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angstyandromanticwriting · 5 days ago

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☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

☦︎︎ “𝑰 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆.” ☦︎︎

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

A Cynthia Hammond (an OC) X Fem!Reader Angsty, Cute, and Fluffy Prompt

[A Short Prompt For Today]

Minors DNI!!!

* Some sexual references + other hefty topics being dealt with here!

I will always try and make links between prompts + main instalments whenever I am writing for a consistent few characters!

* Feel free to refer to earlier instalments for this character + her Reader here!

This idea is still somewhat of a WIP in some areas!

Cynthia’s Face-Claim = Reneé Rapp (predominantly as herself, or as specific other characters!)

The Word Count [Exclusive to this Prompt]: standing around 2.4k!

I hope you enjoy it!

There will be more!

!TW(s) [The Specifics]: implied panic-attack, being unconscious, elements of anxiety + separation anxiety + depression + PTSD, self doubt, threat/physical threat, mild violence, theft, swearing, ‘cheating’ + reference(s) to sex, presence of weaponry + blood, poverty/issues with wealth dynamic - If I’ve missed any, please feel free to let me know; thank you, and I hope you enjoy it!

Hurting Me/I’ve Always Loved You

After you’d collapsed, Cynthia didn’t know what to do.

She shook her head hastily as she held your body close to her own; she’d never seen you panic the way you had before.

It was enough to even make her have to fight back tears as she shook before you a little, eyes never leaving your now freshly closed ones.

“Y/n-?”

She continued a little shakily as she eased you closer to the ground to stabilise you a little more.

“C’mon, you - you can’t do this - you-.. you need to come back, okay? What about-?”

She winced, remembering the girl still unconscious a few paces away from you.

“Shit - fuck, we should have-”

She groaned, before she looked around the two of you, until she spotted another alleyway not too far away, now.

She was hesitant to leave you where you were, though, as she rushed up to the body, and proceeded to pick it up again.

She was careful as she meandered around you, before hastily walking toward the alleyway ahead, and dumping the figure a little further within it again.

Now, she shouldn’t be found, until she either wakes up, or somehow there’s someone close by somewhere.

It relieved her, to think she could go back to you.

At least, it would have, until someone had grabbed her from behind, and she cried out in shock again.

There was a blade at her neck.

She could hardly move, and - for once in her life - she was terrified.

“Keep quiet, now,” a rough voice hissed behind her, and she nodded tightly as she tried to stay calm; tried not to speak as she shook a little within the stranger’s hold, the woman behind her looking down at the figure she’d brought into the alleyway, before she eased Cynthia further into the alleyway again. “Okay - here’s how things are gonna go,” she continued, before she roughly shoved Cynthia against the brick wall behind her, the girl still finding it hard not to shake right now as the unfamiliar held the knife up to her throat, a smug look on her face somehow.

She couldn’t believe you lived around here - even further down, actually, where poverty was worse, and the conditions worser.

“You are going to sit there, and look pretty, and I’m gonna take what you’ve got on you, okay? Then maybe I’ll consider keeping you alive, if you tell me why you’re down here.”

Cynthia appeared taken aback as her eyebrows furrowed, but the woman remained composed before her.

“Why - Why would you care about why I’m-?”

“What did I say, huh? Did I say you could talk yet?”

She didn’t even give Cynthia a chance to answer the question posed upon her.

“No. I didn’t - now lift your hands up; this don’t gotta be difficult, okay?”

Cynthia winced again, before she lifted her hands, a little speck of blood still on them since you’d knocked Jamie out, and you’d both been carrying her.

“Good - now we’re finally getting somewhere; you stay like that now, alright?”

It scared her to have to try and stay still the way she was, but not just because of the blade against her neck; it reminded her of the times people had tried to violate her, before.

She winced at the memories, specifically where Jamie was concerned.

“C-Can I-?”

Cynthia had spoken again, when she thought the woman was done searching her pockets again.

“Shut up,” the figure spat, instead, “you got anymore pockets I need to know about?”

Cynthia hesitated, before she nodded tightly, afraid of what would happen if she’d tried to say ‘no’ again.

“Well? Where are they?”

She questioned, and Cynthia drew in a barely audible shaky breath, before she slowly turned around, and the woman saw them instantly.

She raised her eyebrows, thinking the pockets looked flatter than the others had been, but she decided to still try them, grinning when she felt a bit of paper or whatever it was in the left pocket; nothing in the right.

“What’s this, then?”

She mused under her breath as she unfolded the material, falling quiet for a moment.

Cynthia tensed up again, wishing she could turn her head and check what the woman was doing, but she was terrified of only angering her as she kept her head low; her hands still against the wall before her.

“Where the hell did you get this, huh?”

The figure hissed.

“Wait, w-what are you-? What do you mean-?”

Cynthia stammered out, her voice barely audible.

“This - This is - how do you know her? You better tell me right now how you know that girl-”

“What - What girl? What the fuck are you even talking about right now?”

She hated herself, when a small tear ran down her cheek again.

The woman spun her around, before roughly holding her against the bricks again.

“You know a friend o’ mine - you see this?”’

Cynthia faltered, when the woman held up the slip of paper in her right hand.

“That’s her writing, right there - you see it? Where did you get this?”

She stammered a little again, afraid to get you in trouble as she tried to stay calm; tried not to break down as she shook her head a little too hastily, only pissing the figure off more.

“Oh, so, you - you really do wanna die, do ya?”

The woman threatened, and Cynthia drew in a barely audible shaky breath again as she tried to shake her head, only to find herself stuck in place, the cold of the blade’s tip brushing against her throat again.

“I - I didn’t-.. I don’t-.. I don’t know what you-”

“I know you’re lying to me-”

“I’m not-!”

She cried, but the more that she tried to lie to the figure, it seemed she could feel the blade piercing lightly into her skin.

She faltered the first time she felt it, but she didn’t know what else to do as she shook against the wall, wishing she could stop it somehow for your sake, as much as her own, right now.

“Well I’m not giving you any other choices; you better tell me the truth, and soon.”

Cynthia swallowed uncomfortably as she tried not to nod, or move her head at all now that the blade was as close as it was.

“You want me to give you a countdown, or somethin’? I know that’s what you Richies are probably used to in your schools.”

She couldn’t help, but scowl subconsciously back at the figure; she didn’t much appreciate that, either.

“Alright, then - if it’s gonna be that way; I’ll let it be that way. Shall we start, then? Here we go - three.”

Cynthia could feel she was starting to sweat, now.

“Two.”

She wondered if her neck had begun to bleed a little.

“You’re bein’ real stupid right now, girl - one.”

She felt so cold.

“Alright, I guess you don’t have any manners anyway - you’re dead, girly.”

And she really thought she could be.

That was, until someone lunged toward the woman holding her before.

As soon as the pressure was off of her, she let her knees buckle beneath her as she slid to the ground, crying quietly again.

It was only when she heard a struggled that she turned her head toward the sound, the figure now holding you down with the same blade held against your throat again.

You were breathing hard as you looked up at the woman holding you.

“You’re good, Suze,” you murmured, and the figure faltered, before she expressed relief, recognising you instantly.

“Jesus, Y/n - I thought that girl near killed you, or somethin’.”

You raised your eyebrows, before you looked toward Cynthia again.

“Interesting,” you replied, “but can you get that blade of your’s off of my neck, now?”

Suzi winced, before complying as she removed the blade, and cautiously looked toward Cynthia’s frame again.

“Who’s she to you, anyway? Ain’t she one of them rich girls?”

Suzi questioned as you faltered a little; you feared upsetting the both of them, somehow.

“She’s just-..”

You fell quiet as you averted your gaze a little, not sure if you should say that, actually; she’d always been more than that to you.

“Fuck.”

“Let me guess - you guys are, or were together or somethin’?”

Suzi had made it easier for you, when you thought she wouldn’t want to.

“Suze-”

“It’s okay, if she is - I ain’t, well - I do like you, Y/n, but - I’d understand if-.. y’know.”

You appeared a little guilty again as you nodded tightly, and Cynthia felt empty again.

“So, you - you’ve slept with her, too?”

Cynthia murmured, and your heart dropped as you looked back at her, not wanting her to think that it meant anything as much as she always did, to you.

“Cynth-”

“Not for a little while,” Suzi answered for you, “and we ain’t loved up like you might think. Who even are you, clean girl?”

Cynthia raised her eyebrows back at Suzi upon hearing the other name the figure had come up with, for her, the way she did, then.

“I have a name-”

“Right,” Suzi murmured, “you even got her name, huh?”

You rolled your eyes in response to the figure’s comment as you kept your head low again, not sure what to say anymore.

“I love - I think I love her, Suze,” you managed, eventually. “I-.. she-.. I don’t even know if I-”

“Then I’m happy for you,” Suzi reassured you, “but your friend over there still don’t look too happy about it.”

You winced, before you looked toward Cynthia again.

“Cynthy?”

“It’s like-.. like I don’t even know you,” she murmured, “you say you love me, but-.. why-.. why do you always-?”

You warily approached her as you crouched down before her, her not daring to look up at you again.

“Cynth-”

She shook her head, and you felt the dread rising up within you all over again.

“I’m not-.. I can’t believe you always-”

“How do you think I felt, when you-?”

“You started that-!”

She cried, and you fell quiet as your demeanour sank a little, but you guessed it was okay; she was probably right, after all.

You didn’t like to think about what happened the way you did before.

“I just-.. I don’t know what - what to even think anymore, when-.. I think I need to go-”

Your heart dropped, at that, as Cynthia made to get up off of the ground.

You gave her space to move again.

“Cynth,” you continued faintly, and she hesitated by the entrance of the alleyway all over again. “You don’t - You don’t have to stay, I just-.. I wanted-.. I need you - to - to hear this, okay? I-.. you changed my life. Before-.. Before I even-.. when I saw you, a-and - and.. and heard you, I-.. I didn’t know if I even.. but there’s one thing I know, okay? I didn’t save you that day; you were the one who saved me. I didn’t even know if.. if I wanted to go on living, before, a-and-.. but-.. but then you were here, and - and you-.. I hate myself, for - for hurting you, okay? A-And I know that’s easy for me to just say, but-.. it’s true. It’s fucking true, and you can leave today, and never come back here, and I will never forgive myself. I will never-..”

You couldn’t fight it back, as your voice faltered all over again.

Cynthia didn’t know what to do, as she kept her gaze low, small tears threatening to escape her eyes seemingly over and over again, now.

“I love you,” you murmured, and her heart stuttered again, as she turned her head a little toward you all over again, “a-and-.. and you can hate me; you can shout at me; you could - I think I’d even let you kill me if-.. if I-.. I just need you to know that no matter what happens today, I will always love you, Cynthia. Always, no matter what.”

You drew in a barely audible shaky breath, as you looked away again, no matter how hard it had been to do so, the way it was, then.

“So, I guess that’s just-”

“Fuck, Y/n-..”

She murmured, eventually, her voice trembling as she shook her head, before she wrapped her arms around you again.

You didn’t know how to react, or what to even think, when you felt her holding you, but it didn’t scare you, or phase you, as your heart merely jolted, before you returned the embrace, forgetting how to breathe again.

“Cynthy-?”

You prompted gently, as she sniffled softly against your right shoulder again.

“Are you-?”

“Why the fuck did you never say any of this to me, before?”

She asked, as she held you at arm’s length, more exasperated than you’d ever seen her before, now.

“I - I never really thought you-.. you felt-.. I didn’t think you could ever feel that way about me,” she admitted a little fainter than before, “I thought-..”

You timidly lifted your right hand up to her left cheek, and you couldn’t how fast she melted into your touch, eyes never leaving your own again.

“Of course I do - I’ve always loved you, Cynth - why - why wouldn’t I-?”

“I just thought-.. I don’t - I don’t know what I thought, but-.. Y/n, I-.. I never wanted-.. if I - if I hurt you, I’m sorry, okay? I’m so-..”

She couldn’t fight it back anymore as she cried quietly, burying her face into the crook of your neck all over again.

“I - I’m sorry, too,” you returned softly against the left side of her head as you tried not to cry again, never letting go of her. “I never wanted - I fucking love you, Cynth - I’ve always fucking loved you, a-and I just - I fucking ruined it, I - I ruined everything, and I’m sorry for that - I’m so-.. nobody - nobody, Cynth, has ever made me feel the way you do, okay?”

“Y/n-..”

Cynthia began again, and you shook a little in her arms as she held you at arm’s length again.

“I-.. I missed hearing your voice,” you whispered, and her heart skipped a beat again, “when - when I was-..”

She didn’t hesitate, as she affectionately connected her forehead to your own again.

“You’re so beautiful,” she mused, and you glanced down at her lips as your heart pounded against your rib-cage again.

“I should, er - probably give you both some space, right?”

Suzi guessed, and you both were surprised to turn around, and see the figure had laid out Cynthia’s belongings, like she’d never taken them again.

“We’re good, rich girl,” she added, and Cynthia appeared relieved as she smiled her thanks back to Suzi, who grinned back at the two of you, in turn.

You didn’t want to spoil what you both did alone, but you were happy to finally be holding her close to you again.

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

Thank you so much for reading, guys!

It was nice writing for Cynthia again given I haven’t written for her in a little while!

I’m still getting a grip on some elements of the story, but I’ll do my best to make everything link together somehow!

I will ensure to get this onto the Cynthia Hammond Masterlist, soon! (And ao3 alongside it!)

Until I can see you all again next time, I hope you all have a lovely rest of the day, and I look forward to sharing more with you!

For now, I have been - as usual,

And as always,

Your ever faithful, H.H.

See you then, guys! 💜

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

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angstyandromanticwriting · 6 days ago

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☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

☦︎︎ “𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒍𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔.” ☦︎︎

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

A Leighton Murray X Fem!Reader Angsty, Cute, and Fluffy Prompt

[A Short Prompt For Today]

Minors DNI!!!

* Some sexual references (mildly graphic) + other hefty topics!

Takes place mainly after the events of the third season (unless implied otherwise which I don’t think I did here!)

I will always try and make links between prompts + main instalments whenever I am writing for a consistent few characters!

* Feel free to refer to earlier instalments for this character + her Reader here!

The Word Count [Exclusive to this Prompt]: standing around 3.1k!

I hope you enjoy it!

There will be more!

!TW(s) [The Specifics]: self-doubt + self-hatred, depression + anxiety + separation anxiety + PTSD, guilt, cheating/consideration of, insult(s)/self put-down(s), self-harm, non-graphic masturbation/reference to, non-graphic smut/reference to dry-humping, reference to forms of abuse/being abused - if I’ve missed any, please feel free to let me know + I hope you enjoy it; thank you!

Marry Me/I’m Not Afraid of You

It felt like you and Leighton could hardly escape a stupid argument these days.

You often couldn’t deny that it had been you to start it, though.

You hated what it (you) were doing to your and her relationship.

You hoped she hated you, too.

Despite how much it hurt you to think in such a way, the way you did, then.

Leighton mainly stayed over at her apartment across the road, whilst you hardly knew what to do with yourself, now.

You were often out at the restaurant with Eva, and you’d even asked her if she could extend your hours there.

You told yourself it would be easier not to cry anymore, or make things worse, if you had a longer time doing the preparations you liked to do.

You guessed - or rather, you tried to say that you disappearing into the staff toilets to cry had nothing to do with any of the fights you’d been having recently.

You tried to spend a few minutes at most in there, lying and saying you felt sick to your boss sometimes, but it wasn’t contagious; it was just stress.

You knew it was stupid; Eva knew you were lying.

She’d gone into the toilets one time; she’d heard you sniffling.

Neither of you had uttered a word about it to anyone, let alone each other.

You just - wished you could be different.

You wished you weren’t so defensive when you really didn’t need to be, especially not around Leighton.

You didn’t know why she even bothered to check on you and Aurora anymore.

That was another problem - Aurora; she knew, too.

She could see the pain you were both going through, and she hated it; she hated it so much that she even said that maybe you and Leighton should take a break from each other.

Neither of you much liked that idea, but you didn’t know how to tell each other that.

“It’ll be good for you,” Aurora insisted, “both of you.”

Leighton had been sat beside you on the sofa your sister had so hospitably perched you both upon together.

“At least - just-.. think about it, okay? I just-.. I can’t see - I don’t want either of you to fight anymore, okay? Not-.. Not like - like the way you do, okay?”

You kept your gaze low, a pained expression on your face as Leighton glanced over at you, wondering if she should hold your hand again.

“It’ll be fine, I promise,” she tried to reassure you, “if - if you don’t want to, we - we could-”

“We should do it,” you murmured, and her heart dropped a little as she nodded absent-mindedly, not expecting the tears that shortly after invaded her vision all over again. “Aurora’s - she-.. she’s right, Leight,” you added, “she’ll always be..”

You drew in a barely audible shaky breath, before you pressed yourself up off of the sofa, saying you needed to get to work anyway.

It was shortly after that that the makeshift ‘cheating’ started.

Despite the space you gave each other, accompanied by the stress of work recently, you and Leighton fought again.

You didn’t think you’d ever hated yourself more, than when you’d said you didn’t need her, and her expression had stuttered.

You cried in the same stall at the restaurant; cried when you got back home, and you wondered if she missed you too.

You hoped she didn’t; hoped she did, all at the same time.

You thought about calling her; thought about telling her you loved her until your throat ran raw.

You didn’t know what else to do, and Aurora didn’t know what to even say anymore.

You made the marks again along your arms; you even ran them along your upper legs as you sniffled shakily all over again, wondering why she’d ever given you the time of day in the first place.

You remembered the way she’d told you she loved you the first time; you remembered saying it back, and it could never be more true; the words stuck on your tongue more uncomfortably than they ever had before.

Sometimes, you fell back on touching yourself just to try and make the pain go away; it didn’t work.

It never had before, either.

Not unless she was there with you, or doing it for you.

You cried again, when the next day came; it hardly went by, before Eva had sent you back home, and you’d seen Leighton across the street talking to an unfamiliar figure.

It was okay, you told yourself; you’d pushed her away, anyway.

You didn’t see the way she looked at you, before you’d slipped back into your and Aurora’s apartment again.

She’d forgot to breathe, when she’d seen you across the road.

The girl strolling beside her looked none-the-wiser in the face of the situation at hand, as she went on talking about whatever the hell she’d been talking about on the way up the hill.

It was only when the girl said the shortened version of her name that Leighton looked back at her, and forced a faint smile again.

They’d hardly got past the living room, before Leighton said she couldn’t do it, and the girl had had to leave again.

As soon as you got inside the complex, you rushed up the stairs, and Aurora couldn’t catch you in time.

Eva called the next day, asking how you felt; if you felt any better than you had the day before.

You’d tried to inject more brightness than usual into your voice when you said ‘yeah’ - ‘yeah’, you felt better, and Eva sounded relieved when she said she was proud of you.

You almost cried again.

You thought about messaging Leighton; asking how she was; whether she’d enjoyed being with that girl you’d seen yesterday.

You didn’t send anything you’d thought of; the last two words you could think of typing, and had started to type, were ‘I’m sorry’.

You drew in a shaky breath again as you deleted the letters, before you switched off your phone, and thought to get ready again.

On the way to the restaurant, you looked toward Leighton’s apartment to find the lights were off, and you guessed she was either not home, or asleep - you tried not to think of the second possibility, especially when you didn’t know if she was alone, or if she had the arms of the girl you’d seen around her somehow.

You faltered in step, as you thought about knocking on her door, but you knew it would probably be better if you didn’t as you continued toward your car, and wondered if your chest would stop aching the way it was, now.

It was quieter than usual in the kitchen, today.

Eva noticed how red your eyes had been recently.

She knew better than to ask about it, as she cleaned up the dishes that had slowly begun to pile up all over again.

You were half-way through preparing a steak, when Jay came through the double doors again.

“Er, Y/n-? Is - Is this a bad time?”

He inquired awkwardly as you rolled your eyes, before leaning against the counter a little.

“Yeah, Jay - it probably is,” you murmured, and the figure winced as he cleared his throat, before stepping aside to allow another figure to join the party.

You couldn’t bring yourself to look up again for a moment, that was why you’d hardly reacted to Leighton’s appearance, still in the process of oiling one of the frying pans you’d picked up for this order, only for you to let it clatter a little on the counter when you’d finally looked up to see her standing beside Jay again.

You still weren’t used to the way she surprised you, sometimes.

Especially when her surprises were something work-related.

Her heart skipped a beat, when your gaze met her own again.

It was awkward, to say the least.

You cleared your throat a little, before shifting your demeanour again as if to try and recompose yourself somehow.

“Alright, Leight?”

You inquired barely audibly, your voice sounding a little rougher than it was, before.

She hesitated, for a moment, looking nervous as she nodded tightly, averting her gaze a little.

“Y-Yeah, I - I’m okay, erm-.. how - how are you?”

You’d never found it so hard to even think before.

“I-.. I’m okay - thank you,” you answered, and Eva gesticulated to the door for Jay, and he nodded a little too hastily, before clumsily rushing back out of the room, and letting the double doors close behind him again.

“So-”

“Why are you here?”

You inquired, and she faltered again, her eyes darkening a little more.

She fidgeted with her fingers subconsciously as she lingered by the door still, though she hated the distance between you both, now.

“I-.. erm, I missed you? I-.. I wanted-.. I just-..”

She sighed heavily, appearing a little exasperated as she rolled her eyes, and cursed herself for being so vulnerable around you.

“I needed to see you, okay?”

You hesitated, not sure, as you glanced up at her again.

“You still wanna see me, after-..? After what I said?”

She appeared taken aback by such a question, as she nodded hastily, and you didn’t know how to feel anymore.

“Of course I do - Y/n, I-.. why wouldn’t I?”

“I thought you found someone else,” you admitted a little firmer than before, though you knew it wasn’t fair that you were angry, after you’d hurt her the way you had before.

Leighton winced; she didn’t think you’d seen her yesterday.

“Oh-.. shit, Y/n, I - I’m so-”

You shook your head, your expression softening a little as you smiled softly over at her, but it only hurt more when it couldn’t reach your eyes anymore.

“It’s okay,” you reassured her gently, “I-.. I want you to be happy, Leight, so-.. if she-.. if she, o-or anyone else makes you-”

“We didn’t - We didn’t do anything; I-.. I said we couldn’t,” she stated simply, and you faltered again, your eyebrows furrowing a little. “Look, I-.. I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t want-.. I didn’t want any of this to even-.. the truth is-.. I fucking love you, Y/n, okay? I’ve always fucking loved you. Even after each time we fought, I-.. I couldn’t stop thinking about-.. about everything I wish I could-..”

Her expression stuttered again as she bowed her head a little, and you hated seeing her crying as she lifted her right hand up to quickly brush away a small tear that had managed to escape her all over again.

“I love you, Y/n,” she repeated, and you couldn’t take how her voice trembled, then, “and - and even if - if we leave here together, or - or not, I-.. I just want whatever I do to be with you, okay? I-.. I need you, and - and even if you - if you don’t need me, that - that’s okay, I just-..”

Her bottom lip trembled a little as she tried to recompose herself, and you didn’t know what to say as she drew in a barely audible shaky breath all over again.

“Please don’t leave me,” she managed, eventually, and you’d never heard her voice like that before.

“Leight-”

“It - It’s time to stop lying to ourselves, Y/n-.. I-.. I can’t do - I can’t do it anymore, okay? I - I can’t go out the door anymore, a-and think that-.. that I-..”

She shook her head subconsciously again as her eyes plead with your own, and you nodded tightly as you looked toward Eva, who raised her eyebrows back at you again.

“I-.. I don’t know if-”

You murmured, and her heart dropped as she watched you, afraid she’d only end up breaking down all over again somehow.

“Why don’t you, er - you guys go and have a chat in private, and I’ll take care of that steak you’re doing?”

Eva suggested, and your heart skipped a beat as you looked over at her, and she smiled softly when she noticed the way your eyes had glinted, the way they had, then.

“You - You’d-.. You’d do that?”

You asked, and Eva nodded without hesitation, but Leighton never looked away from you again.

“Go on, you two,” she insisted, gesticulating toward the back door, before you nodded hastily, and looked toward Leighton again.

“W-Would - Would you-?”

You began, and she appeared a little more relaxed as she nodded hastily, before following you out into the back-space behind the restaurant again.

The last time you’d both been here, she had held you against the wall, the both of you kissing more passionately than anything, and she’d even dry-humped your front again as you both clung to each other, and you didn’t realise you’d forgot how to breathe again, until you looked back at her, and she was looking toward the spot it had all taken place before.

“I-.. I’m sorry, Leight.”

She hastily glanced back at you, her eyes widening a little again.

“I’m so-”

The weight of your tears soon hit you again as you bowed your head, your face contorting a little.

“Hey-”

She began gently, and you shook your head as you stepped back, upon hearing her inching closer to you again.

“If-.. If we tried again-.. I-.. you need to promise me something, okay?”

She didn’t hesitate; she nodded hastily as she awaited your request, and your hands shook a little as you nodded tightly, and stammered a little of a continuation again.

“If - If I-.. if I mess up again-”

“Wait-”

“No, Leight - I swear to god, I-.. if I mess up, you need to forget about me, okay?”

Her heart dropped all over again, at that.

“My dad always said that - that I’m-.. I-.. I mess up all the time; I - he was right to-”

“Y/n-”

“He was right, Leight, you - you need to-”

“Stop-”

“No-!”

