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its-time-to-write · 9 months

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i know now it’ll pass - ch. 2

Note: slight allusion of SA all i do is think about the past

You did consider calling out sick, but it’s Friday and you can just stare at your screen for eight hours and then sleep for two straight days.

You’re making the trek from your car to the office and you’re absolutely positive you look like hell. Sure, your hair and makeup is done, but there’s no masking the exhaustion in your bones. You drag yourself through the door and past everyone else headed to their various workstations, including Roy and a confused Jamie.

“Oi, porch girl, what’re you doing here?” Jamie asks. Roy smacks him on the back of the head.

“She fucking works here, you twat.”

You don’t point out that you’ve literally run into him twice, and maybe count it a blessing that he doesn’t remember you. Instead, you nod wearily and head to your desk.

It’s a fairly easygoing day, and you decide to take a late lunch. You’re halfway through your meal, absorbed in chewing each bite thoroughly and not falling asleep, when you hear someone call your name from the doorway. You look up to see Jamie standing and fiddling with his shirt.

“Do you even talk?” he asks, no preamble.

“What?” you say, confused. You realize you actually haven’t said much to him in any of your interactions other than “sorry.”

“Oh,” you reply, “yeah, I do. I’m just tired, is all. Neurons aren’t firing at full capacity and all that.”

Jamie nods. “Just wanted make sure you were all right. Got your name from one of the blokes across the hall, cuz we can’t keep calling you ‘porch girl.’ Anyway, are you?”

You half-laugh. “Yeah, can’t you tell? I’m obviously doing great.”

Jamie’s face morphs from concern to slight offence.

“Oh god, I’m sorry,” you hasten to continue. “I haven’t slept well all week, and it’s made me snippy. I wasn’t- it’s not about you. I just can’t quite think straight.”

Jamie nods again. “Right,” he says, “don’t think that’s healthy. Coach is always on me for rest days. Maybe you need one too.”

You shrug. “I mean, that probably works for you because you’re on a footballer’s salary. I don’t really have time for personal days aside from the weekend. There’s stuff to be done and bills to pay, so…” you trail off as you realize you’ve spoken unfiltered again.

“Anyway,” you say, fake smile plastered on your face, “thanks for checking in. See you around.”

Jamie takes his cue and leaves.

—

Why did you think you’d be able to sleep better on the weekend? You don’t know. Girls’ night is officially a no-go, so you’re trying to wear yourself out with some yoga. Sometimes physical exertion helps, but you can barely think straight enough to get in the correct positions. You’re going to cry again, and probably have to call your doctor because this can’t be normal. You just wish your brain would shut up long enough for you to rest.

You drag yourself out of bed and to the kitchen for a cup of tea. At least you’ll get to see a gorgeous sunrise.

—

You’re not positive when you fell asleep, but you did. You had a dream of someone’s strong arms around you carrying you from the steps to your bed. The dream lingers as you slowly blink your eyes open and realize that you actually are in your bed.

How did you get here? You know for an absolute fact that you are not a sleepwalker, nor did you wake up in between passing out in your front yard and now. You didn’t get yourself here, so who did?

The flat is quiet, and light is peeking in through the curtains. You check your phone to see if maybe one of your friends had helped you inside, but there’s no text letting you know. You frown. Maybe you’re just going insane.

You roll out of bed and grab your robe, then stop in front of your door. There’s a sticky note right at eye-level that says, don’t freak out, I’m in your kitchen. - Jamie (from work)

Oh shit.

You frantically run your fingers through your hair then fly down the stairs to find Jamie on his back on your couch, scrolling through his phone.

He looks up and says, “Wotcher,” completely unfazed. He swings his legs onto the floor and sits up.

“Let me explain,” he says as you gape at him. “I was on a run without Roy, and saw you asleep on your steps. Figured you’d want to be left alone after last time. But then I came by later on me way back and saw your door was cracked open. So I helped you upstairs and then stayed here with the door locked so no fuckin’ creeps would come in. You really should lock your door,” he continues, “Never know what sort are lurking ‘round.”

You’re still staring at him, uncomprehending. Jamie frowns. “Shit, didn’t mean to overstep. Just- you didn’t look so good and I thought it’d be better for you to sleep. And we’re not like, fucking strangers are we? Shit, I’m sorry.”

That snaps you out of it. “No!” you reply. “No, we’re not strangers. And it wasn’t… weird. It wasn’t weird. It’s just nice, which is why I was having trouble responding. I mean sure, this is the longest we’ve ever talked without me tripping over air, but you’re not- I mean, I don’t feel unsafe around you. You’re not that type of person.”

Jamie’s phone is away and his hands are tangled in his shirt. You wonder if it’s a nervous response.

“I’ll get out of your hair,” he says after a pause. “Maybe go back to sleep, yeah?”

You nod. “You want a cuppa before you go?”

Jamie hesitates, which is different from the flat-out no you expected. Finally he says, “Nah, should probably get going. Don’t want me hanging ‘round longer than needed, innit?”

You’re not really sure how to respond to that, but Jamie doesn’t give you a chance to before he’s down the front steps and out the gate.

Damn it.

—

The not-dream of Jamie’s arms carrying you to bed is much more comforting than the dreams you usually have. The ones where you’re suffocating under a blanket and everything is cold and slimy and you’re screaming and screaming, but no one takes notice.

You wonder if it can actually be classified as a dream, or if it’s more of a memory?

Anyway, it doesn’t matter because you push it down. No sense in thinking about it in the daylight when it’s sure to haunt you at night.

—

It’s embarrassing to see Jamie at Nelson Road, so you avoid him if you can. He certainly knows who you are now, and the few times you have accidentally made eye contact have been painful. Each time, he’s looked at you with the same completely indiscernible gaze, the one that makes your face heat up and slip out of whatever room your in. You successfully avoid conversations for four days, but he finds his way to your office on Friday.

“You good?” he says as he walks in without knocking and sits unceremoniously in the chair opposite you.

“Yes..?” you reply, unsure why he’s even here. You don’t forget that he’s Jamie Tartt, star striker and really should have no interest in you, like at all.

“Cool,” he says, still sitting sideways in the chair. You wonder if he’s capable of sitting normally.

You stare at each other in silence for a moment before you say, “Not trying to be rude, but why are you here?”

Jamie scrunches up his face. “Wanted to know why you were avoiding me and to apologize for it. Whatever it was, I didn’t fucking mean it.”

Oh.

“Oh,” you say aloud, “no, you didn’t do anything. It’s me. All of our interactions have been supremely embarrassing, so I figured if we don’t talk, I can’t get embarrassed.”

Jamie nods in understanding. “That’s proper shit,” he says.

You never know how to respond to half the things this boy says, so you just settle on, “Ok,” then go back to typing.

“You got any allergies?” Jamie’s voice breaks the silence again and startles you into a typo. You delete it and look up at him.

“No?” you reply, confused.

Jamie laughs. “Why’d you say it like a question? You unsure if you’re fucking allergic to something?”

For a moment you think he’s taking the piss, but there’s genuine amusement in his eyes as you shrug.

“I don’t know, it’s just how I talk. Why do you want to know if I have any allergies?”

Jamie rummages in one of his jacket pockets and plops a box down on your desk. “Mum said this is the best tea for insomnia. Figured out you can’t fucking sleep so I called her and asked. She used to make it when I was a lad and bouncing off the walls, like. Thought it might help.”

This is the second time Jamie has done something just plain nice for you, and it’s freaking you out a little bit. It feels… uneven. Wrong, maybe.

“How much was it?” you ask in an attempt to settle the score. “I have cash in a drawer.”

Jamie scrunches his face again. “You don’t fucking owe me for this shit,” he says. “Ted’s always on us about ‘doing things we want done without fucking hoping some shit in return.’ Only he didn’t say ‘fuck,’ or ‘shit.’”

You’ve seen Ted. You know how he is.

“Well, thanks,” you reply. “It means a lot. I’ll try it and let you know.”

Jamie grins, a great beaming smile that warms you from your chest all the way to your fingertips.

“Mint,” he says before bounding out the door.

—

The tea actually helped. Or maybe it was just the fact that someone was thinking about you, doing something without expecting a favor in return. Whatever the case, you don’t end up on the porch. Sure, your sleep is still jacked up, but not as much as before. It’s restless, but it’s a sleep void of dreams.

—

You report back to Jamie the next day, and he takes it like a personal challenge. A mission of sorts. He’s in your office every other day with some remedy or the other, all for the sake of helping you sleep.

One day it’s, “Dani said if you put these plants under your pillow, you’ll sleep like you’re dead.”

“They’re herbs, Jamie.”

Or, “Richard has this oil thingy from France and he says you’ll sleep like a baby.”

You bite your tongue to keep from pointing out that babies don’t sleep well.

Or another time, “Coach said if you burned this in like a bowl or some shit it’ll cleanse your aura I guess? His girlfriend uses it, I think it smells fucking nasty.”

You both shudder. Coach Beard is nice, but his girlfriend certainly is a character.

You try everything and report back the next day. Jamie has taken to asking you to stick your head into the locker room so that the team can hear each verdict. They still don’t really know who you are, but they’re invested in this challenge. They’re sweet, and it’s funny to start your day with their cheers of success or groans of disappointment. You think the best was when Richard made a comment about certain aerobic exercise that might tire you out and Jamie had a murderous look on his face. You’re not sure what the look means, but you did bring it up ever-so casually at the next girls’ night.

“He thinks you’re hot, babe,” says Jessica once the squeals have died down.

“No way,” you reply. “Impossible.”

Evelyn shakes her head. “I have to agree with Jess on this one. He’s into you.”

Your protests are lost amid another round of giggles, and you let yourself believe them for a single moment before quenching that stupid little spark that’s beginning to burn brighter in your chest.

Table of Contents

#jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt fanfiction #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tartt x y/n #jamie tartt x you #jamie tartt #ted lasso

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unlikelyjapan · 9 months

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s2e3 rewatch notes

One more before the weekend...

"When I was a kid anything that would give me some type of excitement, or amusement or enjoyment would get fucked ... Sometimes they'd try too hard, or they'd make promises they weren't able to keep" - everything in Carmy's AA statement can be related to cooking, the restaurant, drawing, Claire - pretty much the sum of Carmy's parts now.

Second Carmy/Syd kitchen scene:

Carmy is always the first to ask about anyone's parents (but only to Syd) - just like he inquires about Syd's Dad, his first concern is to ask about Marcus' mom while they debate sending him to Copenhagen. Family and people, in general, are always at the forefront of his mind, while progression is always at the forefront of Syd's (even if she does genuinely cares and checks in, it's secondary)

Carmy's "I want to make a suggestion" to go out was so loaded - it was obviously a premeditated move that he wanted to do the food tour with Syd. "I think WE need to go out, and we need to try some stuff"

After he tells her he'll see her in an hour, Goodbye Girl by Squeeze starts playing, and the track ends as Tina realizes that Ebra isn't ever going to be by her side in class *dies twice*

Richie dropping off his daughter: I have a precocious 6-year-old daughter as well and.....they tried to squeeze way too many lines into Eva to advance Richie's storyline when it should have come via Tiff or something - I hate being a negative nelly, but this part is so botched/lifetime drama-y.

(His obvious tenderness is sweet though)

10:44am call with Claire: this is only 2ish hours after his AA talk - I guess the subject matter was resonating with him?

Her forcing the convo on how ingratiated she is with his family makes me throw up my hands and say "no wonder the guy had a fucking panic attack later!". I was just highlighting how in AA how his family tries too hard sometimes - this is a prime example with her "I know all the fuckin' Faks" jousting.

And my god, she knew he was about to tell her that he was busy today, and she claps back "can you not make this weird?" - it literally harkens back to his family's bullying and expectations that Carmy will pacify them. (I know she can't know all this, but damn)

This part of the conversation gets its own bullet point:

"You know, he [Fak] told me that you guys are really close and that he's your best friend" - I didn't realize the first go around how bold the attempt at enmeshment was. With Fishes as context, the toxicity levels in this conversation are off the rails.

Also, her demented smile when she says "really?" when he says "no...no, Fak's not my best friend" - aggghhhh!

"No, no. He is. He's probably my best friend"

What the hell is this? "That's interesting, to sit with, for you" with the continued weird little smile -this isn't flirting, this is her relishing in the fact that she can manipulate him.

Why didn't I clue into how caustically fucked this scene was the first time? I think I was so distracted by the whispy dialogue and cadence of the conversation that I actually blacked out of the dialogue. Thank goodness for subtitles, because this script is mildly psychotic to read.

I know Storer said that one of the themes of this season is "winning is losing" - Claire is definitely playing to win at all costs. Is s2e10 showing that she lost? Or am I sitting through this dialogue again next season? I NEED TO KNOW.

Anyways, Secret Teadrops by Martin Rev (google the lyrics) plays as sydney enters Kasama - God, the music suggests she was thrilled to be spending a day out of the usual context with Carmy, and her checking her phone constantly is killing me.

Twenty Five Miles by Edwin Starr starts playing at the start of the food montage, just as Sydney gets the text from Carmy that she'll be doing it alone.

"I've been walking for three days and two lonely nights, and you know that I'm mighty mad"

After the owner of Avec tells her that she needs a great partner above all else, the lyrics blare again with "although my feet are tired, I can't lose my stride" - she can't abandon faith in Carmy just yet.

After the Pelican meats scene where the butcher (I forget his name, sorry!) tells Syd that he and his wife lost their restaurant in Bucktown after a business partner cut and ran, the song again blares with "I'm SO tired, but I just can't lose my stride"

Syd starts to adjust her language to "I'm not exactly solo" in the next restaurant scene- ugh - painful.

Enter conversations about profit sharing. Naiya assumes that she and Carmy are INVOLVED involved, and when she finds out they're just "gentleman's agreement" partners, she basically tells her to watch her back. Syd registers the statement, but looks so dejected, like she knows she's on a fool's errand now.

The lyrics flare one last time simply with "I've got to walk on"

Cue Carmy's phone going to voicemail as she has the jitters on the loading dock. She looks so sad, but also resigned to her fate at this point.

Sydney calls Marcus right after trying to call Carmy looking for any kind of sign or reinforcement. We're at the triangle again, with Marcus interpreting it one way, and Syd....really not reading anything into it at all.

I feel like Fak making fun of Marcus for "looking forward' with that big, dumb smile on his face means he knows Marcus' affection for Sydney.... and I'm starting to realize all the plots I don't like are the result of Fak's intuition and/or meddling.

Syd awkwardly trying to poach BOH workers is adorably baller and shows how aggressive she is just now realizing she needs to become- and she's so terrible at it, and I love her.

Future Perfect by Duretti Column (what an awesome deep cut) playing - I love that this part of the montage is Syd diving deep into herself and her more analytically-bent creative process and fuck everyone else. It's just her carrying the creative load of the restaurant right now, but she's truly free.

Lyrics repeat "You tell me stories, you speak in pictures"

She's being absolutely present ("Don't live in the future") and letting the food and the city that birthed it speak to her honestly and it's just so beautiful. The old family pictures surface in her memory alongside the plates she's crafting - her own contribution to the chaos menu, her past and present combined, her future (The Bear) undetermined.

Back to The Bear with "Make You Happy" by Tommy McGee playing in the background - I feel like enough ink has been spilled on this scene, but honestly read the lyrics here - ack.

One small observation after Carmy says "I'll let you know" - in the background, Marcus looks completely defeated, Fak's suppressing a laugh or something, and we get Richie's "ooooooohhhhhhh!"while Carm gives him dagger eyes. Y'all....these are not great men.

Syd rightfully realizes she needs to get the fuck away from everyone in that instant if she's going to do anything productive with the inspiration she's culled from her day of exploration and calls in the favor from the kitchen. I love that it almost immediately cuts to her there with her emotional support spoon 🥺

The ravioli failure - i.e. the fantasy vision of the food she had on the plate during her journey day not matching the reality of what she can craft on her own = the fantasy vision of the restaurant/life she could craft with Carmy not matching the reality of what she can is forced to craft on her own.

Oof, taking a break for a few days now....

#the bear fx #the bear season 2 #the bear spoilers #the bear #carmy x sydney #carmen berzatto

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charlywrites · 2 years

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Requested by anon

Request; reader who is max’s half sister and he found out in 2021. After meeting he invited her to a Grand Prix and this is where she meets Carlos. Now I’m thinking like an enemies to lovers where he makes a rude comment when meeting her calling her a gold digger because he thinks max is cheating with her (not knowing that’s his sister). But as enemies to lovers go they eventually end up together

Warnings; mention of j*s at the beginning, swearing, mention of Carlos’ crash. Also Max is really present in this fic.

Note; I put my whole pussy in that fic, enemies to lovers trope? check, idiots in love? check.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

Growing up, you didn’t know who your father truly was up until your teenage years, only then you learned about the life he had and the reason you would only see him once or twice a year- he was known to be a formula one driver.

It wasn’t something you really cared about if you had to be honest, sure they sport itself seemed to be interesting but you weren’t familiar with it- and you weren’t too interest by sharing a passion with your father.

You had never been close or even truly got along with him, it was clear that he did not care about you, which fueled a hatred for him from a young age. You never understood why he didn’t want you to be a part of his life, especially once you got old enough to understand more serious topics.

It’s only when you recently learnt that your father did not only have a life you weren’t part of, he also had a whole family you never knew about. Actually, you might have never know about them if your stepbrother hadn’t reached out to you first.

At first, when you received a call from an unknown number, you thought it was a weird and messed up prank, but after making a quick research on internet, you learnt that the caller was quite literally your stepbrother who also happened to be the current drivers’ champion.

It was a lot to take in and digest, hence why it took you over a week to answer Max’s text asking if you’d eventually like to meet up- you weren’t sure if it was a good idea to already meet up but in the end, you could let the opportunity to meet your stepbrother.

And just like that, only a bit over two weeks after Max first called you, you were meeting and going on a hike together- it was his idea, saying that it could be fun and would make it less awkward than meeting in a coffee shop.

“Are you ready?”

“ I’d say yes but I have a feeling I might regret saying that later.”

Max chucked, something was telling him you two were going to go along just well, “ don’t worry, we’ll go at your own pace, I don’t want to lose you behind.”

“ Hey! Don’t underestimate me. I might not be a champion or even into sport that much but that doesn’t mean I can’t keep up.”

“ Alright, alright, it’s not a competition anyways, we’re here to learn about each other and have fun, right?”

And you did have fun, Max turned out to be really funny and nice, you didn’t regret accepting to meet and getting to know him, in fact, you wanted him to be part of your life now, after all, you had a lot to catch up- you would never be able to catch up on all the years you had missed but you still could try.

Hence why, after the hike, Max invited you to his next Grand Prix, you told him early on that you didn’t know a single thing about his sport but he still wanted to show you his world. You couldn’t say know, you could tell how much it meant to him and you were curious to know what it was like in real life.

Here you were two weeks later, completely lost and confused in a world you didn’t know a thing about. You asked Max if you could come the whole weekend as you were willing to try to understand his sport, and he was more than happy to invite you for the three whole days.

Max was busy for a last minute meeting with his engineering team, so with Max’s encouragements, you went wandering through the paddock and a bit everywhere you were allowed to go to- all you knew was that you couldn’t lose your pass where it was written that you were Max’s guest.

You couldn’t tell how far you had went, and it seemed impossible to find your way back to the Red Bull’s garage without asking someone for directions. It wasn’t an easy task as everyone looked so busy, you didn’t want to bother.

That was until you saw a man, that you guessed worked for Ferrari due to his red shirt, he didn’t look too busy as he was looking at his phone. Taking your chance, you approached the man and excuse yourself, “ hi, i- uhm, I’m sorry to bother you, I’m lost and I’d like to go back to the Red Bull’s garage, do you know where I have to go?”

