Blue Royalty | Miscellaneous Thread

[astxrism]

{ Valentine’s Day 2040 }
but my head always messes up my heart no matter what I do

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What a boring day, huh? Things could’ve been more exciting… If for example, Raphael didn’t push her away back in school. Will Phoebe be mad because of that for a few days? Yes, yes she will. Really, why was her doing that such a big deal? Come on… Well, that kind of ruined her whole day and no, she did not go looking for other victims as she said she would. She didn’t want that… She didn’t want to grab a stranger and push him in an empty classroom so she could have a little fun with him. No matter what you might think or hear about her, that’s not what she does.

So guess who is having the lamest Valentine’s day? This girl right here. She’d even enjoy spending time with her family but let’s see… her parents were gone because Lexie was still in a hospital and it’s not like she’d have much fun with them since this have been… complicated between them, her sister was still being dumb and Xander was God knows where. Probably chasing his ex girlfriend because he was still heartbroken. Hopefully not that but it’s still a good guess. Getting back home she was greeted by… no one. The house felt rather empty and lonely over the past month and there was nothing Phoebe could do about that but… wait? She couldn’t magically heal her sister and she couldn’t just drag her other sister back home. Okay, things were not that bad, Phoebe still had their dogs she soon heard running to her when she dropped her bag on the couch. Dogs fix everything.

To kill her boredom and make this day less awful, Phoebe found herself on the beach, her board under her arm. Nothing but her and the ocean. Having a bad day? Go to the beach. Having a good day? Make it even better by going to the beach. It’s the best advice she could give you. So after an hour of being on her surfboard, she stayed on the beach just… Laying there with nothing on her mind. Taking this time to just ignore everything happening in her life and simply exist with no worries in the world. Until she heard that families voice she hasn’t heard in two weeks. Remember that random beach boy named Kian? Even if she’d often see him here, after their “date” she completely ignored him and stopped looking around for his face whenever she’d get down here. She got what she needed and… that’s was done. So why did she feel that tiny bit of happiness in this very moment knowing once she’d open his eyes he’d be standing right there, next to her? ”Long time no see, I thought you died,” straight up so now she was sitting, with a cheeky smile Phoebe looked up at the guy, her hand over her eyes to protect them from the sun. ”That’s… a morbid thought,” shaking his head with a soft smile, Kian was still just standing there, his hands in the pockets of his swim shorts. What did he want? He didn’t bother Phoebe after she just disappeared on him so what did he really want? I mean… She was a good friend, they could forget about what happened and just start hanging out as friends, yeah? He was fun… She liked him… Uhm… She doesn’t want to… be alone here. All day… ”It’s cool what you did there-” ”I told you I was better,” resting back on her elbows while still looking up, her cheeky smile was replaced with a soft one, obvious joking tone in her voice. ”You did… yeah. Many times,” he was definitely nice… And there was something calm in the way he spoke and… You are just extremely bored, Phoebe.

Sitting down next to her, he leaned back copying her pose. ”You’re not doing anything today?” ”Nah.” ”No one to roast and eat burgers with?” A cheeky smile now appeared on his lips, looking at Phoebe with curiosity in his eyes. When he asks like that… this day really was tragic. But that question did make her laugh lightly, subtly rolling her eyes at him before laying back down on the sand, shifting her gaze from him up to the sky. ”Sadly no.” ”Do you… Want me to volunteer?” Well… She should’ve expected something like that. Why else would he be there with her? Closing her eyes Phoebe shook her head, whispering, ”No.” If she was looking at him she could see his soft smile and disappointed nod as he just as quietly said, ”Fair. Wasn’t expecting anything else.” But she could still heart it in his voice. What followed that was silence… or some kind of shifting she could only guess was him shaking the sand off his hand ready to get up so she looked back at him, ”Ask me again.” Who would’ve thought there’d be more silence? Not awkward at all… Phoebe was not used to… Silence. Now both looking at each other, he repeated the question. ”Do you want to go eat burgers?” With a smile playing on her lips, Phoebe shook her head, still laying down.”No. You’re silly.” At least he laughed at that and didn’t seem hurt. Why would he be hurt? She’s just this random chick he’s talked to a few times before taking out to eat and then… you know and then not seeing her again before this moment. This was entertaining… Did he really think she… ”Again.” But she found herself whispering those words again, this time serious. ”I’m not-” But before he could continue that, she cut him off with a shy smile on her lips. ”Yeah. But pizza this time?”

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”Welcome. It’s not usually this… depressing in here,” leading him inside her house that was just a few steps from the beach, Phoebe left him to stand in the living room as she went to grab some drinks and glasses she could bring back down to the beach. It was nice living here… It really was. And they needed to be here for a bit to wait for the delivery guy. So… she would actually spend the rest of her day with her… new friend. Day not bad after all… Don’t tell him she thinks she enjoys his company. ”Which one are you?” Phoebe heard him ask making her confused and go back to him that same moment. ”Wha-” But how obvious could his question be? She found him standing in front pictures on shelves of her and Amie when they were little and bunch of other photos he shouldn’t be seeing. Rude. ”The cuter one,” with a subtle smirk, she walked over to him, crossing her arms over her chest. ”That didn’t help.” Sorry, figure it out. And nooo, your pleading eyes won’t help you. With that smirk staying on her lips she just shrugged her shoulders, looking up at him without saying another word… Not weird… Do something… Luckily his attention shifted to another photo as he pointed at it. ”Oh, that’s my sister, she’s in the ho- Hey, I didn’t allow you to look at that. Abusing my hospitality like that.” ”Sorry,” with a cheeky smile that matched hers, he took a step back and raised his hands in that I’m swear I’m not guilty way.

”Do you-” ”Where is-” ”You go first,” ”No, no, you.” A soft chuckle escaped Phoebe’s lips, looking back at the kitchen. ”I just… We only have coke, if that’s okay?” ”Oh… Yes… That’s good.” ”What did you want?” ”Your family?” Smiling, Phoebe tried to shrug that question off, answer casually. ”Just out.” Out at the hospital. Out fcking my worst enemy. You know… Your usually answer. Once again the luck was in her side when she heard the door bell, meaning no more questions about her family or anything else… Just time to go back to the beach, have fun, eat pizza and not be serious.

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What started as a very underwhelming and bad day turned into a good and… cute day. She wasn’t doing anything crazy as she’d usually do, she wasn’t spending Valentine’s day in a way many would like to spend it but she didn’t mind it. She didn’t mind it at all and she, to be honest, wouldn’t change this for anything else. Just sitting on a beach, eating and talking with the sound of crashing waves in the background was not a bad day. Sometimes simple things like that is what Phoebe really needs… Especially these days. Just someone she could talk to about most random things without worrying about anything else… Drama and some big, crazy adventure wasn’t everything. ”I don’t believe you,” laughing, with empty boxes between them, the two of them were once again laying on the sand under, now, a starry night. ”Are you going to say that about every story I tell you?” ”Probably,” with a genuine smile, Phoebe found herself staring at the man next to her… That smile not faltering for a second. Not even when he met her eyes and she quickly looked back up, shrugging her shoulders as an additional answer to his question. ”Then I’m done here,” teasingly saying, now he was the one shrugging his shoulder and looking away from her. ”Heeeeey HEY hey, noo. You have to continue,” ”Do I? I don’t think so- Okay, okaaaay, where was I? Ah yeah… then…”

[astxrism]

{ Valentine’s Day 2040 }
I’ve got a feelin’ but it’s still cool if you don’t

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There are two sacred, unwritten rules everyone needs to follow: don’t show people the finger in a traffic jam and don’t spam a girl who’s not returning your… 10+ dms. That’s a sign of something. And what was Kian? Definitely not a rule breaker. He was your nice next door neighbor who was wiling to help you with your groceries and mow your lawn for some homemade cookies. Your favorite goodie two shoes with some tattoos that might make you think otherwise. A real good boy right there… A real catch, may I add. Come on, the guy wants to be a vet. A VET. He cares about animals, HELLO. If Phoebe knew that maybe she wouldn’t just run away from him after their… What was that? A date? On the topic of Phoebe… Nice girl, isn’t she? Let’s rewind a little bit and go back to the day the two of them met. Or the day Phoebe caught Kian’s attention on the beach.

Surfers enjoy the company of other surfers, they all eventually become good friends and seeing this tiny girl having the time of her life with, what he could only guess, her dad was a very nice sight so don’t judge him for wanting to at least know her name. The way he would approach her again on this day was the exact same way he approached her back then, a friendly smile and a genuine compliment. There were no sneaky reasons for him doing that, he was just being friendly and nice but what he wasn’t thinking about was that he’d actually really like the girl. Even from that first conversation, she seemed… She just seemed fun, the energy he liked in other people plus she had a reallllly cool dad. He thought his dad was the coolest dad but damn was he wrong, don’t tell him that. After a few times of hanging out with her whenever he’d see her at the beach, Kian asked Phoebe out on a date and she… Accapted. Look, he really liked her, she was just everything one might look for in a girl and he was damn happy when she said yes, he just wasn’t expecting it would end the way that it did… It doesn’t happen often that girl just don’t text him back so that was… It was fair. If she just wanted to spend one night with him that was… It was what she wanted and he’s going to respect that. He’s not going to stare at his phone wondering if he should send that text, he’s not… Going to do that, no matter how many times he was tempted.

But he still hoped he would see her on the beach and get a chance to talk to her, as friends would do. So when that finally happened, when he saw her on her board once he came down with his friends, Kian waited for her to get up so he could make her way to her. ”Hey there,” approaching her with caution but a soft smile on her lips, he watched her straighten up so now she was sitting on the sand, a cheeky smile now appearing on her lips.”Long time no see, I thought you died,” ”That’s… a morbid thought,” shaking his head with a soft smile, Kian was still just standing there, his hands in the pockets of his swim shorts. What was he doing that? Maybe she didn’t want to see him at all after that one night? She didn’t seem like the girl who would just disappear on you like that… Why was this making him so… nervous? He’s just saying hi, nothing more. Well… ”It’s cool what you did there-” ”I told you I was better,” okay they were still cool. It was cool. everything was… back to normal. ”You did… yeah. Many times.”

Sitting down next to her, he leaned back on his elbows, copying her pose. I think we all know what day it is. Quite a nice day, if you ask Kian. He was one of those people who actually liked Valentine’s day, but still thought you should treat your partner the same every single day as he would do… Too bad he wasn’t doing anything today… ”You’re not doing anything today?” Kian curiously asked, playing with the sand between his fingers. There was a small part of him that hope she would say no so he could… No, you’re not going to ask her anything. She was pretty clear what happened meant nothing to her. ”Nah.” ”No one to roast and eat burgers with?” A cheeky smile appeared on his lips seeing her laugh lightly at his world, subtly rolling her eyes at him before laying back down on the sand, and shifting her gaze from him up to the sky. ”Sadly no.” Don’t say it. ”Do you… Want me to volunteer?” And he said it… be nice Phoebe. ”No.” Oh… or don’t be, it’s fine. Really, it’s fine. ”Fair. Wasn’t expecting anything else,” see? Completely fine. Why would she say yes? If it was fine why did he try hard not to sound so disappointed? Straightening up, his gaze shifted back to the ocean, looking for what else to say… This was kind of embarrassing. ”Ask me again.” Wait what? Hesitantly meeting her eyes he tried to look for a sign of… Just anything. Was she joking, was she not? She must be joking, come on. ”Do you want to go eat burgers?” ”No. You’re silly.” Yup, he was right. At least that made him laugh this time and shake his head, which Phoebe did right after him. Coming here this was not what he wanted, he just wanted to talk to her… Just that. ”Again.” So stop giving him false hope. ”I’m not-”
”Yeah. But pizza this time?” Wait what times 2?

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Saying this one last time - this was not how Kian thought this day would end. He wasn’t expecting to stay all day on the beach with the girl he thought was avoiding him but here they were, having… A damn good time. Just sitting on a beach, eating and talking with the sound of crashing waves in the background… Good time. ”I don’t believe you,” laughing, with empty boxes between them, the two of them were once again laying on the sand under, now, a starry night. ”Are you going to say that about every story I tell you?” ”Probably,” with a genuine smile, Phoebe was staring at the man next to her… That smile not faltering for a second. Not even when he met her eyes and she quickly looked back up, shrugging her shoulders as an additional answer to his question. ”Then I’m done here,” teasingly saying, now he was the one shrugging his shoulder and looking away from her. ”Heeeeey HEY hey, noo. You have to continue,” ”Do I? I don’t think so- Okay, okaaaay, where was I? Ah yeah… then…”

[unsungcheerio]

Being trapped in a closet with her ex on Valentine’s was definitely not how she anticipated this night going… but then again, had she anticipated any of the day’s events? Daiane was obviously incredibly terrible at predicting events—guess she should scratch out a psychic as a future career plan—so maybe it was time to stop trying to and start, just, going with it. Maybe, she thought, watching Hera laugh with a laugh of her own she’d failed to hold back, maybe it isn’t so awful to be stuck here with them.

