#Friday? had friends over to watch Crimson peak

[the-martyrfication-of-the-matron]

Guys I have time off of studies and I would have a whole Slew of art done by now, if not for the fact I’m being shoved into social events like crazy

[zombiewhor3]

FRICTION

fem reader x eddie munson & steve harrington

WARNINGS: reader is 18, arm riding, bicep riding, no body type is mentioned except for the OCS, multiple orgasms, three some, polyamory relationship, mention orf affairs? Implications of sex, oral sex (fem receiving) clit play, mutual masturbation, male and female masturbation, praising kink, fluid eating (cum only), overstimulation! MINORS DNI!!

: this is being reposted on this acc from my old one, so i promise you i am not stealing someones work i just want more of my stranger things one-shots uploaded onto this tumblr account

Y/n had been having a two way affair with Steve and Eddie it started a few months ago in Eddie's trailer when y/n couldn't decide which one she wanted so she let both of them have her.

She was best friends with both of them so it was a plus because whenever they hung out it wasn't all about sex.

Steve and Eddie never did anything to each other they only do stuff to her, which she didn't mind what so ever.

She loved the idea of being surprised with new games or new ways to pleasure her.

Some days Eddie would use his hand cuffs or Steve would use his clothes to tie her up instead.

It was like a roller coaster for her, the eagerness of Friday nights always made her jittery with excited because these were the nights they planned as their "meeting nights" even though they practically hung out everyday.

-

Currently she was sitting in Steve's room working on part of her math homework,

she looked up to see Steve and Eddie lifting weights to each other she could feel her self blush shaking it off so she could focus back on her homework.

Steve and Eddie shared a passion for working out they loved it but not as much as y/n loved watching them work out. They were both shirtless speaking to each other as they stood in front of Steve's mirror,

y/n was biting her lip her pencil was at the edge of her mouth watching both of their toned chests start to drip with sweat both of their arms moving in an upward direction she was practically drooling over the sight of it.

Eddie could see this slightly from the corner of his eye and partially in the mirror, he smirked slightly acting like he didn't notice her gaze on them.

He liked the fact the fact that both boys had control of y/n they liked being able to tease her and surprise her because they knew she loved the feeling of it.

Eddie turned around facing y/n who tried to look away rapidly her eyes glancing down to her paper before trying to get a peak of Eddie,

his v line was exposed where he had a tattoo for his band his abs were visible to they were perfectly formed onto his body making y/n froth at the mouth

now she couldn't really focus on her homework without snagging a glance at him every two seconds.

Steve turned around also catching onto Eddie's idea he smirked at y/n who's face was turning a crimson red she was trying to act like she was writing something down

but her hand was shaking to much knowing both of the boys were staring at her

she looked up at them biting her lip as her eyes wandered their body and up to their biceps she loved their arms something about them was hot really hot to her.

She watched both boys set the weights down looking over at Eddie who sat in the chair at Steve's desk lighting a cigarette puffing out the smoke from in between his lips.

his forehead had sweat dripping from it,

he spread his legs gesturing for y/n to come to him she nodded eagerly tossing her homework aside going to him as he placed her in his lap staring into her eyes.

"You like these?" He asked gesturing to his arms feeling y/n squeeze one causing him to smile watching her nibble at her lip at the sight of his biceps,

"wanna try something new?" He whispered to her watching the girl tilt her head but agreeing, Eddie passed his cigarette to Steve. Eddie was flexing his arm,

"hop on" he told y/n who lifted up her skirt her clothed pussy skimming Eddie's muscle as he flexed keeping in that position for her to ride it.

"Ride it princess you know you want to" Eddie told her feeling her glide her self back and forth on him moaning a the friction she increased her pace with how good it felt,

"Oh god!" She whined loudly clenching her eyes feeling the tension against her clothed clit she wanted more it so she stopped

as Eddie helped her remove her panties tossing them aside his hands pulled down her skirt to her ankles her feet kicked it off before returning to rubbing and forth on his arm.

His muscles was causing a needy friction against her bare clit causing her to moan aloud moving even faster

her her hips rocked back and forth moaning softly each time her clit skimmed part of bicep

Steve watched standing in front of the two he liked the sight of her half bare torso humping as she moaned aloud.

Eddie had his dick in his hands pumping it with his other hand groaning softly feeling his dick twitch knowing he was close already

Steve could feel the bulge in his pants grow he sat on her bed palming himself softly just to tease him self a little before it was her turn to ride him.

Eddie was looking at y/n who's eyes were clenched shut her legs were shaking as she started to slow down

"no no don't stop keep going I want you to cum all over my arm"

Y/n increased her speed feeling the knot in her stomach tighten and then release itself against Eddie's bicep she whimpered in pleasure loudly,

Eddie came at the same exact time shooting ribbons of his cum onto part of her body moaning loudly.

"you liked that didn't you princess" Eddie said helping her down watching her rapidly nodding her head he grabbed the towel on the desk next to him wiping the white ribbons of cum off of him and her.

He set her in his lap pointing at Steve who was rubbing his crotch softly to relive some sort of pressure his bulge had,

"you think you can give one more orgasm for Steve sweetie" Eddie said bouncing his knee with her on it causing her to whine feeling the vibration against her throbbing clit

"Yes sir" she replied feeling eddie stand up swapping spots with Steve, y/n gave him a soft kiss before climbing up on his bicep,

Steve did the same thing as Eddie he started to pump his cock in his hand heading y/n whimper even louder now that she was sensitive from riding Eddie earlier

She screamed loudly feeling her climax come already so close to her she started to go faster and faster feeling the inner part of her legs go numb while her clit was being pleasured,

Steve pumped his hand faster up and down his own eyes shutting along with hers.

"Cum!" Y/n gasped aloud at Steve who was already just seconds away from his orgasm, "

come on his bicep" Eddie said panting from the other side of the room as he was pumping his own cock in his hands.

Y/n came her juices spilling onto Steve's skin as his dick shot with cum covering his chest

Steve cleaned him self up setting the sensitive y/n on the bed her clit was aching already she was still bare laying back on Steve's sheets as the two boys stood infront of her,

"that was such a good girl someone deserves another orgasm" Eddie said reaching his face in between her legs

his tongue was swiping against her clit feeling y/n practically jump up tugging at Eddie's hair she was whining really loud as Steve stood behind them watching,

Eddie's tongue flicked faster and faster until y/n was yelping for her release which Steve granted her as Eddie felt her juices spill out onto his lips but he still didn't stop he continued flicking his tongue up and down hoping for her to cum again,

her thighs clenched around his face harshly feeling his tongue continue flicking its way up and down over and over

until she finally came on his face one more her hips were bucked into the air her legs shaking so much

y/n watched as he licked his lips clean moving out of the way so Steve could get a taste.

Y/n was enjoying it but she was so sensitive right now it would only take a little bit of movement from Steve's tongue to make her cum

Steve's tongue started to lick a stripe up her pussy and when it reached her clit she was whimpering feeling his tongue swirl on her clit sucking and nibbling slighty at the sore area.

Eddie clasped one of y/n's hand feeling her nails dig into his skin while her other hand gripped on tightly to Steve's hair she was about to cry but she was enjoying it.

"I cant! It's to much" she yelped feeling her back arch back and down from the bed feeling Steve's hands holding her in place while he increased his pace.

"Do you want him to stop?" Eddie asked her watching her whine out loudly,

"No!" Y/n replied bucking her hips the air she could feel another orgasm coming

“oh god it's to much! It's to much" she whimpered louder until the overstimulation was to much and she tipped over the edge coming so hard she felt her eyes roll into the back of her head,

as her head tossed itself back into Steve's pillows her body shaking so hard and so fast.

Steve pulled away from her patting her stomach watching her pant rapidly shushing her that it was okay

"you were so good princess" he cooed to her helping her slip on her underwear and one of his shirts.

Eddie was rubbing her hand and kissed it softly "that was such a good slut y/n you tasted so good" he teased at her in her ear watching a smile grow on her face

as they got dressed settling into the bed with her.

[the-radio-demon-blog]

Hmm. I'm glad my Krampus experience was better than yours then then.

Oh yes, I'm sure I'd get along well with Husk and Angel Dust. I'll have to share photos of my little Christmas village during the holidays. Hah...I remember I had a dream once that Angel and I were just watching dumb tik toks and giggling like mad...and he kept calling me Shortcake. Now I want someone to call me that irl. 😅

I'm not typically one for parties. I either stick like glue to one or two people I know...or if there's any kind of pet, I will disappear to hang out with it. I found goats and chickens at a cousin's outdoor wedding once. After dinner, no one saw me again. 😂 That being said, Charlie's costume party actually sounds fun! Maybe I could crash it for a bit this year. Idk if you're aware, but Florida absolutely contains portals to hell, which is why I'm able to pop in from time to time. I suppose because I'm super *not* dead, I just sort of get...popped back home after a bit. Lol. I love dressing up. My last Halloween costume, I was Beetlejuice. Wore a black and white striped dress, my friend did my makeup and we spray painted my hair green. 😁

A lottery! Intriguing. Maybe a bit alarming for us over worlders. Hah. Though, things are pretty bad up here. We'd probably barely notice any chaos a demon visitor would cause! Hah!

I'm very curious, what do you think you would do up here if you won this lottery? 🤔

Oh bad Stanley! We need to have a chat. No eating pets. I support Angel Dust's chasing him off with a bat if he tries to eat Fat Nuggets again. Are you not feeding him enough pedophiles, Alastor??

We're opposite ends on The Shining. I've only watched the movie and not read the book. I know King is brilliant, but I think I got halfway through one his books once. Surprisingly not a huge fan of most horror. But it's only bc...none of it scares me, so I usually feel kind of disappointed? I'll like those kinds of movies if they're well written/have some humor/have a good aesthetic. The art school bitch in me is sated by beautiful camera work and colors. Haha. Oh, recommendation, watch Crimson Peak.

Hahah. Don't worry. I won't be calling you Big Al. Was only teasing. I don't like it either. Hah.

No offense taken at the drunk comments. I suppose it hasn't been a bad experience for me since I've never been so drunk I wasn't unaware of what I was doing. I used to go to bars a lot (had a lot of musician friends then...I've been to a frankly obscene number of open mics) so I feel you on being subjected to obnoxious inebriated people. I generally drank a coke...or if I was feeling particularly feisty...a Shirley Temple. 🤣 You'd be amazed the side eye and teasing I'd get for that order. Never cared, those things are tasty!

I promise to not call you the c word again. Though, if you piss me off, I will definitely call you the *other* c-word. Heh. Will just settle on calling you dapper, eh? It's an excellent and underused word in modern times.

Appreciate your discretion and care in the imaginary unwanted drunk cuddle scenario. Lol. That is, dare I say it, rather sweet. You are surprising!

I also quite enjoy our conversations, so thank you! 😊

Work was alright on Friday (I left early for another baseball game so that helped, lol). I was training a new hire all day. He's great; laughs at my jokes (v important), is COMPETENT. He gave me candy! PLEASE DON'T QUIT I scream internally.

Let's see...I have a sort of a joke for you. Hopefully you appreciate a nerdy joke like I do.

oh shit - i was time travelling and accidentally killed an ancient italian. doesn’t matter tho everyone was killing each other, when in Reme do as the Remans

And for today's photo I present this chaos table covered in several dozen Halloween decorations. They're here until I get them all set up nicely, hopefully this weekend.

https://imgur.com/a/GEn1kDX

I really need to think of a song rec again. I haven't seen any on your tumblr for a while...*sad face*

I'm off to pick up a werewolf! I will not be elaborating.

After while, crocodile 🐊

I can imagine Angel Dust doing something of the like. At least he gave you a somehow respectful nickname: Shortcakes. Compared to Smiles.

Hah, well you and I are very different. I would rather spend time with people than pets. However I suppose to each their own. People entertain me far more, pets are simply loving. Oh well, I hope your cousin's did leave some tempting animals to play with. It was on them that you didn't return to dinner. Hah!

Yes, Charlie's costume parties are always fun. Oh well, I would love if you could pay the hotel a visit! Charlie would absolutely not mind if you showed up for a Halloween party! We've had an unfortunate amount of Floridians accidently end up in Hell and it usually ends badly for them. Hah, well, thank goodness you haven't run into our rather lively denizens! Beetlejuice? My, that's a rather fun outfit!

If I won the lottery? I'm sure I would wreck some havoc on New Orleans for the sake of it and take a canoe out on the Bayou. Terrify a few loitering teenagers. I'm not quite sure if I am being honest what I would do.

I am feeding Stanley plenty of pedophiles! It seems he has an insatiable appetite and he seems to crave beloved pets. KeeKee is far smarter than the pig to stay out of Stanley's way. I can arrange a chat between you and him if you so desire.

I am not a big fan of movies but sure, I'll give it a shot when I happen upon a chance. Hmm...none of it scares you? Interesting. I am personally not one to be scared of silly movies or books however I did find myself deeply invested in the fate of the characters. In the Shining book if I recall correctly, the father cared far more about his family in the book than in the movie where he was a raging horrible maniac. I could go on about it but I shall end it here.

Hmm...it wasn't a bad experience to be out of control of your own body? That is personally not something I would enjoy but to each their own, dear. I'm not one for Shirley Temples but I'm sure its tasty for you!

Yes, I would prefer to be called dapper. I've never been one to love cuss words but they surely have their place and time.

Why is it surprising? It's the only rightful thing to do. I know quite a quite a few people that would disgustingly take advantage of a situation like that, unfortunately. Common human decency is truly dead.

Yes, its always important to have a competent coworker. There's a surprising lack of that in the working world. He gave you candy? My, my. Yes, I do hope he doesn't quit either.

Hah! That's an absolutely delightful joke, dear!

Oh my, that is quite a lot of Halloween decorations! My mother would have a stroke if you saw it. Charlie I'm sure would be absolutely ecstatic! I wish you luck.

See you later, my dear, alligator!

PS: As much as I do enjoy our conversations, could you perhaps make your letters a bit shorter?

[munsonsskinnyjeans]

FRICTION

STEVE, EDDIE X FEM READER

THE SC IN THIS CHAPER CONTAINS: reader is 18, arm riding, bicep riding, no body type is mentioned except for the OCS, multiple orgasms, three some, polyamory relationship, mention orf affairs? Implications of sex, oral sex (fem receiving) clit play, mutual masturbation, male and female masturbation, praising kink, fluid eating (cum only), overstimulation! I think thats all im not a hundred percent sure on that lmk if I missed something!

Y/n had been having a two way affair with Steve and Eddie it started a few months ago in Eddie's trailer when y/n couldn't decide which one she wanted so she let both of them have her.

She was best friends with both of them so it was a plus because whenever they hung out it wasn't all about sex.

Steve and Eddie never did anything to each other they only do stuff to her, which she didn't mind what so ever.

She loved the idea of being surprised with new games or new ways to pleasure her.

Some days Eddie would use his hand cuffs or Steve would use his clothes to tie her up instead.

It was like a roller coaster for her, the eagerness of Friday nights always made her jittery with excited because these were the nights they planned as their "meeting nights" even though they practically hung out everyday.

-

Currently she was sitting in Steve's room working on part of her math homework,

she looked up to see Steve and Eddie lifting weights to each other she could feel her self blush shaking it off so she could focus back on her homework.

Steve and Eddie shared a passion for working out they loved it but not as much as y/n loved watching them work out. They were both shirtless speaking to each other as they stood in front of Steve's mirror,

y/n was biting her lip her pencil was at the edge of her mouth watching both of their toned chests start to drip with sweat both of their arms moving in an upward direction she was practically drooling over the sight of it.

Eddie could see this slightly from the corner of his eye and partially in the mirror, he smirked slightly acting like he didn't notice her gaze on them.

He liked the fact the fact that both boys had control of y/n they liked being able to tease her and surprise her because they knew she loved the feeling of it.

Eddie turned around facing y/n who tried to look away rapidly her eyes glancing down to her paper before trying to get a peak of Eddie,

his v line was exposed where he had a tattoo for his band his abs were visible to they were perfectly formed onto his body making y/n froth at the mouth

now she couldn't really focus on her homework without snagging a glance at him every two seconds.

Steve turned around also catching onto Eddie's idea he smirked at y/n who's face was turning a crimson red she was trying to act like she was writing something down

but her hand was shaking to much knowing both of the boys were staring at her

she looked up at them biting her lip as her eyes wandered their body and up to their biceps she loved their arms something about them was hot really hot to her.

She watched both boys set the weights down looking over at Eddie who sat in the chair at Steve's desk lighting a cigarette puffing out the smoke from in between his lips.

his forehead had sweat dripping from it,

he spread his legs gesturing for y/n to come to him she nodded eagerly tossing her homework aside going to him as he placed her in his lap staring into her eyes.

"You like these?" He asked gesturing to his arms feeling y/n squeeze one causing him to smile watching her nibble at her lip at the sight of his biceps,

"wanna try something new?" He whispered to her watching the girl tilt her head but agreeing, Eddie passed his cigarette to Steve. Eddie was flexing his arm,

"hop on" he told y/n who lifted up her skirt her clothed pussy skimming Eddie's muscle as he flexed keeping in that position for her to ride it.

"Ride it princess you know you want to" Eddie told her feeling her glide her self back and forth on him moaning a the friction she increased her pace with how good it felt,

"Oh god!" She whined loudly clenching her eyes feeling the tension against her clothed clit she wanted more it so she stopped

as Eddie helped her remove her panties tossing them aside his hands pulled down her skirt to her ankles her feet kicked it off before returning to rubbing and forth on his arm.

His muscles was causing a needy friction against her bare clit causing her to moan aloud moving even faster

her her hips rocked back and forth moaning softly each time her clit skimmed part of bicep

Steve watched standing in front of the two he liked the sight of her half bare torso humping as she moaned aloud.

Eddie had his dick in his hands pumping it with his other hand groaning softly feeling his dick twitch knowing he was close already

Steve could feel the bulge in his pants grow he sat on her bed palming himself softly just to tease him self a little before it was her turn to ride him.

Eddie was looking at y/n who's eyes were clenched shut her legs were shaking as she started to slow down

"no no don't stop keep going I want you to cum all over my arm"

Y/n increased her speed feeling the knot in her stomach tighten and then release itself against Eddie's bicep she whimpered in pleasure loudly,

Eddie came at the same exact time shooting ribbons of his cum onto part of her body moaning loudly.

"you liked that didn't you princess" Eddie said helping her down watching her rapidly nodding her head he grabbed the towel on the desk next to him wiping the white ribbons of cum off of him and her.

He set her in his lap pointing at Steve who was rubbing his crotch softly to relive some sort of pressure his bulge had,

"you think you can give one more orgasm for Steve sweetie" Eddie said bouncing his knee with her on it causing her to whine feeling the vibration against her throbbing clit

"Yes sir" she replied feeling eddie stand up swapping spots with Steve, y/n gave him a soft kiss before climbing up on his bicep,

Steve did the same thing as Eddie he started to pump his cock in his hand heading y/n whimper even louder now that she was sensitive from riding Eddie earlier

She screamed loudly feeling her climax come already so close to her she started to go faster and faster feeling the inner part of her legs go numb while her clit was being pleasured,

Steve pumped his hand faster up and down his own eyes shutting along with hers.

"Cum!" Y/n gasped aloud at Steve who was already just seconds away from his orgasm, "

come on his bicep" Eddie said panting from the other side of the room as he was pumping his own cock in his hands.

Y/n came her juices spilling onto Steve's skin as his dick shot with cum covering his chest

Steve cleaned him self up setting the sensitive y/n on the bed her clit was aching already she was still bare laying back on Steve's sheets as the two boys stood infront of her,

"that was such a good girl someone deserves another orgasm" Eddie said reaching his face in between her legs

his tongue was swiping against her clit feeling y/n practically jump up tugging at Eddie's hair she was whining really loud as Steve stood behind them watching,

Eddie's tongue flicked faster and faster until y/n was yelping for her release which Steve granted her as Eddie felt her juices spill out onto his lips but he still didn't stop he continued flicking his tongue up and down hoping for her to cum again,

her thighs clenched around his face harshly feeling his tongue continue flicking its way up and down over and over

until she finally came on his face one more her hips were bucked into the air her legs shaking so much

y/n watched as he licked his lips clean moving out of the way so Steve could get a taste.