“ Hi,” before continuing he quickly looked at your pass to make sure you weren’t lying, “ Max’s guest, uh? The garages are at the other side, it’d be easier for you to ask Max to come get you.”

“ What’s wrong with me being Max’s guest?”

“ He always has the same guests, but I never saw you around.”

You frowned, not understanding what the problem was or what he was trying to insinuate- it wasn’t your fault you didn’t get to know him sooner, “ I met Max recently, so it’s my first time around here.”

“ You just met and he already invites you? Damn, I didn’t know Max liked gold diggers!”

“ What the fuck?” being offended wasn’t a strong enough word to describe how you felt hearing this man’s comment, “ I don’t know who you think you are but fuck you!”

You left right away, fuming at the man’s comments on you and your brother- which you ended up calling once you cooled down to ask him how to get back to the garage.

To say the least, you felt like a complete fool for getting lost, and the fact that Max told you to stay where you were because he was coming to get you didn’t help neither. It was your first time in this environment but you felt like you were just taking Max’s precious time during those weekends.

That wasn’t how your brother felt though, he was delighted to have you around and was already hoping you’d come to more races in the future, “ so, how was your little adventure?”

“ Cool until I met an asshole who ruined the experience a bit.”

Your brother frowned, unhappy to hear someone had already bothered you, “ do you know who it was?”

“ I don’t know anyone or any name besides you, Lewis Hamilton, Vettel, and since today Checo too.”

“ You can’t tell which team neither?”

“ Oh, it was one of the Ferrari drivers- but why does it matter?”

“ I’ll make sure they don’t bother you again.”

You shrugged it off, you didn’t really care anymore already, you were still bothered by those comments but it wasn’t going to keep you awake at night, “ i can take care of myself don’t worry, i told them to fuck off.”

Max seemed to be amused by what you told him but also felt proud to know how you stood up for yourself, “ well, that was deserved.”

“ Yeah.”

———

It had now been a month since you saw Max races for the first time- and also win. You were starting to understand your brother’s love for this sport even if it would never reach his level, you liked it more every time you’d watch a race, wether it was in person or behind a screen.

You hadn’t gotten the chance to attend the race after your first Grand-Prix due to work but after that, you had changed your schedule to be able to go support your brother on every upcoming races.

The only real downside of attending the those weekends were that you kept crossing paths with Carlos who, for some unknown reasons, disliked you since your first time attending a Grand-Prix.

Naturally, you would always return his shady comments or glares every single time- you didn’t really hate him but did hold a grudge against him for the names he had called you. Other than that, you believed he was a great guy since him and Max seemed to go along so well.

You had just left the Red Bull’s facility, siping some fresh drink when your shoulder collided with someone, who just like you, wasn’t paying attention to where they were going, “ ah, come on! You again?”

“ You don’t own the place as far as I’m concerned?”

“ You neither, yet you seem to always be on my way.”

You scoffed, this was getting ridiculous, you were literally next to the Red Bull’s zone, where else were you supposed to be, “ oh my god, stop being so childish and petty, what the fuck did I even do to you?”

“ Well, clearly you like being on my path and I hate that.”

“ You’re acting as if I killed your puppy or something, grow up!”

Carlos dramatically rolled his eyes, sighing loudly to show his annoyance he snapped back, “ you’re stupid, aren’t you?”

“ That’s rich coming from you. You’re such a fake bitch for hating me but being good friend with Max.”

“ I’m not going to stop being friend with him because he started bringing you around, even if we’d do better without you there.”

You had heard enough and now, you couldn’t hold back all the frustration you kept for yourself anymore, “ first of all, fuck you and second of all, I hope you don’t get to finish sunday’s race!”

And with that, you stormed off, not without shoving Carlos on the side- he was truly an asshole yet you couldn’t bring yourself to hate him as much as he hated you and that even with all the awful names he had been called you.

You wondered for a while, as you headed to the Red Bull’s garage what you had done or said to be so hated by him. You had seen once or twice how he acted with everyone else- he seemed to be nice and even funny. You couldn’t get along with everyone no matter how hard you tried, so maybe ignoring him would be for the best.

And with what you had just said to him, you most likely would never get along with the driver. Of course, you didn’t wish any real harm to Carlos, you didn’t want him to have an accident where he would get injured, you just wanted his car to give up mid race, imagining how upset that would make him.

However, you didn’t actually think it would happen two days later, when you saw on the screens in the garage that one of the ferrari had stopped on the side of the track, while catching fire and the driver was still in the car, you felt incredibly guilty- you shouldn’t have wished that to him.

At that point, you weren’t even sure if it Carlos and not his teammate since you were still struggling with the numbers of each drivers but you quickly understood it was indeed Carlos, you honestly felt like it was maybe your fault for jinxing him on Friday.

The end of the race was a tie between Charles and your brother, during the last lap, you were sitting at the edge of your seat, hoping for a miracle as you heard Charles had a problem with his car. Once the checkered flag was out, you were disappointed to see Max get the second place even if it was still a good result.

As you were told to follow the team, you greeted Max and congratulated him for his second place. No matter how hectic the moment was, Max took a minute to hug you, “ I’ll see you after the podium? ”

“ Yeah of course, go enjoy your moment, I’m proud of you!”

Even if it was a happy moment, you couldn’t help but think about Carlos’ car catching fire, you wished you could tell him how sorry you were and that you regretted your words. But for now, you had to push those thoughts aside and follow the team to get closer to the podium.

As soon as Max was handed his trophy for his second place, you proudly clapped, smiling ear to ear at yet another accomplishment- maybe you were starting to enjoy this sport more than you’d like to admit.

While music was blasting, champagne bottles were opened and soon enough, the three men sharing the podium today were soaked in champagne. As you watched this happen, something, or rather someone, caught your attention from the corner of your eyes.

You noticed Carlos assisting at the podium from afar, while you knew he was solely there for his teammate and was most likely still upset for how the race ended for him, you felt brave enough to take this opportunity to apologize.

Squeezing yourself through everyone gathered at the podium, you made your way to the ferrari driver and quickly apologized before he would send you away, “ I’m sorry for what happened during the race, I didn’t actually want this to happen.”

“ Are you sure about that? I wouldn’t be surprised to hear you actually enjoyed the scene. ”

“ I didn’t enjoy one bit- that was scary, I can’t even begin to imagine how you felt in that car burning.”

“ Yeah, that wasn’t the most pleasant moment of my career.”

You sighed, closing your eyes for a second, trying to find the right words so this wouldn’t end up in yet another argument, “ look, I was angry because you called me a bitch and I don’t understand why you hate me so much without even knowing me. I didn’t think and said the first thing that came to my mind. I’m truly sorry.”

“ It wasn’t your fault, it’s just the engine who failed. Stuff like that happen sometimes.”

“ Okay,” the conversation fell flat right after, as you were unsure of what else could you say, he didn’t seem to be too upset against you which was good, you didn’t want to have this on your conscience, “ I know it’s not the right moment to ask this, but what did I do to you?”

“ You didn’t do anything to me, it’s not the problem- it’s the fact that Max never talked about you before and one day you show up and now you’re basically glued to him.”

“ What’s wrong with that? Wait,” you had just realized that he was thinking Max and you were together, “ you think I’m dating Max?”

“ Isn’t it the case?”

You couldn’t help but laugh at how uncalled for this assumption was, “ not at all, I’m his sister- well, step-sister but that’s the same to me.”

“ Oh,” you could tell how embarrassed Carlos was at that exact moment and it was quite funny, you couldn’t lie, “ I didn’t know Max had another sister, I’m sorry for assuming things.”

“ It’s pretty new for us too, we met a bit over two months ago and he invited me for the first time the friday we met to show me what was his life like.”

“ I hope my stupid comments didn’t ruin the experience too much for you.”

This time, you smiled at the driver, maybe he wasn’t as much of an asshole as you first thought. Shrugging, you replied, “ it’s fine, that didn’t ruin my weekends.”

“ That’s good to hear. Will you be there next time too?”

“ Unless Max suddenly doesn’t want me around anymore, I’ll be there- why?”

“ Well, I have a lot to make up for. I don’t want you to think I’m an asshole.”

You cocked your head on the side, clearly amused by Carlos’ words, “ I’m impatient to see how you’re planning on making up for it.”

“ You won’t be disappointed.”

“ We’ll see about that.”

———

Usually, you never joined Max on Thursday as it was only for press conferences and interviews- he didn’t want you to have to stay behind, waiting for him and get over-bored. Now that you were getting familiar with the Red Bull’s team and befriended some other people working for different teams, you didn’t mind having to stay behind and wait.

And that’s what you did today, you accompanied your brother and when it was his group’s turn at the press conference, you stayed behind, talking to a few people you knew and eventually found a nice and rather calm spot to wait.

As you were listening to your playlist while scrolling down on your social media feeds, you didn’t notice that Carlos was walking to you until he sat next to you, removing one of your earphone to get your attention, “ i didn’t know you’d be here today?”

Startled by the sudden apparition of the driver, you put your hand over your chest, “ oh my god, don’t ever scare me like that again!”

“ Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“ That’s okay but don’t do it again and yeah, I don’t usually come with Max on Thursday but I was in the mood to be the annoying sister today.”

Carlos laughed, handing you back your earphone, “ how long have you been sitting there?”

“ I don’t know, maybe half an hour- why?”

“ With this heat? Why don’t we go inside and grab a cold drink, you got to stay hydrated!”

Arching a brow quite amused at Carlos’ suggestion you replied, “ you know I can get a drink from the Red Bull’s facility, right?”

“ Yeah but ours, at Ferrari, are better!”

“ I’m pretty sure the drinks are the same, but I guess I have to check it out by myself now, uh?”

Carlos grinned from ear to ear at your answer, getting up, he offered his hand to help you, which you gladly took. You kept a pretty light conversation as you two headed to the Ferrari’s facility as you mostly talked about how he hoped the weekend would go for him and Charles.

You kept going until Carlos stopped you right before entering the building, confused you gave him a questioning glare, “ you can’t enter wearing a Red Bull cap!”

It was childish but you were nonetheless amused by Carlos’ words, you knew no one would say a word about you wearing the Red Bull cap Max offered you during the first racing weekend you attended, “ better? ”

Your friend remained silent for a couple of seconds until his eyes lit up as if he had gotten the brightest idea of the year. Before you could say or even realize anything, Carlos took his own cap and put it on your head, “ even better now!”

“ Are you trying to turn me into a Ferrari supporter?”

“ I wouldn’t dare!”

“ Yeah, because I’m not betraying my brother.”

“ Too bad, red suits you very well.”

You couldn’t help but feel embarrassed- you liked the color red and wearing it but you were too proud to say it to him. Instead, you cleared your throat, reminding Carlos why you were there, “ so, are we getting those drinks or not?”

“ Yeah, vamos.”

Following your friend inside the building belonging to his team, once you had acquired a drink you liked, you didn’t stay too long inside, only enough to cool down from the outside burning heat of the summer.

It was only mere seconds after you left Ferrari’s facility, still accompanied by Carlos, that your brother found you. The first thing he noticed was the unusual hat you were wearing, he feigned being hurt at the sigh, a hand clutching at his heart, “ i can’t believe I turn my back for an hour and you betray me like that.”

“ It’s not what it looks like Max, I swear.”

“ It’s okay, it’s okay- I knew it would eventually happen.”

You weren’t sure what your brother exactly meant by this, exchanging a look with Carlos, he simply shrugged, he was just as confused as you were, “ what?”

“ I meant you and Carlos? I mean come on, I knew from the beginning you would end together- enemies falling in love or whatever they call it.”

“ What? We- we’re not dating if that’s what you think!”

“ It’s cool if you guys want to keep it a secret, I won’t tell anybody.”

You rolled your eyes, not understanding how Max convinced himself that Carlos and you had been dating. You were about to tell Max to stop as there was nothing between Carlos and you, but your friend replied before you could, “ thanks bro, i was actually going to ask y/n where she wanted to go for our next date.”

“ Oh,” Max was just as speechless as you were, since when you had already went on a date with Carlos, “ my bad for interrupting then. I’ll let you guys be, i’ll be at the rbr’s garage but when you come back y/n, you’re forbidden from wearing any ferrari’s merch in our garage.”

You laughed a little, it didn’t even cross your mind to keep the cap on for this long and you surely didn’t want to make enemies for wearing a red hat, especially since you were still considered new around here.

By the next minute, Max was gone, leaving Carlos and you alone again. You felt a bit awkward as you asked him, “ why did you say that to Max?”

“ Because I meant it- I was really going to ask you if you wanted to go on a date with me, he seemed so convinced that we were already dating.”

“ Would you like that? For us to be together?”

“ Well yeah, I would. You know, I never hated you- I just hated that you were with Max, at least that what I believed. I thought I had no chance with you and I was a bit jealous.”

“ You should’ve just asked me straight away. Would’ve saved us some times and arguments.”

Carlos chuckled, agreeing with you, he added, “ you have no idea how much I regret being an asshole to you.”

“ It’s okay now that we sorted this out,” you smiled softly, glad that you had gotten to see this side of Carlos that you already liked so much, “ so, about that date?”

“ Yeah?”

“ When and where?”

He smiled ear to ear, realizing that you were in for a date with him, “ what about tonight? I’m pretty sure I spotted a restaurant near the hotel.”

“ Sounds great to me, I can’t wait for tonight.”

#carlos sainz x reader #carlos sainz imagine #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 fic #x reader #scuderia ferrari #request

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winonaparadise · 7 months

Text

short story 💯

wrote a very quick story about a class i took in college. if you like my writing in my videos you may like this

Five years ago today I was clawing through state university. I had switched majors in an effort to come away with something more material from my college experience – but I was also trying to earn as many credits with as few courses to keep my schooling short and cheap.

I took a heavy weighted class in “media law.” A subject notoriously as intricate as it is absolutely fucking stupid. Anything you could learn, Disney will change tommorrow. The professor was an adjunct, splitting his time between the humble basement where boys with Pulp Fiction posters in their dorms fiddled with cameras and the actual law school where he was employed some miles down the road. I have never seen Pulp Fiction, but I’ve fiddled with enough cameras and enough of the boys who own them to have reviewed it twice. This is not a problem to me now.

Then I was stupid. Twenty. And basically friendless. I spent all my time trying to make something the same way the universe spent billions of years pouring hot soup into holes and hoping life would bubble out. I studied Japanese during quiet matches of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. I never got a win, and I never got an “A” in Japanese.

Weeks of school went by as I skimmed textbooks, got high, and thought about talking to literally anyone. Academic words danced around the edges of my brain like sand. I wrote essays on the same autopilot I write today. Feverish. Flowing. Fantasizing about what it would be like to go out with someone instead of texting a girl who now lived in Japan and making ramen noodles while listening for footsteps in a digital warzone.

I did all my work. I submitted it on something called “canvas” that the muscle memory in my fingers still types in search bars to this day. I never checked my grades. I knew they were bad.

Classes dragged me through the week on a bungee cord. I lived a block away from the bulk of them and found myself drifting in halls of buildings I’d never attended just to keep myself from meandering back home to draw a bad comic about a girl who lived in hell.

I knew nobody. I went nowhere. I struggled to do classwork alone on outdoor benches dreaming of someone speaking to me. I needed to live in hell instead.

My media law professor was late the weekend after our first term essays were due. I don’t know what mode of transportation he took to get from one school to the other but today the Carolina sun had drenched him sweaty. We were chilly waiting for him to begin.

“Just about every single one of you failed.” He spat and chugged coffee through the entire period. “While I first was grading I thought I was the one who failed.”

He didn’t let the moment of respite last. “But I also did something I’ve never done before.” He paced like my father did when a restaurant was closed early. “I gave out my first perfect score. Which prevents me from grading on a curve.”

He huffed, he assigned a new reading, and he rushed out like he had lit dynamite. “Do better!” “What an asshole.” The girl who sat next to me in every class spoke as if she had been holding her breath. “Fuck him and fuck whoever got that hundred.”

“I know right!” I launched in on her anger, feeling it too. Back and forth we complained. We walked off campus together. She had long blonde hair and towered over me. I had felt ugly and mousey next to her, but today I felt like her equal. It felt good to bitch.

“I got a fucking 50. What about you?”

“It wasn’t pretty.” I recalled how I stayed up the night before the assignment was due. I milked bullshit into a puree. I got a rush of adrenaline from killing someone with a shotgun through a door in an abandoned house on the outskirts of Pochinki. I was probably close to being expelled. “This class is too fucking hard,” she smoked and shook her head by a bus stop on Tate Street. “I’m not about to lose my freetime over it.”

“Right.” I imagined her at parties. Black silhouettes against colored lights and deafening music. Like The Social Network. “We should be partners for the next assignment,” she got out her phone and passed it to me for my number. I typed it in. I waved her off on the bus. We did the assignment together. We texted each other about our studies. We joked about finding the guy who got the perfect score and beating him senseless. I thought about talking to her about my art or what we were making in other classes, but never did.

Towards the end of the semester I had to plan the next. A whirlpool churned in my stomach as I clicked on “grades” on my campus’ online portal. I had an A+ in a single course.

Media Law.

My friend from class texted me that she was dreading the final. I texted her that if we failed I would kill Mr. Perfect Score. She texted “lol.”

She passed the course. I got my degree so I assume I did too. We stopped texting.

That professor emailed me asking me to take a course at the law school down the road. He said he would let me sit in and see if I wanted to change majors a third time. I never replied.

A law degree would just make Mr. Perfect Score a hundred times more punchable.

#short story #nonfiction #drugs cw

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00belle00lovely00 · 2 months

Note

okay- okay- I'm shy to ask this but- got any headcanons for CraftyCorn×KickinChicken? it's just- these two has something special I promise you I'm not insane trust me gurl-

B E S T I E.

NO SHAME ON IT.

WE AIN'T BEING SHY IN THIS HOUSE. AND DON'T CALL YOURSELF INSANE CAUSE, MY FRIEND, IF YOU ARE CRAZY I'M FAR GONE-

I LOVE THE SHIP DYNAMIC YOU JUST GAVE ME-

WHY MAY YOU ASK? WELL LET ME TELL YOU EXACTLY THAT

🎨⭐💙🤍💛🎨⭐💙🤍💛🎨⭐💙🤍💛🎨⭐💙🤍💛🎨⭐

STELLAR OR COSMOS. YES. THAT IS THE BEST SHIP NAME FOR THESE FELLOWS. IF NOT, I HAVE NO CLUE.

Opposites attract, you guys. Maybe not like Dogday and Catnap in that sense, but LITERALLY in their social status and personality are they opposites.

Kickin would've totally heard from someone else that Craftycorn had a crush on him, which in this case she didn't YET, but BECAUSE of that fact he would play all high and mighty and say that he would act "hard to get". So at the end of the day, he would go around and try to send indirect pickup lines, hoping she would get nervous and ask if he was serious only for him to reject the thought of it. BUT INSTEAD. Craftycorn is completely confused by the comment and thinks it's just a playful joke from Kickin. Then she attempts to laugh it off to not make the situation awkward for herself, AND GUESS WHAT. JUST BECAUSE OF THAT ONE ACT, JUST BECAUSE SHE GIGGLED TO IT. HE INSTANTLY CRUSHES ON HER. AND NOW DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, BECAUSE HE TOLD THE ENTIRE GROUP HE WOULD BE ACTING HARD TO GET.

SO TAKING THE LAST HEADCANON IN THOUGHT, WE GET: AN IN-DENIAL COOL GUY WANNA BE X AN OBLIVIOUS QUIET GIRL.

I'll never stop head canonizing Craftycorn doodling the people she crushes on.

A very nice thought I would get from these two is Craftycorn asking Kickin if she'd like to hold his hand. At first, Kickin dismisses it, then reluctantly agrees, only for Crafty to witness how downright NERVOUS this man got. Like- we are talking about taking feathers, sweating beads dripping down his forehead, and even getting chicken skin WHILE BEING A CHICKEN. As she notices it, she attempts to comfort him and check if he is all right but just makes matters WORSE.

