This is a writer's blog that is dedicated to the movie sing and my favorite character Meena. I ship Meena and Johnny mainly and I have three main stories at the moment: Singing in the Moonlight, Renegades, and Waiting for a Star to Fall (This is a lovely sideblog that I'm more dedicated to than my actual blog: fearlessinblue)(Oneshot requests are closed but feel free to message me with any comments)
Johnny's alarm rang through the darkness of his bedroom, piercing the early morning silence with its obnoxious cacophony, effectively jolting him out of a dream that faded from his memory before he could even think to try to remember it. He groaned in protest as he slapped uselessly at the alarm until fate intervened and his hand managed to hit the button that cut off the noise. With his ears still ringing and his brain foggy from a lack of sleep Johnny Bannerton practically rolled out of bed, leaving his sheets in disarray as he shuffled down the hall to his bathroom. A splash of cool water to the face and suddenly his big brown eyes were wide open and staring at the mess that was his bedhead in combination with the beginnings of five o'clock shadow his developing dark circles under his eyes. Johnny let out a tired little huff and practically jumped into the shower, not even bothering to let the water warm up. He gave a little shudder at the cold water but ignored the temperature in favor of slathering his hair in shampoo. He closed his eyes quickly when the water hit his soapy locks, washing the soap out towards his eyes. As soon as he was clean, he shut off the flow of water and began toweling off. Johnny examined himself in the mirror for a second before deciding that speed took precedence over shaving properly and bustled into his room to throw on a t-shirt and his work jeans.
One glance at his offending clock and the beginnings of sunlight in the sky had him scrambling for the door and sliding down the ladder from his loft down into his father's autobody shop. He picked his way through the parts and tools scattered around the shop and shook his head at the mess of beer cans, fish and chips, and poker chips that were the remnants of his father and uncles' poker night. One look in the fridge was all he needed to decide to grab a snack at work as it was filled with beer and old pizza. Johnny made his way through the shop once more to where his truck was waiting outside. He pulled on his old black leather jacket and jumped into the truck. The old girl rumbled to life with only a slight protest and soon he was speeding through the streets to the center of town where a quaint little coffee shop was nestled between a boutique and an old office building.
Johnny slid into his customary parking space and trudged into the store, his body seemingly more uncooperative with each workday leading up to his day off. As he walked through the back foot he was greeted by the cheery pop music that meant Rosita was already here. He yawned as he walked into the front of the store and was met with giggles in response. When he had finished his yawn and was finally able to take in the half set up coffee shop, he was also met with an indulgent smile from his pseudo-mom and boss Rosita. She was a short woman with ample mom curves and short blonde hair that was a sunny as her disposition. Wordlessly she turned to the espresso machine as Johnny sheâs his jacket and slipped on his apron  and nametag. By the time he was actually ready to start his shift, Rosita has made him the largest latte they serve and handed it to him with a sympathetic look.
âI know itâs early honey. But letâs get to work.â She cheerily patted his shoulder and inwardly Johnny marveled at her ability to smile at this early hour. Deciding to suck it up for the woman who had given him a second job and was the most understanding and motherly figure in his life, Johnny forced out a smile.
âSure thing Rosita. Ahâll set up the seat inâ area.â He croaked our a little hoarsely before finding his smooth voice under the lingering sleepiness.
âSuper!â She chirped in response and practically skipped to the back of the store as Johnny took a large gulp out of his cup of sweet salvation.
âSâgonna be a long day.â He mumbled to himself and got to work taking down the chairs.
6:24:07
The doors to the coffee shop opened at exactly 7:30 am and when Johnny came from the back of the shop at 7:25 and saw the short white haired man in a pinstriped suit standing impatiently outside the door, chewing someone out on his cell phone, he knew it was gonna be one of those days again. He was aimlessly wiping the counter waiting for the clock to change when the knocking on the glass started. Johnny reluctantly looked up at the man who was glaring at him through the glass of the doors as he demonstratively rapped on the glass and gestured to his expensive wristwatch. Johnny quickly looked away and wiped the counter with more vigor, focusing on the counter like it was the only thing in the universe. His background of calm cafe music that Rosita usually played was punctuated by increasingly annoyed sounds from the front doors which escalated from tapping to yanking on the handles of the door as if they would magically open with some force.
Johnnyâs dread grew as the minutes ticked by until it was finally 7:30 and he slowly made his way through the maze of chairs and table to his worst nightmare in customer form. As soon as the door was unlocked, the personification of impatience shoved his way into the coffee shop and immediately began ranting about how late he was for work, how important he was, and how Rosita would hear about Johnnyâs behavior. Johnny just let out a long-suffering sigh and followed the man over to the counter where he was once again tapping his foot impatiently. Before Johnny could even open his mouth to ask the man what he would like to order he was snapping out his demands.
âBlack coffee. Large. And letâs be snappy about eh kid?â He smirked at Johnnyâs frustrated look as he rang in the order.
âOf course sir, Thatâll be $2.45. Will you be paying with-â He started rattling off in his customer service voice, desperately trying to remain polite in the face of douchebaggery.
âCash kid.â He triumphantly slapped down the exact total in change and Johnnyâs mood absolutely plummeted. He grumpily snatched up the money, cashed him out and then went about making his black coffee. All the while he could hear the man in the background barking orders into his phone or clacking away at the keys of his Blackberry. No matter how hard he tried to drown it out with the coffee machines and jazz, somehow the man broke through.
Finally, his coffee was done and Johnny was handing it over, every fiber of his being anticipating the moment this man walked out of his life, hopefully forever. But then the unthinkable happened. He just stood thereâŠsipping the coffeeâŠand jabbering away. Johnny stared at him in awe and slowly leaned back against the counter, his exhaustion taking him over again. All he could think was that he would pay money to disappear into the ether at that moment. And they had only just opened.
4:44:12
As their morning rush finally got into the swing of things and the other employees started to arrive, the stress of the early morning was starting to wear away and Johnny was getting into a groove with the espresso machine where he didnât have to interact with customers but rather take comfort in the machine and save his charm for his turn on the cash register. When the time finally came for him to switch he found himself next to Rosita who was happily manning the other register, chatting with each customer and giving them her signature twinkling smile. Ultimately it made him feel bad for his customer-smile and customer-voice but his awkward charm and good looks seemed to be gaining him points with the women in line. He had just finished an order from yet another soccer mom in yoga pants and a visor when a ball of glitter and sheer energy hit his register like a comet coming in for a landing. He had to blink a few times before he could discern that it was actually a man in a gold sequin jumpsuit with a long blonde ponytail and a smile so enthusiastic that even Rosita flinched a little. Johnny knew he was in trouble the moment he looked over to Rosita and saw that she was avoiding his eye contact as well as that of his customer. Rosita, the ultimate bubbly people person, did not avoid someone unless it was serious.
With a shaky smile Johnny turned back to the man and started his lines, or rather tried to, âHello, What can I-â
âYa! hello! I haffe seen you here before but ve neffer get to chat. I teach Zumba down zee street und I loffe zis coffee. It giffes me zee zing in mein step nein? Nein other coffee place can compete vith zis one. Did you know zat Rozita comes to mein clazes so she giffes me ein discount on coffee? She is such ein sveetheart. Ein saint. One time she-â The man rambled off with such speed and such a thick German accent that Johnny found himself scrambling to follow, and it was only a couple seconds into a story about Rosita dancing in a sparkly unitard that he realized that their line was growing and he still had yet to take this manâs order.
âThatâs nice sir. Would you like to place an order?â He grabbed a coffee cup, ready to write down the order as it flowed from the mouth that moved a mile a minute, but once again he was swept up in a tirade that seemed inescapable at this point.
âJa ja zat sounds goot. Can I get ein uh⊠Caramel macchiato. Light ice. Not heaffy. If itâs heaffy I canât drink it. Und do me ein favor. Tell zem to put ein little bit of soy in it. Not ein lot, just enough for me to taste it und go⊠oh, boy! Three whips. Take zat third whip tozee top of zee lip so I can take ein sip. You got it?â The man stopped and looked expectantly up at Johnny who just gaped back at him, the coffee held loosely in his hand, marker at the ready, and smoke pouring out of his ears from his overworked brain.
âSoâŠa caramel macchiato?â Johnny asked in a small voice.
2:39:41
It took about fifteen minutes in the break room and a couple hours working the drinks rather than the counter for Johnny to recover from the debacle that was now known as the Caramel Macchiato Disaster. He was calling drink orders when he noticed a neglected looking tea still sitting in the window waiting to be claimed. He remembered the girl who had ordered it: a small, mousy girl with messy blonde hair and large glasses. She had been fumbling with a messenger bag full of notes and a laptop when she ordered and was still sitting in the corner of the shop typing furiously on her laptop.
Johnny grabbed her tea, remade her a new one as her original had gone cold in her forgetfulness, and headed over to where she was stationed. The rush had lulled substantially so he was confident that the drink-making station wouldnât fall apart without his help. As he walked towards the girl, Johnny found himself musing how pretty she looked in a bookish sort of way and for a moment he wondered if she might have any interest in him. Though his timer had yet to go off, he still found dating women and showing them a good time in the meantime pleasurable.
When he finally reached her table, Johnny cleared his throat and put on his best charming smile. She looked up from her work with a startled look plastered on her face and Johnny proceeded to place her drink on her table next to her work.
âI think ya fergot about summit.â He smiled charmingly and though she gave him a grateful look and a quiet acknowledgement, there wasnât even a hint of a spark. Sensing the lack of mutual attraction between the two of them, Johnny nodded and turned back to his station, completely missing the grateful look on the girlâs face or the slight smile as she sipped her tea. While he may be a serial dater at times, his mother had raised him right. Johnny was a gentleman that knew a no when he saw or heard one.
1:54:53
The bell above the door tinkled just before the lunch rush began and Johnny quickly assumed the position at the register, abandoning his cleaning routine. What he saw made him quirk an eyebrow in interest but did nothing to smother the welcoming smile on his face. The woman that had walked into the coffee shop was wearing dark eye makeup, had white and brown striped dreads and was dressed in full punk rocker gear. She was clutching a pile of fliers in her arms and as soon as she spotted him she made a beeline for the counter in a prowl that made a part of Johnny cower slightly.
âHi. Can I get summit for ya today?â Johnny asked but the girl just blew a large bubble of gum in response. For what seemed like an eternity he awkwardly watched the bubble grow until it nearly covered her face. Without warning it popped and any trace of gum disappeared into the girlâs mouth.
âYeah sure Pretty Boy. Iâm having a show at the theatre this week and Iâm goinâ around passing out fliers.â She finally spoke in a bored tone that somehow only served to make her more interesting.
âSure. I can pass out some fliers or ya can put one up on the bulletin board.â Johnny gestured to their colorful notice board on the other side of the restaurant, which was absolutely plastered in fliers, ads, and public notices.
The woman looked at him with a new sparkle of respect in her dark eyes as she headed over to the bulletin board, her boots clunking on the tile and echoing through the near empty cafe. Johnny watched her go for a second and considered following her to strike up a conversation or learn more about her show but, as if sensing his thoughts, she turned back and gave him a glare that clearly demanded her leave her to her business and wipe any romantic thoughts from his head. At the same time, his stomach did a strange little flip and any attraction that he may have felt for the women in the shop seemed somehow wrong.
Shaking it off as hunger for his lunch break, Johnny shook his head and resumed cleaning the espresso machine for the rush.
0:00:00
By the time he finally got to take his break, Johnny was exhausted and badly in need of another dose of caffeine. He made himself another coffee in the biggest size they had, grabbed a muffin and sat down in the corner of the cafe where he had a perfect view of the counter in case he was needed. He was munching on the fairly generic muffins that they ordered from a company, his headphones blasting John Legend, when he saw Rosita bouncing around the corner, followed by a nervous looking girl. She looked up from across the room and somehow her blue eyes found his for just a few seconds. Johnny felt his mind simultaneously stop and light up with action as he took her in. She was tall, almost as tall as him, with rich mocha skin, curly hair and the biggest blue eyes he had ever seen in the world. He felt a distinct tingling on his wrist and he rubbed his tanned skin in annoyance in an attempt to quell the feeling and focus back in on the woman that made him feel confusing new feelings.
He found himself unable to keep his gaze away from her, no matter how many times he tried to turn it back to his phone or his music. Finally, in frustration with himself he gathered up his things and went over to the counter to say hello.
She was lingering there with Rosita as the small woman chattered to no one in particular about her ideas for fresh pastries. The girl glanced up right as he approached, her eyes softening and her cheeks reddening in a way that made his mouth go dry in the weirdest way. On top of that, he suddenly felt like he was going to see that muffin again as his stomach rolled and his stupid wrist practically burned with an insistent itch.
He opened his mouth to say something, determined to work past the funny things her shy smile did to his stomach, when a shrill voice echoed out from behind him. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
-0:05:27
"Hey there cutie-pie why don't you take my order?" he normally would have considered her voice sweet, but suddenly it was too high pitched, and her attractive features seemed off, not exactly right. Nonetheless he gave the new girl an apologetic look before turning his charming smile on the girl. She was leaning over the counter in a way that made her cleavage nearly pop out of her tank top and she was fluttering her eyelashes so much that if he didn't know she was flirting he would think she was having a stroke.
"Sure, what can I get fer ya?" he asked, trying desperately not to glance back at where he knew Rosita and the new girl were chatting about baked goods.
"Oh don't be so formal honey. I'll have a skinny latte, as big as you can make it." She winked laciviously at him and licked her lips in what was supposed to be an enticing way. Increasingly uncomfortable with how this interaction was going, Johnny tried to maintain his smile and quickly wrote down her order on the cup and charged it. As she was handing him her credit card she purposefully brushed her hand against his, smirking at him as she did.
Johnny's smile wavered slightly and he sped through finishing up her order and shifted to the espresso machine in hopes that it would rid him of the uncomfortable advances of the woman. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he looked up over the machine and found himself face to face with the woman who was scanning him up and down like he was a piece of meat. Johnny quickly looked down and speedily finished up her drink, taking a moment to glance at the clock to see if it was 2:30 yet, his stomach sinking when he found that it was just barely 2:00.
Once he finished her drink he realized that he didn't even know her name for the drink. He frowned and looked around the dining room until he spotted her, leaning casually up against the wall playing on her phone and twirling her hair with one finger. Reluctantly he stepped out from behind the counter, berating himself the entire way for forgetting to ask her name and putting himself in yet another uncomfortable social situation with this woman. He cleared his throat awkwardly and shifted from one foot to another.
"Um excuse me? Miss. I'm sorry I forgot yer name but... anyways yer latte is ready." He mumbled slightly and smiled reflexively when she looked up with a huge grin.
