#I hope you enjoyyyyy

[sapphosraven]

At the Peak of Raven Ridge: Chapter One - A Randivor Modern AU

Rating: T (So far)

Words: 4,809

Summary:

Eivor strode inside. A woman in slim black slacks and a tucked-in blue button down shirt was standing by the front desk. “Hello ma’am. Sorry to keep you waiting, I-” Eivor stopped short as the woman turned around. “Randvi?”

“Eivor?” Randvi’s eyes glanced down Eivor’s form before flicking back up to their face. “I hardly recognize you.” She let out a little laugh. “Although you were what, only 14 when I saw you last?”

-

When news comes out that Raven Ridge State Park is under threat of development, journalist Randvi travels back to her small hometown with the intent of writing an article about the closure. This is supposed to be a short trip to visit with her sister and remind herself why she left in the first place. However, she doesn't account for the head park ranger to be none other than Eivor, who tagged along with her and Sigurd twelve years ago in high school. Together, they come up with a plan to save the park, but Randvi's time back home is running out. They'll both have to decide what they want and what they're willing to do for it. Can they find a way back to each other in all the uncertainty?

Read here on AO3!

[nepherium]

chapter 14: purpose is out!! yippppeeee!!

[johnsbleu]

Hold My Hand: John Wick x Reader Chapter 164

warnings: none hmh masterlist

If there was a word to describe today it would be boring. Dull, mundane, uneventful, monotonous. Boring! The sky is full of fluffy gray clouds that keep hiding the sun, and what little sun does poke through doesn’t last long since the clouds swallow it back up almost instantly.

It’s just a boring day around the Wick household. John is downstairs working on some books for a client, Ronan was playing with some toys but now she’s zonked out on the floor next to Bleu while you’re lounging on the couch scrolling through all the stupid TikToks Tess has sent you this past week. Every now and then there’s a really boring day, which is fine since it’s nice to just relax, but today is beyond boring.

You get up from the couch and head downstairs to see if John is almost done working. It’s been about two hours since you’ve seen him, so it’s time to go bother him.

“Hey,” you lean against his back and press a kiss to his shoulder, “You almost done?”

“Not quite,” he says, setting his things down so he can turn to you, “Are you getting bored?”

You gape at him, “What do you mean ‘getting’? Wick, I’m beyond bored. Ronan is asleep, Tess is busy with Jimmy’s family. I have nothing to do!”

John chuckles as he pulls you between his legs, “What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. I thought we could go to the museum or the aquarium.” you shrug as John nods, “Ro will be up in a little bit, so it would give us time to clean up and head out. It’s going to rain later too, so anything outside is obviously not going to work.”

“Right, right,” he nods, looking over at his workbench, “Well, I’m just about done with this book, so once I’m done, I’ll head up and take a shower. Does that sound good?”

You pout as you nod your head, “Yeah.”

“You miss me?”

“I do,” you whisper quietly, “You’ve been working on this book for so long.”

John nods, “Yeah, it’s a tough one. They wanted very specific things for it, but I think it’s turning out.”

You look down at the book and carefully turn it over to look at the gorgeous binding on it. The cover is adorned with gold vinyl cutouts of the characters along with the title. The client is going to be very pleased with it, and they should be since it’s taken John a long time to work on it and get it just right. John doesn’t give out anything he isn’t proud of.

“Looks gorgeous,” you smile at him, leaning in to kiss him, “I’ll be upstairs.”

“I’ll be up soon, I promise,” he says, spanking your ass as you walk away. “I love you, sweetheart.”

You smile at him over your shoulder, “I love you, pookie.”

“Maybe you should just stick to Wick.”

“Ha!” you laugh as you make your way upstairs, “Not likely.”

__

The idea of going to the museum was good until you remembered there was a huge exhibit there today and it was packed. John drove past and looked over at you, and you both silently agreed to head to the aquarium instead. It wasn’t too far from the museum anyway, and if you’re being honest, you’d rather go there.

John dropped you and Ronan off at the door and went to park the car, and you’re just waiting for him when some raindrops start to fall down. You step back and get under the awning, then you look out and try to find John. Ronan squeals loudly when she sees him jogging through the parking lot, and he makes it under the awning just as the rain pounds down.

You gather up your sweatshirt from the bottom of Ronan’s stroller and dab at John’s face, “You’re all wet.”

“I’m okay,” he laughs, gently taking your hands, “I’m okay, baby.”

“You’ll be cold in there,” you continue drying him off as he watches you with a small smile on his face, “What?”

John leans down and kisses you, “You’re such a mom.”

“Why? Because I don’t want you to be cold? I’m just taking care of you.”

“You’re such a nurturer. I love it. You’ve become even more nurturing since having her, and I like to see that side of you.” John smiles down at you, cupping your cheek, “My gorgeous wife.”

You playfully roll your eyes at him, “Stop.”

“Nope,” he hugs you tight and nuzzles into the crook of his neck, “I promised I’d love on you forever. I’m not stopping now.”

Leaning back, you smile at John until Ronan squeals loudly for you. You look down at her and smile, then you lean down and kiss her cheek as she laughs. She always wants to be in on the love whenever you and John are hugging.

“Oh, maybe we should grab some lunch,” John says when you walk through the doors. He gestures to the cafe and smiles, “Ro always loves the aquarium in there.”

Inside the cafe, you find a booth next to an aquarium and scoot into it before reaching for Ronan. You hold her up and smile as she looks at the fish swimming around, and John is quick to get his phone out and capture a picture of the two of you.

“I guess getting the yearly membership will be worth it.”

“I think so,” you smile as you look at Ronan’s big brown eyes wide in wonder, “Even if we didn’t have Ro, I think I’d come here a lot.”

John nods as he looks at the tank to his right, “When I was a kid, I wanted a bedroom that was underwater, like an underwater aquarium. I wanted sharks, sting rays, sea turtles. I wanted to be able to lay in bed and just watch them swim over me.”

“Jonathan Wick, I didn’t take you for such a little sea-life nerd.”

“Well,” he laughs, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck, “I gotta keep you on your toes.”

You grin at him, “And you certainly do.”

__

John places his hands on the back of your arms that are around his waist, “I have to finish this stuff today.”

You pout, “Okay.”

Since you all went to the aquarium yesterday, John absolutely has to finish his books today. You’re still a little bored today since Tess won’t be home for a few more hours and to make things even worse, it’s pouring down rain.

“You can join me?”

“I can’t,” you gesture over to Ronan, “We have plans.”

John chuckles, “Without me?”

“Yeah, girl’s day.” you smile proudly, “We’re doing our hair.”

“You mean you’re doing Ronan’s hair.”

You grin, “Yup! Her hair has gotten so much longer, so I wanna try some little pig tails on her.”

John looks down at Ronan and laughs, “Baby, you’re getting your hair all pretty?”

Ronan looks up at him and cheeses so hard that her cheeks must hurt. She holds up a toy and shows it to him, and he laughs and looks back at you.

“She’s thrilled.” you laugh, then you wrap your arms around his waist again, “But we’re not thrilled that you’re busy and can’t sit up here and tell us how pretty we are.”

John laughs, “I will come up here every 15 minutes to tell my girls how pretty they are.”

“Good!” you lean up to kiss John a few times, then you watch as he walks over to give Ronan a kiss. You smile when he gets up and walks past you, touching your hip as he moves to the basement door. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he smiles, then he looks over at Ronan when she screams happily, “And I love you.”

Ronan walks over to you with a toy and reaches up, and you put her in your lap where she snuggles close to you and closes her eyes.

__

You inhale deeply and open your eyes, squinting them when the light from the lamp shines in your eyes. You feel the weight of something on your chest, and you look down to see Ronan’s little cheeks red and pressed against your chest, her hair stuck to her forehead with sweat. The two of you fell asleep and she runs so warm that she made you sweat too.

You sit up and cradle her in your arms before gently laying her back down on the couch. Since she’s a little warm, you grab the fan from the guest bedroom and plug it in to cool her off. She probably won’t be asleep for much longer but you want her to be cool. Smoothing down her brown hair, you smile and let out a small laugh when she scrunches her face up and stretches.

“I love you,” you whisper to her as you gently rub her back to coax her to sleep. You make sure that she’s okay, then you get up and head downstairs to see John.

“Ah, I was wondering when you were coming to see me. I assume…” he looks up and laughs, “Oh, yeah, you definitely fell asleep. Get over here.”

You lean against John’s chest and close your eyes, “I’m sleepy.”

“I see that.”

“We fell asleep,” you laugh, and he kisses your cheek, “She’s still asleep up there on the couch. Her protector is watching over her.”

John laughs, “Never leaves her side.”

You start to fall asleep leaning against John’s warm chest as his heart drums away, and he reaches down to lift you up into his lap. He holds you for a few short minutes until you finally sit up and look at him.

“Oh, you’re so sleepy,” he whispers, laughing softly, “Why are you so tired?”

You straighten up and cock up your brow, “Last night wasn’t exactly a lazy night after the aquarium.”

John starts to smirk, “I won’t apologize for that.”

“Never said I wanted you to,” you get off his lap and cup his face, “You did some fine work last night.”

“Thank you,” he smiles, his cheeks turning a little red, “You did some fantastic work.”

You grin proudly, “Oh, I know. You told me.”

“And you told me!” he laughs, pulling you back to him, “It just so happens that I’m free tonight too.”

“Oh my god!” you gasp playfully, “Me too!”

John kisses you as you both laugh, “What do you say? Our room? 9 PM?”

“It’s a date!” you wrap your arms around his neck and kiss him deeply, “I better get back upstairs. She’s going to be hungry soon.”

“I’ll be up for some lunch soon too. Just gotta finish one last thing.” he says, looking over at the books on his workbench.

You cup his face and bring his gaze back to you before kissing him, “Don’t take too long.”

“I won’t,” he whispers, then he smiles as you head upstairs.