Picture this: The whole group are in a basketball competition on the beach/backyard of someone's house. Kickin's team are all struggling to keep up the energy. So, noticing this, Bobby brings in the idea for the ones not participating in the game to be the cheerleaders. That of course, one of them being Craftycorn. She declines the offer, once, twice, even so many times because she is too nervous to do such a thing. But once she decided to do it, all Kickin had to hear was "Uuuh... go team, go?" from Crafty and INSTANT WIN. INSTANTLY.

Let's all just agree that this is not looking-for-attention artist x looking-for-attention superstar.

Whenever there's a group activity, Craftycorn would usually invite everyone over to her house to do arts and crafts. She is somewhat of an art teacher for all her friends. That included Kickin, but due to his pride and wanting to heavily impress Crafty with his skills, he would deny any help and try to do EXTREMELY difficult art pieces. Which, obviously always ended up a crappy mess. Soon enough, when Kickin feels like giving up on his masterpiece and downright frustrated by not catching Crafty's interest, Crafty decides to step in and help him little by little. Soon enough, Kickin finds out that this is a much better way to catch Crafty's attention and finally enjoys doing something together.

Hoppy wouldn't leave him alone the moment she found out he liked Crafty. And the same thing would go for Craftycorn with Bobby.

Craftycorn, as a way to show her appreciation to others without saying words out, would usually go around and paste stickers to the things she likes. Now just imagine Kickin's shock the moment she begins to put stickers ALL around his body.

Craftycorn rarely gets angry at people, not because only is she soft-spoken, but she is rather very collected with her emotions. But when she gets ever so PISSED with people, she begins to regret it rather instantly. Sometimes she would lock herself in a room, and not come out for DAYS. This of course made Kickin very worried about her. Instead of going downright bursting into the door, he promises Crafty that he will be sitting at the other end until she is ready to come out. For a few bunch of minutes, there's a bit of a comforting silence until Craftycorn decides to open the door and let him inside. Now let's be honest, both of them are terrible at speaking their feelings out. Maybe Crafty is much more open about it, but it was clear she didn't want to make things worse than they already were, so they majorly only hold hands and stick together, the silence much more comforting than they thought it would be.

Let me make this easy for you'll to understand what I mean: Crafty + papercut = Kickin instantly falling into panic mode.

#poppy playtime #poppy playtime chapter 3 #poppy playtime 3 #smiling critters #kickinchicken #craftycorn #kickin chicken x craftycorn #craftycorn x kickin chicken #my headcanons #headcanon #STOP UNDERRATED SHIPS!!!

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smilesstardust · 23 days

Text

“It’s crooked.” Emmett frowned from the couch.

“Okay, that’s like the fourth time you’ve said that.” Travis turned around. “If you think I’ve done such a bad job of it, you hang the damn mirror.”

Vic let out a loud, barking laugh from where she was assembling the dining chairs. “Dude, he literally can’t.” She called over.

“He makes tea!” Travis shouted back, completely ignoring the ghost on the couch.

Emmett cleared his throat. “He is right here and he finds it easier to move some things than others.”

“And yet you can draw.” Travis muttered, rolling his eyes and turning back to face the mirror. He paused for a moment and adjusted it, tilting it to the left.

“Okay, you just made that way worse.” Emmett disappeared from the couch, only to reappear right beside him a split second later. “You need to move this side down at least two inches.”

Travis obliged, following directions as Emmett called them out.

“Oh hey, looks good.” Vic walked through the living room as they finished, carrying an armful of trash to the designated pile by the front door. “You guys think I’ve got time for a shower before heading down to the woods?”

“Yes, but why?” Travis asked as she sorted the trash into what could and couldn’t be recycled. “You’re just going to change and then spend all night rolling in the dirt.”

She paused for a moment. “Fair point. In that case I’m going to the store and buying a ton of raw meat. Do we still have the cat cage for me to stuff it in?” She said standing up.

“Nope, you destroyed it last full moon.” Travis told her, turning his head to follow her as she walked back to the dining room. “Do you want me to go and get a new one?”

“Please, the woman at the pet store keeps giving me weird looks.” She stuck her head back out of the kitchen a moment later. “Are you good for feeds?”

“Considering you had a slow day yesterday, he’s going to need another couple of blood bags. Or he’ll be unbearable.” Emmett answered for him. “I should be able to steal some from the hospital now you’ve shown me where they are. It’s not like I’m going to be seen on security cameras.”

“Great.” Vic said, carrying another armful of stuff to the pile. “Sounds like we’ve got a plan.”

“Do you want me to check on Hot Doctor while I’m there? See if he flirts with the other paramedics when you’re not around?” He teased, putting on a bad impersonation. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m tall and blonde and perfect and I only like girls who act uninterested then tell me they can’t have a relationship because they’re sick after I fix their dislocated shoulder.” Travis tried and failed to contain his laughter as she shot them both a glare.

It was a poor imitation of the man Vic had been on a handful of dates with, but she let it slide because the boys didn’t mean anything by it. Neither of her roommates really knew him, as he’d only been to the house twice and both times she had made it very clear that there were to be no supernatural gate crashers, especially not the sort he couldn’t see. He’d met Travis a little at the hospital and Emmett had definitely spied on him a few times, but they didn’t really know much about him.

“I still can’t believe he bought that lie.” Travis chuckled as he put the hammer and unused spirit level away and closed the toolbox with a loud click. “He’s a doctor, and he just believed you when you said you had a non specific medical condition that caused you to black out every full moon?”

“I didn’t phrase it like that.” She groaned loudly. “I might’ve been less specific about the frequency and implied it was due to the trauma of being attacked a few years back? I think he thinks it’s some weird kind of PTSD.”

“He’s going to realise your ‘episodes’ line up with the full moon eventually.”

“Uh, no, he isn’t, because moon cycles are not something most non supernaturally inclined people pay attention to. And I highly doubt he could tell the difference between the full moon and the night before or after.” She stopped in between where the two of them were stood looking at the mirror it had taken all afternoon to put up, resting her elbow on Travis’ shoulder and looking at the reflection.

“Damn.” She said after a moment. “We look good.”

Both of the boys tried to brush off the compliment, clearly flattered, before they realised that neither of them could actually be seen in the mirror.

They both started talking over each other, getting progressively louder as she got further away, the noise of their complaining about what a bad joke and how unfair it had been as a comment echoing after her as she ran up the stairs to get changed.

- Being human!AU

#I’m honestly kind of obsessed with this au #being human!au #Travis as the vampire Vic as the werewolf Emmett as the ghost #(ripley as the love interest because I couldn’t not include a nina/nora character)#station 19 #being human us #being human uk #being human #I took elements from both shows because they are different (past season 1) and I do like both #travis montgomery #vic hughes #emmett dixon

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maddipoof · 1 year

Note

Hehebdhdiididbebd

I saw your requests were open....(R means reader)

A third member of the scoops troops. She works with Steve and Robin (Fuck the duffers upside down is sealed)

Steve has been hitting on her all summer. Instead of being in love with Robin, he's in love with R

Robin and R are also really close, Robin tells R she doesn't like guys. R's response is that she's bisexual

R and Robin start dating, Steve finds out and is totally supportive and becomes lesbian supporter bestie

Sorry for that brain rot

So here it is, 3.4k words of 2 sapphic disasters. Also Steve is hopelessly in like with y/n and doesn't realize she's just flirting back so he does the chores she doesn't want to. Also she's so casually dominant even before she and Robin get together. And calls literally everyone babe. I hope you like it and yes, part 2 is already planned based on the second ask (if you don't mind @manyfandomsfanvergent) And never apologize for the brain rot. I promise I adore it!

“I get 15, right?” Y/n asked Robin, just to be sure before she left for her break.

“When are you here til?”

“I’m closing with Steve, so 9?”

“Take 30 then. It’ll probably be even later since he has to mop the floor twice with all the drool he leaves just being in the same room as you.”

“He’s not that bad, did you see him when Tammy Thompson came through?” If she noticed the way Robin flushed at the name, she didn’t say anything. “I thought he was gonna follow her out of the store with his tongue hanging out like a lost puppy.”

“Yeah-eheh, that’s totally something Steve, and only Steve would do.” She was kicking a loose sprinkle around to keep her focus on anything but the girl she was totally and entirely not in love with. She looked up when she heard the timecard being pulled out of its slot. “You don’t have to clock out. You’re only scheduled for a 15, just take 30 and I’ll cover for you.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you breaking company policy over me.”

“Screw company policy. Go get something to eat before you're stuck with Dingus for another,” she checked her watch. “4 hours. Give or take.”

“How will I survive?” y/n groaned.

“I’m sure you’ll manage.” Robin had to watch Steve relentlessly flirt with y/n since his first day. From the second she walked in to ask for a scoop and an application, he’s been incorrigible. ‘Don’t think they’d turn a pretty girl like you down.’ And she’s been eating all of it up from the moment she first donned that ridiculous hat and he and Robin began training her.

‘Oh, Steve, could you get that for me? I can’t reach. Thank you, babe.’ And,‘Hey, Stevie, the S.S. Harrington get shot down again?’ She’d pout and hold out a sample for him while Robin crossed another tally off the “You Rule; You Suck” board. “Like the Lusitania,” Robin would say, which made Steve’s face contort into one of rapt confusion. Then of course y/n would take pity on him and explain it. It was clear she liked him, well, clear to Robin she did.

“Guess I’ll just have the thought of coming back in the morning and opening with you to keep me going, babe.” She kissed Robin’s cheek then passed through the swinging doors to the front. “Bye, Stevie,” Robin heard her say in that faux sultry voice she always used with him. Not that she was really paying attention to anything other than the stamp on her cheek. Shimmery, sticky, pink.

“Woah, leaving me so soon sweetheart?” Steve said, clearly completely ignoring the customer standing in front of him to follow y/n from the other side of the counter.

“You’ll have me all night. Maybe a little longer if you clean up for me.” She walked backwards while she talked to him and smirked at the dumbfounded look her wink left on Steve’s face. She spun around dramatically just to distract him a little longer once she got out the door.

“Sorry ma’am, what were you getting?” Robin asked the woman whose order had just been taken by Steve but obviously never fulfilled, as seen by the annoyed look on her face and nasty glance towards Steve. Robin hip checked him out of the way from the flavor she needed. “If you’re not going to help customers you can at least go in the back and do something useful.”

“Yeah, yeah, probably-I should-yeah.”

Robin rolled her eyes, “Will that be all for today?”

***

“And another one bites the dust.” Robin slid out with the board from one side of the back counter and y/n handed her the marker from the other.

“You are O-for-6, Popeye,” y/n said as Robin added another strike to the tally.

“Yeah, yeah, I can count.”

“You know that means you suck?”

“Robin, don’t be mean. He’s trying. I think it’s sweet.”

“I think it’s pathetic,” they both had a tough habit of talking about him like he wasn’t right there.

“Still here,” he reminded them. “It’s this stupid hat, I am telling you. It is totally blowing my best feature.”

“Yeah, company policy is a real drag,” Robin said with faux sympathy.

“I don’t know, I think it adds to the look,” y/n thought out loud.

Steve perked up at that. “Really?”

“Yeah, wait let me see. Take it off,” she made a slight face. “Back on.” She kept changing directions, “oh yeah…No, no, not like that. To the left, no your other left, other other left. Mmm, take it off?” That just messed up his hair further. “Hmm, push it more towards the back, oh yeah, like that, that’s perfect.” She waved him closer. “Yeah, oh yes, just like this.” She messed with his hair a little and snuck her hand into his pocket to pull out his pink cherry lip balm he thought no one knew about. “Go like this.” She pouted her lips out and he copied her. She held his chin and smudged it on his lips then gave him the quickest, shortest peck, there was probably still a centimeter of space between them, the only things touching were the tips of their noses. “Now let’s hope that can tide you over til your next date, Popeye, ‘cause it’s all you’ll ever be getting from me.” She smiled and shook his chin affectionately before letting go. She got all her things from the back and clocked out.

“I’m just gonna look around for a little bit and find something to eat, then I’ll be back to pick you up, yeah?”

Y/n had been driving Robin whenever her parents weren’t able to. She noticed her coming in out of breath a couple times since she rode her bike and Robin didn’t take her up on her immediate offer but finally did, when she walked in drenched and dripping through the hallway, having biked the last mile and a half through the rain.

~~~

Y/n came in a minute behind her, following the trail of drips down the hall, she started doting all over Robin. ‘Steve, can you wait just a few minutes before punching out?” She hadn’t used her usual teasing, flirty voice, and she also didn’t wait for an answer before shoving her hand in the tip jar and running out before he could tell her those were his tips. “Thank you Stevie, I’ll owe ya forever.” She sprinted to the department store and bought the fluffiest towel she could find, as well as the most neutral blue t-shirt and shorts. She shoved the change (money from her wallet) back into the jar, definitely more than she took out of it, and wrapped Robin up in the towel. “My little burrito.” ‘This is an ice cream shop, not a taco shop, y/n.’ “I know, but you look so cute like this.” She booped Robin on the nose and told Steve to give them 5 more minutes and that he could get all her tips the next time they worked together. ‘What’s the 5 minutes for?’ Robin asked. “You think I’m letting you stay in these dripping wet clothes while we work in a literal refrigerator? Not on my watch.” She pulled Robin into the dark storage closet, the lone lightbulb long since needing a replacement. Not quite at the flickering stage, but still hardly doing more than a nightlight. Robin tried to keep her focus on boxes of extra toppings, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, red white and blue sprinkles, star sprinkles, heart sprinkles. Wow, somebody should really alphabetize this. “You can look, if you want. You don’t have to stare at the wall.” ‘I don’t wanna um, bother you.’ “Robin, babe, I pulled you into a supply closet, I brought this all upon myself. If anyone’s uncomfortable it’s you. You’re soaked to the bone. And so tense. You gotta relax.” She ghosted her fingertips down Robin’s arm, though she stayed facing the abounding boxes of sprinkles, trying to come up with a better means of organization. She took Robin’s hand and closed her fist around the dry uniform. Warm, Robin thought. “I’ll bring you a bag for the wet one, I’ll take care of the front, you take your time.” ‘What about you?’ “I’ll just wear this.” ‘But Kurt (the owner) is coming today. You’ll get in trouble.’ “Don’t worry about me, love. Put the uniform on. I’ll leave the bag on the handle.”

~~~

“Yeah, that’s- that’s fine.” She shook herself out of her memory/daydream and Steve came up to the second register with her.

Y/n came up next to Robin. “I’ll be back,” she whispered like the Terminator. Robin giggled and y/n kissed her shoulder through the polyester of her uniform. She rubbed her back a few times. “Bye, Steve.” He raised his hand in place of a wave with all the new customers coming up to him. “Bye, Robin.”

Steve dropped the scoop he was holding into the wrong flavor, his jaw practically on the floor. Robin in a similar state, turning as red as cherries jubilee from her chest up to her ears. Steve scoffed a laugh before he composed himself and finished taking the man’s payment. A group of girls walked up to the register while y/n was navigating her way out of the busy storefront. “Ahoy, Ladies!” He shouted. Partially because he was in a bit of a rut and partially to pull Robin out of whatever daze she was in, oh my god, Oh my god, Oh My God! What is happening?! She didn’t say it like that to me! She never says anything to me like that. Only to Steve. Lord have mercy on my poor gay soul. Either way it worked and Robin looked up just in time to see y/n jump and put a hand to her chest at the outburst. She looked back to Steve and Robin and had a whole conversation with her across the room, get a load of this guy, she rolled her eyes and waved one last time with a smile like Robin had never seen. All shy and soft.

***

The store was empty and since it was that weird time of day when it's too late for lunch but too early for dinner, especially when you're having ice cream for either, Steve and Robin were just sitting in the back eating bananas and twirling their hats on their fingers.

“So,” Steve started, “what do you think of y/n?”

“What do you mean what do I think of her?”

“I mean, think of her and what do you think?”

Robin had not had nearly enough iced coffee for this conversation.

“She’s nice.”

“Elaborate.”

“How?”

“Tell me more things.”

“What do you think of her?”

“Avoiding the question, I see.”

“Answer.”

“She’s pretty, and she’s smart, and she has good taste in music. And movies, too.” He held his hand out with a limp banana to gesture for her answer.

“Why are you asking me this?”

“Nothing better to do. You know her from school?”

“Yeah, just a few classes though. And art last year.”

“But I thought you were into the whole music thing?”

Robin only shrugged and checked the clock for how much longer she’d have to suffer until y/n came back like a knight in navy blue polycotton.

The dinging of the bell in front pulled them from that conversation. At least for a little while.

Then Robin’s shift was almost up and she was checking her reflection on the refrigerator door.

“Is that lipgloss?” Steve came in for another stack of cones.

“What?” Robin shoved the tube into her pocket faster than you can say ‘Robin, you’re in love.’ “No, just, um my lips are chapped, dehydrated. I haven’t had any water today.”

“Hmm.” He thought about all the times y/n had to remind her to drink. Always so sweet about it too, ‘Go drink, baby.’ He just pinned it on her being a natural flirt. But now it seemed like it was quite a bit more than that.

“Oh,” Steve’s voice dropped a whole octave. He started pointing his fingers at Robin, then putting them together and pulling them apart, I connected the dots.

“What ‘oh?’ No ‘oh.’ There's no ‘oh’. There's nothing to ‘oh’.”

“You like her.”

“Pfft, what no- I don’t-ha. I don’t like y/n. Why would you say that?”

He just stood there blinking.

“Steve. Why would you say that?” She wasn’t really in the mood to hear the once all powerful king of Hawkins high, one of the least observant people she’s ever met, say he’s figured out the one thing she needed to keep hidden. The worry and urgency apparent in her voice.

“I never said who. You like y/n!”

“Could you keep it down! Please!”

“Sorry. Sorry.” He held up his hands in surrender, then got a conspiratorial look on his face, something similar to the gossiping church ladies that come in every Sunday. “So…are you gonna tell her?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“You’re obviously in love with her, tell her.”

“Steve, I cannot be obviously anything with her. I can’t tell her.”

“Whu-why not?”

“Steve, she clearly likes you. I don’t think she’s into girls and even if she was, it’s not like we can go out or anything.”

“Sure you can.”

“Where?”

“Girls come here on dates all the time. Have you been to a movie theater? Girls go with girls all the time.”

“Yeah, but not like that.”

“How do you know? And how do you know I didn’t see her let her friends in through the back door, ask them about their date, and tell them she wishes she had a girl to go on cute dates like theirs with?”

“Because that can’t happen.” Then it hit her, what he actually said. “Wait, what?”

“Oh, yeah. Obviously, she’s not immune to the Harrington charm, but I think you might have a shot.” He could tell she wasn’t very convinced. “Come on, I’ll be your wingman.”

“You haven’t gotten a date in months.”

“But there was once a time I went months before my weekends were free.” Of course he had to choose the most roundabout way to say the simplest thing. “I got a lot of dates, I mean.”

“How is that supposed to help me?”

“You gotta be subtle. Sneaky. Like a- a ninja or something. Let her come to you.”

“She’s not a wild rabbit, dingus.”

“Yes, but she’s a- she’s a-uh- I don’t know. Just start dropping hints.”

“Great advice, really, riveting stuff but she’s gonna be back soon and I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

“Oh, come on.” He groaned, “Where’s your…”he snapped until he got the right word, “prowess.”

“Again, she’s not a wild animal, Steve.”

“Just let me be your wingman. I’ll be so subtle, she won’t even know what hit her.”

“If I say yes will you stop asking?”

“Absolutely.”

“Fine, but do not make it obvious.”

“Aye-aye, captain.” He saluted.