"Oooo. Well aren't you sweet for bringing this over to little old me." She took the coffee from his hand and pulled out a sparkly business card from her purse. She leaned forward and tucked it into the pocket of his apron with a seductive smirk.
"Here's my number cutie. My timer still has like a year on it but I'll be your soulmate for a night." She pecked him on the cheek, leaving a sticky lip gloss mark on his cheek before sauntering out the door.
As soon as she was out of sight Johnny wiped her lip gloss off his cheek and went back behind he counter to wait out the remainder of his shift.
-8:06:35
Johnny collapsed with a prolonged groan that echoed through his darkened bedroom much like his alarm clock had that morning. He rolled over just enough to glare at the offending clock but it just glared right back, taunting him with its proclamation of the late hour. He had spent the rest of his day struggling with an old clunker of a Jeep that absolutely refused to be fixed and it wasn't until his father pulled him out from under the car, forced some food down his throat and then ushered him up to bed did h officially give up. And now he was still in the same position he had been for the past half hour, his mind fighting sleep as it tried to puzzle out whatever had been bugging him the entire day. Maybe it was the fact that he had literally worked from sun-up to sun-down, but he could not get to sleep. It felt like he was missing something, like he had forgotten something important.
His wrist tingled and he itched at it insistently while he puzzled over what he could have possibly forgotten. He had his phone, his car was parked and locked outside of the garage, he had eaten, he had checked-
Suddenly his stomach sank to his toes and he shakily rose his wrist so that he could look at it. There, printed on his wrist, just like every other person on the face of the planet was a timer. A timer that told him the exact moment, down to the second, when he would meet his soulmate, the person he was destined to love and be with for the rest of his life. And his timer, the one he had been watching for every single day of his life, on the one day he had been to busy to look at it, had hit 0.
"Shite"
I was in this fandom when the movie first came out and then I kinda faded from it. Then recently something made me look back into it and your blog was the first I thought of. Iâve been looking through all your stories and my face hurts from smiling so much. So thank you for all your hard work and dedication!!!!
I know this anon is probably ancient but thank you for the kind words!! I hope to have something new for you guys soon
Johnny felt like he had been walking aimlessly for hours before he finally came to somewhere that emerged through the fog. It appeared in the light of the setting sun, his familyâs old garage and the only home he had ever truly known. He nearly stumbled in his haste to get inside, clumsily climbing up the ancient chain link fence that served as his only obstacle. He hurried across the cracked concrete, marvelling at the way that the unforgiving surface had given way to the stubborn will of nature as time passed. It reminded him of the ways that his love for Meena had gradually worn away his protective barriers until he could no longer deny it.
Pushing away those thoughts, Johnny yanked on one of the garage doors until there was enough space for him to slide underneath and into the dusty ruins. Everything important had since been packed away and buried in storage or used to decorate his penthouse in Zootopia. Nonetheless he felt the warm sensation of nostalgia as he climbed up the ladder and sat with his legs hanging over the ledge, looking down on the remnants of his past. Through everything, this place was the only one that had stayed the same, and for his distressed mind it was a comfort.
His thoughts were still a whirlwind but at least he was alone, without the eyes of his greatest love and his daughter staring into his very soul and baring their secrets to him. He had been living in heartbreak, yearning for Meena, and the love that they had shared for ten years, thinking that he had done something so terribly wrong to lose her love in an instant. And yet, staring back into her eyes that evening in the cafe he had seen the familiar glimmer of affection, a longing twin to the one that had dwelled in his chest for a decade. Was it real? Or the imaginings of a lovesick fool?
And then there was Harmony, the sweet little girl who had been a stranger to him for her entire life, he had missed so much. After everything that had happened between him and his father ten years ago, family had become a precious treasure and he felt a new ache in his chest at the prospect that he had neglected some part of his family, some piece of his heart he didnât even know he had given away. He had missed her birth, her first words, steps, even her first day of school and the very thought of that sweet little ray of sunshine fielding questions about a nonexistent father made him burn with a sympathetic fury. He would have done anything to keep her from the experience that he had suffered through as the only child in school without a mom.
An angry part of him tried to focus his anger on Meena, the source at the center of all of these secrets. Sure, everyone else had known, but Meena should have been the one to tell him that he had a daughter, regardless of her feelings towards him. The anger burned hot and bright and as he angrily banged his fist on the old wood of the floor he felt it burn out just as quick as it had flared up, insecurities surfacing in its place. Had she thought him such a terrible father that she had been afraid to introduce her precious child to him? Was he tainted by his fatherâs history just like he feared?
He began to spiral into despair as his darkest thoughts took the opening that Meenaâs deception had torn open in him. Was he destined to be alone? He knew that he hadnât been worthy of Meena in the first place, but he had done everything he could to prove himself worthy of her love. In the end it still hadnât been enough. Tears slipped from his brown eyes and splattered softly against the wooden floor, staining the dusty surface with evidence of his despair and turmoil. All he could focus on was the pain and the what ifs that always swept him away from reality.
Suddenly the stagnant silence of the garage was grating to his ears and he ached physically for anything to pull him out of the pit that he was falling into. His wish was granted in the form of a giant muscle-bound arm appearing out of nowhere and sweeping him up into a warm embrace. He didnât need to question how his father had found him, he just collapsed into his fatherâs embrace and released the loud sobs that he had held back for nearly a decade, since the night that Meena had broken his heart and he had left Catatonia. Big Daddy didnât say anything for an eternity, the only noise to break the silence was the heart-wrenching noises coming from somewhere inside his embrace.
By the time that Johnny calmed down enough to explain, the garage had grown dark and the sounds of the city nightlife began to permeate the thin walls.
âWot âappened?â Big Daddy asked calmly as he released Johnny from his embrace and watched his son wipe desperately at the thick tear tracks staining his cheeks.
âMeena was there dad. Anâ I felt loike I was cominâ back to life just beinâ close to âer.â Big Daddy nodded in understanding, fully aware of the deep feelings that his son still had for the young woman, âB-but⊠bloody âell. âEr daughter came into the shop anâ⊠she âad my eyes, momâs eyes. I knew she was mine, and Meena confirmed it.â
Johnny took a shaky breath, marvelling at his fatherâs ability to maintain his stoic expression, only allowing for an eyebrow raise to show his shock. Johnny released a shaky laugh of disbelief at his own story and ran a shaking hand through his dark hair.
âIâve âad a daughter for ten years and she dinnae say anythinâ!â He looked to his dad in that moment, his eyes suddenly decades younger as he pleaded for advice, some kind of direction from his father.
âWhy did she keep it a secret?â Big Daddy finally asked and Johnny was suddenly struck by that fact that he had absolutely no idea why Meena had kept Harmony a secret. He had run out of the cafe before she could do anything more than confirm his suspicions about Harmonyâs parentage.
âI-I dunno.â He finally admitted in a quiet voice and he turned his gaze back to the grimy floor that was now covered in a mixture of his tears and dust. A heavy hand landed on his back and his forlorn gaze turned back to his father whose gaze had turned to one of exasperation.
âWot do ya mean ya daanât know?â Johnny sighed and suddenly he flashed back to when he was a child and he would get a scolding from his father for being forgetful when it came to school and later work in the shop or on bank jobs.
âWell I ran out before we could talk abaht it. I-I was so overwhelmed, seeinâ her again and then findinâ out that I have a kid?! I jusâ I âad to get away from there. Had ter think. But it dinnae âelp. I still dunno anythinâ except thaâ⊠thaâ I already love thaâ little girl anâ I still love Meena with all my heart.â The words came spilling out of his mouth like a waterfall and his eyes widened in surprise as he admitted his love for both Harmony and Meena. He hadnât really been aware of that fact himself until the moment it left his lips.
âSounds ta me loike ya already know what you need ta do. Go over to that house and ask her yer questions. And if ya still love each other after âer explanation, never let âer go again.â Johnny nodded and suddenly his head cleared up like the sky after a rainy day. He gave his dad a thankful smile and swept him up into a tight hug that he maintained until his dad chuckled and pushed him away gently.
âStop stallinâ and go get yer family boy.â He admonished lovingly and Johnny let out a chuckle as he clambered down the ladder and picked his way over to the slightly larger opening in the garage door. Before he left he turned around to steer one last glance at his dad, who was still perched on the balcony, watching Johnny with pride and relief of a parent that had been helplessly watching their child suffer for a long time.
âThanks dad.â He said softly, but by the way that Big Daddyâs eyes began to water and his smile grew, he knew that his father had heard him. Once again Johnny was reminded of how lucky he was to have his dad back in his life. Without him, he would be even more lonely and conflicted then ever, but because of his dad, his heart had never been more clear. He knew what he wanted, and nothing was going to stop him from getting it.
With his renewed determination, Johnny stepped out into the night and took off in a sprint in the direction of Meenaâs house.
Whelp, hereâs another chapter in my short AU. Iâm sure you all have questions and I hope this answers most of them. Enjoy.
Time had been nothing but kind to Meena, her awkward curves fleshing out into an attractive flow that emphasized her shapely hips and ample chest. She was wearing a colorful tan apron that had been covered in rainbow handprints and her name was painted skillfully in purple on her chest. Underneath she was wearing a simple white button up and distressed jeans and her dark curls had been pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her round face was molded into an expression of shock and her hand shook slightly as she unconsciously rubbed it against her apron continuously. He watched as her deep blue eyes darted around the table frantically, looking for the culprit, before alighting on Ash and Buster. Ash was defiantly staring back but Buster was desperately trying to act innocent in the circumstances. Her baby blues hardened with a familiar frustration and she sent the least intimidating glare on the face of the planet towards the two before turning her nervous gaze back to Johnny, who had just been staring at her wordlessly.
âH-how are ya?â He suddenly blurted out and immediately cursed every instinct that had propelled him to speak. Meena gave him a soft smile, her hand tucking away the few curly strands that had escaped her ponytail. The nervous tick was so familiar it was like a stab to the heart and he couldnât help but remember the last time that look had been sent his way, a fateful night in the dark of his apartment when she had emerged from the bathroom in a silky nightgown and all breath had left his body. She was equally as captivating in a work uniform and apron and suddenly the lonely half of his heart was yearning stronger than ever before, its other half in sight but still so out of reach.
âIâm g-good. Great! I m-mean business is g-good and I have my family and my-â she suddenly shut her mouth with a click, her eyes going wide and panicked at her near slip. Johnny was thrown for a loop for a second as he tried to catch up with her rambling, his brain still scrambled from the mere sight of her.
Then it hit him like a truck.
She had someone else. She had moved on and here he was, completely immobilized by a few pleasantries and a shy smile. How was it that she still had such a hold on him and yet she could move on so easily, fall into the arms of some faceless stranger? His half of a heart shrivelled up in pain and he gripped the table for dear life as his memories were cruelly replaced by imaginings of his sweet Meena with someone else. It was a devastating blow.
âThatâs⊠thatâsâŠâ He struggled for words, his common sense telling him to congratulate her while his dying heart demanded that he escape before she or anyone else saw the deep pain that was tearing gouges in him as it tried to escape. Finally the emotions he had buried for ten years took control and he shakily stood, not looking at anyone, especially those beautiful blue pools that threatened to pull him in and never let him go. He shakily grabbed his jacket and began weaving his way through the chairs towards the exit.
Everything else blurred out but that door, that exit that would save him from the soft protests that followed him out and the familiar footsteps that tried to pursue him. He had to get away, he had to escape this nightmare and retreat back to the safety of a far away city and an empty but rich career. Love had truly failed every piece of him, effectively obliterating the stubborn corner of his heart that insisted that he could win Meena back, that he could fix whatever he had broken so badly. Wet tears streamed down his face, lingering in the corner of his lips so that he could taste the bitter sadness that flowed from him.
His hand had barely closed around the metal of the doorknob when the door burst open and the most beautiful little girl raced past him and made a beeline towards Meena. Johnny couldnât help but turn to watch her progress as she barrelled across the empty shop. Meenaâs face, which had been stricken with concern and a deep sadness as she pursued him, transformed into the happiest smile she could muster as she leaned down and caught the small ball of energy as she leapt into Meenaâs arms.
âMommy! Mommy! I colored a new picture for you today!â She declared proudly and shoved a slightly rumpled piece of paper into Meenaâs free hand. Everything seemed to stop as Meena looked at the picture and showered it with praise, making her daughter giggle proudly and hide her face in Meenaâs neck. Johnny knew he must have looked like a fool,standing there gaping, but it felt like his entire world had shifted on its axis and he was still left spinning on the old one, trying desperately to catch up. Meena had a daughter.
Meena had a daughter.
And she was the most beautiful little girl on the face of the planet, just like her mother. She had tight dark chocolate curls, her skin was a light mocha color and everything about her shone with a brilliance that made him want to know everything about her. His confusion melted into realization as he finally adapted to the new reality and that precious child followed her motherâs example and stared at the strange man that stood crying in her motherâs coffee shop. Johnny looked from Meena to the little girl and felt his heart thump hard in his chest when he met a familiar chocolate gaze.
His eyes. She had his eyes. Every breath in his body left him in that moment and he felt like life had just punched him in the stomach. The more he looked at her, the more he saw pieces of himself mixed with Meena. She had her motherâs subtle freckles and soft smile while her eyes and thin mouth came from him. She was everything he had ever hoped for and here she was in front of him. She had been here for god knows how long and he had been off gallivanting in Zootopia like an idiot. He could have been here with them both, could have been receiving daily drawings, and hugs, and smiles. But he hadnât.
Because Meena had never told him.
Now his gaze turned back to Meena, who had always been the best at reading his emotions, his thoughts. He knew the moment she understood when her expression shifted to apologetic and she took a tentative step towards him. âJohnnyâŠâ
âIs sheâŠIs sheâŠ?â He couldnât even choke out the rest of his sentence but Meena understood, replying with a simple nod and a hopeful smile.
âHer name is Harmony.â Meena supplied and Johnny tried desperately to breathe but found his lungs closing up in his chest and his head ringing with shock. Everyone had known, Ash had known, Buster, Rosita⊠how many others had kept his daughter from him? Did they think he was unfit to be her father? Not good enough? Did he think that?
Johnny suddenly found himself backing up until he hit the door, Meenaâs smile melting away to devastation as his hand gripped the door handle and he tumbled out onto the street in a mess of emotions and shock. All he could think about was that he needed to run, to get away from these secrets, get to somewhere safe, somewhere he could process. He didnât think about the group of people he was supposed to be spending time with, the woman who still held his heart after all these years, or even the beautiful little girl who had gazed curiously at him.
All he could think of was that he was drowning in a sea of baby blue and chocolate brown and an ache he had lived with for ten years. And he couldnât take it anymore.
I kinda liked my little comic featuring my OC, Cassidy, and continued it. Sorry for poor hand writing!