You cried, and she faltered as you began to cry again, holding your hands up to your face, before you relocated them over your ears as soon as they began to ring all over again.

“He was right,” you repeated, albeit a little quieter, now. “He was always-”

“He’s never been right, Y/n,” Leighton hissed, and you didn’t know what to do as you glanced up at her, eyebrows furrowing a little all over again.

“What-?”

“He was an asshole; you know he was - he-.. you didn’t deserve anything of what he did to you. Please tell me you know that.”

You fell quiet again as you shook your head, lips moving silently.

“Y/n-?”

“If - If I-.. If I asked you to-.. to marry me, what - what would you-?”

Leighton appeared taken aback, by that.

It’s not like she’d never thought about it.

“Where - Where did that come from-?”

You winced, shaking your head again as you averted your gaze, and stammered out a soft ‘I’m sorry’ again.

“It - It’s okay if you-”

“I’d say yes,” she interjected, her eyes keeping steady upon your frame as you faltered in place, your heart stuttering all over again.

“You - wait, you - you’d-? You’d actually-?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Leight-”

“You can’t stop me from feeling the way I feel about you, Y/n,” she continued gently, albeit firmly, “do - do you know how long I waited, t-thinking I’d - thinking I’d never see you again? I thought-..”

“Then - Then marry me,” you blurted a little exasperatedly, and her heart jolted again as she fell quiet, a soft smile threatening to tug on her lips somehow.

“Okay,” she replied simply, shrugging nonchalantly again.

You tried to catch your breath, eyes locking onto her own as you nodded subconsciously, still unsure of the atmosphere around you somehow, but it made you feel better to be stood before her, your heart pounding so fast like it never had before.

“Okay-?”

“Yeah - okay - I’ll marry you,” she insisted, “as long as - well, you obviously agree to marry me, too?”

You didn’t know what to say for a moment as you tried to calm down, knowing you needed to stay calm for her somehow.

“Yeah - y-yeah, I - I’d-.. of - of course I’ll marry you,” you replied timidly, and she couldn’t help it as she giggled softly, before she gesticulated if she could move closer again.

You looked nervous, at first, but you knew her; you knew this place - she wouldn’t hurt you; it wouldn’t hurt you, and you nodded faintly again, before she inched a little closer, only a mild distance between you two left, now.

“So,” she began again slowly, and you bit down on your tongue as you tried to think of the right words again.

“So-..”

You managed, and she raised her eyebrows back at you, the both of you unable to take your gazes away from one another as you admired the girl before you, wondering what you’d done to deserve her again.

“What should we-?”

You found you couldn’t take the distance anymore as you rushed up to her, before you threw your arms around her again.

It was real; it was all - so real.

You’d not been imagining it, as she lifted her right hand up to the back of your head, hooking her left arm carefully around your waist again.

“You okay-?”

She asked softly, when she could finally connect her forehead to your own again.

You looked as if you were struggling to find the words again, but she waited patiently, you stammering a little all over again.

“Y-Yeah, I - I think - I think I’m okay - are-.. are you okay, Leight?”

She smiled softly down at you as she nodded slowly, admiring your eyes again.

“I’m okay - I just can’t wait to marry you.”

A soft sigh of relief escaped your lips as you smiled warily back at her, not wanting to mess things up again somehow.

“I love you, Y/n - you - you know that, right?”

Normally, you would have found yourself hesitating when you thought about such a question, but you’d never felt a buzz like the one you felt now as you nodded subconsciously, and she grinned sheepishly back at you.

Your heart stuttered so easily when the smile had appeared on her face again.

You guessed it was partially why it came ever easier (though it had always been easy for you to say it to her), as you delicately leaned ever closer to connect your lips to her’s again, dazing her a little before you smirked back up at her, a mischievous glint developing in your orbs again.

She couldn’t believe you always had seemed to have such an effect on her, when you lifted your left hand up to her right cheek, whispered ‘I do’, and she shuddered with it for a moment, before she raised her eyebrows back at you, and kissed you a little deeper again.

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

Thank you so much for reading, guys!

I wasn’t so keen on the ending of this one, but hopefully I can make up for it when I do another!

I hope you enjoyed it, and I certainly can’t wait to share more ideas like these with you!

Until then, I hope you all have a lovely rest of the day/night, and I will ensure to have this posted on the Leighton Murray Masterlist, as well as ao3, soon!

For now, though, I have been - as usual,

And as always,

Your ever faithful, H.H. 💜

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

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angstyandromanticwriting · 6 days ago

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There might be another short prompt coming today (and you better believe I went a little overboard on it… 😭)

I hope you enjoy it! 💜

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angstyandromanticwriting · 6 days ago

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BELLA RAMSEY & PEDRO PASCAL TLOU II Los Angeles Premiere 3.24.2025

I'm so emotional right now, you guys

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angstyandromanticwriting · 7 days ago

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☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

☦︎︎ “𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕, 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖?” ☦︎︎

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

A Regina George X Fem!Reader Angsty, Cute, and Fluffy Prompt

[A Short Prompt For Today; WIP]

Minors DNI!!!

* Despite there being no smut/nothing particularly graphic in this one, I’m still dealing in hefty topics here to try and make it relevant to the main idea I had for these characters!

Takes place mainly after the events of the film [2024 version]; Regina and Reader have started their Senior Year at Northshore at this point in time!

I will always try and make links between prompts + main instalments whenever I am writing for a consistent few characters!

* Feel free to refer to earlier instalments for this character + her Reader here!

The Word Count [Exclusive to this Prompt]: standing around 2.3k!

I hope you enjoy it!

There will be more!

!TW(s) [The Specifics]: self-doubt + depression, swearing, PTSD, anxiety + separation anxiety, a implied kidnapping; if I’ve missed anything here, please feel free to let me know - thank you, and I hope you enjoy it!

Birthday Present/I Know You Well

“We could get arrested for this,” you murmured cautiously, subconsciously looking around the dark area as Regina rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t be annoyed at you, a soft smile playing on her lips again.

Your heart skipped a beat when another stick snapped beneath your right foot, and she raised her eyebrows judgementally back at you, you tensing up a little in response to her icy gaze.

“S-Sorry,” you managed, your voice hardly there as she shook her head subconsciously, expression softening all over again.

“You’re okay,” she cooed softly, and goosebumps prickled along your arms as she reached for your right hand, and it was hard not to shudder - warm all over, as soon as you felt the fingers of her left lightly intermingling with the fingers of your right again. “It’s not too far, now,” she reassured again ever gently, and you still couldn’t believe she was here with you as she led you further down the woodland pathway, your heart skipping too many beats at a time again.

“You still haven’t told me where you’re taking me-”

“You don’t need to know, until we get there,” she repeated calmly, just like she had at least half an hour ago, before you’d both sneaked out of your and Cal’s homestead again.

“As long as it’s nothing to do with-..”

You winced, before falling quiet again, not sure if you should tell her, or not; you’d been cagey about your birthday since forever.

You just didn’t think anyone needed to know, as you tried not to think of dark rooms again.

You kept your head low, but Regina was distracted - thankfully enough.

“It should be just-..”

She looked to the right pathway, more brambly than ever.

“Reg,” you continued worriedly, not wanting her to get scratched as she tried to get her leg over a solitary and sharp-looking stick on the ground, succeeding with suspicious ease and familiarity.

You wondered if she’d been down here before, but you didn’t have much time to think, before she’d offered you her hand again, after having to let go to focus on the manoeuvre somehow.

“I - I don’t know if this is a good - what if we’re going onto someone’s property? There could be anything, around here-! I’ve not been this way before-”

“Jesus, Y/n - it’s not even that big of a deal, just - just trust me, okay?”

She interjected, her voice a little firmer than before, but not unkind - just slightly more exasperated.

You thought about it for a moment, before you sighed heavily again.

You didn’t want to disappoint her, as your hand met her own again.

It got hard to breathe, for a moment, when the warmth of her palm brushed against your own.

“You ready-?”

She inquired softly, her eyes ever brighter than before as you tried to recompose yourself, before you nodded tightly, and swallowed nervously again.

“Y-Yeah - I - I think so,” you managed, and she tried not to grin sheepishly over at you again, amused by the timid look on your face as she carefully began to aid you over the same obstacle, and you luckily managed to get over it, without getting your clothes snagged in any way, shape, or blissful form.

“See? Piece of cake, literally,” she remarked easily as she cleared her throat a little more awkwardly, and pressed herself to continue walking down the same pathway.

“That was not - I’m not even gonna say that,” you uttered, and she giggled softly ahead of you, the sound prompting your heart to skip a beat as you averted your gaze again, feel much too warm and fuzzy inside as you tried to focus on the ground below you, and whatever could be waiting to trip you up, somehow. “Hey, are - are you sure we - we shouldn’t have told Cal about this?”

You inquired, and Regina huffed impatiently ahead of you as she shook her head without hesitation.

“He wouldn’t have let us go,” she complained, sounding as if she were pouting a little, even.

“Y-Yeah, but-.. maybe - what if - what if he’s right to not let us come down here?”

You pressed, and she sighed, not even humouring your question at this point.

“Just - keep following me, okay? You won’t regret it, I promise,” she insisted.

You would probably find it hard to reject her for anything, anyway.

You obediently continued behind her, and you faltered when she stopped before you.

“Reg-?”

She held up a branch, and you winced when you realised she was holding it back from you.

“O-Oh - t-thanks,” you managed, and she smirked in your direction, only making it harder to breathe somehow.

“You’re welcome,” she replied simply, and you were acutely aware of the fact she was behind you, now.

“So, are - are we any closer, now?”

You pried, and she raised her eyebrows back at you, before huffing softly all over again.

“You’ll just have to wait and see, right?”

She responded as she gesticulated with her head toward the left pathway, now.

The trees were tall around the both of you, their leaves finally colourful again.

You couldn’t help, but smile at the sight, and her heart leaped as she glanced over at you, noticing the way your eyes were glinting, now.

“It - It’s pretty, right?”

She mused, and you found it hard to even speak as you nodded slowly, your heart pounding too fast all over again.

“Y-Yeah,” you answered softly, before you even realised the word had slipped from your lips, the way it did, then.

“Like you,” she added, eventually, as she averted her gaze timidly again.

You didn’t know what to say, as you glanced warily back at her, evidently not expecting the comment when it came.

“You - did you just-?”

You began cautiously, but she didn’t dare look back at you again as she shook her head tightly, not sure what had even made her think to say that, in the first place.

“We should probably-.. yeah,” she continued barely audibly as she meandered around you to continue down the new path-line.

Your heart sank a little at that, but you tried to shrug it off as you followed closely behind her, feeling colder than you did, earlier.

It was when there was a makeshift archway of a split tree that you lifted your gaze, your heart jolting all over again as you did.

The clearing ahead was bright; so bright, and colourful - the flower variations were many.

Your heart skipped a beat as your gaze fell upon her again, before you winced when you realised she was looking back at you still.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” you stammered a little as she raised her eyebrows, tilting her head a little.

“For-?”

She questioned, and you tried to think of the right words you could say.

“I - I just-.. I don’t know, I’m sorry, I-.. I’m sorry,” you uttered as you timidly inched closer to her, and her eyebrows furrowed a little again.

“Hey-”

She gently caught your right hand within her own again.

You tensed up as soon as you felt it, before you warily looked back at her, your heart pounding too fast again.

“Y-You okay-?”

You murmured, before cursing yourself for being so vulnerable around her as you turned to face her a little more, her eyes never leaving your’s again.

“Y-Yeah, I just - I’m okay, I just wanted you to - to know that-.. I wanted you to know that-..”

She sighed, wishing it weren’t so hard to communicate around you sometimes; she just didn’t want to say something wrong around you; she didn’t want to push you away from her; didn’t want to lose you, and it scared her to think that she didn’t know what that meant, yet.

“Look, you - you don’t need to apologise to me. For anything, okay? You - You’ve never done anything to - to hurt me, in any way, a-and I-.. I could never do anything to hurt you, either.”

You didn’t know what to even think right now as you listened to her contently, smiling faintly up at her again.

“You - You know that, right?”

She asked, looking almost - fearful, that you’d say ‘no’, but you could never do that to her.

Yes, you knew that - from things you’d heard around Northshore before you’d even met her - she had been involved in many things you’d rather avoid in a person.

However, when you’d actually met her, it was like she was a new person.

Sure, you’d both started out being awkward around one another, and you even dismissive at times whenever she had to shadow you around the stables, but it was when she’d found you crying and shaking outside of one of the pastures that you felt almost - safer, around her.

You’d remembered how she pulled you close to her, you struggling against her as if you were in one of your occasional episodic fits, before she’d taken off her jacket to wrap it around you again.

You didn’t think you’d ever seen her scared before, the way you had, that day.

Sometimes you still dreamt that you were in her arms, her fingers in your hair as she tried to soothe you as much as she could.

You didn’t even dream of the bad men anymore; it was just her.

Every sense of her being.

You cautiously shifted in place, before you mustered up a faint ‘yes’, and pairing it with an even briefer ‘of course I do’.

She expressed relief, at that.

Her eyes glistened all over again, and you revelled in how blue they were.

“Good, that - that’s good,” she mustered up slowly, and your heart sank a little when her eyes avoided your’s for a moment. “That’s always good,” she added even softer, as if she’d not intended for you to hear it that time, particularly, “because-..”

She sighed, struggling to find the right phrasing again, as well as the confidence to spark up what she wanted to say to you.

“Okay - don’t get mad, because - because - I-.. shit-.. okay, I might have asked Cal when your birthday was.”

You faltered as you shook your head timidly, trying not to get scared again; you knew you were okay - she was here; you were here - they couldn’t get you here.

They - They just couldn’t, right?

“So, I - I had this great idea, a-and-.. and I just wanted - I wanted to do something for you, because - I don’t even know, but I - I just - I think I-”

You didn’t know what made you do it.

You didn’t even think about it, your gaze drifting down to her soft lips.

You’d wondered how soft they could actually be.

So, you just - you kissed her.

You’d been ready for her to push you away; you really thought she would, but it was you yourself who pulled away in the end, stammering a little nervously as you kept your head low, wondering if you’d fucked up already.

Little did you know, it had made her feel empty, to have you pull away like that.

“I - I’m so - I didn’t mean-”

“So, you - you wanted to too, right?”

She interjected softly, and you would appear taken aback as you gazed back at her again, and she smiled thinly back at you.

“W-What are you-?”

It was her turn, and as soon as her lips were on your’s you couldn’t think anymore; it just - stopped you from being able to do anything somehow as you just melted into the touch, even allowing her to deepen the kiss a little as she eased you back gently against the tree behind you.

This all just felt - so-..

You were hardly conscious, when the kiss had ended again.

It was only when she giggled a little breathlessly that you could direct your gaze back to her again.

“I - I was scared you wouldn’t-..”

She winced, before averting her gaze again as she awkwardly shuffled in place, you finding yourself stuck just admiring her, your back still against the tree.

“You - You did like it, didn’t you? It - It’s okay, if - if not, I - I just, you - you know.”

She fell quiet again, finding she couldn’t bring herself to look back up at you as she awaited a response, you hardly breathing anymore.

“R-Reg-?”

You mustered up, eventually.

She hummed quietly to show she was listening, and your lips moved silently for a moment as you tried to recompose yourself a little, until you finally managed to continue, and her heart skipped a beat when your voice finally sounded again.

“Can - Can you - Can you please kiss me again?”

You requested barely audibly, and she couldn’t believe it as her eyes glinted again, before she nodded timidly back at you.

“Er, s-sure,” she answered softly, her voice close to a whisper, at this point, as she inched closer to you again, your heart pounding loud in your ears as she closed the gap between you both again.

You wondered if it was a bad thing that you didn’t care if you couldn’t breathe anymore, as her lips brushed against your own so blissfully all over again.

It was almost as if she were afraid of hurting you, if she didn’t kiss you as delicately as she was, now.

You hardly noticed that the kiss was over again, when she turned your head a little to the left side, before she pressed an even softer kiss to your right cheek, you revelling in the moment as she rested her chin upon your right shoulder again.

“Oh, and - Y/n?”

You nodded timidly as you tried to calm down; tried to steady your breathing pattern as heat flooded over your face again.

“H-Hm?”

Was all you could manage - verbally - right now.

“Happy birthday, baby.”

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

Thank you so much for reading, guys!

I hope you’re enjoying this new concept of a Short Prompt an Occasional Day kinda thing!

I certainly enjoyed writing it; I just feel I need to work a bit more on the delivery!

Hopefully, I will be able to write one for tomorrow, as well, but I probably won’t be able to post it until a bit later in the day!

I will probably also be adding these prompts onto the Masterlist dedicated to their characters, as well as ao3!

Until then, I hope you all have a lovely rest of the day/night, and I look forward to seeing you again soon!

For now, I have been - as usual,

And as always,

Your ever faithful, H.H. 💜

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

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angstyandromanticwriting · 7 days ago

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A lovely morning again to my wonderful supporters here!

This is just a quick announcement to say I’m introducing a new concept to this page!

I haven’t given it a name, but basically what I’m going to be doing is writing a quick prompt to post (much shorter than others I’ve done to save time), so I can always try to have something ready to share with you!

The only few days I may not be able to do this would be: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday as I’m unfortunately out at Uni on each of them!

These also may not be as fancy as the regular instalments I do (in terms of pictures, mostly, as I’m planning on using the same pictures I used for each character’s designated Masterlist on each of them!)

I hope you enjoy + are looking forward to what I have in store for you, in regards to this + of course it means I’m still working on the next main instalment at the same time!

At the moment I can’t give much of a scope of when it might be dropping as it admittedly isn’t that close to being finished, but I certainly look forward to sharing it with you at some point!

I hope you all have a lovely rest of the day, and I look forward to seeing you again, soon!

Until then, I have been - as usual,

And as always,

Your ever faithful, H.H. 💜

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angstyandromanticwriting · 8 days ago

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☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

☦︎︎ “𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖.” ☦︎︎

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

A Leighton Murray X Fem!Reader Angsty, Cute, and Fluffy Prompt

[The Full Version; Part Four - The Finale]

Minors DNI!!!

* (Working with some hefty topics here, as well as some quite explicit smut features along the way, basically!)

Takes place mainly after the events of season 3, as well as occasionally drifting back to events proceeding even before season 1 takes place!

Word Count [Exclusive to this Part]: standing around 12k!

Linked to aspects of the previous instalment I wrote for this idea [Favour/Let’s Dance in Bars!]

Transitions between parts within this instalment indicated utilising Roman Numerals!

I hope you enjoy it!

There will be more!

!TW(s) [to be expected here]: panic attacks, being in pain, sleep paralysis/nightmares, PTSD/depression/anxiety/separation anxiety, partial nudity, sexual references, swearing, self body-shaming; self-doubt; self-hatred, guilt, jealousy, themes of child + sexual + substance abuse, injury detail + self-harm, smut (explicit), ‘cheating’, blood, throwing up, manipulation, suicidal consideration + themes, references to homophobia, fainting, themes linked to breaking up - if I’ve missed anything here, please feel free to let me know; thank you + I hope you enjoy it!

A Hearty Meeting/Blood Flows Thin

XVIII

You couldn’t bring yourself to speak.

Luckily, you didn’t have to, as Leighton spoke up again, shortly after her previous revelation.

“You-.. You told me not to go again,” she murmured a little faintly as you kept your head low, tears threatening to run down your cheeks as you nodded slowly, recalling the dream you’d had. “I never wanted to lose you, Y/n - I swear I-”

“Leight, this - this isn’t-.. maybe we shouldn’t-”

“No, Y/n,” she interjected a little sharper as you winced again, not daring to protest any further for fear of making things worse, somehow, “you need to hear this. Look, I - I don’t know what it’s going to take to get you to trust me, okay? But-.. I just-.. I want you to know that - e-even if-.. even if you never can forgive me for what happened before, I-.. I’ll always be here for you. Always, okay? I promise you I will, because - because I want to do things right, this time. I can’t lose you again. You don’t even fucking know how much it hurt, okay? You just don’t. But-.. I know I hurt you, too. A-And I’ll always hate myself for that, but-.. I think I love you, okay? And I probably sound like a broken record, by now, but-.. I just-.. I need you to hear me, right now, and know that I’m going to do everything I can to make you happy around me, again - and, honestly, if I ever hear that your dad’s still somehow around - I’ll be here to protect you.”

“We both will.”

You tensed up, upon hearing Aurora’s voice sounding out somewhere to the left of you.

She looked like she was barely conscious, evidently sleepy as you looked over at her, hardly able to fight back your tears anymore.

Leighton also looked as if she’d been startled by her presence, given she’d been focusing on you, more than anything else, the way she had, then.

“Jesus, Aurora - did you have to make such a quiet entrance, or-? What are you, even? Some fucking ninja, now?”

You managed, eventually, your voice threatening to tremble.

Leighton grinned over at you, as she tilted her head partially in your direction again.

“No, I’m your sister, Y/n, and - quite frankly - I couldn’t be bothered to take up anything like that when I already have you to look after,” Aurora interjected with surprising ease.

“Harsh,” Leighton remarked, but the smile never left her face again, “but I like it.”

You raised your eyebrows back at her, and she didn’t miss the way you almost pouted in her direction, as if you were jealous of the situation, somehow.

“What? It was a compliment, Jesus-”

Leighton stated, as if to protest for her innocence as you rolled your eyes, whilst she couldn’t help, but giggle all over again.

“Honestly, neither of you have anything to worry about - as far as I know, I’m still mainly into guys, so,” Aurora claimed as if to reassure you, only making you feel worse as you tried to hide your face completely, just until it stopped feeling like an active heater, the way it was, then.

“And I couldn’t do anything to change that for you-?”

Leighton inquired suggestively, and you groaned, wondering if this was really happening, right now.

Aurora looked as if she was considering it, for a moment, before she shrugged nonchalantly as if the girl unbothered her, before she grinned sheepishly back at you again.

“Don’t think so, unfortunately - besides, Y/n would probably want to kill me, if-.. anyway,” she moved on hastily, especially when you shot an overly serious glare in her direction again, “there’s a reason why I came down here.”

You raised your eyebrows as Leighton appeared apprehensive beside you again.

“Do you know why specifically, Y/n-?”

You tensed up, as you tried to think of something that could get you out of whatever the hell she was about to say, but you couldn’t think of anything, and she looked about ready to burst with the issue anyway.

“Seriously? You don’t know?”

She pried, and you hesitantly shrugged as Aurora rolled her eyes, before leaning against the doorframe again.

“If you want to be at least something of a better chef, then I suggest you clean up the dishes you were using earlier,” she advised with anything, but subtlety, before you winced, remembering you’d forgot to clean up in the kitchen after you’d made your - unique brownies earlier.

“Shit, sorry - I didn’t realise I-..”

You cursed barely audibly again as Aurora grinned over at you, before shaking her head as you made to get up again, but she continued before you could, and Leighton’s arms were around you still anyway.

“It’s okay; you don’t have to do them right now, I just thought I should-”

“I can do them,” you reassured her, trying to inject a bit more brightness into your voice as Aurora raised her eyebrows back at you, somehow surprised by your change in demeanour as she shuffled a little distractedly on the spot, before nodding thoughtfully back at you again.

“We’ll - We’ll do the dishes together, if that’s okay?”

Leighton spoke up again eventually, and you would wince, before trying to shake your head over at her, but she wanted to help, so wasn’t prepared to take ‘no’ as an answer, right now.

“Well - it sounds like you guys have a good plan going, so - I’ll just be upstairs if you need me, okay?”

Aurora concluded gently, trying not to yawn again as you quickly averted your gaze again, the air feeling even tighter now that you and Leighton found yourselves alone again.

“She’s my sister, Leight,” you whined, and Leighton rolled her eyes playfully as she watched you walking up to the sink again.

“And you’re jealous - why?”

She asked, evidently curious as you hugged a little exasperatedly, trying not to get too distracted as you prepared everything that needed to be cleaned on the right side of the basin, after the both of you had finally either dumped or put back what had already been used, ingredients wise.

“I’m not jealous, I just-.. I don’t know. But - But that’s not even relevant, right now - I just-.. I can’t-..”

You sighed heavily as you paused for a moment, and she tilted her head partially in your direction again.

“You can’t-?”

She prompted gently, and you shook your head, not wanting to have to continue the conversation anymore.

“I can’t nothing, Leight - can - can we just-.. I don’t know, talk about something else, now?”

You requested a little more dismissively, though it pained you to do so as she scoffed faintly, before pushing herself off of the counter before her again.

“I mean - sure; of course we can, I just wanted to know,” she replied carefully, and you didn’t dare reply as you kept your head low; your eyes on the tray you were scrubbing, and she would have continued, if she didn’t find herself focusing on what you were doing, rather than her previous thoughts, by now.

You knew how to move quickly, that was for sure.

“What - er - what would you rather talk about, then?”

She inquired a little more exasperatedly than before, but she tried to hide it as best as she could as she found herself admiring your frame again, her heart jolting as her eyes trailed down you, and she felt even hotter than she had, earlier.

“Literally anything, but - y’know,” you murmured, and Leighton nodded slowly as she tried to think of something else to say, pressing her lips thinly together as she swallowed a little uncomfortably, but she knew what she was doing as she timidly inched ever closer to you, and you soon could feel her presence behind you as you tried not to shudder, or let your mind wander with how close she was, as you instead scrubbed at the back of the tray even harder, even though it didn’t need as much cleaning as the rest of the dishes did, now.