Y/n was enjoying it but she was so sensitive right now it would only take a little bit of movement from Steve's tongue to make her cum

Steve's tongue started to lick a stripe up her pussy and when it reached her clit she was whimpering feeling his tongue swirl on her clit sucking and nibbling slighty at the sore area.

Eddie clasped one of y/n's hand feeling her nails dig into his skin while her other hand gripped on tightly to Steve's hair she was about to cry but she was enjoying it.

"I cant! It's to much" she yelped feeling her back arch back and down from the bed feeling Steve's hands holding her in place while he increased his pace.

"Do you want him to stop?" Eddie asked her watching her whine out loudly,

"No!" Y/n replied bucking her hips the air she could feel another orgasm coming

“oh god it's to much! It's to much" she whimpered louder until the overstimulation was to much and she tipped over the edge coming so hard she felt her eyes roll into the back of her head,

as her head tossed itself back into Steve's pillows her body shaking so hard and so fast.

Steve pulled away from her patting her stomach watching her pant rapidly shushing her that it was okay

"you were so good princess" he cooed to her helping her slip on her underwear and one of his shirts.

Eddie was rubbing her hand and kissed it softly "that was such a good slut y/n you tasted so good" he teased at her in her ear watching a smile grow on her face

as they got dressed settling into the bed with her.

[ehwaryuns]

night skies

hiiii i finally finished a wip ✨

can be found at https://archiveofourown.org/works/31956910

---

Bam woke up with a start. As it always did on Friday mornings, his alarm clock went off at exactly 4:45 AM, loud and annoying enough that he wasn’t so inclined to go back to sleep.

He got up with a groan, crossing the room to turn it off. He both cursed and was grateful to Hwaryun for telling him to put it on the other side of the room so he would be forced to wake up faster. Sure, it worked, but Bam was very much not a morning person and grieved the loss of sleep. He’s just glad the walls were thick enough that the blaring didn’t wake Wangnan up.

However, there was a reason he made himself get up so early on Fridays: he had work to do.

---

The bell above the door jingled as the first customer of the day walked in, yawning as he did. Aguero didn’t know much about him, but he did know that the man was cute (adorable, some might say) and alternated between sugary sweet drinks and the strongest coffee they had to offer, depending on what day it was. Today was Friday, which meant today’s order would be as caffeinated as possible.

Aguero gave the man a sympathetic smile as he approached the counter. “Early morning again? Same as usual?”

The man nodded. “A large quadruple shot mocha, iced,” he rattled off tiredly, rubbing leftover sleep from the corner of an eye.

Aguero entered his order into the register, accepting the man’s payment with a smile and making his drink, as he always did on Friday mornings at approximately 5:07. He thought, as he always did on Friday mornings at approximately 5:07, I’m gonna do it this time.

However, as soon as he turned around to retrieve the sharpie he intended to use to write his number on the cup (cliche, but effective), the man caught his eye, giving him a sleepy smile, and Aguero’s heart skipped a beat. So instead of going through with his meticulously laid out plan, he just smiled back and pulled a stack of lids out from under the register, putting them in their designated spot on the counter as the coffee was brewing, mentally cursing himself all the while. Just as he’d done for the past seven Friday mornings.

Technically, he was supposed to ask the man’s name to write on the cup, but the first time he had come in he was the only other person in the shop so Aguero hadn’t really felt the need to do so, and he was in too deep to break the habit now. It’s been almost two months and he can go on until he gave the man his number, dammit.

Once the drink was ready, Aguero handed it to the man, whose golden eyes crinkled as he smiled another one of those warm smiles that made Aguero’s heart threaten to pound right out of his chest. “Enjoy, and have a nice day,” Aguero managed to say in a calm, normal, not strangled or high-pitched voice.

“You too,” the man rumbled before turning and walking out the door, taking a sip as he left.

Aguero braced himself on the counter once he was gone, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. Dammit, he thought. Next time for sure. Just as he had thought to himself for the past seven Friday mornings.

---

His coffee wasn’t as sweet as he usually liked it, but it woke him right the hell up, so Bam figured it was a fair trade.

Luckily, Bam was the only person aside from the driver on the city bus at the early hour of 5:23, so he didn’t have to worry about getting weird looks from other people for being up so early, visibly being a college student and all. Instead, he got to relax with his coffee, counting the stops in his head as he gazed out the window.

At one red light, Bam was met by the sight of a sprawling night sky spray painted on the side of a building, blues and purples and black swirling together and shot through with white streaks. He smiled, recalling the morning he had done that particular piece- it had been bracingly cold, but it was worth it, seeing his handiwork turn out so beautifully.

All too soon, the bus lurched back into motion, and the mural was left behind.

---

Bam got off the bus a few stops later, looking around for a good spot as he readjusted his satchel.

He was downtown, it seemed, with its brick buildings and curio shops and artisan restaurants galore. This was the perfect place.

He started wandering around under the guise of window shopping, though it wasn’t too long until he found a relatively clean alley to duck into. After checking to make sure the coast was clear, he pulled out a can of spray paint from his bag and started tagging.

He lost himself in his art, recalling the sketch he had designed in his sketchbook the previous night; he watched how the cyan faded into cerulean, cerulean faded into black, and black seemingly melted into the brick wall right before his eyes, just as he had envisioned. It looked damn good, he had to admit.

This particular night sky spanned half the wall, depicting a galaxy as viewed through a copse of trees, lines as sharp as Bam could make them forming their silhouettes. He stepped back for a moment to admire his work once he was done, breathing in the crisp morning air that was shot through with the chemical smell of the paint, before pulling out a can of bright red. In the bottom right corner, he left his signature: the letters JVG with sharp angles and a thin kite shape next to it.

He left before the paint stopped dripping, cans safely tucked away in the plastic-lined pocket in his bag, and checked the time. It was just after 8, which gave him enough time to get back to campus in time for his first class of the day, which was unfortunately at 9:30. It was a good thing he woke up early.

---

Bam slid into his seat moments before the professor walked in, thanking his lucky stars as he did. Beside him, his best friend Hwaryun raised a delicate eyebrow. “Almost late again, are we?”

Bam huffed, setting his bag on the floor next to him. “Whatever, miss half-an-hour-early. Missed you.” He leaned over to kiss her cheek.

If she saw the speckles of paint on his forearms when he pulled his sketchbook out, she wisely didn’t say anything.

---

It was Tuesday afternoon, just after peak hours, and the coffeeshop was painfully boring.

Aguero flicked yet another straw wrapper at his coworker, smirking as it hit its target-- the back of Hatz’s head. The shorter man flinched and turned around, glaring daggers at Aguero. He simply waved a few fingers, a mockery of a greeting.

“You better stop that, or I swear--” Hatz threatened, only to be cut off by the merry sound of the bell above the door chiming.

They both turned to look, and Aguero’s heart jumped into his throat.

The man came in--the one with chestnut-colored hair and honey eyes and the cutest smile when he’s tired from waking up so early--accompanied by a woman with long, bright red hair. Aguero distantly wondered if she dyed it.

The man brightened up when he caught sight of Aguero, pausing in his conversation to wave and shoot him a smile that rivalled the sun.

“Oi, quit staring and take their orders,” came from behind him.

Aguero shot back a low “piss off, I’m working on it,” before positioning himself in front of the register. “Hi there, I can take your orders when you’re ready.”

The woman observed him, crimson eye surveying him critically, before she gave a coy smile. “I’ll take a medium green tea, and a large strawberry pineapple coconut milk latte.”

He nodded, writing on cups what was to fill them before passing them off to Hatz. “That’ll be right out. And you?” Aguero asked, turning his gaze to the man he totally isn’t crushing on.

“I’ve been wanting to try that funnel cake frap,” he said, leaning over the counter conspiratorially. “Is it any good?”

Aguero leaned towards him, playing along. “If you get it with heavy cream instead of coffee, it’s fantastic.”

The man nodded decisively. “Then I’ll take a medium, extra whip and extra strawberry, if possible.”

Aguero would put all the freeze dried strawberries in the world into this man’s drink if he asked. Instead, he just gave a smile and pulled out another cup to mark.

Once the drinks were paid for and Hatz was busying himself, the redhead came back up to the counter and said in a low, husky voice, “you’re in Ehwa’s study group, aren’t you?”

He blinked. “How did you know?”

She just gave him another one of those knowing smiles. “I’ll be bringing Bam by for a study session soon. Don’t miss it.”

Before he could say anything, she was sashaying her way back over to the man--Bam, he guessed--and sitting down just in time for the frap to be called out.

A study session, huh? He idly thought as he started to restock cups. Seems innocuous enough.

[halalgirlmeg]

In a way that Crimson Peak does not work, The Haunting of Bly Manor really does because:

Gothic horror, at least on a basic level is unease. It’s subtle, it grows on you.

Like we go into a theater to see a horror movie on Saturday night we know it’s finna be jump scares and all that. Watching Bly Manor I had seen Hill House so I expected something haunting and sad but this piece hit me right in the chest, had to go lay down after I watched it the first time.

There’s ghosts in the manor sure and they are scary but they were once real people with hopes and dreams and loved ones, just like anyone alive today is. Yet they walk around until they wither to nothing holding on to bits and pieces of memory until they fade away and are just pieces of who they once were. Like it’s a slow decline it’s not one and done it keeps going and going until you’re left with nothing. Even when they know they’re slipping it’s too late and they can’t be saved. So they’re stuck in limbo.

Also the memories were something that really got to me after the first watch cause it’s like Hannah realizing she should’ve told Owen she loved him when it was too late was really heartbreaking like she said it but we’ll never see the end of it, like words that never are spoken, love that never got to be really kills me (hence the reason why this is probably one of my favorite anthologies). Then there’s like Peter which, as an antagonist he’s very well written like again I didn’t 100% understand that whole memory thing with his mother until I watched it again. Like he’s so angry about what happened to him and he should be but it’s like he wants revenge for what happened and he wants what he wants everyone else be damned

Bly Manor is not scary like Friday the 13th is scary. Murder in the woods who’s hacking people to pieces is scary because we have to hide and find safety without our phones because we could lose our friends but also in the end, someone’s gotta go first and someone has to survive and deal with the aftermath but with like Bly Manor the horror slowly creeps up on you and when it’s there when you finally know what’s going on you can’t let it go. It just stays with you forever and when you think that maybe your over it now. There it is again.

Bly Manor is scary because it relies on fear but in a way that is simple. We’re all scared we’re gonna die or that the people we love are going to die. Like in a way the romances of Rebecca x Peter, Hannah x Owen, and Jamie x Dani are all doomed romances (if that’s the right way to put it), Charlotte x Henry as well. They all play out differently but in the end they don’t get the happily ever after. If anything in their moments they’re all Happy For Now but when the shit hits the fan, when the chickens come home to roast they have to accept that the love was beautiful when it was alive but it can’t last forever. There is the remembrance of what was but the absence is felt and the pain comes in waves. It’s never really gone.

[lov3nerdstuff]

There's always tomorrow

* Tom Hiddleston x reader * -> friendship/platonic

Parts: Oneshot

Words: 6.6k

Warnings: Tom’s a teacher and you’re a student, but you’re just friends!

Summary: You are a brilliant student, in your last year of high school, but you don't have any friends but your books. Thus you secretly spend your lunch breaks alone in a forbidden hallway, until one certain teacher takes notice of you. Yet he doesn't kick you out and instead sits down with you to talk. Soon you find that sometimes, the most unlikely friendships are the best ones indeed.

Request: Hi! I dont want to be a bother but i have a fic idea I would love to see your take on since your such an amazing writer. Here's the idea: tom works as a teacher in high school and R is this shy and introverted student who doesn't have many friends and she always sits alone and reads at lunch so tom decides to sit with her and they developed some kind of friendship? Just platonic since I imagine the R underage but I would love whatever you decide💜💙💚 -> @lady-of-lies (hope you like this, dear 💗✨)

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It was Friday. Thanks goodness that at least this purgatory of a week was slowly coming to an end. It wasn't like you didn't enjoy going to school, really… You loved learning, loved the pleasures of knowledge with a burning passion. And that exactly was the problem. You loved learning, while almost everyone else in your grade just thought of school as a menace that would finally be over in a few months. They deemed you weird, for studying hard, for getting good grades, for enjoying it.

To you, the only two problems in high school were, one, that you had absolutely no friend and thus spent most time by yourself, and two, that they didn't nearly teach you enough and thus left you bored and done with your tasks after five minutes of class.

In perspective, the second problem bothered you way more than the first one. Not having friends was fine, you weren't the boldest person anyway, finding yourself uncomfortable in social situations more often than not. Thus you were left only talking to your classmates when you really had to, finding no interest in those dull creatures outside of the occasional mandatory group project. They were all about partying, gossiping, who had been sleeping with whom… You found no remote interest in that. There were more important things to talk about, more meaningful conversations to be had, and as long as no one was able to give you just that you were fine not talking at all.

So on this Friday noon, just like every day since you had started going to this school last year, you found yourself sitting on the ground in a small hallway at lunchtime, equipped with a book and a sandwich and an apple you'd brought from home. Sure, you could've just taken a seat in the cafeteria… your life wasn't a movie, there were no bullies and cheerleaders, no inseparable groups of friends who excluded everyone, no real need to sit alone on the ground.

But you cherished this time of solitude, of being in the solemn company of the only sane person in this building: yourself. That is also why you had chosen the most desolate part of the entire school to have your lunch by yourself. Usually no one showed up here, in the backstage area of the large auditorium that was occasionally used for the drama and literature classes.

Really, most students didn't even seem to know that this part of school existed in the first place. It was a tiny world in itself, only a couple hallways with storage rooms and workshops and such. Only accessible through a small door in the back of the auditorium, which to be honest you weren't supposed to go into by yourself. But for the one year you'd been going to this school, you had not run into anyone at all while coming here every single day at lunch.

Smiling contently to yourself, you took a bite of your sandwich and allowed yourself a break from existence by letting your book swallow you into its comforting world of imagination.

You were granted exactly thirty minutes of silence and solitude before gente yet swift footsteps drew your mind back to the real world, immediately instilling a sense of panic in your mind. The automatic lights flickered to life once the cause of the noise walked into your part of the hallway and your eyes narrowed at the sudden brightness. Oh no… being caught here would only mean trouble, and you seriously weren't in the mood for that, not when you had only a few more classes left. Yet, panic and fear made you unable to move, working against the natural instinct of flight. All you could do was watch the approaching figure with wide eyes, fingers tightly gripping onto the book in your lap.

"You're not supposed to be in here, are you?" A smooth voice spoke to you, finally making you snap out of your frozen stare. The man currently standing in front of you didn't look like a teacher at all… but you'd seen him in the hallways between classes a few times. You didn't know his name, nor what he taught.

"I…" You started, wide eyes fixed on his as you felt incredibly small. He was tall, REALLY tall, intimidating since you were cowering on the ground, staring up at him like he was some ethereal creature, a manifestation of universal goodness. And he was smiling at you kindly with a subtle hint of amusement.

"You…?" He spoke again, and his curls seemed to form a halo of light around his head as they glowed in the brightness of the overhead lamps.

"I'm not supposed to be in here." You simply said.

"And yet you are." He chuckled, frowning at you a little. "How did you even get in here?"

"There's a door. One can walk through it." You blurted out without thinking, confusion and panic making your mind dizzy.

The man in front of you let out an obviously unintentional snort, before biting his bottom lip to keep from laughing and continue to look somewhat stern at you. It wasn't working all too well. "Thank you for the information, I was well aware of the door indeed. What I was wondering about was what made you walk through that door today."

"Habit?" You tried, still not averting your eyes from his as you felt utterly unable to rise to your feet.

"And before you made a habit of coming here?"

"An inherently curious nature?" You replied in the same uncertain voice.

The man just smiled down at you in the most amused expression you had seen all week, crossing his arms in front of his chest as if debating with himself what to do or ask next.

"How long have you been coming here?" He finally asked, more curious than scolding really.

"A little over a year." You admitted, blushing a deep shade of crimson as you looked back down to the book in your lap. Darn, you really couldn't have told him that. But you found it somehow impossible to lie to him, even if you didn't yet know who he was.

"And you've never run into anyone telling you that it's not allowed for students to be back here?" He frowned, moving to lean against the wall opposite to you and that at least made him seem a little less towering, but no less ethereal.

"I've never run into anyone back here at all." You shrugged, feeling a little less panicked now that there were a few feet between you. "That's the point of me being here in the first place."

"To hide?"

"To find solitude in this chaotic place of inevitable social and intellectual boredom." You replied quickly, once more before thinking. Yet once you realized what you'd just said you started apologizing immediately. "Sorry! I… I didn't mean… It's just..."

"No, it's fine. I think I know what you mean." He mused, shrugging. "Most students don't take interest in their classes, at least not in high school."

"See, that's not what I meant at all." You sighed, frowning to yourself. Should you really be having this conversation with a teacher? You were probably boring his mind out, but he'd asked after all and as long as he wasn't making you return to the busy school hallways you'd be good talking to him here.

So you crossed your legs beneath yourself and placed your book on your backpack. "I find great interest in most of my classes' topics. I love delving into the gain of knowledge, broadening my horizon in a way. In any way, really. But you see, most classes have a rather shallow approach to their contents. I do see that it's not entirely possible to make the classes any more in-depth, as most people will struggle to even understand the basic concepts… But if the students are expected to understand and accept that classes are made for the majority of people, not for the marginal groups, I also expected the teachers to understand that I will feel bored after having understood the lessons' content after two minutes, if I didn't know it even before class time started in the first place."

Once you were finished with your little rant, the man looked at you in sincere surprise for a moment, but you were honestly so surprised with yourself that you found yourself blushing all the more, and looking back down to the ground. "Sorry, I really shouldn't have said that…"

"Don't apologise for having an opinion." He replied calmly, encouragingly almost. "You have every right to say what you think, especially since I asked about it. I'm just a little surprised, that is all."

You peaked back up at him carefully, doubtful of what he must be thinking of you now. Honestly, you weren't someone to ever talk to a teacher this rudely. You would think to yourself how ridiculous the mistakes were that they were making most of the time, but you would keep it solemnly to yourself.

"So you're coming here to read during the lunch break?" He asked after a moment of silence, drawing you back from your troubled thoughts.

"Yeah." You replied softly, finding it oddly easy and pleasant to talk to him.

"Shouldn't you be sitting in the cafeteria with your friends? Spending a little time with your classmates away from studying?" He inquired further and you found yourself inclined to answer.

"No, I'm fairly good on my own. I can't really find any interest in their conversations and I'd rather spend my energy reading than pretending to care. And I'm not studying, just reading for fun." You gave him a half smile, watching how he casually leaned against the wall with a curious expression.

"You're reading Hamlet for fun?" He rose an eyebrow at you in amusement. "Not that I'd be judging…"

"Yes...?" You gave back reluctantly. "Isn't that something normal people do? Consuming literature for the sake of entertainment?"

"They do, but I'm afraid most people wouldn't deem Shakespeare very entertaining." He laughed, shaking his head to himself and you blushed again, looking at your book and then at your feet, which felt increasingly numb from being crossed for too long.

"Sorry, I really didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He said quickly, without the previous amusement. "I love Shakespeare too, his works are truly remarkable. The way he revolutionized the use of language…"

"I know! I love all the small neologisms that we don't even notice today because our modern words are based on them. Reading his works is so much fun in its entirety, both for the content and the art of wording itself!" You said excitedly, yet again feeling your cheeks heat up at the rather passionate outburst. "Sorry, that was just me geeking out a little…"

He smiled widely at that, then frowned a little. "Why aren't you taking literature classes?"

"How do you know I don't?" You asked right back.

"Because I teach them all." He laughed, still trying to keep from smiling all too brightly. "I would know if you were in any of my classes. I teach literature, English and drama, even though most people don't believe those are separate classes."

"Oh, so that's why I don't know you…" You mused, chewing on your bottom lip. "I switched schools before the beginning of last year, so I've only been here a year and the little bit of this started one… But I won't be here for much longer."

"Why not?"

"It's my last year." You smiled with a sigh. "I'm looking forward to a challenge, for once, when I go to college."

"And that keeps you from taking my literature class?" He asked with a small smile.

"Of course not…" You shook your head, blushing yet again. The reason why you hadn't taken literature indeed wasn't really something you wanted to share with him.

