#Heard this song yesterday on the radio almost threw up my lunch

[sayyestoheavensayyestome]

the best you ever had. The best you ever had is just a memory and those dreams.

[ana-deaky]

the lakes || Brian May x Reader

Summary:  An odd day of your summer vacation turns to be the day you meet the love of your life.

Warnings: Maybe a bit of bad writing. Other than that, we good to go! 

Author’s Note: This is my gift for @itsametaphorgwil​  for @queenandborhapevents 2 Year Celebration. It was a pleasure being part of the event! Special shoutout to the discord members, who were very motivating. 

The setting is in 1973 around the production of Queen II. I had to tweaks dates, to adjust it to the story. Y/N's academic and other details are left upto reader's imagination. So let it run wild. Enjoy!

You were back home in London for your Spring Break. Your best friend was on a romantic getaway with her boyfriend err fiancé. You have known the two of them since you were kids and this was the only time you both have spent your holidays apart since you met each other.

You slept. You woke up. You went about your day, until the weather cooled down. Then you picked up the book you were reading that week, picked up your usual cup of coffee for your way over to the park. You went to your favourite spot, there, under the shade of the Red Oak tree. You laid down the small picnic blanket and sat on it, stretching out your legs, crossing your legs at the ankle, your back against the tree and you continued reading or watched people as you listened to your music until the sun started setting and you walked back home.

But today... something changed...

You were the kind of person who had kept track of time. Oddly, that wasn't the case today. Your aunt and her husband were over for lunch, like every Sunday. The usual chit-chat and the lunch took longer than usual, by the time they left, you knew, the coffee place would be bustling with people at this hour. You decided to skip your coffee, for the day, which almost never happens. So you were walking the sidewalk, turning the corner towards the coffee shop. You were not one to tolerate slow-walkers, you paced up the sidewalk, stuck between two blokes. You were trying to surpass the tall man in front of you, when he stopped at his tracks.

What happened next, happened too fast. Only thing you could register was that you were drenching in water. A couple of ooh's and ah's were what you heard. "What the hell", you mumbled. A gasp and a series of apologies came from the man in front of you. "Brian, what did you do?", came another voice from behind. "Shut up, Fred", the tall man replied. "Are you alright?", he asked you as you retrieved a napkin and wiped your face.  "I'm fine.", you hissed sarcastically, "Just got a shower in the middle of the street. No big deal."

A burst of laughter came from behind, you turned your head to give them a mean look, "Oh it's funny now, is it?", you hissed. "Boys", you shook your head and mumbled. You walked away from the group towards your home. 

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

A very short while back...

"What is wrong with that riff? It's perfect and it blends bloody well with the rest.", Brian said. "Why do you have to have the spotlight every single time? It's my band too. I have a say too.", Roger bickered. "Darlings, I'm supposed to be the drama queen. Quit bickering.", Freddie said. "Shut up!", said Brian and Roger together. "I tried", Freddie said to Deaky, shrugging. "What do you think, John?", asked Roger. "No guitar solo.", Deaky said firmly. Roger showed quite the excitement and added, "No solo."

Roger didn't stop rubbing the decision in Brian's face as they were going down to the cafe for a break, until a random girl walked between Roger and Brian. Brian halted when Roger stopped talking, turning on his heels to pour the water from his bottle. He gasped when he noticed that it was not Roger and that he just threw water on a stranger. 

*******

He watched her walk away as his friends teased him. "You, boys, carry on. I'm gonna go apologize to her.", Brian said. "Haven't you had enough already?", hissed Roger. "Bugger off, Rog. This happened because of your bickering.", Brian replied. "How's it my fault?", Roger screamed. "Hold it, Rog. We don't want you fighting in public anymore. We're rockstars not brawlers.", Freddie said. "Just get on with it, Brian", he added.

Brian paced behind the girl. "Excuse me?", he said.

*******

"Oh it's you again", you stopped walking and stood facing him, "What do you want?"

"I wanted to apologize for what happened earlier.", he said. You crossed your arms, "Well?"

"Look I'm very sorry for what happened. I should have been careful.", he said. "Thanks.", you said uncrossing your arms and looking down, "Well look at that, my shirt is still wet. Too bad.", you said and continued your walk home. "Hold on.", came the soft voice from behind. You turned around and said, "Look if you're gonna apologize, just don't bother." 

"I would feel bad if I didn't do something to make it up to you.", he said plainly with a hint of worry. "I didn't mean to worry you", you changed your tone, "I'm totally fine really." "I insist", he said. "Well then, what did you have in mind?", you asked. You could swear there was a slight smirk and his hazel eyes glistening. "What about coffee? Tomorrow?", he asked, "Same cafe?", he said pointing towards the direction of the cafe. "All right. What time?", you asked. He checked his watch and said, "How about the same time?" "Well then I'll see you tomorrow, umm, what's your name?", you asked. "Brian.", he said with a pressed smile. "Y/N", you said nodding, "See you tomorrow then." and you both walked your separate ways.

*****

The next day…

You walked inside the cafe round the time he suggested yesterday. You scanned across the almost empty cafe for the very distinct mop of curls sitting somewhere, he was not there yet. You checked the time again and took a seat in one of the tables near the windows, so he won’t miss you. You decided to kill some time reading your book. 

“Fan of crime thrillers, are you?”, you heard the familiar voice. You looked up as he took his seat opposite. “Apparently. She’s a very good writer.”, you said. “Yes. I am not the biggest fan of crime thrillers”, he said, “I’m sorry I’m late. Work held me back.”,Have you been here long?” “Not long. You’re good.”, you said tucking your book to the side of the table. “So, Y/N, what do you do?” “Umm I’m a University student. What about you?” “I'm with a band actually.” “Ooh that’s fun. What do you play?” “The guitar” “Cool. The goth guys from yesterday are your bandmates, aren’t they?” He laughed and said “Yea. They’ll be pleased to know how you referred to them.”

“I should probably get us something to drink. What would you like?”, he said getting up. “A latte?” “Anything else?” “I’m good.” 

He went up to the line near the counter, obviously taller than anybody else in the line. You resumed your reading, while you waited. You looked up often and whenever you did, Brian caught your eyes and gave you a smile. You placed the bookmark on the page and closed your book when you saw him walk to the table. He placed the tray with the drinks and took a seat.

“You don’t drink coffee?”, you asked, noticing the glass of grapefruit juice. “I don’t make it a habit.” “You really are an interesting specimen.”, you said taking a sip of your latte. “I’ve been meaning to ask. What actually happened yesterday?”, you asked. “It’s nothing really.”, he replied and took a sip of the juice. “I’m not gonna let that slide. You threw the water on me. I deserve to know why” “Alright. Alright. So me and the group are here to record an album. Anyways, I wrote a riff for one of the songs, so Roger and I, the blonde guy, were arguing whether or not to have it in or not all the way. And I swear he was rubbing it in my face when the others said no to the riff and I couldn’t contain my anger any longer. I assumed that he was right behind me and I did what I did.”

“Glad it was water and not a punch”, you said shrugging. “Me too.” “So what’s your group called?” “We’re called Queen.” “Oh. I know you guys. I mean I have heard your record.” “You have?” “Yes. You guys are good.” “Thank you very much. Any specific song caught your mind?” “Keep yourself alive was a bop” “Ah I see”, he said grinning. “What are you grinning about? Oh you wrote the song didn’t you?” He smiled and nodded. “I sing a part in the bridge there.” “I see. I’ll check it out the next time it comes on radio” “Thank you”

“So when is the next album?” “Uh well. Hopefully before the fall season. We’re still writing. The works,y'know” “Good luck with your album then.” “Thank you.” 

And so, the conversation continued. Brian was mostly interested in listening to you and always had that enthusiastic smile on his face. You, on the other hand, loved to hear him talk, especially with that soft voice. You didn’t know how long the talk went until you unintentionally looked out the window. You checked your watch, “Oh. I should get going. I’m usually home by this time.”, you said. “Oh. Don’t worry about it. I should get back to the studio anyway.” “Bye, Brian. Thanks for the coffee.”, you said getting up. Brian stood up with you, “Yes. It was very lovely getting to know you, Y/N.”, you almost melted at him saying your name, but you didn’t dare show it. “I’ll see you around, I guess”, you smiled and waved him goodbye, he repeated the same.

You walked out of the cafe, then towards home. “Y/N”, came a shout from behind. You turned around saying, “Yes?” Brian stopped near you and panted saying, “You forgot your book.” “Aww. Thank you, Brian. You’re too nice.” “No problem. Listen Y/N”, he said, “Look I really loved the talk we just had. And I loved every minute I spent with you. So would you like to go on a date with me, so we can get to know each other better?” 

“You seem very nice and very straight-forward, which is a quality I like in men. So yes. I would love to go on a date with you.”, you said. “May I have your phone number? I’ll call you soon.” “Alright. I’ll wait for your call”, you searched for a pen in your bag when Brian gave you his, “Thank you”, you said and scribbled your name and phone number in your notebook and tore the paper to give it to him. “I’ll talk to you later, then”, Brian said, putting the folded paper inside his pocket, followed by his pen. “See you later, Brian” and you walked home. 

*****

Brian called you up on the weekend to ask you out for dinner. One date turned into two, and later a three, four and  a five. He even took you over to the studio to introduce you to the boys. And here you are, on a Friday evening trying to reach your “boyfriend” on the phone.

You waited a few rings until someone picked up the phone. “Trident Studios.”, came a voice in a very distinct accent. “John?” “Yes. Who’s this?” “It’s Y/N. Can you put Brian on the phone?” “Oh hey Y/N, yea. Hold on he’s just got out of the booth.”, he said and you heard, “Brian, phone call for you.” 

“Hello?” “Brian!” “Y/N. How are you, love?” “I’m good. Just busy with some work for University. How is your day going?” “Freddie quit the band twice. Roger threw a tantrum, which is not a surprise. Deaky is being, well.. Deaky. Surprisingly, I’m almost done with one of my songs.” “That’s fantastic. Listen, are you free tomorrow afternoon?” “Yes. I can take a break.” “Wonderful. Pack your swim shorts or whatever. And bring a towel maybe.” “Where are we going?” “That’s a surprise.” “Alright. When and where would we meet?” “You know the bus stop near the park?” “How about I borrow Roger’s car and I’ll pick you up from your home?” “That sounds good. I’ll see you at 1?” “Yes.I’ll see you then.” “Okay. See you tomorrow.”

*****

Brian was right on time. You drove the car while he sat on the passenger side, he kept trying to figure out where you both were going, you never gave in so he diverted to talking about Queen and his latest writings.

“We’re here”, you said parking the car. You got out of the car to retrieve your hamper from the boot. “Why are we in the middle of the woods?” “Stop exaggerating. The town is just a mile down the road, Brian.” You proceeded to walk through the path, Brian followed closely to catch up with you and held your hand as you both walked towards the spot. “Not many people come here. So Jane and I come here all the time.” “When do I get to meet Jane?’ “Most probably next week. She can’t wait to meet you.” “You told her?” “Yea. Why wouldn’t I?” “Oh it’s nothing. I thought you were gonna tell her in person.” “I couldn’t wait any longer.”

“We’re here.”, you said standing at the edge opening to the banks of the lake. “This is beautiful.” You set your hamper down on the gravel-y soil and spread a beach towel. “Lunch or swim?” “Swim” “Good choice.” You kneeled down to take off your sandals while Brian was sitting down to take off his “precious” clogs. 

You stood up to take off your dress over your head. You were showing skin except for your pink and white checkered bathing suit. You could actually feel Brian’s eyes on you as you did. His mouth opened, his pupils blown wide, drinking you in until you threw the dress at his face. “Take a picture, lasts longer.”, said. He just shook his head and pulled his half unbuttoned shirt over his head, threw it over your dress. “You coming or no?”, you asked walking towards the water. 

“Wait up.”, he said. You stepped into the water. You swam around until Brian finally joined in. First thing you did, splash the water on his face. He ran his palm down his face, “What was that for?” “To commemorate our first meeting”, you said swimming over to Brian, your hands twining behind his neck, kissing him. “Aww. I love you.”, he said when you pulled away. And then he held you by the shoulders and pushed you in the water and swam away, when you pulled up on the surface, you said, “I’m so gonna get you for that.” And so continued the fun.

A bit of fun and a picnic lunch later, both of you were laying side by side on your towels, holding hands, talking about anything and everything. You lied down on your side, your head supported by your right hand. “Brian?”, you whispered, your other hand toying with his wet hair. “Hmm?” “I need to tell you something.” Brian sat up, facing you, he said, ‘What is it?” He said tucking some hair behind your hair. “Summer break gets over in 4 weeks.” “So?” “Where does that put us?” “We are still gonna be us. Together.” You smiled and side-hugged him. “Besides”, he resumed, “The album is starting to come together. We’ll probably be swamped with work and the final touches a few weeks later. And it’s not like we can’t keep in touch. We can call or I could come down and visit you.” “I’m so happy that I have you in my life.” “Me too.” “I had a wonderful time with you, today. When are we coming back alone?” “Some day one day…”     

******

Two months later …

The goodbyes were definitely hard, but taken well. And Brian seemed to be engaged more in the album, which kept him distracted. You had University to do that for you. 

And on this particular Friday, you were drowning in homework when your roommate walked in. You looked up to the door, when she came in. “Hey Y/N, you’ve got mail.”, she said putting down a couple of letters and what looked like a square box on your table.

You opened the box carefully. There was a letter and the cover of the album, showing your boyfriend and his mates on the front and ‘Queen II’ written on top. You remembered him mentioning about the album releasing soon, on the phone last week. You took out the album and turned it over to see the song titles and there it was ‘Some Day One Day’ . “You don’t mind if I put the record on, would you?” “I don’t mind” You walked over to the record player, put on the record and put the player arm on the 4th song of the White side. 

