Easy reading is damn hard writing

Hey guys, Eury here. This is my writing blog since my other one kind of turned into a personal. I'll post all my writing here, including prose, poetry, and my original works. I'll also be posting writing resources to help anyone wanting to be a better writier. Don't be afraid to shoot me an ask if you seek advice. I appreciate all the kind comments and wonderful asks from my fans, it keeps me going <3 Thank you for everything. Feel free to talk to me any time c:

[inkedrainmoved-blog]

p s a

Guys. This blog is d e a d. Hence the name change. If you want me for yullen/lavilena things, go to my blog @inkedrain. The change has been effective since last month and I guess some of you didn't get it because you're still following, but... anyways, I'm gonna delete this blog at the end of the day so you have until then. See you there c:

[inkedrainmoved-blog]

PSA

Okay.. I think I've decided. I'm gonna separate this blog from my main and go full on active. 

I find that I have just enough time to write these days and I'm thinking about a nice idea for dgm, as well as other things. 

Don't know if I'll "finish" Apprehension, because it was just a short little thing, messing around with that sort of universe. Something bigger might come out of that that is also gonna be separate. 

Going to try my hardest to finish STP, but like I said, new things are coming so I don't know... but I still will at least try c: 

So in a bit, once I find a theme, I'mma change this name to "inkedrainmoved" and put a redirect to the new page, which will be under this same name "inked rain." 

Hope that makes sense, lol. 

[writerswritecompany]

First Draft Poster

SOURCE

[heronswing]

[bluesyturtle]

The philosophical underpinnings of my approach to acting are that there are universal human qualities, and that every character is actually available within each one of us, that if we tap down into that universal humanness, we can find whatever character it is that we need to play already there within ourselves, and it’s just a matter of peeling apart the onion that is you and finding that character within you because of this universal human quality.

Misha Collins

[proseprotips]

Magic can bridge desire and fulfillment, exploring what happens when we get what we want.

[maxsipowicz-deactivated20150907]

What people who don’t write don’t understand is that they think you make up the line consciously — but you don’t. It proceeds from your unconscious.

Woody Allen in an interview with Esquire

[dream-ing1121]

Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it.Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.

William Faulkner

[mbwritestips-deactivated2014042]

So! What Should Your Manuscript Look Like?

Here is EVERYTHING you need to know about what your manuscript should look like when you send it to publishers:

8 1/2 by 11” paper

Font: 12 point - Times New Roman, Courier, Arial or Courier New.

Indentation for paragraphs is important.

Double-space your work

One-inch margin [at least] all around your page.

Page numbers go right up in the upper right hand corner of the page.

Title Page: Title, Word Count, Your Name, Phone Number, Home Address, Email Address. This also goes on the very first page of the manuscript.

PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD! And I don’t just mean let your computer do all the word. READ, READ, READ DARLINGS!

Pages are to be loose-leaf; I don’t mean loose-leaf paper - I mean don’t bound your pages together [no staples.]

Put that baby [manuscript] in a large envelope and stamp your home address on it. You don’t want your story falling into the hands of a stranger if it is sent back.

Many submissions are electronic nowadays - just F.Y.I.

ABSOLUTELY DO NOT:

KEEP IT SIMPLE: no fancy writing or graphics

Don’t add anything cheesy or “gimmicky” to catch the publisher’s attention - if you really have to, make sure it’s epigrammatic and “witty”.

NO PHOTOS!

Alright!

That’s all I have for now. :)

Happy Writing!

- mbwrites

  ———————————————————————————————————— *tips acquired from Gotham Writers’ Workshop: Fiction Writing book*

[levelonegnomemage]

30 day challenge: writing tip

day 11:Make sure to show your characters eating and sleeping, it’s a small detail but an important one. 