“Okayy, if you don’t know and I don’t know then nooobody knows—but, well, guess we’re stuck together H, again, just like old times—or last December. Whateva’s your flavaaaa,” she drew out the last syllable, her voice fading dramatically into the space around them. “I know it’s been like five seconds, but I’m maybe thinking that you aren’t so bad to be stuck with. Or maybe it’s just cause I’m really, really, really drunk right now." For the last part Daiane leaned forward, cupping a hand to her mouth as she spoke in a dramatic whisper. She dissolved into giggles, reclining back against the wall of the closet. “Drinking is kinda fun, I dunno why I don’t do it more, like, it’s very helpful for not feeling things—I dunno if you know this, Hera Hera Hera, triple H, but I really like not feeling things—not feeling not good feelings. So yes I giveee alcohol a 10/10 for being so numb-y.” Daiane shifted, fanning herself with her hand. “It’s so hot. Oh my gosh it’s so hot in here. …And no, it’s not because you’re here. You always think you’re soooo funny when you say that and news flash! I only laughed to make youuu feel better not ‘cause it was like the best joke ever.”

Daiane’s smile pinched downwards, a sigh pushing through her lips. “You didn’t hear the Blue Royalty announcement?” Dai was a bit surprised at how insignificant the post was to them, while for her it was a pivotal point of her day. “Well, long story short, I’m a b*tch and Embry broke up with me. I think.” The words burned like the same alcohol she drank to ease the pain, and the girl pulled her legs up to her chest, blinking back tears. She needed an embrace, and she only had herself to love right now. So she talked. “Okay yeah I’ve never ever done a long story short in my life and ‘m not doing one today, so here’s the long story long—long story short long? Long story? OG story. Anyways so I kissed Bee on Halloween even though we were broken up at the time, and thats how we got back together again, but then blue royalty posted that I only kissed her for the points… which was true—well not true, like… half-true—but Bee didn’t want it to be any kinda true so she broke up with me. Which f*cking sucks,” she added with a laughing sob. “Not just because it’s Valentine’s but because it was her and I love her. But why does everyone I love keep leaving me?”

Hera’s next words made her chuckle a bit, just because they were so silly. “Yes, Hera, that was very creepy, but feels like you’re stalking me at this point so at least it’s fitting for you. Are you stalking me Hera? Should I be worried that my ex wants revenge on me or something—no wait, you broke up with me, that wouldn’t make sense." Daiane laughed at her own silliness, shaking her head. “I’d be the revenge-wanter here if this were a, um, a movie or something like that. But it’s not and I don’t, so ‘don’t worry, be happy!’”

Their dance made her laugh some more—though Hera’s willingness to dance to a song implying that she was a little heartless was surprising. Daiane found herself dancing, too, as she hummed the tune, though her moves were far less raunchy than Hera’s, to say the least. Their twerking was entrancing, almost, as if Hera had caught her in some sort of spell; as if this closet had teleported her into a different time, one where she might have stood and danced behind her, laughing still. Mindlessly, she’d risen to a standing position too, and maybe she would’ve given in to the pull if it weren’t for Hera straightening, their face falling all of a sudden.

"What’d I say?” She echoed after Hera, confused at their abrupt change of mood. “I don’t know, don’t I say a lot of things? You were always trying to get me to talk less Her, don’t you remember?" She laughed to herself, not yet recognizing the sullen mood that had fallen over them. “Didn’t work, nope, I’m still talk talk talk so you gotta be a lil’ more specific Heri—that sounds like hairy!—cause I really don’t know what…” Her gaze settled on Hera, eyes squinting as she took in their new expression, finally seeing that they were upset about something. “Wait, really what’d I say??” Daiane pulled her into a hug, arms wrapping familiarly around them. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it Hera, don’t cry,” she whispered, her lips forming a frown.

Dai didn’t entirely know how they’d gotten to this topic of conversation, but by the end of Hera’s little ramble, she had pulled away, walked to the other side of the room where she was farthest from them. A low fire simmered within her, the spark ignited by the reemergence of old pain that Hera’s words had brought on. She giggled. Quietly at first, the soft laughs crescendoing into loud, belly-holding guffaws. "No offence Hera,” Dai started as her laughs quieted again, “but that’s bullsh*t." The flames rose, drying up the lingering amusmant and melting the smile from her lips. “Your feelings are valid lalala and everything, but bull! Sh*t! Y’know what hurt me?” She spun around, fixing Hera with a glare that most people never elicited from a sober Daiane. “You leaving me hurt. After everything, you just left me. That f*cking hurt.” Dai shook her head, pressing her back against the wall as she slid down it, falling to a seated position. “D’you know I didn’t swear before you? Nope, didn’t. Then you came and–and marked me with your—your Heraness—made me fall in love with you, only to just leave me in the middle of it all, 'cause you had no other choice. So don’t come now, kissing me on Ferris Wheels and saying you… you never lost feelings or whatever… when I’m finally happy again. Okay maybe not totally happy—today, you just caught me on a bad day, but better. I’m better.” This last sentence, she whispered, as if it were meant as a note of conviction to herself instead of Hera.

It was comical, really, how Hera pulled the bl*nt and a match out from her bra like a clown pulling those endless scarves from a small pocket—Daiane couldn’t help but laugh as she shook her head. “Really Hera, from your boobs?” She snorted, waving it away. “No thanks, don’t want your boob bl*nt 'n don’t want the hangover. More of a hangover.” She amended, wincing as she felt the beginnings of a headache coming on. God, she needed another drink. “You got a flask down there too?” At Hera’s next words, she slowly looked up at her, a teasing smirk curving her lips. “‘Yanno?’” Dai repeated, laughing. "Since when can’t you say sex? Sex, sex, sex. Did you become a prude, Hera, after all your talk? "

Her emotions were all over the place, she knew that, and it definitely felt like they were controlling her more than she was controlling them. One moment she was happy and upbeat, a little passy-aggro maybe, and the next she was doting and apologetic, but that, too, quickly turned to anger—and now, here she was, sobbing. Daiane had hoped that her excessive drinking tonight would act as a dam for the river of her tears, but the dam had obviously broken and nothing was holding back her ugly, gasping flood of tears. Hera’s presence was comforting, their arms around her even more so, but their words only increased the flow of tears. She was saying things like “it’ll be okay,” standard breakup procedure, but Daiane couldn’t understand how she was supposed to ‘be okay’ when it felt like she was fracturing into pieces. Daiane looked up at her, the tears streaming down her cheeks. "She made me feel normal,” she blubbered. “Like that I wasn’t too much, ‘cause I feel like I am sometimes, but never ‘cause of her. The opposite with her. I just… She took a few breaths, trying to calm herself down. “Everything felt so right with her, and for so long I was so sure of everything but now it’s all gone and—” Her voice broke, a sob cutting off her words. Dai covered her face with her hands. “Everything feels so wrong now."

@raviola

[benitz786]

Oh… I realllyy fcked up… 2040 - Part 3

There was an indescribable piercing pain in Daniel’s head. Yep. This was Hell. Had to be - first he was a fcking FIVE-year-old and now this pain? Damn. That sucked - there was so much Daniel had planned for the world. Who was supposed to create the first transporter that could instantaneously take someone to another location like… Paris in 2.2 seconds? Or or… who would include the taste sense in his holographic phones so you could look at a picture of an orange, and taste it too? Well. This sucked. Well… on the bright side, at least Jezebel couldn’t kill him because he was already dead right? Or Val… yeah he’d get an earful from Val if this wasn’t a dream so… maybe it wasn’t all bad? Maybe there was some brain damage with the whole falling thing because part of Dan wasn’t taking this seriously enough. Right… back to the pain. GOD FCKING DAMN IT why did it hurt so much. Daniel could barely think with this feeling… was this how Dorian and Andy felt like all the time? Or even those idiots… Maverick and Dominic? God wonder where they were? Here’s hoping not with him. He may be in Hell, but at least he wasn’t stuck with idiots… then again…no wonder they were dimwits - who could think with all this noise?

“What are you doing weirdoooo?”

Who was that? God? Satan? Betty White? Daniel struggled to open his eyes and found a little girl looking back at him with a helmet and elbow pads on. Before Dan could even comprehend who she was and where the hell they were, the little girl continued. “SOoooo are you gonna come skateboard with me. You promised Dan. Don’t be a party pooper, you lost the bet fair and square,”

What. The. Hell. Dan looked at her silently… thinking… trying to think… as his headache dimmed. Akielah? It had to be… her facial structures… it was impossible that it wasn’t… “Why…how are you… Akielah?” Dan muttered in confusion, though it only took him a second to realize his voice didn’t sound normal. Looking down, Dan’s eyes settled on his hands… and his lack of muscles. Damn. He worked for those. Rude. While he was no longer 5… he clearly wasn’t 38 either. “Who’s Akielah. OHHHH IS THAT A GIRL YOU LIKE? I’m going to tell mom and daaad and Jess and Anna. Danny and Akielah sitting in a tree. K I S S I-” “God ew. Don’t.” Dan repeated almost instantaneously as he stood up and walked over to the decorative wall art that had mirrors on it… mirrors that showed Daniel he looked more… well… 14? 15? Wasn’t he just 5? Was this Hell? This didn’t fcking make sense.

“I BRING THE FOOD OF THE GODS,” A scream echoed through his house, soon followed by yet another one that seemed slightly closer. “Yes, my dear sister may be late to absolutely every event, but she does indeed bring food.”

Dan was so distracted by looking at little him in the mirror that he didn’t even turn around until he heard Akielah screaming “JESSSSS ANNAAAAA AND OMG FOOOOOODD”

Huh?

Turning around, the 10-year-old kid had already wrapped her arms around the twins - one who was carrying a mightly large bag of McDonalds, soon followed by the butlers bringing in more bags of McDonalds and drinks that were apparently left in the car. “Charlotte love, you act like you didn’t just see me yesterday, kid. What’s with all the love… Wait… what did Dan do? Daniel bloody Parker, stop traumatizing your little sister. I will whoop your ass if needed” “He won’t bloody come skateboarding with us like he promiseeeddd Jess. Oh oh oh and apparently he likes this girl named Akielah. HAVE YOU MET HER?”

“Akielah? Never heard of her? Dan did you meet someone who doesn’t go to our school? Well, darling, now you have to tell us everything. Come on now stop obsessively looking at yourself.”

Okay… okay Dan was like… really fcking confused. Like… majorly. A few… minutes ago he was 5… bringing baby Akielah to the safe room… the intruders… they left… and then that feeling in his head… and he was here but this wasn’t… he wasn’t reliving a memory. This wasn’t… this was different… 15… .Dan was supposed to be in Beryl. “What year is it?” There was a frankness in his voice as he looked over at the three girls who had settled around the sofa, Daniel still standing over them after Anna had dragged him towards them. “Psst… Dan… did you drink some of your parents… you know” Jess asked. “Alcohol? I know what Alcohol isss Jess,” Jess stuck her tongue out before putting her hands over Akielah’s ears. “Can you snag me something?”

“No… god… just… what fcking year is it?”

“You’re being such a bloody weirdo Dan. It’s 2017 Dan… just like it was yesterday, and the day before. That’s kind of how time works,” Anna laughed slightly before handing him a burger. “What did that commercial say Jess? You’re not you when you don’t have a Snickers bar or something? Eat Parker - at least before Jess devours it all,”

2017… TWENTY SEVENTEEN? Wait… wait… hold up… before all of this started dan was… sht sht sht no…no it couldn’t be… could it… no no… he was dead… he had to be dead… because the alternate was way fcking worse… sht…sht…sht…FCK “Time Machine… OH MY GOD,” Dan let out, an essence of fear meeting his features as he ran towards a pen on the counter top and grabbed… Akielah’s Journal? Oh who the fck cared.

Turning towards a random page, Dan wrote a few notes down. Jess and him were talking… electricity… electric jolt… something must have sparked the reactor…and now… sht…

“Anna… do you mind taking Charlotte to go grab the skateboards?” If Dan was paying attention, he would have seen Jess motioning that she was going to see what was up with Dan, but he was far too distracted by everything he was doing. “But my notebook…”

“I’ll get it back to you C,” As the two girls left, he found someone waving their hands in his face and with hesitancy, he looked back at Jess. “Oh Jess… I really…really fcked up this time…”

@Littlefeets - Charlotte
@CerealKiller - Val mentioned
@Caticorn - Dom mentioned
@astxrism - Dori bashing happened, of course.

[CerealKiller]

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Play Soon you’ll get better-Taylor swift

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Beep… beep… beep… beep… beep…

Bright lights blinding him as he opened his eyes. Where was he? This place it felt… familiar. Andy opened his eyes slowly and found himself sat in a chair in a hospital room. Why was he in the hospital? Dazed and confused, Andy tried focusing as his vision was blurry for some reason.

His eyes widened and he felt an aching tug in his heart as he saw on the hospital bed next to him no other than Ziah, alive, laying there looking out of the window, connected to all these machines, the monitor beeping in his ears as he stood there frozen looking at her. ”You’re-…” he let out quietly stepping towards her. But- how-

”Mommy mommy!” little Kaya ran into the room with her little school bag on her back straight to her mother who smiled as soon as she saw the girl ”hey baby girl” she said with a soft smile and kissed the girl. This… it must be a memory. As he tried talking to them or even touching them, they didn’t seem to o notice a thing. And he knew that moment in his mind. After all, he remembered that day and how that day was going to end… he knew that in a moment he himself will walk through that door himself, and he did. So what was he now? A ghost? Was he dead? Was this hell? Was repeating the very last day with his wife his hell loop from now until eternity? Because if it was, it would be real torture.

