#she offered to make me some digestive tea <3
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guess which lactose intolerant just had brie cheese
#my mother-in-law is almost panicking#she offered to make me some digestive tea <3#my bf is more chill bc he know how i am#but yeah my stomach aches so much#I COULDN'T RESIST OK#my mom-in-law just made fig jam to go with the brie and i HAD TO TASTE IT#i love brie cheese why it hates me :(#alien talks#nonsims
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Superior Specimen - Chapter 8
Summary: One night when you are following the Archaeology tag on instagram you stumbled across a fun looking dig… and an even more interesting Paleontologist who soon follows you back. Over the following weeks you start chatting and a friendship soon grows.
Relationship: AU Henry Cavill x Female Reader (No race or body shape mentioned)
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7
Warnings: Slow Burn, NSFW, 18+, Mutual Masturbation, Phone Sex, Drunken Piggy Back Rides, Oral Sex (Female Recieving), Drama, Theft, Amateur Heroics, Hospital Visit, Shower Sex, Oral Sex (Male Receiving), Blow Job, Fingering, Lavish lifestyle, Henry is loaded, The Shard, Expensive Gifts, Sixty nine, Unprotected Sex, Multiple Orgasms, Public Sex, Exhibitionism, Angst, Argument, Jealousy, Talk of car crashes, heroics, rough sex, use of safe words, Anal play,
I do not operate a tag list, but please follow @angryschnauzerwrites and put that blog onto notifications, as you will then be notified whenever i post something new.
I don’t have a masterlist, but all my works are on AO3, link here.
Usually i post oneshots to Tumblr and AO3, and multichapters exclusively to AO3, but as this is my first henry story and its going to be a short series, i’ll post to both places.
Chapter 8
On the tube an old woman had offered you a tissue and had whispered quietly;
“He’s not worth crying over my dear”
You swallowed and smiled weakly at her;
“Unfortunately he was… he was just an idiot too”
“They all are my dear, they all are”
She got off at the next stop, giving you a pat on the arm before leaving the carriage, leaving you ride the rest of the way to Fulham Broadway on your own.
You were on autopilot when you arrived, walking through the small shopping mall that had grown around the tube station, grabbing a pair of overpriced knock-off designer sunglasses from the concession stand to hide your puffy and red eyes, swollen from crying. As you stood in the crowd at the lights to cross the road, a stream of Ambulances and Police cars screamed past, lights and sirens blasting, but it was London, every day there was a crisis or accident and you were used to them.
The walk to your flat was quick, just a few roads from the tube, and you were thankful you’d brought your small clutch bag from the hotel room that had your phone, wallet, and keys in. Once inside you pulled off your clothing, everything Henry had bought for you, tossing it into a heap on the floor before you climbed into bed and curled into a ball, sobbing into the pillow.
-
You woke to the sound of a metal on plastic crunch from the street outside, familiar with the sound and you knew it was vehicle vs wheelie bin, an all too familiar occurrence when collection day was on a Friday and people went out that night, so the street would still be littered with bins the following day. Staring up at the ceiling you heard the doorbell ring, glaring at the ceiling but refusing to move. You didn’t care if your bin that had ended up a casualty of a car not looking where it was going, so when the bell finally timed out you closed your eyes… only to be rudely disturbed by a loud knocking on the door a minute later, a muffled voice from the other side;
“Princess… it’s me; Henry… please, just tell me you’re ok… I’ve got to know you’re ok…”
You could feel your emotions rising within you; a heat, an anger, and as the knocking continued you grabbed the dressing gown hanging on the back of the door and was still tying it as you pulled the door open, but surprised to see state of Henry, his clothes a mess and his face blotchy;
“What the hell happe…”
Your words were cut short as he pulled you into his arms, hugging you tight;
“You’re alright… my god, you’re ok…”
“Henry, what is going on?”
He let you go and started pacing;
“I was an ass, I didn’t follow you, I was stupid… I tried calling you but you never picked up…”
“I had it on silent… I didn’t want anyone to disturb our date”
“And then the accident, I’d gone back to the hotel, I knew it was the closest tube to where we were...”
“Accident?”
“There was an accident, on the road outside the London Bridge Tube, a bus and council truck collided and ran into the queue… I stayed and helped the emergency services; I was trying to find you… but you weren’t there…”
Your hand was over your mouth, tears pooling on your lashes as you looked at him, and realised he cared so much for you that he had literally pulled people out of the wreckage of an major accident because he thought he had lost you. Wrapping your arms around his shoulders you cradled the back of his head as he slumped to the floor, sobbing into your shoulder and the softness of your dressing gown.
Finally he pulled his head back, a weak smile on his face as he looked into your eyes, and you saw a different Henry, one that was fragile, one that needed you as much as you needed him.
“C’mon, let me put the kettle on”
-
Sipping on sweet tea as you both sat at the kitchen table, dunking Digestive biscuits in the deep brown steaming mugs, you looked him up and down;
“You are a mess”
He glanced down and realised his shirt and jeans were covered in dirt, grime, and in some places blood;
“You’re right” he paused before looking back to you; “Look, I’ve got a suggestion… pack a bag. Comfy clothing, overnight things. We’ll head back to the hotel and collect our things, then head back to my place. I’ll cook dinner and we can talk… ask all those things we’ve both wanted to ask since we met, yeah?”
He looked at you like a hopeful puppy, his deep blue eyes watery where he feared you would say no, but as you nodded he let out the breath he had been holding, and a genuine smile spread over his face.
-
Henry opened the door to his place and stepped aside, letting you enter and look around as he shut the door, resting all the bags from the hotel room on the shiny white tiles that covered the floor.
“This is your place?”
“It’s home for the next few months” he shut the door and wrapped his arm around you; “I gave up on having a permanent place about five years ago. I would always come back to a dust filled nightmare and a fridge that was a biohazard. I keep a PO box for any mail and a storage unit for my things that I don’t need when I’m away”
You looked at him;
“It sounds very… lonely…”
He paused, considering your words;
“I’ve never thought about it that way… but, you’re right” he wrapped his arms around you, his gaze intense; “I’m sorry I over-reacted earlier… about your flatmate. I was just… I don’t know, so focused I guess on this amazing thing we have now, and what we were talking about last night… how those I fall for push me away when I have to leave… I could only think ‘this guy will be around when I’m not’...”
You reached up and cupped his cheek with your hand, realising in that moment that for all the bravado and confidence, beneath that Henry was just like you, like anyone else, and feared losing those he cared for;
“I would wait… I will wait…”
You pressed a kiss to his lips, and the pair of you just held each other for the longest time, before he pulled away;
“What kind of host am I? I haven’t even offered you a cup of tea!”
Laughing you followed him into the kitchen, looking around at the sparse worktops, all the cupboards pristine white. Even the appliances were just plain brushed aluminium. As the kettle bubbled away you pushed yourself up onto the central island, sitting on the marble countertop as you watched Henry move around the kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out the carton of milk, sniffing it and cringing;
“Okay, tea may be off the menu… the milk’s off”
Pausing he opened the cupboard, shoulders slumping when he saw the empty tea caddy;
“No tea either…”
Leaning back you pulled your phone from your pocket and opened google maps;
“This is Warwick Square, right?”
“Yes”
You pinched the screen and zoomed out, jumping off the counter;
“C’mon, there’s a Tesco Express just around the corner”
-
Walking hand in hand around Pimlico with Henry, it dawned on you that you had never visited this part of London, the sights and sounds much like most of the city, but where each little borough had its own character. Once you reached the supermarket he grabbed a basket and picked up the few things he needed, before his hand hovered over the selection of biscuits;
“Ok, make or break time to find out if we are truly compatible” his voice had an element of mischief in it as he spoke; “Milk or Dark Chocolate Digestives?”
You looked at the selection before you set your hand down on the bright blue packet;
“Trick question, we both know the true answer is Milk Chocolate Hobnobs”
He laughed as you dropped the packet into the basket, wrapping his massive arm around your shoulders and pulling you into his chest;
“I knew there was a reason I loved you” he turned to the row of refrigerators on the other side of the isle, unaware of what he’d said, and how your eyes were a little wider as you took in his admission; “Shall I make some burnt offerings for you tonight? I have somewhat limited culinary skills, but I can rustle up something with meat or fish…”
Nodding you were still a little stunned, finally finding your voice;
“Yeah, I’ll eat anything”
He cocked an eyebrow and you playfully batted at his arm;
“Oh shut up” you laughed
-
Dinner had been nice. An easy dish of roasted pork, Henry had thrown in some potatoes and had let them roast with alongside, and a simple salad. The one thing he did have readily stocked in his place was alcohol, and between the two of you an entire bottle of vintage Pinot Noir had been sunk over the course of dinner, and as you watched him stack the dishwasher you spread out on the massive white sofa that dominated the open plan space. You couldn’t help yourself but you popped the button of your jeans, letting out a sigh of relief.
Checking your phone you reopened your roommates’ email and read it again, before hitting reply. You knew deep down you wouldn’t be able to get a mortgage, but asked that you be kept in the loop and would start looking for another place come Monday. Having hit send you saw another email, this time from your Manager, requesting that you attend a review on Monday morning;
“Huh, so much for giving me a week off” you muttered to yourself, before looking up and seeing Henry approaching you, two full glasses of red wind in hand.
“Everything ok?”
Taking the glass you smiled;
“Yeah, work want me to go in for a review on Monday morning”
“Did they say what it was about?”
“No, but I’m guessing ‘playing heroics and injuring yourself on the job isn’t in your job description, please don’t sue us’ is probably on the agenda”
Settling next to you he rested a hand on your thigh, giving it a squeeze;
“I’m sure you’re right” he sipped at the wine before setting it on the small table at the side; “Hey I meant to ask, does your roommate have an Instagram account or Facebook page?”
“Yeah, I’ll pull it up. Its where he’s trying to do more serious photography”
He nodded and tapped at his phone for a few seconds before setting it aside, raising his glass again and clinking it against yours;
“Cheers”
-
By the time the last dregs of the 2nd bottle of wine were drained from your glasses you were drunk as skunks and just an amorous. You were draped over Henry’s lap, his hand was attempting to sneak under your t-shirt as you curled one hand in his hair, wrapping a deep brown strand around your finger as you kissed him lazily. When his hand finally found your breast you moaned at his touch, his lips brushing against your neck;
“I think we should take this to the bedroom”
You giggled;
“With the amount of wine we’ve had? Can you still get it up?”
He pushed his crotch up against you;
“Princess I’m already ‘up’, now I need to be in, and I don’t care which hole, I just want to feel you around my dick as we have some nasty drunk sex”
You attempted to slide off his lap and land on your feet, but what really happened was you tumbled into a heap on the soft white rug, one leg still on the sofa as the other hit the coffee table and your ass in the air;
“Help!” you cried out, giggling as Henry stood and swayed, before wrapping his arm around your waist and carrying you under his arm to the bedroom like a misbehaving poodle in Harrods.
He dropped you onto the bed and in the light from the lounge you watched as he yanked his t-shirt over his head, and started to unfasten his jeans, letting out a sigh of relief when the massive bulge in his boxers was allowed more room to grow. With a growl be bent over you and pulled your jeans down your legs, your panties following suit, before flipping you over so you were on your front. He went to reach for your ass but had forgotten his jeans were still around his thighs, and he proceeded to trip-tumble onto the bed beside you. You couldn’t help but to giggle into the soft duvet, and it earned you a single spank on your ass that make you squeal.
Rolling onto your back you looked at Henry as he huffed and puffed to take his jeans and boxers off, and you spread your legs as your hands strayed to your pussy;
“Are you doing to fuck me, or shall I just get myself started?” you said with more sass than needed, but it earned you a low groan and you could have sworn you heard seams ripping as he finally rid himself of his clothes.
“Cheeky wench!” Henry pounced on you, pulling your top over your head before fumbling with your bra, finally getting you out of it as he flung it across the room and you heard it hit something in the darkness; “I’ll show you, gonna fuck you so good you’ll have to sit on a cushion when you go into work on Monday”
He flipped you over and pulled your ass up, and you instinctively arched your back and bared yourself to him, prone and ready, begging for attention. You felt his hands smooth over your ass before dipping between your legs;
“Already so wet for me, you need me to fuck this cunt Princess? Fill you up with my cum? Or should I cum over your beautiful tits, so you can watch me as I spray my load on you, huh?”
He slid two fingers into your soaked hole, stretching you as his thumb found your clit and he rubbed harshly at it, the wine making him lose his finesse but up his pressure. When he pulled his fingers out you let out a needy whine, only to feel him press his dick against you, rutting into your crease and smearing your juices over himself.
The friction was delicious, and you found yourself pressing back and eager for more, earning a low chuckle to rumble up from Henry’s chest;
“You like that Princess? Like me rubbing my dick against your asshole?”
“Oh fuck… fuck… more…”
You felt him spit on your ass as he lowered his dick and slowly but firmly filled your pussy. As you were getting used to be filled so deep you felt his thumb press against your asshole;
“NERD!”
Suddenly Henry stopped;
“Princess?”
You turned, looking over your shoulder;
“Look Hen, I may be up for some anal play, but lube… you gotta use lube…”
You saw him look back and forth between your ass and his bedside drawers, as if trying to work out whether to forget the ass play and just fuck your pussy, or to give up your pussy for just a few seconds and get the lube. In the end the lube won, and he quickly slid out of you, leaning across the bed and yanking the drawer open, before pulling out a small bottle of Durex Lube. You saw it and grinned;
“Ooh nice one. Make sure there’s enough for a tit-wank in the morning”
Henry paused and looked at you, and you could almost see his brain short circuiting at what you’d said as it fought through the wine haze;
“Fuck, if I didn’t want to fuck you doggy style quite so much I’d say let’s do that now…”
He settled behind you and rammed his dick straight back into you, making you squeal as he filled you. You heard the quiet squeeze of the pump on the bottle before the cool gel fell on the crease of your ass and his fingers started to massage against your back door. He ran his finger around and around your brown rose, and you could feel yourself relaxing and trying to push back to get him to go further, making you whine;
“Please Hen… do something…”
He ran his thumb over your asshole and rested it on it before finally pushing in, holding the digit inside just up to the first knuckle, and that’s when he started to move in your pussy.
“So. Fucking. Good. My dirty little Princess…”
You whined for more, for him to go harder, deeper, and he did so with glee;
“You want more? Fuck yes, take my dick, can feel your insides parting for me, you like my thumb in your ass? Like being double stuffed?”
“Fuck…” your head was swimming, your chest resting against the bed as you snuck your hand between your legs and started to strum at your clit, urging your orgasm on as Henry turned into a feral beast behind you, fucking you raw and dirty, you pushing back for each thrust to feel him deeper and split you wider.
Your orgasm happened without warning, screaming out his name as you came so hard he was sure if he hadn’t pulled his thumb out your muscles would have broken the bones in it. Your knees gave way and you slumped down onto the bed, Henry still deep inside you, fucking you as you lay spent on the bed;
“So close… almost there…
“Cum on my ass Hen…” you muttered as he railed into you, and you heard a groan as he pulled out of you, seconds later the splash of his hot seed landing on your naked ass, back and thighs.
For a moment everything went quiet before you felt him wiping his cum from you, and he moved you in the bed until you were curled up in his arms, the little spoon to his big;
“You’re fucking amazing Princess, I fucking love you so much” he slurred, before the two of you feel asleep in drunken stupors.
Chapter 9 >>>
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Character: Shinsou Hitoshi
Them helping you w/ your nightmares
Warnings: Just fluff, slight mention of suicide.
(This is part of a short story series with other MHA characters)
-
They would come sporadically, the nightmares you mean. The first occurrence came to you at the dead of night when everyone in the city was sound asleep. They occurred shortly after your little run in with the most wanted villain, who so happened to have cornered you in a narrow alleyway. Thankfully Shinsou was there to rescue you, a coincidence you were both grateful for. He was kind enough to walk you home, saying his intuition was off the charts and wanted to keep you safe. Once you got home, it was difficult to erase the recent event from your memory. Just even closing your eyes, their dismantled face kept appearing every time you blinked. Haunting scenerios involving them chasing you around the city till your lungs gave out. Thankfully the nightmares cut short to the loud beeps emiting from your alarm clock. It got so bad you woke up drenched in sweat. It was a never ending cycle that lasted for a week. That was until, Shinsou Hitoshi. Later that initial week, you ran into him while he was on night patrol.
“Do you need me to walk you home again Y/N?” Shinsou politely asked, noticing how white your knuckles got due to clutching so hard on your bag.
You waved your hands frantically dismissing his offering. “No no no Shinsou I’m completely fine with walking home by myself!”
He ponders for a moment, almost as if he doubted the mask you put on. Without thinking much of it, Shinsou grabbed your wrist and carried onward to the direction of your house. You didn’t protest or even try to pry your wrist from his grasp.
Both of you reached the steps to your house. A wave of sadness washed over you. You’d have to eventually go to bed for work tomorrow. You solemnly reached for your keys that were submerged in your bag, and unlocked your front door. Shinsou bid a farewell and started making his way down your steps. You cracked opened your door but stopped yourself from stepping over the threshold. You looked over your shoulder and saw that Shinsou was halfway down the steps. Internally you fought about wether or not this would be a god idea, more so if would ever agree to doing it. You only knew Shinsou through casual encounters on his late night patrols. You two weren’t close enough to even be labeled as acquaintances. But you would only be asking for just one night.
“Hey, Shinsou?” His name coming from your lips made him immediately stop in his tracks. “If it’s not too much to ask, can you spend the night here? I’m still a little shaken up from last week.”
He was stunned for a second at your request, but brushed away any signs of hesitation to your answer. “Of course Y/N,” he grinned.
Feeling as though you overstepped your boundaries, you decided to make both you and Shinsou some tea. This tea in particular is marketed specifically for helping those with insomnia, but you bought it anyway in hopes it’ll help with the nightmares. You also had a feeling Shinsou wasn’t getting much shut eye either. The bags under his eyes were very prominent and an everyday look to him. Knowing how little to none you know about Shinsou, you didn’t ask him about his inconsistent sleep schedule.
The rest of the night consisted of you and Shinsou getting to know each other, being said that he’ll probably be keeping an eye on you from now on. You eventually learn that he graduated from UA 3 years ago and started his own agency from scratch. Oh, and he also has a strange obsession with cats. While sipping your tea, Shinsou took this as an opportunity to analyze your current appearance. You wore the same tired expression as he did, but it suited you more than him really. Then he remembers all those times he’d seen you rushing quickly through the empty streets of the city, glancing behind your back almost as if you were expecting someone to jump you. It clicked instantly that you were probably experiencing horrible nightmares or worse insomia. Now he’s seated comfortably on your coach, watching you fall in and out of sleep. The sight saddened him. He put his cup of tea down on the coffee table and carefully placed his hand onto yours.
“You should rest Y/N. I’ll stay up and make sure nothing happens throughout the night,” he said softly. Concern was etched on his face.
You nodded your head and got up from where you were sitting at. However, you stood up too quickly not letting your nerves fully function yet. You leaned to the side, preparing to hit flat on your hardwood floor. Shinsou instinctively reached out and protected your body from hitting the floor. Surprisingly, you were knocked out in his arms already before he could say anything. It struck past midnight he noted, so he lifted your body into a bridal position and carried you to your bedroom. He tried not to bang your head against the door frame when entering the room. Before he placed you onto your bed, he scanned the dimly lit room. Every inch of your room there was a cute succulent plant occupying an empty space. Posters of all sorts of heroes covered up most of your walls. He smirked to himself seeing an old classmate of his, Midoriya Izuku. Better known as Deku, the number one hero in the charts currently. Shinsou reaches your bed and carefully lays your body down on the comfortable surface. He covered you with every blanket he could find in your room and then tucked you in as such. Seeing you in such a vulnerable state made him want to stay and protect you here instead of keeping watch outside, but being a pro hero he had to put aside his selfish tendencies. Bidding a soft kiss to your forehead, Shinsou left you to your slumber.
Later that night, Shinsou entertained himself by reading the magazines from your coffee table. Each one from the same company, Heroes Digest. He neve r really understood the hype about these magazines. Mostly because they only showcase the top ten heroes, but mainly the ones who are attractive enough for a full page. Shinsou was on his 5th magazine when he heard a sound of distress coming from your room. Due to his heroic instincts, he came to a worse case scenario. She’s probably being kidnapped right now! Shinsou disregarded the magazine and ran over to your bedroom. He opened the door to a horrible sight. You were currently tossing and turning in your bed, clearly in distress. All the pillows that were once on your bed are now scattered at the foot of your bed. Without the protection of your blankets, he can now see a great amount of sweat on the surface of your body. A loud croak of a screech slipped from your mouth, causing Shinsou to wince a little. He’s had countless nightmares before, but he’s never seen someone experience one this intensely. Your soft cries convinced him to move forward. Even though you two haven’t established a proper friendship yet, Shinsou slipped between the only then sheet on the bed, careful not to touch you. His breathing hitched once he heard your voice.
“P-Please don’t hurt m-me!” You wallowed in agony. The villains face appeared again. Every scar and disfigurement painfully engraved on their skin. Quite deja vu really. Your back hitting the cold surface of the brick wall, the familiar stench of something decomposing, and nothing but darkness laid behind the villain. Their hands reached out to you, closing their grip around your throat. They erupted into fits of laughter seeing you turn a deathly shade of blue. “Stop I-I can’t b-breathe!” You tried to gasp for more air, but alas, the villains tight grip restricted it. You felt your body slowly collapsing at their hold, going limp from down below. One more try at surviving, you tried to pry their hands away from your esophagus, digging your nails deep into their flesh. The villain winced at the contact, but it only made their grip on you much tighter. Suddenly, multiple strips of cloth wrapped around the hands of the purpertraitor. With much desired force, the villain was flung straight into the brick wall behind them. You slid down the wall abruptly on your bum. You looked across and saw that the villain laid unconscious, now with their hands tied to a knot by the mysterious cloth. By taking a moment to process what just happened, you now recognized whose those belong to. Shinsou emerged from the darkness, strutting in like a knight in shinning armor. A glint of rage flickered across his face when he glared at the unconscious body of the villain. But then his whole exterior softened when he turned his body to you. He knelt down and extended his hand towards you.
“You can wake up now Y/N.” His hoarse voice sliced the silence atmosphere.
“What-“
You woke up in a fit of heavy breathing. A pool of sweat dripping was down from your forehead. You had to blink a couple of times for your eyes to adjust to the different environment. Right, your room. You never left it during the night. The nightmare happened once again, however, Shinsou made an appearance this time. The thought of him made you want to get up from bed and check on him. It’s been several hours since he left you to your slumber. Your body stiffened to the feeling of a hand hovering your lower abdomen. The hand gave light feather touches on your exposed stomach, bunching up your loose fitted shirt higher. Another limb, a leg, was crossed over yours, encasing you into a warm hug. Apparently the person was breathing as heavy as you, heartbeats in complete unison.
“Good...you’re awake,” The husky voice matched to the hero who was currently on watch mode over you. Limps tangled in a mess, Shinsou nudged you to turn over and face him. You obliged and rolled onto your side, getting a good look at your savior. Savior meaning him not knowing he saved you once again from the villain in your nightmare.
What you weren’t expecting was for Shinsou to look absolutely breathtaking. The illumination from the moonlight that seeped from the window contrasted beautifully against his pale complexion. His purple hair was messier than usual, but something about the way his hair being tousled like that erupted a warm feeling in your stomach. Even the bags that slept under his eyes looked painted on from an artist’s hand were magnificent. Holding him tightly seemed more important than getting your daily sleep for tomorrow.