The pre dinner rush was up and it was finally Robin’s turn to go home, y/n was helping her carry all her things out. She picked up her metal water bottle. “It’s still so full, Rob. Drink more for me while we’re in the car, yeah?”

“Ok.”

“Good.”

Steve came back in under the guise of getting more cones again, though there were still plenty out front. “You heading out, Rob?”

“Yeah? It’s 5:10, 10 minutes after I was supposed to leave.”

“Oh no,” y/n lamented, “Did I keep you waiting? I’m so sorry.”

“No, no, not at all. There was just a rush out of nowhere and Erica and her friends wouldn’t leave.”

“Oh, ok.” She looked around the small room. “Is that everything?”

“Yeah, I think,” Robin answered.

“Bye- oh!” Steve was real close, reaching behind her to get a pen though there were five on the other table.

“Robin likes boobies,” he whispered, but not very well.

“What?!”

“Hmm? Did you hear something? Must have been the fridge, you know this thing is on its last legs.” He smacked the door and it made a long groan. They collectively took a large step back and Steve took one further to Robin. “You got this, champ. Remember, prowess.” He clapped her on the back then shook her shoulders. Her eyes were wide with panic. This was the absolute opposite of subtle.

“Ummm, hate to interrupt whatever uh…this…is. But are you ready to go, babe?” She came between the two of them and guided Robin to turn around and walk out the door. Steve gave her one last double thumbs up then hid them when y/n turned around. “Uh, bye, Steve.”

“Bye y/n, you ladies have fun! But not too much fun.” He made the motion of ‘eyes on you.’

“Uh, yeah, later.” Y/n started walking quickly down the hall, pulling Robin with her. “That was weird, right? He was definitely acting weird.”

“Yeah, no idea what that’s about.”

“Weird.” She opened the passenger door for Robin. “Your place or mine?”

“I kinda wanna change.”

“Of course.”

The drive to Robin’s was a bit longer than the one to y/n’s and was filled with her nervous drumming on the wheel. “Are you ok?” Robin asked her.

“Yeah,” it sounded too much like a question for her liking. “Yeah,” she said more surely this time. “Um, I have a question. And, uh, you can definitely say no, or just like not answer at all and we just forget I ever asked.”

“Uh, yeah, shoot.”

“Um so, uh, if I…if I asked you to go out to dinner with me, how would you take it, and um, what would you say?”

Both of them had the same fear that the other could feel their heart beating and melting out of their chest at the same time.

“You mean like, out? Like- like a date?”

“Yeah?”

“I’d say- I’d say yes?”

Robin was looking right at her but y/n was scared that if she looked at her, she wouldn’t be able to look away, and of course she had to keep her eyes on the road. But that didn’t stop a smile so big it hurt her cheeks from growing on her face.

“And what if I asked you where you wanted to go?”

“Somewhere quiet, but busy enough no one pays any attention to us,” Robin answered with equal excitement.

“What if I said tonight?”

“I’d say yes.”

“And if I dropped you off but asked you your favorite flowers before you shut the door?”

“Surprise me.” Y/n already planned a bouquet of camellias, only because Robin mentioned a book a few weeks ago, La Dame aux Camélias.

She put the car into park and looked right into Robin’s stormy blue eyes, brewing with light and excitement.“I will.” She walked Robin to the front door and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “You have one hour, gorgeous.”

“One hour?”

“I made the reservations this morning.”

“What!?”

“Steve’s not as quiet and you’re not as subtle as either of you think you are. And I thought it’d be a good way to force myself to say something. And, also, you have an hour because you don’t have enough time to panic about your outfit. Show up in your little sailor suit, I won’t mind.” She twirled the tail of her crosstie.

Robin took that hand and kissed her knuckles. “I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah you will,” she walked backwards to her car. “Drink your water! I don’t wanna kiss chapped lips!”

Every like, reblog, tag, and comment is so immensely appreciated, I promise. If I can come up with any way to express my gratitude, I'll definitely tell you mwah mwah mwah <3, until next time 💖

#robin buckley fluff #robin buckley x y/n #robin buckley x you #robin buckley x reader #robin buckley #sapphic #wlw #wlw love #wlw concepts #fanfic #robin buckley fanfic #platonic stobin #platonic steve and robin #platonic steve x reader #robin x reader #dell's fics #stranger things one shot #casual dominance

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justallihere · 2 months

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I am being so serious when I say chapter 25 was the greatest thing I have read in a veryyy long time. I laughed, I kicked my feet and I shed a lil tear at the end. I’m so interested where you take this version of them with Violet knowing he’s lying to her and how that impacts their relationship as they continue to fall deeper in love.

Xaden is down horrendous, my goodness. He’s not subtle at alllllllll. He was whacked 5 times, twice by Garrick about his feelings for Violet. Thank you Cam, my sweet baby, for calling him out for being in love because finally someone said it. Also, him having to be taught how to cuddle someone was somehow adorable, sad and funny 😭

The consort conversation and Xaden getting angry about an imaginary man 😭 finding out Violet has a past with the bartender 😭😭 Cam AND RIDOC provoking him 😭😭😭😭 chefs kiss ✨

I am so happy Rhiannon basically let Xaden know it’s on-sight forever. He already has Andarna rdy to swallow him without chewing but it’s nice to know he’ll never experience peace.

Violet and Garrick are so fun and chaotic together. They give me Feyre and Cassian vibes.

On a more serious note, I know Xaden mentioned he’s interested to see Violet’s reaction, but I honestly see him regretting that super quick when she takes back all the little pieces she gave him and gets her own room at Aretia since he technically doesn’t need to keep an eye on her anymore 🥺 I can see the angst on the horizon and I’m not ready 😭

I’m rambling now but just know I love this fanfic and check for updates multiple times a day🩷

Thank you so much, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!!

Cam especially was so funny to write because he observed Xaden for MAYBE an hour and was like “holy shit he’s so in love with her he’s stupid about it” and then of course had to be an asshole about it 😭 everyone made it their mission this chapter to piss Xaden off because he deserves it honestly 💀

Xaden is never knowing peace. The dragons won’t let him breathe, let alone all the humans he also has to deal with

The thing about Violet losing her shit when she finds out the rest of the secrets is that Xaden is such a simp she could literally be trying to murder him in cold blood and he’d be like “wow 🥺 isn’t she magnificent 🥺” also he’s emo as fuck so of course he’ll think he deserves all her anger

#fourth wing #fourth wing fanfic #storm in the quiet

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shuadotcom · 1 year

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Familiar Hauntings | KNJ

⤷ Summary: You and Namjoon have worked hard to become expert paranormal investigators. You’ve successfully investigated and exorcised a number of demons and ghosts all over the world and your followers believe in you enough to keep you confident and going. That’s why when you get a call about a family with a teenage daughter experiencing traumatizing hauntings, you and your team don’t think twice about going to help.

It isn’t until you get there do you realize that you may be in over your heads when you come face to face with a familiar evil. It’s going to take more effort than you thought you’d need to get rid of this sinister force before it destroys an innocent family, and even you.

⤷ Pairing: Demonologist!Namjoon x Clairvoyant F!reader

⤷ Film/Franchise: The Conjuring

⤷ Genre/AU: Thriller, horror-ish, angst, established relationship au, supernatural au

⤷ Rating: PG15

⤷ Warnings: Demons and ghosts, violence, possessions, profanity, mention of blood, mentions of death (nothing too graphic though!)

⤷ Words: 10k

⤷ Note: Written for the Bangtan Cinema: Horror Night collab!! Thank you a million times to @the-boy-meets-evil for betaing this in only a few hours! You’re literally the best ❤️ And thank you to @rkivian for this bomb ass banner!! I asked for something spooky with Joon in glasses and Kiri delivered!! 😍

Horror is my favorite movie genre, but I quickly found out how hard it is to write 🥴 It’s a whole different set of skills that I don’t think I have down very well, but it was fun to try - especially to pay homage to my favorite horror series!

I’m trying really hard to finish up my remaining collab fics for the year because I have more writing plans for 2023 so please bear with me y’all!! 🖤

“Ugh, that flight was so much more cramped than I remember,” Namjoon complains, rubbing his sore neck.

“Do we have enough time to grab something to eat before the hotel?” Mingyu questions.

“We have just enough time for a drive-through stop before dropping our stuff at the hotel and heading to the assignment.” Your assistant Jeongyeon reads off of her phone. “The Jacksons live fifteen minutes away so the ride won’t be too long.”

“Hey, everyone, we just landed here in the U.S. Say hi to everyone!” Jungkook, bringing up the rear of your group, catches up to walk in front of the four of you, panning the camera around. You wave, giving the camera a tired smile.

“Jeongyeon, can you tell us about the family we’ll be helping today?” When you’re all in your taxi, Jungkook turns the camera towards the woman as she’s triple checking the address for the hotel.

“The Jacksons, a family of five from New York,” she begins, barely missing a beat. “Their teenage daughter Siobhan has been experiencing what they believe to be a haunting for the past three months. She’s claiming to hear and see things that none of the family saw until a month ago. They experienced the usual: things moving when no one touched them, doors slamming, even voices in the house that aren’t any of the family members.” Jeongyeon pauses swiping the page on her tablet before continuing.

“The last month has been the most troubling. She’s been waking up with bruises and small cuts all over her body. She’s also been sleeping for days straight and the family can’t wake her up. It’s at random sometimes when she’s napping or sleeping. It’s to the point where she tries to stay up as long as she can which she can barely do anymore.”

“Do you think this thing is trying to take her body or something?” Mingyu asks you and Namjoon.

Namjoon shrugs. “It’s likely. Just hearing the story on the surface, it’s definitely something trying to possess her or take her soul. The question really is just what it is and what exactly it wants.”

“They have two other kids too - a nineteen-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter, so they’re even more nervous that this entity will attach to them too.” When Jeongyeon reminds you of that, your nerves spike. You’ve had to help other families with multiple kids and a demon can try and possess multiple people at once. It makes this situation go from a normal emergency to an even more dire one.

Jungkook continues to prattle on to your audience about New York while you take the time to yourself to mentally prepare not only for your job but also to be mindful of the camera and your virtual audience as well.

At times, you can’t believe the way that so many people on the internet tune into your videos to watch you and Namjoon use your gifts to save people’s lives. You didn’t start online, showing people that you have the power to communicate with demons and ghosts and Namjoon didn’t become an exorcist and demonologist to be famous.

The gift of clairvoyance came to you as young as five. Sightings of ghosts started to be as normal as seeing alive people. It took a while for you to realize that everyone around you wasn’t like you - your family and friends couldn’t speak to the old woman that lived in your living room in your childhood home. No one else could hear the little girl crying in the back of your school bus in third grade; no one except you.

For years your parents were concerned for you and your sanity and you couldn’t say you blame them. Your mom stuck by you though and even today, while she doesn’t know how you even acquired this gift, she supports you. Your father, on the other hand, died a nonbeliever when you entered middle school and even though you still wish he was here today to see what you’ve done with this “disturbing part of you” as he called it, you’re surrounded by nothing but support now.

It did take years admittedly, for you to find anyone who supported you as much as Namjoon though. When you moved to Korea for college, he caught your eye immediately. Something about him was different than anyone you’ve ever met and he felt the same. It didn’t take long for you to share this part of yourself that was private. Even though you’d lost countless friends and partners because of it, Namjoon didn’t even bat an eye when you told him there was a spirit in the stairwell of his dorm building.

“I knew there was something!” He had practically yelled, nearly getting you kicked out of the library. He didn’t have the same gift as you but he could always feel the presence of things no one can see. It’s what made him obsessed with the supernatural and the afterlife, wanting to know more about the things he sensed.

It was when you were close to graduation and you’d been inseparable since your first year that he broached the idea of becoming paranormal investigators and learning how to do exorcisms. You’d never thought about it, but it made sense. Both of you felt as though you can be doing more with what you know about demons and ghosts and so you agreed.

Things fell into place after that. You learned how to do exorcisms from a friend of your mother’s in the church. Neither you nor Namjoon are religious people, so you took what you learned from there and spent another year tweaking it to fit more into what you both believe in. You still remember being laughed at by a former friend who also believed in the supernatural for wanting to do exorcisms with crystals and spells instead of the bible, but it’s what felt right to you.

You felt even more secure in that decision when you and Namjoon performed your first exorcism. A friend from your office job at the time was complaining about her cousin’s son who was acting so differently.

“Different how?” You’d asked and she explained that he’d often sleep a lot all day, have extreme mood swings, and would even talk and engage with empty rooms. He was being written off as puberty and maybe schizophrenia, but something in you disagreed.

To your surprise, the mother agreed to let you and Namjoon visit her son and see how he was doing. She was so desperate on the phone when you got her number from your co-worker. She babbled about how she felt insane at even contemplating something like possession but every doctor she’d taken him to said all of his tests were fine and there was nothing they could do.

That’s how you and Namjoon discovered a low-level demon was possessing the boy. It took you two days to gather the necessary spells and crystals to banish the demon, but with shaking hands and nervousness you still can’t quite describe, you banished the demon within the child. The sheer relief in the little boy’s eyes is still one that you can never get out of your head. He cried, his mother cried, and you cried because holy shit you just exorcised a demon out of a kid.

Namjoon retold your experiences on his blog and on a demonology Reddit forum he frequented and miraculously, someone in Busan found his post and truly believed him, messaging him, begging for his help.

That was your second exorcism. Then there was a couple in Gangnam. Then a family in Daegu. Then came the emails from Japan, and Europe and then in just three years, you and Namjoon were getting inquiries from all over the world. His blog had turned into both that and your website where people could reach out and ask for you to help their spouses, their parents, their children, and anyone that they care about that was being haunted somehow.

The two of you were busier than you could keep up with and you knew you needed more help and more equipment to be able to detect entities more effectively. That alone took another six months of research and interviews to gather a team of people you trusted and could help.

Jeongyeon was first. She was formerly an assistant to other celebrities and idols but left due to the high-maintenance attitudes. She says she loves working for you and Namjoon more than anyone else because you were just normal people who just so happened to have a following and liked helping people. You know that you’re not supposed to be overtly friendly with people who work with you, but Jeongyeon is admittedly your best friend and keeps you in line when you get too emotional or forgetful.

Jungkook and Mingyu were next. They were best friends and were fascinated by demons and what you and Namjoon do, in addition to being fans. When they saw Namjoon’s post about looking for a team to put together, they wasted no time in messaging him to meet. You only needed one additional person to help work the camera and the equipment you could finally afford to buy, but the of them were a package deal and were passionate about one day doing what you do, so you brought them on.

The five of you have been a team for the last year and you and Namjoon quickly found that you now couldn’t be nearly as successful and efficient without them.

With your bags safely in your hotel and the group fed and sufficiently briefed on the family, you pull up to the house. The suburban neighborhood is quiet and the house in front of you is a brick two-story home. The front yard is normal, with a tree in the front and the lawn decently manicured. There’s a small garden and two cars parked in the driveway.

From the outside, the house is completely normal and no one driving by would ever suspect there’s a dark, evil cloud hanging heavily over it that you can feel as soon as you start up the walkway.

Namjoon rings the doorbell and takes your hand, already feeling how uneasy you are.

The door opens only seconds later, a couple looking expectantly at your group. “Mr. and Mrs. Jackson?” The woman nods hesitantly and you give them a smile that you hope is reassuring.

“Thank you so much for coming, please come in,” the husband says, the couple stepping aside and ushering you all into the house. The atmosphere of the home is so cold and frail compared to how warmly decorated it is with knick-knacks and family photos everywhere. Your eyes take in one particular photo showing the family of five standing in front of Cinderella’s castle at Disney, their smiles wide and jubilant.

A stark contrast to the solemn looks you were greeted with.

“Where are your children?” You ask, turning back to the parents.

“Oh, Siobhan’s upstairs. Our son and other daughter are at my mom’s while we, uh… do this.” Mrs. Jackson wrings her hands as she speaks, glancing back at her husband.

“That’s good. These things tend to work best when there are fewer people involved.” The couple shares a look at Namjoon’s words before ushering all of you into the living room. This space is also decorated with mementos and feels just as rigid.

“So, uh, how exactly will this work?” Mr. Jackson asks, glancing at you and the rest of your team.

“Well, Namjoon, Jeongyeon, and I will talk to Siobhan and get to know a little more about what’s going on. We have the information you gave us of course, but talking to her may give us a better idea as to what we’re dealing with. Jungkook and Mingyu will use some of our equipment around the house and see if they can pick up anything that may be roaming around.” You point to the two men that wave as they unpack some of their gear.

Mrs. Jackson gives everyone a watery smile before zooming in on you. “Rich and I have done a lot of research on you guys. You’ve helped a lot of people over the years and you seem to always know how to get rid of whatever is…haunting people.”

“That’s right. We do our best.”

“We were still skeptical, but we want to trust you. No one else has been able to help. We went to every church in the county and damn near the state before emailing you. They all either didn’t believe us or couldn’t do anything at all. We just want our daughter to be safe.” Her voice cracks at the end of her words and her husband pulls her into a hug.

“Mr. and Mrs. Jackson -”

“Please, call us Rich and Mona.”

Namjoon nods. “Rich and Mona, I promise you we’re going to do everything we can. We’ve had a few occasions where we’ve been up against some forces that we needed to call in reinforcements for, but we would never leave a client without help. You can count on us.”

You and the team then spread out to jump into your work. Mona leads you up to Siobhan’s room and stays in the hall as you knock.

“Come in,” The voice is quiet but you still hear it.

Siobhan Jackson is seventeen years old but looks much younger in person. She’s hunched over at her desk chair, a large sweatshirt draped on her with her laptop illuminating her tired expression as she stares blankly at it. Her curls are in a bun, tendrils of hair hanging around her face.

She looks up and meets your expression, brown eyes full of exhaustion and something else sad that you can’t quite place, but you know it’s a form of sadness. The room is stifling, something in the air filling your lungs as soon as you inhale. You don’t know what it is, but you know it’s there and you know it’s not good.

“Hi, Siobhan. I’m Y/n. This is my husband Namjoon.”

“Hi.” Her voice is soft and her tone is low.

“I suppose you know why we’re here.” She nods. “Would you mind if we asked you some questions? We’ve heard from your parents, but I’d like to hear from you.”

She nods and waves you the three of you on. You and Namjoon sit on the long ottoman at the end of her bed while Jeongyeon takes her vanity chair, tablet at the ready. Siobhan’s laptop is open to YouTube, but it’s just sitting on the homepage.

“Um, well, when we moved here, I knew something was weird in the house, especially my room. Everyone said it was just because I was homesick but I knew I was right. He popped up when I turned seventeen and was nice to me at first. It sounds weird, I know, but he was someone I could talk to since I don’t have too many friends at school.

I thought he just was lonely too and wanted someone to be friends or whatever with, but then my eighteenth birthday happened and he got mean. He’d tell me how my family doesn’t love me and how no one at school likes me and how there was nothing left for me here and why should I stick around.” Her voice cracks at these words, making you frown. The memories of a similar experience with a demon when you were her age crop up, but you will it away. You need to concentrate on Siobhan.

“Did he make any offers or propositions to you?”

“Yeah, he um, he wants me to go with him. I don’t know where, but like, he wants me to be his bride.” She says it with disgust, which is relieving. You’ve run into more people than you’d like that considered being possessed willingly or who were disillusioned into believing that their entity cared for them. Siobhan doesn’t seem to be a victim in that sense so there’s still time to save her.

“Okay. And do you know anything else about him?”

She looks visibly flustered, her tan skin turning the lightest shade of red. “Oh, yeah, um, at first he was just a voice, but then he showed up in front of me. He doesn’t look like a demon or anything. He looks a lot like my favorite singer.”

Frowning you glance at Jeongyeon who has been jotting down her words on her tablet.

“And who’s that?”

