.
She walked over to her bed, writing out what she would send to Gigi in her head (something along the lines of “Oh my God! I completely forgot that my mother wanted me to do xyz tonight, I’m so sorry!”), until she realized she had a notification from the other girl anyway.
[gigigoode] cant wait for tonight! this is the second thing im gonna beat u at today :)
Jackie laughed, despite how insulting that should have been. How was she supposed to cancel on her, when the blonde sounded so excited? Fuck it, she was going to have to put her feelings for Gigi on the back burner for tonight.
[jackie.cox] Jokes on you, I am a MASTER at bowling!
She wouldn’t say she was amazing at bowling, but she thought winning something against Gigi would help her shattered ego.
[gigigoode] :’(
Against her better judgement, Jackie decided to leave for Gigi’s early, in case she got lost. Gigi lived in a neighborhood she wasn’t entirely familiar with, so she was being prepared. She totally didn’t want to get there early on purpose.
However, when she finally arrived, she found herself overthinking everything. What if Gigi thought it was weird that she was early? But she couldn’t just sit in Gigi’s driveway like a stalker, that would be even weirder.
[gigigoode] are u at my house??
“Shit,” Jackie whispered, texting back a quick response before Gigi could think mean thoughts about her.
[jackie.cox] Yeah, sorry I overestimated the amount of time it took me to get here. Haha
[gigigoode] it’s okay just give me a minute and i’ll come on down :)
To Jackie’s relief, Gigi came out of her house only moments later, dressed in jean shorts and a striped blue button down, and it might have been the first time Jackie had seen her without heels, having swapped them out with a white pair of sneakers. It was the most dressed down Jackie had ever seen her, but it somehow only fueled her newly realized attraction. God damnit.
Although the car ride was a little awkward, and Jackie almost T-Boned someone because she got distracted by Gigi, they got there in one piece.
The bowling alley had a galaxy theme, with bright strobe lights flashing over the starry rugs and countertops. Children filled up almost every lane and every game that the arcade portion had to offer, throwing balls into gutters and stuffing their faces with pizza.
Jackie remembered being young without a care in the world, which was the exact opposite of how she felt right now, with Gigi’s hand brushing up against her own as they walked to the counter.
“I’m paying,” Gigi announced loudly, handing over her money to the gangly cashier, who was about as subtle in checking Gigi out as every other boy in their grade (which was not at all, ever). It annoyed Jackie, throwing a glare at the boy that she hoped he noticed.
They got their shoes from the counter, and headed off to their lane.
Jackie was feeling pretty confident after she found the perfect bowling ball, happy with the way her thumb wouldn’t get caught in it when she released it. However, after plugging in both of their names into the system, Gigi immediately bowled a spare.
As ‘SPARE’ played across the screen, Gigi did a celebratory dance, which Jackie found it boastful, but also cute at the same time, which she hated.
“You’re up,” Gigi looked back at Jackie as she walked towards their seats, smirking.
Jackie did pretty well, knocking over seven pins, having left two on the left and one on the right. She tried to hit the two on the left, but her ball ended up going straight through the middle of the lane.
“Oooh, not quite,” Gigi teased, walking up and grabbing her teal ball from the ball return. She took a few moments to align herself, sending her ball down the middle and knocking over all ten pins.
“Woo!” Gigi brought back the celebratory dance, stopping as soon as she saw Jackie’s face. “Uh…”
“It’s fine,” Jackie lied, standing up too straight.
She ended up knocking over another seven pins, which was still fine, but annoyed her further with how far behind she’d still be.
It was like Gigi picked up on Jackie’s irritation, because once it was her turn, she rolled a gutter ball.
“Oops! Silly me, I’m just too dainty to hold this heavy ball, it looks like!” Gigi pouted, letting her wrists bend down.
Jackie squinted and tilted her head. “Yeah…”
“I guess you’re gonna catch up…”
Jackie continued looking at her suspiciously, before shaking her head and getting up once more.
Gigi didn’t give up her act of pretending she couldn’t hold the ball, and Jackie ended up winning the game with a total of 73 points.
“Did you let me win?” Jackie finally asked, after watching Gigi manage to knock down one pin on her last go.
Gigi had the decency to look surprised. “Wha- I- Of course not! You’re just so good at bowling!”
“Do you want me to teach you, then? We can play another game.”
“Yeah! I’d love to.”
Every time Jackie would help Gigi hold the ball, she would feel Gigi lean into her touch. Surely Jackie was just imagining it, there was no reason for Gigi to want to do that. Despite her instruction, Gigi hadn’t been getting better, and had to keep asking for Jackie to repeat her instructions again and again.
That was, until the end, when Gigi finally got another strike. Her little dance came back once again, and Jackie found herself smiling at the blonde.
“Jackie! We did it!” She squealed, hopping off the platform to give Jackie the tightest hug.
“Yeah, we did. We’re a great team, I’m glad we were able to become such good friends after everything!”
She could feel Gigi still almost immediately, before pulling away from Jackie and giving her a cold stare. “Friends?”
Jackie swallowed. “Yeah? What else could we be-”
“I ask you to go bowling with me, and pay for it, and get you to ‘teach me’ how to bowl, even though I’m clearly better than you, and you call us friends?”
“Wait, so you were faking it?”
“Yes, Jackie, you idiot! So not the point!” She threw her hands up, balling them into fists and setting them back down to her sides. “I like you! I don’t know how to spell it out so you can finally figure it out, but I’ve had this massive crush on you for like a year!”
Jackie felt every word she wanted to say get lodged in her throat, watching Gigi grow angrier.
“And I thought you felt the same, because you said yes to this date!”
Jackie took a step back mentally. “This is a date?”
“‘This is a date?’” Gigi mocked her, “Of course it’s a date!” She let out a huff, closing her eyes and finally calming down. She spoke calmly, her voice sounding like it was on the verge of cracking. “Did you not want this to be a date?”
“No, I do! I just never thought you felt that way about me!”
Gigi laughed incredulously, shaking her head. “Seriously? I thought I was being totally obvious.”
Suddenly, a lot more of what had happened over the last few weeks made sense to Jackie. The reason why Gigi had sat next to her that day in the library, their arguments always being filled with tension that she couldn’t pinpoint, her own feelings towards Gigi. The way Gigi had always looked at her, intensely, and without shame.
“I’m not… the best at picking up on things…” She rubbed the back of her neck, her face beginning to burn. “I feel like an idiot now.”
“You should, honestly. I bribed the school for you to be the VP, and you thought absolutely nothing of it?”
Jackie rolled her eyes, trying not to let herself smile. “Way to make me feel better.”
Gigi grinned, leaning forward to nudge Jackie’s shoulder with her own. “Sorry, you’re just ridiculous.”
The two laughed, and Jackie felt all of the pressure of the night fall off her shoulders. She wasn’t sure what this would make the two of them, but for once, she couldn’t be bothered to care. She was having a good time, and she was having a good time with Gigi. “Yeah, but you like me.”
“You like me, and I bribe people.”
“Morals be damned in the name of high school crushes,” Jackie shrugged, laughing along with Gigi, before pressing her lips together. “Where does that leave us now?”
Gigi twisted her bowling shoe on the ground, quirking her mouth to the side. “I guess we could, you know, finish our date?”
Jackie could feel herself genuinely smile again, blushing under the strobe lights. “Well… I am positive I could kick your ass at the arcade games.”
Gigi smirked, leaning forward to grab Jackie’s hand, pulling her towards the Arcade. “You’re on.”
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syndianites · 4 years
Text
The After; The Athar: Chapter Two
Chapter 2/?
Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 [Here] - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5
AO3: This Chapter - Full Fic
Summary: Post Season 2, non-Mianitian Compliant. Wag escorts Martha to Jordan's house and decides to have a day out with Sonja.
Relationships: Sparklington (end-game), Marthlington (temporarily), Sparkanite (Spark x Ianite) (past, mentioned), Motanite
Content Warnings: Death Mentions, Implied Depression, Implied PTSD, Self-Deprecation, Breaking up a Relationship (Marthlington)
AN: The stuff about the Cult of Athar in here is canon! It was written by the Wizards, but never delved into. I did my best to represent it as accurately as possible.
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 The duo had just started into Jerry’s Tree when they heard a call behind them. They turned to see Jordan hustling forward, an awkward smile on his face. Wag shared a look with Martha. Seems his suspicions had been correct.
 He’d have to ask Jordan about that.
 Jordan, meanwhile, had shuffled to a stop right in front of them. “Hey guys, glad I caught you.” He glanced between them. “What brings you to my abode?”
 “You were looking for me yesterday, right?” Martha starts. “Well, I do have some free time now, I figured I’d stop by to see what you needed.”
 He stopped for a moment. Hummed. “Oh!” Jordan jumped back in. “I wanted to talk to you about some godly related stuff. Spark’s been- uh, well, he’s been drilling in ‘how to be a perfect Ianite follower’ for-” Wag was amazed that neither of them reacted to the name anymore. Different goddess, of course, but that was still a festering wound. “- whatever reason, and I haven’t been able to escape him long enough to avoid the lecture. I honestly just want to talk to someone that’s more in the know-how that’s,” Jordan waved his hands, “not him. Give me another week of this and I might just turn from champion to missionary.”
 Martha huffed, but a smile snuck up onto her lips. “He’s not that bad, I’m sure. But yes, I do have some time to talk about ‘godly stuff’.” She turned to Wag, hesitating a moment. “I’ll see you later then, Wag.” She reached out a hand to delicately stroke a cheek.
 He gave what he hoped was a solid smile back. “Until then, love.” Wag took her hand, thumb stroking the back of it before he placed a parting kiss upon it. Reluctantly, he started to trail away, keeping her hand in his for as long as he could. When he was far enough, he offered Jordan a wave goodbye. Then he turned to walk back down the hill.
 Shit. Now he had to figure out how to break up with Martha.
 Yeah, these next few days aren’t going to be fun.
 But what to do now? The day had only just started and there wasn’t much use in going back to being a shut in when the sun had hardly started up the sky. Well, hanging with Jordan, or Martha, was out. Maybe Tom? Or Sonja or Tucker? It was fairly hard to keep track of Tom nowadays, though.
 Things were odd with Tom. Not between him and Tom, but with Tom in general. It felt like he was trying to balance who he was in this world and who he was in Ruxomar and not finding either. Like he was feeling pressured to merge the distant past with the recent past and come to terms with Dianite- both Dianites- and Mot.
 What was up with them, anyway? Last Wag had checked, Tom and Mot were fairly buddy buddy and Tom and Dianite were pretty chill, despite the bit of tension when Mot showed up and when Tom’s penchant dumbassery was making its rounds. Now, it seemed like Tom was trying to keep a good distance from them.
 Here he was getting distracted again. But damn if everyone didn’t have some issues skulking around. He wondered if Sonja or Tucker had something. What did they feel about the other Mianite? And his death?
 Ok, ok, not the point. What should he do now?
 Damn, did he really have no life outside of his tower that he was drawing such hard blanks?
 Fuck it, he’d swing around Sonja’s and ask if she wanted to go flower picking with him. Sorry, gather floral ingredients for potions. With how many people were ordering luck potions, he was going to be stuck finding four leaf clovers in all his free time.
 It seemed a pleasant stroll through town was in order, then. Maybe he’d pick up a muffin on the way. Perhaps a chocolate one. He would indulge in some more tea but he was looking for more of an on-the-go thing.
 He nodded to himself, making his way through the streets of the town to the quaint little bakery settled just past the docks. The baker was a kind, younger lady who had told him that her dream was to open a bakery, and an island with few inhabitants that barely anyone had ever been to was free real estate. To be fair, she wasn’t wrong. No one else had tried to make any competition and no one was complaining about her being here. In fact, there would probably be a lot of hooting and hollering if she left.
 When he wandered in the smell of warm bread welcomed him. Gretchen called a greeting from behind the counter, back turned to him as she kneaded a batch of dough. She was short, Wag towering over her, but she could take him out if she so pleased. Not just because she was finely muscled- she could give any seaman a run for their money- but also because a mere breeze could knock Wag and his gangly awkwardness over.
 “How do you do today, dearest Gretchen?” Wag surveyed the items currently on display. The croissants looked heavenly, and next to them sat three eclairs. They appeared to have been recently chilled as their chocolate icing had drops of condensation beading along the top. There was a colorful display of macarons on the rack besides those, as well as a row of various muffins.
 “Oh, I’m doing as well as one can when they wake at the crack of dawn,” Gretchen said over her shoulder, giving him a quick smile.
 “So feeling shitty and barely functional?” Wag mused over the muffins, trying to spy a chocolate one. Unfortunately, though he was quite awake, his brain was struggling to spot the difference between what could be a chocolate muffin or a blueberry muffin. Or a morning glory. He wrinkled his nose. Why would anyone put raisins in a muffin?
 Gretchen laughed. “Perhaps for a shut in, but I am feeling quite fine. It’s nice to watch the sunrise, y’know. Getting up early? Not so much. If not for the bakery I’d much prefer to sleep in.”
 Wag scoffed playfully. “Me, a shut in? Preposterous. I’ll have you know I am, at worst, a friendly, magical hermit. At best, I am a magnificent wizard that lives in a tower nearby that oh so graciously helps out the townsfolk.”
 “For a fee.” Gretchen was layering the dough now. If there weren't croissants sitting in front of him, Wag might say she was making those. Perhaps she was making danish pastries? It had been a while since he’d seen them on her display. It’d also been a while since he’d visited.
 “A wizard’s got to make a living somehow.” Wag picked up a muffin, closely inspecting it. It looked like it was chocolate. He hoped it was chocolate. But if it was blueberry he would live. Both were good, especially from here.
 “That he does.” She paused from her dough magic to take a look at him. “Blueberry muffin? Anything else?”
 Wag clicked his tongue. “Was hoping this was chocolate. But yes, just one muffin to go. I wasn’t really anticipating being awake so early, but Martha was home and she likes to get up early, and Jordan wanted to talk to her, and I,” he waved his hands, “wanted to spend some time with her? So I walked her to his house. Now, I’m standing here. Then heading to Sonja’s.”
 Yeah, it felt like he’d just recounted his entire life story to her. No, he was not going to acknowledge how painful that part of the conversation was to participate in.
 Gretchen raised an eyebrow, plucking the muffin from his hand, replacing it on the rack and grabbing one from farther back in the line. This one, now that he saw it, looked much more like a chocolate muffin than the other. Nice.
 “Funny you should mention Jordan.” It was Wag’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “He asked about you, oh, yesterday? The day before? About how you were doing. Seemed fairly concerned ‘bout ya. Asked me how you were doing when he came in for a treat.” She lifted a hand before Wag could interrupt. “He came here for the treat, but I guess he had you on the mind. This used to be one of your favorite places, I suppose it reminded him of you.”
 Well if that didn’t make Wag feel warm on the inside, what would? It was nice to feel remembered. But wait, was that why Jordan had come over yesterday, then? Except he had been looking for Martha.
 That put a frown back on his face. “He did swing by yesterday, but he asked for Martha. Are you sure he was concerned about me?”
 Gretchen rolled her eyes. “Yes. It was very obvious even if he tried to hide it. I did tell him that Martha would know more about how you were doing than I would, so that could be why he asked for her.” She held out her hand and Wag dutifully placed some copper coins in it. “Mr. Sparklez doesn’t seem like the best with confronting people about their feelings, so it wouldn’t surprise me that he’d see you and balk at the idea of bringing up his concerns with you directly. Going to Martha would be way easier for him than going to you. If he actually ever asks Martha about you at all.”
 Wag hummed in thought, ignoring the little ‘wuss’ Gretchen mutters under her breath in relation to Jordan. That much was true, Jordan was not much of a feelings guy. The dorky puns and trying hard to be the smart one guy? Yes. Feelings? You’d have better luck with Tom.
 Actually, Tom was pretty easy on the feelings side. Kind of. You’d have better luck with Tucker than Jordan. And Tucker was not the most emotional sort of man. There we go.
 “Well, when I left Martha with Jordan, he said he wanted to ask her about ‘godly stuff’. Do you think they’re actually talking about me?” Wag pulled a sliver off the top of his muffin and nibbled on it.
 Gretched leaned on the counter with a shrug, dropping the coins into her apron pocket. “Maybe. Who’s to say?” She eyed him up and down, a contemplative look coming into her eyes. “Didn’t you say you were heading to Sonja’s? That’s good, you could use more time out of the house. If you weren’t naturally gray I’d say you were getting pale. Hard to tell like this, but you are getting more of the ‘I’m your friendly neighborhood ghost’ type look than ‘I’m your charming, possibly demonic, friendly wizard’ type look. Take one for the road,” Gretchen reached over to pluck another muffin off the rack, passing it to Wag.
 “What if I just eat both myself?” Wag joked, taking the muffin in his other hand.
 Gretchen tsked. “Sorry, I only give freebies to the pretty ladies. You sir, are no pretty lady.”
 Wag gasped, “How dare you! My mother said I could be anything I wanted to be! If I want to be a pretty lady to get a free muffin, I’ll be a pretty lady!”
 She pushed his shoulder with a guffaw. “Oh sure, princess. If you ever come in dressed to the nines as the most gorgeous lady I’ve seen, I’ll give you a pretty muffin. Be warned,” Gretchen bat her eyelashes. “I have seen quite the stunning women before.”
 Wag rolled his eyes fondly, making for the door. “Just you watch, I’ll come blow your socks off!”
 With a wave, he departed. He twirled the other muffin in his hand. Free muffin for a pretty lady, huh?
 Wait, was Gretchen hitting on Sonja?
 ~~~
 Wag didn’t end up making it to Sonja and Tucker’s house. Rather, he found Sonja sitting near the shore just in front of it, staring up at Mianite’s temple. He didn’t take Sonja for much of a morning person, but it seemed like the temple would have a nice view during sunrise.
 Settling down next to her without a comment, he offered her the muffin. Sonja was surprised to see him, her eyes searching his face, but wordlessly took the muffin. They ate them in silence.
 The temple had changed a lot, but that was to be expected. It had been razed to the ocean floor, after all. But from what he had heard there had been a big effort in rebuilding it. Though the work would have taken years, it apparently had taken mere months.
 Mianite, according to word of mouth, hadn’t helped rebuild it at all. Rather, he didn’t expect anyone else to move to the island. Hell, neither did Dec, who had been making plans to move elsewhere. It made Wag wonder why the gods, why the priest himself, had shown up here. Why had the wizards? He drummed his fingers against his leg, dismissing the thought for another time.
 The wizards, before the heroes had even left, had refused to help. Wag remembered this well. They hadn’t wanted to step on Mianite’s toes, so to say, as it was a gift he had sent the world and had been crafted by the god’s own hand.
 Actually- again- Ianite had played a part in rebuilding it. It was almost strange to think about, the Goddess of Balance rebuilding the temple of another god. Except, it made sense. She didn’t rebuild it of her own power. Rather, she encouraged the common folk to rebuild it and helped a great deal along the way. She invited people from far off lands to come restore the temple and, with the assistance of Spark, set up the town that had been cultivated as a solid landmark. Ianite used the restoration of the temple as a way of connecting the island to the rest of the world.
 Though, when asked why she had chosen to help rebuild the temple, Ianite had responded, “It’s my way of thanking Mianite and his champions for helping to save me. It is the least I could do for such a tremendous task.”
 Maybe that’s why she rebuilt Jerry’s Tree, too. To thank Jordan. Or to honor him.
 Wag’s favorite part of this story- as it was only a story to him, he’d never had any real confirmation on this- was what Ianite had said: Mianite and his      champions. Plural. That meant Ianite acknowledged Sonja as Mianite’s loyal follower and champion just as much as Tucker. Sonja deserved it for all the effort she had put into this world and the last. She deserved a lot more than she got.
 “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Wag startled at the sound of Sonja’s voice. He turned to her, but she was looking at the temple still. She inclined her head towards it, saying nothing more.
 He had been looking at the temple without seeing it, he realized. Thinking too hard.
 She was right. The sun was still low in the sky, giving it a faintly fiery hue. It couldn't have been too long since sunrise, yet the color of dawn still remained. Perhaps that was just the effect of the ocean.
 But the effect made the temple light up. The eagle, standing mighty and proud once more, was burning in the light, smoldering and strong, wings raised up to the sky with an open, shrieking cry. It was the symbol of strength and sureness, of justice. The sun was a halo around it, blindingly bright.
 That’s how the future felt: burning and bright, impossible to grasp. But it was there.
 The rest of the temple held much of the same vigor. The majority of the original details were kept, but they were also exaggerated. The pillars had been built double the size, a subtle comment of ‘no matter how many times you knock us down we will return stronger’, the garden fuller and more organized, filled to the brim with blooming blossoms. The walls were filled with more gold than before, and more detail. Each column was carefully carved to perfection, but at this distance he couldn’t make all the details out. From what he remembered they ranged from majestic creatures running amok, to people dancing in celebration, to the retelling of great battles. The arches that served as the entrance had been decorated to the fullest, lavish silks and jewels hanging from their edges along the dutifully crafted gold lining.
 The best part were the guardians. They stood tall and proud, just as regal as before but now with more life, more color. Rather than the same straight white they had been they were adorned with golds and blues. Shimmering prismarine and lapis lazuli. Their swords were colored to appear like the finest, purest gold- though Wag knew that they weren’t made of real gold, as that would have been more than expensive. To top it all off, each featured a set of wings raised high to the sky, like the very eagle that sat in the middle of the temple.
 Another important detail was the fact that the back of the temple was open as well, likely for passing boats to see. On the other side stood dual lighthouses that burned bright in the night with mystical fire that would neither go out or be moved from their place. The area to drop prayers had been moved to the eagle’s feet and the hidden room supposedly not implemented. Supposedly.
 It was truly stunning. Where the change in Jerry’s Tree felt like a rebirth, this felt like getting beaten down only to get up again. Like healing. Growing.
 “It is.” He’d left her in silence long enough. “I still remember when it first appeared. It was glorious. Now?” Wag turns to her, maybe trying to make a point, maybe trying to say something deep, or just maybe just thinking out loud. “After being destroyed? It’s come back better.”
 Damn, who the hell turned on the philosophy today? Next thing you know he’ll be wondering aloud what existence is and if there is a purpose to life.
 Fuck that shit.
 Isn’t this the exact thing that had been haunting him as he stowed away in his tower? His thoughts falling over themselves to derive meaning out of every little thing that’s changed? To make sense of it? The temple looks better because it's not a pile of rubble. Jerry’s Tree is different because it was practically a pile of ash before. Why does this all need meaning?
 Sonja seemed to share his sentiment. She laughed at him. “Hey now, that’s trying to be too deep for so early in the morning. Come back better? Ha. It's just,” she pauses, giving it a wistful glance before shaking her head. “Different.”
 Wag nods. “It is. It all is. Feels like everything’s changing, like we got plopped in a world just adjacent to ours.”
 “Too deep!” Sonja decreed. Standing up, she brushed the back of her legs free of stray grass and sand. “Things are going to change and that’s that. I wasn’t expecting the world to wait on us, and it didn’t. That just means we have to catch up or get left in the dust.”
 “Who’s too deep?” Wag chuckled to himself, taking the hand Sonja offered him.
 “Alright, enough sitting around.” She sent a sly smile over to him after she jammed the rest of her muffin in her mouth. Wag watched in amusement as she chewed hastily, tried not to choke, and spluttered a little as some went down the wrong hatch.
 Recovering fast, she gives him a pained grin. “What brings Mr. Tower Wizard out of the lair today? Something good, I hope.” She poked him in the ribs teasingly.
 “Well,” Wag starts, ignoring the dig, “Martha happened to be home last night and I had the pleasure of walking her over to Jordan’s to chat about something. Which is why I am both awake before lunch and currently standing outside. I figured it’d been a while since I bothered you, so here I am, bothering you.” He finished with a wink.
 Sonja frowned for a moment, focusing on something he said, before deciding to let it go. For now, at least. Knowing her, she’d find a way to bring it up later. Wag wasn’t quite looking forward to whatever she had latched onto.
 Filling the silence, Wag added, “I was thinking we could go plant hunting. Specifically for four leaf clovers, but also for any other potentially useful plants. You know, for potions.”
