i'm a heart made of wax, melting in the sun (1/2)
⋆｡willmack
neighbors au, kid fic, yearner4yearner, miscommunication
‘'Like, you know. Do you need anything? Any help? I don't know, like, at least some groceries or—''
''I'm not a single mother of five, you know that, right?'' Mack tries to laugh off the way his chest suddenly tightens. Because nothing about the way things are right now is easy, but if he pretends it's not real, it can't fully overwhelm him.
''No, you're a single mom of one,'' Will jokes along, glancing at Lilian. ''Seriously, Mack. You like, what? Work, play, study at weekends and raise your sister by yourself. Do you even have time to get a full eight hours of sleep, like, ever?''
''Sometimes,'' Mack says it as a joke, but it's only a half-joke. He doesn't know what betrays him, but Will looks at him like he knows.
or: Mack plays soccer and raises his sister by himself. Will and his stupidly named dog live next door. Mack really tries to pretend he doesn't fall in love with the domestication of all of it.
sexuality crisis fics are indeed very fun to write, please show me a snippet of yours (or tell me about it, your choice) 👀
So, I honestly have two different lil timelines and I don't know which one it'll be or if I'll ever even post this, but... here goes, a snippet:
Heat sighed, his own mind driving him crazy. “Wire,” he called his best friend, who was sitting on the couch looking at some papers from a case he was working on. “Can I talk to you for a moment, without you making fun of me?”
Wire slowly looked up, turning his head towards him. “That’s gonna be hard,” he said with a smirk on his face. “But I’ll try.”
Heat walked towards him and sat down on the arm rest of the couch. “I… just don’t know what to think anymore. About myself. About…” He took a deep breath. “About my sexuality.”
Wire raised an eyebrow at that, but didn’t reply and just let Heat explain himself.
“A few weeks ago, I, uhm… I let a guy suck my dick.”
Now both Wire’s eyebrows went up. “Who? Shachi?”
Heat chuckled. “No, he refuses to do that. I asked him – nicely.” He smiled amused. “He says that’s a step too far. Apparently, putting a cock in his mouth would make him question his sexuality, but up his ass is fine.” This gained him a snort from Wire, but it immediately reminded Heat of his own questions about his sexuality again. “No, it was someone else. I promised not to tell, but… I got offered a blowjob and I accepted.”
Wire looked amused. “Well, good for you.”
“Yeah, well… it was pretty good. But that’s the point.” Heat put his hands in his hair, pulling at the dreads. “Like, I’m not attracted to that guy, I think, but I did enjoy it. And then there’s fucking Shachi every now and then… I also really enjoy that.” He looked his friend in the eyes. “I know you think we shouldn’t let ourselves be defined by labels and whatever, but not putting a label on it feels like… I don’t know, for me it feels like it’s not real. Like there’s nothing… I don’t fit in anywhere, you know? I want to know, put the correct label on it for myself. Because now I just don’t know where I stand.”
“Hm,” Wire said, obviously not feeling the same way, but trying to understand him. “I guess that makes sense. So… maybe you’re bisexual.” He shrugged.
Heat stared at the table. “Am I, though? I don’t feel bisexual. I mean… I never look at a guy and think ‘oh, I wanna fuck him’ or ‘he’s cute!’ or anything.” He cocked his head. “I mean… except maybe for Shachi. But that’s Shachi. He doesn’t count.”
Ich wollte (will) im Urlaub an meinen Storys arbeiten. Allerdings ist es viel zu warm und wir lassen die Seele am Meer/Pool baumeln. Mir juckt es aber echt unter den Fingern anzufangen. Muss endlich Esther/Jay für mein Seelenheil schreiben und das verbunden mit dem setting der AU... und natürlich Krabat!Adam qwq (wobei die Rollen da noch nicht fix sind) und all meine anderen angefangen WiPs (denke immer an dich, Moritz). Dienstag geht es nach Deutschland zurück. Mal sehen.
I am bad at posting in multiple places but if you follow A study in Friendship now’s the time to catch up. We’re at chapter five now, and it’s over 5k!
Yeah, I’m surprised too.
I asked about a tag list and then someone reblogged but Tumblr is a butt and I’m having trouble seeing what they said if anything, so I’ll be working on that too.
Anyway! You can find Chapter five over on AO3 or right here on Tumblr because I’m on a computer and feel like it. First full chapter on Tumblr!
Chloe had not, in fact, left her alone once the week was up. Instead, Sabrina learned that Chloe had been holding back over the past month. Go figure. And while Sabrina still had some problems defending herself, for every scathing comment Chloe sent her way, one of her friends would have a supportive comeback.
In short, life wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty amazing!!!
Did she mention she had seven friends now? Seven!! Marinette, George, Alya, Calista, Rose, Nino, and Adrien. And she was on tentatively good terms with the rest of her fellow students. That had never happened before! She could greet people and be greeted back, positively.
And sometimes it wasn’t her making first contact!
Like today, for instance.
“Good morning Sabrina!” Calista called, waving excitedly in the hallway.
“Good morning Calista!” Sabrina couldn’t help the smile as she dashed up and hugged Calista. “Did you have a good afternoon?”
“Oh it was amazing! I ended up in the catacombs, which yes I know is really dangerous, but I found some really cool stuff. I’m even checking with my dad to see if it counts as property open to the public. And even if I can’t keep it, I have like twenty pictures.”
“Oohh,” Sabrina breathed. Calista had shown in the past week that she had an affinity for finding the coolest things in the most random places. “Can you text me some of them? Or are they all on your camera?”
“Camera,” Calista said sadly. “But I’m going to print them this afternoon. The brooch was so pretty!” Calista sighed wistfully. “Anyway,” she turned her full attention to Sabrina. “How’s your turtle set coming along?”