“Um, Park Jimin.” Siobhan gestures around the room and you finally notice the sheer amount of posters of the K-Pop singer on her walls.

“That’s nothing to be ashamed about. Demons are sneaky and will use anything they can to make us let our guard down. Just remember it’s all a trick and he just wants to hurt you.”

“I know. I just want him to go away.” Her shoulders sag as she picks at a stray string on her sweater sleeve.

“Of course you do,” Namjoon chimes in. “And he will. Is there anything else we need to know? Anything helps so that we can do a little more research and try to find his name.”

Siobhan looks to the ceiling, thinking of anything else to add. “Um, he’s mostly in my room. Like, he can go all over the house obviously since he keeps terrorizing everyone, but he spends most of his time in here.”

“Makes sense. You’re what he wants so he’s going to stick by you. We’ll have to draw him out and also do the banishment spell in here then.”

You and Namjoon share a look and get up, ready to go see what the rest of the team found.

“Um, Mrs. Kim?” Siobhan’s timid voice squeaks up before you’re out of the room.

“Yes?”

“Do I have anything to do? Like I don’t know how this works.”

“You don’t need to do anything. We’ll be casting a banishment spell once we draw the demon out then we’ll cleanse the room and house when he’s gone to clear a lot of the dark aura that he’s cast. It isn’t that crazy. Most of the entities we banish go with a minimal fight. All you have to do is stay back and let us take care of it.” You hope your voice offers her some ease and it seems to work as she gives you the first smile you’ve seen since you entered her room.

The rest of the day is spent researching and setting up equipment. Jungkook and Mingyu have EMF meters, digital thermometers, and infrared cameras around the house and they also have a few motion-activated cameras near Siobhan’s room and scattered around elsewhere.

You and Namjoon have been flipping through your archives to get a sense of who this demon is. He’s some sort of love or lust demon, wanting to make Siobhan his bride. This narrows it down, but not nearly enough to be able to pinpoint him yet. There are far more entities that desire a human soul as a partner out there than people may realize.

The majority of demons that want a human soul or vessel will play any mind games they have the power to use to manipulate their target. It’s all textbook 101 demon behavior so far, so you have to wait to catch a glimpse of something on one of the cameras around and maybe make out the demon’s form to help figure out who it is.

“So are we doing the usual thing here when we find out who this demon is?” Mingyu plops into the kitchen chair next to you, peering over your shoulder at your laptop screen.

“Likely, yes. What the family has described sounds like a normal love-hungry entity. We have to try and draw him out in Siobhan’s room, then immediately we’ll need to start a banishment spell. Depending on who it is we can decide which crystals we may need for the ritual and then go from there.”

“Do you think we’ll need anything extra?”

“Unless this demon surprises us, I don’t think so.”

You ignore the nagging feeling in your gut that something about this job feels off and chalk it up to casual nerves, opting to proceed as usual.

Hours tick by with no movement in the house. You’ve done the most research you can and are just waiting for some signs in the house. This is the most normal part of what you do - sitting around and playing the waiting game.

When it’s nearly midnight and you’ve been in the house almost all night, you decide to call it quits and go back to the hotel until tomorrow. Sometimes the entities know when someone like you are in the house and attempt to hide their presence as long as they can, but they always make an appearance eventually.

The next morning, when you’re back in the house, you find out your hunch was correct. The various cameras you left around the house were able to pick up something walking around last night while the family slept.

“The images are hard to decipher. This is definitely not a person, but we can’t tell who or what.” Jungkook explains as he points to the shots on his screen.

The image from the motion detector camera shows a blur that’s dark, misty grey, and is tall - very tall - but you can’t make out much more. The infrared findings picked up massive cold spots moving around the house, specifically around Siobhan’s room. You stare at it, a vision clouding your mind at that moment.

It’s Siobhan, even if this is a particularly murky vision. She’s flailing around uncontrollably on the ground, looking as though she’s fighting for air. Her screams echo in your ears, loud and desperate.

“Y/n?!” Namjoon’s voice rips you from your vision as you blink, trying to clear the blur.

“What?”

“You were gasping as if you couldn’t breathe and you started yelling” He’s concerned, his eyebrows scrunching up on his forehead.

You hadn’t even realized that what was happening to Siobhan in your vision was happening to you at the same time. After retelling what you saw, you feel a heavy feeling in the pit of your stomach.

“Do you think it was a warning?” Namjoon questions.

“Maybe. Clearly whatever’s in the house knows we’re here and has something to say about it.”

You mull Namjoon’s words over and realize how right he is. This entity knows more about you than you know about it at this point. It was showing you what it can do and there’s nothing you can do about it. It can take Siobhan over or harm her at any moment. Entities have infiltrated your psyche before to broadcast their twisted desires to you, but this time feels especially sinister, with unmeasurable unease washing over you.

“We don’t know his name yet but we have to try to draw him out at least. We can get him out and try to banish him with a general spell.”

Namjoon shares a skeptical look with everyone else in the room at your words. “But if we don’t know his name will it even work? You know that we need the name of the entity to for sure banish it.”

“I know, but we can’t afford to wait on when he wants to fully make himself known. He knows we’re here and isn’t happy about it so we need to at least be around him and I can probably find out myself.”

Reluctantly, everyone agrees as you start to move and prepare for the banishment. You all move fluidly, used to working together like this to prepare everything. You rifle through your bag, sifting through your crystals until you find a handful that should work.

Jungkook, Mingyu, and Jeongyeon work to set up tripods for your normal filming cameras - two in the corner pointing towards the middle of the room where Siobhan sits. Jeongyeon then makes a thick line of salt in the doorway to the bedroom and around the sills of the two locked windows.

“As soon as we draw him out, you’ll head straight for the door and shut it behind you to be safe, okay? Don’t come in here unless we tell you to.” Siobhan nods at your instructions. Given that this demon has his sights set on her, you’re having her stick around for now as you see if you can get him to so himself. I’m going to go into a meditation state so I can enter what’s called the in-between to try and see if he’s here and we just can’t see him in our world. Hopefully, he’s more likely to be spotted with you here.”

“Everyone ready?” You pose the question to the room and get collective answers of agreement.

With you in front of Siobhan, you take a deep breath and fish your aquamarine crystal out of your bag. The small blue stone has always aided in clearing your mind and letting you focus on everything in a room with you, which includes any being, whether of this world or another.

Namjoon begins reciting a summoning spell from behind you, calling the demon out into the open while you center yourself. Quickly, you fall into a standing meditation, your body feeling lighter. When you slowly open your eyes, the room around you becomes hazy as if covered in a light film. You can hear Namjoon, his voice is muffled behind you as you take in your surroundings.

At first, everything around you looks as it does normally. It’s not until your eyes land on a hand mirror on Siobhan’s desk that you see something out of the ordinary. Upon approaching it, you watch as it glows red - the telltale sign that it’s haunted.

You move to grab it, but as soon as your hand makes contact with the handle, it burns and you pull your hand back with a hiss. While holding your breath, you approach it, peering down to peek into the reflection.

All at once the sensation of ice water being poured over you hits and you reel backward. You hadn’t even noticed this familiar mirror in the room. You remember feeling the stifling feeling when you first entered the bedroom yesterday, but not once could you have guessed that this would be the source of the negativity.

“Hey, Y/n. Long time no see.” The deep, gritty voice speaks from the mirror and it immediately has you stumbling and knocking you back from the in-between.

Your eyes pop open and you see Namjoon in front of you, looking worried.

“Siobhan, downstairs!” She scrambles up out of her chair at your words without a second thought and rushes past you. Jeongyeon holds the door open for her, then shuts it tight.

“Joon, we need to -”

The loud sound of someone clearing their throat on the other side of Siobhan’s room stops you. Everyone turns to look and sees him sitting on her desk with his legs perfectly crossed.

He looks just like the posters lining Siobhan’s wall. Same touseled dark hair, round cheeks, and soft smile but it’s not him. This demon can take the form of whatever he pleases; usually the appearance of whatever his latest victim pleases. You know this to be true because you remember this very same voice coming from the body of your teenage crush, sitting in your room when you were the same age as her. How could you have been so stupid not to put the pieces together? Sure what she’s been experiencing is typical of near possessions but you just knew the air in this house was especially foreboding and oh-so-familiar. You’d even missed the hand mirror sitting on her vanity.

“What are you doing here?” Your words are sharp and you hope they sound as vicious as they did in your head.

The demon throws his head back to laugh, and it only serves to frustrate you more. “What do you think, Y/n? I’m still looking for a bride. Would you believe after all these years, I haven’t been able to find anyone like you? But, Siobhan, well she’s different. She reminds me so much of you.” He grins at you, clearly wanting to provoke you.

Namjoon shifts behind you, his hand grabbing your arm to bring you closer.

“Y/n, do you know this demon?” You nod. You wish you didn’t. You’ve spent more than a decade pushing him out of your mind and yet here he is, as smug as he was when he haunted you in your bedroom all those years ago.

“Namjoon, get the banishing spell ready.” You hear him rustling behind you, flipping through the pages of his spellbook. “Jungkook, Mingyu, get your crystals ready - we’re going to need your help.”

“You can do whatever it is you want. You can’t get rid of me.” The demon laughs from across the room.

“I did once.”

He stands to his feet and stretches, seemingly uncaring about your words.

“Little girl, that was simply a fluke. I won’t let you cast me away again.” His red eyes bore into yours but you refuse to back down. You grip the black tourmaline crystal that always hangs around your neck, your other hand already reaching into your shoulder bag to swap out the crystals in hand.

With his spell book in hand, Namjoon sidles up next to you. Jungkook and Mingyu stand on either side of the two of you, staring back at the demon.

“This won’t take long.” You fish a flew fluorite crystals out of your bag. “Jungkook, grab your smoky quartz. Mingyu, you get your shungite. We need to get him out and keep him out.”

“What’s his name?” Namjoon asks once he’s ready.

You glare at the demon’s smug face and watch as he puts his hands in his pockets. You want to believe you can do this but his confidence is a bit jarring.

“Asmodeus.” At the sound of his name, the demon’s grin only widens, all of his sharp teeth on display now. Your husband lets out a small gasp from next to you but quickly recovers as he begins to recite the spell.

Jungkook and Mingyu join him, reciting the words after him under their breaths. Gripping your crystals, you hold them up toward the demon, repeating his name over and over again. The furniture in the room begins to wobble and an unknown wind picks up.

“Give it a rest already!” Asmodeus calls out, stumbling backward. His wings unfurl and he crouches in response, planting his feet on the carpet.

Namjoon only gets louder as do Jungkook and Mingyu. With most other demons, you and Namjoon can banish them yourselves, but you know this one. You can barely recall how you had the strength to banish him from your life at seventeen, but you’ve always accepted that you had been lucky when you did it alone after researching him, but something tells you this won’t be so easy.

“Asmodeus!” You yell sternly, rubbing the bumpy, purple-ish crystals around in your hand. The combination of the crystals along with knowing the demon’s name and the banishing spell should be enough. It should, but you can see Asmodeus is only getting seemingly more and more agitated.

He’s frowning now, eyes darting between all of you as none of you relent. The wind in the room picks up as you watch one of Siobhan’s lamps go flying across the room, whizzing in front of you.

“It’s not going to fucking work! I will be taking that girl with me!” The demon growls, eyes blazing as he flaps his wings and hovers in the air. You take a step back but continue.

Everything else happens faster than you can account for. Asmodeus crosses his arms around his body making an x-shape before uncrossing them, sending everything around the room airborne. Papers, books, and stuffed animals whirl around the room and you duck to avoid them. Jungkook grunts from your side as a shoe hits him in the leg, but he only falters for a second. When you all duck to avoid Siobhan’s nightstand smashing into the wall, Asmodeus dashes through the air across the room.

He soars over your head and you can only watch in panic as he goes careening into Jeongyeon.

“Jeongyeon!” You sprint forward, intending to grab her arm, but you’re not quick enough. You can only watch in horror as the demon crashes through the door, sending Jeongyeon flying with it as both the tattered wood and her tumble through the air and backward toward the top of the stairs. She lands back first on the door and it slides down, tumbling to the first floor.

The four of you scramble out of the room and down the stairs to her side.

“Jeongyeon?! Jeongyeon can you hear me?!” You lean down to listen to her breathe. “She’s still breathing. Someone call an ambulance!”

Mingyu quickly grabs his phone, dialing 911 next to you. Namjoon is across from you and surveys the room, the demon is nowhere to be found. The Jacksons are huddled in the entryway to the living room while Jungkook talks with them, assumedly doing damage control. An occasional cut or scrape or even getting shoved by an entity is one thing, but tumbling down a flight of stairs is another.

“Y/n the doctor says she’ll be fine. She’s just bruised and her arm is sprained. She said she was lucky the door broke her fall. It could’ve been really bad if she’d gone down with nothing behind her.”

“Fuck, Joon I know, I just feel terrible. I should’ve known that we’d need help. He was so smug and confident - why didn’t I know that he was stronger?!”

You’re pacing outside of Jeongyeon’s hospital room. She suffered a concussion on top of the sprain, but she’ll bounce back. You glance in through the door that’s been left ajar as she talks to the doctor inside. The guilt is still strong though. Mingyu and Jungkook stayed at the house with the Jacksons. Asmodeus will only be more agitated at this point and could attempt to possess Siohan at any time. You and Namjoon will need to get back soon, but you needed to be sure Jeongyeon is alright.

Namjoon comes over and grabs your shoulders, stopping you mid-stride. “Y/n, hey, it’s okay. You couldn’t have possibly known for sure. I remember you telling me about being haunted when you were a teenager, but you couldn’t have known for sure it was him. Besides, it’s been over a decade.”

Letting out a tired whimper, you fall into his arms, burying your head in his chest. “What do we do? Do we need more help?”

“Already taken care of. Remember Yoongi?”

“Min Yoongi? The guy that you met in that demon subreddit?”

“Yeah. He’s here in the city for a friend’s wedding, but I texted him on the way and he agreed to meet us at the Jacksons’ tomorrow morning. He’s going to help us banish Asmodeus. I think with someone as knowledgeable as him we can do it. We also need to do a little more research ourselves before we get back in there and do this.”

Sighing, you lift your head to look up at him. “We have to get rid of him. I know what he’s like - I know what Siobhan is going through. We have to help her, Joon.”

Your husband gives you his infamous sweet, dimpled smile.

“Everything’ll be okay, Y/n. We’ll help her and I’m going to keep you safe, I promise.” Namjoon leans down to gently kiss you, reassurance and warmth spread through you at the softness of his lips. These moments with Namjoon almost make you feel like a normal couple living a normal life. Almost.

The doctor comes out of Jeongyeon’s room then and you pull away reluctantly.

“She’s still okay, right?” You ask as soon as she joins you in the hallway.

“She is. Her concussion isn’t too much of a concern, she just needs to take it easy. You can go in and see her if you want.” You return the doctor’s friendly smile and rush in, pulling Namjoon behind you.

“Jeongyeon!” She’s sitting up in bed, looking out the window. She looks tired, and you can see the bruising on her arm that’s not in a sling, but overall she still smiles at you. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m alright. Sore, but that’s the worst of it.”

“Well, tomorrow we’ll make sure you’re comfortable at the hotel with everything you need before heading out.”

She shakes her head, immediately shutting that down. “No way. I’m coming with you.”

“But your arm is-”

“It’s just a sprain.”

“You shouldn’t move it much.”

“I won’t! Plus, I’m ambidextrous so I can do everything else as normal.”

Frowning, you place your hand over hers. “This could get dangerous. I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

She flips her hand over to hold yours. “I knew what I was getting into when I took this job. Danger comes with the territory. I promise I’ll be fine and I can keep going.”

The two of you have a short staredown, your nervous expression meeting her reassuring one. Reluctantly, you agree with the rule that she works the camera and does not help with any of the equipment.

She agrees and it’s not long until she’s discharged and you’re able to go back to the hotel and regroup. You already know Namjoon wants to question you more about Asmodeus, but he’s kind enough to leave it be for now. You need the rest of the day to prepare for the next banishment attempt. With you being so familiar with this demon, it’s succeeded in rattling you in a way you’re not quite used to.

Min Yoongi is only two years older than Namjoon, but he’s still had much more experience. He was lucky enough to start studying demonology earlier in his life and was able to learn exorcisms much more quickly due to an uncle that happened to do the same line of work. He and Namjoon met online a handful of years ago and have met in person a few times. Usually, they just hang out for fun but this is the first time Yoongi will be helping you with a job.

“So you've banished him before?” Yoongi questions, sitting across from you at the kitchen table. He’s met you all at the Jacksons’ home in the morning. He’d done more research on Asmodeus as did Namjoon so they’d have more knowledge, but you’d had yet to give your full personal testimonial until now.

“Yeah. Long story short, we moved into a new house when I was fifteen. It’s actually in a town not too far from here. I knew something was weird about my room the day we moved in. I remember hearing voices and feeling a presence and it all traced back to that old mirror that was under a floorboard in my room. It wasn’t until my seventeenth birthday that Asmodeus revealed himself. He was in the form of my crush at the time and -”

“Who was it?”

Jungkook interrupts your story with the question.

“Who was what?”

“Who was your crush at the time?” Jeongyeon flicks him on the shoulder and he groans. “What?!”

“This is what you want to ask?”

“Just to help visualize it!”

“It was Omarion,” you roll your eyes at him as he and Mingyu snicker from next to him. “Anyway, he was nice to me just like Siobhan, then I turned eighteen and he told me wanted me to be his bride. I refused and so he started tormenting me. Destroying our house, scaring the shit out of us. He even killed our family dog and uh - he possessed me briefly.” You gulp at the memory. “The pain of having yourself violated in the form of possession is one I can’t describe. It’s cold, it hurts, and it feels so utterly lonely. Like you’re watching everything through your own eyes but you’re trapped in an empty room that feels so claustrophobic.”

“How old is he?” Mingyu questions.

“Thousands of years old,” Namjoon answers for you, noticing how retelling this story is making you uncomfortable. “According to what I’ve found on him, he’s been doing this for centuries even. He’s a demon of greed and lust and he preys on women hoping to take them from their bodies and take them with him for eternity. Think of it like he’s a screwed-up Hades and Persephone-like situation. He seems to get banished here and there and that mirror is definitely how he gets access to our world, but that’s as far as he gets banished to and it seems to only be temporary. The mirror itself just gets passed from thrift store to thrift store, getting picked up by unsuspecting people. Siobhan found it at a Goodwill a few years ago which is when this all started for her.”

“But we want to banish him for good this time,” You say matter-of-factly. “That’s where you come in, Yoongi. We need help with the spell since we need to do a different one to get rid of him for good. We want to send him away, but make sure he can’t pop up again. He’s one of the stronger forces we’ve dealt with and we need the manpower. We also need to narrow down the right crystals - stronger ones. Once he’s gone, we’ll take the mirror back to Korea with us and store it away so he can’t even come back if he wanted to.”

Yoongi takes off the backpack he’s wearing at your words and opens it, revealing a bunch of shimmering crystals.

“I brought some that I thought could come in handy. I was researching him yesterday and think these could do the trick.” You sort through the bag, recognizing the various crystals and nodding.

“Thank you! I think we could use most of these. He’s strong but he’s certainly not unbeatable.”

“When are you doing this?” Siobhan asks from the corner of the room. She and her parents have been here the whole time listening to you all go back and forth.

“Tonight. It’s best not to wait too long since we just had this run-in. We need to stay on top of him now that he’s shown himself. We’ll get him.”

It takes the rest of the day for everyone to prepare for the second banishment. Mingyu and Jungkook go over the spell over and over again for practice while you all prepare the basement. Asmodeus was able to leave Siobhan’s bedroom before, but if you trap him in the basement he can’t leave so easily.

