Laughter Lines

[lunarcharacters]

“Do you wanna come over and meet Bobby? My parents say its okay!” Sasha to Niko (the most excited he’s seen her yet)

Niko laughed, putting his hands on Sasha’s shoulders to stop her from jumping. His girlfriend was always pretty chipper, but this was a new extreme. This past month wasn’t easy for Sasha or her family, with her mom’s fall and the usual stressors of preparing for a new baby. They’d still spent a lot of time together, but Sasha had been glued to her mom’s side much more than usual. Thankfully, Bobby’s birth had gone smoothly, and mom and baby were back home now. Niko hadn’t seen Sasha outside of school since Valentine’s Day (the day before Bobby was born), so he would gladly go over to meet her new baby brother.

“I’ve got, like, five different frozen meals to bring over, too,” Niko told her. “My mom was cooking all weekend for you guys.” If there was anyone who loved a new baby, it was his mother. She’d been asking Niko questions for days about what kinds of foods the Fowlers might like. He had no idea, so he’d just been agreeing with everything his mom said. He was sure Sasha’s parents would appreciate whatever he brought over.

“Do you guys need anything?” Niko asked. “We can stop at the store on the way out there…” He hated showing up to someone's home empty-handed, but especially at a time like this. Yeah, he had a stack of frozen meals for them, but those were from his parents. Niko felt like he should bring someone from him, too, even if Sasha didn’t think it was necessary.

“Do you need anything?” Niko moved his hands from Sasha’s shoulders to her cheeks. New babies often meant that attention was taken away from other kids, and his girlfriend certainly loved her attention. “Let me take care of you before I meet him, yeah?” Niko grinned, raising his brows. He kissed Sasha’s forehead and then her nose. He was looking forward to meeting Bobby, but he didn’t get as much joy from meeting babies as Sasha clearly did. Taking care of his girl, though, brought him joy.

[lunarcharacters]

"Leia just told me she's coming over..."Will to Wyn (does he know he only has 30 minutes???)

Wyn stared at Will, translating the words he'd just signed in his head. Leia had recently gotten an official sign name from Will, and it was taking him a second to remember that. He'd been shown what it was, but he was used to his roommate spelling out names with his fingers. So, it took Wyn a second to figure out who was coming over. When he got it, he groaned.

"Come on, man," Wyn complained, using his words instead of trying to sign. He held up the piping hot bowl he'd just pulled out of the microwave. "I just made ramen..." Sure, he probably had time to eat his dinner in his room or something before Will started getting all romantic with Leia, but damn. He wasn't trying to burn his mouth by scarfing his food down! Wyn was trying to enjoy his Top Ramen.

Wyn wasn't particularly interested in seeing Leia tonight, either. She certainly wasn't as forgiving towards him as her twin was, and while Wyn didn't necessarily blame her, he wasn't trying to hear any snips or snide comments from her tonight. He liked to think Will would ask her to stop if he heard what Leia said, but alas, Will was deaf, and Leia made sure she was turned away from him whenever she snipped at Wyn. It was annoying, but whatever. This was Will's apartment, so it wasn't like he could say no to Leia coming over.

Wyn finished making his ramen, grumbling to himself the whole time about how he didn't feel like clearing out or dealing with a bratty Leia (again, only because Will was deaf and couldn't hear all of this), but he was going to do it anyway. Maybe he'd go see a movie or something... Will didn't even need to say that Wyn was probably kicked out for the night. Wyn supposed he could text Eleanor to see if he could crash on her couch, but he didn't want to burden her or make her feel like she had to entertain him. He'd figure it out.

Before he left the room, Wyn turned towards Will again and signed "I hate you." He waited a second but then sighed, rolled his eyes, and added, "I'm leaving, give me fifteen." Then he took his bowl of ramen and skulked to his room, grumbling all the way.

[lunarcharacters]

checked off

Five days ago, Bellamy had no friends besides the older ladies she worked with at the craft store. Five days ago, she alone had been slowly but surely checking items off her bucket list whenever she could. Five days ago, her phone hadn’t received a text in over a month. And today, Bellamy had received a text from her new friend, Beau, saying he was on his way to pick her up so they could check two more things off her list. To say that Bell was excited would be the understatement of the century.

When Beau had driven her home in his cool vintage car earlier in the week, he’d asked her more about her bucket list and the things on it. They’d sat parked outside her apartment for an hour, talking about all the things she wished she could do. Bellamy hadn’t wanted to go inside because she was so happy to be talking with someone. When she finally got out of Beau’s car, he asked for her number and suggested they check another item off her list sometime soon. By the end of the next day, the plans had been made.

Most of the items on Bellamy’s bucket list were simple, and the main reasons she couldn’t achieve them herself was because she didn’t have the money to do so. One thing she’d mentioned to Beau during their conversation was a sampler box from a fancy bakery she passed on her way to work. She’d always wanted to go in, but couldn’t justify spending so much on a pastry. Plus, she didn’t know which one she’d choose if she could. Bellamy wanted to try their overly expensive sampler box one day and rank the pastries from her most to least favorite. And Beau was making it happen!

He’d picked up the sampler box on his way to collect Bellamy and driven them out to one of the prettiest parks in town so they could have a picnic (another thing on her bucket list). Now they sat together on a blanket, surrounded by baked goods, and were putting them in order of their favorites. Bell had flipped to a blank page in her trusty notebook and was writing down notes about each bite she took.

“I like to write it all down,” She explained to Beau. “So I can look back on it, you know?” Bellamy was almost always writing something down. She was constantly adding more things to her bucket list or taking notes on the different ideas and thoughts running through her head. She’d never admit it out loud, and she thought herself so silly for even thinking it, but she hoped maybe one day, when she was gone, someone would find her notebooks and care about all the things she’d done.

“Makes sense to me...” Beau agreed, picking through the box of pastries again to try something else. He waited for her to stop writing before asking, “What else have you got on that list?” Last time he’d asked, Bellamy had read a few at random, but the list was just so long. At this point, it was over six pages long and growing every day. So, instead of reading some off herself, Bell just passed her notebook to Beau. He brushed pastry off his hands and started flipping through it.

“Stay overnight in a hotel... get my ears pierced a second time...” Beau read verbatim from the first page. “Hold a baby... swim in the Mediterranean Sea...” He flipped the page, continuing to skim the list and read things out at random. “Leave the country... dye my hair pink hair...” Bellamy nodded along. Those were all things she still wanted to do. Beau flipped the page again. “Try oysters... have someone go down on...”

Bellamy snatched the notebook out of Beau’s hands before he could finish reading. She hugged it against her chest and squeezed her eyes closed, willing herself not to cry. Hot embarrassment was coursing through her veins and making her heart pound so hard that she couldn’t hear anything else. Any second now, Beau was going to start laughing at her, and Bellamy would simply have to die. She could feel him looking at her. He would start laughing in three... two...

He hadn’t done that on purpose, Bell knew that. Beau was just picking things at random and reading them out loud. He wasn’t trying to shame her. But just because he hadn’t specifically chosen that line to read out on purpose didn’t mean he wasn’t going to make fun of her for it. Boys were mean, weren’t they? From her experience in foster care, boys were mean.

“I forgot that was on there...” Bellamy rasped, her throat tight with unshed tears. There were a few sexual things on her list because she’d never done anything before. She wanted to kiss someone and have sex and, yes, even have a man’s head between her legs...but that wasn’t something she talked about! She especially didn’t talk about it to someone she’d just met.

“You don’t need to be embarrassed...” Beau said after a minute. “Sex is great.” Bellamy blinked open her eyes and peered at him from under her lashes. He wasn’t laughing at her. He wasn’t going to make fun of her. She slowly began to relax, her muscles unclenching. Without missing a beat, Beau changed the subject. “I think this one is my favorite...” He said, pointing to the Saint Honoré cake. Bellamy could have cried from how relieved she was, and how nice Beau was for not pointing out her freak out.

“I like that one, too...” Bellamy agreed, her voice soft.

They continued to eat their baked goods until they had both solidified their list and Bellamy had written them down in her notebook. They’d been out here for a while now, and this outing was probably coming to an end soon. Bellamy didn’t want it to end, but she was too shy to say anything. She really liked Beau. He was so easy to talk to and spend time with, and she knew she’d feel so lonely tonight when she was by herself again. But they couldn’t stay out here forever.

“Do you want to go hold a baby?” Beau asked once they’d put the remaining treats back into the bakery box. Bellamy looked up at him, her brows raised in interest. “I just so happen to know the cutest one.”

“Okay, yeah...” Bell agreed, smiling. A third thing checked off her list and more time with Beau? Count her in. She watched as he took out his phone and hit a name on his favorites list. Beau put the phone on speaker, and after a few rings, a woman picked up.

“Hey, Len,” Beau said into the phone. “What are you doing?”