"Anyway, I'm Mr. Hiddleston. Since we've not had the pleasure before..." He said lightly, obviously noticing your discomfort with the previous question and you were beyond thankful that he'd let it go.

"I'm Y/n." You gave him a small smile in return. "Nice to meet you. I think I've actually heard about you before."

"You have?" He laughed, eyes bright and curious and you felt yourself blushing yet again. Couldn't you keep your stupid mouth shut?

"Uuh, I've just overhead a few classmates talking about your English class, I think…" You finally managed to say, and given that it was the truth you felt a little less embarrassed.

"Well, I hope you've only heard good things then." He smiled and for a moment you looked at each other in complete uncertainty of what to say. "Lunch break is almost over…" He finally commented, looking at his watch with a frown.

"Too bad." You sighed, packing up your empty lunchbox and your book. "Lunch is my favorite subject. It's usually more productive than any of my classes."

He laughed at that, shaking his head to himself as he stood upright once again. "I'm sorry for interrupting your reading time with my questions."

"Please don't be, I enjoyed talking to you. It was nice not being alone for once. Which admittedly is a rare thing for me." Your mouth was faster than your brain again, and you felt flustered but frowned a little nonetheless as you rose to your feet. "I mean… wouldn't you have kicked me out anyway? I mean students aren't allowed to be in here."

"Students aren't allowed to be in here ALONE. You weren't alone. I was here. Don't see a problem." He smiled easily as you both sauntered towards the exit and through the auditorium. Why was he being so nice to you? Usually teachers didn't miss any opportunity to demonstrate their power over the students, leave alone talk to them if they didn't have to… Mr. Hiddleston was different. A good different, you thought.

"Y/n…" He said as you both stepped back into the main hallway. "I must inform you that you may not go back in there by yourself, and so on and so forth. Do you understand?"

"I do understand, but I cannot promise you that I will listen to it." You said sincerely, surprised yet again at your honesty. What by all gods were you even doing here, talking to a teacher like that?

He suppressed another grin, looking at the ground for a short moment before his eyes were back with yours. "Have a lovely weekend. I'll see you on Monday." With one last amused smile he turned around and sauntered down the hallway, probably heading to his next class while you were left frowning to yourself as you went on to yours. Only in the middle of class your mind suddenly hit the pause button for the outside world: why would he see you on Monday?

_______________

The weekend went by in a blur, you finished Hamlet and another random book and sooner than expected it was Monday morning. But really… Monday always came sooner than expected. Equipped with a new read you went on to school, suffering through the first few classes. If only they would at least try to make things interesting… you'd asked for some further tasks once you'd been done early yet again, but the answer was always the same: be happy that you're done and stay at your seat in silence. No reading, no phone, no drawing… nothing but sitting and staring out of the window.

However during the last class before lunch, you honestly wished yourself back to staring out of the window. It was history, a subject you actually did find interest in as it served as a good basis for many other things (like literature, music, arts, sociology…). Unfortunately today it was time for yet another group project, making you feel sick almost immediately. You just hated group projects… they always ended up the same: you had to do all the work by yourself and the others got credit for it. And that already was the best outcome of all possible scenarios.

Again, it was the same old. People had formed groups already, and as always no one wanted to work with you (stupid of them, you thought… they weren't even smart enough to see that you could, and would, help them to a better grade). But unlike the other times, your teacher was having enough of your suggestion to just work by yourself and forced you upon a group of three people, who all seemed to despise the idea just as much as you did. Once class was over, you quickly packed up your things and made for the door as quickly as possible. Unfortunately you didn't get all too far before the voices of your new group members reached your ears, bearing the usual insults and complaints which could be accurately summed up as 'Fuck off Y/n'.

God, why did people have to be so cruel… You hadn't done anything at all but getting good grades without much effort. How was that supposed to be your fault? It wasn't like you had chosen to be this way really…

Feeling equally sad and angry you made your way towards the auditorium, crossing it with quick steps and walking through the backdoor into your own realm of solitude. With a long sigh you carelessly dropped your backpack on the floor and sat down next to it, hugging your knees to your chest. You didn't want to cry, really… only sulk in peace. And sulking you did, for exactly thirty minutes until you heard the now familiar footsteps approaching you.

"I know, I'm not supposed to be here." You groaned, hiding your face as you rested your forehead on your knees. "Just tell me to go and we'll get it over with."

"Why would I tell you to go?" Mr. Hiddleston's calm voice wrapped around your troubled mind like a liquid soothing cold applied to a scorching burn.

"Because it's what teachers do." You sighed to yourself, still not looking at him. "You make life insufferable as a hobby."

"Now, I think you're doing me injustice." He spoke with a smile that you could clearly hear in his voice. "I didn't come here to make you leave."

Now you finally lifted your head and looked at the man standing on the opposite wall. As your eyes met his, he offered you a kind smile. "May I?" He motioning to the space on the ground opposite to you.

You nodded. Whatever reason he had to spend his precious lunch time with you, you were honestly glad for some NICE company for once. Really, you didn't even know him all that well, he was still a teacher after all, but his presence was calming and he was interesting enough of a person to talk to. You couldn't predict a single thing he did or said, and that intrigued you. He seemed like a man with a brain.

"I'm sorry." You finally said, resting your chin on your knees and blushing ever so slightly as your mind allowed other emotions than sadness and anger. "I insulted your profession, that wasn't right. Being mad at individuals doesn't justify generalization, nor impoliteness."

"Very true indeed. And I accept your apology, we all have a bad day sometimes. Also, I unintentionally insulted you on Friday, so I think we're even now." He replied in the same calm his features showed as he rested his forearms on his propped up knees.

"You insulted me?" You frowned, voice small and reflecting your tiredness. "I hadn't noticed."

"I assumed you were an average student. Lazy, shallow, indifferent." He shrugged and your lips formed the tiniest of smiles. "We all have prejudices, Y/n… Classification is natural thing. However what defines us as a person is how we let those prejudices affect our behavior and how aware we are of having them in the first place."

You sighed, nodding in agreement. "You're right… I still didn't mean to behave so hostile."

"Defense and coping mechanisms." He replied with a half smile. "You were clearly hurt by something or someone and thus lashed out at the weakest subject in reach, in this case... me. It's not rocket science really… I understand. We're all good."

You couldn't help but frown at the man in front of you. He was smarter than any of your other teachers and it left you wondering why someone like him would be sitting on the floor with a student. Yet, questioning him would've been just rude and thus you decided on finding out when the time had come.

"What's gotten you so upset, if I may ask?" He inquired politely, leaning his head against the wall as he watched you curiously.

"You know Miss Jones, right?" You sighed, mirroring his sitting position more or less intentionally. "She forced me to work on a project with people who absolutely despise me to their very core."

"I can hardly believe that someone would actually despise you." He replied, frowning a little. "You seem like a very capable young woman, I would have assumed people wanting to work with you were piling up on your doorstep."

You smiled sadly, somewhat flattered by the subtle compliment. "Well, then you assumed wrong. To me at least 'go work alone if you're so smart' doesn't really sound like people want to work with me. Neither does the ever so charming 'fuck off nerd'..."

"People really say that to you?" He frowned deeply, an almost sad expression making his sharp jawline stand out even more.

"All the time, actually…" You sighed, playing with the loose strings of your ripped jeans. "It's not that bad really. They can't hurt me anymore. I'm only so upset because I would have preferred to work alone."

"And Miss Jones wouldn't let you?"

"No… She said it was an important part of my education to learn to work with other people. Which is just ironic if you ask me…"

"Why is it ironic?" He asked curiously, obviously interested in your thoughts for real and not just out of politeness. That actually felt nice… not even your parents were SERIOUSLY interested in your opinion on things.

"It's ironic because I enjoy working with people, I'm good at it even. But I refuse to believe that working with people who put in zero effort and who don't own a single shred of basic human decency is 'preparing me for a realistic work environment'." You snorted, shaking your head at the stupid remark your teacher had given you. "I expect my equals to meet me with respect when working, even if we don't get along personally. Or at least to care about the project."

"I think you're right to do so." He shrugged. "I mean as a teacher I'm supposed to tell you now how valuable this experience is, and how you should try to work through your differences with your group, or even motivate you to find friends and such, but honestly… I totally agree with you. They're indifferent idiots, likely to maybe get a minor degree and eventually end up as chess pieces to brilliant minds like yours."

You rose an eyebrow at his comment, unable to keep the small smirk off your lips. "Well, that was honest."

He returned a slightly flustered smile, shrugging yet again. "You were honest with me and I intend to return the favor. I'm not your teacher after all, only A teacher."

"True." You smiled back. "And since the school year is already a few weeks in, it's safe to say that you won't ever be."

"I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing…" He mused, frowning to himself in contemplation. "I think I would've enjoyed hearing your thoughts and opinions in class."

"I would say it's a very good thing indeed!" You replied immediately. "The confinements of a classroom, of a predetermined social structure are rather counterproductive for a valuable conversation. I don't think we could, or would be talking like this if I was in your classes indeed. And you can always hear my thoughts and opinions… You do right now, after all."

"Okay, you convinced me. It is a good thing we met like this. Even though you probably don't enjoy me intruding the solitude of your lunch break." He chuckled, stretching out his incredibly long legs across the hallway to sit more comfortably.

"Oh, I don't mind at all! I mean I don't understand why you would willingly spend your time with me back here, but I most certainly appreciate the company. Most people don't really bother talking to me… it's nice having some who understands what I'm saying for once." You smiled, feeling both flustered and flattered. Having him here with you was nice indeed… it made you feel less lonely, less like you were the only one of your kind.

"Honestly, I thought I was here because I couldn't let you be back here alone, because of the rules. But I reconsidered that, and now I assume I'm here simply because I don't want you to be alone, to feel alone. And I find myself enjoying your company." He smiled calmly, and you were honestly surprised that you didn't feel flustered. Only… happy.

"I enjoy your company too..." You gave him another half smile, your voice quiet but certain.

"Whew, what a relief!" He laughed, smiling at you in sincere amusement, maybe even a little irony. "Even though I disturbed your reading time?"

"Yeah… you cheered me up, after all." You chuckled too, finding that you relaxed more and more in the time you spent with him.

"Good." He said contently. "Not feeling sad about the group project and your classmates anymore?"

"Nope. Only annoyed, honestly… I don't want them to ruin my good grade." You shrugged, pausing for a second before you spoke on. "That must sound really arrogant of me to say… I'm sorry."

"It's not arrogant at all. I understand you, more than you realize probably. I used to be like that in school too, you know… It's not easy. And I can't promise you anything, but for me at least things got better in college." His voice was so encouraging and kind that you found yourself feeling surprisingly calm, content even.

"Thank you." You smiled, openly and honestly. "For being here, and talking to me… For everything, I guess."

"You're always welcome." He smiled back, sighing. Only when he looked at his watch, his eyes widened and his lips parted in surprise. "Fuck… class time started ten minutes ago!"

"Oh no…" You groaned in as little despair as possible. "I'm so sorry!"

"Nonsense, you don't have to be sorry!" He replied as you both hurriedly rose to your feet and made for the exit. "Time flies when you're having fun..."

"I hope Mr. Peterson doesn't kill me for being late…" You mused as you stepped into the hallway.

"Math or physics?" He asked with the ever present curiosity that by now reminded you so much of your own that you couldn't help but smile.

"Math." You sighed. "I hate being late, even though I know most of the things we're talking about already."

"I'm gonna show you to your class."

"You really don't have to, I mean I'm sure you have a class to attend to yourself…"

"Nah, it's alright. I'll be in less trouble than you, so the least I can do now is apologizing to Mr. Peterson for causing you to be late."

With that you both quickly made your way to your classroom, your skin prickling in both anxiety and excitement. And indeed, as you opened the door and quickly made for your seat with a deep crimson on your cheeks, you saw Mr. Hiddleston moving to say a few quiet words to your maths teacher before turning back around to leave, giving you a very subtle thumbs up and a small smile before disappearing out of the door.

_______________

For the remainder of the week and also the next two, Mr. Hiddleston would come by for the last ten minutes of your lunch break, sitting down with you in the hallway of your secret backstage world. You'd talk about your classes, his classes, the books you were reading… all kinds of things really, and you found yourself enjoying those conversations immensely. He was such an interesting person, a bright and brilliant mind full of ideas and fascinating thoughts, and somehow he seemed to see something similar in you.

However after three weeks of coming by only for the last bit of your break, something started to change. Every day, he would come a little earlier while you were actually waiting for him from the very first moment. Somehow this lunch break ritual had become your solemn reason to look forward to every new day, and you couldn't really bring yourself to mind it at all.

Eventually, after a while of him showing up earlier and earlier, he arrived mere minutes after you did and you spent the entire break talking about absolutely everything that came to your minds. Maybe it was due to your meeting space, or maybe due to whatever else, but somehow both of you seemed to grow increasingly fond of each other while growing increasingly less aware of the fact that you were still teacher and student. But it didn't matter, as long as you were just two people enjoying talking to each other. Some days you would be talking the entire time, some days he would bring a book and you'd both read together in comfortable silence, sitting across from each other in the hallway.

You talked about literature quite a lot, and about philosophy and society… each conversation as meaningful and yet as entertaining and light as you could only wish for.

Things were going really well, and by the time the Christmas break rolled around, you were certain that you had finally found one true friend in school, and in general. Even if he was a teacher and probably about twenty years older than you, but you honestly couldn't bring yourself to care.

On Wednesday night before the Christmas break, you finally decided that you would at least try to make a small attempt at showing him how much you appreciated your time together, how much you'd grown to value your friendship (even though you found yourself wondering if HE would consider you a friend in return). You wanted to give him a Christmas present. Nothing extraordinary, or special… only something he would appreciate.

What did he enjoy most? Literature, most definitely. Discussions, thoughts, emotions... You'd grown to know him quite well by now, to know some of the depths of his mind. But you also knew that he already owned probably every single piece of literature you could offer him. Maybe… no, that probably was just silly, wasn't it? But really… was it? The idea definitely stayed with you, and on Thursday morning you just followed instinct and went along with it.

When you dropped down in your hallway, placing your backpack next to you, you could already hear the door being opened and the same familiar footsteps approaching.

"Hey Y/n..." He greeted you with a smile, walking down the short hallway towards you. "How was art class?"

"Gosh, I think that the teacher forgets sometimes that we're adults too. She made us craft Christmas cards for our families… Maybe someone should tell her that in modern times, families expect good grades and perfect college applications for Christmas." You snorted, watching how he sat down in his usual place opposite from you with a small grin.

"I don't think your family has anything to worry about." He chuckled, looking at you with a sparkle in his eyes that didn't cease to amaze you.

"Yeah, I have my application written already." You chuckled, smirking at him in amusement.

"You never told me where you want to apply…"

"Cambridge." You shrugged, smiling. "It's one of the best universities in the world. Really hard to get into."

"I'm sure you will get in with ease." He sighed. "If they spend a single minute talking to you, they will know just how extraordinary you are. Brilliant, really."

"You flatter me way too much." You chuckled, shaking your head. "Anyway…" With that you opened your backpack and pulled out a medium sized box, opening the lid with a grin to reveal a bright bunch of baked goods. "I made cookies yesterday afternoon!"

"Those look really tasty." He smiled. "What would Christmas be without some biscuits?"

"These are cookies! That's different." You laughed, knowing full well that he knew the difference indeed. He enjoyed teasing you way too much, but honestly… you enjoyed it too. "Come here now and try one, at least!"

His eyes widened a tiny bit, and he looked rather reluctant for a short moment, before pointing to the space next to you on the ground with a small gesture. "You… Uh, may I?"

"Of course." You replied calmly, with a bright smile, and a moment later he was sitting next to you, looking the tiniest bit flustered but content.

"I didn't know if it would make you uncomfortable to sit next to me." He shrugged a little, taking one of the cookies out of the box you were holding out to him.

"I'm not uncomfortable at all! I actually…" You felt your cheeks heat up for the first time in weeks while talking to him, and it made you stop in your sentence.

"You what?" He asked calmly, encouragingly and with the kindest expression as he leaned his head against the wall behind you, looking at you in curiosity.

"I consider you my friend." You finally brought out, feeling a little more embarrassed than you would've liked. Maybe he would think you're silly now, but just like you had noticed on the very first day… you couldn't lie to him.

"And that's making you blush?" He inquired in amusement.

"Well, I feel a little silly for expecting you, for wishing for you to befriend me too." You shrugged. "I'm sure you have more interesting acquaintances than me."

"I consider you to be my friend, Y/n…" He replied calmly. "I wouldn't be sitting here with you every day if I didn't."

You inevitably had to smile at that, looking down at the cookies in your lap. "Having a friend is amazing… Even if our friendship is a little…"

"Unusual?"

"Unlikely." You chuckled. "But no less real."

"Well… cheers to true words." He laughed, picking up another cookie from the box and happily munching away on it.

Slowly the box with the cookies grew emptier as the lunch break progressed, both of you talking about your plans for the Christmas holidays. Only when it was time for both of you to go back to your classes, when he moved to rise to his feet, you stopped him.

"Wait a second, I… I have something for you. A Christmas present, of sorts." You smiled, putting the empty cookie box into your backpack and instead taking out a neatly wrapped present. "It's really nothing special, but I thought you might find some joy in it."

His eyes lit up ever so slightly as he took the small gift out of your hands, gently, looking down at it with a soft smile. "I… thank you. Would you prefer me to open it now or on Christmas?"

"Oh, I really don't mind whatever you choose. You can just go ahead and open it, really… Like I said, it's nothing special."

"It is special to me, just because it is a gift from you." He gave you a sincere, wider smile before looking back at the present in his lap. "I'll open it now."

Carefully he unwrapped it and his smile broadened even more as his eyes fell upon the book in his hands.

"I know, giving a book to a literature teacher isn't the most creative idea, and I'm most certain that you have read it already, as it's truly amazing, but… literature just is what you love most. And you always seemed to enjoy my thoughts and ideas and random snippets of information." You spoke before he could. "So… I'm giving you my own copy of High-Rise, as it's one of my absolute favorites. I annotated it, put some papers and sticky notes in between the pages… with every thought and idea I had, every connection I could draw and every oh so little snippet of my thoughts."

The way he smiled at you then reminded you of the first day you had met… he was this ethereal creature, a being made of bright light and warmth. And more intelligence than healthy, probably.

"It's one of my all time favorites too." He replied quietly, yet with so much adoration and happiness that you couldn't help but grin. "This is one of the most amazing presents anyone has ever given to me and I cannot thank you enough."

"You're very welcome." You replied happily. "I hope you enjoy my thoughts."

"I know I will." He turned to you, smiling. "But unfortunately, very unfortunately, we have to go to class now."

"There's always tomorrow." You smiled as both of you rose to your feet, making your way to class indeed.

When you sat down in your hallway on Friday noon, you honestly felt sad that this would be the last day for two weeks you got to talk to Mr. Hiddleston. Not only because he was your (only) friend, but also because he, and your conversations, really were the only things that were able to keep your mind entertained and busy. You'd miss him.

Yet once he showed up and you got talking, you quickly felt a lot better. Just like you always did. Finally, shortly before classes started and you would have to say goodbye to each other, he placed a small and neatly wrapped gift in your lap with a bright smile. “I thought I’d return the favor… Your present really did make me very happy and I dearly hope this will do the same for you.”

Your eyes widened a little and your slips formed a smile on their own account. "Thank you so much! That's very sweet of you, but you really didn't have to…"

"Oh, I wanted to give this to you anyway. I had planned it for a while now, but your present yesterday… made me reconsider yet again." He grinned. "Do open it, please."

With an excited smile you unwrapped your present, also finding a book, but one you hadn't read yet. That alone made you grin; of course he would give you a book too… You loved literature after all probably just as much as he did.

"This is another one of my favorites…" He smiled, sitting next to you once more. Even without the cookies, somehow you'd just sat down next to each other today without questioning it. "The Night Manager… It's a fascinating read, John le Carré has an amazing style of writing. Have you read it?"

"I actually haven't, no… but I will after Christmas break!" You smirked.

"I planned on giving you this book just like that, but I absolutely loved your idea… So here's my own, annotated version." He smiled brightly. "I've had it since college."

You flipped open the first page, careful not to lose any of the papers tugged into the book. Then you smiled so bright that no Christmas lights could have compared to you. On the first page it read 'To Y/n, in hopes that we will continue to have these conversations in person for many years to come. Your friend, Tom.'

