"A bridge of silver wings stretches from the dead ashes of an unforgiving nightmareto the jeweled vision of a life started anew."
- Aberjhani
Journey through the Power of the Rainbow: Quotations from a Life Made Out of Poetry.
"Oh, did I tell you about my new ring? My boyfriend gave it to me. Yup, I've got a man. And he's perfect. He's strong too because he can lift seven jars of peanut butter in one go. He can also do two hundred push-ups but that's alright I guess. I love him. A lot. Like a loooooooot. Isn't it a pretty ring? Lookie. Why are you not looking?" My ecstatic rant dies down with a pout when he doesn't look.
"Cus' I got it for you, Mayella."
Dalaric continues to text Raf as I sit in between his open legs. One of his arms is around my shoulders and the other is frantically typing away, reprimanding Rafael for not doing the paperwork. He's slouched over me, using my head to rest his chin. I feel like a table.
Table Maya. Hehe.
"Hey, I'm sorry for waking you up so early," I mutter, my mind clouded with guilt at how frequently this happens.
"Stop apologizing." Dalaric murmurs absentmindedly.
"I don't know why they've started again. I was doing just fine." I had a nightmare again. And I'm too scared to even remember what it was about.
I thought I made amends with not seeing her anytime soon, but I guess not. Dalaric stayed up with me from four in the morning and hugged me tight, making sure I stopped shaking. I start humming the tune to Mr. Brightside while absentmindedly drawing shapes on Dalaric's hand.
"Turn." He says, in his 'I'm going to set you straight' tone.
I look at Mr. Jones Jr. for help, but he only hides behind his father and shakes his head. Maybe I should've put you in the guest room too...
Dalaric squishes my face until my lips are puckered like a fish. "I care. Understood?" My bobblehead nods and I try to smile adoringly but the squishing doesn't stop.
He pulls me closer to rest his forehead on my head, a hesitant and cautious look in his beautiful eyes.
"What do you feel bout' therapy?"
Oh. Do I need therapy? That's a bummer. I know it'll help, though. Just like it helped my Dalaric. But anger issues are not the same thing as trauma. He's doing so well. I'm so proud.
"I've thought about it but I don't um- It's scary." I mutter almost ashamedly. I don't want to revisit all the memories again. I also don't want homework.
"Try it?" I study his face, seeing nothing but genuine concern. I did want to try it when we were at the hospital. The nurse recommended it but I felt uneasy. Maybe it'll be different now.
"Okie. We can search for some after I get back." He gives me a forehead kissie with a pleased look on his face, setting me back between his legs so I can be his table.
It's my opening day today. It's an inauguration for new students so they can get a feel of the campus and all. I'm very very excited. T is coming too! We don't talk much so I'm happy we can get closer, considering he's family and all.
"I'll drop you."
"Um- no you won't. I know you have therapy. We have a linked calendar, y'know. Nice try, though, babycakes." He glares at me but kisses my nose anyway, knowing that there's no point in arguing. He only has a few sessions left anyways.
"Did I mention how proud I am of you? I'm so so proud. Text me when you're done, okay? And say hi to Mr. Klause for me. I've kept a few cookies in a box on the kitchen counter so feel free to give it to him."
"Okay. You meeting up with T?"
"Yuppie. He said he'll give me a tour since he's in his second year.
"What are you almost smiling at? Show me. Please." He better not be seeing pictures of Maya and Ricky without me.
"It's Ale's nephew when he was younger." He mutters, an adoring look in his eyes as they repeatedly scan the image. Why does he look so much like a small boy at the aquarium seeing fish for the first time?
"You're thinking about our kids, aren't you?"
He doesn't answer, the most beautiful smile still plastered on his baby-loving face.
"Well, you must know that there is no way I am pushing five whole kids out of my body. So stop daydreaming, babycakes."
"W-why? The fuck? Please?" Oh em gee. This is worse than I thought. He's obsessed with babies. Next thing you know, he's even got a Pinterest board like I do! Not the point.
"Gimme a kiss before I bite you." Dalaric sighs, his baby dreams vanishing. Aw.
He walks forward and leans his head down, his fingers grasping my chin. A nice kiss later, I pull him closer and bite his cheek before kissing it.
He adorably rubs his cheek with a glare, murmuring something about me being scary.
I straighten out his hoodie as we head towards the door. I'm dressed in a band tee which is tucked into some flared jeans. Dalaric helps me rearrange my bun as we head towards where his car is parked.
"Do I look pretty?" I pucker my lips, making sure I do it nicely. Dalaric kisses my nose and I give him a thumbs up.
He doesn't boop the thumb so I frown. And then he boops it. Yay.
"Call me when you're done. Don't talk to sketchy people, aight?"
"Oki. Don't make Mr. Klause mad, please. And eat your packed lunch. And I mean every nibble. Say hi to Raf for me too!" Dalaric smiles beautifully before hugging me tightly. Apparently, he's going to the bar after therapy to catch up with the 'boys'. I thought I was part of the boys too. Hmph.