The light guitar strumming started, when you got back to your chair to open the letter. You saw the pictures of you and Brian, that Roger took on Freddie’s camera a week before you left for University, first. Then a couple of pictures with the boys. You left them in the box. And took out the letter, the first thing that crossed your mind, how neat his calligraphy was. It read:

Dearest Y/N,

I know we talk over the phone most days, I felt that the letter would feel much more personal and from the heart than telling you on the phone.

If I am taking a gamble here, you have already seen the vinyl, the pictures and probably playing our song. And you’re smiling, because either I said that exactly as it is or because you’re mocking. What I’d give to see that smile right now and to listen to the song together. But some day one day..

Wonderful pictures, aren’t they? I nagged Freddie into getting the pictures developed soon, so I could send those with the vinyl. I can be persuasive and you know it. And fun fact, I have framed one of our pictures and put it on my nightstand. (You’re smiling again.)

I miss you dearly. And I love you so much. Will talk soon. Take care!

Yours, 

Bri

P.S. Freddie wants to know what you think about the album and the boys say Hi!

You sat back on the chair, happy as ever listening to your boyfriend sing, hugging the letter.

******

Tagging: @likesomekindofcheese​  @yourlocalmusicalprostitute​ @sebxstiianstxn​  @queenandborhapevents​ @queenlover05​ @seraphicmercury​ @violaslloyds @anironsidh​ @221roses​ @mazzell-ro​ @amethyst-serenade​ @stewielover95​ @jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels​ @snugglyducklingbrewhouse​ @captaincoffeegirl515​

[fairytales-of-yesterday]

I Found You At Last

Pairing: John Deacon x reader

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: it’s literally just fluff, I cried while writing it and I don’t even have a desire to get married rn so just watch out for that

A/N: I heard on the radio last month that there was a tradition for women to propose to their boyfriends on leap day!! I thought it was a lovely idea for a Deaky fic and now here we are!! Sadly, I learned that ON leap day and now it’s long past, so it’s not even mentioned in here but still.

/

     John walked in the door to your shared flat and smiled. He was immediately greeted by the warmth of home and the smell of dinner. He could hear you singing too, something he’d never tire of. He sighed with a wide smile as he shrugged off his coat and hung it up. Toeing his shoes off and padding into the kitchen, he found you mid-dance routine; you could never control yourself when you had the ABBA record on, no matter how many times Roger made fun of you for liking them. 

    Leaning on the doorframe, he watched you, enraptured. You never failed to absolutely take his breath away. Every little thing about you made his heart flutter. The way your eyes sparkle when you smile, the way you pin him up against doors to kiss him hungrily, the way you laugh softly at him every time he wakes up with awful bedhead, the way you straddle him and kiss down his chest and he knows he’s going to wake up the next morning covered in love bites, the way you get huffy when he beats you at scrabble. He was done-for the minute he laid eyes on you.     He was shaken from his thoughts when he heard a small shriek, and he realized you had finally noticed his presence. He started to apologize, but the look on your face just made him burst into loving laughter as he made his way over to you. 

    "Christ Deaky, are you trying to kill me?" You had your hand pressed against your heart, but a smile on your face. He chuckled and pulled you into his arms.     "Mmm, and it almost worked too, but now you've figured me out, so I have no idea what I'll do." He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of your head.     You laughed in his embrace and squeezed him tightly before letting go. Standing on your tiptoes, you grabbed his face gently and kissed him quickly, mumbling a quiet "missed you" against his lips. You felt him smile, and your heart fluttered.  Tonight was going to be perfect. You were going to make sure of it.     After a few more gentle pecks, you pulled away and took his hands in yours, beginning to dance him around the small kitchen to talk.

     “Good day, my love?” 

     He smiled, spinning the two of you around gently.

     “Not bad! We’re about halfway done with the album I think. The boys say hello and they miss you, even though Roger saw you yesterday. They also said good luck? I still don't know what that meant, but they wouldn't give me a scooby,” he finished with a confused frown.

     A small snort escaped you at his fruitless but endearing attempt at using the rhyming slang you often threw around, and your smile only grew wider as you thought about your dumb, lovely friends. Those idiots, they could've ruined everything! However, they hadn't really given anything away (thank god), and you did appreciate their well wishes. 

     “They probably just wanted to wish me luck because they knew I'd have to deal with you for the next few days,” you said with a teasing grin. Deaky fondly rolled his eyes at you with a sarcastic “ha ha” and you chuckled softly, dancing into him with a small “oof.”

     “Speaking of dealing with you,” you began cheekily, kissing him quickly to make sure he knew you were kidding, “you should go take a shower and wind down while I finish up dinner.”

     He pouted a bit, but stopped as you started running your fingers through his hair. He leaned into your touch with a quiet moan as a faint, fond smile rose to your lips. 

     "You're exhausted love, those boys have been working you to the bone. I'll be right here when you get back, okay?"     He smiled gently and made no further attempts to argue, knowing you were right. Thankfully they had just finished two songs, so they decided to take a well-deserved break. John had definitely needed some time to recuperate, and you were more than ready to take care of him. Plus, you had something very special planned.     He gave you one more gentle, lingering kiss and trudged off to shower.     You watched him go with a soft grin and then got back to work. John was usually quick, but by the way he lumbered in, you figured he'd spend a bit more time than usual under the hot water.     You pulled the meat pies from the oven and smiled at your handiwork. After you set them down to cool a bit, you turned your attention to your small dining room table which you carefully dragged into your living room. Theatrically, you draped the tablecloth over it, and followed that with plates, cutlery, and a candle.     "Just for show," you smiled to yourself, pleased. Still hearing the water running, you ran back to your bedroom and laid out some comfy pjs for John before putting on your own. Going back to your set-up, you quickly lit the candle and put a record on in the living room.     Just as you set the needle down, you heard the water shut off. Immediately your heart was pounding.     God... what if he says no?     The little box had been burning a hole in your pocket for weeks, but tonight it felt like it weighed at least a ton. You slipped your hand in your pocket, grasping the box as fear clouded your mind. What if he did say no? What if he wasn’t ready for that? What if you weren’t? 

          However, your worry almost immediately disappeared as you saw John emerge from the bathroom. Clad only in a towel around his waist, you nearly had to bite the back of your hand to stop yourself from moaning. This was the man you were in love with. The man with dripping wet hair, trying to quickly pad into the bedroom so he doesn't get it all over the floor, the man humming his own music as he bopped down the hall, the man who you could hear make an excited little "ooh!" noise at the pajamas you set out, knowing he was going to have a cozy evening in with you. You smiled as your fears were swept away by your absolute love for your boyfriend. He was yours. 

          He was yours.     After a few minutes, John made his way back to the living room. He was still running his fingers through his hair, trying to get a few tangles out, but when he looked up and saw your hard work, his jaw dropped. His eyes moved between you and the candle and you and the table and you and the turntable and you.

     “You like it?” You grinned, looking up at him. All he could do was nod, a smile spreading across his features. His eyes had already looked a bit brighter after the shower, but that was nothing compared to the way they twinkled now.

     “Love it. Love you.”

     You stood from the table, gave him a quick kiss, and then ushered him to his seat. You made a big show of it, making him laugh brightly, still in absolute disbelief that you'd gone through this trouble just for him. The two of you had been dating for years now, but that didn't mean he wasn't blown away by every kind or intimate gesture of yours. Every time you showed up at the studio with his favorite lunch, every time you bought him a little something that made you think of him, every time you kissed him breathless. And you just couldn’t help it: you loved loving him. 

     After you got him situated, you gave him a mischievous grin and disappeared into the kitchen.

     “Close your eyes!” you called back to him where he chuckled and did as he was told. When he heard you pad into the room again, he moved his arm to open his eyes, but you quickly put your hand over his. 

     “Not quite, love! I couldn’t carry both plates at once,” you murmured, pressing a kiss to his head. He grinned and hummed in acknowledgment, remaining in the dark. 

     Once you had set the other plate down and situated yourself, you smiled wide and told him you were good to go.

     For the second time that night, Deaky was speechless. A smile slowly spread across his face as he looked at the dinner you had made for him, at the whole table, at you. 

     “I hope you’re hungry! This took a while... I had to be extra careful,” you laughed quietly.

     He gave a watery chuckle, brushing his few tears away. 

     “I’m very proud of you, love, and yes I’m starving.” 

     You smiled brightly, very relieved he hadn’t brought up the three small kitchen fires you had managed to start (“and stop, thank you!”) in his time living with you. Not some your proudest moments.

     The two of you dug into your slightly burned but still delicious pies, chatting on and off about your days between mouthfuls. He told you about the songs they’d worked on, the way Roger just about punched Brian for trying to rewrite almost an entire song, and the new bassline he had come up with. You beamed, making him promise to play it later for you, and he agreed bashfully, still a bit shy about showing off. Even after all these years, he was still the kind, gentle, humble lad you had met through Roger after a gig. 

     God. I’m the luckiest girl in the universe.

     Setting his fork down, he reached across the table to take your hand in his. You smiled softly at him as he brushed his soft lips over your knuckles. He smiled against your hand before leaning his forehead on it, just enjoying being close to you. You brushed your thumb gently, affectionately against his cheek and you heard him sigh contentedly. 

     “Thank you, my love,” he looked up at you, “for all of this.”

     Your heart did a flip at his gentle tone, and you stood from the table, pulling him up as well. You pulled him into another dance as he smiled softly, leaning into you immediately.

     “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, little love,” you told him softly. “Nothing at all.”

          He breathed a quiet laugh as you stood on your toes to twirl him. When he was facing you once more, you immediately pulled him close and captured his lips with yours. He made a small noise of surprise into your mouth but quickly kissed you back. Moaning a bit against his lips, you ran your hands down his chest and to his hips, giving him a little pinch. He yelped against you, jumping a bit, and you giggled as you pulled away. Giving him one more little peck on his perfect, handsome nose, you asked him if he’d “be a dear” and flip the record. With a lingering forehead kiss in return, he obliged, turning around and making his way to the turntable.

     This is it.

     With his back still turned and tears already welling up in your eyes, you got down on one knee. Hands shaking, you reached into the pocket of your pajama pants to fish out the box that held your whole future inside. He hummed quietly to himself as he flipped the LP delicately between his long, elegant fingers. You marvelled at him, your lovely, beautiful boy, and tried to steady your breathing. He set the needle down, and it was only when the first notes of “Honey, Honey” came floating into your sitting room that he turned around.

     He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him.

     “Oh my god.”

     You managed a teary, but still giddy smile.

     “Yeah.”

     He walked closer.

     “Oh my god.”

     A laugh.

     “Yeah.”

     Tears were starting to run down his cheeks as he laughed in joyous disbelief and kneeled down in front of you, gathering you up in a warm, tight hug. You grinned, wrapping your arms around him as all your fears melted away for good. You had told yourself you weren’t going to cry, but it was getting to be a bit hard with John already whispering “yes” into your hair.

     “John,” you pulled away slightly, taking his lovely face in your hands, “ John, honey, I haven’t even asked you yet.”

     “Right, right, sorry,” he frantically tried to wipe his eyes, sitting back on his heels. “Go on, I’m sorry.”

     Your heart began to pound again, but a little less frantic now. He was yours. 

     “The day Roger introduced us after your first Queen show was one of the most important days of my life. I fell in love with you the second I saw you. And I-” you broke off to sniff, already struggling to maintain your composure, “I know that’s so cheesy, believe me I do, but it’s the absolute truth. I made some... silly comment about Roger looking like a duck when he plays the drums with those dumb faces he pulls, and god, Deaky, the way you laughed. You lit up that dingy pub brighter than even a million suns could’ve. I saw that sweet little gap in your teeth,” you paused to giggle at the way he blushed and covered his mouth with his hand, “and I knew that I wanted you to be mine and mine alone for the rest of forever.” 

     He was full-on crying again, and you weren’t doing much better, but you took a deep breath and did your best to hold it together.

     “The past few years we’ve spent together have been nothing short of absolutely insane. We’ve made it through tiffs an- and stagefright and paparazzi and more than I could have ever even imagined going through. But, my love, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. You’re… you’re the best part of my life.”

     “And I have to- to wrap this up now, or I won’t be able to get to the important part,” you chuckled through your tears, “but the main point I wanna make is that I love you. I love you, John. And I wanna spend the rest of my life with you.” You shuffled closer to him and brushed some of his tears away with your thumb. “So,” you opened the small, velvet box in your hands, “John Richard Deacon, w-” and his lips were on yours. 

     “Deaky!” You laughed loudly, pushing him away gently. “At least let me get the words out!”

     He blushed a deep red and pulled back just a bit so you could continue.

     “John Richard Deacon, will you marry me?”

     “God yes,” he breathed, kissing you hard. You moaned into his mouth, wrapping your arms around him and dropping the ring box in your excitement.

     “Shit, wait!” 

     Quickly untangling yourself from his grasp, you picked up the box, making sure the band was still inside. Breathing a sigh of relief, you looked up at him.

     “How about you put this on, and then we can kiss as much as you like.”

     “Sounds perfect.”

     Gingerly, you pulled the ring out of the case. It wasn’t flashy, you knew he wasn’t one for too much extravagance, just a simple golden band with two engraved lines on the top and bottom. It was simple and sweet – a tangible symbol of the first step into your shared future. 

     Taking his hand in yours, you slipped the ring onto his finger. He laughed through his tears. It fit perfectly.

     “Okay,” you tossed the box onto the sofa, “we’re good. Kiss me, John.”

     With a teary chuckle, he wrapped you up in his strong, warm arms. And kiss you he did. 

[smooshjames]

forget you not (iii)

uh-oh, uh-oh, here i go again (or: interviews and old friends)

word count: just under 4k

a/n: part 3 of forget you not! i was gonna post this yesterday and then i totally forgot, but it’s here now! once again, the band in this story is based on little mix and i didn’t write any of the songs referenced (this chapter’s songs can be found here, here, here, and here). at the risk of sounding annoying, i have a ko-fi if you’d like to donate, but don’t feel obligated to do so!! if you can’t or don’t want to that’s totally fine, thank you for taking the time to read my work regardless of if you can spend money on it or not. i hope you enjoy!!

warnings: angst (again)

previous parts: one, two

Sunday morning brought with it more Twitter notifications than you’d gotten in a long time. Your alarm went off obscenely early yet again; you had a full day ahead of you. The band was recording a new single which would be released sometime later in the year (the date was still up in the air) and you had decided to do it while you were in LA since you could work with a few producers that you’d never met before.