__

Lunch is just about done and you’re getting Ronan situated in her high-chair when you hear the doorbell ring. For a short second, you think it might be Tess, but when has she ever rung the doorbell? Literally never. She usually just lets herself in--John told her that she was more than welcome to do so since she didn’t believe you when you told her.

“Okay, here,” you give Ronan a toy and smile at her, “I know you’re hungry, but I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be up in a minute!” John yells from the basement, and you laugh to yourself.

You make sure you look presentable and your hair isn’t all messed up, then you open the door just as the doorbell is pressed again.

“Sorry,” you smile at the woman standing on the front step, “Hi.”

She looks taken aback for a moment before she smiles, “Is Mr. Wick here?”

“Yes,” you nod, still taking her in.

The woman’s dark hair is slicked back in a perfect ponytail but the ends have gotten wet from the rain. Despite having an umbrella, she has a black rain coat on with some thigh high leather boots. Her eyes haven’t moved from off of you since you opened the door.

“You said Mr. Wick is here?” she says, and you finally notice the accent and the tattoos on her hand wrapped around the umbrella handle.

She’s someone from his past. You knew that the moment you set your eyes on her. But if she’s here looking for John, she better have a damn good reason and she’s not getting in without going through you first.

“He is,” you say, closing the door a little more, “May I ask who you are?”

The woman smiles, “Just an old friend.”

“No, I want your name.”

“Sure, that seems fair,” she smiles, reaching out to shake your hand, “My name is Akira.”

You stare her down as you shake her hand. You won’t be intimidated by her, not that she’s even probably trying to intimidate you, but still.

“I’ll go get him,” you say as you start to close the door.

“What was your name?” she says, and you close your eyes before turning back to her, “I assume you’re his wife. Y/N?”

You hold her gaze, “You seem to already know my name.”

“It’s lovely to meet you,” she smiles, and you want to scream because she’s being so damn nice and on top of it, you fucking love her accent. “I’ll just wait here.”

You close the door and exhale loudly, reaching for the basement door when John opens it. You take a step back and look up at him as he smiles at you, but it quickly fades.

He cups your face and furrows his brow, “What happened?”

“Someone is here for you,” you say quietly, and he immediately looks up at the door, “Her name is Akira.”

John furrows his brow, “Akira?”

“She said she’s an old--”

“Friend, yeah.” he nods his head and leans down to kiss your cheek, “Stay here.”

John squeezes your shoulders and walks off to the door, taking one last look at you before he steps onto the porch. You inch closer to the door in hopes of hearing them talk, but you can’t over the rain and the thick glass. You reach for the handle when the door opens, so you step back and look at John.

“Go pack a bag.” he says urgently, taking your hand and pulling you into the kitchen, “Pack a bag for you and Ro. Call Tess, tell her to pack one for her and Finn. I’ll call Jimmy and tell him what’s going on.”

“John--”

He cuts you off as he gets Ronan from her high-chair, “Go to the lake house. Pack enough stuff for at least a week. I’ll meet you out there.”

“John!”

“You might want to call your parents too, I’m not sure yet. Maybe don’t since they don’t know everything. Fuck! Why didn’t I tell them everything?” he says as he walks into the living room with you trailing behind him, “Just go there and don’t talk to anyone. Just drive straight there. If Tess isn’t home yet, just tell her to meet you there.”

“Jonathan!” you yell from the bottom of the stairs, and he finally looks at you as you start to cry, “What is going on?”

He rushes back down and takes your hand, “I need you to listen to me: you need to get out of here.”

“Why? Because she’s here? Because she showed up? It’s not like it’s the first time she’s been to New York since we’ve been together.”

“But it’s the first time she’s showed up here. I know who follows her. And if she’s here, they’re not far behind. I wasn’t the only one people wanted dead.” he says, gripping your hand tight and pulling you upstairs with him. “You have to get out of here.”

John puts Ronan on the floor of your bedroom and begins moving around to pack a bag for you. He doesn’t even have to ask what you want to pack, and even in this moment of panic, he’s packing all of your favorite clothes. He sets the bag on the bed and leaves the room for a few moments before he comes back with clothes for Ronan.

“Text Tess, baby.” he says softly, and you nod your head and pull your phone out. You shoot a quick text to her and look up to see John zipping up your bag. “This is enough for you and Ro for a week, okay? I just need to grab Bleu’s things.”

“What about you?”

John wipes away the tear on your cheek, “I’ll call you tonight. I’ll let you know what’s going on.”

“Will you be okay?”

“I will,” he says, nodding his head, “I promise. I just want you two to get out of here.”

Your chin wobbles a little as you look at him, “Are they going to hurt you?”

“I…” he inhales deeply and shakes his head once, “No. But it doesn’t mean they won’t try. And I don’t want you here if that happens. So please, take this bag, get Ronan in the car, and leave.”

“Okay,” you cry quietly while John picks up Ronan, then you walk out to the garage where your car is parked.

Ronan is now crying because she’s so hungry but you’ll have to just give her a bottle or something to tide her over until you get to the lake house. John buckles her in the back and gets Bleu in, then he closes the door and turns to you, frowning when he sees the tears on your face.

“I know you’re scared.”

“I’m worried about you,” you look up at him and start to cry, “I don’t want to lose you.”

John shakes his head, “You’re not losing me. I’m going to call you tonight, okay? Keep your phone right by you.”

You sniffle as you nod, “Okay.”

John helps you into the car and smiles softly when you look at him, “Thank you for listening to me. I know this is scary. I never wanted this for you.”

“We’re still going to be together, right?”

“Yes,” John says, pain drenching his voice, “Yes, of course. I just need you to be safe.”

“You be safe,” you whisper as you lean over to hug him, “I love you.”

“I love you more.” he cups your face and tilts your head down to kiss your forehead, “Let me know when you get to the lake house and let me know when Tess gets there.”

You look down at your phone and show John the text: packing now. at home, pick me up.

“She’s at home.” you say, and he nods. “I’ll just get her now.”

John smooths your hair back and looks deep into your eyes, “Don’t stop for anything or anyone. If you have any problems, you can call me or Aurelio. Jimmy will most likely be out there shortly too. I’m going to call him. But you call me first. Always me first.”

“I will,” you kiss him hard on the lips, leaving them there for longer than necessary, then you lean back to look at him. “I’ll see you soon?”

“Yeah,” he says, but you know he’s lying. “I love you. I love you both.”

You smile softly when he reaches back to rub the top of Ronan’s head, then you hug him and kiss him again before he shuts your door and steps back. The garage door opens behind you, and you slowly back out of the driveway, watching as he walks over and stands next to Akira. She says something to him and smiles, but he doesn’t look away from your car. You give him a small wave and he nods his head a little before he turns and walks inside with Akira behind him.

__

To your surprise, the car ride was not quiet--Tess talked almost the whole way. There’s no doubt that John texted her and said to keep your mind off of things. You’ve been at the lake house for about two hours now, but you’re just laying on the couch. Tess told you to go lay down while she got the kids something to eat, and Jimmy showed up about an hour after you two arrived.

“Hey…” Jimmy sits on the coffee table and rubs your shoulder, “How are you holding up?”

You sit up and shrug, “Alright, I guess. Just confused.”

“John’s past is confusing…” he chuckles, then he takes the plate Tess is handing him, “We made you something to eat.”

“Thanks.” you take it, placing it in your lap, “Have you heard from him?”

Jimmy shakes his head, “Not since he first called me.”

“What did he say when he called you?”

“That someone was there and he wanted to make sure you and Ro-Ro were safe. He wanted me to come out here and make sure nothing happened.” he says, and you frown, “I know you want to ask, but he didn’t tell me when he’d be here.”

You nod your head and take a bite of the food Tess has made you--some rice and orange chicken. You look over at Ronan as she plays with Finn on the floor, and you sigh loudly.

“I’m nervous that he’s gonna--”

“He’s not going back, Y/N.” Jimmy shakes his head when you look at him, “He’s not, he just wants his family to be safe. He doesn’t want Ro near that stuff.”

You shrug, “I could have stayed. Tess could have taken Ronan up here.”

“Y/N, he wants you safe as well,” Jimmy says, reaching for your hand when you start to cry, “He’ll be okay. He can take care of himself. From the sounds of it, they’re just there to talk.”

“Then I could have stayed! I could be with him right now.”

Jimmy sighs, “Look, John is one of the good ones, Akira is as well. But sometimes bad ones follow the good ones. He doesn’t want you near there when something happens. Akira’s not out of that world, she’s still very much in it, which means at any moment, things could go wrong. John doesn’t want you there if that happens.”

“I don’t want him there if that happens!”

“But John can handle it. He knows what to do.” Tess says, and you look at her, “Look, this might sound mean but without you there, John can fully focus on what’s happening. If you and Ro are there, you’re the first thing he’s going to protect, even if that means he gets hurt. Without you two there, John doesn’t have anything else to protect except himself. He only has himself to worry about which means his mind wouldn’t be elsewhere.”

You nod as you look down at your plate, “Yeah.”

“He said as soon as he finds something out, he’ll call. I believe him. John always keeps his word.” Jimmy pats your leg and smiles softly, “Get some food in you. I’ll let you know if I hear anything at all. Okay?”

You smile softly when Jimmy pats your cheek, “Okay.”

“I’ll be here if you need anything. You can always come to me.”

“Thanks, Jimmy.” you smile at him again and watch as him and Tess walk onto the patio. You sigh deeply and reach for your phone, placing it in your lap and praying John calls soon.

__

Three days have passed and you’ve only gotten one text from John saying he’s fine and he’d call soon. That was the night you left. You haven’t heard from him since. Not only are you worried, you’re also pretty pissed at him for this. He said he’d call. Yeah, he could have gotten held up, but if he didn’t, then why hasn’t he bothered to call?

Ronan is starting to get very fussy since John is MIA. She knows he’s not around and she misses him. She’s not sleeping very well and she’s just crying at the drop of a hat. She misses her dad.