“Shinsou, you saved me. In my nightmare I mean. How did you-“ you were cut off by Shinsou pressing his delicate finger to your lips. Staring at nothing but your widen eyes, he closed the space by resting his forehead against yours. You relished at the wholesome gesture, not wanting him to put any distance between you two.
“The villain is notoriously known to have a quirk that lets them slip past through your consciousness while still having their counter part in reality. They just so happen to have imprinted themselves onto you that one night in the alley way, making it easier for them to appear in your dreams. So, I tried to use my quirk to my fullest ability to stop him from killing you,” Shinsou paused to move the hair from your eyes, as if he’s done this a million times before. “They terrioze their victim to the point of exhaustion, inevitably leading them to suicide...”
Knowing if Shinsou wasn’t there at the exact moment, you probably would be causing harm to yourself by now. The thought made you shiver.
“But how did you know that’s what was happening to me?”
Shinsou’s face flushed instanously at your inquiry.
“I-I...I’ve been watching you for some time. When you ‘d be walking home from work I’ve noticed that you’ve been on edge since the incident. Even hours ago when I walked you home, you just looked like you haven’t gotten sleep since.” He broke off his gaze at you and tried focus more on the poster by the door. “Not to sound like a creep...was only doing a heroes duty,” he reasoned pathetically.
When you didn’t say anything for awhile, Shinsou took it as a sign you probably made him out to be a sleazy stalker. He untangled himself from your body and got up from his position on your bed. He was at the edge getting ready to leave when you suddenly caught him by his forearm. Both of you locked eyes during that moment, really taking in the changed atmosphere. Shinsou loved the feeling of your warm hand, considering he’s been the one touching you. It was a nice change for once. A change he wants to experience over and over again to infinity.
“Thank you Shinsou-san. You truly are my hero,” you gushed out loud, pulling him slightly back his previous position. He laid back down to his side, resting his palm against his cheek.
“Do you need me to leave? I can if you want me to since my work here is-“
It was your turn to disrupt his sentence. Shinsou felt a plump pair of lips pressing softly against his. The kiss only lasted for a few seconds, but it felt like a lifetime to Shinsou. A whine left his lips when he didn’t feel your mouth anymore.
“Please stay Shinsou.”
Those are words he needed to hear from you in order for him to place another longing kiss on your mouth. He lets go to nuzzle his head onto your shoulder, tickling you with his puffy hair.
“Don’t worry, I’m not leaving anytime soon kitten.”
-
#shinsou x y/n#shinsou hitoshi#shinsoubnha#shinsou x reader#shinsou imagine#shinsou x you#my hero imagines#my hero x reader#my hero academy fanfiction#mha fanfiction#mha imagines#my hero academia#boku no hero academia#my hero headcanons#boku no hero headcanons
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With You
Kuroo Tetsuro x f!reader
Summary : Kuroo and her are classmates, but never really talked to each other since he’s a social butterfly while she prefers to do things alone. One day, their teacher assigns both of them to be assignment partners, and they discovered new things about each other.
Genre : slice of life, soft
Notes : Long. Written in 3rd person ‘s POV. Absolutety self-indulgent. Slowburn-ish. Happy ending. Bokuto is adorable.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“For this topic.. Kuroo Testuro and L/N F/N,” the teacher announced before nonchalantly proceeded to name the other pairs. She subconsciously straightened her back, totally not expecting to be paired up with a boy, what more a really famous one. She’s not that interested in sports, but she knew enough that he’s somehow very popular, considering how he’s the captain of Nekoma vc and is very often surrounded by people (mostly girls, but what’s the difference?).
She prefers working alone, and knows that she’s very good at it. But this project… this presentation, will contribute to her getting good grades should she does it well, and she would really like to maintain the ones she had achieved, if not get better ones.
She has to.
After the teacher had finished assigning the topics to all pairs, the teacher had them sit together to start their discussion. From what Y/N knew, Kuroo is good in Science. She had never seen him fail the subject, if that is any indication.
It won’t be too bad, she told herself.
“I’ll be in your care, Kuroo-kun.” she spoke.
“Same goes with me.” he smiled before taking out his textbook to start the discussion. “I don’t think this topic is too difficult to present on, but I do think that we need to look for more examples to make our explanation easier to understand.” he added. She was rather impressed, considering he hadn’t even turned to the page related to said topic.
Both of them immediately set up a schedule for upcoming discussions since he is busy with volleyball practice.
That weekend, he goes to her house to work on the contents of the presentation. He was greeted by a young boy, who welcomed him into the house. The boy brought him to the kitchen, where he saw Y/N cooking, with a pair of twin boys clinging onto her legs.
“I didn’t know you’re a single mother.” he started, couldn’t help himself from doing his habit of teasing people.
“Shut up.” she laughed (which amused him, since he didn’t take her as someone who accepts jokes easily).
“These are my brothers. My parents are out working. Usually mom is at home taking care of these kids, but whenever I can do it, she’ll be at the shop, helping my dad.” she spoke, still busy stirring the food in the pot. “I think you can put your stuff on the couch. I’ll be there in a second.” she continued, somewhat apologetically, since she couldn’t immediately start their discussion. Kuroo sensed it, and quickly replied, “Alright. Tell me if you need a hand, though my assistance does come with a hazard warning.”
He saw her smile again before walking to the living room. He didn’t notice the warmth blooming from somewhere inside his chest.
After making sure her brothers have finished their meal, she rushed to Kuroo with iced peach tea in her hand. “Sorry. I’ll try .” she starts to jot down and rearrange the notes that she had collected through her own research for Kuroo’s opinion. Kuroo looked at her and noticed the conforting smell of homemade oyakodon. He couldn’t help but smile. Though they rarely talked in class, she had always given him this impression that she prefers to be left alone. Who would’ve thought that at home, there are three little gremlins glued to her hips all the time?
After school, both of them stayed in class along with other pairs who seem to be struggling as well. Both Kuroo and Y/N are more exhausted than usual, and Kuroo definitely took back what he said about the topic being easy. Linking the examples with the main points has been proven to be more difficult than they deemed it to be, especially in efforts to make it as simple and as easy to understand as possible. Y/N wanted to ace this assignment, and Kuroo noticed how she was struggling to digest the notes, reading the same page over and over again but to no avail.
“You reeaally want to ace this presentation, don’t you?” he asked.
She rested her head on the table, a few strands of her hair tickling her nose.
“Of course. I need to make sure I maintain impressive grades in my result transcript. Gotta get those scholarships.” Y/N replied, exhaustion could be heard from her voice, probably from taking care of her younger brothers. Funny, Kuroo thinks, that he couldn’t notice this side of her before. Had she been this… at ease before?
“Scholarship?”
Y/N nods. “Yeah. I’m aiming for Tohoku University.” she replied. “It’s not easy to get a scholarship there, but their Natural Science department is top notch and I’d love to study there. Not to mention, if I survived uni, that Tohoku logo would look good on my CV, don’t you think?”
Her head is still on the table, but her eyes are looking somewhere else now, her facial expression clearly shows that she can already visualize that life, that dream.
Kuroo was rather impressed. Tohoku isn’t so easy to get into, it is not a place for everyone, and if anyone wants to earn a scholarship there, they have to work extremely hard (and maybe offer a sacrifice to the gods for good measure).
“That’s pretty amazing,” he commented. “But what about your brothers? Will they be okay? Aren’t you worried? They seem to be really attached to you.”
“I am, but at the same time I want to work hard and secure a good job so that they don’t have to worry much about money, just in case one day they want to apply to any college institution.”
If Kuroo was impressed before, now he has an utmost respect for Y/N.
“Well, it’s just a dream for now, but, just like how your team works hard to win matches, I’m going to work hard to make my dream come true.” Y/N said, patting her cheeks hard, back straightened, tucking those stray hair behind her ears, and re-reading that page, again.
++++
On Friday, surprisingly, Kuroo was suddenly absent without telling Y/N. They were supposed to have another discussion after school, since Kuroo won’t be available that weekend due to volleyball practice (there is an upcoming match with a strong team whose captain is a dorky owl, he said. Not that she understood, but he seemed ecstatic, so she just agreed on the change of plan in the schedule.).
She texted him during recess, but received no reply. He didn’t even read them. Did something happen? It’s not like him to ignore her texts like this. At least, he had never done so before.
Would his teammates know what happened to him?
She stumbled upon a familiar second-year student on her way to the gym hall after school. He had a game console in his hands. If she is not mistaken, she had seen him before, walking with Kuroo.
“Uh, excuse me, sorry.. You’re Kuroo’s friend, aren’t you?” she said.
He looked at her. “And what if I am?”
She gave him a meek smile. Sheesh. What’s with that attitude?
“Do you know where he is? We’re supposed to have a pair discussion today for our assignment, but he’s absent and didn’t reply to my texts. I mean,I get it if he’s occupied with practice, but it would be nice to receive a heads up.”
She has a life too, you know.
The second-year stood straight. “Oh. I see. I thought you are one of those girls who are constantly bugging him.”
Oh.
Oh.
“He told us he wasn’t feeling well yesterday. His blocks were easily broken through too. He didn’t reply to my texts, either, let alone answer my calls. So, it could only mean one thing.”
She raised her eyebrow.
“He is definitely sick. Most likely fever. I’m planning to check on him after practice today.”
++++
Kuroo stirred in his sleep. The doorbell is ringing relentlessly.
Oh gosh, do I HAVE to open the door?
Dragging his feet, he could feel his joints ache with every movement. He rarely gets sick. He takes pride on that. But when he actually does, he could not deny how bad it can get. Fever is the worse. His head feels heavy, cloudy. His throat is in pain. His body is in pain. He doesn’t have the strength to move, and usually it’s either Kenma or his grandmother who would help to nurse him back to health(Kenma is not really good at it, but he tries).
He opened the door. “Hey Kenm---eh..?”
It was not Kenma.
“I told Kenma I’d check on you. He won’t be coming over today.” Y/N said.
Y/N?
“Are you sick?” she took a step forward, putting her hand on Kuroo’s forehead, startling him in the process.
“Yep, you definitely are.”
Huh?
“Ojamashimasu*,” she invited herself in, and Kuroo is still standing in the doorway. Weak, but shocked nevertheless.
Wait a minute. Hold up for a second. What is all this? What is she doing here? What is going on? Did she just come into the house? Eh..? Has she always been this forward?
And then he remembered the discussion that they were supposed to have that day. Oh no.
Crap.
“Uh, hey, Y/N.. I’m sorry I didn’t inform you earlier--”
“Rest, Kuroo It’s fine. Just take out all your have on the assignment, and I’ll see what I can add to the contents. You, rest. I’ll be here for a while though. I’ll leave whatever part I can finish on the table so you can take a look at them later. Is it okay with you?”
Goodness grief, the determination in this girl. How important can that scholarship be?!
“S..sure..? I… I’ll make you some tea..” he winced in pain, taking a step towards the kitchen, but stoppped when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned, only to face a stern-looking Y/N. “Kuroo, rest. I know this is your house and I’m a guest, but in your defense, I came here on my own accord, and you’re sick. You should rest. I will drag you to your bed, by your feet if you insist on entertaining me.”
What is she? A mother? Oh wait, she kinda is.
He chuckled. “Okay, okay..”
He wanted to say more. Thanks for coming. Make yourself at home. I’ll buy you ice-cream when I get well. Thanks for helping me with the notes. Thanks for understanding and not getting mad.
But his body is aching all over, and all he could do is to just listen to her, and walked into his room. After handing everything he had on the assignment to her, he fell onto his bed , sleep immediately overtaking him.
He gained consciousness every now and then, only to shift his position and fall back into slumber. His fever is really bad this time around, and the fact that he has his assignment partner doing all the work in his living room is making him feel even worse. Not to mention, his family members are not around.
“..roo.”
He dreams of warm, chicken soup. He has no appetite to eat, but it would be nice to have some, to help him get better.
“Kuroo-kun.”
He felt something cool on his head. A hand. He wasn’t sure if his mind is playing tricks, but he could smell chicken soup.
“Kuroo-kun, hey, wake up.”
Another hand shook him gently, and he pried his eyes open, only to see Y/N sitting on his bed next to him, a bowl on her lap.
“Y/N..?” his voice came out hoarse.
“Here. I made you some porridge and ginger tea. Can you sit up?”
Truthfully, the ache on his joints says no. But the captain in him insisted, and as he was struggling to sit up, he noticed that she had her hands steady on his shoulders, ready to guide him if he suddenly falls to his side. His head is spinning, and it takes some time for his vision to clear.
Wait. She said she made porridge?
He stared at the bowl on her lap. She handed him the cup of tea. “Did you just---” he pointed to the bowl.
“I know, I know.. I used your kitchen and some ingredients in the fridge.. I’m sorry. I waited for a while to see if any of your family members would come home. Maybe they would bring home some food. But no one did, so I went ahead and cooked.. sorry.. I’ll pay you back for the ingredients I used. It’s just.. you looked like you hadn’t eaten anything today.”
No, that’s not the point, silly.
He stared at her in disbelief.
And something, like a gentle wave, is washing over him from all sides.
Kuroo looked at this girl.
This unbelievable girl.
Did he do something to deserve this kindness?
Stop.
Why is she so nice? So unquestionably thoughtful?
Stop it.
If he didn’t feel it before, Kuroo can definitely feel it now, that warmth inside his chest, blooming bigger and bigger. Like an onslaught, refusing to spare him.
As if it’s going to explode anytime soon. Has it always been there?
“Yeah.. my dad usually comes home from work at night, and my grandparents are visiting our relatives in Chiba for a week. So.. yeah.” he took the bowl in silence, inhaled the smell of chicken, rice and spices, and at the first taste of the warm porridge on his tongue, Kuroo immediately slumped, his emotions are suddenly so overwhelming that he could feel heat prickling on his eyes. He hadn’t felt this fragile in such a long time.
Bullets fly, from his left and right, front and back. There is nowhere to hide.
She noticed the change. “Kuroo-kun..? Hey, you alright? Is it too hot? Are you in pain?” Y/N panicked, quickly taking the bowl away and trying to get him to drink the tea.
What is this?
He couldn’t understand.
Kuroo shook his head lightly. For some reason, words just failed him. What is this feeling? Why does it seem like he had missed this feeling for so long? This gentleness, this--this
-yearning?
The next thing Y/N realized, she was in his arms. She couldn’t see his face, her own is buried his chest, but he was shaking, and she could hear a faint, shaky whisper of “thank you” from him, and it was enough for her to understand.
How he didn’t mention his mother. How there seem to be a lack of a female’s touch in certain corners of the house. How she noticed that there were mostly men’s shoes in the doorway.
She gently pat him on his back, as she would often do when her little brothers get sick.
+++
“You seem off today.” said Kenma, fishing his water bottle out of his bag, panting. Today’s practice is harsh as usual, but exciting nevertheless, since they are very much looking forward to see their good friends from Fukurodani.
“Do I?” Kuroo asked. “The Science assignment, I guess. I’m just hoping that I’ll do well. I mean, Y/N wants to maintain her grades. She’s aiming for a scholarship, you know.”
There was a short silence before Kenma chuckled and spoke, “Why does it sound like you’re bragging? You make it sound like she’s your girlfriend or something.”
Kuroo tensed. It was a nonchalant comment, but it definitely got to him.
G....girlfriend?
He had never thought about dating anyone. He had always been occupied with volleyball practice. Y/N however, might be different. She’s probably dating someone, considering how wonderful she is. Kuroo stared at her, her eyes are currently focused on the sheets of paper and cue cards.
Does she have a boyfriend? Who is he? Does he get upset whenever she spends her time with him?
And somehow, that thought alone irked him.
“So..maybe it’s better if we connect this part with this example right here. I think it’ll make it easier for us to get our point across.” she said, pointing to said contents on the notes.
“Yeah, okay. Sure.”
That attitude did not go unnoticed.
“Kuroo-kun.” she called. “Are you alright?”
“Hm? Yeah.” Kuroo doodled circles on a piece of paper, refusing any eye contact.
“You don’t look alright. You’re clearly upset.”
“How’d you know?” Kuroo asked.
“You scrunch your nose when you’re upset.”
“No, I don’t!” he exclaimed, covering his nose.
Y/N laughed. “Okay, you don’t, but still, I know you’re not okay. Is something bothering you?”
Kuroo was silent before answering her. “It’s.. nothing. I’m just not thinking clearly, I guess.” Kuroo scratched his head. How does she know?
“You want to talk about it?”she asked again, this time staring at him straight in the eyes. To make sure he knows that she will listen if he decided to share something.
That stare. Those eyes. Oh, how different it feels whenever he’s with her. With her, he is not the captain of Nekoma vc. With her, he doesn’t have to focus on leading anything or anyone. With her, he doesn’t have to hide his feelings (she can see through him anyway). With her, he is just Kuroo Tetsurou from Class 5.
There it is again. That warmth. Blooming. Bigger and bigger.
She still waits for his response.
There is no escape.
“Y/N, I..”
She listens.
“I..I think I….li--”
The classroom door slid open, revealing a tall boy with light grey hair, panting for air. “Captaaaaaiin! I’m here to get you!”
Kuroo almost fell off his chair in shock. Talk about the worst timing ever. “Lev..! You idiot!” he muttered under his breath.
“Where were you?! You’re late! Practice started 15 minutes ago! Why didn’t you text back?! They had me searching for you all over the school!”
“What? Oh! Crap! I forgot!” Kuroo stood up in panic. Crap crap crap. Now he even forgets his captain duties. The practice match with Fukurodani is on the weekend and here he is, not being able to function well in neither his assignment nor practice!
“You have practice today? You didn’t tell me?” Y/N looked at him
“Yeah. I forgot. Sorry, both the presentation and the upcoming practice match with Fukurodani is getting to me, I guess.”
He lied, hoping she would not see through that lie.
Fortunately, she didn’t. With a soft sigh, she placed her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Tetsurou. We’ll do well.”
Tetsurou.
As if he was struck by lightning, it took a while before Kuroo could move. Tetsurou. Tetsurou. It sounds different when she says it. It sounds good when she says it.
Y/N stood up and tidied up the table, packing her stuff. “You go ahead. I’ll clean up. Uh… Lev-kun? Sorry you had to come all over here to look for your captain. If I had known, I would’ve sent him to the gym hall.” Y/N gave the tall boy a smile, and Kuroo noticed how the younger boy’s ears turned into a darker shade of red.
“It… It’s okay!” the boy replied enthusiastically.
Kuroo doesn’t like it.
“Let’s go,” he simply said, and dragged the boy with him.
+++
“Let’s do this.” Y/N whispered, their presentation is being projected onto the white screen. Kuroo nodded. They had done everything they could for the contents of the presentation, they even did a mock presentation the day before to make sure they deliver the contents smoothly.
“For some reason this feels like a volleyball match.” he commented, gripping his cue cards in both excitement and nervousness.
She smiled at him, though she too, shares the same feelings. “Well then, if that is so, I’ll be in your care today, captain.” she smiled.
Captain.
His heart beats faster, harder, not because of the presentation alone, and Kuroo knows it.
Bigger. Blooming bigger. Hotter.
“Phew, that was nerve-wrecking!” she exclaimed, obviously relieved that everything is over. If the applause they received from their classmates and teacher is any indication of how well they did in their presentation, they could say that they did pretty well.
“Now that this is over, I can focus on the practice match with Fukurodani this weekend.” Kuroo puts away his notes, sighing in relief.
“I wish you luck with that. Sadly there is nothing I can help you with.” she said apologetically.
“Nah, you’ve done enough. I still hadn’t bought you your well-deserved ice cream, for taking care of me the other day.”
She laughed at him. “Well, don’t you forget that.”
Kuroo took some moment before speaking, unsure of how he should choose his next words.
“Uh, anyhow, Y/N.. Do you want to come to see our match this weekend..?”
Kuroo himself didn’t expect that he would say that. It just came out, and he immediately added, “I mean, if you have time! If you don’t have anything to do on that day! You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but it would be great if you’d come, you know!-- For.. for--”
He stopped himself when he noticed her staring at him with an expression that he could not read.
“-for moral s..support..”
The last part came out shaky.
Her eyes brightened. “I’d love to. Not sure how much support I can give, though. I don’t know much about volleyball.” Y/N replied, pink tinting her cheeks.
Kuroo beamed. “N..No worries! Just cheer for us!”
++++
The day came, and when Y/N arrived at the hall, she immediately noticed the white jackets close to her, warming up and talking to each other. Nekoma’s team is across the hall, but she doesn’t think that it would be appropriate to come up to them. After all, the only person she’s familiar with is Kuroo, and she had only talked to Kenma and Lev once.
Lost, she looked around to find a place to sit and wait for the match to start. As she turned around, a tall presence stood behind her.
“Hey hey hey? You seem lost!”
No lie, she felt like a midget next to him. He isn’t just tall. He’s pretty big, as well. Looking at his grey spiky hair and big eyes, Y/N couldn’t help feeling a little intimidated.
“Uh, no… I’m just waiting for the match to start.. I…I’ll be going, then..”
Her attempt to escape failed when the boy spoke, “Wait! Will you be cheering for us? You should! We’re pretty awesome, you know! We will win this--”
“Hyaaaaaah!”
Kuroo ran from afar and tackled the boy down.
“Idiot rooster head! What was that for?!” the boy pushed Kuroo off him. It seems like that tackle didn’t affect him even a little bit.
“What were you doing to Y/N, Bokuto?” Kuroo asked, calm, but irritated. He pinched Bokuto’s cheeks really hard.
“Oi, oi! I did nothing! Oww! AKAAAAASHIIII!”
Y/N can only watch. Another dark haired boy came and tapped on Kuroo’s head. “He asked her to cheer for us.
“Haaaaah??!!” Kuroo pinched harder.
“Akaaaaashiiii!!”
After a few smacks on his arm, Kuroo finally released the boy he called Bokuto, and stood next to Y/N. “She! Will! Be! Cheering! For! Me!”
Bokuto stared at him in disdain and pouted.“Huh? Why should she? You’re not even that good.”
“Haaaah?!!”
As another one of their bickering started, Kenma tapped on Y/N’s shoulder. “I think you should go up there. It’s pretty dangerous down here during the game.”
+++
It was like a new world for her. The crisp sound of the ball being hit, the cheers every time any one of the teams scored, and the intensity of the game itself truly amazed her. She got lost sometimes, not understanding why points were given, but it didn’t stop her from watching the whole match.
Bokuto and Kuroo, she noticed, despite being good friends, can also get on each other’s nerves very easily.
And Kenma radiates a different energy when he’s in the court. He was right, too. Y/N could’ve easily get hit by a stray ball if she stayed close around the court.
Kuroo, on the other hand, looks so different. He’s not the same person as he usually is in class. From what Y/N could observe, the team really listens to him, respects him even and there is this intensity to his demeanor. Where did the laid-back guy go to?
It was clear to her why all those people (again, mostly girls, but what’s the difference?) surround him all the time.
He looked up, looking at her after he successfully blocked a particularly hard spike from Fukurodani (Bokuto’s, to be exact). He flashed her a wide, teethy smile and gave her two thumbs up. For some reason, her ears feel hot, and she smiled back at him. Lev noticed her looking at them from above and frantically waved at her. She waved back, laughing. Kuroo frowned at him.
Lev noticed his captain’s stare and pouted. “I blocked that spike too!”
The game was exciting to watch. If she had known all along that this is how it feels like to watch a match, she would’ve come to every volleyball match as much as she could. Kuroo had once mentioned the names of other strong teams, one of them being Karasuno High School, complimenting Karasuno’s ‘shrimpy’ especially. She couldn’t help thinking that if Kuroo himself (who loves his team the most) respectfully acknowledges that team, then it definitely means that they must truly be a force to reckon with. A match between Nekoma and Karasuno would be as intense as this one, if not more.