 He tried for a smile while Sonja looked him over. Her eyebrows rose. “You go plant hunting in that? Your typical robes and all? It’s, like, the middle of spring.”
 Wag shrugged. “It’s not that big of a difference. Just gets the cloak a bit dirty.”
 She scoffed. “Just gets the cloak a bit dirty,” Sonja muttered. “I bet you don’t even bring any food or water with you, do you?”
 He looked to the side. “Of course I do!” That wasn’t a lie. He always brought at least a snack and a water skin. He wasn’t that stupid.
 “I’ll believe you, for now.” She assessed her own outfit. Her typical hoodie over a white t-shirt, some lounge pants, and bare feet. “I, for one, need to get dressed. I would recommend,” she drew out the last word, giving him a look, “That you change into something more suitable for romping around the countryside. I won't force you to, but I won't be helping you if you get hot and sweaty and pass out like an idiot.”
 He wanted to retort that he wouldn’t. That he was a wizard with powers that came close to the gods’ themselves. That weather was no issue for him.
 But it had been in Ruxomar. The trip to Urulu had been sweltering. The Nether felt like it had been trying to slowly boil him alive. Whenever he’d come out of water, clothes damp as a rain shower, he’d felt frigid.
 It still felt like he was in Ruxomar, powerless and startlingly mortal.
 He bit his tongue.
 Instead he shook his head, and started to wander back to his tower. He stopped as Sonja called after him. “Meet right here after you get dressed. I’ll round up some food and shit and then we can leave.” She turned to head back into her house. “If you thought I was going to trek up to your tower up in the sky you were wrong!” Then she shuffled up the hill with a laugh.
 ~~~
 They convened later at the shore as told. Sonja looked at Wag with a little glee, having convinced him to actually change.
 Athar knows how long it’d been since he’d changed.
 … why did he swear on Athar’s name anyway? He helped kill him. Shouldn’t he swear on his own name? Wag shrugged mentally to himself. Better to swear on a dead guy's name than his own.
 Anyway. Sidetrack.
 Wag, instead of his usual cloak, was in surprisingly adventure-ready getup. Long sleeve hooded shirt- Sonja rolled her eyes at the hood- thick, but breathable, pants, and hiking boots. Actual hiking boots. That spoke volumes about how much Wag had tried to look like he knew what he was doing. Oh, and he had one of those handy dandy belt satchels? Utility belts? A belt that had neat pouches on it for carrying flowers and clovers. Hell yeah.
 Sonja, on the other hand, had dressed much more like her usual outfit. To be fair, though, her usual outfit was both light and what she fought literal battles in. However, instead of short-shorts she had knee-length shorts. Her socks fit nicely underneath. Somewhere along the line she’d found black, fingerless gloves as well. Wag had a sneaking suspicion that she’d stolen them from Tucker.
 “Alright, now that we’re all ready to go-” Sonja made a point of jostling the backpack she had slung over her shoulders, likely filled with food and drinks she had raided from her own kitchen,”-we can commence our dainty flower picking session. If you don’t find me the biggest, bluest flower the world has ever seen to leave for Mianite then this trip is a failure.”
 Wag nods sagely. “It will be the most magical of flowers ever seen.” With a sweep of his arm, he motions for Sonja to lead the charge into the wilderness. Which wilderness? The Wilderness.
 Basically they were going to go wander around out past the old FyreUK Castle. Why there? Where Wag has to look at the castle and remember everything that used to be? Easy: there’s a lingering magic that lurks about the castle that makes it more likely for magical flora to sprout and grow. Also because no one goes over there.
 Mostly because no one goes over there.
 It took them roughly a half hour of trailing up and down hills, through dry grass and loose dirt, and a few quick hops through water to get to the Castle. Good old FyreUK HQ. Still standing.
 They were on the bridge, stopping to take a rest. Wag took a sweeping glance of the Castle and then looked away. Sonja tactfully didn’t ask about it. Instead, she waited while Wag poked around the trees sitting in the circle part of the bridge, watching him prod at the vines and undergrowth that had gathered there over the years. At one point he took out a pair of clippers, untangled a flowering vine from one of the tree’s branches, and politely snipped part of it off and curled it into a pocket.
 Then they were off again, back down the bridge and further into the country. Not too much further, actually. The end of the bridge was just a hop, skip, and jump away from an oak forest, which was a breath of fresh air compared to the endless savanna and desert motif of the island. It was also right next to a nice little plains area.
 Which made it perfect for Wag’s plans. Plains for the clovers and cool flowers, the forest for any other interesting stuff. He remembered chilling there in between building sessions for FryeUK HQ itself. It was always much cooler than the area around it.
 “Well, darling dearest, here we are.” Wag gave a little twirl. “Here we shall find you the most magical of flowers for your pretty, pretty princess, Mianite himself. And maybe one for his maid, Tucker.”
 “Ha!” Sonja turns her head away to snicker to herself. “If anything his fairest maid should be giving me flowers!” Her laughter dropped into a small, wistful smile. “Maybe I will.”
 Wag gave her a description of some of the regular flowers and plants that he normally went for, then sauntered off into the woods.
 Classy.
 Sonja followed with a fond eye roll, eyeing flowers as they passed. True to Wag’s suspicions, -which weren’t suspicions so much as things he already knew from before, but who was keeping track?- there were some strange, magical flora laying about. Not magical in the ‘consume it to get temporary fire powers way’, but more magical in the ‘these colors aren’t something flowers can pull off on their own’ or ‘this shouldn’t ever have been able to get this big’. Like if they were subject to radiation, except this world had no concept of yellorium as far as he knew.
 The first thing Wag collected was something of a marvel. Not because it was beautiful, but because it was weird. It looked like a flower. But instead of growing leaves along the stem, it grew petals. They were a soft pink, like the flush of skin, and soft to the touch. Not a trace of leaves remained on the flower. For all intents and purposes, it looked like a failed daisy. Or a successful one?
 There weren��t many magical flowers, in all honesty. For all the magic the wizards had done, most of it was just absorbed into the earth as per normal. The world was teeming with magic, but that was what made it function. What made the gods gods was the fact that they could use this magic. Or, rather, that they, too, were filled with it.
 It showed up in a lot of ways. Witches, potions, the way you could grow anything from any environment you wanted to, so as long as you gave it what it needed. Well, that last one wasn’t impossible, but what other world could you go to a desert, with minimal rain and the sweltering sun, and plant something that relies on constant water to thrive and have it live for months upon months?
 He was getting sidetracked again.
 The point was, this was just a small, insignificant place where a little bit of magic overflowed because of the proximity to the wizards. It used to have more weird things happen, but now the wizards were gone and Wag was… yeah. So he’d sometimes stumble upon a flower with a gradient from purple to red and have to puzzle out whether that was a normal mutation or a magical one. Then the flower would shimmer and the gradient would shift and he’d decide, yeah, that      was    a magical mutation, he was right!
 Flowers were weird on their own, what could he say?
 His favorite were the cornflowers. Not because they were beautiful- they were!- but because, by some manner of magic, they migrated over here on their own. You couldn’t find them in the savannah, or the desert, or even near the coastline. But here, in this tiny blip of forest and plains, they surfaced. He had half a mind to wonder if they weren’t a result of two different flowers populating, then the offspring mutating. Cornflowers, however, were a real flower. They just shouldn’t be real here. Which was cool.
 So maybe Wag had become something of a flower nut over the past few weeks. Who was going to judge him, the gods? Well, fuck them! Not literally, though.
 The cornflowers before him, however, were something special. From what he knew, they weren’t supposed to be this big, nor were they supposed to grow in such small units. They should be something more like a bush, with multiple stalks sprouting out and huddled together. The ones he found, Sonja poking at some poppies behind him, were very much trying to act like tulips. Less group-y and more individual.
 He suspected magic was involved.
 The buds alone were about the size of his palm, and those that had flowered were almost bigger than his hand! They were marvelous. And blue!
 Wag snuck a look at Sonja, who was blissfully unaware of his sudden bout of mischief. He plucked a stalk- which was as thick as a pencil- and twisted around to carefully tickle the tip of her tail with the broken end of the stem. She didn’t notice, face scrunched up in thought as she appeared to be trying to decide if the poppies were out of the ordinary or not. They weren’t. Just good ole regular poppies.
 Fighting back a snicker, he gently and slowly trailed the stem upward. It took the stem going from white to orange fur for Sonja to suddenly startle, ears shooting up and back going ramrod straight. She took a swipe at the flower, but Wag hurried out of the way. Clutching the poor, innocent cornflower to his chest, he mock gasped.
 “Sonja! You almost destroyed the biggest, bluest flower I’ve ever seen!” He brought the back of his hand to his forehead. “Could you imagine if you had? We’d have to return with it crushed! Or worse.” Wag’s eyes widened comically. His voice dropped to a stage whisper. “The second biggest, most bluest flower.”
 She gasped in shock. Her voice was but a mutter. “No, we can’t have that. Imagine! Bringing home something second best! T'would be not only a shame, but a disrespect to his name. I could never.”
 Wag nodded sagely. He cradled the blossom between his hands, reverently offering it up to Sonja. “Treat it well. Though it may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of your life, it holds value untold. The gods themselves tremble beneath its weight, the tremors of the earth quake for its life. Hold onto this and you hold onto what men are willing to go to war for.”
 Sonja delicately grasped its stem, a serious look on her face. “I will, O’ great wizard. I will guard this to my last breath, travel across a thousand seas, five hundred miles of land, to bequeath this to the god of which I hold most dear.”
 Her lips twitched as she tried to keep her laughter in. “Ianite, of course.”
 Wag, however, burst out laughing. “Oh yes, the god you follow, Ianite herself. Mianite who?”
 Facade breaking, Sonja joined in the laughter. Placing the flower down, she held onto her stomach, curling around it. Wag tried not to fall over from his dramatic kneel.
 They took a second to calm down, smiles still firm on their faces.
 “But yes, this will be satisfactory as a gift to Mianite.” Sonja appraised it, looking past him to eye the bush it came from. “What are these flowers? I don’t think I’ve seen them before.” She looked back to Wag. “And I dabbled in Botania in the other realm.”
 Wag stood up, turning his attention back to the flora. “Cornflowers. They live in more temperate climates; plains, some forests, and such. It’s strange to have found them here, all things considered.” He gestures around vaguely. “We do live in a mostly savanna environment. I’m not even sure how they made it to this little patch of paradise, never mind the fact that this area exists as it does.”
 He shrugs. “It is what it is. They are rather pretty. They are most typically associated with hope, devotion, and remembrance.”
 “And,” He places a hand on his heart, “According to some good ol’ folk tales, men in love would carry them around. If the color of the flower faded quickly, it meant their love was not returned. So,” Wag picked it back up, “If you wanted to listen to superstition, if the color lasts that means Mianite cares a whole lot about you.”
 Sonja scoffed. “Oh please, he is far too regal and orderly to fancy anyone, never mind a human. Or, well,” she flicks her tail, “someone mostly human.”
 “Imagine if he actually did, though! Tucker would be in for quite the competition. Champion of Mianite? Try Queen of Mianite.” Wag winked, holding the flower back out to her.
 Except it seemed that was the wrong thing to say.
 She held her breath, wilting before him “Yeah,” Sonja mumbled at the flower, “Tucker would really be in for it.”
 There was a pause.
 Wag eased back down towards the ground, getting comfortable. He tugged on Sonja’s sleeve to bring her down as well. Setting the flower aside, he pondered his next words. If he was going to pull out any wisdom, it better be now.
 “Things aren’t going too great between you two, are they?” Wag started, giving her the option to push the conversation aside.
 Sonja was silent for a second. Her ears flicked back and forth, agitated. Then she let out a sigh, deep and heavy.
 “No.”
 Wag nodded slowly. “It’d help to talk about it.”
 He wanted to help, wanted to know more, but he didn’t want to press. He wouldn’t dare push the boundaries when it felt like he was already on the brink of losing someone else he cared about. A two for two special on failing relationships would hurt.
 Biting the inside of his cheek, he reminded himself that this was about Sonja. Not his life problems. Hers!
 “It’s…” she cast her eyes around them. “Kinda heavy. Would you be ok hearing about it? I don’t want to bring your mood down.”
 Wag gently bumped shoulders with her. “Of course. I’m all ears if you ever need it.”
 Sonja opted for a smile, though it fell more towards a grimace. “Thanks.”
 She went quiet again. Wag could see the thoughts churning in her head, gears clicking and turning along.
 “I was.” She stopped. Started again. “I used to be.” Biting her lip, she took a breath. “There was a brief moment of time that I worked for the Shadows.”
 Oh.
 Oh shit.
 She couldn't meet his eyes, which is probably a good thing because he didn’t know what to say. ‘Sorry that you used to work for the people who wanted to kill all the gods and take over the world, or some stupid thing like that’? ‘Yikes’?
 ‘Cause yikes.
 “That’s, well, not what I was expecting.” He suppressed the urge to crack a joke. “And yeah, that’s pretty heavy.”
 Sonja drooped a little beside him, and he had to rush in the rest of his words.
 “But that’s not the end of the world. You aren’t working for them anymore, and even if you were you have been my friend and helped save so many people that I feel that it wouldn’t matter. Your actions say more about your character than who you follow does.” He hoped that curbed her fear and doubt, if only for a moment. And, because he couldn’t help himself, he added, “Hey, look at Tom. He’s a little chaos rat who followed a real evil guy and we still love him. The standards can’t get lower than that.”
 She huffed, and Wag counted that as a win.
 She took a peek at him. “You took that a lot better than Tucker did.”
 Suddenly, it clicks. She told Tucker, the ultimate devotee of Mianite, who had been willing to follow an evil version of his god just because he had the same name as his actual god. Tucker, who held strong to his beliefs and only turned on the Other Mianite when he went too far. Tucker, who’s devotion to Mianite came after little else, if after anything at all.
 Tucker would not only have been appalled that she faltered in her devotion to Mianite, but felt down right betrayed that she would work for someone who wanted to kill his god.  
 Tucker wasn’t Tom. He wasn’t willing to work for a god that was near unanimously seen as chaotic, destructive, and evil. But he would also be easily blinded by the misdeeds of his god after seeing only the good in him for so long. He wouldn’t kill his god for his friends, he wouldn’t save his friends from his god. If Mianite told him to kill, he would.
 He had killed the Ianitas under the Other Mianite’s command.
 So Sonja, regardless of how much he loved her, telling him she had been part of the Shadows?
 Wag could only imagine his reaction.
 Instead of making much comment on Tucker, Wag offered her a smile. “The Shadows don’t mean as much to me.” That got her to look up. “I’m- I was a wizard, remember?”
 Meeting her eyes, he saw the start of understanding. Then it struck him- he never told her how he became a wizard. “Sonja.” It was his turn to look away. “Do you know about the Cult of Athar?”
 She mouthed the words, face scrunching up. Silently, she shook her head. “The Cult of Athar was formed in the name of Athar, who was a god. Or close to one. They weren’t sure of that, at the time they formed the Cult, but he was. Instead, they thought he was a godly power that existed and was given to those who were worthy. In a way, they weren’t wrong.”
 “Was?” Already she was picking up on the ending.
 “We’ll get to that.” Wag picked at the grass in front of him. “The Cult was made of four mortal people. They studied, they trained, they crafted, they worked their assess off to get a glimpse of the Athar. Nothing worked.”
 Sonja nodded, eyes searching Wag’s face. Connecting dots. Her gaze lingered on his dark skin and endless tears of blood. It wouldn’t be long before she pieced it together.
 “One day, they found an ancient scroll.” Sonja scoffed at this detail. “Look, I know it’s cliche but this is my story I’m telling and you will suffer through any cliche moments in it. I will add a magical girl transformation scene in here just to spite you.” They held each other’s gaze for a moment.
 Then both burst out laughing. With a fond shake of her head, Sonja shoved him gently. “Who’s to say you won't anyway?”
 With a mock offended gasp, Wag dramatically clutched his heart. “How could you. I guess you don’t want the story of this freaky, weird cult of absolute dorks.”
 “No, no, I do. Please continue, Mr. Extravagant Storyteller.”
 Holding back a smile, Wag started back up. “In this scroll was a ritual. According to the scroll, if you performed the ritual you could summon down the god that possessed the power of Athar- who was actually called Athar so really calling the ‘godly power’ Athar was redundant. By calling him down you could duel him for the right to hold that power and use it yourself.”
 He trailed off now. It seemed, now of all times, that the reality of what he had lost sunk in. “By defeating Athar, who was a selfish, greedy god, they themselves could become gods among mortals. But they vowed to be benevolent, loving gods. Gods who would help humanity unlike that who came before them. They wanted to make a change in the world, to help build it up in the name of peace and prosperity.”
 “So they killed him?”
 Wag nodded.
 “You were one of them, weren’t you?” Sonja pressed gently. “And the rest of the wizards, too?”
 He nodded again.
 When he made no further comment, she spoke again. “I always wondered how you guys became wizards. I just figured you guys were born from, I don’t know, dragons or something. Something badass like that. Or maybe just one day you guys popped into existence all like, ‘Golly gee, there’s an open plot of land here, and I sure do feel like making something. You guys want to build? I want to build.’”
 Wag laughed despite himself. “I wish we were dragons. That’d be so much cooler than waltzing up to a god and telling him you’d be better at his job.”
 “No, I think that’s still pretty badass.” She slowly leaned over to rest on his shoulder.
 The sun was just starting to fall from its highest peak, making it just past noon. They still had a whole day ahead of them, if they pleased. But there was something settling about sitting here, with a friend, letting your secrets loose.
 “The point is,” Wag rested his head on hers, “That I’ve actually killed a god. I formed a cult with the intent of becoming godlike. You joining the Shadows? For whatever reason? I’m not that phased. Sure, the Shadows wanted to kill all the gods, even the nice ones, but I’m not about to go cherry picking which gods can and cannot live. You guys didn’t kill Dianite until he almost killed Ianite. Eye for an eye, y’know?”
 They were silent after that. Just sitting there, looking out into the mix and blend of savanna, plains, and desert. This didn’t fix anything for Sonja, he knew, but at the very least she knew she had an ally, a friend through all of this.
 “Thank you,” Sonja blurted. “It’s. I feel better knowing someone won’t ostracise me for my past.”
 “No one is going to ostracize you!” Rolling his eyes, Wag turned to look at her. “And if they do they’re a bitch and you didn’t need them in the first place.”
 “I don’t know. Tucker was really upset. I think I’ve burned any relationship we had.” She pulled her legs up to wrap her arms around. “I’m afraid that he won’t even be able to look at me. What would Jordan think? What would Tom? Or Dec or Champ? What would the gods?”
 Wag wrapped an arm around her. “It’s going to be a shock, for sure.”
 But the thing was, she was still their friend.
 “Jordan will take it with suspicion and unease, which is usual for him. But, for all that he will be wary, he will still be your friend. Honestly?” He squeezed her arm. “Your situation isn’t new to us, not exactly.”
 An ear flicked against his cheek. “What do you mean?”
 “Well,” Wag blew on it and it flicked again, “There’s Tom’s whole thing.”
 She lifted her head at this. A frown tugged at her lips. “What? What do you mean by that?”
 Ah, Wag had a feeling that she hadn’t thought about this.
 “Tom was the loyal champion of this world’s Dianite.” He was trying to lead her into the connection. It’d be easier for her to relate if she figured it out on her own.
 “So?”
 However, that meant she had to figure it out.
 “I suppose it’s a little harder to see from your perspective. Tom, the friend you guys all love despite his love of chaos, stealing, and murder,” He stressed the murder part, “was the champion of the god you had to kill to stop from killing Ianite.”
 Sonja blinked at him.
 Maybe it wasn’t as obvious as he thought.
 “Tom was loyal to Dianite above all else. He’d kill for him, he’d die for him, he was practically a lapdog at points, eagerly wanting to please him. Even when he failed him and was punished.” Wag shook his head fondly. “He would have killed Ianite if Dianite asked. He would have killed Ianite.”
 Tom would have done a lot of things for Dianite. The Shadows wanted to recruit him for his burning loyalty to who he followed and his willingness to kill and destroy.
 It was starting to click in Sonja’s head. Her frown became less confused and more thoughtful.
 “Maybe it was hard to see, since you were much closer to him than I was at the time, but Tom was set against all of you. Yet he still wanted to be your friend. He still wanted the best for you- when it didn’t involve him stopping his own chaos and fun- because he cared about you guys. In fact, he repeatedly stole from you and killed you, and he’s still your friend.”
 She was there. So, so close. Right on the edge of a breakthrough.
 “But Tom was,” she waved a hand, “Tom.”
 And there it was. The thing that she held her back. The thing that pulled at her conscious in this whole debacle.
 “So?” Wag wasn’t going to pull any punches. “Why are you holding him to a different standard than yourself? If he gets a pass, if he can follow someone who’s intent was destruction and death, just like the Shadow’s was, in a way, why can’t you?”
 Sonja was silent. She opened her mouth. Then closed it. Her eyes went wide.
 Gently, he squeezed her shoulder. “Jordan is still friends with Tom. Tucker is still friends with Tom. They both suffered at his hands, but they’re still friends. They still care about him. Just because you served, for some brief time, an entity that was just as evil as Dianite had been, at one point, doesn’t mean they’ll stop caring about you.”
 “What about Tom, then?” She straightened up, something stirring in her eyes. “What would he think?”
 Wag held back a laugh. “He wouldn’t care? Remember Nadeshot? Remember Cronus? He was friends with both.” Sonja gave him a look. “Oh come one, this one should have been obvious. Nadeshot told Tom he joined the Shadows, and what did Tom do? He had the us- the wizards- build him a fucking castle. The last person who would give a shit about you being part of the Shadows- having used to be part of- would be Tom!”
 Sure, she looked like she was about to punch him, but it was a little ridiculous to think that Tom would give a shit about something like that.
 Wag turned his head away. “Sorry, sorry. I shouldn’t be laughing. This is a very serious situation and I should try my best to stay serious.”
 “Yeah, you should.” Sonja gave him a light punch to the arm, “Asshole.”
 “But the thing is, we’re still going to be here for you. We’ve been to a whole other world, we fell through the void together. You’ve had our backs from day one. We’ll always have yours.” He ended with a gentle smile.
 Sonja settled back down, head on his shoulder once more. “That does make me feel a little better. But things won’t be the same. Nothing will, really.”
 That was true. They would probably look at her different, in a new light. They’d reconsider some things, rethink what image they had of her. But at the end of the day, they’d still be together.
 As Wag set his head back down atop hers, she whispered, “I guess things haven’t really been the same in a while.”