“Leaving the hair salon,” The voice answered. “I’ve got to stop by Cedric’s, but then I’m going home... what’s up?”

“Where’s my best girl? I want to see her.” Beau said.

“At home with Felix... you can go by, she should be awake.”

Bellamy listened as Beau asked if he could bring a friend along. He talked about her like he had already mentioned her to the girl on the phone. He explained how Bell wanted to hold a baby for the first time and how he knew no baby better than “sweet Genevieve”. The girl on the phone, Lena, didn’t seem to have a problem with letting a stranger hold her baby, but Bell supposed it was because she trusted Beau. And before she could even wrap her head around what was happening, they were back in Beau’s car and driving towards the home Lena and her family shared.

“Thank you...” Bellamy said for probably the tenth time just today. “For helping me cross off three things today... and for not laughing at me earlier.” She couldn’t believe the embarrassment from earlier had completely passed. Sure, she’d probably feel it again later when she was alone, but it hadn’t ruined the day, and Bell was so relieved.

“You’re welcome,” Beau replied, smiling over at her. “You don’t have to worry about sharing anything on your list with me. I’m not going to laugh at you for any of it, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Bellamy nodded, returning his smile. It kind of sounded like this wouldn’t be their last adventure together, and she was looking forward to seeing what they checked off next.

[lunarcharacters]

"I, uh, I've struggled with letting my family staying with me too. It's bad." Emile to Suki (after he's told her about everything)

“I’m really sorry, Emile...” Suki frowned, glancing around the room to see what things of hers she needed to grab. “I’ll get out of your hair.” She wasn’t sure where she would go, but that wasn’t Emile’s problem. Suki would figure it out on her own. Her apartment building would surely be ready by the end of the weekend, and she could figure it out until then. She had old work colleagues who would probably help her out in a pinch, even if they hadn’t spoken in a while.

Suki often forgot that just because she felt like she never met a stranger didn’t mean she actually knew people. This situation with Emile had brought her back down to reality. She didn’t know him, she didn’t know his history, and she didn’t know what made him tick. Suki shouldn’t have put her burden on him and assumed that he would be okay with letting her into his space. Sure, she was carrying his best friend's baby, but that didn’t mean he owed her anything. Suki needed to remember to keep her head out of the clouds when it came to people she was still getting to know.

“I do this thing,” Suki started to explain, standing up from where she’d been sitting on the couch. She grabbed the blanket she’d been using and started to fold it. “Where I make myself comfortable wherever I am, even when no one has told me that I should...” She laughed self-deprecatingly and rolled her eyes. “I shouldn’t have invited myself over like I did and just expect that you’d be okay with letting me stay for more than a night.” Suki gave him a genuine smile so that he knew this was on her, not on him. “I appreciate you so much, you truly have no idea.”

“And I’m sorry someone hurt you so badly,” Suki added on before he had a chance to say anything. She tended to not know when to stop talking, but she really wanted to say everything that was on her mind before she left. “Trust is really important, and it sucks when someone betrays that.” Suki wouldn’t tell him that she could be trusted and that she’d never steal from him or intentionally hurt him if she could help it, but Emile didn’t know her and didn’t know if she could be trusted or not. It was easy to say that to someone, but more important to show it.

“I’m going to go make some calls and do my best to get out of here quickly,” Suki smiled at him again and put her hand on his shoulder as she passed him. She went down the hall quickly before Emile could say that she didn’t have to go. If he said that, he’d just be doing it to be nice, and Suki didn’t want to pressure him. Ugh, she hated an impossible situation, and this certainly was that. But, again, not Emile’s problem. Suki would figure this out on her own and send Emile a thank you gift once she did.

[lunarcharacters]

“I can’t wait to meet her.” Xavier to Olivia (kissing/cuddling her bump 🥺)

“I know... me neither...” Olivia smiled down at Xavier as he kissed her growing belly. She ran her fingers through his hair and leaned back against the couch cushions to get more comfortable. She never rushed him when he was cuddling with her bump. Ollie felt so close to their daughter all the time, and she felt bad that Xavier couldn’t experience the pregnancy in the same way, so she’d let him love on the bump like this anytime he wanted.

They often talked about this, how excited they were to meet their daughter, but the conversation never grew old. Olivia was so beyond thrilled to be pregnant and so happy with the life she and Xavier were building together. They hadn’t quite decided on a name for their girl, but they had started picking things out for her nursery and closet. It seemed like every time Xavier came home, he had something new for their baby. Ollie was just as bad. Clearly, neither of them could help themselves.

“I just can’t wait to know what kind of person she’ll be...” Olivia mused. “I can’t wait to know everything about her... what color will be her favorite? Will she play sports? Or be a theater kid?” She could go on and on about all the possibilities. Whatever their daughter decided, she would support her no matter what. Olivia would probably make her daughter's interests her entire personality just so she could be fully involved. She was just so excited.

“We’re going to be all up in her business, it’s not even funny...” Olivia laughed, tugging lightly at Xavier’s hair so he would come up here and kiss her. If they were this obsessed with each other and their baby already, she knew they’d be even more enthralled by her once she was born. And Olivia couldn’t wait. Life was already so good with Xavier in it, and she could only guess that it would be a million times better once their daughter was born.

[lunarcharacters]

"I love your smile." Beau to Bellamy

Bellamy smiled again, albeit more shyly this time. Before Beau, she may have ducked her head out of embarrassment if someone was complimenting her in this way, but she didn’t do that now. He didn’t make her feel self-conscious about compliments because she knew he meant them. Beau didn’t say things just to say them, not to her. Beau also made Bell brave enough to say the things she was thinking, too.

“I love yours,” She murmured, tracing the tip of her finger around Beau’s mouth. “And your laugh...” Bell smiled wider at the thought of his laugh. “Every time I hear you laugh, it feels like I’ve won a prize...” The times she made him laugh made her feel so accomplished, like she was the funniest person in the world because she’d made her favorite person make her favorite sound. And when Beau laughed at something else, Bellamy felt a silly mix of jealousy and contempt because someone or something else pulled it out of him.

“And your hands...” Bellamy continued when Beau reached up to cup her cheek, she leaned into him. Bell had never realized how touch-starved she was before she met him. She thought she hated being touched, but maybe that was because the only time she was ever touched was when she was being probed by doctors. Beau touched her as if she were delicate, but not necessarily fragile. He wasn’t going to break her. Bellamy was quite sure his touch could heal her, actually.

Bell loved everything about Beau. Not just the physical things, everything. If there were parts of him that she disliked, she hadn’t seen them yet. She figured he was some kind of good karma after everything she’d been through in her life. Bellamy wasn’t sure how much longer she had left, and that was something she used to think about all the time, but not so much now that she had Beau. He made her forget everything wrong in her life, and he made all the bad parts better. Bell just loved him; she loved him so much.

“I love you, Beauregard Fontaine,” Bellamy said on a sigh. “More than you’ll ever know.”

[lunarcharacters]

First Trip Home, Late June

Ferris was pumped up. This was the first time since he’d started dating Eden that she was coming home with him, and he was excited about it. She was finally on summer vacation and would be spending an entire week back home with him. He was excited for her to meet his mom, grandma, and other friends from school. He was excited to take her around town and show her where he grew up and got into trouble. Ferris would always love his hometown and the life he had there, and he wanted Eden to be a part of it now that they were together.

“Okay, so everyone is going to come over at, like, six...” Ferris was telling Eden. “We’ll eat and swim, and you can meet everybody...” His mom was planning a whole ‘start of summer’ party in Eden’s honor, and everybody was invited. Eden nodded along, her smile just as wide as his was. The two of them were in the kitchen of the band's new apartment while the rest of the band packed up for the week back home. They’d only lived in their new place since they’d all graduated a month ago, but none of them were mad about leaving it for a week. Especially, of course, Alex. He’d gone back home every weekend since they moved to see Lauren and would probably go back more now that it was summer vacation.

“Hey, Eden,” Alex himself came into the kitchen and nodded a greeting in their direction.

“Hey!” Eden replied, smiling. Ferris turned to his best friend and relayed the pool party plans to him.

“You and Lo can come over early, though,” He said. “That’d probably be better, anyway, so she and Eden can meet before it’s crazy... Cat and Abuela can come early, too.”  

“Uh...” Alex ran a hand through his hair and shrugged noncommittally. “I think Lauren and I are just going to hang out at her place this weekend... I’ll let Cat know, though.”

“Wait, what?” Ferris’s brows drew together, genuinely confused by Alex’s statement. “No, dude, Eden is meeting everyone on Saturday...” He chuckled, thinking maybe Alex misunderstood. But Alex just stared at him.

“What?” Eden asked, her smile faltering as she looked between the boys. Alex sighed heavily.

“You don’t have a great track record when it comes to introducing girlfriends to Lauren, Fer...” Alex said. Ferris grimaced, glancing at Eden. She knew he had exes, but it wasn’t like they’d gone into great detail about them.