“Okay, well - how about this?”

She drew ever closer, and it got so much harder than it had been to breathe, before.

“You look beautiful in the moonlight,” she began, and your heart skipped a beat as you almost dropped the tray you were holding, but you managed to keep it held up as you shot a knowing glare back at her, but she wasn’t perturbed by the warning as she smirked back at you, shrugging nonchalantly all over again. “Too much?”

She guessed, and you didn’t even hesitate.

“Way too much,” you answered simply, and she sighed as she tried to think of something else, but she soon found herself stuck, when her gaze fell upon your hands again.

“Is - Is there - er - anything else maybe that I could help with, or-?”

She inquired, instead, as you thought about it for a moment, finally setting the tray aside so you could pick up the mixing bowl begging your attention, right now.

“I - I mean - there might be one thing.”

You answered slowly.

Leighton raised her eyebrows, her eyes glinting a little as you smiled timidly back at her again.

“Really? Okay then - enlighten me, baby.”

XIX

It was nothing like what she’d been expecting you to ask of her.

She couldn’t deny that it did have an ongoing effect on her, though.

She knew she could work with it; it was just down to whether she had the ability to seduce you so easily, or not, given you could easily be playing hard to get still, the way you had recently.

“Would you - erm - would you care to give me a back scratch, whilst - whilst I-?”

You’d inquired, and she couldn’t help, but raise her eyes skeptically back at you again.

“That depends,” she stated, oh so ready to play ball with you as always, “will you let me rub your back, if I do?”

You hesitated, evidently skeptical as you averted your gaze for a moment, and she warily awaited your answer.

“Sure, I mean - I don’t see why that would be-..”

You awkwardly cleared your throat, before smiling timidly up at her again.

“Y-Yeah - go ahead,” you answered a little clearer than before.

She expressed relief, like she’d been afraid you wouldn’t want her to, as she gesticulated for you to turn around again, which you did, albeit hesitantly.

She tried to recompose herself for a moment, knowing she needed to keep a clear head as she first lifted her hands up to your shoulders, and you relaxed instantly beneath her touch all over again.

She smiled softly at the feeling, glad you at least weren’t awkward whenever she made to touch you, the way she did, then.

“Where do you want me to start, huh?”

You’d never felt so safe before.

Her touch was softer than any other you’d felt before, and though it was difficult for you to concentrate solely on the cleaning, you were grateful to her for the way she was handling you, only making you feel ever warmer.

“Is this good?”

She inquired as she drew her hands softly down to the middle of your back, and you nodded with ease as she worked on the area.

It was when she drew her hands lower that you began to tense up a bit more again.

“Hey, erm - m-maybe not-.. not that low,” you managed a little less stably as she winced, before nodding gravely, as she lifted her touch again, not wanting to push you away from her somehow.

“I’m sorry, I - I was just thinking-.. I don’t know - maybe it would be better if I could work under your shirt, rather than over it? It - It’s up to you, I don’t - I don’t mind.”

You hesitated, not sure as you thought about it again, before sighing heavily as you guessed maybe it could help, but at the same time you didn’t know how well you’d be able to concentrate, if you let her get any closer to you somehow.

“Er-.. I - I don’t know, Leight, I-.. that - that sounds-”

“It doesn’t - It doesn’t have to be like anything you’re thinking right now,” she reassured a little more desperately, though she tried to act unbothered as you hesitated again, before nodding tightly, and smiling weakly back at her again.

“I guess, y’know, if - if it’s okay with you, too, I mean-.. just - don’t think of doing anything, okay? N-Not like - y’know.”

Leighton winced, before she tried to nod reassuringly back at you as she lowered her hands again so she could carefully slip them under your shirt, her fingertips brushing against the small of your lower back as your heart skipped a beat, and your eyelids threatened to flutter shut in response to her touch again.

Except she couldn’t think of anything else, right now.

She carefully inched even closer as she ran her fingertips up your back again, her underarms brushing against your skin as you tried not to shudder again, your heart beating too fast against your ribcage.

You tried to focus on the bowl; it was almost done, and there was more you needed to clean up, here.

That should have been all that mattered; that should have been all you could think about.

But it wasn’t.

You had visions of her lips upon your skin; her tracing circles on your neck as you arched your back with every brush of contact, but it wasn’t enough, as your breathing pattern grew to be staggered and uneven, you feeling warm and fuzzy inside again.

“Y’know, it was funny,” she began gently as you hummed quietly in response to her voice again, your heart jolting all the more as she closed the gap between you both, you not breathing anymore when you felt the warmth of her lower half fully against your’s, by now. “I, erm-.. before you came over, yesterday, I-.. I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

You tried to remain unaffected to the best of your ability, but the way your blood pulsed vividly under your skin suggested that you were failing, especially when she rested her chin upon your left shoulder, and you could feel her breathing upon your neck all over again.

It was - It was all just too much.

You thought about running away, but you didn’t know if you could; you didn’t want to hurt her, as you tried to stay calm, keeping a strong grip on the edges of the basin as you’d set the mixing bowl aside, now cleaner than it had been, earlier.

“Leight-”

You tried, albeit breathlessly, but she was determined to win you over as she pressed her face into your neck for a moment, and your heart stuttered as soon as you felt her nose on your neck, breathing you in.

“I couldn’t even-.. I tried to think about-.. about other things, because - because I thought - I thought you wouldn’t want-.. I thought you wouldn’t want to see me anymore. So I thought - or tried to think - about the girl I met.”

You couldn’t help, but allow a scowl to play on your lips as you shook your head gravely again.

“She did - some interesting things, to me,” she added thoughtfully, and you’d never hated anyone more than you did the stranger, the way you did, then. “But she isn’t you.”

Your breath hitched, at that, as you faltered a little against her, her smirking at the reaction again.

“She could never be you, baby. B-Because you-.. you’re - you’re so much more than-.. than anyone could ever-..”

She winced at the way she struggled again, before she carefully ran her hands along your sides, before she could run her palms along your stomach again.

“God, you’re amazing,” she managed barely audibly, as if she didn’t intend for you to hear her, that time, as you shuddered beneath her touch, unable to stop it happening somehow.

“Leight, baby, please, I - I don’t know if we should-”

She frowned, a pained expression on her face as she shook her head tightly, not wanting to fail somehow.

“But-”

“I’m not ready, okay? I can’t-”

“You can,” she interjected gently, and you hesitated as you tilted your head a little toward her own again. “I know you can,” she continued ever softer, “look, I-.. I know you’re scared, baby, but-.. I could never hurt you. I love you, Y/n; I only ever do what I do because I think it would help you, o-or - I don’t know, I just-.. I just want-.. I want you to know that..”

She sighed heavily, as your expression softened a little all over again.

You thought you could do it, if you tried hard enough to stay calm for her.

You just hated to see her sad like that; like she was struggling to hold herself together again somehow.

You drew in a barely audible shaky breath, before you withdrew your left hand from the sink, and instead lifted it up to where her own left hand was, still beneath your shirt again.

She shuddered at the feeling; the way you squeezed her hand lightly, and she allowed another exhalation to escape her, one more relieved this time.

“I trust you, Leighton; I’ve - I’ve always-..”

Her heart skipped a beat again, as she smiled softly against your neck, wondering what she’d done to deserve another chance with you again.

“Good - that - that’s good, baby, I-.. I’m glad,” she cooed gently, and you tried to stay calm like you kept telling yourself to do, especially when you felt her lips on your neck, the way they were, then.

You winced, remembering there were still some things you needed to wash up as you tried to get back to it; you scrubbed at the plate you’d laid the brownies upon, the spare ones in a sealable bag in case anyone wanted them, at some point.

She pressed her kisses ever lower, and you shuddered when you felt her withdrawing her left hand from beneath your own, before she ran it back over your side, and back out of your shirt again.

You tried not to think much about what she was doing, as she drew your legs apart a bit more, and you found it hard to do much of anything at this rate as she breathed a little shakily against the back of your neck, and you felt the material of her skirt brushing against the back of your jeans.

She buried her face against the crook of your neck as she cooed sweet nothings to you again.

You turned your head a little, and she moved with you so her lips could meet your own, her continuing to rub against you slowly as you gripped onto the sink again, wanting to feel more than what you were, but she knew what you were thinking as she looked toward one of the cabinet handles to your left, before she smirked as she got an idea, and carefully eased you a little more toward it again.

You appeared puzzled by what she was doing, at first, as you made to set the plate down, only for it to almost clatter against the drying surface as she eased you forward a little, and the material of the front of your jeans brushed against the handle, and it was hard not to jolt again.

She shuddered as a shaky breath escaped your lips; she’d done right, moving you.

“Fuck, Leight, I-.. baby-”

She hummed quietly to show you she was listening; that she was there; she’d always be there, trying to do the best for you again.

You couldn’t believe how overwhelming it already was, to be brushing against her, the way you were, now, as well as the cabinet handle, perfectly aligning with your slit again.

“Does - Does it feel good, baby?”

She managed, and you nodded tightly as you breathed heavily down at the ground, her revelling in how it felt to be pressed up against you all over again.

“Leight,” you managed again as you gripped upon the edge of the counter, and she tried to provide comfort to you as she delicately held your left hand within her own again. “Baby, I - it - it really-..”

You shook a little against her, not sure how to hold it together already as you whimpered quietly, her guiding you a little slower than she did before.

She found it difficult not to slide her right hand back into your jeans, as she instead ran it under her skirt and tights again.

It grew hard not to breathe again as she hummed barely audibly again, pressing her face into the back of your neck as she rubbed at her bud, mouth a little more agape than before.

“Baby,” she whispered, as she continued to touch herself, whilst also rubbing against you still, you scared that something was happening again as you grew ever wetter, wondering if your jeans were staining a little as you tried to rub yourself harder against the handle, her eventually doing the same against you as you moved together, perfectly intertwined somehow. “Fuck,” she continued a little more shakily than before as soft exhalations escaped her lips alongside your own, before she moved her left hand again to wrap her arm around your waist to steady the both of you against the platform before you both somehow.

“Leight,” you whined, sounding more alarmed than you did before.

“It’s okay, baby - everything’s okay, I promise; I - I’ve got you, okay?”

She cooed a little more feebly as you even wondered if you were about to cry, wanting the knot you were feeling to burst already as you tried to move faster, her holding you ever closer to her frame as she tried to keep you steady, though she was on the verge of losing it herself already.

“You’re okay, baby girl,” she whispered softly, “you’re doing so good, okay? You’re amazing, baby.”

“Leight, I - I can’t, baby - I - I can’t do this - I don’t know if I can - fuck-”

“You’re doing so well, baby,” she continued, and you shook your head as you tried not to cry, her trying to help you as she pressed you a little more against the handle, and you breathed in sharply as you whimpered again, heavily leaning against the counter before you as you clung onto her left arm using your left hand as she tried to rub her front against you only slightly rougher than before as she breathed shakily behind you, knowing she was just as close as you were, or maybe even closer as her eyes grew half-lidded again, her arm struggling a little to stay against your stomach as her lips moved silently for a moment, before she tilted her head back a little, amazed by what dry humping could do, sometimes.

Especially when she thought about how it had felt, the first time, to be against you, the way she had, then.

She missed what it felt like do it properly with you, bud to bud, but she wanted to ease you into it, and you moaned pathetically as you slowed down against the handle, your ears ringing for a moment as you cried quietly, your head bowed low again.

“It’s okay, baby,” she whispered, her voice trembling again as you shook against her, hardly breathing anymore like before as your eyelids remained heavy, and you felt a warm liquid seeping into your pants again.

“Leight,” you whined again, “b-baby, please-..”

She tried to catch her breath, slowing down her own movements as she hugged you ever closer, your demeanour more vulnerable than it had been before.

“You’re okay,” she whispered against the soft skin of your neck, “I’ve got you, baby.”

“D-Did - Did you-? Did I make you-?”

She couldn’t help, but giggle softly as she nodded against the back of your head, your heart beating too quickly again.

You smiled softly upon feeling it, though you didn’t know why it made you as proud as it did, then.

“You always do, baby girl,” she cooed ever delicately, “you always do.”

She’d asked you if you wanted to join her in the shower, so you could both clean up the ‘messes’ you’d made of each other.

It had terrified you more than you thought it would.

You’d stuttered that you could wait, and she’d appeared a little dejected at that, but she’d said it was okay; that you didn’t need to feel like you had to join her, or anything.

You were just worried of what she’d think, if she saw your top half exposed again.

Nothing had really changed, you just-..

You didn’t want her to see, and then somehow make her want to let you go again.

You sighed heavily, once she’d left the room.

She’d helped you put the cleaned & later dried dishes away, before she’d kissed you on the cheek, and told you she’d be back soon.

You’d told her she could use the shower upstairs; she didn’t need to go all the way over to her apartment to clean herself up.

She’d looked surprised, at that.

She’d smirked over at you, and you forgot how to breathe again, and way too easily.

She’d asked you if it was because you wanted to watch her, and that only flustered you all the more as you tried not to stutter, only to fail miserably as you’d shaken your head, lips moving silently.

Her expression softened, when she could see you were struggling.

She’d told you she loved you again.

Then she’d kissed you even gentler, and made to go up to your bathroom again.

You’d stood there, dazed for a few moments.

You couldn’t believe how she never ceased to make you feel like you owned the world, with every glance she shared with you.

You sighed barely audibly, your breath shaky again as you shook your head, trying to regain your consciousness again.

You knew you should probably get changed as you ran your right hand over your face, before you looked down at your jeans, and winced at the stain you’d recently left upon them.

“Shit,” you whispered, but you couldn’t say you weren’t happy, especially when it had been because of her, and not someone else.

You just didn’t think you’d ever have moments like that with her anymore.

The reminder of your previous doubts made you feel cold, as you cursed yourself for even thinking such a way before.

You also had to try and ignore the miniature tremor of fear you received, that it was something you’d seen before, not only back in you and Aurora’s old apartment with Elizabeth, but also within the old home belonging to your father.

You didn’t know what to do, when your breathing pattern picked up again.

You didn’t want to disturb Leighton, nor did you want to disturb Aurora as you shook your head tightly, beginning to feel sick all over again.

Instead, you staggered toward the toilet, and cursed yourself for being so weak again.

By the time Leighton had finished cleaning herself up, and had winced upon remembering she’d forgot to get a set of new clothes anyway, before she’d entered the shower in the first place, she saw a decent-looking bath-robe, and decided it shouldn’t be too harmful for her to borrow it as she pulled it on, did up the belt, and made to go downstairs again.

You weren’t there.

And - well, she didn’t know how to feel about that.

She subconsciously looked toward the spot in the kitchen where it had all went down in the first place as she passed the door leading into the room, before she looked toward the coat rack at the end of the hallway, and saw it was less preoccupied than usual.

It was funny that she just knew, even before she’d seen your coat was gone, that you weren’t in anymore, so she did the only thing she could think of right now, as she perched herself upon the sofa, determined to stay awake somehow for the moment you came back to her.

It didn’t come as soon as she hoped it would.

So - stupidly, she fell asleep.

She thought it had been a stupid move to make, anyway.

Little did she know, you’d gone down to the old house.

It was darker than it had been before, like it was still unoccupied.

Your dad had been gone for a long time, you presumed.

You had reported him to the police, after all, but you didn’t know if he’d ran away, or if he’d been caught.

You never thought to ask, or consult the news, if they’d ever bother to put something like that in there.

You didn’t stay there long, only wanting to see if it looked better than it did in your head, but there had been no change - clearly.

The house had aged badly, it seemed, at the hands of your father’s actions.

You sighed heavily, but you stuffed your hands into your pockets again.

You didn’t know if you could go back home yet, so you went to the park, and waited for the sun to rise again.

You were hardly still conscious, by the time it had.

You didn’t bother to stretch, or do anything, when you pushed yourself up off of the bench you’d heavily collapsed upon, worn from some drink, at that point, like the hypocrite you were, as you staggered a little across the cobbles, before you cursed yourself, your head pounding again.

You wondered if Aurora would be mad at you, when you walked through the door.

If Leighton would hate you for disappearing again.

Your heart sank, before you shook your head, and pushed yourself to continue toward the exit again.

Of course, you hadn’t been expecting much else when you walked through the door, and heard a panicked voice approaching.

You braced yourself for impact subconsciously, not daring to look up as someone rushed toward you, and you were right to have braced yourself when there were arms around you, and Aurora’s dark brown hair flowing around you for a moment.

You winced, your body feeling stiff as you returned the embrace, before you lifted your head, and your gaze connected with Leighton’s again.

XXI

She didn’t know how to react, at first.

Then again, neither did you.

You both just - stared wordlessly back at each other, lips moving silently for a moment.

It only stopped when Aurora held you at arm’s length, her eyes still full of the worry she felt right now; had been feeling for a little while now.

“Where the fuck did you go, Y/n? We - We thought-..”

She began, and you tensed up as you bit down upon your tongue, before you bowed your head, not wanting them to see that even after everything, you were trying not to cry again.

“I’m sorry,” you managed, your voice close to a feeble whisper as Aurora shook her head before you, before she glanced back at Leighton who wore a pained expression on her face. “I’m so-..”

“It’s okay,” Aurora cooed gently, “as - as long as - as you’re okay. C’mon, I’ll go and make you a coffee, and - and we can talk, okay?”

“Wait-”

You spluttered, a little more exasperatedly.

She did as you requested, her hold on you lessening as she stopped in place, before turning to face you again.

“I’m sorry, A - I just-.. can - can I-.. can I talk to Leighton, maybe - a-alone?”

You requested, and Aurora looked concerned again, as well as much more puzzled than before as she looked between the both of you, before looking back at you again.

“Er, s-sure,” she replied skeptically, not sure whether she should trust Leighton any less than she had before at this rate as she reluctantly let you go, and made to leave the room again.

It was quiet, for a moment or two.

You awkwardly shuffled in place, as she fidgeted with her hands, before she sighed a little frustratedly, wanting to get to the bottom of the issue, the way it was, now.

“So, are you going to start, or shall I?”

She asked, and you winced again as you glanced up at her, and she couldn’t bear to see the tears running down your face.

“There’s - fuck.. Leight, there’s - there’s something I need to-..”

She raised her eyebrows back at you, before timidly inching closer as if to try and stabilise you again, but you didn’t want her to feel like you needed her to do so as you stepped back, and her eyes darkened again.

It took you another moment, or two, to summon up the courage to speak again, but when you did, you were determined, this time, because you knew that if things were going to get any more serious between you both, there were things she had to know, as well as see.

“There’s something I need to show you.”

You’d been expecting her to protest more.

Instead, she’d just shrugged nonchalantly as if it were normal, before her eyebrows furrowed a little again, and she performed the unexpected.

She said ‘okay’.

You were more tense than ever as you led her up the stairs, not daring to look back at her as she begged you to say something; anything, albeit silently.

“Y’know, I - erm-.. I might have slept with your robe on, when you were gone - is - is that okay-?”

She managed to ask, just wanting the silence to end as it felt more violent, than peaceful, and you winced as you tried to drag yourself out of your thoughts, before you nodded tightly back at her, but it hadn’t been the response she wanted.

“Look, you - you can tell me if something’s wrong - you know that, don’t you?”

She continued, and you nodded again, to which she eventually tried to give up as the both of you reached the landing, and you made toward the bathroom.

She followed without hesitation, though it scared her to think you’d not told her what the problem was yet.

Once you were both in the bathroom, you were hardly meeting her gaze again.

“What did you want to-?”

“T-The door; we should probably-.. c-close the door,” you murmured a little cautiously, and she raised her eyebrows again, but she knew better than to ask questions as she shut the door behind her, and turned to face you expectantly again.

“So-?”

She pried, and you tried to stay calm as you averted your gaze again, your heart beating much too wildly against your ribcage.

“M-My dad.”

You began, before she could continue as her breath hitched in her throat, and she almost gritted her teeth at the mention of him again.

“H-He-.. He was-.. I - I don’t know, I just-.. I just - I need to show you this now, okay?”

She managed up another gentle ‘okay’, as you allowed another shaky exhalation to escape your lips again.

She watched warily as you made to stand before the mirror in the room, and you’d never looked so scared before as you pulled off your jumper, and her heart jolted all over again.

“E-Er, Y/n - you - what are you-?”

You shook your head tightly as you let the attire slip from the fingers of your right hand, and she made to pick it up for you, and that was when she saw it.

She stopped in place behind you as her gaze ran over a couple of long red lines running down parallel to each other alongside your spinal cord.

She couldn’t believe she’d never noticed them before.

But that wasn’t the first thought she’d had.

Her heart sank, as she turned to face you fully, you trying to hide your face from her as she inched ever closer like she had the night before, except now she wasn’t at all thinking about what she wished she could do with you.

Not. At. All.

Instead, she was thinking too fast as she wondered if it was hurting you; if your dad had done this; why you hadn’t told her before; why you’d let her touch it if she could have hurt you somehow when she didn’t know about the makeshift scars.

Her heart dropped as she lifted her right hand subconsciously up to touch one of them, but you jolted at the touch, and she hastily let her arm drop again.

“H-How long have you-?”

She began breathlessly, her voice sounding a little firmer than it did before.

You found you couldn’t speak, for a moment, the lump in your throat too big, as you tried to swallow it away, but it stayed where it was, just as stubborn as you could be, sometimes.

“Leight-”

“Why, Y/n? Why the fuck didn’t you tell me about these?”

You just shook your head, not daring to look back at her as tears brimmed in the corners of your vision, before you cursed yourself for being so weak around her again as your bottom lip trembled a little, her not sure what to do with herself anymore as she stared back at the lines again, wishing she could make them disappear for you, somehow, so you didn’t have to think about them anymore.

“Are - Are there-? Are there more-?”

She strained out, and you winced as you nodded tightly, her forgetting to breathe again as she cursed your dad for everything he’d done to you.

“Where?”

She pried, and you tensed up once more, before you glanced down at your chest a little.

She got the gist, without you even needing to do so.

“Shit, Y/n-”

You drew in a barely audible shaky breath, and her heart dropped when she could see just about a tear lingering upon your chin, despite your best efforts to try and hide it from her as much as you could, then.

She tried to recompose herself for a moment, as she inched ever closer again, and you could feel her warmth behind you, but rather than the air feeling tight, it felt more like she was a lighter presence, and you relaxed again.

“Can-.. Can I-?”

She began slowly again as she glanced down at your bra-clip, and you weren’t sure, at first, still not knowing how you felt about being completely exposed again where your upper half was concerned before her as you swallowed a little uncomfortably again, before you nodded faintly, knowing she should see as you tried to stay still for her this time, your legs threatening to shake as she carefully undid the clip, and your breath hitched when you felt the grip of the bra loosen, and you knew it was done.

You knew she wouldn’t hurt you.

She wasn’t your father; she wasn’t Elizabeth.

You tried to steady your breathing again as she eased down the straps along your arms, doing everything as delicately as she could right now as to not scare you anymore than she feared she might have before.

You couldn’t bear to even look at yourself as she fell quiet behind you; you couldn’t even hear her breathing as she subconsciously admired you for a moment, almost forgetting about what she was looking for completely, until you drew your right hand up to just before the space beneath your left breast, and her heart sank when she noticed the line running beneath it again.

“I deserved it,” you murmured.

She hadn’t even been able to comprehend the scar for a moment; its shape shocking her perhaps more than it should as she shook her head again, before your words ended up hitting her like a solid brick to the face again.

“What did you just say-?”

She uttered, and you tensed up again as she begged you to look up at her again, but you didn’t dare even lift your head more than you had as you tried not to let a strained sob escape you, no matter how much it wished to do so, the way it did, then.

“Y/n-”

Her voice cut off, when she noticed the other one.

Except, this one was the beginnings of a scar.

The one beneath your left breast was more prominent than the one under the right, somehow.

It was hard not to lose herself completely; the emotions she experienced within this entire moment were overwhelming to the point it was almost unbearable, and she didn’t say a word after she’d seen the other line, before she’d cursed barely audibly, and slipped out of the room somehow, before you could even tell she had.

XXII

You didn’t know what to do, after that.

That was why you took the easy option.

You just - let yourself break down again.

You didn’t know if you’d messed up, by showing her still, but you knew she deserved to know, before it was too late for her to find out before anything could happen between you both again somehow.

You didn’t even bother putting your bra and jumper back on as you sat against the bathtub, before your gaze was drawn over to the medicine cabinet to the left of you, hanging above the sink.

It was too easy for you to get ideas, and you couldn’t deny they were stupid ones, but you knew you should try and avoid the extremes until you knew you’d fucked up again, at least, so instead you wondered if there would still be razors inside, as you pushed yourself up again, and locked the bathroom door.

As soon as Leighton had got out of the room, she tried not to lash out at anything around her.

It was the hardest thing she’d had to do in a little while, now.

Instead, her face contorted as she began to cry quietly, wondering why she’d left you alone in there in the first place.

She couldn’t bring herself to go back inside, however, as she rushed down the stairs, and fled out the front door again.

In doing so, she’d alarmed Aurora.

She easily abandoned the coffee she’d been brewing to rush out into the hallway, when the front door closed after Leighton.