______________________________

General tag list:

@its-remy-not-ratatouille @wegingerangelica @thidls12333 @tomstoobeautiful @dreary-skies-stuff @averyhill4445 @wiczer @lotus-eyedindiangoddess @theweirdlunatic @caretheunicorn @kthemarsian @lady-of-lies @sadly-falling-through-wonderland @strawberrysandcream @noplacelikehome77 @beenthroughalot

If you'd like to be added to the general tag list, let me know in the comments 💗✨💚 hope you guys enjoy this!

[charmed-asylum]

👨‍🍳# FOODIE👨‍🍳

#Foodie, Part 1 

Summary: Something happening in Easter Hills. Something that effecting everyone under the surface. Could this just be a phase a trick that no one can shack off? Is this something that will pass with another or can we all be heading for destruction

Declaimer: #Foodie has some curse words, use and mention of drugs, and roadkill. Also, I do have dyslexia so be easy with me!!! 

A/N:So who would think after doing a love story I go be switching it up to some sci-fi. Let me know what you think or want to be added to the taglist. Or simple to sit my butt down and stop with the dramatics xoxo Tia

Word Count: 6,336

MASTER LIST 

Tagged: @linkispink1995​ @weapinggwillowss​ @strangerfictions​

I wish I could remember what it was. Could it be the color of the sky, how tall the grass starts to grow in Mr. Jackson ranch-style house across the street, or maybe it was the air? The way the breeze would flow dance across the sky. I wish I can tell you. Even now even after so many months that have passed, I don't remember. One thing I do know is it started Columbus Day weekend. It was it at once and maybe that why no one realizes it till it was too late. I wish I was stronger maybe I could have done something. Then again who am I kidding?

The seasons have changed but I could still remember the rush I felt when I pelted my way down my street cracked concerted road. I did not have much control in my life but bike rides were all mine. Tomorrow was finally gonna be the day I been waiting for months for. He was finally coming back to me. As I turn into the parking lot of Easter Hills High it was already a full parking lot. The next song started to play when I saw a familiar face across the parking lot surrounded by a group of posters and zombies. Have you ever thought about your soul - can it be saved? 

Or perhaps you think that when you're dead you just stay in your grave. I was still playing when tossing over my beat-up backpack over a shoulder.

" What you barbie slut" voice that belongs to the center of the crowd's attention.

Janet was a type of girl that was born pretty and perfect. I always wonder how we became friends. She tells me it is because the sun always needs the moon and stars. I tell her I am nothing but a black hole. There was a time was little I thought maybe there was more to that but after a kiss under the stars, I was lost with the dyer fear of losing her. So we just became what we are now the infinite duo. Her red ginger hair dance with the cool Midwestern breeze as her Mona Lisa's lips playfully move with each word drew more and more people closer and closer. 

" Space cadet stuck in orbit again huh" Janet said with her hand on her hip. I smiled with crimson color coming across my cheeks as I close the gap between us too. 

"Sorry. Just nerves. Can we talk before homeroom J" I asked not paying anyone around us any attention. I already knew what the whispers were about the same thing it always is why. She crocks her pear shape face to the side and her hazel eyes stare into my brown ones. That was another thing we just got each other. She was the fun bi sexual goddesses I was just me the girl who happens to have gotten lucky. 

Without a word, she licks her lips then places two fingers in her mouth to make a V and whistle for her things which a freshman was holding her. After a simple wink and kiss on the cheek to that freshman, she walks off with us being hand and hand to our spot. 

I look around before sitting on the swing and watch as she pops a few of her mom Dextromethorphan like it was a mint. With a big smile, she jumps onto the swing and kick back her feet and smiled. I wish I was like her ability to be free able to kick back and not care but I never was given that ability given that chance. Her long hair moves with her back and forth as she sings Katy Perry off-key. 

" Thank I, huh I been thinking. I think I'm ready to you know with KP" I blur out with my hands cling to the chains for my life. My eyes close shut till I was seeing rainbow loading wheels across my eyes sight. SLAP " What the hill billy hell. That hurt" I said opening my eyes wide and rub my thigh. Janet shook her head and look like me I had 101 heads attach to my head.

" Issac. Are you shitting me right now" Janet said now standing in front of me. Her hazel eyes twinkle with the sun. 

I slowly roll my bottom lip thought my teeth a few times before I look up at her like a kid who had her hand in the cookie jar with chocolate all over my face. She got closer and stop me so I have to look at her. I hated how she gets me to talk when I was not ready to. I dazed out to pass her to the tall grass that sways with the wind. Right before that was a raccoon who has been a sacrifice to the roadkill gods. 

" Yes. We have been together for three half years and I'm gonna be 18 in a few months. I don't want to lose him. I mean he already talks about marriage and stuff. How we are meant to be with one another. Him in the war what if he does not make it. Next time. I am just thinking about it. I never do anything. Janet Florence Bates. Either I am too chicken scraps about it or I can die. I am so sick of living out in this world in a bubble" I said finally looking to those Friday afternoon hazel eyes.

She nods and took my hands. Rubbing her white french tip thumb against my skin she brought it up to her heart. " One thing I wish I did was to wait. Remember when we were in seventh grade and I dared to do seven minutes in heaven with Derek Miller. You told me that I was still worth the universe no matter what. Do-" She was cut off with the sound of the second bell. " Shit I need to see Popi before class. Tell them I am using the bathroom and oh it that time of the month" Janet said over her shoulder as she ran over to find her girlfriend. 

" I said that last week J" I shout out.

Walking backward Janet thought about it, " He doesn't know how a woman body works". I laugh as I made my way down the busy streets also know as the hallways.

I just made it with a second to spare. Taking a deep breath in I nod to the teacher went to my seat. Putting my backpack on the desk to make a pillow I lean my head on it and look out the window. The once busy parking lot was empty with no one. Corner of my eyes I saw some movement. For a second look like I saw a squirrel eating the dead raccoon. Its fur was cover in a bit blood on its paws and tail. Getting up from I walk over to the window. Still watching the squirrel. 

" MISS. SMITH. SIT DOWN FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS" the teacher said taking her out her trance. Giggles and fingers were pointing as I look around. mouth sorry and ease back into my seat look down at my hands. Moments later Janet rush in with a huge smile on her face, She stays upfront to flirt with the teacher taking his glasses and rolling it in her mouth as she explains the female privates. Buzz Buzz.

Mi Amor: Hav fun in school. I see you tomorrow bae. IYL

 I look up and suppressed a greedy smile.

 Me: Can not wait. xxx.

I smiled and glance outside. The squirrel was gone but so was most of the raccoon. My curl drop in front of my face. My eyes wide as I look around it was not even ten minutes how did that happen. It is only your mind. After trying to calm my nerves I settle and got ready for the day. The thing about going to school in a dead zone is not much happening each day is the same. The coolest thing we had to happen was when Sally Maxfield got fifth place in the nearby town beauty competition. We were the one place the devil probably send folks as a line of torture. Everyone knew each other and marries one another. Grow old have kids work the same jobs your parents or neighbor had. Just so happen my parents two of the coolest jobs. Mother was assistant to the mayor and my dad work as a scientist that was a station out here. They move here when they got married I still do not get that. Nose deep in my latest novel off my four pages list. I felt a few pokes on my back. 

" Guess what I heard from Paul in six periods of American History. Looks like the old hag bit the dusk and they just found her body this morning. Guess what with just her body and her 20 cats. God Issac if I end up anywhere close to that kill me" Janet said pulling out her lunch, sushi, and flavor water.

" Lunch looks smaller than last week. Another diet J. I do not know why you do that your perfect" I said pulling out my lunch with a sigh. Janet peak over at me and my silver can lunch box cover in bumper stickers. Janet rolls her eyes and sips her cool water. I took out my lunch: a bottle of filter water, steal tight thing of organic crackers, dried up fruits, and a mystery meal ( as my mom called it). She stops mid-chew and looks at me with doubt and wonder. 

" What that" Janet said looking over my lunch. Apart from I wanted to chuckle each day the same thing. Sipping my water I turn to look at her. My legs shielding hers

"It is my lunch crackers fruit. Want some" I said holding out the mystery meal packet 

" Wait for a second that fruit. I do not get you. I come with my lunch and you have that. Still, you cover your eyes during the sex parts" Janet asked. My smile got bigger as I nod. Her face still in disbelief.

" Yes. Because I will like to live till my 18 birthday. J. Do not forget the ice cream birthday cake, spaghetti, banana nut bread, or many other times I chance it" I said turning back to the table Janet always got me to throw reasoning away.

" Just be careful that it looks like it will attack you alright. Space cadet" Janet said poking at my lunch to see if it moved. I wish to chance it was a luxury for me but never is, I will never be normal and for that, I am the envy of everyone. The problem goes down to the simple fact of an allergy I have a very rare very troublesome allergy, Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorder. Long story short think of anything fun and add a 99% chance I can die of it. 

" God damn it. Did you hear me? The last two periods we going on some field trips to the Coast Forrest for science today" Janet said wiping her mouth. Nodding I look at my half-eaten lunch. "Popi gonna meet us there. She got these new drugs called Trippe that her hook up gave her. I talk her into allowing me to try it with her. Maybe get some others to buy some. It is organic you should try some" Janet said checking her makeup in her little compact mirror. I gentle took a deep breath out and move a few curls behind my ear as I tried to remind Janet again I can not do that. Then she must have seen my thoughts as she pointed to me with her lipstick and said, " It is organic. You eat all that weird shit. What to say that and Trippe are not made of the same shit" Janet said putting her stuff away.

I wanted to tell her no but instead, I said I think about it before she went off to get last night's homework from someone. I loved her with all my heart but sometimes she just did not get me. Crazy how you can love someone with all your heart. Not want anything from it just a simple notion that you will never be alone. Someone that will have your back and would never judge you. No one did but KP ever promises you that.

Mi Amor: I wish you are here. I feel so alone.

I waited a few more minutes for him to reply till I decide he probably was on the plane and could not reach me. Rubbing the back of my neck I close my eyes. God did I need sleep and a bubble bath. Noise rattle my nerves and the never-ending sound of people screaming made me flinched. Jumping up I look around before heading out to the bathroom to finish my lunch. Last year its been like this need want to escape want some time alone. Maybe its fact in a few months I will be graduating. I will be free to be me whatever that was. As my phone alarm ring, I slowly got up from my spot on the floor and got ready to head back before Janet realize I was gone. With my head hanging low I walk over to the sink to flush away any doubt of living any sadness I been feeling. water dripping from my face I look back at my reflection. Brown sugar eyes looking back with my hair full-blown curl thanks to the cold water. My button nose raw from the tears I just finished having. Taking another breath in I grab the end of my dress and rub my face.

The ride to Coast Forrest was roughly 15 minutes long. Janet was sitting next to Popi kissing like horny rabbits and I sat beside them by the window. Popi cool. She wears her hair short blonde with pink tips pixie cut with random drunken mistakes to remind her you only live once and a nose ring with a lip tattoo that said suck it. At first, she did like me worried I was trying to take Janet away till I reassure her what I and Janet have will always be a deep unbreakable friendship and I was happy with KP. Once I asked her if she can do a sharpie tattoo out of pure boredom she grew a flower crown on my wist. Which she now does every time she sees me. My arm the blanket canvas for her crazy thoughts. Colors change as I wave my hands up and down as if I was fish in the open water.

Coming out for air Janet smirk at me and whisper into Popi's ear. With a nod, Popi took out her bag and hand Janet something when no one but me was looking. 

" So I heard you might be adventuring out my young grasshopper. Finally going to get some action huh" Popi said sniffing her nose-wiping away the last bit of blow she did before getting on the bus. I peak over to Janet who just whistles and spoke to a random person behind us.

" Maybe. YOYO right" I said licking my bottom lip

" God Smith you something. So fucking cute. little puppet" Popi said pinching my arm. 

" Tell her about Trippe baby" Janet added.

" Thanks, angel. Huh, so what my guy told me this is some top-shelf shit. Like the best of the best only take. I am talking mob cartel you name it and its all made on some hippie compound. I am one of the first to have it" Popi pointed out proud of herself. She took one out and handed it to me.

" How do you take it. I never sniff anything before. Or put anything up my butt" I asked curiously.

Janet giggles at my response and hugs over to speak to me without anyone hearing us." From what Popi heard it pretty much either end type of drug but oral tends to work find. The away only thing we want poking you in the but is Kindred Phillip Richards thick long penis" Janet laugh.

It was small and look like something out a Candy land world. The packing was the neon pick with a smiley face with its tongue out and eyes cross out. As I play with it looking at it closer it had a strange symbol on it. Inside the little baggie was a pill shape drug with what looks to be a liquid power inside. While Popi was trying to talk a boy into a threesome with Janet and herself. I snatch a picture on my Polaroid camera and stuff it in my pocket. I look at it once more. It was inviting but apart of me was not sure. Kind of like it was a candy a treat. Last time I tried something Janet said it was alright. I end up in ICU for two months. Everything around her tone out as she kept playing with this drug in her hands. Very own mystery. What made this so special so welcoming. Bring it closer to my nose I let it linger see if I can figure what it was made off. I had a nose for such things. Lana Del Rey plays on my head as I play with it. It was organic maybe it was safe to do it. 

" We are here. I have to make a phone call. So just take a paper and start feeling it out" Mr. Lopez said. He was probably going to scream at his soon to be ex-wife who ran off with their younger babysitter last week.

Second, he left everything to reassure. Loud noises left and right. Booming. Popi look at me and took the drug out my hand and gave Janet the nod. Show Time. Janet gave both of use a wink before she swings herself up to stand on the seat Dead Poet Society style. Flipping her hair she screams HEY. Everyone's eyes shift to Janet quite waiting on her hand and foot. With a wolf grind, she grabs up the drug and tosses it up and down in the air.

" Alright shit brains and posers. I got here the upcoming stuff that every one that is hot now is doing. Actors athletes business people and even world leaders. This stuff here is told to make oxy look like a sugar-free candy. This stuff is fully organic and to give you a ride of your life. Once you have it once you never find anything to get you this fuck up ever again. Word around this Trippe would put you on a ride you will never forget So who wanna party" Janet said jumping down to the ground with her hands up above her head. I was the first to clap much sooner then I should of. Most look at me and I turn and look outside at Mr. Lopez on the verge of tears. Everyone was shouting not wanting to be left out wanting in on the mystery on the trend. As Popi passed it out Janet took the money stuffing it into her bra. Till everyone had one. All glee with excitement thrilled to do it.

" Hey, you ready" Janet asked. I look at her and went to grab some money taking out a twenty I slowly hand it to her. They all went to take it and as I am about to take it I stop and shoot up. My breathing got short and I clench to the seat trying to catch it. I felt tears as a minor panic attack was coming ahead. My sight got dizzy and I shock my head crying a silent cry. Janet stops before taking it and looks at me holding tight to my chest. 

" I can't I can not take it. I can not take the gamble. J I am so sorry. I wish I could" I said trying to stop the tears. People around me starting to go down on their trip. Some started to laugh like drunken hyenas, a few spaces out like a psychic patient drop on drugs, some were paranoid with a flinch and rest was a mixture of emotions. I slowly got my things together and try to head for the door. An arm stops me and pushes me back down.

" Where are you going. Come on. Amaryllis. It alright. Just do it" Janet said shoving it into my face. I shook my head no and push it away. I look around everything was spinning. 

" I can not do that. You know I can die Janet " I plead to her. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. Walking back to Popi she said something to her as I stood still rubbing my arm looking at the ground. 

"You are full of bullshit. Issac. Why is it one second your talking about fucking your boyfriend and next to your acting like a little kid? Is this thing you have any real or is it all fake just like you"Janet hissed. I knew she was already high from whatever she was doing but the words still hurt. It made everything hurt ten times more.

Without speaking I shook my head and left the bus. I had to get as far as I could before the tears came down. I tried KP once again but no answer. I don't know how far I was got before I finally stop. Green was cover everywhere like a sea of green. I slowly drop to my knees and allow my hands to become one with nature. I lean back and breathe. Rubbing my hands from the tip of my head across my neck down to my sides. My eyes fill with tears glitter flowing around. I calm myself with words of encouragement. I turn my head to see a few deer and bears running away passed me. Stopping I slowly got up to my feet and look around. I did not hear any birds no bugs. I stalked over where they were running from till I saw it. A dead deer laying in a bed of white flowers. That was not what scared me it was rabbits eating away the deer. It fills me with fear and dread. I slowly step back to I am far enough to run. I ran an ran till I hit a branch. As the visions slowly started to fade images of the dead animals came to mind on repeat.  I should have known that was only the beginning

Rain and the distant sounds of voices woke me up. The ground was wet and droplets kept falling into my face. Everything was fuzzy and for a second I forgot where and how I got where I am at. Taking a second in I slowly got to my feet thanks to a tree nearby. The voices got louder and I slow recognized it as Mr. Lopez. How long have I been out? 

Licking my lips I call out where I was. Till I saw a flashlight beaming into my face. Covering my eyes with my hand the footsteps grew closer and closer.

" God. Miss. Smith. Where have you been I been looking everywhere? For you. I am so sorry. I thought you were on the bus then when we got back I did not see you and your mom called the cops. We have been looking for you for a few hours" Mr. Lopez said smoothing the hair out my face. 

Holding onto him tight I cried into the crook of his neck not letting go of his green polo shirt that was too small and a bit skin would peak out. But I did not care I was scared. He slowly helps me stable myself and ushers me to the rest of them. There was a small crowd with flashlights. A woman with fair skin that complements her tall thin body with piercing blue eyes ran towards throw the crowd calling out my name with a man espresso skin and dark short black hair and fitted glasses.

" Amaryllis. My baby" Mom called out as the space between us got smaller. I left Mr. Lopez behind and ran into my mom's arms muffling my cries with her long black hair. I could hear her say thank you to Mr. Lopez but I did not move. I do not remember making it home.

I did not remember anything till I was laying in my twin size bed bundle under my warm blue glitter comforter in one of KP old football jersey. I did not hear from Janet and no one from the class was there looking. I would say I was hurt but the words she said still sting.

" Hey, Amaryllis. Its dad I am coming in" Dad said coming in.

I turn my head to see him walking in with an old antique tray with two small teacups. I slowly got up and look at him with a sad smile. Daddy always knew when it was tea time.

" Thanks, dad. Sorry for carrying you and mommy" I said bring my knees to my chest. He smiled and play with my hair in his hands.

" What happen kiddo. What made you run off like that " He asked. I wish I could tell the truth wish I can give him the full story. But to do that I will put more people in trouble and danger then I will want. So like every time before I lied. 

" The kids said something. I did not agree. I went off to take pictures when I trip and fell. I am so sorry" I said looking into the teacup.

" Promise you will never let anyone including Janet or Kindred to disrespect you. Make you feel little" Dad said drinking the tea. I nod and stay quiet as he started to talk about his newest discovery.

The next couple of days I stayed home after my blood work came back off from stress. I hide away from everyone only speaking to my mom, dad, and text and phone calls from KP. I planned not too obsessed but by day two of my week off, I look and look till my finger got numb of Janet and Popi social media. Folks in Easter Hills, New Mexico wasn’t smart. From what was a bus of 25/30 of my peers slowly becoming the whole school in a matter of days. Everyone praising about Trippe. If it was not about that stupid drug it was dead inside pictures of Janet smiling or as of Thursday at 4:36 pm food. I thought about speaking to her but each time by the second ring I hang up.

Mrs. Ethan was the town vet and all-around queen of gossip. We both have a love to talk about the endless amount of facts and news around the world. She had a job and a life I admire minus the gossip and heavy wine drinking. Today she was allowing me to take the lead of performing an emergency C section on a third-place local star Bichon Frise Mr.Fuzzy Bear.

“ Now Issac remembers gentle across right there till your right here” Mrs. Ethan said standing beside me as I slowly made the incision across the lower abdomen. After each step, I ask a few questions and checking everything I was doing was right. 

Inside Mr. Fuzzy Bear after the chew toy was this strange clear like glitter goo. I reach down and look at his pupils which were highly diluted for the meds with gave him to sleep. Mrs. Ethan was taking care of some paperwork in her office so I grab a few test tubes and draw a bit of blood. Nothing is more important than checking all your boxes. After I scoop out all the strange goo out of him I stitch him up and put him in a cage for later.