“Dude, come on...”

“The last time we had a pool party with everyone, your girlfriend made fun of Lauren for wearing a one-piece bathing suit... it made her self-conscious all summer...”

“And I broke up with Olivia, like, right after that!” Ferris hadn’t heard what Olivia had said to Lauren, but he’d seen Lauren crying later, and Alex filled him in on what happened. He didn’t fuck around with shit like that! Ferris didn’t like mean girls, especially if they were going to be mean to someone like Lauren. Alex was his best friend and had been for a decade, and Lauren was an extension of him. Ferris didn’t like people who messed with his best friend.

“And then later that summer you hooked up with Samantha...” Alex went on, raising his brows as if to say ‘dude, come on’.

“I was blacked out drunk...” Ferris grumbled, burying his hands in his face. “I didn’t mean to do that...” It had only happened once, and he really did regret it.

“Who’s Samantha?” Eden asked tentatively.

“She’s just a bitch we went to school with...” Alex said, clearly not wanting to get into it.

“Come on, man,” Ferris groaned. He wasn’t above begging Alex to reconsider. He and Eden hadn’t been dating long, but it was different than his previous girlfriends. He really liked her, and he really wanted this trip home to be a good one.

“I’m really sorry that other girls were mean to Lauren,” Eden said to Alex. “But I would never be...” She put her hand to her heart. “I just like Juicy and expensive things... I know the vibe that gives off,” Eden chuckled and smiled reassuringly. “But I promise, I’m not a mean girl... I would really like to meet Lauren this weekend... but understand if she doesn’t want to meet me.”

“I’ll ask her...” Alex relented with a sigh. He gave Ferris another look that said ‘let’s talk later’ before he left the room. When it was just Ferris and Eden again, she turned and socked him in the arm.

“Ow!” He complained. “What the fuck?”

“Why were you dating mean girls?” She accused. “I hate when girls are mean to each other when they could be mean to boys instead.”

“I only dated one of them, and I didn’t know she was going to be a bitch!” Ferris defended, grabbing Eden’s wrists when she brought her hands up to punch him again.

“You’re gonna be in trouble if I can’t meet Lauren because you decided you just had to date someone before me...” Eden scrunched her face up in mock outrage, and Ferris laughed, wrapping his arms around her to bring her into his chest.

“Lauren is gonna wanna meet you, too,” Ferris promised, kissing her head. “Alex is just really protective of her.” And he understood why. Lauren was the shyest person he knew, and shitty kids in high school took advantage of that. But Eden wasn’t like that, and Ferris knew it. By the end of the week, he was willing to bet that Lauren would be comfortable enough to open up to Eden and be herself. Ferris really hoped so, at least.

"You better hope you're right..." Eden grumbled, but she was already winding her arms around his waist and sinking into him. This first trip home to meet the family was going to be a good one, god damn it. Ferris was going to make sure of it.

[lunarcharacters]

Request Granted

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Isadora had never been more uncomfortable in her life. Noel sat next to her, aggressively cutting his food so that his silverware scraped annoyingly against his plate. Adam was across from her, his chin in his hand and an untouched plate in front of him. His gaze kept moving from Aster to Isadora, then to glare at Noel. Aster was next to Adam, eating bread. Each bite she took, she’d spread a little bit of frostberry jam onto the bread first. When she finished her own pieces of bread, Adam moved his over to her plate. She hadn’t looked up at anyone since she’d sat down. Isadora silently ate her meal, trying to figure out a way to make this whole thing less painful.

“So, Aster,” Isadora said after an eternity. She smiled at the other woman. Aster looked up, blinking her big doe eyes. “I must know how you live so well in the Fire Kingdom,” She smiled in Adam’s direction, trying to placate his mood. “I visited once when I was a girl and nearly melted, I think.” Isadora laughed. “But you seem well, that’s no small feat for an Ice fae.”

“I am fire...” Aster mumbled, looking to Adam. Isadora just kept smiling because that wasn’t something she would argue with this girl. She did notice Adam give Aster a small nod of his head. The other girl looked at Isadora and finished, “I can regulate my own temperature... the heat does not bother me.”

“Oh, how fascinating,” Isadora exclaimed, genuinely interested. “I’ve never heard of that... is that common?” This question was directed at Noel, who was now looking across the table with interest.

“It isn’t,” He said. “Quite uncommon, in fact...” Most faeries could live anywhere for a short period of time, but in Kingdoms with such extreme weather, like the Ice and Fire Kingdoms, a certain type of temperament was required. Isadora had had to acclimate, and even she had gotten quite sick in the first few months. Even now, she was prone to the occasional bout of sickness. Aster had been living in the Fire Kingdom for more than a year now, and she seemed perfectly healthy.

“What else can you do?” Noel questioned.

“None of your business,” Adam barked, shooting glares in Noel’s direction. The guards surrounding the room shifted, their hands moving to their weapons. Isadora held up a hand and shook her head, telling them all to stay put. The Ice guards would follow orders, and she hoped the Fire guards would, too.

“Isn’t it, though?” Noel’s tone was laced with venom. He grinned wickedly at Aster. “I am still her sovereign, am I not?”

“Noel, please,” Isadora whispered, placing her hand on his arm.

“Is this all some kind of humiliation ritual to you?” Adam’s voice was rising. “Make us come here instead of meeting in neutral territory... make us endure this torturous fucking dinner... all so you can deny my request?”

“This torturous fucking dinner was my wife’s idea...” Noel deadpanned. Isadora knew he didn’t want to be here as much as Adam, but she was trying to be civil. “And you haven’t made any sort of request, you’ve sat there and stewed... I can’t read your mind, Adam.” He was taunting the other King.

“Right, you want me to beg,” Adam was furious now.

“Please...” Aster whispered, her eyes squeezed shut. Isadora thought she was speaking to Adam, but when Aster looked up, she was looking in Noel’s direction. The Ice King’s gaze slid over to her. “I am Fire...” Aster said with a little more gusto, but her voice still trembled. “I may not look it, but... that is where I belong. I have never belonged anywhere before...and I do now... I am safe there...” Adam took her hand and brought it to his lips, a promise that he would always keep her safe. “If you would like someone to beg... to humiliate...” Aster went on, tears forming in her eyes. “Then I will.”

“Absolutely n-...” Adam started, but Isadora cut him off.

“That isn’t necessary,” Isadora swore, sinking her fingers into Noel’s arm. She wouldn’t sit by and watch this poor girl beg for happiness. Dora looked at Adam. “Do you love her?”

“I would not be here if I did not...” Adam said through clenched teeth.

“Noel,” Isadora pleaded.

“A request still hasn’t been made of me.” Noel’s tone and gaze were still hard. He stared across the table at Adam expectantly.

“I am requesting your permission to marry Aster of Ondria...” Adam ground out, seething. “As Ondria is an Ice territory, under your sovereign.”

“Ah,” Noel mused as if he didn’t already know this. He sat back in his chair, his fingers stapled in front of him as he mulled this over. Isadora tried to offer a reassuring smile, but it faltered the longer Noel stayed silent. Finally, he looked at Aster again. “Should I grant this request, you do understand that you are forfeiting all rights you have in Ice. You will no longer be a citizen of this Kingdom... if you swear your allegiance to Fire, you are not welcome back here. We’ll see you just as we see him...”

“Yes, I understand.” Aster agreed, nodding.

“Fine,” Noel waved a dismissive hand. “Request granted.” Adam shot up from the table, Aster’s hand clutched in his.

“My advisor will send the testimony of waived rights for you to sign.” With that, he stalked out of the room with his betrothed in tow. Isadora stood up, too, and hurried after him.

“Adam,” She called once they were out of the dining room. “Wait, please... let’s not part like this.” Isadora could hear Adam sigh heavily, but he stopped anyway. He motioned for a guard to take Aster out to the carriage, and then turned to Isadora.

“Your hospitality has been appreciated,” Adam said, looking down at her with a slight bow of his head. “But we won’t be staying here any longer than necessary.”

“Let this be the first step in mending our relationship,” Isadora said hopefully. Adam chuckled bitterly and shook his head.

“I have no qualms with you,” He said. “Besides the fact you’re married to...” Adam motioned a hand back down the hall. “My hatred does not extend to the Earth Kingdom, but hospitality and one granted favor are not enough to mend this. Nothing is.”

“I suppose I’ll have to keep trying,” Isadora mused, smiling. Adam chuffed and shook his head again, but offered her the smallest of smiles before turning on his heel. He took a few steps before pausing again and turning around. Isadora raised her brows in interest.

“The jam...” Adam said. “Where might one find that here...”

“She was quite taken with it, wasn’t she?” Isadora laughed. “I’ll send a few jars back with the signed statement.”

“Thank you.” Adam bowed slightly, and Isadora dipped into a curtsy, and they parted respectfully. She watched from the front stairs as their carriage pulled away.