There was nothing more painful than looking at Ziah and Kaya talking, Kaya all young with her little ponytail, telling her mother about her day at school with an excited childish voice and a smile on her face. Past and present Andy both looked at the two with a weak smile, taking in the moment as they both knew any day could be the last.

But neither of them but the spirit of present Andy knew this really was the last day. Once again, he was there, he remembered it all too well. Much too well. It was the kind of thing you don’t want to haunt your memory forever, you want to remember the happy moments, the good moments, not the last moments.

It wasn’t long until everything faded away and turned to a different moment, not so long after the previous one. There he was again, seeing himself at the same hospital room with his wife, but this time he was sat next to her, her hand in his own. She looked weak, and he remembered this was the very last time he ever saw her. The broken pieces of his heart just seemed to break all over again as he couldn’t hold back the tears. You’d think one would need a solid form to be able to cry… but here comes Andy to prove it all wrong. Sometimes the pain is enough to break even the strongest things there are.

”Take care of our little girl ” she said as they spoke, looking in each other’s eyes both filled with love and pain. And sometimes… love is the pain. This was one of those times. ”Don’t leave me, I need you…” he let out quietly ”i’ll never leave you silly. I’m always with you, right here” she added weakly reaching her hand to where his heart was.

”I love you rockstar” she said, and for a moment it felt like she was looking at him, present time him, not the one who was actually there. ”i love you too” both versions of him whispered together at the same time, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

And that was the last thing he ever said to her. Because after that… she was no longer with us. She was gone forever, only present in heart, but he’d never get the chance to talk to her again, to hold her in his arms and just be there. Tell her how much he loved her just one more time, because it was never enough and no matter how many times he said it, those three little words were never enough to explain what was in his heart.

She was the one. She was his soulmate. People always doubt that soulmates exist, there isn’t the one, there are plenty of fish in the sea and once in a while you catch one on your hook. But that wasn’t the case for Andy. He didn’t get a fish, he found a hidden treasure at the bottom of the ocean, a rare and priceless pearl that he had the privilege of calling his wife. The love of his life. And just like that… life took her away from him. And it didn’t hurt any less than the first time. She wanted him to be happy, but it was so hard not to cry. It was impossible.

”I miss you… I’ll get better, I promise.”

Slowly regaining his blurry consciousness, Andy was at the hospital once again, but this time around, it was reality. And turns out he passed out when he came to see Jordan. You see… hospitals don’t bring the best of him, when to him they’re associated with the loss of the people he loved most. It just… it brought up all those memories and it just hurt too much.

Waking up, Andy opened his eyes slowly. Back to present time, present time where Kaya was already all grown up to a smart beautiful woman, and Andy… well he wasn’t doing too well. He was proud of his little girl, but he himself wasn’t really at the top of the world. He knew Ziah wanted him to find happiness… but it just didn’t seem to come around for him. He wished he could, it just wasn’t that easy. If there was just this sign from above or something,… he could just…

”Sadie…?”

---

@Littlefeets Ziah
@novella just imagine Sadie was there it’s a sign from above

[benitz786]

The “Something Old” - 2031 - Part 6

“Can you say mama” Jess questioned with a bright smile, bouncing her baby girl up and down in her arms smiling as the baby laughed every few seconds. Now don’t come at her - SO WHAT if Jess was getting a little head start on her bet with Dorian about what their daughter’s first words would be? There was nothing wrong with a little… itsy-bitsy priming. “Don’t underestimate me Shay, I will withhold food from you if you say anything besides mama or nugget, you got it?” Jess asked jokingly, kissing her daughter’s cheek as Shay babbled to her - almost like she was responding to her mom. Let’s just assume she was saying “Of course I’m going to say mama, you’reeee my favorite” though, recently, since Dori arrived, he had his own INCORRECT assumptions about what their child’s nonsensical words meant.

“Pamm mmdam babbme” Jess laughed again slightly, as Shay’s arms opened - catching sight of something that Jessica soon realized was her father. Dori wrapped his arms around Jess and of course stole alllll of her daughters attention. How dare he. Disappear for a few days, and allll Shay wants is her father. Unfair. You know kid, your mom can pull more than a few good disappearing acts herself. Don’t try her. “Stopppp trying to convince our kid to say mama first, that’s cheating,” Jess rolled her eyes, turning towards him and letting Shay wiggle out of her arms and into his. “How the bloody hell did you hear me? Annnd no don’t say Shay told you. Arse - that was a personal conversation with me and Shay.” Jess sighed.

“Are you two ready?”

Jess crinkled her nose, mouthing this conversation’s not over while looking at him before turning towards the flower vendor - because yes, today the two were picking out the floral arrangements with their wedding planner and more than a few other things. Jess’ mom was running a little late, so for now, it was just Jess and her fiancé. “Never been more ready in my life”

---

6 hours later

“OH MY BLOODY HELL WHAT WAS THAT. WHY WERE THERE SO MANY FCKING FLOWERS? Who bloody needs that many flowers in the world my god.” Yep - that was 6 hours of them looking through arrangements, talking through seating chart, and soooooo much more. So much that Shay had taken two naps in there… god how Jess wished she was Shay. At least her mother and Anna had arrived to help with the bloody picking… well until they started having differing opinions too. Terrible. God Jess was tired… was it possible to be this tired by just looking at bloody flowers all day.

“Hey… how about I put her to bed and you…” Jess smiled softly at Dorian as he wrapped his arms around her, “Set a bath for the two of us?”

After a momentary laugh, Jess nodded as Dorian walked away and she made her way towards the bathroom, truly needing a bloody warm bath after the day she had. As the water ran, Jess grabbed the neglected journal sitting in her purse. Maybe she should read all the journal entires in order… at the same time however… well… skimming was far more fun and then she could go back and catch up.

𝐹𝑒𝒷𝓇𝓊𝒶𝓇𝓎 𝟤𝟪𝓉𝒽, 𝟣𝟫𝟫𝟪

𝒟𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝒟𝒾𝒶𝓇𝓎,
𝐻𝑒’𝓈 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑒. 𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝒽𝒾𝓂… 𝐼 𝒻𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝒹𝑜 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒽𝒾𝓂 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝑔𝒶𝒾𝓃.

@Littlefeets - Leo will be mentioned soon
@astxrism - Dori

[benitz786]

Guess I almost died again? Oops - 2026 - Part 1

Play Safe and Sound - Taylor Swift

“Shh… shhh buddy. I need you to stay quiet,”

Jess tightly held the crying 2-year-old in her arms, running through the pouring rain as she attempted to escape the footsteps that were following her. What time was it? God… god sht… what time was it? It was night… late at night maybe though it was hard to tell time after what Jess had just been through. Fck… this was not how things were supposed to turn out. It was supposed to be just another case… Jess was already at the final stages.

1. Infiltrate the family as the new nanny. Check.
2. Find the information on the hard drive. Check.
3. Feed the FBI information about the drug exchange. Check.

The FBI was already ON THE WAY… and then… things… took a turn for the worst. Jessica Pierce was supposed to be done. But things turned messy when her target’s wife, Evie, realized where her husband got his money. An argument turned… oh god the blood. Jess had called the ambulance for the woman who was struggling to breathe on the floor and all she could remember was the woman begging her to save her son. To take him away.

Jess had gotten to him… the little boy crying for his mother in his room… likely having no idea of the bloodshed downstairs… and maybe if she got there earlier, Jess would have left scot-free too. But then, he found her. Well… maybe it would be better to say she had found him… waiting in his child’s room with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.

“You know what that wh0re told me,”

It was these words that haunted her for a moment… making the hair on her skin stick up as she held the tiny child in her hands. “That bastard isn’t even mine. So, I killed her… just like I’m going to kill the boy”

“You… you raised him. He’s still your son, Joshua.”

A laugh left the man’s lips as he took another drink. To him… she was still just the nanny… one that was currently at the wrong place at the wrong time.

“You have 10 seconds before I shoot both of you… Let’s make this fun, and play a game of cat and mouse, Abagail. So… sweetie. Run.”

There was no hesitation as Jess ran for her fcking life and… well… the man hadn’t lied. Jess had gotten downstairs when she heard the first shot - hitting the wall next to her and then another one… which she dodged. She wasn’t thinking anymore, she was simply acting. Adrenaline had taken over at this point and Jess had grabbed the keys on the wall for the car sitting out front. She just needed to survive… the police were already on the way. She allowed a soft whisper to leave her lips to the boy as she ran outside towards the car. Within a few seconds, Jess had slipped into the car and started it. However, the moment she put her foot on the gas, Jess heard the window shatter as another bullet it the car. Just… drive. And that’s exactly what Jessica did… even if she knew he was going to follow her.

---

It may seem that for many of her jobs… Jess took them far away from anyone she knew. After all, getting caught was the worst thing that could happen… but this one… well… let’s just say it was in a location she knew well. Miami, Florida. Jess had been driving for a few minutes, making more turns than she could count in hopes she wasn’t being followed before ditching the car. With the boy in her hands, she once again started running to the bus pickup. First, lose the car. Then… figure out where she was going. That was… well that had to be the plan.

“Hey, hey we’re okay. Shh, it’s okay.” Jess mumbled to the boy as they boarded the nearly empty bus and went to the very back to escape suspicion. Jess needed to get to somewhere safe… and at the moment… she only had one idea in her mind. The ride on the bus was spent mostly trying to calm the boy down, and then a transfer to a new bus… and then… well… Jessica Pierce was standing in front of an apartment complex more frazzled than she had ever been before.

What do you tell your best friend in this situation? Hey Dori - help me and this kid stowaway while the FBI looks for the people trying to murder us? Yeah? After a few seconds, Jess took a deep breath and walked inside, taking the elevator up to his floor and hesitantly knocking on his door. If there was one thing Jessica Pierce never wanted… it was getting people she cared about stuck in her line of work… but… at this point, she didn’t know where else to go and so she… knocked.

“Jess” There was a look of concern on the man’s features as the door opened. He looked like he had been asleep? His frazzled hair and lack of shirt paired with pajama bottoms being a dead giveaway of the fact that it must have been far later than Jess imagined. What was he thinking? Perhaps wondering why there was blood all over Jess’ hands… maybe the glass in her hair… or maybe the wondering about the kid. “I need… Dori I need your help,”

Coming inside, Jess finally… for the first time put the boy in her hands down, who, had cried himself until he passed out. “Close… close the door. Lock it,” Jess got out, her hands Shaking as she ran to his windows and lowered the curtains - not before looking out and making sure there was no cars downstairs. It didn’t seem like anything was out of the ordinary… it was okay… it was fine.

"Jess… you’re… "

Dorian didn’t have to finish that, because with his words, Jess followed his eyesight to the floor. On her feet, Jess saw blood dripping down and onto his carpet - and it was in that moment that she felt it. Her hand slowly went inside her jacket, and as she moved her hand away, she found it covered in a sticky bright red substance… and then… she lost her footing.

Jessica’s fell… though instead of feeling the floor, she found Dorian’s arms around her, gently bringing her to the floor. He was saying something? What… was it? Her ears were ringing so loudly that she could barely hear him anymore. “Fck… you…your carpet Dori… your deposit…” Jess muttered, finally regaining her hearing as she found him taking her shirt off and putting his hand where she assumed the blood was coming from. “…hospital” That’s all she heard and immediately, she felt her hand stop his. “No hospital… Dori… you can’t they’ll…” FCK WHY WAS IT SO HARD TO TALK. Closing her eyes for a few seconds because she was… so damn tired… Jess opened them again to finish her words.

“N…no he’ll find me… he’ll find him.” That’s the last thing Jessica could remember before her vision went black.

@astxrism - Dori mentioned
@Littlefeets - Kai’s worst nightmare

[Caticorn]

2035 - Skating to Process Everything

---

There was something about being on the ice that was therapeutic and Napoleon really need that right now. Which was how he ended up at the ice rink at 9 o’clock at night, seeing exactly how fast he could spin around. He closed his eyes, not noticing the tears falling from them until the cold of the rink made them stick to his face. For two months, with the exclusion of sleeping, he’d spent virtually no time at home. There were too many images, too many memories and too many emotions.

He wiped his eyes with his sleeve as he skated over to where he’d left his jacket and phone, resting on top of the boards that lined the perimeter of the ice. He unlocked his phone, ignoring the many notifications of missed messages and calls from his mom to go straight to his music app. He scrolled through his library until he found the right song and then turned up the volume until it echoed through the rink. He skated away from the boards, going around the rink as he got the hang of the music. Soon, he began building his own routine to the song, forcing himself to think about something other than the fact that two months ago his entire world flipped upside down and he lost the person he looked up to most.

“Napoleon!”

He skidded to a halt as Jae’s little voice rang through the rink, louder than his music. He skated towards her and when he stopped, he paused his music so that she wouldn’t have to shout over it. “Jae?” He asked, confused and wondering if he should be worried. For him, walking from their house to the rink was no problem but it was late and he hoped that his 11-year-old sister hadn’t done the same. “Eomma drove me here to get you. She says you have to come home now.” She answered, holding onto the boards. He sighed, even though he knew that he deserved this for ignoring her. “Also, I saw your coach and she told me to tell you that you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.” Napoleon laughed. In his mind, he could hear his coach’s voice saying those exact words and hearing them in his sister’s voice was particularly entertaining, mostly because she was missing the sarcasm that usually accompanied them. “Can you pass me my guards?” He asked, pointing to where he’d left them. She nodded and brought him the items he asked for. He slipped the guards onto the blades of his skates and stepped off the ice, waddling to where he’d left his shoes.