As the match proceeds, the heat in the court gradually got to Y/N, and she doesn’t notice that she is no longer holding back her voice. She cheers for Nekoma, claps her hands when Fukurodani scored points (smug was evident on Bokuto’s face, only to spur Kuroo on), and without realizing it, as Bokuto was about to spike hard, she was screaming someone’s name.
Everyone in the hall cheered in amazement. Nekoma managed to block that spike, the ball bounced back too quickly for Fukurodani’s libero to save.
Y/N’s breath hitched when the whistle was blown, ending the match with Nekoma’s victory.
Her eyes automatically darted to Kuroo, who fantastically blocked that last attack, and she saw the pure joy on his face, smiling at his teammates and rival team, before finally, at her.
And she swore she felt time stopped.
She stood outside the gym hall. She wasn’t sure how long she should stay inside, or if she should see Kuroo to congratulate him and the team.
“Hey hey hey! It’s you again!” Bokuto appeared behind her, with the team. Why is he everywhere?
Y/N bowed. “Your team was amazing. Please do come again for practice matches, Bokuto-san.” Y/N said, already familiar with the grey-haired captain. The boy beamed with joy. “We were, right?! Ah, if only you didn’t cheer for that rooster head and cheered for us instead, we could’ve won!” Bokuto said, though Y/N wasn’t sure if he was just joking or truly regretful.
“Wait, did you hear me?” she suddenly grew alert. He couldn’t have, right? Was it that loud?
“Hm?The whole hall did? You called Tetsurou’s name like, really really loudly.”
And in an instant, her face turned beet red.
Suddenly, she remembered. She actually did call Kuroo’s name. Screamed, to be exact.
“Tetsurou, you can do it!!”
Oh. Oh no.
What was she thinking?!
It wasn’t like her at all! What is this?!
“Ah, her face is red.” Bokuto commented in confusion. “But like I said, next time, you should definitely cheer for us! We are much better than---OWWWW!”
Bokuto was tackled down again, Kuroo appearing out of nowhere, pinching his cheeks for the nth time that day.
“Akaaaaaaashiiiiiii!!!!”
++++++++
Kuroo waves his hand as Fukurodani’s bus leaves the premise. Y/N stood next to him, doing the same thing. After the bus disappears from sight, Kuroo turns to her. He was wearing this smile that Y/N couldn’t read. “Thank you so much for coming, Y/N.” he spoke. The setting sun hits him differently. He looks gorgeous, Y/N thought.
Y/N doesn’t know why, they are talking normally as they always do, but her heart seems to beat faster than usual.
“Well, I hope I managed to give you the moral support you asked for.” she replied.
Kuroo smirked. “You definitely did. I didn’t even know you can scream that loud.” he chuckled.
She turned red again, this time caught by Kuroo. He laughed. “You should watch us play again next time. It’s good to hear people cheering for you. Especially when they’re suuuper loud.”
She huffed at his teasing. “You normally have a lot of friends to do that, anyway.”
“Yeah, but I want to hear yours.”
Y/N was rendered speechless. She looked at Kuroo, looking for any hint of playfulness, maybe he’s joking around again, maybe she should tease him back,-
but there was none. He was looking at her, eyes intense, awaiting for something from her.
“Kuroo..-”
“I--” he cut her off, “I don’t know how to say this, Y/N.. I’m not used to it.. but..I just…I know that.. I want to be with you.”
Y/N’s breath hitched quietly, not expecting Kuroo to confess his feelings so directly like that.
“You don’t have to answer immediately. I just.. I don’t think I can hide it any longer. Especially after you screamed my name in front of everyone like that. I thought I was going to explode out of sheer happiness.”
Kuroo took a shallow breath before continuing, “Whatever your answer is, I just want you to know that I enjoy you around me a lot. Even if you can’t return these feelings, I still hope we can still be friends. It’s nice to have a--”
This time, Y/N cuts him off, pulling him down into a tight hug. Kuroo’s eyes widened in shock.
“This is my answer, Tetsurou.” she spoke, voice trembling, burying her face into the crook of his neck. Trying to get over his shock, Kuroo gently wraps his arms around her waist, trying to hold himself back. He wanted to hold her tighter, to wash away any traces of disbelief in his heart, -she likes me too?- but he wasn’t sure how she would take that.
“Y/N…” he whispers her name, and she tightened her embrace. If there’s anything that he understands about her, he knows that she is definitely more actions than words. He understands what that means.
I like you. A lot.
This time, Kuroo doesn’t hesitate. He hugged her tight, unwilling to let go even a second. His heart is bursting with love and joy, and he instantly becomes sure that this is the person that he wants to be with.
For the rest of his life.
Eventually, they pulled apart, because Lev and the rest of the team emerged from behind them.
“I want a hug too!”
Y/N laughed while Kuroo stared at the first-year in disbelief. “How dense can you be? Can’t you read the atmosphere here??”
“BUT I BLOCKED THOSE SPIKES TOO! I DESERVE A HUG!”
“Then go hug Yaku!” Kuroo pointed at said boy.
“Aw, hell no!”
Yaku ran when Lev sprinted towards him.
________________________________________________________
[A/N] How did this get so long? Thanks for reading! I’ll work hard to improve!
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Whispers in the Dark - The Slayers Fanfic
Warnings: none (I suppose)
Beta: @naiokiara <3 (this girl is a treasure)
Chapter 3
Of the group of adventurers, Princess Amelia first appeared downstairs, as always with a broad smile on her delicate face, and stretching her body happily.
“Good morning!” she waved to the innkeeper and two still-a-little-sleepy waitresses. “Birds are singing with the first rays of sun and there is not a single cloud in the sky. The day is SO BEAUTIFUL, I want to dance and… Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Xellos!” The dark-haired girl finally noticed a very sour expression on the Mazoku's face, as her positive energy literally filled up the room. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“No hard feelings, Miss Amelia.,” The demon almost immediately returned to his usual innocent and polite smile, already tasting the sweet flavour of regret from the princess. The poor girl was so pure and good that she was even worried about how her happy attitude could be unpleasant for a Monster. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes. I assume the others still aren’t up? They are missing such a wonderful morni-” She bit her tongue at Xellos’ eyebrow’s twitch; “Oh… I mean, Miss Filia will be angry that we still aren’t on our way.”
The demon’s face was now literally angelic. “She tried to wake you all up by knocking on the doors, but I decided my friends deserve good rest… so I have thrown a silencing spell on your rooms, so that no one could disturb you. I suggested that Miss Filia take a refreshing walk meanwhile.”
“And what did she say?” Amelia took her seat on the other side of the table.
“Should I omit filthy words?”
“Of course!”
“Then she said nothing," Xellos took a sip of tea.
“Hello there,” Gourry joined them, yawning like he was ready to swallow them for breakfast. Zelgadis was just behind him, visibly not happy with the fact the Mazoku was still here.
"What has happened, Xellos? Aren’t there people other than us whose existence you can poison with your presence?" The chimera sat next to Amelia, as far away from the Monster as was possible. Even after so long, he wasn't very fond of the demon. The fact that in the past Xellos burned, with his eyes, a precious manuscript that may have contained a remedium for Zelgadis’ cursed look (the Mazoku insisted there wasn’t any useful knowledge, but could the word of a demon be worth anything?) still burnt Zel painfully.
"I couldn't deny myself such a delicious breakfast as your helpless anger, Mr. Zelgadis," said Xellos, with a voice sweeter than chocolate, looking at the chimera with slightly more open eyes in a way that forced Zelgadis to move uneasily in place. He snorted and waved for a waitress if only to break eye contact with the demon, but halfway to their table the girl was attacked by Lina, who practically yanked the menu from her hands.
“Those five things! Double portions!” She ordered, pointing at the card.
“But maybe your friends would like to choose by themselves, Miss?” the waitress mumbled, overwhelmed with the sorceress' confidence.
“You understood me wrong. It’s only for me. I’m starving!” Lina passed her and placed herself on a free chair between Xellos and Gourry.
The blonde swordsman waved. “I want the same! Lina always chooses the best dishes!”
“Sorry about them,” Amelia sighed, a little embarrassed, taking menus for herself and Zelgadis.
“Where is Filia?” Lina finally counted her group and gave Xellos a very suspicious look. “Did you eat her?”
“Golden dragon scales are hard to digest even for me,” The demon answered with a nasty smirk. “Don’t worry so much about her, Miss Lina.”
“I’m not worried about her. I’m worried about my breakfast. Filia is the one who pays our bills. If you did something to her-” The sorceress tried to throw a proper threat, but then she reminded herself who this man at her side was. “-you’d better have enough coin in your pouch, because I am ready to eat everything that isn’t fast enough to run away.”
Xellos sent her a smile. “So I assume you did rest well, Miss Lina. The proper relaxation after a hard day can be incredibly effective.”
The sorceress blushed a little, knowing the second layer in the demon’s words. A fast peek at her friends: Gourry was napping with his head resting on his arms on the table and Zelgadis studied the menu with Amelia, probably happy that Lina’s presence meant that he wasn’t any longer the centre of Xellos’ attention.
“I have a slight headache.” The witch tried not to show her unease, and a thousand questions had been buzzing in her head from the moment she had awakened. The number of holes in her memory seriously worried her. She remembered bathing, talking with Xellos, and the massage of his long skillful fingers on her feet. And later he entered her head. What had he done to her? She had awakened in her bed wearing a nightgown.
“I only presented you with the offer, but it was a little too much for your mind and body, so you lost consciousness in the bathtub,” whispered the demon calmingly. “I took care of you.”
“Don’t read my thoughts!” she snapped at him, suddenly panicked about what might have happened when she was blacked out.
“I don’t, and I can’t, do that. Reading thoughts is impossible even for Mazoku.” The Trickster Priest sounded offended. “But your emotions are behaving like scared wild horses, Miss Lina. I assure you, I didn’t do anything inappropriate to you. I didn’t even take peeks.” Not too many, anyway, he ended in his mind.
Lina’s face was at the moment far redder than her hair, however, she somehow knew he wasn’t lying to her. Probably indeed better he had transported her to bed rather than leaving her in the cold water where she might even have drowned.
This is like ending up playing games with Mazoku, the witch realized sourly. She’d let him get into her head not knowing the consequences and he had touched her naked body, even if he wasn’t interested in using the opportunity.
“My, my, Miss Lina! Are you really so disappointed nothing more has happened?” Asked a surprised Xellos, his smile wider with every second, making the sorceress feel the blood flow away from her face. If she only could block his empathic skills.
“I am NOT!” she hissed through teeth, however they both knew it was a lie.
Xellos’ smug smile made her want to punch him or do anything else that could make this handsome face not so handsome anymore.
Suddenly she felt a touch on the inner side of her palm under the table, tickling like someone was brushing fingertips against her skin. Lina froze, seeing that both of Xellos’ hands were actually busy holding a teacup. Who said that human-shaped hands were the only ones the Mazoku had, and that the shadow under the table was just an ordinary lack of light, not a living darkness? The sorceress cringed.
“If you are so interested in more naughty games, we can discuss the conditions of my offer again, Miss Lina,” purred Xellos… and sighed heavily, as Lina had hit his teacup from below, so the warm beverage was now pouring off of his face. “My bad. I guess you need time to rethink the idea. One more tea, please.” The demon asked the waitress with an apologetic smile, wiping up his face with a cloth the woman quickly had offered him.
***
It was late evening the same day when Lina thought (not for the first time) that Filia and Xellos in one place were a greater threat to the world than a gathering of all four Dark Lords created by the Lord of Nightmares.
The group had ended up camping in the desert because of an embarrassing adventure.
"It is all your fault, you cockroach! You raw garbage! You… you!" Filia's anger finally burnt off and she just drowned in tears, while Xellos’ face was literally a visualisation of the sentence: This time it really (almost) wasn’t my fault! “My dignity has been destroyed! I hate you! Hate you! Hate you!!!”
Amelia massaged the dragoness’ back, pleading with her eyes for Lina's help, but the sorceress could barely suppress her own rage. Her dreams about a cosy room and tasty supper had literally turned into ashes… in Filia’s dragon breath.
"Enough of that! Go sleep! All of you! Gourry, Zel, make a small campfire," she ordered, and something in her voice made the swordsman and the shaman obey without further questions. "I'm taking the first watch near those rocks. Xellos, you are going with me! If I don’t keep you far away from Filia, I will go insane soon!”
“Don’t blame me just because I’m a Mazoku.” The demon followed the redhead girl. “It was all her own fault! She destroyed the town. Filia was the one who chose our path this morning.”
Lina massaged her temples, trying to get rid of her murderous impulses, remembering the quarrel between the monster and dragoness about which way to choose. Xellos’ choice had been definitely rejected by Filia… only because it was a Mazoku’s proposition. Filia was stubborn to a crazy degree, so finally the group had followed her lead and they had reached a nice town.
A wonderful place except one, but important, defect.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell her that dragons aren’t allowed to enter there when she chose that damn path?” Lina yelled at the demon with so much anger that Xellos took a small step back.
“Do you really think she would have believed me? Some people, even dragons, have to burn themselves a little to learn from their own mistakes.”
“But it is MY ass that will freeze now in the desert all night! And you had chosen the right, safe path only because you KNEW she would be in opposition to you. You planned it, didn’t you?”
A smug smile and a light shrug were all from Xellos’ side.
“You aren’t even pretending to be sorry.” Lina sat heavily on sand, leaning her back against one of the rocks.
“Pretending something like that would be an offence to you, Miss Lina. You and I know each other well enough to abandon some false games. Besides, no one there knew Miss Filia was a dragon, but Valgaav’s minions appeared and told that to people in town. She was jailed and they were ready to execute her. Luckily a big bad Mazoku - Me! - appeared to piss the golden dragon off enough that she freed herself from the chains. I was a hero!” He pointed at his own chest happily.
“Filia literally leveled the town to the ground trying to catch you in her rage, you asshole!” Lina ran her palm across her face, tired, knowing the demon definitely had too much fun with this story.
Even from afar the sorceress still could hear the Priestess of Light’s whining:
“I destroyed the town! How embarrassing! What a shame! If only that devil hadn’t provoked me to change into my dragon form!”
“The other outcome would have been you bringing her severed head to the Flare Dragon King’s Temple,” reminded Xellos, sitting low by Lina’s side, to disappear from Filia’s sight. “Don’t worry. People there were fast enough to survive. They will rebuild the town and this time they will be sure to put there also a giant sign: Seriously! Dragons aren’t allowed to enter here.” He burst out with a loud laugh. “Did you see Valgaav’s minions' faces? ‘Oh dear, she REALLY is a dragon’, " the demon parodied the surprised tone of Gravos and Jillas, who hadn’t run quickly enough, and the impact of Filia’s tail had catapulted them high in the air.
Finally Lina chuckled too. Yes, maybe that view had been worth a night under a starry sky, here in the middle of desert. She would have paid to see Valgaav’s face when his servants gave him the report. Anyway, whatever Xellos did, the sorceress just wasn’t able to be angry with him for too long. This damn monster always knew the ways to distract her.
The air was cooler and cooler. The heat of day in such a place quickly changed into cold night, and Lina embraced herself tighter with her black coat.
In the camp, Filia finally got quiet, and one peek told the sorceress that the exhausted dragoness had fallen asleep cuddling herself up to Amelia. Gourry was already snoring near the fire. Zelgadis also was preparing for rest.
Lina inhaled deeply, enjoying the quiet and peace. Xellos’ side was warm and sheltered her from the wind, so she allowed herself to relax a little.
“You can rest too, Miss Lina. I will keep guard.” The velvet demon’s tone made the witch snort.
“I’m on watch also to keep an eye on you, Mr. Evil,” she noted, patting his nose sympathetically. “What if you sneak up to Filia and fill her sleep with nightmares?”
“Miss Lina, don’t give me such delicious ideas. Now how could I resist that?” His white teeth flashed in a grin, and Lina answered with her own bright smile, before she rested her head on his shoulder, sighing heavily.
Xellos was surprised with that sudden show of trust, so he reached his senses into Lina’s aura to check it. The demon suspected she was too tired to be fully on guard, or maybe she believed that their agreement about cooperation against Valgaav was valid. Her feelings confused him a little. The sorceress was tired, of course, but Lina had simply sought his closeness because… she was accepting him as one of her tribe. There was neither embarrassment in her now, nor hostility. Only uncertainty. She was far away from home. These were unknown lands, and Filia was also a stranger to her, unlike Xellos. The Mazoku was something familiar to Lina. She knew he was dangerous as hell and that she can’t believe him, but… somehow he was hers, a stable part of reality, from her point of view.
Xellos considered how to use the new situation to his advantage, but finally he also let himself to put aside his mischievous nature and enjoyed the unusual atmosphere. In this fight between him and Filia over Lina, he was winning at the moment, and the art of manipulation sometimes demanded patience.
“I’m glad you are again with us, Xellos.” The girl’s murmur confirmed what the demon had concluded from her emotions. “Like in the good old good day.” She was observing stars, but her mind was somewhere else. “So many adventures behind us. This town today reminded me of when we snuck into the city where only ladies were allowed to enter and we forced you, boys, to dress like women,” she chuckled, covering her face in his blouse.
“I remember. Mr. Zelgadis as 'Miss Lulu' was quite popular there. I can recall the taste of his embarrassment.”
“And poor Gourry. Till this day he shivers when he sees a pink dress.” Lina wiped away a tear of joy. “Not to mention you. Martina said later that she had to hide you from others’ eyes because of how sexy you were in that red outfit. With what did you fill those false boobs, huh?”
“Who said they were false?”
Lina choked in the middle of laughing on her own breath and looked at the demon in disbelief.
“Nooooo… Seriously?” she blinked.
“Mazoku don’t have males or females,” the priest winked at her. “Being a shapeless darkness which can take preferred form has many advantages. But I am the most used to the male vessel I have now.”
“That explains those perfect hips in that red dress too. How many convenient secrets do you have, you beast?” Lina enjoyed the new fact to the point that she was biting the fabric of Xellos’ coat so as to not awake her friends with laughter.
“As many as I need. I am always open to new experiences. Even those including your lovely but sharp teeth. Do you remember that my clothes are part of me?”
Lina immediately straightened her back and cleared her throat. It was quite dark despite the stars and the faint light of the nearby campfire, but the Mazoku’s eyes could easily notice a deep blush on her cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, but then shivered when, away from his closeness, cold attacked her fragile body. In the next moment she found herself in the previous position as the demon wrapped her shoulders with his arm, pulling her to his warm side. Lina stopped breathing when she felt how that which looked like his “coat” moved itself too, covering her tightly.
“We don’t want you to change into an icicle, do we?” Hypnotizing amethyst eyes with vertical pupils flashed a little too close for Lina’s preferences. “What is it? You have goosebumps? Just like then, in that doll tower. You were so scared there, because of that little horror story I’d told you all the evening before. Scared of ghosts, ha! If you could have known then that a real Mazoku was just next to you. What a silly adventure. I adore those times when you all didn’t know who I was and were acting so boldly. I remember Miss Martina protecting me, a poor victim, from the rage of cruel Lina Inverse.”
Lina’s stiffness slowly vanished as she noticed that Xellos is still in a talkative, rather harmless mood and she adjusted her position under his arm, looking for comfort, resting a cheek on his chest. Somehow it hit her a lot when she noticed the lack of a beating heart sound. Her brain reacted nervously to the conflict of expectations and reality.
“Oh, my apologies. Next to you, Miss Lina, I’m not so on guard about the human form in such detail. Take it as a compliment that I feel good with you.” The demon finally noticed her confusion, and a moment later, the girl caught the slight beating under her ear.
A cheater among cheaters, she rolled her eyes.
"Poor Martina, you broke her heart! She was so devastated when she discovered that her charming prince was a monster.” Lina still could feel the satisfaction from seeing the annoying princess of Xoana's face in the moment she had understood the awful truth about her chosen man.
"Miss Martina was so funny and delicious! And full of energy in many ways." The demon sighed dreamingly.
Lina raised her head to look at his face suspiciously.
"Did you and she… you know…"
Was there really a sparkle of jealousy in his redhead sorceress? "Curiosity killed the cat, Miss Lina.” The witch gasped, surprised, when she felt a light kiss on the tip of her nose, and she wrinkled it in a lovely way, ashamed by the cold feeling of wetness that his lips had left on her skin.
Lina suddenly became aware that most of the intimate moments in her life (all of them unplanned), she had experienced with Xellos, and it didn’t help her to feel better.
Him and his teasing games…
"I'm asking only from a scientific point of view." She added quickly. "I wondered if it was possible for your race to-"
"Engage in a sexual act?" Finished Xellos with a low voice that made the girl’s heart drum. He laughed quietly. "Some kinds of knowledge you have to earn." His fingers ran lazily through long red locks. "Mr. Zangulus was gifted with Miss Martina's innocence during their wedding night. It was not her who I am interested in."
The demon's words confused Lina more than everything else. It wasn't a clear declaration, she tried to convince herself, ignoring the tips of his nails gently caressing the skin of her head. The sorceress realized that his hand was bare again.
"So there is a woman you are interested in?" She asked, regretting it in the next moment.
"The fact it is a woman isn't important for me. Human mating rituals aren't natural for my kind."
Lina felt suddenly very uncomfortable. The creature next to her looked exactly like a human, but it was only an illusion. To be honest, the Mazoku race was a great mystery even for those who spent all their lives studying black magic. They were evil. They were darkness. And power. Especially power.
"What's happened, Miss Lina? I thought we are talking from… a scientific point of view?" The thumb on the arm he was using to embrace her body brushed her cheek. His cruel lips were smiling mockingly. Oh, how he was enjoying the moment of the storm of her emotions now: the desperate wish to withdraw from this embarrassing moment, to distance herself. And fear… yes, she was scared of him again.
"Yes." She mumbled with an offended tone. "Only from a scientific point of view."
The monster giggled, calmingly massaging the sorceress' shoulder to give her more warmth.
"From a scientific point of view humans aren't constructed to fly, but they do that using spells like Ray Wing or Levitation.” He pointed. "Mazoku don't need intimate acts to breed like humans, but… unknown terrains are always very tempting to explore. Am I not right?" He played with one of her red locks, slipping it among fingers.
"Enough of your seductive tricks," she tried to push him away, but it would be easier to move a mountain than Xellos’ arm.
"It wasn’t doing anything like that. Should I show you my seductive side, Miss Lina?" he whispered, grabbing her chin and pulling it up, so she looked straight into his gleaming demonic eyes. The sorceress became as if paralyzed, when she felt his breath on her own mouth. He smelled of black magic. She could easily recognize this scent, heavy but fresh, like thunder ready to strike a tree in an open field. "You awoke curiosity in me, and a curious Mazoku is rather hard to get rid of." His lips brushed against hers when he spoke. Suddenly it became definitely too hot for Lina. Growing panic took control over her and she reacted like always, with a burst of anger.
"Let me go, you awful…!" A mistake. In the moment she opened her mouth, his tongue slipped inside, teasing hers and withdrawing before she was able to bite him.
"Mmm… you are more delicious than I thought." The beast murmured huskily and then chuckled. "What’s with that terrified face? I was only teasing you."
Lina slapped his cheek.
"Oh, dear." He caught her wrists before she could hit him again. "Watch out, sweetling." Amethyst reptilian eyes started to glow delicately. "Violence is a language in which I am better versed than you."
Lina breathed fast, trying to fight down her own fury. Again he had done with her as he pleased. Monster!
The sorceress snorted, giving up. It wasn't possible to win with Xellos, so she sighed and laid her head back on his chest, observing stars and remaining silent. Soon his hand returned to caressing her hair.