An eye for an eye, Meena threw Johnny under the metaphorical bus to get away from her former classmate, so Johnny probably doesnât feel too bad about using Meena to get out of the situation. Besides, what Meena doesnât know wonât hurt her, right? What harm could this little lie cause anyway? *heh heh*
This is my warning for an art spam of comics I drew mostly involving different ocâs and Meena (cuz sheâs my fav)
There all just self indulgent comics that I drew and liked enough to post. (Also sorry for my handwriting!)
Okay, first comic:
Meet Cassidy
This is one with my OC Cassidy! Sheâs a deer who went to high school with Meena. Cassidy was popular and on top of the school. Although they went to the same school, Meena and Cassidy were never really friends, as Meena was shy and kept to herself and Cassidy kept herself in the spotlight.
There was nothing weirder than driving through your home town and feeling like a visitor. Familiar landmarks had been shifted, altered, so that Johnny was left with an odd sense of displacement as he stared out the window at the streets of downtown Catatonia. His driver weaved expertly through the normal evening traffic that clogged up the entire city. Not even the symphony of frustrated drivers could quell the hope growing in his chest, the excitement at seeing his precious theatre family. The only person he had any contact with since he left the city was Ash, and that could only be attributed to their mutual circles and her utter refusal to let him pull away from her like he had everyone else. He had grown to appreciate her random visits and the comfort of having a friend in the music business that knew him before he was famous and honestly didnât want anything from him. Well, there was one subject that the fiery Latina had never let drop: her insistence that he rebuild the bridges he had let crumble when he ran away to Zootopia. After ten years, here he finally was, meeting up with everyone that he had left behind that fateful day in a new cafe that Buster had insisted upon.
Johnny was so lost in his thoughts that he didnât notice that they had arrived until his driver pointedly cleared his throat and broke his pensive reverie. He coughed sheepishly, embarrassment flooding him even as his driver kindly pretended that he hadnât been waiting a few minutes for his employer to realize that they had arrived. Johnny stumbled awkwardly from the black towncar and anchored himself with the feeling of his beat up Chucks on the sidewalk. In a fit of nostalgia he was wearing casual jeans, high tops, and a leather jacket pulled over a t-shirt. He felt like he had stepped out of a time machine and was once more an aspiring musician scraping to get by. He had struggled, had scrimped and saved, but it was the happiest he had ever been.
It hurt to remember that happiness, to know that it was lost to him, despite the fact that he had everything he had ever dreamed about. Johnny had to shake himself out of that line of thought before he sank into memories of sweet kisses and soft fingers running through his hair. That wasnât his life anymore. It could never be again. Besides, Buster hadnât said anything about her coming to their little get together. With a voice like hers she was probably touring the world or mesmerizing millions. And just like that he forced himself to focus back in on the humble but obviously popular cafe he was lingering outside of. It was a simple building with a colorful sign that advertised a âSlice of Harmonyâ. He let a small smile spread across his face and in the moment that he walked into the cafe Johnny understood why Buster liked it so much.
The atmosphere was pleasantly warm and the walls were decorated with music paraphernalia. The tables were mismatched and each chair and mug was distinct and comfortable in its design. It was obviously a place where people lingered and enjoyed rather than rushing away from the embrace. Even though it was close to closing time, there was a lack of pressure to clear out, rather it felt like there was an invitation to stay. The lack of uniformity made the small shop feel likeâŠhome. Johnnyâs smile grew as the feeling that he had missed without even knowing it soaked into his very core and soothed a hidden ache.
His smile only continued to grow when he heard an excited crow of his name in a familiar voice and his tall form was nearly toppled by what felt like a small missile. He just chuckled and turned slightly in the bone crushing embrace and returned it wholeheartedly, revelling in the motherly embrace. When he finally pulled back he took his time taking in how his beloved Rosita had changed.
Miraculously she was still radiating pure happy energy despite ten years of raising five kids, kids that he distinctly remembered had a penchant for unruliness. Her blonde hair was now blended with a classy hint of gray and laugh lines were starting to crease themselves onto her face. She had changed her look to match her age and Johnny even caught a spritz of perfume as she corralled him through the shop and towards the only crowded table in the place. She was leading him back like he hadnât gone silent for nearly ten years, like he hadnât had to survive that long with her comforting words or steadying embraces. It set him at ease for the rest of his little family.
Buster was the next to leap from his seat and all but tackle Johnny with a hug. He was still wearing that pressed blue suit and his silver hair was slightly thinner than last time Johnny had seen him. That, however, was the only thing diminished about Buster Moon. His charming smile still sparkled and he practically vibrated with excitement as he ushered Johnny to a chair next to Ash.
Ash looked much like she had when he had last seen her a couple months ago except now her dreadlocks were sporting brand new ornaments and she may have added a new piercing somewhere. Honestly it was a chore to try to keep up with her personal decorations. She gave him a friendly nod in greeting and sipped from a Red mug that proudly demanded that she âset it all freeâ.
Johnny was quickly distracted by the rest of the group and missed the way that she cast a furtive look to Buster and resumed watching the kitchen doors for an anticipated movement. Johnny was swept up in greeting Gunter, Eddie, and even Mike who were all holding their own respective mugs, almost like they had brought them from home or something. He felt a slight twang when he thought about how much his old mentor, Miss Crawly would have loved this time together. She had passed away while Johnny was on tour thousands of miles away, and by the time the news had gotten to him she had already been buried. Johnny had been devastated by her death and the result had been the longest time he had ever taken in between an album or song release. When he had finally gotten himself together and found his music, he had written one of his most popular songs, a sad ballad for Miss Crawly.
Johnny was pulled from his melancholy by Buster clearing his throat and shooting a meaningful glance to everyone around the table, the purpose of which flew straight over his head. Everyone quieted down and their faces became pinched with worry. Johnny felt some of the warm feeling that had filled him up slip away and his face creased with worry in response.
âItâs uh⊠itâs so good to have everyone together again.â Buster tried to cut the sudden tension but his small talk was only met by silence and the particularly loud ache of the half of Johnnyâs heart that moped around in his chest. He closed his eyes and his whole body tensed as his mind was flooded with images he had been repressing if only to preserve his sanity. Maybe it was something about being home with his little family but this time Johnny was inundated by images of shy, loving smiles; kisses on every level of the spectrum; and the warmth of her arms.
âNot everyone.â He blurted out before he could stop himself and when he opened his eyes he was met by a myriad of emotions, the largest of which was the determination in Ash and Busterâs eyes and following at a close second was the trepidation in Rositaâs. Johnny looked around in confusion and his stomach dipped in preparation to fall at any moment.
âListen Johnny, thereâs a reason that we all called you here today. We decided it was time.â Buster said solemnly and Johnny felt his stomach descend a little bit more as his mouth dried up like a desert. What were they trying to say? What was happening? What had he walked into?!
Before Buster could say anything someone else was joining them at the table, an arm descending to place a platter of scones down in the center of the table. Johnny didnât pay it much mind, he was so focussed on staring down Ash and Buster, unsure if he wanted whatever this was to stop or continue.
But then she spoke.
âHey everyone I brought you guys the last batch of scones forâŠâ She trailed off suddenly and he immediately mourned the loss of her sweet voice.
âJ-Johnny?!â Her half statement was quickly followed up by a breathless stutter of his name and his heart tugged towards the words as if trying to catch them and keep them forever. Despite his sense of self-preservation screaming at him to look away, to run, Johnny finally turned his chocolate gaze up to the source of the voice-
-And immediately drowned in a familiar shock of blue, his flood of memories now sharper and stronger as the phantom sensations were replaced with visions of her kissing him, her wrapping him in a warm embrace as he did the same to her, her laughing at his jokes and antics, her sweet smile, but most of all her honeyed voice whispering that she loved him.
Sooooo.... Iâm back from the Spain and this AU bug refuses to let me write my book so I need to get it out here. I hope you enjoy, it will forward my literary aspirations, Iâm quite sure of it.
Johnny awoke slowly with a familiar lingering ache in his heart and the distinct memory of honeyed laughter and dancing blue eyes. The sight of his penthouse bedroom made his eyes sting with emotion and he squeezed them closed, trying desperately to bring back those sweet dreams but to no avail. The warm light and sweet lips of his love were long gone and all he was left was half of his heart and the unfettered luxury of the place he still couldnât call home. He groaned and pushed himself out of the bed so that the silky sheets pooled messily and his tanned, muscled body shuffled sleepily to his wardrobe. He threw on a pair of pajama pants and examined himself critically in the full length mirror. His midnight locks were askew on his head and dropped down into his eyes haphazardly. What had once been smooth skin was now decorated by a musical score that swirled around his bicep and danced down to his wrist. Familiar piano keys rolled down the other arm and he let his fingers dance across them for a moment as he mused over his dream. When his half of a heart began to throb painfully he pulled on his robe and made his way out of his bedroom and into the main area.
Waiting for him there was one of the only balms to the ache his dreams brought. His father was stationed at the kitchen stovetop flinging pieces of bacon onto a plate, cooked just how Johnny liked them. When he plopped himself down on one of the barstools Big Daddy grinned down at him and slid him a piece of bacon.
âMorninâ sunshine. I was abaht ter come get ya up. Yer bloody idjit of an agent is âere babblinâ some nonsense abaht yer 10th anniversary or summat.â Big Daddy rasped out as he grabbed his own plate and glared in the general direction of the patio where a tall man with slicked back hair and a plastic smile was jabbering away on his phone. Johnny rolled his eyes conspiratorially and crunches on a piece of bacon.
âHeâs just doinâ âis job dad.â He couldnât resist a snort of laughter as he shoved another piece of bacon in his mouth and reached for the carefully sorted mail pile waiting for him. He was immersed in a lengthy invitation to preform at the Zootopia Concert Arena for his anniversary concert when the back door opened and the end of an exuberant conversation filled the cavernous space.
âListen Renault Iâll talk to him alright? He hasnât made any decisions about a location yet but when he does... Iâm sure heâll make the right decision... Yes... Yes I know...Talk to you later.â There was a resounding click as the little black phone finally closed and Sam âSammyâ Meyer  finally turned the full brunt of his charm on his still sleepy client.
âThereâs my shining star! Your dad and I were just talking about you kiddo!â He gave them a patented grin to which Johnny gave a tentative smile and Big Daddy blatantly rolled his eyes and turned back to his bacon.
âMorninâ Sammy. Wotâs the news?â Johnny asked and almost immediately regretted it. There was a scary gleam in his eye and he gripped his cell phone like a precious lifeline.
âGlad you asked kiddo! I just got a call from Gary Renault about you performing at the Event Center in Sahara Square. And I was thinking that since we havenât booked a venue for your 10th anniversary of your first performance. It would be a great opportunity for us to get some...â Johnny tuned out his tirade and continued to sort through his mail, tossing aside invitations and the other blur of envelopes and empty platitudes.
He felt himself descending into the baby blue well of despair he had been avoiding for 10 years as the envelopes blurred together, Sammy faded out, and even his dad disappeared in a rush of white noise, sparkling blue, and laughter like a bell.
Suddenly it stopped and he found himself holding a stiff piece of paper different from the rest. He focused in on the familiar scene that had been printed on the paper and he slowly flipped it over to reveal a familiar illegible scrawl in deep blue ink. He was able to make out one phrase.
âHappy 10th Anniversary.â
âMoon Theatre.â Johnny blurted out and everyone froze, even his dad stopped monitoring his bacon and Sammy looked at him in shock.
âMoon Theatre? That podunk joint we found you in? What about it?â Sammy rapid-fired questions at him but Johnny just stood, still clutching the post card and grinning with a strange mixture of elated excitement and stomach-churning apprehension.
âMoon Theatre, dad.â He said emphatically to his father but Big Daddyâs face was impassive if not a little concerned.
âYa sure abaht this Johnny? Ya donât âave ter do this.â He said slowly while Sammy watched on in complete bafflement.
The memories were still there, the ache persisted in the pieces in his chest, and he still felt like hiding underneath his bed, but that little postcard held him steady, kept him grounded and gave him the courage.
listen. if u like/reblog my posts fairly frequently, u better believe that i have noticed ok. even if we donât ever talk. if we arenât even mutuals! doesnât matter. i see you. i see your URL pop up in my notifications every so often. and when it does? oh, when it doesâŠâŠâŠ iâm like âoh hey thereâs my buddy! gee i sure missed u pal!â and i get real happy for a minute ok. sorry, i donât make the rules.
I wanted to give you guys a sample of what Iâve been working on in place of my normal fanfiction updates. It is the first book in my very own fantasy series, a project that is close to my heart and a long time in the making. (Everything written here belongs to me and any who dare steal it shall be eternally cursed) Enjoy!
I liiiiivveee!!! Sorry for the obscene wait on this guys. Iâm trying to do better and itâs my goal to put out some more updates this week.
Meena looked down at her phone screen as she sat at her kitchen counter, sipping her orange juice and aimlessly stirring the soggy remains of her cereal around in the bowl. She had spent a lazy morning in bed trying to decide how to spend her rare day off. She knew that she should probably get started on unpacking the moving boxes that still littered her house, but she just couldnât seem to get behind the idea. Finally she decided on doing some more baby shopping with her recent paycheck, but she really didnât want to go alone. And thatâs how she found herself staring at her phone, hoping that someone would text her or call her before she had to reach out. Her phoneâs blank screen glared up at her, taunting her with itâs lack of messages.
Hesitantly, she picked up the offending device and opened up the neighborhood group chat that Ash had added her to. Almost immediately she was engaged in a inner battle with her own shyness and her intense reluctance to shop alone. She debated whether or not to extend an open invitation to her neighbors for what felt like an eternity, one side of her brain insisting that she couldnât possibly invite a stranger with her to shop for her babies, while the other side insisted that she reach out and make some friends. Eventually her desire for a shopping buddy won out and she slowly typed out a message.
Meena: Hello! I have some baby shopping to do and I was wondering if anyone wanted to tag along?
She stared at the screen despondently, thick regret filling her as soon as the message was sent. Did the exclamation mark make her sound too excited? Or was she too needy? What if they didnât remember who she was? After all, she had only met them at the barbeque, and except for Ash and Johnny she hadnât really run into any of them. Her panic mounted when the little bubble popped up to signify that someone was replying to her message. Why had she added that exclamation mark?! Her heart felt ready to jump out of her throat before the messages finally started to pour in.
Buster: Sorry Meena, Iâm stuck at the church fixing some leaky pipes
Okay Buster wasnât her first choice for baby shopping, so she wasnât too bummed. Honestly she was hoping that Ash or Rosita would be free. As if the universe was determined to crush her plans, the next message popped up.
Ash: Lo siento querida I took an extra shift at the diner. Miss you! Send me pics!