“It’s coming,” Sabrina answered, rocking on the balls of her feet. “I think I’m ready to put a finishing coat on the main beads, finally.”
“Aw yes!” Calista jumped. “I can’t wait to see the finished product. I have told you how talented you are with beadwork, right?”
“You have,” Sabrina answered around a smile. Calista had said it at least five times in the past week. Especially after Sabrina had given her the star bracelet. Which Calista had worn every day since.
“Well I’m saying it again, you’re super talented, and the turtle set is going to come out looking so amazing.”
“I’m glad you think so,” Sabrina blushed.
“Cally!” One of Calista’s classmates skidded up to the pair. “Cally! Christian and Lucien are trying to claw each other’s hearts out.”
Calista sighed. “This is what I get for running for class rep. Well, better go stop them from getting hurt. See you later Sabrina!” She waved, her classmate latching onto her arm.
“See you!” Sabrina waved as Calista was dragged off by her classmate. Sabrina continued along the upper hallway to her classroom.
“Hey Sabrina!!” Alya leant over Marinette’s empty seat and held out a fist, Sabrina tapped it happily with her own as she passed.
“Hi Alya!
“Morning Ivan!” He glanced over at her, and she caught a small smile as he nodded to her before resuming his conversation with Mylene. Sabrina was… bad… in the love department, but even she could see how in love the two of them were.
Finding someone that compatible for herself in a few years would be a dream come true. For now though, Sabrina would just watch their love bloom happily.
She walked up to her seat, stopping to greet her almost-friend in the back row. “Hi Juleka.” the goth gave a tiny one-handed wave and muttered ‘Hello’ back.
Sabrina even chanced a wave at Nathaniel before she turned and slid into her seat. The redhead gave her a similar wave as Juleka had.
“Good morning Sabrina!” Rose called, skipping up the steps. “Good morning Juleka! Good morning Ivan! Good Morning Adrien, Good morning Mylene! Good Morning Alya! Good Morning Nino! Good morning Nate! Good Morning Max! Good Morning Kim!”
A chorus of ‘Good morning Rose!’ echoed back at the peppy blonde. Rose smiled as she slid into her seat in the back row.
Chloe stalked into the room, head held high. She sent a smirk to the back of the room, and Sabrina shivered. That was not a good kind of smirk. Sabrina hoped that Chloe was just acting haughtily to ride on her father’s coattails. M. Bourgeois was on his way to winning the mayoritorial elections, again. M. D’Argentcourt had been thoroughly humiliated throughout his campaign. At times it seemed the entire city was working against him.
Power players such as Andre were probably why the Americans had a limit on how many terms a leader could serve.
Sabrina listened in on the various conversations as she waited for Mme. Bustier to arrive.
Max was describing an idea for an AI with emotions to Juleka; Rose, Alix, and Mylene had started to talk about shades of the Color pink, and Kim was saying something about not being afraid of anything Ivan would ever know about, - spiders, if it hadn’t changed from when Sabrina had gathered blackmail info last year so that no one would run against her and Chloe in-
Oh crap.
Class representative elections had been making their way around the school this month. Calista had just been voted in on Friday.
Her life had changed a lot in two months. A lot, because she used to have the dates to start gathering information ingrained into her internal clock, and knew exactly what it was for every time. She had thought her secret hunting urges were just because she was so excited about Kitty Section forming and that she knew Nathaniel had been working on a secret project. She’d completely forgotten about elections.
Sabrina had never considered herself someone for whom adaptation was easy, and yet here she was.
“Oh it would be amazing if we got cushioned seats this year. Do you think that whoever gets elected would do that?”
“Well no, but Chloe doesn’t have to be the rep this year.”
“She doesn’t?”
“I mean,” Rose took a breath and then leaned forward so she could talk to Sabrina. “Bri, are you gonna help Chloe run for rep this year?”
Sabrina wasted no time shaking her head, keeping her gaze stubbornly on Rose’s face. “Nope.”
Rose smiled, turning back to Mylene. “See?”
“Yeah, okay. But who’s going to run instead?”
“Good question!” Rose leaned over her desk again. “Bri, are you going to run?”
Sabrina paused at that. She hadn’t thought about it. She considered it for a moment, waving to Marinette as she entered, then turned and told Rose she really didn’t know, adding on a “besides, I don’t think I’d be that good at being in charge. I might run for assistant rep.”
“Wait does that mean we’ll have fair elections this year?” Marinette asked, turning around in her seat.
Sabrina nodded.
Marinette pumped her fist. “Yes! Have we decided who’s running this year?”
“I want to run for rep,” Rose admitted. “It’ll be fun to try.”
“I’m running too!” Kim added loudly. “This time she can’t hold my fear of spi-something against me!”
“Can’t I, Kim?” Chloe’s icy voice interrupted. Sabrina watched as she sashayed up the aisle and slammed her hand onto Kim’s desk. “I don’t have anything new to use against you, but don’t think for a minute that I won’t use what I still have.” Chloe turned her glare to Sabrina. She flinched. Chloe looked triumphant about that. “I don’t need Sabrina to keep you plebeians in line.
“Anybody who runs against me this year will meet the same fate as previous years.” She yawned into her hand. “I’ll just have to go without an assistant this year.” Chloe turned away and sashayed back down the stairs. She slid into her seat, head held high.
Mme. Bustier clapped her hands before the conversation could continue.
The subdued attitude carried through the rest of class, and only worsened when Mme. Bustier officially announced that the Class Representative election for their class would happen this week, and that anyone who wanted to run needed to decide by fourth period, and have their paperwork in by Tuesday morning.
“I had been so excited,” Rose lamented, setting her tray down between Juleka and Sabrina. The entire class, sans Chloe, had gathered for lunch in the cafeteria.
“Is Chloe really that bad of a class representative?” Adrien asked.