Her eyes widened a little, before she called up the stairs to you as she tried to skip most of them, but you couldn’t bring yourself to reply as you stayed behind the bathroom door, shaking a little as newly spilt blood trailed down your right arm again.

It was the first mark you’d made in a while.

You sniffled a little as you tried to fight back another strained sob, not wanting Aurora to hear that something was wrong, though she’d already guessed as much that something had gone wrong somehow, before she’d even got up here.

“Shit,” you whispered shakily as you made to dig another line into your skin, the blood seeping out so much faster than you expected it to.

“Y/n-?”

You tensed up upon hearing Aurora’s voice behind the door, before you shook your head hastily, and tried to create another line beneath the one you’d just done.

It just wasn’t enough.

You’d forgot how ineffective the method could be sometimes, as you began to feel all the more hopeless; all the more empty.

You may have been a little louder than you wanted to be, the next time you whimpered at the feeling of the blade digging into your skin.

Aurora shook her head hastily, and you thought you heard her murmuring ‘no’ behind the door as she banged on it louder, before trying the handle all over again.

You soon started feeling light headed, and you cursed when you realised some of the blood had dropped onto the tiles beneath you.

You’d have to clean it up, soon, if you wanted to get away with it.

“Y/n-! Open the fucking door!”

Aurora cried, and you tried to recompose yourself as your lips moved silently for a moment, you cursing yourself as they did.

“I - I’m okay,” you managed, eventually, your voice more hoarse than she’d ever heard it before as she relaxed a little, hearing your voice again.

“Fuck, okay - okay, well - that’s good, I just-..”

A shaky breath escaped her as she tried to calm herself down alongside you, you trying to get up again as you did to make for your grounded attire.

“Hey, erm - are - are things okay, with - with you and Leight? I just - I thought I saw her go out the front door, and-.. I just wanted to make sure things were okay between you two - y’know.”

You tensed up again for a moment, your heart dropping a little when you heard Leighton had left the apartment completely, but you didn’t blame her as you crouched down before your jumper and bra, and made to start putting the items back on again.

You thought about what Aurora was really saying; what she’d meant to say, before she’d fell quiet again.

‘Because I’m your sister.’

It was like she was expecting you to protest again, and - to be honest - you had been thinking about it; she knew you too well.

You sighed heavily, as you looked toward the small droplets of blood that had escaped onto the floor.

“Things - Things are fine,” you uttered, though you knew your voice was probably hard to hear, right now.

Aurora appeared puzzled, her eyebrows furrowing as she shook her head slowly, as if she still didn’t believe you.

“Are you sure? I mean - she didn’t even say goodbye to me when she-”

“We’re fine, Aurora-!”

You snapped a little more frustratedly as you tried to clean up the blood with some of the leftover toilet tissue.

She winced, and it was quiet for a moment after that as you cursed yourself for letting yourself go like that.

“I’m sorry,” you murmured a little more faintly again, “I just-.. it doesn’t matter, I’m-.. I’m just - I’ll see you downstairs, okay?”

Aurora was hesitant to leave you like this as she frowned down at the handle, before nodding gravely again.

“Okay,” she responded barely audibly, as you tried to keep your breathing steady, but the blood just kept smudging somehow.

You didn’t know what to do.

Oh god, you didn’t know - there was still so much, and you didn’t know what to fucking do.

Your heart began to pound faster as you shook your head hastily, struggling to calm yourself down again.

“Fuck, please, just - no - fucking no-!”

You hissed down at the ground.

You had to get away from it.

You just - you couldn’t be around it anymore as you eased yourself away from the stains, things getting too loud around you again.

You just needed to calm down - maybe things would be okay.

You wondered if Leighton was okay; if you’d lost her again.

You wondered if you’d pushed her away.

Your heart pounded so much faster, as you cried into your hands, begging it to stop; begging the thoughts to just stop now as you rubbed at your eyebrows, even pressing your knuckles down against your forehead occasionally as if it would shut everything up, but nothing seemed to be helping; you wondered if you were going to have a heart attack.

You wondered if this was finally going to be the end.

Then you’d never felt so safe before.

But it wasn’t because of the possibility of disappearing; it was because you’d thought of her again, and her smiling over at you as she waved timidly in your direction the way she had in the park that day.

You remembered it so vividly you wondered if it was real; you wondered if you could rush up to her, and throw your arms around her as you shook a little less, smiling faintly back at her.

You knew it wasn’t real, though, when you tried to move forward, only to have your right arm sting more in the process.

“Fuck,” you whined feebly as you withdrew your right hand from the floor, before you cursed yourself for believing the vision again as you held your knees to your chest, and buried your face into the space between them again.

Leighton didn’t end up going very far, once she’d got through the front door, and out onto the street again.

Instead, she hastily crossed the road so she could get to her own apartment, thinking hastily of a change of plan, involving in turn the flowers she realised she’d forgotten to give to you.

Once you could start thinking a little clearer than you had been, before, you allowed your eyes to open again, your gaze almost instantly falling upon the space where the stains had been, before.

Except - they weren’t there anymore.

Maybe they’d not been there to begin with.

You cursed your head as you ran your hands over your face again, as if expecting the action to refresh your vision, and add in the missing stains again.

It didn’t work like you’d thought it would.

Instead, it only made your eyes hurt more as you tried to breathe in a little deeper, your arm still throbbing, right now.

You shook your head tightly, your eyes sore as you pushed yourself off of the ground, knowing you couldn’t stay hidden forever.

Aurora was anxiously sitting at the kitchen table, when you’d got down the stairs, and she heard your footsteps approaching again.

Her head jolted up when she heard you, and you tensed up a little, somehow faltering in place as she got up out of her chair, and hastily meandered around it again.

“Hey-”

She didn’t hesitate to pull you into a hug, as you melted into her embrace in an instant again.

You guessed it shouldn’t have surprised you when you began to cry again.

XXIII

“So - you showed her?”

Aurora mused; you couldn’t stop yourself as you’d told her, the second time.

She finished up with the coffee preparation as she’d responded, before pouring the liquid out, and carrying the mugs over to the table again.

“I just-.. I thought I should, before-.. before - y’know.”

You murmured, and Aurora nodded slowly; she guessed she understood as she reached across the table, and held your hands blissfully within her own again.

“You did the right thing, despite what you think, Y/n,” she reassured you gently, and you wanted to shake your head; to scoff; to shout at her for agreeing with you, but you still felt too hollow inside; much too weak again. “She’ll come around; I’m sure she will - she was probably just-.. shocked,” she speculated thoughtfully again.

“Yeah, but-.. I don’t know - what if she doesn’t-.. doesn’t want to - to be here anymore? To - To be-.. with me?”

“She wants to be with you,” Aurora stated, without hesitation, “I can tell she does - you should see the way she looks at you.”

You raised your eyebrows over at her, before shrugging a little half-heartedly as she smiled sympathetically over at you, thinking about when she, too, had been having issues like these before.

The only difference was she hadn’t had someone to talk to about it, back then.

“Try your coffee, before it gets cold - it’s a new brand, surprisingly enough.”

“I-.. I don’t know; I don’t really feel like-”

You tried to protest, but she knew you too well as she shook her head over at you, and you tensed up again.

“Don’t be stubborn, Y/n; you need something - try it,” she insisted, and you sighed heavily as you begrudgingly wrapped your hands around the mug, before lifting it to your lips, and you eventually began to feel a little warmer again.

You couldn’t believe you thought it would be okay.

Even after half an hour had passed, you hated yourself for showing Leighton the scars as you were perched upon the sofa with Aurora watching some old movie you’d already forgot the name of.

Sometimes she liked to watch them; you’d never forgot that about her.

You just kept thinking over and over about what happened, as you tried to hate Leighton more than yourself.

It was an impossibility.

It felt like one, anyway.

You sighed heavily as you ran your hands over your face again.

Aurora looked concerned, watching you curiously.

“You - You okay?”

She’d inquired, for the fourth time that day.

You tried not to roll your eyes as you nodded a little too brightly back at her.

“Much better - thank you,” you replied apprehensively, and Aurora tried to believe you, but she guessed she didn’t blame you if Leighton was still playing on your mind again.

“Good, because you have a new job to do for me,” she decided, and this time you couldn’t stop it as your eyes rolled back subconsciously. “Hey, it’s not that bad-”

“Whenever you say something like that, it is bad, A,” you interjected with much annoyance present in your voice as she giggled in response to your protest, glad she’d distracted you - for now, anyway. “What do I even have to do, this time?”

You asked, though you usually dreaded to do so as she shrugged nonchalantly, before resting her head on your left shoulder as you appeared puzzled by her response, at first, until she brought herself to continue again.

“Nothing; you’ve quite literally just got to sit there, because you - my dear sister - are my new pillow, now.”

You groaned, but the smile never left your face as she grinned toothily up at you, glad to see you happy again.

Leighton had never left your mind, though, as you tried to stay happy for Aurora, when at the same time you couldn’t help, but think - what could Leighton Murray be doing out there, now?

You never thought she’d still be across the road, trying to sort herself out before she could return to you.

It only frustrated her more, however, that things didn’t seem to be going the way she wanted them to.

At least the flowers were still alive, somehow - or, fresh looking, anyway.

She eventually decided to settle on the outfit she was wearing; a red plaid/tweed, or checker-ish sweater (as she couldn’t be bothered to put a proper name to it at times), coupled with another of her pairs of skirts and tights (both black, this time.)

Normally, she reckoned she’d call such an outfit choice a fashionable abomination, but for the purposes of today she wanted to make sure she made things right with you, and as fast as she possibly could, somehow.

When she eventually showed up at the door, thinking better to knock than to just use the spare key to open it, it was Aurora who received her, and not you.

She didn’t know how to feel about that.

“Oh - h-hey, Leight,” Aurora began awkwardly, and Leighton appeared a little nervous as she shuffled awkwardly on the spot for a moment, before she managed to recompose herself, forcing herself to not look over the girl’s shoulder to see if you might turn up behind her, somehow.

“Hello, again - I was just - just wondering if - if I could maybe-”

“Leight?”

Your voice was so small, when she heard it a few paces behind Aurora, the way she did, then.

Her heart ached with it as she couldn’t resist this time, her gaze trailing over Aurora’s left shoulder, before it fell upon you, and she forgot how to breathe all over again.

“Y/n,” she managed, eventually, and you didn’t know what to do as you stared back at her, hardly in sight as you lingered by the doorway leading into the living room, your left hand gripping onto the panels lining the space as you awkwardly cleared your throat, Aurora stepping aside for you. “Y/n, I - I’m sorry, I - I panicked, I didn’t - I didn’t want to run out like that, I - I just-”

“It’s okay, Leight,” you claimed, though your eyes told a different story as you averted your gaze a little, and she only felt worse somehow.

“It’s not okay - w-what the fuck are you-”

“Do - Do you wanna come in?”

You asked, and she hesitated as she nodded tightly, before smiling timidly back at you again.

“Y-Yeah, sure,” she answered slowly, before stepping inside so Aurora could close the door behind her, shutting out the cold air that had manifested ever so suddenly.

You looked skeptical, when you noticed the flowers she had been holding, this entire time.

“What’s with the flowers?”

You asked a little faintly, evidently nervous again as she glanced down at them again.

“They, erm - they-.. they’re for you, Y/n,” she answered, and her voice threatened to tremble a little as she offered them to you, but you didn’t know whether you should accept them so easily as you glanced back up at her, your heart pounding too quickly again.

“Er, thanks,” you mustered up, eventually, as Aurora watched you both worriedly, “they, erm-.. they can go in the kitchen, I think - I think there’s a vase in there.”

Leighton’s heart dropped as you lowered your head again, and she wished she’d never left before.

“Y/n?”

Aurora prompted gently, but you didn’t dare acknowledge her right now as Leighton nodded slowly, trying to hide the pained expression on her face when it came so easily, the way it did, then.

“I - I’ll go and - and get them ready for you,” she reassured, and you managed up a barely audible ‘thank you’ as Leighton meandered around you, trying her best not to intentionally reach out and brush her right hand against your left one as she kept her hands latched onto the bouquet, before she disappeared into the kitchen, Aurora’s arms folded across her chest again.

“So, that’s how you’re going to play things, huh?”

She began, and you sighed heavily as you shook your head, not ready to deal with her questioning you right now.

“You can’t just pretend you don’t still love her, you know? Y/n-”

“We can talk over dinner, okay?”

You uttered a little sharply as you disappeared back into the living room, blinking back tears again.

It had been awkward for the most part; you, not saying much to Leighton.

Leighton, scared of saying something wrong to you.

Aurora just didn’t know what to do to make things better as she watched the disaster before her; it should never have happened this way.

“So - I was wondering if - if we could stay up for a bit later and just - y’know, just talk, a-and stuff - and-?”

Leighton suggested, and you tensed up a little as she had carefully caught your right hand within her own before you could leave the kitchen alone again somehow.

“I’m-.. pretty tired, Leight, but-.. maybe some other time, okay?”

Aurora had already gone to bed after being inflicted by a heavy headache (when really she was just doing it to try and give you both some space to get close to each other again), and you’d already finished up washing the dishes again as you awkwardly turned to face her, and god were her eyes so bright all over again.

“Leight-..”

You fell quiet, and she looked a little dejected again as she lowered her gaze, and tried to hide that it was scaring her, seeing things like this between you both again, the way she had, before.

“Look, I-.. I’m sorry, okay? I should have-.. I don’t know, but-.. maybe I shouldn’t have showed you, I just-.. I didn’t know what to-”

“It’s okay,” she reassured you barely audibly, but you shook your head, not sure what to do as you looked back at her a little uncertainly, your eyes wider and wetter than they had been, before. “I - I’m glad you showed me, okay? I-..”

She sighed heavily as you kept your gaze low again, before you nodded slowly, and managed a faint smile back up at her.

“I think-.. I just-.. I only need tonight, okay? Just - Just tonight, a-and-.. and then we-.. we can-.. I don’t hate you, Leight.”

She almost looked relieved at that.

“But-?”

“There’s no but,” you reassured her softly, “I just-.. I don’t know, but - I know I can try and-.. and make things up to you, okay? If-.. If you want me to?”

Her heart skipped a beat, as she nodded subconsciously, before she affectionately connected her forehead to your own again.

“Lie down with me?”

She suggested gently, her voice close to a whisper again.

You hesitated, and her eyes darkened as they searched your own, not sure how to cope with the pain of it, the way she was, then.

“We’ll see.”

XXIV

Shortly after that moment, you’d decided to have a shower.

At least, that was what you’d told her.

Instead, you’d got the razor out again.

You just-.. didn’t know what else to do; how else to handle how you felt, right now.

You didn’t think you’d ever hated yourself more, for what had happened, that night.

You drew in a barely audible shaky breath as you buried your face into your hands, trembly as they were, now.

You wondered why Leighton had even come back.

You tried not to think about it too much, as you pushed yourself to leave another couple of marks down your left arm, this time, one deeper than the other was.

You guessed you were too pathetic to even do cutting properly.

You bit down on your tongue as you tried to make the last cut a longer one.

You were only interrupted, when you heard someone knocking upon the door all over again.

“Y/n-? You - You in there-?”

You faltered upon hearing Aurora’s voice again as she knocked lightly again, and you almost dropped the razor upon the tiles again.

“A-?”

You whispered, your voice briefly trembling again as you lifted your head, your gaze locked upon the door again.

“Y/n-?”

She pried, and you winced as you tried to recompose yourself again, before you made to speak even louder, thinking she hadn’t heard you, maybe.

“I - I’m - I’m here, A,” you managed, eventually, and it was quiet, for a moment; you wondered if she was relieved; if she’d gone back to bed, but you hadn’t heard any tell-tale footsteps to indicate that she’d done so somehow. “Hey, you - you okay?”

You inquired, trying to ignore the throbbing pain running along the both of your arms, the way it was, now.

She hesitated, and you felt even worse, but eventually she managed to continue as she leaned against the door a little, wishing she could see passed it somehow to make sure you were okay, even if it meant that she could catch you doing something she didn’t want to have to see (that didn’t involve anything unnatural, like you were doing, now. Or you had been doing, anyway, before she’d come to check on you again.)

“I’m okay - are - are you-?”

She asked in return, and you didn’t know what to say for a moment as you swallowed uncomfortably again.

“Y-Yeah,” you murmured, and it was quiet again for a moment.

She expressed relief again as she pressed her forehead to the door, wishing she could do more for you somehow.

“Have - Have you spoken to Leight?”

She pried, lowering her voice a little as if she was afraid of Leighton overhearing, the girl still downstairs, and all.

You weren’t sure what to say, forgetting how to even speak for a moment as your throat burned, and your eyes darkened as you kept your eyes low again.

“I - I did,” you answered slowly, and Aurora nodded tightly as her eyebrows furrowed, as if she were straining to try and hear more, “I-.. I told her that-.. that we-.. that things’ll be okay; I-.. I can-.. I can forgive her leaving, I just-..”

You drew in a barely audible shaky breath as you wondered what Leighton might be doing again.

“I’m proud of you - you know that, right? You’ve been through so much,” Aurora mused delicately, and you found it all the more harder to breathe then, as you nodded slowly, small tears threatening to leak down your cheeks again.

“I - I know,” you tried to reassure her, as you fought against the lump in your throat again, “I - I’m proud of you, too, A.”

“Y’know, I don’t think we’ve talked like this in a little while, like-.. like we’re-..”

“Y-Yeah,” you corroborated a little regrettably, “I’m-.. I’m sorry, A.”

Aurora snorted, as she shook her head again.

“For-?”

She inquired, and you couldn’t help, but think of your and her conversation back in the hospital again, before you’d thought about taking your life the way you had the last time.

“For-.. y’know - this - y-you having to-.. to check up on me, a-and-.. talk me out, o-or into things-.. I just-.. I feel like-.. like all you do is help me, when - when it should be me helping you-”

“First of all,” Aurora began again, without hesitation this time, “you’re my little sister, Y/n - of course I’m going to help you. And second of all - you’ve already helped me enough. I mean - you don’t know how grateful I am to you for everything you did, when I was in hospital. And you helped me through when that asshole-.. y’know.”

You thought about it, for a moment, but you couldn’t say you felt immensely better as you nodded tightly, as if you thought she could see you still.

“Look, I just-.. I want you to know that I’m here for you - I will always be here for you, a-and - I’m sure Leight would say the same, too.”

You tensed up a little upon hearing her being mentioned again.

“I - I also just-.. I wanted to say that - that-.. you don’t need to do it tonight, but - please don’t push Leight away, okay? Don’t push me away, either - we - we’re here for you. And don’t even think about questioning me, because you’d have to be stupid to not be able to see that she cares about you, okay?”

“And - this - this conversation is relevant - why?”

“I just wanted to remind you,” Aurora answered with surprising ease, no fluctuation in her voice whatsoever, though you couldn’t imagine why you thought there would be one, in the first place, anyway, “you need to know, Y/n. I can’t lose you again.”

Your heart stuttered a little at that as you averted your gaze unstably down at the ground again.

“Y-You’re not-..”

You began feebly as she listened patiently, blinking back tears alongside you, by now.

“You’re not going to lose me, A.”

She raised her eyebrows as she picked at a stray piece of dried paint on the doorframe.

“You’re never going to lose me, I swear I-.. I-..”

“Just - promise me you’ll try and talk to her again soon, okay?”

Aurora interjected a little fainter, and you felt even worse as you cursed yourself for the way you were; the way you’d been making her feel this whole time as you scowled down at your hands, scared you’d never change, somehow.

“A-”

“Promise me, Y/n,” Aurora insisted, and your heart dropped again as you nodded slowly, knowing you should try anyway as you couldn’t bring yourself to blame Leighton still for leaving when you knew it had been quite sudden, and Aurora was probably right herself that it was a shock for Leighton to see - just some examples of the marks your dad had left on you, the way he had, before.

You sighed heavily as you kept your head low again.

“Okay, A - Jesus. I’ll - I’ll talk to her, okay?”

“Y/n,” she warned gently, noting that you’d not yet bestowed upon her the two exact words she was looking for, right now.

“Fuck,” you murmured as you tried to recompose yourself again.

In the end, it was easier than you thought it would be.

You set a new course, and your heart seemed to pound a little faster than before.

You guessed it didn’t surprise you then, either, as you sat up a little further, and pushed yourself to speak, for Leighton’s sake, as much as your own and Aurora’s again.

“I promise, A - I was - I was going to, anyway.”

By the time you felt able to do so, you made to go back downstairs, your arms still throbbing painfully again.

You couldn’t deny it scared you, with every step you took to get back down to where Leighton was.

It surprised you - how quiet it was, as you moved carefully toward the living room, but you weren’t prepared for the way your heart stuttered, as soon as you noticed her lying on the sofa again.

She looked so peaceful, laying on her left side as you lingered in the doorway, not sure if you should speak for fear of startling her.

Her eyes looked as if they were half-closed, even, and it made you feel ever guiltier for standing there whilst she looked like she was on the verge of falling asleep, and you couldn’t deny you thought she needed it, given how much she’d been trying to stay up for you, recently.

Eventually, you summoned up the confidence to clear your throat faintly, and she didn’t even jolt at the noise as she tilted her head partially toward the sound a little, and you smiled softly down at her, unable to stop it from happening, this time.

“You - You’re very - endearing, when you’re half asleep; you - you know that, right?”

You began softly, and she grinned toothily back at you as you crouched down before her again.

“Well, hello again, stranger,” she remarked gently back at you as you wondered how she made it so hard for you to breathe, just being present before you, the way she was, now.

Her eyes were so bright again, that you wondered if the glint within them could be something akin to the glistening of stars, but you couldn’t help, but think her orbs were something brighter than that that you’d willingly get lost in, no matter what the circumstance.

“H-Hey,” you managed again, eventually, and she raised her eyebrows back at you as if expecting something you couldn’t put a name to, yet. “I just-.. I wanted to make sure you were - you were okay down here, t-that’s all,” you stumbled over your words a little, and she tried not to appear disappointed as she nodded thoughtfully, the glint in her eyes lessening as she did a little.

“How, erm - nice of you?”

She replied tentatively as you averted your gaze, feeling all the more flustered somehow.

“You - You don’t mind, right?”

You asked to make sure, and she would appear taken aback by the question as she shook her head hastily, before perching herself up a little upon her left elbow again.

“You’re kidding me, right? Of course I don’t mind - it’s your and Aurora’s apartment, Y/n, not mine - well, I wish it was mine, anyway.”

You weren’t sure why, but it reminded you of something she’d said, recently.

‘It could be our’s, you know?’

Your heart jolted a little when you heard her voice in your head again.

“Leight-..”

You continued again tentatively, and she knew better than to interject as she surveyed you cautiously, but it didn’t stop her expression from softening as soon as she noticed the faint smile playing on your lips.

“I-..”

You winced, wishing you could be better at communicating with her as you tried not to curse yourself, but she remained to be patient with you, not wanting you to feel rushed, or anything.

“Fuck, I’m sorry - it - it’s nothing, I just-”

“Hey,” she cooed gently as she reached out her hands to hold your’s so delicately within her own again. “It’s okay; you don’t need to apologise for anything, okay? Besides, whatever it was, you don’t need to tell me right this second, so - I have a better idea.”

Your heart so easily jolted again as you warily looked up at her, eyes a little wetter than they had been before.

“Wanna come lie with me?”

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

Thank you so much for reading, guys!

I hope that the ending felt relatively like a decent one as when I was writing it I was struggling to figure out whether it felt like a good place to conclude this instalment, or not!

If you particularly enjoyed this idea as much as I did writing it, I hope you’re looking forward to the next one! I will write for Leighton again eventually, but the next few instalments will most likely be preoccupied by a couple other characters, for now! (No spoilers, though 😈)

I hope you all have a lovely rest of the day/night, and I look forward to seeing you again, soon!

Until then, I will get my lazy ass moving again so I can get this onto the Reneé Rapp - Leighton Murray Masterlist + as well as onto ao3, as soon as I can!

For now, I have been - as usual,

And as always,

Your ever faithful, H.H. 💜

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

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angstyandromanticwriting · 9 days ago

Text

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

☦︎︎ “𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖.” ☦︎︎

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎��☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

A Leighton Murray X Fem!Reader Angsty, Cute, and Fluffy Prompt

[The Full Version; Part Three]

Minors DNI!!!

* (Working with some hefty topics here, as well as some quite explicit smut features along the way, basically!)

Takes place mainly after the events of season 3, as well as occasionally drifting back to events proceeding even before season 1 takes place!

Word Count [Exclusive to this Part]: standing around 10.4k!

Linked to aspects of the previous instalment I wrote for this idea [Favour/Let’s Dance in Bars!]

Transitions between parts within this instalment indicated utilising Roman Numerals!

I hope you enjoy it!

There will be more!

A Hearty Meeting/Blood Flows Thin

XIII

Leighton was waiting for you on the other side, waiting anxiously as she leaned against the wall beside the door, her heart jolting in an instant as soon as you opened it, and she had to stop you from tripping up, all over again.

“S-Shit, I - I-..”

You wondered if you were shaking, or if she was, as she held you up, a pained expression on her face again.

“Leight-?” You managed barely audibly, and she winced, trying to recompose herself as she carefully turned you to face her, and your eyes blissfully met her’s all over again.