“Me too, kid.” you say to Ronan when she juts her bottom lip out and cries, “I miss him too.”

You lean forward and wipe the tears off her face before handing her a toy to distract her. She’s not in the mood, so she just cries harder and flops back on the floor.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, what’s goin’ on in here?” Jimmy says as he walks in, and he looks down at Ronan, “Oh, Ro-Ro, you mad at your momma?”

“She misses her dad.”

Jimmy glances at you before he reaches down and picks up Ronan, “Well, why don’t we go catch some frogs?”

You give Jimmy an appreciative smile and sit back on the couch, staring down at your phone as he takes her outside. Her cries slowly stop until you hear her giggling. Uncle Jimmy always makes her laugh. You turn a little so you can look out the window as he carries her down to the shore with Finn and Tess following behind, and you tear up.

That should be you and John right now. You two should be taking a nice evening walk down there before sitting on the patio and eating burgers. You two should be watching the sunset, then laying on the sundeck looking at the stars.

You exhale loudly and look down at your phone. Still no messages. You perk up when you hear the sound of John’s car coming down the dirt path, and you quickly get up and rush to the door. John steps out and smiles at you, letting out a big breath when he sees you’re okay.

Without thinking, you step down and run over the uneven rocky ground to get to John, and he lifts you up and hugs you tight in his arms. He starts to walk to the porch with you in his arms, and you inhale the smell of his cologne.

“Your feet are gonna hurt. You don’t have any shoes on.” he says into the crook of your neck, “Jimmy and I planned on fixing that soon.”

You stand firmly on the porch and lean back to look at him. Since you’re on the step and he’s not, you’re eye level with him. Your eyes immediately search his face for any bruising or cuts, but he looks exactly like he did when you left him three days ago, maybe only just a little tired.

“I’m okay,” he whispers, and you cup his face, “I’m okay, baby. Everything is fine.”

You lean back to look at him, then you drop your hands to your side, “You never called me.”

“I know,” he inhales deeply and nods, “I meant to, and I should have, but…they were everywhere. I didn’t want to risk it. I didn’t want to put you in danger.”

“But this whole time you were fine, but I sat here thinking the worst. I cried myself to sleep every single night,” you say, raising your voice, “I didn’t know if my husband was gone. I didn’t know if my daughter’s dad was gone. I didn’t know! I thought I lost you!”

John looks down and nods his head, “I fucked up, I know.”

“I’m so fucking mad at you,” you whisper quietly, and he looks up at you with sorrowful eyes.

“I wanted to call. I wanted to run after your car the moment you left, but I couldn’t. These people don’t care if--” he stops talking when you push past him and start to walk away, “No, no, don’t walk away. We’re talking! Don’t do this.”

You continue walking away from him and see both Jimmy and Tess turn to see John chasing behind you. He gently grabs your arm and stops you. If you tugged your arm from his grip, you know he’d let you go, but you don’t want to, so you turn to him and meet his gaze.

“I fucked up,” he says firmly, “But you need to listen to me.”

You pull your arm from his grip and cross them over your chest, “Fine.”

“So damn stubborn,” he says under his breath, then he looks at you, “These people do not care about women and children. They’ll kill anyone. They wouldn’t care that there’s a baby in the house when they decide to light the place up. You think I want that for you? You think for a second that I was going to risk it? I’d rather you be mad at me for not calling than you be upset because our daughter was hurt or that you were hurt. I can live with you being upset at me for not calling, but I can’t live without you. Do you understand now?”

You look out at the sun shining on the lake, then you look at him, “Yes, it’s not that I don’t understand, John. It’s that you said you’d call and you didn’t.”

“You’re still not getting it…” he says, letting out a small laugh of disbelief, “I can’t fucking lose you! I can’t live without you! I would be lost. I would be worse than I’ve ever been. I’d never come back from it. I did before, but this, if I lost this…” he gestures to the two of you, “I’d be more than a broken. I’d be beyond repair because I wouldn’t have you to help put me back together. So, yes, I lied and didn’t call you but it was for your own good. It was to keep you safe.”

Inhaling deeply, you look up at him and hold his gaze before you shrug, “Okay, so maybe I’m not fully wrapping my head around how serious this is.”

“You absolutely aren’t,” he says with a small chuckle as he steps closer to you, “It is very serious.”

“Plus the whole ‘put me back together’ thing was pretty cute.” you admit, and he smiles softly. You exhale sharply and look up at him, “So, is this always going to be our life? You sending me and Ro away?”

John shakes his head a little and shrugs, “I can’t stop people from showing up. They think I’m going to come back, which I’m not. I’m done. Completely done. But this isn’t the life I wanted for you. I want you to have the best life, so I guess the main question is are you going to leave?”

You look over your shoulder and furrow your brow before looking at John, “Who are you talking to? Because I know you’re not talking to me.”

“Peach,” he says with a sigh, reaching for your hands, “I’m serious. If you want out, then--”

“Shut up! Stop saying that!” you push him a little, “Don’t talk like that! I don’t ‘want out’. I want you! I want the life that we’ve created for three years now. I don’t want to run off because someone thinks that you have information on something. John, I have waited my entire life for this, for you. You just told me that you can’t live without me.”

John swallows hard, “I can’t! But I also can’t make you stay if you don’t want to.”

“Have I ever given you the implication that I want to leave?” you ask, and he shakes his head. “John, I wanted to stay with you! I wanted to stay home and be by your side through whatever that woman was there for! There hasn’t been a single moment in our relationship where I wanted to leave. You need to wrap your head around that. I know that you don’t want me to be hurt, but I have you and I trust you. I know you wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”

The two of you look at one another for a few silent moments as Ronan’s giggles carry in the wind, and you take a step closer to John.

“We promised to go through life together, no matter what it brought us.” you turn his hand over and rub your thumb over his wedding ring, “I have no plans on running off unless you’re coming with me.”

John smiles as he leans closer, “Wherever you go, I’m following.”

You wrap your arms around John’s neck and hug him tight, taking a look at Ronan before you close your eyes. You lean back to kiss him, then you take his hands.

“There is no me without you.”

John smiles, “That was cute.”

You start to laugh, “You said some cute shit just now, I won’t lie.”

“We okay?”

“Yeah,” you nod, holding his gaze, “We’re okay. Are you?”

He nods as he looks down at himself, “Yeah, I’m fine. Nothing more than a chat.”

“For three days?” you ask, incredulously.

“Two days. I just took the rest of today to make sure everyone was gone before I got on the road.” he says, then he starts to laugh, “Plus I had to drop off those books to that client. When I couldn’t sleep the last few nights, I finally finished them.”

Looking up at him, you start to laugh, “So you’re all mine now?”

“Always.”

John takes your hand and intertwines his fingers with yours, then the two of you walk back to the house. When Ronan spots him, she squeals loudly and kicks her legs to be let down from Jimmy’s arms. He sets her down and laughs when she runs over to John, who is already kneeling down with his arms open. She wraps her arms around him as best as she can, grinning so wide that it brings tears to your eyes.

“Did you miss me?” he asks, and she juts her bottom lip out and starts to cry, big tears streaking her red face.

“Such big emotions,” you laugh, rubbing her back, “She doesn’t know how to process those quite yet.”

Ronan rests her head on John’s shoulder as she cries, and he rubs her back to calm her down while he bounces on his knees. After a few minutes, she goes completely quiet--passed out on his shoulder. He smiles proudly at you.

“I’m going to go put her down.” he says, and you follow behind him.

As John gets Ronan in her bed, you lay down and wait for him to come back out of her room. You lean up a little when her bedroom door squeaks shut, and he crawls into bed with you as you struggle to keep your eyes open.

“Tired?” he asks quietly, and you nod. He smooths your hair back and begins to scratch your scalp as you finally close your eyes. “Go to sleep.”

“Barely slept these past few days.”

John’s lips brush against your forehead, “I know, baby. Just go to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Will you hold me?” you ask, and John moves to get more comfortable as you lay against his chest, “Don’t leave.”

“I won’t. I’ll be right here.”

__

Rubbing your eyes, you roll to your back and stretch out, sighing contently. You look up at the ceiling and blink a few times, then you look to your left and see John holding Ronan as they look out the window together. You sit up and yawn into your hand, and John looks over his shoulder and smiles at you.

“Look who decided to wake up, Ro,” he says, and you laugh sleepily as you get up and walk over to them, “My sleepy peach.”

“I was tired.”

John laughs, “I was too. I fell asleep for a little bit too.”

Ronan kicks her legs wildly, so John sets her down and watches as she runs into her room. He looks at you and cups your face, bringing your lips to his for several sweet kisses.

“Are we going to head back home now?”

Inhaling deeply, John shrugs, “I mean, we’re here. We might as well hang out for a few days.”

“Jimmy has to work and I think Tess is busy with her studio, so they can’t stay.”

“So? We’ll have the place to ourselves for a few days.”

You let out a small laugh, “If you wanted to get me alone, all you had to do was ask.”

“I’ll remember that for next time,” he says softly as he leans down to kiss you, savoring the warmth and feeling of your lips on his, “It’ll just be us three. It’ll be nice. We won’t stay long. Maybe just a day or two.”

Holding John’s gaze, you squint a little, “Is she still in New York?”

“Most likely.”

“And you don’t want us to go home until she’s gone.”

“Correct.”

You smile as you reach up to cup his face, “You’re very sweet, Wick.”

“She wanted to meet you,” he says, and you jerk your head back a little, “Well, properly meet you.”

“And you said no?”

He shakes his head, “I said it’s not really up to me whether you two meet or not. If it were, well, if I knew she wasn’t followed, then I would have been okay with you being at the house.”

“So, it’s…a little bit up to you?” you say, and John starts to laugh.

“Yeah, I guess.” he shrugs one shoulder, “But if you want to properly meet her, then I’m okay with that.”

You nod your head, “Like a dinner or something?”