Back in the dining room, Isadora found Noel twirling his knife through his fingers. He looked at her as she reached the table and quirked a brow.

“That went well, I think...” Isadora decided, taking her seat again.

“Ever the optimist...” Noel chuckled, rolling his eyes.

“A favor given is a favor owed,” She reminded him. One day, in the distant or near future, they would need Fire’s cooperation on something, and the King and his new Queen would be reminded of this night.

“Mm...” He hummed. Noel stopped twirling his knife and let it clang back to the table. He stood up and offered his hand to Isadora. She took it and let him lead the way through their castle. They were nearly back to their rooms when Noel spoke again. “Do you think we’ll be invited to the wedding?” He mused, a false sparkle of hope in his eyes. Isadora laughed.

“I might be,” She grinned, tossing her hair over her shoulder. She wouldn’t hold her breath for that invitation, but hey, maybe it would come. “And maybe I’ll go... I’d look good in red, don’t you think?”

“Over my dead body,” Noel growled, wrapping an arm around Isadora’s waist and lifting her off her feet. She laughed again, circling her arms around Noel’s neck as he carried her down the hall.

[lunarcharacters]

Caught

Delilah felt like she was living in a fairytale. She’d thought it silly at the time, but Auden actually had pointed out a real-life Prince Charming in Hudson. For the past two months, they’d been inseparable. They saw each other nearly every day, and on the days they didn’t, they would text and speak on the phone. Hudson hadn’t once complained about having Auden tag along, and even planned dates that would be fun for the toddler. Hudson had even let Lilah and Auden stay over at his place, and when the baby went to sleep, they had hours to themselves. Delilah felt like she was living a dream.

That wasn’t to say it was the perfect relationship. They still argued and annoyed each other. Delilah was too hardheaded to get along with 100% of the time. But every time she thought for sure Hudson would have had enough... he would call the next day.  Lilah was happy for the first time in so long. More importantly, Auden was happy.

One sore spot in the relationship was that Delilah refused to let Hudson come up to her apartment. She’d told him it was because her roommate didn’t like having guests over, but it was really because she didn’t have an apartment for him to come to. The complex he picked them up and dropped them off at was where she’d lived years ago. It was the address on her ID and the one she put down when she had to. Delilah had opened up to Hudson about some of her struggles, but she didn’t know him well enough yet to share everything with him. She didn’t think her being homeless was any of his business... not yet, anyway. So, each time he asked to come up, she turned him down.

“Let me help you,” Hudson said, putting his car in park outside the apartment building. Delilah got out of the car and went around to the back so she could get Auden (the man had bought a car seat for Christ's sake!). She pulled her sleeping daughter into her arms and grabbed her bag before shutting the door. Hudson opened the driver's side door and stepped out.

“It’s late,” Delilah told him. “There’s no street parking, and this isn’t the neighborhood to leave your car idling in the street.” She craned her neck up for a goodbye kiss, and Hudson obliged her. “Besides, Lisbeth is probably already asleep and will be a nightmare if we wake her up.”

“Lilah,” Hudson started to argue, but she didn’t give him a chance.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, yeah?” She said, heading towards the front gate of the complex. “Drive safe!” Delilah turned back to wave one more time before letting the gate shut and block Hudson’s view of them. She watched as he got back into his car and drove off down the street.

Delilah waited a few minutes before she went back out and hurried down the street to where she’d parked her car. Once there, she buckled Auden back into her seat and turned the car on. Lilah popped the trunk and started pulling out the pillows and blankets they’d need for the night. She grabbed Auden’s pajamas and refilled her sippy cup. Then took out the visors she used to cover the windows. She’d just put everything in the back seat and was going back to close the trunk again when she saw Hudson standing on the sidewalk.

“Jesus Christ!” Delilah exclaimed, her hand to her chest. “What the fuck?”

“What are you doing?” Hudson asked, his arms crossed over his chest. “Where are you going?”

“I, uh,” Delilah tried to think of something, but she was too caught off guard. “I forgot I needed gas... I won’t have time in the morning.”

“Delilah,” Hudson came towards her. He put his hand out to stop her from closing her trunk. The trunk that was full of every possession she and Auden had. “What the fuck is this?” He sounded confused, maybe a little hurt, and definitely a little angry.

“Nothing...” She said, forcibly closing the trunk.

“Take me to your apartment,” Hudson demanded. “Now.”

“I said no,” Lilah shot back, standing her ground. Hudson stared at her for a long, quiet moment before he moved to the side of the car to look in at Auden. He took in the pillows and blankets and the duffle bag Delilah had put in the front seat. When he looked back at her, his eyes shone slightly.

“Are you living in your car?” Hudson whispered, sounding choked.

“No...” Delilah lied.

“Delilah... please don't lie to me...”

“It’s temporary...” She finally relented. Delilah knew her situation was temporary, she just didn’t know how temporary it would be. “And it’s not as bad as it seems...” She went on hurriedly. “Some nights we stay with you... some nights we stay at a shelter... and...”

“A shelter?” Hudson repeated in disbelief. “A homeless shelter?”

“It’s a women’s shelter...” Yes, technically, it was a homeless shelter for women and children, but Lilah thought it sounded better to not call it a homeless shelter. “It’s a really nice one.” And it was! She felt safe when they stayed there. The only reason they couldn’t stay every night was because other women needed the beds, too. They had to cycle through.

“Why wouldn’t you tell me?” Hudson asked. “I could have helped you...”

“It’s been two months, Hudson,” She sighed, running a hand down her face. “You’ve done so fucking much for us already... you can’t...” Delilah waved a hand around, not even sure what she wanted to say. “This isn’t something you can help me with, okay? I’ve got it under control... I’m saving up for a place...” And she was. It was just a slow process. Delilah’s jobs weren’t that well-paying, and she had bills to pay, even without an apartment. She had to have car insurance and a cell phone. She had to feed Auden and clothe her. And baby shit was fucking expensive, and the kid was growing like a weed. Delilah was doing the best she could with what she had.

Hudson shook his head and looked around. They were still standing on the sidewalk by her car, and he seemed to be realizing that. He looked into the car at Auden again and said, “Just come to my place tonight... let’s talk about it. I can help you figure things out.”

“You can’t help me with this...” Delilah said again, trying to sound stern. Taking handouts in the form of food and entertainment was all she would take from Hudson. She wasn't going to start depending on him when their relationship could be over just as quickly as it had started.

“Yes, I can,” He said, coming up to her and putting his hands on her shoulders. “You’re my girlfriend, Auden’s my...” Hudson trailed off and sighed. What label did you put on the toddler of the girl you were dating? "I want to help you... I can help you." Financially. He could help them financially if she would let him. But she wouldn't... she couldn't.

Delilah didn’t want to argue with him, not about a problem that couldn’t be solved overnight. She was tired and didn’t want to get into the details of how she’d ended up here. Hudson knew some, but not all, of the shitty circumstances that made up Delilah’s life. She knew that being caught tonight would open up a can of worms and that Hudson would have questions. She didn’t want to lie to him anymore, but she hoped he understood that there were things she didn’t want to get into... not yet, at least.

“Fine, let’s just go back to your place,” She sighed in defeat, shrugging her shoulders. Delilah always preferred that Auden sleep in a bed rather than her car seat. “I’ll meet you there.” She glanced around, trying to see where Hudson had parked his car.

Delilah started to turn away, but before she could, Hudson grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her tightly. She resisted, but only for a moment, before she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in Hudson’s chest.

Delilah wasn’t going to let Hudson solve all her problems for her. And she wasn’t quite ready to open up completely to him, but she’d let him take care of them tonight, at least.

[lunarcharacters]

"Do you like it?" Beau to Bellamy

"Oh, I love it!" Bellamy gushed at her reflection. She ran her hands through her hair from the roots to the tips, marveling at how well the temporary hair dye had taken to it. She had pink hair! She hadn't wanted to bleach her natural hair, so the color wasn't as vibrant as it probably could've been, but Bellamy still loved it.

Over the past few hours, Beau had dyed, washed, and dried Bellamy's hair. She'd kept her eyes closed or her back to the mirror while he worked so she could be surprised by the final outcome. She'd never done anything to her hair before, but she'd always thought it would be so cool to have a different color, if only for a little while. Bell had settled on pink years ago, and tonight, she could finally check pink hair off her bucket list.

"What do you think?" Bellamy asked Beau, turning towards her boyfriend and framing her face with her hands. "Does it suit me?" She didn't know if pink hair suited her, actually, but that was kind of the point! Bellamy had always lived in such a small, dull box. Her limited resources meant that she couldn't try to be someone different, even if she wanted to. Pink hair might not suit her in the long run, but it would be fun to pretend for a few weeks. And who knew, maybe Bellamy would love having pink hair so much that she made the change permanent.