The emphatic Yes from the rest of the class had him flinching. Sabrina felt a little sorry for him. She , at least, had no misconceptions as to what Chloe was like when they were friends. Or, less misconceptions. It was worse from the other side, but not by too much.
“I don’t think we should let her have her way this year.” Alix stated. “I mean, Marinette already told her to take her bad attitude somewhere else, why don’t we all help reinforce that idea? Between the, what, thirteen? Of us, most of her threats won’t actually mean anything, right?”
“Yeah!” Kim cheered.
Max cleared his throat. “As much as I hate to kill the mood, Chloe's threats do still apply. She can still spill secrets, and she has enough pull with the school board that she can still carry them out, just not with the same amount of ease as previous years.”
Alix groaned, laying her head on the table. “Her tyranny has to end somewhere.”
“What if we blackmail her back?” Juleka asked, forking a piece of (furd) into her mouth. Sabrina jolted, staring at her flabbergasted. Apparently she wasn't the only one, because Juleka shrunk in on herself a bit a moment later. “It was just a suggestion.”
“There's got to be someone she has nothing on,” Alix huffed. “Wait a minute, Sabrina?”
Sabrina froze as all eyes turned on her.
“Alix, what are you asking?” Ivan asked, a hint of accusation in his tone. Sabrina wasn't sure which girl it was truly aimed at.
“Who doesn't she have blackmail on.” Alix said again. “Sabrina, you know this, right?”
Sabrina nodded slightly. She didn't like it when the past was brought up, she had tormented them so much, but it was inevitable in this situation. She took a deep breath before answering, hoping her voice stayed factual and firm. “Kind of. I don't have anything on Marinette, Alya, or Adrien. But Chloe might have found something else since I left.”
At her words, the class erupted. Sabrina winced at the overlapping yells, moving to cover her ears. Some of the noise was cheers, some were questions, Kim was making a lot of it, really it was just too much, too much, she couldn't think, how could thirteen people make so much noise-
There was a bang as Marinette stood up, slamming her hands onto the table. “Guys!” her shout cut through the din surprisingly well. The class turned to look at Marinette instead of each other. “One at a time,” she ordered calmly.
Sabrina lowered her hands back tO her lap, taking a deep breath in the relative calm.
Rose raised her hand.
“Yes Rose?”
“If you run, do you think we can build a petition for scrapbooking club like we did for the art room?”
Marinette flushed scarlet. “I don't think I'll run, but I can definitely help you set that up if Chloe closes it.”
“Girl, why wouldn’t you run?” Alya asked. “You might be the only one who can.”
“What?” Marinette sat back down, turning so she could focus her incredulous look on Alya. “I can't lead people! And even if I could, I don't have enough time to do so properly.”
“Well I can’t be class rep around the Ladyblog, and Adrien is always busy.”
Sabrina could bring up a few examples to fight most of the points Marinette had brought up. The time one was the only thing she couldn’t argue against. But.. Hadn’t she said she wanted to be assistant rep? After running both her and Chloe’s lives for years, there was at least one thing she was good at, and that was managing events around the rest of lives. And time as a whole. As long as Marinette was okay with that, of course.
“I could help with the time thing,” she rushed out, closing her eyes. She didn’t want to see what they thought of that. Rose would be supportive, but she didn’t know how the others would act.
There was no sound from the rest of the table. Had she just ruined their friendship by going against what Marinette had said? Oh she hoped not, she had only been trying to help!
“What about your own schedule?” Marinnette asked.
Sabrina opened her eyes. Marinette didn’t look mad, thank goodness. Instead she looked… worried?
“Oh I can manage mine with time to spare!” she assured her. “It’s not a problem to help, really.”
“If you’re sure you want too, that could work.” Marinette said slowly. “But I don’t want to be an absentee rep for everyone.”
“I could run with you, and we could work together, like with the project! Find times that work for both of us, and then just plan a few weeks in advance.”
Marinette’s smile was worth taking the chance to say that. “I think that could work.”
Rose started clapping, and soon the entire class was too. Sabrina blushed at the praise.
She just kept topping herself at how happy and important she could feel. They weren’t clapping only for her, of course it was for Marinette too, but still.
***
Sabrina rocked on her heels at the apartment door. Marinette had offered for her to come over Tuesday night for them to get a strategy working. Sabrina was late, an akuma had attacked while she was on her way to Marinette’s house. She hoped Marinette wouldn’t be upset.
There were footsteps on the other side, and then Marinette yanked the door open. “Sabrina are you okay?”
“Yeah. I was able to hide.” Sabrina assured her quickly.
“Oh thank goodness.” Marinette hugged her. “Come on in.” she pulled back and opened the door wider. Sabrina smiled and followed her inside and upstairs.
“So where should we start?” Marinette asked, plopping into her desk chair and sliding over to her desk. She picked up a box and a screwdriver off her desk, and then spun to face Sabrina. “Do you mind if I work while we talk?”
Sabrina shook her head. “Not at all! What are you working on?”
“A locking box,” Marinette shrugged. “I figured that even though she shouldn’t realistically be able to get up here, I might as well lock up my diary anyway.”
“Better safe than sorry,” Sabrina agreed.
“Do you want me to make you one too after I’m done?”
Sabrina shook her head. “I’ve got my own measures. Thank you for the offer though!”
Marinette smiled. “Good on you.”
“So how are we running this campaign? Chloe normally trys to ruin her competition, but that doesn’t seem like a very you thing to do.”
“Definitely not,” Marinette agreed emphatically. “I was considering a full speech, you know?”
“I can help with speeches,” Sabrina agreed. “And you’ve come up with some good ones on the spot before, so this one is bound to turn out amazing!”
Marinette giggled. “Thanks Sabrina.