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eijiroukiriot · 5 years
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okay okay okay consider: right near the beginning of their Extremely Pining phase kirishima decides he’s gonna be brave! and live without regrets and all that! so he straight up asks bakugou out. and bakugou - who is HELPLESSLY pining but is still trying to convince himself he’s not in love with this idiot he is not weak enough to blush and shake when he sees someone who he can barely stand to call his best friend - JUST manages to hide all that and say no
and kirishima’s like “oh man what?? i thought we had a good thing going, i was feeling the sparks” and bkg, feeling Caught, scoffs “you think i’d say yes to a weak proposal like that? try again when you can actually make me wanna date you”  
which does NOT put kirishima off because That’s Not A No. right there and then he declares “okay then just you wait!!! i’m gonna woo you SO HARD you’re gonna fall head over heels for me” 
and bakugou laughs. brushes it off with an “i’d like to see you TRY”. but kirishima is a very young very gay little man with and endless energy supply so what i’m saying here is that he literally goes in full force and does Research (all the research comes from articles like ‘how to get that special guy to fall for you’ and ‘10 ways to flirt that your crush just can’t resist’ and they’re all from teen girl magazines most of which he stole from mina) and becomes a flirting Monster
but also (and this is important): he’s STUPID. and desperate. and throws away any semblance of shame he still had.
he’s already touchy - from that day forward he swings his arm around bkg’s shoulders every single time he sees them. no fear or reservation whatsoever. or hi-fives him and laces their fingers together. sometimes if he’s feeling particularly brave he’ll tackle-hug him and then pick him up bridal-style (that one isn’t met as passively as the others). and any time he does something like that he’ll say something dumb like “hey bkg! looking extra manly today” or “was today arm day? because your biceps feel even more rock-hard than usual” 
his list of pickup lines is fifty pages long 
there’s one day where he laughs at literally everything bakugou says (this nearly gets his mouth blown up). one day where he experiments calling him katsuki like it’s no big deal. one day where he asks if bkg wants to hang out and bkg says “this better not be some dumb flirting attempt” and kirishima’s like “of course it is” and pops in Love Actually (it’s april) because it’s the only romcom he’s ever seen
they’re studying together for a math test and every time kirishima gets a problem right he’s like “awesome! date me?” and bkg says no every single time but for the entire two hours he does not stop asking. every time they make plans from then on out he says “sick then it’s a date! can’t wait for our date” 
he spends a full hour watching youtube tutorials on how to wink
at kaminari’s suggestion he starts calling bkg his future boyfriend. bkg comes down for breakfast and he’s like “hey it’s my future boyfriend! good morning” or he wins a practice match in training and kirishima yells “YEAH THAT’S MY FUTURE BOYFRIEND!!!” which actually results in a few people taking it the wrong way and being like “oh didn’t know you two were together congrats!” 
he asks mina for suggestions on what he should do and she says “kirishima sweetie i love you but i can’t be the first person to point out that you look like That” and he’s like “hm i think i’m doing pretty good how much further can i go” and comes to class the next day in a full 3-piece suit w his hair down and is like “i mean everyone feels like changing it up every now and then right haha nbd” and bkg does not look at him all day
absolutely nobody knows what’s going on when he sets up his weight training stuff in the common room at five p.m. sharp one tuesday - right when bkg usually starts cooking his dinner, mind you. bkg takes on look at the setup and snorts and walks out the front door saying he’s getting convenience store food tonight
no one even knows where he GOT that much paint, or how he managed to paint BAKUGOU WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME on the OUTSIDE of the classroom windows. on ua’s 4th floor. 
and any time they are in proximity of each other kirishima tries to hold bkg’s hand. he even gets jirou to trade seats with him and reaches for bkg’s hand across the aisle every five minutes which disrupts class every single time
one morning it’s raining and kirishima’s standing by the door waiting for bkg to put his shoes on and bkg stares at him and says “what, do you not have an umbrella or something”
kirishima realizes if he didn’t they could walk TOGETHER and SHARE an umbrella and it’d be ROMANTIC so he very conspicuously breaks his umbrella over his knee and says “no” (bkg runs ahead without him and kirishima gets to class completely soaked. his last-ditch plan to go around shirtless all day is forcibly shut down by aizawa the second he arrives. “(flexing) hey bkg haha it’s kinda chilly in here i wonder why-” “kirishima. put on a shirt or it’s detention” “yes sir understood sir”) 
at one point bkg asks him “jesus CHRIST why are you even still TRYING aren’t you EMBARRASSED” and kirishima’s like “not at all because i know one of these days you’re gonna say yes!!!!” 
but here’s the OTHER catch: bakugou is having a blast. no pun intended. because ohhh he likes kirishima so much but he’d never ever ever say that he wants to be romanced like this. his crush is bending over backwards and making a fool out of himself trying to get him to DATE HIM already and he is having so much fun getting to be so close to him but still having a reason to laugh at him and pretend like he Isn’t dreaming abt him.
this goes on for weeks enough that everyone kinda already sees them as a couple and it doesn’t end until one day while they’re hanging out kirishima (who has even started to see this as more of a game than anything) yells “bakugou!! i need a favor and it’s urgent!!! i need you to kiss me RIGHT NOW” and bkg just goes “ok” and smorches him right on the lips
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emmdaenovice · 4 years
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Towards a better future #1
Daminete
#1
next
So I should probably put a few trigger warnings on this
Ah, suicide, abuse, um… depression, mature readers only?
On a cool night in Pairs Marinette Dupain-Cheng stood alone on the highest spot on the Eiffel tower she could climb to while not being a danger to herself and a potential nasty mess on the sidewalk. She looked at the stars hiding behind a thick layer of cloud, or at least she imagined they were there, silently sparkling looking down on all. thinking that holding onto faith is only easy thing to do when its something physical, like the stars. As you see her faith was slowly wavering, mostly due to her miraculous partner Chat Noir but also Paris’ civilians, and. Herself.
It all began barely a month ago, it’s amazing how Marinette’s world could change this much in a small matter of time. She and her parents traveled to China to visit her Uncle, Wing Cheng, partially to escape from the stress of school life (a holiday) and also because of the grand finale of the D.A.B,’s cooking competition. Which no one was surprised when it was announced that Wing was winning. Marinette was so excited for so many reasons, she would be able to see her extended family again and get some more ideas for this new jacket she’s working on, and new inspiration, all the colours, flora, fauna, people, trends, smells, people, places, things!… She had to remind herself daily that she as Marinette Dupain-Cheng could to do all of those things but, she wasn’t just here as Mari. No, what not many people know is that Ladybug and Chat Noir planned to meet in Beijing for a secret mission to involve more miraculous holders and guardians in their mission to defeat Hawkmoth.
The plan started when Chat Noir informed Ladybug that he would be unavailable due to the psychopathic wishes of his father, forcing him to relocate for a few months.
Ladybug and Chat Noir had become closer and closer with each fight they won together and now found themselves in a sibling like relationship. They knew almost everything about each other, except their identities. Which neither of them really knew why but resorted to the explanation of the danger it would cause if one of them was compromised. To say that they trusted each other with everything was an understatement. Because of this Ladybug knew there was nothing she could do about Chat Noir leaving, the fact that the father managed to be a helicopter parent, an absent parent and a psychopath with trust issuers all in one makes her head spin. So, she decided she would make the best of the situation.
Marinette began to pull stings to make sure everything fell into place perfectly, she encouraged Wing to compete in the D.A.B’s, began letting cracks in her emotions show through to her family more than usual, asked if they were going on any upcoming trips, she researched and planned way into the night for months, this would be the most successful trip Ladybug and Chat Noir took together in the history of miraculous. They would find help, and they will take down Hawkmoth. Chat Noir bid his good buy to ladybug and the semi-permanent team of miraculous holders consisting of Rena Rouge, Carapace, Viperion and Ryuko. Ladybug then explained that she was also going to be out of area for a while but will always have the miraculous of teleportation on her for Akuma purification and emergencies. She trusted the group with small Akuma’s but didn’t think Alya and Nino really took the job seriously, Marinette blames herself for not giving the Kawami better matching holders.
So, the plans were set, everything was ready, she was ready.
Chat Noir and ladybug often conversed and went through the plan of attack through the days after Ladybugs arrival. To be honest that’s false, they were trying to find the bloody thing, the entrance to Hunan’s miraculous league. They found information on it thanks to the miraculous book and some odd new posts hidden deep within the internet. One might think that this was a long shot and it was, but it was the only shot they had. They needed adults, people with expert knowledge on battle strategies, physical and mental training, detective skills, … someone with a car. Literally anything would help, they both agreed that nothing would get worse in this situation as why they were trying their best to find it. Oh boy how they were wrong.
When they finally found it, they were ecstatic, so excited to learn more and to finally get help, but they were met with unenthusiastic faces. It seems that this ancient place only held artifacts of the past, no trainers, no holders, no guardians not even Miraculous. To say they were heartbroken would be an understatement. Marinette found herself slipping through the superhero façade as a single tear fell as soon as they were out of the temple, which soon was followed by more until they turned in to full on sobs as Chat Noir held his lady tight whispering sweet nothings into her hair. She knew she shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up, she tries to always expect the worse when it comes to new material on miraculous and hero work, but she couldn’t help herself. Just this one time she hopped things would go her way. After a while she calmed down and realised how she was truly thankful for her partner, the beautiful heart and hair of gold, mischievous little tom cat, her Chat Noir. They conversed and decided to take a deeper look at all of the artefacts the next day to see if they missed something, and to also discover where the mysterious aura within the temple walls was coming from.
They returned to Paris the next day at an alarming pace as they both realised that they haven’t been called over to help in any battles all week let alone purify any Akuma. They both came up with possible scenarios that would explain their absence but most of them were impossible or much in the worse scenario possible category. When they arrived in Paris they found that everything was quite normal, everything seemed to be in place, they located the hero’s and discovered that Hawkmoth hasn’t attacked in quite some time… This freaked the duo even more so. The heroes have been looking after petty crimes for the past 7 days without any suspicious activity at all. Well at least Viperion and Ryuko have. It seems that Rena Rouge and carapace have been keeping up the social experience of the team, to an extent where they were over sharing. Ladybug was furious at this for first not telling her about the suspicious activity (and yes no activity counts as suspicious activity) and secondly for sharing private information about their hero work to the public. Furious doesn’t even begin to describe what she was feeling especially when she found out that Rena Rouge was sharing yet again information, but about the hero’s personal lives, and even identity on Alya’s blog. This time she had gone too far. Chat Noir stood besides his lady silently supporting her as she disciplined his friends, he couldn’t say that he wasn’t mad, he thought he could trust them with more than this, they broke his trust.
It might be because Chat Noir’s and Ladybugs spirits were already broken but they were seriously thinking of the next best step to take as permanent miraculous holder and guardian. Drastic measures such as demoting them to normal civilians was thrown around, but they decided against that, instead they planned to revisit the situation when their civilian identities came back home, and their minds refreshed. They spent the rest of that day checking out potential suspects relating to Hawkmoth. When It came to Gabriel Agreste they weren’t sure how high or low to put him on the list of suspects, but when they visited his mansion to find that he was absent struck a cord with Marinette. She knew something was wrong. Chat Noir didn’t seem too keen on looking around the place determined that his father was a good person.
‘He just doesn’t seem like the type of guy you know?’
‘Chat I don’t think anyone thinks that a fourteen-year-old could ever be Ladybug, suspects are suspects’
When Chat wouldn’t tell her why he was acting weird Ladybug dismissed it as Him just feeling weird being in her old crushes house.
Ladybug found herself feeling off in the house, an especially when it came to Gabrielle’s study, a feeling in the pit of her stomach like a void sending sparks down her legs. They let Kaalki explore the room as they had her on handy, exited to be in a famous person’s study she eagerly obliged to snooping around the room. She zoomed quickly around the room knocking over books and papers, which Chat Noir quickly put back into place, as she finally took a plunge into the floor. They both stood there for a minute conversing in whether a Kawami can get stuck in the ground or not, but didn’t have to act as Kaalki soon flew out beneath the floorboards slower than before with a grim look on her face.
‘Well, what did you see?’ Chat said eagerly wondering what the Kawami found. Forgetting to drop a pun in the process. The Kawami only looked solemnly at the guardian.
‘I advise you to never go down their” she said, almost afraid of the words she spoke
‘Kaalki, why? What’s down there?’ Ladybug spoke, the Kawami squirmed and Chats face paled. What could be down there? What could be down there that a Kawami that has been around for thousands of years is afraid of?
‘I do not wish to speak the horrors. But I can confirm that Gabriel Agreste is in fact Hawkmoth’ her words hung beneath them like a dead man swinging side to side by a noose.
‘What.’ Was all Chat Noir could say. His mind a mess filled with memories and arguments. Finding there was two sides of himself, one that always knew and one who knows he’s innocent.
‘Are you sure’ Ladybug said grimly. meanwhile Chat Noir sat down on his father’s desk staring at the painting of his mother, his emotions running astray within his heart.
“my guardian I am sure as the sky is blue.’ Kaalki looked up at the duo both with horror and sorrow in their eyes, ‘There is refinance of the torcher of Kawami down there as well as a room filled with butterfly’s and Akuma alike. Not to mention a motive for his wish’ she continued.
‘We need to get down their’ Chat Noir decided.
‘You can’t access the tunnels from here there all been sealed off mechanically.’ She thinks for a moment ‘We can open it with Hawkmoth present’
Ladybug thought for a minute, she doesn’t want to attack a man without seeing the proof herself… But she trusts the words of her Kawami ‘Ok’ Ladybug decides ‘lets go find Gabriel Agreste’.
‘I’m glad you decided on this, It is the best to have a clear head while defeating Hawkmoth and this room will do quite the opposite’ Ladybug feeling true terror within her for a moment then turned to Chat Noir.
‘We have to find Gabriel Agreste’ she said with a determining tone ‘if I was an evil mastermind, where would I be if I weren’t at my house?’ Ladybug thought out loud. Finally coming to her senses she sees Chat Noir on the floor.
‘Hey, you ok?’ she sits down next to him and pulls him into a hug ‘Perhaps Hawkmoth has gone to catch butterfly’s’ she laughs trying to make light of the mood, trying to put a smile on his face. But Chat Noir, Adrien Agreste has never felt more conflicted in his life, his emotions were tearing him up inside, all he felt like doing was crying. He would be safe in his lady’s lap, within the embrace of his partner, his best friend, she would listen to him. ‘heck maybe he’s taken a vacation to Hawaii.’ Chat Noir jolts out of Ladybugs arms, quickly remembering where his father is and why he might be there.
“He’s in China.’ he spoke as if there was a hair ball in his mouth.
‘What.’ Ladybugs eyes wide as he has ever seen them ‘Chat what do you mean?’
‘Ladybug. Gabriel Agreste is in China.’
The statement dropped out of the cat’s mouth and rolled around the floor. This is bad. It couldn’t be, that he was also looking for the hidden miraculous association in Hunan like they were… right? No, of course not. Probably, because everything that can go wrong must.
The pair teleported to the temple once again fighting large tree branches in the way, they had no time to care for the nature in the way of their path. They had to get to the association as soon as possible, they had to make sure that everyone was ok, sure they were unhelpful but that doesn’t mean they deserve to suffer at the hands of Hawkmoth. Questions like these and more flowed through their head faster than a cat jumping out of water like; what was Kaalki  so afraid of, is Gabriel really Hawkmoth, where do my parents think I am now, what am I going to do now, will we win? After all these years of fighting finally will we win.
They ran towards the temple stopping halfway to catch their breath, understanding that if Hawkmoth was there that he would feel the presence of the portal but still silently cursing Kaalki for not bringing them closer. A scream was taken out of their lungs as large boom thundered across the forest accompanied by a large dust storm and the deepest colour of orange licking the tips of the sky. Someone had blown up the temple. Who were they kidding hawkmoth had blown up the temple. All that ancient memorabilia, the history, the connection to the miraculous, even the old farts that occasionally dust the entrance. All gone. All obliterated by the hands of one man, and for what?
‘Milady theirs something I need-‘
‘There he is’ Ladybug points at a shadow emerging from the debris ‘let’s go Chat’ she extends her hand to him, he pauses for a second then grasps her hand tight.
‘I would go anywhere with you my lady’ Kaalki quickly teleports the duo directly behind their villain of four consistent years. He turns noticing the presence, but Ladybug quickly wrapped her yo-yo around him. She pulled on the strong fiber forcing him onto the ground.
‘Gabriel Agreste’ Ladybug yelled in the most fearsome Guardian like tone Chat Noir has ever heard. To both heroes surprise Hawkmoth lifted his head off the ground looking them both in the eye
‘Ah beetlebug and kittycat, I would say I’m surprised but honestly, it took you long enough’ he spat, quite confident for a trapped man. ‘I suppose that’s what I get for fighting a bunch of children’ he huffed.
‘Well these children kept you busy for four years now didn’t we!’ Chat Noir yelled. ‘fuck you’ he said less confidently his voice breaking, both unable to move an inch towards their captive, like a moment in time that froze completely
‘I had certain obstacles in my way preventing me from defeating you, if I had a powerful miraculous this little game of cat and mouse would be over a lot quicker’
‘So, you got angry when you didn’t find any here and blew up a sacred miraculous temple?!’ she yelled her arms shaking a little from the adrenaline, unable to explain this monsters thought process
‘No, no, no little girl, I’m afraid you aren’t quite right’
‘Don’t belittle us, you’re the one trapped’ Chat Noir said growling, like a hungry beast in front of its prey.
Hawkmoth began to laugh manically ‘That’s where your wrong foolish boy, I’m right where I want to be. Don’t you know what happens if you back a wild animal into a corner?’ Chat shakes in fury as this grown man, his father laughs at him. All of those years of looking up to him, trying to get him to be proud of him, acting as the best child one could have, … all those years fighting for his life, dying again and again for the sake of his lady for the sake of taking him down. All for what. Chat controlled by rage silently walked towards the man, looked at him in the eyes, those deep dark eyes holding horrors he never wants to see. This man has tortured him for years mentally, physically and emotionally in all meanings of the word, he wanted him to pay. It was time for Adrien Agreste to finally get his revenge. With all the force he could muster he kicked his father in the ribs, feeling or maybe imagining the satisfying crack of ribs underneath his boot. One part of him thought he should be sad, but all he felt was empty. Hawkmoth coughed and wined in pain looking up at Chat smiling.
‘Is that all you got? Pussy’ his laugh this time was cut off by chats fist finding its place on garbles cheek.
‘Chat that’s enough’ Ladybug said a solemn look on her face. He looked at her and stood back.
‘Oh, I see, the little stray has an owner.’ he laughs ‘Come on ladybug give it a go! Hit me! Though I doubt you could hurt me with that tiny whore body of yours‘ he laughs one again and ladybug turns away, she knows that Hawkmoth wants to rile them up, no matter what he throws at her she won’t give in to what he wants, she will not give control to him. Chat Noir however couldn’t say the same, he wanted to follow the rules of his lady but Hawkmoth was laying in front of him completely defenseless asking for a beating ‘Oh oh I’ve got it the bitch owns the bitch’ that was the last straw for chat Noir he tackled his father the one that helped bring him into existence and started beating him unable and unwilling to hold back.
Ladybug was frozen in time afraid of her partner, afraid of how violent he had become, though she didn’t blame him. The sheer force of his attacks and the emotion behind them, such raw hatred, she’d never seen her best friend like this before. That small moment in time was all it took. Both heroes distracted one hitting the terrorist which forced the entirety of Paris under extreme pain, and the other afraid of her most trusted friend, her partner of four years. Kaalki’s glasses were slid off ladybugs head and placed into the hand of Myura. The ladybug yelped in terror as she realised a plant like looking Amok had stolen the miraculous from atop her head with its long wipe like vines. Chat also looked up from his pray in time for him to be thrown off Hawkmoths body like a sack of potatoes. Before chat could get up off the ground, he was hold tight by the forest monster as he found his lady was as well. Hawkmoth was slowly picked up off the ground by the vines and placed on his feet. His bloody face dripping with crimson and slight black bruises starting to form where Chat punched him repeatedly. How could they forget about Myura, how could they forget? They should have just transported Hawkmoth to Paris then and there, they should have tied him up, they should have checked their surroundings, they’re ladybug and Chat Noir for miraculous sake they heroes. Heroes don’t make stupid mistakes like this, freezing up when things are finally going their way. No. real heroes would have done better. They’re not heroes they failed Paris they failed the guardians before them they failed themselves. The only thing that they are is children. Scared children trying to save the day in feeling like adults dressing up in their parents clothing. How could this have happened?
‘You won’t get away with this Hawkmoth” ladybug yelled ‘Our miraculous don’t belong in the hands of evil. Good will always find a way, and it will punish you for you evil doings, the terror you have spread across Paris and now the world, if not us then the next.’ She spoke proudly as if she had won the battle, her words spoken like a true hero like a true guardian. Hawkmoth was steadied by Myura, as she gave him Kaalki’s miraculous, looking at them like she had said something strange
‘If you kill us now you will regret it, the weight of two innocent, in your word’s children, weighing on your soul for eternity. Don’t you have a kid? Adrien?’ This got Hawkmoths attention ‘He’s about the same age as us, what will you see when you look at him. Will it all be worth it? all this death and tragedy for a wish? A wish that will blow up in your face?’ Chat finished wanting to back up what Ladybug said in his own way. Hawkmoth laughed once again as if Chat had said something funny, for a moment Adrien wondered what type of face Hawkmoth would make when her realises he had killed his own child, would he laugh, just as he is now? Would he be happy that the burden of his perfect son would be gone?
Ha sorry to end it like that
I’m sorry but we wont see the romantic side for a couple of chapters but it’s coming soon I promise!
Tell me if you hate it ~
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bel0vedmendes · 5 years
Text
Inevitable : AU Part 3
BrothersFriend!Shawn x Reader
Words:3,238
Warnings: Language, Drinking, Smoking, Mentions of sex, leetle spicy moment.
Description: When Jason left, he made Shawn (his best friend) promise to keep a watchful eye on Y/N. He swears that we will. Along with the help of Brian and Kyle, he keeps his promise. As Y/n gets older the dynamic of their relationship begins to change. Will they figure out what they mean to each other or will Shawn always see her as his best friend’s little sister?
A/N: Part 1 and 2 are in my masterlist! Please, please, please let me know what you think, any feedback is appreciated <3
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The next few weeks were crazy. The boys did everything in their power to make my transition to their college party house bearable. I had to get used to random people coming over at who knows what time. Eventually I got used to the fact that the house wasn’t going to be super clean- like ever. My room was the exception, and it was off limits to everyone but me. I would have to ask them ahead of time, if I needed a quiet house. They did what they could to accommodate. It was nice though. Anytime I needed help with homework they were always willing. They might party a lot, but they aren’t stupid by any means.
Things with Sam have escalated pretty quickly. He started texting me the day after the party. The boys hated him, especially Shawn. They promised me that his intentions were to have sex, and that he would hurt me. They kept saying ‘we know guys like Sam!’, and I would roll my eyes every time. They didn’t know him, hell, I didn’t even know him that well. I told them that they would just have to let me make my own mistakes. Brian and Kyle dropped it from that point on, and Shawn did too for the most part. He would still mock me when I would mention Sam at all. 
Every Tuesday night we would have a game night. We would all invite our close friends and play games and drink. It was a way of hanging out that didn’t cost a fortune and didn’t turn into a huge party. I knew when I invited Sam, the boys would be pissed. I had to get them used to it though. So I invited Sam and a few of my girlfriends to distract Kyle and Brian. Plus, I knew Shawn was bringing his lovely girlfriend. Which made me want to invite Sam even more. I made it a point not to analyze what that might mean.
I put on a cute olive colored t shirt dress, with a plaid wrapped around the waist. Simple but cute enough to make Sam want more. As I sat in front of my mirror putting on my makeup, I thought about what I wanted from Sam. I knew that I liked him, and I knew that I thought he was extremely attractive. I didn’t necessarily want to have sex with him but part of me wanted to. I had sex with my first boyfriend ever when I was 16, and it was so anti-climactic. No pun intended. It lasted about 2 minutes and I didn’t feel anything but uncomfortable. I knew it was supposed to feel different, and I wanted to experience that.
People started to show up and I instantly noticed that it was more people than usual for our game nights. I find Brian and Kyle outside the house, talking to a group of girls.
“Guys, what the fuck? Why are so many people here?” I ask pulling Brian to the side.
“These ladies are in town visiting, I met them this morning. I told them we were having a party tonight.” He explains, barely making eye contact with me. His eyes wandering over the group of girls beside me. I huff and go back inside to text Sam and my friends so they knew what to expect. As I waited patiently for my friends to arrive, Shawn and Jessica walked into the house. Shawn making a beeline for me.
“No Sam?” He mocked, earning a tired look from me.
“He’s on his way actually,” I smile at him sarcastically.
“Wonderful,” He says raising his brows. Jessica instantly wraps her arms around his middle. I look away immediately remembering their fight from the last party. The last thing I wanted her to think was that I wanted Shawn. I gnaw on the inside of my lip, as I try to forget the things they said to each other in that fight. Constantly being reminded that I truly didn’t know how I felt about Shawn, and that was the stressful part. My overthinking brain managed to tell my feet to take me to the fridge. I found my special  pack of beer that everyone hated but I loved. They always bought a pack for me and wrote my name on it in Sharpie. It made me feel so special. 7 beers later I was feeling it. My friends showed up after my second beer, causing me to drink more than I had wanted to before Sam arrived. We were all dancing in a group in the kitchen, when I felt arms wrap around my waist. I turned around quickly, thinking it was one of the boys- hoping for it to be one specifically. Sam’s bright eyes peering down at me, he was drunk. I giggled, wrapping my arms around his neck hugging him tightly. His hands slide down to my ass grabbing tightly, making my cheeks turn another shade of red. All of the people watching in the room start notice as he gets a little too handsy. I watch Shawn pull Jessica closer as he eyes Sam down, lifting his beer to his lips as he glares at him. I chuckle pushing him away a little, raising my eyebrows at him.
