#(if anything I'm impressed by how she managed to pull off what feels to me like a magic trick)

[jq37]

Please let us know if you solve this mystery!

OK! It’s the end of the year so let me compile everything I was able to come up with (with the help of everyone I dragged into this–you know who you are and thank you and I’m sorry). 

To anyone who’s just seeing this and doesn’t have context, in November, right before the movie Wish came out, I made a longish post questioning who Allison Moore was (which, incidentally, is the first post that comes up when you Google “Allison Moore Disney”).

The reason I was curious about who this random writer is is because she’s credited as one of the co-writers of Wish, Disney’s 100th Anniversary Feature Film BUT she has no obvious experience writing for animation, children, or fantasy when everyone else on the main team has credits on stuff like Frozen and Encanto. I thought it was bizarre that there would be someone so green on a project so big so I went digging. 

Here’s what I learned:

(1) Moore wasn’t originally announced as being attached to the project. Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, and Fawn Veersunthorn were all mentioned when the project was officially announced in Sept 2022 (for example). Moore was not. And you’d think they’d mention the *co-writer*, right? You don’t start to see her name until a year later in Sept 2023 when the trailer dropped (for example). So it seems like she was brought onto the project later. Of course, this could just be a normal quirk of the industry or something I’m misinterpreting, but I think it’s worth mentioning. 

(2) Moore seems to have a lot more credits in stage writing than she does in screenwriting. I wasn’t able to 100% confirm it until recently (I’ll get to that in a second) but she’s written a bunch of plays and it seems like this is where she has most of her bona fides. 

“Allison is the recipient of two Jerome Fellowships, two McKnight Advancement Grants and the Bush Artist Fellowship.”

That sounds fancy. But it still doesn’t say “Top Choice for Disney Anniversary Movie” to me. That’s not a statement on writing quality. I haven’t read/seen any of her plays. It’s about the subject matter. Look at some of these synopses:

None of that really screams Disney. Which isn’t to say people can’t have range. George Miller wrote all the Mad Maxes but also Babe and both Happy Feet. But if I was hiring someone for a really big project, I wouldn’t want that project to be their first attempt at expanding into that genre. 

(3) This isn’t actually inherently important but she was on an episode of Nailed it. That’s where this picture comes from:

She won the first round and the game ended in a three way tie for the first time in the show’s history. 

The only reason this is noteworthy in the larger scale of things is that, until very recently, this was one of only two places online you could see Allison Moore talking. The other is this very short interview on the red carpet during the premiere. 

There’s nothing in that interview that explains anything. It’s mainly her talking about how it was fun working on the movie and how good the movie is. 

Honestly, good for her for not being Extremely Online, but it really felt like I could get a bit of a handle on everyone else who’d worked on this project in a high profile way but not her. Which is part of why I started down this rabbit hole to begin with. There was nothing to show where she might have had a connection or an interest or anything that would connect the dots. 

For reference, Fawn (who was one of the Directors and story writers) has the kind of resume that I was expecting Moore to have when I initially Googled her:

Smaller jobs on other kids/animated movies (Hop, The Lorax, Despicable Me 2), some storyboard or art work on other Disney stuff (Frozen, Moana, Zootopia, Ralph), and then a big break (Raya and Wish). Based on my understanding of the industry (and I know a fair bit because it’s one I’m interested in professionally) that’s a very typical track to get to the writing side of animation.  

A couple of people speculated that Moore got onto the project in a mentorship capacity. Now, I’m a Black woman who writes fiction professionally when I’m not on this hellsite (affectionate) with the rest of y’all. That means I have firsthand experience with what mentorship looks like in writing–both official Diversity and Inclusion type mentorship and more organic “Let me take you under my wing” type mentorship. I have *never* seen anyone get a job this high profile at the jump just due to mentorship alone. Going from zero to Disney’s 100th anniversary is kinda insane. This wasn’t some B project or something. It was a Big Deal Project. And this is Disney so they could have hired basically anyone they wanted. So you have to assume this was an active decision someone made and not just a thing that happened for lack of options. But in all my searching, Moore wasn’t mentioned except to just say she wrote the screenplay with Jennifer Lee. It was just the baking show and the Youtube clip.

Until today.

(4) I’m going to preface this by saying this doesn’t actually answer the question in a big AHA! way, but it is the only interview I’ve seen about Wish from Moore besides the red carpet clip.

On December 15th, Moore gave this interview with the San Antonio Current.

I stumbled across it while searching for a different piece of information and eagerly clicked to see what she had to say after three weeks of silence after the movie dropped on November 22.

Here are some highlights:

-In high school she was a theater kid and thought she wanted to pursue acting. 

-I college she did playwriting and eventually she got her MFA from Iowa (which has a weirdly great MFA program btw, and also, this interview is how I confirmed she was the playwright Allison).

-When she started on the theater track at her college, she told them she was a playwright so she could study that too even though she’d never written a play before. So it sounds like Wish isn’t the first time she’s just jumped into a new thing without experience. You have to respect the hustle.

But this is the most important line in the interview because it’s like, an answer and a non-answer all in one. She’s asked, “How did you go from writing plays to writing for TV and film?”

And her answer is, “I had a whole career writing for theater, and then when my son was born, I realized I needed to make more money, so I started pitching for TV. I worked in television for about a decade. In the midst of working in TV, I continued playwriting. That's how I got on the radar at Disney.”

Which kind of sidesteps the most intriguing part of the question? Like, first of all, it’s not 100% clear if she means her playwriting or her TV writing caught Disney’s attention. I’m guessing playwriting, but I could be wrong. Secondly, who is “Disney” in this situation? A Disney recruiter? A Disney director? Did Jennifer Lee see a production of Slasher: A Horrifying comedy while passing through Texas and think, “Her. I want her to be my co-writer on this children’s film.” And what did she do to impress them so much that they right away put her on the the *Anniversary Project*? Like, I know I keep harping on this but I can’t stress enough how big of a deal this is. It’s hard enough to write for just your average sitcom or little movie. To just jump on something this big is baffling. I obviously don’t expect Disney to be justifying their every hiring decision publicly but, usually, when someone is doing something like this, it’s very obvious why they were chosen and, even with this sliver of explanation, it’s still frustratingly opaque. And with the strange post hoc timing of the interview (seriously, doesn’t promotion usually happen PRE movie release?) It almost reads like an interview that exists because someone realized the lack of any online presence was weird. 

(5) When she was a kid, Allison Moore had a crush on Fox Robin Hood. That’s not at all important to the mystery, that’s just information she volunteered during the interview and that I’m now sharing with you. So when you search her name now, the top results are me wondering who she is, her IMDB, and her talking about how she liked Fox Robin Hood's little hat. Which isn't a LOT of information, but it’s more than we had before and that’s something.  

[woso-dreamzzz]

If You Were My Little Girl II

Alexia Putellas x Teen!Reader

Summary: Things are looking up

Alexia watches from the stands.

They're mostly empty, like almost all Barcelona B matches.

Women's football has only really started picking up steam recently but only at the top flight. The lower level leagues are still having a bit of a popularity issue.

But Alexia, for once, finds that she doesn't mind.

Because it means she can sit practically alone in the stands as she watches the home match.

A notepad sits on her lap, a pen tapping against the pages thoughtfully as she watches.

Barcelona B are good and Alexia has never expected anything different. She's seen the system at work many times as La Masia churns out players like Aitana and Pina and Jana, and more recently Vicky and Martina.

There's a reason so many clubs wants La Masia products.

They're all good players but even now, Alexia can tell a great player when she sees one.

You rise up among the crowd in the box and slam the ball into the goal, the net rippling with the force of the shot.

The best part, Alexia thinks, is that you didn't even need a moment to control the ball, hitting it in on the volley and grinning as your teammates practically dogpile you.

A hattrick in ten minutes is impressive in any league and Alexia makes another note in her notebook, humming softly to herself.

She rises out of her seat at the end of the match, disappearing into the building and out the doors.

It takes another half an hour for you to appear again, hair damp and an old crew neck sweater that Alexia's pretty sure is Alba's being tugged over your head.

You slip into the passenger seat, throwing your bag into the backseat and Alexia pulls your head down to press a kiss against the side of it.

You smile shyly at her as she offers up the fries she'd bought for a job well done.

"You did good, kid," She says," Very impressive."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. But I think we're going to work on evading slide tackles next," Alexia says as she drives off," We're trying to keep those ankles of yours intact, alright? I'm going to need them this season."

You roll your eyes and Alexia clicks her tongue.

"Don't roll your eyes at me," She says," I've got a good feeling about that meeting later in the week. A great feeling, actually. You should have one too."

"I'm managing expectations."

Alexia looks at you fondly. "Well, we'll see which one of us is right in a few days."

She lets you choose the music in the car, like she always does when you've scored a goal and you pull up to the apartment a lot quicker than you want to seeing as you're in the middle of singing along to your favourite song but, still, you drag yourself out of the car and up the stairs.

"How was the match?" Olga asks as she greets Alexia with a kiss on the lips.

"She did very well," Alexia brags," A hattrick within the first ten minutes and another goal in injury time."

"Exciting," Olga says indulgently as Alexia grins, already giving her running commentary of everything that happened during the match.

You escape though, hurrying to raid the cupboards before Alexia finally comes to her senses and tries to stop you 'spoiling' your dinner.

You don't know if there's any way to thank Alexia for what she's done for you.

Just three months ago, you were convinced that you were going to quit. You had no passion for the game, no hope of what your future was going to be but now all of that had changed.

You had direction. You had a manager. You had new boots and a place to live that wasn't a group home and support and love and everything seemed to be coming together for you.

A toe pokes you in the leg.

"Move."

"Alexia says that if you're trying to nap on her sofa again then I don't have to move," You tell Alba, who huffs and pokes you with her toe again," She also says that you have your own apartment and should stop mooching of us."

"But Olga's a better cook than me," Alba complains and you roll your eyes.

"Aren't you an adult? Even I can cook."

"Yeah but it's not like you could mooch off your sist-"

Alba falls silent quickly and you pretend to not notice what she was going to say for both hers and your own sakes.

The topic of your sister is kind of off limits when you're in the room. It's not completely banned because Alexia's still Jenni's national teammate but she's not really spoken about if you're in the room.

Alba's face flashes with terror for a moment so you pretend you don't notice her slip up ever though it sends a bolt of lightning into your stomach, a deep pit forming there.

It works for the most part, everyone in the house pretending Jenni isn't who she is to you, pretending that she's just Alexia's teammate and not her friend and ex, pretending that Alexia fostering you isn't her walking on a tight rope because Jenni doesn't know.

All Jenni knows is that you didn't quit when she told you to.

Jenni doesn't know that you live with Alexia. Jenni doesn't know anything. You doubt she even thinks about you when she's got a life far away in Mexico.

She lives there, far away from you and your life here in Barcelona.

She lives there and her presence is hardly ever mentioned around you.

Life is good at Alexia and Olga's house. Life is even good at training, though you could do without the smug little smirk Alexia has on her face when she picks you up.

"You already knew!" You accuse her, waving a finger in her face.

"Knew?" She asks, lips curl up in what can only be described as pure smugness," Knew what?"

"Right, who told you? Go on. Who was it?"

Alexia grins. "You do realise I am the captain? Any time they're looking to bring someone in, they ask me my opinion."

You roll your eyes. "Yeah and I'm sure you gave it."

"You're a good player. A great player," Alexia says," All I did was tell them what they already know."

You look down at your lap, fidgeting with your fingers. You want to be mad at her, to yell at her for keeping this from you. Maybe even yell at her for promising to the staff something you're not but you know she hasn't done that.

If she thought you weren't ready, she would have told them that.

But Alexia didn't. She didn't tell them to let you have a bit more time with the B team. She didn't tell them that you don't quite have what it takes.

"Thanks."

Alexia smiles at you as she drives home, a comfortable silence enveloping you both until your hand is on the door handle.

You stop.

"When I open this door, there's going to be a party, isn't there?"

"I may have told Olga...who told Mami...who told Alba...who told the rest of the family..."

"Is that a yes?"

"Possibly..."

"And there's no getting out of this?"

Alexia ruffles your hair, a soft kiss being pressed to the side of your head. "They're here to celebrate you."

You suck in a breath, just ready to turn the handle when the sound of the lift doors opening chimes down the corridor.

Both you and Alexia turn your heads towards.

It's just a fleeting second.

Just a moment.

But your good mood plummets as the door opens.

Alexia's hand tightens on your shoulder, pushing you slightly behind her and putting herself between you and the elevator.

Between you and Jenni.

[bonesmithsstuff]

Kaz Brekker - Wicked Game

Warnings: Canon typical violence, blood, references to abuse and scars. Angst.

Masterlist |

── .✦

" I found peace in your violence. Can't show me, there's no point in trying. I'm at one, and I've been quiet for too long. "

«Card.» The woman sitting at the gaming table flashed an innocent smile at the man in front of her, who was busy overseeing the club’s clientele. The count in her mind hadn’t faltered for even a second, letting her know exactly when to raise the stakes or when to pull back. She kept repeating, feigning surprise: "Oh, did I really win?" "I must be so lucky tonight.”. All accompanied by a light, carefree giggle that gave her just the right air of naïveté to be believable in a place like that.

The first time she had set foot in The Crow Club, she had certainly not gone unnoticed. Her arrival in Ketterdam had been anything but subtle. But her goal was simple: gather enough money to survive, to carve out a better life than the one she had led since birth.

That first time, Brekker had noticed her immediately, his gaze tracking her until she sat down at a table, ordering something to drink. His first thought had been about the dress she was wearing —high quality but so worn that he could tell she was trying to appear as something she was not: rich. His second thought had been about her face, her beauty. He had watched her wrinkle her nose in displeasure every time a man got too close to her during the game, and for some reason, Kaz had wanted to smile at that expression of disgust —the same one he often wore.

That evening, it was only after some time that the crow realized the real reason why she was so focused on the game rather than her surroundings: she was counting the cards.

A sadistic smile had curled his lips at that realization, the kind that could send a shiver down anyone’s spine —the contrast between his sharp gaze and his full lips making the whole thing unsettling. Kaz had understood: that woman knew exactly what she was doing. She had managed to distract even him from his business, but from that moment on, he hadn’t taken his eyes off of her.

And then, more than a year later, that memory surfaced in Brekker’s mind as he watched the woman sitting in the same spot where he had first seen her. The only difference was that, now, she worked under his command. It had all started with a contract —Kaz had allowed her to keep the money she had won, which was no small amount, in exchange for her to work for him until her debt was repaid. And yet, even after the money was settled, neither of them had broken the unspoken tie.

She liked that life. It made her feel free in a way she never had before meeting the Crows. And the Crows, in turn, liked having her around. She and Jesper got along better than anyone else, and Inej enjoyed having another woman to share thoughts with, someone who could understand and listen to her.

Still, none of them had ever managed to get too close to her. They had become friends, yes, but they all had the impression that some parts of her life would remain in the dark, forever.

More than anyone, Kaz wanted to know. He was curious about the way she flinched at the slightest touch, the way she recoiled when someone brushed her hand, how her face turned pale when someone hugged her or touched her back and shoulders. She would dig her nails into her palms, and a strange veil of fear would cloud her usually relaxed and cheerful expression.

Of course, the Crow had done his research, and found nothing relevant. Nothing that could give him a clue as to what haunted her. It infuriated him more than he would ever admit.

His doubts found their answer that night.

The Crow Club seemed as lively as ever. T/N sat in her usual spot, with that same innocent smile, and just asked for a card. Kaz’s watchful eyes never strayed far from her, keeping her within his sight. And every time she looked at a man, batting her lashes a few too many times, his grip on his cane tightened ever so slightly.

He had closed his eyes for a moment, hearing the door of the club slam open as he ran a gloved hand over his face. He was obsessed with that woman. So much that, lately, his nightmares had been replaced by others —visions of T/N looking at him with that knowing, teasing gaze, visions of her lips brushing against his, full and soft.

The very thought of touching someone repulsed and terrified him, but he couldn't help wondering if her skin was as soft as it looked.

Those thoughts had become more frequent, and the way he occasionally caught her staring at him didn’t help. He would meet her gaze, and she would always smile at him, even when his face remained its usual mask of sarcasm and impassivity. His heart would quicken, involuntarily, and all he wanted was for her to press her hand to his chest—to feel that beneath all the layers of fear and insecurity, to know that something was there. Something that could warm her.

When he reopened his eyes, though, she was gone.

Dirtyhands immediately scanned the room, missing a breath when he realized she was nowhere to be seen —not at the bar, not in the washroom. He moved swiftly toward Jesper, his cane striking the floor sharply.

«Where is T/N?»

Jesper turned toward him, frowning. «Weren’t you the one keeping an eye on her?» There was a hint of amusement in his voice, but Brekker didn’t catch it —too focused on the fact that a member of his crew was missing.

Jesper had seen it —the way Kaz looked at her, the way he followed her, how she was no longer just an investment but something else entirely.

«Looking for your pretty friend?» The voice from behind the bar caught their attention. «A man dragged her outside just a moment ago.»

Kaz was out the door instantly, Jesper and Inej right behind him.

They heard laughter. Then a muffled sound. They rounded the corner of the club, stepping into the alleyway.

«Are we interrupting?» Kaz’s voice was razor-sharp, making the four men in the alley turn around.

Than he saw her. T/N, slumped on the ground, clutching her torn dress with one hand and her bleeding leg with the other.

“Blood." “T/N." Those were the only words swirling in his mind.

Kaz’s gaze swept over the men, and he wasted no time before swinging his cane, striking the closest one across his face. Jesper had his guns drawn, but no one even had the chance to move. Kaz cut them down, one by one, ignoring Inej’s repeated calls for him to stop. The only thing he could hear was the sound of those men's bones breaking, snapping under his wrath. And he relished it.