“Oh! We have to do the paperwork first! How did I forget that?” Marinette spun her chair again, setting the box on her desk so she could open up her computer. A few minutes later her printer was running. “Okay, there’s that.”
Marinette handed Sabrina her set of papers, and sat down with her own. “Do you need a pen?”
“Yes please,” Sabrina answered. Marinette passed her a pen, and they got to work.
Line one; year, class, and name.
As it turned out, Marinette did a lot more work than Chloe ever had while they ran. In years past, Sabrina and Chloe had won immediately for lack of competition. Now, she and Marinette were running against Chloe. And even though they knew most would vote for them instead, Marinette was determined to be a worthy candidate, not just someone who was voted for instead.
And that was just from the first night of planning and preparing!
Sabrina loved her.
Laying on Marinette’s bedroom floor, Sabrina ticked off another few boxes concerning her health status before looking back up at Marinette. Marinette was beside Sabrina, her cheeks puffed, and her legs kicking back and forth violently.
Sabrina pursed her lips, looking down at the next question on the form. Why do you think you’ll be a good candidate? That one was tricky. Why did she?
Organizational skills would work as a reason, right?
“Sabrina, did they nominate me just because I wasn’t Chloe?” Marinette asked, flopping onto her back.
Sabrina looked over, puffing her own cheek. “I doubt it. You have the makings of a good leader. You’re super nice and check on everyone. Or, almost everyone.” She didn’t name the one person she didn’t think Marinette took care of, that was obvious. But still. “That’s what the representative does anyway, right? Take care of everyone?” And really, Marinette had a big enough heart to take care of even Chloe if it came to it.
Marinette sighed. “Yeah. I just don’t want anybody to think I’m only doing it because it’s my responsibility.”
Sabrina hummed. “I don’t think anyone would think that. I mean,” she forced a laugh. “Look at me! I went from the second most hated girl in our grade to someone with actual friends in four weeks after you offered. And that was all before this.” She looked down at her hands. “They’d have to have pretty bad memories to think you only help because you have to.”
Marinette chuckled. “I don’t think we have anyone with memory problems in our class.”
Sabrina smiled, and turned back to her forms. The sound of pencils reigned for a minute, and then; “Thank you Sabrina. I needed to hear that.”
“No problem.”
You know, support for her friends and good at making things happen were both things that would be good on this. She might as well.
In the margins, she ends up scribbling an extra note.
Mostly to support Marinette.
***
“How do you speech?” Marinette asked, glaring at her tablet screen as though it had personally offended her.
This prep meeting was at Sabrina’s house, so they were sitting on Sabrina’s bed to brainstorm and write Marinette’s electoral speech.
“Be personal, don’t ramble too much, stay engaged, metaphors are only good if they’re simple or you explain them, bulletpoint a point a minute if you have that much time or that many topics, uhhh,” Sabrina leant over Marinette’s side to look at her screen. “That looks pretty good, actually. Do you want me to start the stopwatch and see if it fits in the time?”
Marinette shook her head. “I’m gonna revise it again first.”
Sabrina shrugged. “OKay.” She sat back up, and pulled her beadwork back onto her lap. She was working on a new set of more casual jewelry, pink flowers for this one’s theme. The turtles weren’t done yet, she had run out of the type of clasp and hadn’t been able to get more yet, but she was okay with that.
“Ah-ha!” Marinette exclaimed. “I think I got it! Where’s the stopwatch?”
Sabrina grabbed it from it’s pocket on her lap tray. “Right here. Want me to watch it?”
“Sure. Thank you!”
Sabrina set up the clock and started counting down. “Three, two one, go!” She hit start, and Marinette took off, her voice loud, if a bit shaky.
“So as you know, I’m running for class rep-”
***
“Alya I think I’m gonna die,” Marinette said in lieu of a usual greeting as she slid into her seat.
It didn’t help Sabrina’s nerves at all.
Alya sighed, turning slightly to look at her friend. “Marinette, you’ll be fine. You and Sabrina worked on this all week, you’re going to kill it.”
“But what if we don’t?” Marinette asked, grabbing Alya’s shoulders.
“Marinette, you’re going up against Chloe.”
“Which is why I’m worried!”
“You’ll be fine. She’s not that big of a threat.”
Marinette didn’t seem convinced, but she let the subject drop. “Any luck getting an interview with Ladybug?” she asked instead.
As Alya descended into an excited ramble about the two minutes of talking she got to do with Ladybug yesterday, Marinette did a half-turn and waved. Sabrina waved back, trying to smile. She didn’t really feel it had come out right.
She was really nervous. Really, really nervous. They had been prepping all week, but there was still a small margin for error. And that small margin would become a big margin if there was an akuma attack or if Chloe came up with a really good plan.
“Are you okay?”
Sabrina jumped at Ivan’s question. “Yep! Of course! No problems here! Not nervous or anything! Heh.” From the look on his face, he didn’t believe her in the slightest. “No,” she sighed. “I’ve broken away from Chloe, but this is the first time I’ll be directly opposing her since the project. I’m worried.”
Ivan shrugged. “We’ve all been scared of Chloe at one point or another. Don’t worry, if she tries anything, we’ll have your back.”
Sabrina smiled. She and Ivan hadn’t talked too much in the four weeks since she started to sit by him, but she felt like they were almost friends anyway. “Thanks Ivan.”
“Alright class, settle down. Before we start our lesson today, I have to remind you that elections are this afternoon at city hall, so be sure to be there!”
Sabrina felt her gut clench again, and she stubbornly did not look towards Chloe’s bench.
Classes passed in a blur. Sabrina almost never had trouble paying attention, but today she was very out of it. She kept going through scenarios in her head that grew increasingly dire as the hours passed. The only things she could remember in detail were the talks inbetween classes. A lot of ‘good luck!’s were sent their way, and George and Calista even pulled her aside to give her a few packages of chocolate. Calista had said something about being excited to see her in presidency meetings.