“She’s staying at the hotel, so…”

The gasp that leaves your mouth shocks John, so he starts to laugh.

“Look,” you walk over to Ronan’s room to check on her, still talking as you go, “I don’t want you to go back into that world--we’ve talked about it. Done and over with, but…god, I love that hotel. I love the vibe, the atmosphere, the dress code.”

“There’s no dress code,” John laughs from the doorway, and you turn around and give him a dirty look, “Okay, well, there kind of is.”

You start to smile as you look at him, “This is…kind of embarrassing, but I like that when I walk in, everyone knows who I am and who I’m with. Isn’t that so stupid?”

“Not at all,” he smiles from across the room, “I like that everyone know you’re there with me. I like them knowing we’re together and that you’re mine. I like knowing that they know they can’t have you.”

You smile as you lift up Ronan, “Would we go to the hotel?”

“She wants to meet Ronan.”

“And you want her to?”

John looks from you to Ronan, then he nods as he looks at you again, “Yeah, I’m proud of you and her.”

“And we’d take her to the hotel?”

Letting out a big sigh, John shrugs, “I don’t know. If we go there and Winston hears…”

“He’ll be mad that we brought her.”

“He’ll want to see her,” John laughs, “She’s like his 78th grandkid.”

You start to laugh, “Papa Winston.”

The two of you look at each other for a few minutes before John walks over to you, wrapping his arms around you and Ronan.

“We’d be safe?” you ask, and John nods. “She would be safe?”

“Rules, sweetheart,” he whispers, and you tilt your head, cocking up your brow, “No one else has broken them since…”

You start to laugh, “You little rule breaker.”

“Rules aren’t fun.”

“I’ve made rules before…”

John leans closer and kisses you, “Yeah, well, you’re my wife. I have to listen you.”

“True!” you point your finger at him as you walk past, then you turn around and look at him, “Are you sure?”

“I am positive. We can enter through the back, take the backstairs up to the restaurant. I can even call Charon and let him know that we’d be coming, and he’d make sure everything was safe.” he says, and you inhale. “If you’re not okay with that, she can come to our place, or we can leave Ronan with Tess.”

You shrug, “We’ve just never brought her to the hotel before. Is it safe for her to be there?”

“I would burn the world down for her and you. I would go to hell and back without second thought,” he says as he holds your gaze, walking closer to you, “The rules are even tighter than before--”

“Because of you.”

“Yes,” he chuckles, then he puts his hands on your shoulders, “But I promise nothing will happen to you or her there. Would I bring you two there otherwise?”

You sigh loudly “Well, no, but…you know.”

“You’re a mom,” he smiles and leans down to kiss your cheek, “And I’m a dad, and I am so goddamn protective of you two.”

You start to laugh, “I know! You sent me away because some people showed up!”

John smiles proudly, “Yeah!”

“Okay,” you bounce Ronan on your hip and look at her, “We’ll go meet her. How do you know her?”

“Her father was a friend,” he says, and you nod, “A really good friend. A brother.”

You frown, “And he’s not…here anymore?”

John looks down and shakes his head. He looks at you with sad brown eyes, and you walk over to him, wrapping your left arm around him. Ronan reaches up to be held by him, so you pass her over to him.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper, and he nods. “He was important to you, so I understand why you want me to meet her. Did you know her before?”

“No. I knew he had a daughter later on after we went our separate ways, but I didn’t meet her until a few years ago,” he sits on the bed with Ronan in his lap, “She’s not the biggest fan of mine.”

You sit down next to him and read between the lines. Her dad is dead, she doesn’t like John, and he only met her a few years ago. Clearly this was during John’s excommunication.

“Was the last time you saw him when he…” you gesture a little, and John nods. “I’m so sorry, John. You’ve lost so many people.”

“But I gained a lot of really great ones,” he says softly, and you smile at him. He shakes his head, “Anyway, things are better now. Akira is doing her own thing, but while she’s here, she does want to meet you. She said you were…”

You squint your eyes, “I was what?”

“Very suspicious of her, and very protective of me.” he smiles, and you shrug bashfully. “She also said that her father would have wanted to meet Ronan and you.”

“Is that true?”

A smile tugs at John’s lip, “Yeah, he would have really wanted to meet you. He wanted me to have my peace. He wanted me to find a way out. He wanted me to find a purpose.”

“Ya know, it sounds like before me, you had a lot of people rooting for you.”

“No one has ever rooted for me as loudly as you do.”

You narrow your eyes, “Was that a dig at me?”

“No,” he laughs, kissing your head, “It was a compliment. My number one fan.”

“That’s me!”

Ronan’s chewing on her hands as she sits in John’s lap but she straightens her body out and whines. She’s kind of sick of this conversation now.

“Okay, okay,” John laughs, hoisting her up when he stands up from the bed, “We’ll get you some food.”

You get up and head to the stairs but John calls out to you, so you turn around.

“He would have really liked you.”

You smile softly, “Well, let’s hope his daughter will too.”

__

taglist:

@sakurachan-9 @beingnerdyissupercool @tnu-ree @ruby-octo @scream-queen-25

[number1yisuchongfan]

The Concerto🎻🎶

Summary:

I promised you that first night, and I made a vow to you that I swear I can achieve for you before I cross that line, so let me keep it before I must leave. Goodbye, my friend, I hope I didn’t disappoint you….

Who’s-Who Character Guide:

Norm MacLean - Jayce Talis

Thaddeus - Viktor

Veronica - Sky Young

Bud Askins - Cecil B. Heimerdinger

Chet - Sheriff Marcus

Lucy MacLean - Caitlyn Kiramman

Hank MacLean - Cassandra Kiramman

Stephanie Harper - Mel Mededra

(Monty might, lowkey, be Maddie Nolan?)

Word Count: 5.8K • Rating: Teen • Chapters: 1/1

(Read on Ao3 Here)

“Can you hand me my wrench, Thad?”

A hum to his left, and cool steel was soon pressed into Norm’s waiting palm and the minute his fingers wrapped itself around the flat shaft, he went to work tightening up some loose bolts on their newest prototype for a HexGem-powered robot’s chassis. They hadn’t decided its purpose yet, all they had the general idea of it being to help with unloading heavy and dangerous items from boats and airships, but who cared about the nitty gritty at the moment?

“I don’t get how you could lay on the ground doing that all day,” Thaddeus mused to the air, leaning back in his chair with his ankle resting comfortably in Norm’s own empty chair, a cup of coffee in his hand. “I’d much rather be outside working with my hands on something else. Something real.”

“Well, once I’m done with these last few tweaks to this hunk of junk,” Norm gritted, tightening a bolt a bit tighter and huffing at the squeaking that erupted from the metal body. “We can work on your agrochemical theory of HexTech I promise, we’ll go to the countryside and everything.”

“That’s not what I meant, Norm. I meant going out to eat somewhere and working on anything else but this,” Norm used his feet to roll himself and the dolly he was using to keep his head and back from the cold concrete floor below out from underneath the robot, his brow raised. “The Distinguished Innovator's Competition can wait for a few more hours. It’s not for another week.”

“I know it can but this is the first time I’m sure nothing is going to blow up,” Norm huffed, sitting up with a grunt as Thaddeus looked out their lab’s giant glass windows with a small smile. “What are you smiling about now?”

“Oh nothing,” ‘oh nothing’ my butt…

Norm got up on shaky legs as he grumbled at that nothing response, tossing his wrench and stained leather gloves onto their shared desk all while Thaddeus watched, sipping his coffee still with that smile that meant nothing good was going to come out of his mouth. “You just have some oil on your cheek, better clean it before it stains your skin black.”

“What?” Norm gawked as he bolted to their lab’s mirror with an urgency he normally only left to coffee-induced panic attacks before deadlines and hungover depressive episodes, quickly cleaning it away with a handkerchief that he really did hope didn’t make it any worse.

The other man made a noise, a mix between a chuckle and an exasperated sigh, as he watched Norm readjust his tie and fluff up his hair in the tiny, cracked mirror. The main door opened with a loud creaking, light footsteps following meaning Veronica, their assistant (and Norm’s close friend), was here with more coffee and reports for them both. “How are the both of you? I hope it’s not too tiring or stressful with the robot or anything, it looks great so far.”

“It’s so far steady and should be ready in time, Miss Chey. The HexGem hasn’t rejected the casing we made for it so it doesn’t burn through the metal of the golem,” Thaddeus smiled with a glint in his turquoise eyes as he met Veronica’s own honey-brown, Norm tried not to let his jealousy pike up as he went back to his mirror to readjust his ascot some more. “Though, that ass over there is refusing to do anything but work, practically had to beg this guy to go out for a bite.”

Veronica snorted loudly, smiling brightly. “You should’ve seen him before he was younger, he’d overwork himself to the point he’d vomit from the stress it took on him.”

“It’s not my fault that my father put a lot of pressure on me at such a young age, Veronica,” Norm said with a pout, fixing his hair one last time before turning around to grab his waistcoat. “Now, I'm craving something Ionian with a kick, maybe Pallasi?”

From the furrowed brow he got from Thaddeus and the confused glint, he hadn’t got a clue what he was saying. “Noodles, Thad, do you want noodles?”

“As long as there’s some crab, I don’t care,” Thaddeus got up, slowly and carefully as he let his weight fall upon his braced leg with a soft hiss. Veronica, ever the doting person she was, was by his side in an instant with a soft smile and his walking stick (technically it’s a cane, but Thaddeus was ashamed to call it that) in her outreached palm. “Thank you.”

“Of course, Thaddeus,” Veronica purred with a smile, watching with a smile as both mechanics moved out towards the main door to leave. “I’ll do some diagnostics on your robot, Norm!”

“Thank you, Veronica!” Norm called out as Thaddeus pulled the heavy metal door shut with a grunt, leaning against his walking stick as Norm pulled on his waistcoat with a small huff. He really did like her, being his friend in all, but her infatuation with Thaddeus was always a sticking point. “I know this little pop-up near the Academy gardens that has the best Pallasi-Style Ionian noodles in all of Piltover, plus their tea-smoked yellow crab is to die for.”