Kaz only halted when all four men lay at his feet, groaning, blood staining their clothes —and his.

Satisfied, he smiled darkly.

«Take them to the docks. Throw them on the first ship out.» He turned to Jesper and Inej, who nodded. Then, to the men at his feet. Whether they were alive or dead, he didn't care at that moment. Still, he spared a few words of warning —he needed to send a clear message: «Whatever you came here for, don’t come back. Next time, I won’t be so gentle.»

He turned his back on them, moving toward T/N. She had watched the whole thing, eyes locked on his face as he took pleasure in spilling their blood. And yet, as he knelt in front of her, she sighed in relief.

«Kaz...» She whispered.

His name. From her lips. For the first time, it didn’t sound like a curse. It didn’t sound like the mask he had built to survive Ketterdam. It sounded like a melody. A soft, soothing note reverberating in his chest, making his heart nearly burst.

Dirtyhands. Bastard of the Barrel. The Devil himself.

Yet, there he was —kneeling before her, face smeared with blood, intoxicated by her scent, wondering if someone like him could ever deserve someone like her. Someone brave. Loyal. Strong. Someone who was everything he was not.

T/N’s breath condensed in the cold air as she stared at the man in front of her, her eyes glossy, cheeks flushed, and perfect lips marred by a small, bleeding cut.

«Can you walk?»

Unsure, she nodded, leaning forward to press a hand against the damp asphalt as she pushed herself to her feet. The wound on her thigh was still dripping red, but thankfully, despite the pain, it wasn’t deep enough to have severed an artery.

She trembled as she stood, a shiver running down her spine from the cold seeping into the exposed skin left bare by her torn dress. Kaz dared to lower his gaze for a moment, his jaw clenching at the thought of what had nearly happened in that alley. His grip on his bloody cane tightened when he noticed the numerous scars marking her skin. Without a word, he swiftly removed the black jacket embroidered with red accents that he had worn that evening, careful not to touch her as he draped it over her shoulders —both to warm her and to hide those white lines from his sight.

He watched her intently, curious about her reaction to the gesture. He wanted an explanation. Answers. And tonight, she wouldn’t escape without giving them to him.

T/N bit her lip, lowering her gaze to the street as her cheeks reddened under the dim alley light. She let herself be enveloped by his scent. It was strong, sharp, and the warmth of his jacket settled over her instantly as they made their way toward the entrance of The Crow Club, heading upstairs to her room. Kaz’s presence behind her reassured her —and at the same time, it unsettled her, making her nervous, uncertain. Contrary to what she had expected, he followed her inside, shutting the door behind him with a heavy thud.

A weight settled in her chest as she perched on the edge of the mattress, trying to ease the pressure on her injured leg. She didn’t dare look up as she reached for a clean cloth, dipping it into the bowl of water beside her bed. Slowly, she lifted the hem of her dress, exposing her thigh, exhaling shakily before she began dabbing at the wound, trying to clean away the blood. She hissed at the sting, and that was when he cleared his throat: «What did those men want from you?» His voice was firm, steady. He stood in front of her, leaning slightly on his cane.

«I don’t know.»

T/N squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, gripping the cloth tighter. She pushed herself up, moving clumsily toward the washroom to grab some bandages, a sudden wave of dizziness nearly sent her collapsing to the floor. Kaz caught her in time, his gloved hand tightening around her arm. He released her the moment she steadied herself.

«Stay still.» He brushed past her, his cane tapping against the floor as he retrieved the bandages himself. «Sit.» His voice left no room for argument as he gestured toward the desk she was already leaning against for support. She obeyed, watching him place his cane against the chair before stepping closer.

He stopped just short of letting his knees brush against hers, lowering himself slightly so he was eye-level with her. He let out a heavy sigh, his jaw tensing before he asked,

«May I?»

«Yes.» She didn’t hesitate.

Kaz’s gaze flickered to his hands as they moved to roll her dress up, carefully, inch by inch, exposing the wound on her thigh. She held her breath, and when his eyes met hers from below, she felt compelled to say something. She knew how hard this was for him. How much effort it took just to be this close.

«You don’t have to—»

«I know.» He cut her off sharply, inhaling deeply to steady his heartbeat. «I want to.»

Dipping the cloth into the water again, he added some disinfectant before pressing it against her skin —always through the layer of his gloves, as if the leather was the only thing keeping him grounded. T/N leaned her head back against the wall, trying to ignore the sting.

«So?»

His voice pulled her back. She lowered her gaze, watching a few strands of his dark hair fall over his forehead.

«So what?»

He shot her a warning look.

«What did those men want from you?»

This time, his voice left no room for anything but the truth. An angering Kaz Brekker was something to be considered carefully, even for her.

«They belong to my father.» She whispered, curling into the warmth of his jacket still draped over her shoulders. She averted her eyes to the floor, bringing a hand up to cover her face for a moment, knowing full well that he wouldn’t be satisfied with just that. «I came to Ketterdam to escape him. I planned to make enough money to get to the continent. Os Kervo, or maybe Novo-Kribirsk.»

«Then why did you stay?»

She barely needed to answer. When Kaz looked at her, really looked at her, he understood. Her eyes, large and glistening with unshed emotions, were filled with something he had lost long ago. Hope. But the way she was looking at him, it made him want to be something more. Something better.

«For you.» She murmured, a faint smile touching her lips. «For Inej. For Jesper. For the Crows. Because for the first time in my life, I wasn’t afraid. For the first time, I laughed, I felt something. I realized that not every touch is meant to hurt. That life is more than just survival.»

Kaz finished disinfecting the cut and placed a sterile pad over it. He gestured for her to lift her leg slightly so he could secure the bandage, tying it firmly in place.

«The scars?»

He asked the question despite already knowing the answer. But he needed to hear it. He needed to be sure. Sure that when the time came, he would strike down the right man.

«Also my father.» She confirmed.

«I want to see them.»

T/N sighed.

She had already revealed so much. Too much. But she was too exhausted to resist. She let herself slide forward as Kaz stepped back, giving her space. Shrugging off his jacket, she draped it over the desk before reaching for the neckline of her dress. She gripped the fabric tightly, turning her back to him as she pulled the material down as best as she could. The scars were there, on her back, where no one could see them unless she allowed it. Because her father had known appearances were important. Almost as important as control.

Kaz’s breath fanned over her bare skin, sending a light shiver through her.

«Are you cold?»

A smile ghosted her lips.

«No.» It’s you, she wanted to add.

She turned her head just slightly, just enough to see him. She watched as he leaned in, his gloved fingers barely skimming over the white lines etched into her skin.

«I’ll kill him.» Kaz’s voice was deadly quiet. «I’ll kill anyone who comes looking for you. Anyone who tries to take you away.»

A pause. And then something warm, something soft, something unfamiliar pressed against her skin. His lips. A silent promise, sealed in a way he had never done before.

T/N’s breath hitched as she felt him move, felt the warmth of his mouth trail upward. His hands braced against the desk on either side of hers, his presence towering over her without even touching.

Another kiss. This time, at the curve of her neck. Her eyes widened, her heart racing so fast that in the silence, she was sure he could hear it.

«I’ll kill anyone who tries to take you away from me.»

He whispered against her ear, and she shivered —not from the cold, but from him. When she turned to face him, he was already gone. The only thing he left behind was his black jacket, still resting on her desk.

He never took it back.

── .✦

Hello!!!!!!

This is my first fic :), English is not my first language so please be kind. Every suggestion is welcome! All rights are reserved. Credits to the real artist of the fan art.

Let me know what do you think! I want feedbacks pls.

[zwolfgames]

Helloo sweetie!:3 Can I request drabl with Halsin and reader, when they are cooking meal for others or time to bad for reader with Halsin or Gail or all team members

Hehehe ofcourse <3

(In the drabble au of teen!tav Halsin is mostly managing Y/N and Gale does the cooking with em. Also i dunno if you meant bed or bath so were doing both :3)

Warnings: Yandere implications, bear licks you

(3rd person POV)

"Y/N, be a dear and hand me the carrots, will you?" Gale holds his hand out as he awaits his precious carrots.

You pick the root like vegetables up to hand them to him. Lazily staying beside Gale as he cooks so you'd get the first portion, and he's kinda teaching you how to cook as the weeks with this group go on.

It's not that you can complain, your mother would be impressed if you came back home after this adventure as a master chef.

"Alright, now watch as I add the secret ingredient." Gale muses proudly as he pulls out a lump of salt.

You feel your face fall into an unimpressed deadpan at the 'secret ingredient' you've been asking for for weeks. It's just been salt the whole time? With how great gale's meals are you expected it to be some magic stuff... fairy sparkles or something... mermaid scales?

No, just salt. And there's no way thats it, you know how salt tastes and there's no way that it's saving the horrendous ingredients he's throwing together.

"You're lying." You cross your arms and narrow your eyes into an accusatory glare.

"What? No, I'm not. I would never lie to you." Gale smiles in alusement. A mischievious twinkle sparkles in his eyes.

You roll your eyes in annoyance and stir a bit in one of the pots.

"Gale's lying right now, actually." Shadowheart notes as she appears next to you to steal a carrot.

"That's not true, stop trying to make me look bad in front of Y/N." Gale huffs in agitation. Shadowheart looks amused and observes the dinner you're helping make.

"Boar again? Did Astarion or Halsin bring it in?" Shadowheart asks.

"Wyll did." Gale notes, you nod along to confirm.

"Wyll can hunt?" Shadowheart asks with a lame look of disbelief.

"He can do anything, I'm pretty sure." You shrug.

The half elf shakes her head at your words.

"And as if Astarion would share his hunt." Game adds boredly.

"What was that? I heard my name." The vampire shows up behind everyone. Looking as smug and confident as ever.

"Speak of the devil and you'll see his tail." Shadowheart notes as she bites a piece off of the carrot she snatched.

"Excuse me? I am far from the devil, as far as I know i look better then all those hellions." Astarion huffs.

"What's got you so confident?" Gale asks with a raise of his eyebrow.

Astarion preens and sways his left wrist around a bit.

You're confused for a moment before you remember he begged you to make him a bracelet after he caught you making jewlery with a nice gem you found while you were supposed to be sleeping.

"Right, and why does this ugly artifact make you feel better?" Gale asks with a bit too much sass for somebody who doesn't have a super cool custom bracelet.

Astarion awkardly looks at you to see if you care for the insult to your masterpiece. But considering you made it without willingness, you really don't.

"How could you say that, Y/N made it for me." Astarion scoffs despite your unbothered look.

"They what? Really?" Gale looks genuinly surpised. Looking at you quickly after.

Astarion smirks as if that means he won the lottery. You really don't get why these fully grown adults act more like a band of children then you do.

"Y/N, it doesn't mean anything, right?" Gale asks in devestation.

You raise a brow in confusion at this strange question. Why ofcourse, it's a gift of marrige. What does he think you'll say?

"Uh, no, he just wanted a bracelet." You admit simply.

"Then I want one too." Gale decided enviously. Glaring at the pale vampire as if he's just seen the elder brain.

"That'll be 500 gold." You shrug. Resisting a smirk as he looks shocked you'd charge. Astarion subtly looks over at you with a proud smirk. You didnt charge him, but atleast you've learned from him to always charge when there's a market.

"Y/N, please, I'll tell you the actual secret ingredient." Gale bargains.

"Gale just doesn't wnat to admit he's broke." Shadowheart smirks in amusement.

"Is the water supposed to do that?" Wyll steps up to the group and points at the pot you were stirring as it bubbles over.

You yelp and pop the lid off and stir in hopes of it going away.

Gale pales and scoots you aside before you burn yourself as he takes over the stirring.

"Best cook here, they say." Shadowheart snickers lightly.

Gale throws the half elf a glare before peering into the pot wether or not dinner is ruined.

"It's fine. And if it wasn't you could all starve." Gale huffs.

Astarion gasps in mock offence, as if he even eats dinner.

"Ah, how is dinner preperation fairing?" Halsin walks up to the group, casting a shadow ove you as he stands behind you.

"Fine enough, hungry?" Gale hums, stirring the pot at a constant pace.

"Very." Halsin nods, placing a hand on your shoulder. You swear, the druid makes you feel like a dwarf anytime he comes close.

"Y/N, have you shrunken?" Halsin asks wit ha friendly smile.

Your eye twitches slightly before you shake your head.

"Maybe you grew, Halsin." Shadowheart notes.

"Must be beacuse of all my excellent cooking!" Gale smiles happily. The crowd momentairilly goes quiet.

"I hear cooking!" Karlach shuffles inbetween Wyll and Sahdowheart.

Gale drops his now frozen smile and nods with a more normal, little smile.

As Gale announves dinner officially, Lae'zel finally comes over aswell and you help serve everyone their bowl of broth.

The evening turns nice and cozy as the sun starts to set, casting a familiar warm glow over the party.

You le your bowl lay on your lap as you finish dinner, just letting the rays of fading sunshine kiss your face.

That is until your moment of peace is abrubtly interupted by two large hands scooping you up from inder your armpits. The image aching to that of a wet cat getting taken away bu it's dissapointed owner.

"Hey! Put me down!" You start kicking around in annoyance. You hear Halsin laugh, as you've quickly determined tha the is the one holding you.

"Don't think so, cub. I've noticed you're in dire need of a wash. And our camp has this crisp river right next to it." Halsin muses. Holding you up with not a single bit of trouble.

"I am not, I bathed last.. uhh.. week." You recall with a cringe. People in the very far future light find that a long time, but for people living in a medival like fantasy world that's probably a lot.

"Ah ah, no excuses." Halsin shakes his head.

"I can make excuses, I'm not a kid!" You protest. For some reason that stills the elf holding you for a moment.

"You may think so but to me you are, cub." Halsin speaks seriouslt before carrying you over to said river.

You are uncerimoniously thrown in with a large splash following your descent into the cold water.

You shiver as the liquid drenches into your also quite dirty clothes.

You don't have to wait for long until eqaually wet fur touches your arm. This bastard wild shaped to bathe. Smart in its own way, bears can handle the cold way better.

Halsin, as a bear, wraps his paws around you and starts licking your hair up into probably the worst hairstle you've ever had, and that includes the one you cut on yourself when you were four.

"Stop that! You'll make me smell worse!" You protest in annoyance, This whole day was keeping you on your toes and you didn't even have to fight anyone.

Halsin lets out a low growl of amusement as he washes you off as a real bear would a real cub. Wich is clearly not appreciated by you. Wich is totally fair, you don't think anyone would want this. Actually you'd rather that mysterious lady on the beach had actually stabbed you to death.

Due to your discomfort you don't pay much attention to the rest of camp practically glaring your strange caretaker down. Half are a bit disgusted, half are more so envious.

Who's who? You'll never know.

You're totally done with today, actually. It's like the longer you stay with these people the younger you get treated. It's ridiculous. Also how are you meant to sleep with a damm bear holding you? What is Halsins problem!

You grumble under your breath as you lay in the elfs tent. Wich is not yours! But Maybe it's a good thing that you're not in yours, considering someone's currently going through your stuff for 'safety reasons'. not that you'd ever know. They just need some enchantments put on your gear, nothing that would track you down, no they would never...

You eventually get used to the warmth of the beast behind you and doze off to sleep, onto annoyed and irritating dreams.

Yo guys :')

I dunno how long it's been, and this ask may seem totally wack because I wrote it in like 3 sentences at a time.

I'll make the excuses quick. Architecture is a hell of a university course and I'm going crazy with the teeny amount of free time I have. I don't even get the time to squish my stressed up feelings into fanfiction anymore ToT

At this point I might actually go crazy.

Anyways hope that you enjoyed this drabble even if it's stinky and badly made. I'm working on all the other asks I have but it's currently exam period so I might just die.

Adios!

[luveline]

what about a grumpy!reader / Eddie + roan. Reader is trying so hard not to let work things get to her but she ends up being a bit grumpy at home, that's when Eddie and our favorite girl Roan intervene.

Maybe. Just a thought. I just love them (and you) so much ❤️

thank you!! i love you <3 eddie and roan —your small family tries to cheer you up after a bad day. fem!reader, 1.4k

"It's a new one called the macarena," Eddie says, his hands around Roan's wrists guiding her arms into the right positions. "Macarena by maca-Roanie."

She's dancing on his thighs. You have no idea how he can cope with it. While Roan isn't a heavy girl, whenever she does it to you it makes you squirm. 

Eddie hums the song and poses Roan's arms, across her abdomen and then hands on her hips. "Hey, maca-Roanie," he sings, making her shake her hips in time with the song, bodily turning her to the left.  

She giggles at the suddenness of it, and her eyes light up with happiness when she sees you're back from the bathroom. 

"Dance with us!" she pleads, laughing more as Eddie messes up the move and quickly corrects her arms. 

"Maybe in a minute," you say, as gently as you can manage despite your foul mood. Neither of them deserve to feel shitty just because you do. 

"Now," she whines, her foot slipping off of Eddie's thigh. She runs with the momentum to the end of the couch, her hands grabbing for you. "Please! Dad will sing the song again." 

"Sorry, Ro," you say, giving her shoulder a quick rub. 

You walk over to the TV to turn down the volume a touch before collapsing with a puff into the fat armchair. Relief courses through you as you shield your eyes from the light. 

"Is she okay?" Roan whispers. 

Eddie must pull her or yank her toward him, if her little yelp and subsequent laughter is anything to go off of. "She's okay, mini me. Today's been really long, that's all."

"It feels as long as yesterday." 

"That's the problem. Come on, let's go make a cup of hot cocoa, okay? I'll show you how to do the dance again."

You're glad that they leave, though that soon melds to a bone deep guilt, kind to make you wanna get up and put on a smile and learn Eddie's new dance. You try to force yourself up. 

You sink deeper into the armchair. 