Sabrina was really glad they had an hour between school and the elections. It was set so kids in fencing or scrapbooking would be able to go to both.
Sabrina stood on the school steps, trying to figure out where she’d go in the interim. She and Marinette had decided that the best thing to do would be to go propless, so she didn’t need to go home. She found herself watching Chloe saunter up to her car. Her dad had officially won the elections today. It was a fact that just made Sabrina more nervous. Chloe turned at the door, and smirked. Sabrina whined in her throat. Was it too late to back out?
“Want to spend the wait at my house?”
Yes, it was. Sabrina turned to shook Marinette a shaky smile. Marinette needed the support. “That sounds amazing.”
“You don’t sound too good,” Marinette noted. “Are you going to be okay? Do you just need to breathe for a bit?”
“Come on, we can watch a few episodes of something while we wait.”
They ended up watching lighthearted and simple cartoons, while eating some of Marinette’s scarily large cookie collection, to keep them from fretting too much. Eventually though, the alarm to start towards the city hall rung, and they were pulled back to the present.
“Ready?” Marinette asked, slinging her purse over her shoulder.
“Not at all,” Sabrina admitted.
“Me neither,” Marinette confirmed. “Better when it’s over, right?”
“Normally,” Sabrina agreed. “We should go before I decide I can’t.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Hey Sabrina?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for volunteering to have my back.”
“You’re welcome. I mean, we made a good team, right?”
“Yeah.”
They were only a block away from the hall when Marinette’s phone started going off. She dug it out, and held it between herself and Sabrina. “What’s up, Alya?”
“Chloe’s trying to buy votes,” Alya’s annoyed tone came through the speaker. “With Jagged Stone tickets.”
That sounded like Chloe.
“For real?” Marinette asked.
“For real. How close are you?”
“Just around the corner,” Marinette assured her. “Sabrina and I will be there in just a minute.”
“Alright, see you soon.”
“Jagged Stone tickets,” Marinette huffed. “Of course she’s going for a bribe.”
“We knew she would do something,” Sabrina sighed.
“Yeah. Well, let’s get in there and show her that money can’t buy everythinG!” Marinette said enthusiastically. Her nerves at least, seemed to have dissipated into fury. Sabrina couldn’t say the same for her own.
All the same, there were a lot of things money couldn’t buy. Like true friendship.
The girls entered city hall, and were greeted with the cheers of some classmates.
“Yeah! Come show us what you’ve got!” Alix yelled, her eyes alight with excitement.
Sabrina smiled a bit. She wasn’t going up against a hostile crowd. She was by Marinette’s side. She could do this.
And then the akuma attacked.
***
“I didn’t abandon anyone, Chloe!” Marinette snapped. “I got knighted while trying to close the upper windows.”
Everyone had been knighted by the end of the fight. It was scary, watching the darkness close in, not knowing if Marinette was safe - which she wasn’t - and knowing they were doomed too.
Adrien cracked some pun about it being a knightmare to be knighted, and Sabrina had to agree. She would be having nightmares for a week.
“Well, obviously only one of you showed any actual leadership skills during the attack, so I think we all know who we’re voting for,” Alya said sassily. Sabrina took s step back at Chloe’s scowl.
“Not so fast Alya,” Marinette said.
“See! She’s already throwing in the towel! Obviously I’m the best representative, I can handle the job.”
“That’s not what she said,” Sabrina muttered. Chloe’s glare snapped to her. She took another step back.
“Sabrina’s right,” Marinette said. “I said it wasn’t time for voting yet, not that I was quitting.” She turned to the class at large. Sabrina could feel a speech coming on. “I don’t want you all to vote for me based on one interaction, and I don’t want you to vote for me because I’m not Chloe. I want you to cast your votes to who you think will actually do the job best. I won’t be able to do everything, but I’m good at finding compromises and thinking outside the box. Sabrina’s extremely good at schedules, and finding all the hurdles we need to jump to get to a specific goal. We’re good partners, and I promise we’ll both do our best. So, vote for Marinette and Sabrina as Class Representatives!”
Sabrina and Alya were the first to clap, followed by Adrien and Rose, and then everyone but Chloe and the mayor.
“Go ahead and go vote Class. I’m sure we’re all eager to have our representatives chosen for the year,” Mme. Bustier encouraged. The entirety of the not-nominated classmates surged forward at once.
Marinette meanwhile, stepped up to Sabrina’s side. “So, uh, that went...” she trailed off with a nervous laugh.
“As far from plan as possible?” Sabrina offered.
“Yeah, that’s a good way to describe it,” Marinette agreed. “I completely forgot my speech.”
“It sounded good anyway.”
Their conversation was stopped by Mme. Bustier clapping. “Alright students! Marinette, Chloe, Sabrina, please come up so we can announce the winner!”
“Come on!” Marinette whispered excitedly, holding out her hand. Sabrina took it, trying not to squeezed too hard.
Chloe kept her head up as she joined them, but Sabrina knew the look of fury in her eyes. She bit back another whimper.
“The votes have been counted,” Mme. Bustier said. “And the winners are...” she paused for emphasise. Sabrina caught onto her wording though. She took a deep breath, and fixed a smile on her face. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Sabrina Raincomprix!”
Alya and Rose squealed from where they were in the crowd, and Sabrina wasn’t able to fully turn to smile at Marinette before Rose tackled her.
“You did it! Sabrina I’m so proud of you! I just know you’re going to be amazing!” Rose pulled back, wiping her eyes. “I’m so proud. You’ve just bloomed!” and then she burst into tears.
Sabrina didn’t know what to do with that. Was Rose okay? She didn’t know, but Juleka seemed to think so.