[writing-questions-answered]

Writing a Series

auhoraatra asked: Hi, I just need a little of guidance. I’m working on a fantasy novel that I hope to turn into a series one day. Problem - or should I say problems? - is that I have a good half of the world figured and a magic system, but as far as knowing the true main plot that all the other books will have is where I’m stuck. I dream of being published and I will never, ever give up on the story but I’m a sixteen year old girl and I’m wondering if I should finish writing this book and withhold publishing or?

[writing-questions-answered]

The thought of being published is thrilling and wonderful, but you have plenty of time for that later. Right now you should focus on completing the novel and then figure out where the rest of the series is going. Does it even need to be a series? Or are you making it one just for the sake of writing a series? Unless you have a series arc and final destination in mind, you might consider whether it would be better off as a stand alone novel. Here are some good resources to help with the plotting if you decide to go ahead and do it as a series:

Here’s a good general article about plotting a series.

Also: Series Planning - Subplots and Plotlines

How to Write a Book Series

How to Write and Plan a Book Series Whether you stick with a series or decide to make it a stand alone novel, you have a lot of work ahead of you before you put too much more thought into getting published. Getting published is hard, and the only way to make it happen is to put a lot of hard work into your novel. That means that once you finish your book, you need to read through it and revise it. And then read through it and revise it again. Then you need to find some test readers who you trust and who can be honest with you about what they liked and what they didn’t. Then you have to revise it again, and then you need to give it a final polish, where you go through line-by-line to look for errors and to make sure everything is just right. It’s a lot of work, and it can take years. But if you don’t do it, your odds of getting published are very, very slim.  The good news, though, is that with each draft your writing will get better and better, so no matter how much time it takes, you’re working on your craft and growing as a writer. Here’s a great article about all the steps it takes to create a novel, from the first spark of an idea all the way to querying. If you need further help or just need some encouragement, you know where to find me! :)  Also, here are some great tumblrs you should be following: Query Quagmire

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[euriella]

Saving Me: Prologue

17 year old Courtney Davis, a young Latina who is barely graduated from high school, is on the run from her family in result of a troubled past, and the unspeakable nature of her parents. With her, she carries a brother who is just one years old, thinking this is the best for him, and putting herself at risk just so he can have a better life than her. Without much of an education, or a chance at continuing hers, she must put herself before her brother at all times to keep him safe, with the help of one friend who could make her or break her.

Follow the trail of this strong, able, determined young woman through her experience as she faces the real world all by herself. Can she handle it, or was it all just a big mistake?

Read More

[inkedrainmoved-blog]

Wow I cannot believe some of you have stuck with me even though I can be so distant. Y'all are great.

I'm thinking about coming back - in fact I'm almost certain I'm going to do it so I can finish Stronger Than Pride and Apprehension. 

Thanks again for being so great. Standby. 

[inkedrainmoved-blog]

Apprehension [Part 3]

A/N: It’s been a while, huh? Sorry I suck at consistency but I look at both stories at least once a day and can’t find the energy to put something worth reading into them. And I’ve been on such a tight schedule… once summer rolls around everything should be back up again, I think. Until then… here we go. Just hang on with me, please. i hope not to disappoint. 

Beep, Beep, Beep…

Lenalee stirred lightly in the soft sheets of her bed, taking in the sweet, comforting scent of the room—still lingering with the pumpkin and spice that Lavi wore. She was eager to finally get some sleep after their night together. It was fun, but frankly she was exhausted and she needed the rest before she dove into the long day ahead of her.

She was aware of a small beeping sound that was becoming more and more irritating as she tried desperately to ignore it. But it only seemed to get louder, until she was burying her head into her pillows to block out the sound. Her body felt like lead—heavy and unwilling to move. She wanted to be able to enjoy the memories from her previous engagement without disruption, but the noise made it nearly impossible.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP…

Lenalee’s hand shot out quickly, nearly shattering the obnoxious alarm clock set on the nightstand. She couldn’t remember how many times she’d done that so far this morning, but the light peering in from behind the curtains was another reminder that she should probably get out of bed before she’d be late meeting her brother in his office. Apparently it was busier than usual and he needed her as early as she could come this morning.