"Should we do yours, too?" Bell teased, waggling her brows at Beau. As fun as it would be to both have pink hair, she was only messing around with him. Beau had helped her check so many things off her bucket list over the past few months, and he'd been right there by her side through all of them. That was enough for her; she didn't need him to change something about himself just because she was.

Beau laughed, said he’d think about it, and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. Bellamy grinned at the lens when he held it up to her and snapped a photo. When Beau showed her the image she squealed in delight and turned towards the mirror again. She loved feeling like a brand new person. A cute as hell new person, if she did say so herself.

[lunarcharacters]

“I wonder if we would’ve dated sooner…” Chase to Kendall (if she never moved away)

"I think so…" Kendall said, turning her head on his chest so she could smile up at Chase. She thought a lot about what her life could've been had she never been adopted, and thinking about being with Chase longer was one of her favorite things to imagine. Kenny realized she'd never shared these thoughts with her boyfriend before, so she sat up so she could face him fully.

"We would have been each other's firsts for everything," Kendall told him, nodding her head matter-of-factly. "And I don't just mean kissing or sex… I mean, like, I would have been the first girl you ever asked to a school dance… and you'd be the first boy I picked out a dress for… and the first boy I'd spend hours talking to on the phone when I should've been doing my homework." She smiled wider. "We would've gotten in trouble for sneaking out to see each other or coming home past curfew..." There were so many firsts they could've had together. So many firsts that Kendall wished she had with him.

"I sometimes wish things happened differently…" Kenny admitted, her smile faltering slightly. She'd never said this to anyone before, but Chase wasn't just anyone. She knew he wouldn't judge her. "Like, don't get me wrong, I love my parents… I love the life they gave me, and I am so lucky and thankful that they picked me to be their daughter." Kendall sighed and shrugged slightly.

"I just… I just know I would've loved my life as a Vorster, too, you know?" Kendall hadn't always known that Adler and Dakota wanted to and tried to adopt her. She'd only learned that since coming back into their lives, but she'd still always wondered. The six months Kenny spent with them as a kid had been some of the best of her life. It was the only time in her life that she'd gotten to experience life having siblings, and it was a feeling she'd always missed. Life would have been different, but Kendall would have been happy.

"I would have loved having you in my life all these years…" Kendall wrapped her fingers around Chase's and brought their clasped hands to her chest. Maybe things wouldn't be as she imagined them had she stayed in London. Maybe she and Chase would have gotten together too young and fizzled out the older they got. Maybe they would have just been best friends. She didn't know for sure, but Kendall was certain they would have eventually found their way back to each other, and to this moment right now. They were soulmates, and she believed that wholeheartedly.

"I'm just glad we're together now," She said, falling across Chase's body with her own. "And that you can never get rid of me."

[lunarcharacters]

new dress

Bellamy had never gone on a date. She knew nothing about dates. She didn't even know if she was supposed to consider this a date, or just another one of the outings Beau was taking her on. There was a difference, though, because tonight wasn't specific to a bucket list item. When they were together a few days ago, Bell mentioned that she loved pizza and Beau asked if she wanted to go to this Italian restaurant he knew and loved. Bellamy had said yes, but neither one of them had called it a date... so, was it?

She was trying not to fret over it. Even if this were supposed to be a date, that wouldn't change anything, right? She and Beau would act the same as they did every other time they were together. Plus, Bellamy didn't want to assume that Beau actually wanted to date her. They were just friends. He was the only friend she had, and Bell didn't want to screw that up by assuming he liked her. So, this wasn't a date.

Bell was waiting outside of her apartment building for Beau to come pick her up. When she saw his car turn around the corner, she stood up and waved at him. Beau pulled up to the curb and got out of his car, even though Bellamy was walking towards him already, and when she saw him she knew she'd fucked up.

Beau was dressed nicely... like really nice. Bellamy was wearing the same jeans she'd worn every other time they were together and one of the five tops she owned. She didn't have anything else and hadn't even considered that she would need to dress nicer than usual. Beau had just said he wanted to take her to an Italian restaurant... not that it was a fancy one! Nothing about Bellamy gave off "fancy"...

"I'm underdressed..." She said by way of greeting. Bellamy frowned, tugging at the shirt she'd picked.

"It's okay," Beau replied, smiling. It seemed like he could tell she was uncomfortable now, though, so he looked at his watch. "We have time... if you want to change. It's okay if you don't want to, though, I don't care." Bellamy was already shaking her head.

"I don't have anything else..." Bellamy murmured. God, she could just curl up and die.

"Then we can go somewhere else... I'll be overdressed, it's fine." Beau was being too nice to her. Bellamy was still shaking her head. She didn't move one way or the other, not taking another step towards his car or her apartment building. She didn't know what to do... Bellamy wanted to go eat, but she didn't want people looking at her because she was underdressed.

"I don't have a dress..." Bellamy explained. She had one skirt but it wasn't a nice one and she'd still be underdressed if she put it on. Her clothes had never been an issue before, because she never went anywhere. Bell wore a uniform shirt and jeans for work and didn't go anywhere else that required fancier clothes. Her entire closet could fit into one duffle bag. Her entire closet cost less than the shirt Beau was wearing, probably.

"Do you have your list?" Beau asked. Bell's brows scrunched in confusion, but she nodded. She took her notebook out of her bag and handed it to Beau when he held his hand out for it. He clicked the pen that was clipped to the notebook and turned around to lean over his car. Bellamy watched him flip through the pages until he got to the end of the list and then he wrote something down. Beau replaced the pen and handed the notebook back to her, his thumb holding the right page.

At the bottom of her ever-growing bucket list he'd written "Let Beau buy me a new dress" Bellamy was already smiling before she even finished reading the sentence. Beau was grinning back at her when she looked up at him.

"Come on," Beau said, opening the passenger's door to his car. "I know a place." Feeling ten times better than she had just a minute before, Bellamy got into his car.

Before they even got to the store Beau knew of, Bellamy decided that she'd try to find something long. The brown loafers she was wearing (and almost always wore) weren't formal, so she'd need something that covered them. She couldn't walk in heels and she hated breaking in new shoes. So, she'd just cover them. Bell also figured she should find a brown dress to match her shoes. And, because, brown was her favorite color to wear. Fall was coming up, so hopefully that store had good brown options to pick from.

"Pick out whichever one you want," Beau told her once they'd arrived. Bellamy nodded and started combing through the dresses on the racks. She didn't know what would look good on her, so she just grabbed anything brown and let the salesgirl put it in a dressing room. When she'd gone through the entire store (luckily it was a small boutique), Bell had five dresses to try on.

The first few didn't fit her right and Bellamy quickly vetoed them, but the last two she was torn on. She hadn't shown Beau the first three dresses, but since she couldn't decide between the others, she pulled the curtain back to get his opinion. "What do you think?" Bell asked. Beau looked up from his phone and his brows rose in appreciation (or, at least, what Bell thought was appreciation).

"You look really beautiful, Bell," Beau said, smiling. Bellamy's face heated from the compliment. "Do you like it?"

"I'm between this one and one other one..."

"Let's see that one, then..." Beau waved his hand towards the dressing room again and Bell pulled the curtain closed to change. The second dress was a prettier. It was silky smooth and had beads woven into the top. The skirt was flowy and brushed the ground exactly how she needed it to. Bellamy had never seen a dress so beautiful... but it was more expensive than the one she'd just shown Beau, and so she was hesitating. She would show Beau anyway because maybe he'd hate it.

Bellamy pulled the curtain again and stepped out. When Beau looked up, he let out a low whistle of appreciation. She blushed again and fought off the urge to cross her arms over her chest. "That's the one..." He declared, standing up from his seat.

"It's more..." Bell started but Beau cut her off with a tut of his tongue. She hadn't fought him up to this point, so why stop now? Plus, now that she was wearing it, Bellamy really wanted this dress. She didn't know when or where she'd wear it again, but it would be nice to have it in her closet.

Beau came over to snap the tag off the dress so that he could take it to the cashier and pay. While he did that, Bellamy went back into the dressing room to shove her clothes into her canvas bag and put her nasal cannulas back in. She also tried to fix her hair a little so that the rest of her matched how pretty her new dress was. Bell thought she looked a little silly like she was a kid playing dress up, but she was going with it.

"All set?" Beau asked, taking her bag from her. Bell smiled and nodded and let him lead the way back to his car. They made it to the restaurant just in time for their reservation and she could tell that this would be the best meal she'd ever had. Bellamy had already decided that today was the very best day of her life so far but when Beau told her to "get anything she wanted", she knew for certain. Even if this wasn't an official date, it still felt like one to her.

[lunarcharacters]

"I know he's ours. I have no doubt about it. But if this makes my parents accept the situation more readily, I want to just give them the assurance they need. It has nothing to do with how I feel personally. I just want to make this work for everyone." Damien to Autumn.