“I-.. I told her, Y/n,” she managed, eventually, once she’d recomposed herself, you faltering as you heard her voice again, hardly able to avert your gaze away from her blue orbs, though you knew you probably should, afraid of what would happen if you didn’t, the way you had, then. “You don’t have to do it, okay? I-.. I’m sorry I even made you feel like you had to, I just-.. I don’t know, but-.. at least she knows, now, s-so we can-”

“What - What did she say-?”

You asked, and she tensed up a little, before shrugging a smidge uncomfortably, you appearing worried, but you waited patiently still for her response as she sighed heavily, knowing she needed to be as honest as she could, now.

“I mean - she wasn’t-.. happy about-.. about what I did, but-.. I told her what I know, okay? I told her that I love you, a-and maybe even more than that, but-.. y-yeah, you - you get the point,” she stammered a little again, before cursing herself for doing so as she carefully held you at arm’s length, before you shook your head hastily, looking more scared than you’d ever been before.

“Why-? W-Why the fuck would you actually tell her, Leight? She doesn’t need to know about what happened, okay? Why would she need to? We could have just told her that-”

“I couldn’t just lie to her, okay? N-Not about you,” she interjected a little more shakily than before, and your heart dropped as you glanced back over at her, before swallowing a little faintly as a lump threatened to form within your throat again. “I-.. I just-.. I need to prove to her, and you that - that I can be good for you, a-and I swear I can do that, okay? I - I swear I can, baby, I-.. if - if you’d just let me-”

“Not yet,” you murmured a little sharper, but still dejectedly, your voice barely audible as she fell quiet again, her demeanour sinking slightly as she nodded gravely, before releasing your arms all over again. “Look, I’m sure she’d-.. she’d still be happy, if-.. y’know, if-.. I still needed more time, and stuff, so-.. it’d mean - it’d mean to her that you’re willing to wait for me, even though I-.. I really don’t know why you’d bother to try, at this point,” you admitted a little quieter, and maybe it would have been okay, if she didn’t hear it, the way she had.

“Wait, w-what-? What did you just-?”

You made to shake your head, and leave the room, but she caught your left arm within her left hand as she did, you tensing up in response to her touch again as goosebumps prickled along your skin, and you reluctantly found yourself turning to face her again.

“Y/n, you-.. you know I’d do anything for you, right? W-Why the fuck wouldn’t I wait for you? Why would you even think-?”

“Everything okay?”

You tensed up, upon hearing Aurora’s voice behind you again.

Leighton faltered, but her eyes never left you, as her heart sank all the more, and she didn’t know if she could ever stop the ache anymore.

“It-.. It’s fine, we’re - we’re fine, okay? It was just-.. everything’s good here,” you claimed, and Aurora didn’t know if she could believe you as she warily looked over at Leighton, who scoffed, but you shook your head back at her again, mouthing nothing, but the word ‘please’ in her direction as her heart dropped once more, before she shook her head slowly, and pressed herself to meander around you both again.

“Oh, is - is she-?”

You couldn’t let her go, as you staggered after her, ignoring the protest from Aurora as you managed to block the door behind you leading out of the apartment, her raising her eyebrows back at you, as you did.

“You - You can’t go, yet,” you managed a little breathlessly, barely breathing at all at this point as you focused on her, and her only.

She wanted to appear frustrated, but at the same time, it was hard to fight back the smile that wanted to tug at the corners of her lips at the very sight of you trapping her inside, the way you were, then.

“And - why’s that, exactly?”

She questioned, your heart beating too quickly again as you tried to find the right words to say, almost beginning to sweat even as you kept your head low, wondering if you were on the verge of having a panic attack somehow already. Your thoughts were so easily jumbled. You couldn’t breathe.

Wait.

No.

Fucking no - you couldn’t breathe.

You couldn’t fucking breathe.

You looked up at her, silently begging her for help as your eyes widened, and she didn’t need to ask to know something was wrong as she shook her head hastily, and made to wrap her arms around you again.

You didn’t remember much, after that.

You only remembered your ears ringing, as she held you close enough for you to feel her warmth again, and you felt so much safer, then, as you clung to her jacket, and pressed your face into her left shoulder again.

You drew short, raspy breaths as you tried to stay calm; tried to focus on her as you cried against her.

You fucking cried.

It had never been this bad before.

“It’s okay - hey, you’re - you’re okay, baby, I promise you’re okay, I - I’ve got you - I’ve - I’ve fucking got you, okay? Just - Just look at me, baby - please; I need to know that you’re-”

Your brain felt like it was being twisted; your ears tugged, as you tried to stay awake; tried to tell her that you were okay - everything‘s okay, and that you loved her - you fucking loved her.

You’ve always loved her.

Even when you hardly knew much about anything anymore, you knew you loved her.

You wished you could tell her again.

You wished you could tell her so much, and she was here - wasn’t she?

You wished you could always be here with her - just here, so you knew nothing would happen; you knew you’d never be taken away from her, and you thought you heard your dad in your ear again as he chuckled lowly, like he would when he knew he’d caught you.

He’d fucking caught you, and you’d thought you’d got away - how stupid could you be for even thinking that maybe you were safe?

Maybe you were-

It felt like he had you in a choke-hold again - you blacked out.

As soon as you’d fallen limp against her body, Leighton tried to hold you up even more, wincing as she hooked her left arm beneath your knees so she could stabilise you a bit more against her, as Aurora panicked at the sight before her.

“W-What happened-? Why - Why is she-?”

“She’s okay,” Leighton tried to recompose herself as she began to carry you toward the living room, knowing she needed to get you somewhere you could be more comfortable, and nothing short of instantly. “She - She’s gonna be okay,” she continued, trying not to think that she was just trying to tell herself that, too, to soothe her nerves as she carefully lowered you upon the sofa, and crouched down beside it again. “You’re gonna be okay, baby - I - I promise you you will, you just - you just need time, right? It - It’s been a long day,” she murmured a little shakily as she held your right hand within her left one.

“H-How - How did she even-?”

Aurora continued, and Leighton tried not to roll her eyes as she begrudgingly averted her gaze away from you, though she wanted nothing more, than to focus on you right now.

Just you.

“I think - I think she had a-.. a - a panic attack, or something, I - I don’t know, but - but she looked like-..”

Aurora frowned, as if it reminded her of something as Leighton’s eyebrows furrowed at the look, before she tilted her head partially, waiting to see if the girl would share her thoughts, any time soon.

“You - You know something, don’t you? Does - Does Y/n just-?”

She couldn’t wait much longer than she had.

“She-.. She has, before, so-.. but-.. she hasn’t had one in a little while, so - so I - I thought-.. I didn’t think she’d-..”

Aurora cursed barely audibly as she awkwardly sat opposite you, given that Leighton didn’t dare move away from you whilst you were like this, and showing no signs of waking up anytime soon.

“It - It shouldn’t take-.. very long, before she - y’know,” Aurora tried to reassure her gently, and Leighton winced, as she averted her gaze down at her hands, her heart beating too fast again.

“Yeah, I - I know, I just-.. I-.. y-yeah, but - but thanks, I know that - that you mean-.. fuck, I’m sorry-..”

She fell quiet again, and Aurora shook her head reassuringly, though Leighton wasn’t looking in her direction at the time.

“You.. You really love her, don’t you?”

She’d asked gently, and Leighton tensed up again.

That didn’t make her hesitant, though.

“M-More than anything,” she answered simply, “I-.. I’ve always-..”

Aurora’s expression softened as she watched Leighton; the way she delicately squeezed your hand as she brushed her thumb over right side of it.

The way you looked at her, like you were her world.

“But she doesn’t get it - she - she doesn’t-.. no matter how much I fucking try, I-.. she-.. she just-..”

Her heart dropped again as she bowed her head a little bit more, cursing herself for being so weak around you as tears stung her eyes, and she didn’t know what to do with herself anymore, if you didn’t wake up, and soon.

“Yeah, Y/n, she - she can be like that, sometimes - stubborn as an ass,” Aurora remarked easily, and Leighton couldn’t help, but giggle softly, as she glanced up at you again, admiring your side profile.

“That’s - surprisingly truer than I thought it would be,” she admitted, and Aurora grinned sheepishly back at her as she shook her head, and couldn’t help, but think that she was happy for you; you’d finally found someone she thought was good, despite their rocky start, earlier.

XIV

“It’s true,” Aurora insisted as Leighton appeared taken aback, but the smile never left her lips as she giggled again.

“Wait, so - she seriously almost blew up your kitchen too? Jesus - she really put a lot of work into getting better, didn’t she?”

Aurora nodded without hesitation as she smiled softly down at you, wondering how time had passed so quickly, the way it had.

“Yeah, she - she really worked hard to get where she is, now,” she corroborated softly, “I think she even stayed up nights, thinking I wouldn’t notice the recipes she kept under the fridge.”

Leighton couldn’t help it, as she snorted, evidently not expecting such a revelation as she shook her head again, but at the same time it still made her feel guilty sometimes, to remember she’d not been there, when she’d said she would be, before.

“She, erm-.. I can’t believe she never told me about you,” Aurora admitted a little dejectedly, and Leighton frowned as she rubbed her neck, knowing it was a awkward situation, the way it had been, before.

“That’s - That’s not on you, don’t worry about that - I-.. I was the one who asked if - if she could keep us a secret, so-.. I just didn’t want-.. yeah.”

“It’s okay, y’know,” Aurora reassured her gently, “if - if you’ve not already-?”

“Yeah, I - I erm-.. I came out, er - not too long ago, actually,” Leighton stated, and Aurora appeared relieved, smiling gladly back at the girl, before she returned her gaze down to you again. “She’s gonna freak out, when she wakes up, and sees what you’re doing to her hair,” she remarked, wanting to change the subject after it had got quieter again; she couldn’t take the silence, right now, especially when it had been almost half an hour, and you still weren’t showing any signs of waking up, somehow.

“Probably - she hates having her hair-”

“Braided; tied-up, yeah - she said it’s like-”

“Like having your hair being tugged on,” Aurora recalled, and Leighton grinned again as she remembered the day you’d said those exact words.

She sighed barely audibly, and she would have tried to find something else to say, if she didn’t hear a faint grunt sound coming from you, or in your direction, anyway.

Her heart jolted at the sound, and she forgot how to breathe for a moment as she looked down at you, her eyes widening a little as you stretched out a little, before faintly opening your eyes again.

“Y/n,” she breathed barely audibly, and Aurora shifted a little so Leighton could sit beside the both of you, her heart fluttering too quickly as you blinked for a moment, before carefully turning your head so you could glance up at her, and you didn’t know what to even think when you saw her, except from how she beautiful she looked, and if she thought the same about you, too.

You just couldn’t imagine why she would, however, as your heart dropped again, and her smile faltered when she noticed the pained expression on your face, like you weren’t happy to see her, the way she hoped you would be.

“Hey, Leight,” you managed timidly, and she wondered how it was even possible for everything to ache within her, when only a few seconds ago she felt like she could fly, if she wanted to.

“You - You okay?” She inquired gently, as Aurora smiled sympathetically over at her, knowing it was probably difficult for her to see you like this still, and after she’d done what she could, to try and bring you back again.

You hesitated, looking unsure as you nodded slowly, but there was still so much you wished you could say.

You didn’t know if you could, anymore.

“Leight, why-.. why are you-? I thought-.. I thought you’d want to-”

“You should - You should rest,” Leighton murmured, before forcing a smile back at you, but you could tell there was something she was hiding, when the smile failed to reach her eyes again, “it - it’ll probably help, s-so-.. yeah, you should-..”

She pressed herself up off of the sofa again after her voice had failed her again, your heart sinking as you watched her, before you shook your head, begging her to stay with you again, albeit silently, for a moment.

“Leight-”

“Y/n, don’t,” Aurora warned gently, not wanting Leighton to feel like she had to stay, if she didn’t want to.

“Leight, w-wait, just-.. please wait-..”

She was hesitant, before she turned to face you both again, her heart skipping a beat as soon as her eyes locked with your’s, the way they did, then, and so blissfully, too.

“You still want me to stay? I thought you’d want me to-.. y’know,” she admitted, her voice close to a whisper as she gesticulated to the hallway to her right, leading to the front door, and out onto the street again.

“Of course I want you to stay, Leight,” you reassured her ever softer, and her heart skipped a beat again as she tilted her head partially, and for a moment you couldn’t help, but think about how much you wished you could tangle your fingers in her hair again.

“You’re - You’re sure-?”

She pried, and you didn’t hesitate as you nodded again, but she didn’t know if it would be a good idea, still, as she looked toward the archway leading out into the hallway again.

“I - I don’t know-.. I - I think it would be better if I just-”

“But - n-no, Leight, I - P-Please don’t-.. I - I just - I just want - I - I don’t know - I don’t know what I want, I just.. I want-.. I want you, Leight.”

Her heart stuttered again as she she glanced back at you, awkwardly shuffling in place as she did, whilst Aurora’s expression softened in response to your words; she’d never seen you like this with anyone before, and in a way it made her feel - warm, like she could finally feel more at peace than anything, rather than scared that someone might hurt you again.

“So - you do still want me, huh? I was scared maybe you wouldn’t want to hear me trying to sing, or something, a-and that that was why you’d-.. I don’t know.”

You couldn’t help, but grin up at her as you shook your head, and it got harder to breathe when she noticed the way your eyes glinted, the way they did, then.

“But I want to hear you sing, Leight - even if it’s shit, or the best thing I’ve ever heard, I just want to hear you. Only you.”

It was so hard for her to not go up and kiss you, right then and there, and she winced upon noticing the smug look on Aurora’s face, as if she knew exactly what Leighton was thinking, the way she was, then.

“Fuck,” she managed, eventually, and you grinned sheepishly again as you watched her, your face feeling too warm again. “Okay, fine - I’ll stay, but - but not for long, okay? I just-.. y-yeah, but - I’ll stay, okay?”

Your demeanour relaxed a little more as your eyes began to glint all the more, and she couldn’t help, but smile softly back at you again, before she sat on the edge of the sofa, feeling much too light; too fuzzy inside, as Aurora continued to braid your hair, you hardly noticing as you focused on Leighton, your heart beating much too fast as if it hadn’t already got over how it had almost failed you, earlier.

“Good, that’s - that’s always good,” you responded timidly, a barely audible exhalation escaping your lips as she lifted her left hand up to your right cheek, and you melted into her touch instantly, almost forgetting about what you’d told her earlier; about the whole ‘needing time’ thing.

You didn’t know if you should drop that, yet; you didn’t know if you could even take the idea of not being able to do everything you wished you could do with her again.

Except, it still scared you to think that you could still disappoint her, if you let her go that far with you again.

You tried not to think about it for too long, but it seemed to stick with you, no matter how hard you tried.

“Y’know, I heard from someone that the stars are meant to be really bright tonight; you guys just might be able to see them, if you go down to the park in time.”

You couldn’t believe you’d forgot Aurora was there with the both of you.

You cursed in a voice close to a whisper as soon as you heard her voice, and she grinned victoriously back at you as you rolled your eyes, evidently frustrated.

She didn’t doubt that it was because Leighton was here, and Aurora had managed to scare you much too easily for your liking.

“Jesus, A - how fucking long have you been there? I mean - I didn’t even - wait-..”

You turned your head a little, and winced at how your hair felt against the pillow beneath your head again.

Leighton winced, but the smile soon came back as she raised her eyebrows over at Aurora, wondering if she should start helping you out with the funeral plans already, because you were definitely going to kill her for doing up your hair, the way she had, then.

“What the fuck are you doing!?”

Aurora couldn’t help, but snicker as she shook her head, you struggling against her as she held you ever closer to her, insisting she continue to work upon your hair again.

“Shh - stop fussing, Y/n - jeez, I’m just braiding your hair - it’s not that bad, you idiot-”

“Fuck, A - why do you keep doing this shit-?”

You complained, as Aurora shrugged nonchalantly, whilst Leighton watched intently.

She didn’t know if she’d ever felt this at home before.

“I don’t know - actually, I’m not sure if this even looks good. Leight - can I call you Leight?”

Leighton appeared taken aback by her question, before she nodded hastily, not seeing anything wrong with it particularly.

“Cool,” Aurora continued, as she grinned sheepishly over at Leighton again, “you wanna give me a hand, here?”

“I hate it,” you mused, as you and Leighton walked side by side down to the park again, her smirking sheepishly over at you as you pouted a little back at her again.

“There’s nothing wrong with it; I think it looks-”

“No,” you whined a little in response to her contradiction, “please don’t say my hair looks pretty again done up like this, Leight; I know you’re lying, okay?”

She raised her eyebrows back at you, before she shook her head again, and intertwined the fingers of her left hand within the fingers of your right one again.

“Actually, I - I wasn’t going to say it’s pretty,” she claimed, and you looked back at her as your eyebrows furrowed, your heart stuttering all over again somehow. “I was thinking it’s-.. more along the lines of - hmm, let’s see - how about kinda fuckin’ beautiful?”

You almost faltered in step at that, as you averted your gaze, afraid of what would happen, if you allowed your eyes to lock with her own again.

“Leight,” you murmured barely audibly, even stammering a little as she winced, guessing maybe she was moving too quickly again as she shook her head hastily, not wanting you to feel like you had to respond to that.

“Shit, I’m sorry - I - I just - I don’t even know, but - I just want you to know that - that there’s nothing wrong with the way it looks, s-so - yeah, I just-.. y’know.”

“It’s okay,” you reassured her gently as you smiled warmly back at her again, “hey, Leight, erm-.. I was wondering.. could I-.. I don’t know - could I maybe-?”

“Holy shit.”

You fell quiet again, trying to hide the way your heart had dropped a little at the way she’d interjected, and made to ease you across the road for a moment.

“What - What are you-?”

You’d tried to stop her, but she was determined to get away from whatever the hell had startled her.

Little did you know that when she’d looked toward the bottom of the hill, she thought she’d seen Nico, and she didn’t know how she felt about having him find out about her whole kinda moving out gambit, as well as her and Alicia’s break-up, and her reuniting with you scenario.

She was scared maybe he already knew, somehow, about her new apartment, but when she looked back he wasn’t there, and in a way she felt empty at that - maybe he hadn’t left hospital, yet, like Aurora had, earlier.

“Leight-?” You pried, as she released your arm, albeit begrudgingly, before she looked back at you again, and you thought her eyes were wetter than they were before.

Your expression softened as she cursed barely audibly, before she’d averted her gaze again, trying to recompose herself again somehow.

“Hey,” you cooed a little softer than before, “Leight, l-look at me - what happened? Why did you-?”

“It - It doesn’t matter,” she claimed a little more dismissively as you shook your head subconsciously, not wanting her to think that she had to hide anything from you, the way she was, now.

“But-”

“It - It was nothing, okay!?”

She’d cried, eventually, her voice shaking a bit more as you faltered in reply; she’d never snapped at you like that before.

“Fuck,” she hissed barely audibly as you watched her, your eyes darkening slightly even beneath the light of the street lamps, combined with the half-moon above.

“O-Okay,” you murmured, sounding unsure as you awkwardly shuffled in place for a moment, and it was too hard to breathe, and for no reason, the way it was, then. “Y’know, it - it looks like-.. like it might rain, so-.. maybe we-.. maybe we should just-.. I don’t know. I just - think we should-..”

Her heart sank at that; the way your demeanour had sunk a little, and you were hardly looking back at her as you kept your gaze low, and fidgeted with your fingers again.

“Y/n-”

She’d tried.

At least she’d tried.

But when you wanted to be a stubborn ass, you really could be a stubborn ass.

“Y/n, I’m - I’m so-.. I didn’t mean-”

“It’s okay, Leight, I mean-.. I don’t even know what I was thinking; it-.. it’s getting late, already, so-.. a-and I should probably make sure Aurora’s okay, so-..”

She couldn’t explain the way she felt something twinging within her again when you reminded her of Aurora, and of how she couldn’t do the same for Nico right now, without having to drive back to the hospital, and be kicked out when it was too late for her to be there for him.

“Sure, I mean-.. if you - if you really want to, I - I guess-.. y’know; I can’t stop you, so-..”

She didn’t dare meet your gaze, either, now, as she awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck, before cursing herself in turn for doing so.

“What - What do you think you’ll do-?”

You inquired, and her heart skipped a beat again as she hesitantly looked up at you, and she thought about what would happen, if she decided to go back with you, but she felt like she’d already messed things up by snapping like she had as she shrugged nonchalantly for a moment, before your eyes darkened even more when you guessed you might not see her again tonight.

“I’ll-.. probably go down and see Paddy anyway,” she replied, and you nodded thoughtfully, before you smiled faintly back at her, wishing you could stop being so defensive with her whenever there was something out of place, the way it had been, earlier. “I’ll - see you - later, maybe? Or-?”

She looked hopeful again, and you didn’t know what to do.

You bowed your head for a moment as you tried to find the right words to say; you knew you’d probably still be awake if she wasn’t there with you, even if Aurora was, instead.

“Y-Yeah - I’ll-.. I can-.. I’ll be awake,” you reassured her, as well as trying to reassure yourself as she expressed relief, her heart stuttering again as she smiled sheepishly back at you, before you reciprocated the look, feeling much too warm inside again, as her eyes locked with your’s, the way they had, then.

“Later is is,” she remarked, and you nodded simply, though you still didn’t want to walk away.

Neither did she, by the look of things.

“Later,” you agreed a little more conclusively, “and you better tell me how the stars look, okay? No matter what.”

She raised her eyebrows again, before she giggled softly, and nodded swiftly again.

She just wished she could have experienced them with you.

“Okay, well - have fun, and - and I’ll see you in a bit, or - y’know, whenever you - yeah,” you added, before wincing at yourself as you cursed yourself for being so vulnerable around her, the way you were, then.

“See you in a bit,” she returned, and it was hard for her to even speak again as you reluctantly stepped back, before turning on your heel, and walking up the hill again.

She thought it would hurt less, to have Paddy around her, as she sat by the duck pond, not even bothering with the stars anymore.

Instead, she burned at the sheer reminder that she’d not fought harder to stop you from going back up to your apartment.

She sighed heavily, occasionally blinking back her tears as she laid back on the grass, only begrudgingly trying to focus on the night sky above her again, as Paddy padded around her for a moment, before settling to the left of her companion as the two just stayed there for a little while, figuratively watching the world go round.

“I love her, Pad,” she managed, eventually, as if the duck could respond to her and provide her with advice somehow, “and it’s probably stupid that I’m even telling you this, but - I just - I needed to tell someone, y’know,” she continued, even quieter as if she were embarrassed at herself for even doing so, when someone could easily pass by, and hear what she was saying somehow.

She also knew she probably shouldn’t be here alone when it was dark out, but she couldn’t really care much about that right now as she focused on the situation at hand, and if anything happened at least she knew what she would do.

She would fuck up whoever tried to attack her; she knew she could.

She smirked at the idea, and it felt good to smile again, even to herself as she shook her head subconsciously, before wincing as soon as she Paddy pecking at her left side again.

“Shit - okay, fine, I’ll stop talking about it, I just-.. y’know - I just wanted-..”

She sighed again, wishing she could stop feeling empty for at least a few seconds, as she fidgeted with her fingers again, not sure what to even think as she wondered what you might be doing right now; if you were busy, or - well, if you were thinking about her, too.

Paddy was evidently getting frustrated, as she pecked at the girl again, and Leighton rolled her eyes as she sat up, before raising her eyebrows down at the duck as it quacked back at her, looking more judgemental than anything, at this point in time, by now.

“What-?”

She questioned, but Paddy just wandered back toward the pond again, and Leighton watched as she drifted off to her friends; her family, and she only felt more alone than she ever had before.

She shook her head again as she rested her chin upon her knees once she’d hugged her legs to her chest, wondering if she should just stay here, and be sad, or if she should walk back up the hill, but neither options seemed to make her feel particularly much better, especially considering the way things had snapped for a moment between the both of you, earlier.

She even wondered what her friends from last year were doing; if they ever thought about her, too.

She hoped things were going well for them, and still couldn’t believe everything that had happened over the years she’d spent at Essex College; she knew for a fact she could never be more grateful, for how they’d made her feel comfortable about herself, before she’d finally brought herself to start coming out, and it went a lot better in the end than she initially thought it would.

She also realised she’d never asked if it was the same, for you.

Her heart dropped at that; she wondered if you even got to tell your mum, before she’d gone.

Your dad, maybe, but he was the one she doubted the most.

She swore that if he’d hurt you, she wouldn’t let..

Her breath hitched in her throat, when she noticed a movement in her periphery a few paces ahead of her again.

She didn’t bother lifting her head to check if it was someone she knew; or someone shifty-looking, this time, as she kept her head low instead, until she heard your voice, and forgot how to breathe again.

You weren’t sure if you’d end up going back down the hill.

It was Aurora who’d scolded you for coming back alone in the first place, and boy was she mad at you for letting things slip again.

“I’m sorry, okay?”

You’d tried to bargain as she shook her head in your direction, looking more pissed off than you’d ever seen her before.

“Did you even let her explain why-?”

She’d questioned, and you remembered rolling your eyes; you’d not been thinking - that much you knew, now.

“You should have at least let her explain why she snapped, Y/n, I mean-.. maybe she was just-.. I don’t know, but - I’m sure she had a good reason.”

You remembered nodding gravely; the pained look on Leighton’s face as you’d told her you wanted to go back home.