Her heart definitely sunk at that. That was four neighbors down for the count. She never really expected Mike to reply in the group message anyways, and something told her that Miss Crawly didnât have a cell phone, let alone know how to use one.
Johnny: Hey Meena! Iâm stuck at the garage all day. But we should do something soon!
Johnnyâs message was a relief more than any of the others. After Sunday and her subsequent talk with Ash, she wasnât quite sure that she had built up sufficient courage to hang out with Johnny without turning into a stuttering mess. Just thinking about it made her hands clammy with nerves.
Gunter: meena! U must com 2 dance studio soon. I hav 2 take kids 2 gymnastics 2day. See u!
Meena struggled to read the confusing mix of numbers and abbreviations that was Gunterâs reply. The time that it took her to decipher his message gave Rosita just enough time to compose an essay detailing all of her duties that day as well as her childrenâs schedule. Dutifully, Meena read through the longest text message she had ever seen, her head swimming as she tried to reconcile the amount of activities with the hours in the day. It had to be physically impossible to be this busy, but if anyone could pull it off it was Rosita and her brood.
Her hopes of avoiding unpacking dashed, she set her phone down on the counter and carefully slid off of her stool in order to clean the few dishes she had managed to make. She was halfway through scrubbing her bowl when her phone buzzed loudly on the granite countertop. Meena frowned in confusion and quickly set the bowl aside to dry so that she could investigate.
Eddie: Hey Meena! My day is free if you still want to go shopping.
Meena stared at her phone in confusion as she processed the fact that, out of everyone, Eddie was the one who offered to take her shopping for baby stuff. She couldnât even picture the man anywhere near a baby store, let alone helping her shop. And yet, her fingers hesitated over the screen before she could type out her refusal.
As if summoned, her motherâs voice rang in her head, admonishing her for assuming things about someone that she didnât know. In truth, Eddie had been nothing but sweet at the bbq and his offer was equally kind if not more so. It only took one more glance at the pile of boxes waiting for her and her decision was made. So she took a deep breath and prepared to do the one thing that scared her more than anything. Put herself out there.
Meena: Iâd love to have you along Eddie.
This time she decided against the question mark, considering how it had made her stomach churn with anxiety the first time. To her surprise, Eddie had no such qualms about expressing his eagerness to get out of the house, a fact that filled her with an odd sense of satisfaction.
Eddie: Awesome!! Iâll pick you up in like 20 minutes?
Reflexively, Meena wanted to protest his offer of a ride, but a well timed twinge in her back quickly changed her mind. Besides, riding the bus with her purchases was not an ideal scenario.
She sent back a confirmation before waddling as fast as she could to her room to change out of her bathrobe and into actual clothes. She slipped on a white, flower print  dress made from light, flowing material that accented her bump nicely without hugging every inch of it. She paired it with a pair of tight black leggings that made her feel comfortable. She was in the middle of working her way around her belly in order to lace up her beat up pink converse when a loud honk outside her front door interrupted her struggle.
Quickly she finished the stubborn knot, grabbed her purse and shouldered her worn jean jacket as she left the house. As soon as she turned around, one arm still hanging out of her jacket, she caught sight of her unlikely companion for the day.
Eddie was lounging in the front seat of a vintage sea blue convertible that looked like it had rolled off the assembly line that morning. From what she could see, he was wearing a bulky red starter jacket fresh out of the 90s with white embellishments and a little E monogramed on the chest. His cheesy gold jewelry still adorned his neck and the combination of his curly black afro facial hair made it look like he had just rolled off of a couch in the 90s and up to her house.
Meena returned his eager grin with a shy smile as she made her way down the driveway, slipping her jacket the rest of the way on as she walked. Eddie bounced out of the car and ushered her to the passenger side, opening the door for her and doing his best to play the gentleman as he helped her into the low white leather seats. As soon as she was settled in and had situated her seatbelt so that it rested comfortably around her waist and not her pregnant belly, Eddie jogged over to the other side of the car and landed heavily into his seat, bouncing slightly when the white leather caught him. He shot her a wink and pulled two pairs of sunglasses out of nowhere, sliding his on in a move that reminded her of a cheesy action hero. The fact that this little show was obviously rehearsed only made it easier for her to let her laugh free from her usual shy restraints as she slipped on the proffered sunglasses and found a whole new side of herself.
Suddenly she was relaxing back into the leather seat, one arm casually resting on the side of the car. An foreign sense of calm and confidence washed over her as she and Eddie glanced at each, nodded seriously and looked forward as Eddie turned on the radio and put the car into gear and a funky, familiar beat burst out of the speakers to echo in the peaceful culdesac.
They sped off, simultaneously swaying to the beat, Meena trusting her unlikely companion to know the way to the best baby shopping. She let out a surprised laugh when Eddie began vigorously rapping along with the song, his mouth moving a mile a minute as he effortlessly kept up with the beat and perfectly pronounced every word. It was just the right side of dorky to be impressive and she continued to bounce to the beat as the music filled her senses and the wind whipped satisfyingly through her hair.
This here's a tale for all the fellas
Tryinâ to do what those ladies tell us
Get shot down cause ya over-zealous
Play hard to get females get jealous
Okay smarty go to a party
Girls are scantily clad and showinâ body
A chick walks by you wish you could sex her
But you're standing on the wall like you was Poindexter
Next days function high class luncheon
Food is served and you're stone-cold munchin'
Music comes on people start to dance
But then you ate so much you nearly split your pants
A girl starts walking guys start gawking
Sits down next to you and starts talking
Says she wants to dance cause she likes to groove
So come on fatso and just bust a move
Slowly Meena felt her walls starting to crumble under a nostalgic beat that had been one of her fatherâs favorites and the adorably dorky antics of her new friend. She was filled with pleasant nostalgia as the image of her father dancing to the song while he did work around the house popped into her mindâs eye. He would always take her hand and spin her around in a flurry of improvised dance moves that had always coaxed a breathless laugh out of her. And as she watched Eddieâs lanky form wriggle in his best attempt at dancing while still paying attention to the road gripping the steering wheel, that same breathless laugh burst from her chest and happiness bloomed in her with renewed vigor. Eddie glanced over at her when her laugh echoed along with the beat. He gave her another cheesy grin and launched into the next round of rapping with increased fervor and utter joy.
You're on a mission and your wishin'
Someone could cure your lonely condition
Lookin' for love in all the wrong places
No fine girls just ugly faces
From frustration first inclination
Is to become a monk and leave the situation
But every dark tunnel has a light of hope
So don't hang yourself, with a celibate rope
Your movie's showin', so you're goin
Could care less about the five you're blowin'
Theater gets dark just to start the show
Then ya spot a fine woman sittin' in your row
She's dressed in yellow, she says "Hello,
come sit next to me you fine fellow."
You run over there without a second to lose
And what comes next hey bust a move
Meena found herself clapping along  with Eddieâs performance and suddenly she wasnât the only one getting into the spirit of the catchy tune. A very firm volley of kicks coming from her swollen stomach gave her the last push that she needed to join in on the song, her sweet voice shocking Eddie into silence as she took over the hook that followed his next round. Normally she wouldnât be caught dead singing in front of other people, especially in somewhere as public as a convertible, but her sudden bout of freedom was mercilessly doing away with her inhibitions. To think it had only taken a 90s rap song and a pair of sunglasses.
You want it, you got it
You want it, baby you got it (Just bust a move)
You want it, you got it
You want it, baby you got it
Yeah
By the time she had finished her hook they had pulled up to a stop light and were met with scrutiny from the cars on either side of them. For the first time in her life Meena didnât crumple under the pressure of an audience. Sure her heart was pounding in her chest and she was slightly out of breath, but instead of hiding she was breaking out her best car dancing, which mainly consisted of a lot of hand and arm movements mixed with head bobs. Eddie was actually taking cues from her so that they were moving in sync as he rapped proudly to their captive audience of teenage girls on one side and a carful of little kids on the other.
In this city ladies look pretty
Guys tell jokes so they can seem witty
Tell a funny joke just to get some play
Then you try to make a move and she says, "No way"
Girls are fakin' goodness sakin'
They want the man who brings home the bacon
Got no money and you got no car
Then you got no woman and there you are
Some girls are sadistic, materialistic
Lookin' for a man makes them opportunistic
They're lyin' on a beach perpetrating a tan
So a brother with the money can be their man
So on the beach you're strollin' real high rollin'
Everything you have is yours and not stolen
A girl runs up with somethin' to prove
So don't just stand there bust a move
As soon as the light changed to green Eddie hit the gas and sped through the intersection, leaving the kids laughing and the teenagers scarred for life, in true dad fashion. Meena let out another loud laugh, leaning back in the convertible as the wind whipped around her and she sang loudly to the world, her cares disappearing altogether.
You want it, you got it
You want it, baby you got it (Just bust a move)
You want it, you got it
You want it, baby you got it
Yeah
They finally pulled into the parking lot of one of the local baby stores and Meena felt a light fluttering in her stomach as she rubbed her stomach and undid her seatbelt. Though the car was parked, Eddie was still rapping and dancing in his seat, acting silly just to get another laugh from Meena. She shook her head in amused exasperation and struggled her way out of the low convertible. By the time she was upright and closing her car door, Eddie had resumed his rapping without the help of the song. Now that he had the use of his entire body once more he was doing his best attempt at a moonwalk on the gravel of the lot, still flailing awkwardly with his arms. It was a dad dance if Meena had ever seen one.
Your best friend Harry has a brother Larry
In five days from now he's gonna marry
He's hopin' you can make it there if you can
Cause in the ceremony you'll be the best man
You say neat-o, check your libido
And roll to the church in your new tuxedo
The bride walks down just to start the wedding
And there's one more girl you won't be getting
So you start thinkin' then you start blinking
The bridesmaid looks and thinks that you're winking
She thinks your kinda cute so she winks back
And now your feelin' really firm cause the girl is stacked
Reception's jumpin' bass is pumpin'
You look at the girl and your heart starts thumpin'
Says she wants to dance to a different groove
Now you know what to do G bust a move
He stopped her in front of the cart area before she could try to wrench one from the masses, fixing her with an expectant stare. Meena laughed and blushed, the freedom of expression of the car fading. She couldnât resist finishing the song though so she sang the last hook, accompanying it with a careful little spin that had her babies kicking in protest.
You want it, you got it
You want it, baby you got it (Just bust a move)
You want it, you got it
You want it, baby you got it (move it boy)
Yeah
âDude. That was awesome!â Eddie crowed as he pushed the sunglasses up to inevitably get tangled in his afro and grinned at Meena with surprisingly innocent eyes for a grown man. She smiled back, her cheeks coloring a deeper red as looked anywhere but at his eager face. However, Eddie didnât slow down her even a second, gesticulating wildly with his arms as he wrestled with the stack of shopping carts.
âThat song is off the chain! And you! Your voice was totally rad!â He exclaimed, still tryin to wrench at least one cart free from the pile, to no avail.
Meena was quick to deny his praise, hoping to avoid those same questions that she had been hearing since her singing and stage fright simultaneously came into the light, âOh. No. It was nothing, just a bit of fun, nothing special.â
Eddie halted his seemingly impossible quest for a cart, not noticing one heavily pregnant woman that snuck in and easily withdrew one of the other carts as he stared at Meena in bewilderment. Meena braced herself for the familiar litany of questions, her entire body tensing up, but instead of asking her why she didnât sing more, why she was embarrassed Eddie just shrugged amicably and began wrestling with the carts once more, pulling with the full force of his lanky form.
Meena gaped at him in relieved amazement for a few moments, perpetually grateful that he had picked up on how uncomfortable she was with the topic of discussion and had dropped it. It was probably the first time in her life that that had happened, including incidents with her own family. A genuine grin spread across her face at his unspoken kindness and she relaxed her stance to a state of relaxation a few steps away from what it had been in the car. As she watched the older man struggled with the stubborn stack of carts like a child she marvelled at the fact that they must have been standing there for five minutes and he still had yet to get a cart free. With an exasperated smile she went to the other stack of carts and easily pulled one free.
âEddie?â He looked up from his task and smiled sheepishly when he saw her waiting with an identical cart to the one he had been fighting with. He quickly let his new nemesis go and leapt onto the cart she had procured, riding it like a child instead of pushing it normally.
âAlright Meena! Letâs get this party started!â He exclaimed and kicked off the ground, propelling himself forward and into the store. Meena just shook her head and followed after him, entering the store with less exuberance but no less excitement. She loved shopping for baby stuff, it made her chest warm with excitement for the day when she would actually get to use all of the stuff she bought.
She found herself following Eddie as he rode the cart through the store to a specific aisle. She was infinitely grateful for his slow pace as her back was sending little twinges of protest to her movement. Shopping for baby stuff seemed to reveal a whole new facet of Eddieâs personality as a parent as he loaded her cart with the basics, each one accompanied by his own personal explanation of why it was the best choice. His explanations were, of course, filled with nineties slang that she was starting to reconcile with his personality, but he was actually really knowledgable about all of this stuff. He showed her the most reliable brand of baby bottles that came in cute little designs.
Meenaâs soft smile stayed on her face as they traversed aisle after aisle, gathering all of the things on Meenaâs list before getting to the fun part: browsing what she wanted to buy but couldnât afford. Meena was wistfully staring up at double stroller that was built especially for twins up to the first year of their life. She winced when she looked at the price tag but she couldnât tear herself away from the display. Suddenly she was descending into a panic sinkhole, falling deeper and deeper as she frantically asked herself how she was going to support twins working as a waitress when she could barely afford a nice stroller for them. Suddenly she was suffocating in questions she didnât know how to answer. How was she going to handle one baby, let alone two? How was she going to work? What if something was wrong with her babies? With her? Was she ready to be a mother? Could she do this on her own??
And that was how Eddie found her when he rolled up with the cart from the baby clothes area where he had been slowly losing his mind over the sheer cuteness of the tiny scale of all of the baby clothes. She was staring at an expensive stroller and frantically cradling her stomach as a few tears escaped from her eyes. Eddie sighed as he took in her defeated stance and he felt a bolt of nostalgia shoot through him, sending him back to the days when he had been suddenly shoved into parenthood and was quickly overwhelmed by the pressures of raising a kid.
He left the cart off to the side and tentatively wrapped an arm around Meenaâs shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner. When she leaned into his touch slightly and let out a pitiful little sniffle that tore his heart apart in his chest, he shifted his grip so that he was hugging her in the middle of a department store while she covered his favorite red jacket in silent tears. Slowly she calmed down enough for Eddie to guide her to the check out where she avoided the cashierâs concerned gaze and quickly paid for everything. Without a word, Eddie picked up all of the bags and led a despondent Meena out where the car was waiting for them.