"Can I give her a hug?" Roan asks in the kitchen. She must think you can't hear her far away. 

"I'm sure she'd love that, but let's give her ten minutes, okay?" 

"Is she mad with me?" 

"No," Eddie says fondly. "She's definitely not mad at you. Just tired, babe."

"Will you toast my marshmalloweds with the flamethrower?" 

"Blowtorch," he corrects. You hear a drawer opening, a click, and Roan's impressed Woah.

I'm such a fucking dick, you think, curling into a ball. My poor loves. 

You sizzle in your bad mood, folding in on yourself as tightly as you can. They don't deserve to feel the cloud hanging over your head. Hopefully it'll blow over soon, and luckily they don't seem to mind. Eddie knows better than to think how you feel has something to do with him, or Ro, or that you'd ever take it out on them. 

You don't want work to make them feel shitty too. 

The kettle whines on the stove. You used to make cocoa in the microwave until Eddie found out about superheated water and said it was too dangerous. You can see him in your head pouring the hot water into their matching mugs, Garfield and Odie, Roan's very favourites donated from the Great Munson Mug Collection when she was a baby. Your heart hurts thinking about it 'cos usually you're standing there at the counter listening to her tell you how much she loves Odie the puppy. Eddie used to cut the Garfield strips out of every newspaper and save them in a plastic binder for her until she slowly lost interest, but the love is still there. The plastic binder is proof, tucked up on your bookshelf next to your photo albums and Eddie's records. 

"Sure you got it?" 

"Yes, daddy, I have it. Thank you for asking me." 

"Are you kidding? You're so welcome. Please don't burn your fingers." 

"I have the handle. You're doing that thing Y/N says you do with over drotectivity." 

"Over drotectivity, huh." 

"You're worrying about things more than normal dads worry and it's gonna give you chives." 

"Sweetheart." Eddie snorts, their footsteps approaching the living room. "It's called over protectiveness, and she thinks it gives me hives, not chives. Which it doesn't! I got hives one time and it was from that discount laundry detergent." 

"When Y/N put ointment on your back and said you felt like a rattlesnake!" 

You peek up from the depressed leather of the armchair your face is smushed in. Roan crosses the room with your favourite mug in her small hand, the weight of it straining her wrist. Cocoa sloshes over the side and a marshmallow rides the wave down onto the hardwood. 

"Don't slip," you say softly. 

"Won't slip," she says, grinning. Her smile is all Eddie like a master copy. "I made you cocoa in the best cup with just pink marshmalloweds 'cos the pink ones are for love." 

"What are the white ones for?" you ask.

You take the mug from her before she can burn herself. Eddie presses down on her shoulder as he sits on the floor in front of your armchair, wielding two mugs in one hand precariously. He swoops Roan into his lap and smiles at you from over her neatly coiled curls. "White ones are for making you taller." 

Roan points at her mug emphatically. "I got lots of white. I wanna sit in the front seat of the car." 

"That's a good reason," you say, slouched but not entirely collapsed in your chair, wondering why they've sat themselves at your feet and already knowing the answer. "Thank you for cocoa, Roro. I'm sorry I didn't dance with you earlier." 

Roan shrugs and leans back into Eddie's chest. He narrowly avoids scalding her, slurping a sip from the rim of his mug rather than have it pour down the side to splash her pyjama-clad shoulder. 

"That's OK. I didn't want to play Wombats with you last night and you still hugged me after teeth." 

She can be such a peculiar kid. Her vocabulary keeps growing in an explosion of mispronounciation and wrong definitions, as well as these unexpected shorthands; teeth means brushing her teeth. She'd brushed her teeth and dragged you to her room, imploring you to climb into bed with her for a half hour which you happily spent stroking her hair from her forehead and exchanging sleepy conversation. 

"Honestly, I didn't even think about Wombats. I just wanted to spend time with you," you say. 

Roan's little chin dips up and down as she nods, her hair bouncing against her cheeks. "Exactly! We don't have to dance. We can just sit down all night." 

"I like sitting down," Eddie adds. 

You lick your lips. They're too good for you, sometimes.

"Thank you, guys," you say, taking a sip of cocoa. 

Roan preens. Eddie puts his cocoa on the floor and his hand on your arm, the gap between you feeling smaller and smaller by the second, your bad mood at a low simmer rather than the roaring boil it had been. The ring on his pinky finger is distinct as his loving hand keeps you company, smothering the heat. 

They chat to one another and don't mind when you have nothing to say. All the sugar and love-flavoured marshmallows cheer you up some, enough to put down your empty mug and want a hug. 

"Come here?" you ask, laying back to make room. 

Roan makes a sound that can only be described as a rabid giggle and leaps onto the cushions. Eddie isn't far behind her, mugs forgotten and nearly kneed over as he encapsulates the two of you in his arms. 

"I'll be less grumpy tomorrow," you promise bashfully. 

"You're kinda cute when you're grumpy," Eddie says, indifferent. His smile curls against your shoulder. "Don't force it." 

"I like happy you and sad you," Roan says. 

You smile softly, tucking a silken curl of hair behind her ear. "I'm not sad," you promise, looking her in the eye and meaning every word, "I can't be sad for long with you and dad around." 

[rivvyribbons]

can you do seperate headcanons first qiu and tam with a masc reader who gets injured quite easily? (step 1 or 2 doesnt matter :)) kind of like the talk qiu has with mc in the prologue if they have bandages on?

thank you and have a wonderful day / night

Tamarack and Qiu with an easily injured masc reader ! Set during step 1 !

A/N at the bottom <3

QIU

-> Qiu is, to say the least, always worried.

-> Even with his ‘cool and laidback’ demeanor, his worry manages to slip through.

-> There are times where he pulls you aside and asks if you're really okay.

-> Every time, you reassure him that you are. Takes a while for him to believe, but as always, his trust for you triumphs over his worry.

-> He always gets this relieved look whenever you reassure him. He's just glad that you're okay.

-> When all of you are on wheels, you always get a scratch or two.

-> He is immediately protective, always volunteering to be the one to patch you up.

-> Obviously, Qiu isn't happy that you're hurt, but he is happy that he managed to convince you to ride with him on his bike.

-> Mostly because your safe, but also because the feeling of you against his back is.. nice.

-> If you break your arm, he will not let you carry anything.

-> “Qiu, it's fine. I only broke my right arm, I can still carry my bag with my left.” “Too late. You were too slow to grab it.”

-> He backs off if it makes you feel belittled, but he's immediately there if you ask for his help.

-> Same thing if you break your leg! He's a considerate kid, after all.

-> “Guys, make some space for MC, he's injured!”

-> He's struggling a little with trying to please everyone and trying to make sure to pay extra attention to you, but he cares. He cares a lot.

“And then after that, I dec-” Qiu was quickly cut off by the sound of your head hitting the ceiling of his hideout.

You winced. Ow.

Immediately, Qiu is at your side. His hands hovered around you, wanting to help but not knowing how.

It was a little funny to see the guy who always knew what to do being a little dumbfounded.

But you didn't like seeing him worried.

“I'm fine, Qiu. I swear.” You said, touching your head. “Well. I might be bleeding a little, but I'm used to it!”

Qiu looked at you, worried. “I think that's worse. You see how that's worse, right?”

You pointedly ignored that.

“C'mon, lets go down.” Qiu said. “My mom will check if you're injured.”

TAMARACK

-> The band-aids that Qiu patches you up with? They came from Tamarack’s bag.

-> She makes sure to pay attention if you like the Hello Kitty bandaids more than the Spiderman bandaids, or vice versa.

-> After you're all patched up, she always kisses it better, no matter what.

-> It helps, surprisingly!

-> You get injured a lot trying to impress Tamarack and Qiu. While this makes Qiu worried, this makes Tamarack inspired.

-> She thinks you're the bravest boy on earth!

-> “You're so cool, MC! That was so awesome to see!” She says, a few minutes after you fell on your face while attempting to do a trick on Qiu’s bike.

-> This girl looks at you like you hung the stars, alright?

-> But she does worry. Sometimes you get injured infront of her, and if she thinks it's her fault, then she's immediately begging on her knees for your forgiveness.

-> “I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were there!”

-> You better hug this girl with all your might.

-> She always steals some candy from her house so she could give it to you when you're hurt.

-> Sometimes you feel like you're being given a lollipop from a doctor. Dr. Tamarack wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Tamarack leaned in, giving a small kiss to the cartoony bandaid just placed on your right knee.

“There! It should feel better by now.” She said, a smile on her face. Somehow, you were smiling too.

“It does feel better.” You said, fondly. “I don't know how you do it, Tama.”

“I don't know how either!” She giggled, as if she revealed her deepest secret. “My omi does that to me sometimes, so I thought it would work!”

“Oh. Does your omi also give you these bandages?” You picked at the corner of the bandaid. Tamarack gently guided your hands away, a determined look on her face.

“Oh, no! I just figured, since you get injured a lot, I went ahead and bought some bandages at the pharmacy!”

“All by yourself?”

“Yeah.” she leaned in to whisper. “I can't have omi and opa going out to buy stuff for me. I can do it myself perfectly fine!”

Before you can say anything about that, she cut you off.

“Oh,” she searched through her bag, and after seconds of what seemed to be aimless ruffling, she held out her palm.

A small piece of wrapped candy was placed on it.

“Here, you deserve it for being a very brave boy!”

A/N: SORRRY FOR TAKING SO LONG ANON!!! was originally going to play the game againvut add bandages to my mc so i could see what would happen but unfortunately time itself hates me

so, i just based this off of my perception of their characters! qiu cares for everyone, but he especially cares for you, so he worries a lot. tama is an independent girl, who probably knows how to patch up small wounds. she doesnt worry as much, but she does tend to ur wounds!!

as always, this is author rivs, bye bye gay people in my phone!!!

[jillsandwhichs]

Our Future Days

Joel Miller x Reader series, Chapter 9, Melody

Masterlist

Pairing: F!Reader x Joel Miller

Summary: Tommy takes you up to Jackson where you and Joel are finally able to reunite

WC: 3.6k

Type: SFW

A/n: Hi! Hope you all enjoy. Please check out my masterlist, there's a lot of stuff there. You can get to know me, you can see the rules of my blog and then you can see all of my fanfictions. You'll be able to find the previous chapters to this fic and upcoming ones. You'll also be able to find my Wattpad & AO3. Comments, reblogs & likes are appreciated. Thank you

Tommy's horse began to slow down which caused you to look up. That entire ride, your head was resting against his backpack. You couldn't help but just stay like that with your eyes closed. Admittedly, you were thinking about Joel and how it'll be to see him again after two decades. You wonder if he'll even recognize him. You hope so.

Not much has changed with you. Same face just a bit aged, same body type but only slimmer if anything, same hair color and what not. You'd say all that's changed is you have longer hair and a skinner body type than before due to the lack of food and nutrition. You presume he appear very aged just based on those investigation photos you seen awhile back. He definitely aged due to stress—there's no way a man looks that rough in their fourties.

Nonetheless, you still find him attractive and you know that if you saw him out in the wild, you'd know it's him.

Looking before you, you saw a large long gate. It was a deep blue color and there appeared to be two people on top of it in little boxes. They're probably the ones in charge of keeping a lookout—smart. "Open the gates!" Tommy shouted to the two men. They gave him a nod and shortly after, both doors opened at a slow and agonizing rate. Your heart beat began to increase in speed and you could feel your palms getting hotter. You are nervous.

Tommy's horse picked up in speed again as he rode in through the gates. You analyzed the area. Wow. It's like a literal township. You are impressed to say the least. They really made Jackson their own. Tommy chuckled, "Enthralled?" "Definitely." You huffed out. You are proud of Tommy and the life he's managed to build alongside these people. They must have a strong bonded group. You doubt any of the people you were once with could've pulled this off. Maybe John but that's it.

You started to dart your eyes around. You hoped to catch a glimpse of Joel or just someone you may have known from a past group. Nothing. "Where do you think he is?" You asked Tommy. "My guess? Either at his house or at the bar." You nodded at his words. Makes sense. Tommy rode his horse into the stable and hopped off. He reached his hand out and helped you off as well. A blonde haired woman walked up with haste and looked you up and down before glaring at Tommy.

"Tommy I-" "Maria, don't start just yet, let me explain." Maria scoffed and crossed her arms. You felt judged. You also felt a bit scared. This woman seems intimidating. Tommy introduced you and began to continue his statement. "Me and Joel have known this woman for damn near twenty years. She was Joel's neighbor. I'm not sayin' she has to stay permanently, she's only here to talk to Joel." Tommy established with Maria. The woman looked at you and spoke.

"Listen I don't mean to come off as bitchy it's just that I don't trust very easily." Maria said softly with her hand cautiously in front of her. "No apology necessary, I understand. Like Tommy said I'm just here for Joel." You spoke kindly to her. Maria gave you a soft smile. "Okay." She nodded. "He's probably with Ellie at the tipsy bison, come on, I'll walk you there." Maria stated. You glanced back at Tommy and said thank you. He gave you a nod.

You and Maria began to walk side by side of one another as she led you through the town. The grass was green and the dirt on the ground was beige. It looked... Lively. Like a real town. You were surprised by all of this. People around the area were in nice clothing. It is later in the year, most likely November if you had to guess. You're sure this place will be covered in snow soon. You have to admit, this place is epic.

There were even children. You haven't seen a child in years. They were smiling and laughing. The sight was precious. There are also a lot of buildings that are clearly being put to good use. You saw a school, an aid and even a deli. "I have to say, this is impressive." You gawked out. Maria snorted and nodded. "Thank you. Me and Tommy built this together alongside our community. We've worked seriously hard so I appreciate that." Maria smiled at you.

Maybe this woman isn't so intimidating after all. She seems sweet. "Is Tommy your boyfriend?" "Husband." "That's nice. Did you two meet during all of this? I just don't recall him having a lady back in the day." "During all of this, yes. So I've heard, Joel talks about how much of a wild cat Tommy was." Maria giggled. You laughed along with her. "I don't remember much about Tommy, he was quiet and was only ever over if Joel had work." "Right." Maria nodded. She does seem cool.

"Just to warn you, Joel isn't the talkative type. A lot has happened to him and he's definitely closed up." Maria said softly. She seemed sad. You sighed softly. "I understand. I'll be understanding." "Good. He's definitely gotten better ever since he met Ellie but overall, he's still that brudy man." Maria giggled. Ellie? Who the hell is Ellie? You went quiet. Did he find some kind of lover in the midst of all of this?

Standing before the two of you was a place called the 'Tipsy Bison'. "Is this it?" "Yes. Come on in." Maria said kindly, opening the door and holding it for you. You walked in and Maria did too. Wow. This place is full of life. It has a warm feeling to it. It's definitely the lighting and the joyous laughter and conversing. The lighting is a deep orange dim color and the people just seem... Normal...

You looked around and whistled. "This reminds me of a bar near my hometown. This is great." "Thanks. I designed most of it myself because it was completely torn down. I've definitely flipped it for the better." "For sure." You're still wondering who Ellie is. If Joel has some sort of a girlfriend now, you get it, but it'll be a bit upsetting. You don't know why or how but you've somehow managed to maintain feelings for him. It's not healthy you imagine but it's just how it is.

Maria waved to someone and ambled up to her. The person was a young girl. She's definitely a young teenager. She's super pretty and seems quiet. All she is doing is eating a sandwich at the table. "Ellie, hey, where's Joel?" What a fucking relief. Ellie is a little kid. Thank God. You sighed softly and crossed your arms. "He just left, said he was going back to his place to get some rest." Maria sighed and nodded. "Thanks honey. Continue eating."

She glanced back at you. "Off to Joel's it is then." Maria then had the two of you walk out through the back. "Another thing we've managed to pull off was having houses all around. We have almost fourty different homes now. For others, we have cabins or they shelter someplace else. But Joel and Ellie have their own place together." "Who is Ellie to Joel? Sarah is his kid." Maria paused in her tracks and looked back at you. "It's going to be a long story and it's a story for you and Joel." How ominous.

You nodded and continued to stroll beside her.

After walking for a bit, you two reached a road and Maria nudged you. "This is it. His house is just up there." She pointed to a house just a few yards ahead. It was a white house. It looked like your average home, it was pretty but ran down. There was a white picket fence surronding it too and a cemented staircase leading up to it. The two of you gradually got closer and your heart rate once again increased. You've never been this nervous before, not even when in a fight or when doing something you shouldn't be doing.

Although, you froze. You froze as the front door opened and you saw him. He was wearing a brown jacket with a black shirt and jeans. Definitely still has his old style. He was wearing torn up boots too. His brown hair was lightly now and more messy. He had a bit of a beard but it appears he recently shaved it. You couldn't move. Maria nudged you but quickly realized you were in complete shock.

"Hey Maria." Joel said as he stepped off of his porch and began to tread closer to you both. "Hi!" Maria said in a friendly voice. It seems he has yet to notice it's you. Maybe he doesn't recognize you. As Joel got closer, his eyes widened and he dropped the bag he was holding. Maria slowly stepped back. "I'll just let you two... Rekindle..." Maria definitely felt the tension between the two of you.

The two of you locked eyes. This moment, you thought it'd never come but here you are, living it. You couldn't speak. Literally, you are speechless. Joel huffed out a breathless laugh. "Are you fuckin' kiddin' me?" He still has that southern accent you love. You didn't say anything. "After all these fuckin' years, you're alive?" Joel said in disbelief. You could feel your heart slow down. He seems happy? Right?

"Joel, I." You couldn't finish your sentence because you were suddenly picked up into his embrace. He had his burly arms around your torso as he held you close. Your arms encased around his neck and you giggled. This is a feeling you'll never forget because it's the feeling you had when you first saw him—love. Joel spun you around and held onto you tightly. You didn't want to let go, not ever.