Once my cab arrives, Dalaric does his fair share of glaring at the driver so that he understands he's 'carrying precious goods.' as if I'm expensive furniture.
Table Maya. Hehe.
I send him a thumbs up as I leave, poking my tongue out at him. I love him. So much. And I also love my life. I never would've thought I'd be going to an esteemed college while living with the love of my life and having amazing friends.
Huh, who would've thought?
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"You must be Mayella?" I hear a chirpy voice behind me and I turn with an excited smile.
Oh wow. She's really really beautiful.
The girl in front of me is a bit taller and is wearing a simple top and jean shorts that show off her long tanned legs. Her black hair is braided neatly in two sections, both reaching her tail bone. She waves at me ecstatically with arms that are graced with loads of bracelets.
"Hi! Maya's fine too. Wow, I love your outfit so much! What's your name?"
"The name's Kirra, and you are so sweet. I love yours too!" I blush a Lil' bit at the compliment.
"Are you the tour guide?" She nods with a smile. I internally cheer at how nice of a tour guide I got. Yay. She leads me to the campus area and I notice a really colourful bracelet on her wrist which she plays with.
Kirra smiles at me and looks at it in pride. "My mom made this for me for my birthday. It's the Apache tribe's chief symbol."
"Oh em gee, you're indigenous American? I've never met a native before. That is so beautiful." I admirably gaze at the bracelet and how detailed it is. It goes well with her tanned skin.
"I know right! We're planning on making more to sell..." We continue talking about her tribe and Kirra tells me all about her family and the injustices they had to face. She runs a non-profit organisation for impoverished Native Americans. She also sent me a link to where I can donate.
Potential friend meter is blaring.
We have a tour around the classes and I gape at how big they are. Everything feels so official. I'm in college. Wowie.
"This is the cafeteria. The food's really good but a bit pricey. If you study in your breaks, then the library is your best bet. Here," She shuffles through her bag as my eyes wander around the halls. Wowie.
", is your timetable. Classes are starting in two days. By then, you should have all the reading material listed for them. If you have any questions, my number is written at the back. I'm really excited to have you here!" She surprises me with a bear hug and I giggle at the height difference.
Once we say our goodbyes and I save Kirra's number, I make my way to the parking lot where my man said he would be.
Instead, I find a boy with a medium afro and warm beige skin. I furrow my brows and walk a little faster.
"T? Is Ricky okay? Why didn-"
"Woah there, munchkin. Calm down. He's aight, but he's busy since Raf fucked up with some paperwork. So you've got the next best thing. Get in." He doesn't open the door for me and gets into his side. I already miss Dalaric.
"Oh, okie. Thank you for coming to pick me up. I'm sure you have better things to do." I say, sending T a little smile. He's wearing a black hoodie over some ripped jeans.
"Nah, I don't. Besides, you're my sister-in-law." T chuckles when I blush. Has Dalaric been telling them things? Naughty naughty man. I'll be having a talk with him.
"Please don't say that in front of Ricky. He gets too excited." I cover my face with both my hands.
"Noted." He chuckles. T has a very symmetrical face structure.
"What happened to your cheek, T?" My eyes drift to the red scab on his face. It looks like a large scratch made by something like thick and sharp.
"Uh," He hesitates, then moves his face to the right so it's somewhat hidden from my view. Stupid Maya, now he's uncomfortable.
"That, yeah. Just got jumped by some idiots. Nothing too serious. You worry too much munchkin." He tries to laugh it off and I follow, doubting his words because he's twice the size of me and does not look like someone to get jumped.
"Oh okie. Please get it checked out so you don't get infected. Ricky has a first aid kit in the back-" I reply hesitantly, still worried about it. At this, his eyes turn a bit hard and he sighs.
"It's not serious, Maya. Let it go. Ricky said I should drop you home, is that okay with you?" I don't flinch at his tone, surprisingly. I shouldn't butt in so much. I smile, nodding. I can't wait to see Dalaric.
"Yup. He'll be home soon anyway." T nods and the rest of the car ride is spent in comfortable silence. He does catch me staring at the scar and narrows his eyes at me. It's probably nothing.
☁︎︎ ☁︎︎ ☁︎︎
"I missed you. And you. And you, Kipp, of course." I murmur lovingly to the Jones family, who's having a nice party with Kipp. Kipp pooped on Mr. Jones Jr. I think birds get diarrhea too.
"How was your day, Kipp?" I run a hand down his colorful back, making sure he didn't poop on the couch too.
"Ricky. Ricky. Ricky. Maya." I gasp. Did he just- he said my name. Oh my God. I need to record this.
I spend a solid fifteen minutes trying to get him to say it again. He doesn't. I hear the door open and excitedly walk-Dalaric will get mad if I run- to the door where my man stands with a pizza box.
"I missed you babycakes." I mutter with a small pout.
He puts forward the pizza but I ignore it, choosing to hug the much more delicious person. Dalaric kisses my head, leading us to the kitchen so he can place the pizza down.
I help him take off his coat and set down his things before plopping myself on his lap as he sits on a stool. This is home.