Suddenly the plush white leather wasnât comforting of freeing, it was a poor substitute for her bed as she curled up into it and tried valiantly to stop the steady stream of tears that had started up again. The rational part of her brain was berating her for ruining a perfectly good outing with her fears, but she quickly shoved it aside so that she could try to sort through the mess of anxiety that was consuming her. She didnât even register Eddie starting the car or the wind in her hair as her surroundings faded out until she was left in muted isolation.
She was jolted out of her daze when she felt a soft touch on her shoulder, that small point of contact yanking her back to reality where she was sitting in Eddieâs convertible, in front of his house, crying. She looked up to find her door open and Eddie waiting patiently, watching her with an encouraging smile and an outstretched hand to help her out of the car. Sheer, horrifying embarrassment at her sudden breakdown filled her and she opened her mouth to say something, anything, some kind of apology for the way that a simple stroller had sent her into a breakdown, but Eddie beat her to the punch.
âDo you uh⊠wanna come in for some tea?â Meena blinked up at him for an eternity, her frazzled mind desperately trying to process that he had just invited her in for tea, was voluntarily asking to spend more time with her, even though she had just broken down in a department store and had to be ushered out in tears. After a few more minutes of awkward silence she shut her gaping mouth and nodded out a tentative acceptance to his invitation.
Eddieâs smile widened a little bit and Meena found herself mesmerized by the way that his expressive gaze seemed more understanding than sympathetic, like he actually knew what she was going through. It was part of the reason that she let him help her out of the car and into the large house that was waiting for them.
She blinked and suddenly found herself ensconced in a plush couch while a tea kettle whistled and Eddie bustled around the kitchen, his warm voice rambling to fill up the silence as he worked, âI hope you like Lapsang souchong, itâs kinda the only tea I know how to make. I had to learn for when my Nana comes to visit cause itâs the only thing that stubborn old battle axe will drink.â
He returned to the living room with two cups of tea on a tray with a small bowl of sugar. Meena carefully took the mug he offered her and added a healthy addition of sugar so that the smoky flavor transformed into a sweeter note. She took a couple of sips, staring down into her mug as she gathered the courage to speak.
âL-Listen Eddie Iâm s-s-sorry about⊠ev-everything.â She finally stuttered out, but Eddie was settled back into the couch, sipping from his psychadelic mug and looking at her with an unreadable look that silenced her before she could go any further. As he looked her over, her eyes red from crying and her cheeks covered in the remnants of her tear tracks, a wistful look came over his face and his childish light faded from his brown eyes and was replaced by a serious, sad look.
âLouis isnât my biological son.â He blurted out and Meenaâs embarrassment and sadness were overtaken by confusion as the conversation took a sharp turn away from her apology and into Eddieâs personal territory. She wanted to protest that he didnât have to feel obligated to tell her anything, but something about the look on his face told her that Eddie needed to share this with her, that it was important for both of them.
âThirteen years ago I was 25 and still partying my life away while everyone else my age was growing up. I was stuck in a rut that I didnât know how to get out of, and I didnât want to. I had my parentâs money to leech off of and their pool house to live in. It was shitty. And then one morning I woke up from another party to the sound of a baby crying. I thought I was hallucinating from some drugs that I probably took ,but the crying kept going until I waded through the mess that was my home to the front door. I opened it up and there he was, laying on my pool deck in a green onesie sobbing his head off. I stared at him forever until I finally got up the courage to go over and poke him like a little boy poking a bug. I half-expected him to disappear in front of me, but he just cried louder.â Eddie let out a little laugh at himself and Meena gripped her mug close to her chest, the heat of the liquid inside having nothing to do with the warmth that was spreading through her chest as she watched Eddie tell his story.
âSo I picked the little guy up and I just⊠I remember thinking that he was the most beautiful thing in the whole world. Like I wasnât big on babies but this little guy had the softest little tuft of orange hair on his head and the biggest, saddest little green eyes. I was hooked on him. He stopped crying and we kinda just sat on a pool chair, staring at each other for like forever. By the time I brought him up to my parents, he was already mine.â Now he turned to her, he smile sad and his gaze radiating empathy.
âI was just a kid. Iâm still kind of a kid fumbling my way through this, but I love Louis and I refused to give him up. Sure things were scary, my parents didnât think I could handle it and my Nana never stopped hounding me to get rid of him like he was the trash I had forgotten to take out the night before. I wasnât trained to be a parent, shit I was still living in my parentsâ pool house when I started raising Louis. So many nights I would sit there and wonder if he was better off without me, if I was better off without all the stress that came with a baby, but then heâd look up at me again with those sad green eyes and he got me through it. I love that kid with all I got and it got me through, still gets me through, the hard stuff.â He reached out and rested a hand on Meenaâs shoulder, smiling down at her as she looked up at him with a mix of shock and gratitude.
âYouâll get through this Meena. I know itâs freakinâ scary and you donât have all the answers right now, but youâre not alone, not as long as you got those two little gifts.â He gestured to her stomach and Meena reflexively rested her hand on it, the warmth in her chest spreading to her stomach where she could swear she felt two little heart beats joining hers. She felt her eyes fill with tears again, but this time she couldnât hold back the questions and one escaped from her mouth against her will.
âB-But Iâm just a waitress. How can I support t-two kids on a waitressâs salary? I have s-savings but⊠what about the future?â Eddie screwed up his mouth in concentration and looked at her curiously, trying to find the right words to say.
âWell what did you want to do before you got pregnant?â He answered her question for another question and for a moment Meena was back in her motherâs kitchen, whipping up her grandfatherâs birthday cake and meticulously decorating it with icing. She had spent the entire day on that cake, it had been an utter masterpiece, and though her grandfather had been fussing when he dug into it, he had expressed his admiration in his own special way.
âIâŠwell I love to b-bake.â She offered up half-heartedly and after a few minutes of deliberation, Eddieâs eyes lit up like a spotlight and he began babbling so quickly that Meena couldnât quite understand him as he scrambled for his laptop where it was buried under an assorted pile of comic books and magazines. He whipped it open and suddenly Meena was able to make out what he was rambling about.
âMe? Open a bakery?â She gaped at him in surprise and her insecurities scrambled to shut it down before hope of something more could blossom in her chest, âI-I couldnât! I wouldnât know the first thing about it and I donât have the money to start something like this and⊠I canât.â She protested vehemently and though Eddie looked a little discouraged at her lack of faith in herself, he was still stubborn in his optimism.
âMeena, I ate some of your cheesecake at the barbeque. If everything you make is that good youâll be swimming in customers.â When her nerves werenât visibly erased, he softened his determined look and gave her a pleading look.
âJust think about it okay? Itâs not just for you.â A heavy silence settled between them as Meena battled internally over what to do, whether or not to let herself have hope that she could succeed with something like this, whether or not to try. She glanced nervously at his pleading, eager look and found that he looked almost like a little kid giving someone the puppy dog look, even though he was older than her. In the end she just rested her hand on her stomach and swallowed the bitter taste of nerves and took a half-step forward into her future.
âOkay. Iâll think about it.â She pulled the lanky man forward and enveloped him in a tight, slightly awkward hug that he returned with surprised sort of happiness.
âThank you Eddie. For everything.â And yet again she found herself hit by the realization that she was not alone, that she was surrounded by friends, even in the most unlikely of forms.
Just a preview of what Iâve been working on recently. I couldnât resist adding this one to the rotation because itâs been bugging me and itâs the apocalypse au that I never knew that I needed to write. GORE WARNING. This story will not be pretty, it will be dark, and rough, but I promise it will be just as addicting as Renegades is. Enjoy.
Black, the deepest black that Johnny had ever seen, bored into his warm brown gaze, choked snarls echoing in the enclosed metal space. Around him was some kind of organized chaos that he had somehow become a part of, that had somehow become his life in just over a year. He was standing in an underground bunker holding a makeshift restraining pole which he was using to subdue what he had avoided for what felt like an entire lifetime, because the animal on the other end of the pole could just have easily been him. Instead it was a female raccoon who was snarling up at him and launching her gaping maw at anything in sight. Johnny moved robotically to restrain her as his pounding heart drowned out the rest of the world and left him staring into the eyes of what used to be his friend. Nothing remained in those soulless eyes, none of the quiet intelligence, the comforting words. The darkness had erased that in a matter of hours, leaving them with little hope of finding her again. Despite the danger that was snapping hungrily at him a few feet away, Johnny could only stare into those eyes and ask himself over and over again how he had gotten to this point, how the Savage had taken over his life and changed him almost as irrevocably as the monster in front of him.
By the time everyone had realized that isolated incidents of savagery were actually a spreading academic in disguise, they were on the verge of being overrun. By the time that a warning came out it was too late and city after city had begun to fall. The sights that he saw on his frantic drive between the theatre and his familyâs garage were seared into his mind as the first glimpses of brutality, the first bloodshed, entirely impossible to forget.
Johnnyâs heart was trying valiantly to leap up out of his throat as he swerved in and out of the chaos that had descended on Catatonia in a matter of hours. As soon as the first robotic broadcast declaring that the city was in a state of emergency and all public services were being shut down had echoed through the cold emptiness of the theatre, his makeshift family had scattered to find their loved ones. He barely remembered fumbling with his own car keys as his hand braced himself against the cold metal of his only escape. All logical thought had abandoned him in that moment and all he could think about was getting to the garage, to his father, to the only family he had left.
He nearly wrenched the door off its hinges as he scrambled into the truck and brought the powerful engine to life. The roar of the engine had always been a comforting sound, but it had quickly become a boon when the noise nearly gave him heart attack. He sped away from the theatre and his mind raced through possible routes to the garage that wouldnât be jammed with the choking traffic that always became the first stage of hysteria. So he found himself taking the longest, but least populated route in hopes that he wouldnât run into any problems.
He knew he had severely estimated foot traffic when he found mayhem on either side of the street as he passed through a relatively well known shopping district. The carnage was sudden  and shocking as he felt himself automatically slow down to watch as animals fled the plaza and screams filled the air, accompanied by the metallic smell of blood that made him reflexively recoil. In the center of the massacre a well dressed leopard was sobbing silently over her husbandâs mutilated corpse. Her expensive clothing was stained a deep red that was quickly becoming Johnnyâs least favorite color. He watched in a paralyzed horror as an antelope stopped to urge the woman away from the body but the woman refused to move, just continuing to cry as she tried to scoop what was left of her husband back into one piece, as if it would magically heal him. The antelope ran off, only to disappear into a mob of bloody bystanders that were frantically searching for any escape. Suddenly a bear descended upon the grieving woman and she let out a warbling shriek that shook Johnny to his very core before it was cut off by the wet sound of her gruesome death.
Johnny slammed his foot on the accelerator, needing to escape, to find his dad and with him some sanity that was utterly lost everywhere he looked. At every turn a mammal was either being infected or hunting down anything in sight. He was a block away from the garage when the bubble of safety that his truck had since provided was unceremoniously popped. He yelled and swerved uncontrollably as a gigantic brown bear latched onto the passenger side of the truck, his claws lodged deep into the metal of the door.
Fear overrode his kind nature and he unfroze enough to swerve up against some of the parked cars on the side of the street, hoping that pain would deter the viciousness of the attack. The bear let out a pained sound that resonated through Johnnyâs every bone but it held fast, snapping at the window that was Johnnyâs only protection. He took a deep breath and then wrenched the steering wheel to the side, scraping the car against a line of parked vehicles until the noises stopped and the thump of something heavy hitting the ground gave him relief like he had never known, and never wanted to know again. Relief that he had killed another mammal. He couldnât stop himself from looking back in his rearview mirror to find the corpse splayed out behind him, all life steadily draining out onto the pavement. In a flash a pack of those mammals turned monsters descended on the fresh kill and blood sprayed in various directions as animals from various species dug into the corpse like it was merely their evening meal and not one of their own.
Johnny shuddered and tore himself away from the spectacle as he drove onto the garageâs property and didnât stop the truck until he was inches from the large bay doors that served as the only thing standing between him and some kind of sanctuary. He practically laid on the horn, knowing that the sound would attract attention from both his family and the surrounding animals. He was shaking with adrenaline as he stared at the unmoving door, willing it to open up and reveal a familiar face.
Behind him he could hear the approach of the beasts⊠the Savage, but he couldnât tear his gaze away from the garage door to even look behind him, as if the mere act of glancing back would ruin his chances of the door ever opening again. His gaze paid off in as the large bay door let out a rattling groan and lifted to reveal the only home that he had ever known. Johnny hit the accelerator and the truck lurched forward into the garage, the door coming down in the exact same moment so that it nearly caught the bumper of his vehicle.
Johnny sat frozen for what felt like an eternity, his brain still trying to process what he had seen, what it meant for him, and the future. He was ripped out of any thought that might have surfaced as his door was pulled open and large, familiar hands practically yanked him out of the vehicle and into a tight embrace.
Johnnyâs remained limp as he was surrounded by warmth and the familiar smell of cigar smoke and motor oil and his senses slowly came back to him. His fatherâs impossibly deep bass washed over him just as his near-crushing embrace gave him something to latch onto, something that made sense.
âJohnny.â His name broke his reverie and his arms came up to cling to his fatherâs hulking form as his shaking intensified and he buried his face in his dadâs chest as if hoping that it would erase everything that he had seen in the time that it had taken for him to come home.
âThank god youâre safe son.â Big Daddy continued to speak into Johnnyâs messy locks, both of them drawing impossible strength from a simple embrace, âI thought⊠we thoughtâŠâ He trailed off and his embrace grew nearly punishing in its intensity to replace the words that he couldnât bring himself to say.
âDad.â Johnnyâs voice was hoarse and thick with a maelstrom of emotions that constantly pelted him with a strength like he had never known before, âWot in thâ bloody âell is goinâ on out there?â
He heard an emotionless chuckle from somewhere behind him and the distinct click of a gun being cocked. Reluctantly Johnny pulled from his fatherâs embrace to actually look at the garage. Spread out on their kitchen table was every weapon or makeshift weapon that they could find. It was a veritable buffet of firearms that only a criminal with a potentially vengeful past could have. His Uncle Stan was smoking a cigarette and checking over the shotgun in his hands with a critical eye before finally turning his resigned gaze to where Johnny was watching him with a painful mixture of reluctance and relief.
Stan silently set down the shotgun and picked up a basic handgun. The gun was dwarfed in his thick hand, but it still made Johnny wary as Stan walked determinedly to Johnny and shoved the gun into his hands. When he pulled back Johnny gaped down at the heavy hunk of metal that looked completely foreign in his grip. He nearly jumped a foot when his Uncle Barry appeared out of nowhere and wordlessly adjusted his grip so that his hand perfectly wrapped around the firearm and instantly made his hair stand on end. He had sworn to himself that he would never be this mammal, the one who had a gun, the one who used it. But all it took was one look at his father and the menacing rattle of bodies being thrown up agains the outside of the metal bay doors to convince him that his promise wasnât practical in this world anymore. He may have found a haven for the few seconds that he was in his fatherâs arms, but he couldnât ignore the horror outside the shop, everywhere he looked.