The yellows and oranges seemed brighten as the clouds parted, flooding her entire room with a brilliant light all at once. God was cruel this morning and she wasn’t enthusiastic about leaving her bed. She cracked an eye open, groaning at the instant aching around the edges of her eyes. She’d maybe gotten three or four hours of sleep, which was definitely not en—

Wait a minute…

Sunlight?

The lady exorcist shot bolt upright out of her bed, turning her head to read the time on the clock: 9:50 a.m. She was supposed to be there at ten! That was in ten minutes, and even if she left now without getting dressed she’d probably not even make it because she was still in the room her and Lavi had shared for the night. Somehow, she’d remembered to set an alarm after they were done with the fireplace, but she snoozed it so many times that she ended up being late anyway.

Oh no, no, no…

She frantically rose from her bed and began to get dressed, when suddenly she was hit with such an overwhelming pain in the back of her head. It struck her so quickly that she nearly fainted. She didn’t even have time to register it fully, just had to go with it and move as quickly and quietly as possibly. She clutched her head, whispering ow, ow, ow, over and over again as she threw on her clothes. She didn’t have much time; she didn’t have time at all. She should’ve been there more than fifteen minutes ago!

Lenalee was caring. She was kind. She was cunning, incredible—but she was not late. Especially when it regarded one of the most important people of her life.

It doesn’t matter anyway, you’re keeping secrets from him is not going to make him proud when he finds out.

The harsh reality of the situation did not forget to make itself known. On top of this wild pain in her head came the onslaught of guilt from the lies and deception she’d tricked her brother and everyone else into believing. She was hiding from them, and for what, to enjoy something that probably wouldn’t last?

She slowed for a moment when she reached for the door, steps halting completely as her hand clutched the knob. She swallowed once as she collected her thoughts, waiting for them to gather in her mind in a sort of aggregate mess before she left. She couldn’t quite grasp the force that was pushing her to risk her and Lavi’s lives, but she was doing it—they were doing it. It was a rush to be doing something on her own for once, to find a feeling like this that was so grand and full of life. But it was dangerous and even shameful that she ever set foot in this territory. Never mind that it was Lavi, that he was a bookman, that he could get killed. And to make matters worse, Komui was her brother—the head of the science department and extremely overprotective. He would never approve.

She sighed, forcing herself to calm down and reminding herself of her motives. She couldn’t go back now, it was too late for that. There was no regret, but she was almost afraid to go further, for fear that if they should break it off, she may never get over it.

She may never be herself again.

But even then, somewhere along the lines of ‘don’t develop feelings, don’t let it get too far…” she found that she might… need him. It was true, the lady exorcist was always fond of him, always looking out for him, and he in turn had been so caring and protective despite the disadvantage it brought him to being a Bookman. But he acted like he never cared about that part, only cared about her.

Lenalee shook her head, dipping forward a bit as she leaned against the door. Her heart beat wildly, as if it might burst out of her chest at any moment. She forced the cries of frustration inside, bottling her emotions as best as she could. She couldn’t hide how torn she was about this entire matter, it was obvious. Lavi had sensed it the minute she began thinking about it again. He had to know, didn’t he? Had to know that this could never be, and yet he was doing it anyway.

The same question always wiggled its way into her mind. She was afraid of asking him, afraid of bringing it up—even afraid of thinking about it. But if she needed him this much after just a few months… did that mean that he needed her too?

She smiled then, wide enough until she broke out into a laugh. How could she expect something like that out of Lavi? How did she even know this was real? She had no way to test it, no way to prove that it was. And yet she’d let herself fall into such a hopeless trap anyway. It was hopeless. She straightened herself up, placing her hand on the doorknob once again, feeling her heart slow as her doubts consumed her.

Turning once more, she checked to see that the room was exactly how they’d found it—bed made, fire out, ashes discarded, lamp off… This room held memories; memories that’d never be spoken of again, probably. And for the sake of enjoyment, of life, of normalcy for both her and Lavi… she would accept that.