She took her friend’s arm gently. “Come on Rose, let others congratulate her too.” She looked up and smiled at Sabrina. “Congratulations, Sabrina.” Juleka led Rose over to tell Marinette congratulations too, and then Sabrina lost sight of them in the crowd of classmates. It was only her class there, but it felt like a lot more while they were all wishing her good luck and offering congratulations.
Eventually the stream died down, and Sabrina could breathe again. She turned to find Alya primed with her phone.
“Come on girls, lets get some smiles! I’ve got to put this on the school blog!”
Marinette found her way back to Sabrina’s side, and they took a moment to pose. Once Alya had the picture, she rushed up to give kisses goodbye, claiming she had a family engagement she was already late for.
“I guess this is it then?” Marinette said.
“Yeah.”
“This year is going to be wild.”
Sabrina agreed. It had already been wild, between the Akumas and magic and the shifting power structures.
“I’m glad I have you as a partner in this,” Marinette said, setting an arm on her shoulder. “Thank you, really.”
“I like doing things I’m good at,” Sabrina said honestly. “And I want to support you and the others. I’m just glad you gave me a chance.”
“Of course.”
Sabrina smiled, and in a spur of the moment, she held out her fist. “Pound it?”
Marinette smiled even wider, if that was possible, and tapped her own to it. “Pound it.”
how’s it going my babes???!!! okay so for those of you who dont know, im just going to expose myself and say that about a little over 4 years ago i got my first ever tumblr and it was dedicated to one direction and boiii was it the worst experience of my life lol, but i made a new blog (this one) and it’s already been 3 years!!! 3 DIDDLY DARN YEARS!!!! so, i wanna thank all my mutuals for making this hellsite more tolerable and just making me wheeze and squeal everyday bc damn some of yall are funny and adorable ilysm. and i also wanna give a quick shoutout to anyone who’s been here w me since i was trashgoddesss, you experienced hell and im so sorry - here, let me give you a hug!! okay this is becoming really long so im just gonna end this by saying that thank you for validating me when no one else did, and i hope that 2018 will be a great year for all of you!!! love you guys sooo much!!! take care!!!!
I'm not in love with Simón Álvarez. No way. Why would I be that? This is just a plan.
But why do I feel something everytime he looks at me? Everytime he smiles his goofy smile? Everytime he pulls his funny silly jokes?
Why would I be in love with a guy who dresses like that? His cheesy beanies and everything? But everytime I talk to him I can be myself. I can talk about my godmother, my parents. And it seems that he actually cares about what I say; he listens and encourages me. When I feel sad he always gets me in a better mood. He makes me laugh, smile - something I have not done in a long time.
But I'm not in love with him... This is just a plan, that's all. I have become more popular, and that's all I want. The plan succeeded.
I, Ámbar Smith, is not in love with Simón Álvarez.
Summary: Death can change a man, how he sees the world and its people, yet he can do nothing for he's no longer part of it. But death is not always so permanent as one has been made to believe, neither is one's predetermined fate.
Especially in the presence of Gods.
Chapter 1: This is not the end
"...Amen," Athelstan trailed off as he finished the prayer. He felt the looming present before he even saw him among the shadows. But there was no fear only that of peace so he turned with a slight smile at the other. The boatmaker. His end.
"Floki."
"Priest."
The gleam of murderous intent glowed in the viking's coal smeard eyes, glowed like that of the candles surrouding them. The purpouse was clear yet Athelstan felt no need to fight, there was only acceptence and he was ready to meet his end so to begin his beginning.
With the present of his God, whom covered him in warmth and safety, the re-newed Christain turned back to his makeshift cross. "Lord, recive my soul," armed stretched out and head lifted towards the heavens. Athelstan closed his eyes for the final time.
They would meet again, he assured himself, not in their afterlives but as long as Ragnar Lothbrok lived Athelstan would watch him and guide him in the likes of angels.
It does not matter where I go, what matters to me is where you're going.
A roar of wrath broke the silence and an axe swong swiftly and quickly through the air. It all ended and turned eternally black at the sound of a body hitting the ground with a thud.
-
The final grains of dirt fell upon the grave, covering the once vessel of a beloved while the rain cried from above. A shovel plummet into the ground before the man slumped down beside it with a stick in hand, eyes wet with tears to come and chest heavy with unsolvable sorrow.
The christian grave was almost finished, made by supportive and loving hands of a pagan. A heathen in the eyes of the christain faith. Only it's grave mark was momentary absent but the cross was moments away from being made.
But unknown to the grief stricken pagan, a foreign yet known God looked on with approval at the empathetic act of another's religion and wishes.
Such an action was to be rewarded.
As the pagan's lips parted with purpose to speak to the kindred spirit who no longer could hear his words, the heavily being reached out, setting the words on course to be carried to the intended's ears.
-
"I never knew what a martyr was,"
Eyes open as if waking from heavy sleep. White. At first he flinched harsly and threw up his hands in an attempt to protect his eyes from such overwhelming brightness... yet no pain came. Slowly they dropped and he took in the sight before him.
There was nothing but endless heavenly light, it shone brightly and surrounded him, engulfed him completely. It should leave the observer blind yet he was only left with a feeling of utter bliss.
"I still don't."
In the distance he heard muffled sounds but they were nothing to the deafening present of the God before him. This was not heaven, he was somewhere else.. In between.. waiting. How such knowledge was bestowed upon him, he did not know. Yet he did not despair at his current placement for he was not alone, his lord, his God was embracing him at this very moment with his grace.
Nothing more could he wish or desire.
Then shadows move over him, above him, leaving trails of coldness where it touches him. The cold is shocking and biting compared to the warm and peaceful caress from his savior. It should leave him shivering but instead it was welcoming and filled him with comfort as from an old friend. He lifted his head high and watched them move through his lord's being. Angling their shapes to gracefully fly passed and around him, to circle him like prey. Their sleek and shiney black feathers contrasting starkly against the whiteness and the beady eyes were wise and knowing.