âThis a brand new âell my son. And Iâll do anythinâ ter make sure ya survive it.â Johnnyâs hands tightened over the gun and he hardened the part of him that wanted to remain frozen with fear and forget. There was no room for that Johnny anymore, not among these new monsters, and maybe not ever again.
Soulmate/Coffeeshop AU Anyone? Served with a side of Human AU
Ok so I know I shouldnât be aloud to start another story but GUYS. I was walking home from the lab today getting decimated by cold Spanish wind and it hit me. Tell me if itâs worth adding more to my story schedule.
In a world where everyone has a timer on their wrist counting down to the moment that they are supposed to meet their soulmate, Johnny works in his fatherâs shop as a mechanic and in a coffee shop down the street. One particularly busy day in the coffee shop Johnny is left almost completely alone to run the shop, desperately trying to stay awake long enough to make it through the day. It isnât until he gets home that day and checks his timer that he realizes he hit zero that day. He met his soulmate. AND HE DIDNT EVEN NOTICE. So begins his epic quest to track down every customer he served that day to find his true love. He narrows it down to a mismatched group of people and somehow he has to find a way to check their timers too. Can he find his soulmate? Why havenât they come forward to talk to him? Will he ever get a full nights sleep again? Tune in and watch as this adorable mess of a man searches for his one true love in:
Bonus second place is the Elementary School AU that became one of my favorite oneshots of all time. I love writing them as little kids you guys. I JUST LOVE IT.
Johnny burst into the garage in a flurry of frantic excitement, haphazardly throwing his Supermammal backpack across the room where it crashed into the mess of parts and tools that were unceremoniously piled next to the entryway. He didnât even falter in his rampage as his dirty chucks pounded against the concrete, emitting loud screeching noises that would have given his approach away if it werenât for his young voice yelling at the top of his lungs.
âDad! Dad! Dad! DAD!!!â He came to a stop in front of an old van that was currently concealing every part of his father except for his large feet. Johnny grabbed his fatherâs foot and shook it back and forth with what little might he could muster up. Big Daddy let out an exasperated chuckle that echoed from underneath the car as his son tried to yank him out from under the car by his feet.
âWot is it boy?â He asked as he slowly rolled out, giving Johnny the satisfaction of pretending like he had the strength to pull Big Daddy out.
âWe âave ter go ter the store right now!!â He declared, bouncing around his father with boundless energy as Big Daddy slowly got to his feet and began wiping the grease off of his hands and face. He frowned at his arm when he realized that his dark hair was slightly matted with oil. He shrugged carelessly and ruffled Johnnyâs messy hair.
âWhy do we âave ter go ter the store?â He rumbled and Johnny latched onto his fatherâs leg as he walked to the office. Johnny let out another plaintive groan at his fatherâs lack of understanding and promptly launched into a rushed explanation.
ââCause tomorrow is Valentineâs Day and I wanna make this girl in my class a valentine, but we daanât âave anythinâ I can do it with. Pleeeeeeaaaaase!!â Johnny ranted without even taking a breath, his little body panting with the effort as he fixed Big Daddy with the biggest, brownest, cutest eyes on the face of the planet.
Big Daddy felt his heart swell in his chest as he looked down at his nine year old and felt himself already starting to give in. He hadnât seen Johnny this excited about anything since they had moved to this city. When Johnnyâs mother had died, the poor kid had been just as heartbroken as everyone else, but he had yet to bounce back. Just seeing his little boy grinning so hard that his eyes sparkled and his cheeks strained under the force of his grin was enough to silence any protests he may have had.
âTomorra is Valentineâs Day? âRe ya sure?â He teased but Johnnyâs expression immediately morphed into stricken frustration as he gripped Big Daddyâs pant leg and tensed up as if he was going to literally climb his father.
âDaaaad! This is important!! We need ter go noooow!!â Big Daddy laughed and grabbed the back of Johnnyâs shirt, hauling his anxious son onto his back. Johnny automatically wrapped his arms around his dadâs neck and tried his best to wrap his legs around his dadâs back. Once he was secure, he pointed to his dadâs old black truck.
âAway!â Big Daddy chuckled but nonetheless grabbed his keys and made his way over to the truck. Johnny hopped into his seat, practically vibrating with anticipation as the truck roared to life and they made their way to the store.
Once they made it to the store Johnny dragged his father inside and began piling art supplies into their basket. After two pads of construction paper, new markers, and three tubes of glitter Big Daddy cut him off and they made their way to the checkout where an elderly antelope chatted with Johnny as he vigilantly watched her scan each item.
âWell well well. Are you making a Valentine for your crush young man?â She asked with a soft smile. Johnny gave her an adorably serious look over the counter and declared loudly.
âSheâs not just a crush. I love âer.â Big Daddy gaped down at his son, the third grader who had just declared his love for a girl in his class. The elderly antelope let out a delighted laugh as she scanned Big Daddyâs credit card and handed the bags to Johnny.
âDonât you think youâre a bit young for love little boy?â She prompted him but Johnny remained unfazed, his ecstatic grin still firmly in place.
âNope!â He gathered the bags in his hands and Big Daddy barely had a moment to grab the long receipt before he was dashing out of the store, trying to keep up with his son.
A couple hours later Big Daddy found himself stirring a pot of Mac nâ cheese while Johnny spread out his project on the work table. The old card table was generally the area where Big Daddy or his brothers stored their personal projects, but the minute that they had gotten back from the store Johnny had claimed the table as his own and had enlisted his uncles as his assistants. This left Big Daddy in charge of dinner, the large patriarch watching with a hint of jealousy and a boatload of pride as his son meticulously glued scraps of paper and glitter to his homemade Valentine. All three were covered in a thin sheen of glitter, left over from Johnnyâs first exuberant attempt to shake out some glitter.
By the time the dinner was ready and Big Daddy was bringing over plates, the outside of the card was finished and Johnny was staring down at the blank innards with a an expression of absolute consternation on his young face.
âTime fer a break son.â He said gently as he pulled the card away and replaced it with a steaming bowl of Mac nâcheese. When Johnny began to whine in protest Big Daddy fixed him with a disapproving look that promptly quieted him.
âDaanât want yer Mac ter get cold.â He added as he sat down and casually looked over the card as he ate slowly, conveniently ignoring the way that Johnny was shoving food into his mouth at lightning speed. The purple construction paper had been haphazardly folded in half and decorated in an assortment of hearts, music notes and cupcakes. Johnny had actually done a pretty good job for his age, each decoration created with obvious care.
âWot âre ya gonna put on the inside?â He asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the garage without Johnnyâs excited babbling and instructions for his uncles. Johnny froze mid-bite and put his forkfull back onto his plate, now stirring the noodles around instead of shoving them into his mouth.
âI daanât know yet. Wot do ya think dad?â Johnny looked imploringly up at Big Daddy, complete trust in his fatherâs romantic abilities shining in his innocent gaze. With a sigh Big Daddy went the simplest route, hoping that it would be the end of him giving romantic advice.
âWell âowabaht ya just write dahn âow ya feel?â He asked through a bite of mac nâcheese.
âOkay!â Before anyone could stop him Johnny grabbed his marker and began to meticulously write out his message in his least messy script, saying it aloud to himself as he went along, âIâŠloveâŠya⊠Meena. WillâŠyaâŠbeâŠmyâŠValentine?â
Big Daddy did his best to hold back his affectionate chuckle at his boyâs exuberance, his brotherâs looking at the little gorilla in adoring surprise.
âLove eh?â Stan asked once Johnny had finished writing his name and had returned to filling the empty space left over in the inside of the card with his designs. Johnny beamed up at his uncle as he carefully colored in the frosting of his cupcake artwork, and received affectionate smirks in response.
âIâm nine Uncle Stan. Iâm for surely old enough ter be in love with Meena,â He said matter of factly and gave Stan a look until he raised his hands in defeat, settling back to sip his beer and leave the interrogation to Big Daddy. Barry said nothing in response, but everyone in their little family could tell by the grin on his face that he was happy for and proud of his little nephew. He was never really big on words anyways.
Once Johnny had finished his food and the dishes had been washed, Big Daddy leant back to watch Johnny color furiously at the giant cupcake that he had drawn with Meenaâs first name across the top. âYa kna buddy, you âavenât really mentioned Meena till now. Why do ya think yer in love with her?â
Johnny rested his cheek in the palm of his hand and carefully considered his words, even though every part of him was bursting with the need to talk about Meena. He fixed his father with a positively love struck gaze and began to babble away again.
âMeena is the prettiest girl in thâ whole school Dad! Sheâs loike an elephant princess! Her eyes âre special blue.â
âSpecial blue?â Big Daddy asked as he cleared the dishes, Johnny hopping up to help him bring them over to the sink where his uncles were washing and drying.
âYeah! Cause theyâre not dark blue, and theyâre not light blue. I never seent thaâ blue before. So I call it special blue.â Johnny lectured him as seriously as he could with a big grin on his face.
âWell she sounds real nice Johnny-boy.â Stan called from the kitchen as Johnny returned to his valentine.
âShhh Uncle Stan Iâm not done.â Johnny scolded him and Barry let out a chuckle.
âMeenaâs also the nicest girl in the whole class. She never teases me abaht my accent and she says âello ter me everyday.â As if remembering something he took off into the dark auto shop and returned a few minutes later with his backpack. He dug around in the mess of papers and school supplies that populated the small space until he victoriously pulled out a worksheet with a gold star sticker on it. He proudly presented it to his father.
âAnd sheâs really smart. She âelped me wif our worksheet in class today. I got a âundred cause of Meena. And yesterday she brought in cupcakes fer the class. She and âer mum made them. They were the best cupcakes in the entire planet! Oh! And she sings the best in music, Mr. Moon says she âas the voice of an angel.â Almost as if finishing a presentation he stood up in his chair and held up his card like it was the holy grail, addressing his entire family.
âAn thaâs why I love Meena Jones.â He looked up at Big Daddy who was now sipping a beer while holding the worksheet in his other hand and watching his son speaking so emphatically about a girl.
âWell I canât beat those reasons. Can ya boys?â He turned to his brothers who were finishing up the dishes and watching their nephews presentation. Both quickly echoed Big Daddyâs sentiments, assuring a confident Johnny that he had every reason to love Meena.
âAlright then. Yer card is all done, âowabaht that âomework?â Johnnyâs proud pose drooped into a pout as he sat back down in his seat and once again began rooting around in his backpack for his homework. The card stayed close to him the whole time that he tackled his worksheets, occasionally shifting to allow space for one of his uncles or his father to lend some assistance on a particularly difficult problem. By the time his homework was finished, Johnnyâs boundless energy was fading into a general sleepiness and Big Daddy practically had to carry him up into the loft for bed.
Once Johnny was tucked in and the precious card was in position on his bedside table, he was out like a light. Big Daddy stood in the doorway watching his son sleep for a minute, a sad sense of nostalgia racing through him. Eloise should have been here to see her sonâs first love, it should have been her who helped their little boy decorate his card. Before he could descend into the depths of his grief for his lost love, he caught sight of the little smile on Johnnyâs face as he slept. Johnny was doing okay, his mom may not be there to guide him, but his father and uncles were doing their best, and Big Daddy resolved to himself that as long as Johnny was happy he could be too.
The next morning Big Daddy was peacefully sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for Johnny to appear and sipping his coffee. Normally Johnny would slump into the room at the last second, still yawning, and sometimes wearing his clothes a little funky in his sleepy attempts to get ready. One day he had tried to go to school in his pajamas, but Big Daddy had made him change quickly. It was a well known fact that Johnny Bannerton was not a morning mammal. That was why it was such a huge shock when the little boy came bounding down the stairs with even more energy than the night before, dressed in his nice jeans, his favorite Supermammal t-shirt, and his least ratty jacket.
âDad! Iâm ready ter go! Can we go now?â He jumped into his seat and Big Daddy just gaped at him for a moment before taking a calming gulp of his coffee and nodding his head towards the cereal box, milk, and empty bowl that were waiting for Johnny.
âBreakfast first kiddo. Daanât want yo goinâ âungry eh?â He chuckled when Johnny let out an annoyed huff and quickly poured himself a bowl of cereal that he promptly inhaled. Big Daddy had to drink his coffee faster than usual just to keep up with the boy because as soon as Johnny was done eating he was insisting that they leave.
As Big Daddy drove Johnny to his elementary school, Johnny sat in an uncertain silence, gazing inside his backpack where the card had been tucked into a baggie for safety. Noticing Johnnyâs sudden silence, Big Daddy wrapped his arm around his sonâs shoulders and pulled him closer to his side in a comforting hug.
âWots wrong Johnny? Ya were all excited a minute ago.â He prompted the boy and Johnny immediately hugged his backpack closer to his chest as if its contents would provide some comfort.
âWot if she doesnât love me back Dad?â He finally spoke in a soft, uncertain voice and Big Daddy had a flash back to the little boy on his first day at the new school, despondently asking his dad if he would make any friends, or if he would even like it. Big Daddy tightened his embrace and rubbed Johnnyâs arm.
âDaanât worry abaht thaâ Johnny. Yer a special boy, just as special as Meena. Iâm sure sheâs cray abaht ya too.â He glanced down to catch the smile returning to his sonâs face just as they stopped in front of the school, so that the little boy hopping out of his truck and dashing across the school yard at full speed was now a veritable ball of sunshine. Big Daddy watched him go with a smile, silently wishing his son all the luck in the world.
Johnny tried to be casual as he hurried through the halls, scanning the myriad of animals crowding the halls for that familiar baby blue jacket and brand new headphones. Meena loves music and was very proud of her new headphones, she wore them practically everyday. He was on the opposite side of the school when the first bell rang and students began reluctantly filing into their classrooms.
Johnny briefly considered dropping one of the bad words that he wasnât supposed to know, but at that moment a hall monitor sent him a pointed look and he took off towards his class.
He skidded into the room at the last minute but his elderly teacher Miss Crawly didnât seem to notice as she was too embroiled in her daily search for her glasses. Sometimes the elusive bifocals were just perched on top of her head or hanging around her neck, but more often than not they were in the oddest places.
Johnny sped to the back table that he shared with Meena and Ash, but as soon as he got there his stomach felt like it was loaded down with boulders. Meena was sitting on the end closest to the window, and sitting next to her was their little porcupine friend, Ash.