Autumn smiled up at Damien as he spoke. She could've stopped him after his first sentence, but she let him finish. Even if she didn't need him to reassure her, she let him finish. When Damien finally stopped, Autumn put her hands on his cheeks and nodded her head as she said, "Okay, of course…" She hoped her smile was reassuring.

Autumn knew that Florian was Damien's. There was no one else the baby could belong to and she knew that for a fact, but she didn't expect everyone to believe her completely. The fact that Damien did believe her made Autumn so happy, but she couldn't blame his parents for being skeptical. They didn't know her, they didn't know she wasn't the type of person to lie about this. She knew what the outcome would be, so Autumn didn't see a point in trying to fight them on this.

"It's okay," Autumn assured Damien. "I'm not upset. It makes sense that they'd want to be sure." She knew that Damien came from money and, to an extent, she knew that his family was full of important people. Autumn wasn't interested in trying to be a golddigger, but now that Damien knew about Florian, she did think their son deserved to reap the benefits of his father's wealth. So, if the Merciers needed a test to prove Florian was related to them by blood before he could, then they'd get the test done.

"We can do it whenever…" She shrugged, waving a hand. "I'm sure we can call my doctor and see if they fit us in soon." Autumn loved the OB she'd gone to during her pregnancy, she'd never had issues getting an appointment. She wasn't sure what a paternity test entailed or how long results took, but if the Merciers wanted it rushed then they'd figure it out.

Wrapping her arms around Damien's neck, Autumn pushed up onto her toes to kiss his cheek. "He's your baby, I promise…" She said, smiling. "And I want your parents to love him, so we can do whatever is needed, okay?"

[lunarcharacters]

i had a dream and wrote a thing

These past three days had been the very best of Emilia's life. She didn't know she could have so much fun, especially with her dad, but she'd been proved wrong. Never in a million years did Emilia think that her dad would want to take a vacation with her. A vacation! She'd never thought she'd go anywhere outside Iceland and now she was in England. England!

Emilia didn't know what to think when her dad came into her tiny and damp basement bedroom a few days ago and said they were going on a trip. He'd told her not to pack anything and not to ask any questions, so Emilia silently followed behind him. She didn't have anything to pack, anyway.

When they arrived at the airport, her dad handed her a passport that she didn't even know she had. She remembered a few months ago her dad had come into her room and taken a picture of her against one of the white walls in their house. And now, looking at the passport, Emilia realized what that had been for.

Emilia didn't ask any questions and her dad didn't provide any information as they went through security and hurried through the airport to their gate. She'd never been on a plane before. She'd never left Iceland. Emilia was nervous, but she didn't say so. She just did what her dad told her to do and stayed silent.

Turns out, planes were fun! Emilia got to watch a movie and eat snacks, and she only got a little bit scared when the plane took off and landed. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but she bit her tongue. Her father would tell her sooner or later why he'd taken her to London. Until he filled her in, Emilia decided to try and enjoy herself.

There was something in the air in London that made her dad the nicest version of himself. He was joking with Emilia and taking her to see all the sights. He even let her use one of the pillows and blankets on the floor in their hotel room! She'd stayed quiet unless he was asking her something, though, because she didn't want to scare away his good mood. Her father was usually so mean to her, and she didn't want to give him a reason to be when they were having so much fun together.

On the last day of their trip, they woke up early and walked over to a big park. Her dad sat her down on a bench and told her that he needed to run an errand. She wanted to know why she couldn't go with him but didn't ask.

"Give me your passport," Her dad said, holding out his hand expectantly. Emilia had been holding on to it during the trip so she could look at it whenever she wanted to. She never felt like a real person, but looking at her passport made her feel like she was one, even only for the duration of this trip. "You're going to lose it if I leave it with you." She didn't want to tell him that she wouldn't lose it, because that would just upset him, so Emilia handed it over.

"Sit here and don't get up," Her dad went on. "Do you understand?" Emilia nodded. "Do not move until I get back." She nodded again. Her dad took his backpack off his shoulder and put it on the bench next to her. Then he patted his pockets to make sure he had his wallet, their passports, and anything else they might need, and then he left without another word. Emilia watched him walk away until he disappeared.

She didn't have a watch and didn't have a great concept of time, anyway, so Emilia didn't know how long her dad would be gone or how long had even passed. To pass the time, she watched the people around her. There were so many people running around the park, pushing strollers or talking on their phones as they walked. Emilia had never seen so many people in her life before this trip. Every few minutes she'd look back the way her dad had left, hoping she'd see him coming back.

Being alone had never bothered her… she preferred it, actually, because when she was alone no one was hurting her. But being alone in a foreign place was different. She didn't know anyone here and didn't know her way around. Emilia felt a little silly for being homesick especially because she hated home but… at least it was familiar.

She didn't start to worry that something was wrong until the sun began to dip low in the sky and the park started clearing out. Emilia's gaze was now fixed on the path her dad had taken when he walked away. She kept telling herself he would reappear any second now… but he never did. By now their plane home had surely taken off. Did… did her dad forget that he'd left her here? Had Emilia misunderstood what he'd said? Was she supposed to meet him at the airport?

To keep her mind from wandering, Emilia opened the backpack her dad had left with her. Inside there was a small blanket, a box of granola bars, a change of socks and underwear, a water bottle, a notebook and pen, and 20 euros. That was it. The socks and underwear weren't for a man, either… they were her size. This backpack hadn't been for her dad.

Emilia's dad never came back. That first night, she'd stayed awake all night on the same bench, crossing her fingers that he hadn't abandoned her here. Emilia knew her dad didn't like her… that he didn't want her… but would he take her to a foreign country and abandon her here? She couldn't accept that, so she sat on the bench and waited.

Emilia only got up from her spot when she had to. Every few hours she'd run over to one of the public restrooms and quickly use it. Then she'd refill her water bottle and run as fast as she could back to the bench. She didn't want to miss her father coming back for her, and she knew how mad he'd be if he got back and she wasn't there. For the rest of the day, she'd watch the people passing her and waited.

When the sun went down again, Emilia pulled out the blanket and wrapped it around herself. She dozed in and out of sleep all night. When the sun came back up again, she ate a granola bar, drank the rest of her water, and ran back to the bathrooms. This cycle repeated for another two days.

Emilia didn't know what to do. It was clear that her father wasn't coming back, but she didn't know what to do with that information. She didn't know what to do on her own. She'd never been taken care of exactly, but she'd never been on her own either. Where was she supposed to live? Where was she supposed to get food? What was she supposed to do? So, she stayed on the bench.

For the most part, no one looked at her. No one had said a single word to her in days, and Emilia hadn't spoken in even longer. She felt invisible and like she was going to wither away to nothing right here on this bench.

"Hey," A man's voice said from behind her the morning of the… whatever day it was. Emilia turned around so quickly, her heart hammering in her chest. Her dad had come back for her! She hadn't been looking in the right direction and had missed him approaching! But when she looked up into the man's face, she found that it wasn't her dad. "Are you okay?" This guy asked, his brows drawn in with concern. Emilia glanced around, unsure if he was talking to her or not.

"I've seen you sitting here for days…" He went on. "I run here every morning and some evenings…" Emilia realized that she had seen this man before. He was one of the runners she'd been watching every morning. "Are you okay?" He asked again.

"My dad…" Emilia croaked, her voice horse from disuse. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I'm waiting for my dad…"

"Does he leave you here in the mornings and come back later or something?" The stranger asked. Emilia shook her head. The guy frowned and looked around. She figured he was about to say his goodbyes but, instead, he held out his hand. "I'm Jason…" She stared at his hand for a few long drawn-out moments before tentatively taking it.

"Emilia…" She murmured, giving his hand one quick shake before letting go and hugging her arms around herself again.

"Are you hungry, Emilia?" Jason asked. She shook her head even though she was starving. Emilia was trying to preserve her granola bars and had only taken a few bites at a time.

"My dad is coming back for me… he told me not to move." Emilia said, putting as much conviction into her tone as she could.

"Okay," Jason nodded. "Well… if I brought you a sandwich or something, would you eat it? Maybe some chips and a drink?" Emilia looked away from him, towards the path her dad had gone down, and then back at Jason. She nodded, dropping her gaze down quickly. She could still see him smiling from the corner of her eye. "Great… I'll be back, okay?" And then he left. Emilia figured she'd never see him again.

Not much time had passed before Emilia was being approached again. This time two men in police officers' uniforms were coming towards her with stern expressions on their faces. She shrank into herself, hoping they wouldn't see her. But when they stopped just a few feet in front of her, Emilia knew her shrinking hadn't worked.

"There's no loitering here…" One of the men said.

"I'm not…" She murmured, shaking her head. Emilia didn't know what loitering meant.

"You've been here for days…" The other man barked. "Come on, get going…" He reached down to grab her and Emilia jerked back. Her fear only made him angry and he grabbed her again. She didn't mean to resist, but she couldn't move! She had to stay here.