She still could taste the flavour of him on the tip of her tongue. It was like little lightning, tickling her taste buds in a rather pleasant way. Lina wasn't able to compare it to any other taste she was familiar with. Slowly the sorceress calmed down.
"Asshole." She said, resisting licking her lips.
"And still you like me as I am, Miss Lina." He noted, sensing that the girl was now more amused by her own helplessness than angry with him.
"Oh, shut up." Lina yawned widely. It was too comfortable to lie like that by his side. Warmth, the softness of his clothes which weren't clothes, the soothing caresses of his fingers in her hair. She started to get sleepy.
Then she felt it. His aura brushed against hers in a delicate but demanding way.
"No way. Not again. I’ve had enough of that for now." She refused with a tired voice and Xellos withdrew his astral parts obediently.
"For now," he whispered, and kissed the forehead of the drifting girl. "There is always a new day, like you, humans, say."
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Communion - chapter 3/4
[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4 Ch 1] [Part 4 Ch 2] [AO3]
81: “Come sit by the fire”
x
Belle was disoriented when she woke, the bed at the inn harder than she was used to and the grey light of dawn coming from the wrong place. It took several minutes before she realised it was Christmas Day, and she ran her hands over her face with a yawn. Going to the window, she could see that fresh snow had fallen in the night, a smooth layer of pristine white over what had already lain on the ground, and she shivered a little. The sky was clear, the sun just starting to rise, and it looked as though the day would be fine, if cold. Perfect for going to see the father of her child to discuss what they were going to do to plan for its arrival. Which according to him included lessons in Latin and the identification of poisonous fungi.
She had slept poorly, mind working through what Gold had said to her about who and what he was, and what their child would be. Shock. It must have been shock at the news. There was no other explanation she could think of for what he had said, other than him deliberately making fun of her, and she hadn’t thought he was that sort of man. Hopefully a night to digest her news would have made him more inclined to have a serious discussion about the future.
Taking a shower made her feel better, and she dressed in a warm woollen dress and thick tights above heavy boots, brushing out clean, shining hair. She was too nervous to feel hungry, but she was aware that the baby wanted food, even if she didn’t, so she ate some toast and butter and drank three cups of tea. The diner was quiet, the only other occupant a stocky man with a bristling beard. He was ploughing his way through a plate of eggs and bacon, a cup of coffee steaming by his side, and had the heavy eyes and surly expression of the hungover. Belle elected not to disturb him.
When she stepped out of the diner, the air was cold enough to make her catch her breath, and she shivered, pushing her chin down into her scarf as she walked. She was surprised to find Gold’s shop locked and silent, and after peering through the windows with no sign of him, chewed her lip in frustration. He had said he would be doing inventory, but perhaps his late start was a nod to the holiday. Or perhaps he was at home, wherever that was, quietly panicking over becoming a parent.
It was too cold to stand around and wait, so she decided to explore the town a little before trying the shop again, and set off at a brisk walk. The street of shops gave way to tree-lined avenues, and a pleasant, snow-covered park. A church poked its steeple out of the trees, a rough stone wall surrounding a cemetery. Belle could see a pretty old building beyond, which she expected was the home of the priest. She pushed her hands deep into the pockets of her coat and walked on.
“Lacey! Lacey!”
Belle glanced around at the sound of running feet, and yelped as a man skidded towards her on the icy sidewalk, tripping and almost falling into her. They grasped at one another to keep their balance, and she found herself looking into an earnest pair of brown eyes in a thin face, brown hair flopping over a forehead creased by lines of worry. The man who had collided with her was dressed all in black, except for a priest’s white collar, and was smiling at her.
“Lacey,” he said breathlessly. “I thought it was you.”
His accent was very Scottish, even more so than Gold’s, and there was an air of excitement about him, an energy that was almost infectious. He was beaming at her, and it made her want to smile back, even if he had mistaken her for someone else.
“Oh, I’m - I’m not Lacey,” she said, and his smile widened.
“You’re going by Belle again?” he asked. “No matter. Your choice, of course. I didn’t realise you were back in Storybrooke.”
“I…” She was about to say it was her first time, but he cut across her, excitement making his words bubble over.
“I just wanted you to know that ever since we met, my life has changed for the better in so many ways,” he said. “I stopped drinking! Just - just stopped, like it was nothing! I never thought I would do that: I was always too scared to try, but ever since - well, ever since—” He pulled a face, looking awkward “—ever since you, I haven’t touched a drop!”
“Er…” Belle was at a loss for words. “Uh - well done!”
“And it’s just made everything so much better,” he went on. “I was feeling so - so lost, like I told you, and it’s like you helped me find myself again!”
“That’s - that’s wonderful!” she said, feeling desperately awkward that he was pouring out his soul to the wrong woman. Perhaps she and this Lacey looked similar, and he had met the other woman while drunk. It would explain why he had them mixed up. Whoever Lacey was, she must have been a force for good, to help this priest find his way again.
“I have to go,” he said, glancing back at the church. “I have Mass at ten.”
“Oh, of course,” said Belle. “Don’t wait around in the cold on my account, Father.”
He grinned broadly, white teeth shining in the morning sun, breath steaming in the air.
“Thank you!” he said fervently. “I mean that, Lacey - uh, Belle - from the bottom of my heart. Thank you!”
He cupped her face with freezing hands and kissed her forehead.
“Thank you,” he whispered, and then he was gone, hurrying up the street to the church.
Belle gazed after him, brow wrinkled in confusion. This is a very strange town.
She walked on, past the cemetery and towards the edge of town, where the trees grew thick, the bare trunks of birch and maple in amongst thick evergreens. In the distance, the sound of a car engine grew louder, an unpleasant, low roaring in the peaceful morning, and Belle glanced at the road ahead, eyes widening as an old black car she didn’t recognise came swerving into view. There was some sort of rock music blaring from it, which cut off abruptly as it squealed to a stop on the road just ahead of her.
Belle wasn’t sure who she had expected to step out of the car, but it certainly hadn’t been Roni and the blonde woman she had seen in the bar two nights previously. The blonde had a determined look on her face, and she fixed Belle with the light of fervour in her eyes. Roni’s expression, in contrast, was somewhat resigned and wary, and she kept glancing around nervously as she drew nearer.
“Belle,” said the blonde woman firmly. “I don’t believe Roni introduced us the other evening. My name is Emma.”
“Uh…” Belle glanced between the two of them. “Hi?”
Emma smiled warmly, reaching for her hand, and immediately let out a yelp as a spark of electricity snapped between them.
“What the heck!” she spluttered, shaking her fingers.
“Protection spell,” said Roni. “I thought as much. Don’t touch her again, you’ll only hurt yourself.”
“Huh?” said Belle, bewildered. “Protection what now?”
“Belle, please listen to me,” said Emma urgently. “After a great deal of persuasion—” She frowned at Roni. “I managed to find out what happened to you, and I want you to know we’re here to help.”
“Hey, leave me out of this,” said Roni hastily. “I agreed to give you a ride, that’s it.”
“What - what is it you think I need help with?” asked Belle, confused.
“The child you’re carrying,” said Emma. “You know it’s not human, right?”
“I - what?” Belle shook her head.
“Oh, real subtle,” said Roni sarcastically, folding her arms. “You said you’d break it to her gently!”
“Do you have a better way to tell someone their child is a demon?”
“I don’t know, maybe at least sit her down and make her a chamomile tea first?”
“You think chamomile tea is gonna soften the blow?”
“No, I think a decent shot of whisky would, but you can’t exactly give it to a pregnant woman!”
Emma threw up her hands, clearly frustrated.
“Why did you even agree to come here with me?”
“Because you can’t damn well drive!” snapped Roni. “And you have no idea what subtlety is! Left to your own devices, you’d probably turn up at Gold’s house with a bunch of angels and try to fucking smite him!”
“I would not!”
“I thought if I brought you here myself, maybe we could sneak in and sneak out without him finding out,” Roni went on. “You seem intent on making everything ten times harder!”
“Roni, you’re being no help whatsoever, do you know that?”
“May I remind you that coming here was your idea?” said Roni. “And that it’s me who’s trespassing in this town? I told you how our kind reacts to territorial incursions, right?”
“Yeah, but I figured you were over-reacting!”
“She wasn’t.”
Gold’s voice, flat and deadly calm, made them all jump, and Belle shook her head in disbelief. He had appeared out of nowhere, a faint mist swirling around his feet as he glared at the two women. There was a faint hint of sulphur in the air, and she could almost see his hackles rise as his eyes found Emma. They were dark with fury, boring into her as she faced him down.
“Get out of this town!” he hissed. “This is my domain, angel!”
“I don’t see your name on it, demon,” said Emma, raising her chin. “There’s a convent here. That gives me equal footing with you.”
Gold let out a hollow laugh, mouth twisting in a nasty smile.
“You think the righteous outnumber the rest of us, do you?” he said. “Please. I could tell you tales about that convent that would give you nightmares. At least I don’t pretend to be a force for good.”
“No, you just pretend to be human.”
“I’m more human than you, dear,” he said acidly. “I came into this world just as any human does. I enjoy the pleasures this world offers, just as any human does.”
“Oh, I just bet you do…”
“But there again perhaps such things are beneath you, celestial being that you are,” he went on. “Probably survive on nauseating self-righteousness.”
“I’ll take self-righteousness over evil any day of the week,” she said witheringly, and Gold showed his teeth.
“As I thought,” he drawled. “Every bit as judgemental as all angels I’ve had the displeasure to meet.”
“You’re a demon, it’s my job to judge you!”
“Everybody stop talking!” shouted Belle.
There was a moment of silence. All three of them turned to face her, and the look of rage drained from Gold’s face, his expression turning soft and sad-eyed. She put her hands on her hips.
“What the hell is up with everyone?” she demanded. “Is this some elaborate joke I’m not in on? Why the hell are you all talking about angels and demons and good and evil and - and my baby not being human?”
“Belle.” Gold’s voice was gentle, and Emma gave him an odd, sideways look. “I’ve been trying to tell you that. I told you what I was.”
“Stop it!” she snapped. “It’s not funny! I’m - I’m pregnant, and - and it’s Christmas, and - and somehow you’re all making fun of me, and it’s mean!”
“We’re not!” protested Roni.
“I don’t understand what’s wrong with you people!” she went on. “Just - just stop being weird, all of you! Right now!”
Gold sighed, and exchanged a glance with Roni, who shrugged in a defeated manner.
“Show her,” she said, and he winced.
“She won’t like it.”
“You ashamed of what you are, or something?” said Emma dryly. “Because from where I’m standing that would seem like personal growth.”
“Oh, I moved past that a long time ago, angel,” he said, his tone very even. “I’m just very aware of human aesthetics, and I doubt Belle’s idea of the perfect human form includes me.”
“How do you know?” asked Roni. “She went to bed with you, didn’t she?”
“Yes, like this!” he snapped, waving a hand up and down himself.
“Like I said.” Emma curled her lip at him. “Ashamed.”
“Easy for you to pick up on, is it?” he said snidely. “Shame is your stock in trade, is it not?”
“Just as - as lust is yours!” she countered, and Gold grinned.
“Well, I know which I prefer.”
“Would you two stop sniping at each other?” snapped Roni. “Gold, don’t pretend you’re suddenly suffering a crisis of confidence. Maybe you’ve been in human form so long you’ve forgotten how pretty your other form is.”
“Oh, I’m sure that humans are known for their love of wings and tails on romantic partners,” he said sarcastically. “You know as well as I that no one but our own kind finds that attractive.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” muttered Emma, and Roni gave her a sharp look before turning her attention back to Gold.
“I told you from the first that you’re underestimating her,” she said. “Belle is - unique. You saw that about her, right?”
Gold smiled slightly.
“True.”
“Stop talking about me as though I’m not here!” said Belle petulantly. “And - and stop talking nonsense! Are you all drunk?”
“Dammit, Gold, just show her, would you?” snapped Roni.
“Show me what?”
Belle felt like stamping her foot, her heart thumping with a mix of anger and frustration, and Gold let out a sigh, turning on his toes to face her.
“Belle,” he said gently. “I have to show you something.”
“Yeah, so I hear!” she snapped. “What the hell is it?”
Emma snorted, and Roni gave her a flat look. Gold sighed heavily.
“Don’t be afraid, alright?” he added.
Belle folded her arms.
“I’m not afraid,” she said evenly. “I’m annoyed. Whatever it is you have to show me, bloody well get on with it.”
Gold muttered under his breath, then shrugged out of his suit jacket, tossing it to Roni, who caught it and narrowed her eyes as he went to work on his tie.
“Seriously?” she said. “You’re getting naked in the freezing cold? I really doubt that’s gonna add to the impressiveness of your physique.”
“This is an expensive suit,” he said in an aggrieved tone.
“So just poof it off.”
Gold’s hands stilled.
“Oh,” he said, and glanced over his shoulder at Emma. “Best avert your eyes, angel. I’d hate to tempt you.”
Emma made a gesture that was far from angelic, and folded her arms.
“Just wanting to point out that I’ve already seen you naked,” said Belle dryly.
“You have,” he said, lifting a hand and spreading his fingers. “But not like this.”
“Like what?”
Gold swept a hand down the front of his torso, and a cloud of red smoke enveloped him, making Belle jump in surprise. Her heart was pounding, her breath coming hard in her chest, and she watched the smoke thin and drift apart, wisps clearing to reveal what was unmistakably Gold, and yet not. His skin was covered from head to foot in tiny golden scales, his fingernails black, his eyes gleaming gold, reptilian and ancient. Two large, bat-like wings unfurled behind him, stretching outwards as though stiff from lack of use, and a long, tapered tail lashed the air. Belle stumbled back, eyes wide with shock, and her arms flailed as she lost her balance and toppled backwards into the snow.
“Belle!”
Immediately he was by her side, cradling her in his arms.
“Are you hurt?” he asked anxiously.
He was himself again, once more immaculate in his suit and tie, his skin as soft and pink and human as it had ever been. Belle struggled in his grip, and he released her, squatting on his heels as she pushed to her feet and backed away from him, her breath coming in rapid, frightened pants. Her heart was thumping painfully, pulse throbbing in her ears and behind her eyes, and her outstretched finger wavered as she pointed at him.
“You,” she said haltingly. “You - you…”
“Yes,” he said quietly.
She shook her head.
“No,” she said. “No. No no no.”
“Yes.”
His voice was a whisper, a breath in the air, and she went on shaking her head, as though that would somehow dispel the strange dream she appeared to have wandered into. Gold rose to his feet slowly, as though swift movements would scare her, and extended a hand to take hers. Belle pulled away abruptly, almost jumping out of reach.
“I can’t,” she said. “I - I can’t…”
She turned on her heel, walking blindly back towards the town, her mind a maelstrom.
“Belle, wait!”
She held up a hand, fingers splayed, a blocking motion shutting them all out.
Gold watched her go, feeling strangely powerless, and Roni inched closer, until she was standing by his side.
“That went well,” she observed, and he shot her a sideways look.
“Are you still here?”
“Looks like it.”
He waited for her to say something, but she simply stood there in silence. It was almost as though she pitied him. Or at least that she could empathise. He glanced over his shoulder at where the angel was looking down her nose at him, and turned his back one more.
“What are you doing hanging out with a bloody angel, anyway?” he demanded.
“Oh, like you cornered the market in cross-species relationships, or something?”
“Yes, but an angel?”
Roni shrugged.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but we happen to share a number of common interests.” She glanced around. “Look, Emma’s probably not gonna leave town until we’re sure Belle’s okay. Is that going to be a problem?”
Gold turned slowly, swivelling on the toes of his shoes. The angel - Emma - raised her chin defiantly, blonde hair gleaming in the winter sun, and he sighed, shoulders slumping. I don’t have the energy for this.
“Just stay out of my way,” he said wearily, and disappeared in a plume of red smoke, leaving behind the faint smell of sulphur.
x
He had intended to spend the day in his shop, but instead he went home to pour himself a glass of brandy and brood. Belle was still in town, he knew that much. He would feel it if she left.
Thinking about it logically, he wasn’t sure what he had expected, but Roni was right: he had seen something different in Belle. He was the first to admit that picking up on human jokes was something he had never been very good at, but his conversation with her in the bar had felt genuine. After all, he had heard countless tales of humans who enjoyed the thrill of bedding a demon, who would willingly let one into their dreams, and later into their beds. He had met many of them himself, over the years. None of them wanted to see the demon’s true form, of course, but they still got off on the danger. He hadn’t thought Belle one of those shallow creatures, but he hadn’t realised that she had thought him fully human either.
There was something about her, he reflected, something that went far beyond her beauty and intelligence, and her kind heart. Something that held his interest far more than any other human he had met. She was different. Even if she didn’t fully realise it yet. Most humans could sense the darkness in him, and avoided him, even if they didn’t understand why. But Belle had sought him out. Belle had wanted him. Perhaps he simply needed to give it some time. Perhaps she would return.
x
Dusk had fallen when the knock came.
He glanced up, brandy glass hanging from his fingers, his body grown stiff from the length of time he had been sitting in his chair. The knock came again, and a spark of something like hope took life in him. It wasn’t Roni, and it wasn’t the angel either, he could sense that much. Hopefully they would stay out of his way for the duration of their visit; he really wasn’t in the mood for a showdown. Which left only one possible visitor.
He pulsed out of his chair, rolling his shoulders as he walked to the hallway. The third knock was rapid and insistent, and he quickened his pace a little as he reached the door.
It had been snowing again, and Belle was covered in a light dusting of flakes, her cheeks pink with the cold. She was bouncing on her toes, looking nervous, but she fell back on her heels as he appeared, her expression shifting between caution and relief.
“Hey,” she said, and he smiled faintly.
“Hey,” he said. “You must be freezing.”
“Yeah.” She sniffed. “I - uh - went for a long walk.”
“And you found your way here?” he said. Belle wrinkled her nose.
“Everyone in town seems to know where you live,” she said. “But they were pretty reluctant to give me the address. Kept telling me to stay away, like I’d suffer some terrible fate.”
“That sounds about right,” he said wearily, and she shrugged.
“Yeah, well, no one decides my fate but me,” she said. “Can I come in?”
Gold smiled, and stepped back, holding open the door.
“Of course,” he said. “Come sit by the fire.”
#fic: communion#fic: original sin verse#rumbelle fic#my fic#sprite's festive fic fest#demon!gold x human!belle
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July 13th-July 19th, 2020 CTP Archive
The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from July 13th, 2020 to July 19th, 2020. The chat focused on Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R by snuffysam.
Featured Comment:
Chat:
Comic Tea Party
BOOK CLUB START!
Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R by snuffysam~! (http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/comics/)
You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace until July 19th, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Discussions are freeform, but we do offer discussion prompts in the pins for those who’d like to have them. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic! Whether you finish the comic or can only read a few pages, everyone is welcome to join and chat with us!
DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 1
1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic?
2. What has been your favorite moment in the comic (so far)?
3. Who is your favorite character?
4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most?
5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it!
6. What is a theme you like that the comic explores?
7. What do you like about the comic’s story or overall related content?
8. Overall, what do you think the comic’s strengths are?
Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!
carcarchu
I'm only 5 pages in so far, but this comic has a great sense of humour i've already laughed out loud at some of the jokes
Deo101 [Millennium]
god yes the jokes all hit so well
carcarchu
i noticed an error on tapas, page 42 and page 45 are identical
Deo101 [Millennium]
oh no
snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)
@carcarchu fixed, thank you for pointing that out!
carcarchu
i'm 63 pages in now and i'm really enjoying this comic so far. it's solidly paced with an interesting cast of characters. the banter is really fun to read and i'm loving how the world building expands with each new character introduced
snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)
glad to hear it!!!
shadowhood {SunnyxRain}
Damn I feel bad for only reading this now
I love the comedic pauses in between the jokes, and it makes the situation more awkward and hilarious for me!
Also fourth wall breaking and lampshades
Feather J. Fern
I really like the line "I can't hear you from over there." Lampshading why people monologue but they are stepping away from the listener
I really enjoy these types of jokes, this comic has really good comedic timing.
Also It is long, but easy to digest, so I'm speeding through quite easily.
Also Sir Pokes a Lot!! My favourite character, and you killed them! (I love the animated parts of the comic too)
snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)
thank u!!!
and yeah, sorry about sir pokes-a-lot
Deo101 [Millennium]
Can not wait for y'all to meet my fave
shadowhood {SunnyxRain}
Wait WHAT SIR POKES A LOT DIES WHAT THE HELL
Oh yes, the animated parts always get me by surprise and I love them too
snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)
imo, there's an even sadder death in book 2...
RebelVampire
I like that the beginning just has a lot of comedy even while establishing the exposition parts. So you don't really even notice you're learning about characters, the world, and so forth, because the jokes just really make the entire experience vastly entertaining. My favorite moment in the comic is probably now when all the governors show up and Electric Zebra to fight the demon. Cause it was like a party of badasses, had lots of great comedy, lots of great fighting, and just all around it was nice to see everyone else embrace Mizuki's strengths too. My favorite character is a tie between Electric Zebra and Sword Warrior/Taci. Electric Zebra because I love that he works for the gov but also hates the gov while also moonlighting as a musician. He just all around is a fun character for me who could do no wrong. Taci I like because he's simultaneously arrogant, smart, caring, and selfish. I also like that he just blatantly announces his plans to become dictator. As for the art, I really love the colors. The entire comic is just a really colorful experience without being over-saturated, and I really think that makes it stand out, regardless of the other 3D aspects and such that make it stand out as well, of course. I like in the current book it explores the nature of making friends. Since Mizuki is trying hard to make friends with Stella, and Stella isn't having that. So I enjoy this exploration in terms of kind of what do you even do in those situations and how can you peacefully co-exist and overcome that grump gap.
As for the overall related content and the comic's strength, these are one in the same for me: the comedy. This is by far one of the few comic's that clicks for me in terms of comedy. Not only does it have fantastic timing, but a lot of it is really smart with lots of callbacks to things that happened - and damn do I love that sort of continuity. It's not even just the one-liner jokes though. Sometimes it's just the stories overall way of solving problems in comedic ways that is the best, so all in all, just a great entertaining comic.
Krispy §[Ghost Junk Sickness]§
The dialogue is so funny to go through, I love the way Snuffy characterises and just has fun!
also the cell shaded rendering is so cool! I love the aesthetic and design !
snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)
@RebelVampire regarding continuity stuff, this is basically the ending of book 2 lmao(edited)
mathtans
Hm, so this is somehow a trickier one for me to analyze since I've been reading it since the first CTP. Admittedly I fell behind after Book2 (busy months) but I just got caught back up (SpaceMySpace...) so I guess I'll do some further pondering and check back in later. ^^
snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)
ok so i finished re-reading my comic the only joke that made me legit laugh out loud this re-read was the dancing in panel 3 of this page: http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/comics/255 just because i completely forgot i put that gag in there lol
tbh my favorite character in the comic is taci. like, before his introduction, the comic was incomplete, in a sense. but with him in the picture, all the writing just fits together. (even past the fact that books 3-5 wouldn't happen without taci being a total weirdo who mailed hundreds of letters to the galaxy knights under fake names, lol)
Deo101 [Millennium]
taci is also my favorite,,, as you know, aha
Comic Tea Party
DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 2
9. Given the comic’s emphasis on comedy, what was your favorite joke insofar? What made it stand out to you compared to the others? In what ways does the comic’s comedy stand apart from other comics?
10. What do you think of Mizuki’s tactics for using magic? Is she crazy as many characters imply, or do you think she’ll continue to make it work far into the future? How will this decision affect her skills as a strategist?