He sat down and unlaced his skates, pulling them off of his feet and putting them in his bag, then putting his sneakers back on. “Leon?” Jae asked him as he gathered up the rest of his stuff, pulling his back up over his shoulder. “Yeah, Jaebird?” He responded, starting to walk towards the exit with her. “Are you always skating now because it makes you stop missing Appa?” The question caught him off guard and he took a deep breath as he thought about how he was going to answer her. “No. I don’t think anything will ever make me stop missing Appa.” He answered, telling her the truth as he looked down at her. “Skating just helps me not feel sad when I miss him.” He explained and as simple and childish as it sounded, it was really the only way he could explain to her why he was spending most of his waking hours at the ice rink. Seemingly content with his answer, she quickly hugged him before pulling him by the arm to where their mom was waiting in her car to bring them home.

[benitz786]

When I was in love, trust me, I knew. – Series Part 1 - January 2010

Play Dandelions - Ruth B

“Don’t look at me like that kid. It’s barely a fcking scratch. Cover it up.,”

There was an indescribable look of fear on Jordan’s features as the boy looked instinctively at the floor… unable to look up at his father. Rather, Jordan’s eyes focused on what was left of his worn out… secondhand shoes that he found at the junkyard while one of his father’s… meetings happened.

“I’m not going to fcking repeat myself, you peace of sht. Cover it up. We don’t want a repeat at what happened at the last fcking place, you ungrateful brat.,”

Jordan simply nodded, still not looking at where his dad was sitting in the driver’s seat of the rundown truck that barely moved most of the time. After a second, he fixed his long shirt sleeve, so it fully covered his arms where the bruises from his dad’s… when his father… it’s… it wasn’t not his dad’s fault… he just… gets a little angry when he drinks… that’s… that’s it. It may have been January and the middle of the school year… but after… after his teacher started asking questions about bruises at his old elementary school, his dad transferred him so… so now he was going to Cerulean Elementary.

“Get out kid,”

After a second, Jordan’s little hand went to the door handle and after a second, he found himself once again all alone, this time outside of the car. With a little puff of smoke, and a sound that no car should make, his father drove away – leaving a child of 8 alone with nothing but the clothes on his back. Walking inside, Jordan looked up to the secretary in the front – mustering a smile. “Hi… I’m new. My name is Jordan.”

–

There was, of course, much confusion as a kid walked in for his first day of class in the middle of the school year without his parents. The lady had, of course, asked where they were, and Jordan just shrugged. Over the years, Jordan realized sometimes shrugging was the best answer. Stay quiet… that’s what his dad had always taught him. “He dropped me off and told me to go to class,” . Maybe an older Jordan would have realized that this wasn’t normal. That… well… parents were usually supposed to come with you on your first day, register you, love you… but… well that was a conversation for later.

All Jordan Williams knew was after a long time – many adults coming to talk to him… and many adults talking amongst themselves… Jordan was being led to a classroom by what the nice lady in the front had said the principal.

“Alright Jordan sweetie. You’ll be in Miss. Hawk’s class today. When your dad comes to pick you up today, make sure he comes in so we can get paperwork signed okay?”

With a nod, Jordan walked inside with the principal, who walked to the teacher and mumbled something.

“Hi Jordan, I’m Miss. Hawk. It’s nice to meet you buddy. Today we’re practicing some self-reading for an hour, and then we’re going to practice some math. Why don’t you grab a book from the shelf and take a seat next to… Jezebel over there? If you have any questions, raise your hand, okay?”

Jordan didn’t say anything as he nodded and walked towards the bookshelf and… grabbed a random book before sitting next to where the teacher had pointed. Honestly… Jordan hadn’t even paid attention to who he was sitting next to… just… stay silent. That’s what dad said. Though, Jordan felt his heart rate racing when he looked at the book. Jordan wasn’t… well… the strongest reader… he didn’t… really get to practice much at home and school really was the only time he could.

Honestly, Jordan didn’t even know what book he picked up. There was a hamster on the cover, and it looked interesting? T…Tro…Trebel? acc…um…sound it out Jordan…accor…sigh.

“Psst. You like the Humphrey books too? I love that series,”

Jordan turned his head to meet the girl sitting next to him with a soft smile on her features. She looked… nice. For a second, Jordan’s eyes moved to the book in her hand which kind of looked like his because it had hamster on it too, but the color was different: while his was green with a hamster coming out of a box, hers was orange with a hamster on a sailboat. “I’m on the 5th book, you’re on the third one?”

Jordan looked back at his book before looking back at her, “I…um… I’ve never read it before act…actually,” he whispered and her eyes widened.

“OH then you should read the first one. Let me go get it for you.”

Jordan didn’t even have a chance to say anything before she jumped out of her seat and ran over to the bookshelf, returning with a blue book, this time with a hamster on a stack of more books. “Here you go. You’re going to love it. It’s so interesting.”

Nodding, Jordan turned to the first page… there were… it was a lot of words. It only took Jordan a few minutes before he sighed and laid his head on the desk, his eyes closed. “You don’t like it?”

“N…no. I just… I can’t… read very… well,” he admitted softly.

“Oh… well let’s just read it together,”

Huh? Jordan looked up, surprised as the girl grabbed his book, opening it to the first page before she started reading the words, pointing her fingers to each word so as she said it, he could visualize it. Honestly… no one had… ever done something like this… and… well she was just really nice .

Okay… that Humphrey dude was really cool. He was a pet hamster that got into a loooot of trouble all the time. And… and Jezebel said that she would be his friend. Jordan… well Jordan never really had friends before. There was a smile on Jordan’s features for the first time in a long time as he waited outside for his dad, with all the other kids who were waiting for their parents. For a while, he sat by himself before the girl he had met today joined him on the floor and… and they talked. She was telling him about all the other adventures Humphrey got into in the next few books, but she told him she wasn’t going to spoil anything big. There was… something about her. How she was so excited about the books that made him excited.

Though… sitting outside, Jordan felt himself shivering after a few seconds – being the only kid without a jacket in the early January weather.

“Oh… that’s my grandparents. I have to go now. Bye Jordan,”

Though… before leaving, he saw her take off her jacket and hand it to him. “You can give it back later, okay? It was nice to meet you,” And then… she ran off… but… well… there was a kindness in Jezebel that Jordan had… never experienced before and… well… he felt his heart skip a beat watching her jump into her grandparent’s car. It was a kindness that Jordan now realized he wanted to…share… towards all others… a kindness that contrasted what his father made him feel.

@Littlefeets

[CerealKiller]

---

play Sparks fly - Taylor Swift

May 2032

---

”Can’t believe you’re getting married” Yara said to her friend as the two sat at a McDonald’s a few days before the girl’s wedding. One needs a break of stressful wedding planning, and Yara was an expert in that, so to the rescue it is. “I can’t believe I’m getting married and you’re single. You’re still a bloody catch. I mean those tongue skills are immaculate. If not for Dori I’d listen to Beyonce and put a ring on it” Jess added as licking her fingers from the sauce for the nuggets she delighted in (gotta love the nuggets). Yara laughed lightly and shook her head in response ”Dammit Dorian. Could have been so good” the girl sighed and sipped her drink as the two sat there.

It has been already quite a while since her and Nick split ways, and although it would be a lie if I said nobody was interested, she still found herself single. Not that she was complaining, but there were bonuses to having someone in your life, or even the feeling of liking someone. But it was fair to say that after your own husband cheats on you, a girl loses the little faith she has in men.

But if we’re being honest, it wasn’t like she was looking for someone, not at all, she liked being on her own and she never needed anyone before, so why now? She was very much capable of handling herself.
But maybe this one is different?

Jess and Dori’s wedding. Wholesome event for a couple that if we put joke flirts aside, she actually really liked them together. So she was happy, and in a good mood because who doesn’t love a wedding? A party? A free bar? Hell yeah. Caliope was at home with a babysitter. She could have brought her along, but there’s a lot more fun going to an event without an eight year old glued to you. Love her, but girl needed this to sit this one out, sorry boo.

There were a bunch of people there she recognized and hasn’t seen in a while, and a whole lot of people she had no idea who they were, but to be fair it wasn’t her event she wasn’t even supposed to know everybody was she? Nope.

”can I have a vesper please?” Yara asked the bartender as looking around at the venue and the guests, scouting for some her friends. ”I’ll have what she’s having” a manly voice turned her attention, and as she turned to see who it was, she encountered a man she had never met before, but her eyes weren’t necessarily complaining at the sight of this suited up tall mixed yet tanned skin blue eyed man in front of her. ”Copycat” she told him in response to copying her drink order ”If that’s what it takes to get a good drink, I plead guilty” he said, a slight smirk on his lips as he rested against the bar ”Also happens to be my favourite drink, blame it on 007” he added, sneaking in a little James Bond reference but I mean it was the James Bond signature drink so I can’t say references were uncalled for. ”Do you happen to be a British secret agent too? Top secret life altering mystery mission? Is there some sexy villain here in disguise as an innocent wedding guest?” she asked with a lowkey playful tone. After all, weddings are parties, and parties are meant to have a good time, to enjoy, meet people, I mean and obviously celebrate but like not only that. If weddings were only about the wedding part there wouldn’t be such things as receptions and after parties, just quick ceremony and get your asses back home.

But no. Today we chillin. ”Not secret agent, more like a combat medic” he explained to the woman who’s name he still didn’t know ”but speaking of mystery, can I ask for your name? or I can just call you vesper” he said with a humorous smile at the last part, referring to the drink they mentioned before. ”A combat medic, interesting” Yara said with an impressed yet lowkey surprised nod, now that he mentioned it she saw it more in his face, he had wise eyes and what seemed like a resilient soul. As if he’s been through things, which would make a whole lot of sense for an army guy.

”and I’m Yara by the way, but vesper is good too” she laughed lightly and turned to take a sip of the drinks the bartender had just handed them. ”but if I’m vesper what do I call you, mystery dude?” she asked, raising a brow as she questioned the man in front of her ”I’m Malcolm, but most people just call me mac.” he explained to her, introducing himself casually ”malcolm. I’ll just call you Big Mac you give off magical burger vibes” Yara responded with a cheeky smile, going McDonald’s on the man Jess would be proud

And they talked for a while, from the start the two had undeniable chemistry and they just enjoyed talking to each other. For a moment Yara even forgot she was looking for her friends, and instead chose to spend time with this new mystery man that decided to knock on the door. And if we’re being honest, she had a little feeling, like a gut feeling, this one, he really was different.

---

@benitz786 Jess
@astxrism Dori mentioned

[novella]

---

It had already been weeks since her father’s awakening and… forgetting thing. What do people normally do when their father forgets them? Because, you know, everything about this was very normal. She very quickly realised that staying at home was not an option, after the police were threatened to be called on the ‘intruder’ on the first day. Suddenly Annie was ambiguously couch-hopping for weeks. Emphasis on ambiguous, because who needed to know the reason why? Only her.

That was until she was contacted by Paige about their recent revelations - because why else would she be talking to her - that Annie had dismissed since the thing. She told them that Anna, apparently the mother in this situation, wanted to see them. Normally, it would be fvck no, she didn’t care, she was fine how she was, no interest in extension of family trees. Though in the current circumstances, it maybe didn’t seem such a bad thing to have a parent actually want her, even if it’s just for surface-level conversation sh!t. But a weekend in London with just Paige? Yeah, that’s not happening.

So, Annie boarded with Ricky onto the private jet that Paige’s family owned. Which… was that her family too? Was that how this thing worked? Well family or not, Annie did not appreciate the sight she saw when she entered the section she had been directed to sit in. “I really don’t want to watch you fvcking for the next 10 hours so, keep it in your pants?” Though Annie’s disgust soon turned to surprise as Paige’s move of her head unveiled the person sat underneath. Unveiling, also, the link to the person who was stood behind her. “Oh sh!t… you’re–”

“You know there’s actually really high crime rates in England?” Annie quickly started, before giving time to reply, she started pushing Ricky away before he had the chance to walk into the area his… opponent was in. Towards the plane door, yeah, through there and straight out. “Yeah. Some bad bad people down under. You don’t want to go, I don’t think, actually. I think you’re good here, thanks anyway,” Annie had her eyes on the door - and so she had a direct view of them… fvcking closing. Annie sighed and lowered her arms, and grimaced at knowing what the plane had just shut in. “Okay, then. Viewer discretion advised, I guess,” Annie told an impatient Ricky walking ahead of her to see what she had tried to stop. “I didn’t plan this,” She quickly called at the last minute. Did it do anything to diffuse the reaction? Um, no.

While Ricky argued with clearly no luck to the flight attendant, Annie re-entered the section in which Paige and Raph sat. “So…” She started, with no attempt to distract from the awkwardness that was to come. “Maybe it is a good idea to be sat on hi- you know, so he’s block- out of view for, you see what I’m saying here?” She told the pair sat opposite her, before Ricky returned, as expected. “Did it go well, then?” Annie asked him, trying to hide a smile. It wasn’t funny. No, it definitely was not funny, very serious stuff.