“ Yes thank you. Oh yes. I will be coming that way on the fifth of next month. Thank you let me know when you got the payment” Mrs. Ethan said. After the end of the call, she spins in her chair kicking and cheering out loud. 

“ Found some blurry treasure. Mrs. Ethan” I said leaning by the doorway with my legs cross one another.

“ Yes. A seller I know in New York came across a set of six large 1970s green glass Italian Chianti bottles. Only roughly 3,000. He gonna hold it for me for two weeks. Huh heaven, Issac heaven” She said full of glee.

“I thought you just like expensive wine ?” I asked. She once shows me her prize-winning collection of wine in her underground cellar with over 50,000 dollars worth. Even my parents were impressed which is a very hard thing to do.

 “ Yes. But honey a girl can never have too many toys and finer things in life. Like that boy toy of yours. Seeing him soon right” Mrs. Ethan said with a wink. Before I could tell her anything she ways already on the phone to give the good news to her husband. I would have told her after my dad ban any date night I have not seen KP yet well besides the two times he hike up the side of the house to my window to cuddle with me or how I cried into his arms one night about how rude Janet was to me. 

School felt different from the week I missed. Was it the scent in the air the vibe that was off. Something that did not fit right. Mr. Lopez was the 1st to check on me which I could not hear much of because people were talking about Trippe or what was for lunch. Even Mr. Lopez who acts like no one noticed had a neon pink little baggie poking out from his briefcase.

Me: Save me I feel I jump fell right into the Twilight Zone.

Mi Amor: Baby lmao. I am sure its nothing. 

Me: Ur right. Thnx xx I have lunch wish me good luck.

I pulled tight to my backpack and pull right through the double metal doors. I put a lot more effort today in what I look like out of my dresses and overalls with a pair of baby blue flared jeans with a thick black melt and a red long sleeve crop top that wasn’t one from it being two sizes too big. The lines on for food were three times longer than usual. And there wasn’t much talking like there usually is. I just did not feel like the Easter Hills High that I been going to for four years now. What made it more strange seeing Janet hunch over like she was a prisoner. Her hair wasn’t done like it usually is. Flat and lifeless and she has dark bags under her eyes. Worried was not the word for it. There wasn’t one.

  “Hey J. Long time no see huh pickle breathe” I said kicking a pretend rock with my black velvet Superga platform sneakers. Janet did recognize me at first no one did. So I got closer and poke her shoulder a few times. By the fifth poke she grips tight to finger so tight I was starting to feel some pain.

“ God Jesus saint Janet. Stop your hurting me” I shouted. Everyone stops and looks at us. She slowly let go of my finger when she saw the pain in my eyes. She grabs a bottle and ran out. I called and ran after her like the good little kitten I was.

“ JANET WAIT WAIT UP” I shouted running after her.

“ Sorry okay. I did not mean to hurt you. Issac” Janet said looking down at the ground. I shook my head and came up to her and lifted her chin up so she can look at me. At first look, her eyes look like how Mr. Fuzzy Bear’s eyes looked. Glazed over. 

“Hey no. I am worried about you. Is everything okay? Did you and Popi get into a fight?” I tried to say but halfway my voice started to crack. We had this way and something was telling me something was wrong. “ Janet. I am worried about you and what this magnesium. Janet, maybe we should ta-” I was cut off by Janet.

“ Look I was a 90s bitch to you. And I screwed up. I hated that I said those things. The week you were gone and we did not talk suck. But I and Popi are fine and if I don’t go now I won’t be able to take some Trippe before classes. And it is no big deal it is just a short cut. I call you later” Janet said then ran off. Something was not right and I knew no one but me was going to be able to figure it out.

[thesmilingfish]

MAY 26

Well, this is the end of quarantine cinema. I’ll be going back to work tomorrow and my schedule for the foreseeable future will be Wednesday-Saturday - most days 10:30-3:15 but this week the first couple of days will be 10-6:30. We’re opening the store on Friday, so we’ll have two days to finish the men’s set that we started back in March and get the rest of the store ready to open. I bought defogger spray for my glasses, so I’m going to try that out today to see if it works.

Midnight Express (1978) - I probably shouldn’t have read up on this movie before I watched it, but I was trying to figure out why I had burned a copy of it so long ago. The film is based on a true story but according to everything I’ve read most of it has been hugely embellished and since its release Billy Hayes, the man who the film is based on, has apologized for the movie and his books racist overtones and derogatory nature in which Turkey was presented. The movie is brutal, the direction unflinching but I found myself having a hard time feeling for the plight of Billy. He was guilty - he knew what he was doing and the true story was this wasn’t the first time he’d smuggled drugs out of Turkey, it was just the first time he was caught. It was an interesting movie from a movie making point of view, but I can’t see myself ever watching it again.

The Emerald Forest (1985) - This is another movie that I burned a copy of back in the day that I have no idea why I did it but since I did and I still have it, I feel bound to watch it before my quarantine is up. The reason I have this movie is because it’s freakin’ awesome, that’s why. It’s got some terrific action sequences but for the most part there’s a lot of sadness. It takes a stand against the destruction of the Amazon rain forest but not in a heavy handed way. You care for the tribe that took the young American boy, not out of malice but to save him from what they perceived a horrible life.

Day for Night (1973) - I’ve never seen a Truffaut film before. I am glad this is the first one I’ve watched. It was a love letter to the movies and I loved it. I don’t know what to say. I’m just really late to the game.

Brightburn (2019) - THIS IS THE LAST MOVIE ON MY LIST. I wanted to see this in the theater but somehow never got around to it. A friend gave it to me as a going away present when I left Cost Plus last November. So, yeah, six months later here’s me watching it. It was really good. It’s not world-changing cinema but it’s a tight little thriller (coupled with a little bit of horror).  I wanted it expanded a little bit more so there was more backstory, but when it was over I felt satisfied with the conclusion.

Okay, under the cut is the complete list of everything I’ve watched while under the stay-at-home order from March 19 - May 26.

MOVIES:

Conspiracy (2001) ● An Inspector Calls (2015) ● Murder By Degree (1979) ● War Gods of the Deep (1965) ● Ready or Not (2019) ● Knives Out (2019) ● Midsommar (2019) ● Finding Mr. Wright (2011) ● Damn the Defiant! (1962) ● Spellbound (1945) ● The In-Laws (1979) ● Castle Keep (1969) ● The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2009) ● Blood Creek (2009) ● The Limehouse Golem (2016) ● Pilgrimage (2017) ● The Pagan King (2018) ● Tom of Finland (2017) ● The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959) ● Crimson Peak (2015) ● The Conspirator (2010) ● Immortals (2011) ● Dunkirk (2017) ● The Cold Light of Day (2012) ● Your Past is Showing (1957) ● The Fall (2006) ● The Secret Agent (1996) ● Mr. Brooks (2007) ● Dracula (2006) ● Street Kings (2008) ● Age of Consent (1969) ● The World’s End (2013) ● Perfume (2006) ● Unbreakable (2000) ● Split (2016) ● Glass (2019) ● Red (2010) ● Beowulf (2007) ● Public Enemies (2009) ● Bigger (2018) ● Can You Keep a Secret? (2019) ● The Domestics (2018) ● The Penthouse (1989) ● Rescue Dawn (2006) ● A Bridge Too Far (1977) ● Death in Venice (1971) ● 12 Angry Men (1957) ● The Last King of Scotland (2006) ● The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) ● North by Northwest (1959) ● Darling (1965) ● Sunset Blvd. (1950) ● Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) ● Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) ● The Judge (2014) ● Green Lantern (2011) ● Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) ● Fight Club (1999) ● Stoker (2013) ● Tristan and Isolde (2006) ● Lifeboat (1944) ● The Duchess (2008) ● The Proposition (2005) ● Bark! (2002) ● Tesis (1996) ● The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963) ● Eragon (2006) ● The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) ● The Battle of Britain (1969) ● Brief Encounter (1945) ● The Bandit Hound (2016) ● Change of Plans (2011) ● Giant (1956) ● Borstal Boy (2000) ● East Side Story (2007) ● Imagine Me & You (2005) ● Bent (1997) ● The Naked Civil Servant (1975) ● Leaving Metropolis (2002) ● The Good Shepherd (2006) ● Love & Other Drugs (2010) ● A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004) ● London (2005) ● Sunshine (2007) ● All Night Long (1962) ● The League of Gentlemen (1960) ● Sapphire (1959) ● The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus (2009) ● Tideland (2005) ● Two-Way Stretch (1960) ● Bright Star (2009) ● Eroica (2003) ● The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) ● The Astronaut’s Wife (1999) ● Breach (2007) ● Extraction (2020) ● The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) ● Shaolin Soccer (2001) ● The Children’s Hour (1961) ● La Cage Aux Folles (1978) ● My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) ● Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) ● The Object of My Affection (1998) ● Fracture (2007) ● That’ll Be the Day (1973) ● The Final Season (2007) ● Monsters, Inc. (2001) ● Hotel Artemus (2018) ● Tactical Force (2014) ● In Which We Serve (1942) ● This Happy Breed (1944) ● The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) ● Secretary (2002) ● Mr. Holmes (2015) ● Kung Fury (2015) ● Spiders 3D (2013) ● Strings (2004) ● Skellig: The Owl Man (2009) ● Miranda (2002) ● Revenger’s Tragedy (2002) ● Hamlet (2009) ● Troop Zero (2019) ● The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) ● The Night of the Generals (1967) ● The Cottage (2008) ● The Fountain (2006) ● Sand Castle (2017) ● Midnight Express (1978) ● The Emerald Forest (1985) ● Day For Night (1973) ● Brightburn (2019)

EPISODIC TELEVISION:

Rifftrax: Birdemic (2013) ● Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song (2015) ● Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio (2015) ● Frankenstein (2001) - Cumberbatch Creature/Miller Frankenstein ● Frankenstein (2001) - Miller Creature/Cumberbatch Frankenstein ● American Experience: The Perfect Crime (2016) ● American Experience: The Race Underground (2017) ● American Experience: Murder of a President (2016) ● American Experience: The Eugenics Crusade (2017) ● American Experience: The Secret of Tuxedo Park (2018)

TV SERIES: Schitt’s Creek (2015) - Season 1, Episodes 1-7 ● Locke & Key (2020) - Season 1 ● Doctor Who (2015) - Season 9 ● Legend (1995) - Season 1 ● A Discovery of Witches (2018) - Season 1 ● Doom Patrol (2019) - Season 1 ● Hannibal (2013) - Season 1 ● The Musketeers (2014) - Season 1 ● Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011) ● Con-Man (2015) - Season 1 ● Birds of Prey (2002) - Season 1 ● The Almighty Johnsons (2011) - Season 1, Episodes 1-2 ● Hannibal (2014) - Season 2 ● Hannibal (2015) - Season 3

MINI-SERIES

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Morrell (2015) - 7 part mini-series ● Pandora’s Clock (1996) - 2 part mini-series ● The Lost Prince (2004) - 2 part mini-series ● Colditz (2005) - 2 part mini-series

DOCUMENTARIES:

The Golden State Killer: It’s Not Over (2018)  ● Natalie Wood: An American Murder Mystery (2018) ● 78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene (2017) ● Killing for Love (2017) ● Becoming Bond (2017) ● Nothing is Truer Than Truth (2018) ● Damrell’s Fire (2006)

[yespolkadotkitty]

The Angel’s Share, pt 3

Part I

Part II

written with the ever-fantastic @hopelessromanticspoonie

Adjusting his cuffs, Thomas waited in the wings of the small auditorium tonight’s venue boasted. Somewhere in the small audience, she sat.

He truly hadn’t meant to offend her, or pick her up. He’d clocked her, whilst almost dying of boredom trying to keep up with a discussion Sir Winston had engaged him in on the most recent issue of Country Life Magazine - and she looked a breath of fresh air. Flat shoes at the bottom of long legs. A red sundress, demure, hitting her knees, neither a ballgown nor a skirt high enough to see her upper thighs. She looked - sweet. Approachable.

And he desired her company more in that moment than he’d wanted his next breath. She’d slammed him down when he hadn’t even been hitting on her. And wasn’t that something? As the wheels turned in his head, he waited to be announced.

”And to present his whiskey story to you, I give you, Sir Thomas Sharpe!”

A smattering of applause circled the large space as Thomas stepped on to the stage. The lights were low, but he surreptitiously cast his gaze around for the beautiful stranger in the red dress. He finally lit upon her in the third row, expecting to see her fiddling with her phone or something, but no, she was paying attention, her back straight, and when their eyes met, he could swear that she saw right through him.

He gave his pitch, touching on his father’s less than salubrious past, and his own years of debauchery, before ending with a short film of his on-site copper stills and a few shots of the bottles being sold in New York, Beijing, and Moscow, among other cities.

The whole time, she watched him, her eyes never leaving his face. It was at once nerve-wracking and very intriguing.

“Please, if you would, follow the door signs back to the marquee, where further tastings and miniature bottles will be available to enjoy here or take with you to your establishments.”

He bowed his head to the lectern as people filtered out, chatting among themselves. He pretended to occupy himself by flipping through the notes that were merely blank prompt cards that he’d brought along in case of nerves; something to occupy his hands so he didn’t over gesticulate as he was prone to when nervous.

Was it possible to die of nerves? He’d add that to his growing list of fake obituaries. It had the benefit of pissing off his sister.

“You talk a good game. I’ll give you that.”

Thomas looked up from the slightly elevated stage to see her waiting, arms folded. Her eyes looked tired, like she’d seen his type a million times before. And perhaps she had. “Is there something I can help you with?” His gaze dropped to her chest - not to ogle her wares, as he’d been raised better, but to clock her security pass. “You don’t strike me as an Edward.”

“I-” She looked down, and for the first time since they’d met, she smiled genuinely. It softened her whole face, warmed her dark brown eyes, and for a second that stretched, he was entranced. “Eddie’s my boss.”

“And is he here tonight?”

“He’s home, coughing up a lung.” Her tone implied she might still be willing to trade places with him.

“How unfortunate.” He did his best to layer in sympathy to the words, but even he could tell that it sounded as if he felt it was anything but unfortunate. It wasn’t often that he met a young woman on his ventures selling his whiskey, usually meeting with grizzled barkeeps and tough as nails women several decades his senior.

“For me, yeah.” She folded her arms again. “You talk a good game, GQ. And your whiskey isn’t terrible.”

He laughed because she was a breath of fresh air. Something he hadn’t tasted in some time.

“Shall that go on the reviews on the website, then? ‘The famous Crimson Peak Whiskey isn’t terrible’ claimed by…?”

*******

She decided to throw him a bit of a bone. What would her name hurt when she wasn’t going to see him again? Not that she wouldn’t mind seeing him again, she couldn’t deny that he was easy on the eyes, but she wasn’t about to start galavanting about town with a posh pretty boy. What would the neighbours say? “Katherine Adams, but my friends call me Kate.”

He smiled, the easy action lighting up his decidedly pale face. Maybe he should have tried to sell his whiskey somewhere that had seen the sun. London wasn’t exactly known for being bright and cheery, but somehow she still maintained a nice honey glow to her skin - helped along by the special tanning cocoa butter lotion her mum had always used. “Claimed by Katherine Adams, employee of ‘The Dapper Tap, Soho’.”

She took notice of his use of her full name, decidedly putting him in the ‘acquaintance’ category. Fine with her. Not like she’d ever see him again after tonight, anyway. He was a long, tall drink of water for sure, but not to her taste.

Readjusting the clutch tucked securely between her bare upper arm and her side, she shifted on her feet, angling her head toward the door. “Well, I’m going to snag one of your tiny airport bottles for Eddie and then head on home. I’m not used to having a Friday night off, weekend night off, really, and I plan to take full advantage of doing absolutely nothing but watch the telly. Thanks for the riveting conversation.”

Just as she had done after their last chat, she turned on her heel and left without another word, already pushing the thought of the handsome Sir Thomas Sharpe far from her mind to ponder on what she wanted to get from the chippy for tea.

*******

“Another, Dave?” The following evening, Kate leaned over the old oak bar, smiling brightly down at the older gentleman on the other side.

“You know me,” he replied with a wink. He’d been coming here for over a year, claiming he wanted to get away from the yappy little dog his wife had got for a pet now their kids had left home. But Kate had seen pictures of the teacup terrier on his phone.

“That I do.” She pulled another glass from up above the bar before pulling him another pint of Spitfire, humming quietly to herself as she performed the mechanical action, one she could do in her sleep. She wouldn’t normally be behind the bar on a Saturday night, but Eddie seemed to have passed his bug to half the staff.

And she did feel at home here, passing a drink to her regulars, chatting away about the struggles of their lives and passing the rare moment of spare time by chopping up fruit behind the counter for the occasional cocktail that was made - most usually an Old Fashioned or a Martini - dirty. Most of their customers were salt-of-the-earth types, her kind of people, just looking for a pint or the occasional shot to take the edge off of the day.

Rain hammered on the windows as the jukebox in the corner - an antique store find that she’d helped Eddie cart back here on the tune, what a mission that had been - played Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks, and she hummed along, loving the classic tune. The jukebox only played classic British bands - The Who, Queen, the Beatles and the like.

She was peeling the rinds off of oranges for Old Fashioneds when she heard another regular, William, grumble in front of her, in his gruff cockney accent, “Is he lost?”

Somehow, she knew who it would be before even looking up. Freeing her hands and wiping them on an old rag before setting them on her curvy jean-clad hips, Kate lifted her impassive eyes to the Baronet, arching her brow. “Can I help you, Sir Thomas?”

Permanent taglist: @amarisyousei @myoxisbroken @nonsensicalobsessions 

Taglist for this fic: @rjohnson1280 @alexakeyloveloki @villainousshakespeare @wolfsmom1 @arch-venus25

[angelwingsxxo]

Sempiternal

Tom Hiddleston x reader

Summary: As you stand before the altar, you reflect on your relationship with the man you are about to marry.

Warnings: none

Word count: 7395

How in the world did I end up here, you think to yourself as you stand in front of the mirror, as Amelie fixes the train of your wedding dress. The dress has long off-shoulder sleeves, embedded with small pearls on the bottom, and is floor-length. The top is corset-like, with laces at the back to adjust the shape, and it is heart-shaped, with colourful flowers on it. The skirt runs from the waist down, loose around your legs, layers of tulle, decorated with small flowers. The train is a beautiful white colour, decorated with small pearls and flowers, and it is at least half a metre long. 

Miriam and Arianne walk into the room, carrying your veil and the tiara that you were given by Diana. They are both smiling brightly. 

Liz had curled your hair and fastened it with pins. Together with Miriam, she puts the veil on your head, adjusting it slightly so the front falls over your face. Then, Arianne places the tiara on it, fastening the veil. Diana pulls the front of the veil over your head, and Rosa works on your make-up. 

"You look marvellous." Amelie says softly, and when you open your eyes, you can see her reflection in the mirror. You had chosen Amelie as your Maid of Honour, and Miriam, Rosa, Liz, Anneli, Nea and Arianne as your bridesmaids. 

The five girls are wearing simple white dresses without sleeves and skirts that fall to the knee, and Amelie is wearing a similar dress to theirs, only with lace all over it, and flowers on the bottom line of her skirt that are a deep blue colour. 

Amelie wipes away a tear, and you turn around to hug your sister. "Don't cry." You whisper, and she nods as you pull away. "Turn around," Anneli commands, and you do as she says, while the girls perform the last touches. Your mind swirls, and you think about how you got here.

It started when you were casted in Thor, and then in Thor: The Dark World as Sassa, the woman promised to Thor, next queen of Asgard. Sassa was stuck in between the two brothers; Loki had fallen in love with her, but her duty to Asgard stood first. 

During the first movie you could - luckily - leave your three-year-old daughter Cecily behind with Amelie, but when the filming for the second movie would start, Amelie went back to Finland, and you couldn't bear to let Cecily go with her. So, you took Cecily with you to the United States. 

The girl had been ecstatic to meet the other actors - she was specifically fond of Rene Russo, who played the part of Frigga. You, however, weren't so happy about everything. You had appeared in the media a few times over the years, considering your fame in your work as a surgeon, and by playing in Thor, but you had always managed to keep Cecily out of it all. You didn't want her life to change. 

Plus, nobody knew of your personal life. Nobody knew of your deceased husband - he had died of cancer just before Cecily was born, in 2008 - and of Cecily. You were unsure of their reactions. 