“Slow down buddy,” I laugh as his lips attack my neck. I slowly push him away, finally realizing how drunk he really was. I was tipsy too, but nowhere near his level.
“You’re so fucking hot babe, I can’t get enough,” He says biting his lip, tucking my hair behind my ear. Just as he’s about to lean in for his second attack on my neck. I hear my name being called from the front room. I introduce Sam to my friends, telling them to talk for a second while I figure out why I’m being called. I immediately find Shawn waiting for me, I scrunch my eyebrows together in confusion. Of course I knew what this was going to be about, I chose to play coy.
“Can we talk outside for a second?” he asks, his tone flat. I nod my head following him outside. We sit on the old swing set that was left here when the boys bought the house. They never cared enough to get rid of it.
I start to swing back and forth, giving him the time he needed to start his rant.
“I cant watch you do this,” He scolded, his jaw tight and his leg rocking up and down quickly. I shake my head, annoyed that my every move was being analyzed.
“Don’t watch then,” I snap, as I start to head back inside. His hand finding my wrist and pulling me back towards him as he stands up.
“Listen,” He starts, holding my wrist tight like he always does when he wants me to take him seriously. “you know I’m just looking out for you, I always have-“
“My best interest at heart, I know,” I mock, cutting him off. I shake his hands off of my wrist, and for the first time I’m pissed at him.
“Shawn. You don’t get to make decisions for me anymore, okay?”
I don’t want to be mad at him. I don’t want to yell at him, but he doesn’t get input on everything in my life.
“Y/N, I’m not deciding anything for you! You’re rushing things, and that guy is a scum bag,” He shouts at me, instantly causing me to step back because he’s never yelled at me before.
I scream back at him, feeling tears start to sting my eyes. “You’ve got a lot to say for someone who lets his girlfriend walk all over him!”
“Don’t bring her into this, that had nothing to do with you!” He scoffs and I start to laugh mockingly.
“Nothing to do with me? Good to know! How about you stay in your fucking lane then! Mind your own business,” I spit at him, spinning on my heal to walk away from him before I said anything else.
“You know he’s a piece of shit, y/n. Why the fuck are you pretending like he’s some God,” He laughs at me, which instantly pisses me off even more.
“I don’t know Shawn, why do you pretend like Princess Jessica is the best thing that’s ever happened to you? How about you let me make my mistakes, and I’ll let you make yours. Sound good?” I fumed in voice that came out calmer than expected. I immediately turned away, walking to the inside. I instantly find my special case of beer, opening a bottle and chugging it in a record time. Then another, and another. Next thing I know I’m sitting on Sam’s lap in the living room watching my best friends dance to the overly loud music. Sam’s lips are ghosting over my ear, nibbling my neck. I giggle pretending to me completely enveloped in his presence but every time I look up, I’m looking for Shawn. I catch him staring a few times, but eventually he catches on to my game and starts to play too. He starts to mimic what Sam is doing to me, kissing Jessica on the neck. Each of us one upping each other, our partners in the dark about our little game. My friends take my hands pulling me into their circle, making me momentarily forget about our game. Until I realize this is the perfect opportunity to win. They decide to change the song to one me and my friends knew well. One we liked to dance around to in our rooms, and just happened to be perfect for the exact situation I was in. The familiar melody of Ariana Grande ‘Dangerous Woman’ instantly making all of the girls in the house scream. I peak over at Shawn and notice that his eyes are on me. I start to walk over to the blonde eyeing me down from the chair in the corner of the room. Focusing on making each movement slow and sultry. I mouth the words as I approach him, gaining an audience as I do.
“Don't need permission.
Made my decision to test my limits
'Cause it's my business…” I sing quietly as I approach the mesmerized blonde.
Placing one leg on each side of him. The song plays on and the chorus speeds up and I start to grind on the boy in front of me, earning a room full of encouragement.
“Somethin' 'bout, somethin' 'bout, somethin' 'bout you
Makes me wanna do things that I shouldn't..”
Normally I would run and hide at this kind of attention but the alcohol coursing through my veins and the need to defy the boy across the room made me stay. His hands start to reach out to take hold of my hips, then the music suddenly stops. I quickly flick my head in the direction of the speaker instantly greeted by a red faced Shawn, he was pissed.
“Party’s over, everyone out,” He yells, not breaking eye contact with me. I slowly smirk, at him as I sit on Sam’s lap. He shakes his head at me immediately walking over to the boys whispering something that makes them both glare at me and the boy who was under me. Then he and Jessica leave the party along with the rest of people. I finally snap back to the reality of the situation. Sam’s whispering the list of things he wants to do to me in my ear. I scold myself mentally because I made him think that way. I did like him though, and I was seriously attracted to him. Part of me just wished that it wasn’t all initiated because I was trying to make Shawn jealous. He takes my hand and we head to my bedroom. He pushes me against the back of my bed room door, sucking small bruises onto my neck. I moan loud, trying to force myself to stop thinking about what had happened with Shawn. I didn’t want to win anything, I don’t know why I did that. As guilty as I felt, I was still pissed at him. He had no right to say the things he said to me, and that was that. Sam’s fingers find my jaw, he makes me face him. He smiles at me before kissing me hard. Pulling back to look at me with his beautiful drunken blue eyes again.
“You’re so sexy, babe.” He says, making me smile.
From that point I force myself to be in this moment with him. I want to see where it goes. Next thing I know, he’s taking my dress off over my head, and I’m taking his shirt off. He picks me up and throws me on the bed, and starts to do some amazing things with his tongue between my legs. Then we had sex. It was way better than the last time. It felt good, it all felt so good. My body loved everything he was doing to me, but my head wasn’t into it. I couldn’t help but notice how emotionally unattached I was from him the entire time.
Maybe I had watched too many romantic comedies in my day, but I expected to feel more than just an orgasm. As I laid next to him in my bed, with his arm draped over my naked stomach, I decided that I would give it more time. The other feelings could come eventually, right? I fell asleep telling myself that I would feel that way eventually the more I got to know him, even though I knew it was a lie.
______________________________________________________________
It had been weeks since the last party, I had cut down on drinking substantially after seeing the videos of me dancing. Sam and I have hooked up three more times since that night, and now he calls me his girlfriend. It feels good to have attention from someone like him, but I’m still working on connecting to him emotionally. Everyday it seems to be a little harder to do. Especially since Shawn and I still haven’t really talked since that night. We talk in passing when we need to but he avoids me at all cost. I finally got to talk to Jason about everything. He sounded so happy on the phone so I didn’t want to annoy him with me petty relationship problems and stupid head games. We just talked about the stupid shit that happens living in a house with his best friends. He really did love that I decided to live with them, Shawn was right about that.
That’s all I can think about still. Even while I’m trying to study for the mid-term I have on Friday, all I can think about is how Shawn hates me. Thankfully I’m pulled from my thoughts as Kyle yells that my friend is here. Gabriella showed up with beer in hand for the thirsty boys. Kyle was leaning against the door frame, his voice was smooth and suave in his attempt to flirt. I start laughing from behind them, causing Gabby to laugh too. Kyle turns around scrunching his eyebrows together, of course he didn’t see anything wrong.
“Maybe if you let her inside, things might work better for you.” I say sarcastically watching the blush rise in his cheeks as he rolls his eyes at me. Gabriella smiled at him, letting him know that she still thought the attempt was cute.
“I figured you could use a study break.” She says as she pulls out tacos from my favorite taco joint.
“Oh my God, I love you.” I gush instantly grabbing one of the tacos and devouring it. She knew me well. She knew I probably hadn’t eaten all day because of the studying, but she also knew how stressed I was about Shawn avoiding me. As if he knew he was being thought of Shawn walked into the kitchen, looking me over and giving me a tight lipped smile before going to find Brian. I set my food down taking a deep breath, suddenly remember why I didn’t have an appetite to begin with.
“Still haven’t talked?” Gabriella whispered as she scrolled through her phone, waiting for me to finish eating. I gently shake my head, not wanting to use words. She nods her head, understanding that I didn’t want to talk about it. As if the smell of the tacos pulled them into the room, within minutes my two roommates were hovering over me, begging for my leftovers. Shawn follows them standing against the sink as they fight over the food. My eyes find his and I know that he feels the same way as me, I need to apologize. Even though I still feel like he over stepped, the things I said were cruel and I would never normally say those things out loud- even if it is how I truly felt.
“You talked to Jay?” Brian asks as cheese from his taco falls from his mouth.
“Yeah, why?” I tilt my head looking at Shawn, knowing he was the one with the questions.
“Did he tell you if he was coming to your Dad’s Wedding?” Brian questions, interrupting my gaze that was locked on the curly headed boy.
“Yeah, he said he’ll probably be able to make it.” I smile, looking up at Shawn as he started to grin, I knew he missed Jason just as much as I did.
After 30 minutes of listening to the boys talk about what they were going to do when Jason came home, they finally retired to the living room to play Mario Cart. Kyle stole Gabriella from me claiming that they needed another player so it would be even. We all knew he just wanted to be around her. I stayed in the kitchen, cleaning up the mess from the boys. I smiled to myself as I listened to them yell at each other. The feeling of nostalgia was intense. This was the sound I heard every weekend in my basement  until Jason moved away. I started to get emotional thinking about it. Suddenly Shawn’s voice snapped me out of my flashback.
“I wont go if you don’t want me to.” He said with a low voice, standing against the door frame.
“Shawn, its fine. You should come.” I said with a smile, still wiping the counter down with a wash rag.
“It’s your Dad. I don’t need to come, I know you don’t like Jessica so..” He starts to ramble.
“No, listen, I shouldn’t have said anything about you and Jessica. It’s not my place. I’m sorry.” I apologized, looking up at him with sincere regret in my eyes.
“I fucked up too, I just want to see you happy.” He mumbles with half a smile. I immediately start to hug him, missing the feeling of his arms around my waist and the smell of his cologne.
Then that was that. We joined the rest of the group in the living room. Gabriella giving me a knowing look, because she knew Shawn and I had made amends. I knew that Shawn still didn’t approve of whatever Sam and I had going on, he never would. He was also well aware that I would never be bff’s with Jessica. It was something we were both going to have to accept. 
Taglist: @within-nd-without, @hollymollymomsravioli 
@peterbrokenparker @alinashawn
LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDEDDDDD :)
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veronicassadboi · 5 years
Text
Save our Souls
Another addition to the Late Nights short stories... though this one is 7k words. 
Warnings: SMUT, Chughead, though, not in depth. Sweet, sweet angst and an unclear storyline. Poor Jeronica’s soul. 
You can read Save our Souls at AO3 through this link! or continue here:
---
It’s the tightening of his jaw and the dry, jagged feeling of his teeth grinding together that bring him back down from the cloud-of-smoke haze he had been living in. His eyes that had been weighing so heavy seem to shoot open and he can almost feel his pupils dilating; as if clicking into place. As if he could hear the changes. He reminds himself that he’s acutely aware of everything these days, noises are more static, lights are more glaring. Everything is just a little more now that she’s not here.  
He lays flat on his back, watching dust form in sun streaks through the curtains. Jughead rubs his eyes that seem to have no feeling and he is certain his soul has no feeling as he thinks in short, sharp memories. Sugary blonde. Vanilla kisses.
Soft touches, smiles on lips.
Betty .
He punches the bed, he screws his fists, it drives itself into the bed without any reaction. It’s better this way. Often, his walls can’t take it.
He groans out loud and mentally swears at the stained ceiling.
“I hate you,” he whispers to the void.
“ I tried to love you ,” he says in his mind.
Jughead picks up his phone and looks at it with one eye shut, the light from the screen tearing his other retina apart. Two messages from Sweetpea, some shit about getting his ass back to the Whyte Wyrm before he kills him. Another from Toni, something about missing Jughead and needing to get burgers. None from Betty.
None from Betty.  
Jughead laughs humorlessly, wondering what the hell would make him think Betty would message him anyway.
“Seven months,” he says as he throws the thin blanket off his body, the same one that he hasn’t even bothered to put a cover on, placing bare feet on the cold floor.
Seven months, he counts as he walks out of the bedroom. Seven months since his heart turned into cold, grey concrete and his fist drove itself into the wall four times, his knuckles cracked in three different places, his mind split into pieces of which most of it drove away to California and the sun. He did everything in that moment that she hated. Everything he hated in himself came out the moment she left. Maybe it was better that way. Maybe he’s supposed to be better this way, use this time as a coping mechanism but he knows in himself, he’s not coping with anything.
Seven months since he had heard her voice, but he sniggers again.
It may have been seven months, but her voice in his mind is still as clear as it had been seven months ago.
He thinks of the specifics, he likes to remember the exact moment in which his life fell apart.
“I just can’t do this anymore,” she had said as she left him standing on the steps of the trailer.
Jughead smiles to himself as he searches for his menthols. “Yeah,” he agrees out loud. “I can’t either.”
Sometimes the coffee isn’t strong enough when he feels this way.
He was supposed to feel more when she left. Instead, he dripped with secrets. After all, his life was a lie anyway.
-----
Sweetpea slams his fist on the table in front of Jughead and Jughead hides a flinch. Sweetpea was always loud, bold movements and scare tactics that makes Jughead roll his eyes and turn away from the sole person he could probably trust these days. It makes him feel somewhat sick and a whole lot of pathetic. Jughead shoves thoughts of his oldest friend to the back of his mind, he makes a mental note that he should probably call Archie, but what would he have to say when Archie was making a name for himself and all Jughead has is the tainted name of Southside on his shoulders.
“I don’t want to get all deep on you -” Sweetpea starts.
“Then don’t.”
Sweetpea groans and throws a punch at Jughead’s shoulder. “I’m not supposed to be running this shit, it’s supposed to be you ,” Sweetpea says seriously. “Or I’ll have to get Toni on your ass and you know how that goes…”
“Ah,” Jughead says with a wink. “Castration seems to be her flavour of choice these days…”
Sweetpea shudders. “My balls will never be the same.”
Jughead sips at a cherry cola; Cheryl’s Special. “I’m good,” he shrugs but the look on Sweetpea’s face tells him loud and clear that his lies aren’t well received. “Honestly.”
“Well,” Sweetpea replies, stealing Jughead’s same cherry cola. “Honesty is the best policy and all of that dumb shit.”
“I thought we weren’t getting deep…”
Sweetpea grins, showing all of his teeth. “Need my main man back -”
“Not sure how Fangs is going to feel knowing you just shoved him to bottom of the pecking order.”
“You got your snark back, I like that,” Sweetpea chuckles. “So, you’re going to stop being all emo and come back to us?”
Jughead thinks it over, he looks at the smoky room, the smell of spilt beer and joints so ingrained in the walls, he wonders just how many secrets would spill if these walls could talk. “Maybe,” he shrugs.
Sweetpea carries on, words pouring out onto the table in front of them, hands flying, some shit fight story about how much Cheryl pisses him off and how Toni almost beat him into a pulp. At some point, Cheryl catches Jughead’s eye and bites her matching cherry red lip that sends a jolt through Jughead’s spine and pools saliva on his tongue.
Ain’t nothing better than regrets and the opportunity to forget , he thinks. He can smell her skin on him already...
Sweetpea stops and the pause in his non-stop verbal offload catches Jughead’s attention; clicking heels seem like booming clunks when the noise is so familiar to Jughead. “Juggie!” says Veronica. “Come back to the pit to play, huh?”
Veronica’s lips are dark and moving in slow motion as Jughead reaches for his menthols. He gives her a curt nod and a lopsided attempt at a smile as he flicks the lighter and watches the burning red at the tip of his cigarette, he inhales deeply while he watches mauve nails dance up Sweetpea’s arm. “V.”
She gives him a smile that has him spiralling. Familiar , he thinks. The feeling of familiar gets stuck in his throat. He can taste the familiar on his tongue, and the softness of it’s skin. The filthy, rotting secrets that he and familiar shared on the floor on his trailer or how she called his name as she rode him. Familiar whispered so many promises in his ear over the years and when Betty left, he couldn’t help but think it was because what was familiar to him, well, familiar stole his entire heart and he faked the rest to the blonde haired girl.
Veronica’s eyes are blank, but Jughead’s feel deep and heavy with hands that wanted to reach out to what feels familiar...
Sweetpea continues on his long winded spiels but Jughead watches Veronica tap rhythmically on the table in front of them. It was something that she had done since they were fifteen yet twenty one proves that mostly, they are still the same.
Well , he thinks, some of us .
Some people change, some don’t. Some people are all for personal growth and some people can’t even see the beginning of change.
“Don’t you keep being a stranger,” Sweetpea orders. “We miss you around here and we need you too.”
Jughead’s automatic answers seem to convince Sweetpea and so he lets Jughead go.
Cheryl locks eyes with Jughead and he can taste the venom pooling in the back of his throat already.
He walks outside, swinging the keys to his bike around his finger but hears the door of the Whyte Wyrm slam behind him. “Hey, you!” Veronica calls out.
Jughead groans loudly and turns to look at her. “Princess,” he drawls.
Her scowl makes him smile but she runs up to him anyway. “You’re quiet today,” she says, looking up at him and asking a million questions with her stare. “But you came out of your snake pit, nice to know.”
“You’re full of these snake puns? Learning a lot with Sweetpea, huh?”
She doesn’t like it, she slaps a hand on Jughead’s chest and gives him a shove that doesn’t move him. “I miss you,” she murmurs.
Jughead feels a lump in his throat. How was he supposed to explain to Veronica that she reminds him too much of his best friend who’s not around for him anymore or Betty who left without a second thought. Or the fact that before she decided to dedicate her life to Sweetpea.  Jughead had unloaded his entire life onto her one night and then fucked her on the floor of the trailer and though she’s brushed it off as nothing but some sort of weird way of comforting each other, to him, it was a whole lot more than that.
He misses her too. He misses the stolen glances at sixteen, the skin tearing kisses at seventeen, the countless promises that they’d be together at eighteen. The arguments that they were too far gone to be together at nineteen. The constant ‘I-love-you’s’ scattered through the years in dark corners. “Yeah,” he snickers. “Like a bullet to the brain.”
“Give yourself a little more credit, Jug,” she says with a wink. “Don’t be a stranger, Sweetpea was right… or at least, don’t be a stranger to me.”
He stares at her with a desperation. She was so close, he could feel the heat of her skin and the sound ringing in his ears, he was sure was the beating of her heart. He believes she’s reading him too because her eyes darken as she bites her lip. “Do you feel it too?”
Veronica doesn’t answer, but he knows she doesn’t have to. He doesn’t wait. Jughead pats her on the back and starts up the bike. The one person he wants to be a stranger to right now would be her. But she’s the one thing he has left from before he felt like this.
Lost.
-----
The thing that Jughead loves about Cheryl is that she’s smooth and also, she doesn’t want anything from him.
She tastes like cherry cola and her lipstick is sweeter than anything he’s tasted before. When her lips dance on his skin, he feels invincible. “Are you going to keep staring at me? Or are you going to do something about this?” she asks, rubbing her hand on his hardened crotch.
He knows she likes the way his hand sounds against her ass, so he slaps it, over and over and jiggles it a bit, making her smile against his collarbone, that in itself makes him grip harder and need her a little more than before.
He makes a noise that makes his cheeks flush and it makes her snigger with a look in her eye that proves that she’s just as desperate as he is. He has no shame about it; Cheryl has an ass that makes him want to leave marks on it.
She undoes his belt buckle quickly and her lips fall open a little that gives off the air of hunger. She pulls down his jeans while he’s still standing and runs her teeth over his dick with his boxers still on. He bucks a against her mouth without intention.
Jughead loves the fact that Cheryl wears a shit load of lace. The red lace that runs between her thighs and the bralette that frames her tits so well looks good when Cheryl is on her knees. But Jughead now has a hunger of his own and memories that need drowning so he pulls down his boxers himself with an urgency that makes Cheryl grin against Jughead’s thigh. He pulls himself out. Cheryl takes him all in.
The thing with Cheryl is that she doesn’t like kissing. Jughead’s mouth is all over her body but she turns away from most kisses that makes him both frustrated and slam into her harder. His mouth is all over her shoulders as he slips into her from the back and her long, red hair looks so good wrapped around his fist….
He holds onto both sides of her ass as he cums, shaking, nails digging into her and his head thrown back so hard, he’s almost blinded and just about lost every trace of his bad thoughts in her. She keeps grinding back on him to the point where he has to push away from her. “Thank you,” she murmurs as she lays with lace around her ankles and a ripped bra on that she starts ripping all the way off. He watches her fingers as they dance across her chest and it’s enough to make him want to go again, but at the same time, he likes laying in almost-forgotten bliss and ignorance with Cheryl Blossom in his arms and the poisonous, strawberry scent of her hair burning in his nose.
“How long can I stay for?” he asks.
Cheryl’s look of shock amuses him. “How long are you planning on staying?” she asks. “I don’t want people knowing you’re here.”
“I don’t want people to know I’m here, don’t worry,” he chuckles.
She flutters fingers along his abdomen. “Then what the hell are you asking me, Jones?”
He sighs. If only he could tell her that he just doesn’t want to go home. “Nothing,” he says, ghosting his own fingers on her skin.
Maybe he’d hit up Toni. Maybe it’s a movie and burgers kind of night instead. He feels proud of himself, he’s managed to shove memories to the back. Even if only for one day.
Cheryl’s body feels so good when he’s trying to forget. The worst part was that it was so obvious in the way that Cheryl plays with his hair and runs her lips on his chest that she was trying to forget something too… Jughead was used to the feeling, but he wouldn’t wish it upon anyone. So he pulls her closer, runs his fingers in the band of her panties and lets her talk with cherry cola in her mouth. He appreciates her more than he’d ever be able to tell her. "I miss you," from Veronica echoes through his head as Cheryl distracts him. He misses himself. He misses Veronica. "I miss you," she repeats in his mind. They both just miss what could have been and what isn't anymore.
-----
Veronica stands in front of him as he lays on the bed. “Get up,” orders. “Sweetpea wants you… god you make me sick, when was the last time you slept in a made bed?” she asks, pulling at the blanket. “The last time I came and made it for you?
Jughead ignores the order. Veronica Lodge standing in his filthy trailer in Louboutins wasn’t something that happened often anymore but he was going to enjoy it while it lasted. The shoes alone would probably cost more than everything in the trailer, of that, he was sure.
Jughead’s mind was a smoke induced high, wispy and scattered. But she was very much real, in his zone, in his space and it made him feel level for the first time in a long time. Her eyes flick from Jughead in his boxers to the ashtray on the bedside table that she was obviously disgusted by and that gave him some satisfaction. “I’ll be there when I’m ready,” he tells her.
Veronica scoffs and reaches down to the bed, grabbing at his ankle and tugging. “I’ve been sent as an order and now, I am ordering you to get your lazy ass out of bed and come with me.”
Jughead rubs his eyes and tries to wish her out of the trailer but he rolls over anyway and gets out of the bed, stretching out his limbs, still wishing her away, “Tell Sweetpea I’m busy.”
“As if he’d believe that,” she starts. “I want you to come too.”
“Why?”
“I miss your company,” Veronica shrugs.
Jughead rolls his eyes. “You miss it in theory, but only when associated with Archie.”
“We’ve had good times without Archie,” she says slowly.
Jughead can’t think about that. Or the way she made him feel. This is what happens when I’m weak, he thinks. When I have no self control.  
Jughead tries to keep the voice at the back of his head that reminds him that his lack of self control towards Veronica has been haunting him since he was sixteen.
He walks past Veronica who just continues to click after him as he goes into the kitchen, flicking on the jug for a strong coffee. “Coffee?” he asks.
“Fuck the formalities, Jughead…” she replies sighing. “You can’t just keep living in this trailer, for starters, it’s messy -”
“An organised mess -”
“Don’t lie,” she says in a breath. “And it’s not good for you…” she says a little more quietly.
Jughead’s jaw tenses and can barely manage a swallow. He closes his eyes for only a split second before saying; “What’s not good for me?”
“Trust me,” Veronica says, trying to meet his eyes but he avoids them only after noticing the serious look in them. “At some point, everyone must move on.”