“So flights to England… like an hour right? Like, an hour, two?” Annie asked, hopefully, breaking the painful silence that had entered as Ricky did. Maybe if she said it out loud it would come true. Though she was quickly corrected, and all were made blatantly aware of how long they were in this far too small space. “Ten? Ten. Okay, yeah, ten, cooool,” She said, looking around to avoid the sight in front of her.

---

@benitz786 Enrique Montoya, Paige Pierce
@CerealKiller Raphael Montoya

[CerealKiller]

---

“Hey stranger. You wanna to join the mile high club?”

I mean, technically he already did, but he wouldn’t mind joining it again. Especially not now, he’s rather spend his time as furthest away from Beryl as he could. So shoutout to Paige she always knows what to say and do at the right times✌🏽 Or maybe it just looks like that. That girl was probably a bigger mess than he was but hey she was hot and a good time burner so why not? ”Sign me up”

So they went off to some private plane and sat there with Paige straddling him as they waited for Annie which I guess made sense considering they were like sisters now or twins or something? I don’t know man, but anyway they were waiting for Annie.

It didn’t take long until Annie got there, with no other than brother dearest, Enrique fcking Montoya. ”You have to be fcking kidding me” they both muttered at the same time. Maybe they weren’t genetically related but I mean they do be similar in a shi ton of ways. Yeah, anyway, remember when I said Raph would rather be as furthest away from Beryl as he possibly could? Well, the main reason for that was standing in front of him right here right now, and it wasn’t part of the fcking plan.

Frankly, Raph didn’t even know what to say, so he didn’t say anything, he avoided Enrique just like he did for the past few days because if we’re being honest he just wasn’t ready or capable of facing him ever since… the other day. His behaviour towards Enrique wasn’t exactly an example for good brotherly behavior, and he knew it, but at the same time he couldn’t really justify his actions to him so I guess they’d just need to sit there for like a million hours and have Ricky hate his ass loudly all over this tiny space.

Isn’t that just great?

---

@novella Annie
@benitz786 Paige and Enrique

[astxrism]

---

Amelia once again proved how useless she was when after Fin’s attempt to make her call him an ambulance she just disappeared . She just walked away and wasn’t coming back. Maybe she wasn’t gone for that long, but if you ask a guy who was in severe pain he’d tell you it felt like hours passed. Did… this just really happen? It seems a bit surreal that she just hit him with a damn door and now he was on the floor fighting for his life… I know, he will be fine and he was not dying but you don’t understand this . How can you understand? Has something like this ever happened to you? No? That’s what I thought… so be sad when I tell you that he was really, realllly hurt. He didn’t even want to try to get up because why would he risk hurting himself even more when an ambulance was on its way? Or at least that’s what he hoped was happening. He hoped when Amelia disappeared she called for help and just left him there to be alone as she should do. She was the last person he wanted to have beside him in these difficult times.

@astxrism

The only problem was… That’s not what happened.

[Caticorn]

2034 - Xavier’s New Friend

---

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Emily asked as she leaned against the kitchen counter. “We’ve never had a pet before.” Zion playfully rolled their eyes. “And we’d never had a kid before until a few months ago. There’s a first time for everything.” They pointed out to her. “Em, he won’t make human friends and I don’t want him to get lonely.” They explained, crossing their arms over their chest. “Zion, do we even know if he likes animals?” She asked them. “Nope. That’s what I’m going to find out.” They responded, already walking towards their stairs. They went up to the second floor and walked to Xavier’s room. Putting their hand on the door handle, they discovered that it was locked.

“Xavier, can I come in?” They asked after knocking gently on the door. After a few seconds, they heard a click and the door opened, their son on the other side. He went back to his bed, sitting cross-legged on top of it as they entered his room. “I have something I want to ask you, can I sit down?” They asked him. He nodded his head in response and Zion sat down on the bed next to him. “What’s your favourite animal, Xavier?” They asked him and in response, he produced a stuffed animal that Zion knew was the only thing that had survived the fire that killed his biological parents. It was a black dog. “Dogs.” He told them, his voice only just above a whisper. “How would you like your own pet dog?” They watched as his eyes briefly lit up at their question but they could tell he was containing his reaction in case they weren’t serious. “Really?” He asked them, his voice getting a little louder with his excitement. They laughed. “Yes, really.” They reassured, nodding. They watched as he smiled for one of the first times since they’d adopted him and he quickly wrapped his arm around her. At first, they were surprised by the contact, but they soon returned his embrace as he whispered a ‘thank you’ in their ear.

They drove to the nearest animal shelter and when they arrived, they walked in together and Zion waved to the owner, smiling, while Xavier went straight to where the animals were. “Dama, come look.” They walked over to where their son was kneeling in front of a cage that had a small black puppy inside it. “It looks like my stuffy.” He said, looking up at them. “You’re right, it does.” They agreed with him, kneeling down next to him. “That’s Dante. He was rescued from a fire in an abandoned building a few months ago.” The owner told them, walking up to them. “He’s perfect.”

That night, Zion went to Xavier’s room to check on him, expecting to find him awake, afraid to close his eyes or having woken up from a nightmare, not remembering that his parents were just on the other side of the wall. Instead, when they opened the door, they found him sleeping soundly, curled up under his blankets. Sleeping beside him, with his head on top of Xavier’s leg, was Dante. Seeing this, Zion knew that as long as he had Dante, Xavier would never feel alone again.

[astxrism]

{ Hello old friend }
really wish that i didn’t care about you anymore, but i do

---

”I don’t know what to do- No! I’m not being a dck, he will be here… So what? I can’t do that when… Does… She like him, like… For real? I know… Anna, I can’t… do that,” did he say Anna? Was Dorian standing on his balcony at 3 am talking to his best friend’s twin sister about his best friend? Yes, he was. Now, how did he get into this situation? Do you know that saying desperate times call for desperate measures? It was something like that, but we can say the two of them were… friendly, so it wasn’t that strange. And this wasn’t the first time he called her over something like this… Who would’ve guessed Dorian would be going to Anna for advice? ”God, lower your voice, you’ll wake up whole London… And Miami,” resting his elbows on the railing while his face was now buried in his hands, his phone was on the little table next to him. If his neighbors were out like he was, they’d be listening to one confusing but interesting conversation. ”I don’t know why I called you if I’m going to say no to your ideas, HOW RUDE OF ME - FINE, you want me to just say break up with him because I’m in love with you? Okay, I’m… I’m not doing that,” a sigh leaving his lips, Dorian picked up his phone before going back inside and closing the door behind him. ”I can’t do that if he… If she’s happy. Anna, I can’t tell her that… I’ll think about it, I just… I have to go now,” with those words Dorian hung up the phone and let his back hit the bed. This is going to be one looong week because in two days his best friends is coming to visit him with her new boyfriend.

* * *

but it’s funny, doing nothin’s never nothin’ when it’s somethin’ with you

”Oh fckkkk off,” stepping out of the elevator of his apartment building, Dorian was met with a… Little note. On the board with all the announcements and sht, there was a note he only now noticed when he was on his way to pick up his best friend from the airport… Just Jessica, and it was basically asking their neighbor to respect the quiet hours and not break up with people at 3 am on the balcony for everyone to hear or they’d have to act up on it if it happens again. First of all, that was not what was happening and second of all… Fck that. Grabbing the paper with his free hand in which he was not holding a SpongeBob sign, Dorian threw it in the bin before existing the building.

It was time. It was finally time and in a while Dorian hasn’t felt as nervous as he was feeling now, but of course he still felt a tiny bit of happiness. There was a reason it was only ting bit - his best friend would be coming alone now so it meant Dorian wouldn’t have to meet Trevor and have his heart completely crushed, he was finally going to see Jessica again and pick her up from the airport like old times but…. There has to be a but. Dorian wouldn’t have to meet Trevor now, Trevor as in the boyfriend of a girl he was still in love with and couldn’t admit and he was going to pick up that same girl he was in love with like old times except things were completely different now. No more old times… It should be like that, you know? No more old times and no more stupid SpongeBob signs but… Some things just stick with you and some things you just can’t let go off. Some feelings are not that easy to get rid of… That’s why he started preparing that sign the moment he found only Jessica was arriving and he wouldn’t make things awkward with it, not like… Not like things would be awkward, it was just… A sign. A stupid thing friend would do for his friend but… Dorian didn’t want to be just a friend and that stupid sign meant a lot more to him than people might see.

He even lied and pretended he was busy so she would think he wouldn’t be there picking her up… But even with everything planned out Dorian was still late because he had lovely fans and they demanded his attention so how could he say no to that? He has a reputation he needs to keep… And everything was fun until he heard her voice. ” Jess I thought… wait no your flight doesn’t land until… Twenty minutes ago. Fck. I’m so sorry, I had this whole plan and this sign,” and until she was standing there in front of him, his sign on the ground. It didn’t take long for him to start walking towards her and pull her in for a hug, a smile playing on his lips.
”Hi.”
”Hi.”
”Hi.”
Hey… That… Was their other thing…. Take a deep breath iiiiiiiiiiiin…… aand ouuuuuuut. ”Hi.” He hesitantly said as he pulled back, trying to keep his smile up. ”N… No. You’re not driving.”

* * *

The past 4 days have been… Well, everything Dorian was expecting but still wishing he could avoid because… It just hurt. He could play her best friend, he could play cool and chill but at the end of the when he goes to bed things were not chill and cool. Her coming to his bed to just talk was not fun. Her falling asleep there and leaving him awake to his thoughts was not fun. Her laying on the couch next to him this night while watching a movie, her head on his chest was not fun. But what could he really do about it? Well Anna told him what he should do but he couldn’t do that to Jess… He couldn’t be the one to ruin things when she seemed happy. ”You know you’re a bloody cheat right? You’ve never been good at poker, so I don’t believe that you beat me three times, darling. Yes please laugh, darling when I have such a good position of kicking you in the b^lls,” or could he? Here is the thing… Dorian was… fine this way, he had his best friend and they were still doing things they’d usually do no matter how… Wrong it might now. But he wasn’t happy. He wasn’t happy playing pretend and putting himself in this position where he couldn’t say anything. He’d rather not be her friend anymore than do… This. He’d rather not hear from her again than pretend he’s happy to hear her voice whenever he picks up her calls… No matter how cruel that would be. It’s easier to move on with life when you don’t constantly have that reminder. ”Jess… ignoring the kicking my b^lls thing…”

If only he knew exactly what he wanted to say. I can’t do this. I can’t be just your friend… I want more. Yeah, that was lame. ”I’ve been wanting to tell you something for the last few days,” but it was as if the universe was telling him to not be a jerk and let her be… because at that moment there was a knock on the door… And if he wasn’t doing the right thing by saying what was on his mind, why was he so disappointed when Jessica stood up and went to open the door? Okay… This will give him a few seconds to think about his next words, maybe he’ll even just… Not say anything and come up with something funny… That… No… This was his chance, right?
Wrong.

He didn’t even have to look back to see who was standing at the door and why Jess sounded so happy and excited. You know that thing when you’re feeling like your whole world is collapsing? Dorian couldn’t really compare that to this because he wasn’t losing anything now, he lost it a long time ago but it still made him freeze. All along Dorian was saying how he couldn’t wait to meet Trevor but that was far from the truth… How are you expecting him to happy about meeting Jessica’s boyfriend when just seconds ago he wanted to confess his feelings? It’s… fine. Life is fine… Everything is… just… fcking fine. He completely blocked out everything that was happening around him until he sensed that someone was coming up to him so with all the strength he had inside of him, Dorian forced the friendliest smile as he stood up and faced the last person he wanted to be standing in front of. Trevor. ”I’d be concerned if that wasn’t your reaction. It’s nice to finally meet you … Jess has told me many great things about you.”

* * *

but don’t be p!ssed off if I hate your husband, 'cause even when I can’t say "love ya, " I love ya
To be continued.

---

@/benitz786

[astxrism]

{ Fck off Trevor part 2… Before part 1 }
cause when something hurts this much i know it’s real

---

Once again Dorian found himself on his balcony late at night, at first just playing with the phone in his hands as he overlooked the city. And it was a beautiful city if you ask him… everything he wanted when he was in high school - far away from his family where he could have a life of his own without any disappointment and feelings of being unwanted but a lot has changed, hasn’t it? At times like these there is a part of him that wished he was anywhere but here, wished he had someone here who truly understood him, he wished he could still talk to his sister like he did a few years ago but what was the point of that now? It didn’t matter how he was feeling or what was happening in his life… It really didn’t matter. He wished at least Elias was here so they could go out and Dorian could waste the night doing anything that would get his mind off of things he doesn’t want to focus on. But Dorian actually had someone he could call now, someone who he wanted to call the moment he found out about the engagement and it’s funny how that person was the only person he… trusted now. It was just that he didn’t care that much about what she would think or say to him so it was easier and less scary to talk. Bitting on the inside of his cheek, his finger hovered over the call button for a few second before he hit it and walked to a chair he had there. Once again putting Anna on speakerphone so he could leave the phone on the table, he crossed his arms over his chest looking into the distance. His gaze not focused on anything, his mind for a moment empty, just listening to beeps and as soon as he heard she picked up the phone he spoke up before she could. ”Did you know?”