"Come on, girl," The first policeman said. "Get up… stop resisting!" They both had their hands on her now and Emilia thrashed against their hold.

"I can't… I have to stay here!" She begged.

"We're going to arrest you if you don't get out of here…" The second man shouted.

"Hey!" Someone in the distance yelled. "Hey, no! Wait a second!" Jason ran over with bags of food in his hand. "I just went to get us food, what are you doing?"

"She's been loitering… she's resisting arrest!" The police officer was angry but clearly less so now that he was speaking to Jason.

"Why is she under arrest?" Jason asked, shaking her head. "She's just waiting for me to get back… right, Emilia?" At the sound of her name, Emilia looked at him.

"Yes…" She replied, nodding her head.

"See… we're together… she's fine…" Jason said to the officers, smiling at him to try and defuse the situation. The two other men let go of Emilia's arms and she dropped back down into the seat she'd been sitting in for days. Jason sat next to her, still smiling at the policemen. "Have a nice day…" He said to them, raising his brows as if to ask 'why are you still here?'. They lingered for another few seconds before walking away.

"You don't have anywhere else to go?" Jason asked her once he'd pulled out the sandwiches and handed one to her.

"No…" She mumbled, taking a small bite of her sandwich. "I'm not from here…" Jason grinned and chuckled slightly and Emilia looked at him again.

"Oh, sorry, I could just tell you're not because of your accent… where are you from?"

"Húsavík… Iceland…" Emilia said. Jason let out a low whistle and she frowned. She was a long way from home, he didn't need to tell her.

"Look… let me walk you to a shelter or something?" Jason suggested after a few minutes of silently eating their sandwiches. When Emilia started shaking her head, he went on. "I don't think your dad is coming back Emilia… and if something happened to him… well, no one will know to come here."

"I don't have any money…" Emilia said. She didn't know what a shelter was or how much it cost to stay in one. But the 20 euros she had was surely not enough.

"It doesn't cost any money to stay in one…" Jason promised. "My best friend's mom runs a really nice one not too far from here… we can go there… and I'll come check on you tomorrow, if you want?" Emilia glanced at him again, curious to know what his motive was, but Jason looked genuine. He was smiling kindly at her and she couldn't see any trace of deceit behind his eyes. She decided to trust him because what other choice did she have?

They finished their sandwiches and chips on the bench. Jason asked her questions to try and help her figure out her situation, but Emilia didn't have many answers. He seemed surprised when she said she didn't have a passport or any type of identification, but then he'd just shrugged and said they would figure it out. Strangely enough, Emilia believed him. And when it was time to leave, she got up willingly and followed him out of the park.

The women's shelter he took her to wasn't far and was indeed very nice. Jason helped her check herself in and made small talk with the woman behind the counter. When another lady came out to greet her, Emilia was hesitant to leave Jason's side.

"No men are allowed back there," Jason explained. "But you're in good hands with, Mandy… and I'll come see you tomorrow, okay?" Emilia looked between him and this Mandy woman. "I promise." Jason added when she still didn't move.

"Come on, honey," Mandy smiled warmly. "Let's get you a shower and a fresh change of clothes, okay?"

"See you later, Emilia…" Jason took a few steps backward towards the door. He waved his hand and smiled. Emilia waved back, but couldn't bring herself to return the smile. Turning back to Mandy… she took the woman's offered arm and let herself be led back into the shelter, hoping she hadn't made the biggest mistake of her life by coming here.

[lunarcharacters]

"Is something wrong?" Evan to Odette

Odette looked up at Evan, blinking through the tears in her eyes. She started to shake her head, but she stopped herself. Something was clearly wrong, or else she wouldn't be crying. But Odie felt so silly about why she was upset, but it felt important to her. Evan hadn't made her feel bad about anything since the kidnapping, though, so she decided just to tell him.

"My game didn't save..." Odette murmured, looking down at her new Nintendo Switch. Her original device had been in her bag during the kidnapping and had been broken beyond repair at some point. For years, Odette had been playing the Animal Crossing games each and every time they came out. She loved getting lost in her little island and could spend hours playing. And it was gone.

"My Animal Crossing island..." She clarified. "It's all gone... I have to start all over." The look on Evan's face told her that he knew nothing about Animal Crossing and what it entailed. Odie couldn't explain that it had taken her months to get the specific villagers she wanted. Or that she was almost done filling up the museum with artifacts. She couldn't explain that her island had been perfect, and there was no way she'd remember all the little details. Not in a way that he'd fully understand, at least.

"None of my friends play anymore..." Odette said. "You have to, like, play with friends to get all the things you need." She was sure she could ask her siblings and cousins to charge up their Switch's and log in long enough to bring her apples or oranges or whatever she needed, but it just wouldn't be the same as playing alongside someone from the beginning. "I just don't think it's going to be as fun anymore..."

Odette still wanted to play, though. Those men had taken so much from her already. She could barely sleep; she couldn't stand to be alone. She couldn't let them take every ounce of joy, and Animal Crossing had always brought so much joy. So, Odette wiped her eyes and looked back at her new console. "It's okay, though," she promised, trying to smile at Evan. I'm still going to play."

[lunarcharacters]

rescue mission

Five days had passed since Odette and Kiana were taken, but Odie didn't know that. At some point, she'd lost track of time, which bothered her. She always knew what time it was and how much time had passed. Odette kept trying to look down at one of the many watches she always wore, but the kidnappers had taken them. They wanted them clueless about the day and time, and she was spiraling over it.

The past five days had been absolute torture. Whoever had taken them weren't like the kidnappers portrayed in the media sometimes, the ones that just wanted money but didn't want to hurt who they'd taken. These men didn't care about their well-being. The girls had barely been fed, they hadn't had a proper bathroom break, and the walk-in closet they were shoved in stayed dark almost constantly. The kidnappers always played loud music right outside the door so Kiana and Odette couldn't hear what was going on outside. Neither of them had slept much.

On top of being starved, they were also bound around their ankles and wrists. When they'd first been dumped in the closet, the ropes around their wrists had been taken off, and they were able to cling to each other. The duct tape that had been put over their mouths had also been ripped off, causing Odette's lips to bleed. They'd tried to undo the knots around their ankles, but it was no use. And when one of the men came in later, Kiana fought him as best she could. He'd slapped her so hard across the face she'd been knocked out. Odette had nearly choked on her sobs as the man tied both of them up again.

When Kiana woke up eight minutes and fifty-seven seconds later, Odette was cowering in the corner and shaking uncontrollably. Kiana managed to scoot over to her and hold her as best she could with her bound arms. "I wet myself..." Odette admitted in their mother's tongue, feeling so scared and ashamed. She was disgusted with herself. She wanted to go home.

"It's okay, Odie..." Kiana promised, speaking Hungarian, too. But it wasn't okay, because the next time someone came into the closet, he started screaming about how disgusting Odette was and how they weren't going to clean up after them. He left, and when he came back fifteen minutes later, he threw a bucket of cold water over them, soaking them to the bone. Cold water was thrown over them multiple times. Since no other water had been given to them, Odette and Kiana had to suck the moisture from their hair so they wouldn't die of thirst.

The days passed, and the girls got weaker. The few times food was given to them, it was presented violently. Someone would open the door and hurl food at them. Odette's cheek was bruised from where she'd been hit in the face with an orange. Kiana had started covering Odette with her own body every time the door opened and was far more bruised than Odie was. Odette couldn't eat the food they did get. She didn't trust it, even when Kiana tried to coax her into trying something... anything.

Odette kept expecting something horrible to happen to them, something worse than being hit or doused with freezing water. She was sure that they would be raped sooner or later. It was torture in itself waiting for it just to happen already. She kept trying to prepare herself, but that was impossible to do. For days on end, every time the door opened, Odie was sure it was about to happen. The only stroke of luck they'd found was that these men hadn't touched them besides slapping them around. But Odette would still have a panic attack every time they were alone again.

No one had been in for hours. Kiana and Odette's stomachs were past the point of growling and now just ached painfully. Their hands and feet had long since gone numb from how tightly they were bound. And Odette's muscles were screaming from how tense she'd been for days on end. The waiting was agony. Odette couldn't take much more of this... she felt like she was dying.

"I wish I knew what time it was..." Odette murmured for what had to be the tenth time just today. It's all she could think about. She felt so lost. She felt like she was losing her mind. Her head lulled against Kiana's shoulder, and she snapped it back up, trying to stay alert.

"Try to sleep..." Kiana said, trying to soothe her. Odette couldn't sleep, though, because that would only disorient her further. Plus, the loud music blaring outside the door made it hard to stay asleep. It was like every time she drifted off, a louder song would start to play.

"The music..." Odette mumbled, starting to cry again. As if she'd commanded it, the music abruptly shut off. It was quiet for a few long seconds before chaos began. There was yelling, guns being fired, and banging from somewhere nearby. Kiana and Odette began to shriek in fear, cowering together in the corner.