Odin.
Laughter spilles out of him and it clang joyfully through the air while his eyes grew misty with tears. Beloved gods, one time or another he could feel in his soul that he've abandoned both yet they seem to have never abandoned him in return.
"You're a brave man Athelstan..."
The muffled sounds in the background broke through and formed words but only one registered.. Athelstan.
His soul is as an empty chamber being filled, bringing him back to who he was... is. It all flooding in like a broken dam, reminding him. Athelstan. His chosen name. He blinked rapidly as if to clear any fog from his sight and in the process lets his tears roll freely down his smiling cheeks.
His lord shines brighter and the ravens caws and beat their wings faster as he fully understand the deep root of his happiness, devotion and love for the gods that surround him. The familiar sounds return to a muffled state and his mind drifted away from it's purpose and towards the Gods.
The blissfulness and loving light shined upon him are the peaceful days of him praying and working to paint words of God into beautiful images. The sharp coldness of the ravens' wings are the comfort of home in the Northlands, where winter is harsh but the crisp air fills his lungs with new refreshing life and the comfort of being pulled back inside by rough and gentle hands which are toasty warm from the heat of the fire.
Clasping togther his hand as to pray Athelstan was unable to keep himself from gazing in awe "My lord," was the breathless words that exhaled from his lips, the very first sound made from him of what felt like years "Odin," Two Gods whom he loved deeply and which he struggled to choice between now stood before him in their godlike glory.
One he choice to no longer acknowledge for that of his later God before meeting his final end.
"I- I'm unworthy of your present," he confessed with guilt and flicked his eyes away in shame but wherever he looked, the black birds were there and were not interested in being ignored. A big raven finally flew at his face causing him to move away in shock before looking up with wide eyes in surprise. It circled above him, his eyes followed as it flew and it's calming movment was as a balm for his guilt. The ever present light of God remain upon him and graced him still with heavinly bliss.
He was forgiven, and eternal peace was within his grasp.
Eyelids dropping, he slowly fell into an adrift. Any questions upon his mind for the Gods fell silent, for time was nothing in this place...
"Aah Athelstan, I hope you can hear me Athelstan..."
Those sounds again. Coming through the mist of his mind, scratching to get in and be heard even among powerful beings. These were not the words of his Gods..
"And I'm not just talking to myself."
There was a tug, something inside was feeling a pull. An emotional pull for something he did not know or understand yet yearned to follow. Athelstan's eyes flutter open, the Gods were still around him but he could now hear the noises more closely and clearly. Hear the words being spoken.
"What?.... Do you think I went too far with Floki?"
There was an echo of a bitter chuckle that followed, filling his ears and making Athelstan's chest tighten in discomfort at hearing such a tone.
"Can you actually believe, that he thought I would let him lead without my having an agenda?"
Athelstan started glancing around himself in hope of finding the location or direction that this voice was coming from. This voice with such bitterness. But he saw only light and the dark birds within the big vast of emty space that went on endlessly with no end in sight, at least none his mortal eyes could see or even imagen.
"If I was him, I would worry less about the Gods and more about the.. fury of a patient man. And as well you know, I can be very patient."
There was a sharp throb in Athelstan's tempel and he lifted up a palm to soothe the discomfort only for it to diminish but the voice now groaned and coughed with it's own pain. Athelstan's eyebrows knitted together in confusion and questions formed in his mind.
Who's voice was this? Why did it fill him with such longing, ache and devotion? Such love and need to follow. Why did it feel as if he knew this voice? Someone or something that was immensely important to him. Yet he could not place it? And that in itself felt like a betrayal of trust for forgetting in the first place!
Emotions were rallying inside and he knew not which to feel. The Gods could not hold him, for he was drifting away from them now nor could they soothe his turmoil to reaching whatever was calling him.
Athelstan was slowly floating downwards until his feet meet with the ground. He had not notice before that he'd been extended up into the middle of the air until his soles stood firmly upon something solid once again.
"I wish you were here,"
Body turned cold and Athelstan could hear his own heart beating loudly in his ears, so loud that it felt as if he'd lose his hearing. This voice, he knew this voice. Eyes grew wide and his breath stutter as he spoke the name of his beloved friend "Ragnar," feet started moving, the pull making him walk forward to- what he did not know but he needed to go there.
"Paris is everything you told me it would be.... And I'm bound and determined to conquer it."
-
Ragnar grew silent after that but the pull inside Athelstan was ever present in both heart and soul, and it encouraged him to keep on walking and to never stop. Luckily he never grew tired or hungry, his feet did not become sore or blistered and time did not effect him for he did not feel it moving.
The Gods thought did not shine nor fly around him as strongly and they weren't as close either but instead behind him a few steps away. Following and watching Athelstan at a distance. He could still feel the warmth of God's holiness and Odin's welcoming cold at his back. Yet he was determined to carry on towards Ragnar and held faith that they would not abandon him for the Gods should know of his devotion to the pagan and that of the bond between them.
While his lord's light remains behind him, it started to dimm before him and the path grew darker for ever step he took.
The ravens flew passed him and into the darkness and soon Athelstan started feeling the breeze against his cheeks, the air around him foggy while it rained and the ground soft with grass. It was night and he realized he was in a forest he have never seen or could not recall visiting.
The pull was stronger than ever before and Athelstan could see a figure on it's hands and knees, groaning and crawling in the distance. It's head turned towards him when he walked through the mist and drizzle. It was Ragnar, who looked sickly and pale with harsh shivers running through the man's body and sweat coating his face.
And Athelstan's cross hung around his neck, swinging with each movement the viking took.