The hug was special. This was the kind of hug you experience very few times in your life. It was full of love and remorse, kindness and happiness. "Jesus Christ." Joel whispered as he slowed down and placed you back down. You chuckled and gazed up at him as your feet hit the ground. His hands stayed on your waist and yours on his shoulders. He's gotten taller, or maybe you've shrinked. Or you're just misremembering because it's been twenty fucking years.

"Let me look at ya." Joel whispered. He looked you up and down and smiled. "Holy shit." He hummed. You didn't know what to say. You are just... Happy. The happiest you've been throughout this entire shit show. "Hi." Was all you managed to get out. "Hi? That's all you gotta say?" Joel laughed, he was just teasing you. His hands went to your face and he sighed. "You're so cold, come on." He took your hand and jogged you up to his house, completely forgetting about the bag he left on the ground.

Closing the door behind you, Joel entered his living room and patted a spot beside him. You sat down and sighed deeply. Joel looked at you again. Both of you are in shock. "Jesus girl, I figured you was dead." Joel admitted. You laughed out. "I myself am surprised I survived this long." You actually managed to speak. Joel's soft eyes gazed at you. "You look... The same... You sound softer, somehow." Joel chuckled. You giggled.

At least he thinks you still look the same. You constantly worry about looking too old.

"Tell me, how have you survived this long? Just tell me how these two decades have been for you." Joel was ready to listen intently to all of it. You snorted and nodded. "This is going to be a long one." "And I'll listen to every bit." Joel said with assurance. You smiled. "Well, when, Sarah and Tommy left, I took Becker into my car and we drove away. We drove for miles and miles until we got to Oregon." You stated.

"The car eventually gave out so we went on foot but we got to my parents house. They were both dead. Like I literally walked into the house and saw my mother and father decomposing. I never saw my sister, I still have no clue where she's at. Same goes for her dog she had at the time." You said. Joel spoke quickly, "I'm sorry for your loss." "It's okay. I'm long since over it." You spoke softly.

"Me and Becker eventually found a different car full of gas and we drove off for miles then. I was completely stocked up, I had a full arsenal and a shit ton of food. We stayed in Oregon for a while until eventually we moved back to Texas and that was pretty crazy as you can imagine." You said softly. Joel was still listening. "I think most of my time has been in Texas. I was even a QZ there for a while, that's how I knew you were still alive."

A confused look painted Joel's face. "What do you mean that's how you knew I was alive?" "I saw photos of you and some other woman. Those photos have been surfacing for a while." "Right. That was Tess. We were smugglers." You gave him a nod. It makes sense. It's a rough way to live, definitely not an honest one, but it gets the job done. "I moved away from Texas again and ended up staying in Michigan for a while. I had a great group there. But they eventually all died, me and Becker had to go."

"After Michigan, I stayed in Maine for a long time and that's when I lost Becker. He passed away. That was about four years ago. I stayed in Maine for another year after  that but then I eventually found my way here, in Wyoming." You adjusted your seating position. You didn't know what else to say. "That's basically how it's been for me. It's been rough and I've been alone for most of it, but I've managed to survive and I think that's all that matters."

Now that you think about it, you can't shut up. It's hard not to. You and him have so much to catch up on. Joel nodded. "I'm sorry Becker died. He was a great dog. I knew you and him would stick together." "We definitely did. Through thick and thin." Joel chuckled at your words. He found that adorable. "Tell me, how has it been for you?" You are sure his life has been a lot more eventful.

Joel sighed deeply. He seemed upset, sad. You made a confused look. "If you don't want to, that's okay." "No, I do. It's just the beginning that's hard to get through. I'm just going to say it, Sarah died. She got shot on the same night all of this shit went down." That made you go quiet. She was shot? She was just a kid. This made you feel so sorry for Joel. He lost his babygirl. That must've been was Maria meant. This is terrible.

You let out a soft sigh and set your hand on his upper shoulder. You rubbed it gently and nodded. "I'm so sorry. Sarah was so sweet. She didn't deserve that." "No, she didn't. She was shot by some military guy. I tried takin' the bullet for her but it seems I didn't have my timin' correct." You shook your head. "It isn't your fault. It's the corrupt military. It was crazy that night." You reassured him. Joel licked his lips in concentration. He was trying to continue on.

"After she died, I ended up in a hospital where I was mended alongside Tommy. I could hardly live without her. My only will was Tommy. Me and him ended up in Boston where we became smugglers. I was a smuggler before I met Tess." Joel stated. "Then Tommy left me for some time. I was alone. He got sick of me, joined the fireflies and I hadn't seen him for a while. Actually, not even until recently." You were surprised. They always seemed close. At least they have each other again.

"When me and Tess met, I had a reason to live again. Me and her were smugglers together, we work together for a long fuckin' time until she died on me too." "Were you and Tess like...?" You paused. You are treading lightly. You don't want to upset him. Joel just gave you a nod. "We definitely hooked up a few times but she wasn't into romance or dating." Joel snickered.

That made you laugh. At least he had some action during the apocalypse. You did too. With John. "I knew someone like that as well. His name was John. I met him when I was in Maine." "Where is he now?" "No clue. He's still alive but when I left Maine he didn't want to come with me, I left alone." "I see." Joel stated. "Look at you now. Still alive. You didn't need anyone. I'm not saying this to sound like a dick but I'm surprised, a girl of your size and caliber would have died in usual situations."

You giggled and nodded. He isn't wrong. You are surprised yourself. Everyone told you that you would die sooner or later yet you're still living and breathing. Not even most men could survive on their own. You have always been impressed with yourself and your survival skills.

"No offense taken. I am surprised myself. I think it's mainly because I've stayed out of the action. I've really managed to stay stealthy and not in a lot of sticky situations, you know?" "Opposite of me. I was always getting caught up in some kind of bullshit." Joel laughed, crossing his arms. You nodded. "Sounds like you." You are just happy he's okay. You can't believe this. This is a once in a lifetime experience.

"I guess I never clarified how I found out about this place and about you." You stated. Joel nodded, "Yeah, I hadn't really thought 'bout it. I'm still starstruck if I'm being honest." "I was out on raid, looking for a random stuff when I saw your brother. The man nearly fucking killed me but we managed to realize who one another was. I asked him to take me here so I could see you." "I'm surprised he took you, he's always nervous about lettin' people in."

"He seemed a little off but I'm pretty sure he trusts me, and he should, I mean no harm. I only wanted to see you and I planned to go on my way." Joel raised his eyebrow. You didn't know why. "Go on your way?" "Yeah. I guess I just planned on saying hi to you, catching up with you, then leaving." Joel chuckled and shook his head. "I'll talk to Tommy about getting you a place here."

That surprised you. That's such a sweet thing to do. It would be nice to have a place to call home. You haven't had anywhere in so long. Being able to live in the same vicinity as Joel would be amazing. "You don't have to do that." "I want to." Joel spoke in a low tone. You didn't try fighting back. You know how that will go. "It seems we've had a pretty fucked up lives ever since everything went down, huh?" You huffed out. "For sure." Joel laughed. Both of you seem to laugh this stuff off, despite it killing the both of you on the inside.

"I always hoped we meet again." Joel admitted. It's true. He thought about you a lot. He's told everyone about you, at least those close to him. "I did as well. When I heard about you in the QZ I was in, I had faith." "I'm glad ya did." Joel muttered. "Can I ask you something?" "Yeah. Shoot." "Who is Ellie? Maria brought her up and I saw her for a brief moment at the bar in town." Joel's face went soft entirely when you brought her up.

"I'll tell you more later but just know, and I don't mean to sound like an idiot, but she saved my life." You smiled. You found that sweet. It's kind of predictable. He sees Sarah in Ellie and has clearly been able to heal because of that. You are glad he's been able to find someone. "You don't sound like an idiot. Is she under your guardianship?" "She is. A lot of people think she's my biological daughter." Joel cackled. "Do you treat her as if she's your daughter?" "I'm definitely paternal towards her but she is her own person." You nodded, you get what he means.

Ellie saved him. You can tell. The way he talks about her. You'd like to know more about the two of them. Maybe I'll get to meet her officially.

You sighed deeply and stood up. Joel's eyes followed your figure. "You alright?" "Yes. I'm just a little winded by all of this, that's all." "You hungry?" "Definitely." You snickered. Joel also stood up and nudged his head towards his front door. "Let's go get lunch. We can catch up more then." "Food sounds amazing right now. We can." Joel gazed at you and smiled. "Let's head out then. Just follow me." The two of you then exited his home, and had a great lunch together where the two of you continued to catch up.

[wososcripts]

I've Been Getting Lost in Translation (Part Two)

(these kits are god awful but you didn't hear that from me)

stina blackstenius x reader; part one can be found here

Summary: You finally get to meet your girlfriend’s parents, but you aren’t sure they’re aware the two of you are more than just friends.

A/N: Here's part two finally! I hope it's worth the wait for you all lol, make sure you read the first part as well as that author's note for clarity! As usual, nothing I write is intended to speculate or infringe upon player's personal lives, it's all 100% fiction and done in good fun.

Word Count: 4.5k

Warnings⚠️: very very slight mentions of anxiety and self-harm behaviors, but it really isn't featured here more than a passing mention

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You could feel Stina's eyes on you as you came down the stairs and joined the group in getting ready to go, you felt them on you in the car, and once you got to the skating rink. She never seemed to not be looking at you, sending worried little glances your way that you just couldn't interact with right now if you wanted to keep it together. 

"Here are Linnéa's extra skates." Stina's mom held out a pair of ice skates for you to grab. "I'm not sure they'll fit, but Stina said you were around the same size as her sister… otherwise you can rent a pair here." 

She gave you a warm smile and left you to try them on, already lacing up her own and taking off on the ice. 

It was a beautiful day, sunny and cold with a thick layer of snow on the ground from a couple of days ago. And the rink was amazing. It was well maintained, but still had the feeling of a pond you'd have skated on as a child. 

Stina's sister came to sit down next to you, explaining some of the quirks with the skates. You had to pull the laces hard to get them to fit in the clasps at the top before you could tie them, she showed you, yanking on your ankle a little roughly for your liking.

"Linnéa, be careful with her foot!" You heard Stina call from the ice. 

Linnéa waved her off, turning to you.

"Does it hurt?" 

You shook your head.

"That ankle is just a bit sensitive. I broke it in June." 

"Well the laces being tight will make sure that doesn't happen again," she laughed, then glanced to make sure Stina wasn't looking at you two and said something lowly to you. "How is she doing in London? I mean she says everything is going well, but it's hard to know when we're not there to see her."

You smiled, genuinely for the first time in hours.

"She's doing great. Everyone loves her, she's been playing fantastic this season, she gets along well with the coach and the players. I really don't think there's anything for you to worry about." 

"It's good that she has you and Amanda there. She seems reserved but without a few good people around her I know she gets lonely."

"What are you two slow pokes waiting for?" Stina's father skated by, gesturing for you to come on. 

Linnéa followed him, starting a conversation with him in Swedish you could hardly grasp onto. How this family managed to speak so quickly, you were lost on.

You joined the rest of them on the ice, trying to ignore your poor mood from earlier. Moping around was no way to make a first impression. So you tried to suck it up and let the joy of the moment overtake you. You hadn't skated in years, having played in Italy for a bit before moving to London. There never seemed to be enough time, or good rinks close by. And when you were back in Germany you mostly wanted to see your family and Laura. 

You ended up skating with Stina’s nephew, a boy around seven. He was already impressively steady on his skates, something you would not have been able to say at his age. But still, he held your hand and talked your ear off in Swedish you only partially understood. 

"Did you come with aunt Stina?" He asked, to which you nodded. 

"We play for the same football team in England." You explained in your slow Swedish.

"Did you come here on a plane?" You nodded again, smiling. 

"We flew here yesterday, from London."

The boy considered you for a moment.

"You speak funny," he proclaimed, letting go of your hand, "watch what I can do!" 

And with that he skated in front of you, circling around you playfully as you stood still. You grinned at him, giving a round of applause when he was done.  

“Hey,” you heard Stina come up behind you, placing a hand on your shoulder as to not startle you. 

You gave her a smile which she softly returned. 

“What are you two up to?” 

“He’s showing me his incredible skating skills,” You replied.

Stina’s nephew nodded and twirled around again, clearly looking for more praise. 

Stina cheered him on, catching one of his hands and spinning him once more. 

“Very impressive,” she praised, “Unfortunately we’ve got to go eat some lunch. It’s getting dark out.” 

You looked up at the sky, having not realized that she was right, the sun was setting already. You checked your phone and saw it was barely one pm. 

Stina’s nephew nodded and shot forward ahead of you two, rushing back to where his parents were. 

“How are you doing?” Stina asked. 

You could tell she was still unsettled by what had happened earlier in the bathroom by how careful she was with you, how she treated each interaction tentatively. You felt badly for making her worry, for turning this visit with her family into yet another stressful situation rather than the relaxing break you both needed.

“I’m doing all right.” You gave the hand on your shoulder a squeeze and started to skate in the direction of the exit, a little further away from her than you would normally. 

You felt the distance seemingly in every stride you took, agonizing over your choice to move further from her. You were upset by the lack of any physical affection, and yet here you were removing even the chance that she might initiate it. It was self sabotage, you knew. Yet it was still difficult not to indulge in it. Whether she felt the distance as much as you did, you couldn’t know. 

“Why does Aunt Stina’s friend speak so funny?” You heard Stina’s nephew ask his mother, to which you couldn’t help but chuckle as she scolded him lightly. 

“She’s still learning Swedish, baby, she’s from Germany.”

“You’re from Germany?” The boy asked you once you were in front of him, skates in hand. He said it as if it were some far away land, not in the same continent. 

You nodded and ruffled his hair a bit, giving him a smile. You sat down on the bench, unlacing your skates and indulging the boy as he asked you several questions about Germany and what it was like there. You noticed Stina had a firm watch on you as you started to take your left skate off—the one that Linnéa had tugged on. It was aching a bit, that was true. But you simply massaged it for a moment and stood up like you couldn't feel a thing.

“Thanks again for lending me the skates,” You said to Stina’s mother, giving them back carefully. 

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The eight of you decided to eat at a small restaurant not far from the rink. Sunset was already in full force, vibrant orange and pink staining the sky around you.

Stina had borrowed her sister's car that morning, preferring not to be squished in the back seat all day. The drive over gave you a bit of privacy, which you spent in relative quiet, Stina's playlist playing softly through the car speakers. Her hand was on your thigh innocently, and every once in a while she glanced over. Maybe she expected you to say something. But you knew if you started now, you wouldn't be able to stop.

You were thankful for your sturdy sneakers as you stepped out of the car, a twinge in your ankle rippling up your leg. It was more sore than you would've expected, but nothing you were overly worried about. The doctor had warned you that some days might give you more trouble than others, and that was normal. You would just have to take care to ice it this evening before you went to bed. 

And by the looks of it, Stina would be making sure you did anyway. 

She was robbed of her chance to ask if it was bothering you by her nephew, who seemed to have taken a real liking to you. He came barreling at you, arms open for you to lift him up. You weren't all that tall, and he certainly had inherited his family's height, so lifting him was a bit complicated. Eventually the two of you decided on a piggy back after some awkward maneuvering. 

"He likes you," Stina's brother commented, tickling his son lightly. "He's normally quite reserved around new adults."

You smiled at him, feeling your heart soar. This, this was what you wanted from the trip. You wanted Stina's family to love you, for her not to have to worry about you fitting in or being accepted. 

"She's going to sit next to me!" The boy announced once the waiter had shown you to your booth.

"Do I need to be worried?" Stina joked, to which her nephew stuck out his tongue. 

She returned the favor playfully.

"No need to fight, there's plenty of me to go around."

The booth wasn't all that big, which was how you explained Stina's closeness. Most of your right side was pressed right up against hers, something you initially tried to rectify, only to receive a strange look from her. You cursed yourself for how unsure you were being. You'd spent months like this before the two of you had started dating and it nearly drove you (and your teammates) crazy. 

You let Stina order for you since she had been here before and she knew what you liked. The tiredness was beginning to hit you. It was dark outside now, and between skating for a few hours, entertaining a seven year old, and worrying over your relationship, you'd had quite the day. Thankfully you had ibuprofen in your bag in case of one of your headaches. 

Whatever Stina had ordered you looked delicious when it came out. You dug in, realizing then how hungry you were. Usually you had a snack in between breakfast and lunch particularly on training days.  

You were surprised to feel a hand on your knee a little while later. You were listening to a story her nephew was intently explaining to you as he colored in one of the books his mother brought for him, and suddenly it was there. It was something so completely normal you couldn't believe how much it shocked you. If anything, that was proof of how much you had gotten in your own head. Back home it would be impossible to imagine sitting next to Stina without her hand resting lightly on you somewhere. It helped ground her, she said. 

But now, your thoughts were racing with every move she made. Stina's fingers drummed absentmindedly on your thigh, the rhythm of them distracting you slightly from her nephew. She didn't usually tap unless she was feeling fidgety, which meant she was anxious. Was Stina feeling something similar to what you were? Was it out of anxiety that she was keeping things secret? The idea of your relationship inspiring such emotions in your girlfriend made the lump in your throat that much bigger. Maybe she was picking up on your mood. Stina had always been very perceptive (because she spent so much time quietly watching, you often teased) and seemed to pick up on your moods without issue. But you’d been trying to hide this. 

You caught her eye and sent her a quick smile. A piece of hair had fallen into her eyes and you wanted desperately to push it behind her ear as you normally would. But the gesture seemed too intimate now. It was as if you were in a glass cage, every move observed with the chance of exposing your feelings. But what was the problem in that, you asked yourself. You loved Stina, openly. Why were you letting this affect you so much? 