Johnny liked Ash. She wasnât afraid to get dirty at recess and her hot wheels collection rivaled his own. Usually they got along really well, but today he almost hated her for taking the only seat next to Meena. He slumped into his seat next to Ash and stared longingly down at the Valentine in his backpack. It was much to special for him to give it to Meena while Ash was around. He would have to wait until he got her alone.
âH-Hi Johnny.â Meena soft greeting easily cut through his melancholy and his smile reappeared on his face as he exuberantly returned her greeting.
âMorninâ Meena! Ya sure look nice today.â As he looked at her outfit, Johnny suddenly realized why he hadnât been able to find her in the halls. She had foregone her usual jacket and jeans for a pretty red dress with big white hearts all over it. She even had on a pretty red headband with a big white heart on it. At his comment, her cheeks went as red as her dress and she looked down shyly, managing to squeak out a thank you before pretending to busy herself with checking over her homework.
âHey Johnny.â Ash greeted him and Johnny went back into pouting mode, giving his friend a grumpy look and delivering his own flat reply.
âOh hi Ash.â Instead of being offended Ash just rolled her eyes and smirked at him. Her smug expression only made Johnny grumpier and he quickly turned away from her to pay attention to Miss Crawly who had finally found her glasses in the trash bin and was greeting the class.
The first half of the day was consumed by various activities that used candy hearts with little messages that Miss Crawly had brought in. They practiced fractions and even wrote a few sentences with the phrases on the hearts. Playing with the candy brought Johnnyâs mood back up and by the end of the lesson he was giggling with Ash and Meena as they shoved their leftover candies into their mouths. They tasted really bad, like flavored chalk, but candy was candy so he ate them all.
At lunch, Meena passed around Valentinâes cookies that she had made with her mom and though Johnny tried really hard to savor the perfect cookie, it was gone in the blink of an eye and left him wanting another one. They chattered happily throughout lunch and bounded out to the playground at the same time.
Johnny was hanging upside down on the monkey bars looking out at the kickball field when he saw them. An innocent patch of daisies was growing in the shade of the wall that marked the boundary of the school yard. That was exactly what Johnny was missing for Meena. Flowers! All the romantic movies that Uncle Barry watched had flowers. With newfound resolve he leapt off the monkey bars and took off towards the flowers.
He was halfway to the patch of daisies when the bell to end recess echoed throughout the playground and all the other kids began to walk back to the school. Johnny put on an extra burst of speed and practically dove for the daisies, quickly and carefully picking a bunch of them. He gently concealed them in his jacket pocket and then took off for the school, his little legs pumping as he ran and his heart pounding in his chest from the impromptu excercise. He made it into the room just before Miss Crawly closed the classroom door, shrugging sheepishly when she gave him a chastising look.
He slipped back into his seat, ignoring the concerned look from Meena and the curious look from Ash. His eyes were glued to the clock for the rest of the school day, his brown eyes intently watching every second tick away until he got to give Meena his Valentine.
His nerves from that morning surfaced again, but they were drowned in his mounting excitement as he divided his attention between the clock and Meena. He watched her as she dutifully did her worksheet and listened to Miss Crawly teach. He didnât feel the least bit guilty that he hadnât heard a word of the lesson today, not since he got to look at Meena, in her special Valentineâs dress.
He loved her so much. Grown ups didnât understand when he said it, but he really did. He wanted to marry her on the playground and hold her hand forever. That would be the best thing in the entire world.
The loud ring of the bell cut through his daze and as his classmates got up and crowded out of the classroom in a clambering mass of limbs and loud voices. Johnny packed up a lot slowly, infinitely grateful when Ash yelled goodbye and left him alone with Meena who was nervously lingering around their desk, waiting for Johnny.
Johnny unzipped his backpack and carefully extracted his Valentine with one hand while the other dug out his improvised, and slightly crushed bouquet of daisies. He glanced to the front of the room where Miss Crawly was sitting at her desk, grading their homework. The coast was clear, the time was right. Johnny took a deep breath and stepped forward so that he was close to Meena, her shy blue eyes meeting his brown ones.
ââEy Meena. I um... I made ya somethinâ special.â He slowly revealed the Valentineâs card and daisies to Meenaâs incredulous gaze. Her shaking trunk gently took the flowers from him while she used her hands to open the card and red the inside. He waited with bated breathas she examined every inch of the card, every part of him tense with anticipation.
He watched her face like a hawk, and when the first tear welled up in her eyes and plopped down onto the front of her dress he went into a panic. He hadnât written anything mean had he? Had someone else hurt her? Was she sad cause she didnât love him back? His mind was a frantic whirlwind of dismay as he tried to figure out why she was crying. He was in so much trouble. He had made a girl cry, and not just any girl, but the girl he loved.
âMeena? Whyâre you cryinâ? Did I do summit wrong?â His hands gestures weakly at his sides and he felt the sudden urge to flee. This was not how it ended in romance movies. The prince never made the princess cry.
But suddenly Meena was looking up at him with the biggest smile he had ever seen, her cheeks red with a blush as the irritation of her tears. She lunged forward suddenly and planted a kiss on his cheek.
Johnny felt like it was his birthday and Christmas all wrapped into one day. Meena had kissed his cheek! That was what was supposed to happen. She was smiling and blushing, the prettiest expression in the world. And then she was speaking and his little heart was jumping for joy in his chest.
âOf course Iâll be your um... your V-Valentine.â She whispered and Johnny almost jumped for joy. He held back that urge but his grin was so wide that it hurt his face and he didnât even care.
âDo ya wanna get some ice cream wif me?â Johnny suddenly blurted out and Meenaâs ears did that thing where they opened up and revealed her entire face, complete with freckles and reddened skin. At this point her entire face was working itâs way towards a ruddy tomato color.
They walked out of the classroom together, neither of them noticing the fond smile on their teacherâs face they were so wrapped up in each other. Meena was still holding her flowers in her trunk and one of her hands clutched his card to his chest like it was a sacred treasure.
They were halfway to the ice cream shop when Meena stopped suddenly and looked at him anxiously, as if he would ever say anything that she didnât want to hear.
âD-did you really m-mean it? Do you um... do you love me?â She stuttered our and Johnny felt his face go red as he reached down and did what had had wanted to since the moment he saw her. He took her hand in his slightly sweaty palm and clasped it like he would never let go.
âCourse I do. âOw could I not love the prettiest, smartest, nicest girl in the whole world?â Meena went impossibly redder and he joined her in mutual embarrassment.
âI love you too Johnny.â She whispered and with that they resumed their journey to the ice cream shop, their hands intertwined and their little hearts fuller than they had ever been.
And here is our winner, headcanon number 7, the soulmates AU. i hope you all enjoy my Valentineâs Day present to you. It takes place in the altered movieverse where things went just a little differently....
The day that Meena Jonesâ life changed forever started out as the most beautiful day she had ever seen in her six short years of life. It was her familyâs official picnic day, the only day that her father had off from the fire station. She, her grandma, and her mommy had spent the entire morning assembling their picnic basket, while her daddy and grandpa loaded up their old truck with blankets and things to do. The entire family piled into the car, Meena perched happily on her motherâs lap, the warm breeze from the open window kissing her cheeks and ruffling her brand new sundress. The white fabric was decorated with cherries and had been made especially for her by her grandmother. She loved it more than anything.
When they got to the park she burst out of the truck with an excited shout and went running to find the best shady picnic spot. When she found the perfect oak tree she stood in the shade like a little elephant sentry, guarding the spot from anyone who dared to even think about claiming their spot as their own. Slowly her family joined her, accompanied by the proper amount of praise for her choice in location. Once everything was set up and the food set out they all sat down on the huge checkered blanket and dug in.
The tingling on her wrist started when she was perched in her daddyâs lap, her face sticky with her grandmaâs cherry pie filling and her bright blue eyes wide and innocent as she enjoyed every second of family time. She was in the middle of a story about the events of her school day when the tingling intensified to an intense burning that made tears well up in her eyes. Meena let out a whimper of pain and started itching the spot furiously, as if that would help relieve the pain, but it only increased until she could do nothing but sob and hold out her wrist for her concerned motherâs healing kisses.
âMama Mama.â She sobbed and Leslie peppered her flushed skin with kisses. Meena couldnât understand how her mommy could look so excited when her wrist hurt so much. She watched in teary amazement as scrawling, messy handwriting appeared on her wrist.
âItâs your soulmark sweet girl. Donât worry.â Meena nodded tearily, waiting for the mark to fully appear. When the mark was fully formed, the pain faded away and Meena found herself staring down at the reddened skin of her wrist where a phrase had been scrawled messily, almost as if in a hurry.
âCongratulations sweetie pie. Why donât you read it for us?â her daddy prompted her and Meenaâs tears dried as she squinted down at the words, putting on her best serious face, despite her red, tear stained cheeks and sniffling trunk.
âSorryâŠaboutâŠtheâŠwholeâŠk-kid-kidnappingâŠthing!â She looked up triumphantly, expecting to see the big grins on her familyâs faces, but instead she was met with looks of horror. Immediately a cold frisson of fear raced through her entire body with a vengeance. Her fatherâs embrace tightened around her and her mother gaped down at her with fear on every inch of her face. Meena immediately shrunk back against her fatherâs protective embrace, looking up at his dark expression.
âMama? Daddy? Whatâs wrong?â she whimpered, but her mom just looked up at her dad and whispered frantically.
âKidnapping?!â She hissed out and suddenly Meenaâs arm was being pulled so that her father could look at her brand new soul mark.
âKidnapping. Leslie it says kidnapping.â Her father snapped, and like a cloud rolling over the sun, the mood of her picnic immediately changed. They quickly packed up the food and her father practically pulled her to the car where she was held in a literal death grip in her motherâs lap. She was sent to her room as soon as they got home, the adults retreating to the kitchen.
Meena barely lasted a few minutes in her room before leaping up off of her bed and sneaking down the stairs to listen to the heated conversation that was taking place in her kitchen. Meena perched herself on the stairs, just out of view with her trunk holding onto the bannister to steady herself. She didnât understand most of the adult words that her parents were using, but her daddy was using his angry voice, and mommy sounded like she had been crying.
âWe have to protect her! Itâs practically guaranteed that she going to get⊠kidnapped!â Her mom started to sob and Meena hugged the bannister tighter. She didnât know what that long word meant but it made her mom cry and her dad angry. It was not a good word.
She looked down at her wrist and angrily glared at the long, messy word permanently written on her grey skin. She had never wished for anything to go away like she did that word, but no matter how hard she stared, or rubbed, or itched at it, the word remained seared into her skin, forever. She abandoned her eavesdropping post and dashed to her room, rivulets of tears rolling down her face as she dove under her covers and and cried herself to sleep.
Starting the very next day, Meena was under constant supervision. She couldnât even ride her bike down the street to play with the other kids anymore, if her parents couldnât go with her she had to sit inside the house and gaze longingly out at her neighbors as they played and enjoyed the sunshine, while she was locked up inside. She took to wearing long-sleeve shirts and jackets to hide her scary soulmark, but it was no use. Her parents had told the entire neighborhood in an effort to keep everyone vigilant. Meena was just the elephant destined to get kidnapped.
As time passed, Meena grew comfortable inside, and though some part of her still yearned to  go outside and make friends her own age, every word drilled into her head by her overprotective family always hushed her desires with overwhelming fear. By the time she graduated high school, she had graduated from hiding her soulmark to hiding herself. She was to afraid to socialize, too afraid to join a choir like her grandfather suggested, half the time she was to afraid to show her entire face. Every night as she lay in her bed behind reenforced, locked windows and stared at those troublesome words and wish with all of her heart that they had never appeared in the first place.
Johnny Bannerton was 9 years old when his soulmark showed up. He and his parents had just arrived at their brand new house and were unloading their belongings from a moving truck when suddenly his chest began to burn painfully. He quickly dropped the box he had been carrying and peeked down the front of his t-shirt where a line of words written in elegant script were slowly tracing over the skin just above his heart.
Excitedly he ripped off his t shirt right there in the front yard, gaping down at his chest where his soulmark was almost finished, the loopy elegant writing was simultaneously out of place and perfect for the messy little gorilla with a crooked, gap-toothed grin.
When the mark had fully formed he sprinted into the house, his chest puffed out proudly to show of his favorite feature. He skidded on the fresh tile and found his mother standing in the kitchen organizing dishes and putting away the meager groceries that they had purchased.
âMum! Mummy! Look! I got my soulmark!â He exclaimed and proudly stood in the middle of the kitchen, chest on display for his motherâs approval while excitement thrummed through every vein.
âOh look at my little man! Iâm soh happy for you love! Want me to read it for you?â Eloise kneeled in front of her son and gave him a loving grin that almost matched his in excitement. Since Johnny had been born his mother had been telling him stories about soulmarks, and how they would lead you to your one true love. Every night she would tell him that his other half was out there, waiting for him. Johnny had been waiting for his soulmark since he was old enough to understand what one was.
âPlease?â He asked eagerly, practically vibrating with excess energy as he waited for her to read it to him. He had tried to read it upside down, but it was even more special if his mom read it to him. Somehow he was certain that her voice would solidify the mark, make it permanent. After all, she was the one who had told him all about the romance of soulmarks.
âAlright dearest.â She let out a warm laugh that made his grin widen further.
âIt says: you dropped your mask.â Johnny tilted his head in confusion and looked down at his fully formed mark as if it would yield more answers, give him some idea about how and when it would happen. When he would meet his soulmate.
âWot does it mean mum?â He asked curiously but Eloise just shrugged with a giggle.
âI daneât knoh dahling, but Iâm sure youâll figure it out.â She pulled him into a tight hug and Johnny held her just as closely, his mind racing with his new riddle.
When Johnny Halloween rolled around, Johnny made sure to wear a costume that required a mask, hoping that it would fall off on accident and he would meet his soulmate. Unfortunately for him, the mask was secure, and never once slipped off of his face. He was despondent the day after Halloween but his mother always cheered him up with his candy and a comforting hug.
âYouâve got time love.â She would whisper and Johnny would settle down for another year, counting the days until Halloween would return and give him another chance at true love.
For the tears following he resorted to dropping his mask on purpose or loosening the knots that held it together. Every year he returned home empty handed and sad, in such a state that only his mother could bring him out of.
And then his mother died, and suddenly there werenât any soulmate bedtime stories, warm hugs, or loving smiles. His fatherâs soulmark faded to a faint grey until it was barely existent and the love and joy was sucked out of their lives.
Halloween snuck up on him that year, and for the first time since receiving his mark, Johnny refused to dress up and go trick or treating. He spent the night locked away in his room, crying softly to himself as he ten his long fingers over the mark that had given him such joy and hope. Without his mother, he no longer wanted to find true love.