As expected, the women gushed over your four-year-old daughter, and Chris and Tom weren't too far from that too. Especially Tom liked her a lot. He didn't have any children of his own, at the age of thirty, and he wasn't sure if he wanted them. 

"I'm not a good boyfriend," he told you one day, when the two of you caught up over a cup of coffee, "and I doubt I'd be a very good father. Jessica and I are nothing serious anyways, so it won't last too long, but I don't think I'll get children." 

He opened up to you about his fears in relationships, and why they never lasted long with him. He told you that he had fallouts with his father on a young age, and that some of those played a big role in his life. You felt honestly honoured that he shared this much information with you. 

And in the mean time, you developed a small crush on him. But you knew that he was with Jessica at the moment, and you also knew that a relationship just really wasn't in the cards for you two, because he was away a lot, and he wouldn't be able to offer you what you needed. So you never acted on it, in the beginning. 

He and Jessica split at the end of the year, just before the premiere. You couldn't be there, because Cecily had to go to school, and you still had a job in London. The cast expressed their regrets at your leave, but you assured them that you would catch up someday. 

 After that, you tried to cut yourself off. You managed to make some friends in the normal world, who weren't celebrities. You met Miriam and Arianne, a lesbian couple, in a bar, and from there, you gradually made your way into their group. You managed to pull two of your old friends from Finland in it too, Anneli and Nea, and they settled in London for a while. 

In spring of 2014, Tom returned to London, and you were very surprised to find him at your door the following morning. 

"Tom?" You yawned. "What are you doing here?" He looked strangely nervous. "Let me take you out for breakfast," he said, and your eyes widened. It was a Saturday morning, and you had already brought Cecily to her grandparents the Friday before, to catch up with your friends. "A-alright. I just need to put on some clothes." As soon as you said that, he looked at your top and shorts, that left nothing to the imagination, and his cheeks turned pink. "Come in." You opened the door more and he stepped in as you rushed upstairs. 

You had breakfast in a small restaurant in the outskirts of London, chattering about everything and nothing - about filming, favourite animals and colours, and eventually also about Cecily. 

"She's almost six now," you smiled, and looked at your coffee. "Looks a lot like her father." It stayed silent for a while. Tom cleared his throat. "Can I- can I ask what happened to the father?" You looked up to meet his beautiful blue eyes. They had a green tint, and appeared greener in the light that came from the lamps inside. "Julian had cancer," you said softly, "he died just before Cecily was born."

You blinked the tears away, and bit your lip when you felt his hand on yours. He squeezed your hand softly. "I'm sorry." He whispered, and you shook your head. "Don't be sorry. You can't help it." You smiled. "I suppose fate decided. Sometimes life takes unexpected turns. I miss him, but I make sure that Cecily knows she is loved by both of us, even though he is no longer here." You took a deep breath. "My sister helps me a lot too, even though she's back home now, in Finland." Tom smiled at you. "How about your family?"

"Well," he started, "I have two sisters, Sarah and Emma. Sarah is the eldest, with thirty-five, I'm the middle child with thirty-three and Emma is the youngest with twenty-eight. My mother Diana is a stage manager, and my father James is a scientist. You didn't tell me who your sister is." He pointed out, and you chuckled.

"Your family sounds more interesting than mine. My sister's name is Amelie, and she's married to Samuli Vauramo, a Finnish actor. She's an artist, and she's pretty popular back in Finland. My parents," you hesitated before continuing, "our mother Astrid died giving birth to Amelie, and our father Aabraham succumbed to alcohol not long after that. Child support took us out and placed us in a home in Denmark. We didn't stay very long, and we were separated." You sighed deeply. "I went to Winchester, and she went back to Finland. Long story short, I met Julian when I was nineteen, and he helped me locate Amelie. We went to Finland and stayed there for a while, and I made a few friends before going back to England." "And your foster parents?" Tom asked. You smiled. "There was no man in the picture there. Just one woman, who raised me. She died ten years ago." 

He looked at you with something that resembled compassion. "I'm sorry for your loss. It must've been hard for you." "I got out stronger. Life's not a fairy-tale and not everyone gets what they want. But it's the way things work." You shrugged. Tom looked at you for a moment before nodding. "You're right. Now, what about a walk?" You smiled. "I'd love that." 

It became official a few months after that. The first months weren't hard to navigate through. He stayed in London most of the time, and he worked, but you worked too, so you could make arrangements easily to meet each other. 

You hadn't told Cecily yet, however. You didn't want to let her have hope for something that might not last. 

It turned out you were right. 

In 2015, after he was done filming I Saw the Light and High Rise, you introduced him to Cecily as your boyfriend. Cecily was overjoyed, happy to finally have this kind of father figure. It soon appeared that that wasn't really what happened. Tom started to come over more and more, staying several nights after each other, and eventually even dropping Cecily off at school on Fridays when you had to leave early for work. But when Crimson Peak came in, the visits stopped, and you only had contact through cell phone.

"I miss Tom," Cecily said one night, when you were seated on the couch in the living room, eating pizza and watching The Pirate Fairy. You stopped mid-bite, looking at her. "When is he coming back?" Your daughter asked, and you bit your lip. You didn't know. He was so busy lately, and you hadn't called this week. "I'll call him tomorrow sweetheart, and I'll ask him. Eat your pizza, then I can get you to bed and grandma will come over to watch over the house." Cecily nodded. 

You put her to bed not long after that, and she asked, "Do you love Tom, mommy?" You sucked in a breath. Did you love Tom? "Probably," you answered with a smile as you kissed her forehead. "Because if Tom doesn't treat you right, then you shouldn't love him." Your smile evaporated. "Tom does treat me right, darling. He's just very busy. His job is his first priority." "Shouldn't family be his first priority?" She asked, innocently enough. You sighed deeply. "In this business world, I'm afraid he can't let any opportunity go. Go to sleep, darling." You kissed her forehead again, and then left. 

"Will you be okay?" Alice asked, her brow furrowed in worry. You smiled. "I will, I promise. Just going out with the girls. We'll be okay." "You know I wasn't talking about that." You sighed, putting on your coat. "Tom and I will talk about it. Cecily deserves someone who can give her everything. I care for Tom, I really, really do, but I also understand that work comes first, and that he simply can't put us first. Besides, Cecily isn't his daughter. He is not obligated to be with her." You shook your head. "I'm just going out to clear my head and live. I don't want to think about men right now." Alice smiled and patted your cheek lovingly. "You go do that. Have fun." 

 In the bar, you told the girls about what happened with Tom. Liz told you that you'd have to wait, because his job was important too, and he was indeed not obligated to spend time with Cecily. Miriam and Arianne had no opinion in the matter, simply told you to think about it, while Rosa told you that this was unacceptable. "You're his girlfriend, Y/N, and as your boyfriend, he needs to spend time with you. And if he chooses his work instead of you, well, I think he loses a lot more than he anticipated." 

 True to your word, you called Tom the next day. 

"Hey love, how's your week going?" He greeted you with a smile, and you nodded. "Everything is just fine. Busy, as always." He frowned, noticing the lack of emotions on your face. "What's going on?" You bit your lip, trying to keep the tears from spilling. You had to break up with him. It was best for everyone. 

"We need to talk," you managed to say. "About us." He seemed taken aback. Then, he nodded. "Alright. I'll be finished on set this Sunday. Where do you want to meet?" 

"Our favourite café. Two O'clock." He nodded. "I'll see you then, love." The endearment struck a cord, and you cancelled the call before bursting into tears. 

 Liz and Arianne went with you. They waited outside for you to go in, so they could catch you when you'd go outside. 

Tom was already sitting at a table, with a steaming mug in front of him. There was a cup of coffee for you. You swallowed as you sat down. 

"How was filming?" He looked up and smiled. "It was exhausting." He said, and then, "What did you want to talk about? Are you alright? Is Cecily okay?" "We're fine," you said, "but Cecily misses you." He bit his lip and looked down. "Thomas," you started, and he looked up again, "I think we should take a break." It stayed silent, and your heart shattered at the hurt on his face. "You put your job first in your life, and I respect that, and I can accept it. But it's hard for Cecily, and- well, for me too. You haven't seen us in three months. And at this point, my feelings don't matter. Cecily is the deciding factor here. And I don't want to hurt her. I want her to get the love and attention she deserves. And.." you wiped away a tear, "you can't do that." 

"Are you sure?" Judging by the tone of his voice, he was struggling to hold back his tears. "I think it's best for us, right now." He tried to smile, but failed miserably. "If that is what you want... then that's okay. We can take a break." You nodded and pulled out five ponds. You put them on the table as you got up, grabbing your bag. In an impulse, you leaned forward to give him a kiss. You wiped away a tear from his cheek, and then you turned on your heels and walked out. 

You were lucky that the girls were there to catch you, because as soon as you were out of sight, you had to sit down to prevent yourself from falling. 

 The first months were hardest. And the thing that made it even harder was that just three months after your break-up with Tom, he was spotted kissing Taylor Swift. Tears were spilled, and you ate a lot of chocolate. The girls were there to pick you up, however, and Nea, Anneli and Amelie all came over to England to help you get up on your own feet. Summer vacation started, and you decided to take Cecily to Finland. Miriam and Arianne joined you, and you had the time of your life. 

But getting over Tom was practically impossible. At some point, it was easier, but the love you felt for him - it had struck you eventually, that you did love him, and by god, wasn't that horrible - was still there, simmering under the surface. 

"Y/N?" Rosa asks, waving her hand in front of your face, and you blink, brought back to the present. In front of you stand your bridesmaids. Amelie walks up to you, carrying your bouquet. You swallow, taking it from her. 

"Let's go." Nea says, from the doorway. You nod, taking your place behind your bridesmaids. Normally, a bride's father would walk her down the aisle, but since he wasn't there, you would walk alone. 

Liz squeezes your hand. "Take a deep breath." She tells you. You nod, taking a deep breath. "We're going in when you're ready." You nod again, and try to calm yourself. Your hands are trembling, and there are tears burning behind your eyes. 

It is amazing that you got to marry the man you love, but the fact that your mother or your foster-mother can't be there, is a huge slap in the face. 

"I'm ready." You say, and then the big wooden doors open. 

You take a deep breath as Miriam and Arianne start walking. 

Your eyes find those of Amelie, who is already standing at the end of the white carpet on the grass. Tom is there too, but you can't look at him, because you're scared you're going to cry. 

Nevertheless, as you come closer, you look at him. He looks ravishing in his white suit with creme-coloured details. His lips are curled in a soft smile, and his eyes are solely on you. You can't push back the tears now, and they roll down your cheeks. Now you thank Diana and Alice for deciding on a veil that covers your face. 

 You take Tom's hand and climb up the steps to stand in front of him. He smiles, and carefully lifts the veil over your head. You quickly wipe away a tear with a trembling hand, and he takes your hand and squeezes it. "You look beautiful," he tells you with a smile, and you smile at him. 

"We are gathered here today...."

Your mind swirls back to the past, and your thoughts focus on Tom and how you got here. 

"You cannot stay here, Sassa,"

"I can!"

"You need to take care of the people."

"Loki will take care of them. I am here to help you." You grabbed Chris' arm, and look him in the eyes. "To defeat-" you were cut off by a disgusting sound, and you coughed, spitting out blood. The camera moved down, to focus on the tip of a spear coming out of your stomach, and you looked at with wide eyes. "Sassa!" Chris yelled, and then, "Cut!" 

You smiled, and took the prop off your costume. "Very good." Taika said, clapping. You turned around, letting your cloak swirl with you, and bowed deeply. Everyone laughed. "Alright, Cate, come on up! Sassa, prepare to drop to your knees." You nodded at Taika's words, and went back to your place. Your team raced up to place the prop back, now with a lot more blood. Cate stood behind you, and the cameras started rolling again.

You dropped to your knees, clutching the prop, feeling your hands wet with blood. In horror, you stared at your hands, and you slowly slumped to the ground, your temple softly hitting the marble stones. 

"Aaaand cut!" Taika yelled, and you got up again, brushing off imaginary dust from your cape. "Can we do that again?" You nodded, and got back in your first stance, ready to fall to the ground again. And then, a loud wail sounded through the room. "Mommy!!" You looked to your side, and were surprised to see Cecily running your way. She was crying. "What's wrong baby?" You asked, tugging her close. "Don't die, mommy, don't die!" She pressed her hands to the prop in your stomach, and you laughed silently. The other members of the cast were trying to hold back their laughter. "I'm not dying darling, it's just a prop. See?" You pulled it off your clothes, and showed her there was no wound. "Now go back to Mary, so mommy can finish up." Cecily nodded. "Be safe mommy." She gave you a kiss and ran away again, eliciting soft aww's from the cast. You smiled, putting the prop back on. 

 "Thank you," you took the coffee out of Chris' hand, taking a sip. He grinned. "It's your favourite-" "Dark coffee with just a pinch of sugar and no cream." Another voice said, and you turned your head to find Tom standing besides you. You nodded. "Thor! You're up next!" Taika yelled, and Thor nodded. "Have fun guys." He said, and walked off. 

"How are you?" He asked softly. You looked at him. "It's been better. But it's okay-" you were cut off by Cecily, who ran up to you two. You expected her to come to you, but she hugged Tom's legs. He laughed and lifted her up in his arms. "I missed you!" Cecily chirped, and you watched with big eyes as Tom and Cecily started whispering, and your daughter laughed - she hadn't laughed like that before with you. 

 "She needs a father, Y/N." Alice told you when you Face Timed her. You sighed. "I know you're trying the best you can to be both mother and father figure, but it's different. She's surrounded by females every time. Being with a man is something exciting and new, and it's also good for her to be with men from time to time." "But she's with the crew sometimes." You said. Alice smiled. "I know. But it's different. You know that, right? You grew up with Amanda in your life, and you didn't have much boys around you." You shook your head. "I get where it comes from," you admitted, looking down. "Don't be sad, Y/N," Alice said, "you and Tom took a deserved break. Maybe that was just what you needed to get back together again." "I can't just get back together with him," you said, furrowing your brows, "he doesn't have much time for us. Cecily adores him, but if he can't be there for her when she needs him, what's the point in getting back together with him?" Alice chuckled. "You're in love with him, Y/N, even after all this time. It could work out, if you just work hard enough on it. You're the one who is able to travel, so you can just go with him." "But that's expensive," you said softly. Alice laughed out loud now. "Money is not the problem in our family Y/N, and you know it. Just think about it, alright? Now go back to sleep. It's like three in the morning." You nodded. "I will. Have a nice day." "Sleep tight." 

You pulled out your earphones and looked at the sleeping form of Cecily. She was holding her small stuffed animal - Loki, how ironic, you thought - and she seemed peaceful. You sighed deeply. "Do you want him in our family?" She didn't answer, of course. You smiled, and laid down next to her, putting an arm around her. 

 "Sassa, you need to get back to the ship," Chris said, and you frowned. "You need to take care of our people, to ensure that they will be safe." "They can't be safe if there's no Asgard they can live on." You hissed. 

"Cut!" Taika yelled, and everyone ran around to get everything ready for the next scene. "Alright, people, move quick. Next scene!" 

"Fuck off, Thor," you spat, and his eyes widened in surprise. You got up from the floor and wiped the blood on your hands on your white cloak. "I am Asgard's next queen, and I will stand and protect my people-" "Be careful!" Tom's voice sounded next to you, and you looked at him.

"Cut!" You let your shoulders drop, and Tom took his hand off your shoulder. "Great work everyone," Taika said, laughing, "you can take a break." 

 "Cecily?" You asked carefully, not to frighten your daughter. She nodded, looking at you in amazement. "Mommy, you look like a queen," she said, touching your face. You smiled. "Do you want to watch us act the last scenes?" She nodded, excited. You took her hand. "Well, come on, no more waiting." 

 You were standing in between Chris and Tom, holding Chris' hand and gazing towards the camera. 

"Do you really think it's a good idea to go back to earth?" Tom asked, and Chris and you looked at each other before Chris answered. "Yes of course, the people over there love me, I'm very popular." You bit back your laughter. Tom looked at him. "Let me rephrase that: do you really think it's a good idea to bring me back to earth?" "Probably not, to be honest." Chris answered, and Tom smiled. "I wouldn't worry brother. I feel like everything's going to work out fine." 

It stayed silent for a few seconds. Then, you slowly looked up, as Tom and Chris did the same, and widened your eyes in surprise. "Just fine," you mumbled, and then, "Cut!" Was heard over the set. 

 "Take four." The person said, and you smiled, straightening your back as Chris walked forward. The people around him parted ways to let him through. "Your throne." Tessa quipped with half a smile, and Chris nodded. 

As he sat down in the seat, you stepped forward and put your hand on his arm. 

"So, king and queen of Asgard," Idris said, and you and Chris looked at him. He then turned his head more, to look at the people behind them, and waved. 

"Where to?" Idris asked. "I'm not sure," Chris answered, looking to his other side, "Any suggestions?" to then look at Idris and you again. "Mick, where are you from?" "Oh, Mick's dead," Taika said, "yeah, I accidentally stumped on him on the bridge. I just feel so guilty. Been carrying him around all day." And then, "Oh Mick, you're alive." Taika looked at the others. "He's alive guys! What was your question again?" 

"Earth," you told Chris. He looked at you, and you leaned down to kiss him softly. The camera momentarily zoomed in on Tom's pained expression. "It's safe there." Chris nodded, pulling back. "Earth it is." Chris looked forward. "Cut!" It was yelled, and you smiled, relaxing a bit. 

 Chris poured a bit of the juice in a glass, and took it in his hands, staring at the mirror. You stood next to him. He touched his eyepatch. "You look like a king," you told him, and he turned towards you. "And you like a queen." You touched his cheek, and he bent down to give you a kiss. When you parted, you smiled at him. "I'll be going." You turned and walked away as gracefully as you could. 

When you appeared out of sight, your team rushed up, to add fluid to your eyes. You blinked, and closed them, and waited for the cameras to focus on you as you heard Chris say something. 

And then, "I caught it!" Tom squealed, and you smiled, because it sounded adorable. 

 When you walked through the hallway, the camera zoomed in on your tear-stained face. You smiled, and wiped your cheeks dry, holding your chin high. "I am queen." You said softly, and then the cameras stopped rolling. 

 "You are amazing!" Cecily said, laughing widely. Tom laughed and crouched down on his knees. "That is very sweet of you Cecily." She cocked her head. "Why didn't you come back?" She asked, her voice soft, and Tom could almost feel his heart break. "Your mother and I decided it was for the best to take a break." He answered. She raised her eyebrows. "But you love each other!" He smiled. "We do. But in this world, it's hard to love one another when there are so many more important things around you." "I think your love and family should come first," Cecily declared, smiling, "I'm going to say hi to mommy." She ran away, leaving Tom behind with his thoughts. 

 "Hey baby," you said, lifting her up from the ground. "I want Tom back." She stated bluntly and you sucked in a breath. Next to you, Chris shifted on his feet. "Darling?" You asked, unsure if you heard well. She looked you in the eye, determination settled across her face. "I want Tom back. You love him, he loves you. Problem solved. I want him back." "You-" you cleared your throat, "you want him in our family?" She nodded. You nodded, and put her back on the ground, unable to hold back your tears. "I- I'm going to the bathroom." You turned and walked away quickly. Chris tried to grab your arm, but you avoided him and ran towards your trailer. 

 "I brought you coffee." You looked up. Tom stood in front of you, carrying a Starbucks cup of coffee. Smiling gratefully, you took it from him, noticing how both your fingers lingered on each other. 

"Cecily told me something." Tom said, sitting down next to you. You looked at him, curious for what he was going to say next. "She told me that family always comes first." He looked at you with those beautiful eyes, and your heart began to beat faster. "She looks at you as a part of our family." It was hard to speak those words, but when you saw him smile, you felt relieved. He took a deep breath and took your hands. "I want to be there for her," he said, and your eyes widened, "As a father." You couldn't talk. No word seemed right to say. "And I'm sorry that I didn't fight when you told me you needed me. I'm sorry I didn't do anything at all, because I found my job more important. I want to change that." You nodded, finding your voice again. "We can try." He smiled so wide you thought his face was going to split. "Thank you," he whispered, and pulled you into a hug. You relaxed in his arms and nuzzled his neck, closing your eyes. "It can work out."