Stina's sister declared that she wanted to do a bit of shopping after lunch, which the rest of the group was perfectly amicable to. It wasn’t all that late, and you’d get a chance to see the Christmas market all lit up. Stina's nephew certainly hadn't taken much convincing once Linnéa mentioned stopping at the toy store to look at something.

"Am I your favorite now?" Linnéa asked him, looking at you with a sly grin on her face.

"Yes!" The boy cried, smiling wide.

"You can't buy true connection, Linnéa," you teased, still helping to color.

"Can't buy connection." The boy repeated wisely. "I still like Stina's friend too."

You smiled and ruffled the boy's hair, suggesting quietly in his ear that you move to another page and make a drawing for Stina. 

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Linnéa joined you and Stina in the car on the way back to their parent’s house, adding to the tension that had been building since the eight of you had gone shopping. Stina had stuck close to your side, and you’d done your best to act normally while keeping some distance. You needed to sort your head out, and being close to her wasn’t helping. Thankfully her nephew provided a good excuse to be tugged in all sorts of directions—he had decided you were his favorite once more, leaving Linnéa to hang behind with her siblings. 

Once you had reached the Christmas market, after a short detour in the toy store where you had agreed to get matching dragon plushies for you and the young boy, each of you wandered off on your own. You, Stina’s brother, and her nephew headed first for the big tree that had been decorated in the square while the rest went to get something hot to drink. You had managed to sneak off under the guise of having to find the toilet, Stina’s brother covering for you if you needed. You wanted to get a small gift for Stina, something in addition to what you’d already purchased. Most of it was back in London since bringing it all on the plane was a hassle. 

You’d found a perfect gift at a small stall tucked away near the edge of the market where an older woman was selling vintage jewelry. You picked through it slowly at first, not sure you would find anything. Most of it was too gaudy for Stina, and too impractical. But then you found a simple pendant with two stones in the middle—an amethyst and an opal, each of your birth stones, set in a complex circular pattern that reminded you a bit of some of the celtic designs Katie had shown you. You had purchased it immediately, no matter that it was overpriced. 

Now you were sat listening to Linnéa’s music quietly as the three of you drove, trying not to nod off. You were unsuccessful, because the next thing you remembered was being jolted awake by Linnéa’s door falling shut. You heard Stina chuckle next to you and put a hand on your shoulder, likely amused by how suddenly you had shot up. You chuckled along with her and patted her hand, putting your coat back on to brave the cold once more. 

“Is your ankle bothering you?” Stina asked you quietly as you all began to walk back to the house for dinner preparations. 

You thought that you had been hiding the slight limp in your walk well, certainly nobody else had noticed, but nothing escaped your girlfriend apparently. 

“Only a bit. I’ll ice it later and it’ll be fine tomorrow.”

“You should’ve said something if it was hurting, I told Linnea to be careful—” she was beginning to ramble, but you cut her off. 

“Stina, it’s fine. I said I’m fine. I know what I can and cannot handle.” 

It was a lie, and the both of you knew it. You were a stubborn bastard. Stina had been with you through your recovery, through every incident where you pushed yourself too hard only to have to face the consequences. She’d found you on the kitchen floor, comforted you after a physio session, seen you train with the team for the first time again. It was insulting to allege she didn’t know when too much was too much.

“Sorry,” You mumbled, already feeling bad for snapping at her. It wasn’t fair, she didn’t even know what was wrong and you were what? Punishing her? 

“I just don’t want to see you hurt again. Do you know how horrible that was? To see you in that much pain?” Stina’s eyes were glossy with just the memory. 

You weren’t sure what to say to that. You and Stina didn’t talk much about your injury and recovery. It was still too fresh, barely more than a couple months old. The crack of your ankle, the blood, her tears, her gentle shaking hands, it was all still at the front of your mind. 

You were saved from having to formulate a response by Stina’s mother calling her to the kitchen. She left you, only looking back once to give you a slight smile, showing that the two of you were okay. But you knew the time to confront what was going on needed to come quickly. 

You sat with Stina’s brother on the sofa and watched some Swedish Christmas program mindlessly. Mostly you were thinking about how to go about talking to Stina later. “Directness is key”, Laura's voice reminded you. You just had to say it, without blaming anyone. Just focus on yourself, your feelings.

It wasn't clear how long you sat there quietly before dozing off again, but Stina’s nephew was the one to wake you for dinner, doing so by climbing into your lap. 

"It's dinner time." He said, poking at your shoulder. 

You forced your eyes open, giving him a drowsy smile. 

“Okay, Prinzi” you replied, picking him up off your lap so you could stand. He managed to hang on to your side though, and you ended up lifting him onto your hip anyway. 

Fuck, you cursed silently as you noticed your ankle was even more tender than when you had fallen asleep. You’d have to check for bruising later and keep off it for the rest of the night. But still, you carried Stina’s nephew to the table with ease, setting him in his seat next to his mother who shot you a sheepish smile. 

“Tired, aren’t you?” You heard a voice behind you, and then a gentle hand at your back. 

It was Stina, who smelled of something sweet in the kitchen. You wanted to lean back into her and not move for the rest of the night. Instead you just nodded. 

“Sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

“You’ve been playing babysitter all day, that might be part of it.” She smiled. 

You nodded in agreement, a smile on your face as well.

"You're so good with him," she whispered into your ear, "it's adorable."

You had caught her taking pictures of you with her nephew a couple times throughout the day, and now, as you briefly as her phone light up with notification, it seemed she had set one of them as her lockscreen.

"I try my best. He's a good kid."

"Well, he's in good hands."

Dinner was delicious, but relatively uneventful. After an entire day together everyone was happy to sit quietly and enjoy the food. Stina’s nephew joked with you a couple times, still wanting all of your attention, but even he seemed to be winding down for the night.

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After the table was cleared and the dishes had been washed (a task delegated to Stina’s brother this time), the group splintered off. Linnéa was going out to meet with a few friends, Stina’s brother and his family had to go home before it got too late, and Stina’s parents had settled in the living room. The two of you were welcome to join, they offered, for a nightcap. But it was clear that maybe you and Stina needed some alone time. 

So you bid everyone good night, thanking them for a wonderful day, and giving Stina’s nephew a big hug goodbye (even though you would be seeing him the next day). You tried to prepare for what you knew was a difficult discussion coming your way. In and out, you tried to remind yourself.

“Go ahead, I’ll be in in a minute,” Stina told you when you reached the bedroom door.

You nodded, thankful for the extra minute to think. The room was quiet around you. You felt the quilt beneath your hands, taking another deep breath. You didn’t need to overthink this. It was simple. And Stina loved you, you reminded yourself. 

There was a knock at the door, after which Stina slowly opened it and slipped inside. She had a bag of ice in her hands, presumably for your ankle. Already you felt tears spring to your eyes.

“Here, for your foot.” 

She lifted your leg, grabbing a chair for you to prop it up on, and pressed the ice to it.  

“So,” Stina paused, still standing before you, “What’s wrong?” You opened your mouth, but were cut off before you could say anything. “And don’t say it’s nothing, I can tell it isn’t. And I want to know, I want you to tell me, whatever it is.” 

You chuckled internally at the similarity to Laura’s demand earlier. Stina knew you too well for you to hide from her either. That made your heart ache a little bit. 

Your lack of response seemed to signal to Stina that you needed more convincing because she knelt down in front of you, taking your hands in hers. 

“What were you doing in the bathroom earlier? Why did you look so upset? All day, I can see you trying to hide it, but I know you’re hiding something. It hurts me too, to see you like that. It’s like a thorn in my ribs.” 

Your lip trembled, and you bit down hard on your cheek until you could feel blood in your mouth. It rushed onto your tongue, the metallic taste distracting you from the urge to cry. Stina had caught your gaze, and you couldn’t bring yourself to look away.

“Do your parents know we’re together?” Your voice held steady as you asked. 

Whatever she had been expecting, it certainly wasn’t that. Stina let out an airy chuckle, looking relieved. You brought your gaze to the floor, eyes wetting rapidly, which Stina quickly noticed.

“Hey, hey, hey,” She brought a hand up to your face, brushing the hair away from it. She sat next to you, moving up from where she was kneeling, and pulled you into her. “Look at me.” She put a finger under your chin, drawing your gaze to hers. The sight of your eyes nearly broke her heart. She hadn’t seen your face crumple in on itself like this since you were injured. The idea that something she had done could have caused you pain like that made her feel indescribably awful. 

“Of course they know, of course they do.”

You let out a sigh of relief, putting your head in your hands. You felt a hand on the back of your neck, rubbing the skin there tenderly.

“Then why have you been so…distant all day? And yesterday? This morning at breakfast, I couldn’t even hold your hand. It seemed like you didn’t want your family to see us together. I thought maybe you… I don’t know, that you were unsure of us, or afraid, or—” 

“That’s not it, I promise,” she said, wiping a tear away that had fallen from your eye. Fuck, you hated crying this much. “It’s just odd for me to be affectionate in front of my parents. They never were very touchy with each other in front of us, so it just feels like some unspoken rule. And then when my brother married his wife, they were the same way. But I promise, tomorrow I’ll try—”

You shook your head. You could tell Stina was upset too now, and you didn't want that. That wasn't the point of this. Tears continued to stream from your eyes, and you continued to swipe harshly at them.

“No, no. It’s all right. I don’t need you to be affectionate in front of them, I understand. It just seemed strange when I didn’t know the reason. I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.”

Stina seemed at a loss for a moment, truly shocked. She pulled you into a kiss, pressing her lips firmly against yours once, twice, three times before pulling back.

“You’re in this house too. And we’re a team: you don’t just have to do things the way we do. I’m supposed to meet you in the middle, okay? We’re in a relationship—if something hurts you, or is important to you, I want to know.” 

You nodded, squeezing her hand as a small thanks. The taste of blood trickled through your mouth, reminding you of the wound. You did your best to swallow it down. 

“Come on, let’s get you into something more comfortable,” Stina said, helping you up. 

She opened the dresser, looking for some of the pants you had brought. When she turned around, in her hands were a pair of grey sweats and one of her long sleeve Swedish national team shirts. 

“Sit,” she requested, pointing at the bed. 

You followed, sitting and allowing her to help you undress. It was totally non-sexual, Stina was wholly concerned in caring for you. Once you were dressed in the casual clothes she had picked out, Stina returned to your side, your ankle in her lap as she massaged the skin gently. 

“Was that what made you think I hadn’t told them?”

“It seems silly… but I also overheard them talking to your aunt in the kitchen last night.” You took a breath, trying to banish the tears for good. “I know my Swedish isn’t that good, but I was doing my best to keep up, and they kept referring to me as your friend, your friend, Stina’s friend.” 

Stina looked at you, confused. 

“They did? What did they say?” 

You did your best to repeat the word, cringing at your own pronunciation. 

“Väninna?” She repeated, and you nodded. “Who told you that means friend?”

“Amanda.” you replied, “She said it was like a female friend.” 

Stina shook her head, laughing. 

“What?” You asked, a bit indignant. 

“It does mean that. But it also means girlfriend. I don’t think Amanda thought you’d ever run into the word. It’s a bit old fashioned.” Stina explained. 

“Oh…” you said, feeling very stupid, and very relieved. 

“Come here,” Stina said, leaning back against the headrest and gesturing for you to settle against her. She grabbed the bag of ice on your foot and shifted it to lie comfortably again. “I’m sorry you had to go through the day thinking I’d invited you here under friendly pretenses.” 

You could tell she was making fun of you, just a little, but that there was sincerity in her voice too. One of her hands crept under your shirt, resting comfortingly on your stomach. 

“I hope you don’t treat all your friends like you did yesterday morning.” You replied, snuggling closer to her. For the first time in days your head wasn’t full of doubts, and you could relax wholly. You just wanted to enjoy her warmth around you. You had faith that tomorrow would be great, that you could finally enjoy your time here the way you were meant to.

She chuckled, hugging you closer to her and pressing a kiss to your upward-turned lips. 

“No, definitely not. I usually have better decision making skills around most people.” 

“I guess I’m just special then, huh?”

[lcvehee]

lost and found (smau)

#20. the wrong impression?

꩜ .ᐟ wc: 0.9k

꩜ .ᐟ warnings: a little bit of angst?

“so, do you guys have plans after this?” yeri mused outloud, as she sipped on her mimosa.

“i'm going to eunseok's place,” giselle answered, a smile tugging at her lips. yeri's eyes twinkled in enthusiasm. “ah, young love.”

anton snorted. “you're still young, what do you mean?” 

yeri shrugged. “i'm still the oldest, and i'm literally dating y/n's brother. i feel like a big sister watching her siblings grow up.”

giselle let out an ‘aww’, squeezing her friend's hand. anton wrinkled his nose, yet a small grin appeared on his face. “you're getting sappy,” he muttered, snickering.

she rolled her eyes, dismissing his comment. “anton? y/n? what are your plans?”

anton quickly replies with a shrug. "i'll catch up on sleep."

you all nod in understanding, then yeri's eyes turn to you expectantly. before you could respond, giselle interjected, "it involves sohee, right?"

she’s absolutely right.

you facepalmed yourself in your head. pretending to be best friends with him isn’t convincing anyone. what am i even doing? you glanced down at your empty plate, trying to look composed. the fact that i’m seeing him today isn’t helping. we really need to rethink our strategy…

“y/n?” yeri’s voice pulled you out of your thoughts, her brow arched in curiosity.

you blinked, realizing you've taken too long to respond. “uh, yeah,” you said quickly, “we're just gonna hang out at his place. nothing major.”

anton narrowed his eyes slightly, tilting his head. “sohee, huh?” his tone is casual, but there’s an edge of curiosity in his eyes that made your stomach tighten. “you’ve been studying with him an awful lot lately.”

giselle smirked, clearly enjoying the tension. “yeah, y/n, what could you two be up to, now that it's summer break…” she trailed off.

you forced a laugh, hoping it sounds natural. “come on, it’s not like that. i don't like him that.”

yeri leaned her chin on her hand, her gaze inquisitive. “then what is it like?”

your heart skipped a beat. you could feel their eyes on you, waiting, watching. 

“it’s nothing,” you said a bit too quickly, brushing them off with a wave of my hand. “we’ve gotten close. right, but that's all it is.”

anton raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “close enough that you see him more than you see me?”

your face reddened at the accusation. “it’s not like that,” you insisted, but your voice seemed a little too defensive.

they’re not buying it. 

giselle grinned knowingly. “whatever you say, y/n.”

yeri smiled but didn't push further, and the conversation moved on—at least for now.

— a few hours later.

sohee was already waiting when you arrived, sitting casually on the bench near the park entrance in front of his apartment. he spotted you and waved, his usual smile plastered across his face. you managed to return a small smile, but the weight of your thoughts pulled at your chest.

“so,” you said, as you looked around, gesturing at the park, "i thought we were gonna hang out in your apartment?"

"the weather's nice, so why not?" he said as he patted the space beside him. "sit down, you must be tired from walking in the heat."

as you lowered yourself onto the bench, he handed you a beer from a plastic bag. "for old time's sake?" he grinned.

"we're never beating the alcoholics allegations, you know?" you snorted, grabbing the cold can. "but sure."

he rolled his eyes as he gulped down the beverage.

“so… how was your last exam?” you asked, after taking a sip.

he smiled, nodding to himself. "it went well, i was worried for nothing."

you nudged him with your elbow. "i knew you could do it!"

he laughed, rubbing the nape of his neck. 

as you two talked about everything and anything, time seemed to be frozen. and yet, your mind couldn't help but wander. you stared at your lap, deep in thought. 

"what's wrong? something happened?" his tone was breezy, light as always. "looks like you've got something on your mind."

you hesitated, gaze flitting to his concerned features, then nodded. “yeah, actually."

his smile faltered slightly. “oh. okay, what’s up?”

you glanced down at your hands, fiddling with the hem of your t-shirt. “i just think… maybe we should stop hanging out so much..." you trailed off. "our plan backfired!" you exclaimed, gesturing animatedly. "it’s giving the wrong impression.”

there was a pause—a long, heavy silence that makes your heart pound. when you finally glanced back at him, his expression was unreadable, but you noticed the way his shoulders tensed.

“the wrong impression?” he said softly, as if he was testing the words out.

you nodded quickly, rushing to explain. "yeah, like… people are starting to think there’s something going on between us, and it’s weird—”

“it’s what?” he asked, his voice quieter than usual.

you paused, unsure how to answer. he looked down, his fingers lightly tapping against the edge of the bench. “you're right. that makes sense, i guess,” he said after a moment, his tone carefully neutral.

“sohee? you sure about—”

“no, it’s fine,” he interrupted, his voice still calm but a little unsteady. he chuckled dryly; his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

“i mean, i get it. if it’s making things weird for you, then… yeah, maybe it wasn't a good idea after all.”

you felt a pang in your chest at how distant he suddenly seemed. “wait—”

“just what were we thinking, y/n?,” he laughed bitterly, standing up and fixing his cap. he avoided looking at you, his gaze fixed somewhere in the horizon. “i don’t want to make things harder for you.”

the tone of his voice made your throat tighten. “sohee, wait—”

“i need to go,” he said quickly, cutting you off before you could finish, "i have my shift, so i gotta get ready."

then he turned and walked away, his steps slow and hesitant.

you watched him disappear down the path, your chest heavy with words left unsaid. in the stillness that ensues, you wonder if the wrong impression wasn’t so wrong after all.

prev | next

© lcvehee | taglist is open: @secretiny @totheseok @renjuneoo @molensworld @wccycc @onlyhyunjin @mystarsohee @llearlert @nujeskz @yoursyuno @minkkumaz @rikisluv @xcosmi @zularen @vixensss @sftsohee

[starwarsmum]

Day 21 (4 days til Christmas and the first night of Hanukkah!) is Drunk Text a follow up from Cat Crimes

@maribat-calendar-events

Damian was being forced to spend time with his brothers. Bruce was still off-world and they had convinced Diana and Clark not to spill the beans about Damian's girlfriend. The only reason Dick, Jason and Tim weren't ratting him out was because he had promised to do one thing for each of them.