Johnny withdrew from everyone around him until even his own father barely saw him and every Halloween he disappeared completely. When he was old enough his father brought him in on the gangâs heists as a lookout. It only took one glance at the faded soulmark on his fatherâs palm for him to give in and participate, despite his own reluctance and dreams.
And so his life went on and he had almost forgotten about his painful soulmark until the day of the bank heist when his father handed him a crude bunny mask and told him to wear it. Johnny had stood staring at the bunny mask for what seemed like an eternity before his fatherâs harsh voice brought him back to Earth and he climbed into the truck alongside his father and uncles.
They sat outside the bank for a few minutes, checking their gear and waiting for the perfect moment, but Johnny just stared at his mask, the simplicity of it mocking him. It wasnât until his father grabbed him and hurriedly pulled the mask over his face that he put it on. The moment the mask was in place, his heart pounded erratically in his chest and every best made his soulmark tingle in anticipation. The day that he had dreaded since his mother was ripped from his life was here and it brought with it a confusing amalgamation of anticipation and dread.
Johnny shook his head to clear it and swore furiously to himself that he would not remove his mask under any circumstances. As far as he was concerned, this mask was glued to his face and they would have to pry it off of his cold dead body if anyone wanted it to come off. Secure in his resolve, Johnny grabbed his empty duffel bag, checked that his mask was secure, and joined his family as they burst into the bank, guns drawn.
Meena shifted nervously in her seat in the bank lobby, fiddling listlessly with her headphone cord as she watched her mother chat amicably with the teller. A jolt of envy rushed through her as she watched the easy way that her mother engaged a perfect stranger in conversation. She would give anything to be able to do the same, if only she had the courage to try. She sunk lower into the chair and wrapped her ears tighter around her face, trying desperately to get lost in the soft music floating from her headphones.
She nearly jumped a foot when the doors to the bank burst open and a group of four gorilla in blue jump suits and bunny masks charged in and began demanding cash. Meena gripped her chair like it depended on it and she watched as the three biggest gorillas waved their guns around and began making demands that she couldnât quite make out. She was still wearing her damn headphones.
The smallest gorilla was watching as a flustered teller shakily filled his duffel bag with cash. Any sense of comfort she may have gleaned from the unarmed robber died as soon as she caught sight of her mother frantically staring at Meena, her eyes as wide as dinner plates with panic.
Meena felt a slight tingle in her wrist and she gasped aloud when she realized what that meant. It was coming, her worst nightmare was coming to pass. She began to hyperventilate, her vision swimming dangerously as fear practically suffocated every other thought besides her urge to run.
She was torn from her panic by the loud whooping of sirens and the colorful cursing of the largest gorilla in the room. Once again she locked gazes with her mother and tried to communicate that she was okay, that her mother had nothing to worry about. But her assurances were even less comforting than usual. Leslie shifted as if she was about to dash across the room to secure Meena, but one of the gorillas noticed and barked at her to stay put and put her head down.
All Meena could focus on was the gun barrel that was now pointed at her stubborn motherâs head. She prayed with her entire being that her mother would listen to someone else for the first time in her entire life. Leslie seemed to take the hint as she sat back down but her gaze never left her previous daughter.
Meena glanced over at the group of gorillas as they zipped up their bags and started backing towards her, obviously trying to escape the way that they had come in. Meena tensed when the sirens grew infinitely louder and the largest gorilla looked behind him with desperation in his grey eyes. Unfortunately he caught sight of Meena at the same time and and Meena saw his next move before his determination had fully set in his gaze.
Like a one man bulldozer he stomped over to her and wrenched her unceremoniously our of her seat, wrapping an arm around her neck so that she was secured in his grip. Meena gasped for panicked breaths, not noticing until that moment that hot tears were rolling down her cheeks and her sobs were echoing through the eerily quiet building. And just like that, the cold metal of a gun barrel dug into her temple and a rumbling, accented voice roared out.
âAnybody moves, anybody follows, we kill the girl.â He declared loudly and Meena looked at her mom to find her frozen on the floor, pale as ice and looking absolutely stricken.
âMeena!â She screamed desperately and the other customers had to hold her back as she tried to lunge for her daughter, tears now pouring down her face like a waterfall. The gun barrel pressed harder into Meenaâs temple and she tried to pull away from it, but the strong arm restraining her kept her in place.
âM-Mom! No! Iâll b-be o-okay. I-Iâll be okay m-m-mom.â She sobbed out desperately, not entirely sure that she even believed herself. Across the room Leslie relaxed slightly and her eyes stayed glued to Meena. Suddenly she was being dragged backwards and out of the bank, the glass doors closing on her mother and leaving her on her own.
The police were waiting for them outside and though their guns stayed trained on the group, none made the move to fire or charge ahead as the biggest gorilla reiterated his warning.
Meena was sobbing in earnest at this point and when she was dragged to the back of an old black pick up truck she was suddenly handed off to the smallest gorilla who was frowning deeply and casting furitive flares at her original captor.
The truck roared to life and she reluctantly climbed into the back with the smallest gorilla and the largest one. No sooner had she sat down in the bed of the truck before the gun was once again pointed at her chest. With a screech of the tires, the truck sped away from the bank and began weaving through the city streets at ludicrous speeds.
Through her hiccuping sobs, the sounds of traffic, and the faint sound of police sirens, Meena caught the heated conversation between the two gorillas that she was sharing space with.
âBloody âell Dad! Wot was that? We daanât take âostages! We daanât âurt anyone!â The youngest one yelled and Meena found herself absentmindedly itching at her tingling wrist as she examined his tense posture and formerly brown eyes.
ââOw the âell else didja think we were gonna escape that shit show eh?!â The large gorilla roared bac, his aim never faltering from her stomach.
âI dunno dad but I definitely didnât sign up fer thaâ stupidity.â The younger one spat venemously and for a second Meena feared that the bigger one might turn his weapon on the younger one. Instead he let out a furious huff and fell silent. In a dizzying sequence of sharp turns and detours, the police sirens faded and the driver began to slow to a normal speed. Meena looked at the young gorilla in the bunny mask and felt her tingling increase in intensity the longer she stared at his chocolate gaze and tense pose. She knew that she needed to look away, perhaps focus on the firearm that was still pointed at her, but there was something about him that drew her in like a moth to the flame.
Johnny knew that he was doomed the moment that his father grabbed the poor elephant girl and his chest began to tingle in earnest.
Not her. Please not her. Not now. He pleaded but the Universe wasnât listening because now he was sitting in the back of their getaway car while his father pointed a gun at the elephant that very well could be his soulmate. For the millionth time he adjusted his bunny mask and internally cursed everyone involved besides the elephant girl.
Her innocent blue eyes were watching him, their depths consumed with fear and curiosity as a steady stream of tears escaped from them. Her face was half concealed by the ears that she had pulled in tight like a shield. It hurts him to see her so obviously terrorized and every part of him wanted to comfort her, to do something to make her comfortable.
Inwardly he scolded himself, the logical part of him demanding for him to realize that he was technically one of her kidnappers and he was the least qualified to comfort her right now.
At least Iâm not the one holding a gun on her.
No that mammal was his father.
Locked in his own inner turmoil, Johnny didnât notice as his Uncle Barry backed the truck into a secluded alleyway until he had shut off the engine. He glanced at his father whose expression had changed from frustration to glee as he hopped out of the bed of the truck and walked to the front cab to gloat over their haul. Just like that, Johnny was alone with a crying girl, who was supposed to be his hostage.
Nervously he fiddled with his leather jacket, trying to think of some way to break up the silence between them that wasnât her soft sobs. He made the mistake of glancing at the girl, and his resolve to keep quiet crumbled under her terrified gaze. She watched him warily as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck and tried to think of something, anything to say. So he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
âSorry abaht the whole kidnappinâ thing.â He blurted out and like he had hit some sort of switch, the girl froze and her tears stopped their persistent flow. Her blue eyes were wider than before and in her obvious shock, her ears had relaxed, flaring out just enough to give him a better look at her face. She was beautiful, despite the tear tracks drying on her cheeks and the red tint in her eyes.
âUhâŠâ She said nothing and he felt more awkward than before, unsure of what else he should say to her, âWeâre not gonna âurt ya. I swear.â
He hoped it sounded comforting, because he was getting nothing else from her besides shock and silence. She must be surprised at his abnormal behavior. What exactly was normal behavior for a kidnapper?! Johnny snorted and once again touched his mask, making sure that it was still in place as he leaned forward and continued to ramble at his silent companion.
âWe daanât usually take âostages. Iâm really sorry. Did my dad âurt ya? Er⊠I mean did the big guy âurt ya?â Johnny fumbled with his words, suddenly hoping that his runaway mouth didnât tell a witness and a victim his name. It would only doom him and get her in even more trouble with his father.
Slowly she shook her head no and her ears flared out a little more as her body relaxed out of the curled up, protective position that she had been in from the moment she was forced into the truck bed. Johnny smiled eagerly at the encouraging response and promptly forgot about his need to keep his mask on as he continued to carry on the fairly one sided conversation.
âThaâs good. I daanât think âe would do it on purpose but sometimes âe daanât know âis own strength.â He shrugged and leaned back against the edge of the truck, suddenly contemplative. When had his life gone from normal to comforting hostages in the back of his dadâs pickup? Somehow he had let his dad wrap him up in a life of crime that he had never wanted. Unbidden, the song that had been stuck in his head for the last couple of days popped into his head and he automatically hummed a few bars, softly singing the beginning to himself.
Abruptly he realized that he wasnât alone and his cheeks went bright red as he nervously glanced at the girl. Instead of the usual fear, her expression was bright with recognition, and it was only then that he noticed the heavy duty headphones around her neck and the faint music that was still coming from them. There wasnât really time to pause your music when being kidnapped.
âYou know thaâ song?â He tried to engage her again, and this time he received a tiny smile for his efforts. She nodded slowly and a red blush popped up on her cheeks. Johnny couldnât help the smile that grew on his face and the way that her shy embarrassment made her look that much more attractive. It was cute.
But there was still a tentativeness about her actions that spoke of some level of fear that still remained. In a second, all of his hard work vanished when a squad of police cars raced past the mouth of the alley, the sound of their sirens breaking their camaraderie and reminding both of them that this wasnât normal, kidnapping did not involve friendly chatting.
She retreated once more, pulling her ears close and shrinking away from him. Johnny saw her retreat, and the part of him that craved the easy companionship of another mammal his age took ahold of his inhibitions and threw them out of the window. He quickly ripped his mask off and shoved it into his pocket.
The girl froze at his sudden reveal, and though she still looked cautious, her ears opened up in surprise and the fear all but melted from her gaze, âPlease. I daanât want ya ter be afraid of me. I didnât want this, any of this.â He took a deep breath and bared his soul to the silent girl, âTer tell ya the truth, this is all me dad.â
Johnny looked down at the scuffed paint of the truck bed, unable to meet her piercing gaze as he told her the one secret he hadnât ever told anyone, especially his family, âI wanna be a singer.â
When he was once again met with silence, his heart sank in his chest. Before he could descend fully into his despair, he felt something heavy touch his shoulder. He looked up and found the girl leaning forward with understanding in her expression as she gently rested her hand on his shoulder. Johnny;s heart soared with relief and he just smiled back at her, absorbing every second as she slowly gave him a smile back.
But the Universe once again intervened on his carefully laid plans as the truck motor started up and his dad poked his head out of the window to address Johnny. The comforting weight of her arm disappeared and suddenly there was a chasm of space between them. Reluctantly, Johnny turned to his dad and listened to his instructions.
âWeâre gonna drop the girl at the corner of Palm and Cherry. Keep an eye on âer til we get there.â He barked out and Johnny gave him a nod in response. Big Daddy disappeared back into the cab of the truck and they carefully made their way out of the alley and started the short journey to the intersection that his father had described. It was only a couple blocks, and the girl was pressed against the truck bed as she did everything in her power to make herself smaller. Whatever they had in the alley had disappeared the moment his father had interrupted, and for the millionth time that day, Johnny felt the urge to cuss his father out, do something, say something, anything to let out the anger he was feeling.
Instead he watched the girl, hoping that she would give him some sort of sign that he wasnât as terrible of a mammal as he thought he was. Talking to her in that alley had been the first time in a long time that he had been open with another mammal. As the truck slowed she glanced at him, and though the fear was still in her expression, it was no longer directed at him. She gave him a tiny smile when they stopped and he jumped out of the truck to help her down onto the asphalt of the abandoned parking lot.
They awkwardly stood together in that parking lot for what felt like an eternity, her uncertain baby blues gazing up into his pleading chocolate gaze. Their reverie was broken by the sharp sound of a horn and his fatherâs voice yelling at him to âget in the bloody truck boy!â. Johnny wrenched his hands out of his pockets and climbed into the back of the waiting truck, his gaze glued to the girl. And then she leaned down and picked something up with her trunk, offering it up to him. It was his bunny mask, bent and a little worse for the wear, but still intact.
âY-You dropped your mask.â her soft voice stumbled tentatively over the words that had consumed him since the moment they appeared on his chest. Johnny could do nothing but robotically accept the mask and stare at her in absolute amazement. It was her. She was his soulmate. She was the one that he had been simultaneously avoiding and searching for since he was nine.
Before he could say anything to her, not that his frazzled brain could possibly come up with the words, he was being yanked back into the bed and the truck roared to life as he sped away. The sight of the girl was replaced by his fatherâs frustrated face as he looked Johnny over and then fixed him with a glare.
âWot âre ya doinâ boy?! Weâre on the run from the bloody cops! We daanât âave time ter wait around! And why arenât ya wearinâ yer mask?!?!â Big Daddy ranted, but as he settled back against the cold metal of the truck bed, all Johnny could think about was his soulmate, who he had kidnapped and left in a parking lot, and every part of him yearned to see her just one more time.
That night after all of the fuss of being abandoned in a parking lot, smothered by her frantic family, and questioned by the police, Meena lay in her bed and pulled back her pajama sleeve to look at the words that she had feared for so long. They were bold and stark against her grey skin and seemed to pulse with new life now that Meena had found him, her soulmate. In the background, the soft notes of âThe Way I Feel Insideâ, the song that her captor, her soulmate, had sung, were consuming her senses until she felt like she was floating with the music, wrapped up in her soulmark.
She remembered his kind gaze, his misguided attempts to comfort her, and his admittedly handsome face. The way his accent had danced over his words, changing the way they sounded, made her heart flutter. She had been wrapped up in a confusing whirlwind of emotions for the entirety of her captivity.
For the first time in twelve years she looked down at her mark and thought that maybe, finding her soulmate hadnât been so scary.
discoholicmusic
2087
theartofmadeline
areudirty
titsay
jacobvanloon