Whatever she was saying, whatever was happening he wasn’t paying much attention to. He wasn’t listening to her because he already knew the answer - if she knew she would’ve told him but he… Just didn’t really know what to say, how to start this conversation. ”Did you know he was going to propose?… Sorry for ruining the surprise,” so he once again repeated “the question”, still just blankly looking in front of himself and listening to his own quiet voice instead of hers. Instead of trying to explain what happened and how he knows, he continued ignoring the girl on the phone as his mind started going over the events that took place that week. His calls with Anna and advices he couldn’t take, stupid SpongeBob and street food, late night conversation with Jess in his bed when she wasn’t supposed to be there and his arm over her when that’s not what he was supposed to be doing, all the things he decided to say but… Didn’t get a chance to because it was too late. The couch that was still in his living room which he was planning to replace and what happened on it before he noticed the ring. It was a mess of emotions he couldn’t put into words and never in his life knew how to. A self doubting boy who would only turn that into self destruction. ”At least it was a pretty ring… He seems nice… Yeah. I don’t know… I don’t like him… But he is nice and he brought pizza and… She was happy. She was… And then I kicked them out,” at this point he was talking over the girl, and it almost felt like he was just talking to himself which… It was something like that. Just saying everything that was on his mind because who cares? Right? ”Hah, it’s funny… There is this building across the street and… Only one… Light is on. I wonder what they are doing,” chuckling to mask his shaky voice, Dorian started playing with shirt. Aaand maybe saying what he was truly feeling about the situation he called Anna for wasn’t the best idea so let’s just move on with this. It hurts less. ”Staying up this late… Having a better time than you right now, am I right?” Another chuckle but this time Dorian finally shifted his attention to his phone to see if Anna was still on the line because from the moment she picked up he kind of forgot he was talking to her. ”Sorry, I should go. Just wanted to share the news. Good night or… Have a productive day? I don’t know.” With that he simply hung up the phone, now not being able to repeat a single words she said and for the next few minutes he stayed there, looking at one lonely light across the street.

[benitz786]

Traditions - 2031 - Part 1

Jessica’s eyes remained open, staring at the fan as it moved at a speed incomprehensible to any human mind - only mingling together to make a circle on the ceiling. Honestly, after a while, everything simply blurred together. At the current moment, however, that didn’t matter as Jessica’s mind was… well… elsewhere. In 12 hours, Jessica would be getting married… and even the thought brought the slightest smile to her lips… that thought alongside the ring that would remain on her finger until the morning. Though Jessica would have bloody loved to have her fiance’s arms around her as well - sadly, her family had rules. Rules that were pretty bloody idiotic and likely created in the fcking dark ages when they needed to see a new couple fck for the first time to make sure the girl was a virgin or whatever. No seriously… weird people stood over the couple to make sure that the hymen broke and blood came out it’s fcking barbaric.

You see, being related to Royalty… even if it was somewhat distantly related… meant traditions to follow and this was one of the most important ones… or so she had been told. One week: that’s how long Jess and Dori had to stay away from each other. One week before the wedding, the two were not allowed to spend the night in the same bed… and technically, years earlier, there was a rule that the couple couldn’t see each other at all. That being said, the rules did become slightly more modernized over the years, so while Jess and Dori could see each other in the mornings for limited amounts of time to finalize details, they were still urged to spend more time apart. The worst part about it was the fact that Dorian was actually following the rules. Bloody arse. And to make sure Jess followed them, he made it a bloody bet and Jess wasn’t one to lose.

She was pulled out of her thoughts with the crying of her daughter in the small crib near her hotel bed. Perhaps this whole arrangement was hardest on Shay - the girl was used to having both her parents around and so this new arrangement meant that she had been with Dorian for a few days, and with her for a few days. In other words, at the current moment, Shay hadn’t really seen her dad for the last 3 days… which went to explain what happened next.

“D…da…dad…daddy.” Shay cried loudly as Jess went over to the girl and picked her up, kissing her cheek as she took a seat on the edge other bed. “It’s okay sweetheart, you miss him too huh?” Jess mumbled. Shay had learned a few words and could hold… well… a mostly broken conversation - but it was clear with her tears and the addition of her saying daddy every few seconds that she missed her father.

Jess tried to console the girl for a few minutes, though to no avail. Despite it being night, her nap had clearly energized her enough that she was not going to be tired out by a little crying. After a second of hesitation, Jess grabbed her phone before dialing her fiancé’s number. It rang two times before she found herself met with his voice. “So you’re breaking the rules first, I’m thinking that means I win the bet.”

A sigh left her lips as Shay cried louder, enough that Dorian would hear her over the phone. “Technically, darling, I blame Shay because she keeps crying for you.” Jess replied, taking a short pause as she fixed her daughter’s hair. “Shay baby, your dad’s on the phone do you want to talk to him?” Though Shay didn’t stop crying. Right - babies only know what’s in front of them. “Give me a minute,” Jess heard him utter and within a few minutes, she found someone knocking at the door of her hotel room. Oh, did Jess mention that Dori was only a few floors down from her? Yeah. That also bloody made it worse.

Walking with the crying girl, Jess opened the door to find Dori standing there with ruffled hair - clearly having been in bed himself. “DADDY,” As if on cue, Shay’s tears stopped as she looked up at her dad with curiosity, putting her arms out to be held and Dori soon obliged, picking his daughter up and kissing her head. “You made me break the rules, rascal.” “Hi,” Shay perked up, ignoring his comment as she put her hands on his face.

“Hi baby girl,”

Jess found him ticking the girl who laughed before adding “Hiiiiiii da…daddy,”

“You really cried for 12 minutes to say hi?” Jess shook her head before meeting Dori’s eyes again, a smile playing upon her lips as she placed a kiss on Shay’s cheek and then kissed Dorian. “So technically, you were the one to show up to my room so… I think I win the bet,”

“Hey no, don’t you start with th-.”

“TAG YO…YOU…YOU’RE IT”

In both Jess and Dori’s distraction, it seemed Shay got a littlleee idea in her mind because within a second the girl had touched her dad’s face and wiggled so she could be let go - something that clearly worked because Dori almost dropped her but ended up carefully letting her go as she ran out of the hotel room. Well… run… meaning waddled.

Jess found Dori sighing, though a smile met his lips as he watched Shay leave the room. “This conversation is not over Jess,” and with that, Jess watched as he followed the little girl who was laughing, pretending like he couldn’t catch her. And… well… that’s how the three spent the next hour. Playing tag in the hallways of the hotel with a little girl who was clearly winning.

---

As a sleepy Shay laid comfortably in Dori’s arms, Jess and Dori sat outside the hotel room. " I wonder what goes on in her head," Jess whispered, caressing her daughter’s cheek as her own head laid against Dori’s shoulder. “Well clearly, she thinks she’s the fastest human alive,” “Thinks? I’m pretty sure I saw her beating you a few times, love,” Jess replied jokingly, moving her head to kiss him again. “We’re getting married tomorrow,” she whispered, placing her hand in his own as she looked at the ring on her hand. “I told you before, there’s no returns or exchanges, so are you sure?”

Jess found him pulling her closer, placing a soft kiss on her lips before looking at her with sincerity “I just want you… even if you cheat to win bets,”

“You arse, I do not,” she added, playfully hitting him as she stood up followed by him as he brought the baby back inside. Dori went to put her in her crib but before he could, Shay’s eyes tiredly opened and held him tighter. “No.”

Shay once again wiggled out of his hands and then grabbed both Dori and Jess’ hands before leading them to the big bed. Once Shay was in the middle, she pulled both Jess and Dori in with her and made sure that both of their hands were around her before her eyes closed again. Jess laughed, kissing Shay once again. “I guess technically we’re not spending the night together since it’s 2 in the morning,” And with that, both Jess, Shay, and Dori fell asleep.

@astxrism

[benitz786]

February 28th, 1999

The Honeymoon Phase is defined as the period in a couple’s timeline where everything is… blissful. Usually, at the end of said… phase comes the shocking realization that maybe that couple… wasn’t so perfect after all. Maybe everything that was going right was simply a fluke… hidden due to the rose-colored glasses both parties were wearing and when those glasses came off… well… it usually wasn’t a pretty sight.

Did Adelaide Parker think that was where her and Leo were? No…no look… maybe Addie had never been in love before… but she knew what she had with Leo was more than just a bloody honeymoon phase. If anything… maybe if they were in a honeymoon phase, it ended with what happened in London… because what was present now was just them… right?

Adelaide truly believed that… with her entire heart… so tell her why she was day drinking in Leo’s kitchen after crying for the last hour. Or don’t… no seriously don’t… Addie didn’t want a recap of what she had just fcking realized about her boyfriend and instead, she simply found herself opening the bottle of vodka in her hands and drinking yet another big gulp trying to forget.

---

A few hours earlier…

A smile graced her lips as Addie put her homework down ran walked towards the front door - expecting her boyfriend to be standing on the other end. She had heard someone walk towards the door moments earlier and wanted to beat the man to opening it… though, as she opened the door, it wasn’t her boyfriend on the other side. Instead, there was a man wearing a ruffled suit who looked startled by her appearance - his hand holding a package with a letter attached to it. “Oh…oh I’m so sorry… I wasn’t expecting anyone to be home… I was… instructed to just leave this at the door but…”

“I can take it,” Addie smiled gently, “Do I need to sign or…”

“No… oh no I"m not the delivery man… I work for Mr. Azure… I was just told to deliver this ASAP and… so I rushed over… I’m just an intern… they told me that it was from his father and… decisions for Blue Royalty… well you know… but… yeah… decisions needed to be made and… it’s probably safer for you to have it inside so here.”

Addie’s eyebrow perked up, confused by his statement as the intern placed the small package in her hand with the letter sitting on top. Before she had a chance to say anything else, the… intern ran off, and there she was… all alone.

“What the fck?,” Addie whispered, closing the door as she brought the package to the couch - confused by the intern’s words. Blue Royalty? Why would Leo have anything to do with… what? Nothing could describe the confusion Addie felt as she opened the package, expecting it to be some sort of prank. However, within the package, she found something labeled - “Blue Royalty Student Non-Disclosure - Version 5.66” and a sticky note on top noting “Please have a look over this version for any final changes before it is placed into effect. - Stephanie”

It was… a contract that looked highly similar to the one she was required to sign when enrolling at Cerulean High…did that mean… no… no… Leo wouldn’t want anything to do with Blue Royalty. After all… Leo knew… after her accident… no he just wouldn’t. This was a joke. It had to be.

Placing the package aside, Addie opened the letter - honestly not caring about the fact that this was Leo’s personal business. Right now… Adelaide just needed to know what the actual hell was going on. Imagine her surprise when she found the letter to be from her boyfriend’s father… noting… “Prove to me you’re ready to take over Blue Royalty” is written at the end. Take over… as in… Leo was in charge of the whole fcking game… he was part of the reason… Addie has threatened… her brother… why would he… was everything just a fcking game to him?

Adelaide’s mind raced as she sat frozen in place… unsure of what the fck to do… or think… who the hell was Leo Azure?

---

Drunk… yep… Adelaide Parker was absolutely plastered. Drunk… angry… annoyed… sad… honestly… drinking wasn’t fcking helping because as numb as she was, everything still fcking hurt. And… well… it didn’t help when the reason for that pain walked through the door, prompting her to take another long drink of the liquid until her throat burned.

Did he say her name? Did he say anything? Honestly, she didn’t know as her senses dulled due to the nature of how much she had been drinking. After a long time, she pulled the bottle from her lips to drunkenly look at her confused boyfriend who was now standing right in front of her with his hand on her arm… oh did he pull the bottle from her lips? That would make sense, because why in the hell would she want to stop drinking right now? “How was… work… I imagine it’s difficult making sure you ruin the lives of everyone at my fcking school? Or is it just a fun little pastime for you now darling?”

There was spite in her voice as she looked the man in his eyes, hurt filling her own as she pulled her hand away from his. “Do…Don’t ever fcking touch me again,” she added, before moving the bottle to her lips again - probably trailing on getting alcohol poisoning, but who even cared?

But he didn’t let her, this time, pulling the bottle from her fingers - which resulted in the bottle falling and smashing on the floor of the kitchen. Addie’s bare feet were covered in glass and maybe if she was a little less drunk, she would have felt it.

Addie uncaringly moved away from him, back towards the living room where the stupid contract sat waiting. Picking it up, she threw that toward him, though his voice soon cut through the static in her mind.

"I’m not trying to ruin anyone’s life. You don’t understand, it’s what my family has done for years.”

Addie let out a hysterical laugh, throwing the letter this time as she looked in his direction. “Right… because I don’t go to fcking school every single day with another fcking person crying over something Blue royalty made them do… or did to them. God… did to me. You threatened me? I thought… what am I to you Leo? A joke? A game?”

“I never threatened you Addie, and you’ve never been a game or a joke to me. I was trying to protect you, to make sure you never got hurt.”

As he walked closer towards her, Adelaide backed away - up until the wall hit her back and he was once against standing in front of her.

“Oh cut the actual bullshit Leo… you never fcking cared. You… never did because if you did you would have bloody told me but you lied… every fcking day to my face you lied over and over again. That’s… probably what you were doing when I told you about what was going on in school… you knew… you always knew about the tasks… god… who… even are you?” Addie’s hands met his chest, and she pushed him away before walking towards the suitcase she had packed tearfully hours earlier. Addie heard a scared bark from Holly, and only regretfully looked in the puppy’s direction before making her way towards the door.