So, at five o’clock in the morning, you rolled over in your hotel bed and groped around on your nightstand for your phone. You shot upright when you saw how many notifications you had, a bolt of panic going through you at first. What the hell could’ve happened to result in so much activity?

You scrolled through a couple of your mentions before you got to a tweet from some gossip site. There was a photo of you from the concert the night before, probably taken by a fan if the quality was anything to go by. You were mid-note, your mouth open around a word, and it was pretty obvious that you were crying. The tweet read: “‘You never brought me flowers’! Y/N Y/L/N tears up while singing her band’s hit song Towers. Could there be a mystery man that caused her to get so emotional on stage…?”

Carly mumbled a good morning from the bed next to yours. You didn’t reply. You barely even noticed her leaving the main area of the room and heading into the bathroom; you were too busy looking through the replies to the tweet. They were all pretty tame, but you still felt a pit opening up in your stomach. You didn’t have any press that day since you were recording the new single, but the next day was chock-full of interviews and other promotional shit. Your Twitter feed was showing no signs of slowing down, and you really didn't want to have to explain to some random interviewer that you'd been crying because you still weren't over a breakup from five years ago.

“Everything okay?” Carly asked. You looked up, startled, and realized that she had come back from the bathroom. “You seem… distraught.”

You beckoned her over to your bed and showed her the original tweet from the gossip site. Carly gasped and took your phone from you, beginning to scroll through the replies. “Jesus,” she said. “This’ll be a shitstorm.”

“I know,” you replied. You glanced over at the clock on the nightstand and sighed; you needed to get up and ready for the day. Carly gave your phone back to you.

You muted your Twitter notifications for the time being, not wanting to be distracted while you were recording the new single. If an interviewer brought it up you’d just find a way to gloss over it.

You shuffled into the bathroom and did your usual morning routine. You decided to forego makeup for the day since you’d just be sitting around a studio all day, anyway. You dressed in comfortable clothes for the same reason. You figured it would be a little bit hard to focus on recording if you were in heels or tight jeans or something similarly uncomfortable, and you wanted to save your remaining nice clothes for the following day, anyway. Sweatpants and an old t-shirt it was.

Once you were dressed and somewhat ready to face the world, you and Carly grabbed your bags and went out into the hallway. Alexis and Piper were still in their room next door, but they let you and Carly in so that you could all sit and talk while they finished getting ready. Once you were all good to go, you met up with Michelle in the lobby and got into the car that would take you to the studio.

It was a pretty cool space; chill, with couches and chairs spread out around the mixing board where the producers would work their magic. You met the audio engineers as you were walking in, and everyone shook hands and went in to get to work. They seemed nice, and they definitely had a lot of cool ideas for what might enhance the song’s sound. You and the rest of the band had already worked out the lyrics and a basic melody, but the recording technicians had some ideas to really make the song pop.

The day passed in a blur of singing and listening and revising, and then repeating the process all over again. By the time you left, the sun was touching the western horizon and the song was almost finished; just a few final edits before it would be perfect and ready for release. “We’ll get it to Michelle in the next couple of days,” one of the producers said.

You were exhausted as you collapsed back into your hotel bed, but it was a good sort of exhaustion; the kind of sated tiredness that comes with a good day’s work.

You were flying so high, in fact, that you’d almost forgotten about all the Shayne drama. You fell asleep with a slight smile on your face, and your sleep was peaceful and dreamless.

***

That pleasant warmth of a job well done was ripped from you almost as soon as the next day began. Your first interview was with a local radio station, and it went alright for about five minutes; you exchanged pleasantries with the hosts, Joe and Maggie, and sat down between Carly and Alexis for your interview.

The hosts did their intro, introduced the band, and explained that you were currently in LA on the west coast branch of your current tour. Once that was done and the band had all said hello, Maggie turned to you, and the smile she flashed you was… strangely apologetic.

And then you remembered. Shayne, Towers, crying onstage. That apologetic smile hit you so fast it practically gave you whiplash.

“So, ladies,” Maggie said. “There was some interesting news about your concert on Saturday. You guys sang your song Towers -- beautiful song, by the way -- and Y/N… there were a couple of tears there, huh? Anything you can tell us about that? Is everything okay?”

From beside you, Carly opened her mouth, probably to say that you didn’t want to talk about it, but you stopped her with a hand on her arm. Her willingness to defend you meant a lot, but if you didn’t address it, it would just keep getting brought up. At least if you answered this you could do some damage control. “Yeah,” you said. “Um, I actually lived in LA for a while before meeting these lovely ladies and starting up the band with them. And while I was here, I was in a pretty serious relationship with a guy -- I won’t say his name for privacy’s sake -- and we broke up. I guess being back in LA and singing that song just… brought back some memories. But that was all; no new mystery man or anything like that, I’m afraid.”

There, that was a good enough answer. It held enough of the truth that you felt confident they wouldn’t press you for any more information, but you hadn’t told them the exact real reason. They didn’t know he was in the room, and they didn’t know who he was.

Maggie smiled and nodded, and Joe asked another question about the band that was unrelated to your love life, which brought a wave of relief sweeping over you. You smiled and laughed through the rest of the interview, chiming in with answers whenever it felt appropriate, and then said your goodbyes as the hosts transitioned into the next song

All things considered, that hadn’t been so bad.

Once you were out of the radio station headquarters and into your car, Michelle got back to business. “Alright, next up… another interview which won’t be broadcasted live. You guys are performing Think About Us while you’re there. Then we have an hour for lunch. After lunch, you’ll film a video with Smosh, and then another radio interview after that, and then you’re free for the day. Assuming everything goes to plan.”

You nodded and settled into easy conversation with the girls during the car ride to your next venue. You were pretty excited to film with Smosh; you hadn’t seen any of their recent stuff, but you were familiar with them in that you had heard of them and you knew they primarily made comedic content. You figured that would probably mean it would be a fun time to film there.

The next interview went just fine, and the performance went even better. For lunch, you and the rest of the team got food at a cute little bistro near Smosh’s offices.

When you arrived after your lunch break you were greeted by Ian Hecox, the president of the company. He was super friendly, greeting you all with handshakes and a warm smile. Once you’d all been introduced he began to lead you through the office space, explaining that you’d be recording an episode of their ongoing Try Not to Laugh series. As he launched into an explanation of the rules, a hand on your shoulder made you tense and whip around, surprised. This brought you face to face with…

“Damien?”

Your eyes widened almost comically as you saw the man standing before you. He looked a little different since you’d seen him last; his hair was longer and streaked with blue, and he carried himself a little taller, a little prouder. But he still had that same boyish smile, those same brown eyes. He was still Damien, and he was here.

“Hey, Y/N,” he said.

You laughed, shocked and joyful, and threw your arms around his shoulders, practically launching yourself onto him. He hugged you back tightly. When you pulled back, you punched him jovially on the arm.

“It’s so good to see you!” you said, a little breathless. “What are you doing here?

“I work here. I’ll actually be filming with you guys this afternoon,” he replied

“No way, that’s crazy!” You leaned back and perched your hands on his hips, surveying him, half disbelieving.

He nodded and opened his mouth to speak again, but Ian’s voice interrupted your reunion. “You two, uh… you two know each other?”

“Yeah,” you said, glancing over your shoulder. “I knew Damien… God, ages ago. We were really good friends.”

Carly’s eyes now widened in recognition. She smiled at Damien and raised her hand in greeting to him.

“Hey, Carly,” he said. He put his hand on your forearm and you turned back to face him again. The look on his face made your smile fade a little bit; he seemed nervous and a little sad. “Y/N, I should warn you --”

“Holy shit!” another voice interrupted you two, this one distinctively female. And also… strangely familiar. You turned toward the source and what you saw felt like two consecutive throat punches.

Courtney, Shayne’s new girlfriend, was standing across the room. She seemed to have just entered, and judging from the wide-eyed look on her face, she was just as surprised as you were. Standing directly next to her, staring at the floor by your feet… was Shayne himself.

You heard Damien mutter something under his breath, but your brain didn’t fully process what he said. You were too busy looking at Courtney and Shayne and wondering why the hell they were here. Before you could say anything, though, Ian stepped forward.

“Sweet, we’re all here,” he said. “Y/N, Alexis, Piper, Carly, this is Shayne and Courtney. Shayne’s gonna be filming with you guys this afternoon --” of course he was “-- and Courtney is --”

“Your biggest fan!” the girl interrupted him, and even despite the resentment you couldn't help feeling toward her, you had to admit that she was really sweet. She seemed like someone you might be really good friends with were it not for the fact that she was dating your ex, which made you feel even worse; she hadn’t done anything to deserve your hatred, but here you were hating her anyway. “You probably don’t remember, but I was at the concert on Saturday. It was super good, you guys crushed it.”

“I remember,” you said, because you didn’t know when to shut up. Courtney’s jaw dropped onto the floor. “Yeah, I remember. You guys came together, didn’t you?”

The accusation was clear, at least to those in the know; Carly went pale, Piper inhaled sharply, Alexis started coughing, Damien shuffled his feet nervously, and Shayne opened his mouth to speak. Before he could say whatever he wanted to, though, he seemed to think better of it and closed his mouth again.

Courtney didn’t seem to pick up on anything unusual, though, because she just nodded happily and went on talking.

“Yeah, we did!” she said, slinging her arm around Shayne’s shoulders. If you didn’t know any better, you would’ve said that he stiffened as she pulled him into her side. His face tightened into a grimace, but you couldn't possibly imagine why. It was obvious that they were together. He didn’t need to hide that for your sake. “I was so fucking pumped when you guys sang Towers, you don’t even understand. That’s one of my favorite songs by you guys and you crushed it, especially you Y/N. Your part always hits a little different for me.”

Yeah, you and me both, you thought. But you smiled and nodded happily. “I’m glad you liked it!” you said. You turned back to the band and made eye contact with Michelle. She raised an eyebrow. You inclined your head just slightly toward Ian. She nodded; she knew what you needed.

“I hate to interrupt,” she said, “but we should probably get this show on the road. The girls have got a packed schedule today.”

“Of course!” Ian said. “Courtney, maybe you can harass them more if they have time when we’re done filming. But for now, Shayne, Damien, ladies, follow me.”

You hurried to catch up to the rest of the band. Carly and Alexis fell into step with you while Piper started walking behind you, obviously trying to shield you from Shayne’s gaze. You had another moment of profound gratitude for these girls; they took care of you when no one else would, they loved you when you couldn’t love yourself, and they always seemed to know what you needed without having to ask. That shared strength and love was one of the reasons the band had stayed together for so long.

Impressively enough, you managed to keep your shit together until you got to Carly’s. You didn’t bother texting her to let her know that you were coming. She’d let you in if she was home, and if she wasn't home, you knew her building code and where she kept her spare key.

Luckily, she was home; she let you up to her apartment without question.

Only once you’d crossed the threshold of your best friend’s apartment did you allow yourself to cry. You crumpled like a piece of paper against her and let out a sob so loud it bordered on a scream. Carly maneuvered you back onto her couch, sat down with you, and held you until you could talk. You were still crying when you pulled away from her, but you’d gotten out the full-body sobs.

“Honey, what happened?” Carly asked. You could hear the concern in her voice; it was rare that you showed up at her place unannounced, and even rarer that you started the visit by scream-crying into her shirt. She probably thought somebody was dead.

“Shayne got home from work and ended things,” you said. “Just… no warning, no ceremony, nothing. Three days ago he asked me my fucking ring size and today he told me that we aren’t working anymore. And I don’t understand because I thought he was happy! I thought we were good! I thought that we’d be fucking picking a date for our wedding, not for when I’m gonna come move out the rest of my shit!”

Before Carly could respond, your phone vibrated. You took it out and couldn’t help your tearful, almost-manic laugh at what you saw there; a text from Shayne, apologizing, asking if you would come home and talk. You went to reply, but Carly grabbed your phone and held it away from you before you could.

“Hey!” you exclaimed, lunging for your phone. She was an expert at keep-away, though, and you couldn’t even get close. You cursed yourself for all the nights out where you asked her to keep your phone away from you if you got too drunk. “Carly, give me my phone!”

“Promise me you won’t text him back and you can have it,” she said.

“That’s ridiculous! Of course I’m gonna text him back!”

“Is that a good idea?” she asked. She cocked an eyebrow. “If you can honestly tell me that you think it’s a good idea for you to say anything to him right now, I’ll give you your phone back.”

That knocked some sense into you. Immediately, the fight left your body and you sat back on the couch. She studied you for a moment and then leaned forward to set the phone on the coffee table. When you didn’t go for it, she relaxed and leaned back.

“Sorry,” you said. “I’m all over the place.”

“I know. It’s okay. That’s what I’m here for, right? Now, walk me through what happened.”

“He came home and he was being weird, and he was like ‘hey can we talk’ and then he basically just said that it isn’t working anymore and that he can’t be with me. He didn’t give me a reason besides that and I didn’t ask him for one. I just packed a bag and came here.”

Carly nodded, considering. “That’s really fucking weird.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised it took this long,” you said. At her shocked expression, you shrugged. “I’ve always said that he’s out of my league, right? It was only a matter of time before he got tired of me and realized he could do better. He probably realized that if we got married, he’d have a hell of a harder time getting away from me.”

“Were it not for the state of emotional peril you’re in right now, I would slap you,” Carly said. You let out a startled laugh; of all the things she could've said, you weren't expecting that. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard you say, and I’ve known you for a long time. If that was true -- which it isn’t, by the way, you’re the sexiest, most beautiful, smartest, funniest, greatest person I know -- it wouldn’t have taken him three years to ‘get bored.’ This is one of the dumber stunts he’s pulled, which is saying something. But this isn’t your fault. He’s the asshole here, regardless of his reasoning. If you want to talk to him and try to work things out, that’s your business. But whether or not things work out, this will always be on him. And I’ll be here every step of the way, buttercup.”