11. What do you think King Zebugu is doing participating in Galaxy Knights trials? Do you think he’s finally changed his ways, or is he up to something? Also, will this help Taci achieve his own goals?
12. Do you think Mizuki will be able to become a Galaxy Knight? If so, what other trials will she have to work through? Additionally, what will become of some of the other characters such as Stella, Taci, and Pejiba in the trials?
Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!
Deo101 [Millennium]
Okay my favorite joke so far was DEFINITELY this one, it's the first one I think that really made me like, fully laugh out loud. I dont know why it got to me so much. Also it made me love cahe very much as well.
SPOILER
Also I think Mizuki's magic probably IS something to do with her abillity to copy other's magic really easily, and probably more efficiently.
and kinda combo of 11 and 12 but I hope they all become galaxy knights and be friends :)
(including king zebugu)
back about the magic thing I KNOW weve been told anyone can do any magic, it's just very draining and hard, so they use their own magics always... but People have also commented on her ability to actually utilize other's magics SO i feel like theres more to it than just her being incredibly stubborn.
RebelVampire
I'm sorry Cahe. You used to be my #2 fave character, but then Taci.
Deo101 [Millennium]
LITERALLY SAME
RebelVampire
My favorite joke changes each reading, but right now I'm gonna go with Book 2 when Mizuki is remarking about forgetting something important and then we see Enetoro still stalling for the talent show. It was such great timing since it was long enough most readers probably forgot about it in the front of their mind but still recent enough you're like oh yeah. And I just like that long ass joke setup for the entire book. As for how the comic's comedy in general stands apart, just superior timing. A lot of comedy is about timing, and this comic is just spot on everytime. As for how Mizuki uses magic, it's probably a bit of both. She is crazy, but she will probably make it work for a long time to come just out of sheer force of will and stubbornness. But I think her having to learn so many abilities and find ways to utilize them together can only increase her skills as a strategist, since it allows her to assess the full potential of every ability and command others to reach that potential. King Zebugu is probably up to something again. I don't think he's as evil in the first books, but I def think there's something going on that he isn't telling anyone that he'll reveal towards the end and say, "Well good luck Mizuki peace out." I don't think it'll help Taci though. I think Taci will just wind up getting roped in and never get even one step closer to becoming the dictator he always wants to be. I do think Mizuki will become a Galaxy Knight. As for other trials, I'm not entirely sure. I imagine there's gonna be some sort of tournament arc though cause otherwise how is Stella supposed to say something about how this is a true contest for warriors. I think Stella will befriend Mizuki, and Taci will at least win something he can brag about. I think Pejiba won't win though, but I also think Pejiba would be content to try again and just go back to skipping around with Cahe.
snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)
There's... somewhat of a tournament arc coming up? The structure is gonna be weird compared to other tournament arcs, but it's definitely one of the more interesting chapters I've written lol. So... have fun speculating on that for the next three years lmao
Regarding some of the other questions - there's currently enough information in the comic to figure out all the 11th-hour plot twists for Book 3. I won't say there's enough information to easily figure the plot out, lol, but you could figure it out. Though - there is absolutely something going on that King Zebugu isn't telling anyone about (it's kind of a habit at this point, lol).
mathtans
1. You know something I like about the beginning? The links to the original artwork. It's just a subtle thing down at the bottom, but it simultaneously shows the progress made by the artist, and allows anyone thinking 'wow I could never do anything like that' to realize that it didn't happen overnight.
Also the gradual world building is really well done. You don't get too much at once.
2. I think my favourite moment remains how Mizuki defeated Zebugu near the end of Book 1. It was just really clever in terms of reincorporating something subtle (the comic's good at that in general) to turn the tables, and played off his personality more than his magic, which was also clever. There's lots of other great moments too, but that one stands out over time, I think because we were looking at a climax there.
3. Favorite character is probably Zaxaty. Yeah, yeah, mathtans going for the major lesbian, big surprise, but hear me out. She's connected to the King, a major antagonist, but has her own personality and I don't think she's afraid to slap him down if needed. She might even end up connected to the major protagonist (because of reader ships). She's into art, there's that whole bizarre roller skating thing just to point out she's not normal. I possibly enjoy hairstyles like hers. And she sustained major injuries in the big Book 2 battle but sucked it up and still did what she could. So there.
(Before Zaxaty it was probably Pejiba. She seemed smart and capable.)
4. Character interaction... possibly Mizuki and Taci, simply because I tend to enjoy their interactions with everyone else in the cast. So when they get together, whew... possibly related, Mizuki has a tendency to be oblivious due to inexperience or failing her perception checks, while Taci can be oblivious because he's so full of himself. Their battle and the Sword Warrior revelation was another good moment overall.
5. Again, I'm hardly a person to be commenting on art. But the rendering effects and the occasional animated panels kind of blow me away.
(Not the first person to remark on that, admittedly.)
6. I'm not great with themes either. Perseverance is probably one, based on what/who Mizuki has to put up with. Also friendship, which Rebel referenced, and can even be seen in the earlier bits with the group coming together (Cahe and Pejiba taking it to the next level). And how those in power aren't necessarily the best at decision making (is that a theme)?
Then there's mystery, like what are peoples' goals. Is that a theme? I don't know what I'm talking about, let's face it.
7. Something about the story and content is how much development's gone into it. I don't know if the side stories were started in part due to StArt Faire, or if it provided some perpetual motion, but for example Gynu and Suzigu have this entire childhood backstory in there, and we never saw that much of them in Book 1. (Maybe that one was to highlight more Galaxy Knight stuff? But there's others that expand on otherwise minor characters.)
Then there's the cast page, which seems to be constantly updating, and includes extra random trivia and even what seem like really really minor characters (like the Ferryman).
I have no clue how snuffysam manages to do all that stuff and yet continue to update multiple times in a week. With, as Rebel pointed out, very good comedy too, both situational and connected to character personalities.
8. Comic strength is I think at times doing the unexpected. Like throwing in animation, or referencing someone new or something that adds new pieces to the magic dynamic. Like you want to keep reading to know what comes next because even if it's what you think it might be, there's probably some new aspect you didn't expect that will be there too.
Anyway, there's some thoughts, and for all I know it's similar to stuff I already said in a previous chat. If so, whoops. More tomorrow. I type slow.
(Incidentally, related to the stories, the "wingwomanicon" story won't load for me... it's a blank pdf. And the link in the story proper for when it first went up seems to link to the wrong story.)
snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)
@mathtans I really should test my links lol... the story should be fixed now
Comic Tea Party
DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 3
13. What are you most looking forward to seeing in regards to the comic?
14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic?
Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!
mathtans
9. I'm not sure I could pick a favourite joke. Mizuki's habit of breaking the fourth wall tends to be cleverly done. Coruby's wit matches well with his character. I'll echo what Rebel said about the timing too; there's effective use of beat panels and the like too.
10. Mizuki's probably crazy, or perhaps it's more her obliviousness, but she's very good at working with what she has to minimize the drain. She also must have a really good memory. I think the main problem with her ability to strategize is she's not great at long term planning, everything seems to be more "in the moment".
(I figure you've got a lot going on as is there. ) Sorry, must scamper again, back later. Should we comment on ships too here, or is that mostly covered by the comic itself?
snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)
Hey, you can comment on ships as much as you want!
mathtans
Zebugu and Taci might be a ship. Can't be that much animosity without deeper feelings somewhere, right?
RebelVampire
I can't decide how I feel about Zebugu/Taci. That is a ship that makes sense as much as it doesn't make sense. I am stuck in a loop.
I am looking forward to more Taci because Taci. There can never be enough Taci in the comic, and I think I just really enjoy how he works off Mizuki because it offers lots of beautiful comedic potential. My final words are just amazing comedy comic that everyone should check out.
mathtans
11. I think King Zebugu is in the trials in part because he doesn't like that his wizard and his accountant were former Galaxy Knights. Maybe it's the ace they play to get him under control at times, maybe they don't need to, but I think he's trying to gain more power over his underlings, and by extension the planet. He's always got an angle. As to Taci, for him it's probably more ego driven, but he does have two abilities so maybe he wants to see how he compares off planet. I don't see either of them winning, I see them potentially cancelling each other out so the other guy doesn't win.
12. I think Mizuki could become a Galaxy Knight, but I don't think it'll happen in Book 3. In particular Bily is being set up as an antagonist against her (she has a similar ability to duplicate the spells of someone else, though she does need to touch them AND she has a beef with Mizuki over being the one to knock her brother out of contention). Other trials, I'm not sure... there might be one where they have to team up with someone else. Mizuki and Stella would be an interesting situation, as would Taci and anybody. I don't think Motorcycle Man or Willpower-Copy Lady will get far since the cast page only gives them minor character status. But then that could be part of the joke in the end.
Rebel's analysis regarding the others looks pretty good, actually. I'm not sure how hammer guy fits in, is one thing.
Fun that Stella's officially out now, incidentally. I don't see her going for shorter women though. Also, I wonder what constellations she might have that are in no way tied to the stars as we know them? And for that matter, she made a "Frozen" reference, which is usually Mizuki's domain. Perhaps she's also aware of the 4th wall (or "Frozen" went international there on 'SpaceMySpace' or something). Anyway.
13. Well, that last Starstuff Story is only one page long, so potentially looking forward to reading the rest of that. Seeing how the tournament plays out will be interesting... I'm more hyped about it than the gatherings plot of Book 2, maybe it's the extra title drop, dunno. Also vaguely curious about what's happening with everyone back on the planet during this time... like, if the King's away, who's running the place? (Zaxaty?)
Incidentally, the Galaxy Knights must be pretty well off financially. They set up housing and roommates for EVERYONE, then almost right away had a challenge and eliminated most of the people. Like, a lot of those rooms they didn't need.
Random question too, how DID the Starstuff stories get their start?
snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)
@mathtans I dunno how I keep screwing this up... anyway, I checked, and the newest story is now 100% fixed.
The original reason for Starstuff Stories was to flesh out characters' move pools for potential video game adaptations. Like, that's why Green Archer uses explosive arrows and chain arrows in her story, and why Chill Bro has ice armor in his. Though it evolved over time to just being interesting stories that I wanted to tell that wouldn't necessarily focus on Mizuki.
mathtans
Sorry, was needed elsewhere. Then read the story. I didn't expect ears to be a thing, and that poor woman is cursed. ^.^ That's a neat origin idea, I hadn't thought along those lines. Looks like the story has evolved too, there's been some scenes without Mizuki too (though I guess they were in some way related).
14. For final words, just keep at it I guess, you've got a very interesting world set up and do well at engaging your audience too, from what I can tell.
Deo101 [Millennium]
Zebugu/taci huh...? I can see them being exes or something
mathtans
Maybe that's the real reason Taci wants to kill Zebugu.
Deo101 [Millennium]
Zebugu forgot to tell taci they broke up, and stood him up!
snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)
That does sound like something Zebugu would do...
snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)
also, regarding something @mathtans said - Looks like the story has evolved too, there's been some scenes without Mizuki too (though I guess they were in some way related). yeah i had to rewrite book 3 like two times before I realized the story worked better if it didn't focus on mizuki all the time. like, book 3 introduces the most new characters out of any book so far, and i was completely neutering it by forcing all their arcs to relate to mizuki in some way. thanks to breaking that mentality, i'm able to include stuff like characters having rivalries with each other in ways that mizuki wouldn't even find out about, which helps keep the book from getting bogged down imo.
mathtans
It's cool that you draft everything out to that extent. And it's not out of the blue, she wasn't there for some of the big battle ending Book 2 either.
(Or at the talent show for most of the story. )
Comic Tea Party
BOOK CLUB END!
Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R this week! Please also give a special thank you to snuffysam for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!
Read and Comment: http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/comics/
Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Galaxy_Knights
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January Reading Updates
Since we’ve just reached the end of the first month of 2020, I thought I’d take some time to share with you all what I’ve been reading and also write a short review about each book (else I’ll completely forget what I read by the end of the year...) The books are listed in the order that I completed them in.
(*): Read in Vietnamese
1. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
Neil is perhaps my favorite storyteller ever, and he particularly excels in building strange yet captivating worlds that do a great job of making humans seem more human than ever, despite the fact nothing remotely conforming to the human-norm happens (except marriage problems--I suppose even gods and demi-gods are dumb motherfuckers when it comes to love.)
American Gods follows Shadow, a widower freshly released from jail as he tags alongside a suspiciously rich “Mr. Wednesday” (later revealed to be an undercover God), on a quest to convince the old, forgotten Gods of America to rise up and fight the new Gods (Technology, Media etc.) The book pulls up many characters from Irish, Norse, Hindu, Slavic, African and Egyptian folklore and so on, and offers a very refreshing take on religion in modern society. Although Gaiman didn’t dive deep into any specific culture, it’s a helpful start to continue learning about religion and folklore all over the world. There is a lot of information and I can only imagine how painstaking the research process must have been.
Genre-wise, I don’t think this book fits into any at all. There’s history, fantasy, horror, maybe some thriller too. The idea of a giant war with hundreds of Gods is very ambitious, so the book does get a little messy and all-over-the-place at times. I’d call it “jigsaw-puzzling”, though, you’re given lots of information that doesn’t seem to make sense, but gradually everything comes together at the end and I absolutely love getting to the end and exclaiming “OH! So THAT’S what it was about” I find that the suspense-building in this book very well-done, too. The only criticism I have is that the ending felt a bit... lacking. You had all this build up, this gigantic feud, but everything’s resolved so simply you almost feel cheated. Or maybe I just have something against how Armageddon-type stories (where 2 sides fight to death) keep ending. Other than that, considering how hard this topic is to write about, I’m flabbergasted at how well Neil pulled it off.
Overall rating: 8/10
2. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck - Mark Manson
Everyone was raving about it so I had to give it a go. For those of you who don’t know, this is a self-help book aiming to show you how to re-purpose your life, communicate effectively and live productively. Surprisingly, it only took me 2 afternoons to finish (I always find self-help books are easier to read than fiction, don’t know why). It’s written very informally and feels more like a humorous conversation with a loving but foul-mouthed friend, which makes it easy to digest whether you’re a 10th grader being peer-pressured to apply to US Colleges or a 53-year old electrician just realising you actually wanted to be a novelist. The only requirement for the the advice to be useful is that you kind of need to mess up a lot.
However, I found that there weren’t that many new things in the book. Mostly, it just reminded us of the things we already knew but consciously (or subconsciously) decide to shove under the carpet, OR put into words things we kind of already think, but don’t know how to explain. There is, no doubt, lots of helpful advice but like all self-help books, I find it too much to remember (unless you’re going to re-read it 20 times), and when I finished, out of the dozens of pieces of advice I only remembered one, “People who make changes aren’t flashy and don’t about what they’re going to do a lot. They just do it.” And from then on I shut up about my plans and just worked on them. Everyone’s going to have their own takeaways relevant to their lives, and I’d encourage you to read it just to see if you can find anything interesting. If out of 20 things, you remember 2-3 things that work for you, that’s still a win.
What I enjoyed the most was actually reading the stories/examples of real people at the beginning of each chapter before getting into the “lecture” part.
Overall rating: 6.9/10
3. Dracula - Bram Stoker
A classic in gothic horror. I actually started reading this last year and the first third of the book telling Jonathan’s fearful stays at Count Dracula’s castle had me hooked - it’s written in beautiful, elegant language which we hardly ever hear anymore, and does such a wonderful job conveying the characters’ fears, thoughts and emotions. But the moment Jonathan leaves the castle and the book switches to other characters’ stories, it just got so long and boring that I stopped reading for 3 months altogether and forgot which character was which because there were so many men. The “dull chapters” stretch on for at least a quarter of the book, and things only get interesting again when Dracula returns to the story and certain characters start turning into vampires. The rest of the story follows the “heroes” as they try to defeat the Count and bring peace to his victims, and although many parts are suspenseful and very clever, the ending is also so easily achieved that it’s a bit of a downer.
The whole book is written in diary entrees, journal entrees and letters of different characters (I’ve only read single-person diaries before) which was surprisingly pleasant in that you feel like you know the characters and by the end, you grow quite fond of them. It even inspired me to start keeping a diary again. It also made me start speaking like an old Englishman for the few days after completion, because I hadn’t really shaken off the language yet. Everyone seemed to be much more caring towards each other in those days, and through the letters I picked up some romantic phrases of which my favorite has been “And so, as you love me, and he loves me, and I love you with all the moods and tenses of the verb, I send you simply his ‘love’ instead.” Lovely, isn’t it?
Overall rating: 7/10
4. Days at Morisaki Bookstore / Những Giấc Mơ Ở Hiệu Sách Morisaki - Satoshi Yagisawa*
I’m not sure of the popularity of this book, it seems quite lowkey but has a surprising amount of reviews on Good Reads and even has a film adaptation. I happened to find it on my bookshelf and finished it in one afternoon (it was only 150-ish pages.)
Genre-wise, I’d call it Slice of Life although I don’t know if books are even allowed to be called that, or just anime. There is generally no real plot, only character development as Takako (main character) gets dumped by her cheating boyfriend and moves into her uncle’s antique bookstore to re-charge, gradually finding herself learning to appreciate books and the people around her. It’s a very simple storyline, and there’s almost nothing very special about the main character, but maybe that’s what makes it a relaxing read - because in reality, most humans aren’t the special snowflakes and oddballs we think. Admittedly, I started off finding Takako very annoying, but as she grew through the story, I found myself empathizing with her. For me, the book is a reminder to take things slower in life, remember to recharge and learn to see the beauty in simple things around you. It had a happy ending, too. Good for lazy reads, you don’t really have to think much - just sit there with a nice cup of tea and go with the flow.
Overall rating: 7/10
5. The Oldest Parents With The Youngest Child / Những Tháng Năm Rực Rỡ - Ae-ran Kim*
I. Loved. This. Even now it’s left me with a tumble of emotions that I don’t even know how to describe, and I can say for sure that it’s made it to my list of favorite books of all time.
The story recounts the life of a 17-year-old boy with progeria (a disease that makes his body age 4x as fast as a regular person, meaning he has the body of an 80-year-old) and his parents, who had him when they were 17. It talks of the struggles of teen parents learning to cope with an unintended pregnancy, their financial and mental hardships raising a child whilst also battling his illness, and also of the main character’s steel-hard resilience and love for life despite his condition. It actually made me feel ashamed of myself for being perfectly healthy, but not being as curious and hungry to learn, and most of all, to have a perfectly functioning laptop and not be writing. Other than that, it also humanizes persons with disabilities, showing that they too can fall in love, get anxious when ghosted and want to sneakily drink alcohol despite being underaged - anything a typical 17 year old might do. After this book, for the first time in a long time I felt that every aspect of life was truly wonderful and that I was lucky to be here. I also made a list of 30 challenges to do these coming months, to understand and enjoy life more and will keep you updated on my progress.
Even though the book is written from the perspective of a boy with progeria, the author herself is a perfectly healthy woman in her 40s (who did a lot of research before writing, I’m sure). Yet somehow she’s able to tell the story so vividly, convincingly and emotionally that I feel like I’m in his body, living his life and feeling his disappointment and excitement. The tone is so natural, so nonchalant it just feels like a leaf smoothly riding the breeze down the the ground. Reading this book, I’m reminded again of how powerful a tool literature is in sharing ideas, bridging humans and building empathy. I’m in awe of not just the main character for pushing through his difficulties the way he did, but also of the author for writing something so powerful it changed the way I looked at life. It makes me want to write stories like this one day, too. I just don’t know what to say about this book other than I really loved it.
Overall rating: 9/10
And that’s it for this month! I’ve only just gotten back on track with reading and remembering how fun it is. Hopefully someone will find this helpful and maybe pick up one of these books. I’ll see you guys next month!
#book review#american gods#the subtle art of not giving a f*ck#dracula#my brilliant life#kim aeran#days at morisaki bookstore#reading list#eng#books
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“Margetta Hirsch Doyle ’45 was a regular student at William & Mary. Her friends called her ‘Getta’ and she was a Kappa Delta. Doyle kept a diary and wrote about her philosophy quizzes, described how much she enjoyed making Red Cross surgical wrappings and mentioned hours spent spotting airplanes from campus buildings. Doyle was a student during World War II.
During the second World War, William & Mary became a predominantly female campus. While many college-age males fought abroad, women kept up the war effort from Williamsburg. In between their studies and social life, students volunteered with the Student War Council and the American Red Cross. Along with other service work, they, like Doyle, made surgical dressings and spotted airplanes, sometimes in groups and sometimes alone.”
Margetta Hirsch Doyle’s Entries for September, 1943:
SEPTEMBER 1
Mother roused us early since Beth and Kay had to go to work - Lou and I trailed sleepily after them. “Goodbyes” were said and Lou and I with Mother, talked and talked about how to improve KΔ. It was much the same stuff, but with new ideas. We finally managed to dress for a late lunch at the Chinese restaurant in Jamaica and seemed to stuff ourselves. Louise hopped a subway and Mother and I met Herbert (a date - hey! Even if he is just 13) and saw “Hers to Hold” with Deanna Durbin and Joseph Cotton (Ah! Such a man!) and “Crime Doctor” with Warner Baxter at the Valencia. Letter from Danny saying she and Fred have made up. I’m so very glad! Nana came this evening.
SEPTEMBER 2
So lazy! I drooped in bed reading and dreaming till it was well nigh noon and my guilty conscience forced me into a more active life. Once I was up I drooped some more and got out my “old faithful letters” to pore over again. They’re all so “cute” and ego-bolstering. Reading them over I can ignore the intervals between, and toss off the carburetor ones as unimportant. Such nice boys! Dad came out, still feeling rotton - and contemplating the date of his operation. Pat called - gave me a message from Bell that he’s rooting for me to go to Hamilton the 11th. Gee, I’d love it, but Mother and Dad are very uncooperative. I spose they’re right. We invaded Italy’s mainland!!
SEPTEMBER 3
I’m beautified - or rather - attempts were made. At 9:00 a.m. Mother and I were down at Robert’s and my hair was going through the mechanisms necessary for a permanent. I was amazingly through in two hours - it looks fairly all right considering……….. Mother stopped at O.C.D. and then we had lunch at the Fish Grotto, And on home. This evening I went into the city up to Victor Chemical’s office to be shown around by Bugsie. We met Mr. Cotton, her boss and he gave us bourbon to sip. Stirred, we walked crosstown to Toffenetti’s where we met Ev for a crazy dinner. Such fun. Then a walk uptown to Radio City. We saw Cary Grant (Mmm!) in “Mr Lucky.” The stage show had no continuity but the Corps de Ballet act was super.
SEPTEMBER 4
The beginning of the Labor Day weekend. It doesn’t seem possible - my, how the summer has flown by!! Today was completely uneventful and unexciting. I drooped in bed once more till just before time for Daddy to come out. He brought cake as usual. The rest of the afternoon was spent in listening to the Dodgers-Giant's game which the Dodgers won in the seventeenth inning. I pored through old diaries and really laughed at them. Admittedly I’m still rather dramatic and I do exaggerate - but - Gad when I was a Senior at St. Mary’s I really laid in on thick. Such gushing! I really ought to turn over a new leaf. I called Bugsie, Joanie and Pat Brennan.
SEPTEMBER 5
I roused myself from my lethargy to be ready when Aud called for me to go to church and communion. The sermon was quite good: cooperation in order to have World Peace. I came home feeling real holy for a change. This afternoon Bugsie came by to laugh over old diaries with me and talk about things in general. Then she and I walked back to pick up Irene - and so a trek to Tildemann’s for gooey calorie-filled sundaes. Our conscience bothered us but we enjoyed them anyhoo and sat smoking and listening to the juke box discussing the Reader’s Digest statistical conclusion that after the war 7 out of every ten girls will be old maids. Cheerful prospect! Gee things are bad enough without thinking of that.