"How was it?" He asks, grabbing a napkin.
"It was great. The place is so huge- they have a nice cafeteria too. I got my timetable and all so I have to read up on some things. I also met a girl called-don't glare at someone you don't even know, babycakes- She was very nice. Her name's Kirra. I love it there already." I say with a smile.
"Be careful." He says with concern. I hold his perfect face and lick his cheek to take off some pizza sauce. That was yummy.
"I will. I'm so excited. Hey, does T get jumped a lot?" I wriggle in his lap and he scoffs, letting me wrap my legs around his waist so we can get to our room. Dalaric shrugs in reply to my question, telling me that he does fight with some of the boys at college.
Dalaric goes to freshen up and I call Fatima. She's finally back and I'm meeting her tomorrow.
"Heyooo! How was your day?" She smiles before muting her mic when her mama yells at her. Fatima's mother told me I look like a squish toy. I blushed at the compliment.
"Hey, babe. Raf doesn't know how to do paperwork so things are not...well right now. I'm good, you? How was the inauguration?" She asks.
Her hair is so gorgeous and it makes me feel so special that only I can see it. I'm special like that.
"It was so good. I'll tell you more when we meet up. I'm getting a call right now so...bye love you!" I wave at the camera and she grins, blowing me a kiss.
"Love you too munchkin. Say hi to Ricky." I send her a good night GIF before answering the incoming call.
"Good evening. Is this Ms. Morrison?"
"Yes, this is she." I've always wanted to say that and I can confirm that I feel really cool right now.
"Your mother has requested to see you. An online form has been sent to you with visitor timings. Please fill it out and get back to us as soon as you can."
"Oh. T-thank you."
"Have a good rest of the evening, Ms. Morrison." They hang up and my shoulders slouch. How am I going to tell-
"Who was it?" I turn back to a shirtless Dalaric who's searching for a shirt in the closet, frowning when he accidentally wears one of mine.
"Mama wants to see me." He stops searching and turns back slowly, looking just as shocked as I am but still remaining serious.
My eyes start to burn and I hug Mr. Jones Sr. tighter. Dalaric sighs and picks me up, discarding the stuffie. He tucks my head into the crook of his neck and grabs a water bottle as my eyes continue hurting before he sits down on the edge of the bed.
"Open." I sniffle and open my mouth to take a sip. No tears come out as he stays holding my hand.
"Don't think about it, aight? We'll talk about this when we need to. Together." My heart feels better and the restriction escapes my throat. I nod before wrapping my arms around his neck.
"I love you, dude. Thank you." He kisses my cheek and I giggle when he moves to my neck, trying to give me a love bite. I give him a bite too. Except it's on his cheek. And it only earns me a glare.
Dalaric picks me up and plops me on the bed. Oh no.
"You going to act all cute n' shit at college too, Mayella?" I raise my brows.
I was expecting a lecture on not to bite him but I guess he's used to it. As he should. My baby likes those bites, I just know it.
"Maybe," I mutter while playing with his chain.
"I think they're going to be lots of cute girls so I should fit in, y'know! And lots of cute b-" He clamps one hand around my mouth and the other moves to the waistband of my blue shorts.
"Think again." The hand slides against the band before he slowly, teasingly pulls it down. It's soon thrown on Mr. Jones Sr.
Sigh, the oppression of the penguins is saddening.
"Thinking." I can't really think when his hands are moving inside my shirt. I hold his face, moving it closer so I can kiss him. Nibbling on his lips, I internally smirk as I bite down gently.
"Don't you fucking da- shit. Fuck, you're going to regret that, baby." Dalaric glares at me before a glint in his eyes appear.
"Boohoo." Not my fault he can't defend himself. What're all those push-ups for anyways?
"Sit up. Now." I shake my head, wrapping the sheets tighter around myself. He's going to get me all hot and bothered.
"B-but I'm cold. You can't just take it- hey!" I gasp as he discards the sheets too.
Dalaric inches his hands further into my shirt before lifting it just enough to get what he needs. To get all of what he needs.
"Ooo, that tickles. Heh- oh. You squeezed it. And you squeezed them-oh my." I gape at the feelings before yelping when his mouth does things on my skin. He has put his face there before but his hands just do it differently. Phew.
Bite.
"Ow-did you just-Oh my God." His warm mouth continues its sweet torture and I writhe under his gaze, unaccustomed to this feeling on my skin. He bit me. He's biting me.
"Regret it yet?" Dalaric whispers against my already warm skin, a faint smirk on his wet lips.
"N-no. Please continue."
And boy, does he continue.
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C̶A̶N̶N̶I̶B̶A̶L̶I̶S̶M̶
CUTENESS
Name: Mayella Moore Mik-Morrison.
Wanted for: C̶a̶n̶n̶i̶b̶a̶l̶i̶s̶m̶ Cuteness.
If found: return to Ricky (with caution).
A U T H O R' S N O T E:
how cute is @milkandmochabear????? I'm in love. I just figured out how to insert GIFs here so I'm not sparing y'all. Get ready.