He turns on the balls of his feet and leans back on the kitchen counter. The jug had stopped boiling already and the steam rises and gives Jughead something to concentrate on. “I’m trying.”
“Betty left you, Jughead,” Veronica says with a face that shows nothing. Nothing. Nothing but the deep purple on her lips is apparent. Jughead wonders where her soul is; it isn’t there, not in the way she spits out Betty’s name as though it’s nothing, or lays the truth out in front of them both. She left me, he thinks. She’s not coming back. But he knows that deep down in the pit of it, Betty left because of his secrets and that secret stands before him now. But Veronica never came back either.
He stands in front of Veronica. Bare chested, exposed, and a hell of a lot of vulnerable. He hates it. He wonders if he hates Veronica. But he knows he doesn’t, she laid out the truth. The same one she was so obviously capable of accepting. “You don’t know how it feels, Princess,” he spits, “To lose things. Veronica Lodge always gets what she wants, right?” he tries to dull down the malice in his words.
He wants to hurt her for hurting him.
Veronica rolls her eyes and shrugs off her jacket, the one she was so lovingly offered by Sweetpea. “I don’t know what it’s like to lose things?”
Jughead can feel the heat building in his cheeks, and the all too familiar twitch in his fists. “I-”
“Don’t you want to know how I felt when Archie left me? Or do you think you’re the only person on earth who’s loved someone just to have them walk out? Because if you do, sweetie, you have another thing coming.”
“Veronica -”
“No!” she snaps, cutting him off. He jerks back a step with her words. “Feels like your world is falling down around you, right?” she says, walking closer to Jughead. He can smell shifting jasmine and leather approaching him, the way her eyes widen make her seem a whole lot more fiery and less of her sweet-kind-of-coy that she wears often. “High School Sweethearts seems pathetic, doesn’t it? When you’re sixteen and can’t see past the bad end of twenty. How can someone who promised you love just leave, right?”
Jughead feels his words sitting on the back of his tongue. He hates that she has a point, but how can he hate her when she’s put it into words. She took them out of his mouth, she’s thrown them right back at him. “Right,” he announces.
“Right?” she says with a laugh that hurts him in every way possible. “I’m always right.”
Jughead puts on an amused smile and tries to get rid of the stinging in his eyes. But he sees past his own building tears to the ones that are in Veronica’s eyes, bursting, streaming and smudging perfectly placed mascara. “Veronica,” he says, weakly lifting his right arm that doesn’t seem to want to move. “Are you okay?” he asks.
She sniffs loudly as Jughead places a hand on her shoulder. “I always have to be okay, Jughead. But he left and you left me too, you know? And how the hell could you have done that to me?”
“What about Sweetpea?” Jughead says, searching for words, scrambling at anything that he could say to stop this. But Veronica leans into his touch and places her forehead on his chest. “I didn’t leave, it just wasn’t right.”
His mind flickers as he finally speaks his mind. Betty and Archie were gone, but they still couldn’t be together. Riverdale made sure to let the guilt and deceit creep into their love. 
He awkwardly places his chin on Veronica’s head, holding her close. This felt a lot safer than he initially thought it would. It was like he was holding onto something that was slightly more home than he was used to. The smell was not as strong as he thought it would be, it didn’t sting his nostrils and make him move away like Cheryl did. She felt like that familiarity that he had been longing for. Maybe it was some weird connection to Archie, he missed his best friend. Maybe it was the memory of Veronica and Betty sharing shakes and laughing in the middle of summer that drew him closer. He pulls on Veronica’s jacket, bringing her in close and he can feel the warmth of her breath on his chest as she sobs. He lets her shudder. Lets her tears seep on to his chest, run down him. He holds on. He needs this too.
He needs to feel something again.
Veronica’s nails drag on his skin a little as she cries. Jughead knows that she hasn’t been able to do this, let loose, cry; get it out. Be herself. He knows it in his heart, in his soul, in the back of his mind. He knows because he hasn’t been able to either. “Sometimes it’s just so fucked up how Archie just left… I tried to be with someone who was good for me but I just couldn’t... I did that to him, you know?” she whispers. “Archie wasn’t supposed to be like that, you know that, Jug. You know him better than anyone.”
Jughead closes his eyes as he lets Veronica’s words linger in the air a little longer. “Maybe you and I are just a little too dark, Princess,” Jughead adds. “We’re the kind that are a little too hard to love…”
She laughs against him and he laughs back, pushing her away a little to look at her. He lifts his hands and rubs black from her bottom eyelids. He feels it; the way she’s exposed, the way her cheeks instantly harden as he touched her face. She doesn’t spill tears. He can tell. Because he face is hard and her back is straight again. “We’re fucked up, is that what you’re trying to say?” she says with a small smile.
Jughead frowns, standing in front of her. “Kind of,” he murmurs. “You don’t have to act in front of me though,” he tells her seriously. “We’ve known each other almost ten years, V. If you want to cry, cry.”
She shakes her head, is barely noticeable, but it’s there. “How is the man who’s going through a mental break down telling me I’m allowed to cry?”
“Well, we all have souls and that, right?”
Veronica’s face falters. “Souls? I don’t think so,” she mutters. “If we were just a little bit more good, if we were just a little less broken, if we were a little easier to love, they wouldn’t have left us.”
Jughead mulls over her words, so many points, so much hurt. She’s small in front of him when she speaks in such volumes that her words grind on his skin. “But the good like to fix things, isn’t that their biggest quality?”
Veronica smiles gently before placing a hand on his chest, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “You need a soul to fix. No use if we have no soul…”
“Do you ever think maybe, if we didn’t…” he stumbles on words. “If we didn’t…”
“Fall in love?”
The static in the room shifts as his throat chokes a little and his fingers flinch. Every barrier and cross roads that they stand at was because of the love they never speak of. “Betty knew, Archie could tell. Why did it never work? Maybe this wouldn’t have happened if we just… if we went for it.”
Veronica turns to walk away. “We’re too much the same. We both needed someone different.”
Jughead stands in the kitchen as Veronica opens the trailer door and steps out. “Hey!” he calls out before thinking, cursing himself internally. “Maybe we just need someone to save our souls…”
Veronica throws a hand in the air as she starts down the steps. “We’ll get there, Jughead.”
Jughead watches her as she walks along the dirt, lingering jasmine still in the air. “Wait for me!
She stops, confusion etched on her face. “For what?”
“I’m coming!” he reaches for a pair of jeans and flannel on the kitchen table before throwing Southside on his shoulders. His thoughts were racing, but if he has to cling on tightly to the one person he might have left, he was going to do it.
Veronica throws her car keys in the air before catching them. “You’re coming? What happened to brooding in your damp trailer?” she teases.
Jughead lightly shoves her shoulder before putting a joint between his lips. “Save our souls…” he shrugs. “Maybe you’ve talked a bit of healing into me, Princess,” he says with a wink.
“Well then, Prince of Southside, what shall we do?” she asks. “Where should we go?”
He jumps in the passengers side of Veronica’s car. “Anywhere,” he says quickly. “Anywhere with you.”
He said they had known each other almost ten years. He knows this isn’t true. Jughead’s soul had known Veronica’s over lifetimes. 
-----
Jughead grinds a cigarette butt into the ashtray at the exact same time as Toni does. He grinds his teeth, she rolls her eyes. "Stop staring," she whispers to him nowhere near his ear. "You're making it obvious."
Jughead nudges his best friend's shoulder and grits his teeth, Toni's obvious and obnoxious satisfaction in Jughead's discomfort fuelling her, he knows Toni too well. "I'm not staring," he says slowly, groaning at his own child-like attitude. "I just know she doesn't..." he trails off.
"Doesn't what?" Toni asks, raising an eyebrow. "Doesn't like the Whyte Wyrm?" she teases, "Because it sure looks like she's having a good time... she looks hot in black, don't you agree?"
Jughead's jaw tenses as he watches Veronica place a hand on Sweetpea's and the way she throws her head back when Fangs speaks while leaning on a pool cue. Jughead swigs back his cheap bourbon and grimaces as he hands it back to Toni. She smiles at him and drinks the last of his drink. "I haven't noticed," he grumbles back to his best friend.
Toni chuckles and tip toes to try and ruffle Jughead's hair. "If you haven't noticed then why do you keep staring at her?"
He leans on the counter, putting his head in his hands and closes his eyes. "Because she's Veronica Lodge," he replies. "It's a cardinal sin to not pay attention to her, you know that."
"Keep torturing yourself," Toni says with a shrug of her shoulders. "You seem to be good at it."
Jughead groans into his hands as he listens to Veronica's laugh rise above the music. Yeah , he thinks. I'm fucking amazing at it.
-----
He's laying in bed when she calls him. He wants to throw his phone at the door and she'd be able to hear it hit wood on the other end. But his blood is pulsing and his veins are contracting and his hand is glued to the phone he wants to launch across the room. He answers it.
"Why did you leave?" she asks a little breathlessly. The only thing keeping the anger from his pulse is the cocky feeling he gets from Veronica's annoyance in him. "You didn't tell me you were going."
Jughead smirks in the dark and the light from his phone is bright, his eyes are screwed shut. "Didn't realise you'd be so upset -"
"-I'm not upset -"
"You sound it."
She sighs with frustration and it makes the phone crackle. "I wanted to see you."
Jughead pinpoints frustration in her tone and it makes his chest tighten. "And I you, but we can’t keep doing this, can we?" he asks her, drawing out his words. Listening for any sign from her end of the phone.
He can hear the bed creak, her breath stop. The soft sounds of her lips moving and he knows they're wet, full. Fucking perfect. "I know..." she murmurs.
He sniggers. "You want to kill me, Princess?" he repeats.
He shifts on his bed, his breathing becoming heavier just from the sheer fact that she was on the other end. And he would be lying if he didn't get some sort of satisfaction out of knowing that she was just as fucked up and kind of desperate as he is. "Badly," she whispers, "I'm wearing lace, you like lace..." she says and he can almost hear the lace ripping and her nails snagging while she parts it.
Jughead can't take a proper breath, his chest is heaving and it's caving in. He wonders just how far she'd go to be the one to make his veins contract again. He can almost taste her on his tongue as he imagines her legs spreading... "I want you here with me," he begs her. "Fuck, I want you here with me..."
His free fist clenches as he buries his head back into the pillow, he can feel that frustration perfectly in the right hand side of his jaw where it's throbbing and making his temples feel like they're going to fucking burst. "I want you here, too, Jug," Veronica murmurs in his ear. "I want you in me," she drips. "I'm running my hand down my body..."
Jughead's airways catch and his trachea closes in. His jaw is about to shatter as he starts to palm himself over his boxershorts. "Don't torture me, V," he says softly. "Please don't..."
He hears her chuckle lightly on the other side, making his annoyance grow because how the fuck can she be light hearted laughs when the roof was falling in on him? She whimpers and he can feel her licking her lips. "I'm wet for you," she tells him.
His teeth make an ugly sound through the phone. "When can I see you?" he asks her, wanting an exact day, time and location. Not wanting to wait anymore. "So I don't have to just listen to that pretty mouth over the phone."
Her breathing is cut off and there's a rustle in the background. "I'll let you know," she says clearly.
He can hear Sweetpea's steps loud and clear, even from all the way over there.
-----
He comes strongly. His hand balances him against the shower door. He feels cheap. He feels mad. He came over Cheryl's ass as he was gripping onto one side of it with his left had, digging his nails into her flesh. He smacked the right side red as water ran down her. She doesn't like kissing, which is just as well, because when he got too close to Cheryl, sometimes he could see something in her that he didn't want to. She leaves him in the shower somewhere between her spit, the smell of roses and that sick feeling he has in his guts.
Jughead lets the water cleanse him, it runs over and stings his eyes. He gets out, but the cool air on his skin hurts more than the hot water or the way Cheryl's nails dug into his shoulder tips.
The text message from Veronica says; "baby, I miss you."
His jeans feel weird on his wet body, his shirt clings to his torso. He hates the feeling he gets when he's not with Veronica. But that's what we signed up for, isn't it? He thinks, when she decided that a life with Sweetpea would be a better one than with me. Suddenly the guilt of Cheryl's swollen lips around him didn't make him feel as fucking bad.
-----
Jughead and Toni are laying in her bed, watching shitty movies and eating crappy food. She shoves a burger in his face and he takes a bite. "At least you're eating," she sings. Her voice is too bright, too light and it makes him shudder.
"Why do you say that?" he asks.
Toni sighs. "You've not been yourself."
He knows this, but he doesn't know what to say. He shrugs it off, grabbing fries from in between them. "I've been good," he tells her. "Don't worry about it."
Jughead can tell that Toni's not convinced. But he knows her well enough to know that she won't press it. So they keep eating in ignorant bliss and Jughead's almost scratching at his fucking skin. Three more days. That's all he has to wait out. Three days until he can see her. Three days until he can taste her.
Three days until he'll be buried so deep in Veronica, he won't know where she starts and he ends.
Three days until he can remind himself exactly what he's missing out on. He'll torture himself because he's fucking amazing at it.
-----
There wasn't much to say when Veronica arrived. Jughead hates that nowadays, everything is a little strained and awkward. And he hates the fact that every single little look that Veronica gives him, he tries to find a second meaning behind them. Sometimes he thinks he can see sorrow, but then he deciphers it to simply mean that maybe she pities him. She left him after all. He forces himself to never forget that.
It's like his hands fit perfectly in the dips of her hips. His thumbs grate along the band of her jeans and when she's on her tip toes, she's kind of the perfect height. He doesn't hesitate when he gets to the buttons of her jeans and he rips them open in one movement, his cocky smirk lays roughly on her mouth. He puts his index fingers inside her jeans, hooking them onto the lace of her panties and he kisses down her jaw, along her shoulder and back, leaving his tongue sitting on the thin skin of her neck. She smiles sweetly, sucks in air through her teeth and rubs her hand up and down the bulge in Jughead's on jeans making him moan. The light conversation about Veronica's parents they had over coffee exits the room. Jughead can feel that the only thing left is the fact that she had decided that being together was too hard and this was supposed to end months ago but it didn’t. And that fact is heavy and thick on them right now.
Jughead has little-to-no self preservation at this stage, when he should leave her, he finds it hard when his fingers are dancing on the gap of skin under her crop, brushing his thumb back and forth on her skin, so she closes her eyes and he kisses the lids shut. But his teeth are starving and he bites down on her neck.
"Hey!" Veronica says, whacking Jughead's chest, pushing him away but it's almost dirty lies, her weak battle. Because she turns around, unbuttons her jeans and pushes her ass into Jughead.
His whole hands journey up Veronica's back, under her crop, skin on the edges of his cuticles snagging on the lace of her bra. He moans out loud as he unsnaps her bra, lifts it over her head, "Fuck, Princess," he murmurs in her ear, words dripping black on her neck. "Do you know what you do to me?"
Jughead closes his eyes against the back of her neck as he takes both of her hands in his, slamming them against the dirty wall that has Southside painted on it but Jughead ignores it as his cock strains against his denim and he can't take a life saving breath anyways. He slams his hips into her bare ass, he kisses his way past the dip in the small of Veronica's back, slips his tongue into her soft folds as he gets further, each crook of Veronica's knees and ankles before lifting her feet, taking off her jeans and panties and feeling completely fucking starved.
She tries to turn around again but he grabs her neck, pushes her flush against the wall and kicks her feet gently, keeping her wide, watching her back move as she breathes against the wall. "I missed you," she hisses with a passion that he can only match.
"Keep open, baby," he commands, his fingers run down her back again, he hears Veronica suck in sharp air through her teeth as his fingers slip in from behind, slapping his palm against her ass. Her eyes screw shut, her mouth falls open but he steadies her with his left hand on her shoulder, pushing her against the wall again. "Do you like that?"
Veronica groans and pushes her ass back onto his hand, making her pussy pull his hands deeper. "Fuck."
Jughead slams her again, his fingers digging into Veronica's collarbone. "I want an answer, baby."
"Yes!" she whimpers, rolling her body onto his hand, "Harder, Jughead, fuck..."
Saliva pools on Jughead's tongue, venom builds in his jaw. His hand feels like it's building cramp when he watches Veronica ride his hand, fingers dripping and her nails scratching old paint off the mantle of the window of the trailer. She bounces harder on his hand but he groans out loud, discomfort in his denim and he lets her go, shrugging the snake off his back and unbuckling his jeans. They all drop to the floor behind him and Veronica pushes back on him, dripping, desperate and weak.
He grabs back onto her shoulder and Veronica looks back at Jughead who strokes himself with his right hand and keeps her against the wall with his left. His brain rings loudly as throws his head back, watching Veronica's hair lay on her back. He licks his lips, he's sated yet his throat is parched, desperate, fucked up. He prays for every single part of Veronica in front of him, blessed from God. He’s from the depths of his own Hell. He runs his length up and down her pussy, soaking himself a little more and he finds it hard to push past the lump in his trachea.
He slides in and it's tight, warm and he feels like he's finally home again. His mind buzzes with familiar and the way Veronica rocks on him, the sticky sound of her skin against his thighs is something Jughead will never get sick of. The sound of paint crackling under Veronica's fingernails rings louder than any other sound in the room, making him aware that she's only hanging on by her fucking nails as she watches him from over her shoulder pump into her.
She reaches back to Jughead's ass, keeping him closer and his fingers surf up her skin, rough thumbs scratching at the nape of her neck as his fingers get lost in her hair and then he wraps his hand in her, pulling her hair back so she can look her in the eye.
She bites onto her lip as he pulls harder, eye to eye, legs shaking with his weight on her back as it shines with sweat, brightened sun on her brown skin, reflection of his soul on her naked body.
Jughead keeps pulling on her but she moves her head, letting herself free, she pushes back on him to let him out and she spins on her heels, facing him, watching his hard cock twitch and Jughead swallow down spit and venom. "I want to see you when you come," she tells him.
He groans again, hunger and starvation in his dream-lost eyes but he slips his cock into her again. He hitches her up, gripping onto her ass as he balances her against the wall when every thrust she feels a little empty when he takes himself from her.
Jughead bites down on her collarbone, he pulls her thin skin off her neck, leaving bruised, angry marks on caramel. His nails dig into the skin of Veronica's ass and she still holds on from behind to the cracking mantle. She feels like heaven, like silk, satin, running ocean, pouring metal.
He believes she's hell, burning hot, charred fucking skin, clogged fucking arteries.
Jughead drops his head onto Veronica's shoulder, keeping his eyes shut because he feels his breaths are lost, he hears her smacking the wall, breaking it down as he pushes himself, thrusting his hips, digging into her thighs so loudly, with purpose. He's twitching to get deeper in her.
He feels nails cutting on his back as she holds on, skin peeling on his shoulder blades and hot air prickles his red, raw track marks made by his worst addiction.
Veronica slaps Jughead's back, making him flinch. Making him want her so much more. It starts in the tips of his fingers, and the veins that are purple of his strained hands. His bones are chattering inside of him, Veronica was pulsing around him and he feels her in the marrow of his bones, and when he kisses her, he tastes every single thought in their minds. Love, he tastes, love, love, love.
He's blinded and feels like he's underwater as he comes, spilling into her as Veronica rides him against the wall. He lets loose with her on his tongue, kissing her tenderly.
He rides the wave until there's nothing left in him and she's dripping him down her leg. She hums against him, humming his name on his lips.
She ties up her hair, she smooths out her lipstick. She does up each button of her jeans deliberately and Jughead sits at the kitchen table with nothing but his jeans on and a cigarette between his fingers. He shakes a little as he watches her body stretch in front of him, the tense glitch in his jaw and the pounding in his temples doesn’t leave as he watches Veronica do up her bra. "I love you," he mumbles. "Do you know that?"
Veronica does the strap of her heel up and closes her eyes before speaking; "I do."
"Then why do we keep doing this?" he asks.
“Because Jughead, you told me that we’re hard to love. But for what it’s worth, it’s always been easy loving you.”
He lets their love ballad remain on replay, the unknown parts of their love is the haunting melody. 
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cyclone-rachel · 5 years
Text
Dreams to Reminisce on Roofless Time
a Supergirl fanfic
read on AO3 here
She's familiar with what she sees, of course, when she opens the box.
It's no secret to her, or any of her family, that her mother is (was, she reminds herself, as the word weighs heavy on her heart) the Dreamer. Or just Dreamer, as those on Naltor called her, as she stopped crime with the use of her dreaming powers. There are pictures in Nia's house, of her mother in the super-suit, and Maeve has asked many times for her to try it on again, just one more time, please?
(She relented, eventually, but insisted she wasn't going to go back into the hero business again. That would be for one of her daughters, most likely, when they were older.)
(Maeve always looked especially hopeful, whenever she said that, drawing both of her daughters into a hug. And when she did, there was a small part of Nia who wanted to tell her: it could be me, it could always be me. You don't know it'll be you.)
Not that Nia had ever wanted the powers, she reflected as she would re-read Cat Grant's biography, taking notes on it while half-heartedly watching her sister paint. It wasn't a perspective she liked, but even she had to face the possibility that the powers would never come to her. She hadn't been sure how they worked, but surely they would seek out the person who was worthy of them, Mjolnir-style. They'd completely bypass her, and imbue her sister with their gifts, like she had wanted all along. She would wear this super-suit, and this mask, and protect Parthas- or even some other city- while Nia left in search of a reporting career. They'd send each other postcards, or letters, and everything would be fine. And more importantly, it would go according to plan.
Something that went out the window when Nia fell asleep on her desk, in her first week at Catco, and then again when she dreamt of someone with a baseball bat swinging towards a blue-skinned alien, and actually stopped it from happening not even an hour later.
Using the powers made her guilty, at first. She'd thought, at the beginning, that maybe not using them would make them go away, redirect them to the person who deserved them more- and then Kara gave her the “our powers are like muscles” line, which stung with the realization that she might be stuck with them forever, that she had no choice but to use them.
And using them was more than a little bit scary, she had to admit, remembering the dream that led to her rescuing Brainy, and the one that led her to team up with Kara and Brainy in the first place. But it also filled her with energy, the same way writing a good article did, and in those moments she sometimes, sometimes, considered using them more.
But then she'd had to go home, and face Maeve, and those unfinished dreams fell as she imagined her sister's disapproving face, the anger and resentment on it as she watched her save people, thinking: It should've been me. That should be me, out there.
Maeve wasn't in National City, she knew that, but she'd have to tell her someday, and she dreaded that. Hated the burden of the secret she carried, and dreaded finally letting it escape, how her sister would react.
And now that that was in the past, she knew it had been even worse than she'd feared. But it was gone, and she could let those fears go. She could be Dreamer now, finally, carrying the true blessing of her mother in her memories rather than the potential- and now real- jealousy of her sister.
But she wouldn't be jealous forever, as much as she'd believed that on the ride home, and as Kara reminded her, she still loved her sister. They would heal, some day, and she had to hold onto that hope too.
Just like she was hoping she would do the Dreamer name justice, and uphold that legacy just as well as Maeve could have.
She reaches for the Dreamer costume, then, after realizing she'll have to put her clothes on over it later.
(She wonders how Supergirl- how Kara- does it, changing in and out of her suit so quickly, and hopes she'll teach her that secret.)
Superhero lessons 101, The Art of the Quick-Change, she thinks, as she slowly puts her suit on, and looks forward to her first lesson. She can't learn it soon enough.
Nia's never seen the suit in full, she realizes as she adjusts it, and she's never thought about just how tight it could be. But once she has it on, noticing how it's slightly asymmetrical, how the different shades of blue complement each other and how shiny the white and silver parts are, she starts liking it more and more. She pulls on the boots first after the suit, then the gloves, and finally places the mask over her face, making sure it doesn't obscure her vision.
And as she poses in the mirror, first strutting towards it like a model before striking some fighting stances, acting like she's going to fly somewhere (she can't, but she indulges in that fantasy for a moment or two) before resuming the fighting poses.
The warehouse was really the only fight she's ever been in, but she has to imagine she'll be in more, and that Supergirl and Brainy will have to train her in that. She's still a little bit afraid of that, getting in more fights, but with preparation, she hopes she'll be every bit the hero she imagines her mom was.
(Her mother had white hair back then, too- on Earth, she decided to dye her hair platinum blonde before it returned to its natural shade as Nia got older. She can't imagine herself with white hair, but hers looks just as good against the costume, as she flips it over her shoulders and places her hands on her hips in front of the mirror.)