SEPTEMBER 6
Happy Labor Day! and it was quite happy too, considering - this morning we revived the matter of this next weekend, which had been sort of lying dormant till then and Mom and Dad said I definitely couldn’t go up alone. There was little I could say and I spose I really see their point but I do want to go to Hamilton so very badly. We sit upon the idea of Bugsie’s going with me so I sent a special delivery to Bill and am keeping my fingers crossed till I hear. This evening after Dad left on the spur of the moment Mother & I hopped a bus and went to the Alden to see revivals of Clark Gable & Claudette Colbert's Academy Award Winner “It Happened One Night” and Ronald Colman in “Lost Horizon.” I wonder what my Shangri-La is!
SEPTEMBER 7
I slept late again, getting dressed time to meet Mrs. Brennan and Pats. We went into N.Y. to see “This is the Army” the Technicolor movie version of the army show. It really was terrifically good - the music, acting, vague plot to connect the two wars and color were all grand and I enjoyed it as much as, if not more, than any other picture in a long time. After the movie we went into Dempsey’s and sipped cocktails, and then they came home with us for dinner and to talk and reminisce and plan for awhile. They’re real nice people - I like 'em good inspite of everything. I heard from Dossie and Eddie Damm - also a sweet letter from Freddie enclosing a picture of the girl to whom he’s engaged for me too see!
SEPTEMBER 8
A nice day! I met Lou at Roosevelt Avenue just before twelve and then on to New York to mosey around Lord & Taylor’s trying to get decorative ideas for improving the KΔ house but things were too extreme for our collegiate ways! Then we went to the Gypsy Tea Room for lunch and to have our fortunes told - very interesting! After that we went to the Ambassador theater and saw “Blossom Time” - music costumes and acting were swell - good show about Schubert’s life and music. I met Mother and Dad at Dempsey’s for dinner and sat at the table next Jack and his two children. After that - back to the H.G.C. meeting at Jeannettes for gab - nothing exciting. Italy unconditionally surrendered to the Allies. Best news since the war began! Is victory nearer? I’m so glad!!
SEPTEMBER 9
Today started off pretty well. Mother and I went into New York and bought me my beauty of a red three-piece suit (The pockets on the other had been cockeyed!) and a cute black hat too; so I glowed with it all. We skirted the big Parade (opening 3rd War Bond Drive!), had a sandwich at the Milk Barn and then went to Robert’s where I had my hair shampooed and set (first since after the permanent!) We came home and Nana was here. Very bad news! Bill had tried to call me last night but I was out, as tonight he called again, and the result wasn’t too cheery. It seems there’s a convention in Clinton over the weekend and cause I hadn’t let him know sooner he couldn’t yet a room anyware. God I’m so disappointed. I’d wanted to go so badly. We talked for quite while and he seemed as disappointed as I. We haven’t really talked in so long, and it’d have been wonderful. Oh hell!
SEPTEMBER 10
I turned completely tragically dramatic and sobbed all last night so that this morning my eyes are just slits. I hadn’t really cried in ages and splurted forth all I’d saved up. Silly, but I really cleaned out my nasal passages! Mom decided to pacify me with a program of activity so we went into New York for a Chinese Lunch at the China Clipper and then went to the Roxy to see “Heaven Can Wait” with Don Ameche and Gene Tierney - very amusing and I liked it good. We went to Saks for a pair of jodphur pants - and then to Dr. Weiss for the usual. We met Dad at the Boar’s Head on Lexington Avenue and our mouths watered over good soft shell crabs. Glory came over late in the evening, and spent the night. We talked n’ talked - slept together in the double bed and were real restless.
SEPTEMBER 11
An active day! Fairly early, Bugsie and I dressed in our riding togs, and after meeting Cam, Aud and Irene we trekked to 188th St. and hopped on horses. At least the rest hopped but not having gone in over two years, I was more or less shoved on by an innocently obliging bystander. Once we started posting and cantering through Cunningham Park however it was wonderful and the ride a beautiful one. Irene fell off to lend excitement. We went back to Glory’s for lunch and chatted awhile; then, this evening rather unexpectedly, Glory, Aud, Irene, Cam, Edith and Jean all came in, and we howled hysterically over old diaries of Aud & Irene revealing their “supreme thrills” of grammar and high school days. Jean’s baby’ll arrive the end of February supposedly - it doesn’t seem possible. Anyhoo, the evening was fun!
SEPTEMBER 12
Limping and nursing sore aching muscles, Aud and I practically dragged ourselves to St. Gabe’s this morning and squirmed on the comparatively hard wooden seats. Mr. Condit is back for his first service of the new year and is really a marvelous rector. Mr. Judd has accepted an offer at Christ Church outside of Philadelphia, and will leave St. Gabe’s the end of this month. After church we stopped at Glory’s for a few moments and then home. Mother, Dad and I to celebrate the lifting of the pleasure driving ban, drove to the Triangle restaurant for a good dinner - and then home again! The Germans have occupied Rome and Italy and Germany are now fighting - the quirks of alliances of warfare. Our forces are fighting too and Italy’s surrender isn’t as optimistic as first thought.
SEPTEMBER 13
Yesterday morning’s muscle weariness was eased by a lovely mail today. I heard from Bill Boyd - back from maneuvers and writing again at last. He's still waiting for his transfer orders to the Air Corps, and wrote a long perkish letter while waiting. Then - Floyd - till in San Francisco - wrote a wonderfully philosophic gem expressing his emotions on going overseas. It was really good! This afternoon Mother and I went to the Valencia to see Merle Oberon and Brian Aherne in First Comes Courage (the usual spies-and-commandos-in-Norway stuff) and Donald O’Connor in Mr. Big - a cute jitterbug job. Tonight, Glory, Aud and I went bowling and had a stupid old time again. I bowled 78 - an improvement over last time - but not too good! I blame it on my muscles.
SEPTEMBER 14
This morning was dedicated to a series of “friendly discussions” before I went into the city to meet Cary, back from her two week’s jaunt in Kentucky, Annapolis, Washington, etc. We talked a blue streak to catch up on what had passed in the meantime. Two friends of hers were there from Annapolis. We had a sandwich next door; they left and we spent the afternoon trying to pick up Cary’s bags at Penn Station. I met Mother and Dad at the China Clipper for dinner and talking and so on home. Confusion! I got a special from Bill Brennan enclosing another letter he’d sent me -- addressed correctly -- but which had been returned to me. If I’d gotten that letter in time, the room situation could have been cleared up and I might have gone to Hamilton. Damn the post office!
SEPTEMBER 15
An emotional day! It was cloudy, so we couldn’t go on our boat trip as planned. Instead Mother, Louise and I went to the music Hall to see “So Proudly We Hail,” the epic of the bravery of the army nurses on Bataan and Corregidor. It was powerful! The stage show Minstrel Days was quite good too, though different from the usual Radio City ones. Louise and I met Cary on 29th Street at 4:30 went to the Little Church Around the Corner to see Marty and Tommy, married. We stood and beamed and felt quite parental as we shook our heads, saying it doesn’t seem possible! though we knew they’d really been planning it for ages. They’re both swell. Lou and I came home on the 5th Avenue bus to Jackson Heights. Tonight Mother & I went over to Thompsons to see Jack & Margie. They’re going to Eustis!
SEPTEMBER 16
I should have left for Billsburg today but am extremely grateful for the extra week at home. Excitement came this morning when the radiator leaking from my john made the downstairs hall look as though it had been blitzed. What a mess! This afternoon mother and I went over to Jersey, stopping at Aunt Bert’s and then at Aunt Fan’s. I saw Ruth’s two-year old baby Gail and loved her immediately. She’s a darling! The afternoon was pleasant - tending towards the crazy. We then went over to Brooklyn and met Dad for dinner at the St. George, and so home in the downpour. Nana was here. After awhile I went to bed and dove into the new Good Housekeeping.
SEPTEMBER 17
Once again we’d planned on going 'round Manhattan Island in a boat, but once again it kept raining instead. So I went into Brooklyn (riding on the train with Mrs. Ingold) and met Dad for lunch. It was the first “date” we’d had in ages so we kind o’ talked as I munched on my shrimp curry. We hopped a subway and went back to the office for awhile, stopping to buy stockings on the way, and I generally messed up his business day. It was fun and executivish though! This evening I went over to Glory’s and peeked at the preparations for the shower she gave for Doris De Brodt Deane; and then Mother, Lizzie and I went to see “The Student Prince” starring Everett Marshall. It was very good - another of the epidemic of operetta revivals!
SEPTEMBER 18
“London bridges falling down…..
Falling down…..!”
Where we had Niagara Falls in the downstairs hall, the plasters are today pulling the whole darned business down, till the ceiling lies in chunks on the floor and dust from it floats throughout the house choking us off as we try to breathe. Ah! for the well-ordered peace of a boiler factory! This morning Mother and I went to Jamacia to buy last minute powder puffs, toothbrushes and emory boards, and pick up a pair of moccassins and a pair of black non rationed shoes, which I treasure as a good bargain. We were s’posed to go to Connie Korn’s wedding today, but being the last weekend home and all, we didn’t, so I thought hard about her instead. And so have two KΔs bit the dust in the same week!
SEPTEMBER 19
The last Sunday at home! Aud and I went to St. Gabe’s where Rev. Condit preached with a voice which kept failing him on account of a cold - the service was usual We had roast lamb for dinner and then discussed the pros and cons of driving down to Billsburg with Marjorie Thompson since Jack needs the car at Eustis. It would be exciting to take a long auto trip legally in gas ration days but it might be complicated too. I think we’ll do it though! Afterwards, Glory and Aud came over and we trekked to Tiedeman’s for sodas; rehashing the problem of “So Little Time - and so much to do - and so many friends to want to be with.” Dad should have gone into the Waldorf for a convention (W.S.J.A.) but stayed here instead. - I wrote Danny, Colby, Bill & Bill.
SEPTEMBER 20
A lovely mail, being as how I heard from Bill Boyd (enclosing a cut cartoon from Yank, the army newspaper) whose transfer orders have come through, but who doesn’t know where he’ll be sent yet! Then too, I got another real nice letter from Bill Hughes - still in Australia! This morning, I went to the dentist for a checkup and for the first time in really ages, I have no cavities. My teeth have passed the adolescent stage! Then I moseyed around Jamaica, after which I came home and baked cookies (sending most of the better ones to Bill Brennan) Cary came out this afternoon and to spend the night - Glory and Aud came for dinner too (steak - how dreamy!) We hysterically played bridge, being interrupted by a blackout and then all walked Audrey home.
SEPTEMBER 21
Such a beautiful day! I woke early to keep my 9:00 a.m. dentist appointment and had my teeth cleaned till they sparkle. I hopped into riding clothes - saw Cary on her bus - and met Joanie for a wonderful ride in Cunningham Park. Peter Pan cantered like a streak of greased lightning and we flew along. It was really swell! Joanie treated me to a coke too and after awhile came over to the house to buy me a War Bond. (I’m crazy - I mean “sell” me a War Bond!) so I backed the attack! Mother and I went to Robert’s where I had my hair set for the final time, and then came home waiting for Nana’s arrival. Dad’s still at the convention. Surprise! Bill Brennan sent me 16 American Beauty roses with a really perky card enclosed. Gosh I’m so very thrilled!
SEPTEMBER 22
Being my last day at home, it was a busy-beaverish one. When I awoke, I wrote Bill Hughes and a perkish thank you note to Bill Brennan - also answered the letter which came from Corporal Eddie Damm. After that we packed suitcases and then drove over to take my ticket to Louise, stopping for a lengthy chat. We ate a Chinese lunch at a restaurant by the Queens Bors Hall, and then went to Jamacia and bought several pairs of pants and a pair of pajamas. Dad came out early and told us of his troubles a la business world. He’s really doing the job of three or four men plus the Post War Planning and National Bond, etc committee stuff he has to do. I went to a H.G.C. meeting and said “Goodbye” to all the girls.
SEPTEMBER 23
The official end to the summer and a real wonderful one it was too. Mother, Marjorie (both of her), Cary and I sent ourselves down in the ’41 Packard snuggled in with suitcases, boxes and the like. It was blissful to ride in a car after the years of gas rationing. We stopped on the road and ate a picnic lunch, which Aunt Bert had made. Most all the way, Cary and I burst forth into song and the time passed quickly. We reached Billsburg at 8:00 and had dinner at the Lodge - then, real excited - we came back to the house and saw everybody. Doggone, I do love it so good! It’s super being with all the gals - specially Beth and Punchy! So very much fun! A stupendously perky letter from Bill Boyd
SEPTEMBER 24
We slept and talked in bed still after ten really catching up on the news of each other’s summers. This morning Beth, Punchy and I went downtown to buy grapefruit juice for improvised breakfasts of the future and to look into the bank account and cafeteria book situation! I met Mother and Marjorie for lunch and spent the evening with them too. I wrote postcards and read Life and the Saturday Evening Post. I met Chuck Gondak and talked familiarly with him for quite awhile. He wants Punchy and me to work for the telephone co again this year at the U.S.O. It’d have been fun but we’ve got too much else to do. Fun tonight in the room!
SEPTEMBER 25
A busyish day! This morning I tiptoed around not to wake the fair roommates as I dressed for my 8:20 appointment with advisor, Dr. Marsh. Surprisingly I had no conflicts and am now officially taking Money & Banking, Statistics, Accounting, Marketing Principles & Problems, Introduction to Business Enterprise and General Psychology plus gym of course. It sounds kind o' stiff but after all, I’ve come to college, essentially to exercise my gray matter. I spent the morning with Muggy Pratt and trying in vain to locate my trunk - I still have no shoes - and ate with Beth & Punchy at the dining hall - this evening I went to the Lodge with Mother and had dinner. Hell! Wouldn’t you know! Bill Hughes wrote me from Boston - he wanted to come see me in New York this weekend. Two days too late!!
SEPTEMBER 26
Sunday, and a busy one too! This morning we trekked over to Chandler and picked up our little sisters to take them to Bruton - mine, Gin Tunstall, is darling! After the service, we went to the dining hall for the traditional southern fried chicken and ice cream - and then back to the house to prepare for the influx of freshman girls making a tour of the sorority house. The same things were said over and over again - with slight variations of course, and our jaws aching from smiling sweetly as we said them and as we listened. It was fun, in a boring sort of way. Beth, Punchy and I went to the Lodge to meet Mother for dinner. We laughed a lot and were most unsophisticated.
SEPTEMBER 27
School bells chimed again and I am officially a Junior - it’s so impressive being respected for a change! I only had three classes. Dr. Foltin stood us up for Psych and after standing around in the hall for awhile we left for the Wigwam to buy books. I became nasty when I discovered I had to pay $24 for beatup secondhand books too. Marketing sounds fascinating - full of merchandising and advertising, the sort of stuff I want. Rhythms only lasted five minutes, which was a lovely sort of gym class. Mother came to the house this afternoon and offered ideas on redecorating our room. It sounds dreamy! May they materialize! There was a W.S.C.G.A meeting tonight with the usual welcomes & news about a German Club dance for the A.S.J.U. boys. House meeting afterwards and then bull sessions about rushing and sex
SEPTEMBER 28
Right about now we’re in a mad dash of enthusiasm - we’re all out for studies, all out for extracurricular stuff, and all out for improving the house, and KΔ in general. Such a busy little year as it’s gonna be! Money and Banking, Business Enterprise, Statistics and Accounting all involve scads of work and I groan under the weight of it. Oh, for just one snap course - it’d be so refreshing! Mother, Holly Miller and I had dinner together at the Lodge and then I went to the Flat Hat Business Staff meeting. We were assigned ads to get so I will merrily trek around town having people sign contracts and pay money - I hope! We get commissions too. Sorority meeting, though informal, was inspiring in its plans. I hope the spirit lasts! Letter from Edith and Evie
SEPTEMBER 29
A busy day, with classes from nine till 4:30P.M. with time out to see Mother off on the morning train. It seems odd not to have her around anymore. Classes were still interesting except for Statistics lab which really is a stinker. If it weren’t required for my major, I’d gladly toy with the idea of dropping it, but grin 'n' bear it, say I. At 5:00 Beth, Punchy, Lou and I went to a Social Committee meeting for the War Work at college, where plans were made for various affairs to be given for the chaplains, their assistants, etc. After a cone at the Wigwam we watched the review of the A.S.J.U boys out on the football field. It was impressive - a far cry from the football rallies of a year ago. This evening, Midge and I went to chapel at which Dr. Foltin spoke and then I came home, washed my hair, did homework and went to a house meeting.
SEPTEMBER 30
Such a rainy day - I’ve never been so wet - honest! Life perked up though when Mr. Nuguist decided to make our introductory approach to statistics more simple and when I discovered that I like accounting a lot. We walked in the pouring rain to dinner across campus and were drenched to the skin. After our good vegetablish dinner we waded through the flooded paths with the wind blowing the rain in streams upon us to the Colonial Echo meeting - and got ourselves on the Editorial Staff. We were supposed to go to a Big-little sister party in Barrett but by then water was seeping through our rubber boots even and we gave ourselves alcohol rubdowns instead. A letter from Dossie and a card from Bill Boyd from Kansas City “en route to Mississippi”
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I am a fool and I’m paying for it
Now, there are a number of reasons why, but I’m not going to get into most of those reasons today, but I am going to give a little explanation that you can feel free to ignore. I just find the whole situation funny, and while you might not it’s entertaining me to me and if I don’t put it out somewhere it’ll just keep playing in my head.
For those who don’t know, I’m lactose intolerant. I should not have dairy products because my body cannot digest them and it causes a lot of pain and I basically don’t move very much for about 3 hours and sometimes get very sick. I also cannot sleep, like ever, due to insomnia. And on the nights I do manage to sleep I’m constantly waking up from nightmares/the sounds of the world around me ((because I’m a hella light sleeper too)) until my body is too exhausted to function and I sleep for almost a day. And that’s how we’ve reached this point.
Now, the past 3 nights I have not been sleeping well. Wednesday night I hardly slept at all, maybe 2 or 3 hours at most. Very unhealthy. So, when we went to the grocery store I bought melatonin tablets to try and make it so I can at least sleep for a few hours before waking up and fall back asleep ((I did this cause I went off my sleep aid with doc permission cause it made the nightmares more intense)). And I figured that since melatonin is natural it won’t be so bad and I’ll still be able to function the next day.
I WAS WRONG
Since I’d basically been up for two days before, once the melatonin hit, it hit HARD and I was gone. I didn’t wake up this morning until about a hour before class, my alarm went off at 7am and my class wasn’t until 11am. At some point my roommate turned my alarm off because I hadn’t moved. I woke up to hers going off around 9:30am. Which left me in a hurry because I had to replace my ID before class ((another reason I am a fool, I lost my student ID and we basically can’t get into anything non-academic without them)). So I was in a rush but I got it done with 20 minutes to spare.
So my friend, I love her to death, suggested we get coffee before class. And I was all for it cause I was still so tired and I thought a caffeine boost would at least get me through my one class before coming home and maybe sleeping more. And that was when I made my mistake.
As I said, I am lactose intolerant. I always order drinks with soy unless it’s a tea so that I don’t feel like dying. There is one barista at the campus coffee shop who recognizes me and knows these things so I don’t usually have to say anything. And, even though she never works mornings, my mind somehow placed her there today. So I ordered a latte and that was all. I get the drink, I’m leaving with my friend and I take a drink and I just stop. She looks at me and apparently I had a look of pure horror on my face when I whispered that I forgot to switch milks.
She starts laughing and offers to trade me her iced tea drink.
I just looked at the drink in my hand and sighed, and I told her ‘I paid for this coffee, and I’ll pay for it again in a few hours.” And boy was I right.
#not ts#personal#food mention#nightmare mention#insomnia#shut up avery#i really am paying now tho#was it worth it?#who knows#long post
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Jerza month 19 - Social Media (rated K)
@jerzamonth
Jellal cut the strawberry into two and placed half of it, carefully and tenderly with his long and skillful fingers, on top of the strawberry mille-feuille. Once the red fruit landed safely on the puff pastry covered by pink sugar icing, he grinned and spent a few moments in appreciating the new addition he made for the dessert menu of Crime Sorciere.
And, well, for Erza too.
It had been two weeks since Erza last visited the cafe when she declared to him that one day she would catch the masked thief, that was him. Now that she had realized his true identity behind the cover-up of the owner of a cafe, Jellal wasn’t surprised that she decided to distance herself from him in her capacity as a police officer.
But Jellal found that he had started to feel an emptiness which he had not experienced before gradually growing in his heart after not seeing Erza for two weeks straight. He had already gotten used to her regular presence in his cafe in the past two years. It always warmed his heart, and brought him such delight, to see Erza’s joyful smile when he served her her favorite dessert. Her hair color was the most beautiful shade of red he had ever seen. She was serious at work but at the same time, could be a lot of fun to chat with when she took a break from her duties.
He missed Erza. And he could blame no one but himself for her disappearance from his cafe, for having carelessly exposed his identity to her in his last mission.
Jellal heaved a deep sigh, before picking up his phone from the table. He opened the instagram app and scrolled, and found that Erza hadn’t posted anything new on her account today. He supposed she was pretty occupied at work today and hoped that everything went well with her.
He had been relying on the app to see Erza and keep himself updated about her latest status since she stopped visiting the cafe. Jellal felt lucky that Erza hadn’t blocked either his personal account or Crime Sorciere’s and was still a follower of the cafe’s after the confrontation they had. It made him believe that there was still a chance for them to keep their friendly relationship.
Jellal looked at the time on the phone. Thirty more minutes Erza would be off from work. He took a few photos of the cake and posted them on the cafe’s instagram.
“New addition to Crime Sorciere’s famous dessert menu - Strawberry Mille-feuille! Time-limited offer for 3 days only! It is a perfect combination of flaky and crispy puff pastry, silky and smooth custard cream and fresh and sweet strawberries. You can’t miss this if you are a dessert lover, more so if you are a fan of our signature strawberry cake series! We look forward to your visit to have a taste of this new heaven.”
After changing into her casual wear, Erza gathered her belongings from the locker and checked her phone. Kagura had sent her message, asking if she would be free for kendo exercise on coming Sunday. She would love to, but she would need to check if anyone could swap their shift with hers on Sunday first. After giving Kagure her answer, she opened the instagram app.
The first thing that came into her sight was an absolutely delicious looking strawberry mille-feuille. Erza swallowed hard, feeling more hungry than she should be suddenly, and read the description of the photos. Seeing that the post was by Crime Sorciere, she couldn’t help the imagination of Jellal whispering every words into her ear, as if the post was a personal invitation he sent her, asking her to visit his cafe again with the new cake as an incentive.
Erza heaved a sigh. She closed the app and put her phone back in her bag before leaving the police station finally.
Since the opening of cafe Crime Sorciere, the time she spent there had become one of those she enjoyed the most. It was not simply because she could taste one of the best strawberry desserts in town from the cafe. More importantly, she found it relaxing and delightful to be around Jellal. He was not only caring like many of her friends, but he also treated her with a gentleness which she didn’t often feel from her other friends, probably because she always acted strong and tough before them. And Jellal was witty, smart and knowledgeable, that chatting with him was always a lot of fun and filled with surprises. She really didn’t want to distance herself from Jellal. She had even wished before that their relationship would grow deeper one day.
But now she was almost certain that Jellal was the masked thief despite the lack of solid evidence, and even made clear to him that she would arrest him one day in their last meeting, Erza felt that it wasn’t that appropriate for her to frequent his cafe like before. But it made her sad to think about not seeing Jellal again. And her friends had been really surprised when she declined to go to the cafe with them and she had a hard time in finding an excuse.