She bounded down the hallway, going past turn after turn, her heart rate rising again. She felt like she was going to pass out, but she needed to get to her brother as soon as possible. Her heels clattered against the floor as she broke into a run, hands placed on her skirt to keep it from flying up.  She couldn’t even remember how she’d gotten here, could only trust herself to find a way eventually. Excuse after excuse ran through her mind as she searched for a plausible one to feed to her brother. Komui wasn’t hard to persuade, especially since it was her, but she still needed it to be believable, if anyone else should ask.

Lenalee finally reached familiar territory and hurried to the science department, which thankfully was near. She felt a fleeting moment of happiness run through her as she approached the entrance. Maybe she wouldn’t be too much later after all. She saw Miranda, and nodded to her quickly. She wasn’t quite sure if she was trying to speak to her or not, but even if she was, her voice was too quiet to hear.

The young woman dismissed her with a smile and the shake of her head, was about to breathe a sigh of relief when suddenly she was caught off guard. She could only let out a scream when as she ran right into Reever Wenhamm. She felt like she’d collided with a sack a bricks with the way his thick frame had pressed harshly into her delicate one. Embarrassment colored her cheeks a light pink and she laughed nervously.

“Oh, I’m so sorry miss Lenalee! Please, excuse me,” he began, but she shook her head.

“Nonsense, um, I wasn’t watching where I was going.” She let out a breath in attempt to calm herself, voice small and almost shy sounding. “You just scared me a bit, but it’s really nothing to worry about.”

Reever smiled, but something shifted in his eyes, his expression fading. She noted the way his gaze swept over her body attentively, brows furrowing just slightly to form a crease between his eyes. Lenalee tilted her head in question, mouth open, as if to ask what concerned him. The older man just shook his head, his smile returning full on, but she wasn’t buying it.

“Is everything alright?”  She asked curiously.

“Yes.  But, well, you just look so exhausted, Lenalee.” He then reached for a cup of coffee on the table nearest him, amidst the various papers and pencils crowding it. “There’s always enough coffee to go around, in case you need it.”

“Oh…” She trailed, not knowing what to say, nearly forgetting to say thank you for his suggestion. But she felt like she wanted to disappear—was it that noticeable?

“Did you just get here?” Reever asked, which caught her off guard. She was hoping he wouldn’t ask her about that, being as she had no real excuse for being late. She aimed to avoid any subject regarding personal information as much as possible, for fear of raising suspicion. When she didn’t answer, Reever just nodded.

“Don’t worry, Komui is still drooling on his desk—perhaps you should sit while you wait for him to wake? You look like you might need a break.” Lenalee may have protested such a suggestion if it weren’t so true. But it was, and though she came here to work she decided that she would just have a little break for now. The spinning in her head has not stopped, had only worsened the longer she stayed on her feet.

You look like you might need a break…

The words echoed in her mind, the loudest thing in her head, and she suddenly felt like she was fighting to keep her eyes open. She felt ashamed to have even tried to conceal her obvious lack of sleep. How could she act so carelessly? If they noticed she hadn’t slept, it’d only be a matter of time before it got back to her brother, and one thing would lead to another before…

Just thinking about it made her woozy, and she felt her balance start to waver.

You look like… you might need… a break…

The Chinese woman moved to grab a chair, and the minute her fingers made contact with the soft, plush fabric on the end that supports the back, she felt the dizziness setting in even stronger this time. Heat climbed from her neck to her cheeks, burning in her ears, her hair, behind her neck, until she was bent over, using the chair to support herself. She was slightly aware of a voice or two in the back of her mind, but she could not register them very well. All her mind could focus on was keeping her eyes open, but even that seemed too difficult to achieve. She blinked once and felt the weight of unconsciousness pulling her eyes shut. No matter how hard she tried, she could not keep her eyes open, and the darkness began to fill her thoughts, her mind, and her vision until she was embraced by the sweet relief of unconsciousness. 