“I’m… we’re done… we’re fcking done…” And with that, she attempted to make her way out… attempted because the arse was blocking the exit.

“I couldn’t tell you Addie. I lied about not knowing what was going on, but I’m still the same person you’ve known this whole time. I never lied about that. “

Her eyes met his, as she leaned into his touch for a second before pushing him off again. “I’m not… you’re not… I don’t… know you… fck Leo… we’re done… we’re done.”

---

Let’s just say, going downstairs was fcking arse when you were 1. drunk, 2. being followed by an arse who was saying blah blah blah… excuses. Fcking excuses… he knew… Leo knew this entire time… and he just lied to her face. In what world would Addie be able to forgive him for that? God… no… never.

“STOP FCKING FOLLOWING ME LEO,” Addie screamed in the middle of the street as she walked with her suitcase in hand, away from the man following her. She just… needed to leave… so much so that she found herself texting someone a few minutes before Leo had gotten home to pick her up… well… drunkenly text that is. Addie barely knew what she was typing, all she knew was she clicked a name, asked them to please pick her up. She didn’t even really care who she was texting… only that she wanted an out… and there he was.

Derek Freyer - a student from her Biology class was standing on the street with his car, his eyes perking when he saw Adelaide. Walking towards him, Addie wrapped her arms around him. “Can you take me home? Please?” Addie mumbled before letting go and letting the man put her stuff in the car.

“Addie… just talk to me,”

But she didn’t. Addie simply got in the car after Derek told Leo to back off because she clearly didn’t want anything to do with him. Though Leo stayed next to her window, as her eyes remained closed trying to blur him out and soon, she didn’t even have to do that as her friend started driving away… thankfully not asking any questions.

There it was… the end of whatever bullsht phase Addie has allowed herself to be sucked into. Leo was dead to her… and he would stay that way if she had any say in it.

---

The “Something Old” - 2031 - Part 6 continued

As Jess sat in the water, her eyes glanced over the pages of her mother’s diary. Parts of the diary were smudged… crossed out… hell, ripped out and it seemed that whenever her mom was writing this, the anger and frustration… and betrayal peeked through… but now here was the problem. As much as her mother was likely shocked by reading this, Jess felt the hairs on her skin rising due to two words… Blue Royalty.

“Sorry, she wanted me to read two bedtime stories… or I assumed that because she kept pointing to Sally gets a Wagon after I read her… hey are you okay?”

Jess closed the journal, looking back up at Dorian with a confused look… unsure of what she had even read.

@Littlefeets
@astxrism - dori slightly mentioned

[Littlefeets]

What If? - Jezebel never met Jordan

---

Song: Prom Queen - Molly Kate Kestner

---

Jordan Williams, the person who without a doubt changed Jezebel’s life for the better, who had more of an impact on her life than anyone else. Jordan may say that Jezebel saved his life, but in a way he saved hers just the same. Jordan was the person who truly showed Jezebel what it was like to be genuinely cared about, he was someone who always showed her that she was worth more. Even when she barely knew him, he was a light in her life, and the closer they became, the more he taught her love. He’s the reason she discovered what love was. Her mother never even said the words, her grandmother only saw her mother’s mistakes in Jezebel, and her grandfather, though he did love her and tried to take care of her, Jezebel was still a reminder of his own mistakes with her mother. Jezebel grew up wishing for affection, to feel important, to feel loved, and Jordan taught her that she deserved it just for being herself. But what if Jezebel Sloane never met Jordan Williams?

---

---

Her last day of school in Beryl was sad, she was leaving behind everyone she knew, her friends, including someone who had recently become her best friend, Daniel Parker. With reluctant goodbyes, she was picked up from school by her grandma and mother, who weren’t bringing her back to the home she left that morning, but taking her to their new home, a few hours away. After Jezebel’s grandfather died, there was less of a hold on the Sloane family to keep them in Beryl. That’s why when the opportunity came for a new position in a different hospital, Jezebel’s grandmother decided to take it. Dana couldn’t exactly take care of Jezebel entirely on her own, especially not with the same financial security, so that made it all the more certain that Jezebel was moving with her mother and grandmother away from everything she ever knew.

---

It was in high school that Jezebel really started to shine. She had to be everything her mother wanted her to be. Any grade less than an A was unacceptable and extracurriculars that would do well for college applications were a must. She had to do everything perfectly. She needed to make her mother proud, and she couldn’t let anyone at school know what her life was like at home. When her mother was home, if Jezebel so much as thought about stepping out of line, the yelling would begin. Then her grandmother, when she wasn’t working, would point out to Jezebel how Dana had made more than her share of mistakes in high school, and that she shouldn’t make the same. They held high standards, but not within reason. Doing her best was never enough to please them, especially not her mother.

Going to school was her escape. She had her academics, her extracurriculars, her classmates. Jezebel needed some form of affection, she needed to know people liked her. She had to be the nice, smart, interesting, popular girl. She needed everyone to know her, to like her. Whatever it took, she needed the attention, because that was as close as she could get to the feeling of being cared about, the feeling that she craved. She had to pretend in front of everyone. She had to act confident, self assured, and so much more, but that’s not how she was on the inside. That’s where she felt alone and neglected, unloved, and like she would never be good enough to deserve anything good, anything real.

In high school, she was the it girl, the girl everyone wanted to be, not knowing anything about the real Jezebel Sloane. Even if it wasn’t real, Jezebel could feel wanted. She had the looks, the people, and even the titles. The title of homecoming queen in her junior year, and of course prom queen as a senior. She had everything a high school girl could want, but it still wasn’t enough to earn her mother’s approval.

---

When she graduated, for once Jezebel made a decision knowing it wouldn’t meet the approval of her family. She didn’t want to go to medical school and become a surgeon like her grandparents. She wanted something different, settling on graphic design, with some marketing as well. With college, it also meant that for the first time in her life she wouldn’t be living with her mother and grandmother. Living on campus would expose her to more people, a different lifestyle, and it would make for some distance between her and her family. Distance from her family was a good thing, but things did not get better.

No matter how much she tried to act like she had her life together, her love life only made things worse. Even in high school, the guys she would date weren’t good for her. Whether they ranged from controlling to cheaters, they weren’t examples of a good relationship. Her high school boyfriend was cheating on her for the entirety of senior year, but all he had to do was tell her she was beautiful and that he loved her, to get her to forgive him. As far as she knew, that’s what love was. Her mother would say cruel things and wouldn’t always be there for her, but it was fine. Her mother loved her, right? Her past boyfriends, even toxic, said they loved her, so it was fine, right?
Perhaps if someone had taken the time to show Jezebel what a relationship should be, to show her what real love was like, she wouldn’t have found herself with her worst boyfriend yet. A year into college, they met and there was a charm she couldn’t deny. Charismatic, but with an edge. He drew her in from the first moment, and Jezebel was head over heels for him. He said all the right words, that she was beautiful and he couldn’t keep his hands off of her, that she was special, that he wanted her. Everything he said pulled her in, but everything turned worse the longer they were together, but a few simple words kept her there. He loved her.

---

“Jezebel, come on.” He said, waiting impatiently. “Give me just another minute Ryan. I’m looking at what’s here.” Jezebel answered, looking for a flavor of lip balm that she liked. She could hear his sigh before he stepped in front of her, grabbing a flavor she likely wouldn’t have chosen and passed it to her. “Get this.” Jezebel looked to the lip balm he placed in her hand, then glanced back to the other options, seeing a different one she would’ve rather had instead, but before she could protest, Ryan spoke up again. “I like this flavor, get this one.” He spoke with determination, leaning in to whisper in her ear. “I won’t be able to get enough of you and your lips, and you’d like that, right?” Jezebel nodded slightly, looking for his approval as she agreed, “If you like it, how can I say no?” With her agreement, he smiled, wrapping an arm around her. “Good, so let’s get out of here.”

---

Situations like the lip balm were only the beginning, with him controlling her choice through her doing anything to please him. The manipulation grew, especially after she moved in with him. When everything was good, Jezebel couldn’t imagine any way that Ryan could be more perfect. He was romantic, he cared about her, he showed her that she mattered to him. He just… he had some problems with his temper. If she did something he didn’t like, he made it clear. Yelling, telling her she was useless and could never do anything right. Everything he would say in those moments of passionate anger would hurt, just like in the way her mother’s words would hurt her. Then, when the fight was over, when he calmed down, he would go back to Jezebel and say every apology he could. Tell her that he was sorry, that he would love her like nobody else could, and that he would try to be more understanding next time, if she would try to be better herself. Though, it didn’t matter how hard Jezebel tried to be perfect, not only in school, but in the way Ryan saw her, she couldn’t keep him happy. She always did something wrong, and she had the bruises to prove it. It started off as he would sometimes grab her arm too tight, but then came the first time he hit her, and that first time was far from the last. When he was upset, she became something for him to take it out on. If she had so much as a hair out of place compared to what Ryan wanted on anything, the physical pain was as harsh as the emotional pain.

Jezebel opened the door to find a face that she had seen before. She didn’t know his name, but she knew the face, he was someone she had seen Ryan around. She was certain he was the face of someone she had seen with him just a couple of weeks prior, when she was having lunch with a friend who was about to leave the area now that graduation was over. That afternoon with her friend, it was as if she didn’t have a worry in the world. A bright smile, cheerful laugh, and a reluctant goodbye to her friend, all while keeping the imperfection hidden. What good would it do anyone if she let anyone see her upset or in pain? What use was there in showing and just how weak and vulnerable she really was? Though, that’s not what mattered at that moment. What mattered was the man at the door. “You must be here for Ryan, right?” She asked as she opened the door further to let him in. “He’ll be back any minute, you can wait here.” Jezebel said, making a gesture towards the kitchen, right by the entrance, where she had been moments prior. She nodded slightly as she heard the man simply say, “Thanks” before standing by the wall with his head down, as though he was trying to be as non-intrusive as possible. After a few minutes she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked over towards him. “You can sit down, if you want…” she said, pointing towards the chair at the kitchen counter opposite her. “You just look uncomfortable standing over there… and just… please sit. It’d make me feel better, really.” Jezebel said, not wanting him to feel like he was imposing. At that point, she felt as though she was the one in the way, making him wait for her boyfriend to return. When he sat down like she encouraged, the man brought his gaze up to look at her, for the first time really. Though, she averted her eyes to avoid meeting his now that he was looking her way. Then came the question that Jezebel would often try to avoid if she was hurt. “Are you okay, what happened?” He asked cautiously, pointing towards her face, where her lower lip had a cut that hadn’t healed yet, then to her hand, where she was wearing a brace. “Oh it’s nothing. I’m just a bit of a klutz with a knack for getting myself hurt really.” Jezebel said in a nonchalant manner, as if saying it like it was true would make it fully true. She wasn’t someone who was clumsy, but she did have a way of getting herself hurt… Though, it was then that the door finally opened again, stopping the man from asking a follow up question.

When Ryan walked in Jezebel looked to him with a smile, though her eyes were those of begging, hoping that she hadn’t done something to anger him. He walked over towards Jezebel, stopping to look in the fridge, then turning towards her. He stepped close, his voice low, but stern. “I thought you were getting more beer while you were out.” Ryan said as Jezebel’s gase hit the floor. “I… I’m sorry, they were out of the kind you like… but I’ll try other places to get the right kind next time…” As Jezebel answered, Ryan looked her over in more detail, holding a strand of her hair in his hand. “And I thought you were going to do your hair in that lighter blonde like we talked about.” Jezebel glanced back up at her boyfriend, before bringing her gaze back to the ground, thinking about how he had told her that a lighter blonde would look prettier than her usual, more medium blonde color. Though, if she were being honest, she liked the blonde it had been, especially if she were to let some of her natural brown show. She had even wondered about going back to her natural color completely, but Ryan had made it clear that he preferred blondes. “I hadn’t gotten the chance yet. I was about to, but…” she started, but was cut off by Ryan. “It’s always an excuse with you, isn’t it?” He said, sounding almost repulsed, his volume beginning to raise slightly.

Her eyes didn’t leave the ground again until after she heard the voice of the man who was there to see Ryan. “If you don’t mind, Ryan, I don’t have all fcking night” Jezebel looked to the man, then to Ryan. “I let him in to wait since I knew you would be back any minute.” Jezebel said softly as Ryan’s attention shifted to the other man, though appearing slightly irritated by Jezebel’s words. Ryan pulled the cash out of his back pocket and set it on the counter. Jezebel normally wasn’t around when Ryan made these purchases, as he knew, even having given her a look to say that she should get out of the way. She barely began to get the words out, questioning his purchase of who knows what kind of illicit drugs, reaching out to touch Ryan’s arm, when he turned back towards her. The look in his eyes said it first, she had pushed too far. She knew she messed up even before he gripped her by the wrist. Even if it weren’t for the brace she already had on that hand, his tight grip and the slight twist of her wrist would’ve been painful. There was no hiding her wince or slight whimper. “Get your nose out of where it doesn’t f^^king belong.” Ryan threatened. It was clear that he wanted her out of his business, but she knew it didn’t require any further action on her part for him to act upon his threat once they were alone.