You nodded gratefully, even though you didn't believe her. You’d never been good enough for Shayne. This was always inevitable. Still, you put on a brave face for Carly. Better she didn’t know what you were really thinking. “You’re right,” you said. “Thanks, Carly.”

You could tell from the look on her face that she didn’t completely believe you, which wasn’t surprising. Carly always knew when you were lying. But she also knew when to let an issue lie. “Good,” she said. “Now, Bridesmaids or Legally Blonde?”

Ian led the group to a colorful sound stage. To the right was a partition, and behind it a bunch of strange props and costume pieces. To the left was a single stool, a piano, and some bongos.

The room was swarming with activity as crew people moved around getting everything set up and ready to go. Shayne and Damien led you over to the set. “Y/N, why don’t you sit in the stool for the intro?” Shayne said, the first words he’d said to you since you had broken up. His voice was professional and upbeat, betraying almost no emotion. “And then I’ll stand to your right, Damien will be behind me, and the rest of the band can be to your left.”

“Sounds fine to me,” you said, and you hoped your voice sounded less forced to him than it did to you. You sat on the stool, glad to be off your feet; your balance was suddenly fucked now that Shayne was next to you, and you were afraid you wouldn’t be able to keep yourself upright if you tried to stand for much longer.

Shayne went to go check something with a cameraperson, and the girls formed another huddle around you. Carly stood right in front of you, Piper to your immediate left, and Alexis just behind you. “Are you alright?” Carly asked.

“I’m sorry,” Damien said, cutting into the conversation before you could even think about how to answer Carly’s question. He was standing to your right, though he was a little farther away than your bandmates were. “I wanted to let you know before you saw him. I thought maybe it would be easier that way.”

“It’s okay, Dames. It’s not your fault,” you said. You reached over to squeeze his bicep, hoping to ease his mind a little bit, but the guilt didn’t leave his face.

“How did you know we would be here today?” Carly asked. You gave her a stern look, but she either didn’t see it or just didn’t care.

Damien fidgeted, nervous. You didn’t blame him; Carly was a force of nature when she wanted to be. “Um,” he said, “what do you mean?

“I mean that you had enough foresight to know that you could surprise Y/N and warn her about Shayne. So you knew we would be here.”

“We get a filming schedule at the beginning of the week,” Damien said. You looked at Carly as if to say There, see? A perfectly good reason. Now back off and let the poor boy breathe. But then Damien continued: “and Shayne told me about seeing Y/N on Saturday, so --”

He cut himself off, clamping his mouth shut as he seemed to realize what he’d said. Your gaze flew from Carly to Damien. For a moment, you felt thoroughly like a middle schooler; the he-said-she-said was something you thought would get left in sixth grade, but here you were nonetheless. Still, you couldn’t help the way your heart rate accelerated at Damien’s words. If Shayne had mentioned you specifically…

“What?” you asked.

You didn’t want to get your hopes up. You couldn’t get your hopes up. Shayne mentioning you didn’t mean anything. Besides, he had a new girlfriend now, anyway. He’d probably just done it since you and Damien were friends before shit hit the fan.

Damien didn’t get the chance to answer your question before Shayne returned from his conversation with the cameraperson. You were pretty sure he knew that you guys had been talking about him; it was pretty obvious by the way the conversation stopped short as soon as he got within earshot. But if he knew, he didn’t comment on it. He just walked over and took his place next to you.

Carly flashed him a look colder than the south pole and moved to stand on your other side, and then she plastered the brightest smile you’d ever seen on her face. You did the same.

“Alright, everybody ready?” one of the crew people asked. You nodded your assent. “Three, two, and… action!”

[nikkzwrites]

Yesterday Once More | Dark Fix-It Fic Series | Chapter 16

A/N: This fic is one that I started with my OC because honestly, I personally didn’t like how season 3 ended. So I am rewriting all of Dark with my OC Annalise Dahlheim. I hope you all like it. Some things will be expanded more on just for more depth to Dark that season 3 kinda skipped over so…. yeah. (Important to this chapter! Here is the song referenced. I’d recommend listening to this at the last paragraph. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqwXY8h9c5I)

CW: Canon Typical Triggers: Smoking, Sex, Language, Drugs, Drinking, Death, Violence, Suicide Mentions, Cutting, Violence.

Word Count:  8.9k

[First Chapter] [Previous Chapter] [Next Chapter]

Where did it all begin? Where did things begin? In the past? In the future? Who can say where it began? Will we ever be capable of knowing the origin of all things? Or is there still an origin before that? And before that? And before that? Do beginning and end even exist? Or is it all connected in an endless loop and are “beginning” and “end” just different words for one and the same moment?

The day was June 20th, 2019. Jonas woke up to music blaring. He slowly allowed himself time to actually get out of bed while he listened to the radio.

Somehow, sometime 

The future starts somewhere

I won’t wait much longer now

Love is created through bravery

So don’t think about it twice

We ride on fiery wheels 

Towards the future through the night.

Jonas turned off the radio and got dressed. He jogged his way downstairs to grab himself some breakfast. He turned around to go to the table after pouring his cereal.

“Boo,” Michael smiled, greeting his son. He had just come in from getting the paper so he decided it might be fun to pull a small prank on Jonas.

They both laughed and Jonas smiled. “Good morning,” He walked around the man to go sit at the table. 

Michael turned and told the boy, “Good morning sleepyhead.” He threw the newspaper on the table and walked to sit with his son, “So? What are your plans?”

“I’m off to the lake with the others,” Jonas explained to his father.

Michael hummed, “It’s supposed to storm later, you know?”

Hannah walked down the stairs and kissed her husband’s head. Michael hummed as she pressed her cheek against his then walked into the kitchen to make herself food. She told Jonas, “Don’t forget about Ulrich and Katharina’s party tonight. Don’t be late so again, okay?”

“Yeah,” Jonas said nonchalantly.

Michael looked up and stared. Today was the day, wasn’t it. He zoned out as his wife took down a bowl for herself. Hannah asked him, “Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

Michael took a second to process what she said. He nodded and said, “She’s almost done.” He smiled and elbowed Jonas, “Want to see her?”

Jonas rubbed his side, “Sure Dad.”

Michael hurried up the stairs and grabbed the painting he made of his first love. He smiled gently seeing her again. Tomorrow was the first day he would actually meet her since she had declined going to the party tonight. He brought the portrait downstairs to show his son. “Lookie here,” He chuckled and asked, “Pretty, ain’t she?”

Jonas smiled at his father’s pride in the project. He barely glanced at it before saying, “Yeah Dad.” He turned to check the time and whispered, “Fuck.” He hurried to put his things away. He walked over to his things and grabbed his bag. He thought for a second and grabbed his raincoat as well. He walked over to bid a farewell to his parents, “Right. I’ve got to go.” Seeing the yellow jacket in Jonas’s hand made Michael drop the painting. He quickly then bent down to pick up his last piece of her he was ever going to have. Jonas reached towards his father, “Are you okay, Dad?”

He looked up and said, “Yeah. I’m good.” He looked around defensively, “Everything’s alright.” Michael studied the painting. Luckily nothing was damaged on her. “I…” Michael admitted, “I just had deja vu…” He picked up the painting fully and placed it down on the shelf under the clock.

Jonas stayed there for a moment studying his father before just nodding, “Okay. See you later.”

When Hannah heard Jonas completely out the door, she slowly approached her husband. Feeling her light touch, Mikkel jumped in surprise but quickly melted into her contact. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and pressed her face into his back. Hannah whispered, “Don’t you think it'd be good if you got out?” Mikkel looked down at her hand. He mentally wasn’t there with Hannah. Michael was far away thinking of Annalise and wondering where she was. Hannah asked him, “At least think about it?” She kissed the man’s back and held herself close to him trying to make him feel her love and closeness, “For me.”

“I still have to finish her,” He grumbled to Hannah. 

Hannah let him go and went back to making her coffee.

Dressed in matching Hawaiian shirts, Magnus zoomed past his sister to catch up to Bartosz. They laughed as the let go of the handle just enough to give each other a fist bump. Martha turned her head to smile and blush at Jonas as they all rode to the lake. Jonas smiled blissfully unaware for a moment before an unexplainable sinking feeling hit him.

The church bells tolled on the hour and our Jonas stumbled out of it on his mission to correct the course of history.

Ulrich kissed Katharina as he tried to convince her to make love with him. They giggled with each other kissing until they heard the door open. At first, Ulrich snapped but when he turned to see his youngest splotched up and red his heart sank.

“I think I’m sick,” complained Mikkel, “I’m covered in red spots. Maybe I have dengue fever?”

Katharina sat up and motioned to him, “Come here.” She checked her son and cursed. “You’ve got rubella.” She shook her head and asked, “You had to pick today of all days for this?” She playfully growled at her son then pet his head, “Let’s get you to the doctor.” She got out of bed to go and walk with Mikkel to get him ready leaving Ulrich alone in bed.

Aleksander drank his morning coffee as he read the newspaper. His eyes were grabbed by the headline, ‘Murder in Marburg Unsolved 33 Years Later. Search for Two Fugitives Perps Still on.’

“Will you come by later,” his wife’s voice pulled him away from the paper. Regina walked over to him and placed a concerned hand on his back, “This afternoon, to the hotel for lunch.”

Aleksander quickly closed the newspaper and said, “Yes! Of course.” He wrapped his arm around her to try and desway her worries.

Regina squinted at him, “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” He quickly replied.

Regina knew the look on his face. She could see that he was clearly lying to her so she wanted to give him another chance to open up, “Are you sure?” When he nodded and hummed holding firm that he was okay, she reached over him to grab her phone. She left a small kiss on her cheek as she parted with him and said, “See you later.”

Freida smiled at her daughter, “Come on darling, you can’t just stay stuffed up in this room the entire time we’re here. What’s the use in coming if you don’t at least try it out? Is it too much to ask you to talk to a single person other than me here?”

“I perfectly can stay cooped up in one place for one week without issues,” Annalise said, scrolling through her phone looking at pictures and videos of her father and her, “It’s not like you didn’t send me off to do just that for how many months? Plus, I talked to that nice lady just yesterday… Mrs. Tiedemann?”

Freida sighed and walked to her daughter, “I know. I know dear.” She kissed the girl’s head. She watched the video of her late husband filming with his selfie stick jogging ahead of his daughter taunting her for losing stamina so fast on their vacation up to Yellowstone. Even on vacation, their training for track never let up. The small little family felt empty without his light and playfulness all around them. He and Annalise were inseparable. You’d never find one without the other. Lukas loved his near spitting image so much. Freida kissed her daughter’s head again and asked, “Could you please at least try to see if you will be able to adjust well here? I hear that Ulrich jogs every morning.”

“Who’s Ulrich,” Annalise asked, without looking up. She started up another video of her dad. This time Lukas was speaking to the video without Annalise around.

Lukas smiled in the video while wearing his firefighter uniform, 

“Hey there Anna! I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it to this tournament.

I promise I am still with you okay?

No matter where I am, remember our song we agreed on.

‘I'll be the soles of your shoes on the ground

Running with you 'til you're safe and you're sound’

I love you. You are going to do great.” 

Freida rolled her eyes and sighed at her daughter, “Nielsen? As in the host family and the husband to the principal?”

Annalise nodded, “Yeah, about that.” She put her phone away, “You think I could possibly go to a smaller host family or something? I don’t know if I am a right fit with a family that already has two kids my age.”

“They have a younger one too you know, Mikkel,” Freida helped her daughter up and opened the curtains in the room, “You used to love helping out at the summer camps and volunteering with kids. Plus the hospital said you always liked hanging out with the kids there. So I’m sure that will be fun.”

Annalise nodded, “Okay… I can at least try to meet them.” She mumbled her voice slowly going more inaudible as she continued, “Well the kids were more fun anyway. They would actually play Uno and stuff with me. Plus they had the better snacks.”

“Perfect,” Freida smiled, “There’s a party at their house later tonight.”

Annalise screamed, “What?!” She quieted herself again and rushed through her words, “Mom. I- I’m not ready for something like that. I can barely see my own friends? How am I supposed to meet all of theirs?” She started to hyperventilate. What if someone mentioned or asked about her dad? What if someone asked about her scars and she would have to tell the entire room? What if because of that they all thought she was a freak? She pulled at the short sleeves of her shirt.

Freida held her daughter, “Okay.” She thought for a second, “Okay then! I’ll just go! How does that sound? Maybe I can see if we can arrange to meet them before the party and we can have Magnus walk with you back or something?”

Annalise nodded, “Please?” She clung to her mother and closed her eyes before they opened again with a furrowed brow, “Wait… Who’s Magnus again?”

Charlotte sat at home and looked up at her husband who just came home. He smiled and placed his bags down. Peter greeted her, “Hey!” He walked further inside and asked, “Where are the kids?” Charlotte just stared silently at him causing him to try and explain, “I was at the nursing home.” His wife just continued to stare at him. He sighed exasperated, “Shall we just go on like this? That you won’t believe anything I say?” Charlotte looked down as if she were contemplating. “Say something,” Peter begged. She looked up at him and stayed silent. Peter turned away and angrily swat at the air, “Maybe this is why all this happened.” He turned towards her and said, “Because I get nothing from you. Nothing. It’s as if you’re dead inside.”

Charlotte sighed, “About tonight… I think it’s best if I go to the Nielsens’ alone.”

Peter smacked his lips but nodded walking out of the room.

“Did you know about the lady who drowned here,” Batosz teased Martha.

The girl splashed at him, “Stop it!”

He just smiled and continued, “When the water is clear, you can see her dress down there. And sometimes you feel her hands on your feet while swimming.” He shook his head and said, “But that’s not the worst thing. The worst is when she’s hungry.” That was Magnus’s cue to slyly swim beneath the surface to help scare his sister. Bartosz chuckled, “Then she drags people down to her.”