“Thomas," you say with a quavering voice, noticing the eyes on you. "I take you as my husband, with your faults and your strengths, as I offer myself to you with my faults and my strengths. I further promise to love you without reservation, comfort you in times of distress, encourage you to achieve all of your goals, laugh with you and cry with you, grow with you in mind and spirit, always be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.” He smiles at you. 

 “I, Thomas, take you, Y/N, to be my wife, to have and to told, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish ‘till death do us part. I further pledge my heart, body and soul to our union. I promise to support you in your endeavours and counsel you when you need my guidance. I will accept your counsel with an open and open mind. I will share my thought, dreams, hopes and fears with you. I will hold you close when you laugh and when you cry. I vow to be a strong individual within a solid union so we may both grow in love and wisdom for the rest of our days.” His voice is strong and steady and you blink back the tears as his eyes gaze lovingly at you. 

This is all I ever wanted. 

The bright lights were focused on the two of you. You tried to keep calm. It was just like acting. You stroked the fabric of your pink skirt, and looked up at the hostess.

“Welcome, welcome," Ellen said with a big smile. You smiled back, a little nervous. It was the first time you’d done this, and luckily you’d been able to prepare for the questions that were going to be asked.

“So, Tom Hiddleston and Y/N Y/L/N, you play Loki and Sassa in the Thor movies and in the Avengers movies.” The two of you nodded.

“Y/N,” she looked at you, “am I right to understand that Sassa is stuck in a love triangle?” You laughed out loud.

“It sure seems like it in the movies, yeah, I get where you’re coming from. But well, you see,” you said, pushing yourself to the left to face her better.

“Sassa is Thor’s promised, actually, since birth. The two Odinsons and Sassa grew up together in the palace, and although Sassa shares quite the connection with her betrothed, her best friend and companion is usually Loki. In the first movie all goes well, it’s a little behind the scenes, but if you look closely, you can see that Sassa and Loki share a bit more than friendship.

“In the second movie, when Thor brings Jane to Asgard in order to grand her immortality or something, Odin specifically tells him that he can’t do that because then he needs to annul the arranged marriage. Frigga intervenes there, stating that she wants Thor to be happy. It’s a little complicated from there.

“In the third movie, Ragnarok, it becomes clear that Sassa never left Thor’s side, the marriage is still there, because when he arrives back in Asgard, she goes with him and Loki to Earth to search for Odin. When Loki and Thor find him, however, she retreats, and she eventually notices Hela coming in and travelling to Asgard. Sassa goes back to Strange, and eventually gets on Sakaar with his help to find the two gods. There, she is basically Thor’s shadow, and she stands by his side through everything.

“As soon as Ragnarok starts in Asgard, she goes with Thor to battle Hela. She gets wounded, so badly that Thor fears she is going to die – he does have a soft spot for her – and he tells her that she needs to leave. It’s my favourite scene in the movie, because she just tells him to fuck off and let her do what she wants, and he is shocked.”

You chuckle. “But anyways, he then proceeds to almost get killed, Sassa is not much of a help, and then he takes her towards the ship, where Valkyrie helps her on. In the second cameo, she is reunited with Thor, and only there it becomes clear that there’s a bit more between those two than friendship. In a deleted scene which was supposed to be in the cameo’s, Sassa kisses Loki, to show him her support.

“So yeah, it is basically a love triangle. She has strong feelings for Loki, but she has also developed feelings for Thor, I mean, who wouldn’t, after spending so much time together and knowing you’re going to get married eventually.”

Ellen nodded. “And Tom, can you say anything about this?”

Tom looked at you for a second before answering.

“Well, I can’t really say that much about it, because Y/N told most of it, but I can say that Loki has a lot of issues. And Sassa is one of the biggest. Loki is in love with her, but he beats himself up because he can’t, as she is going to rule Asgard one day, besides Thor. So he knows he can’t have her. And that’s agonising.” The two of you shared a smile.

 "I'd like to make a toast," Tom says, raising his glass and getting up, "before the others can. To my wife." There is applause as you blush. 

Tom smiles at you as you take his hand. He looks at the people around them. “I like to take this time to say just how you make me feel.” He glances at you. “Your smile brightens my darkest day and makes our friendship real. Every time you hold my hand, I feel butterflies take flight, and I find myself missing you each time you’re out of sight.” You squeeze his hand as he continues. “Each morning when I wake, you’re the first thing on my mind, and I’ll protect the special bond we share because true love is hard to find. You’re someone very special and this I know is true. I’m happier than I’ve ever been and I owe that all to you.” “Aww,” slips out of your mouth, and he leans down to press his lips to yours.

Everyone applauds and cheers, raising and clinking their glasses as Tom sits down again. "I love you," he whispers to you, and you don't know if it's possible that anyone is happier than you at that moment. 

 "It's my turn now," you say, getting up. You raise your glass, putting your hand on Tom’s shoulder.

“You make me feel beautiful. You’re there for me when no one else is. You make me laugh. You accept me for who I am. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I am more than happy to be able to call you my husband.” You glance down at him with red cheeks, and he smiles at you, getting up to kiss you. You smile happily against his lips. 

"I love you," you whisper as you sit down, taking his hand and squeezing it. 

“Why do you still put up with me? Why are you still here, Y/N, tell me why!”

You were caught up in some stupid argument, in Tom's home, in the middle of the night. Cecily was with Alice, and you and Tom wanted some time for yourselves. You didn't know how it got to this, but here you two were, in the living room, in front of each other, and you were on the verge of tears.

“Because I love you!”

His eyes widened in surprise. “Because-“ you heaved, “I am madly in love with you, you fucking asshat!” You were crying now, hot tears spilling over your cheeks.

“I love you at two in the morning when I can’t sleep. I love you at six am when I wake up. I love you when it’s ten am and I’m at work and my thoughts end up drifting to you and thinking of how much I care for you. I love you at three in the afternoon when the world is at full bustle and when I’m in the middle of a crowded city street. I love you when it’s five pm and I’m having dinner surrounded by my family. I love you all the time. When I’m lonely or happy or excited or scared. I love you, and that will never change.

"I want your last name. Your Sunday mornings and daily commutes. I want your phone calls and your quirks. Your sick days and your hair in my shower drain. I want your laugh. Your arms around my when I walk by because you can’t let me walk past. Your eye contact. Your smile. I want to find your lost keys. Do your laundry. Make your tea the way you like it. I want the other side of the bed to be yours, our fingers intertwined. I want your silences. Your Internet history and your electricity bills. I want your twisted past, and your convoluted future.

“I’m going to love you -  I’m going to love you in your weakest moments to your strongest ones. I’m going to love you when you’re happy and I’m going to still love you the most when you’re sad or angry. Don’t you understand? I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. I want to love you, each and every piece of you. I want you with your imperfections as much as I want you. And I’m always going to want you, I’m always going to be here loving you with everything.

“I love you so much my heart aches. And I hate it when you’re gone. I hate it when you’re angry or sad, but I love you so, so much when you smile, and I love it when you’re here with me and I get cuddle time with you on the couch. And I know you told me you don’t like things like this, because you’re a terrible boyfriend and you feel like you can’t live up to any expectations because you everyone expects so much of you. And I know you feel like you can’t do it. But I know you can. And I love you. We can work it out.”

Your voice was hoarse now, and you felt like you were going to fall down if you remained standing just a little longer. “I want you, Tom,” you said softly, wiping away a few tears.

“I want all of you. I want you in the mornings, gruff and tired, I want you in the afternoon, happy and jumpy and I want you in the nights, romantic and loving. I can live without you, but I don’t want to.”

You looked up from the floor, only to find him standing in front of you, carefully taking your face in his hands and wiping away the rest of the tears. You bit back a sob.

“I want your Sunday mornings as well,” he whispered, stroking your cheek with his thumb, “I want to make your coffee and see you smile when you smell it. I want you in my future, and I want to hold you every day, and be able to kiss you every day and see you smile until the day I die.”

He leaned down and captured your lips with his, and he pulled you flush against him. Your arms locked themselves around his neck, and you pushed yourself up on the tips of your toes, as your eyes closed.

Panting, you parted, and you felt giddy when you saw his adorable smile. “I’m going to be here for a while,” Tom whispered, “before I need to return to the States for the next movie.” You nodded. “Stay with me,” he said softly, “spend your Sunday mornings with me. And in the future, we can decide what we do next.” You nodded again. “I would like that very much.” You giggled as he leaned down for another kiss. He smiled against your lips. I love you.

"You should wear this dress more often," Tom whispers in your ear as you move slowly on the dance floor. You giggle, looking up at him. "If it pleases my husband, I will." He smiles and kisses you, long and soft. 

"Y/N?" Alice calls to you, and you look up. Tom holds your waist as Alice walks up to you. She's smiling. "Cecily wants to dance with Tom." She says. Tom lets you go, but not before giving you a kiss. You smile, and then you let Alice pull you away. 

 "Congratulations!" Everyone shouts, popping champagne. You laugh, letting everyone hug you and kiss you on the cheek. At the end, you're left with Tom Holland and his assistent Harrison Osterfield. You smile. "You must be Harrison. It's nice to finally meet you." Harrison smiles and shakes your hand. "Congratulations with your marriage." He says, and you smile. "Thank you. Now, Tom, could you please gather all the girls and women, so I can throw the bouquet?" Tom is more than happy to comply, and together with his best friend, he calls for all the ladies to stand together. 

 You stand, with your back towards the group of women, hands on the bouquet. Your husband winks at you from the other side of the room. You then lift your arms and throw the bouquet backwards, and turn around to see who catches it. 

It's Katherine. She laughs and holds up the bouquet, letting Chris spin her around. You smile. 

 Much later that evening, when Cecily is fast asleep and Alice takes her home with her to give the two of you some space, you say your goodbyes to everyone. Tom holds you all the while, and kisses you in between. He has been unable to keep his hands off you all night. 

 "I can't believe I can finally call you my wife," Tom says as you step out of your reception dress, a dress with layers of pink tulle on the skirt, and two pockets. You take the pins out of your hair, letting the locks fall on your shoulders. You smile. "Well, if it helps, I can believe it." You turn around, as his lips meet yours. 

 This will work. We will love each other through it all. We will be a family. 

[sarahbethimagines]

Chapter 7: Just a Kid (possible warning)

Chapter Log!

"I'll be up here if you need me!" I called to my dad as I kicked my bedroom door open with my foot and slid into the decently sized space. Not really bothering to wait for any acknowledgment that he'd even heard me. A smile found its way to my lips as I sucked in a deep breath and looked around the room. Feeling content inside its four walls as I made my way over and flopped onto my bed. Now happy and full after the home cooked meal my father had made for the two of us just before, and just thinking on that day. While I hadn't planned on waking up when I did, I don't think even if I'd woken up on my own I would have anticipated that day to go as it had. But thinking back on it, I was pleased with the events that had transpired. And in comparison, to the day before, and all those that had succeeded it I'd remembered quite a lot. From owning the car to meeting Alex, to solidifying my hope that I had more than just him as a friend. Not that Alex seemed to be a bad friend from the fragments I'd collected, but it was reassuring, to say the least, that he wasn't the only person I'd found to deal with me in the four-plus years I'd spent in this town.

I smiled to myself as I went through all that I had discovered about my past. I really was making progress and I was happy that come Friday I would be able to report all of this with a smile to my doctor. It's still not easy to forget who you are, but when things come back to me I've learned I have to take them in strides no matter how big or small a step they may be. Slowly but surely, I was inching my way back to myself and I should be grateful for that. And I think I really was trying to be. Folding my hands over my stomach, I looked around at the varying decorations which littered my walls. I hadn't really taken the time to soak in anything I'd chosen to hang on them the day before. And while I wasn't trying to make anything come to me as I examined them now, I found it interesting to just acknowledge all I'd collected in high school and summers past. The majority were poorly taped drawings and band posters, but there was the occasional photograph or picture frame scattered into the mix. Nothing I could clearly make out from my place sprawled on my back. My fingertips had begun to tap a beat by my bellybutton when my eyes scanned across to the other side of my room where they caught sight of a poster I instantly recognized. The large square print captured the album art to Jimmy Eat World's album Bleed American. And even though I couldn't quite put my finger on any song titles, or what it even sounded like. I knew I loved that album somehow. And I smiled. But That wasn't what truly captured my attention about it. The poster was taped at just the top two corners, clear scotch tape pressed into the wall I'm sure would destroy the paint if I ever tried to remove it. And the air flowing in through the window just beside it was lifting the bottom of this poster up. Letting it flutter softly in the light steady breeze. I squinted at the wall being exposed with every gust of wind, as something just barely visible in its center peaked my curiosity. Just enough to pull me into the sitting position by my intrigued mind. I slowly clambered to my feet and shuffled on my socks across the carpet to the poster and lifted it up, exposing a rather decently sized indent in the drywall where the gray flecks had chipped off, letting the light hit the white chalk-like material which lay underneath. "The Hell?" I whispered softly to myself as I ran my hand down the dent, pulling it away and rubbing the white dust between my fingers. Staring back and forth between my now dirty hand and the indentation. I felt something quickly stab at the side of my head which caused me to cringe. I squinted at my wall, lips contorting for a second as I stared before reaching up and touching it again. The small seemingly innocent act suddenly caused that dull stab to be dragged violently through the entirety of my body. From my finger, up through the deep folds of my brain and down to my feet, the pain coursed through me. Stumbling back a step or so, I managed to catch myself and reach up to grasp my head. A memory taking me over and sucking me down a black hole. A sound mixed between a sob and a wince ripped through my throat as I choked down another swig of the whiskey. Letting the crimson liquid, I'd swiped from my father's precious liquor cabinet burn long jagged holes in my throat as it crawled its way down to my stomach. The only other sound filling my room beside my violent sniffles was the crunching and cackling of papers and letters beneath my feet as I paced around the space. I lifted the thick glass bottle to my lips again, wiping the hot tears that streamed down my face from sight with my free hand. Not caring how mad my father would be to find the bottle missing and empty beneath my bed. Maybe if I was lucky he'd actually kill me this time. Then I wouldn't have to feel this way. I let out an innate hiss as the whiskey went down and I kicked the empty bottle of Smirnoff I'd finished long ago at my feet. Sending it flying across the room and rolling under my dresser. Everything was slowly beginning to spin around me. But whether it was from the copious amounts of alcohol I'd consumed or just the anger and hurt flooding my overworking brain, I wasn't certain. I took one last swig for the moment and kicked some more of the papers beneath me, sending them fluttering around in the still cold air which was spilling through the window by my side. I glared down at the stack of letters and photographs spread across my cream-colored carpet. The moonlight from outside catching the edge of a single framed photo causing it to glisten so bright even I could see it through tear clouded eyes. "Oh, you fucking bitch." I spat, reaching down and picking it up in a fowl swoop. Holding it now, I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, just letting the glass bottle roughly bang against my cheekbones. I couldn't feel a thing anymore anyway. I was numb. My chest was heaving up and down I'd been crying so hard for so long. Completely unable to catch breaths between the hefty swigs I'd been forcing back as I stared, sniffling at the frame. Inside, sat a photo of me and my mother, I remembered exactly the day it was taken. Clothed in the most beautiful frilly pink dress with small white polka dots. My mother stood behind me knotting my hair into a stumpy French braid. It was my fifth birthday. But all I could see now was what she'd scratched across the glass in a skipping red sharpie before she threw it in the box with all the others. Shipping them off for me to receive on this very day. 'THE LAST DAY I EVER LOVED YOU' was written now in the same handwriting I'd always received on little love-filled notes in my lunch box. Now, it scrawled a proclamation that in her eyes I was no longer considered her child. Exactly ten years after the original photo was taken. A sob ripped through me, and I fell to my knees amidst everything else she'd deemed useless to hold onto back in New England. Everything and anything that was related to me. Chocking and coughing now I cried, unable to move for a moment as my heart began to shred itself into nothing within my chest. My only solution then was to press the lip of the bottle to my own, kissing it in an attempt to fill the empty cavern my heart once held with the scorching hot whiskey. I placed the bottle down slowly, my other hand still clutching the frame for dear life as I struggled to push myself back to my feet. Knees trembled and knocked together with every step as I staggered to my bed where I'd thrown the house phone. Not knowing what I was actually trying to achieve or get at, I picked it up and began to dial a number I'd once known so well and loved so much. I pressed it to my ear and listened to the empty dial tone as I swayed on my feet. Four... Five... Six times it rang as I counted. The scowl on my face growing deeper and deeper the longer I stood. Till finally a click escaped between my heavy breaths, and the automated track of her answering machine began to swirl through my ear canal. Mindlessly my mouth fell open and an Earth-shattering screech ripped out as I dropped the phone to the floor. The back popping off and skidding onto the letters. My mind and heart were racing. Against me, against one another. I couldn't take it. My head was screaming at me, at my lungs, at my heart, at my sobs. A strangled whimper left me and without even thinking, I whipped the frame I'd still been clutching across the room and into my wall. Without even flinching, I watched as though in slow motion as the frame collided with the drywall. Glass shattered and sprayed through the air like fireworks display before cascading to the floor in a glistening mess. All that matched my whimpers was the echoing boom of the wooden frame splintering and spilling to the carpet. I glared at the mess I'd made of my wall and my floor; expression unwavering and unapologetic as finally silent tears continued to escape my eyes and pour down my cheeks. I had no intention of moving. The smallest bit of release had eased off my shoulders at the sight of glass dancing to the floor. I would have been content in standing there and staring down with clenched fists till the sun rose and my father came home. But the universe, as always had other plans. Right on cue, my small silver cell phone began to violently ring and vibrate on the nightstand behind me. I didn't have to look to know exactly who it was, or even what time it had been. And had I bothered to, I would have been right on the money with my hostile assumption. It was precisely 12:01 AM on April 12th, 2003. I was officially fifteen. I'd been expecting that call excitedly all afternoon. And now I wanted more than anything for that phone to halt its obnoxious sounds and die on the spot. Only I knew it wouldn't. I knew he'd assume I was asleep and keep calling till morning came in attempts to wake me from the slumber I wasn't even in. And I couldn't think with that damned ringing going on. I turned almost too quickly on my unsteady feet and snatched it from the stand, flipping the small grey device open with brute force. "HAPPY BIRTHDA-" "What?" I barked down the phone, cutting him off. My throat thick with whiskey and tears that had rubbed it raw, making me flinch at the sound of my own harsh tone. For a second, he said nothing. Seemingly listening to the blended sounds of sniffles and sighs escaping my mouth and sliding down the phone line. "Dee?" He called, concern filling his words. "what's wrong?" I pursed my lips and looked around the mess I'd made of my room. Physically feeling my eyes starting to burn again as red-hot tears pooled in my lower lids, threatening to spill any second. I took a sharp and shaky breath in as I shook my head. Like he could see me just then, the hot mess I truly was in all my damaged glory. "Are you okay?" He asked again, and I could judge from the ruffling happening in the background of the call he was slowly starting to get out of bed and move around the room. "No." I made out, my voice sounding flat and emotionless as I shut my eyes and felt small tears spill onto the apples of my cheeks. "I'm not okay." "Where are you?" He quickly asked as I heard a creaky dresser drawer slide open. "What's going on?" "Don't come after me," I told him, walking over and snatching the bottle of Maker's Mark from the floor once again. Slowly running my thumb over the red wax dripped down its neck. "You'll only be wasting your time." He stopped his movements for a second. "Kennedy, what do you mean, you're scaring me." He whispered in shaky notes as I tipped the bottle back yet again. "I'm a waste of space!" I snapped once I'd pulled the bottle back. "Trying to help me is pointless because I destroy everything I touch and I'll only destroy you like I did this family!" "I'm coming over." He said plainly, certainty dripping from his tone as he started to move around his room again. The sounds faster and more frequent now in the background. "DON'T!" I hissed down the line, squeezing the life out if that whiskey bottle. He didn't bother to answer me for a passing moment while I waited and listened closely. Hearing the jingle of his car keys, something inside me started to snap. "I won't be here, don't bother." "Kennedy Paige Murphy!" He barked back at me, causing me to flinch at his use of my full name. Something he almost never did. "Don't do anything!" He all but yelled, and I heard something crack in the back of his throat. "I'm coming right now, please don't move..." I could hear his front door open and the sounds of outside fluttering in that were followed quickly by the sound of his truck door opening. "You're scaring me, Kennedy..." He whispered when the door shut again. And I could hear it then. He was crying. At the sound and the realization, a sob ripped through me again, my face contorting as I fell to my knees. The bottle slid seamlessly from my hand and flopped to the floor, honey-like liquid dripped out onto the letters and the carpet as I clutched the side of my head. "I'm so scared, Alex..." I admitted then, words shaking off my tongue and into my tears. "What's happening to me?" I quickly stumbled back from the wall, tripping over my own two feet and falling flat on my ass. My chest was heaving wildly as my head spun and tears continued to pour down my face. All I could do in that instant was clutch my chest in an attempt to stop the pain that was ripping through me as though that had all just happened again in real time. Right before my very eyes. Every emotion I'd experienced that night was still being thrown around my mind. Smashing into the walls of my head causing the rippling pain from before to only heighten. All the pain, confusion, fear and hurt was still drowning me from the inside out. And I couldn't do a single thing to stop it. I tried my hardest to control the sobs that were spilling from my mouth uncontrollably, sinking my teeth down into my lips. I scooted further and further from the small dent in the wall that had just shaken me to my very core. I kept scooting backward on my butt till my back hit the frame of my bed causing something to tilt off the side and land on the floor with a light thud. I almost didn't even hear it over my heavy breathing, but still, I hesitantly turned my head to see my cell phone lying face down beside me. I didn't even give myself a second to think before I snatched the maroon colored sidekick off the ground with shaky hands and instantly searched for a name in my contact list. One of the very few that would jump out at me among all the rest. Once I found it, I didn't even pause before tapping the name and pressing down on the green call button with all my fleeting force before pressing it to my ear. Hoping and praying he would answer. A mangled hiccup left my lips while I waited, using my free arm I pulled my bare knees tightly into my chest while I tried my best to rock myself from my place on the floor. "Kennedy?" He questioned down the line once he answered. The sound of his familiar voice bringing both comfort and fear back to the front of my mind. And when I tried to respond, all that came out of me was soft sob-like sounds. "Hey, are you okay?" He quickly asked, and I instantly felt like I'd somehow slipped back into the memory I was now trying so desperately hard to forget. "A-Alex!" I cried out, knotting my free hand in my hair and giving it a tug in some half-assed attempt to distract myself from a splitting migraine inside me. I could hardly speak; my throat was swollen shut as I tried to get anything at all out. "B-Birthday..." "What?" He rushed, completely alert sounding now. "Kennedy, what happened?" "I remembered..." I sniffled, releasing my hair in order to wipe my eyes. "Why did I have to remember that?" I cried, "WHY?" "What Kennedy, what did you remember?" He ushered, his voice dropping and leveling out as though he was trying to control his emotions. Probably figuring damn well I couldn't. "My birthday..." I spilled. Holding my head again as I heard Alex fall silent. Seeming to instantly connect all the dots I didn't understand and was now uncertain of if I even wanted too. What felt like hours passed between us in seconds as I sobbed into the phone before I heard shifting from his end. "Stay put, okay..." He said cautiously and slowly. "I'm going to come over, just try and take deep breaths until I get there." "Alex?" I whispered, my voice coming out so fragile and small. "Will you stay on the phone with me until you get here, I don't want to be alone." "Yes." He whispered back. "Anything you need, I'd do for you."