Jezebel didn’t think the other guy was watching, simply counting the cash Ryan had given him, but next thing she knew, he had come over and pushed Ryan away from her. By that point, her eyes were already welling up with tears as she looked at the man, for the first time making eye contact as he asked “Are you okay?” Even if she said she was, it wouldn’t have been true. All she could do was hold her arm close to her chest and step back all the way to the opposite wall, knowing this would only make Ryan all the more furious. She watched as Ryan was yelling at the man, who only chose to toss the cash to the floor. “Because of that little stunt and your disrespect towards your own fcking women, that’s not enough. Price has been raised.” With those words, Jezebel could see a fire growing in Ryan’s gaze. “You gotta be f^^^ing kidding me.” From her angle, she couldn’t see the look on the man’s face, but in a matter of seconds, came the first punch. Then, with a sigh, came the words, “Shouldn’t have done that” and the fight began.

Jezebel couldn’t watch, she just kept her head down between her knees as she sat on the floor, knowing she was the reason for the fight, knowing that Ryan’s anger would soon be directed towards her. The most she could do was prepare herself for the fallout. Though, to her surprise the next face she saw wasn’t Ryan’s. She looked up to meet the eyes of the man who was there to sell drugs to her boyfriend, the briefcase he had come in with in hand. “Look, you can cry and wait for that b^stard to wake up… which honestly I don’t suggest or you can come with me for a few days where he can’t find you.” He knew it, she knew it, staying around and waiting for Ryan to wake up was a bad idea. She needed to let him have space, time to cool off. He wouldn’t react well to her leaving like that, but it was the lesser of two evils compared to staying for the time being. Even standing up, there was still an uncertainty in Jezebel’s mind. “I… I don’t know you, can I trust you?” She asked, only to see him look over in Ryan’s direction with the words, “Can you trust him?” That was a hard question, one she couldn’t necessarily answer “yes” to. She knew what to expect with him, but she didn’t feel safe. With that, the answer was clear. She was going to go with the man she had just met.

It was only after they were outside that Jezebel finally spoke. “Can you at least tell me who you are? I’m Jezebel.” She said, introducing herself. The man was still a complete stranger, even if she was choosing to trust him, but she at the very least needed something to call him. She watched him nod in response to her telling him her name. “Just call me J” he answered, limiting how much he told her. Full name or not, he was doing something for Jezebel that she needed more than anything. He was helping her when she needed it most. This man she had just met had done more to protect her than anyone else in her life ever had, and whether he knew it or not, he truly was saving her life.

---

@benitz786 - Jordan (and Dan was quickly mentioned too)

[benitz786]

But Why Is Mommy Not In the Kitchen? - 2040

“DADDY, daddy, daddyyyyyy,” Shay squealed as she ran to her father on the couch who was entertaining her cute little baby brother, Grayson. With a jump, she made her way next to him on the couch before immediately getting on her knees so she could give him her best puppy dog eyes. LOOK maybe Shay hadn’t asked anything yet, but she needed to ease her dad into it okay? OKAY? SHE KNEW HOW TO GET WHAT SHE WANTED. Well… okay not as well as Zoe did because her little sister was reallllyyyyy good at that, but Shay had the beessstest puppy dog eyes okay? Okay.

“Shayyy, Shayyy, Shayyyyyy,” A smile met her lips as her father looked towards her, ticking her for a second which brought a laugh to her lips before quieting down. “Alright what is it this time? Did your mom send you here to convince me to go get ice cream again because I already told her we have to wait until after dinner,” OHHH THEY WERE GETTING ICE CREAM AFTER DINNER? Okay okay off-topic - but fiiiirsssttt: “Noooo daddy, stoooop beeeing sillyyyy. Can we pleaseeee pleaseeeeeee pleweeeseeee pleweeese pretty pweese with 14 cherries on top play hide and seekkkkkk,”

“OOHhhh hide and seek daddyyy,”

Shay watched as Zoe put down the ipad she was playing with to join Shay on the couch to ask the same thing she was asking. SOooo what brought on this want to play with her dad? WELLL 1. Shay was booooreeed and 2. Shay was prettyyyyyy darn good at hide and seek okay? Not like mommy who was alllwayyyyys in the kitchen, Shay actually hid reallllyy well and most times daddy couldn’t find her until the end and she won. What was better than that?

“Pweeeseeee daddy,”

Shay watched as Zoe got into their dad’s lap and even Grayson perked up “Pway” though Shay was 99% sure he only said that because dad stopped playing with him for a second and he wanted to play with dad himselfff but you have to SHARE Gray. They only had one dad

“Hmm I don’t know,”

So… you know what her and Zoe did right? THEY BEEEGGGEEDDDD. Shay with her puppy dog, Zoe with that thing she did where her eyes started to water even though she wasn’t reallllyyy sad and Juuuuust like that, they got their dad agreeeeeinggg to play with them. EVEN ANDY WAS PLAYING because he came to London to visit and apparently he never says no to a gameeee (psst he also never says no to her, but that’s a story for another timeeee).

---

“Alright, you boys ready to lose?,”

Shay giggled as he mom walked into the living room where they were allllll gathered so that they could start playing. Appppparennntllyyyy she was feeding Ethan so theyyy allll had to wait a little bit but she was finnnnaly here so they could play. Shay was sitting next to Aidan who was playing with his toy car while he waited, but Shay, on the other hand, couldn’t help but watch the adults talking because it was soooo funny.

“Win? Come on Jess, we both know you’ll be the first person found.”

“Excuse you? I don’t appreciate this blasphemy,”

“I love you Jess, but we all know you’re going to be in the kitchen snacking,”

“So you both are telling me you don’t think I’m a good hider then?”

“Not even close.”

“Kids, tell your bloody dad and cousin I’m great at this game.”

Shay watched as her mom bent down towards where they were sitting and laughed. “Noooo, mommy you’re there,” Zoe yelled pointing towards the kitchen And immmeediatlllyy Shay heard both her godfather/cousin and her dad laughing. Okay look mommy didn’t loookkk supppeer happy with that but it was true. Eveeerryyyy time they hid, mommy always went to the kitchen and was either in the pantry or or hiding behind the sink and she ALLWAAYYS had something to eat in her hand.That’s why when any of them were seekers, she was always the one they found first.

“You know what, fine. I bet you, and you that neither of you will be able to find me this time.”

“Oh do you now?”

“I hope you’re ready to lose a bet Jess,”

“Keep hoping, hotshot. Alright kids, listen up. You all know the rules but I’m going to say them again. Your dad’s going to start us off as the seeker and count to 20, which gives everyone 20 seconds to hide. You can hide anywhere in the house but don’t go outside. If dad finds you, you have to help him look for everyone else but you have to stay in the same room as him to look, so no wandering off. Deal?”

Shay grinned as excitement filled her body. “Dealll mommy,” Shay jumped soon followed by Aidan and Zoe who were just as excited as her. Ethan and Grayson didn’t reallllly know what was going on but they seemed happy too and they just learned how to walk so they could join innn.

“Alright kids, you ready?” Shay watched as their dad walked to the corner of the room, looking away from everyone so he wouldn’t be peeking when everyone started walking. “On your mark, get set. gooooo,” with that, their dad started counting, screaming “ONE” to indicate they only had 19 seconds left to go hide.

Shay loved the way everyone ran in different directions. Mommy (of course) went towards the kitchen, shooting Shay a wink and putting her middle finger up towards Andy but she told Shay and her siblings couldn’t do that until they were older. Zoe and Aidan ran towards the stairs together, both of them immediately struggling up it but Zoe was helping Aidan. Andy was holding Ethan and those two were walking towards the theatre. And and… oh… Grayson was walking towards dad.

NOOOO GRAYSONNNN THAT’S NOT THE GAMEEEE.

“THREE”

Shay wanted to run off and hide too but she didn’t just want to leave her brother behind. Running towards where Grayson was now HUGGING her dad’s legs, Shay bent down on her knees. “Grayson come on we have to go hide,”

Shay put her hand out to grab her brother’s hand but with a loud “NO” Grayson hugged her dad’s leg tighter. “Grayson that’s noooot how you play the gameeeee,” Shay had a noticeable frown on her face but she found her dad looking at her with a smile and kissing her head. “Don’t worry sweetheart, we’ll teach him next time. Go hide.” and with that, her dad turned back around and continued counting but slowerrrr maybe so that Shay had more time to hide.

“SIX AND A HALFF,” Shay heard her dad yelled and rand away, turning only for a second to see her dad now holding Grayson, before she turned back and ran towards her dad’s gym.

---

Shay had been hiddinggg foreeeeveeer. She had found a spot behind her dad’s um… jumping blocks? Who knew what they were called but it was the peeeerfect hiding place. Well… at least she thought it was until she heard the door opening and she had to hold her breath. “I’m commmingggg for you” Shay herd her dad through the door and heard other voices as well meaning her dad had found some other people toooo. “Zoe be careful,” Shay heard her dad say as she heard her sisters voice yelling “Okayyyy daddy,” . Okay so Zoeee had been found. Whooo else? Shay was quietly listening to the voices in the room, and she heard uncle Andy muttering “So you already looked in the kitchen and couldn’t find Jess? Well you obviously didn’t look right… and anyways, she’s probably not hiding here. I’m pretty sure she’s allergic to this room.,”

Shay wanted to laugh but noooo no laughing. Hiding first and honestly you’d think her hiding place was prettyyyy good but then she found Aidan standing a few feet away from her at the start of the little slit she used to get into her spot, sucking his thumb as he just stood there looking at her. Shay brought her finger to her lips to tell him to SHUSH and he watched her, repeating the movements she did. Shay watched as Aidan stumbled away, once again with his thumb in his mouth and she really thought she was safeeeee again.

AND THEN HER DAD PLUCKED HER UP FROM HER HIDING SPOT. “Found you rascal,” Shay frowned, seeing Aidan standing right next to her dad meaning he totalllyyy spilled the beans. RUDE. Though, looking around she could see that everyone had been found… except her mother. Wait… where was her mother? Her mom was always the firrsttt one found… not the last one.

---

Okay so recap:

• Zoe was hiding in the pile of stuffed toys in her room and was found first after Grayson who was, obviously, the WORST hider.
• Aiiidann was found next, IN HIS BED, with his feet sticking out. COME ON AIDAND DO BETTEERRRR.
• Theeeeen Andy and Ethan were found because Ethan decided to sing while they were hiding in mommy’s office, so the were found sooooon after

But mommy? Mommy wasn’t in the kitchen and trust Shay, SHE LOOKED HERSELF. They looked everywhere. NO REALLY they looked everywhere. Dad even let them split up for a few minutes and they still couldn’t find her. IT HAD BEEN AN HOUR AND A HALF and all of them were screaming her name. Andy even ordered nuggets and screamed he had them and she still didn’t come out

“Mmooommmy where areeee youuuuu,” Shay muttered, walking towards the kitchen for the hundredth time with her hand in her dad’s. Shay knew her dad was getting worried… because he had already put Gray and Ethan to sleep early and even sent Andy to put Zoe and Aidan down for their naps but Shay didn’t want to sleep until they found mommy. What if she was lost?

“Jess… this isn’t funny anymore”
“Yeah mommy it’s not funny”
“What happened? I thought I was a bad hider?”

AND THERE SHE WAS, standing in the kitchen eating nuggets she found her mom standing. Immeeeediatly, Shay let go of her dad’s hand and ran up to her mom to give her a bigggg hug. “Where were you mommy?”

“I was hiding in the kitchen baby,”

Okay… what?? Shay was reallllly confused because she had looked eveerrryywhere in the kitchen.

“No really, Jess. Where were you?” Shay found her dad wrapping his arms around her mom and her before kissing her cheek.

“So you admit I win the bet and can hide?”

“…fine”

There was a little smile on Jess’ lips as she walked toward the kitchen counter, looking at Shay with a smile. “Don’t tell anyone okay?” she said, looking towards Shay who nodded. AND THEN HER MOM OPENED UP THE COUNTER AND REVEALED STAIRS THAT LED DOWNSTAIRS. WHAT? IT WAS LIKE COUSIN DAN’S HOUSE WITH ALL THE SECRET ROOMS.

“What the…”

Jess walked downstairs holding Shay in her hands to reveal a lounge area with a tv and a couch and a FRIDGE. THERE WAS ANOTHER FRIDGE UNDER THE KITCHEN. THERE WAS ANOTHER ROOOOOOM UNDER THEIR HOUSE.

Shay wiggled out of her mom’s arms and ran to the couch where there was snacks scattered all over. On the TV, now that she was closer, Shay could see they were cameras connected to the house and she could even see her little siblings sleeping on one of the screens.

“So you know how after we bought this house, we went on a honeymoon? Well… Dan decided to upgrade the house a little bit and I kept this place as a little secret for myself especially for occasions like this,” her mom revealed. “There’s also a safe room down here, and a staircase that way that leads to almost every room in this house through a secret door… but I thought It was a little irrelevant until now,” Her mom added, looking towards her dad with a smile.

“You’re SUCH a cheater, you don’t get a favor for this one.”

“Hey don’t you dare start. I stayed in the house didn’t I?”

“Guys… why the hell does your kitchen have staircases…oh… damn,”

Shay smiled seeing Andy join them in their house under the kitchen… let’s just say, hide and seek would be soooooo much more fun in the future now.

@astxrism
@CerealKiller