𒊹︎> •~𐬾☢︎︎𐬿~• <𒊹︎

“Don’t you have anything better to do than waste away in the lab or in your rooms back at the instate outside of our work hours?” Norm asked, waving his chopsticks about as he watched Thaddeus peel and toss honey-brown egg shells into a tiny bowl the pop-up had offered him. “Like come to one of my family’s parties for once! You live in our home and you appear with me in the papers. People do ask about you and want to know the other half of HexTech for themselves.”

The auburn haired man scoffed at that statement, not believing the words for a second, and Norm pouted. “Sure, and embarrass your dad with the sight of a coughing ex-miner mingling with his son more than he has to? Sure, I’ll even wear a jester costume to make myself more of a laughing stock.”

“You wouldn’t embarrass him,” Norm tried to shoot back but he couldn’t lie even to himself. His father was a judgmental man, especially with those from the Underground, and Thaddeus even if hide his thoughts or feelings (which he did well), he’d still manage to get Councilorman MacLean gritting his teeth in frustration. “Or me. I’m sure they’d respect you, and I get awfully lonely…”

“Doesn’t that Bruce guy still attend? Why not dance with him? Or even the assistant to Professor L. Hawthorne?” Thaddeus offers up, and Norm watches as the other man soon after stuff his face with the honey colored tea egg and take a hardy bite.

“One, I hate Bruce and you do as well so why suggest him in the first place,” Norm looked away and towards where the chef, a bird-like Vastaya was slicing up root vegetables and searing them on the burning hot stone griddle. “And second, Chauncey Amada and I are exes. Despite what he says happened, I’m the one who dumped him and Lloyd really should’ve picked a better assistant than him.”

Thaddeus scoffed, wiping his hands with a napkin and smiling wolfishly. “If it makes you feel better, when I was TA-ing for Professor Askins before we met; I purposely failed him by switching his grades about.”

Norm gawked, a bright smirk adoring his square face with a bit of selfish joy at his ex’s misery dawning in his eyes as well. “That was you? He was mad about getting such an awful grade on his biochemistry final when I was dating him that he broke his hand trying to punch a lamppost outside my dorm. Why did you do it?”

“He took the last sweet roll out of the commissary before I could get it,” came the rather simple response, Thaddeus moving to pluck up a crab leg with his fingers (he had refused to use chopsticks for some reason) and suffered it eagerly into his waiting mouth.

“Really?” Norm blinked, his chopsticks rattling against the porcelain bowl as he dropped them.

“Simple as that.” Another slurp as Thaddeus sucked his fingers and palm dry off the crab’s juices and their marinade the crab had been soaked in. “Sweet Janna, this shit is delicious.”

“I broke up with him over that, and other reasons, but that was one of them…” There had been many factors, one being the fact that Chauncey was an asshole prick who would trash his lab and get drunk with his friends on their date nights, but another was that he was a tad violent. Not towards Norm at all, the worst he did was insult him when they broke up, but he’d punch walls and lamp posts that led to not having to pay for their repairs. “Thank you.”

“For indirectly helping you make the decision to dump his ass?” Thaddeus filled in the blanks easily, like he always did, while plucking up another hunk of crab meat with his long fingers.

“For that, yes,” Norm snickered, feet swinging under the table and his cheeks getting a bit blushed at Thaddeus’s charming grin. “But for also getting me out of the lab, I hadn’t realized how much I needed this until just now.”

“I would call you a godawful workaholic,” Thaddeus began, licking his thumb and thin lips with a broad tongue. “But I’m also one so that’d be calling pot calling the kettle black kinda situation. I just could tell you needed a break and that you weren’t gonna take it until you passed out, plus… I was hungry.”

“Then please eat more,” Norm offered Thaddeus a napkin before the man wet his hands in bright red saliva. “We have a kitchenette in our lab for that exact reason, and I’m willing to eat with you if that makes you more comfortable.”

The other man’s foot tapped against the cobble floor with a grit. “I take so much as it is, Norm— Living in your home, using your money to pay for medical expenses— and I don’t wanna take anymore.”

“But you aren’t taking that much,” Norm took Thaddeus’s (clean) hand, thumb grazing over each knuckle. The other man paused in stuffing another chunk of dripping meat into his mouth, sauce dripping down his chin as he looked between their joined hands and Norm’s gentle gaze. “You may live in my home and I may help you pay for your checkups and physical therapy, but it’s alright to need help with things like this. I have enough money and I care about you.”

Thaddeus thought for a moment, watching Norm’s eyes before pulling his hand away and grabbing another napkin. “… You’re too nice.”

“And you’re just so awful,” Norm teased, swinging his feet under the table, hands pulling away, with a rather kind smile covering his lips that he saw warm up Thaddeus’s flat cheeks as well. “… So? Will you come to the party before the Distinguished Innovator’s Competition? It’s hosted in the Academy Banquet Hall this year after all so we wouldn’t be going too far away from the lab.”

“Maybe,” Thaddeus tossed his used napkin into Norm’s empty rice bowl, those buck teeth falling over his thin bottom lip as he wryly chuckled. “Just some rules.”

Norm nodded, “of course.”

“I’m not wearing some fancy Piltovan shit that’s gonna show off my body,” Thaddeus began, fingers swiftly plucking up another chunk of crab and swinging it about as he talked. It flung sauce about in thin strings, sticking to the table and the taller man’s thick fingers. “And I ain’t gonna play whatever game your dad wants me to play at this party. I get to decide what I wanna do; not him.”

“My father isn't evil,” Norm assured teasingly, and tried not to get too defensive at the scoff he got in return. “I promise.”

“Good, and one last thing,” Norm arched a brow, watching as Thaddeus stuffed the chunk of warm meat into his mouth, chewing as he spoke. Norm cringed. “I’m not kissing any person’s ass.”

“Will you at least stay by my side during the night?” Norm softly muttered, his expression a bit glum.

Thaddeus went soft, shoulders relaxing as his tongue quickly lapped up the bright orange red juice that stained his lips and the corners of his mouth.

“I just… I don’t want to be alone when I’m drunk,” came the skittish response, Norm’s eyes awkward and a tad apprehensive. A few unspoken words hung heavy between. Around him.

“I uh,” Thaddeus scratched his jaw as he spoke, nodding. “Sure. I’ll stay right by your side… like I already do.”

“Thank you, you’re my hero, Thad,” Norm batted his eyelashes as he breathed out his thanks, a charming smile on his lips and his face in a kind expression of gratitude.

Thaddeus may be from the Undercity, and he may be a bit sickly looking with his sunken eyes and his ankle brace, but he was still rather strong. He had nice muscles and his subtle tattoos that peeked from under his shirt collar gave him this… look. A good look. A tough look with his scarred brow and his nice muscles.

It’d scare anyone off, I’d scare Bruce off and away from him for the night, if Thaddeus’s face wasn’t so soft. It was round, plump even with his hollowing cheeks, with kind blue eyes that sparkled and glimmered like their HexTech gemstones did when brought to life by their machinery.

Norm remembered that first night, in Professor Askins’s laboratory in the main Academy building, that night when Thaddeus had pulled him close to chest after Councilor Harper had caught them trying to break into the Dean’s office.

“Oh fuck, this isn’t my bedroom! I’m sorry, Normy, but I guess I got the wrong door,” Thaddeus had cooed, hand on Norm’s hip had been tight and his awkward smile kind in a way that had wormed itself into the young man. “Sorry Councilwoman…”

She hadn’t bought it. Obviously.

Though the thought that Thaddeus considered him worthy enough to even pretend to take back to his room was completely breathtaking, and it stole his breath at the time. And it still did now, two years later, and he found himself falling even more in love with this so-called hard to love man from the Undercity.

“I’m not, really.”

Norm shook his head. “You are to me.”

𒊹︎> •~𐬾☢︎︎𐬿~• <𒊹︎

“A dance, Dr. MacLean? I notice you look quite alone over here and looking awfully bored tonight,” came a grating yet familiar voice to Norm’s left, a large gloved hand coming over his shoulder to lightly grip it. The short man gulped, hand on his champagne flute tightening as the women around him and who once been talking at him giggled and cooed to each other.

Norm’s eyes looked up, steeling his face the best he possibly could as that filthy palm ran down his back and to rest on his hip. “I’d rather not share a dance together right now, Officer Du Bois. Maybe later.”

“Oh? Do you have another dance partner in mind?” Bruce asked with genuine surprise it seems, his hand moving to fiddle with his tailcoat’s golden chain that connected his pocket watch to his coat, playing with the chain. “I don’t see anyone else asking for a dance with you.”

“Well, he’s just taking his time. He's a rather busy man with all his work in the lab and such,” Norm gently knocked the hand off his waist with a flick of his hip, sipping on his flute as he moved away towards the other women with a fake smile to the older Enfoncer. “I’m sure you’d understand.”

“But—”

“You’re just going to have to wait for it, Officer,” Norm turned his back, tailcoat fluttering and swaying with his rather dramatic turn like a pair of powder blue wings dipped in gold.

Bruce glared at him, harsh and full of dismay at the rejection, though didn’t follow and soon scoffed, walking away as Norm let out a deep, shaky breath.

Fine, see if I care! The gesture said.

“Who’s the lucky man?” One of the women, a tall cat-like Vastayan woman with a feathery headpiece moving about with her giggling, asking with a shrill giggle. Her long tail swayed about and curled around his heeled boot. “And when is he going to make an appearance tonight?”

“Yes, who is he? Oh please tell us, Dr. MacLean!” Another woman, a slender human woman who had traveled all the way from Noxus and wore a beautiful dress adorned with gold and rubies, pleaded with a pout of her golden lips.