"I love you so much..." Kiana cried, tucking Odette's head against her chest to protect her from whatever was coming for them.

"I love you... I love you... I love you..." Odette whimpered, over and over. Her entire body jolted with every shot they heard, expecting this one to hit her or her sister.

"Kill them!" Someone screamed right outside the door. "Fucking shoot them in the head!" The locked door began to rattle, and the girls shrank back against the wall even more, trembling with fear more than they had this entire time. There were more shots, and then silence. They were choking on sobs and screams when the door finally opened.

"No, please, please no..." Kiana begged, holding Odette tighter.

"Kiana..." The voice was soft, too soft for the situation. "Odie... It's Uncle Adrien... we found you..." He didn't touch them and stayed by the door, waiting for them to realize who was speaking to them. Kiana picked up her head first, blinking against the brightness shining into the room.

"Uncle Adrien..." She breathed, crying in relief. Adrien was kneeling in the doorway, Evan was standing a few feet behind him, and their Uncle Demi was there, too. This rescue mission was a family affair.

"Move!" Someone else shouted, pushing past them into the closet. Andre hit his knees in front of his daughters. "My girls..." He cried, taking Kiana's face in his hands. Odette finally looked up from where she'd been hiding against her sister's chest.

"Daddy!" Odette bawled, trying to get to him. She forgot her arms and legs were still tied up, so she only fell forward in her haste.

"Give me something to cut these fucking ropes..." Andre barked, reaching his hand back expectantly. Someone handed him a knife, and he immediately began to saw through the ropes around Odette's wrists. When they fell away, he choked back a sob at the bruises and welts that covered her skin.

While Andre cut through Kiana's ropes, Odette threw her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. She never thought she'd see her dad again. But he was here. Their family had found them, and they were safe.

When Kiana was free, too, her arms were around Andre's neck like Odette's, and their dad hugged them tightly to his sides. He kissed their heads and assured them over and over that they were safe, that everything would be okay now.

"We've got to go," Adrien said, squeezing Andre's shoulder. He nodded and tightened his hold on both girls. Their legs were still wrapped up, and cutting through the ropes would take too long. Andre tried to stand up while hanging on to both of them, but couldn't manage against the weight of both girls.

"I'll get her..." Evan said, moving past Adrien and crouching next to Andre in the closet. Andre stared at him over Odette's head for a long few seconds before finally nodding. Gently, Evan unwound Odie's arms from her dad's neck and put them around his. She immediately buried her face against his chest as he lifted her into his arms.

"My watches..." She murmured. "I need them..."

"Find her watches..." Andre ordered one of her uncles, cradling Kiana against his chest. "Find everything that's theirs... I don't want anything of my daughters in this place."

"I got your watches," Evan told her. He'd seen them on the dresser when they came in and put them into his pocket. Odette didn't know if she'd ever be able to wear these specific watches again, but they were hers and she wanted them.

"What time is it?" She asked. Maybe it was a trivial question, but she needed to know.

"It's 2:48 PM," Evan told her. "Saturday." Odette nodded. They'd been taken on Monday at 12:32 PM. She'd never lost track of time for so long before.

Odette and Kiana were loaded into the back seat of an SUV on either side of Andre. He kept his arms around them while Uncle Attie and Evan cut through the ropes around their ankles. He kept noticing new cuts or bruises on them, but no one asked how they got them yet. Elias was back at their house, waiting to examine them, and the family would hear the truth then.

"You're safe..." Andre soothed, saying it over and over again, so the girls knew it was true. Adrien had barely driven them all five minutes before both Kiana and Odette had fallen asleep against their dad's shoulder. It was finally safe enough to sleep, if only for a minute or two.

[lunarcharacters]

kidnapped

Classes were done for the day, and Kiana waited for her car to arrive to take her to her studio for a few hours. She was on a bench, scrolling on her phone while she waited. The university was a safe place, nothing had ever happened here, so she didn't feel like her guard needed to be up. She wasn't paying attention to anything but her phone, so when someone came up behind her and grabbed her shoulders, Kiana let out a yelp.

"Oh my god, you scared me..." She complained, swatting at her boyfriend as he circled the bench to sit beside her. He was laughing his head off. Kiana wrinkled her nose and leaned away when he went in for a kiss. She was only pretending to be mad, though, and could never resist being kissed, so she relented.

"Let's get dinner tonight..." John suggested, nuzzling into her neck.

"I'm sure that can be arranged..." Kiana mused, feigning nonchalance. John kept kissing her face until she was giggling and agreeing. "But later..." She said, finally getting control of herself and her boyfriend. "I've got work to do."

"Okay, okay, later..." John agreed. Kiana saw her car pull into the roundabout, and she stood up. John followed suit, walking with her towards the sleek blacked-out town car. Before he let her get in, though, he grabbed her by the waist and spun her around. "I'll miss you..." John murmured, kissing her again.

"I'll miss you, too..." Kiana sighed, melting into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned against the car as they kissed.

"Kiki!" Someone shouted. Kiana broke away from the kiss and looked over to find Odette running towards her, arms waving.

"What are you doing?" She called out to her sister. "Where's Rob?" Their guard had been with Kiana earlier but was supposed to have gone to find Odette hours ago.

"I ditched him..." Odette panted, catching her breath. "Can I come with you?" Kiana laughed and rolled her eyes. This wasn't the first time her sister had slipped away from their school guard, and it wouldn't be the last.

"Sure, I don't care," Kiana agreed. "But text Rob and let him know you're with me, please... you know he'll freak out if he can't find either of us." Odette rolled her eyes but took out her phone anyway. She turned it around to show Kiana once she sent the text.

I'm with Kiki so don't worry, silly goose!

Odette opened the door to the car and slid in while Kiana looked back at John. "So, I'll see you later?" She asked, finally unwinding her arms from John's neck.

"Yeah, later..." He agreed, kissing her one more time before letting her go. John leaned down into the car once Kiana was in it and waved at both girls. "Text me when you're done..." John stood up and shut the car door, and headed towards his final class of the day.

Kiana and Odette chatted casually while they drove towards Kiana's studio. Both of them were either on their phones or looking at each other, so neither noticed that the car turned in another direction. Kiana only looked up when she noticed that more time than normal had passed. Why were they pulling into an alley?

"David?" Kiana called up to the driver, tapping on the partition that separated the front and back seats. "Where are we?" Before David could answer, both back doors opened, and two large men were pushing their way inside.

"Kiana!" Odette cried, slapping at the man who was grabbing her. "Help! Help!"

"Let go of her!" Kiana screamed, struggling against the man who was grabbing at her. Her eyes went wide with panic when she saw the cloth in the other man's hand. The cloth that was now covering her sister's mouth and nose. "No! Odette!" Kiana screamed louder, kicking and slapping with all her might. She kept fighting until her own mouth and nose were covered.

When Odette came to again, her arms and legs were bound. There was tape over her mouth, and it was pitch black. She tried to scream anyway, but it was useless. Her arms were tied behind her back, and she couldn't move. Wherever she was, it was cramped. Where was Kiana? What was going on?

Odette used her fingers and her feet to feel around as best she could. She quickly realized there was someone next to her, and she started to panic even more. Her first thought wasn't that it was Kiana by her, but one of the men who did this to them. But when Odette found the hand of the other person, she felt the familiar rings that Kiana always wore. Odette did her best to pinch and squeeze Kiana's hand, but nothing happened.

Odette was sobbing in earnest now, her entire body trembling with fear. She was sweating, and her heart was pounding. Her teeth were chattering beneath the tape that covered her mouth. She'd never been more scared in her entire life. She didn't know what was going to happen to her or if her sister was alive. Odette couldn't breathe!

Seven minutes and thirty four seconds passed before Odette felt something against her fingers. Her muffled sobs turned into muffled exclamations, and saying Kiana's name. Her sister squeezed her fingers back, doing her best to communicate that they would be okay... Kiana wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

Kiana figured they had been stuffed in the trunk of their car. The space was cramped, and it felt like they were moving. Both of their hands were tied behind them, and they were back to back. There wasn't a lot of space to work with, but Kiana managed to roll over so that she was facing Odette's back. She leaned in close enough to nudge Odette's shoulder with her forehead. It took a few minutes of trying to communicate what she wanted from her, but eventually, Odette got it and rolled over too.

Odette couldn't see her sister, but she could feel her. And when Kiana's forehead bumped against hers, Odette began to cry again. Kiana was trying to say something to her, but she couldn't understand. She didn't understand what was going on or what was going to happen to them...

There was one thing both girls knew for sure, though. There were so many people in their lives who wouldn't stop until they found them. It wouldn't take long for one of their guards, or their parents, or Kiana's boyfriend, to realize they were missing, and once that happened, someone would find them... someone had to find them. They just had to stay as calm as possible until that happened.