[inkedrainmoved-blog]

New Room

Allen’s silver eyes connected with the wall as he turned his head, stark white hair falling into his eyes. He attempted to hide his face from his estranged lover, hoping he wouldn’t pick up on his laughter—but his body shook all too obviously, even worse when he tried to cover his mouth to suppress any noise. The younger man dared to steal a glance at the swordsman, and when he saw him still crossing his arms with a look that was a bit more sour than usual on his face, he exploded into a fit of giggles all over again.

The dark haired man was not oblivious to Allen. He caught his eyes the minute he’d turned back, cutting his own at him scornfully. “It’s not funny,” he protested. Oh, but it was, and Allen couldn’t handle it. The usually polite demeanor associated with the young boy was long gone and it bugged the hell out of Kanda. The more he tried to make the situation less than what it was, the funnier it became to Allen.

A few days ago, Mana had turned three and they realized his room was still for too big for him—and much bigger than their own. So they decided to move into Mana’s room and give him their old one. Mana didn’t mind, so why not? They were actually pretty comfy in it, and the switch seemed like a good idea…

…well, until night time rolled around and they’d put Mana down for bed. They were, after all, adults. However, it was technically still Mana’s room and Kanda may or may not have had some problems with that.

“I’m only laughing,” Allen said between giggles, “because you got so frustrated… I mean I’ve never seen you try to yell at it before—“remembering the exact way it happened threw Allen right back into his fit, face flushed and panting for breath. Kanda scooted away and stared at the floor distastefully. Allen’s laughter slipped into the air so freely that it was almost enough to loosen him up.

Almost.

“This wouldn’t even be happening if we weren’t in Mana’s room!” Kanda had protested a bit, but Allen was able to convince him anyway. Kanda crossed his arms tighter across his body—searching his mind for a comeback. “This is your fucking fault, moyashi. Do your job.”

Allen’s tongue pushed against the side of his cheek, his smile widening at Kanda’s attempts to turn this on him. The white haired boy’s laughter quieted for a moment, mouth opening and closing a few times, but he was at a loss for words. 

“Well, you’ve never complained about it before,” Allen countered, his tone wobbly as his laughter began to start up again. Kanda sighed harshly in between clenched teeth, damning his ‘sprout for having such a cute laugh. He wished it didn’t exist.

“You know what,” Kanda said, his tone suddenly playful, which threw Allen off guard. Allen was waiting eagerly for another argument to refute, noting the way Kanda had reached for the phone on the nightstand. Turning to Allen, he threw him a devious look as he began to punch in some numbers. “I’m calling Lavi. It seems I’ve made a mistake.”

The smile on Allen’s face faded for a few moments, and he nodded, trying to pretend like that wouldn’t bother him. He shrugged as he rolled over the idea in his mind—when suddenly his smile returned completely, as if it had never left.

“Well fine,” he stated. “If you think that’ll help.” He punched Kanda lightly and rolled over into his side of the bed, laughing harder than before until tears had come out of his eyes. His lover hung up the phone slowly, turning to look at Allen who was enjoying this way too much as he sank deeper and deeper into defeat. 

[inkedrainmoved-blog]

Apprehension [Part 2]

A/N: Hey, I'm back.. uh, with a better version of this. Totally sorry, I got excited with this and posted too much too soon, so here's the real version <3 enjoy

The soft carpet material brushed against the young woman’s legs as she sat cross legged on the floor. A fire grew steadily before her, sparks bouncing between the yellow and orange glow of the flames. A blanket wrapped around her body loosely, and she found that the bigger the fire grew, the more it was able to coax it off her shoulders. She liked the feeling of the heat against her bare skin. It reminded her of the way Lavi’s fingers had slipped between her own, holding onto her as they slept, and leaving a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Lenalee had enjoyed her night with her supposed lover before he was to go on his mission, but she   couldn’t stop the little pangs of guilt from stabbing at her subconscious. She wasn’t certain she could keep this up, especially with all the secrecy behind it. She’d let her guard down for a Bookman, and he made her feel vulnerable. The time they’d spent together was enjoyable, but how could she let herself trust him? She could just imagine the looks people would give her, the things they would say about her if they knew. Her stomach clenched at the very thought of it.