“He should be here any minute, like I said to Officer Du Bois,” a long sip from his flute, his eyes shutting for a moment, “he is a rather busy man.”

The women pouted. Some more footsteps and another hand landed upon his shoulder, but this time, Norm didn’t fret over this touch.

“I haven’t seen Thaddeus yet,” Chet bent forward to whisper in his ear, his tall guardsman hat under his arm and his white gloves pristine. “Are you sure he’s actually going to come tonight? I know he hates this kind of event and stuff…”

“He’ll come. He promised me,” Norm assured, trying to seem polite from the growing sense of worry fuming in his gut at possibly being stood up once more. “If he doesn’t show up in a few more minutes, could you go to our lab and see if he’s in there?”

Chet nodded once, “of course.”

The younger man pulled out his keys, swiftly handing them over to the Deputy Sheriff of the Piltovan Police Department with a tight-lipped smile. “Just be quick with it.”

Chet nodded once more, leaning out of his space and nodding to a few of his officers standing near the entrances as they made their ways out of the Banquet Hall and down the Academy halls for the missing scientist.

“So?” One of the women asked, her thin brow raised. “Is he coming soon?”

“He’s on his way…” Norm began, looking about the room and especially towards the main entrance for the Grand Banquet Hall, gulping as less and less people moved through his golden doors. “He just got a bit lost.”

“Oh, Norm,” the Vastayan lady whispered, tail tightening while looking about the other women as her clawed, slender hand laid upon his shoulder with a pitiful expression. “That’s what men say to let you down easy.”

“Well, you don’t know him like how I know him,” Norm pulled away, freeing his boot, sipping from his flute once more as he turned away with yet another flick of tailcoat. Is this why Thaddeus didn’t want to come?

The pitiful stares, the demeaning looks, the lustful stares at his body wrapped tightly in clothes he didn’t have any choice in choosing for the evening. Norm moved easily and as elegantly as a bird despite being a bit buzzed, smiling the best he could and quickly disposing of his flute and picking up another from a passing waiter with a golden tray.

Norm looked about, trying to ignore all the stares and gazes upon him as he walked about the vaulted banquet hall, as his dark boots clicked on the patterned and polished black marble flooring below until he found himself at his sister’s side.

Lucy was dressed in an elegant flowing cobalt blue dress that was lined with Ionian pearls and Noxan gold, a cut in the side showing of her long leg, her ceremonial sword and leather adored scabbard from her old fencing days and her embroidered pinet heels, along with a fluffy stole boa made from the wool of a Targon Erbrok.

Her husband, Monty, a slender fox-like Vastaya with a sharp tail and a long snout, was comfortable holding her close as they talked to some Freljordian ambassadors.

“Ah, Dr. MacLean! The creator of HexTech!” One of the ambassadors, a tall ginger man with a thick beard and a heavy gut, purred, large hand landing on his shoulder with such force the small man gulped. “You are much smaller than I would have thought.”

“Co-Creator of HexTech, actually, my business partner, Thaddeus, is on his way to the party and I’m sure he’d love to hear your praise as much as I do,” Norm replied easily with a well-practiced smile for the ambassadors. Lucy smiled at him, lips curled up in her grin to show how much she cares about Thaddeus’s mention as he spoke, though the ambassadors seemed confused.

“And why have I never heard of this Thaddeus before, Doctor?” The other ambassador, a muscular woman in a tight pale dress that showed off her muscles, inquired.

“He’s a very private man naturally. He just… prefers it this way,” Norm explained with a swoon he tried to suppress but couldn’t, swishing his flute about and looking down into the amber reflected back to him. “He’s not into the limelight unlike myself and he tends to get anxious due to his background from the Undercity.”

“The Undercity? Where is that?” The male ambassador asked, confusion clear on his stocky, square face, thick brows furrowed.

“The more industrial part of Piltover,” Lucy swiftly explained with a lilting smile, looking to her baby brother with a look of surprise in her eyes at Norm actually bringing it up at such an event. “He used to work as a miner near the Cliffs and then as an assistant to Councilman Askins for his industrial robotics skills.”

“Ah, makes sense you would turn to him for help with HexTech then!” The male ambassador hollered out, patting the short man’s shoulder so roughly the champagne in Norm’s flute almost spilled out all over his powder blue suit. “He must be very smart then. You must show us him whenever he arrives so we can see if you are correct about his genius.”

“Incredibly so,” Norm replied with an awkward laugh he hoped to Janna he sounded natural in any manner. “And I will, as soon as he arrives, Ambassadors.”

They both nodded and laughed among themselves in another language, bowing with large, boisterous smiles, and soon left to mingle with others. Which meant his sister’s lovely stare was now on him. “What the heck was that?”

“I was simply answering their questions, Lucy,” Norm replied simply, sipping from his flute as Lucy shook her head and Monty’s ears perked.

“You know you can’t say that shit about the Undercity at these kinds of events,” the fox-like man snorted, tail flicking about and his pawed feet scratching at the marble floor. “What would your daddy say?”

“Oh he’d curse me out from even uttering it’s name I’m sure,” Norm sighed to himself. “But I don’t care. Thaddeus is important to me and I won’t have him forgotten by people no matter how much he wants to stay out of the light,” Norm looked to Lucy, brow raised, “so why did you ‘correct’ me? Thaddeus is from the Undercity and doesn’t try to hide it.”

“Like Monty said,” Norm rolled his eyes as his sister tutted him, snarling to himself at such a response. “What would Dad say if he heard you saying that?”

“I don’t care,” Norm gritted out.

Lucy shook her head, clearly exasperated as she took his flute away from him and passed it to Monty to hold. “You have to care about this one thing.”

“Care about what?”

Norm was nearly spooked by the sound of his partner, appearing from behind him, and lost control of his breath when he turned around to look at Thaddeus. He was flanked by Chet, who was holding Thaddeus’s walking stick and handing it to the robotist with a tilt of his head. Chet quickly left soon after with a nod.

“Thaddeus! I’m glad you could make it,” Lucy outreached her hand, pearly teeth smiling as the auburn haired man took her gloved hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles in polite fashion. Norm bristled at the sight, while Lucy just giggled and gave him a playful shove. “Oh stop it with the politeness! Norm here was starting to worry.”

“I’m really sorry, I just lost track of time and then I missed my ride and… I hope I wasn’t too late,” Thaddeus laughed awkwardly at the playfulness as he looked down to Norm, taking his cane and adjusting his tie with a heavy sigh.

Norm didn't mind his partner’s lateness now, gulping and taking a shaky breath, because holy…

Thaddeus was dressed in a rather dark outfit— a nearly black red velvet waistcoat embroidered with a flora design with matching high waisted velvet knickerbockers. His shirt was a lighter red (yet it was still dark enough that it came out nicely against his pale skin), cotton and tight around his forearms and biceps in a manner that was taking Norm’s breath away. Tied around his waist was a dark yet silvery sash that glittered about and shimmered in the hall’s chandelier light.

His shoes were plain, similar boots that he typically wore but clearly it had been polished lovingly and the silver accents shimmered. Around his neck, laid a white ascot— similar to one he wore when he was Professor Askins’s personal assistant and that first night they met properly— that held a tie pin, unlike his typical simple gold, was now a silvery one that was made to be similar to House MacLean’s emblem that held a bright blue crystal, one of their HexGems. Two wrenches holding the crystal in the middle.

Such a bold move for a man who hated to make them in situations like these.

Norm gulped tightly, pulling at his own cornflower blue tie to let some air into his throat and stop himself from choking out. Holy shit, I think I’m in love.

“You uh… you weren’t too late. More so fashionably late enough to not seem rude,” Norm slowly responded with a stutter, trying to calm his flushed face.

“That’s good,” Thaddeus’s walking stick tapped against the marble floor as he leaned against it, lessening the strain on his ankle brace. “I just wasn’t expecting all of…”

The scientist waved his hand about to the rest of the room, frowning before scratching at his stubbly chin. “This.”

“Well, I hope it isn’t too much,” Lucy quipped, fixing her stole boa with a gentle smile. “The Council really outdid themselves this year, didn’t they? It’s beautiful!”

Thaddeus hummed, nodding. “You could say that.”

“Would you like anything to drink? Eat perphaps?” Lucy motioned for two servers to come close, a smile on just face. Thaddeus huffed, hooking his cane on his arm, but still took a champagne flute and a tiny slice of bread covered in bright yellow caviar without much push back, stuffing his mouth with the hors-d’œuvre. “I’m glad, once again, you could make it. Whatever Norm did to make you come around I greatly appreciate it.”

Thaddeus thickly swallowed and Norm took a step forward, smiling up at his partner. “Well, all it took was some crab and some well-placed pleading for company.”

Lucy awe’d and Thaddeus shook his head when Monty barked out a laugh of his own. “I wouldn't call it ‘pleading;’ you more like… gently assured me it’d be worth my while and not a shitshow.”

Monty barked another bout of laughter out, slapping his knee almost at Thaddeus’s language while the two Piltovan around him awkwardly stared and chuckled along.

This might be a long night but, Norm thought as he gently hooked his arm around Thaddeus's own, smiling as sweetly as he could while chuckling. Those eyes landed on him, soft and gleaming, and did it make it worth all this embarrassment and anger he knew this night would cause him. As long as he’s by my side; I’ll be alright.

𒊹︎> •~𐬾☢︎︎𐬿~• <𒊹︎

“A dance?”

Thaddeus was sitting on a chair, nursing another flute of champagne in his hand, as Norm stood in front of him with an outreached palm. It was a risky move, truly, but Norm didn’t care much with how many glasses he’s had so far just tonight, and it seemed Thaddeus didn’t much mind either by that wry smile on his chin.

“I thought I was just here to provide security from that creep hitting on you and trying to get you alone,” Thaddeus seemed so perplexed by the hand offered to him, glancing between the palm covered in a black glove and the man who stood before him clad in powder blue and gold. “Not to actually dance.”