Erza got on her motorcycle to ride back to her home. After leaving the car park, she turned right, and the light from Jellal’s cafe caught her attention. It had already passed ten and normally his cafe should have been closed already at this hour. She thought of the photos of the strawberry mille-feuille Crime Sorciere posted on instagram not long ago, and slowed down her motorcycle until it stopped a few shops away from the cafe.
Erza walked to the cafe with quick steps, feeling half curious and half nervous, and glanced at its inside through the window.
Jellal’s fingers moved quickly on the keyboard as he answered the queries and messages people left on the cafe’s facebook page. He had already done the same tonight on their home page and instagram. Such job could be quite time consuming and boring, and one that he enjoyed much less than working in the kitchen and at the bar. But it was also a good one for killing time when he didn’t really have other thing to do except for waiting for his luck to come.
Jellal took a sip of his tea after he cleared all the questions he received on facebook, and stretched his back. It was at this moment, when he lifted his eyes off the screen, that he noticed there was something red - no, scarlet - outside the cafe’s window. He couldn’t help the grin appear on his face as his gaze crossed Erza’s through the glass, and got up to walk to the entrance.
“Hey, Erza. Good evening.” Jella greeted Erza after pushing the front door open.
“Hey.” Erza smiled a little bit embarrassed. “Good evening, Jellal.”
“Wanna come in?”
Erza hesitated to answer for a moment but finally nodded. “Yeah.”
Erza took at seat at the bar table. Jellal placed an empty cup in front of her and pulled some camomile tea into it from the teapot he was using.
“Thanks.” Erza held the cup between her hands and took a sip of the drink. “You are still working so late at night?”
“Just checking our account on different social media platforms to attend to the queries we received. And I’ve just made a new cake for our dessert menu, so need to promote it too.”
“The strawberry mille-feuille, right? I just saw it on instagram. It looks delicious.” Erza felt like her mouth was already watering as she thought of the image of the cake.
The expectant look on Erza’s face made Jellal chuckle. And he felt glad that Erza saw the post like how he had hoped and even better, showed up in his cafe right after she finished her work even it was late at night.
“It doesn't just look delicious.” He replied confidently. “May I treat you one?”
“Well…...I-I would love to have a taste of the new cake, but I’ll pay for it.”
“You don’t need to. Our business hour is already over today. Just accept this as a treat from a friend, okay? And I would love to hear what you think about the cake, like if there’s still room for improvement.”
“Are we still friends?” Erza blurted.
Jellal stared at Erza for a brief moment. “Is there anything which prevents us from being friends?” He put on his best innocent face as he answered Erza with another question.
Erza simply stayed silent. After another moment, Jellal spoke again.
“I don’t know what makes you think that we can’t be friends anymore, Erza, or stop coming for two weeks. But there’s no reason for me to stop befriending you and welcoming your visit to the cafe.”
“Even if we need to confront each other one day?”
“Why would we?” Jellal laughed, before smiling gently at Erza when she pouted and glared at him. “I don’t know what would happen to us if we need to confront each other one day, Erza. But I know I will never feel regret to have befriended you. You are one of the nicest and kindest people I have ever met. I like you, Erza, more than simply being a regular customer of the cafe.” Jellal paused, while a blush rapidly spread across Erza’s face. “And I live in the present. So I will just try to cherish the relationship we have in this very moment, instead of worrying about what if I lose it one day.”
“Is that so.” Erza smiled timidly, and picked up the cup to drink some tea while she tried to digest Jellal’s words and formulate a response. “I think you are a good person too, Jellal. And I really enjoy my time spent here in this cafe, with the cake, and you. I hope that I can come more often again, after I solve the complicated case I’m handling now.”
“You will be always welcomed here, Erza.” Jellal told Erza with a satisfied grin. “Let me get you the strawberry mille-feuille now. Just a moment.”
Cherish the relationship we have in this very moment. Erza repeated those words in her heart as she watched Jellal retreating into the kitchen.
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gala and delilahs 3
part [2]
It had been a week, with them conversing off and on until he felt like he could trust her enough to see her in person. Before he dared to try, he ensured he conversed with Markus first, double checking in case he changed his mind on the matter after all.
Luckily enough, they'd been allowed to meet, leaving Leo to sit and wait anxiously at the dinner table, peeling away the dead leaves from the purple hyacinth he held and spinning it between his fingers; remorse. Leaning back in the seat, he told the TV to turn on, grabbing the remote as he flipped to a modern alternative rock station and left it on low.
Once she arrived, he was on his feet before he knew it, a nervous smile crossing his face as he witnessed her in all her gorgeousness all over again.
"Oh my god, you look amazing," he said with a bit of surprise, admiring her for a second while she tucked her hair behind her ear - now a sparkling lavender, complimenting the crisp snowflake blue of her eyes - casting him a shy glance as she set her silver purse on the kitchen table with care.
"You too, Leo." Glancing at the flower, her eyes asked the question he already knew without the words.
"I-it's...an apology," he said simply, carefully leaning forward to tuck the stem behind her ear so it nestled into her hair, only proving to further add to her breathtaking beauty.
"I know you said no touching, but... can I give you a hug?" With a soft chuckle, he opened his arms, taking her into them with a comfortable, careful squeeze, holding and rocking her for a moment before withdrawing and pulling out a chair so she could sit, then sitting down next to her.
"So, uhm," he started, scratching the back of his neck in a moment of awkwardness as he searched for what to say.
"How long have you been sober?" Blinking, she glanced to the side, shrugging as she curled in on herself, always seeming shy in person despite her bravery on the stage. Something about that alter ego was all the more fascinating to him.
"Not that long. A couple months. And I slipped... more than a few times."
"It's okay. I've tried a lot too. I wouldn't have been able to keep up with it without Markus, anyway."
"What about you? How long has it been?"
"I had three months and then uh, I really messed up. But I'm done now, like, for real." Remembering how many times he'd already tried to say that, he shook his head as his eyes lit up.
"It's stupid, but I mean, I can't do it again or I'll probably die, and that's good enough of a reason as any I guess." Expression dimming, she glanced at his forearms in another silent question, then looked back up to his eyes. He shook his head.
"Nothing like that, not in a while. I mean - no new scars. Hard to want to kill yourself after you almost died and your brother's crying over it and all." Her eyes widened with enough fear it made him wince, regretting how blunt he tended to be about sensitive matters.
"It's okay. But I kinda owe him my life." Nope, that didn't sound any better. Shaking her head, she reached out her hand, each finger decorated with long, curved, snow-white nails as her fingers slid between his.
"I'm glad you're taking it seriously, Leo. Sorry it took me so long to get the hint." He shrugged one shoulder with a fitting half-smile.
"It's never too late. You already sound so much better. I dunno, that stupid NA stuff can really help sometimes, the whole, 'one day at a time' thing. Sometimes that's all you can do, even if you start over." Smiling, she nodded sagely, absorbing the wisdom in thought.
"I don't know. I never thought about it the way you'd said before, how you hate yourself and who it makes you."
"You kinda have to sober up to figure it out. Stupid catch, isn't it?" They shared a laugh, thumbing over the soft palm-side of each other's hands.
"That's why I just went to the hospital. I can't be around it, reminded of it or anything, or I just get caught up in it all over again, you know?" She nodded, but still leaned her head into her shoulder with a doe-eyed gaze of wonder he'd never quite fully fallen out of love with.
"You said Markus rehabilitated you this time, right?" He nodded with a little sigh.
"Twice, now. Like I said...I owe him one. Or three." Giggling through a pearly white smile, she nodded.
"How is he, anyway?"
"Weird as ever," he said with more ease after the time they'd spent together, and he'd gotten to know him more as a person, feeling like he could say such a thing without being worried.
"I don't know, I used to hate him so much. But I just hated him for what I couldn't have, you know?" Watching him with attentive eyes, she listened, bringing her other hand to wrap them both around his. Feeling embarrassed again, he shrugged sheepishly, glancing off to one side.
"Kinda freaky living with the android revolution guy, but whatever. He's taught me a lot. I still think it's annoying as hell, how smart he is, but I never thought it could really... help me, I guess."
“I still think that he could really help you get somewhere really cool, with all that knowledge. What could go wrong?” Facial expression falling, Leo quickly avoided the question.
“How’s it going living with your sister?” Glittery lavender eyelids with long violet lashes lowered heavily over her eyes with a look of dismay as he, yet again, diverted away from the suggestion of his own intelligence, but she let it go.
“She’s a pain in my ass. What do you expect?” Rolling her eyes, she withdrew her hands, running fingers through a strand of her hair as she carefully avoided touching the freshly picked flower.
“Good point, I guess. I remember living with her…wish I didn’t.” Crinkling her nose in a sneer, she let out a less friendly laugh with a roll of her eyes and tilted her head, glancing over at some of the decorations on the wall, admiring the curls of gold skulls and finely-painted tapestries.
“Yeah, I wanna move out, but I have to quit my job if I want to get out of hell. Which sucks, I can’t do much without my sex appeal these days.” Looking perplexed, he tilted his head.
“What? Why not?”
“Don’t what me like you think I’d settle for being a barista or a waitress,” she said with confidence and a wry smile in his direction. A familiar tingle ran up his spine that he did his best to ignore.
“I have a gift, baby, and a flawless body to boot. But where there’s strippers, there’s drugs and money. I can’t keep up with the scene anymore. Plus, with my, you know…” Her voice grew quiet, and he wasted no time scooting his chair a little closer to her.
“Right. Quitting will help all that, right?”
“Yeah. And not moving around so much. I was really pushing it, and I can still feel it in my elbows and knees.” Sighing, she popped her lips, leaning back in the chair with a sullen gaze.
“Talk about dying early, huh?” she offered halfheartedly. Leo flashed something of a cringey smile in response, but he could never help chuckling even slightly at morbid jokes, no matter how real or bad they actually were.
“Oh, come on. You’ve got a little while, right?”
“Ten years, if I’m real lucky. Kinda knocked myself back a bit with the, well, everything.” This time, his expression fell, eyes drifting down to stare at the wood of the table, taking a moment of extra thought not to scrape his nails into the surface in his moment of anxiety, biting his lip while he was silent for a moment.
“I don’t know. Tech’s always improving. Maybe there’ll be something…” he felt the doubt in her eyes and trailed off, sighing as he stood up – the conversation was beginning to grow stressful, so he wasn’t about to sit around and fester about it.
“Want some coffee?”
“I can’t, Leo.” Freezing in place, embarrassment panged him as he’d already forgotten.
“Oh. Right. Well, we have a shit ton of tea, if you want any.”
“Actually, that doesn’t sound so bad,” she responded in a lighter tone for both of their sake.
“Do you have any…” pausing, she mused over what she could remember of herbal symbolism from their time together, and short exchanges over the matter. After a moment, she wore a clever smile, glancing in his direction as he opened the cupboards.
"Do you have anything with hibiscus?" Pausing, he scratched his chin as he searched, before turning back to her in confusion.
"You don't even like the taste of-" catching the irony in her request, as hibiscus generally signified a perfect woman, he rolled his eyes and reached for some ginger, thinking of strength, prosperity, and unique personality traits. Plus, as he'd learned from Markus using it to ease his upset stomach, he'd learned it generally helped with the digestive system as a whole.
"Clever. I'll see what you remember."
She smiled sweetly as she acknowledged exactly the intelligence and personal interest that he'd made a point of avoiding, finding a quiet irony in the silent symbolism within the language of the flowers.
"I remember the lilacs. It was the first bouquet you gave me. A few in each color." Pausing, he felt his cheeks warm up in response to the memory.
"That was tacky, is what that was."
"I dunno, better than roses in my opinion." Part of him wanted to defend the significance of rose symbolism, but the rest of him agreed that it was a tacky and cliché flower they both tended to avoid, alongside the fact he never took to touching the thorny plants.
"What are flowers all about, anyway? Tell me about the bees and the...bees," she said with a giggle. Somewhat still embarrassed, he returned to her side, standing with his weight on his better leg while he waited for the water to boil.
"Nothing, really. They're plant dicks. Sometimes cooters, I guess." Raising her eyebrows, she scoffed at his vulgarity, nonetheless expecting his snarky laugh in response.
"Great. I'll never eat pussy the same way again." That shut him up, at least for a second.
"Bees are just... delivery boys. Carrying around a bunch of plant spunk--"
"Oh my gosh, stop," she whined playfully with a swat of her hand against his shoulder.
"Do you really have to make everything so disgusting?"
"It's like, my one charm. If you don't hate it, then it's a challenge." Rolling her eyes, she stood up to fetch the tea for herself, aware his leg was hurting him by his posture alone.
"What's your favorite flower, Leo?" Eyebrows raising, he pretended he didn't honestly consider the question.
"Eggplant and peach," he responded in jest, only to get another ridiculing glare from her as she acknowledged the ages-old reference, just as perverse as the rest.
"Gross! Also, those are fruits, you dingus." Catching herself calling him a derogatory name - something he historically never took well to - a bit too late, she lowered her head in apology. She really appreciated how sensitive he could be and seeing him feel down about himself was worse than any of the anger or bloated pride he could have ever shown.
"Sorry," she said lightly to try to keep the mood steady, "I should say ding dong since you like dick so much." Leo cast her an offended glare at first, but even he couldn't take himself too seriously for long.
"Oh, shut up," he murmured.
"Don't be such a pansy, Leo," she snarked with a grin, reaching to ruffle his hair so as not to upset him too much.
"Joke's on you, pansies are for free-thinkers," he informed her with a few taps to his temple via an index finger in gesture.
"Well, orange ones anyway. Too many flowers just mean love if you're not careful."
"So... plant penis for your Valentine? Makes sense to me." With a pffft under his breath, he nudged her playfully with a kick of his leg.
“Show that to your next partner,” he told her, propping his chin up on his hands as he leaned over the table.
“They’ll love it.”
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Dear Charlie,
Tomorrow I am going to fly home. There was nobody here today. A was busy. I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t do anything. I had wanted to go buy presents but there is no space left in my suitcase. I mean…space yes…but the weight is already on limit.
I finished packing my suitcase. I called my mom. We didn’t get along. She said we’d probably be annoyed when we lived together again because she and dad had had their own life for the time I was gone and so did I.
She made some hurtful comments. I don’t want to go back. I’m looking forward to seeing A on New Years but until I see her, I have to be at home for 7 days. Also..I won’t have a room in the student allocations because they don’t want to pay for it if I only stay 3 months and have a 4 week interruption for my interneship, where I’ll live at home. This means I will live with them until September 2019. Have a 2 hour car drive every morning, which makes 4 hours of car every day. There are no buses. The parking is expensive. So is the gas. But anyway. I understand their point. A room is expensive. I just don’t know if all the gaz and parking I’m gonna pay won’t be the equivalent of the rent costs.
My parents and I, especially my mom and I…we don’t work out anymore (my dad and me never really did). I love them. But I need my distance. My mom judging what I eat, what I do, when I’m on the phone, when I read or watch TV or who I talk to, is simply something I can’t take anymore. It was good here. I was alone. My mental health was the same degree of fucked up than it is at home. But at least I was out of the closet. At home, not even my close(s)t friends know (ha ha ha got the pun?).
Charlie..I don’t want this life anymore. I don’t want to be different. All I even wanted was to fit in but somehow I never did.
Oh well, and me meeting James was…weird. I was mad because my flatmates had promised me to clean their mess before leaving. But..surprise..they didn’t. So I was a little late. 3 minutes. But still. He had been waiting. We went upstairs of this café and had our tea. It was awkward. I tried to keep the conversation going and whenever I didn’t, he started looking at me with THAT look. I told him about A. I mentioned her 4 times. But that didn’t seem to bother him much. Maybe because I said “ma copine” and not “ma blonde” like they call girlfriends here. He might have thought of her as “a friend” not “the girlfriend”. After an hour I said I had to go home and clean. So I did. We said bye. It was weird. He wanted to hug me but didn’t dare so I just turned around and went away. I got home. And he texted me saying that if I was too annoyed by the cleaning, he could come and help. I didn’t open the message and after I was done cleaning, I told him that I was done now, “but thanks”. Then I went to sleep. At 1 in the morning he texted me this long ass message where he basically said that if I need help or “something” on Sunday (tomorrow), I could tell him. And if I wanted “one last dance” he could also come. And you know what? I was sad that nobody cared about me staying here alone or bothered to really say by… So..I said yes. Now tomorrow, you see, he’ll come help me with the luggage in the staircase and maybe offer one last dance. I’m greatful. He could have become a good friend if I’d met him earlier. Sad actually.
I’m so numb. I feel like crying but I don’t know why. I’m not sad or happy. I’m just nothing. Numb and very very VERY cynical. I just don’t want to…exist anymore, you know?
So on 24th we usually see my grandma (it’s her birthday) and the rest of my mom’s family. Now..the family is weird. My obese aunt doesn’t work because of “health issues” (which basically means because she’s overweight and always says she’s ill even though she isn’t.) My cousin: one year younger than me. Quit school. Never worked. Doesn’t find(want) an apprenticeship. Weird girlfriend. My other cousin: 24 (I think): quit school. Works approximately once a year for 2 weeks and either leaves the job or is fired. Weird girlfriend. They broke up. Now: girlfriend. Who has a kid AND is pregnant again (not from my cousin). And then my other cousin 27 (I think?). She’s okay. She and her husband never stay long on Christmas dinner (because they have to see her husband’s family too, aka, because they enjoy those meetings as much as I do, which is zero). All of them.. are envious about my “success” and the fact that we have more money than them (because my parents actually work and don’t live on the government’s expenses) (they are so envious that we open our presents at home and never take them to open them with the rest of the family. And then we say that we didn’t get each other presents this year. Since we started doing that, things are much easier). Last Christmas (🎵 I gave you my heart but the very next day, you gave it away 🎵 , sorry, I tried to cheer myself up with Christmas music today, didn’t work. Anyway. Last Christmas,) my 24 year old cousin said I “had it easy”. That I “didn’t do shit but still had good grades”. I said I’d “worked my ass off” to get a diploma, to make it through the tough test to enter university and that, so far, I hadn’t had any time off since the beginning of the year and that whereas he would go home the day after that day and do nothing, I’d go home to my books and study for my exams. He said, “anyway, uni is easy. You don’t need to brag about it” (which I did not. I’d just listed a fact because he’d pissed me off. But then I did brag). I said, “well, you know what? At least I worked hard, and at least, I GO to uni.” Pretty needless to say that you could cut through the tension in the room and that we left as soon as dinner was over. Okay..so then there is my grandma. I love her. She halfway raised me. But she changed so much that I don’t recognise her anymore. She is under the influence of my aunt (who basically spends every day there and uses my grandma) and it doesn’t do her any good. My aunt met this guy and had my cousin. Then she had my other cousin. With the same guy. They split. She was pregnant. She met another guy. She claimed my third cousin was from him. The only person in the family to actually NOT know who his dad is, is my cousin himself. Anyway. They split. Now this year, my aunt met a really weird guy my mom knows from childhood. They are “so in love”, and……..are gonna marry. In summer. After knowing each other for like 9 months?
Yea..sorry for degrading them. I’m just listing facts. I wished you could hear the way this letter sounds in my head. Emotionless, quick paced, sarcastic, cynical and with a lot of emphasis on some words. Words that I’d write in cursive but I don’t know how to do thaz, so I write some of them in capitals.
On 24th I’ll land at midday. My mom told my grandma I’d be tired and we wouldn’t come. So Christmas-tradition adios. Am I sad? Not really? It’s just weird to not spend it with them. But I don’t really care. So whatever.
25th? We never really do anything. Usually on 26th we see my dad’s grandparents (why not on 25th aka on ACTUAL Christmas? Well because my grandma wants to give us “a day to digest the food from 24th”). Now..one of my dad’s brothers died from an overdose. The other one, a junkie, lives on the street. I don’t know either of them. They have kids. The dead one probably has kids all over the country. Apparently he was a real rabbit when it came to women. And like a rabbit, he didn’t protect himself the way he should have. The difference between my “uncle” and a rabbit is that a rabbit doesn’t do drugs and doesn’t know protection exists (well actually there are no rabbit condoms, so he can’t know about the existence of something that doesn’t actually exist. His owners will castrate the rabbit if they don’t want any more rabbits. I don’t think my uncle would have let anybody castrate him. So that’s that.) The other “uncle” has a kid who has a kid and no boyfriend. She never talked to my grandparents. Not once. Except for last year, when this kid (actually woman) appeared out of nothing and asked my granny for money, who didn’t give it to her. Now..my granny, you see, always says dad is her only child and I am their only grandchild. Which sad but I get her reasoning.
My family is fucked up. I don’t know how my parents turned out so well. They are educated. They graduated. My mom went to uni and my dad went through many exams so that he basically also has a degree. They work. They have me.
I’m not a bad child. I always studied. My grades were good. I never got into trouble (if you don’t count that one time where I wanted to buy juice and I put into my pocket until we went to paye but unfortunately forgot to take it out of my pocket and actually pay it, found out at home and made my mom drive all the way back to the store because I couldn’t live witht the thought of having stolen something, even if it was by accident. I was 4). I go to university. I speak 5 languages. I’ve got my shit together…if it weren’t for the mental illness that nobody knows about. It’s funny though. My dad’s mom and my dad have depression. Last time on the phone, I was tired of always hiding how I feel so I just didn’t hide it and was openly lethargic. And… my mom said “now stop it. You sound like your grandmother”. Great. She doesn’t get the link. Anyway…it’s not as if it mattered.
As if this time of the year wasn’t already bad enough, this afternoon I wanted to order sushi but they didn’t accept my card. Then I wanted to order chinese but they didn’t deliver. So I went for take out. But the shop was closed. Then walked though snow to have lunch which wasn’t exactly the definition of delicious (all of that because my flatmates didn’t leave me any food when they left and I didn’t want to buy a whol package of something because it would be a waste). The… I realised that I’d give the driver of the bus who’s coming to pick me up, my old phone number (I don’t know why). So I was waiting for a confirmation of the schedule for when he’d come to pick me up when I realised he didn’t have any means to reach me because I’d accidentally given him the wrong number. So I contacted the headquarters and tried to fix the problem. It worked. I now know my driver will be there at 12:30. Great. I’m just really realy really cynical today. I’m sorry..
I’m also sorry that this letter was a mess and that now you know far too much about my family. But well…why not? Right?
Anway. Have a nice Christmas
Love always,
Lena.
22.12.2018, 19:59
P.S. have you ever seen the movie “it’s kind of a funny story”? If yes, you can imagine the tone of this letter being similar to the narration of the movie in the first half.
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I find myself once again asking for another chapter of As Yet Unread. It really is a compelling read. I am fascinated by it. And in advance of my request...a simple please and thank you for your consideration and regard.
Here you go, lovely one. I hope this makes up for the wait
Claire placed both of her feet flat on the floor as she pushed herself up from the bed. It had only been twenty-four hours since she’d had the cast taken off and she was still struggling, hobbling around the flat as if the plaster still held her hostage. Though it wasn’t the slight muscle damage that caused it, it was more akin to a phantom injury that halted her recovery.
Dr Gowan had made her promise that she’d leave the house and not keep herself hidden away. She’d agreed to it yesterday and Jamie had offered to give her some lessons in wood masonry if she felt able later down the line. Claire didn’t like breaking her promise to Ned, and even though it had only been a day she itched to break free. Though something stopped her from accepting Jamie’s offer straight off the bat. The same invisible force that made the back of her leg ache with increased furor the more she thought about moving on it.