A sigh slipped from her mouth, long and heavy. She knew she could never regret what was going on between them, no matter how hard she tried. If this was all just a game, well, she liked the way that they played. He showed her adventure, gave her a sense of wonder that she’d never felt in her life. Her veins ran with excitement and anticipation, a newfound hope for something more than what she had at the order. He had seen everything, grim and wondrous. And he never failed to show her a good time. But Bookmen always had a knack for acting--they were chock full of lies and deception.

She turned her head to look behind her, soft locks brushing the back of her neck. Her hair was finally growing back, just like she’d promised Anita before. The memory left in her head of the woman was fond, but what would she have to say about her and Lavi? She was probably watching them now, from above, ashamed and disappointed like everyone else would be.

Forgive me… she thought, as her eyes set on the sleeping red head. He was rolled over on his stomach, hidden under the lush fabrics of the bed they’d shared. His one eye stayed closed, and as she watched his body rise and fall with every breath, it was able to calm her some. Even watching him sleep shot adrenaline through her veins.

… Even if he was probably drooling all over the pillows.

She slipped a hand over her mouth to suppress her giggles, so as not to wake him up, but his green eye fluttered open anyway. He blinked a few times as his vision cleared and let out a yawn. She smiled at him, nodding at the fire before moving to get up. She was on her knees when he brought up his hand, raising his palm to her. She was momentarily struck with confusion, tilting her head In question as she waited for him to speak. He didn’t still, just swung his legs over the side of the bed, wrapping himself in his own blanket.

She blushed, watching his short vibrant locks flopping in his face as he rose to his feet. He walked over with a ginger bounce in his step, and she reached out to him. He took her hand gratefully, sliding into the space next to her.

Lenalee leaned against him, breathing in his skin. She felt content here with him, wishing for just a moment that she could live here forever. She didn’t want to think about missions or disappointments, or life with so much responsibility. She just wanted him, everything about him, and nothing more. He was so kind and sweet, so loving and caring. When she was with him, she felt like she was the only one who really could see what he was like. It didn’t feel like he put on an act, even for her. He only put effort into making her smile and laugh. He made her feel like she was worth it. No one had ever given her the kind of feeling that was left with her every time  they touched.

An arm slipped around her and squeezed her middle, jumping her out of her thoughts. She looked up, amethyst eyes focused on his single emerald one.

“Having trouble sleeping?”

She shook her head lightly, hair swaying as she did. “I was cold, so I decided to start a fire.” He nodded in response, took note of her tired eyes, but she was tense. She knew he could feel that too.

“What’s wrong?” He whispers this, worry swimming in that ocean of beautiful deep green.

“Oh, you know, I’m just fretting as usual.” She let out a breath, drawing it out so she wouldn’t have to speak. “We don’t have much time left.” It wasn’t the whole truth, but she had to give him something. It was extremely hard to lie to Lavi, which in some cases was good, but mostly not. He could read even the most shut in people like books, and she was always so expressive with her emotions. She was like a newspaper for him.

“I wish you wouldn’t worry so much.”  

His words were laced with reassurance, but they angered her. How could he expect her not to worry?

She closed her eyes at the soft touch of his mouth to her forehead. He always tried desperately hard to console her worried heart, but what good would that do in the long run? They were bound to be found out at some point, and she couldn’t let herself be the reason he wasn’t a bookman anymore. They may never see each other again because of this.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, choking on her words. The young girl fought back her tears still, swallowing the lump in her throat. Silence drifted between them, and she kept her eyes shut as he kneaded the skin on her arm with his thumb. She shivered against him, leaning more into him as her worries slowly began to fade away. This was their last night together, and though they should’ve never gotten past their first, they were here now and they couldn’t go back.