Joy inside Athelstan grew larger and a gentle smile spread across his face at the sight of his friend. When Athelstan came close he offered out a hand for the norseman to take and Ragnar with a smile of his own reached out to take the offered hand. They did not speak for it was not needed, they'll be together once again, side by side.
But before their hands could ever touch Athelstan felt the suddenly present of the Gods appearing behind him, causing both of their actions to come to a halt.
They both watched as Ragnar's lifted hand started dripping blood and a pool of the same red substance appeared underneath the viking, causing Ragnar to then snatched his hand back in shock before curling in on himself upon the ground while shaking and shivering.
Athelstan then felt himself starting to mindlessly walk backwards although he did not wish to move away yet his feet moved against his will. He was being taken back by the Gods. He could do nothing but helplessly be pulled back through the mist and into the light while Ragnar watched him go with a look of anguish and a shaky whisper that called out to him.
"Don't abandon me."
-
In a blink of an eye, Athelstan no longer stood in the living world with Ragnar but instead was back in the vast empty space, only he could feel something was very diffrent this time around. Something in the very air which he knew must be coming from the celestial beings. For what else could be causing it? It was tense with purpose and Athelstan could almost hear the crackling of power around him, it made him instinctively move into a fighting position like Ragnar drilled into him.
Thought his stand didn't last long once he turned to glance around him and eyes landed on a shape a few steps away. Body slacked in shock and he was left speechless. The figure had an uncanny resemblance to Jesus Christ himself, God's son who died for all their sins. Only his face was obscured by the bright light of God that showered down from up above, bathing his son in his grace.
Nothing could have made him tear his gaze away from God's son, he barely even registered the flock of black birds flashing by but what they left in their wake did managed to break the spell and get Athelstan's attention away from Christ. A man, an old looking man with a long white/grey braided beard that reminded Athelstan of the Norsemen. Dressed in dark clothing and a wide-brimmed hat, the man held a tall cane and upon the shoulders were two big ravens that cawed from their seats. And he wore an eyepatch- No, this was not a man but a god.
It was Odin!
Athelstan's eyes flicker between them in wonder and slight disbelief. Previously he had merely felt Odin's present like that of his lord but now faced with the All-father he knew not what to say or do, the same went about God's son. Was this the Odin whom Ragnar had told him the viking had often seen? For the description was very similar to what he've been told by his friend.
Before he could even regain his ability to speak both took a step forward, their steps causing a sharp spike of power in the air and suddenly it grew unbearably bright and the cawing from the ravens turned deafening.
It was unbearable!
Hand flew up and Athelstan griped at his chest in agony as he suddenly felt his heart beating, only it drummed beneath his ribcase without mercy. The intense pain brought him down to his knees and forced him to bend over and making his face almost touched the ground, had he not caught himself with the opposite hand. Although it prove pointless when next it felt as if his head was being crack open forcing him to use the hand holding him up to palm at the newest source of pain.
"Please the pain- Agh!"
Amidst the whitness, red broke through and filled his vision and Athelstan could feel it dripping off him. A puddle had been forming around him in similiar fashion to what he witness happen to Ragnar. He didn't know when it had started but it looked as if a whole person had been drained for the purpous of painting him and the ground in blood. It spread out infront of him and it felt as if he was sinking into it, either that or the blood was rising. He struggled to gain balance and stand up, for his body was like a rock thrown into the ocean, bound to sink.
Finally he slumped to his side, he didn't have the strenght nor the power to stand. The pain was still pulsing through him unmercifully. Warm liquid sloshed around him as Athelstan lifted his head up in hope to see, to understand why he was in such pain and bading in blood but the world around him was a blur of bright white and dark red. Barely making out the two figures a few feet away and the shadows of ravens above were mere black smears without true forms.
There was deep chanting and heavy drums growing in the distance while a cane repeatedly hit the ground, metal clanging from each 'thub' upon the ground. And amist it there was choirs of hymns with voices as light and high as angels' singing.
Then the liquid around Athelstan started to drain away and lessen in amounth, drawing him to look upon the blood which to his shock was moving back to him. He watched as trails of red on his arm retreated from whens it came, leaving no trace of the blood ever begin there. It was as if his body was calling it to itself until there was nothing remaining, no stain nor drops left behind.
And along it the spliting pain upon Athelstan's scalp disappeared just like the blood but in exchange his heart picked up and began beating harsher than previously. Felt as if it was trying to tear itself through bone and flesh, and from beneath breast.
Now it was Athelstan's turn to curl in on himself as Ragnar had done.
The last thing the former-monk did was cry out in agony as his eyes and ears pulsed with pain from the overpowering Gods that never seem to end.
Snapping awake with a loud and desperate gasp for air, hand flying to clung at his chest as Athelstan wrestled to take a breath.
(If you wish to continue reading, please go to link above~)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 2/10
Fandom: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, mentioned JJ/Isabella, and mentioned Sara/Mila
Characters: Yuri Plisetsky, Otabek Altin, Katsuki Yuuri, Victor Nikiforov, and minor mentions of everyone else basically
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - A Song of Ice and Fire, i'm a really huge asoiaf nerd, and i'm a really huge yoi mess, the genesis story is done, huge mentions of cold and fire because you get it's a song of ice and fire, also slightly aged up characters
Summary:
« Yuri is surprised he managed to open is eyes— the temperatures had dropped so low the night before he almost expected to find his eyelids glued together. I suppose it wouldn’t even be a novelty in this seven-damned place. He rolls on one side, tucking his knees close to his chest and contemplating the cracks and spots on the small writing desk right in front of him. The sad truth is Yuri lacks the willpower required to push himself out of the bed that’s been assigned to him— not when his mind insists on bringing him back to the Rock, with the sweet sound of waves breaking under his window. There’s no Sunset Sea at Castle Black. Only the Wall. Only ice. »