You drew in a barely audible shaky breath as Aurora’s expression softened again.

“It’s not too late, you know,” she began again softly, as you tensed up before her, your hands threatening to shake as you looked up at her again, your head pounding excruciatingly all over again, “she’s probably still down there - if-.. if I were you, I’d probably go down and talk to her-”

“Yeah, well - you’re not me, are you? You have no fucking idea, Aurora - you - you could leave-”

She winced, as soon as you began to think back to what had happened before again with your dad, and how she’d been able to escape from it, before your mum had.

“He’s not even a part of this, Y/n - don’t bring him up again,” she warned you a little sharper, and you fell quiet, before you nodded gravely, knowing you were probably over-reacting just a little.

“He ruined things, A,” you murmured, and Aurora frowned as she listened, wishing she too could have done more to protect you and mum from getting hurt anymore than you already had, but she herself didn’t know what to do at the time, “s-so many fucking things, a-and I just-.. I don’t even know anymore, but-.. but I keep - I keep thinking that - that it’s me. I - I keep fucking things up again; I know it’s me, okay? I want to make things better, but - I don’t - I don’t even know how, I just-.. but-.. what-.. what if-.. what if it’s because of him? What if I’m like him? What if I - fuck, A - what if I hurt her? I - I don’t think I could ever even-..”

She could see you were panicking again; could hear the way your voice shook as you tried not to break down any further; your lungs soon sounded like they were failing you again like they had earlier, so she shook her head, before easing you closer to her.

You expressed relief, as soon as her arms were around you again.

You sooner returned the hug, than you began to cry quietly into her left shoulder.

“It’s okay,” she cooed gently, and you shook your head - or you tried to, still doubting your capabilities as Aurora stroked your hair, and cursed dad for still being here; still haunting the both of you as she wished silently that she hadn’t gone.

She shouldn’t have fucking gone.

She wondered if she would always hate herself for it; she was scared she would, but at the same time she wondered if she deserved it, seeing you the way that you were, right now.

“You’re okay, Y/n - everything’s gonna be okay,” she continued, though her own voice failed her eventually as you both cried softly together, “I’m sorry - I’m so sorry, I-.. I should-.. I should have-.. I don’t even know why I fucking left, I-.. I don’t know, but - but I’m here, now, okay? I’m here, Y/n, a-and - and I’m always gonna be here for you. I will never let him hurt you again, I don’t even know if he’s still alive, but-.. if he ever tries anything-..”

“He’s gone,” you murmured against her shoulder, and she relaxed in an instant as she nodded slowly, glad he couldn’t hurt either of you anymore.

Not physically, anyway.

“And you’re sure he is?”

You hesitated.

She didn’t know how much she liked that hesitation, before you continued again, tightly nodding your head as you buried your face into the crook of her neck, sniffling again as you tried to calm down; you knew you should, if you wanted to make things better, somehow.

“Do you - Do you think I hurt her? W-When I came back? I - I just-.. I didn’t want-..”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Aurora continued to try and comfort you, until most of the tears had gone away again, and your breathing pattern sounded at least a little more stabilised than it had been, earlier.

“I - I love her, A,” you managed, eventually, and Aurora nodded slowly as she held you at arm’s length, her eyes warming you over again.

“That’s good,” she stated, and you nodded timidly in response as you tried to think a little clearer; tried to see passed the ache in your head, as Aurora smiled sympathetically back at you, before she continued again, wanting to try and help out a bit more, somehow, “you should go and tell her, right? She - She probably misses you, down there.”

You shrugged, not sure as you kept your gaze low, still uncertain of whether maybe it would be a good thing for her, if you decided to go and join her again.

“She - She doesn’t need me, A, I mean-.. She has Paddy, so-.. I - I wouldn’t-.. y’know,” you murmured, and Aurora raised her eyebrows, and you winced upon realising that you’d not yet told her who Paddy was. “She - She’s a duck, by the way, n-not-.. I - I don’t-..”

You sighed heavily, and Aurora couldn’t help, but grin at the idea of Leighton being friends with a duck, the way she was.

“I bet they both miss you, then,” she insisted, and you groaned, wishing she’d just give up at this rate, but Aurora was Aurora, and giving up wasn’t exactly her forte.

It never had been.

“How do you know that they don’t, though? They might be sad, wondering why you’re not there,” she tried to persuade you again, and you shrugged heavily, hardly able to think or swallow anymore as you avoided her gaze, wishing you could be better than you were, somehow. “You’ll never know, if you don’t go and check on them, right?”

You nodded tightly again, and Aurora raised her eyebrows as she awaited your decision, her hope dwindling fast, until you drew in a barely audible shaky breath, and decided she was right, but you were more doing it for her sake, as much as your own, when you saw the pained expression beginning to infiltrate her expression again the more she waited for you to respond, the way she had.

“O-Okay - I-.. I can try, I just-.. I don’t want-.. I want her to be happy, A, I don’t want-..”

“Good, because I can promise you that as soon as she sees you, she’ll smile - that’s what happens when you love someone; nobody knows why, exactly, but it just - happens. Good luck out there, okay? If you have any problems, you come straight back up, okay?”

You’d keep it in mind - for now, anyway.

XVI

It was hard enough, walking down the hill, without trying to bolt again.

You probably should have changed into a different pair of shoes, your boots feeling slightly more uncomfortable than they did, earlier.

You could hardly believe you’d made it, when you saw the park’s entrance stood a few paces away from you, you just needed to cross the now open road, only being closed off for the fair that had taken place not too long ago as you stepped down onto the tarmac, and waited for a good enough opening.

You hated how busy this road was, despite how small and narrow it seemed to be.

You sighed heavily, wondering if you should just go back home, until there was finally some silence, and no car or E-bike whizzing by you again.

You didn’t allow yourself a thought, as you rushed across the road, almost tripping in the process of doing so.

As soon as you’d made it across, and were gripping onto the steel bars lining the park’s walls, you expressed relief, almost giggling at the energy coursing through you as you beamed up at the night sky through still leafless branches, before you remembered the task at hand, and warily looked toward the gates all over again.

You knew you shouldn’t keep her waiting, as you pushed yourself to walk through the entrance, and down the cobble path again.

She was sitting by the pond, when you first spotted her.

You couldn’t believe how your heart stuttered again at the sight of her, before you drew in a faint breath again, knowing you should try and stay calm to the best of your ability as you walked even further, your hands beginning to shake again.

It surprised you, how you didn’t want to run anymore, even when you were as close as you were to her, now.

Maybe it was because she seemed distracted; her head low, as an occasional pebble, stick, or dead leaf crunched beneath your feet, her still not looking up at you as they did, and it almost made it harder to breathe, to think she hadn’t noticed you yet, and you’d not drawn her attention to you.

You decided, when she was a few paces away from you, that you should speak up, no matter how difficult it was to do so, right now, blood rushing in your ears as you admired her again, before stuffing your hands into your jacket pockets as you wished your face wouldn’t heat up, the way it did.

“So - star-gazing was actually a good idea.”

You’d begun, and she jolted as her head lifted a little, eyes lighter than you’d ever seen them before, now.

“I - I can kinda see Orion from here, already,” you mused, and Leighton raised her eyebrows over at you as she tried to recompose herself again, given she didn’t think you’d come back, the way you had, then.

“That’s-.. That’s great, Y/n, but - why did you-? I thought you were-?”

She managed, eventually, and your gaze met her’s again.

“I did go home, for a bit, but-.. the strangest thing happened,” you claimed, and Leighton couldn’t help, but smirk back at you as she got up off of the ground, before carefully taking a few steps closer to you, but there was still a gap between you both by the time she’d finished doing so, afraid you wouldn’t want her to get any closer, though she didn’t know why.

“Oh yeah - what was that, then?”

She inquired, genuinely curious as she watched you keenly, eyes never leaving your’s again.

“I thought-.. I thought about you, Leight,” you admitted timidly, “and-.. Aurora may, or may not have had a go at me for leaving you alone, but-.. I thought I should come back, so-.. I came back.”

“You’re starting to sound like me,” she remarked a little thoughtfully, and you tilted your head partially back at her as she raised her eyebrows again, wishing she could get closer somehow. “I never told you, but-.. I’m glad you came back when you did, I mean-.. I’m scared that maybe - if you didn’t, I would have-..”

She sighed, and your expression softened as she seemed to struggle to find her words again.

“I was thinking of moving away, too; my dad, he - he said - he’d be happy to find somewhere new for us, and - I don’t know. I thought it would be good for me; I thought that-.. that things would still work out; I’d still be able to see Alicia sometimes, and then I’d already started doubting how good it might be when I thought about my friends, and somehow Nico gets himself into an accident, and you know what happened after that.”

You nodded slowly as you smiled softly down at the ground, before you lifted your head once more, sighed barely audibly, as she silently begged you to say something again, rather than leaving her words hanging there.

“So, er - your bed head, it - it’s really cute.”

You’d done what she’d wished for.

Except, it wasn’t quite what she had been expecting to hear, still.

“W-What?”

You tried not to giggle, grinning too widely as you gesticulated tightly to her hair with your left hand, and she winced upon remembering that it had got a little messy, since she’d been laying on the grass.

“Shit, I’m sorry - I-..”

She sighed exasperatedly as she made to try and make it nearer than it was, but you shook your head as you timidly closed the gap between you both just slightly, as you held her hands within your own, and she relaxed a little more, her eyes trained on your’s again.

“You - You don’t need to change it; neither do you need to apologise to me for it, okay?”

You reassured her gently, and her heart stuttered again as she tried to breathe steadily, but she kept thinking about how your skin felt against her’s again, and she wanted nothing more than to explore it further, like all those times before now.

“Is - there - y’know-.. anything you wanna tell me?”

She asked, her voice threatening to tremble a little as you winced again, your skin feeling too warm as you shook your head, before faintly smiling back at her again.

“Actually, there might be one thing.”

“That is not Ursa Major,” Leighton contradicted determinedly, as you scoffed, but the smile never left your face as you thought to protest, and knew exactly how to do it somehow.

“Do you even know what Ursa Major looks like?”

You questioned, and Leighton hesitated, as she thought about it for a moment, only to appear a little exasperated as she realised that maybe she didn’t actually know, like she’d thought she did.

“Okay, maybe I don’t, but I can still-”

“I rest my case,” you decided, and she huffed impatiently as silence fell over the both of you again, your eyes tracking the night sky for any further constellations you could put a name to. “Yes - that, Leight! That’s the fucking Pole Star-!”

You may have been too excited, as she appeared startled for a moment at your announcement, before she followed the index finger of your right hand again.

“And that might be the Pleiades,” you mused, before moving on too quickly again, “that looks like the Hyades.”

Your finger was darting too fast across the night sky at this rate; she didn’t know how to feel about that.

Neither did she know why it made her feel just slightly overheated, but at the same time the heat wasn’t as intense as she’d thought it would be, as she glanced from your finger down to your left cheek, admiring you again as she giggled softly whenever you picked out another star, and then another.

She didn’t think she’d ever seen you this happy, before.

Neither did she think she’d ever felt the fluttering that she did, then, as she winced at the feeling, suddenly feeling a little more overwhelmed than anything by the new sensation, as she looked back up at the night sky, wondering what she’d missed the times you’d been away from each other, before.

“I think that’s Sirius,” you continued a little more apprehensively than before as she hummed along to what you were saying, though she couldn’t concentrate as much now when her heart was thumping as loud as it had been. “I mean - that one could be Aldebaran - hmm,” you considered, pressing your lips together as your eyebrows furrowed a little, a pained expression residing upon her face again. “Hold on, so if that’s there - then maybe that means Antares is - there? Yeah, there, and then - that-.. what is that?”

Leighton followed your finger again, before you’d let your hand drop back down to your side again.

“Altair,” she mused faintly, and your heart skipped a beat as you turned your head to look over at her again. “I think that’s supposed to be Altair,” she clarified a little louder than before, and you couldn’t stop it as you smiled subconsciously back at her, and she grinned back at you, but the ache still remained despite her ability to smile at you still.

She couldn’t believe she’d let you go, before.

Neither could she believe she hadn’t even got to tell you just about everything you meant to her, before it had been too late for her to do so somehow.

“I feel like I’m missing one,” you mused, and she raised her eyebrows over at you again.

“You? No way,” she remarked easily, and your heart jolted again as you tried not to wince, feeling too warm all over again as you tried to distract yourself with the sky above you, until you felt the palm of her right hand resting upon the back of your left one again. “Y’know, you still haven’t shown me Orion’s Belt, yet,” she added a little suggestively, and you spluttered a little, her smirking smugly back at you as you tried to recompose yourself again, before you managed to look back at her again, trying to resist the urge to bite down upon your bottom lip as she tilted her head partially back at you, and you didn’t know how to feel for a moment when you felt the fingertips of her left hand brushing against the soft skin of the lower depths of your stomach again.

Your eyelids fluttered a little at the touch, but you tried not to get too distracted as you looked back up at the sky, trying to locate Orion’s Belt once more as she focused on you, instead, trailing her fingertips along your side as your body shuddered a little in response to her touch somehow.

She couldn’t believe she could still make you react in such a way, even after all this time.

“There, baby, it - it’s there,” you managed a little shakier than before, trying not to think about how close her fingertips were to the opening of your jeans again.

She appeared skeptical as she followed your finger again, and she grinned when she saw you were right, but there was something else she couldn’t stop thinking about right now, more than anything, as she looked back down at you, and you knew that look on her face, by now, more than you knew the back of your hand, now.

“Leight,” you continued barely audibly, and she leaned closer to you as you forgot how to breathe again, finding it hard not to glance down at her lips as they grew ever closer to your own again.

“Wrong belt, baby,” she claimed, and you winced as your eyelids fluttered shut for the second time; she’d drawn her fingertips lower, and lower, until they’d slipped into the opening completely. “Oh, and - I think I know which one you forgot - it’s Fomalhaut.”

XVII

Before she could get any further than she had, she withdrew her hand, and you began to feel empty all over again.

“That’s your punishment for forgetting,” she decided, and you pouted a little over at her, before you averted your gaze away from her again.

She would have teased you further, if she didn’t notice that you’d begun to shiver, the way you had, then.

“Hey, you - you cold-?”

You winced, upon hearing the question, before you hastily shook your head, not wanting her to think that you weren’t enjoying being out here with her when it had been so easily everything to you all over again.

“You sure? I - I mean, we - we could go back if you want to-?”

“No,” you whined a little, and she raised her eyebrows at how breathless you sounded, then. “I - I’m okay, Leight, I - I promise I am, I - I just-.. I don’t want the night to end-..”

“But - the night always has to end at some point, baby,” she reminded you gently, and you frowned, nodding gravely as you guessed she was right - it just-..

You sighed, wondering why you couldn’t live within a moment, the way you wished you could, right now.

Leighton’s expression softened as she watched you, before she smiled softly down at you, before taking off her jacket again, and you tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t let you as she even got up to continue removing it, until she’d finally got the deed done, and tried not to react to the wind picking up as she carefully laid back down beside you, and draped her jacket as much as she could over the both of you, but mostly you, no matter how much you protested against her actions.

“Jesus, Y/n - just - accept your fate already,” she complained, and you eventually gave in, though you pouted for a little while, but it made no difference to her as she was happy to keep you as warm as she could, right now.

“Can - Can I take mine off, too?”

She hesitated, not sure, and her response was enough to encourage you to sit up, and work on getting your own jacket off, the way you did, then.

She tried not to watch, her face feeling a little warmer than before as you removed the attire with nothing, but professional ease, before you smiled faintly down at her, and draped the clothing more over her, too, like she’d done for you, before.

“Here, let’s actually share the blanket-thing we created, okay? You need to be warm, too,” you insisted, as you laid your head back down beside her own again.

She couldn’t help, but grin over at you sheepishly as you both admired one another again, and you’d never felt so warm with just a jacket resting upon your frame again.

You even began to feel a little drowsy, your eyelids heavy as she lifted her left hand up to your right cheek, eyes never leaving your’s, somehow.

“I don’t want to fall asleep, Leight,” you murmured barely audibly as she smiled sadly back at you, before inching ever closer to your frame so she could affectionately connect her forehead to your own again.

“Yeah, well, maybe you need to sleep, Y/n - haven’t you ever thought of that?”

She asked gently, and you shook your head without hesitation, only making her smile wider than she did, before.

“You never cease to surprise me, honestly,” she mused, and you sleepily wrapped your arms around her as you buried your face into the crook of her neck again. “Yeah, you need some shut-eye, for sure,” she continued, her voice close to a whisper as you let your eyelids flutter shut again, feeling safe with your body against her’s to do so, as she lifted her right hand up to the back of your head, stroking your hair as you slowly drifted off within her hold, not even feeling the cold as it had been, earlier.

Once she was sure you were out, she carefully made to remove your and her jackets from above the both of you, before she tucked them under her left arm, and then proceeded to ease you up into her arms so she could carry you toward the entrance of the park, and back up the hill again.

The next time you’d awoken, you were laid upon the sofa.

You wearily looked around you through half-lidded eyes, and clouded vision, before you stretched out a little, yawned, and made to sit back up again.

It would have alarmed you that Leighton wasn’t anywhere in sight, until you heard a door shutting somewhere to your left, and she walked back into the room, a black plastic bag in her right hand as she faltered in step, seeing you upright again.

Well, partially upright, anyway.

“L-Leight? What are you doing still-?”

You broke off into a yawn, and she tried not to smile at the sound, her heart skipping a beat as she did.

“I-.. I couldn’t sleep, or - rather - I can’t, so - I just-.. yeah,” she explained slowly, before setting the bag down, and you thought it looked suspiciously like there was a bottle of something alcoholic inside, but you didn’t want to question her when you wanted her to be happy; you didn’t want to start a fight with her again, even though you still got scared that maybe something could happen to her, with the rate she’d been drinking, lately.

“Have you tried actually lying down, for starters?”

You inquired, and she rolled her eyes, albeit playfully, before she sat down on the seat to the left of the sofa, though it didn’t feel right to have the gap between you both again.

“Duh - how else would I be able to determine that I can’t sleep, anyway?”

She questioned, and you could hear the smile in her voice as your heart jolted again, before you glanced over at her, and you’d never seen her eyes so bright before.

“Okay, so - that didn’t work,” you mused, as if you were actually thinking about a good technique she could try. “Oh-! How about this? It used to work for Aurora when she needed help getting to sleep again, so - how about I make you something warm to drink? I’m sure it will help you get to sleep, in the end.”

She hesitated, not sure, but not because she doubted it would help, but because she didn’t want you to feel like you had to get up, and do something like that for her.

“I appreciate that, Y/n, but - I think I’ll be okay just waiting it out, maybe, so-.. y-yeah. Besides, it wouldn’t be a disaster if I couldn’t get to sleep, would it?”

You frowned - it would, to you.

“Why-.. Why don’t you come and lay next to me, then? I - I wouldn’t mind sharing my spot with you?”

You suggested timidly, before awkwardly clearing your throat as she raised her eyebrows over at you again.

“You’d really want me to, huh?”

She replied, and your face began to heat up again as you stammered a little, and she grinned over at you.

“Y’know, if you want to stay up with me, why don’t you just tell me you want me to-?”

“Leight-!”

You whisper-shouted, appearing more alarmed than anything as she rolled her eyes again, before looking toward the staircase in the hallway; it was still so quiet throughout the apartment, so she assumed Aurora was either still in bed, or in the shower, like she had been, earlier.

You were safe to do whatever you liked, in that case.

Mostly, anyway.

“What? Can you hear signs of life up there? Aurora’s probably out of the count, by now, right?”

You hesitated, almost considering it as you cautiously looked back toward Leighton again.

“Look, I - I really don’t know if we should-..”

“Ugh, fine,” she gave in, before she sighed heavily, and got up off of the chair she was perched upon to come and lie down next to you anyway.

You knew what she wanted to do in an instant as you moved back, allowing her space to lay down beside you, the way she did, then.

“Oh c’mon - move over a bit more, would you?”

She complained, but you knew she didn’t mean it as she smirked over at you knowingly, before she wrapped her arms around your waist again, and you’d never felt so alive before.

“What are you thinking, right now-?”

You inquired, curious as she looked deep into considering things unbeknownst to you, whilst at the same time her eyes never failed to stick to your own, somehow.

“Nothing much, just - okay, it might sound weird, but all I can think right now is that you - you smell really nice, a-and I don’t even know how you do it, like - what the fuck do you use, baby?”

You raised your eyebrows back at her, as if you didn’t believe her, somehow.

“You’re bullshitting me,” you contradicted a little breathlessly as she scoffed, before shaking her head as you turned around, but her arms never left your frame.

“I’m not - why the fuck even would I? Y/n-”

“Leight-”

You sighed again, not even sure if you had the energy to protest any further as she made to continue again, ever the energetic figure.

Much more than you’d ever been, anyway.

“No, Y/n - I mean it; everything about you is just-.. fuck, I mean - how have you always been like this? And there’s the fact that you’re just super comfy, and cuddly, and beautiful, and there’s so much fucking more I could say.”

Your lungs stuttered alongside your heart as you shook your head, wondering why she was even bothering, at this point.

“Where is this even coming from right now, Leight? Why-.. Why are you-?”

Her eyes darkened as she averted her gaze, looking worried as she tried to find the right words to say.

She sighed heavily, before she shook her head; she knew she should probably just be honest with you, rather than try and lie somehow.

“Why do you think I am? I love you, Y/n, a-and I - I don’t want you to doubt how I feel about you anymore,” she admitted a little too quickly, and you fell quiet again, before you carefully made to face her once more, your eyes searching her’s worriedly as your eyebrows furrowed, and she drew in a barely audible shaky breath as she tried to stay calm, before she made to continue again, her voice trembling all the more as she did, then, “I heard you, Y/n.”

You looked all the more puzzled, as your heart began to pound too fast again.

“I heard you talking in your - your fucking sleep, okay?”

You tensed up, before you averted your gaze again as you shook your head subconsciously, a lump forming in your throat as you could only think of one thing, and nothing else.

It was clear in your head, and it had been whenever it had happened, before.

You stared back at her, your eyes glistening a little more than before as tears threatened to invade them, and all you thought in that moment, without any consideration as to why, was - plain and simply - the word fuck.

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

Thank you so much for reading, guys!

I have to warn you it might get more saucy than usual in the next part, but regardless of this I hope you’re looking forward to it!

I will ensure to drop it bright and early for you at some point tomorrow! 😈

As usual, I will be adding this onto the Reneé Rapp - Leighton Murray Masterlist soon, as well as onto ao3!

I hope you all have a lovely rest of the day/night, and I look forward to seeing you again, soon!

Until then, I have been - as usual,

And as always,

Your ever faithful, H.H. 💜

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

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angstyandromanticwriting · 10 days ago

Text

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

☦︎︎ “𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖.” ☦︎︎

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

A Leighton Murray X Fem!Reader Angsty, Cute, and Fluffy Prompt

[The Full Version; Part Two]

Minors DNI!!!

* (Working with some hefty topics here, as well as some quite explicit smut features along the way, basically!)

Takes place mainly after the events of season 3, as well as occasionally drifting back to events proceeding even before season 1 takes place!

Word Count [Exclusive to this Part]: standing around 11.1k!

Linked to aspects of the previous instalment I wrote for this idea [Favour/Let’s Dance in Bars!]

I hope you enjoy it!

There will be more!

A Hearty Meeting/Blood Flows Thin

VII

Instead, she called you. She figured it would be better than just turning up at your door again, but you didn’t answer, as she tried again, and again, though she cursed herself for doing so at the time as she brushed her teeth, after drying her hair, still wet from the wash, but there was no response.

She would have given in, if there didn’t follow a faint knock on the door, before she warily walked up to it, and looked through the key-hole again.

She almost hit her head on the door-knob, when she realised it was you.

“H-Hey,” you managed, appearing a little nervous again as she tilted her head partially, trying not to smile too widely back at you again.

“Hey,” she returned simply, trying to act nonchalant, when her heart kept beating way too heavily again. “You - okay?” She inquired gently, and you appeared worried once more as you tried not to take too much notice of the towel around her, rather than her previous attire. “You seem a little-..”

“Y-Yeah, sorry - I’m okay, I just-.. I thought-..”

Her heart dropped, when your eyes began to water again.

“Leight, I - I’m sorry-.. I’m - I’m so-”

She shook her head hastily, before she eased you into a hug, and you buried your face back into the crook of her neck again.

“It’s okay,” she cooed softly, “I - I mean-..”

“It - It just - it just hurt, y’know? I - I didn’t think-”

“Y/n-”

“I never wanted to hurt you, okay? I only ever wanted-”

“It’s okay, baby - just look at me for a second, okay?” She insisted even gentler than before, and your heart skipped a beat, before you looked up at her again, and she didn’t think it would hurt as much as it did to see you trying not to cry again. “I love you,” she began again, and you didn’t know what to say as you shook your head subconsciously, scared of getting hurt again.

“Leight,” you began again slowly, and she hummed quietly to show she was listening, “I - I don’t know if we-.. if we should be-.. whatever the hell we are, now. A-At least, not - not until-.. I just-.. I mean - I - I love you, too, but - but I-.. I don’t know-.. I.. I’m-..”

It had got so quiet, after that; she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Instead, she scoffed.

“Seriously?” She replied a little sharper than before. “So-.. you - you came over just to-? I see. Jesus, Y/n - you’re never going to forgive me, are you?”