“Don’t be. It takes two to tango,” he whispered back into her hair. She gave him a feeble smile, still unconvinced but unwilling to let him down.  Their eyes met once more and it felt like every memory they shared together had replayed before them, from their first night together all the way back here. The fights, the passion—everything. And not a hint of guilt could be felt in that instance, where he leaned down and sealed it with a warm, tender kiss.

If I’m risking my life just to feel this way again and again... then so be it.  

[inkedrainmoved-blog]

Apprehension [Part 1]

A/N: I decided to do a LaviLena in contrast to my Yullen fic. No, they're not happening at  the same time, unfortunately. I'm not that clever xD But.. it's a nice change of pace and I wish this was canon because holy shit this is perfect. Anyway, here goes nothing v.v 

The night was cold and just at its peak as the lady exorcist traveled through the halls of the order, alone. She was quiet; boots light against the linoleum floor. She made sound little as she went down each corridor, hidden, on alert, and careful not to be seen or heard.

She shivered as she made her way, wrapping her arms around herself to shield her body from the cold. She kept wondering if she was even going in the right direction. Half of her was beginning to think this was a bad idea, coming out here in the middle of the night. How could she even trust this? For one, it was a half-baked plan that she’d only become a part of a few hours ago; for two, it was the middle of the night and he was supposed to be leaving for a mission in the morning! And for three, if she was caught by anyone, she would be murdered at best.

A sigh escaped her, followed by a deep breath. She couldn’t keep herself from worrying, but she had to see him one last time before she left. It was hard enough as it was to keep this up with the jobs they upheld, but to do it in secrecy? It took some kind of crazy person to do that.

What would my parents think of me if they knew… or worse, Komui?

She bit her lip, shook her head once. She was putting herself at risk for a reason, and she wasn’t about to give up now that she was halfway there. She was given explicit directions to come here at a certain time, and she had to be sure this was the right place before knocking. He said there’d be some kind of signal for her to watch for, but he didn’t even tell her what it was! How could she know for sure?

Her mind began to wander, as did her eyes. She was in some back hallway, hidden deep in the recesses of the building. This place was like a maze, and if it wasn’t for her living here for so long, she probably would’ve gotten lost—

There!

She spotted the faintest hint of light under a door to her left, and in no time at all it disappeared. Her gut clenched as the thought crossed her mind that it could just be someone’s room. But why would it be all the way over here?

Ugh, I don’t have time for this...

She quickly shoved all doubts out of her mind and hurried to the door. Her slender fingers curled within themselves to form a fist with her thumb, but before she could even knock she was being pulled inside. A faint cry left her, but her mouth was quickly covered as she was being pulled in, repressing the noise. Her breath hitched in the same moment, and suddenly she was up against a wall.

She immediately turned her sights to the one still holding her, ears perking at the sound of the door being locked. She could not see him, but she could smell him—that hint of pumpkin and spice that she always loved. Her stomach began to flutter lightly, goose bumps dotting her skin in the arms of the familiar red headed exorcist. The fact that it was him was almost enough to keep her from giving him an earful for scaring the living shit out of her.

“What the—“ She started, but was cut off by a smooth pair of lips brushing against hers. She sighed exasperatedly as he pulled away, a wave of relief instantly washing over her.

“Shh, not too loud,” he whispered. She couldn’t even see him but she could clearly imagine the wide grin appearing on his face. She rolled her eyes still, unperturbed by their lack of sight.

“What the hell, Lavi!” She said in a harsh whisper. She could feel him moving, his arm extending across her to turn on a dim light from above. She was beyond annoyed with him, but as the light fell between them, her mood softened. This would be the last time they could meet for a good few weeks, and she could be upset later.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t have a lot of time to make this up,” he said, remorse leaking into his voice. He sounded tired, and it occurred to her that she wasn’t the only one awake at an impossible hour just to keep some impossible romance alive.