“Is that what I said while at lunch that day last week? I don’t remember saying anything like that,” Norm quirked a brow, tone teasing yet soft with affection was clear. “I distinctly remember calling you ‘my hero’ for agreeing to come.”

Thaddeus thought for a second, nodding his head as he curled his bottom lip to the side to bite at it. “I guess that’s right…”

“So will you? I'd love to enjoy our time here and give a big ‘f-you’ to the room and especially my father,” the younger man gushed, swiftly taking the flute and tossing it into a plant pot and taking the other man’s larger bare hand into his own gloved palm. He tugged the other scientist to his feet, playfully smirking. “I thought you’d love that.”

“Eh, that sounds fun…” Thaddeus doubtfully said, looking about the eyes that looked over at the buzzed young men that giggled out onto the dancefloor with furrowed brows and sneering mouths.

Boots clicked on the floor, Norm’s laughter gentle and kind as he pulled and tugged at those larger hands so they rested on his hip and the small of his back, while Norm’s own hands locked behind the taller man’s neck.

The music had slowed, the lead violist’s notes high and the rhythm it brought and seemed to flow through the younger bones so deeply moving him on each step he took.

“People are watching their Golden Boy dance with a slumprat.” Came through to Norm’s ear as Thaddeus matched his step with each low and high of the orchestra, matching his movements as he took the more traditionally masculine role of such a dance.

“Who cares about that?” Norm was twirled, on the tip of his black leather boot and the gold tipped tails of his vest twirling about with him as Thaddeus spung and soon dipped him down, voice in his ear heady and tight.

“Your dad is watching his son flaunt about with a dirty trencher, that’s who cares.” The quick twirl that lead to Norm outreaching his arm to the vaulted ceiling above as Thaddeus brought him to his chest was sickeningly tender, almost loving as the concerto sounded as though his own thoughts and Thaddeus’s own were mashed together, hand on his hip right.

“I could care less what he thought of me,” Norm brought his hand up, knuckles so gently running over Thaddeus’s chin as he plucked and spun about and soon dipped once more, an undignified sound leaving his throat as the violin fluttered and flitted about, the piltovan horns matching with enthusiasm, the drums booming off the stained glass windows. “All I care about is your opinion.”

A shift in the music matched the scoff from his partner, near violent in its change as Norm’s boots landed back on the ground and the hand on his hip tightened. Thaddeus spun them about, the short man’s feet only barely leaving the marble as he spun out and quickly pulled back in. “Councilwoman Harper is watching too.”

“Like I care.” Thaddeus’s hands couldn’t leave his back, his hips, and his waist, as he once again spun them about and dipped them forward to each lilt and flutter of the violin like the most beautiful dance of will-they-won’t-they a drunken dance like this could produce. “Fuck her.”

More spinning, so much it was making everything but that flustered grin and gleaming turquoise eyes that watched his every move with bated breath bleary and unimportant, the music growing and growing and growing.

It was like that first night, that perfect night, when they had been floating up in Askins’s lab, smiling and dancing about practically with their eyes falling on each other’s glowing eyes and floating hair.

That night had been perfect, bones full of electricity, and oh this joy that had filled him at that moment now took him in such a moment as now, his forehead pressed again Thaddeus’s breast pocket as large hands gripped at his waistcoat and fluttered him about to the sound they filled their soul and room.

The space between the hot, stuffy almost and full of cotton while their ears rang and their breaths shook with the force of it all.

“I…” Norm tried to begin, stepping away with a shaky palm, reality crashing in on him as he looked around Thaddeus to where his father was watching on with a glare, to where Stephanie was watching on with Lucy and Monty and chatting among them, to where Bruce was staring at him with fire in his dark eyes from near a pillow. All the gazes of the room were on him now, the ringing getting worse. “I-I shouldn’t have…”

The hand on the small of his back and hip left, a heated breath that reeked of sweet champagne and fish eggs came over his flush-red face. “I get it. You regret this…”

But you really don’t… I don’t regret it. I loved it! Why can’t I just say that?!?

Norm tried to speak, but nothing but a trembling squeak came out that sputtered into a pathetic whimper, his eyes watering and his hands trembling.

“Hey, don’t worry,” Thaddeus, oh sweet Thaddeus, brought his palm up to wash his tears away with a broad thumb, hand coming around his back and resting between his shoulder blades as he brought him back towards his family. “Everybody makes mistakes when they’ve drunk too much.”

Norm wanted to squeak, to exclaim at the top of his lungs he didn’t regret the dance, or anything this night has brought between them, but still. Nothing came out. Pathetic really.

“Sorry about that, Councilman MacLean,” Thaddeus calmly stated, handing Norm’s trembling hand to his father as he bowed.

“I think it’s best if you leave, Thaddeus. Before you ruin this night and destroy my boy’s reputation more than you’ve already done.”

Norm gawked at those words, looking between his father, who glared with daggers at the other man, and at Thaddeus, who shut his eyes as he scoffed and walked away with a click of his walking stick and a heavy frown.

But…

The young man wanted to say something, to make sense of all of this, but still. Nothing came, nothing was heard, and all he could was watch the crowd part for Thaddeus, as if a sea was opening to let the man go, letting go walk a shameful route for embarrassing such a high family with his mere presence, his existence.

How pitiful.

[snail-studios]

p2 of the ponyo au 🐬

1, 2, 3, 4

[legolambi]

[bylrndgm]

JULIE AND THE PHANTOMS (2020) // JULIE E OS FANTASMAS (2011) 1.01 - Wake Up // 1.01 - Enfrentando Fantasmas -> Julie meets the Band.

[kamalemons]

The second Kirby adaptation of the Onion's In The Know series, this time over "Are We Giving Robots Too Much Power?", with a black & white halftone-filled color scheme!

[eddiesghxst]

PRICE OF FAME (PART 4/12)

AHHH HERE WE GO, ENJOY!!!

————

18+ — MINORS DNI

pairing: rockstar!eddie x journalist!reader

summary: wayne is in town and eddie thinks he kind of hates you... maybe

contains: enemies to lovers trope, smoking, drug and alcohol use, scary and sticky feelings, king richie being king richie, and eddie thinks you taste sweet <3

word count: 3.8k

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| series masterlist | -main masterlist- |

Eddie’s going insane, he thinks.

There’s something wrong with him. Something seriously wrong.

It’s been two days since Eddie slept in your room. Forty-eight hours have passed since you so graciously offered him the peace and solace of your extra hotel bed, and Eddie has yet to stop thinking about you.

The morning after sleeping in your room, Eddie snuck out as quietly as possible to avoid any awkward conversation, even if nothing was particularly awkward about the situation. He didn’t want to have to thank you for letting him stay with you, and he knew that if he’d waited until you woke up, he would have to thank you. So, he escaped first thing in the morning, as any avoidant and coward-like person would do.

He spent all day with fleeting thoughts of you— remembering the sight of you smiling under the light of the TV, the sound of you laughing, the visual of you swallowed beneath fluffy sheets and pillows, pouty lips parted to let out the cutest, most annoying, and fucking nerve-grating snores that gently lulled Eddie to sleep. 

He spent time wondering what you were doing, how you looked and sounded in the morning, and being annoyed with himself for depriving himself of the chance to witness that. He wondered if you looked for him when you realized he was no longer in the room— if you were annoyed that he left without saying anything, or if you didn’t care. God, why does he care? It’s not like you two fucked, he just crashed in your room.

That same morning, Eddie had the phantom of your scent all around him. Soft, inviting, and all things alluring, and Eddie wanted to sink his teeth into it and gnaw at it like some fucking teething dog. What the fuck?

There’s something wrong.

However, those weird and unwanted feelings have died down since Eddie hasn’t seen you in the past forty-eight hours. Granted, that’s probably because he’s been subconsciously avoiding you like the plague, which has been relatively easy, considering they’ve been on a short break.

Thankfully, Eddie had a solid reason as to why he fled your room so early that morning— to pick up Wayne from the airport. He took Wayne to a breakfast diner and treated him to a warm meal and coffee to ease the stress of traveling from his bones. 

And Wayne has never been to New York, so Eddie took the time to show him around. Eddie’s been to the city many times, and he likes to think he’s somewhat of a pro now that he knows his way around the subway. Eddie swears learning the subway was easier than passing senior year, and that says something.

After breakfast, Eddie took Wayne to the Brooklyn Bridge, where they could see the Statue of Liberty in the distance. From there, they took a cab to Times Square so Wayne could witness the absolute chaos that is New York City. They spent some time in Times Square, watching street performances and snacking on greasy foods, and they had a good time until a few people spotted Eddie.

Wayne always tells Eddie he doesn’t mind fans coming up to them and enjoys watching Eddie interact with his supporters. Still, Eddie gets weary of crowds becoming rowdy around anybody he loves, so he tries to keep the interactions to a minimum when he’s out with company.

And Wayne isn’t much of an expressive person, but Eddie’s been around him long enough to read his microexpressions easily and understand that Wayne seemed to like New York so far.

Eddie hasn’t told Wayne about Gareth, partly because he knows he’ll get a long talk about how violence solves nothing, but more importantly, because Eddie doesn’t want to admit that Wayne was right about Chrissy. 

Wayne never trusted Chrissy all that much. Chrissy was friendly, respectful, and all things socially acceptable, but she lacked in the caring department. Wayne didn’t like that Chrissy never supported Eddie’s dreams, never showed up to a single show, or didn’t even bother learning the lyrics to at least one song. She didn’t care to show up for Eddie, but Eddie was always there for her. Always.

Chrissy was greedy with love, and Wayne saw right through her innocent act.

And given that Wayne is quite the expert at seeing people for who they really are, Eddie doesn’t understand why he doesn’t see through your innocent act.

It’s Wayne’s third night in New York when you finally cross paths. You’d been passing by each other in the hotel lobby; Eddie, Wayne, and Richie leaving while you were on your way in— and Eddie was content with ignoring you, but god, you just couldn’t help yourself, could you?