"My name is Nia Nal." she says, in her best imitation of Supergirl's voice. "Wait." she says then, returning to her normal voice. "No, no, I can't say that."
"I'm Dreamer." she starts over, still in her power pose. "I'm here to save you!"
She'll have to work on a catchphrase, and some quips (is she going to be the type of hero who uses puns? She hasn't decided yet), but right now, she falls back on her bed, dissolving into a fit of giggles as she stares at the ceiling, the box sitting beside her.
"I'm a superhero." she says, out loud, after calming down. "I'm a hero. I'm Dreamer."
It sounds more real each time she says it, and by the time her roommate comes in, knocking on her door, there's a big smile on her face.
She's used to the costume now, she thinks as she gets off of the bed and looks at her image in the mirror one more time. And as reluctant as she was, at first, she has to admit that now, it fits like a dream.
That thought makes her laugh again, and-
"Nia? You okay in there?"
"Yeah!" she shouts back, before opening the door.
"Actually... I want to show you something."
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doritmania · 5 years
Text
The Adventures.
When she reached the ocean she lodged at the beach She looked at the cliffs and had a strange notion She climbed to a cave that was well out of reach Inside she found a fire and strange potions There was a sign saying “Eat this magic peach”
Because she was feeling quite adventurous She bit the big peach, which was fleshy and firm Then she heard voices cry, “Come and join us!” She was amazed by what she saw when she turned There were talking goats, but she did not make a fuss!
She followed them down into the strange grotto It’s walls were covered in moss, lichen and ferns And on them were written humorous mottoes She saw a light after many twist and turns And then she felt a tingling in her big toes
Then she began to feel tingles everywhere And as she entered a underground forest She thought she could feel tingles too in her hair! She saw a man with hair on his face and chest But the rest of his hair made her stand and stare!
Because the man was mostly covered in fur And everything that wasn’t was deeply tanned She had an idea but she couldn’t be sure She said, “What a surprise! Are you the god pan!” He replied, “Yes”, and gave a smile quite demure.
“Why do you live in this forest in a cave?” “Once you settle in it’s a wonderful place "I had to hide here after being a knave "The local gentry put on quite a good chase "I guess I shouldn’t have tried that last raid!”
“Raid you say? What were you raiding them for?” “Wine woman and song, all the usual stuff "And I thought all the beasts would answer my call "But that’s where the gentry called my bluff "They stoppered the beasts ears, and I got quite mauled!”
“I’m sorry to hear that, but it serves you right! "Tormenting those silly fools who never care! "Good thing you found this cave after you took flight "You need a disguise, maybe a cloak to wear "We can escape in the middle of the night!”
“I appreciate your efforts to help me "But I have heard there’s another way out here "The goats say there is a path under the sea "It leads to a land where the sky is so clear "And goats are always as honest as can be "How would you like to come with me, sweet dear?”
“A path under water, That I’ve got to see” The goats pointed out the way with their small snouts Then Pan led the way, he was obviously keen “Look at that”, said Pan, with some whoops and shouts! A path stretched out far, and Pan prayed on his knees.
“Look at that”, she said, “Where do you think it leads?” “Wherever it leads looks pretty far to me!” The goats said, “You’ll need food”, and gave them some cheese “It goes to some place called the Land of the Free!” “Free stuff?”, Pan said, “You guys are such a big tease!”
They walked the whole day, it seemed like miles and miles She said, “I did not think the new world was so far "Getting all the way there might be quite a trial!” “Why don’t you ride on my shoulders like a tsar?” “Tsarina you mean, but then please watch your wiles!” He winked, “Oh! Our friendship I never would mar!”
Pan ran at a great speed, she held his horns tight He ran so fast everything became a blur She looked at her hands, her knuckles had turned white She expected panting, but she heard him purr Nothing could stop Pan, once he had taken flight!
As they emerged they could hear waves crashing Then they saw some strange people all over the place The people were dressed in the strangest fashion They saw a man with red lines on his face Pan asked him where they were, he said, “Manhattan!”
She was surprised that Pan could speak their lingo He chatted at length with all of the locals They said"Where’re you from?“, He said, "I’m a gringo!” Because they did not want to seem like yokels They said, “He comes from where all the Queens go!”
Clearly she had not escaped their attention The old men were acting nonchalantly But the young one were filled with much tension They saw she was a woman of quality One who could defeat enemies and henchmen!
Soon she had quelled all of the neighboring tribes Then they all crowned her Queen of Manhattan The whole place was filling up with good vibes They built a ship and made her the captain And Pan named the vessel The Queen Of The Tides
The locals became her crew and they set sail They traveled at a pace to the islands Pan blew the sails at the force of a gale When they reached a large land Pan stopped blowing wind They docked the ship and walked up a steep trail
They found some tribesmen busy smoking cigars The tribe said, “Who are you? What you doing here?” She said, “I’m the Queen and I’ve come pretty far "We were hoping you all in good cheer!” The tribesmen looked at them like they’d come from Mars!
She said, “It is not our wish to disturb you "We’d like to know if you’d like to join us They said, "Well tell us then, what does a Queen do?” She said, “I want to fill up the world with trust” They said, “Well it sound just too good to be true!”
They said, “We will test you by setting a task "You have to do something that we cannot do!” What that did imply she was afraid to ask They said, “You have to capture the sacred cuckoo "If you can do that in your light we will bask!”
With a whoosh she came flying out of the tree She went upwards and then circled on high No one could believe what they were seeing Pan asked, “How did you learn to soar through the sky?” She said, “The cuckoo taught me how to be free!”
The tribesmen said, “Now she is our Goddess!” They all bowed and prayed as she flew all over Then Pan said, “Hey! Let’s have a big old fest!” She disappeared, she had become such a rover They said, “Where’s she gone?”, she had flown west
She flew over the sea, then over the land She flew over swamps in a massive delta Then she flew even further than she had planned She saw a huge beach with people in shelters She tried her first landing and aimed for the sand
The people had all seen her fly through the air By her arrival they were quite taken They noticed her robes and her long curly hair They said, “Behold! She is the Silver Raven!” Even the chieftain had admired her flair!
The chieftain asked her "Where is it you came from?" But she found it too difficult to explain So she said, "I come from the land of the songs" "Ah yes, "He replied", you have made yourself plain With a Queen like you I could never go wrong!"
There was a feast after breaking that tension The chieftain said, "Thank you so much for coming "Your arrival gave us hope, and then some!" "She said, "Being your Queen is really stunning! "It's nothing you should bother to mention"
She said, "Farewell, it is time to keep flying!" How did she take off last time? She wasn't sure But then she zoomed up without really trying She saw a big forest right down below her Then flew between trees, it was all about timing!
Then she continued to fly out to the west Because she'd decided to fly 'round the world She figured out which altitude was the best She saw churches and lakes and fields that were tilled She saw a kingdom and decided to rest.
In the kingdom she found a real big fat king He had a whole mob of miserable sons All of his sons looked exactly like him The eldest son was fond of making up puns The king said, "Marry this boy, here's the ring!"
Right then she refused and they tried to catch her She flew up to the roof and watched them scuffle She flew back down, then flew out with a turn She escaped from them without getting ruffled Then she saw that the ground had begun to churn
The castle had become a pile of rubble The king and his sons were no longer in sight The crowd roared, "Thank you for ending our troubles" They had a big feast all the way through the night Everyone cried, they gave each other a cuddle
The same thing happened wherever she traveled She was crowned, made a God and even knighted When they called her Sir she came quite unraveled The king said, "It's nothing! Things have been righted!" "You're the best knight ever", the crowd all babbled
She eventually got back to the island Pans fest was quite definitely still in full swing He said, "Did you manage to stop in Thailand?" She said, "Yes, they gave me this pair of pink wings" She could see that his eyes were so admiring! The next morning they headed down to the beach She swam in the ocean while Pan caught a tan She swam to the sandbank, and then found a breach She glided through the waves, she had no real plan Then someone did say, "I have something to teach!" She looked around and wondered who it could be Then she noticed something that looked quite smallish She said, "There is something that talks in the sea!" It said, "Well of course, I am the sacred fish! "When I'm chatty it usually makes people flee!" The fish came swimming all the way up to her It swam all around her and made her tickle It said, "This is no gift of incense and myrrh! Here is some magic, you won't feel a prickle! As a deep sea diver you will never err!" It was true! She could swim without taking air! First she swam out so far, to the horizon The fish watched her swim and admired her flair And then she smiled and rode back, with the tide, in She floated under the sky without a care When she got back to Pan he seemed so amused He said, "Oh my, did you find a sacred eel?" She said, "Well, I see how you could get confused "But a fish gave me a new power so real "I can swim underwater, that is the good news!"
He said, "Wow! Do you realize how big this is?" She said, "Whatever can you possibly mean?" "Did you see any caves?", he was in a tizz Right then his meaning she was trying to glean His joy was great he looked like he might fizz!
She said, "In the deep ocean I saw some caves "They were hard to see, almost not visible" He said, "Those are the ones!", He'd begun to rave" "The thought of those caves makes me quite miserable!" She thought to herself: Is Pan more than a knave?
He said, "Those cave lead to the underground world "It is the place where all the magic folk live "When they lived up here the land needn't be tilled "In those days their purpose was only to give "They were forced to leave 'cause that's what bad kings willed"
He said, "Now you will be able to reach them "I know you are tired after your last sojourn "And after all I'm just here being a beach bum "And after that flying your muscles must be worn" She said, "I will do it! I know I'm the One!"
Then she packed some lunch in a waterproof skin She swam back to the sandbank, then through the waves Something told her the lost people were her kin And then she reached the mysterious caves She swam in and the waves were a distant din At first she swam downwards, right into the earth Then the caves changed direction and she swam up Suddenly the caves had a much wider girth She swam into a pool, shaped like a cup She emerged from the pool and stood on some turf The seaweeds on the wall were incandescent She thought about that path under the ocean Of that path this cave was quite reminiscent Then in a far corner she saw a motion She was not afraid, she was quite persistent - She saw a man who looked very strange He had wild bushy hair and clothes made of leaves At first his big glowing eyes looked quite deranged But the sound of his voice she could not believe He sang out, "Have you come to see the great mage?" "Yes, I've come in search of the magic people" He looked a her with a penetrating stare He sized her up until his eyes had their fill Then he relaxed and suddenly had no cares "Were you sent here due to the evil kings will?" "No", she said, "I was sent here by a strange man "He has a lot of fur and horns on his head" He said, "Yes, I know that man, that man is Pan! "So the rumours aren't true then, Pan is not dead?" "Trying to kill Pan would be a complete sham!" He said, "The mage will be anxious to meet you "He has longed for some news from the other side "That Pan lives still, now you can confirm that it's true! "And a creature like you who does still abide "By the ways of the world, back when it was new!" The mage lived right at the center of the earth The wild man said, "It will take long to get there" "It's okay, I can fly", she said with much mirth "To say I'll get their quickly is reasonably fair He said, "I can see you're a woman of worth" She had to fly quite carefully through the caves Sometimes she'd pass through hollows, filled with big towns With houses and markets and streets that were paved Then it got hotter, she knew she was far down Soon the rocks were shimmering under heat waves She reached a round door with a big turning wheel The door felt her presence and it opened wide As she went through it, the heat she could not feel There was a large see-through bubble right inside The sight beyond the bubble had made her reel Outside of the sphere was red hot lava She wondered what to do, then the bubble moved She thought: Seeing the mage is quite a palaver She watched the lava as it bubbled and grooved After some time she wondered: How much farther? She felt a slight bump, then a round door appeared The door opened up and then she stepped through it She saw a man who was rather pointy eared He was clearly wearing a real wizards kit He said, "I hope that the trip wasn't too weird" Over tea she told him, "Pan is still alive" "Oh my", he said, "That is wonderful news!" He was so overwhelmed, he practically cried "All along those rumours were only a ruse "This may end the problem in which we are mired!" "To the reign of magic we must be returned "We thought there was no one to read the great runes "But Pan lives still, as you have confirmed "Pan learnt to read them through all of his doings" He opened a small door and through it he wormed After a short while he came back with a scroll "These are the passages Pan must read out loud" He wound it up tight, then gave her the roll "To have met you great Queen, of this I am proud" He gave her a stone that glowed brightly like coal She made the long trip back up to the surface She swam up through the cave and back to the shore She saw that Pan was sitting in the same place She said, "I've been all the way to the earth's core!" Naturally Pan had a huge smile on his face She gave him the scroll and he was intrigued He said, "This is the great scroll of succession "Once read the power of the mage will be freed "A new mage will come to end all repression "This great scroll is most important, indeed!" She asked him, "But how will this succession work?" He said, "This great power comes from afar" He read through the scroll, then looked up with a jerk They heard a loud voice say, "So that's where you are!" A fog descended, they were lost in the murk Then the voice said, "Queen, I've been looking for you" Then a magic wand descended from the sky It came towards her, but then could it be true? Pan said, "You're the one, there's no need to ask why "You're both the Queen and also the Great Mage too!"
She made a castle that floated in the sky For guests she had a long ladder of rope When Pan came, "Throw down the ladder", he'd cry He had to climb so high he could hardly cope But she'd be waiting with tea and chocolate pie
Now the magic people could come back on out They were glad to see the sun, and the night moon They loved to explore, and they walked all about As they traveled they'd sing in glorious tones That they loved the Queen Mage there could be no doubt
She would make the air castle go high in the sky Then she could see the whole world from her window She'd watch the land and sea without any cares The world would glow like a big ball down below She'd walk outside, let the wind rip through her hair
Then that glowing stone she got from the old mage One day, out of the blue it started humming She saw a sight, not of this earth she would wage A silver disc, from the sky it was coming What could this thing be, it was so hard to gauge
It stopped and hovered in front of the castle A door opened up and two strange men appeared Pan said, "Who are they, I hope they aren't rascals" She said, "Pan I doubt it is as you have feared" One of the men was holding a small parcel
The first one to speak said, "We have come in peace" She said, "You see!", then gave Pan a nudge Pan whispered, "I hope we are not being fleeced" She said, "Lower the bridge", but Pan would not budge She waved her hand, and the drawbridge was released
As the two strange men entered she heard a hum She said, "Do you have a stone in that parcel?" The second man said that is why we have come "Do you have a stone that glows in your castle?" She pointed, he looked, he said, "Yes, that's the one!" He said, "In this parcel I have this stones' twin" He took out the stone and put them together Right then you could have heard the drop of a pin He said, "These two stones are the greatest treasure" They both seemed so happy she just had to grin She said, "Where have you come from, may I inquire" One said, "We have traveled from such distant stars" Pan said, "How long have you been in that flyer?" He said, "Two earth months, it was very far "But to find this stone was our strong desire" "Two months?", she said, "That's when I brought it above "The old mage gave it to me in the earth's core" They both looked at her then their eyes filled with love One said, "That's why we never heard it before Perhaps you are the one they call the Great Dove!" Pan looked suspicious, his eyes darted around He said, "In this great castle show some respect! "This lady is our Queen Mage, that's who you've found!" One said, "That is nothing less than we'd expect She said, "I'm happy you got here safe and sound" One said, "Would you come with us through outer space?" She said, "That is fine, but I'll have to bring Pan" One said, "Our ship only has one extra place "We can assure you that this isn't a sham" Pan had a look of suspicion on his face
She said, "The castle has all of us in it "We could use it to travel through outer space" Pan smiled, and said, "That idea's a real hit!" Both the men had confused looks on their faces One said, "You should not go in space in such haste" "The real trouble is there is no oxygen "You really would have to take some air with you "The air in space is very toxic to men" The added, "And women too, that is quite true "You'll need big containers to put air in them" "I could make a bubble right around this place" She continued, "It's size could be enormous "Inside it all of the air would be encased "Squashed into a sphere, though once it was formless "The pace would be slow, and not much of a race" She added, "I saw something like it before "At the core of the earth, when I found the mage "If I made it the same way, it would work for sure "It went through lava boiling in a great rage "I think for Pan's fears I have found the cure!" Pan said, "Yes, this is a marvelous idea! "And I believe we will make a pretty sight "A castle, floating in a bubble so clear "Past stars and across alien skies at night In a castle we can travel in good cheer!" One said, "Well, I do not see why ever not "The whole concept may well be unorthodox "Leaving the atmosphere can get really hot "But if this sphere can withstand all those shocks "Then I think it's really all worth a good shot!" Soon they were hovering above the Arctic There was nothing to see for many a mile She took out her wand, then she gave it a flick The results of her great spell all made them smile The bubble was made, they'd be off in a tick! Soon they passed through what seemed like a roaring fire Once they left earth they started floating around They were all amused, and then she got inspired Suddenly they all fell back on to the ground The sphere also spun as it floated higher "She's using opposing centrifugal force!" The one who had spoken couldn't believe it His friend then said, "Centrifugal force! Of course!" "There's the sun, this trip sure is getting quite lit" Pan's wit had them laughing until they were hoarse
"First we've got to fly back to our home planet" He added, "That is where we will continue "We must find out if you are the candidate "Who must then travel with a retinue "To the great source to receive the mandate" "The mandate for what, may I ask?", she asked "It is the one to control the universe" "The whole of the universe? That's a great task!" "It may seem like it now, but then you must first "Pass the test of the great spirits of the past!" Quite soon they approached the home of the aliens It had a landscape of high mountain ranges Pan saw the great peaks, then started naming them They gasped, Pan said, "And I thought you were strangers "I bet your castle is in the Shady Fens" "The Shady Fens! That's right Pan, how did you know?" "Oh, I've been here before a couple of times" "Then you must know of the Queen Portamento!" "You could say that", Pan said, with a great sigh She laughed, saying ,"Pan, did she bruise your ego?" "Yes, you could say that Dee, in actual fact "Besides everything else she's also done too" The two alien chaps looked like they also backed What Pan was saying, like they'd also been stewed "She's been known to reduce men to sob's and racks"
She was quite curious to meet this femme fatale Who could bring a dark shadow across Pan's face? Were they over reacting? She couldn't tell And then, soon enough, she saw her dwelling place And by the sight of the place her fears weren't quelled Queen P's castle was beautiful, but wicked It was surrounded by swamp, and not a moat The castle itself was covered in thicket "We'll leave your castle here, then travel by boat" Said Pan, while his eyes looked like flames that flickered As they approached the castle, through the great murk They saw poles on which people could be shackled "She imprisons those who will not do her work", Pan said, as they heard a sound like a cackle They all got a fright, their heads turned with a jerk
 Queen P's castle was beautiful, but wicked It was surrounded by swamp, and not a moat The castle itself was covered in thicket "We'll leave your castle here, then travel by boat" Said Pan, while his eyes looked like flames that flickered As they approached the castle, through the great murk They saw poles on which people could be shackled "She imprisons those who will not do her work", Pan said, as they heard a sound like a cackle They all got a fright, their heads turned with a jerk
"Pan! Who would have thought I'd see you here again?" Then mockingly she feigned a look of surprise "I would have thought we'd have to bring you in chains "Though you're not filled with joy, I have to surmise" Then a look of concern she chose to feign "Well, Portamento, I see you haven't changed "And as for the chains, let's leave them off this time "To willingly return would have been deranged... "...on my part, recall how I spent the last time" The look in Pan's eye's had become more inflamed Oh, and what do we have here?", P smiled at Dee Pan said, "This is Queen Dee, as I'm sure you know" P said, "I did not, she's a new Queen, you see? "When I saw my minions with someone in tow "I thought, 'Who's the Queen Bee, is it me or she?" P said, "Please come in, and please bring that stone" Pan gave Dee the stone and said, "Now hold this tight!" Thought P looked clam there was a change in her tone She said, "Give me the stone, it will be alright "Here on my planet you two are quite alone..." Queen Dee then spoke, "I don't think it will matter" P saw that Dee watching something inside Then suddenly there was a very loud clatter And into Dee's hand the other stone arrived The glass case that had held it had been shattered Right before their eyes the stones fused into one P stared at it with her eyes filled with envy P said, "I guess you believe I have been shunned?" P said, "Beware as my great power fills me!" Then a bolt of energy left them all stunned! The four travelers found themselves in a bubble Dee stood on the boat's prow with her hands held high "Once again she has kept us out of trouble" They cheered, P said, "I'll give it another try!" Then a flash reduced P's castle to rubble! They all looked on in horror! Had P survived? One man said, "We'd better go to the launchpad "It's quite far, right on the planet's other side" Then Dee said, "Hold on now there, wait just a tad "For what, exactly, is this launchpad required?" "The launchpad holds the ship powered by starburst "And once inside it you will be jettisoned "To the very center of the universe "It travels fast, so in the seat you'll be pinned "It sound scary but speed has to be put first" He continued, "It's a very long distance "But starburst power travels as fast as light "Outer space offers zero wind resistance "And to you it will seem like an average flight "But waiting back here, we'll feel time's persistence" 
Dee summoned the castle and they climbed inside Then they flew up above the mountain ranges "I've been given a task by which I'll abide "But the time! Can you imagine the changes?!? "Can Pan come along with me on this ride?"
"The ship is too small, and it won't take the weight "And knowing those strange universal beings "I'm sure they'll expect only the Candidate!" Pan smirked, "When you're done, it's me you'll be seeing "But for these guys, I think it will be too late!
The ship shone gloriously in the distance With it's elegant shape and it's silvery glow "I hope you don't have any big commitments" Pan said, "For the next nine hundred years or so" And then she buckled up, on Pan's insistence
When the ship took off in a blinding light It blurred due to it's quick acceleration And within minutes it disappeared from sight The men and Pan looked on in consternation "Well things around here are sure gonna be quiet..."