Jason had wanted Damian to patrol with him for a whole night, no breaks, no arguments, and he had used the time to drive Damian insane with insults and allusions to things he was pretty sure had never happened but couldn't swear hadn't.

Tim was making him buy coffee every day for the next month. It was more an inconvenience than anything else, having to leave the manor every day even if he didn't have plans. They were three weeks into the full month and Damian couldn't wait for it to end.

Which just left Dick's request. He had insisted they have a group night, as many of the Batfamily as they could get a hold of playing games and watching movies for the night. Jason had worked it out with Steph and Cass, Tim had dragged Duke into it and Dick forced Babs to join in.

Damian had tried to get Marinette to join the ‘fun’ if only so he wouldn't be facing them all alone. Unfortunately, she had plans with some of her friends that night and she wasn't planning to break them for ‘a horrifying trial by fire’. 

She had, in an attempt to soften the blow, given her number to the boys to add to a group chat. The only person not included in the chat was Bruce so, without a responsible adult to moderate, it had mostly turned into a ‘let’s tease Damian and Marinette' chat.

“Is there any reason we are starting the torture- I mean evening at four pm?” Damian asked, glaring at his eldest brother. 

“Like you have other big plans?” Jason sneered, eyebrow raised. Damian scowled at him but settled into a seat without further complaint. “That's what I thought. Besides, it's your own fault you're stuck here instead of doing something else.”

“Awww, does the little rebel want to be off with his totally real girlfriend?” Steph asked, pinching Damian's cheek and darting away before he could hit her. “But seriously, I'm not sure I believe that demon over there managed to snag a girlfriend. Props for committing to the bit and getting a French burner phone so you could pretend to be her though, that was impressive.”

“Naw, she's real,” Jason said casually. “Fucking hot, too, I can not believe the kid's game is that good.”

“Refrain from talking about Marinette in such a manner, Todd,” Damian hissed, gripping the hilt of a dagger he always had on him. It was a gift from Marinette one Christmas and he never went anywhere without it. “It does not concern me if you believe she exists, Brown, I would rather everyone continued to be ignorant of her.”

“She seems really nice, from what I can tell in the group chat,” Barbara commented. Damian merely grunted, refusing to be pulled into a conversation about her. 

“Yeah, which is the big giveaway that she's not a real person! She literally talks about fashion, baking and her friends. What does she even have in common with Damian? And how could they have met since she's from France?”

“Oh my god, how have we never asked for the story of how you met?” Dick said, scrambling to sit up and stare pleadingly at Damian. “Baby bird, please, pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease, tell us how you met?”

“The internet, how else would we have met, you cretin,” Damian huffed, though he could feel his neck starting to burn. “I thought we were to be playing games and watching some odious film, may we begin so that it can be over with?”

And no matter how hard they tried he refused to elaborate. He knew they would end up messaging Marinette on the group chat but he hoped that she would remember that he had kept them separate for quite so long for a reason.

It was an hour or so later when everyone's phones lit up with an incoming message. Bracing himself for the potential embarrassment of his family knowing how utterly mesmerised he was by her when they first spoke on video chat, he opened her message.

Instead, it was only a picture of her night. It was a shot of her taking a selfie with two others, one with dark hair and blue tips, and one with hair similar to Marinette's but in a severe bob cut. There was a reddish tinge to all of their cheeks and they were holding up wine glasses. The accompanying message was simple and told them that the Parisians were having fun on the Couffaine houseboat with a couple of drinking games.

“Oh my god, she's so pretty!” Steph cooed, glancing at Damian with suspicion. “She is the one at the front, I presume?”

“Tt, yes,” Damian clipped back, though he was fighting back a smile at how relaxed she looked. They received a follow up text a moment later.

Marinette:

I miss you, mon coeur ❤️ Gami and Luka are fun but I'm definitely coming to visit again soon xox

He could feel everyone's amused looks as they all realized that she thought she was messaging Damian directly. Before any of them could respond, they could see that she was typing again. And just as quickly Jason was tackling him and knocking his phone out of the way so he couldn't stop her.

“Unhand me, Todd!”

“Not a chance, your girlfriend is sending us messages and you will not be ruining the entertainment,” Jason laughed. Damian hissed at him but the man was so much bigger than him that all he had to do was sit on Damian and the fight was effectively a lost cause. Without using lethal force, that was.

My parents bakery is nice but Alfie's kitchen is on a whole other level

Marinette: When I come next time, can we bake together again? 

“You used Alfred's kitchen?” Tim said in a stunned voice. “How are you both still alive?”

And you look absolutely adorable with frosting on you

“Don't be dramatic, Drake,” Damian said with an eye roll. The effect of his ire was lessened by the blush that was most definitely stealing over his cheeks. “Pennyworth was informed prior to the event and we cleaned up after ourselves. And Marinette is an exemplary baker, she has been baking since she could walk.” 

“Wait, are you telling me Alfred knows about Marinette?” Dick looked offended and Damian wished there was any way he could undo her messages. Or that he had thought to lie and pretend they had snuck around to use the kitchen. Not because he didn't want to offend Dick, but so he could avoid this painful conversation.

“When has Pennyworth ever been unaware of information?” Was all he said though. “Can we please get back to our night of ‘fun’?”

“Fine, we'll get on with the games, but we are so questioning Alfred on this later,” Jason warned as he handed Damian's phone back to him. Knowing there was nothing he could do to stop them, Damian merely grunted assent.

He sent a follow up text in a separate chat so that if Marinette was just replying to her most recently opened chat she wouldn't respond in the group one anymore. But he allowed himself a small grin as he saved the picture of her with her friends, as he always did.

Part 3

[gales-wizard-wife]

Gale Confession One Shot

This takes place after Ketheric for a more slow burn confession.

I sat at the fire, a chalice of red wine in hand, sipping as I was lost in thought. The others had long fallen asleep and knowing even my trance would be unobtainable I offered to keep watch. Our battle with Ketheric had been weeks ago but even so everyone remained on edge. Numerous Githyanki squads had come for us in the name of Vlaakith and it felt as though we were still far from the end of our plight. That wasn’t what was on my mind, though, and as I took another sip, I wished desperately for the company of someone; Gale. I hadn’t been in love with him for long, although I'd found him charming from the first moment I’d pulled him from that rune all that time ago. 

But when Elminster had appeared with his orders from Mystra, I suddenly found myself cursing a goddess I had so long admired and followed. Now, I would fight her given the chance. To hear that she would send him on a suicide mission had made my blood run cold and I immediately shot down the notion that he could even allow himself to do such a thing for a goddess who had all but forsaken him. He hadn’t agreed, of course. In fact, he’d originally decided to go along with her plan. When the moment came, I begged him to reconsider. Whether it was my words, or perhaps a sudden appreciation for his life, he had decided not to sacrifice himself, to not blow up the orb within his chest to take down the Absolute. I felt at that moment as though I could breathe again. How much longer could I go without telling him the truth now that I knew the true extent of my feelings?

The sudden clearing of someone's throat took me out of my thoughts, causing me to jump. I clearly was not doing a good job of being look out. I looked up, shocked to find Gale standing before me. 

“Keena.” He smiled, causing my heart to flutter. 

“Gale.” I breathed, feeling nervous.

“Mind if I join you?”

"Not at all.” I moved over a bit, giving him extra space. He sat, his own chalice of wine in hand.

“I hope I didn’t wake you” I sighed, and he chuckled as he sat.

“Wake me? You were silent. Although, I hope I didn’t disturb your thoughts, you looked deep in them.” 

I blushed, turning my head and taking another sip.

We sat in silence, only the sounds of the crackling fire and nature to be heard.

“Are you alright?” He asked and as I turned my head our eyes met, leaving me without a voice for a moment.

“I am.” We stayed like that for a time, gazing at each other, before he spoke again.

“I was hoping for a moment like this with you, while the others are asleep. Could you spare me a moment of your time?” He looked nervous now which caused a deep pit of anxiety to form in my chest. 

         “Of course.” I said and he smiled at that and I blushed even further, and realized I was definitely embarrassing myself.

          “I often think of what would become of everyone, of the world, had I decided to blow myself up to destroy the Absolute. Would all of this be over?” My heart sank at that, something I had thought of more times than I cared to admit. I stayed silent, giving him the chance to speak.

          “But you stopped me, which if I'm being honest, surprised me.” My heart was suddenly in my throat.

          “I couldn't let you kill yourself. I…” I trailed off, unsure of how to finish my sentence.

          “Do you remember the first time we met?” He asked and I suddenly found myself grinning but didn't say anything, curious as to where this was going. “You managed to calm the rune with your own, quite impressive, magic and you pulled me out. A complete stranger, no less, and you saved me.” Where is this going?

           “I felt lucky to be saved. But to be saved by you…” I felt like I couldn't breath suddenly and forced myself to take another drink, I was on the verge of becoming drunk. I'd have to scold Astarion for giving me such a strong wine.

            “You were breathtaking.” I froze, my eyes moving back to him. The look he was giving me was wistful, his eyes alight in the glow of the warm fire.

            “I fell in love with you then.” he said and we were both silent, the fire feeling a little too warm now.

             “I've wanted to tell you for so long, Keena. But I couldn't find the words. Couldn't fight the fear of the possibility that you didn't feel the same.” I couldn't find the words to respond, he didn't seem to mind though as he continued, “I saw how you panicked when I nearly approached the Nether Brain myself, ready to sacrifice myself for the world, for you. And for a moment,” he paused, “for a moment I allowed myself to hope that you felt the same. That you loved me too. And I decided to live on the possibility that I could live for you. That hope was enough to keep me living a life that had lost meaning.” 

           “Gale.” I breathed and we locked eyes once more. With my free hand, I grabbed his, relishing the feeling of his skin against mine, something I had longed for. He looked at our hands and back at me, his eyes asking for more. I leaned in then, no longer able to control myself, and pressed my lips to his. He tasted of wine and the smoke of the fire and him. Suddenly, his arm was around my waist and he pulled me closer, deepening our kiss. It felt as though we were the only two people in faerun. After a moment, I pulled away, our foreheads pressed against each other and our breathing hard.

          “I love you too.” I whispered, not wanting to break our little bubble.

          He smiled, relief clear on his features.

          “Then all you have to do is say the words and I am yours, mind, body and soul.”

          “I'm yours.” I whispered once more and he kissed me again, deep and hungry, pouring all of his love into me.

[callsign-mongoose]

Old Fashioned Phone Numbers

Pairing: Jake Sersin x Reader (No Description or use of Y/N)

Warning: +18 MDNI, Mostly fluff, Lying? If you can call it that, Enuendos, Cowboy Jake, Let me know if I missed anything!

Word count: ~1.8k

a/n: This is my first official posted fanfic! Yayyyy! I'm so excited! I hope to be posting more in the future. Feel free to message me on my profile about ideas or characters you'd love to see. I love to write and am trying my best to branch out.

Prompt:

"Your Pretty I'll give you that." "How Gracious."

This was based on a writing prompt I found, by @creativepromptsforwriting

Summary: Bradley got fed up with Jakes cockiness and made a bet, that he couldn't get your phone number. Your just Natashas friend, but in order to help out a friend's friend with the bet, you play hard to get.

Maybe it was your track record recently of crashing and burning with dates, or just because she had asked, but Natasha had managed to get you to come with her to the bar. It wasn’t your scene but she made it sound like something interesting was going to go down with her friend group so you decided to go anyway.  

Standing by the doorway you scanned around until your eyes landed on Natasha standing by the piano. Walking over you placed a hand on her shoulder, “Hey, sorry I’m late, traffic.”

“No worries, glad you decided to come.” She tossed a glance at the man who sat at the piano who gave her an immediate nod before nodding his head away from the group. His fingers started to tickle the keys and Nat took the opportunity to drag you to the other side of the bar, hiding near the hallway to the bathroom. “We need you for something, a mission, kinda. So Rooster, my friend at the piano over there, made a bet with one of the guys in our squadron.”

You already didn’t like the sound of this. “Natasha, why do I have the gut feeling that you are going to set me up for failure?”

“No no no, it’s not you that we are setting up for failure, it’s him. Basically, Bagman was telling Coyote about the girl he bagged a couple nights ago, his ego is getting the best of him and he is under the impression he can get any girls number.” She paused and peaked around the corner scanning the crowd for a long moment to assure herself that jake wasn’t there yet. “That’s where you come in, Rooster made a bet with him that he couldn’t pick up any girl, and Hangman became so confident that he even said rooster could pick the girl. Do you get where I’m going with this?”

It dawned on you, you were bait for this cocky fly boy to fail on. “That’s why you were so intent on me joining you guys tonight? Nat I’m not sure…”

“Come on, rooster said he’d give you the $50 bucks that Hangman bet on it. He just wants to see him be put in his place. Plus you said it yourself, you need flirting practice.”

She wasn’t wrong about that. You had no experience flirting what so ever, your past experience included literally handing a guy a note and then leaving the building entirely. This would give you a controlled environment to experiment, crash and burn safely without being rejected, because this guy really was trying to get your number. “Fine. I’ll do it, only if you promise to tell him after the money is exchanged. I don’t want to look like a total asshole. I like this bar and if I keep coming back I don’t want everyone to think I’m rude.”  

Natasha nodded eagerly before rummaging through her pocket, pulling out a tube of lipstick she pulled the lid off “Perfect, now sit still.” The ruby red lipstick sat on your lips as she stepped back. “Perfect. Alright come with me.” 

Grabbing your arm Natasha dragged you back towards the bar, positioning you on the far end waving over the bartender who spoke up as she neared, “Who’s this Nat? What can I get you two?”

“Hey Penny, just one of my friends from town, we will take two beers please, just add them to my tab.”

Two cold bottles clacking on the wooden surface you bring one of them to your lips. “Thanks Nat… Let’s get this party started.”  

Nat made eye contact with Bradley across the bar and gave him a nod which seemed to put the plan in motion. Walking over to Jake who was half bent over the pool table, “Bagman”

“Yo” He stood up handing his stick to Javy as he walked towards Bradley.

“You prepared for the bet?”

“You know it, who’s the mark?”

Bradleys eyes scanned the bar until his eyes landed on you and Natasha, “Her, the one next to Natasha”.

Jake seemingly nodded and without another word started to cross the floor, his demeanor changed, no more cocky aviator on the prowl, he put on a sweet smile and cleared his throat. Jake had a tendency to rely on his Texan roots when it came to women. After all… who didn’t love a good old American cowboy.

Nat glanced at Bradley and patted your shoulder “Kaki uniform, he’s coming this way. I’ll be over with Bradley, don’t give in, and break a leg.”  

You directed your eyes down to the condensation now starting to gather on the outside of the beer bottle, wiping it idly with your thumb. The tall figure slid up next to you and leaned against the bar signaling another beer from penny.

“Well howdy t-“

“No.”

Adamantly you jumped on the opportunity to turn him down rather fast, didn’t even let him get the first sentence out. He was handsome, it wasn’t exactly a secret either. Strong jawline, confident smile, broad shoulders, and his damn uniform hugged his biceps making them look like tree trunks even if he was just flexing.

Jake took a half second to regroup tilting his head to the side looking to you with a smirk. “What’s the matter, sugar? All your exes come from Texas?”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “How long has that one been waiting to come out.”

Jake grinned seeing a final opening that he could grab a hold of. “It’s been at the top of my list, much like you are tonight.. I promise, I’m real old fashioned, love to take my time with things.”

He was quick on his feet, something you could appreciate. After a moment you rolled your eyes, “You should probably find a better list then. For the record, in my experience, Texas is just full of Cows and Shit.”  

A game. Hangman loved a good game, his goal now was just to figure out what game you were playing.

“Come on now Darlin’. Your gonna hurt my feelings.”

His lips curled into a smirk on either side, his eyes dancing around your face. Perhaps it was the game of chase, or maybe just your responses, but he was finding himself wanting more than just your number.

“Aww poor cowboy, how are you ever gonna recover from this.” You reached up and tussled his hair which he swatted your hand away from

“Hey hey the hair is off limits… unless you wanna come back to my place and I can make sure you pull it all night screaming.” He gave you a playful wink, half trying to read your reaction to see if there was any interest. 

“Mmmm well go put your cowboy hat on someone else, your buckle ain’t that shiny.”

He was drooling practically, leaning more against the bar now than his own feet. He didn’t trust them to hold him up. Penny walked over placing down the beer infront of Jake. She took a look at Jake then turned to you.

“Is this guy bothering you sweetheart?” She asked looking at you before reaching for the bell rope, it was a tease but Jake took the hint putting his hands up in defeat. He much rather give Rooster 50 bucks than buy rounds for everyone in the bar.

“I’m goin’ Penny, im goin’.”

Taking one more half playful half longing glance at you he smiled and that’s when you spoke up,

“You are pretty, I’ll give you that.”

Honestly, you were hoping to draw his interest enough to talk to you another time. Instead of another bite at the bare he gave you a tip of his imaginary hat.

“How gracious.” 

Bradley handed the $50 to you about 20 minuets later.

“The look on his face was priceless, I swear he looked like a lost puppy.” He was laughing with a couple of the others, Jake had since been over in the corner with Coyote, playing darts and licking his wounds.

You pressed your lips together in a thin line, “I think I’m gonna close out my tab and head home Nat, it was fun, thanks for inviting me.”

“No problem, thanks for the assistance.” 

As you made your way towards the door you made eye contact with a pair of dull green eyes, not as vibrant as when they had met with yours just 30 minuets earlier. Giving him a small smile you nodded towards the door, a last ditch effort to see if you could right the wrongs Rooster had made.