“Y-Yeah, I just-.. I don’t know, I’m sorry-.. I just - I think I need-.. s-some time, I guess? T-To, er-.. just to think, a-and-.. I’m sorry, Leight.”

She could feel the lump heavy in her throat again.

“Don’t worry about it,” she murmured begrudgingly, before trying to force a much too faint smile all over again. “Actually, I-.. I wanted to-.. to talk to you about the same thing, so-.. that’s-.. that’s why I called you, e-er - a bit earlier, y’know.”

You appeared puzzled, and she winced again, before rubbing at the back of her neck, no matter how much she wished she could just rip her heart out again.

“You - You called me-? I - I didn’t see, I’m sorry-”

“It - It’s fine, I mean - we - we both know now, so-.. y-yeah. Yeah, that’s-..”

She tried not to sigh, her smile not reaching her eyes the way it usually did. You didn’t think you’d ever felt so empty before.

“Cool - I, erm-.. yeah, so-.. I’ll see you - a-around, I guess?”

“W-Wait-!” She managed, again, and you faltered in step, before warily turning to face her all over again. You looked so much like the day she’d first met you. “C-Could we maybe just-? Er-.. I.. I just think we should-.. shit.”

She appeared frustrated at herself again, as you raised your eyebrows, trying not to smile brightly back in her direction again.

“Shit-? L-Like - actually shit together, or-?”

“You know that’s not what I meant to-..”

She grunted, before rolling her eyes, but she knew you didn’t mean to make such an assumption - not without a mischievous glint in your eyes, anyway.

“I just - I wanted - I wanted to ask if we could-.. if you’d like to - maybe-.. stay - stay over with me, tonight?”

At first, you appeared taken aback by the idea. She easily lost hope, at that.

“It - It’s okay, y’know, if - if you don’t want to, I just-.. I just thought-.. I’m sorry,” she added a little quieter, and it was too hard to stop the smile that found its way onto your lips again.

You were quiet, for a moment or two, and she tried to hide that her hands felt shaky, avoiding your gaze for a moment as you thought about her offer, before reluctantly coming to a decision again.

“I - I’d like that,” you managed, and her eyes glinted a little as her gaze met your’s once more, but it still terrified her for reasons unbeknownst to her that if she didn’t do things right, maybe this wouldn’t change a thing, somehow. Not for the good rather than the bad, anyway. “I just have one rule, okay?”

She raised her eyebrows again, and it was hard not to blurt out how amazing you thought they were, still.

“And what’s that?” She inquired simply, as you slung your dark brown handbag back over your right shoulder again.

“While I’m here - no funny business.”

But - knowing Leighton, you knew there would be at least some, somewhere. And you weren’t wrong.

You’d thought at first you might be, when she’d actually got changed into some pyjamas, rather than staying in the towel she’d been in, earlier.

“This is actually - a pretty nice place, Leight,” you mused, and she grinned over at you as she sat back down beside you on the sofa, eyes never leaving your’s so blissfully again. It could be overwhelming, though, being so close to her like this, and you did notice that she was wearing the tighter pair of PJs today, rather than the baggy types you remembered her having, but you didn’t question it much, knowing it had been a few years since then, and all.

“I’m glad you like it,” she stated, and you thought that would be the end of it as she switched on the tv a few paces away from you both, as if there’d be anything good on at this time of night, anyway. “It could be our’s, you know?” She mused, and your heart skipped a beat again for the 1000th time that night.

“And what’s that supposed to mean-?” You inquired, and she winced, before shrugging a little uncertainly again.

“I don’t know, I just - y’know, I want you to know that - that what’s mine is your’s, okay? We always used to say that to each other, remember?”

You faltered again; there had been times - she wasn’t wrong, there.

You averted your gaze, afraid of doing something wrong all over again, somehow.

“Leight, why - why did you even want me to stay over here with you? I mean - I - I tried to tell myself that I shouldn’t bother questioning it, but-.. but I just-.. I don’t know-.. so.. why?”

She didn’t know what to say, at first, your gaze burrowing into her; she could feel it, as it did, her hands close to shaking a little bit more again.

“It’s - It’s nothing, really, I just-.. y’know, I just wanted to.. I don’t like the idea of - of fighting with you, a-and then just-.. you - you get what I’m trying to say, d-don’t you?”

You hesitated, but it wasn’t because you didn’t understand; of course you did. It was just because you didn’t know what to think about it; you didn’t know if you even could think about it - not clearly, anyway.

“Leight-”

“A-Anyway, yeah-.. that’s basically - basically why I-.. yeah,” she concluded a bit quieter, avoiding your gaze again as you nodded slowly, before timidly reaching over to hold her left hand within your right one all over again.

She almost shuddered at the touch, and she didn’t realise she’d stopped breathing again until she’d fully registered that your hand was touching her own again.

She delicately squeezed it, before smiling warmly over at you once her lungs had figured out their purpose again.

“Thanks - I - I mean, t-thank you, for - for - y’know - actually agreeing to stay here with me; I thought - I thought maybe you’d-..”

She winced, as her heart fluttered again like it had a little earlier at the possibility of you rejecting her offer again.

“It’s okay,” you reassured her delicately, “I’m - I’m glad I did, anyway.”

She didn’t know how to stop it, as her face felt too warm again - at the seams, at most.

“That - That’s good,” she replied, “I - I’m - I’m glad, too, o-of course I am, I - I mean-.. yeah.”

She couldn’t believe the effect you had on her still, and so easily. Fuck, she’d thought, and so simply.

She questioned the way she was behaving, even scolding herself silently for doing so as she turned her gaze toward the screen before you both, as you’d done the same before her, albeit begrudgingly. It was some sort of horror movie, or something, that the screen had defaulted to.

She watched impatiently for a little while; the both of you did, and she didn’t know what to say - if there was even anything she could say to break the ice somehow. But she still thought she should try.

So, because she still felt that resolution was a possibility, she let slip what first came to her mind - her fingers in your hair again.

“Y-Your hair, it’s - erm-.. it’s - it’s really soft, after you wash it.”

Fuck. Shit. Why had she even thought to let that be the first thing she tried to use to spark up a conversation again?

You raised your eyebrows over at her, before you giggled softly, your eyes glinting a little more than before again.

“T-Thank you-?” You offered, in response, and she tried to look less annoyed at herself, smiling apologetically in your direction, but you shook your head reassuringly, before averting your gaze timidly back down again.

“So - good movie, huh?”

VIII

“I think it’s pretty,” Leighton contradicted as you’d been tying your hair up, her helping you in the bathroom to do so after the movie had ended, and you’d been thinking about a particular hairstyle you’d seen one of the actresses sporting within the film.

“Not on me,” you mused, pouting a little at the way she raised her eyebrows back at you, but she didn’t want you to think she didn’t like it when she certainly thought it looked - more than interesting.

“Why do you always do that to yourself? I - I think about everything looks good on you,” she claimed, and you tried not to scoff, glancing over at her timidly as you noticed her mouth moving silently for a moment, as if she had decided against something she had been wanting to say, as she bowed her head a little warily, a pained expression on her face again.

“Are - Are you drunk, at all?” You inquired, and she tensed up a little, recalling her previous drink and touch marathon as she tried not to shrug, instead shaking her head as she awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck again, and you could tell you’d struck a cord somewhere - you just didn’t know where.

“What, do I have to be drunk to compliment you, now?” She murmured a little apprehensively, and you winced, your eyes darkening a little as you began to feel guilty for making such an assumption, before you shook your head reassuringly, and made to hold her hand again.

It made her feel too warm again, to feel you holding the hand she’d been working on herself with earlier.

“You - You know I didn’t mean that, right?” You replied cautiously, your voice a little more faint than it had been before as she thought about it for a moment, before nodding a little too hastily, as well as shortly, before she looked away from you again, and tried not to bite down on her tongue all over again.

“Y-Yeah - of course I do,” she managed, eventually, and your demeanour relaxed a little, before you delicately squeezed her hand, and she thought about tight walls again. “Shit,” she uttered, and you worriedly looked over at her again, noticing she looked a little exasperated as she kept her gaze low, not daring to look back at you again.

“What’s up? Are you tired? We - We could-?”

She hastily shook her head, not wanting to go to bed just yet still; she was scared she still hadn’t won you over again, and she couldn’t let the night end, before she had managed to do so somehow.

“I’m okay - don’t worry about me,” she excused simply, but you weren’t sure if you believed her, as she managed a soft smile back at you, and your heart never ceased to falter whenever she looked at you that way. “I just-.. I keep thinking about you, that’s - that’s all,” she continued a little quieter, as if she were afraid of even saying it, when she’d been more than confident before, upon following you into the bathroom in the first place, anyway.

“Seriously? Jesus, Leight,” you murmured, as if she hadn’t so easily succeeded in flustering you again.

“Look, you - you can’t just act like - like there’s not an elephant in the room, right now - I - I mean-.. we - we’re supposed to be-”

“We’re not supposed to be anything, Leighton,” you contradicted a little sharper than before, though it pained you to see it, and even more so to see the way her eyes darkened, the way they had, then. “At least-.. not - y’know, not right now, anyway. So, can - can we just-.. be friends, right now, r-rather than just-?” You asked, and she didn’t know how to feel about that as she sighed heavily, before nodding gravely again, but she was still determined to get somewhere she wanted to be with you, especially when your smile faltered when you thought she wasn’t looking again. “I’m sorry, okay? I know this is just - probably fucking random, but-.. I just-.. I need you to be my friend, okay? N-Not-.. I don’t know.”

She thought about protesting ever further; about saying that you’d still be friends, even if you were together - being her partner wouldn’t automatically take away the way you’d been friends before. Instead, she tried to swallow back her planned interjections, shaking her head gravely, before she leaned against the wall beside the sink you were still stood before.

“Sure, I-.. I can be your friend - I guess,” she murmured begrudgingly, and you didn’t know whether to feel more relaxed, or more tense, as you tried to force a smile again, but it crumbled almost as soon as you’d formulated it up somehow. “Or, even better - we could - y’know, be friends, but with-.. with benefits, maybe? L-Like I’ve heard people call it before-?” She suggested, tilting her head so that a lone strand of hair fell before her left eye.

You didn’t know why it distracted you as much as it did, then.

“No - absolutely not, Leight, okay? My life isn’t turning into one of those damn sitcoms you see on daytime tv,” you answered, without hesitation - it took her aback, to say the least, but she guessed she understood; you were worth more than that - she’d known ever since she’d first met you that you would always be that way, somehow.

“Fair enough,” she replied nonchalantly, as well as a little exasperatedly again as she tried to find something else she could say again. “Hey, erm - I was thinking, a-and this - this is totally in the most friendly way possible, but - d’you think that maybe we could find another movie we could watch together-?” She suggested, and you couldn’t deny you’d thought about it; thought about how it could be, if you took her up on her offer.

You wondered if she’d make a move on you, before you even cursed yourself for thinking in such a way, still.

“How about this? You can find a way to shush yourself, and go back to bed, and we can watch something else in the morning, maybe?”

She winced, but you didn’t give her much time to think on it as you strolled out of the room, and she felt even emptier again.

“Where are you going?”

You reluctantly stopped on the landing, when you heard her voice sounding out behind you again.

You tried not to let a heavy sigh escape you, before you turned to face her awkwardly again, but you should have known it would be a bad idea to do so, especially when your gaze met her own again, and you were taken aback by how bright her eyes were, again.

“E-Er - shit, sorry - I was just-.. I’m happy, to - to sleep on the sofa, if - y-yeah,” you managed barely audibly, as well as a little shakier as you tried to recompose yourself again, somehow, before she could pick up on the way your demeanour had changed, the way it did, then.

“You’d rather take the sofa, over-?”

She tried to resist the urge to say ‘my bed’, though it was stuck on the tip of her tongue before she’d even put anymore thought into what she had been meaning to say, in the first place.

“The, erm - the - spare - room?” She mustered up, eventually, though she knew she’d fucked up already, and cursed herself consistently for doing so, somehow, the way she had, then, and so easily, too.

“I thought you said there isn’t a spare room here?”

Fuck. She was royally fucked, and cornered, even with a whole hallway behind her, bathroom, games room, and her own bedroom facing each other along the way.

“Right, sorry - I - I didn’t mean-.. w-what I wanted to say was-..”

Her eyebrows furrowed a little as she spoke, before she awkwardly looked back toward the games room she hadn’t dared to show you yet for fear of you thinking it was overkill, even by her standards.

She sighed, before shrugging a little as she tried to recompose herself again.

“Okay, fine - I-.. I thought you’d-.. I don’t know - that - that you’d want to be in my room with me, even if-.. y’know, we aren’t on the bed together, a-and-.. I was just worried that-.. y’know, what if you have a nightmare again? What if I don’t know you are? What if - What if I can’t help you, Y/n? I just want to be able to-.. y-yeah, y-you know.”

Your expression softened a little, seeing that she was trying not to cry again, and you didn’t think she even knew she was as she focussed on you, a light tear running down her cheek as you timidly stepped closer to her, and her demeanour tensed up a little as she seemed to stop breathing, trying not to let her gaze drop any further than it had already, given how close she was to you, now.

“You mean, you’d seriously want to be in the same room with me again? Even with my snoring, huh? Well, I sometimes snore - only sometimes, but-”

She couldn’t help it, as she giggled softly in response to your comment, the sound only making you smile a little wider back at her again as you felt your cheeks heating up, before you averted your gaze, not sure if you wanted her to see how easily she had you flustered, the way she did, then.

“You think your snoring’s bad? Jesus, Y/n - it’s hardly worse than mine, okay? Hardly. Besides, it wouldn’t stop me from wanting to be in the same room as you, e-especially when it means I can-.. I don’t know, just-..”

She faltered again, as she thought about it - just a few small words, basically. She didn’t even know why she couldn’t sound them out to you, as they played continuously in her head, your name accompanying such words as you glanced up at her again, trying to ignore the way your heart proceeded to flutter at even just having her stood before you, as she stumbled a little more on her words, clearly frustrated at herself all over again.

“Okay, then - it’s settled, Leight - I’m in,” you decided easier than you thought you would, before, and she looked about ready to have to stop herself from cheering, somehow, her eyes widening a little at your decision, unexpected as it was, then.

“You’re - You’re serious?” She breathed, and you smirked at how breathless she sounded at the same time.

“Deadly,” you reiterated, and her heart skipped a beat, before she smiled sheepishly back at you, and inched ever closer to you again. “I - I just - I think I’d - I’d miss your hugs, a-and - well, you already know how much I love them, so-.. y-yeah.”

She looked like she wanted to say more, her eyes darkening a little as she got stuck again, another few words lingering upon the tip of her tongue like nothing else ever had before.

“I mean, as - as long as it’s okay with you, too, I - I just-.. y’know,” you continued a little more exasperatedly as she raised her eyebrows again, before nodding slowly back at you, but you didn’t miss how she looked a bit more dejected than she did, before, as she tried to smile, only for it to fail to reach her eyes all over again.

“I - I’d love that,” she reassured you delicately, and your heart skipped a beat again as she glanced down at your hands, wondering if she could hold them again.

“So, s-shall we-?”

She hesitated, for a moment, the lump in her throat coming back as she pressed herself to nod hastily, and smile widely back over at you again.

“Y-Yeah, sure, I mean - go on ahead; I’ll - I’ll meet you in there,” she reassured you gently, and you smiled softly back at her, before you carefully meandered around her, ‘accidentally’ allowing the knuckles of your left hand to brush against her right ones at the same time.

She didn’t feel any better, however, as she kept thinking back to the words she hated to hold back from you so heavily:

Blissfully, ‘I love you’.

It had been hard to think about anything else, since the words had danced upon her tongue like that.

It even reached the point that you were asleep in her arms, whilst she was still awake, thinking about everything she wished she could tell you again, without making things worse, somehow.

“I’m - I’m sorry, Leight,” she remembered your voice after the first time she’d fought with you.

Her heart dropped, in response to it, but she didn’t know why; it was in the past, now, but hearing you so broken-..

She sighed heavily, before shaking her head as she held you ever closer, you hardly protesting as you melted within her embrace, and buried your face back into the crook of her neck all over again.

“We’re - We’re gonna be okay - you-.. you know that, right?” She’d cooed gently against your forehead, after pressing a light kiss to it again. “No matter what, baby - it-.. it’ll always be you, I just-.. I hope you know that.”

You forgot, the next day.

You’d not heard, in the first place; you’d still been asleep, feeling ever safe in her arms again. You hadn’t even had a nightmare - it was quite literally the best sleep you’d ever had.

It was when you woke up that you got scared, though, as your eyelids fluttered open, and you woke up to a room just full of blood stains.

You didn’t know what to do, your ears ringing as you sat up in her bed, your brain tricking you into thinking you could feel the gore on her sheets, and it reminded you of how you woke up sometimes, when you were still living with your dad, and your mum had gone.

“S-Shit - w-wait, what - what happened? Why - Why’s there-?”

Your voice sounded - distant, like you were in some rusty tin-can, or something, or a ghost watching your body from somewhere up higher than usual.

You groaned, feeling a pain in your left side as you sat up, your hands beginning to shake again.

“L-Leight? Leight, are - are you-? Are you still-?” You tried again, your heart beating too fast as you begged her to come back to you; begged her to just - just hold you, so you could feel safe and warm again, but you were scared you never could as you got up, your legs now shaking.

You felt heavy, as you walked across the room, your inner thighs feeling sticky, but you didn’t dare glance down at them, afraid that you’d just find more blood, like you had whenever your dad began to drink again.

“Leight-?” Your voice cracked a little, as your eyes glistened with new tears, but there was still no response, and you’d never felt so alone before.

Your dad’s voice sounding out didn’t make anything better.

Leighton had been out, at the time.

She had thought about waking you up, but you’d looked so peaceful, and she couldn’t bring herself to do it, so instead she went out on a new quest - finding flowers you might like.

It was strangely - difficult, for her to do so. She wanted them to be right for you; to find a bouquet that would make you smile at her again, and it made her feel guilty to admit she couldn’t remember if you’d told her about any possible flower types you might like, somehow.

Eventually, she settled on a light mixture, and could hardly bother to a put a name to them. Well, apart from the snowdrops. She’d liked those more than any others she’d seen before; she’d just been afraid to tell anyone about something like that, small as it was.

She felt a little lighter when she’d got the bouquet, even walking a little faster than before as she continued up the hill, only faltering when she spotted Harper walking ahead of her again.

“Fuck,” she whispered, panicking just a little, and she couldn’t deny she tried turning swiftly as if she believed she could escape by walking back down the hill, instead, but it wasn’t long after that moment that Harper spotted her, and didn’t look immensely pleased herself, to see her again, now.

“So, you-.. you must live up here, huh?” She assumed, and Leighton winced upon hearing the girl’s voice behind her, the way she did, then.

“No, I - I actually live up on Mars with whatever the fuck you find up there,” she replied simply, as she forced a smile back at Harper again, no matter how much she wished she could just run away, by now.

“Cool,” the girl replied, shrugging nonchalantly as she did.

“Cool? Is that all you’ve got to say to that? Not - Not something like - you’re such a bullshitter, Leight, or - I don’t know, but - seriously?”

“Look, do I look like I care about whether you’re lying or not, when you tell me you live wherever the fuck you live, or - or want to live?”

Leighton looked as if she wanted to interject; Harper didn’t let her.

“That was a rhetorical question. Anyway - I-.. I thought about it, a-and-.. I don’t want things to be awkward between us, if - y’know, you and Y/n are seriously considering being a real power couple type of thing.”

Leighton couldn’t help, but naturally raise her eyebrows at that.

“You don’t?”

Harper shook her head simply again.

“Well, that sucks - what if I want things to be awkward between us? I don’t want to go around saying you’re my friend just because you’re Y/n’s friend.”

Harper frowned at that, shaking her head again, as she made to protest, but Leighton knew what she was doing, as she grinned over at the girl, inching closer to her a little suggestively, as well as only slightly intimidatingly, but Harper wouldn’t let the girl before her show her up so easily, but she couldn’t deny Leighton was quick, as she shut Harper down, before she could even get one chance to open her mouth again.

“Oh, and by the way - that was rhetorical.”

By the time she’d got back home, you weren’t in her bed anymore.

Her heart dropped, as she looked around the room, before her gaze fell upon the door opposite her, now slightly ajar, and undoubtedly leading still into her bathroom.

Her eyebrows furrowed a little toward it, as she cautiously approached the room, her heart sinking even further as soon as she heard someone crying within, and they sounded very much like you, desperate and broken - your sobs were, anyway, before you saw her, and jolted back a little as she eased open the door, and you begged her to go again.

It hurt nonetheless, to see you like this; to hear you saying you wanted her to go, even though she knew that you probably weren’t in much of a right state of mind, right now.

“Hey,” she cooed gently, her voice trembling a little as she carefully crouched down before you, heart beating wildly again. “Hey, it’s me,” she continued, and you shook your head again a little more hastily, as you moved further backward, hands shaking as you tried to push yourself back again. “Y/n-”

“No - n-no - fuck you; you’re - you’re not doing it again - I - I won’t let you-.. it - it hurts, dad - it fucking hurts, okay?”

She tensed up, hearing you referring to your dad again, the way you had, then.

“That asshole,” she uttered, unable to stop it as she voiced her previous words through gritted teeth, you looking a little more puzzled than before as you raised your eyebrows over at her a little, but it was her moving again that startled you out of relaxing just a little, before you sniffled barely audibly, and buried your face back into your kneecaps again.

“I’m sorry,” you managed, your voice shakier than ever as she shook her head slowly, before she carefully made to reach out for you again.

As soon as you felt her fingertips brushing against your left arm, you felt hopeless.

In an instant, you were on her, just not the way she wanted you to be.

You’d tried to lash out; tried to cry for her to tell you why - why did he keep coming back?

You tried to calm down; to tell yourself that something was wrong - the blood was gone, now; she was still here, and she wasn’t your dad anymore - you could see it was her. You were lucky she’d got used to having to try and stabilise you before, now.

“Fuck, Y/n - I - I was just trying to-..”

Her expression softened as you cried again, burying your face into her neck as you clung to the material of her blue and red sweater, trying to find a way back to the living again.

“I’m sorry - I’m so sorry, Leight, I-.. I never wanted-.. I just - I don’t know what happened, but - but there was - there was so much blood, a-and I - I don’t know, I’m sorry - I’m really sorry, okay?”

She relaxed a little bit more, as you cried quietly again, trying to focus on how sweet she smelt as you focused your thoughts on her - nothing, but her again, and you wished you could do so much more for her, somehow.

When she could finally move, you were half-asleep on her left shoulder again.

She stroked your hair as she carefully eased you up off of the ground alongside herself, before she carried you out of the bathroom, and back into her bedroom again.

“Leight-?” You whispered, as she lowered you down upon her bed, your eyes never leaving her own, before you intermingled the fingers of your right hand within her silky hair, eyes glinting much too brightly, seemingly over and over again.

She never wanted it to stop, though; never wanted you to stop smiling at her, the way you were, then.

“You should get some rest, baby,” she cooed delicately, as she sat upon the edge of the bed, though she hated how much space there was between you both, right now. She didn’t want to invade your area; you needed it more, right now.

“But-.. I - I don’t want to-”

“You’ll be okay - I promise you you will; I’ll stay here with you - I promise I will. I-..”

She winced again, the same words lingering upon the tip of her tongue again.

“No, Leight - you - you need to rest, too; you - you look-”

“I’m fine; I promise you I am,” she tried to reassure you, “just - close your eyes, okay? Don’t think about me, right now - focus on you, baby.”

You shook your head subconsciously, not wanting to think much at all of the fuck up your life had been for way too long, now, including whenever you’d fucked up around her, the way you had at least a few times, by now.

“W-Wait, I-.. b-before I try and go to sleep again, c-can I-? W-Would it be okay if - if I borrowed your sweater? It - It smells like you,” you managed, eventually, though it terrified you to even ask as she raised her eyebrows again, unable to hide her smile as it was soft, then, reciprocating your own again.

She didn’t hesitate - she took off her sweater, and draped it over you.

You expressed relief, subconsciously hugging it even closer to you as she watched smugly, as well as exasperatedly; she didn’t think she could ever have this effect on you, still, the way she was, then. It almost depressed her, to think she might have to wait, before she could talk to you again, soon. It didn’t go without saying either that it was a begrudging moment, when she had to avert her gaze away from you, as she carefully laid down beside you again, sparing one glance at the flowers she’d bought you a little earlier still resting atop of the dresser she’d left them on when she heard you crying in the other room.

“Anything else, before-?” She inquired, wanting to do as much as she could for you, but you shook your head reassuringly back at her; she’d done enough, already, and you wanted to try and repay her, somehow, but you were scared of making things worse by doing so, so instead you bid her a soft ‘thank you’, before you leaned closer to kiss her on the cheek, as you wrapped your arms so blissfully around her again.

No, she didn’t sleep a wink.

Instead, she remembered the first time you’d had a nightmare, and the first time she’d ever felt pure hatred for your father, the way she had, then.

You were curled up in her arms again, once she’d finally managed to calm you down just enough. Neither of you spoke for a little while; you didn’t need to, arguably.

You just - smiled softly up at her, but as soon as she made to glance down at you, you hid your face again, your heart beating much quicker than it had been, before.