Through her front windshield the stars were streaks of light The controls were set for her destination It was like diving through an endless night Time froze, as she looked on in fascination Then she saw a centered white light glowing bright
And in the light there were myriad cloaked figures Who seemed to be as tall as ancient pine trees This was confirmed as they kept getting bigger Those starburst engines began to cool, then freeze Then the ships landing gear was suddenly triggered By the time she got there her fame was peaking Through all of the universe's golden shores When the universal beings  were speaking There was one subject they always spoke of more Which was: Soon the candidate they would be meeting
Thoughts had traveled even faster than her ship About who this most great candidate could be And all of the words on every being's lips Asked if there could be a greater one than she Or would she rule all with just her fingertips   The first one she spoke to led her to some doors The room that they entered was a huge chamber It was gorgeous inside, with gold on it's floors "Though you've just arrived, you are not a stranger" The being stared at her then, with a slight pause "We're looking to fill a vacant position "It is the most important one we can fill "It needs someone with the right disposition "With your chutzpah you can really fit the bill" Said the being, making clear her position Soon more beings started to gather around They seemed so startling due to their great height "As you can see you are attracting a crowd "We were not expecting one of such great might" "You consider me to have great might", she frowned "Yes, we consider your might your greatest gift Thought it's power is unknown to yourself" The conversation had changed, had there been a shift? "The power you possess is your greatest wealth "With it you can heal the most dire of rifts" When the vote was cast, it was unanimous The beings all had voted one and the same They all said to each other "She deserves this" "She is our greatest leader, but in name "So to change all that we will change her name first" And so Dee became Universal Leader Of all the known planets, and all of the stars She'd also be the universal teacher And her message will be carried very far Where it will reach those who may never meet her Then it was time to travel back to her land To cross the broad expanses of outer space To also find Pan was still part of her plans Her ship blasted off with incredible pace She was greeted with waves from all her new fans She flew wide eyed into that beautiful night After her great victory she felt so alive It made sense that everything had gone so right There had been good will from the time she arrived And she could see many stars, shining so bright She had to find her way to the Shady Fens So she flew straight back the way that she had come She flew at a speed at which time surely bends You could definitely tell she was having fun She was looking forward to seeing her friend After awhile that planet came into view With one look you could see it really had changed It was filled with dams and buildings that looked new To ponder the difference made you feel deranged Things had happened while she traveled, this was quite true
When she had landed there was a great applause She saw there was a welcoming committee And in between all of them stood Pan, of course Pan said, "There you are, and looking so pretty" All their faces showed he said it with just cause "The time you've been gone has been nine hundred years" She just stood and stared when she heard all those words When Pan said them she couldn't believe her ears She said, "I can hardly believe what I've heard" By the look on his face, Pan seemed close to tears
"I've been using universal energy To fulfill my role as universal Queen I use my energy and incredibly Things are done in exactly the way I mean" As she said all this she sounded really keen Pan for his part was amazed by what she said "You're doing all that as part of your day You save the world without getting out of bed Folks will come to see there is a new way This is a another way for worlds to be led"
She traveled with Pan all across the whole land Much had change across Portomento's planet They saw people on the beach, looking so tanned A planet depended on how you ran it Pan ran it with the lightest touch of his hand 
"Since becoming the universal leader Things have definitely all changed for the better Things run so smoothly I can take a breather Things get sorted down to the very letter When it comes to you I'm a believer"
Her old flying castle was being kept still And so they decided to travel to earth Then they thought how much had changed, until They had found themselves staring at their old turf It was hard to recognize all those all those old hills Buildings with people populated the place Everyone seemed to be having a good time Most of them seemed to have a smile on their face "It seems that everything on earth is just fine" He said, "Knew this was going to be the case" The next thing they flew so high above the earth "It's great to think all this is under your care" He said, "It must do wonders for your self worth" She said, "The feeling are more than I can bear It's strange to think the universe is your turf" "We should go look at a place you've never seen" He said, "Is there any place you have in mind" She said, "There is a place they say is like dreams The Golden Shores is a place I'd like to find They say there's nothing there which is as it seems" To get to Golden Shores they'd need the spaceship They traveled back to Portomento's planet The long trip through space would just be a quick nip Everything depended to how they planned it They were going to make the most of their trip They were floating in space above Golden Shores They were busy consulting the oracle The rules of this great place had caused this slight pause They were being scanned to the last follicle It was just using this pause for a great cause
The Golden Shores was a place of such great trust To keep it that way they used their great system Their talking oracle really was a must They wouldn't always use it, it was just when Someone newly arrived, then they made a fuss
It wasn't so bad to be completely known And have all your needs promptly taken care of Whether it was drinks delivered by a drone Like someone wiping a table with a cloth In Golden Shores they make you feel like you're home
The thing they most wanted to see was the lights They shone in the sky with a mind of their own At night they continued their magical flight The source of the lights was not quite well known They could not figure it out, try how they might
"The lights are what I see in my dreams at night I need to take a closer look now", she said Pan said, "Well look, this all needs to be done right There are some that say that the lights can be read You'll get to read the lights with some peace and quiet"
The Shores were constantly bathed in a deep glow They flew above it all in tiny machines There was a place that the oracle did know To which very few people had ever been They saw a mountain, the oracle did glow
This was the place that they had been looking for Here they would have the best of unbroken views You could see that she felt it right too her core There could be no better place for her to choose As she did look out she couldn't ask for more She said, "The lights are there for giving advice I need to just watch and wait for the message Once you're in sync with them, you won't think twice About content, it's like looking at a page Of a book that you find to be rather nice"
She sat back and relaxed and watched the clear sky The lights, when they came, were a thing of wonder As they flickered she sat and asked herself why They cast the spell that the planet was under To read beneath their charms was what she must try
She said, "This is what the lights are telling me If you want a good world be good to the world You know already people choose to be free If you can give that much they will be thrilled Freedom is the only thing they want to see"
She sat down and thought about what they had said To her now the lights had made such perfect sense The gist of the lights wasn't easily read And the concentration had left her intense After all of this she was ready for bed
While she was resting she saw pretty colours As the lights floated down to fill up her sleep They filled the room up like her real true lovers Pan could tell that her sleep was getting quite deep After seeing such lights now, there came others
In her dreams the lights told her about new things About what a brave new world should expect next And all about now what tomorrow may bring When she woke up her brain muscles had been flexed Pan had no doubt that she was the woman king
She had woken up with so many new dreams So many brand new ideas rolled through her mind Soon enough then she was filled up with new schemes To look for all of the folk that she could find To find not just one sort, but all of the teams
They went to their ship to decide on their course Going somewhere that they'd never been before Once decided they blasted off with such force The ship was so quick you couldn't ask for more They steared that ship with the gusto of the Norse
The first planet they came to was filled with trees The folk who lived there were as tall as forests Pan's head wouldn't have reached even to their knees They sang everyday up among the bird's nests She said, "My hope now is that they'll hear my plans"
She wanted them to help her in her new quest "All of the folk should get to know each other We should travel 'round and be each other's guests" She said, "Time to learn to love one another" The tree folk thought that her plans were for the best
They would need a bigger ship for their big dreams And Pan knew exactly where they could find one It was a place where nothing was as it seems They would find brand new big ships there by the ton He said, "I know of a place if you are keen"
They could see ships flying before they arrived She wanted to give all of them a test drive Pan said, "Just wait and see what they have inside" She couldn't wait, her ship did a final dive They saw ships that were as tall as they were wide
They landed their ship and they started shopping They saw all kinds of ships they could imagine There were ships in the sky that were flip-flopping "They all look so good", Pan said with a grin She wondered how they stayed there without dropping
Then they came to a big long open hallway And she saw it in front of her widened eyes "There is one I want, I can finally say" Pan looked too and you could say he was surprised He said, "Let's go find out how much we should pay" It was the biggest ship they had seen so far Inside the roof stood real tall above their heads They could fit in their old ship like a tin jar They saw newer ships brought in like they were sleds It was a first impression you could not mar They looked at the rest and were very impressed For their purposes the ship would be ideal You could certainly fit in the few odd guests They would find the owner and make their appeal To buy this perfect machine would be a test They located the chap they needed to see And it was for granted the price was sky high "But with your old ship the price is going to be A lot less than that, it will get you to fly That ship out of here like you got it for free” She loved her old ship but it was very small Because it was antique it was worth much more Than any ship that you would see in a mall She wanted that ship, she felt it to her core If they rode in that ship they'd be walking tall But from the moment they payed she felt alright Yes the old ship had been a just sacrifice And it all meant that soon they'd be taking flight And to reach their goal would be so very nice Using peace to solve things instead of great might The ship was so big they would need a full crew Soon the bridge was full of brand new candidates In their spacesuits they looked so shiny and new On their ship there was no place for one who hates Their work would need people who were bold and true 
They were ready to blast off around sunset When it came to bed they'd be sleeping in space She would be the one to ignite the first jet The crew were ready, for lift off they were braced And a groovy lift off is what they would get They cruised up and went safely into orbit Then they slowly circled above the planet The crew slowly gathered around the cockpit And from the champagne they tried not to get wet And Pan made a speech using a lot of wit The lights of Golden Shores came to her that night They gave her good ideas as she lay sleeping About how to lead and how to put things right Pan was seeing how everyone was keeping It had been a long day, the ship was quiet Then there was a man who was talking to Pan He told him about the plight of his people His people had been the victims of a scam They were made slaves by a man who was evil He said, "If you can’t save them then no one can" Then Pan asked, would they be able to find them The man said, "They often travel past big planets The only thing is to find out where and when" Pan said, "We could catch them using our big jets There's much to be discussed between now and then" And the next day Pan told her all about it She said, "This is the kind of project we need And if we can do this we'll make such a hit If we can get those prisoners to be freed It would not hurt our reputation one bit”
First they needed the flight path for that slave ship They'd have to find some spies with info to sell With the right stuff they could be saved a long trip Who would have the best info, you couldn't tell Pan could sense the right info was in their grip Then a man came forward with some stuff to tell He'd been working for a slave ship before this And for that reason he knew them all quite well "They'll go to the conference, that they can't miss The'd go even if they found it pretty dull" 
"And what kind of conference is this then", she asked "It is a conference that's held for pirate ships" All those pirates was something worth trying to grasp In such a place they would be up to their hips In such a place they could free more folk at last So it was determined that they would gate crash It was two weeks before the conference began They needed the time to prepare for the bash They would also need to prepare a new plan Just in case they had to escape in a flash
The day came when they had to start travelling Soon they would need to be on the right planet They got the position and took to the wing Once they were on their way they increased their jets To see their power was really quite a thing Soon they arrived at their new destination They sent out a signal of a pirate ship They doubted if back to space they would be flung Waiting for the reply made their hearts all skip There was much relief when they said they could come
As they flew in they could all sense the danger They must have their wits about them to survive To the realities Dee was no stranger She also knew there was a way to connive And come out looking like the best Star Ranger Now they could see the amount of other ships They filled the horizon, jamming up the sky They could see the host ship as it gently skips From ship to ship just like a little lost fly And you wonder why it makes all of those trips
Now that they were settled a ship came to them They asked if they could definitely board the craft And they boarded the ship with about ten men They checked all types of things like all the life rafts Then they waited for them to ask the question The question was "What are you all doing here" They answered that they were looking for contacts "If that's all you doing you've nothing to fear If you need to get something done then you're waxed But from anything else you know to stay clear" 
The next day they were allowed to meet people They tried to find the ship with the captive crew They sent out some people who knew them and still They were hard to find, where were they now who knew They kept searching 'till they'd almost had their fill Then soon one of the searchers received a tip "Folk you are looking for lie not very far You'll be able to find them in a short trip" The searcher was ecstatic nothing could mar That they'd be with the captives in a short blip
Dee and Pan got ready to meet with them first It seemed less suspicious if they went ahead Pan was so keen he was all ready to burst He didn't want to see the bad guys all fled Before him and Dee had time to do their worst For Dee and Pan it was a short shuttle trip They were greeted with handshakes and suspicion But they could see that Pan wore no gun on his hip If there was a battle surely they would win Or was there a way the tables could be flipped
They were looking for weapons in the wrong place For a fight Dee and Pan were not that well armed The weapons they carried were spread out in space Even if they used them no one would be harmed If they were needed they would cut to the chase The main pirate wanted Dee to stay with them Dee simply whistled a deep and somber tune "You couldn't keep me, you don't have enough men" She said, "We'll have help, and it will be here soon Help will arrive it is just a case of when" 
You could hear them first before seeing them They appeared accompanied by a low hum It could be said the whole effect was quite zen In fact it could be said that it was quite fun The first lights appeared with the force of ten men More lights joined and there was a moment of fright How much light was needed to conquer a ship Before long there was a multitude of lights How many lights now must be making this trip The ship would be destroyed by anyone's rights 
Then all of a sudden the lights stopped coming There was enough of them to fill up that place Some of them had decided to form a ring Nothing there could keep up with their crazy pace The lights flew around just like birds on the wing The pirates knew now that they were outnumbered The only thing to do was to surrender And respect the lights which had come in a herd And even if it makes you look like a cur In a moment the head pirate gave the word
And in a word the captives were all set free And in a word they were all very happy The way they danced and sang was something to see You could just see how much they'd wanted to flee Far from exile is where they wanted to be Dee and Pan were making sure it all happened Using the light was just the first step you see Soon they'd use power against all that had sinned Soon they'd find a way to be all they could be Soon they'd find a way to make all the foes friends
The ex-captives all moved to Dee and Pan's ship They had to make up a story for cover Like they were going to change ships for a trip Were'd they come from, that was somewhere or other As long as they weren't captives trying to skip The reunion was joyous and heard all 'round There was a party for all who had been freed There was a party for all who could be found There was a party for anyone indeed There was a party for anyone around
It was up to them to fly the captives home The captives were all waiting to make the trip They were even trying to reach home by phone The voyage seemed short, just a quick hop and a skip Pan was keen to go, he was chill to the bone But then Dee did not want to be too hasty She did not want them falling to the wrong hands To re-take them as slaves would seem too tasty Could be the pirates, any one of those bands No chance must there be to eat them like pastry
Then the freed folk wanted to find more enslaved They wanted to spread some good fortune around 'Need Freedom' was on all of their souls engraved And to being victorious they were bound From such situations heroes have been made They went with Dee to the closest ship at night They arrived unannounced and went straight inside Dee was ready and waiting to call the lights The enslaved they found looked for a place to hide But then the freed folk asked them to stay and fight
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PETER/STILES
                                            ——— (part 3) ——–
Fandom: TeenWolf
Even longer list of fanfics :)….
top favourites, more top favourites, part 1, part 2
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The Devil You Know
Author: Triangulum
Summary: Hell is busy and Peter is understaffed. There are too many evil people being sent down below and there are only so many demons Peter has to torture them with. He needs to reorganize. They don't utilize group torture nearly as much as they should. Stiles probably has some ideas on that.OrPeter is King of Hell, Stiles is his second in command, and Talia summons them for a favor.
Can I Keep Him?
Author: Therapeutic_Steter
Summary: Let's try... Red Panda stiles? looove red panda stiles!
I’m Not Your Nephew
Author: Therapeutic_Steter
Summary: "Derek! Guess what!" "What, Stiles?" "I can call, you nephew now!!" "What. The hell. Are you talking about." "Didn't you listen? Peter and I are together!" 
Words Upon Skin
Author: Therapeutic_Steter
Summary: Soulmate words were treasured. People spent their whole lives waiting for their treasured phrase, that magic moment.Stiles had spent his whole life plagued by his words. He wondered just what he could do, to disappoint his soulmate so completely in their first meeting. He had approximately ninety nine self-confidence issues and they were all because of those damned words, printed in elegant script across his heart.‘Words cannot describe how pathetic you look.’
Let Me Hold You, Forever
Author: lavenderlotion
Summary: It was too much. To loud and too quiet and too, too much. He had to get out, to get away and just be somewhere different. He couldn’t - he couldn’t keep watching her like that, watching her lay there as she did.He needed a break.And he found it, with Peter Hale. Peter who was scarred skin and blank eyes. Peter who he sat with for hours a day, reading and ranting and just being with. Peter, who over four years he fell in love with.
A Spoonful Of Sugar
Author: Twisted_Mind
Summary: He blames Lydia. He would never have even considered this if she hadn't mentioned it like it was legit. But short of falling down the rabbit hole of student debt, he doesn't have a whole lot of options. So, whatever, he can try the sugar baby thing. No one has to know.Of course Peter has to go and ruin everything.
Across Your Skin, My Love
Author: lavenderlotion
Summary: Stiles knew he had a soulmate - had gotten his mark when he was fourteen like everyone else. He just - he just didn’t think he would meet the man for years to come. he knew the statics, knew that most people didn’t meet their bonded until their early-mid twenties.So he was really not been expecting to his name on the arm of his hot new English teacher.He had to admit it turned out pretty amazing, though.
Don’t Come For His Family
Author: lavenderlotion
Summary: In the three years Stiles had been with Peter, the man had only talked about his family a handful of times - and as far as Stiles knew had never once spoken to them. So he wasn’t exactly excited to see the mans family, even though that’s exactly what they were about to do.It does not go to plan.
You Wouldn’t Believe Me
Author: gryvon
Summary: The Hales are famous. Their emissary is infamous.
Wrong Number
Author: SushiOwl
Summary: "What do you and your coven desire from the dark?" Sometimes he liked be cheesy. Humans were into it, otherwise they wouldn't put it in their insipid (but wildly entertaining) TV shows.The witch boy finally set down his reading material. Peter had thought it was a book, but it was actually a plastic folder with photocopies of pages from a book. Peter would have to decided if he was insulted later."No coven, just me," the witch said, closing his folder. There was a Batman symbol on the front, so Peter was certainly insulted.He was not about to put on such a show for one human either. He let his mist drop and gave the boy an unimpressed expression that included a lifted brow and lips tilted down at the corners. "Alright then, just you. What deal are you looking for?""Will you take my virginity for bragging rights?"
Boy Who Cried Wolf
Author: ladypigswagon
Summary: Peter is hungry. It’s a raw ache, the kind that drives Peter to hunt almost desperately. His paws pound against the earth, kicking up black dirt and fallen leaves as he runs. It’s early afternoon, sunlight streaming through the gaps in the canopy, dappling the ground. Peter can hear a herd of deer a few miles west, but deer are tricky. There are too many variables, too many antlers and hooves. He could probably pick off a few with a pack.
The Fourth Prince Of The First Realm
Author: RebaK1tten
Summary: “My god, Peter, only you!” Derek whispers. “You didn’t rescue just any old fairie, you rescued their Queen!”“Am I supposed to apologize? I didn’t ask for credentials before I helped her, you know,” he hisses back. “See, this is what happens when you do something nice, it just bites you on the ass.”** Peter rescues the fairie queen and as a reward, he's told he'll marry her son. It's not an option.
The Snake And The Otter
Author: Therapeutic_Steter
Summary: When Stiles was born, a black snake appeared into his crib on the first full moon and never left.Claudia, whose soulmate animal was a lion, hadn't even flinched, smiling and cooing at the little snake in welcome. It flicked its tongue at her, beady eyes sparking blue, and let Claudia gently stroke it's head. John, whose soulmate animal was a bear, just shook his head, wondering at what kinds of trouble his son and his soulmate would get in to.
If I Were ‘A Were’
Author: syriala
Summary: Stiles knew that he wasn’t the most subtle person to ever grace this earth. But compared to the Hale’s he was a fucking ninja. He couldn’t believe that no one had figured out yet that they were actually werewolves. Real, actual, honest to god werewolves.That no one knew about.Stiles really started to question this town’s intelligence.But Stiles was determined to find out how many dog/wolf related puns he could make before someone caught on to the fact that he actually knew.
I’ll Watch Anything As Long It Is With You
Author: Sage_Speight_Trickster_In_Training
Summary: Ever since Stiles was a kid and first hear his parent's story about how they met with their soulmark he couldn't wait until his showed up. He would always marvel how some day he would look down and see the first words his soulmate would say to him. His best friend Scott got his words when he was eight and ever since those words showed up he would carry at least four pens with him everywhere he went, waiting for the moment when someone asked him to borrow one. The prettiest girls is school, Lydia, got hers when she turned ten and Stiles felt his first heartbreak when they weren't his words. That was also the year his mother got sick and the words on his father's lower left knee , written in his mother´s hand writing, began to fade. Stiles knew that when soulmates faded that that meant their soulmate was dead. That same year he went with his father when he went to a tattoo parlor to get his mother's first words tattooed onto him so they would stop fading.
Naked Terror
Author: Bunnywest
Summary: Peter's only here to inspect the fire extinguisher. The last thing he expects is for a naked man to come charging at him, swinging a baseball bat and screaming.
Kiss Me Once, Shame On Me
Author: yesterday
Summary: “I don’t care about tradition, you try and get me to kiss you under the mistletoe and I will punch you,” Stiles said.“Where is your holiday spirit, Stiles? This is for charity; it said so outside.” Peter was smirking. He was right. Stiles set the sandwich board out there himself this morning— “For every smooch under the mistletoe, one dollar will be donated to Beacon Hills Children’s Hospital!” 
Forget everything Stiles ever said about Christmas cheer. He officially hated the holidays.
The (Sometimes) Happy Holidays Series
Author: Potrix
Part 1: (Not So) Silent Night
Summary: “Santa Claus, 42, looking for a sweet angel, 18+, with big or small Christmas ornaments for not so silent nights together. Tree stand available and ready. No Santa hat, no action.”Several people swivel around to glare at Stiles, but, really, he can’t be held responsible for this. Sure, a waiting room isn’t the best place to suddenly burst out laughing, but it’s totally the fault of whoever laid out the latest issue of Bella Diva. It’s not like Stiles normally makes a habit of buying and reading women’s magazines.Apart from the occasional Cosmo. The quizzes are always hilarious.
Part 2: (Annoyingly) Happy Valentine’s Day
Summary: “Welcome to the Beacon Blossom!” the saleswoman behind the counter chirps happily, and Peter watches, a little dazed, as the blinking plastic hearts attached to her headband bounce back and forth. “What can I do for you on this fine day?”Peter deposits the bouquet of red roses on the counter, and nearly drops his wallet when the woman coos—actually coos—and says, nodding her head, “A classic. Your wife will absolutely love them, I guarantee it.” She swipes Peter’s card when he hands it to her, then points it at a basket stuffed full with some of the most garishly pink teddy bears Peter’s ever had the misfortune of seeing. “Now, since today’s a special day, if you buy a bouquet and one of our Sweetheart Bears, the cheaper item is 50% off.”It takes some effort, but Peter manages to bite back his initial, sarcastic retort about the bear clashing with his furniture. Or anything else not absolutely, horrifyingly hideous, for that matter. “Just the roses, please.”
The Holly Bears A Berry Red As Any Blood
Author:  ladypigswagon
Summary: Stiles swears as the car hits another pothole dead on and he goes flying out of his seat, hardly restrained by the seat belt, smacking his head on the roof.“Language,” John says mildly, turning the page of his newspaper. Stiles grumbles, rubbing the back of his head. He can feel a lump developing.“Every year,” Stiles says, “every goddamn year, the Hales send their craziest driver to pick us up. Every year we hit every pothole and every year I get a lump on my head. In the same place! How this hasn’t damaged me permanently I don’t know?!”
Winding Roads To Flowering Fields Series
Author: Tahlruil
Part 1: Deserving Him
Summary: Scott couldn't even seem to live comfortably in his world of black and white absolutes. He could understand why the Lahey boy had broken with Derek, he supposed - his nephew was never meant to be an Alpha, and that had always been painfully obvious. What Peter didn't understand was why he'd then put himself deliberately in Scott's pack. He didn't understand why anyone would align themselves with someone so pathetic when it came to leading others. He didn't understand why new betas, humans and other supernaturals alike flocked to him, an Alpha who had no true understanding of what it meant to be pack. Peter didn't understand why Stiles - beautiful, intelligent, deadly Stiles - chose to call Scott his Alpha.'Peter has been watching Stiles for quite some time now, and he has trouble understanding why Stiles chooses to align himself with Scott. The McCall Alpha doesn't even seem to notice that his best friend is still reeling from his encounter with the Nogitsune... or that Peter is the one trying to soothe that hurt.Stiles, Peter is sure, deserves better.
Part 2: Not An Idiot
Summary: Maybe in some places an idiot could get elected Sheriff - not in a town like Beacon Hills. Dumb deputies (or just very unlucky ones) tended to die before they got the chance to try to move up the ranks. So John Stilinski isn't an idiot even if he (on occasion) chooses not to see the whole picture. Stiles is getting better and he's grateful - he just wishes that maybe it was someone else getting his kid get there.Even though it's not the smartest move, he calls a friend about it.He's not an idiot, okay, he's not. He just... needs a little help, and who better to help with a werewolf problem than an Argent?
Part 3: Ground Me
Summary: "...this is not 'guard duty', you idiot. This is pack - the way pack is supposed to be." Stiles probably should have been freaked out or maybe turned on by the way Peter pressed his nose to the crook of Stiles' neck and breathed in deep. He definitely should have felt one of those things when Peter dragged his cheek upward and then skimmed it over Stiles' jaw. He didn't though, not with what he knew about werewolves; all he felt when his wolf scented him was a sense of comfort, belonging and home. "And you don't take 'nights off' when it comes to being pack."
Part 4: Coming Home Is Something Strange
Summary: Two weeks into living under John's roof, Chris realized that all four of them were settling into a routine that was decidedly, disturbingly, domestic. He and Peter banded together in the fight to keep the Stilinskis healthy, and half the time they seemed to end up doing the grocery shopping together. So long as they only talked about things like how many apples they should get and if they needed to pick up some detergent, things between them were just fine.They'd only tried to discuss the deeper things once. It had ended in a bloody nose for Chris and a knife laced with wolfsbane sticking out of Peter's thigh. Neither Stilinski male had been happy about it. Their reactions forced Chris and Peter into another unspoken truce, and that was... okay. Maybe they didn't need to hash out everything between them. Things had been a fucking mess between their families for centuries; their best bet seemed to be to let sleeping dogs lie.
Part 5: A Surprising Visit
Summary: "No! It's not... it's nothing like that. Hi Stiles. I'm sorry for just, you know. Showing up like this? But I thought that if I called or texted you might not. Uhm. Open the door. I still should have texted. I'm sorry. It's just that you mentioned watching Mulan and I really love that movie. And we've all been being really bad friends except maybe you and I weren't friends? Because with everything that happened I feel like I never got to know you, not really. And then I guess I got caught up in trying to get to know Scott. Have I mentioned I'm sorry?""Couple times," Stiles said, blinking a few times as he tried to process what was going on. "So you came over to hang out?""You sound surprised," Kira said quietly. She looked kind of sad, which he didn't completely get but whatever. "Which means I'm a terrible friend. But!" Kira reached into her bag and pulled out a DVD - it was Mulan, and Stiles felt something warm and sort of gooey unfurl in his chest. He already had a copy, but that she had brought one meant that she really had come to watch it. She had come just to hang out with him without pack business forcing her to, and that was pretty awesome. "I'm going to try and change that."