Walking out into the parking lot, you found a seat on the front steps. After about 5 minuets you wondered if he even wanted to talk to you again, pushing yourself up, you pulled out your keys.

“I was wondern’ if you meant me or some other guy in there.” Jake made his way down the stairs of the bar for a moment lingering on the last step. “Do you make it a habit of contuinally turning people down then trying to lure them outside?” he asked watching your facial expressions, attempting to read you like a book.

Producing the $50 from your pocket you held it out to him.

“This is yours.”

“What?”

“Rooster told me about the bet. Said if he won I could have the $50 bucks.”  

Jakes face fell, caught in the act, played by his own game.

“Oh… um, you can keep it. I don’t deserve it anyway, I still lost.”

Well here goes nothing, you took a quick breath, “No take it, you can buy me dinner with it on Friday.”

Your breathing stilled for a long moment, hopefully he got your drift. Maybe you messed it up too much to recover from. Glancing out towards the parking lot you tried to gage how far your car was, wondering if you could make it there before he noticed.

“I- dinner, Friday, this Friday.” He repeated slowly taking the $50. “That sounds like a good deal, how about the itialian restaurant down on 8th ave. They’ve got real good food and I heard their dessert is incredible… though I can think of another thing I’d arguably like more for dessert.” His wicked grin had reappeared on his face.

“Slow down cowboy, it’s just dinner.” You sighed moving forward you placed a kiss to his cheek before turning to walk to your car.  

“Wait!” Jake followed behind you grabbing your hand to turn you back towards him. “I don’t have your number. How am I supposed to contact you?”

A grin appeared on your lips. “I told the others I wouldn’t give you my number… I guess you’ll just gonna have to get creative, you said you were old fashioned right? Start there.” You winked turning on the ball of your foot to walk towards your car.

This time jake didn’t stop you, just stood there dumbfounded holding the 50 dollar bill in his hand. No way he would be spending that bill on dinner, that was gonna be saved… shit he had to go find a phone book or something.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a/n: Thank you so much to everyone who read it all the way through! Feel free to comment and like and repost! I love writing but as much as I know I do it for myself, I am (to quote a friend) "a parking ticket and need validation."

Additionally thank @sarahsmi13s and @callsignthirsty for helping me with cowboy Jake!!

[lizardperson]

what's in the cards

[on ao3]

fandom: original work rating: t cw: implied past suicide attempt mention wc: 662 prompt: #fff294 cursed trio for @flashfictionfridayofficial note: losely set after #fff292 dear daria

---

Fiona sighed, staring at the cards in front of her. These were terrible. And so very fitting.

The sound of the front door opening pulled her out of her thoughts, and she gave the new arrival a weak smile.

"Hello, my love."

Daria joined her on the couch and pulled her into her arms, pressing a kiss on her head.

"How was work?"

"The usual." Daria gave her a probing look. "Did you eat?"

Prepared for that question - their little daily ritual - Fiona nodded. "Very big sandwich, and a few of those biscuit things earlier."

"Good."

Both were quiet for a moment, Fiona again staring at the cards in front of her.

"What's wrong?" Daria asked, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind Fiona's ear.

"It's just…" She waved her off. "It's nothing."

Daria gently intertwined their fingers. "Talk to me, my dearest. Please."

Like you promised you would. The unspoken words hung in the air, and Fiona sighed. She had assured Daria that she would tell her when things got bad again, when her brain misbehaved again. And she hated it, because she didn't want to make her worry - and worry, Daria did. Every bad day immediately put her on high alert, understandably, and Fiona would rather avoid that.

"I was… trying to sort my thoughts," she started to explain, nodding at the deck of tarot cards. "And I somehow managed to pull the three worst cards. If you wanted to do an ominous movie scene and really show that the protagonist was about to have the worst time of their life, these would be the ones," she chuckled and shook her head.

"Fiona…"

"Yes, I know. They don't show the future. They're not actually talking to me." Of course she knew that. She didn't actually believe in predicting the future or anything, those were just cards. But there had been times when she was spiraling, and she hadn't been so sure about that anymore…

Daria nodded. "Okay."

"It's not an omen or anything. It just feels…" She started gnawing on her lip, unsuccessfully trying to put into words why this bothered her so badly.

Daria turned her attention to the cards and inspected them for a few moments. "Tell me about them." She pointed at the first and made a face. "I do remember this one."

"The Tower," Fiona chuckled. "The really bad one. Destruction, chaos, crumbling. Failure."

"This one also doesn't look too happy."

"Hmm. Nine of Swords. The stereotypical depression card. Guilt, overthinking." Obsessive thinking, she added in her mind. "Failure."

"And the last one?"

"Five of cups. Grief, loss, disappointment." She sighed. "Failure." It was almost laughable how well those three fit together…

They both stared at the cards in silence, then Daria started to speak again.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the Tower also about rebuilding? Rising from the ashes, so to speak?"

"If you want to be generous."

"And this one -" Daria pointed at the Five of Cups, "moving on. Leaving behind all those ugly cups."

They both chuckled.

"You're getting good at this," Fiona noted. "We'll make a tarot reader out of you after all."

"I'm good at memorizing random bits of information, that's all." Daria pointed at the Nine of Swords. "Waking up from the nightmares. And wasn't there something about nine being almost the end of the cycle…?"

Slightly impressed, Fiona nodded. "Very good." She mulled over Daria's words for a few seconds. "So, in your expert opinion, not all hope is lost yet."

"In my expert opinion… I think it's not too bad, no." Daria gently stroked Fiona's hand with her thumb. "But maybe don't hang swords on our bedroom wall."

This broke the tension, and both laughed.

"If you insist," Fiona agreed.

She looked at her wife for a few moments and couldn't help but smile, then she pulled Daria into a kiss. "Thank you," she whispered when they separated, foreheads leaned together.

---

[accioprocrastination]

One Day At A Time (Part 3/?)

Jake Seresin x Reader

A/N: More angst, ngl I was listening to Daylight by David Kushner when writing so this got away from me a bit wasn't expecting it to get this dark...

T/W: Anxiety, panic disorder, grief, PTSD, gun violence, torture, murder, prisoner of war, war crimes

Summary: Hangman's POW fiancée attempts a prison break; Javy talks Jake into doing something he doesn't want to do.

Masterlist

Jake POV -

Coyote can talk anyone into anything.

He's somehow convinced everyone to book the day after the mission off work to go to your place, not wanting his best friend to spend another one of your birthdays isolating himself.

Jake pulls up into the driveway and grabs the barbecue supplies from the back of the car before dumping them on the side in the kitchen.

"Wow, when we said let's go to Hangman's I wasn't expecting this." Rooster says entering the house with Phoenix, Bob and Fanboy in tow. All of them blatantly ignore Jake's tear-stained face and glance around in awe at the house.

"I'm not being funny but how on earth have you financed this?" Phoenix questions making Jake laugh. He cannot express the relief that her teasing makes him feel after a morning full of unease.

"Phoenix you cannot ask that!" Rooster gasps giving her a horrified look.

"This place was unbelievably gross when we bought it, It literally makes my skin crawl thinking about our first viewing... It was up for sale so cheap I knew there must've been a reason, other than it being close to base." Jake smiles, "there's no way in hell I would've bought this without Y/N walking around declaring what we should do to it." He elaborates, not having the vision to have done any of the renovation alone.

"Jesus he has a pool!" Fanboy shouts from the other side of the room as the others rush to the window to scrutinise outside. When everyone arrives Jake gives them a quick tour around the house to avoid anyone snooping without his knowledge.

He leaves Bradley to man the barbecue and heads inside to grab a beer. In doing so he watches Phoenix and Bob verbally dissect the photographs on the mantle.

"God she was gorgeous." Phoenix points out to no one in particular, tone sounding impressed that Jake managed to land you.

"She really was." Jake sighs looking at the photo of you at your backseaters wedding, grinning ear to ear at whatever he was saying to you.

God I miss you

"How did you two meet?" Bob queries, stopping Jake before he can spiral into his thoughts.

"Flight school... I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking, she literally knocked me clean off my feet day one. We started arguing and I just thought shit this is the girl version of me." He smirks as he answers.

"God I can't imagine there being two of you out in the world. How would we cope?" Payback winks, making Jake roll his eyes in response.

"Do you usually celebrate her birthday?" Bob asks not really knowing who Hangman is as a person outside of work.

Jake instantly shakes his head. "No she fucking hates -" he starts to answer swiftly cutting himself off. He ignores the bolt of heartache that threatens to shatter him as he realises he needs to correct himself, "-hated her birthday... She never wanted to celebrate it so we always just did something together without anyone else. I don't know why Javy's arranged this." Jake lies not completely oblivious to Coyote's attempt to force him to find closure.

He can't even argue that it's misguided. It's been years and he still needs to correct himself to past tense when talking about you.

Every time he comes home he half expects you to walk through the door after him.

Jake would never say it aloud but every time he comes home, he feels like he's waiting. Permanently waiting for you to get home too.

"You miss her a lot?" Bob continues trying to get a read on him.

Jake nods. "Every single day. She's my first thought when I wake up in the morning, and the last one before I go to sleep."

"Still?" Javy's worried disbelief comes from the doorway.

"Yeah." Jake's lip quivers slightly as he continues to stare at the photograph in Phoenix's hands.

I thought that this would get easier as time goes on - everyone says that - but every day I miss her more than yesterday.

Jake tears his eyes away from your photo and necks the rest of his beer in silence. All he can think about is how he'd give anything to not feel like this anymore.

Unable to shake the torment, Hangman slips out of the living room and heads back outside to argue with Bradshaw.

*

Reader POV -

You're shoved forward by a warden, collapsing onto your knees in the threshold of an outbuilding you've never been in before. Tears well in your eyes from the sheer force that your knees hit the concrete. The tears don't have a chance to fall, as the man hoists you upright forcing you inside.

Anxiety surges in your chest as you look up. You're greeted by blood splattered walls that instantly confirm your thoughts about this building.

This is where they kill people who are no longer useful to them.

You look over at Ghost hoping he will give you a look to convey that he has some form of grand plan for leaving this place. His golden skin looks ashy with sickness, sweat beads on his forehead, and his face is contorted in trepidation.

He doesn't have a plan. Neither of you have a plan.

It feels like someone has sat on your chest with how rapidly short your breathing is becoming, your apprehension is blossoming with every passing second spent in this building.

I do not want to die here.

You silently beg your backseater to look at you, as if meeting his gaze will prompt you to have some form of epiphany. His shoulders are hunched, eyes glued to the floor inaudibly accepting his fate.

He's been trying to convince you that you'll get out every day since you got here, you've told yourself every day that's not possible. Seeing him resigned to this reality sends adrenaline pounding through your body, you're not dying here at least not without a fight.

As the herding stops, you scour the room as best you can without moving, eyes flickering between all of the red covered rooms as you search for anything at all that you might be able to grab to attack the wardens with.

Fuck, this is hopeless.

We're as good as dead.

The rooms are almost completely empty.

There is nothing, not one single thing, here that we can use as a weapon, you realise.

Your thoughts of giving up are abruptly halted the millisecond after they form, as you watch the warden on your left shift his right arm towards a gun strapped to his waist. He's the prick who pushed you.

Somehow through the endless cries of the people around you, you hear the unmistakeable sound of gun safetys being removed. The fallacy that you've created of this place having some vague sense of security or solidarity among prisoners is shattered when the first round of gunfire begins.

You feel your stomach start to churn as people try to shield behind others. The sequential bout of nausea that washes over you is unignorable.

Your whole body traitorously reacts to the commotion, your rigid tension melting away to a whole body tremor. You've never been in the situation where you feel your knees shake with genuine well-placed terror before.

You've got to pull your shit together y/n. You mentally slap yourself trying to fight your inner anxiety away, needing to think rationally to decide your next move.

Without debating the consequences, you shove the warden next to you into the wall behind him with all the strength you can muster. He's thrown off guard, obviously not expecting any resistance. After his minute stumble allows you to take his weapon, he straightens up hand instantly moving to become a vice on your arm. He twists your arm in an attempt to throw you off balance. You do not shift even an inch, feet firmly planted on the ground. You're so deep in your fight or flight response that you barely even feel the motion that you expected to floor you.

The wardens are so focused on obliterating prisoners that they don't recognise the screams of their own as out of the ordinary, so you continue resisting.

When all of the wardens are down, you allow yourself to properly glance around the prisoners in the room.

Everyone looks broken beyond repair, most of them are bleeding.

Even if you got everyone out, you're not sure who among you is strong enough to live with this.

Ghost looks like a shell of himself

Ignoring that thought, you turn your attention to him, "I want to go home" you state croakily, arms still shaking as you lower the gun.

"There's no way out of here." Ghost reiterates, agitation plaguing his voice. It took the two of you, four days of recon to figure that escape was not at all possible from where they keep normal prisoners.

"Listen to your boyfriend Miss America." One of the wardens chuckles from his place on the floor, momentarily pulling your focus to watch him hold pressure on the bullet wound on his leg.

"Then we die trying." You instruct your back seater, before opening up your invite to everyone else.

A frail looking man that you bumped into earlier, shoves a boy in your direction quickly saying something to him in a language you don't understand.

There are kids here? A shudder runs through your body at the thought of children being exposed to this. No one should be exposed to this, especially not little kids.

The man turns to face you, opening his mouth to say something when a bullet rings out. You grab the kid shielding his eyes before he can see his potential father figure drop to the floor.

A warden sniggers from the floor as you stand glued to the spot in horror and disbelief that anyone would be that insanely cruel.

"Go." Someone chokes out, moving to shield you.

*************************************************************

Part 2 for those who missed it

Part 4

A/N: I promise I'll listen to something happier and write some fluff soon

[alessiathepirate]

Assassin's Creed: Mirage

MORNING SWIM: Basim Ibn Ishaq x fem!reader

Summary: Spending some time together in the morning as they swim in the lake is something they really like to do...

Notes: English isn't my first language. I apologize for any mistake I may have made while I wrote this short story.

Warnings: none

•••

The lake in Alamut was warm enough for a morning swim and they happily took advantage of it - every single day.

The first jump into the water wasn't the most enjoyable thing in the world, but after the first few moments it felt just right. Especially when Basim was there to keep her company. Right after she swam to the surface he was in front of her to splash her with water, not even giving her enough time to get ready for a fight.

Not like it mattered. She always won - he let her win everytime.

"Got you!" she laughed as she grabbed Basim from behind, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist - they almost sank, but Basim reacted just in time to kick his feet so they managed to stay on the surface.

"You always catch me, jamila." he chuckled at her happiness.

"Because you always let me." she kissed his neck and then his shoulder. "You can put up a fight, you know."

"I like to watch you win. You are really happy when you do."

She really was.

Her lips curled upwards into a wide smile and even through the drops of water running down her face he could still see the faint blush on her cheeks. She was beautiful like that - breathtaking as always, not caring about anything at all and not wanting to impress anybody. Basim loved that about her.

She giggled and hid her face in the crook of his neck.

"I think you read too much poetry, love." she mumured and pressed one last kiss to his cheek, then let go of him and swam towards the shore. "But that's what I love about you the most."

"Really?" Basim asked with a smile and swam towards her, catching her ankle mid-kick - he pulled her towards himself and chuckled when she let out a quiet scream. "What else?"

She wrapped her legs around his waist again and her arms, this time, around his neck. She smiled as she looked him in the eyes, taking in his beauty, his wet hair and his happy eyes.

"Everything." she whispered and one of her hands found his hair and she started to play with a lock of it. "Your eyes, your smile, your jokes. How easy it is for you to get in trouble." they both laughed. "How happy you are here, because you are free."

Basim leaned in and kissed her on the lips and she let out a surprised whimper. But soon enough she relaxed and let him kiss her, her mouth moving with his.

Basim was a great kisser - an amazing one. No matter what he did, how angry she was at him, a kiss was all he had to do to make her forget about it. Or make her forget her own name.

"I love you, jiya." he whispered after they pulled apart.

"I love you too." she smiled, but then it turned into something else - something more serious. "Thank you for bringing me here - with you."

She still remembered what he said to Roshan, no matter how scared he was. 'I won't go without her' so she had no chance, but to let him bring her along. She had a feeling that Roshan didn't regret it at all - she liked to train her and she liked to talk to her. She also told her to look after Basim when they walked further away from Alamut.

'I won't go without her' - her heartbeat still sped up at the memory.

"You have nothing to say thank you for. I wouldn't have come without you."

"I know. I know." she put her forehead against his as comfort. "I'm happy we're here. Together."

They were happy. They really were.

They trained together and laughed at the other when something wasn't done right. They kept eachother tamed.

And most importantly they were free.

"But as much as I like to swim here with you, we should get going or we'll be late."

"Let's lie down first, no? So we'll dry off before going."

She chuckled at his words.

"All right, ten more minutes."

Basim smiled and she touched his cheek with her hands. The stubble he started to grow stang her fingertips. She should help him shave someday - or maybe not, she found his stubble attractive.

"Ten more minutes..."

And suddenly she was pushed under the water - and all she heard was Basim's laugh.

[willalove75]

New Girl on the Pitch Pt. 5

Pairing: Rebecca Welton x f!reader

Summary: Your friend Keeley brings you in as the team's social media manager, Rebecca is impressed, in more ways than one.

Words:

Warnings: 18+ minors DNI

Tags: flirty, fluff, slow burn, smut

Notes: Part 5!

The next few weeks fly by, you and Rebecca do a pretty decent job at hiding your newly blooming relationship, minus the increasing suspicion from Keeley. Jamie was transferred back to Man City, you were surprised when you were disappointed when you heard the news. You had asked Rebecca about what happened but she just said it was contract stuff and didn't go into it and you didn't pry any further.