As if on cue, the phone rang. Jamie had been calling everyday from his van and even now, in the wake of her cast removal, it seemed he would continue to do the same. Claire liked it best when it was raining and she could hear the pitter patter of water droplets on the roof of his van as he spoke to her. There was something very soothing about it. That and the soft tenor of Jamie’s voice - it kept her sane.
“Hi Jamie.” She said, the fingers of her free and tapping against the side of the metal bed as she waited for him to speak down the phone.
“Hello sassenach,” he replied, a happy lilt to his voice as he audibly sipped tea on the other end of the phone, “I just thought I’d call to see how ye were holding up today, first day of freedom and all!”
He sounded chirpy and the happiness in his tone made her smile as she cradled the phone closer to her cheek. Jamie had finally managed to unlock his old phone, add a new sim card and update Claire’s details onto it so that she had her own access to him, Murtagh, Suzette and his family should she need it. It also had wifi access which meant that she could sit and watch online videos from bed if she wasn’t feeling up to moving far though Jamie was wary about giving her a television in there with Netflix on in case she never came out again.
“Are you on your lunch already?” She asked as he began chewing on something that was potentially the sandwiches she’d made him the night before. “It’s only eleven AM, Jamie!” She said faux-offended by his choice of meal time.
“Nah,” he mumbled around his food, “just having a wee break wi’ a biscuit before we get back to the hardcore stuff.”
“A heavy lifting day, huh?”
“Ach, always, Claire. Only Murtagh is a grumpy arse because I didna bring the nice biscuits, you ken the ones…wi’ the chocolate on?”
“Which did you take then?” She asked, perplexed.
“The plain digestives.” He said sounding fairly ashamed of his decision.
She could hear Murtagh muttering in the background and it made her laugh. “Sounds like you might not be so daft in the future, Jamie. You have to keep your uncle happy else he might just up and leave you for a better offer.” She quipped as she tapped her bare toes on the carpet, experimenting with the feel of the soft material beneath her feet.
“Aye, he’s already putting together a tribunal. He thinks this is poor working conditions or something similar. He says ye’d agree wi’ him.” He laughed, the echo of it making the tension seep from her bones as she stood confidently and took a couple of steps towards the door.
“I would! It’s downright disgraceful, James Fraser. You’d better get your house in order.”
“Och, aye, I should. And wi’ that I’d better get back to misery guts and get the wood cut fer the next half of the room. Get yerself some lunch, sassenach and dinna forget where we are if ye need anything else.”
“Will you be late tonight?” She asked cautiously, her hand hovering over the bedroom door handle.
“Probably, lass. The more we get done today while we have the light, the earlier we can move onto the next room. If we finish early there’s a bonus in it for us, aye? A nice one.”
“So I shouldn’t make something for dinner then?”
“Dinner? Ah. What would ye make?” He questioned, intrigued. Whilst Claire had her cast on she’d been pretty much bed and settee-bound; and although she had helped out as much as she was able the most she’d done in the kitchen was make a couple of rounds of toast. Mostly, Jamie had just carried on as normal, making his own brand of sustenance. While he knew she probably had far superior skills in food preparation, he hadn’t ever assumed she might cook for him once she was more mobile.
“Well, you have enough for me to make us spaghetti bolognaise. Or I could do a shepherds pie. You have some nice mince in and some sauce. I’d just need some basic herbs to add and some tomatoes.”
“I can drop into Tesco on the way home. Ye just tell me what else ye need and I’ll bring it for you.”
“Oh! I found tomatoes,” Claire exclaimed. Having found herself in the kitchen she had begun to root around looking for the key ingredients that she needed, “I could marinate the mince, once it’s soaked up the flavours of the tomato it’ll make a much nicer sauce. Then we can have bolognaise. Do you just fancy grabbing a baguette and some garlic cloves. I’ll make some homemade garlic bread to go with it?”
Thrilled by the prospect of being useful once more, Claire began to put everything she needed on the side whilst Jamie chuckled and replied. “Aye, I can do that. Just text me else I’ll forget all of that by the time I’m finished here.”
“Alright! Excellent. See you later, Jamie. Have a good rest of your day.”
Claire waited for him to reply and ring off before she got to work preparing the base sauce she needed and when she was done she placed the pre-cooked mince in her own tomato base sauce and folded it all together. Beneath the sink she had also found a dusty old slowcooker buried behind some other oddments that had Jenny Fraser Murray’s name written all over them. None of them had been used and Claire thought it pivotal that she christen at least a few of the items she’d recently unearthed.
With the timer set, Claire rinsed the dirty pots and placed them carefully in the dishwasher.
Looking at the clock she noticed that it was barely past one as she perched on the ‘L’ shaped corner sofa. She was restless. Her fingers itching to keep working but the house was basically spotless. Jamie hired a cleaner to come in once a week and it meant that Claire had nothing to keep her occupied.
Closing her eyes she measured the steady beat of her heart as the sun rose high enough in the sky to shine in through the large lounge window. It warmed her face and she basked in it for a moment before setting her mind to the task ahead.
She had promised a number of people that she wouldn’t allow herself to build another prison in Jamie’s flat, and although it had barely been a day since those hard conversations Claire felt ready to battle her demons. She needed a few various ingredients from the shops and she didn’t want Jamie to have to go out of his way after a long day at work just to pick up bread and garlic.
She put her shoes on quickly, tying the laces tight and grabbing her coat as she quickly limped towards the front door, keys in hand and shopping bags neatly stashed in her pocket. Forgoing the lift, Claire opted for the stairs although she still felt a little shaky but the more she waited around the more likely it was that she’d chicken out and go scuttling back into the flat with her tail between her legs.
The moment the fresh air hit her face Claire felt soothed. It was clean, cool but refreshing as she took her first solo steps into the world. It was hard for her to believe that, though she’d left the flat to meet Susie with Fergus in those early days, for the rest of her time she’d been hiding herself away like a porcelain doll. Taking her first slow steps she made sure to keep the building in sight should she need it but before long she was content and settled in her decision.
Ned had told her to explore and Jamie had encouraged it. Claire wasn’t a coward and she knew it was the right time to gather her courage.
The walk to Tesco wasn’t a bad one. She had researched the route thoroughly enough that she knew where the large supermarket was in relation to the apartment. Having forgotten her Glasgow metro pass, she had been forced to walk the whole way and it was only when she stepped closer to the illuminated blue entrance to the supermarket did she realise that she’d left her phone there too.
“Oh…” she sighed under her breath, placing her hand on her pocket where the small visa card Jamie had given her lay. She still had the keys and her shopping bags, but no cash, no metro card and no phone to contact Jamie if she needed it. Suddenly her brave act seemed foolhardy and daft.
Tesco hummed with life, the car park was filled with large 4X4 cars, sedans and hatchbacks, and the crush outside the store made Claire feel small and insignificant. Even the sliding doors seemed to tease her as she took one nervous step backwards. Pulling her coat around her neck, she jiggled her still healing leg as she internally bantered with herself on what to do next.
“Miss?” A man in the recognisable uniform said, reaching out his hand as if to snap her out of her agitated stupor. “Are ye alright? Can I help you?”
“I’m f-fine, thank you.” she stammered sounding far from alright. Waving her hands, she took one step to the side, bringing herself free from the confused gaze of the guy who’d interrupted her mid panic attack.
Taking one further step backwards, Claire tried to smile but the forced lift of her mouth obviously made her look even more afraid as he scrunched his brow in confusion and opened his mouth as if to speak again.
“Sorry.” Claire managed to blurt out as she turned on her heel and hobbled off. Her head was fuzzy, the haze of the fright she’d given herself clouding her judgement as she headed in an unfamiliar direction. The heat of the sun had dissipated from the air leaving her chilly. She didn’t have a watch and there was nothing around her to signify the time and as she rounded another unknown street she began to fret. The moisture that gathered in her eyes misted her vision and the cars that were flying passed her wafted her hair around her face so that she couldn’t reorient herself.
Dragging in more and more ragged breaths, Claire tried to slow her heart rate as she quickened her pace. Her leg ached, the increased movement causing the scars that ran down it to itch madly beneath her trousers.
A few pedestrians loitered, watching her carefully as she walked by them, her chin wobbling as she tried to contain the tears she desperately wanted to shed - but nobody approached her for which she was grateful. Even if she could talk to any of them, she didn’t know the exact address she needed - not now with her brain struggling to make head nor tail of her location - and she didn’t know either Jamie or Murtagh’s phone number.
It wasn’t until the clouds started to darken that she let the hopelessness seep into her skin, the damp, fragile grasp on her sanity shattering as the soft splashes of rain fell onto her thin raincoat. Sunset was coming and she had no clue how to find her way home or how to contact Jamie. Her teeth chattered noisily, her jaw throbbing as she tried to curtail her sobs.
With blurred vision, a sore chest and shaking shoulders, Claire limped to the nearest bench and collapsed onto the sodden wood, her trousers soaking up the moisture from the moist beams as she curled herself up into a small ball in order to keep warm.
“Foolish.” She mumbled, the hair covering her face as she buried her nose against her knees and took a few long, deep breaths.
She was so exhausted that she almost didn’t hear the call of her own name through the fog, but the distinct French accent pulled her from her temporary bubble and she wiped her eyes as she looked up to see Suzette with Fergus clutched against her chest rushing steadily towards her.
“Claire!” She repeated, this time with more relief in her tone. “Jamie is beside himself. Where have you been?”
“To Tesco.” She answered lamely, her voice cracking as she peeled her legs away from her chest and sat up straight.
“It’s alright, love,” Suzette said, turning to look at Claire’s tear streaked face as she spoke down the phone, “she’s here, in the park around the corner from ours - I forget its name.” During the pause in her talking, Susie leaned into Claire, letting her shoulder connect for a moment in a quiet show of solidarity. “Yes. Of course,” she continued, pausing a couple more times to let whoever she was talking to (probably Murtagh, Claire thought) speak too, “we’ll wait here. Fergus is fine. He’s settled. Don’t worry. Love you too.”
“I take it you never made it into the store.” Suzette began once she’d hung up the phone. “Since you still have your shopping bags but nothing inside them.” The way she spoke made Claire feel less daft. Susie was friendly and motherly whilst never being condescending or callous. She truly cared and was making a concerted effort calm Claire’s frayed nerves as they waited.
“No.” Claire sighed loudly. “I couldn’t. Silly really.”
“Not at all, Claire. It’s loud and busy in there. I hate it. Fergus certainly doesn’t care for it. I think the bright neon lights hurt his eyes too.”
“Is Jamie mad?” Claire asked, feeling more than a little ridiculous for leaving the flat without her phone.
“Mad with worry perhaps,” Susie said kindly, “but not angry, no.”
“I came out without my phone,” Claire sighed, “and once I’d reached the shop I felt this crushing sense of failure when I couldn’t just…go in!” She cursed through clenched teeth. “Then I panicked. I couldn’t remember the way home and I had no way to contact anyone. I just didn’t want Jamie to have to run around after me when he’d been at work all day long. I was trying not to be a nuisance and then…” she trailed off sounding incredibly disappointed with herself.
“Yer no’ a nuisance, Claire…” The sound of Jamie’s voice broke through the dim grey of the evening as night truly set in. “And ye never will be.”
Claire’s heart stopped for one moment as she felt him hovering over her and her head tipped to the side as she breathing in one large breath and turned to face him. “Apart from the times when I disappear without leaving a note.” She joked, a large lump forming in her throat as she saw the worry colouring Jamie’s face. He was pale, whiter than she’d ever seen him and she instantly felt bad for making light of the situation.
“Aye, weel,” he said, the stress of the evening showing on his face more clearly now as he held out his hand to help her stand, “Murtagh is waiting and I should probably get ye home.”
Claire kept quiet on the drive home. Murtagh and Suzette bantered about an upcoming trip they had planned and Jamie sat stoically next to Claire, his hand holding gently onto hers as if he were afraid she wouldn’t make it home if he let her go. The warmth of his skin soothed her and she closed her eyes and relaxed against the window, watching the world pass by through the fog her breath created against the glass. Glasgow came and went, the obscured view making it look blurred as the car slowed when it reached Jamie’s flat.
“I thought he’d taken you…” Jamie whispered as they entered his home, the heat of the apartment hitting them both as they stopped dead in the entrance to the lounge, “I didna ken how, but I when I came home to find ye gone wi’ yer phone left here, I thought he’d come back and taken ye.”
“I’m so s-sorry, Jamie,” Claire sobbed, breaking down as the full brunt force of his shaky words hit her solidly in the chest, “I th-thought…”
“Hush, sassenach,” Jamie soothed, instantly taking her against his chest as he rocked her to and fro, one hand resting softly against her smooth curls and one on her lower back, “ye dinna need to be sorry, please. I ken how much ye’ve been through and I dinna want you to think yer stuck here, or that ye have to leave. You just have to do things in yer own time, aye? Dinna rush to do one or the other…”
He paused for just one moment as the timer on the slow cooker beeped quietly in the kitchen.
“…just take yer phone wi’ ye next time, so I dinna have a heart attack when I come home to find you missing.”
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Steter Hogwarts drabbles:
Peter was a Herbology teacher at Hogwarts and Stiles had just taken up a temp job. Filling in for when: teachers get turned to dust, obliviated, blown up, revealed to be a malevolent imposters (even though the castle has super wards and protective magic?...), carried off by centaurs never to be seen again, you know standard magic school stuff.
Stiles slapped his cheeks and bounced up and down on the balls of feet, trying to psych himself up to face the notorious ‘Big Bad Wolf’. That week he was filling in for the 3rd year potions teacher, whose skin had literally been melted off, and needed to secure some fresh ingredients for the next days practical class. The big bad wolf in question was one Professor Peter Hale, Head of the Herbology department and by all accounts a BAMF. Stiles had initially been sceptical, as in his experience, herbology specialists were generally mellow folks who spent their free time sampling the greenery and eating too many cauldron cakes. His scepticism was broken by numerous firsthand experiences from fellow teachers and students.
‘Peter Hale is flawless.’
‘I heard he has 2 Order of merlins and a solid gold Firebolt.’
‘His chest hair is insured for 10,000 Galleons.’
‘I hear he does broom commercials.. In Japan.’
‘I heard he was a hit wizard for the ministry but he was too good at his job so they retired him.’
‘One time, he met Gwenog Jones and she told him he was pretty.’
‘One time, he punched me in the face. It was awesome.’
Stiles shook those thoughts from his head and strode purposefully through one of the outer courtyards, to the detached building that served as Professor Hales office/ greenhouse/ strictly off limits to students unless you want to be eaten by malicious plants, or, by the sharp toothed professor himself.
He found the outer door open so forewent the courtesy of knocking. His curiosity had not killed him yet so naturally he poked around the office instead of politely waiting for Hale to return. The office (if you could call it that) was light and airy, especially when compared to the dank cold stone office in which he himself resided. The walls were lined mainly with bookshelves; housing interesting artefacts, plants and thousands of texts. Looking up he saw an open mezzanine level which was dedicated to a number of plants bathing in the light offered by the skylight which seemed to dominate this and the next room that was partially visible to him through the foliage. Some of his nervousness was put at ease by the comforting atmosphere. That would be his excuse in any case for approaching one of the plants and all but shoving his face in it to get a sniff at the unusual scent.
He was promptly yanked backwards and a smooth voice resonated in his ear.
‘There are better avenues to satisfy your masochistic desires than having your face torn off by a carnivorous plant.’
Stiles, not known for his grace, shrieked and flailed wildly. The man who stood behind him smirked as he dodged an offending limb.
Stiles clutched at his chest. ‘Dude wear a bell and ..oh my god, could that plant literally have torn off my face..?!”
He started pinching at his cheeks as if to assure himself that they were intact.
Professor Hale visibly flinched at being called ‘dude, his amusement faded from his face to be replaced by a sneer. He crossed his arms and waited expectantly.
Stiles came to his senses. “Oh, ah, right. I’m Stiles, I’m taking Potions until Blaise’s skin grows back, but you know how vain he is so that could be a while, like honestly have you seen the potions in his daily routine?”
Hale stuck out a hand impatiently in the middle of Stiles blathering. The younger man had only just been able to stop himself from reaching out to jovially shake it, realizing just in time that the outstretched hand was waiting on the list Stiles held.
“Ah right.” He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly as he handed over the parchment. “Here’s the list of ingredients I was told I’d need for tomorrows class.”
The sneer Hale held sharpened and he raised an eyebrow mockingly. “Teaching potions and you can’t even correctly identify chamomile over something that could eat you face? Tsk tsk.”
‘Huh?! Chamomile?!!’
Ignoring Stiles comedic double taking, the Herbology professor hmmed thoughtfully over the list he held.
‘It will take a while to get the correct measurements. You’re welcome to wait here provided you don’t attempt to touch anything else.”
Stiles pouted as he briefly met the mans gaze over the parchment, promptly shifting his gaze elsewhere.
“ And Stiles, don’t believe everything you’re told.” He throws over his shoulder whilst carelessly waving his wand to conjure up a pot of tea and two cups.
Stiles closed his agape mouth as Hale sauntered off, he wasn’t able to come up with a witty quip while the other man was still in earshot so he settled with muttering ‘..show off..’ under his breath.
The tea set in front of him appeared to be floating on nothingness. “ Shit!” Stiles fumbled for his school mandated wand as he came to the conclusion that Professor Hale was indeed enough of an asshole to make the levitation charm extra temporary. He retrieved his wand just in time to catch the china as it began a perilous descent towards the rustic hardwood floor.
‘Pheww,’ he wiped his forehead in relief as he guided the set safely to a nearby desk.
‘Asshole.’ He griped, setting a derisive gaze on the glorified stick he was forced to carry whilst working on school grounds. Stiles preferred a less archaic magical conduit, something that couldn’t be torn away by a spell, something wearable that he could have on him without having to fumble through layers of robes. It only took seconds for someone to cast a spell that could end in death and in those seconds reaching for a wand was time no one could afford. Stiles had developed himself (with the help of his old school friend Danny and an amenable dwarf who had a stockpile of magical ores, cores and sundry materials) a modified glove/ bracer that could comfortably be worn at all times. Due to it’s position it had ready access to his magic and could be activated immediately. He felt naked without it and though spilt tea wasn’t life or death, Stiles definitely felt it was possible to die of embarrassment and quite frankly he did not want to give Hale the satisfaction.
Well that had been an interesting encounter and Stiles nerves were appropriately frayed. This whole situation made Stiles feel he was entirely deserving of helping himself to Peter's chamomile. Smugly and spitefully he plucked some flowers and a few young leaves crushing them slightly before setting them to brew in his freshly poured cup.
…………….
After successfully securing all of Stiles ingredients Peter returned. He was not at all surprised to find a drooling Stiles completely lax and clearly unconscious, half fallen out of his chair. He tutted in disappointment but was clearly amused as he approached the desk where the younger man was now slowly sliding to the floor.
Stepping over lithe legs he inspected the tea cup, sure enough it contained the “chamomile”, which was in fact a magically spliced Valerian, Poppy and Aconite hybrid.
Peter had developed it as a method to treat anxiety in Werewolves. His early research had shown that members of the lycanthrope community were twice as likely as regular humans or wizards to suffer from mental health issues in their lifetimes and comparatively were also twice as unlikely to seek professional assistance. Creating a treatment that takes into account the metabolisation and regeneration rates of werewolves was one step in the right direction. The main issue to still be addressed though was the societal stigma towards lycanthropes and mental health sufferers.
The plants less desirable effects (digestive discomfort and well, horrible death inducing poisons) had been removed but still, what worked as a sedative for werewolves, caused immediate unconsciousness in anyone else.
Peter sighed at his melancholic thoughts and drew his gaze towards the young substitute teacher. His eyes crinkled in amusement at the undignified position he found him in. He laughed softly but brought the splayed legs together and hefted Stiles up to settle more comfortably on a transfigured couch.
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An Unwelcome Visit
3/06/2021
Mum discerned he would come over sometime in the morning. I had cleared out the living room and arranged the pillows in a weary row. I sat on one of the sofas myself visualising what he would look like and what nervous conversation were we to carry out. I took out one of the newspapers from the side rack and began rummaging through natural calamities, terrorism and deaths when the door bell rang.
I rushed to open the door carefully so as to not look eager. He was standing there staring at the nameplate, making subtle notes in his head. I saw him take out a sheet and tick mark over a name, he looked more like a courier man to me. I was still wondering why he had come over when I saw him look at me with restiveness and I hurriedly opened the main door ajar. He didn't have the courtesy to smile or shake hands like the others who came. He simply walked in and took his place on the sofa, stealing glances at his watch. He wore a trilby hat which was in sync with his black suit, the shade that resembled odd grim things like tar and tire. The colour was in quite contrast to the ones who came before him, they wore white, bleached and pressed to a rigidity that was seen in their gait. He looked around for the first time after having entered and saw me sitting right across, struck with sudden exuberance he said “Sorry i am a little before time”. I was struck by his voice. I had imagined it to be coarse, but his voice was of a child in a man's body. I smiled now noticing his brown eyes piercing right through me, I shook off the shiver and left to get some snacks. “Tea or coffee?” I asked from the kitchen, “Chai '' came the morbid response. I questioned his choice but emptied the milk in the boiling water with severe sophistication just like I had for all those other men in white.
Slowly pouring the Chai in the cup without cracks reserved for such timely guests I gently placed it in the china tray keeping it from spilling. I walked with a precision reserved for such occasions when I had to carry liquids and held the tray right in front of him as he maneuvered the cup with trepidation and positioned it on the center table. I offered a plate of the whole wheat digestive biscuits, the sugar free kind. I could hear irony laugh for a second, eyeing the chai which had displaced the corpses of two spoonful's of sugar in the cup which if emptied could be found at the bottom of the cup. He seemed more like a black coffee person, but I let him sip through his drink in utter silence. The house smelled like lemongrass and ginger like it used to when we had our breakfast in the living room together. Mum couldn't sleep at night sometimes so she would sleep through breakfast and since no one ever came to visit, we never sat in the living room. Curiosity kept nudging me as to why the man was here in my normally vacant living room, sipping chai like a relative and munching on the sugar free biscuits. “I am here to ensure her safe journey.” he said abruptly, alarming me. I suppose he had taken the intuition course whose ads I had kept seeing at the back of the newspapers. I tousled my hair to keep my fingers busy and hoped he would leave soon. He dumped the last biscuit in his mouth leaving a trail of crumbs on his lower lip and called to aid a white handkerchief to clear off the remains. He then opened his suitcase, his only belonging and removed a form that he started filling. Was he assessing my cooking skills, or the heaviness of the house, was he taking notes of all the stains on the table or the dust on the curtains, the medical waste bag at the door, or the chlorine smell coming from the floor.
I could hear some chaos in the other room and sprinted off. Everyone was huddled near the bed, there was a lot of commotion and suddenly it was all quiet, even the machines that constantly created a cacophony of beeps suddenly went numb and I could only hear a note on sustain. I ran to the bedside, her eyes were open but she wasnt blinking, there was a smile on her face but there was no joy. Everyone else had suddenly backed off, withdrawn from the scene, withdrawn from the emotions, withdrawn from any connection they had with her, for it was their profession to sustain life and they had failed what they professed. They didn't weep like me, their eyes were not blinded with pain, they were cold to the visit of death and stood in rapt attention to how death had taken over their jobs, halted their futile attempts and reduced her pain to nothingness. What was I to do? After a few minutes a calmness resided, I wiped my damp eyes and went to the living room, it stood vacant. I checked in the other rooms, he was nowhere to be seen, the only proof of his existence was the emptiness, in the matter of the cup, the dish that once held sugar free biscuits and my heart. Wasn't he here to ensure her safe journey? What sort of safety could be given to a lifeless body? Had I known who he was back then I wouldn't have welcomed him to a cup of chai and biscuits.
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