Part 6: When I Have A Pack, Things Will Change
Summary: "Well it is a grocery store, Scott," he said without looking up from the package of steak in his hand. John had been having a difficult time at work with all those pesky disappearances and Peter thought the man deserved a treat. He had to weigh that against the knowledge that Stiles would be upset, however, which had him debating if he shouldn't grab the 'extra lean' cut instead of going with the regular kind of lean. "Even us deviously evil masterminds must eat and the takeout in this town is deplorable."Peter heard a subsonic growl leave McCall's throat and let himself smirk with satisfaction. Frustrating the so-called Alpha was different than pissing him off, surely...
A Match Made In Hell Series
Author: JPA
Part 1: Marked
Summary: Stiles is eleven when he gets the courage to look into the mirror and see what his soulmate mark reads.
Part 2: I Wish
Summary: Peter had been born without a soulmark.
Part 3: Revelations
Summary: “Ah, Stiles,” Peter says, eyes gleaming. “It’s so nice to see you again.”
Rant-A-Thon
Author: Ragga
Summary: So Stiles may be having a bad day. Or a week. Or a semester. But he knows he just needs to blow off some steam and then he will be better than ever. And accosting a random guy and blurting out his entire life story? That sounds like the perfect idea!And as it turned out, it was. OR Stiles rants a lot and then Peter feeds him. And soulmates.
Merry Christmas, Dude!
Author: lostwithoutmyanchor (mysourwolf)
Summary: The beat was pressing down on Stiles in a pleasant way, pushing out some of the worry and tension. It was the last week before finals and Stiles just couldn’t take it anymore. He’d been studying non-stop for three weeks and had felt like his head would explode. Even the promise of going home to spend Christmas with his family was barely holding him up. Also with it being his last year of college and completely packed, he hadn’t had time to get laid at all. Which was totally unacceptable. OR, the one where Stiles has mind-blowing sex with a hot stranger.
Cookies & Mates
Author: withinmelove
Summary: Stiles doesn't expect to enjoy pretending to be Peter's mate. Surprises are in store for him.
Shifter Criminal Investigative Service Series
Author: Heather_Night
Part 1: Vanilla
Summary: Cutie startled violently, crying out, and Peter’s wolf demanded he take care of the creature.The vanilla scent meant being in close proximity wasn’t a hardship so Peter lifted the lightly squirming body into his arms and shushed him.Thank the moon neither his nephew nor niece could see him now as he was pretty certain this qualified as cuddling.Peter did not cuddle. Ever.
Part 2: En Garde
Summary: Usually it was the third date when things went to hell for Stiles. Maybe he tried too hard or maybe he just wasn’t that likeable but usually after meeting up one-on-one for the third time the person he was interested in either gave him the ‘let’s be friends’ speech or they lost his number.This time felt different but Stiles tried to tamp down on his soaring hopes. Peter was an off-the-scales out-of-his-league level of hot, and he was also smart, accomplished and older. What did he see in a spaz like Stiles?
Part 3: Transformation
Summary: Now was not the time to lose his focus as the Shifter Criminal Investigative Service was in the midst of a big investigation regarding a new series of seemingly connected homicides. Unfortunately his wolf, and his human side for that matter, wanted to see Stiles and make sure the younger man was okay.
Part 4: Unfettered
Summary: “It’s what? You obviously don’t want me in Beacon Hills. Is it that you think your dad will disapprove of me because of our age difference, your alpha will disapprove of me because I’m not good enough, you don’t want to be seen with a werewolf or what exactly is the issue here?” Peter’s tone was as bland as the expression on his face. The more upset Peter became, the more dispassionate he appeared.Not good. It was time for damage control. Check that; it was time for the truth. Stiles gathered his courage. “I don’t want you to see me the way everyone in Beacon Hills does. There, are you happy?”
Black Fire
Author: Green
Summary: Deaton is all about the balance of the universe, about order. Stiles's new magic - gifted to him from the Nogitsune - is the complete opposite of that. Deaton calls Stiles's magic "dark" and seeks to imprison him in Eichen where he's no threat to the balance. Peter and Stiles go on the run - but they can't run forever.
When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Escalate The Problem
Author: Julibean19
Summary: “I didn’t tell you because I knew what you were going to say,” Stiles hedges, shrugging his shoulders.“And what am I going to say?” John challenges, raising his eyebrows.“That he’s too old for me and you hate him.”Peter pushes the screen door open with one hand, the other balancing a perfectly browned quiche. He’s dressed in a dark blue cashmere sweater and grey slacks. To Stiles, he looks like a dream. To his father, he’s sure to look like his worst nightmare.“He’s too old for you and I hate him,” John says immediately.
Ink And Unanswered Questions
Author: Callidostreet
Summary: Talia was always covered in marks from her soulmate: reminders to feed the dog, interesting words-of-the-day, random stick doodles. They didn't meet face-to-face until middle school, but they'd known each other inside out long before then. When Peter is old enough to understand what the word 'soulmates' entails, he can't wait until he finds his."Are you there?" Is the first thing Peter writes on his body, his excitement is practically tangible.He won't get a reply for another 10 years.
See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil (Doesn't Mean There Is No Evil)
Author: syriala
Summary: Stiles knew that something was wrong. He had a very perceptive eye for evil and things that were going wrong and something in his life was going very wrong. But when neither Scott nor Derek believed him it was up to Peter to keep Stiles safe.
Could Frame Thy Mortal
Author: orphan_account
Summary: "It’s normal. Spending every waking second watching Hale is normal. In many ways, Hale is his whole universe: tracking his movements, waiting for what he does next, wondering what he’s thinking. The only outside stimulation he gets otherwise is the shower visits, and even then it’s only when Chris is the one taking him that he gets any engagement. Stiles knows Hale like he knows the water pipe. The sixty two bars that line the side of their cage. Like the minute of cold water that hits Stiles’ skin before the heat finally comes in the shower block. "Held in an Argent facility, never knowing who he can trust, Stiles pays for his survival with the only currency he has.
more fics: part 4
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mpdgmustdie · 7 years
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French Toast and Families
Characters: Logan, Patton, Roman, Virgil
Pairings: Prinxiety (can be read as platonic) and Logicality (can also be read as platonic, idk there might be others but that’s the only subtext I intentionally put in
Word Count: 1710
Summary: A few weeks after the ‘Fitting In’ video. Virgil is becoming more comfortable with his identity as part of the group, but still has some lingering doubts. Lots of fluff.
Warnings: negative self-talk, angst; I think that’s it, but please correct me if i’m wrong
A/N: This is my first fic, so feedback would be appreciated. I’m sorry for any typos or ooc behavior. So anyway, here goes... (I am afraid.)
     Virgil awoke to the noise of the other sides clattering in the kitchen. "Oh crap I overslept I was supposed to help with breakfast and- Hey. It's okay. Deep breaths." As he practiced his usual 7-4-8 rhythm he focused on the sounds of the others from down below his room. It had been a few weeks since that whole Harry Potter incident, and he was still trying to get used to the idea that Thomas, Patton, Logan, and Roman all needed- no, wanted him around, that he belonged with them, that they were his friends, his- family. The word tasted so sweet and strange on his tongue, almost too beautiful to be real. More often than not he woke up convinced it was all a dream.     "Speaking of waking up, I should get downstairs before they somehow manage to burn down the mind palace..." He quickly changed into his new attire and went downstairs.  
"Hey there kiddo!" Patton chirped. “I was just about to come check on you!”     “No need, I’m up,” Virgil muttered, perching on the counter a safe distance away from what appeared to be the beginnings of French toast.     "Well obviously. I-" Logan was cut off by a loud remark from Roman.     "Is that milk you're putting in? the prince asked incredulously.     "Yes," Logan replied. "Is there an issue?"      Roman seemed to be at a loss for words. "I- You- You can't just put in milk! It dilutes the flavor! French toast is an experience! It's bland, ordinary bread baptized in rich, eggy, goodness to make a treat worthy of royalty!"     "I'm afraid I must correct you there. Though French toast, or 'pain perdu' as they called it at the time, was consumed by Henry V, it dates back to as early as the 5th century, when the bread was primarily dipped in milk and fried for the consumption of peasants." Logan smirked.      "Aww... Lo, you're such an egghead!" Patton grinned, making finger guns at him.      Logan groaned, looking like he wanted nothing more than to dump the milk on Patton's head.      "Ooh, I know eggxactly how to fix this milk dilemma! Moove over!"
     This was apparently too much for Logan, who shot Virgil an exasperated look as if to say "look at the things I put up with" then walked off to collect himself, presumably in the sane realm of his room. Patton reached into a cupboard and pulled out two bottles. "With a little vanilla and cinnamon there'll be more than enough flavor!" He poured a thin stream of vanilla into the bowl, turning the liquid a lovely shade of brown. Then he uncapped the cinnamon and began shaking a bit of the fragrant powder into the mixture. Unfortunately, Logan chose to reappear at that exact moment, and Roman burst into his own rendition of Belle's song from Beauty and the Beast to acknowledge his return. "Here comes Logan with his books like always The same old facts and notes to tell..." Startled both by Logan's sudden reappearance and Roman's sudden musical outburst, Patton squeezed the bottle a little too hard and cinnamon came flying out, covering the counter and turning the bowl's contents a dark brown.     "Vanilla?! CINNAMON?! Who taught you how to cook?" Logan fumed, peering into the bowl with a dismal expression on his face as he tried to skim some of the extra cinnamon off the top of the mixture with a fork.     Virgil snorted. Logan was definitely not a morning person. And his temper had been pretty short these days, which was worrying... 
“Hey kiddo, do you wanna come help Roman cook this stuff?" Patton asked.     "Sure," Virgil slipped off the counter and over to the stove. Because if anyone could burn the mind palace down, it'd be Princey...     Despite Logan's best efforts, the French toast goop was still dark with cinnamon. Virgil, dragged a piece of bread through it, which removed most of the excess cinnamon, then threw it on the pan. Roman did the same, flipping the slice sharply through the air with a spatula and landing it on the pan with a satisfying hiss.     Roman's sharp movements gave Virgil an idea. It was silly, but it seemed like the sort of thing friends did... He picked up his spatula and pointed it at Roman like a sword. "En garde, Prince!" Roman, who had been hovering over the cooking toast, whirled around, exchanging a bewildered look with Logan. Patton let out a high pitched squeak. I should have thought this through everyone is looking at me I'm so stupid why did I-     Distracted by his rising panic, Virgil nearly failed to dodge Roman's spatula as it came swinging towards him.     "If it's a duel you want, a duel you shall have, edgelord!" cried the prince. Virgil stabbed at him then ducked behind the counter, running out into the other room. Patton was beaming and Logan looked confused, a rare expression for him. Neither Roman nor Virgil noticed, as they were locked in the middle of an all out spatula duel in the living room.
    All the sides loved acting, as they were all parts of Thomas, but Virgil loved the rush of adrenaline that came from stage fighting in particular. "This," Virgil decided, "is a positive kind of anxiety." He fought defensively, ducking behind couches and chairs and parrying jabs from Roman, who had an affinity for spinning and flourishing his spatula dramatically. Roman was relentless, and eventually, despite Virgil's best efforts, the prince had him pined down against the floor with one hand, pointing his weapon towards Virgil's throat with the other.     "Yield," he commanded.     "Never!" Virgil laughed, out of breath. Roman grinned, then looked at him.     "You know Verge, I've never heard you laugh before."     "Oh, uh... you know..." Virgil trailed off, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. What was he supposed to say to that?     "Relax, Hot Topic, I like it," he said easily, offering one of his trademark charming smiles.     "Well, thanks, I guess," Virgil replied awkwardly.     "Boys, your toast!" Logan called from the kitchen, sounding vaguely alarmed.
    "Crap!" Roman ran to the kitchen, followed by Virgil. Logan was standing over a pan of brownish black toast and Patton appeared to be distracted by a cat video.     "What... happened?" Roman asked, aghast. "Toast... why did you toast my bread? Now it is blackened and dead!" He lamented.     "It wasn't my fault!" Logan said quickly. "I assumed Patton was keeping an eye on the stove, so I started reading!"     "Well, you can't really trust Pa-" Roman was cut short by a glare from Virgil. "I mean, it's alright, we can just make more."     "I gotta be honest, I don't know what you all are talking about. French toast tastes the best this way," Virgil admitted.     "What?!" Roman cried, outraged.     "Yeah, you know, the more cooked it is, the less risk of Salmonella there is..."     "While only 1 in about 20,000 eggs is contaminated with Salmonella bacteria, it never hurts to be careful," Logan added helpfully.     "Plus it looks kinda, I dunno... edgy?"      Roman blinked. "...You think Halloween crayons and burned toast are edgy."     "And?"     "Nothing," said Roman, hiding a smile.     "I'm not-" Virgil started, but was cut off by Patton.     "If fish could make snow angels, what would they look like?" he wondered aloud. No one knew quite what to make of that.
After many bad puns, a few more pieces of burned toast, and one slightly singed tie, the sides were sitting around the table eating happily. Logan and Roman appeared to be drowning their toast in Crofter's.     "Seriously guys, what is with you and that jam?" Virgil asked.     "Oh you simply must try some; it's exquisite!" Roman advised. I concur," Logan said thickly, his mouth full of jelly-soaked toast.     "Uhh... No thanks," Virgil grimaced.     "What do you guys wanna do after breakfast?" Patton questioned.     "There's a few things for next month I need to plan," Logan replied.     "I was planning on having an epic adventure!" Roman announced.     "I dunno, just chilling in my room, I guess," Virgil replied when the others looked towards him. He'd had such a good time with everyone, did it really have to end? "Of course it does, you idiot,” he thought, looking down at the table. "They have lives after all, and much better things to do than spend time with you. You slept in late, you challenged Roman to a stupid sword fight, you let the toast burn-"
    "Are you alright, Patton?" Logan sounded concerned. Virgil looked up to see Patton hastily trying to wipe a disappointed expression from his face.     "Yep, I'm fine. I guess I was hoping we could maybe all cuddle for a bit, but seeing as how you all have things to do..."     "Next month isn't for a while," Logan cut in, looking at Patton with an odd expression.     "Adventures can happen any day. Cuddling with the ones you hold dear... that is a rarity," Roman nodded. Virgil shrugged, and gave a half-smile. "I'm down for that."     Patton broke into a grin, a faint sheen of tears in his eyes. "I love you guys so much," he said in a choked tone. Virgil could've sworn he heard Logan mutter the word 'adorable' under his breath, and then Patton was pulling them all towards the couch.     Logan ended up by the arm of the couch, with Patton snuggled into his side. Patton's free arm was around Roman's shoulders, who was draped elegantly over the remainder of the sofa. Virgil stood awkwardly by the side of the couch, unsure of what to do. He'd never really cuddled before. Luckily Patton came to his rescue.    "Hey Roman, would you mind scooting over a bit?" The prince sighed dramatically, but smiled and pulled Virgil toward the couch in between himself and Patton. Roman was leaning against him, Patton's arm was around him, and Virgil felt safe. He could feel the others' love for him as they sat there together in content silence, connecting together as parts of a whole. He closed his eyes to stop the tears from falling, trying to soak in every sensation of the moment. He was not the villain. He was not a reject. And for the first time, Virgil felt like he'd found a family, found a home.
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shawwillsuffice · 6 years
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Every album and song referenced in every book by Hanif Abdurraqib
I decided to put together this list after finishing Hanif’s latest full-length book, They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us: Essays. For those not familiar with Hanif, he’s a poet and essayist who really loves to talk about music. He writes a lot about hip hop, punk, and emo, but I also once texted him out of the blue to ask his opinion of the largely forgotten 90′s boy band O-Town and he had a number of clearly well-thought-out observations ready to go immediately. He writes about music in ways that are simultaneously about other very big things in his life and the society and communities that shaped it. It’s something I deeply appreciate, as a person for whom narrative storytelling is often the only way for me to express the things I’m thinking and feeling, for which simpler words just won’t cut it. His books are about fear, or heartbreak, or gentrification, or religion, or death and mourning, or hope, but they’re also pretty much all about music.
With that in mind, I decided to make it my 2018 New Year’s Resolution to listen to every album and song referenced in his books, and since I had to make this list anyway, I figure I’ll share it in case anyone else wants to do the same, or just wants an exhaustive list of Hanif’s music references for some other reason. 
For clarity’s sake, this list includes songs and albums, but not instances where musical artists are named without reference to any of their actual material. I’ve omitted names of individual songs in cases where the albums they appear on are referenced in the same poem or essay. I’ve also tried to include indirect references that rely on context cues without identifying actual titles or song lyrics, though I’m sure I’ve missed some. 
Of course, if any of this sounds at all interesting, I’d recommend buying the books themselves. The chapbooks are quite hard to find, unfortunately. Vintage Sadness famously sold out in pre-sale, even after the publisher more than doubled the print run due to overwhelming demand, and if there are any copies of Three Crosses or To Ex-Girlfriends to be had anywhere besides my bookshelf, I sure as hell can’t find them. However, both of the full-length books, The Crown Ain’t Worth Much and They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us are still very much available.
Three Crosses (2012)
- The Notorious B.I.G., Life After Death (”And it’s full. Been full. Stays full. Full since that ‘97 summer / When Biggie blared out of everything with windows. Everything that could breathe.”) - Johnny Cash, “Oh Bury Me Not” - Taylor Swift, “Last Kiss” - Michael Jackson, “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” - Stevie Wonder, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” (”Michelle Obama loves punk rock music. / Rolls her eyes backstage when Barack picks yet another Stevie Wonder standard to stroll out to during campaign stops.”) - The Clash, “I’m So Bored with the U.S.A.” - The Pogues, Red Roses for Me - Nirvana, In Utero
To Ex-Girlfriends (2014, I think?)
- The Who, “My Generation” - Johnny Cash, “John Henry’s Hammer” - Johnny Cash, “Cocaine Blues” (”In Folsom, they banged on metal tables / when you talked about that .44 you kept under your pillow”) - Jay-Z, Big Pimpin’ - The Notorious B.I.G., “Mo Money Mo Problems” - Diana Ross, “I’m Coming Out” - Johnny Cash, “I Never Picked Cotton” - Jay-Z and Kanye West, “No Church in the Wild” - Against Me!, “Thrash Unreal” - Van Morrison, “Sweet Thing” - Hall & Oates, “Sara Smile” - Hall & Oates, “Rich Girl”
The Crown Ain’t Worth Much (2016)
- Jay-Z, “Where I’m From” - Journey, “Don’t Stop Believin’” - Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On” (”& he starts in on some marvin & the words ‘brother, brother, brother / there’s far too many of you dying’ crawl from his lips) - Fall Out Boy, “Saturday” - Jay-Z, “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” (”& Jay-Z called himself Hova / twelve times in one song”) - The Notorious B.I.G., “Mo Money Mo Problems” - Taking Back Sunday, Tell All Your Friends - Nick Drake, “Pink Moon” - The Notorious B.I.G., “N****s Bleed” - Something Corporate, “Konstantine” - Fall Out Boy, “Sugar We’re Goin’ Down” (”We wrote ‘IGNORE YOUR GOD COMPLEX’ in every bathroom stall on campus one of those years even though we knew the right lyrics”) - Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d. city - Whitney Houston, “How Will I Know”  - Third Eye Blind, “Semi-Charmed Life”  - The Temptations, “I Wish It Would Rain” - Nina Simone, “Mississippi Goddamn” - Nina Simone, “Sinnerman” - Nirvana, “Lithium”
Vintage Sadness (2017)
- Blood Orange ft. Carly Rae Jepsen, “Better Than Me” - Kanye West, “Only One”  - Jay-Z and Kanye West, “No Church in the Wild” - Duran Duran, “Girls On Film” - Carly Rae Jepsen, “E*Mo*Tion” - Ginuwine, “Pony” - The Four Seasons, “December, 1963 (Oh What a Night)” - Jay-Z and Kanye West, “Illest Motherfucker Alive” - Aaliyah, “Rock the Boat”  - Soul Decision, “Faded” - Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” - Guns N’ Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle” - Kelis, “Milkshake” - Jay-Z, “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” - Bone Thugs N Harmony, “Crossroads” - Next, “Too Close” - Olivia Newton John, “Let’s Get Physical” - Cutting Crew, “(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight” - Soul II Soul, “However Do You Want Me”  - Jay-Z and Kanye West, “N****s in Paris”
They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us (2017)
- The U.S. National Anthem - Bruce Springsteen, “Born in the U.S.A.” - Lil Uzi Vert, “XO TOUR Llif3″ - Fetty Wap, “Trap Queen” - Chance the Rapper, Coloring Book - The Social Experiment, “Sunday Candy” - Chance the Rapper, Acid Rap - Drake, Views - Bruce Springsteen, The River - Carly Rae Jepsen, E*Mo*Tion - Carly Rae Jepsen, “Call Me Maybe” - Semisonic, “Closing Time” - Marcy Playground, “Sex and Candy” - Prince, “Baby, I’m a Star” - Bob Dylan, “All Along the Watchtower” - Foo Fighters, “Best of You” - Prince, “Purple Rain” - ScHoolboy Q, Oxymoron - The Notorious B.I.G., “N****s Bleed” - The Weeknd, Kiss Land - The Weeknd, House of Balloons - The Weeknd, Thursday - The Weeknd, Echoes of Silence - Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On - NOFX, “Don’t Call Me White” - Brand New, “Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades” - The Wonder Years, Suburbia I’ve Given You All And Now I’m Nothing - The Wonder Years, The Greatest Generation - The Wonder Years, No Closer to Heaven - Constellations, Alpha - Twenty One Pilots, Regional At Best - Rihanna, “Work” - Cute Is What We Aim For, The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch - Richard Hell and the Voidoids, Blank Generation - My Chemical Romance, The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance, May Death Never Stop You - My Chemical Romance, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys - Defiance, Ohio, Share What Ya Got - Defiance, Ohio, The Great Depression - Fall Out Boy, Folie a Deux - Fall Out Boy, “Saturday” - Fall Out Boy, Infinity on High - Fall Out Boy, From Under the Cork Tree - Bobby Womack, “If You Think You’re Lonely Now” - Fall Out Boy, “Dead On Arrival” - Three 6 Mafia, “Star Fly” - Willie Hutch, “Tell Me Why Has Our Love Turned Cold” - Michael Jackson, Thriller - Ice Cube, AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted - Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly - The Impressions, “People Get Ready” - “The Gospel Train” - “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” - Sam Cooke, “A Change Is Gonna Come” - “Wade in the Water” - Foxx, “Wipe Me Down” - Webbie, Savage Life 2 - Lil Boosie, Incarcerated - Boosie Badazz, Touch Down 2 Cause Hell - Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac, Rumours - Atmosphere, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold - The Notorious B.I.G., Life After Death - Diana Ross, “I’m Coming Out” - Big Pun, “Still Not a Player” - Bertolt Brecht and Elisabeth Hauptmann, The Threepenny Opera - Nina Simone, Nina Simone In Concert - Nina Simone, “Baltimore” - Nina Simone, “Sinnerman” - Lupe Fiasco, Food and Liquor - Migos, Culture - Migos, Juug Season - Migos, “Versace” - “When the Saints Go Marching In” - Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” - Johnny Cash, At Folsom Prison - Johnny Cash, “Hurt” - N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton - Ice Cube, “No Vaseline” - 3rd Bass, “Pop Goes the Weasel” - Bone Thugs N Harmony, “Thug Love” - Bubba Sparxxx, Deliverance - Asher Roth, RetroHash - Asher Roth, “I Love College” (”Saw him in 2015 at some festival and a drunk white woman kept yelling at him to play the college song.”) - Macklemore, The Heist - Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d. city - Macklemore, This Unruly Mess I’ve Made - Future, Honest - Future, Dirty Sprite 2 - Future and Drake, What a Time to Be Alive - Future, Evol - Future, Beast Mode - Future, 56 Nights - Future, Purple Reign - Future, Future - Future, HNDRXX
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