Magnus quickly pulled Martha down causing the girl to yelp out in fear. He quickly let go and both rose up to the surface. Bartosz and Magnus laughed as Martha tried to readjust herself. “Asshole,” She yelled, splashing Bartosz. She rolled her eyes, “Ha-ha. Very funny.”

Jonas sat at the edge of the lake on the sandy beach watching his friends swim and laugh. He smiled to himself as Martha strolled out of the pond and dried herself off.

Martha tossed her towel down next to him and laid down on it. She leaned closer to the boy and asked, “You coming tonight?”

“I think so,” He turned his head to talk to her.

There was silence between them. Martha sat up as Jonas’s eyes darted from her eyes down to her lips and back. This moment didn’t last long before Martha spoke again.

“I sometimes wonder if my parents are really happy together,” sighed the girl, “Or if people just make do with what they have?” Jonas turned away and thought for a moment causing Martha to ask, “Are your parents happy?”

Jonas blinked and looked down. He shook his head, “No idea.”

“Bad news kiddo,” Freida told her daughter, “Looks like all of them are busy. They are taking Mikkel to the doctor since he has rubella and Magnus and Martha are out at the lake with some friends.”

Annalise nodded, “Okay. Well, we tried right?”

Freida smiled, “We tried.” She collapsed on the bed next to her daughter then turned to look at her.

Annalise shook her head, “What is that look for? Why are you staring at me like that?”

“I’m just proud that you’re trying,” Freida smiled. She played with the hem of her daughter’s shorts that she was mandated to wear for at least another few months. The hospital wanted to make sure that she wasn’t going to actively try to harm herself without notice so they mandated a dress code for her.

Annalise turned her head. She sighed and got up, “I guess I’ll head that way then. You know… The lake?” She scratched at one of her scars as she got ready to leave, “It might be nice to get some sun and meet the people I’m going to have to be around.”

Our Jonas stood on the side of the street debating his next move. He had to insure some things before leaving this time. He needed to close the chapter with Martha and then find his dad to convince him not to kill himself. Jonas tried to think back to what his father was doing that day when a car drove up.

“Hey Jonas,” Katharina called from inside the car, “Weren’t you going to the lake? Martha and Magnus left a long time ago.”

Jonas walked around the car trying not to speak in fear of giving himself away. Mikkel smiled and stuck his fist out of the car window, “Ultimate fist bump?”

Katharina laughed, “Don’t touch the pestilent boy. He has rubella.” At that Mikkel huffed and withdrew his offer bringing his hand back into the car. Katharina looked at the boy and asked, “Where’s your bike? Should we give you a ride?” Jonas shook his head prompting Katharina to nod, “See you tonight then.”

Ulrich chuckled and leaned over his wife, “I know one person who’d be really glad if you came, and it’s not Magnus.” He laughed.

Katharina pushed her husband back to the other side of the car, “Ulrich.”

“Why,” Mikkel chuckled, “It’s no secret Martha’s nuts about him.”

“Stop it,” Katharina tried to defend her daughter. She turned to Jonas, “Come on, get in. We’ll drop you off at the lake.”

Jonas shook his head, “No, it’s okay. Really.”

“Good,” Ulrich laughed, “Then see you later, Romeo.” He winked at the boy and they drove off.

Magnus had walked away from the group to take a piss. While there though, He spied a girl naked laying face down in the water. He placed himself back into his trunks and ran to help her.

Franziska stood hearing the wild splashing hear her. She looked up to see the tall blond boy in front of her. “Magnus,” she asked him confused.

Bewildered, Magnus was at a loss of words. He shook his head and tried not to stare at her breasts. He stuttered as he tried to explain himself, “You weren’t moving and I… I thought you were dead. He said there was a dead body there.”

Franziska looked around for a second to see if anyone else was there to witness her skinny dipping. When she saw no one else, she looked back at the boy. The red head shook her head and said, “Still plenty alive.”

“Cool,” Magnus stated before wading out of the water, taking a few times to stare back at her again.

Franziska smiled as she watched the boy leave. She was entertained by him. This was her first time actually gaining interest in him and was he now an interest.

Martha laid on the beach trying to memorize her play. She looked up at Jonas sitting next to her and smiled.

“Something up,” Jonas asked laughing.

Martha shook her head, “I…” She giggled, “I was just thinking…” She laughed at herself and asked, “Wouldn’t you sometimes like to know what happens next?”

Jonas thought for a moment and leaned back, “You mean in the future?”

Martha sat up once more and leaned a bit towards him, “Yes or… maybe just in the next 5 minutes. I… sometimes get this feeling that something is about to happen. You know?” She stared deep into his eyes.

Jonas’s heart raced. His brain was running faster than it ever ran before but there were still no cognitive thoughts there.

“Attack,” Magnus yelled, interrupting the moment. He jogged past them but then turned and stopped, “Hey! Mom said that chick was going to head over to meet us.”

“What girl,” Jonas asked before checking the time. When he looked at it, he realized he was going to be late. He scrambled up while whispering under his breath, “Fuck.”

Martha shook her head and asked, “What’s up?”

Jonas quickly got his pants on and explained, “I’ve got to go. We gave Grandma Ines a tablet for her birthday. I promised my grandmother I was going to show her how it works.” He threw on his backpack.

“Okay,” Martha said sadly.

“I’ll see you later,” asked Jonas.

Martha nodded but then called him back, “Jonas! Why do you have a raincoat?”

Our Jonas watched his younger self through the trees explain, “Because it’s supposed to rain later.” 2019 Jonas chuckled, “Well...then…” He was struggling to leave, but eventually turned.

After a little bit of waiting, 2020 Jonas zipped up his coat past his scars and pulled his hood so that it hid his longer hair. He slowly approached Martha and sat next to her. He was frowning as he slowly tried to figure out how he wanted to close this part of his life. He turned and looked at her, “I thought I still had time.” He furrowed his brow, “Why do people say that anyway? ‘To have time.’ How can you have time when it clearly has you?”

Martha sighed and tried to figure him out, “Has something happened?” When he was silent, she commented, “You’re different somehow.”

“I wanted to tell you something,” Jonas concluded looking at her, “I’ve wanted to for a long time.” He stared at her and said, “I think… I think we were meant to meet. Never think anything else.” He closed his eyes as Martha slowly closed the gap to kiss him. He reached around to hold her there in that moment before letting go. Something felt strange about this. As if his heart were empty while doing this, an empty gesture. Jonas whispered to her, “I’ve got to go now.” He stood up and pulled himself away from his old happiness walking towards where he needed to go.

The Nielsens’ pulled up to the Kahnwald house. Hannah greeted them and Ulrich asked, “Did Captain Nielsen make you work too?”

Hannah laughed, “All the best on your wedding anniversary.”

Ulrich commented, “Crazy, isn’t it? It’s been 25 years.”

“Thank you for the glasses, Hannah,” Katharina told the woman.

Michael watched them out the window. They were just packing up the car, but it was so familiar to him. Like a foggy dream. Then he saw himself get out of the car.

Mikkel complained, “I need to pee.”

“Go on the tree over there,” Ulrich told him.

Hannah stared at the boy. He was so familiar. Something ate at her. She didn’t even hear at first that Katharina was asking her a question. Once Hannah snapped out of it she said, “Yeah, of course he can come use our bathroom. It’s just across from the front door.” Mikkel nodded and walked to the house. Hannah turned to the parents and said, “I just had deja vu or something. Mikkel’s gotten big.”

Katharina nodded in agreement, “He eats like an ogre.”

“He got that from his mother,” Ulrich teased.

Katharina pinched her husband’s gut playfully, “Hey, you stop that!”

Hannah smiled and forced out a laugh.

Mikkel walked inside the house. Something felt weird about it today. He walked into the bathroom.

Michael climbed down the stairs and listened to himself using the bathroom then hid. When his younger self saw him, he was terrified and ran out. Michael hit his head against the wall and started to pant trying to suppress his tears.

Annalise walked the street set to her on google maps. She had gotten the coordinates from supposedly Magnus earlier. She sighed and placed the phone back in her pocket. She placed her headphones in and listened to her music as she walked.

As Jonas walked his way towards his childhood home, he zoned out. He walked down the street only to find a very strange sight. There in front of him was a girl. She had shorter hair, seemed sad, but he knew her instantly. There walking along the road was Annalise. He swallowed, what was she doing here? She wasn’t supposed to be here yet. The girl must have seen him staring at her because she stopped.

Annalise tilted her head, “Hello?” The girl took out her earpods. She tried to pull the boy out of his trance, “Is there...uh” The girl still had an issue speaking German. She was stuttering over her words and trying to pantomime before just switching to English, “Am I doing something wrong? Is this the way to the beach?”

Jonas shook his head. His lips trembled. He smiled and said, “Yes… But No! You just look like a girl I know.” He pantomimed as well to help her understand what he was saying. This must have been why Bartosz had said she was so bad at German.

The girl smiled gently and tried to ask, “May I...uh…” She motioned to her chest out towards him. When she could see he didn’t quite understand, she pressed her fingers to her lips gently then pointed to him.

Jonas blushed. He swallowed hard then walked closer to her. Seeing her like this made him forget the world around him. He was just a boy with a girl standing on the side of the road walking opposite directions.

“No,” Annalise said loudly, throwing her hands up in front of her to stop him, “I...uh...want to...speak…” Her eyes shifted down to the ground then back up at him. She wanted to see how bad her conversational skills were before meeting the Nielsen kids. Supposedly they were at the lake. Luckily she had the excuse that she wasn’t dressed for it to get into the water, but she couldn’t lie to her mother about having met them if her mom was just going to meet them later that night and mention her.

Jonas’s eyes widened in understanding then he nodded with a smile, “Oh! Practice German with me.” He motioned. He laughed at himself for just resuming their relationship right off the bat despite her never meeting him by that point. He felt so stupid thinking that a complete stranger was just going to ask for him to kiss her.

“Yeah,” She nodded. Her eyes glowed having someone understand her, “I am from America. My Zayde is from here. It is nice to meet you.” She held out her hand. She seemed very confident saying those few sentences in German. The girl had practiced those frequently so they came out the most fluid out of all of her speech. If Annalise were honest, she liked having to only interact with one person. She was much better with that as of late.

The boy chuckled and took her hand in his. He noticed something across her forearm he had never noticed before. There were scars there. His eyes traced them then went back to her face. His face had dropped. He turned her hands over to see scarring on her knuckles as well.

Annalise gently pulled her hand away from him, “I was in...an accident.” She nervously tried in vain to cover them up. Her heart leapt into her throat. Her eyes started to water from anxiousness. She recoiled ready for the insults.

Jonas unzipped his jacket to reveal his scabs from being hung. He nodded in understanding and said, “So was I.”

The girl walked towards him and motioned if she could touch. She seemed almost hypnotized by his scars. He could recognize that pained look on her face. Jonas nodded. Her touch was just as he remembered. She was gentle, soft, doting, earnest. Jonas’s eyes closed. His breathing steadied to match hers. Time stood still as the two teenagers just tried to process their life leading up to this moment. Being together alone with practically a stranger that was somehow closer than any other person in the world right at that moment. Jonas knew so much about her, yet nothing of her. She knew absolutely nothing about him, yet she still treated him as if she would treat someone she held dearly. He finally understood it that moment in his room. Why their hearts beat as one. He wanted nothing more than to put his forehead against hers. To tell her that he finally understood and that he lo- 

“I just got out of the hospital,” Annalise confessed. Her voice took him out of his thoughts. She started to walk with him, “They say the scars should fade in another few months to be barely noticeable. I’m sure yours will be very much the same.” 

Jonas nodded. She was so close to him. His hand dangled waiting for her hand to sneak into it as it normally did only for it to be left alone. He gulped and asked, “Oh?”

Annalise nodded, “My dad… We drove off a bridge to avoid a collision after a meet. He saved me from drowning. He unbuckled me, and pushed me through the broken glass.” The girl motioned to her scars then continued, “I was in the middle of the Hudson for a while screaming looking for him. He never made it out though.” She walked next to him, sniffled back tears, and said, “So my mom signed me up for the foreign exchange program here to help me adjust again before going back to school at home. She didn’t want the pressure the team would put me through. We know they would mean well, but…” Annalise shrugged and sighed, “I’m not ready...And you know… People don’t like messy.” She needed to switch back and forth from English at points but Jonas got the picture.

“Team?” Jonas asked, “Want to tell me about it?”

Annalise nodded, “I ran track and cross country before…”

Jonas smiled, “I’m sure you will get back to it someday. You still seem like a fast runner.” He thought back to the night she ran from him and how much it surprised him to see her able to pull that off, but now it made much more sense. 

“Yeah,” Annalise sighed wistfully, then her face dropped, “I just can’t stop thinking about my dad though. That was kinda, our thing. You know?”

Jonas nodded, “Yeah. I know how that feels actually.” He looked up and said, “It’s so hard to go back from your old life when a person you loved more than the world is gone and almost everyone else has moved on, without you.” He smiled and gently put his hand into hers to comfort her. She seemed to melt at his touch. As if she was starved for any type of human connection. He tried to change the topic just to see her smile without laced sadness once more, “You know, I think longer hair would suit you too. You have such a wonderful face for it.”

Annalise giggled as she reached up to touch the ends of it, “Well thank you. They had to cut it at the hospital. A kid put gum in it during group.” She leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked. 

“That is such a shame,” He laughed with her. Jonas let his head rest on hers as they walked. He sighed content with their togetherness.

She smiled and asked, “can you follow me for a second?”

“Want some,” Magnus asked Bartosz as they biked through the fields.

The boy shook his head, “Nah, thanks.”

“See you later then,” Magnus wished his friend goodbye before biking off.

Bartosz smiled, “Till tomorrow.” When he saw Martha about to follow her brother he stopped her, “Martha…” He mumbled and stumbled over his words, “Sorry I can’t come over later, but… we’ve got a party, for my mom and the hotel...I just couldn’t get out of it.” He sighed, “I just wanted to tell you that.”