It was probably silly for them to be doing this, but neither was really thinking about it. This was one of many times they’d met up like this in secret, and they both had a feeling that it wasn’t going to end so soon. It was hard to place her feelings for this man in front of her, but she knew that it wasn’t something she could just ignore. She’d grown to care for him more than she could afford to, though she tried desperately hard to hide it. He was a Bookman after all; sworn to a clan of people who watched but never interacted, never got involved. He wasn’t ever supposed to get caught up in something as time consuming as emotions, let alone the ones involving what they were doing. Even worse was that she was Komui’s sister, the most over protective, overbearing scientist in the entire world. It would break his heart—and probably Lavi’s everything—if he ever knew. They could be separated, and Lavi could be relieved of his duties, or worse.

The short haired girl felt like she was intruding his life, only putting a rift in his duties. They realized that they couldn’t keep away from each other, but what price would they pay? Lavi insisted that they would never get caught as long as he was involved, but they couldn’t keep this up as carefully as they thought, could they? But even as her gaze stayed fixed on his single green eye, she realized that she could never just walk away from him. He would never let her.

“You have to at least tell me what the signal is next time,” she said, lightening up. His smile was definitely there at the point, radiating pure happiness, something she couldn’t ignore. Her anger was beginning to disappear, heart beating faster as he loomed over her. She felt safe here with him, literally tucked away from the rest of the order—the rest of the world, it seemed.

“I knew you would get it,” he said in a low voice. “I was starting to run out of ideas, but I figured you might get lost on the way so it would buy me about thirty seconds more. I kinda just had to trust you to be slower so you might see it, which you did.” He laughed a bit nervously, and she glanced down shyly for a moment. She was always so fascinated with the way he thought and acted. Hearing him talk about it was even more interesting because she loved to listen.

She smiled at him, deciding that there wasn’t anything else for her to say. She was just grateful to be there with him for as long as she could. Her hands reached up to stroke the right side of his face tenderly, relishing in the way his skin felt beneath her fingertips. He responded by leaning down to kiss her again, soft and gentle. He was so careful with her all the time, always worrying about her and making sure that she was okay. She was amazed by his ability to care after everything else he’d learned how to fake, but she supposed everyone in the order had some sort of mask to wear. In the beginning she was full of apprehension, always wary of him, always wondering but never pursuing. But by now she could no longer hold herself back. Her desires overpowered her, her curiosities killed her, and somehow he’d found a way to make her trust him. She believed in him, knew that there was more to him that memory and knowledge. There had to be.

She always felt secure around him; free of worry, free of anything besides content. It wasn’t every day she was able to do this or allow herself to feel this with someone else. She’d never cared so deeply for another human being in her life, and yet here she was. But she feared that she might have opened her heart to the wrong person.

Wrong or not, she was never going to regret it.

Lavi pulled away, began to place tender kisses on her neck, and she giggled as he did. She was able to give the room a sloppy onceover, with obvious distractions. One of the greatest things about Lavi was he knew where everything in the order was down to every corridor, including the nicer lounge rooms. This one featured a bed, and even a fireplace somewhere in here.

“How much time do we have?” He asked between affectionate touches, fingers threading through her hair lightly.

“I have no idea,” she gasped in response, running her hands down his back, practically holding on for dear life as he teased her. “It’s… uh, really dark outside though.” She could feel her face flushing, partly in embarrassment for that lame response. He pulled away for a few moments, emerald eye meeting hers.

“I don’t want to keep you up too long, since you’ve got to be up for your mission,” she whispered softly, attempting legitimate concern. She would at least say this so she could later say that she tried. 

“I can… sleep on the train,” he offered, flashing his teeth to her. 

“Oh god, what have I gotten myself into,” she laughed. Her laugh turned into another surprised noise as she was lifted into the air and carried to the bed awaiting them.