[bubble-tea-bunny]

birdie

[pennywise x reader]

author’s note: watched the film a couple days ago and this idea came from out of nowhere. got to practice my penny characterization and a bit of my horror/dark fantasy writing. all that was new to me. hope you enjoy

word count: 2,156

There’s a bird singing this morning. The sound echoes through the dark and damp tunnels, travels along the surface of grimy water, bounces off bricks and metal grates and despite being far away from the Neibolt house, it resonates through the bottom of the well clear as day, bright and melodious and all together too happy.

Sinister eyes peak through a storm drain and find you walking your bike down the street next to a friend. His joke had made you laugh and the toothy grin is still plastered onto your face. It’s the sort of smile that reaches your eyes and makes your cheeks hurt if you hold it long enough. Pennywise watches until you’re out of sight, and all he can think about is the joy in your voice and the cheeriness in your gaze and how he wants nothing more than to crush that. He’s practically drooling at the idea, his own smile wide and evil and ominous. When’s the next time he’ll come across you, he wonders?

A child he’d eaten had died clutching a stuffed toy bird close to her chest, and it now rests in the ever growing pile of children’s toys in the sewer. It’s soiled and disgusting and it grabs Pennywise’s attention from where it sits at the bottom, next to a yellow raincoat. He picks it up, stares it down like it’s his latest meal and he’s a beast absolutely starving. And then he squeezes it, squeezes so hard his claws dig into his palm, until the small toy bursts and the stuffing leaks out, falling onto the floor. He laughs and laughs and laughs and it’s nothing short of demonic. When he opens his hand and what remains falls to the ground, it’s soundless.

That’s where he gets your nickname from.

You take the same route home from school every day, and every day Pennywise is at the same storm drain. Sometimes you’re with a friend walking down the street, other times you’re alone and on your bike, pace casual as you’re in no rush to do homework the moment you arrive at your house. When you drift along on those days by yourself, breeze rustling your hair and your clothes, it’s like you’re flying. He thinks about that a lot; it plays in his head like a short film. He wants to snatch you out from the sky, feel the way you struggle to escape, squirming and wiggling. And he’ll pretend to be hurt, ask “Doesn’t birdie want to play?” and smile in a sort of fiendish delight because you’re not going anywhere.

They say to never play with your food but the notion of rules doesn’t apply to Pennywise. He doesn’t make himself known to you right away. He’s there in brief flashes—out of the corner of your eye, over your shoulder when you look in the mirror. You ask your friends if they see what you see, what you swear you can see, but they respond no and secretly they’re worrying if you’re not getting enough sleep. They talk to each other in hushed voices even if you’re nowhere to be found, as if nervous you might walk around the corner any second. They speculate about your hallucinations and voice their worries because you’re never like this.

It’s driving you crazy and Pennywise loves it. Carnal excitement runs through his veins and swirls in his eyes and he’s baring his teeth because he’s getting hungrier by the day, but toying with you is just so fun. He’s in your dreams now too. You haven’t gotten a good night’s rest in a long while. Sometimes you wake up screaming and your mother rushes in and you cry and you cry and you cry. And you taste all the sweeter for it. The fear is wafting from you in wave after delicious wave and he hasn’t even formally introduced himself yet. He figures he’ll have to soon. A growling stomach is hard to ignore.

You’re alone when you bike past the Neibolt house one Friday afternoon, and you slow down when you see a red balloon in the middle of the road. You tilt your head as you observe it from a distance. There’s no weight attached to the string yet it stays right where it is, not floating away. You let out a shaky breath, wondering if this is also something you’re imagining. (You say this because your friends and family are convinced it really is just your imagination, so you go along with it since surely they must be right, there’s no way you could actually be seeing these things. But there’s a part of you deep down that knows it’s all real.)

The balloon starts to drift then, slowly, and your heart is beating faster because there’s no breeze that could be carrying it. You remain still, watching it float to the run-down house on the corner. Despite being conscious of the fact that heading after the balloon and venturing into the Neibolt house is the worst idea in the history of ideas, there’s a pull in your chest to go after it. And you want to fight it, you do. You grip the handlebars of your bike so tightly your knuckles turn white. But the red balloon is on the porch waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting for you.

Thoughts of how badly this could go flitter through your head a mile a minute as you bike the short distance to the house, as you set your bike down on the dead grass and take hesitant steps up the walkway and the steps of rotting wood. You reach out and gently curl your fingers around the balloon string, and your breath hitches when it’s actually in your grip. You’re not imagining anything.

You bring your other hand up to the doorknob but don’t move for a second, considering just turning around and walking away and pretending none of this happened. But you glance up at the balloon floating above your head, and there’s no turning back. You twist the knob and push the door, and it creaks loudly after years of being unused. The interior is musty and old and gross and your nose scrunches at the smells that assault it. The floor boards squeak beneath your shoes no matter how lightly you try to step and you cringe because you’re thinking about the kinds of creatures you must be waking up with the noise you’re making.

There’s laughter echoing through the house and you freeze, eyes wide as you look around but see no one. Your fingers tighten around the balloon string, like it’s some sorry form of comfort. “H-Hello?” You meant to say this loudly, for the house is large, but it comes out as a half-whisper and your voice cracks. Your breaths are heavy and you feel yourself take one step back, and then another, and then you decide to leave, but the moment you turn, the door slams shut so hard it kicks up a breeze, dust flying, and you cough and swipe at the air and you feel tears pooling in your eyes because what the fuck have you gotten yourself into?

You twist back around and you see a clown ducking behind a corner: the same clown you’d been seeing for several miserable weeks. None of this is a dream or a hallucination and you just want to get out but you know if you try opening that door, it won’t budge. You’re stuck, and there’s nowhere else to go but farther in.

As you continue exploring, you still hear laughter, still see the clown popping in and out of your peripherals, playing with you. Your heart is beating so hard it’s difficult to breathe and you don’t know what this thing wants with you. You wonder if it could be reasoned with, but then you promptly disregard that idea. There’s no room for bargaining. The best you can do is beg is hope there’s even a tiny part of it that takes pity on you. Even that’s just wishful thinking.

“Does birdie like the balloon?”

You whip around quickly and see the clown standing on the far side of the room. Even from here you can tell he’s much taller than you are. His clothes are old and his hair is fiery and his grin is menacing and impossible to forget.

“Who are you?” you ask weakly. You feel like a mouse under the predatory gaze of a lion.

“I’m Pennywise the dancing clown!” He does a small dance and sounds jovial as he introduces himself, but it elicits no smile from you. You’re still frightened, he can tell. He repeats his question. “Does birdie like the balloon?”

“U-Um…” you whisper. “Yes. Yes, I like it very much, Pennywise.”

Pennywise’s smile widens, but then it begins to fade when he notices you’re not maintaining eye contact. You’re staring at the floor. “Do you want to leave?”

At his question, you look up. The desperation in your eyes gives you away immediately but you’re contemplating how to answer as if it makes a difference. “No!” you hurry to say before too much time goes by. “I want to stay.” You try to force a smile on your face, thinking that maybe, just maybe, if you play along, you can figure out a way to get out.

There’s a few seconds of silence, then Pennywise snarls, eyes flashing dangerously. “You’re lying.” He rushes towards you and you scream in terror, letting go of the balloon and running out of the room, searching desperately for an escape. But you can’t find any. The windows are sealed shut and the doors leading outside are locked. The sound of Pennywise’s laughter follows you, and at one point it feels like it’s coming from inside your head. You eventually end up in the study, panting and panicking because you know he’s close behind, and you watch in horror as the walls seem to bleed, crimson liquid pouring from them until the wallpaper is red. That… couldn’t be real, could it? But why wouldn’t it be? Everything else up until now had been real.

“There you are!”

Pennywise blocks the doorway and you twist around to look at him. You back up but trip over one of the tomes on the ground and fall. So you crawl backwards instead with every step the clown takes. Then you hit the wall, and there’s the feeling of warm blood sticking to your clothes and your hair but it doesn’t matter. Your eyes are glued to Pennywise as he comes to a stop in front of you and squats down so you’re face to face.

At the sight of your tears, he frowns in mock dejection. “Don’t cry, birdie. I thought you wanted to stay here and play with me.”

You don’t know if it’s exhaustion or fear that’s driving you to give the responses you do, because none of them seem to be the right one. “Please…” You swallow hard, trying to steady your breathing. “Please don’t call me that.”

Pennywise laughs and it’s piercing from this close. You flinch at the sound, not entirely sure if he’d reach for you, but he doesn’t. “Do you know why I call you birdie?”

You shake your head, not meeting his eyes. He moves closer and sets a hand on your cheek roughly to get you to look at him. His claws are extended and almost seem to dig into your head and you whimper. You can barely see him through the torrent of tears flooding your eyes. His tongue snakes out to lick at the salty tears on your cheek and you try to back away, but it’s useless because you’re against a wall and his grip is iron. His smile widens.

“The little tweets you make,” he explains matter-of-factly, as if he were talking about the weather. “Especially when you’re scared.”

He opens his mouth and a monstrous set of teeth extend from it and your eyes widen and you cry harder, repeating no no no in a pitiful plea, like your begging might actually do something. You scream when he latches onto your neck, canines piercing the skin and drawing blood. You’re kicking your feet and trying to push him away but he’s much stronger than you are. The last thing you see with hazy vision is a red balloon floating in the doorframe, completely still. (This one is a hallucination. But you’d never know that.)

You’ve stopped moving by the time Pennywise pulls away. Your blood coats his mouth and his claws are sticky but he’s eager to dive back in because this is a meal he’s been waiting a long time for. His little birdie tastes just as good as he’d imagined. Though he’ll admit, he’s going to miss hearing those wonderful chirps of pain.

[101scenes]

Wanna One Kang Daniel - Latte Art

✽ suggested by: anon

✽ featuring: kang daniel

✽ genre: fluff

✽ word count: 1,589 words

✽ summary: latte art was your specialty. with your steady hands and being in core arts, you couldn’t help to send a tiny message over to the guy you liked with it. your eyes widened as you heard these words over the counter, “so, who drew a heart in my latte?”

as everyone knew, the third year of high school always included taking on lots of leadership roles

some may be captains of their various sports teams, or even club presidents and class representatives

but after months of strenuous application worksheets and nerve-wrecking interviews, you managed to clinch a spot in the student council, as the student council treasurer

though it wasn’t as high of a position you had hoped, you still appreciated the position

yeah it was better than nothing

you then later found out your student council executive committee consisted of you, the treasurer, ong seongwoo, the secretary, kim jiwon, vice president, and kang daniel, the student council president

yall were like a band of brothers and sisters bahah

seongwoo was the joker, daniel usually stayed quiet, while jiwon was like the mom

but seongwoo really can bring out the life in daniel

something about him intimidates you, maybe it was the fact that he was the student council president, a higher position and of higher authority

even though you two were from the same classes, both of you never talked much, only during meetings and discussions

your relationship with him was just a bit more distant than the others

back in your home life, your family was of a lower socio-economic status, so you basically had to work as well, but as a part-timer

out of all the jobs you had to pursue, it had to be a server/cook in a cat café in your neighbourhood

you worked on tuesday, thursday and friday after school

so your schedule was quite packed

either way, you still pressed on and did what you had to do

one week, you were clocking in at 3pm after school

“hey, y/n!” juyeon cooed

you waved back in response

she was your middle school friend that unfortunately went to a different high school

but despite that, you two managed to stay as close friends

tying on your cat-apron and fitting on your cat ears in the employees room, you looked in your locker mirror

looking back at the reflection of yourself, you cringed

even after a year of working in the same establishment, you still cannot stand the fact that you were supposed to serve your customers in that getup

taking a slow deep breath, you walked back out to the kitchen to get ready for any orders

just as an order for a warm lava cake came up, the bell to the door jingled, signalling the presence of a customer

minding your own business, you placed the pre-made lava cake into the oven before winding up the temperature

“good afternoon sir! how long would you like to stay here for?” juyeon asked, with the same cheerful tone she always had

you really admired how natural she is at greeting customers and making them feel welcomed

she was the type of girl that really belonged here, a cute girl with a bubbly personality

“um, i would like to stay for 2 hours please,”

wait what?

that voice..

seems all too familiar

you peeked around the corner, only to see kang daniel, along with ong seongwoo, standing at the counter

ong was already peeking into the main café were all the cats were, meowing at them and some of our cats meowing back

at that exact moment, daniel made eye contact with you, the random eyes with cat ears peering around the corner

you ducked back behind the wall

your face immediately flushed red

your reputation is literally at stake here

what will happen if the whole school knew, the student council treasurer, one of the four highest student powers in the school, is working at some cutesy café?

but it was daniel and seongwoo, it’s not like they would spread the word right?

you gripped your heart as you sank down onto the floor of the kitchen

“hey y/n, is the lava cake done-”

ding!

you gathered yourself back together, smoothening out your waist apron

“yep, yep just about done,” you said, scurrying to the oven

“girl, are you okay? you look a little pale,” juyeon said, mixing up our signature pink and purple concoction to serve to the 2 new customers

“mhm,” 

just about when you were finishing garnishing the plate of lava cake with flowers and a blob of vanilla ice cream, juyeon pushed the 2 mason jars filled with drinks beside you

“bring this out to the 2 boys over there for me, will you? they are lowkey cute tho, especially the blonde one,” she said as she nudged you, referring to daniel

before you could even respond, juyeon already glided off, tending to the next customer at the cashier

your heart skipped a beat

now i have to serve them? great, my dignity would be down the drain by the end of todays shift

picking up the lava cake first, you swiftly tried to avoid seongwoo and daniel’s eye contact as you tried to serve the customer who requested for that plate of dessert

when you walked past their table on the way back, you heard seongwoo say,

“theres no way in hell,”

you prayed to everything holy that he wasn’t referring to you

you picked up the 2 drinks that were located at the serving counter

while approaching them, you just prayed

please do not notice me, please do not notice me, please do not notice me

you just chanted your way there

standing in front of them, you placed the two drinks and coasters onto their table

their heads turned to you

you stopped your internal chanting

“here are your drinks-”

“YO Y/N”

oh i didn’t think WALKING UP TO THEM would work either, y/n

seongwoo exclaimed, wrapping his right arm around your shoulder

you groaned

“please let me live,” you said to seongwoo, before hitting the pair of cat ears on his head

while seongwoo started complaining, you could see daniel, in the corner of your eye, staring at you in awe

he was literally spEECHless at how cute you were

his ears turned a little red too

“sigh okay seongwoo, what would you two like today?”

“can you meow for us?” seongwoo teased, plastering a cheeky smile on his face

you just stared at him in unamusement, before directing your attention on daniel

“what would you like?” you asked with a smile, shooting a stern look at seongwoo

daniel was caught off guard and just stuttered 

“um- i would like a, uhh, strawberry shortcake please,” he said, closing the menu and looking away

you recorded down his order diligently and asked the other fool what he wanted

after recording down their orders, you returned back to the kitchen to prepare them

on the way back, juyeon stopped you

“aren’t they cute?? y/n you need to agree with me on this one, they look like idols!!” bahahah

you giggled and nodded, returning to the back to get out their orders, decorating them

using your amazing artistry, you lined the plates with chocolate syrup, adding a little flower to daniels plate before placing the cakes strategically in the middle

once juyeon served them their orders you could hear seongwoo whine about not getting a flower, and daniel smiling really widely, his eyes creasing upwards into crescents

from the little glass window of your kitchen, you could feel your heart flutter as daniel takes a bite of your cake, smiling in delight

you felt your own cheeks burning crimson at any minor yet adorable action he makes

after that, daniel would return more often, usually after school, sometimes without seongwoo

he also matches up his arrivals to your work days

juyeon always makes you serve him, just to watch your trip on your words or turn pink at his small remarks

you would take note of his orders, usually a mini strawberry shortcake with a latte

on his sixth trip to the café, you decided to draw a really detailed heart on the top of the latte with his initials near the bottom

once the drink was served, by juyeon as you were busy with other orders, you took a sneak peek at daniel’s usual seat, which was in a corner

but he wasn’t there

you were quite curious, taking a step closer to the kitchen window to have a better look, making sure your eyes weren’t playing tricks on you

from a distance behind you, you heard daniel’s voice near the counter,

“so, who drew a heart in my latte?”

your heart stopped

“oh, it’s not me~” juyeon said, pointing to you, a girl with cat ears leaning way too close to the kitchen window

you slowly turned your head, to see daniel and juyeon both staring at you

you just smiled and waved

oh god im such an idiot

daniel waves back and returned to his seat

you literally wanted to slap yourself

you shook your head in shame and returned to cooking up the orders

as you turned to the kitchen window, where you would usually place orders, you saw a small pink post-it

you picked up, opening it

“hey y/n, you end your shift at 8 right? i’ll wait,”

-daniel

your heart swelled up

you took a peak at the kitchen window once again, to see daniel cheerfully playing with one of our tabby cats

you couldn’t believe that daniel, who you once thought had such a hard exterior, to have a soft spot for felines

you also didn’t know, that love could bloom in a corner cat café in a neighbourhood; like yours

✽ alrighty i have finally done a daniel scenario!

✽ of course it had to do with cats

✽ literally on the verge of stretching it to a 2part, i stopped myself well because its literally 1am on a school night

✽ suggestions box is open :)