Martha blinked. She tried to figure out why he would just volunteer this to her and not Magnus. She didn’t want to be rude though so she smiled and told the boy, “No biggie.”

“And I…” Bartosz stopped her, “I really like…” He got too nervous to fully say it and said, “your hair that way.” He shook his head, “I mean… You look good. With that hair.”

Martha smiled, finally understanding a little bit.

Bartosz laughed at himself and his confession, “Shit. You know what I mean.”

Martha giggled. Her heart fluttered when he said that, but as soon as she was about to say something, Jonas appeared in her mind. She looked at the boy, “Well… See you later.” 

2020 Jonas nodded and followed her out into the woods. He found themselves back at the rock that he found her sitting at when she sang to him and played with his hair. His heart raced thinking about that moment now. The tenderness they shared. The way the air felt as though this place was just for the two of them. How she always came back right to this spot. His face glowed a light pink. He watched her stand on top of the rock. She smiled and pulled him up with her. Their faces only centimeters from each other for a second  before she turned away from him with her full body. Their closeness felt like an eternity, yet not enough time for him to actually do anything about it.

Annalise screamed then started to laugh. She turned to him and smiled, “Scream with me.” She was so beautiful in the afternoon light. The light from above cast a darling halo on her hair. It almost seemed as if she was glowing. 

Jonas laughed, “What?”

“Scream with me,” The girl repeated, “It seems like you need it.” She laughed again.

Jonas shook his head for a second then let out a yell. It was small and pathetic compared to hers. He thought for a second afterwards. It did help. He screamed again. This time allowing all of the anger and sadness out with her. He could hear her voice join his as they roared at the world together. Both of their voices echoed through the forest, the trees, the rocks, the caves. They screamed until their throats burned from their residual frustration. Their chests empty and yet so heavy. When he finally turned, he saw her tears dripping down her face. He reached up and felt his own raining down upon the stone below them. They looked up at each other once more and laughed. Both of them realized they were yelling for the exact same thing, their fathers. Their smiles infected each other. The boy reached over and wiped her tears away, having the girl mirror the same thing with him. Jonas hopped off the rock first and held his hand out to help her jump down as well. They walked hand in hand back down to the road so that they could continue on their way.

2019 Jonas walked into the party with his mother. As soon as he came in he was greeted by Martha. She smiled at him and said, “Hey. I’m glad you made it.”

“Yeah me too.”

She looked around and asked, “Can I get you a drink?”

“Yeah,” Jonas said over the music following the girl.

When Katharina spotted Hannah, she squealed and ran over to the other woman, “Hey!”

Hannah laughed, “Hey.” She kissed Katharina’s cheeks as they greeted each other.

“It was meant to be a garden party, but this is much cozier,” Katharina explained. She turned and saw Freida, “Hey!” She called the other woman over. Katharina put her arm around the American and smiled at Hannah, “Hannah, Freida. Freida, Hannah. Hannah has been a very close friend since we were in high school. Hannah, Freida’s daughter is actually going to be staying with us soon.” Then the old classic Belinda Carlisle song came on. The blonde smiled and said to Freida, “Please mingle and excuse me. This is my favorite song. I have to dance.”

Freida smiled and watched as the woman danced away. She blushed and turned towards Hannah, “Hello.”

“Hello,” Hannah said. She held up her dish and asked, “Do you know where this goes?”

Freida nodded, “Yeah, It’s right over here.” She led the other woman through the other room where Magnus talked to his grandparents about getting a driver’s license. Freida laughed as she watched Katharina’s antics.

“Come on Charlotte,” She tried to drag the other woman up, “Dance with me.”

Charlotte shook her head as she allowed herself to get dragged up, “Please no. Katharina no.”

Hannah placed her dish down and walked back to Freida and led her over to Charlotte, “Hello Charlotte.”

Charlotte smiled, “Hello Hannah. Hello again Freida.”

Hannah turned to Charlotte and asked, “Where’s Peter?”

“Summer cold,” Charlotte lied then asked, “Michael?”

Hannah nodded, “Something similar.” The two women turned to Freida who was already downing another glass that Ulrich had poured her as he was passing by. Hannah asked, “How about you Freida?”

“Oh, my husband died,” admitted Freida. She raised her hands up, “But he would have loved this party. He was such a socialite. More than me.” She smiled gently.

Charlotte apologized, “I’m so sorry.”

“I-I didn’t know,” Hannah explained.

Freida looked up surprised, “Oh no! I’m just glad that I still have my daughter. They were both in the car when it went into the bay. Annalise is just like her father too. So it’s almost as if he’s still here,” She smiled brightly and asked, “So I heard both of you have children right?”

Charlotte nodded, “Two. Franziska and Elisabeth.”

“Jonas,” Hannah said, “Just Jonas.”

Annalise and Jonas continued chatting and getting to know each other more thoroughly. He was very surprised about how much he was able to learn about her and how alike they truly were, yet so different. Why had it taken him this long to actually try to get to know her? He guessed it was because the both of them were so focused on himself that she kind of fell to the wayside that she just instinctively knew was for her. Like she was helping lead him through this journey to find each other and themselves again through all the chaos and devastation. Like how he was this safe place for her now, she was the safe place for him both in his past and future. 

When they got back to Regina’s hotel, she pulled away from their walking embrace and said, “Well, this is my stop. Thank you so much. I- … Do you live and go to school here?”

Jonas nodded, “Yeah. I do actually.” He beamed, forgetting that he was actually there to prevent his existence.

“Awesome,” Annalise beamed. A pink glow brushed her cheeks. She bit her lip.

His heart started to race. His eyes darted from her lips back up to her eyes, then back again. He could tell she was doing the same. He smiled and he pressed his fingers to his lips gently then pointed to her. She giggled and nodded stepping a bit closer to him. Jonas wrapped one arm around the small of her back and used his other hand to cup her face. He tenderly placed his lips against hers. Her lips were so warm and soft. His eyes closed. He could feel her arms wrap themselves around his neck. He smiled within the kiss. He finally had the kiss with her where neither one of them was crying. 

Annalise kissed the boy. He was so passionate and romantic. She slowly deepened the kiss. She couldn’t believe her odds of having her first kiss be one of those movie kisses. It was just like how she always imagined she wanted her first kiss to be. There was this deep connection there. Slowly, she realized she was breathless, but she didn’t want to pull away. He felt as if he knew more than he let on and she wanted to be a part of that. Her fingers tangled themselves in his hair not wanting this boy to disappear from her. He brought her into a strange new world that she wanted to know everything about. This stranger was the closest thing to a living dream she had ever felt. She truly felt alive again, for the first time in a very very long time.

Jonas slowly pulled away from her. He took in a deep breath. Was he holding his breath the entire time? He smiled and chuckled seeing the look on her face matching his. He placed a quick peck against her lips, “I guess I will see you soon.”

Annalise nodded quickly. She watched as he slowly walked away, “Wait! What’s your name!?”

“Jon-” Jonas thought for a second realizing that it was probably a bad idea to give her his real name, “My name is Adam.” 

Annalise smiled and promised, “I’ll be looking out for you then Adam!” She waved him off with the beautiful smile he had grown to love. That gorgeous smile that was the light in all of his dreams. 

Jonas nodded. He looked towards his house then back at her. He rushed back to her and placed his forehead against hers. His hands cupping her cheeks to hold her with him. He took in a deep breath, taking in the moment. “You’ll always be with me,” Jonas kissed her head, “We were meant to be. This was meant to happen. I would be so lost if I hadn’t met you. Please never let me go.”

Annalise nodded. She placed her hands over his, “I think you were about to leave though. If you really need to leave, I’d hate to be the thing holding you back from what you needed to do. It won’t be too long. I’ll be back in a month. I promise.” She pulled his hand away to kiss his fingertips. 

Jonas smiled. He had a hard time leaving her and this moment. He chuckled as his fingers combed through her hair. This was the happiest he had been in a long time. He wanted to hold onto it for as long as possible. To surrender himself to the love between them, but she was right. He had to fix this and with any luck, they would find each other again, in the next life.

Freida smiled as she and Katharina walked around the party once more. She giggled and commented, “Your family really does seem like it would help Annalise back on her feet. Ever since losing Lukas, it’s felt as if I lost both of them that night.”

Katharina wrapped her arm around Freida’s, “Of course! I promise I will treat her as one of my own.” They walked together and spotted Jonas and Martha. Katharina leaned over to the woman and giggled, “You see, over there is Jonas, Hannah’s son. You’ve already met Martha earlier. They all hang out together with another boy Bartosz. So I can guarantee she will never be lonely. Plus from what you described. Mikkel is going to adore her. You said she’s gotten her shots and is going to be fine if exposed to rubella?”

Freida nodded, “Yeah. We have vaccines for it. So she can actually come over and meet all of you tomorrow. I’m actually a bit shocked. Annalise said she was going to meet up with your kids, but now she’s texting me about meeting some boy and accidentally losing time? I have no idea what she’s thinking.”

Michael stood in his studio and smiled. There smiling back at him was a painted Annalise. It was one of his only ones with actual colors in it. The pinks, burnt oranges, blues, and purples seemed to fit her perfectly. He stood back to admire his work. He started to bring it down with him to get a better look at it in the light when he heard the door open and close. 

2020 Jonas walked into his family home as the storm brewed. The floor creaked beneath his feet. He walked into his room to see everything the same from what it was that day. 

“Jonas,” Michael asked, walking into the boy’s room. The man laughed and said, “I thought I heard someone. How come you’re not at the Nielsens’?” When Jonas turned to him, Michael could recognize that pained look on his son’s face, “Did something happen?”

Jonas limped over to his father and wrapped his arms around him. He started to sob into the man. The boy was just so thankful to be there with his father. He missed him so much.

“Hey,” Michael soothed, rocking them side to side. He wrapped his arms around his son and asked, “Everything okay?” He ran his hand down his hair. He played with it for a second before asking, “What’s with your hair?”

Jonas lifted his head away but left his hands resting on his father’s neck for a second. As he stared at him, Jonas slowly started to be reminded of why he was there. Behind his father, Jonas also noticed something. The painting he had paid no attention to before. He knew what, or rather, who it was now. He pulled away completely and commented, “I know.”

Michael chuckled and shook his head, “What do you know?”

“I know everything,” Jonas commented.

Michael started to become even more confused, “What?”

Tears filled Jonas’s eyes as he held out his fist towards his father and asked, “Ultimate fist bump?”

Michael’s heart started to race. He looked down at his son’s fist then back into Jonas’s eyes. A small whisper passed his lips, “What?” He started to back away. He stammered out, “Why did you just say that?”

“Because I know, Dad,” Jonas cried, “I know everything.” He nodded towards the painting left outside his bedroom door, “I know that’s Annalise.” Jonas looked up at his father and said, “ and I know your real name is Mikkel Nielsen.” He shook his head as his voice started to shake, “It’s okay.” He started to limp towards him.

Michael started to cry, “Please forgive me.” He leaned into his son’s embrace.

Mikkel walked down the stairs to his mother’s party as Ulrich was giving a slide show. He walked right past Jonas and told Katharina, “I can’t sleep.”

Katharina put a hand on her son’s head and said, “You’re burning up.” She looked to Freida who nodded. Katharina whispered, “Thank you” to the woman as she watched Freida whisper to Ulrich what was going on. She then watched her walk out of the house to go and check on her own daughter and to meet the Tiedemanns. Katharina sighed as she picked up her son and walked with him back up the stairs with him. She gently placed him down on the bed, “There you go.” She tucked him in and kissed his forehead, “Sleep well. If you go to sleep, you’ll get to your surprise tomorrow faster. Night night.”

“Can you stay here till I fall asleep,” Mikkel asked his mother.

Katharina let out a small sigh. She tilted her head and told him, “Slide over.”

Mikkel smiled and slid over so that he and Katharina could hold each other.

“So you’re from the future then,” Michael asked his scarred son. He shook his head and let out a single laugh. He messed with his hands and asked, “And why are you here now?”

Jonas looked at him and said, “Because I need to ask you for something.”

Michael asked, “What?”

“Not to do it,” Jonas asked him. 

Michael shook his head, “Not to do what?”

Jonas looked at his father confused, “It’s Ulrich and Katharina’s anniversary. You didn’t go along, like always. You stayed here. But something was different.” Jonas shook his head at himself, “I should’ve noticed something was up.”

“Jonas,” Michael told him, “I have no idea what…”

“Don’t lie to me,” Jonas yelled at him, “I know! God fucking damn it!” He started to cry again, “I know you’ll hang yourself in the studio. Have you already written the letter?”

Michael stared at his son as if he had no clue what the boy was going on about. He shook his head, “What letter?”

“You write a letter to me,” Jonas shook his head, “Not to me, but to the younger me.” He took it out and slammed it on the table, “The one marked: ‘Do not open before November 4, 10:13 p.m.’ The very minute you vanish.” Michael took the letter and started to skim it. As he did, Jonas said, “I’m here so you don’t do it.” His face was red from how much he was crying. Jonas just shook his head again, “It’s all intertwined. Like an endless loop. But you… you killing yourself, that’s the start.” Michael closed the letter and slowly slid it to Jonas. Jonas put it into his pocket and put his hands over his father’s, “Please promise me you won’t do it. Dad, you have to promise me. Please. Promise.”

Martha walked into her room leading the younger Jonas. She closed the door behind them and locked the door. She giggled and held out his towel to him, “You forgot this at the lake.”

Jonas took it, “Oh, thanks.”

Martha stood just inches away picking at her fingers, “I thought about what you said at the lake.” Her lips trembled.

“About grandmas? And the internet?” Jonas asked confused about what she was trying to talk about.

Martha laughed and paused for a moment. She whispered to him as she leaned forward, “I think you were right.” She slowly let her lips approach his for a kiss. They pulled each other closer excited for each other.

Thunder rolled as Jonas asked his father, “The day you disappeared, you were there and then suddenly gone. Did you go back to the cave? How did you find the passage there?”