“You - okay?” She’d inquired gently, and you could hardly breathe as you nodded slowly, face growing warm as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind your ear. “Hey, look at me,” she encouraged even softer, and you appeared nervous again as you allowed your gaze to meet her’s, lips so close to her own, now. “There you are,” she mused, the corners of her lips turning upward a little as you tried not to take notice of her dimples - it was hard enough to think already, being this close to her; you didn’t need any further fluctuations.

“Hey, stranger,” you replied simply, albeit a little breathlessly, as she smirked back at you, eyes glinting ethereally.

“Hey, you,” she returned exasperatedly as she affectionately connected her forehead to your own, before she allowed herself one more glance down at your lips again. “Do you, erm-.. is there anything you’d maybe wanna - tell me about, or-?” She asked, and you tensed up a little, eyes darkening a bit more as you considered it for a moment, but at the same time you were terrified of how she’d react, if you tried to tell her about all your dad had done to you, at this point in time. “A-About your - y’know - your dad?” She encouraged, and you winced, prompting her to awkwardly clear her throat as she shook her head, knowing she may have messed up so easily again. “You - You don’t have to, though, if - if you don’t want to, I just - I thought I should-”

“No, it - it’s okay, Leight,” you managed, as you forced a smile up at her again, “I just-.. I don’t want - I don’t want to - y’know, make things-.. I don’t know.”

“It’s okay,” she reassured you gently, and your heart skipped a beat as she held your trembly left hand within her right one again, “I understand it’s - it’s hard, so-.. just - know that - that you can talk to me about anything, okay? I promise you can, a-and it won’t do anything to make me want to disappear, okay? I promise you it won’t, no matter what - you - you know that, right?”

You hesitated, before you nodded gravely, and buried your face back into the crook of her neck again.

“I’ll think about it, okay?” You reassured her, albeit barely audibly as she nodded begrudgingly, though she wished she could find out sooner rather than later so she knew what he’d done to you, and could patch you back up again. Little did she know, you didn’t doubt at all that she’d begun that process for you, as soon as you’d first met her, that day at the bar.

“Okay,” she answered delicately, “just - take your time, okay?”

You nodded again slowly, before you rested your chin upon her left shoulder, and tangled the fingers of your left hand blissfully back within her hair again.

“Hey, erm - y-you know you don’t have to stay awake for me, r-right?”

She frowned, upon hearing your voice again, small as it was.

“Don’t be silly, Y/n - I want to stay up with you,” she reassured you delicately, and your demeanour relaxed a little as the both of you breathed slowly for a few moments, admiring one another all over again. But you couldn’t let the guilt go; you felt like you owed something to her, especially after you’d woken her up with your nightmarish world for the first time.

Truth be told, you were still scared you’d lashed out and hurt her, because you remembered you had begun to struggle, before you’d woken up in her arms to find it was her - just her, and her soft frame, rather than your dad’s rough and twisted one.

You felt cold at the reminder; you even shuddered a little, gritting your teeth as you tried not to panic again, but all it took was her gaze meeting your own again to make your heart settle, and your demeanour relax again.

“Y-Yeah, but-.. Leight-.. n-never-mind, I just-.. I want you to be okay, a-and - y-yeah. I’m sorry.”

She couldn’t help it as she smiled softly over at you again, before she lifted her right hand up to your left cheek, and you’d never felt so light under her touch before.

“It’s okay, baby,” she cooed gently, “I’m okay - don’t worry about me; just - worry about yourself, right now, okay? You need it. Look, I - if it makes you feel any better - I couldn’t sleep anyway, so-.. y-yeah.”

You didn’t look convinced - not at all, but you didn’t dare protest, especially when you thought that you’d done enough already, to cause some commotion again.

“If you say so,” you replied slowly, “I just-..”

She raised her eyebrows again, and you winced, before shaking your head nonchalantly as you ran your fingers up to the back of her head, prompting her eyelids to flutter a little again, in response to such a soft touch as that one was, then.

“It - It doesn’t matter,” you murmured subconsciously, “a-anyway - why couldn’t you sleep? Thoughts racking your brain, too, huh?”

She thought about it for a moment, as she smirked down at the sheet below her, and you wondered why you’d never noticed that small spot on her left cheek before.

You smiled softly, as you imagined drawing your thumb over it, but you were scared she wouldn’t want you to, as you shook your head, and tried to keep your hand away.

“You know it, baby,” she remarked breathlessly, as she shifted a little in place, now resting upon her left elbow so she could turn to lay on her back instead, though she wished she could be facing you for a lifetime, without her arm going numb as she did. “But this time, I was - well, I was thinking about you, a-and it was funny, because-.. because I thought about the joke you told me, y’know - about the two dogs you saw - it was just - it was nice.”

“Nice-?” You mused, your eyebrows a little higher again.

“Yup - it was nice,” she insisted, as she smiled sheepishly over at you, her eyes brighter than usual before.

“It was supposed to be funny, Leight,” you whined, pouting a little, and she couldn’t help, but giggle softly, before shrugging half-heartedly as she looked up at the ceiling again, wishing her heart would stop pounding, the way it was, now.

“It was funny, just - y’know, in - in more of a - wholesome way-?” She decided, albeit unconvincingly as you rolled your eyes, but the smile never left your lips again. “You’re awesome, honestly,” she remarked, and it was your turn to laugh, as she revelled in the sound, turning her head a little again as she admired you in the faint light of the moon coming in from the window to the left of you. There was more she wanted to say - so much more.

Instead, she turned her head back again.

“I-.. I still can’t believe you’re here with me,” you admitted, and her breath hitched in her chest at that, before she timidly reached her left hand for you to take again.

You did it, without hesitation. You guessed that was when it all came flooding out of you.

You swallowed hard, your eyes already glistening as you thought about it - everything that had happened, and for so long.

She waited in silence, almost sensing it was coming, soon.

“My-.. My dad, he-.. he’d probably kill me, if-.. y-yeah. Although, I - I don’t know if he - if he ever really cared about-.. about what I do out here, s-so-.. y’know. I’m still not gonna tell him though.”

“About-?” Leighton inquired faintly, and you drew in a barely audible shaky breath as you shook your head subconsciously at the same time, cursing yourself especially when you heard the faint hint of fear that had struck a chord in her voice again.

“N-Not about you, don’t worry, I just-.. I won’t tell anyone about you, okay? I - I promised, remember? Y-Yeah. I just - I meant-.. I don’t know if I can ever tell him, a-about - about me. T-The whole - whole liking girls thing, anyway. He’d hate it enough, I-.. I know he would.”

Her heart dropped at that, as she delicately squeezed your hand in her own again.

“He doesn’t deserve you - that’s for sure,” she remarked easily, and you hesitated, almost afraid of saying anything bad against him like that even though he wasn’t here, right now.

“Y-Yeah. I guess,” you murmured barely audibly, and she faltered upon hearing the doubt in your voice as she looked over at you again, and you could feel her eyes on you, making it all the more harder to breathe again.

“It’s true, Y/n. He treats you like shit-”

“Y-Yeah, but-.. y’know - it doesn’t-.. fuck, I’m sorry,” you gave in, feeling stupid as you shook your head, before running your free hand over your face again.

“Y’know, you could probably tell your mom - I’m sure that she’d be happy for you, if anything, a-and I know I can’t exactly talk right now, but-.. yeah - I’m sure she’d be happy.”

You didn’t know how much you trusted the idea of letting your mum know, too. You didn’t want to voice that, either.

You nodded, instead, as you fidgeted with your belt a bit, and smiled warmly over at her again.

“Maybe - w-who knows, right?” You replied, eventually, and she grinned back at you again, glad that she could help, if only a little.

You tried to return the smile, but it failed, almost in an instant.

Her’s failed too, as soon as your own had disappeared, but you didn’t want to make things worse as you rubbed the back of your neck, before pushing yourself up off of the bed after saying you needed the toilet, and disappearing as swiftly as you’d showed up again.

You stayed in there for a while, that night - she still didn’t know why.

She’d not left your side once, after you’d drifted off to sleep again earlier.

She remembered thinking maybe it would be harder to just stay where she was, earlier, without anything to do; anyone to talk to, but it soon became evident to her since your eyelids had fluttered shut, and had remained that way, that it was actually the easiest thing she’d had to do in a while.

She smiled softly as she stroked your hair again, you quiet against her touch, and more peaceful than she’d ever seen you before.

“You’re so beautiful,” she mused subconsciously, thinking you wouldn’t hear her, as you smiled a little, hearing her voice again. “Shit,” she murmured after she’d noticed the change, wincing a little, before you smiled even wider, and your eyelids slowly opened again, fluttering a little as you tried to adjust to the brightness in the room, despite it being quite a cloudy day outside. “You - You heard that, didn’t you? I - I thought you were still-”

“God, I love you, Leight,” you managed, albeit still sleepily, and she awkwardly shuffled upon the bed, before she smiled timidly back at you, and leaned down to delicately connect her lips to your own, again. Except - there was one problem; she didn’t think it would be you.

Before she could kiss you, you moved away. Clumsily.

Her heart dropped again, as she sat back, watching as your lips moved silently for a moment again.

“T-That didn’t - That didn’t mean-.. y-yeah, I-.. I’m sorry, Leight,” you managed, and she winced, remembering your and her conversation earlier about just being ‘friends’, right now, rather than anything else, entirely. Well, until you could decide against it, anyway.

She tried not to appear disheartened about it, knowing you wanted to feel ready, first, before you both could become anything too serious again.

“H-Hey, it’s cool - don’t - don’t worry about it too much, okay? It - It was my bad, anyway,” she murmured a little faintly, before smiling warily back at you again as you tried to steady your breathing, before getting up to wrap your arms around her.

“Y’know, I-.. I just-.. I don’t know, but-.. I’m trying, Leight - a-and I’ll - I’ll never stop, I promise, I - I just-.. I just want to-..”

“I get it, baby - I don’t want to force you into anything, okay?” She added delicately.

You expressed relief, before smiling warmly back at her all over again.

“Hey, what - what if I could - could make it up to you, somehow?” You suggested, and she raised her eyebrows in response to such a idea, before she held you at arm’s length, and grinned widely back at you again.

You’d made your brownies again.

You initially felt bad that you’d run out, before you could offer her some back at the Christmas fair, but at the same time you remembered being too scared to ask if she’d want to have one, too.

She’d tried to stop you; to change your mind; to reassure you that you didn’t need to do anything for her, but you did it anyway, stubborn as you were.

“You’re fuckin’ crazy,” she remarked, as she’d followed you into the kitchen again, “you need to rest, Y/n - this - this isn’t-”

“I need to get back into it, anyway, Leight - I’ve got work tomorrow, remember?”

“Shit,” she uttered as you began to prepare everything you needed, and once they were finally done, you insisted she stop rushing around to try and help you, where help wasn’t necessary - especially.

“Come on, Leight - it’s fine; they’re all ready, now-”

“Y-Yeah, but - there must be something I can do to help, I mean-”

“Well, you can’t, okay? They’re done, and that’s that - I just need to put them on a plate, now, and that’s easy enough, so-”

“At least let me get a plate for you-”

“No, Leighton - Jesus, just - sit your ass down already,” you insisted, not unkindly as she rolled her eyes, before begrudgingly walking up to one of the seats around the kitchen table, as you began to plate up the brownies, worried she wouldn’t like them again.

She tried not to ask if you needed help for the billionth time, that day, instead fidgeting with her fingers awkwardly as you carried the plate over to the table, trying to stop your hands from shaking again.

She watched as you set it down, before she smiled softly up at you again, and you were lucky you had already placed the plate upon the varnished wooden surface as your heart stuttered once you’d noticed her smile; her dimples; her bright eyes again, and the sight did more to you than you could even say, right now. Most of all, though - you hoped she didn’t notice.

You awkwardly made to sit down in the seat to the left of her, face feeling much too warm all over again as you cleared your throat, and she realised she’d been staring at you for too long again.

“E-Er - so - do you wanna-?” She began, and you raised your eyebrows back at her, before you gesticulated with your head toward the plate, not wanting her to think she had to wait for you, or anything.

She took the hint, as she reached for one of the brownies, and you couldn’t watch as you anxiously bounced your right leg a little to try and distract yourself - you didn’t disappoint. Of course you didn’t.

“Holy shit, Y/n-!” She managed, eventually, and your heart jolted a little again as you glanced up at her, wondering if you should run away again. That was, until she took another bite, and looked utterly amazed again.

“You - You like them-?” You inquired, your heart beating much too fast right now as she looked perplexed by the way you were even asking her, and sounding much like you were doubting your abilities, already, when she found them nothing short of fucking amazing - literally.

“Are you crazy? Of course I like them - Jesus, Y/n; you say that like I’m gonna dump them in the trash, or something,” she answered, without hesitation, “how the fuck are they this soft, anyway? I’ve never had one like this before - ever.”

You raised your eyebrows a little, before you smiled a little embarrassedly down at the table, her watching your every move.

“I don’t tend to share my secrets with anyone-”

“Yeah, well, it’s your unlucky day, because I’m not just anyone, am I?” She reminded you, and you winced upon realising she was right - or, rather, you were reminded she was right, more than anything.

“If you say so - but if you really do want to know, you have to promise me something,” you returned a little ambiguously, even lowering yourself a little as if anyone might overhear you, when it was just you and her in the room right now.

“Cool - I’m good at keeping promises,” she remarked a little more smugly, and you couldn’t deny it made your heart sink a little, but you didn’t want to kill the mood as you shook your head slowly, before cautiously smiling up at her again.

“You better be,” you replied a little fainter than before, but you tried to inject a little more brightness into your voice as you sat up again, and your eyebrows furrowed a little. “Milk, and coffee,” you stated, “that’s all you need, as well as all the other stuff - oh, shit - except for water.”

She looked confused as she tilted her head partially, before making to respond as simply as she could with nothing, but one word - “what?”

You couldn’t help, but grin back at her as you shook your head again, eyes glinting the way that made her lungs falter, all over again.

“If you want them to be soft, you’ve gotta use milk, instead of water,” you summarised a little clearer than before, and she seemed to be piecing the idea together as she nodded slowly, suggesting it made sense, somehow.

“And the coffee? Where does that come in?” She asked, and you winced as you leaned a little lower in your seat, as if you were still under the pretence that others were listening, besides her, but she played along, somewhat amused by the idea as she leaned ever lower, her chin even resting upon the back of her hands as you smirked over at her, trying not to focus on her dimples all over again.

“It’s for flavour,” you explained vaguely, and she raised her eyebrows, before she nodded thoughtfully, knowing that it would probably make at least some difference, if she thought about it logically for long enough, “it makes it richer, just about - my favourite part of it is that it seems to bring the chocolate out more, and you better not tell anyone about this, okay?”

She shrugged nonchalantly, before she grinned sheepishly in your direction, as you pouted again, before shaking your head, and averting your gaze back down to your hands somehow.

“You know I wouldn’t do that to you, baby,” she cooed gently, as well as a little breathlessly, before she winced upon finding herself referring to you as ‘baby’ again. You didn’t seem to mind. Well, only slightly, as your face warmed up a little again, but you tried to hide how much it had flustered you as your demeanour softened, before you managed a faint smile back at her again. “Hey, erm - I was thinking-..”

“Uh oh,” you remarked, and she couldn’t help, but giggle softly in response to such a reaction, the way she did, then.

“Yeah, yeah - sometimes my ideas can be extreme, but-.. this time I’m happy with - with what I wanna do, so-..”

She appeared a little nervous, then, as you tilted your head partially back at her.

“I’ve been - working, on - on some stuff,” she managed, eventually, and your expression softened as you listened patiently to what she had to say, clinging to her every word as she spoke, before she made to continue again, heart pounding rapidly. “On - On singing, in particular,” she admitted, and your heart skipped a beat as you sat back a little again, unable to think of much, but how you wondered her voice might sound, when it was already so beautiful, and you’d never felt so alive before whenever she was cooing sweet nothings to you again. “So, I - I was wondering, would-.. do you think maybe you’d - you’d - I could repay you for your brownies by - by singing something to you?” She inquired, and you didn’t know what to say, still amazed by her revelation as you nodded hastily, before you grinned sheepishly back at her again.

“I - I’d love that,” you admitted a little more breathlessly, before you tried to cover up your lungs’ failures with a cough, her expressing relief all over again.

“Great-!” She breathed, not knowing what else to say for a moment as she tried to relax her nerves, the smile unable to leave her face as you beamed back at her, before she remembered the brownies, and more explicitly the fact that you yourself hadn’t had one yet, and you’d made them, so she eased the plate a little closer to you, not wanting you to not experience your own work again.

You winced; you’d forgotten their presence, too, for a moment, before you shyly bid her a soft thank you, and as you made to take up a brownie, you were interrupted by a knock on the door, startling you enough to make you jolt back from the plate, as for a moment you were terrified that maybe you were about to do something bad, and you’d be punished for it, if you went through with it. You felt like a kid again, and you didn’t feel any better, when the knocking continued, sounding desperate this time as you made to get up, but Leighton stopped you as she got up herself, not wanting you to feel as if you had to do anymore than you already had, by now.

XII

You appeared a little flustered, still, as Leighton had got up before you, her right hand suddenly finding itself upon your own as your heart skipped a beat, before you glanced up at her nothing short of wordlessly.

She winced, realising what she was doing as she made to withdraw her hand from upon your’s, but you shook your head hastily, soothing her as you intertwined your fingers with her own, and she could hardly breathe regularly anymore.

“Don’t get up, okay? I’ll do it - g-get it, I mean,” she murmured, albeit rather breathlessly as she smiled reassuringly back at you, and you nodded most reluctantly, before she gravely let go of your hand, and you her’s, so she could disappear into the hallway, you appearing desolate again.

She hardly had any time to react, when she opened the door, and a terrified Aurora was stood behind it, looking puzzled at Leighton’s presence, before she barged passed the girl, desperate to find her sister somewhere, if she was even there anymore.

Leighton rolled her eyes, wondering if the girl was someone else she didn’t know about that you might have been in a relationship with, but she tried not to think about that too much right now as she quickly l closed the door, and made to follow her.

It didn’t take Aurora long to find you.

She lingered within the doorway leading into the kitchen, as she leaned heavily beneath it, breathless as her gaze fell upon you, before she broke down crying, and you didn’t know what to even say anymore.

“A-?” You began cautiously, as Leighton looked on at the scene in a puzzled manner, as well as whilst she looked quite frustrated at the situation, wanting to get more time with you - alone - somehow.

“I - I thought-.. I thought I’d find you-..”

A strained sob escaped her as you hastily got up, rushed up to her, and threw your arms around her, careful not to interfere with her brace in the process as it was still on, at this point, after her accident, not too long ago, now.

“I’m sorry, A - I - I thought-.. I didn’t-.. fuck, I’m sorry-”

“Why the fuck didn’t you call me? I thought you were gone, Y/n - t-the way you - you were speaking, t-the last time I saw you-.. it - it was like-..”

“Is anyone gonna tell me what the fuck is going on, right now?” Leighton interjected, and you winced, before glancing up at her again as Aurora reluctantly looked back at the girl, before she returned her gaze back to you again.

“Who even is that, Y/n?” She questioned you, and you winced, whilst Leighton awkwardly shuffled in place behind the two of you all over again.

“It - It’s a long story-”

“What’s a long story? Are - Are you talking about us, or-?” She proceeded to pry, and you tensed up all the more in response to both of their expectant glances, the way they were, now.

You sighed heavily, before you turned your body fully to face the both of them as they stood side by side, blocking the doorway completely, by now, stubborn as they were.

“I-.. I think - I think we should do this sitting down.”

So you did.

You sat down at the kitchen table first, Aurora following suite after you, whilst Leighton lingered awkwardly in the doorway again, before she rolled her eyes, and decided maybe it would be better if she played along, as she sat on the other side of you again, crowding suspiciously closer to you.

“So-.. I - I know you both probably have a few questions for me, right now, but-.. there’s - there’s honestly nothing for either of you to worry about, okay? So, let’s - let’s all just-..”

“Seriously, Y/n, who is that and why does she look like she wants to actually murder me right now?” Aurora started again, cautiously watching Leighton as you sighed heavily, before looking toward the culprit herself as the girl winced, and hastily averted her gaze again.

“Okay, so - first things first, Aurora - this is - this is Leighton Murray; she’s-..”

You winced, not sure what to say, at first, and Leighton frowned upon hearing your hesitation, it reminding her of how she used to be, before she’d decided to go public as a lesbian, the way she had, at least fairly recently.

“Well - she’s-.. kinda an old friend of mine-”

“W-Wait - did you just call her Aurora? Y/n, is - is that your-?”

You tensed up again at Leighton’s interjection, before you shot a cautious glare in her direction, shutting her up in nothing short of an instant.

“Yes, Leight - she’s - she’s my sister,” you gave in, eventually, and Leighton appeared a little more at ease, before she nodded thoughtfully, whilst Aurora was warily looking between the two of you.

“And-.. you guys met - how?” She pried, and Leighton raised her eyebrows as she looked over at you, before you awkwardly bowed your head a little, trying to find a way out of this, somehow.

“Oh, that’s an easy one; we-”

You delicately kicked the back of Leighton’s right boot under the table.

She fell quiet again, before doing you the same favour, instead kicking your left one.

Aurora just looked perplexed the whole time.

“We - We met through Eva,” you claimed, and Aurora raised her eyebrows, whilst Leighton looked about ready to try and protest again. It was like she’d read your mind, before you could even give her boot another kick again.

She got there first, and you winced as you felt the touch as it came again.

“We didn’t meet through Eva, actually - it was one of those stupid match-maker apps that shouldn’t even be called match-makers when most of the time people use it for hook-ups, myself included.”

This was already going oh-so-well.

You didn’t even bother to look in Aurora’s direction, knowing right about now that she would be glaring straight at you as if she knew there was more going on between you and Leighton than you were letting on, at this point.

“Yeah, maybe - maybe ‘hook-ups’ isn’t a great term for-”

“Look, I-.. I don’t care whether it was one way or the other that you guys met, actually, just-.. please tell me one thing - was it consensual?”

Both you and Leighton appeared taken aback by Aurora’s question as you glanced up at her together, before you nodded without hesitation, not wanting her to think that it was one of those hook-up scenarios - the worst of the latter.

Aurora expressed relief at that, before she smiled softly toward the both of you, positively more relaxed more than anything, at this point in time, now.

“Good, that - that’s good,” she mused, and you awkwardly shuffled in your seat as Leighton fidgeted with her fingers, not sure what to say, anymore. “So, are - I take it you guys-..”

“She’s thinking about it,” Leighton answered simply for you, as you winced all over again. “Y’know, whether we could work out or not, when - when she feels ready, and stuff, so-..”

Aurora raised her eyebrows, before glancing back at you again.

“So, when exactly did you guys meet? Y/n said you were old friends, so-”

“A few years ago,” you managed to answer that one - finally, “we, erm-.. I don’t know. We just-.. yeah, things were good.”

Leighton rolled her eyes, but she guessed she understood why you were being so vague about the whole thing, considering the way things had been, before, between the both of you.

“She’s right; things were good, for a little while,” she corroborated, and your demeanour shifted again a little more restrictively as you kept your head low, terrified of what would happen if you looked in her direction again, “but-.. yeah, it’s probably better Y/n tells you, so..”

Aurora narrowed her eyes toward Leighton, before she looked back at you, more worried than she was, before.

“Tells me what-? Y/n? What - What happened?”

You sighed heavily, before you looked toward Leighton, currently trying not to smirk back at you again.

“It - It’s nothing much, we just-.. we-..”

You sighed, not sure what to do as you shook your head hastily, your breathing pattern unsteady as you got up out of your seat, and staggered out of the room again. It wasn’t over, like Leighton had hoped it would be.

Before she could get up after you had, Aurora stared her down, her own eyebrows raised at her as Leighton tensed up beneath her gaze, especially when Aurora told her to sit back down, and she knew she’d have to be the one to try and explain somehow.

You were hardly before the toilet bowl, when you gagged violently, and fell to your knees again.

You clung tightly to the sides of the seat as you threw up into it, crying quietly as you did.

You shook most of the time, eyes sore by the time it was over.

“Shit,” you whispered shakily as you made to flush the toilet; to flush the sickness away, but you still felt unsettled, hands shaking as you leaned against the bathtub to the right of you, before allowing your eyelids to flutter shut, as you closed them tightly for a few moments, wondering if they were already talking in depth about what had happened, or if Leighton had gone again.

You sighed heavily, knowing you would soon find out, before you got up off of the floor, and stumbled toward the door again.

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

Thank you so much for reading, guys!

I look forward to sharing the next part with you as I recall I quite enjoyed writing the next few sections following on from where we left off, here!

I apologise if I’m posting these slowly and/or inefficiently recently it has just been difficult to keep up with things, recently! I also think maybe I miss writing for Leighton already; there’s just something about her character, but I do want to ensure that the experience is slightly spread out between characters for all my lovely supporters, here!

I will try and get this posted onto the Leighton Murray Masterlist soon, as well as onto ao3 shortly after that!

Until I can see you all again soon for the next part, I hope you all have a lovely rest of the day/night!

Thank you again for your support, and for now, I have been - as usual,

And as always,

Your ever faithful, H.H. 💜

☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽☦︎︎☾☽

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