You all work together to remove as much furniture from the room as you can so you don’t have any flying objects hurling at you again. With it being a bigger space, you need a few more cameras and Jeongyeon spreads the salt along the basement stairs and at the bottom to try and ensure he won’t be able to go anywhere. The basement is finished with an attached bathroom where Siobhan and Jeongyeon will take cover once Asmodeus shows himself again. The mirror sits in the middle of the room on the floor.

Wasting no time, you all get into position again, calling him out to him to show himself. He does it rather quickly but in the form of destruction.

“You can’t beat me!” Asmodeus bellow as all around the room, the ceiling and walls thump as if he’s zipping around the room punching every surface he comes in contact with. He’s going to show himself soon since he’s trapped.

“Asmodeus! Show yourself!” You scream at him, watching the ball of grey smoke bounce around the room before beelining for the mirror. Before it hits the mirror, the demon veers to the left at the last minute, knocking into Siobhan and sending her backward.

“Siobhan!” The girl flails around on the floor, gasping and scratching at the air.

“He’s possessing her! Someone put a salt circle around her now!” Yoongi directs, pointing at Siobhan’s figure. Jeongyeon acts first having been the last one with the salt and hurries to make a circle around the girl before she finally settles down, lying flat on her back for a brief moment. In the next blink, she shoots upright, head whipping around in your direction and hissing.

“Oh, fuck,” you catch Jungkook mumble from next to you.

“Recite the spell, now!” Yoongi calls, thumbing through his notebook.

Namjoon, Yoongi, Jungkook, and Mingyu surround Asmodeus, chanting in unison, crystals held out in front of them as they go.

Your feet are planted in front of the demon, watching as the gusts of wind enveloping you all turn grey and pick up faster. It doesn’t disturb the salt circle since it’s acting as an invisible wall, but you can see the demon getting increasingly agitated.

“Asmodeus! Leave this place and never return!” You bellow with as much bass as you can muster. You’re not nervous as before, only angry. Angry that you have to face this entity once more, but you will get rid of him for good.

The house shakes underneath your feet and Asmodeus roars at you, serpent tongue on full display, but you refuse to back down. He seems to sense your unwavering confidence as his eyes dart around the group. Siobhan’s shoulders slump before she starts to choke and gasp. Her eyes begin to bulge and her lips start to pale. He’s choking her from the inside out.

“No!” He’s going to kill her as he goes out - you can tell it just from the way her body is struggling for air. “Let her go!” Screeching at him, you step closer, holding out the palm-sized black jasper. Asmodeus hisses, Siobhan’s fist tightening, wheezing more.

He’s supposed to be getting weaker, not able to still have the strength to do this. Wracking your brain you try and think of something. All of the men in the room are still chanting at the demon, which is at least weakening him enough that he can’t break through the barrier, but you need to distract him. Take his attention off of hurting Siobhan long enough to allow the chance to finally send him away.

“Stop it and take me instead!” The words tumble out before you can think and it immediately catches the demon’s attention.

Blown-out pupils meet yours, studying you. “Just like that? You’re finally ready to be mine?” He asks through Siobhan’s choked tone.

You bite your tongue and nod, hoping you can convince him. Demons may be tricky, but in your line of work you’ve learned, they can be extremely gullible most of the time especially when you dangle something they want the most in front of them. Out of the corner of your eye, Namjoon stares, trying to get your attention. He’s steadfast in his words but you didn’t discuss this as a backup plan.

“Say it. Tell me you want to be my bride.”

Gripping your crystals so tight in your hand that it hurts, you mumble out the words he wants to hear. You need to let him start to possess you. That will be when the rest of his powers are the weakest and his guard will be down so he’ll finally banish away.

“Get rid of this salt circle then. And tell these idiots to stop babbling at me.”

“Do as he says!”

“But, Y/n-”

“Please, Mingyu just listen to him.” You stare at him, your eyes flickering to each one of them, Namjoon last. The only thing you can hope for is that he knows what your plan is. As soon as Asmodeus begins possessing you they need to start chanting again.

Your husband gives you a curt nod and tries to inconspicuously meet the gaze of the three other men to communicate with them as well.

On shaky legs you approach Asmodeus, the demon smirking sickly at you, waiting patiently to be released. You gingerly reach a foot out and swipe away a portion of the salt. As soon as it's gone, Siobhan’s hand comes out to grab your arm, dark eyes boring into yours.

Suddenly, her body starts to spasm, the hand gripping you tightening its hold. Her eyes roll to the back of her head as her back arches almost painfully. She lets out a scream, making you wince at the frequency, and then as quickly as it happened, it’s over. Siobhan falls to the ground in front of you, knocked out cold.

“Siobhan!” Moving to kneel, you intend to check her pulse, but you’re stopped by another grasp of your arm. When you’ve spun around, you’re finally faced with Asmodeous’ true form once again.

He’s seemingly eight feet tall, covered in what you can only describe as jet-black scales, his bat-like wings looking far bigger than they had in his fake form. Large, pointed ears pivot in your direction along with blazing red eyes and menacing teeth. The demon’s face can only be described as resembling a storybook goblin, complete with a long nose and wrinkly features. His black, spiraled horns look sharp enough to cut you as do his long, spindly fingers and pointy claws. Seeing him in front of you brings you back to the night in your room when you banished him all alone. You had nearly been in tears and ready to piss yourself, but this time, you feel a confidence you lacked then.

“Hello, my dear.” His claws trace down your arm and you have to hold your breath. “Don’t look so upset. You’re going to love it with me. Much more than with him.” Asmodeus sneers over your shoulder at Namjoon and you don’t have to see your husband’s face to know it is sure to be filled with fury.

His hands are as cold as ice and he brings both hands up to cup your face. You keep your hands at your side, fists clenched. The demon gives you one more grin as he begins. Pins and needles shoot through you in an instant, making you scream. Your eyelids flutter, but you fight to keep them open. Asmodeus’ crimson eyes almost hurt to look at as they glow as your limbs start to feel heavy.

Namjoon’s voice booms nearby, starting to recite the banishment spell. The others follow suit, their voices sounding much louder than before. The demon in front of you pulls away from you momentarily, yelling loud enough that your ears begin ringing. He closes his eyes for a split second, but it’s enough time that you can break out of the trance he attempted to put you under. Swiftly, you reach up, wrapping your arms around the demon to keep him in place. You press the black jasper into his back, making him screech again and tumble backward with you still wrapped around him.

Namjoon is at your side in a flash, followed closely by Jungkook and they work to hold him down as they speak. Mingyu and Yoongi follow, holding down the rest of him.

The demon flails underneath you all but isn’t getting away which means he’s much weaker than before. The grey, smokey wind that he emits fills the room again, whipping faster and faster. Asmodeus growls and the house shakes again. In the corner of the room, it sounds like the walls are cracking, but none of you relent.

“Asmodeus!” You yell, right in his face. “Leave this place! Forever!” You shove the black jasper into his stomach and he shrieks again. You watch as the demon underneath you begins turning into the same grey smoke that circles your head. Hist legs are first followed by the arm currently in Jungkook’s grasp.

“You lying bitch!” The demon spits at you, rage that you’ve never seen written across his ugly face. He’s only an arm, a head, and a torso at this point, and right before he starts to lose his last remaining limb, he uses the remainder of his strength to bring his hands up, claws spread out, ready to inflict damage.

You notice too late, and can only watch as he swings his hand at you.

Before he makes contact with you, Namjoon is in front of you, shielding your body from the attack and you can only watch in horror as the demon’s razer-like claws slash across Namjoon’s chest. Blood splatters out, spraying the demon right before he vanishes completely, a final shriek ringing in the air as he turns to complete smoke, which then wafts up into the air and evaporates.

The room is silent for only a second, giving you long enough to register what just happened.

“Namjoon!” The scream that leaves your lips sounds almost foreign as you scramble to your husband’s side. You roll him over, watching the blood seep from the deep slashes in his skin. He doesn’t move and his eyes don’t open but you can see his injured chest rise and fall, albeit slowly. Yanking off your sweatshirt, you press it to his wounds, attempting to stop the bleeding.

Around you, everyone is rushing. You think you hear Jungkook’s voice talking into his phone, telling whoever is on the other line the address for the Jackson’s house. Yoongi and Mingyu get to work cleansing the room and Jeongyeon gingerly wraps up the mirror, securing it in a small locked box. Tears blur your vision as you whimper his name, begging him to wake up.

Everything is white noise to you - Namjoon is your only focus. Making sure he’s okay, checking his pulse. The ambulance arrives after what feels like hours and moves you away to take him. You follow close behind, waving in Jeongyeon’s direction when she says they’ll be right behind you and the ambulance. You don’t take any notice of the way you’re shivering in your tank top as the October air fills the back of the ambulance. You’ll brave the cold to be by Namjoon’s side.

Being in another hospital room in the same week is a record for you. Namjoon is still asleep and has been since he was attacked. The steady beep of the lifeline machine has lulled you to sleep the past two nights you spent curled up in the uncomfortable recliner by his side. Everyone has been by since he’s been admitted. Jeongyeon insisted on staying with you but you sent her back to the hotel to rest.

It’s early when you check the bedside clock, getting up from your curled position to stretch. Namjoon is still asleep when you look at him, his breathing even and quiet.

You quickly duck into the bathroom in the room to brush your teeth and wash your face. Namjoon should be waking up any time now and even after all these years, you want to look good for him.

“Hi, Y/n.” Siobhan’s voice startles you when you leave the bathroom. She, along with her parents and their other two children are all standing in the doorway of the room.

“Oh hi, how are you doing?”

“Much better. Last night was the most restful sleep we’ve had in months.”

“I’m happy to hear that.”

Siobhan surprises you by rushing over and pulling you into a hug. Her siblings follow suit and hug you as well. They’re all thanking you and all you can do is say you’re welcome. Her parents hug you next, giving you more thank yous and telling you how grateful they are.

They stay with you for a few minutes to talk about Namjoon and how he’s doing. He’s still asleep as you gaze at him, taking in his beautiful features, feeling the lurch in your heart when you think of the way he smiles at you and how he says your name.

As if noticing the shift in your mood upon talking about your husband, Mona announces it’s time to leave and they all say their goodbyes. You walk them to the door and before they leave, Siobhan turns to you once more and grabs your hand.

“Seriously, thank you again.” She says it quieter and you can hear the sincerity in her words. You squeeze her hand in return and watch as the family leaves.

After they’re gone, it’s quiet again and you feel yourself starting to feel a new sadness wash over you - the sorrow of missing and worrying for Namjoon, but that’s cut short upon arrival when you turn around.

Namjoon is struggling to sit up in bed, wincing to himself.

“Joon!” You rush over to the bed, holding a pillow behind him as he leans up, settling back.

“Hey.” Tears well as you grab his hand, bringing it up to your lips.

“You’re awake.”

“I’m awake,” he rasps. His voice sounds hoarse, so you hurry to grab the water pitcher next to the bed and pour him a cup. After you hold it to help him drink, you set the cup down and go back to holding his hand. “Was someone just here? When I was starting to come to I thought I heard other voices.”

“The Jacksons just left. They stopped by to thank us and see how you were doing. How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted. I’m ready to go home and sleep in my own bed.”

“Not so fast. You’ve been asleep for two days straight and your whole torso is wrapped in bandages. He didn’t do any fatal damage, but you lost a lot of blood.” A sniffle slips out and Namjoon notices.

“Hey, hey I’m okay though. The demon’s gone and I’m alive and you’re safe.” Even in a hospital bed with an injury of his caliber, he’s still your strong, level-headed, loving husband. As carefully as you can, you lean over the bed to kiss him. “Wait, wait, I have crusty unconscious breath!” He tries to turn his head away with minimal effort.

“Don’t care.” You murmur as your lips meet in a long, closed-mouth kiss. His lips are just as pillowy and comforting as always.

When you pull away, the two of you share a sigh.

“I’ll go let the doctors know you’re up. They’ll want to check on you and I’m sure they’ll know when we can go home.” Reluctantly, you let his hand go and head to the door.

“Hey, Y/n,” you stop when Namjoon calls your name.

“Yeah?”

“I think when we get home it’s about time we go on vacation. I think I need some time in the sun, on a beach somewhere. Far away from anything demon related.”

With a smile, you nod. “Sounds like a plan.” Your husband blows you a tired kiss on your way out and it makes your heart soar as usual.

You hum to yourself as you leave the room, heart, full of ease and love. You all haven’t taken a vacation in probably a year, so it’s something that is desperately needed.

While waiting for a nurse to return to the nurses' station, your phone beeps with an email notification.

EXORCIST INQUIRY!!

The words are in all caps and even read loudly to your eyes. With a sigh, you open the email and skim it. Your team is needed as soon as possible in California to help a woman’s son who, as she described, is behaving “just like Regan from The Exorcist!!”

You mull over the next steps before typing out a response to the woman, informing her that you had an emergency in New York, but will attempt to get to them soon. You let her know that you’ll know for sure by end of the day and will give her more information.

Jeongyeon also receives your emails and you already know she’s going to text you soon about how you should be resting with Namjoon, but you’re prepared for her nagging. Namjoon will be disappointed that a seaside vacation will need to take a backseat for now.

As long as demons and ghosts still break through to our world, the work of a paranormal investigator is truly never done.

#namjoon fic #kim namjoon #namjoon fanfic #namjoon x reader #hyunglinenetwork #bangtanarmynet #btsghostie #btswritingcafe #namjoon thriller #rm fic #rm fanfic #houseofddaeng #52hertz #btshoneyhive #bangtanbathhouse #btscarnivalnet

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becomingkatie · 5 days

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Y'all. I knew I was going to spend most of yesterday at the airport, but hoooo boy that was one sucky travel day!

I booked the "mystery car" with avis because it was the cheapest option, and it was an EV and I had no experience with those. I knew I'd need to charge it before taking it back, but since I didn't know how long it would take, I basically boogied out of the hotel and went straight to a charging station. I had to google where the port was, how to open it, and how to use the charger. But I got it taken care of. Ten bucks and one hour later, I was sufficiently charged to get to the rental car return with more than the requisite 70% charge remaining when I returned it.

So I wound up at the airport at 9:30am for a 3:50pm flight.

All right. Figured I'd grab breakfast, settle in somewhere and read or write for the rest of the morning. Over breakfast, I got a text that my flight was delayed two hours. Greeeeat. But there was a 1:55pm flight I could try to get on the standby list for. Okay! Cool! I've never done that, but how hard could it be?

The app didn't have the option to get on the standby list. It said to talk to an agent. But there wasn't a gate assigned to that flight yet. I ended up waiting at one gate until its flight had completely boarded and the gate agent was available, but then she got REAL huffy and said gate agents only work the flight listed at that gate, so I had to call the "agent on demand" line. That was totally fine, but her tone made me feel so small and by the time I was on the phone with an agent I was next to tears.

The agent on the phone got me on the standby list, except in the app it still only had information about my original flight and I didn't get a text or email, so... I was like, okay, 50% chance I'm actually on the standby list for this flight. But at least I have a seat on my original flight. And when the gate opens for this flight I'll ask them. The agent on the phone said, "I put you on the list, but I'm not going to check you in for this flight because it will remove you from your original flight, which we don't want, since there's no guarantee you'll get a spot on this one." All right, cool, fine. I'm stressed but it's fine.

And then a gate was assigned for that flight and I went there, and my name was not on the standby list when it showed on the screen. But then my app updated and only listed that flight, not my original flight. And it said "ready to check in" but I didn't check in because the agent on the phone had scared me about that. No agents arrived at the gate until literally 10 minutes before boarding was supposed to start. I was first in line to ask if I was on the flight, and he said no you're not on the standby list but you do still have a seat on your original flight. Which, fine, but my app is only showing the info for the standby flight and not my original flight.

I chanced it and checked in again on the app for the standby flight, and then everything was good. It put me on the standby list for real this time but still showed my confirmed flight for later. Woohoo!

But then minutes before boarding the standby flight got delayed until even later than my original flight.

Each flight got delayed another time, but the standby flight stayed later. I got a text saying congrats, you got a seat! And then I was like uh no I don't want the seat on the later flight, I want to stay on my original flight. I was not the only person at the gate making sure I could keep my original flight.

Anyway, it worked out. I got home at 1am instead of 9pm but we made it. I ate chick-fil-a twice in the airport. And I learned how to charge an electric car and how to get on the standby list for a flight. Working from home in pajamas today, though.

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robynbaldurlogs · 2 months

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baldur log day 1 + 2

day 1 i dont have much to show for this day visually bc i wasnt actively documenting... but essentially, i: made my character, went through the beginning tutorials and stuff, took the little brain guy with me, saved shadowheart, and crashed on the beach. then i stopped playing. here is the only image i took before i got off LOL

day 2 ok. so: shadowheart is cool as fuck. i LOVE her already. cannot wait to strengthen the social link with her or whatever the hell you call it. get the friendship numbers up. this fuckass poem had me dead:

shoutout the bitch queen ig whoever you are. keep serving also i love this fucking guy. i can tell hes a conniving fuck but ohhhh hes kinda hot though!

like why is he kinda cunty. but yea anyways he joined my party. also met this guy. gale. he is strangely charming. but he also gives me zephyr breeze vibes (which is bad) and jack sparrow vibes (which is very good). told my friend speves that and that i thought he looked like a smart himbo and she was like "i dont blame you for that read" + "we'll see" which i Dont Know how to take. my judgements were based off the literal first minute of conversation btw

+ really stupid visual glitch i almost didnt notice. theyre fusing

shadowheart talk your shit man.

"just waiting, like a lovesick puppy?" ...... thats a bad thing? whatever you say man. gonna scare shadowheart with commitment. COMMITMENT JUMPSCARE BOO also little parentheses shadowheart is the most fucking dementia raven way ass name and i love it but it was hard to take it seriously for a little bit. warrior cats ass name. also i got crazy fucking lucky with my rolls. dont have many screenshots but i kept getting high numbers it was lucky as shit up until gale talked to me about needing to consume magical items like crack i read his mind with the mindflayer tadpole and found out it was cus he consumed some crazy ass Dark Magic or something, got a critical failure first, then just used some inspiration i had to get it right, and rolled high as shit LMAO

hit the rolls TWICE btw. read his mind once and then went deeper into his mind which had a 15 dc and got that too. hell yeah baby. also afterwards i was totally honest with him about reading his mind and he freaked the fuck out which fair i read your mind. i get it. but still

then i calmed him down by being like "hey man i had to know. youre dangerous" and passed the persuasion check :sunglasses: easiest game of my fucking life oh i talked to shadowheart abt her pains before that which was cool every conversation i have with her makes me like her more.

i met wyll. great guy. i went to camp to long rest and he dropped some INSANE fucking knowledge on me. like. i could live by this

so i switched gale out in my party with him LMAOOOOOOO and had a conversation with astarion about how hed kill me if i started turning. i asked what he would prefer personally and he said decapitation. which was CRAZY. so i was like yeah sure king decapitate me if i turn. do your thing. i trust your judgment

also talked to shadowheart bc i will seize every chance to learn more about her

then i left camp, talked to kagha while looking for a healer, got them to free a tiefling girl through more persuasion rolls (BECAUSE IM GOATED) and talked to the healer nettie who was fixing a Regular Bird

she told me how strange it is that we arent turning, to swear on my life id drink a poison if i saw any symptoms (which i of course agreed to, shadowheart approved and astarion did not) and stopped playing on the way to rescue halsin. fun times!

p.s. days doesnt necessarily mean im playing this daily but rather just what happens when i play per irl day... days just works as a way to categorize tbh

#bg3 #baldurs gate 3

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izukuwus · 11 months

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Edible Arrangements 39

First - Prev - Next - M.list - Read on Ao3

A/N: howdy folks and strokes it took literally all my strength not to post this chapter early yeehaw

if you're interested in a spicy little oneshot, please direct your attention over to Legs Spreadable Arrangements for all your smutty spinoff chapter needs!

please note that this chapter is more than twice the length of recent chapters before settling in to read. please enjoy with responsibility to your sleep schedule! <3

Summary: You're making amazing strides. So is the hunt.