Michael shook his head, “I didn’t find it. Someone showed it to me.”

“Who,” asked Jonas.

Michael looked at him, “You.”

Jonas shook his head, “What do you mean?”

“We were by the caves,” Michael started to recount his memories, “There was a strange noise. We were all sure someone was there. We ran. Then I lost you. I turned around and you were gone. But suddenly you were back again. You said there was something there, in the forest. Something evil. And that we had to return to the cave. You brought me all the way to the door and through the tunnel. I was so afraid. But you held my hand. And then you said, ‘We have to stay here, all night, but when the morning comes everything will be alright.’ And when I woke up, you were gone. All these years I’ve tried to understand why you did that. But then, at some point it all just faded away. It became more unreal, like a dream.”

Jonas’s lips trembled as he spoke, “But that���s impossible. I never did that.”

Michael sighed and said, “I saw myself today. Mikkel. It’s all returning. The coat, you. As if it’s all falling into place. Maybe you’re not here to stop me at all.” Jonas started to hyperventilate. His panic rose through him as Michael told the boy, “But rather to show me what it is I have to do. Maybe you only showed me the letter, so I know what’s in it, so I go and you live.”

Jonas started to cry. His head violently shook, “No, that can’t be. That can’t be. He told me I could stop the origin. If you don’t kill yourself, none of the rest will happen.”

Michael nodded, “But if none of the rest happens, you won’t be born. And maybe your role in all this is much greater than you think. And perhaps, I’m just a small part of a huge cancer that is much greater than any of us can imagine.”

Jonas’s breath shook out of him as he confessed, “Someone has said that to me before.”

Michael looked at his son, “Who?”

“Me,” Jonas whispered.

Michael grabbed onto the boy and placed his forehead against his son’s. He whispered, “God doesn’t err. He has a plan. For each of us.” He pet the boy’s head.

Claudia walked into the house and told the boy in the yellow raincoat, “I’ve waited a long time for the moment we’d meet again.”

“Who are you,” Jonas asked, “Are you with Adam?”

Claudia explained, “There are two sides out there. He is darkness. I don’t follow him, I follow the light. He lied to you. He brought you here to trigger everything so that it happens as it always has.”

Jonas shook his head, “No that can’t be. Adam wants this too!”

“No he doesn’t,” She told him, “He doesn’t want to fix things. He wants to destroy them forever.” Jonas looked at Michael as she told the boy, “Your role in all of this is much greater than you believe. Only you alone can put an end to all this.”

Jonas asked, “What does that mean?”

Claudia told him, “We’re at war and you have to wage it against yourself. Against Adam.”

“But if I don’t exist,” Jonas tried to explain, “if I’m not born, then Adam won’t exist either.”

Claudia shook her head, “I’ve seen a world without you. Believe me, it isn’t what you’re expecting. There are times in your life when you must see that the decisions you make affect more than your own destiny. This isn't about you and Mikkel. This is about everyone. Your mother. Your friends. Annalise. You alone can save them.”

He shook his head. He didn’t see her graves with the rest of them, “What does that mean?”

“We all make sacrifices,” Claudia explained, “Your father must make sacrifices too.”

Michael looked at Jonas and tried to comfort him, “It’s okay.”

The storm raged on. Annalise stared out the window of her hotel room. She looked down at her phone and dialed a number. Her father’s picture popped up as she called him. Lukas’s voice rang through the room.

“Hey! This is Lukas Dahlheim. If you are getting this, I’m either at work or with my two beautiful girls both of which are very important. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you… Oh and my darlings, if this is you, please know that I always love you and I miss you.”

Annalise started to cry, “Hey Dad. I miss you so much.” She sobbed and watched as her tears hit the ground, “I just called to let you know I had my first kiss today.” She laughed as tears continued to flow out from her eyes, “I wish you could have met him Dad. His name is Adam and he reminds me so much of you and mom. You would love him just as much as I’ve fallen for him.” She took in a breath and sobbed again, “Well, anyway. I love you Dad. I’ll see you later okay? Bye.” She hung up and let her hand that held the phone drop as it played the Krewella song Lukas told her to play when she missed him.

[androgynousblackbox]

A day on the life of your favourite radio host

You woke up before your alarm did it’s job and then turned it off when it did. After putting on your shoes for home, stand up to open up the window and breath the smell of the beatiful flowers around the house. What a lovely morning! The sun was clear, there wasn’t any bird chirping and you could feel optimistic about today. But then again, when weren’t you a ball of sunshine with that bright smile on your face?

You could have greeted your neighborhood good morning, of course, but there was no one left to greet. The houses both at the sides of your own and in the front were empty, waiting for new owners, but it was so hard on the current economy and so funny for you in particular. How many people have sold their own children for one of those houses? Killed for them? Lied, stole? Oh, who knows! But it was entertaining to think about it as you dressed up.

You wear a white shirt you ironed yourself last night after cleaning it up; the closed vest matching the tone of your pants and your shoes, so pleasantly shiny and clean as if they were new. A wonderful way to start any day as you hummed your way down to the kitchen, preparing some toast and tea. You made a recount of your nocturnal activities and mental notes to keep track off for later. Thank goodness you had such a excelent memory, because the things you needed to remember were not things meant for writing on any common language. After cleaning up everything, you stepped outside and looked at your house with a inevitable sigh of nostalgia. It looked almost exactly the same as when your dear beloved mother was there, even the boarded up window of the attic. To think your own mother didn’t believe you when you said you threw the neighbor’s kid from there. It had been a perfectly honest accident. You just opened up for that small little boy to reach the wooden plane that had landed on your roof and then watched with amusement as he tried to balance out over the inclined surfice, only to finally slip out and meet his bitter end against the ground. You would have never harm a child, that is for sure. A man such as yourself might not have a lot of rules to live by, but that was certainly one of them. But watch them do reckless things without moving a finger to prevent it… well, that was another story, isn’t it? He couldn’t control gravity. And who was he to intervene betwen a boy and his new toy? You walked all the way to the radio station you were working, greeting everyone you knew and even some that didn't; they stared at you with such pathetic little admiration that was hard to resist to aknowledge it. Sat down on your chair, rolled up your sleeve  and waited for the signal indicating you were ready to talk. “Good day, my lovely listeners! Isn’t a espectular day today? Our way of living maybe be crushing under our feet and the hope of ever returning to what is normal seems dimmer with every second we are breathing the poison that is our life, but don’t fret, your good friend radio host will always be here for you! Let’s take a look to the news of the day, shall we?” You grabbed on a newspaper an assistant had handed to you and unfolded it, taking care for not to do it over the microphone. “My, it seems like the rate of suicides is rising once again! It seems that everyone’s salary is not the only thing that is dropping, ha! Oh, and it seems so many kids are currently on the streets right now as their parents sold them for their own sake. Better take care of your garbage, listeners, or you might find one of them looking for their lunch as you are listening and then you will have to clean up that mess! Mmm, I guess you could throw away a couple of scraps for the little lads but, between you and me, my friend, do you really want to? But you all know how children are, and unfortunely  their attempts can’t be avoided until are not able to keep looking anymore. It’s a sad, sad situation, indeedy, but that is why we must appreciate still the few delights we have left on this corrupted world, my friend. Like music! Let us hear some more about that lady that has everyone perking up their ears.” You flicked some buttons and put one one of the newest records on the station as you received a few calls on the meantime. Most of the calls were about people talking about their own sad situation. I had to sell the precious chinese porcelain of my grandmother, I lost all my money thanks to some thief, the bread is so expensive that my family is eating paper and blah blah blah Almost the exact same speech from yesterday, too boring to lose too much time on them, and instead concetrated on the people requesting for a new song or talking about their new misfortunes that your dear listeners haven’t heard of yet. Someone had to actually eat their pet dog and that got their entire family a food poisoning! Ha! Hilarious!  You can make up this, folks! You continued the show until midday and you had to say goodbye for now to give place to the next host. You didn’t have to come back until a couple of hours so you had a chance to grab lunch on some of the few restaurants that remained open. There a lady asked you if you were who she thought you were and you said yes, inviting her to take a seat in front of you and engage on a conversation. There was no wedding ring or the usual bags under the eyes of a mother stressing about what to feed her children, so when the route went about talking for a date, you played along to please her by inviting her to come over your house so you could both have a home meal. She blushed and pretended like it was a hard choice. You played as well, convincing her that it would be fine, just a perfectly decent, not at all attention worthy dinner between a pair of new friends, nothing else to see. After a little of back and forth, she finally promised to be there and stood up to continue with her chores. You made another mental note and kept enjoying your food, that you were almost sure it was actually a cat caught on an alley, but at least tasted good. Back to work, you put music, told a few easy jokes that your mother was so fond of and had a little talk with a carpenter who had his entire business burning just last week, a fire in which all his family died during their sleep. It was highly amusing to ask him about if he still dreamt about their faces so peacefully in the night, as if they were sleeping, but knowing they were never going to wake up again and he was, quite frankly, at least somewhat responsable.

Of course with enough jokes that the carpenter just sniffed a little bit and was able to contain from crying until the microphone was off. Then the night came and you had to say goodbye until tomorrow. And they better wished them luck, dear listeners, because he was going to have a date tonight with some lovely lady! You returned back home with your usual high spirit, humming the most popular song today, and prepared everything for the big event. When your new friend appeared, the dinner was already done and ready to be served. Some delicious deer meat that he bought from some local hunters that before were just doing it for the hobby, but now they practically only survived on their meat, whenever they could find it. Unfortunately the population of aceptable prey had diminished so much since so many other people had similar ideas, so it was getting quite hard out there. Well, at least people were being more creative now! Didn’t you noticed some “feline grace” on your meal today? Ha! You were kidding of course. Not really. Anyway, as you both finished, you took her hand to accompany you into the basement, where you had your record player and they could listen to some nice music more comfortable. Why do you have a record player on the basement, she aks? Why, it was initially just not to bother your sweet mother since she prefered a silent environment to read her books, but even after her death, it became just a habit to keep it there. Yes, it is smells terrible, you know, you assured her as you secure the grip on her wrist and closetd the door with a key only you had. It was dark, you know, and you were aware the smell was so intense that was going to make your darling guest to puke on her beautiful dress. What is that smell? Oh, nothing extraodinary, just the stench of rotting corpses you had yet to get rid of. Oh, what a enjoyable moment of silence was that. Did she thought you were joking? Did she assume you meant anything else but exactly what you said? On the darker stairs you could see her face changing, the beautiful and slow metamorphosis from a pleasant but confused smile to an actual realization that you were not joking, not at all, and your smile wasn’t because you were laughing at her incredulity but rather, at her whole life. By the time she turned her head to the door, you had already pulled her down stair and kicked her knees out so she would stumble the rest of the way and crash her head against the concret cube you had precisely for those situation. Ah, it was almost magical when their fall was just right and their lives ended with a clear and satisfying crack. The truly fun part is when they didn’t die right away, just knocked out for the time being, with some unimportant brain damage nobody cared about; then you had the chance to help them stay alive a little longer… and they'd regret the fall didn’t kill them. You were so excited when you discovered she was still breathing despite the blood and the weird shape her head had adquired. So you hummed happily as you dragged to the center of your hard learned symbols and grabbed some of the ritual knifes all over the wall. When you were done with her, you cut out some of her bodyparts and put it on a bag, but it didn’t seem heavy enough and added some other parts of the other guests you had the past week. They weren’t actually rotting, of course. You kinda exagerated it just for the shits and giggles, but you had to start getting rid of them again. They were so much useful outside on the garden, feeding the flowers that you were proud to keep alive, colorful and beautiful against an ugly reality. As usual, once the bag was sufficiently heavy enough, all that was left was put in a suitcase and carried to your car; it was to be buried under the same tree where the powers you were so devoted to would have their feast. They were so glotonous those rascals, but it was a small price to pay for all the things you were promised long ago. Even if the time you were going to receive those rewards wasn't exactly clear, and even if it was a tiny bit frustrating, you didn't mind. The show must go on, as they say! The job was entertaining per se and you wouldn’t have minded to continue doing it for as long as necesary. Besides, it’s not like you could actually do anything even if you did had a problem. Which you don’t, for sure, so who cares? When you came back on the morning, you were surprised to see some people coming and going the house on your left, not just as sometimes curious youngsters would do, but carrying stuff from one place to another and not minding seeing enter your home, a bright disposition on your face despite still needing a shower. New neighbors, finally! How long was it since you took out the last one? Not that long, that you could remember. Oh, you so hope they were fun people.  Or miserable ones, which was almost the same thing as far you were concerned. The last thing you needed in your neighborhood was boredom.

[shawnssweatshirt]

Hoodie | Blurb

a/n:  I feel like this is so basic and there is a million stories JUST like this one but I wrote it anyways!!! 

Word Count: 1749

Masterlist

Shawn Mendes was your best friend. But this was before he became the big name that he is now. You had met Shawn in middle school, but ended up going to separate high schools. Even at different high schools, you two had remained inseparable. You were there when he first decided that he wanted to become a musician. When he taught himself how to play guitar and posted his first vine. When he got the call from his now manager, when he got signed to Island Records, and released his first album. You were even around when he began to write his second album.

You weren’t around much longer though. You began to hear less and less from him as he began to get busier and since he was rarely at home. There was a point when you began to feel as if there was no use in trying to reach out to Shawn anymore. He stopped calling every night, didn’t return phone calls or texts, and you never knew when he was even coming home.

You would have never guessed that you would become so distant from your best friend. In fact, he was more than just your best friend. There was an obvious tension and attraction between the two of you, and everyone would always tell say that the two of you would one day end up together. He used to be your safe haven and the voice of reason, but the only time you heard his voice now was when one of his songs came on through the radio of your car. You’d figured that he realized that he could do better than you now.

It was a chilly fall morning in your hometown of Pickering, when your friend had begged you to go get Tim Horton’s breakfast with her. Since it was relatively early, and you would have much rather preferred to stay in the warm comfort of your bed, you only threw on leggings and the first sweatshirt that you could find. The sweatshirt that you just so happened to grab was Shawn’s old iHeart Radio hoodie that you had borrowed from him forever ago and never got the chance to return.