It puzzles you, but also in a way fascinated you how different Rebecca is at the office than when she's alone with you, she's almost like two different people. At work she seems more cold, she has more walls up, she's more closed off; when she's alone with you, the coldness melts away and her walls fall down and she lets you in. It's obvious that she only lets a very select few people see that side of her and you're grateful to be one of them, because that Rebecca is amazing.

The office is buzzing with its usual Monday morning energy as you make your way to your desk. You sit down and start making preparations for the day, making your to-do list, checking your emails and seeing what came in over the weekend, reading clients feedback, the usual.

A message pops up as you're working and you see it's from Rebecca.

Meet me in my office, I need to speak with you.

The formality of the message sends your stomach into a twist, although you know she's doing that because you're at work and she's trying to keep it professional. In a second you're up and out of your seat, you grab your notebook to save face in case anyone stops and talks to you and you make your way to Rebecca's office.

In Rebecca's office Keeley walks in, Rebecca is happy to see her and quickly realizes that she's pissed. Keeley shows Rebecca her phone with the pictures of her and Ted from the paparazzi's camera and tells Rebecca she knows that she's the one who set it up. Taken by surprise, Rebecca doesn't know how to respond and Keeley gives her an ultimatum: tell Ted, or she will.

Right before you reach the stairs to her office you see Keeley walking down them.

"Hey Keels!" You say.

"Hey." She says, as she walks past you, her tone is short and unhappy.

"Well that was weird." You think to yourself.

In her office Rebecca is seated at her desk, staring off into the distance, a concerned look painted across her face.

"Hey," You say as you walk in.

She snaps out of her trance and looks up, her face lights up a little when she sees you.

"Hey, come on in, close the door."

Rebecca stands up and walks towards you as you close the door, she meets you halfway across her office and wraps her arms around you and pulls you close to her.

"Are you okay?" You ask, looking up at her. "You look worried."

"No I'm okay," She looks down into your eyes.

You put your hand on her cheek and pull her lips into yours. Rebecca's body relaxes against yours as you kiss her, her tongue slipping into your mouth. A small moan erupts from the back of your throat and you feel Rebecca smile as she kisses you. Your lips part and you stare into her gorgeous green eyes.

"What's wrong? Something is bothering you, I can tell."

"It's nothing," she shakes her head "nothing important."

"Are you and Keeley in a fight? I saw her storming away when I was heading here, she barely said hi to me."

"Um, yeah, kind of, but it's okay."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

She shakes her head, you think you see guilt in her eyes. "No, thank you though love. It's something- something I just have to take care of myself."

"Okay, well if you need my help, I'm here for you baby."

"I adore you, so much." She says, looking deeply into your eyes and pulling you in for another kiss.

The kiss is interrupted by a knock at the door and you both quickly part, you quickly open up your notebook in your hand to a random page and pretend to show Rebecca something.

She exhales in relief. "Come in." She says, looking down at your notebook.

Ted walks into her office with his usual big smile.

"Mornin' boss! Y/n!"

"Good morning Ted." Rebecca says.

"Morning!" You say.

"Whatcha two workin' on this early in the morning?"

"Oh nothing, just a few campaign ideas for the final match of the season." You quickly reply, closing your notebook. Rebecca body tenses and you look up at her, her eyes glued to Ted. Something is going on with her and you have no idea what it is.

Ted gives Rebecca her morning biscuits, you three chat for a bit and he heads down towards his office. Rebecca relaxes as he leaves and goes to sit at her desk, you follow and sit in the chair across from her.

"You're being really weird. What's going on?"

"It's a long story, I'm fine, I promise."

Her eyes meet yours and you know she's hiding something, you want to help her, but you don't want to push too much so you let it go for now.

Rebecca is flooded with guilt as she looks into your eyes. How can she tell you everything she's done without you thinking she's a monster? She's anxious to talk to Ted about setting up the paparazzi and everything else, but the more she thinks about it, the more she realized how terrified she is to tell you. Her heart swells when she looks at you and she can't bare to make you look at her differently, or worse, hurt you.

There's such a big part of you that wants to pry whatever is bothering Rebecca out of her, but you don't want to push the issue too much. Rebecca goes into a meeting and you get back to work.

Back in your office you continue working as usual, the day goes by rather quickly and before you know it, it's time to head home. You head up to Rebecca's office and you find her at her desk resting her chin on her hand, staring off into the distance again.

"Hey." You say softly.

"Oh, hey, sorry I didn't realize you were there."

You walk into her office and sit across from her, you take her hand into yours.

"I don't know what's bothering you, or if something happened, but I want you to know, whatever it is, I'm here for you, okay?" You say, looking into her eyes. "You don't have to tell me what's going on if you don't want to, but I hope you know you can always talk to me, about anything. Whatever is bothering you, you don't have to deal with it alone."

Rebecca's eyes begin to gloss over, she stares into your eyes for a moment, wondering how she got so lucky to have found someone who cares so deeply about her. She goes to speak and suddenly looks over to the door and pulls her hand back. You turn around and see Higgins climbing the final step towards her office.

"Rebecca, y/n," He says.

"Leslie."

"Hey Higgins!" You say with a smile.

"I am about to head home for the day, is there anything else you need?"

"Actually yes," Rebecca says and you see his face drop. "I need you to review these statistics." She hands him a large stack of paper.

Unhappy, but trying his best to hide it, he nods and walks out with the papers.

"That can't wait until tomorrow?" You quietly ask.

"Nope." She says matter-of-factly, even though you're pretty sure she's lying.

"Why do you have it out for him so badly? What the hell did he do?"

Rebecca's eyes shift to you, an intensity in her stare grows as she looks at you.

"Alright, you don't have to tell me, I was just asking."

"Come to dinner with me tonight."

"Like on a date?"

"Exactly like a date."

"I would love to." You say with a smile.

Rebecca has her driver bring you straight to the restaurant from the office. The waiter seats you both and hands you menus. You both order and talk and laugh all night. Whatever was bothering her in the office seems to have faded because she's finally relaxed, smiling and laughing.

After dinner her driver picks you both up and she pulls you into her and gently kisses you in the back of the car.

"Stay with me tonight."

"I would love to, but I don't have anything with me."

"We'll stop at your flat, I'll help you pack a bag and then we'll go back to my house."

You gently brush your lips against hers. "Perfect." The world disappears when you kiss her again, everything about her makes you feel so relaxed, you can sit here with her forever.

The driver reaches your flat, you and Rebecca go inside and you throw a few things into a bag and before you know it, you're at her house.

Excited for the potential of a romantic evening, you go into the bathroom to freshen up and to pee. You realize you got your period and you groan, guess the romantic evening is going to be postponed for a bit. You get yourself situated and pull on the sweatshirt and sweatpants you brought with you and curl up next to her in bed.

"I got my fucking period." You say, disappointed.

"Oh no! Are you okay? Do you need anything?" She asks, concerned.

"No I'm fine, just disappointed."

Rebecca wraps her arms around you and kisses you on the head.

"That's okay, there's always next time." She lifts your chin and looks into your eyes for a moment before kissing you.

The rest of the night is filled with ice cream, cuddles, kisses and lots of laughter.

The two of you get ready to go to sleep and you crawl under the duvet on her king sized bed. You snuggle into her and she gently kisses you, stroking your hair with her fingers. The weight of your eyelids grows heavy and you look into her eyes once more.

"You're amazing Rebecca, I'm so lucky to have you." You nuzzle into her neck and she holds you tight.

"I'm the lucky one, love. Goodnight baby."

"Goodnight love."

The both of you drift off into a peaceful sleep in each others arms.

Your alarm wakes you up in the morning and you find yourself still tucked into Rebecca, her arms still wrapped around you, exactly how you both fell asleep. She shifts above you and you feel a kiss on the top of your head, you respond with a soft kiss on her neck. She hums as your lips make contact with her skin and she guides your face up towards hers. The sleep hasn't totally left her eyes as she lazily looks at you, she kisses you and your hand rests on her cheek.

"Good morning." She says.

"Good morning."

She holds you tightly before you both reluctantly get out of bed. Once you get dressed you meet Rebecca in the kitchen, the house smells delicious. You find her in front of the stove making breakfast.

"What is this?" You ask playfully.

"What? It would be rude of me to invite you to stay the night and not make you breakfast the next morning. Plus, I can't have my beautiful girlfriend go to work hungry now can I?"

"Your girlfriend?" You say happily surprised. Rebecca smiles at you and you walk over to her and kiss her. "I love the way that sounds."

Much to your surprise, Rebecca is a wonderful cook and you both enjoy the breakfast she cooked. Once you're both ready her driver brings you to Richmond.

"Wait, let me out the block before." You say as the car gets closer to the office.

"Why on earth would I do that?"

"Don't you think people are going to find it odd that we left together, and then showed up the next morning also together?"

You see the realization cross her face.

"Oh shit."

You compromise and you get out of the car before they pull into the carpark. You see Rebecca a little bit ahead of you down the hallway making her way to her office. Before she heads up the stairs you make eye contact with her and she shoots you a little wink and goes up the stairs.

For once you don't have any meetings so you're at your desk all day, finally able to dedicate more than just a couple of hours to your current project. You think back to yesterday and how worried Rebecca was, but by this morning her worries seem to have faded. It was peculiar, but you don't want to pry too much, it's too early in the relationship for you to be as nosey as you would like to be.

You text Rebecca to see if she wants to get lunch. A few minutes back you get a reply

Sorry love, can't today.

Unable to deny your disappointment you frown at her text, but you get over it quickly and get on with your day. Lunch comes and goes and you're back at your desk chugging along. The quiet of your office is a little unsettling so you pop in your headphones and bop your head to the music as you work.

The music drowns out the silence, and the rowdiness of the boys when they walk down the hallway. You see something shift out of the corner of your eye and you look up and see Rebecca with her knuckle on the door, as if she tried to knock to get your attention.

"Oh shit sorry," you say pulling out your headphones. "I didn't hear you knock." Tossing your headphones into your desk drawer, you look up and dried tears on Rebecca's cheeks. "Oh my god what happened? Are you okay?" You stand up and walk towards Rebecca who closes the door behind her. "Baby," you say concerned, holding her face in your hands. "What happened?"

Rebecca breaks eye contact and looks away and closes her eyes. When she opens them they meet yours and she begins to tear up.

"I have to tell you something." She says quietly.

Your stomach plummets straight down and you remove your hands from her face. What does she have to tell me? Is she already over me? Did I do something wrong? Your anxiety skyrockets as your brain is flooded with all of the possibilities of what she's about to say.

Tears fall from Rebecca's eyes and she quickly tries to wipe them away.

"You deserve so much better than me." She says, unable to look in your eyes.

The feeling of your heart beginning to break makes you feel like the air was stolen from your lungs, leaving you unable to speak. This is it. She's ending it with you.

She looks back into your glossy eyes, every second of silence is killing you.

"Y/n, I'm so sorry, I'm a horrible person."

"What are you talking about?"

More tears fall down her cheeks and yours dance on the edge of your waterlines, threatening to fall.

"I lied. You to, to Ted, to everyone. The paparazzi picture of Ted and Keeley? I set that up. Jamie getting transferred was my doing, I hired Ted because I wanted him to fail, because I wanted this club to fail."

Her confession hits you like a train, did she hire you because she wanted you to fail too? The tears dance over the edge and begin to fall down your cheeks.

"What, Rebecca, why, why would you do that?"

"Because this club was the only thing Rupert ever cared about and I wanted to destroy it, I wanted to hurt him, the same way he hurt me and I didn't care who I hurt along the way. Keeley and Roy found out I organized the photo and she told me I had to tell Ted and I knew I had to tell you too. Even though I'm so scared you're going to tell me to go fuck myself and never speak to me again. I needed to tell you the truth."

"Baby," you softly say. She looks up into your eyes and all you see is pain and fear, it breaks your heart to see her so wounded.

Rebecca begins to break down again and puts her face in her hands, you hold onto her arms and comfort her.

"I'm not going to do that, I care way too much about you to let you go. Did you hire me because you wanted me to fail?"

She pulls her hands down and looks at you.

"I did it as a favor for Keeley, but my plan was to sabotage the campaigns, but I could never bring myself to do it. There was something about you, I don't know what it was, but I just couldn't do that to you." She shakes her head and cries more, you get the feeling there's something else.

"Well, thank you for telling me love. I know this probably wasn't easy to do." Rebecca's tears don't slow, making you wonder if there was something else eating at her. "Rebecca, baby, talk to me. What's wrong?"

"He came into my office today, and he told me that he and Bex, they're, they're having a fucking baby." The pain you feel from seeing her so hurt is almost unbearable, you wrap your arms around her and pull her into you and she cries into you shoulder. "He always said he never, and now he's, and now it's too late for me." She breaks down in your arms.

Tears flow down your cheeks as you hold her, you cradle the back of her head in your hand and tighten your grip around her. She's mourning the loss of a family she always wanted but never got, you have absolutely no idea what to do or how to help. The only thing you can do is cradle her in your arms and try and make her feel as safe as possible with you.

Her breaths begin to slow and she begins to pull herself together. She picks her head up off of your shoulder and you look into her eyes, mascara smudged under her eyes, you bring your hand to her cheek and wipe some of it away with your thumb.

"I am so sorry." You say, caressing her cheek. "He's a horrible fucking person, I am so happy you're not with him anymore baby, you deserve so much better, so much more than him. You deserve someone who loves you, who cares about you more than anything else in the world." The next words you speak fall out of your mouth faster than you are able to process what you're saying. "Listen, I know this is still new, you and I, but I really, really care about you. If we keep going, if I fall for you as hard as I think I'm going to, I would give anything to start a family with you." As your mind catches up with your mouth you freeze, terrified that you just massively overstepped and just shoved your foot down your throat.

Your heart leaps into your throat as you look into her eyes, the anticipation of her response lingering in the air.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"You would?" She asks with desperation in her eyes.

"Yes, absolutely. I know this is going to sound insane, but I'm starting to fall in love with you. You have my whole heart Rebecca, more than anyone else has in my life."

Stray tears fall down her cheeks and she pulls you in and kisses you. Wrapping your arms around her neck you kiss her back, never wanting to let go. When your lips finally part Rebecca looks into your eyes.

"It's not insane, because I'm falling in love with you too y/n."

Her words take your breath away, you never expected her to fall for you so fast, you gaze into her eyes and passionately kiss her.

The final match of the season is finally here, Richmond vs. Man City. With the social media posts promoting the game queued up, you head to the game with Rebecca and the team.

Sitting with Rebecca and Keeley, Keeley admits that she's never really cared about football, but tonight, she says she cares very much, as she's eyeing Roy. Rebecca mentions that she forgot how stressful the game is when you actually give a shit and she looks over at you and smiles. Keeley gives the two of you a look and the both of you look straight ahead, avoiding her gaze. Higgins and his whole family shows up and you get to meet his wife and five sons.

The game begins and you feel Rebecca gently squeeze your hand for comfort, you can tell she's nervous, if Richmond loses, they get relegated.

Halftime rolls around and the score is 0-0. A penalty is called against Richmond, Manchester City takes the penalty and scores. The crowd groans and Ted puts in Roy Kent, a surprise to the crowd, and to both you and Rebecca. Jamie gets the ball and sprints towards Richmond's goal and Roy is able to catch up and slide tackle him. The crowd goes wild but quickly quiets when Roy doesn't get up. As you watch to see if he can get up the crowd begins to serenade him. "He's here, he's there, he's every-fucking-where, Roy Kent! Roy Kent!" A smile crosses your face as the crowd sings until he gets up and walks off the pitch and into the building. Keeley gets up and heads inside, you presume to go find him. Rebecca looks up at you and warmly smiles, you rest you head on her shoulder and she rests her head on yours.

The game continues and you hear thousands of phones going off at once, Palace won their game 6-0, all Richmond needs it a tie to stay in the premiere league. A foul is called on Manchester and Richmond gets the ball, the boys line up like an American football team does before a field goal kick and it confuses the shit out of everyone, including Manchester City. Zoreaux kicks the ball to Sam who kicks it across to Danny, Danny launches the ball into the net and scores, tying the game 1-1.

The crowd goes wild, you and Rebecca jump up and she wraps her arms around you and picks you up and spins you around. You laugh and gaze into her eyes, both of you getting lost for a moment.

You're brought back to the game when you hear the uneasiness of the crowd. Jamie has the ball and is weaving through the Richmond players, sprinting towards the goal. He looks like he's about to score but he passes the ball to his teammate who sinks it into the net with just seconds left in the game.

Disappointment fills the crowd, Richmond is officially out of the premiere league. You turn towards Rebecca, her hands over her face, peeking through her fingers; you see the tears welling up in her eyes. She looks down at you and you wrap your arms around her neck and hold her tight, she wraps her arms around you and you stand there and hold her, trying to comfort her.

As the stadium empties you and Rebecca leave hand-in-hand. She leads you to the car and you both head back to her house. Once you both get inside and change into pajamas you lay in her bed and cuddle. The disappointment is radiating off of her, you know she feels guilty, like this is her fault.

"Hey," you say as you look up at her. "It's okay, we'll get back into the premiere league, it'll be okay."

She looks into your eyes and you see the sadness.

"I feel like this is all my fault. If I wasn't so angry, if I wasn't so stupid-"

"Don't do that to yourself. What happened happened, we can't change what happened in the past. But we can learn from it and do better, and that's exactly what we're gonna do. You and I are going to relax and enjoy the off season and when August comes, we're gonna hit the ground running and kick some ass. Okay baby?"

Rebecca looks into your eyes and studies them for a moment.

"I love you y/n."

"I love you Rebecca."

She leans down and kisses you, your hand rests on her cheek and you pull her close. You're excited for the off-season, you and Rebecca will finally have time to relax and be together; you know by the time next season starts everyone is going to be putting in 110%. It's your goal to make the next few months as relaxing as possible for Rebecca, help her de-stress from the relegation and get her ready to come back and kick some ass.