Warnings: oh man haha let's think uhh some talk of death, food mentions including some gross shit, mind fuckery things, implied parental abuse

Word count: 5000+

The students in the day ahead of him are fresh-faced, not yet tainted by the drag of the semester ahead of them. [name] sits at the farthest seat in the back of the room, Ochako sitting with two seats of space between them. Ochako is flashing sweet, pleasant smiles at the other students as they enter. Like this, Izuku almost forgets that Ochako is their aide, here to get them through this class. He wishes he had that privilege. Every time he thinks he can handle this, surreptitiously glancing up from papers to scan the room, he sees their face and feels his heart shatter into powder.

Already his regrets have dragged on for a month. They were, by everyone's judgment, prepared for this, and yet, he doesn't feel like it now. He's not prepared for it, either.

He inhales. Exhales. Checks his watch. Twenty-five students in the course, twenty-one bodies in the room, one of them extra seeing as Ochako isn't technically on the roster. He’d had to remember to add her to the list so no one notices when he calls roll that she's not on it.

Class start time in two minutes. Five no-shows, but they still have time.

He hates this. He hates teaching in-person classes. He hates the moments before the class starts, casing the students out for who he can rely on, who may need to rely on him. Connections to make, or, more likely, to inevitably fall apart as his words tumble, rather than slip, from his mouth.

Class start time in one minute. Two stragglers, running into the room last-minute and skidding into seats at the back, filling the spots between Ochako and [name].

Oh. That won't be good.

They cast a panicked glance Ochako's way, but neither of the two appear to say anything.

Why did they sit apart to begin with? Is [name] less comfortable with being around people now? Is that enough to leave the risk that two stragglers—that he's now growing increasingly angry with—would fill the seats between them?

Class start time is now.

He stands up, clears his throat. Waits for the few surprised looks that are inevitable when he says he's Dr. Midoriya, the professor, and not a TA or a student making a power play.

He's somewhere over fifty years old, thank you very much. How old? Hell if he knows.

So he squares his shoulders, reaches for his list.

"A-alright, I think that's everyone who's showing up, so without waiting any further, hello everyone! I-I'm Dr. Midoriya, I took over this course from Dr. Hakamada in light of his... untimely circumstances." His eyes come to rest on [name], staring blank at their desk. He hesitates. "I know things aren't—things aren't what everyone expected right now, but I expect that all of you will be able to make it through this course if you're willing to keep working and come to me if you have any issues! Before we get into the syllabus for this course, I'm going to give us all a chance to, uh, to break the ice."

Some attentive stares. Some blank. The expected anguished looks from students who don't want to speak up for any reason, let alone to introduce themselves.

"Now, I know some of us are more socially-inclined than others, so I'll let all of you take this at your own pace. Feel free to decide the order you go in, but let's all take a moment to introduce ourselves. How about... name, major, year, and a fun fact about you? I-I'll start!"

Dammit. Stop stuttering.

"My name is Dr. Izuku Midoriya, I teach in several different areas, but specialize in Quirk Theory. A fun fact about me is that, judging by the way most of you assumed I was a TA or another student, I actually have the worst babyface on the planet!"

A few students let out polite laughs. He gives them nods of appreciation in reply.

"Wait, so how old are you?" a girl in the front row asks. She has her chin resting in her hand. "No offense, Professor, but you look younger than nearly everyone in this room."

He laughs at that. It's becoming easier, so long as he doesn't look at [name] in the back. So long as he doesn't acknowledge the heartbreak in the room. "I stopped counting after I hit my fifties."

"Oh, there is no way you're actually in your fifties."

He smiles, nods to her. "Alright then, it sounds like you're volunteering to go next!"

She rolls her eyes with a smile. "I guess I am." She rattles off her introduction—well-practiced, as many are, after several years of several classes all requiring her to rattle off the very same information. Quick, dirty, easy.

He checks off her name and scans the room for the next volunteer.

And his eyes land on [name].

Staring right at him.

With that very same look that tells him they're confused and definitely caught information with their quirk that he didn't think about communicating to them.

He chooses the next lazily raised hand and tries to brush it off as they tap something on their phone—not too discreet, [name], but he'll let it slide—and Ochako reaches for hers moments later.

Oh, to know what information they were exchanging now.

"Good to have you!" he says and checks off the next name to introduce themselves, searches for his next victim. "Next, how about..."

He pauses, tries not to freeze.

"You, in the back."

"[full name]. I'm told I'm in my senior year, and I'm a quirk theory major." A pause. "I like to read, and I don't like to talk."

He laughs softly, more dumbfounded than anything. "Same here. You'll be happy to know that I offer options to turn in papers instead of present in front of the class for every relevant assignment, and that goes for all of you. Now, who's next?"

He eases into it. Tries not to bubble over with relief and maybe excitement at seeing [name] make such a stride in his class. Gets through the icebreakers, goes over the syllabus in detail. He even manages to completely stop stuttering by the end. It's never been about the actually teaching the class, anyway, just the anticipation of where it could go wrong in the moments leading up. And nothing goes wrong!

At least, not until the end of class. He watches his students filter out, watches [name] and Ochako wait. Ochako appears to be chatting with them, ostensibly to make it less obvious that they're waiting to talk to him. He goes through the motions, answers the questions of a stray student, and watches as the pair approach him from the back of the room.

"[name], you did great!" he gushes when he's sure the others have left the room. "I'm glad to see you making an effort to speak up!"

They give a little half-shrug, favoring their unstabbed arm. "I had to ask Ochako what year I was in. I didn't remember."

"Well, that's understandable. I forget my own age, after all!"

Ochako pulls a tight smile. He has the sense that she does a lot of customer-service smiling around him. "[name] had something to ask you?"

They blink in confusion, tilting their head at Ochako. "I thought you did?"

"No, remember? You texted and asked what year you were in, then asked if we could stop after class to ask Dr. Midoriya a question."

She holds up her phone, shows [name] the texts.

"Oh," they say after a moment. "I don't remember, so it probably wasn't important. Sorry."

Oh. He knows what that’s about, doesn’t he?

The look on their face as he joked about his age. The way they can’t process it now.

Another wrench of guilt. He smiles anyway. “Well, if you do remember, you know how to find me! Good work today, both of you.”

A flash of pink at the door. Mina is there, arms crossed, glaring him down while waiting for her friend. When Ochako and [name] leave, Mina lingers a moment longer, just glaring.

He shrugs it off and packs up his things. Class is over. He can handle the rest. Not without issue, of course. The issue was always him.

Besides, soon enough, this will be over. He’s gotten his affairs in order. [name] may never understand it, but they’ll understand the money, the house. They’ll understand Sbeve. If they’re smart—and he knows they are—they can live the rest of their normal life on his dime and never know why. He doesn’t need forgiveness. It won’t do him any good where he’s going.

[name] sits on the edge of the couch, listless as the others chat over pizza. In total, there’s five people in the living room, aside from [name]. Whatever they’re talking about, [name] hasn’t been listening, and they’re still not listening when a plate with a slice of pizza is balanced atop their knee.

They eat, mindless.

“[name], honey, are you listening?” Mina elbows their side gently. “Do you remember Tenya? We’re really worried about him right now.”

A flash of recognition. It fades away, slips away from their mind in real time.

“Is Tenya important?”

They don’t miss the looks of pity they receive, though they don’t understand why they receive them. As their attention falls back away, the others turn on to other topics that don’t matter.

None of it does, really.

“Thanks for coming on such short notice.”

“You’re sure of it?” Tenya spurns his pleasantries with little more than a look.

He sits across from Izuku, looking entirely out of place sitting peacefully in Izuku’s admittedly drafty living room. He really should get that door fixed before [name] inherits it.

“Yes. The Death Adder has been staying in the area. It has to be because we’re here, though I’m not sure he knows we’re working together or even know each other.”

“After he attacked [name], I admit that he knows you’re here. You were probably his target that night.”

“I know. But, look. I was reading the paper—“

“Really?” He raises an eyebrow. “I didn’t think anyone still got paper copies in this day and age.”

“I’m fifty years old, so sue me. Anyways!” He lays out the classifieds in front of Tenya, tapping a circled paragraph.

I know where you are, my children. I’d like to see you again someday. DA.

“DA for Death Adder. We’d be his children, in a sick way that makes me even more geared up to do this. But that alone isn’t why I asked you to come here.” He spreads out another paper, this one more recently dated, and taps the circled section on this sheet. “I replied.”

DA - You made me into myself, so many years ago. I’d like to return the favor. If you truly want to see me, you know where to find me. If we meet again, I’ll happily pass on the message you taught me. IM

“That was two days ago. Now, I’ve been getting the paper daily. There was nothing yesterday, but in today’s paper, we have this.”

IM - You will see me again, a week from today. DA.

Tenya looks up from the paper with hardened eyes. “So we have a week.”

“Get your affairs in order, just in case. I’ve already established everything to pass on to [name] once I’m gone. I suggest you figure out where all you have will go.”

Tenya nods. “Do you still have our weapon?”

“[name] secured a bottle of holy water for me, before all this happened. We’ll have to be careful with it, obviously.”

“A week to get my affairs in order and take down a serial killer.”

“No going back?”

“No going back.”

When they open their eyes, it is morning. Normal morning, not some obscenely late-in-the-day morning like the ones they’ve been waking up in. The clock reads 9:09 AM, and because it is a weekend, their alarm has not gone off. They sit up in a haze.

This is their bedroom, but this is not the apartment.

No, wherever they are, it is so familiar and so unfamiliar but it is theirs.

Their phone buzzes. It is atop their eight-drawer, fine-wooded dresser. The piece of furniture is more expensive than anything in the apartment. The sight of the mirror attached to it fills them with a strange dread, but they must answer the phone. It’s important. It isn’t important. It’s so, so unimportant. It is Nothing.

They slide out of bed.

What doesn’t matter is how large the bed is. What doesn’t matter is how empty it felt to sit alone on its edge. What doesn’t matter is that it is not the bed they fell asleep in. What doesn’t matter is the depression beside them, where someone laid not long ago.

Who decides what is important and what is not, except for them? Who decides for them?

Bare feet sink into a plush rug. The sensation is familiar, soothing. Lazy mornings before the world stopped making sense and began making change.

Bare feet pad across the room, to the dresser. The phone has stopped buzzing, but they still know they must reach it.

Was the mirror covered before? They can’t remember, but the sight soothes them. They can’t see themselves. Not now.

Beside the phone is an arrangement of fruit skewers in a vase. The card attached to the vase with a simple green ribbon is blank. Nothing is written there. The fruit is rotten, and its heady, alcoholic scent draws them in even as the scent warns of danger and disgust forgotten. Somewhere behind them.

Behind them.

behind you

They turn. Nothing is behind them. There is Nothing in the bed.

Nothing behind them. What is behind them in life? There cannot ever be nothing, not really, but the past must not have been important, if they lose hold on it so easily.

The past, too, must be Nothing behind them.

The buzzing of their phone, once again, but once they turn, it falls away to Nothing.

There is Nothing covering the mirror now, the sheet Nowhere to be seen.

There is a skewer of rotten fruit held to their lips. When did they pick one up?

Their phone is at their ear. They don’t remember answering it.

“Hey. What’s wrong?” They do not know this voice.

“What do you mean? Nothing’s wrong.”

“Are you sure? You’re crying.” They know this voice.

What? No. They can’t be. Why would they be crying?

They put down the phone. The fruit in their mouth squelches as they bite into it, the flesh giving beneath their teeth with the faintest pop. Beyond the skin it is liquid. The flavor is sour and burns their nose as they chew, although there’s no need to do so. Their teeth are sharp, their jaw strong, and the flesh sludge. It leaves them drunk as it melds past their teeth. Although their body protests, they swallow it without a thought and take another bite. It leaves a metallic-tasting burn in its wake.

They look in the mirror, now that they know they can. They shouldn’t be crying. Why would they be crying?

It is now that they realize what is wrong.

The thing about Nothing is that it matters. It matters so, so much. When there is Nothing where there should not be, there is a problem.

They look in the mirror to inspect their tears, and Nothing is there.

When they open their eyes, it is morning. Normal morning, not some obscenely late-in-the-day morning like the ones they’ve been waking up in. The clock reads 10:08 AM, and because it is a weekend, their alarm has not gone off. They sit up in a haze.

This is their bedroom. This is the apartment.

This is familiar, and it is theirs.

The knowledge feels good, that there is something that is theirs and cannot be taken from them for at least the year. They feel good, that they have slept well and made it through a week of classes and classwork and physical therapy and worked hard at getting better. Their memories aren’t returning, but their soul is, and that, in itself, feels good. They don’t remember when last they were truly in their body.

They dreamed, they’re pretty sure. Of what, they’re not sure, but phantom aches linger about their throat in pinpricks and bruises, and when they check their reflection in their bathroom, they find no source.

They think back to last week. They had been rude, hadn’t they? They’d completely ignored those questions about Tenya. Their friends were worried, they think. Their friends have been so good to them, and they were rude. They need to do better.

They pad out of the room in their pajamas, not bothering to change, and find Mina and Tsuyu commiserating over breakfast, scrolling their phones in silence.

“Mina? Tsuyu?”

The girls look up in tandem. “[name]. Sleep okay?”

“I’m sorry about last week. You guys were talking about Tenya. You were worried. What’s wrong with Tenya? Can I help?”

“It’s… a lot.” The girls share a look before Mina continues. “We can get into it, but it’ll take a lot out of you, and we’ll need to invite the others back over. The guys, at least. Itsuka isn’t really involved.”

“I feel good today. I think there’s a lot of me to take.”

“If you’re sure, there’s no backing out, okay?”

“O…kay?”

Tsuyu nods, adjusting her posture to focus on the phone in her hand. “I’ll call the boys.”

Their friends sit around them in a rough imitation of a circle. They are sat in the center, turning their head nervously as the others settle in.

“Tenya can’t come,” Mina sighs, pocketing her phone, “he says he has plans, but at least you guys are here. Neito, did you bring the stuff?”

“Of course I did. We’re really doing this?”

“Look at them. Their eyes are brighter than I’ve seen them in months. I think we can get them.”

“So how are we doing this?”

“We rely on their quirk,” Neito declares. He’s got a box with him. He reaches in, pulls out an old journal that has something scratching on [name]’s memory. “[name]. This belonged to you. Do you remember it?”

They shake their head. “That isn’t mine.”

“Look at it. Tenya was holding onto it for you for all this time. Will you read it?”

“I don’t—I thought this was about Tenya.”

“It is about Tenya,” he says simply, and it isn’t a lie.

They take the journal. They open it to the first page.

In younger, scratchier handwriting than theirs today, the first page details their name, a phone number that was once theirs, and an address they almost remember writing. They trace a fingertip over the letters. They didn’t write them, but it is undeniably their handwriting, so long ago now.

“This isn’t mine.”

“It is.”

“It’s not!”

“[name], listen to me. You used to be in love with Tenya. The two of you dated for years. You lived with him after cutting ties with your parents.”

“No,” you reply firmly. “That didn’t happen. I don’t remember it.”

“You don’t remember anything.”

“You’re just—you’re just saying things, but that didn’t happen. I don’t know Tenya that well.”

“You did. You used to be inseparable. He still hasn’t gotten over what happened to you and your memories.”

“You’re lying.”

“Look at any of us and tell us whether we’re lying.”

You look. You slip away into them again. “Then you’re wrong.”

Tsuyu slides several photos toward them. [name] picks them up blankly.

They were younger, when these photos were taken. They see themselves, leaned against Tenya’s chest, and they don’t remember ever seeing Tenya, but they know it is him, looking at them with soft eyes.

It is you and him.

Your head hurts.

“Can… can we stop this? I don’t wanna help anymore. This doesn’t—this isn’t important.”

“I’m sorry,” Hitoshi says. “We have to keep going.”

“It’s not just that you used to date,” Neito insists. He has produced a folder that they do not recognize, and their head aches sharply. “We want to give you this to read. A few years back, you were attacked just like you were all those weeks ago. Do you remember? Tenya lost his brother, and you changed. Do you recall what happened?”

They don’t open the folder. “Nothing happened. Nothing.”

“You know that isn’t true.”

“If it isn’t, then—“

“It isn’t. Look at them. It’s notes from your therapy sessions with Dr. Fuyumi. Why would you lie to her in therapy, if all of that was untrue?”

They lift their hand, but can’t open the folder. They’re frozen, stuck in the headlights.

“No.”

“No?”

“No!”

The folder is flung, papers fluttering around the room as they bolt for their bedroom. Hitoshi is up and after them, grabbing at them a bit too harshly. “[name]! Didn’t you want to help Tenya?”

“Not anymore!” They bite back. In the next moment, they slip away and stop struggling in his hold.

“Sit back down in the middle of the circle,” he orders, and they obey.

The papers are collected and placed in their lap, roughly back in their same order.

“Speak if you want to. Read the papers you’re holding.”

They tilt their neck downward, eyes roaming over the pages. “These are real?”

“They’re real. We got them from Dr. Fuyumi herself.”

The words ring true. Even without being able to turn to see them, no glow edges at your vision. No evidence of lies.

Your head hurts. Worse and worse it hurts.

The more evidence they pile on, the worse it feels. Unable to look away or run, they whimper out protests. Old texts talking about Tenya. Social media posts long since forgotten, tagging Tenya or talking about a boyfriend or their parents. Another old photo. [name] with a slice of cake, sat next to Tenya.

They—you—keep returning to the notes. “How do you know these notes are real?”

“We stole them from Dr. Fuyumi’s office.”

He isn’t lying.

The words on the page are the truth.

You were attacked by whoever killed Tenya’s brother. Tenya had been acting distant in a way that didn’t seem like grief. You wanted to understand it better and help your boyfriend through a difficult time.

Your boyfriend.

Ex? Boyfriend?

“Hitoshi,” you say, voice hoarse. “Let me go.”

“Are you going to run?”

“No. Let me go.”

He lets you go.

You hunch over, letting the folder and the photos slide off your lap as something strikes. A match against damp sandpaper.

What is he now? Who are you now?

When it comes together at last, the pieces snap into place. You would swear that there was an audible click, or perhaps a cracking like a bone, snapped from crashing your bike into a tree while chasing your dear neighborhood friend.

something is creaking something is bending something is straining under the weight and you cannot understand you will not understand you are not to understand you are to look away you are to forget but you cannot

forget

it is Nothing but the thing about nothing is that Nothing Matters and it is nothing and so it matters

what are you looking away from why are you looking away look at it look at him look at your past look at it look at it LOOK AT IT

…are you looking?

…are you looking.

…do you see it?

they come back to you in fragments. your own wrist, blurry. faint scars there. a soft shade against your skin. a pattern of bite marks.

do you remember who put those there?

it was tenya, wasn’t it? you asked him to. he only fed from you once. something went wrong.

something?

what went wrong?

what’s wrong?

nothing’s wrong.

You’re crying.

The fragments slip from your grasp as you come back into the moment. Mina is holding you as you thrash, holding you as you sob. Your vision is white, and you are screaming, and it is normal, and you are staring at a photo on the floor of you with Tenya and remembering the day it was taken.

He had planned a surprise party for you. It was your first birthday away from your parents. He’d declared it a necessity for a proper birthday party to be held, and so it was, with cake at his parents’ dining room table and all kinds of gifts and an innocuous sheet of paper declaring you officially emancipated from your parents.

The headache is blinding, less so as you latch onto the memory and find more attached.

The fragments come up like a system of roots and fungus, a mycelial network of all the things you’d forgotten you’d forgotten.