You and your friend had ordered your breakfast and grabbed a seat in a booth. You had just taken your first bite of your breakfast sandwich when you saw your friends jaw drop.

“What?” you question as you turn to look in the direction that she was facing. Your eyes right away found a very familiar face, but a face you definitely weren’t expecting. His height and gorgeous features made him almost impossible to look past.  Shawn was standing in line, alongside his friend, Brian. Turning back towards the table, you mumble shit under your breath.

“Didn’t know he was back in town.” your friend says as you let out a big breath you didn’t even know you’d been holding. You begin just picking at your food, not feeling very hungry anymore. Instead you had a knot the size of a bowling ball in your stomach, and you just wanted to go home.

Brian’s voice and Shawn’s unforgettable laugh was nearing the booth you were sitting at. Your friend smiles and waves at the boys, as they must have seen her by now. Because of you, she was friends with Brian and Shawn too. But when your friendship with Shawn faded, the whole group sort of split apart. You were still on good terms with Brian and the other guys, though, and would chat if you ran in to them at parties or somewhere.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Brian stopped and stood right at the end of the table with Shawn right behind him. You sank into the booth, hoping that somehow Shawn won’t notice you, but you knew your attempt was useless.

Your friend answers saying that it’s been going good, then everyone turns to look at you waiting for your answer. You try looking strictly at Brian when you give your answer, but you can see Shawn watching you from the corner of your eye making you feel nervous and slightly uncomfortable. You quietly mumble out the word “good,” then avert your gaze back to the tray of food in front of you.

Luckily, your friend is way less awkward and knew how to save the conversation. “So Shawn, when did you get home?”

“Yesterday. Obviously the first l had to do after seeing my family is get a Tim’s hash brown,” he chuckled. You were aware of Shawn’s obsession with the hash browns, going through the drive-thru and going on long car rides blasting music used to be one of your favorite past times. You and Shawn even had a tradition of going here for breakfast after a night out, hoping that the greasy hash browns would diminish the hangovers.

After an awkward goodbye, the boys took a seat a couple of tables away. You continued to pick at your food and tried to take a couple more bites. Your friend had left the table to go to the bathroom, but her spot didn’t stay empty for long.

“Is that my hoodie?” Shawn asks as he slides into the empty seat.

You look down at the sweatshirt you are wearing. You had completely forgot that this was the sweatshirt you had thrown on. “Oh yeah, sorry. l can wash it and give it back to you.”

“That would be great. But only so then we have a reason to see each other again,” Shawn says with a smirk on his face. You look back at him, with a look of confusion and almost even look of disgust on your face. Why does he all of a sudden now want to see you?

“I’ll drop it off tonight,” you say to him as you stand up from the booth. Your friend was coming out of the bathroom anyways, so you start making your way towards the exit and you don’t look back.

Once the hoodie was washed and dried, you hopped into your car and began the familiar route to Shawn’s parents’ house. Pulling into the driveway, you saw Shawn’s jeep in the driveway. The jeep that you’d helped him pick out at the dealership. Seeing it reminded you of all the summer days that you’d spent driving around with the top off blasting your favorite songs.

You realized that you didn’t even have Shawn’s phone number anymore to let him know that you were here, so instead you took a deep breath and walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. A couple of seconds later, Karen opened the door. Her eyes widened when she saw you standing there.

“y/n! It’s so nice to see you! Come in!” She says giving you a hug before opening the door wider and motioning for you to come in.

“No, it’s okay. I don’t need to come in, could you just give this to Shawn please?” You reply, holding out the black hoodie.

“Don’t be silly, come in and give it to him yourself. He’s upstairs. And stop by Aaliyah’s room and say hi to her, too. She’d be happy to see you.” You agreed, but only because you knew better than to argue with Karen.

From the bottom of the stairs you could hear the beautiful sound of an acoustic guitar. You walked up the stairs and stopped in front of Aaliyah’s bedroom and knocked on the door. She yells come in, so you open the door. She was sitting on her bed with her laptop, and when she noticed it was you, the expression on her face was almost identical to Karen’s when she opened the front door.

“What’re you doing here!” She said as she got up and threw her arms around you in a tight squeeze.

“I’m dropping off Shawn’s hoodie.” You say squeezing her back.

“y/n, I missed you so much,” she says sitting back on the bed. This sort of made you feel horrible. Sort of like you dropped her when Shawn dropped you, and you knew how terrible it felt.

“I’m always around, Aaliyah, I come home from school almost every weekend. Let’s get lunch and see a movie or something next weekend, okay?”

She agreed, and you said goodbye shutting the door behind you. You followed the noise of the guitar to the other room. You knocked on the door, but there was no response. So, you decided to just walk in. Shawn was sitting on a chair in front of a computer. There was the guitar on his lap and headphones covering his ears.

“Hey,” he said pulling off his headphones and setting the guitar in its stand before standing up to walk towards you.

“Here,” you said holding out the sweatshirt.

He looks down at it for a couple of seconds before saying, “I really didn’t need it back. It probably doesn’t even fit me anymore.”

“Okay, well I don’t want it. Give it to some other girl.” You replied throwing it on a nearby chair, then turning to walk away.

“Wait, y/n,” Shawn says grabbing your arm to stop you. Squinting your eyes at him, you ask what he wants, and he replies, “I don’t know … I just missed you.”

“Missed me? What do you mean that you missed me? You wouldn’t have to miss me if you didn’t just drop me like I was nothing!” You couldn’t help but go off on him, it was all the anger that you had pent up breaking loose.

“I couldn’t be there for you,” Shawn says looking down at the ground completely avoiding eye contact now.

“You can’t be there for someone you ignore,” I say back, not understanding how that is his excuse.

“Even if I texted and called you, I couldn’t actually be there for you when you needed me. You deserve someone who can be there for you anytime of the day.”

“I didn’t want anyone else, Shawn. I wanted you.” The words slipped out of your mouth before you even knew you were saying it. And before you could even register what was happening next, you felt Shawn’s soft lips meeting yours and his hand cradled your face. You were surprised, but you immediately gave in to and kissed him back.

He pulled away, but his hand was still holding onto your cheek and leaving his face only inches from yours. “Give me one more chance.”

@lepau123 wrote a part 2 for this and it’s right HERE!

[barpurplewrites]

Free Falling

For @a-monthly-rumbelling non-smut prompt - They work opposite each other.

-x-x-x-

Belle ambled along with the morning rush hour crowd as they left the train station, there was no point trying to walk quickly with this many people crowded together. By the time she reached Victoria Square the crowd had thinned enough for her to pick up her pace and hurry along to the Jewellery Quarter, with a quick detour by the library to slip her books into the return slot. She made it to Frederick Street with twenty minutes to spare before work started, just enough time to trudge up the three flights of stairs and pop the kettle on before she was due to start answering the phones.

Like most of the building in the Jewellery Quarter her office was an old former Victorian factory, (according to her research they used to make pins here). It was pretty enough from the outside, but the layout inside was not the most practical. The three flights of stairs were steep and there was no way for a elevator to be installed, because of the preservation order on the structure. The ground floor had no natural light at all, and was rented solely as storage, but there was an underground garage for the lucky few who had parking permits. Belle was far too junior in her company to even be considered for one of the precious few allocated to them. The second floor featured a large central area that went all the way up to the glass roof. This sort of indoor courtyard provided the offices on that floor with light and gave everyone in the building somewhere nice-ish to eat lunch. The third floor covered the four edges of the space under the roof, which meant that is was freezing in winter and baking hot in summer with nothing in between.

Belle puffed a stray lock of hair off her face as she got to the top to the last flight of stairs, she was definitely getting fitter. By lunchtime Belle was willing to trade any fitness benefits for a boat-load more patience. She’d had three customers call to complain this morning that the order they placed yesterday hadn’t been delivered yet; honestly there were only so many polite ways she could explain that ‘same day dispatch’ did not mean ‘same day delivery’. She’d earned a good, strong cuppa, but before she reached the little kitchen Katie caught her arm.

“Look. Gold is on the warpath again.”

The small clothing company that Belle worked for covered two sides of the square, across the courtyard the rest of the building was occupied by Gold and Son, a legal firm. The offices of each were visible from the other most of the time since nobody bothered to draw the binds and shut out the only natural light they got. Mr Gold was known as something of a perfectionist, and his frequent fits of temper provided something of a show for the staff in Belle’s office.

“Come for lunch, Katie.”

“Hum? Oh no, I want to see what happens.”

Belle swallowed her sigh and walked away. She always felt awkward listening to Mr Gold shout, she didn’t get the same thrill out of it as her colleagues, nor did she always hold to the general feeling that Gold was just a picky bastard who like to throw his weight around. She’d noticed a pattern to Gold’s outbursts, the cocky, sloppy workers who were happy to do a slapdash job got yelled at; people who had made an honest mistake where called into his office and gently talked to. The gentle talks didn’t draw the same attention as the shouting, so nobody she worked with paid them any notice.

She was half-way down the stairs having decided to pop across to the café for lunch when the subject of Gold’s temper thundered by her almost knocking her flying. The man didn’t stop, or even throw an apology over his shoulder, he was far too busy muttering something about stupid shellfish. Belle sighed to herself and carrying on down the stairs.

Feeling much better after lunch she was ready to face anything the afternoon threw at her, at least she thought she was until she got back to the office to find that Penny was waiting by her desk.

“Oh, there you are. The newsletter needs to go out this evening, can you get that done, please.”

Belle frowned, the newsletter was Penny’s job, but she was always shirking it off on to the other staff. Seeing her hesitate Jenny leapt in with, “I knew you wouldn’t mind, thanks Belle.”

“Penny, wait.”

The phone on Belle’s desk started ringing and Penny gave it a pointed look; “Don’t keep the customer waiting. I’ll e-mail the products that need to go into the newsletter.”

With that Penny was gone, Belle took a fast breath and picked up the phone; “Good afternoon, Clothing For You, how can I help you?”

Much to Belle annoyance Penny left the office early after emailing her the barest bones of the weekly newsletter. Thanks to a glitch on the website Belle had been answering calls non-stop as customers tried to place their orders. At half past five, quitting time, her boss Chuck wandered out of his office and helped himself to one of the sweets from the jar on her desk.

“Penny mentioned that you wanted to try your hand at the newsletter this week, Belle, how’s it coming?”

Belle was going to strangle Penny for throwing her under the bus like that.

“I haven’t had a chance to start it yet because of the website glitch the phone’s been ringing off the hook.”

Chuck sighed, “It’s got to go out tonight Belle,” – he fished a set of keys from his pocket and dropped them on her desk, - “Lock up once you are done, please.”

She watched him walk away in a state of mild shock. She was now stuck doing somebody else’s work, after hours on a Friday night. Fan-fucking-tastic. Right, she could do this, but if she was going to do this she was going to play the Forbidden Music. The office radio was always tuned to a pop station, which had driven Belle crazy until she’d learned to ignore it, but since she was the only one in the bloody office no one could complain if she listened to classic rock. It took her no time at all to retune the ancient radio to her favourite station, and ture it up a few notches as Poison sang about cowboys and sad, sad songs.

 Gold found his foot tapping and couldn’t work out why for a moment. He was the only one left in the office and had been absorbed in correcting the sub-clauses of some documents. Now he was paying attention to his surroundings again he became aware of music, and not the normal pop rubbish that got played by his staff. That was Tom Petty, wow, he’d not heard this one outside of his own home in ages. He stood up from his desk and wandered out into the main office to look for the source to the music, it certainly wasn’t coming from this office. He grinned as he looked across the other side of the building, in the office there was a young lady was dancing around to Tom Petty. She glanced across towards him and suddenly gave a shriek before falling over. He started forward as if he could do anything at this distance, and breathed a sigh of relief as she jumped to her feet with a nervous grin. She gave him a thumbs-up and darted away. She must have gone to the radio because the music dropped in volume. His office was suddenly very quiet. He stood for a moment tapping his thumb against his fingers and then came to a decision.

Belle was groaning to herself. Not only had she disturbed Mr Gold with her music, he’d caught her dancing and seen her prat fall. This was going down as a truly crappy Friday night, but on the plus side the newsletter was finished and as soon as she hit send she could go home. A tap at the office door made her jump.

“Hey there, sorry didn’t mean to startle you again.”

Belle blinked at Mr Gold standing in the doorway.

“I’m sorry about the music, I didn’t know anyone else was working late.”

He gave her a warm smile, “It was nice to hear good music in this building. I’m sorry I scared you, are you alright?”

She unconsciously rubbed the elbow she had banged off the floor and nodded, “I’m fine thank you.”

He jerked a thumb towards the kitchen that their companies shared; “I was about to put the kettle on, can I make you a cuppa?”

“I’ve just finished for the night.”

His face fell just a touch, but he recovered quickly. Before he could say anything else Belle quickly babbled out; “We could go and get something stronger than tea, if you’d like, and if you’re not still working I mean…”

He glanced at his watch and then smiled at her; “I think we’ve both earned a beer,” – he edged into the office and offered her his hand, “Aiden Gold.”

Belle jumped up from her desk and hurried across the room to shake his hand, but she tripped over a loose carpet tile and landed in his arms instead. She raised her head from his chest and gave him a weak smile; “Hi, I’m Belle French and I’m a total Klutz.”

He chuckled as he set her carefully back on her feet and gave the offending square of carpet a hard look; “That was defiantly the carpet’s fault. I know a good lawyer if you want to sue.”

“Tempting, but I think I just want to get out of her and get my hands on a tall cold drink.”

“I know a good lawyer who can help with that too. I’ll, erm, just go and lock up and then we can head out?”

“Sure thing.”

Belle took her time to avoid any tripping over again as she closed down her computer and got her coat. Across the building she saw Aiden doing the same thing, and smiled to herself. Maybe this wasn’t the worst Friday night she’d ever had after all.