Tenya, chasing off bullies for you with nothing but a glare and his size, being an older kid. Tenya, never raising a hand and yet protecting you all the same. Tenya on one side of you, Tensei on the other, explaining in dire words the situation you were in and couldn’t you stay for a while? Tenya’s mother, smiling and nodding and saying she’d speak to their father but they have an extra guest bedroom in the meantime if you’d like to spend the night.

“How long?” You whisper, and it is you, but it is not. All of the things you remember as though they were yesterday, and yet, you cannot find Yesterday among your memories. There is a gap, or more like a ravine, stretching between you. When was Yesterday? Where are You?

“Years.”

“But that isn’t everything, is it? There’s more. More than just that my… boyfriend? Ex? Best friend? Fuck, I don’t know, that he’s a vampire? That vampires exist? The lifetime of tragedy I couldn’t save him from?”

“No. There’s more. It’ll take more pain, but we’ll be there for you every step of the way.”

There isn’t a moment’s hesitation, only a question. “Tenya was never coming for this, was he?”

“No. He doesn’t know we’re doing this, and he’s off doing god knows what.”

“…I don’t know if I want to know what it is I forgot.”

“You do.” Tsuyu’s voice is firm. “You just can’t know you want it.”

“Don’t you want to know why you’ve been so despondent? Don’t you want to remember what you’ve done? The months leading up to your stab wound? Me and Hitoshi?” Neito’s voice is low.

You don’t want to know. You don’t want to know.

You don’t—

“Unlock your phone.”

You listen, though you don’t have to, and wait for further instruction.

“Have you been without your phone at all since you woke up without your memories?”

You shake your head.

“Look back at your old texts. What do you notice?”

You look. There are ones where your eyes glaze over, where you just can’t focus on the words or the photos. They must be talking about other texts, anyways—

“Look at the ones you don’t want to look at. There’s someone you’ve forgotten. Not me or Neito, but someone else. There, stop scrolling.”

You stop on a photo of you. It’s a selfie. Someone is beside you—a man with a cute face and fluffy green hair and freckles. “I know him,” you mumble. There is a flicker of hope as they gather around you. “He’s my professor.”

The hope flickers but does not extinguish.

“He’s more than that. Don’t look away. When did you meet him?”

“Dr. Midoriya and I met a month or two ago, I think. Ochako took me to meet him so I would be able to get ready for the summer semester.”

“No,” Hitoshi starts to say, but Mina cuts him off.

“What do you remember about that meeting?”

“Um… I don’t know. Dr. Midoriya was lying about it being nice to meet me?”

“Why would he lie about that?”

“Because I’m a pain in the ass with a lot of accommodations…?”

Mina coos with pity, then shakes her head. “Remember, there are usually other explanations that don’t involve self-deprecation. Why else might he lie about it being nice to meet you?”

You pause for a long time, staring at the photo even as your headache rears its hideous head once again. “It wasn’t nice.”

“Or…?”

“He wasn’t meeting me?”

“There you go. That wasn’t your first meeting. Look at the date on that photo.”

October 31st, 2050. During the Yesterday you’re missing.

You put down the phone. You look away, rubbing your eyes. Your head is split.

“Come on, [name], don’t look away now. Just a little further and you’ll remember. If you can’t look at the photo, look at me. All you have to do is verify whether or not I’m telling you the truth.”

A whimper. You open one eye to look at Tsuyu as she speaks. “You were in love with Izuku. You lived with him for months. You kissed him on New Year’s and you had a cat together named Sbeve.”

“I’ve met Sbeve,” you manage. “He was sweet. I guessed his name right.”

“You named him. When you stopped living with Izuku, you had been sleeping with him for months.”

They’re telling the truth. Why are they telling the truth? Would it kill them to lie to you? Would it kill them? Won’t this kill them?

the bending the creaking the snapping of the pressure in your head but it isn’t enough it won’t be enough

“Do me a favor and look at this.”

you are looking.

there is a phone in front of you. the camera is on. the screen shows not your face. the screen shows your neck. someone guides your hand to touch the throat. you watch the hand move, reflected in the camera image on the screen. something changes. you must not understand. you are beginning to understand. you cannot look away. something changes.

your neck is littered in bite marks

and

you

snap.

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chaotic-super · 1 year

Text

Joining The Superfriends - 3

Her first official day working with the self-proclaimed Superfriends is something she’s never going to forget and she’s already filing it away as one of the best days of her life before she’s even stepped foot into The Tower.

Nobody is in the PI office downstairs when she gets there so she just heads right on up in the elevator only to find the whole team waiting for her upstairs, smiles firmly in place and a box of donuts sat next to a tray of coffees on the table.

“Hey!” Kara calls out to her. “Happy first day, we’ve got breakfast.”

“I don’t think donuts count as breakfast.” A brunette woman quips, sipping on her own coffee.

Kara grabs one of the cups and hands it over to her. “Ignore Nia, she’s just mad because I forgot to ask for an extra pump of vanilla in her latte.”

Nia scowls but meanders over to them. “I guess I should have known better, I had a dream about bad coffee last night so I should have known to stop and get it myself.”

Kara shakes her head at her. “You can be really insufferable, you know that?”

“It’s what I strive to be.” Nia hits Kara with the most earnest look she’s ever seen the younger woman wear and then she focuses on Lena. “Hey, so you must be Lena. I’m Nia, AKA Dreamer.”

Lena can’t help but stand there slack jawed for a few minutes, her mind not fully comprehending the fact that she is standing in a room with a bunch of superheroes, superheroes that she is now going to be working with. She snaps herself out of it just enough to reply, “That’s me, it’s lovely to meet you, I’ve read some articles on the work of Dreamer and I have to say that I’m very impressed.”

And it’s in that instant that Nia becomes utterly obsessed with her, declaring that Lena is her favourite member of the Superfriends. “Ok, so we’re like best friends now and we both agree that you like me better than Kara. Supergirl is boring anyway.”

Lena looks around for help as Nia tries to drag her away and locks eyes with an amused looking Kara so she mouths at her to help her and luckily she does, just not before waiting long enough that she thought she was going to leave her to be kidnapped by an overexcited alien.

“Nia, let her go. There’s some stuff I need to go over with her before she can be released into the wilderness so you can have her then.”

Nia just frowns. “See, this is why I’m better than Kara. She’s going to make you do boring paperwork now.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Lena half nods, willing herself to walk back to Kara at a regular speed instead of sprinting like she wants to do.

Her heels clack against the wooden floorboards as she moves back over to Kara, whose attention is split between her and the box of donuts on the table.

She kind of regrets wearing heels and dress pants with a nice shirt, still slightly wrinkled but not noticeable unless you’re looking for it, because while everyone else is dressed nicely, they’ve all gone for a much more casual look.

Checking over her shoulder to make sure that Nia has gone, which thankfully she has, she places herself next to Kara. “Thanks for the rescue.”

“No problem. Nia’s a sweetheart but she’s also a bit of an overexcited puppy at times so it can be overwhelming if you’re not used to it.” Kara shrugs, grabbing the box and lifting the lid to offer one to Lena, which she accepts more out of nerves and because it will give her something to do with her hands, than because she’s actually hungry, although the nasty cheap cereal has long since moved its way through her.

Lena chuckles a little. “She’s a sweetheart that just insulted you…twice.”

“She didn’t tell you that when we started working together she followed me around like a lost puppy for three weeks straight because she couldn’t believe that I’m actually Supergirl. You’ll probably have her attached to your hip for a couple of weeks and then it will die down a little.”

A giggle builds up in her throat that forces its way out. Her cheeks flush because she literally never giggles but she isn’t too upset because it seems to have made Kara smile and her smile is blinding.

Her next sentence is cut off by one of the side doors slamming open and a loud voice cutting across the open space.

“Hey Luthor, I have some questions for you.” Alex strides over, her back straight and shoulders squared.

“Alex do you really have to-“ Kara tries to intervene but Alex isn’t having it.

“You listed your address wrong.” Alex slams a piece of paper down onto the table and Lena quickly recognises it as the form she filled in with all of her details on it.

Lena rereads the section where she wrote her new address with her neatly printed handwriting. “No, that’s right.”

She knows what’s happening. They don’t believe that she would live in such a bad part of town, especially with her family’s wealth, and now she’s going to have to explain to the people she’s working for that she doesn’t have a whole lot of money to her name and that she’s practically broke.

Alex’s eyebrows scrunch together, clearly not believing her. “I told you this was a bad idea, Kara, she’s already lying to us.”

“I’m not lying and I can prove it. I’ll take you there and show you that my key fits in the door if that’s what it takes.” The suggestion falls from her lips before she can fully think it through, so desperate to prove to them that she is actually a good person and that she isn’t lying that she just offered to expose her financial situation to them when as of yet, they don’t really need to know.

Alex and Kara share a look. “That’s really not necessary, Lena. Alex is being too-“

“That would be great, let’s go. I’ll drive.” Alex is already heading for the elevator and Lena starts to shuffle behind her.

Kara stops her with a hand on her arm. “You really don’t have to.”

“It’s probably easier this way. She might hate me a little less if she sees that I have nothing to hide. Would you mind coming too, I hate to admit it but she does scare me a little bit?” Lena keeps her voice low as she talks to Kara, not wanting Alex to overhear.

There wasn’t much point in her asking Kara to come since she was already walking right next to her but she felt the need to ask anyway.

“Of course, I will.” Kara falls into step with her as they head for the elevator, where Alex is standing with her arms crossed and her foot tapping impatiently.

Alex doesn’t spare either of them a sideward glance, just keeps her eyes trained forward until they are back in the lower office and on their way out of the building. “I parked up the street.”

They trot their way up to the black SUV and all jump in, Kara offers her the passenger seat but she really doesn’t want to be that close to Alex right now, she wasn’t lying when she said that she’s a little but scared of her.

Kara hums along the radio as they drive but there is no talking, just a completely silent trip and it does nothing but exacerbate Lena’s nerves and dread. She’s really about to show Supergirl and a scary red head her sad mattress, pile of books and suitcases of clothes because that’s all there is to find in her place. At least it means that if Alex insists on searching the place it won’t take long.

Alex has to park a couple of blocks away so Lena leads the way this time, Kara half a step behind her and Alex a couple of strides behind.

Lena notices the look that Kara and Alex share as she open the door to a rundown old apartment building and tries to bury down the shame she feels. She knows she shouldn’t be ashamed of this place, this is her building a new life for herself and she should be damn proud of that, it’s hard to feel that way when she sees the judgement of Supergirl herself though.

She takes them further into the building until they are outside her door and slips the key into the lock. “This is me.”

The door unlocks and she opens it a crack to show that the key works, not opening it fully so they can’t see inside.

“Not going to invite us in?” Alex asks, jaw tight.

Kara shakes her head at her sister, sensing that they are really pushing Lena and she doesn’t think she can take much more.

Lena just lifts her head higher and pushes her feelings down, opening the door fully and stepping inside. “If you must. I don’t know what you’re expecting to find, like I said before, I just moved here from Metropolis.”

Kara closes the door behind them as her eyes scan across the room. “You live here?”

“I do. As you can imagine, you don’t walk away from a family like the Luthors and come away with a whole lot, so you’ll have to forgive me for not living in some huge, haunted mansion somewhere like I’m sure you were expecting.” Lena directs her words to Alex, struggling to keep the ice out of her tone and failing.

Alex barely registers it, too busy taking in the tiny apartment and feeling guilty for her attitude to Lena, who is obviously just trying to get by. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.”

“I know you didn’t but I also shouldn’t have had to bring you into my apartment for you to treat me like a human being.” Lena’s voice wobbles but she refuses to cry in front of these people, especially Alex, even though she can feel it building up.

“No, you shouldn’t have.” Kara is by her side in an instant, a soothing hand on her arm. “Is there anything we can help with?”

Lena shakes her head. She doesn’t want charity. “I’ll figure it out on my own. It’s easier now I have a job, I’ll be able to get myself some furniture and things when I get my paycheques. I’ll be fine. I’m mostly just looking forward to getting an iron, I hate wearing wrinkly clothes.” She tries to end her sentence on a positive note but can tell that it doesn’t really hit its mark.

“Let us help, I want to.” Kara insists. “I have a spare clothes rail in a closet in my place, it’s a little wobbly but it should make your clothes less wrinkly than being in a suitcase.”

All of Lena’s energy at this point is being pushed towards getting her eyes to cooperate and not leak everywhere. “That- that would be great. Thank you, Kara.”

Alex trains her eyes on the floor, not standing to look at Lena’s quivering lips as she fights back tears. She really messed up this time. “I can help too.”

“No thank you.” Lena wipes away a stray tear that has forced its way free.

“Please, I need to make it up to you and it’s the right thing to do anyway. I have a spare room in my place that I’ve been meaning to turn into an office for months. I was going to donate the furniture in there but you’re welcome to have it, it would actually be giving me a kick up the behind to actually renovate it like I keep meaning to.” Ale rambles out, looking to Kara to help her out.

Lena and Kara make eye contact for a second and when Kara nods, Lena knows that she should swallow her pride and accept it. She can’t hold this against Alex, they have to work together and it would be super awkward if she does. “Ok.”

“Good, let’s go get it.” Alex smiles.

“Actually, I should get back to The Tower. I should really start working and not disappear on my first day.” Lena really just wants to get into that lab and find something to tinker with to get her mind off of this for a while.

Alex nods. “We can do it after work then, that’s no problem. Do you mind if I use your bathroom before we head out though?”

“Go for it.” Lena points to the bathroom, which she didn’t really need to do since it’s the only other door aside from the front door in the place.

“Since you’re already waiting on her anyway, I’m just going to pop out for a few minutes and then I’ll be back.” Kara announces and then Lena gets to see a wonderous sight, she watches as Kara, Supergirl, rips open her shirt in an overdramatic fashion to reveal that glyph that has driven her family mad for so long.

She drinks in the sight with eager eyes, and keeps her eyes pinned on Kara until she is through the window and has taken off into the sky, her clothes left in a messy pile of the floor.

“Show off.” Lena whispers out to nobody in particular.

With Alex in the other room and Kara gone somewhere she didn’t disclose, Lena doesn’t know what to do with herself so she just perches on the edge of her mattress, glad that she made her bed this morning, if only to save what little face she can.

She thinks about the offer she’s gotten from Alex to have her spare furniture and tries to imagine what this place will look like when it doesn’t look so empty. She’s guessing that it will all be bedroom furniture since it’s from Alex’s guest room and it will probably fill out the entire space here because it’s so small.

Who knows though, maybe when she starts getting paid regularly she can move somewhere bigger where she can have a living room too, maybe even a home office again, that would be cool.

“Are you ok?”

Alex’s voice cuts through Lena’s daydream, making her visibly flinch. “You’re quiet.”

“Sorry, ex government agent, it’s hard to lose the habit.” Alex explains, leaning against the wall next to the bathroom door.

Lena just shakes her head. “Don’t try to, I imagine it still comes in handy from time to time.”

Alex smiles at that, and Lena is fairly certain that it’s the first genuine smile she’s seen on the grumpy woman’s face.

“It does.” Alex falls quiet for a moment after that before she speaks again. “I just want to say sorry again for forcing my way in here but I’m not going to apologize for not trusting you. I have to keep my sister safe, she may be invincible most of the time but everyone has weaknesses and I will do my darndest to keep her from being exposed to any of those weaknesses.”

Lena looks her over for a few seconds before nodding in approval. “I wish I had a sibling like you, I probably would have turned out better, but I suppose anyone other than Lex would have been better.”

She pushes herself back up to her feet and presses out her pants legs, something that Alex notices and pins back to her earlier statement. “I just want you to know that when we offer help, it doesn’t come with strings attached so you don’t have to be afraid to accept. If you want to borrow my iron then that’s totally fine.”

“No need.” Kara singsongs as she sails back in through the door with a trash bag slung over her shoulder like the Kryptonian version of Santa Claus, a gym bag slung over her other shoulder. “I brought mine, there’s no point in hanging up your clothes if they aren’t already ironed.”

She deposits everything into a pile on the floor then opens the gym bag and starts to empty it out. “Here is my iron, I only did laundry a couple of days ago so as long as you get it back to me before the end of the week then we’re good.”

She hands the iron to Lena with a grin. “As you can see, I also got the clothes rail and some hangers so you can iron your clothes and then hang them straight up. I already told you that it’s wobbly but if you fold up some paper and put it under the back left hand corner it tends to hold steady.”

With her superspeed Kara sets up the rail, which is dismantled since it has been sitting in her closet. Out of the bag she pulls a couple dozen hangers and hooks them onto the rail.

“I may have also grabbed a couple more things while I was home, I hope you don’t mind.” Kara hesitates with her hand in the trash bag now, not sure what Lena’s reaction will be.

Lena’s eyes flit between the rail, the bag and Kara, not used to relying on other people for such basic things as having somewhere to hang her clothes. “I couldn’t possibly accept more, you’ve already done so much.”

“Nonsense.” Kara declares as she exposes something that she brought along, well two things. “You can fill a place with furniture but it isn’t the furniture that makes it a home.”

Lena’s eyes gloss over once again when she sees what she’s being offered. Instead of words she just reaches her arms out to take the items.

The first is a teddy bear, light brown with a soft smile stitched on its face beneath two glass eyes, the second is a painting, a concoction of colours that have been arranged to create a magnificent art piece that mirrors the bright colours of a universe far away, stars littering the background to remind her of how much life there is that she doesn’t even think about because she can’t see it.

“Kara, this is…” She clings the bear to her chest. “Thank you, really, thank you.”

“It’s easy to feel alone when you’re in a new place and relearning how to live, I’ve been there and I got through it with a little help. There was always times when I wanted to be alone but felt lonely when I was, that teddy bear help me a lot, I called him Teddy Eddie, unfortunately he has been sat alone on a shelf for far too long and I think it’s time for him to help someone else.”

Lena looks down at Teddy Eddie with a soft smile and swipes away a stray tear. “Thank you, Kara. I’ll be sure to take good care of him.”

Alex nudges her shoulder. “That bear gives great hugs, he’s helped out more than just Kara.”

Lena thinks that having a teddy bear is a little childish, her mother had hers destroyed when she was just seven, stating that she was too old for such things, so having a bear now for the first time since then, gifted to her by people looking at her with kind eyes and admitting that they too indulge in cuddling a teddy every now and again is healing in a way she didn’t know she needed.

“And the painting is amazing too, It will really make this place feel more welcoming. I can imagine what you thought when you walked in here and saw this place and I can’t say that it would be good.”

Kara tilts her head. “We aren’t judging, Lena. We get that people struggle and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it boosts our egos to be able to help you out so you’re really doing us a favour by living here.”

“Well, I appreciate it either way. I am hoping that this place will be temporary until I build up my savings and figure out how to handle money. I hate to admit that I don’t know much about budgeting, we always had people for that, so this is a learning curve to say the least.” Lena finds herself being honest, finding the company of the Danvers sisters actually quite therapeutic.

Alex takes the paining from her hand and leans it up against the wall beside the clothes rail. “I’ll grab my tool kit later when we get the furniture so we can hang this. I’m kind of mad you got this one, it’s awesome.”

Lena looks at her confused. “What do you mean by ‘this one’?”

“Oh, I paint from time to time, that one is of the Andromeda galaxy, that’s my galaxy.” I have way too many paintings just scattered around my place so thank you for helping me declutter.” Kara looks at the painting fondly. “It is one of my better ones, I have to say.”

“It’s incredible.” Lena breathes out.

The three come to their senses after that and Alex speaks, fishing her keys out of her pocket. “Right, we should head back to the Tower.”

They head for the door but Kara freezes as she passes by the pile of books. “Oh cool, you have A Little Life. Can I borrow it?”

Seeing the excited look on Kara’s face, she’s pretty sure she’d give into anything this woman wants. “Of course.”

Read chapters 1 and 2 on A03 here

Read 5 more chapters on Patreon here

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