 “You must be the infamous Wayne,” You smile as you shake the older man’s hand. Eddie stands between Wayne and Richie as he stuffs his hands in his pockets while Wayne greets you, pursing his lips and rocking on the heels of his feet as you and Wayne share a short introduction— Richie snickers beside him.

“You three look fancy; what’s the occasion?” You wonder aloud. Wayne smiles, and Eddie doesn’t know when Wayne became so kind to strangers, especially annoying strangers. “Eddie here is treating us to dinner,” Wayne explains, reaching over to pat Eddie’s stiff shoulder. Eddie thinks that may be your indication to leave, but he’s sadly mistaken when Richie adds, “Have you eaten yet? Would you like to tag along?”

Eddie thinks the age is getting to Richie’s head because Richie must be out of his fucking mind. 

His head snaps to glare at Richie, about to cut in until you speak up, “Oh! I couldn’t; I don’t want to impose.” You shake your head with a kind smile. Good, Eddie thinks. Don’t impose, stay far a-fucking-way.

But Richie— god, Eddie can’t believe Richie, “Ah, the more, the merrier,” he waves you off, “And the rockstar will pay for us. Who turns down a free meal?” Wayne jumps in, causing you to erupt in soft laughter.

Eddie has to end this, obviously.

“The reservation is for three,” Eddie chips in, and finally, the three of you acknowledge his presence, turning to him as he shifts on his feet. “And we don’t have time to wait for you to get ready.” He adds, pursing his lips and shrugging in an ‘oh well’ gesture.

If Eddie weren’t watching you so intently, he wouldn’t have noticed the tiny shift of you caving into yourself, but he does, and he kind of feels bad for a quick second. He doesn’t know why he feels bad because he wasn’t even lying. The reservation was for three, and with New York traffic, they should’ve been on their way roughly fifteen minutes ago.

You open your mouth to respond, probably throw in the flag and let the three men be on their way, but Richie opens his fucking mouth again, “Well, we can wait, and I’m sure you can pull some strings for a third chair, son.”

And Eddie could. He can definitely get a fourth seat because he’s friends with the restaurant owner, but Eddie doesn’t want to. And he sure as hell doesn’t want to pay for your goddamn meal, but, as always, despite Eddie’s wishes, Richie insists you tag along. 

He, Wayne, and Richie end up sitting in the lobby waiting for you to get dressed in your room. Wayne and Richie are sitting on opposite sides of the couch, Wayne quietly flipping through a magazine and Richie mindlessly people-watching as Eddie impatiently bounces his leg and pouts in the seat across them. Wayne doesn’t bother looking at Eddie when he says, “You’re gonna leave a dent in the floor, son.”

Eddie glares at Wayne and Richie, “Why did you invite her?” He snaps.

Wayne flips the page of the flimsy book, heavily sighing and shifting in his seat, “This is the girl you mentioned at breakfast, right?”

Richie snickers and raises an eyebrow at Eddie, “You mentioned Birdie at breakfast? That’s interesting.” He jokes, to which Eddie grumbles a short and snippy, “Shut up.”

And yeah, maybe Eddie did mention you to Wayne, but it wasn’t… it wasn’t like that, okay? You just piss Eddie off, and now that he’s not on good terms with Gareth, and Jeff is too busy with his head stuck up his girlfriend's ass, Eddie has nobody to turn to for a good rant, and Wayne— well, Wayne was just there. 

“Yes. But did you also hear me mention that I can’t stand her, or did you just stop listening after I said her name?” Eddie grumbles. Wayne smiles behind the magazine, and Eddie can hear it in his voice when he responds, “No, I heard it all… sounded like a load of bullshit.” 

Richie laughs, but Eddie ignores it as his face twists in confusion at Wayne’s words, “Excuse me?”

Wayne closes the magazine and looks at Eddie, “Boy, did fame take away what little common sense you had? You don’t hate the girl.”

Before Eddie can respond to Wayne’s encrypted comment, you appear, pulling their attention, “Thank you for waiting; I hope I wasn’t too long,” you huff while hastily adjusting the strap of your bag over your shoulder.

For a moment, Eddie doesn’t remember what he was groveling about or that he kind of hates you.

And you’ve always been pretty. Eddie never thought you were ugly, and quite honestly, if you’d met under different circumstances and you weren’t a pain in the ass, Eddie might’ve fucked you. But Eddie’s hatred for you outshined your beauty… most of the time. However, that film of dusty and grey disdain has been clearing recently, and Eddie’s not sure if he should turn away or keep looking because you’re breathtaking.

He doesn’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the dress you’ve chosen and how perfectly crafted it is for you, how the colors compliment your skin in an achingly perfect way. Maybe it’s the way your eyeliner is slightly smudged and smoky from your rushed movements to avoid being late for the reservation. Or maybe Eddie’s just lost his mind right along with Wayne and Richie. For now, he’ll stick with the latter.

Eddie stands up with a loud huff, “Let's go. Before they give someone else our table.” He grumbles, brushing past you and walking off without another word.

Eddie misses the slight and amused smirk on Wayne’s lips.

Wayne, you come to learn, is funny.

You’d thought the ride to the restaurant would be awkward, given that Eddie clearly doesn’t want you here, but Wayne and Richie left no room for the tension to rise. They both told stories and jokes the entire drive, and by the time you arrived at the restaurant, your stomach was sore from laughter. Honestly, you’re not sure how Wayne raised Eddie only for Eddie to end up like… Eddie. Wayne is kind and inviting and all things opposite of Eddie. You almost believe they’re tricking you.

“Since when did you become a stand-up comedian, Wayne?” Eddie sarcastically asks as he opens the door to the restaurant. Wayne had just made a joke about how Eddie was a troublemaker in high school, which Eddie clearly didn’t think was funny, given the scowl on his face.

“I’ve always been a comedian, son.” Wayne pats Eddie on the back as he steps into the fancy establishment. You glance at Eddie and thank him for holding the door as you follow behind Wayne, Richie stepping in behind you.

Eddie was able to get a change of tables, so you were able to join, and you thanked him on your way to the table as the waiter walked you all to your new designated seats. Eddie either didn’t hear you, or he didn’t care to respond; either way, you don’t take it to heart.

Once you reach your table, Wayne and Richie take the seats on the other side of the table, leaving you no other option but to take the seat next to Eddie. Eddie scoffs upon this realization, and you subconsciously chew the inside of your cheek as you settle in the chair.

For the most part, dinner goes by smoothly. You suppose Eddie’s distasteful attitude diffused once the food satiated his hunger— and you think Eddie has the character of a toddler that’s missed their nap time, and a part of you thinks it’s cute, watching him huff and fuss until he’s happily eating. You try your best to focus on the plate of food in front of you and the conversations between the four of you, but you often find yourself glancing over at Eddie. 

Because the way Eddie moves is like a movie.

Animated and smooth and all things annoyingly beautiful. The way he speaks with his hands, the way his hair brushes and sways back and forth over his shoulders when he shifts, the sound his rings make when clinking against the silverware. The way his cheeks carve lines when his lips stretch in a smile-soaked laugh, and his eyes widen when he gets excited while telling a story.

It’s captivating.

And a few days ago, you’d thought the wine was the cause for your unwanted attraction, but alas.

You blink away the haze of your short-lived trance and resume eating. Better to leave that road untouched.

Despite Eddie’s low expectations, dinner was good.

He had a nice plate full of food he couldn’t be bothered to learn how to pronounce and a glass of whiskey to wash it down. Wayne and Richie held a good conversation, though those two have always gotten along well since Richie entered Eddie’s life. Richie and Eddie tell Wayne all about life on the road, updating him on the craziest shows and sights, and Wayne informs Eddie about everybody back home.

The kids are soaking up their last weeks of freedom before college, and Max even got a nose piercing, “Somehow, that made her even more of a firecracker, that kid.” Wayne joked.

Wayne says he doesn’t know much about the older half of them, but he runs into one of them every now and then at the grocery store and such, and Eddie makes a mental note to call and check in before the holidays.

And then there’s you.

Eddie wanted to believe you were ruining the vibe of dinner, but you annoyingly made it… better. 

You eased into the atmosphere as if you weren’t a complete stranger, asking questions about Hawkins and adding stories of your childhood in Michigan. Eddie had expected you to shy away for most of the dinner since they were mostly discussing things you weren’t there for, but you were as involved as the three of them, if not more.

And Wayne and Richie adore you.

Richie has always made it known that he has no problem with you, and some might even think the two of you have a relationship akin to a father and daughter. But Richie has always been that way. He’s always quick to accept people into their circle and give them a chance. 

But Eddie didn’t expect Wayne to warm up to you as quickly as he did.

Wayne is usually wary of strangers, and just like Eddie, Wayne hates the media. Wayne witnessed the hell Eddie initially went through with the press— messy rumors and misconstrued words— and when Eddie almost threw in the towel for good, Wayne was there to wrap it back around Eddie’s knuckles and shove him back into the game. So, you can imagine the confusion reeling through Eddie’s mind when Wayne immediately becomes fond of you.

It’s annoying and stupid, and Eddie thinks you might be a witch because you have everybody under this weird spell that makes them like you. 

After dinner, everyone decided to enjoy the nice weather on a walk back to the hotel. Even though Eddie would’ve much rather liked to call a car and make it back to the hotel in less than ten minutes, he can admit that it feels nice to just walk around in light conversation. He doesn’t get much of this anymore. Most days, Eddie is busy doing shows, writing songs, talking to the press, and rolling through each day, so he doesn’t have the time to have simple and lighthearted moments like these.

He’s walking beside Richie, blowing through a cigarette and listening to Richie ramble on about… well, Eddie’s not sure what Richie is talking about because he’s so focused on you.

A few paces ahead of Richie and Eddie, you and Wayne walk together, wrapped up in an intriguing conversation, considering how intently you seem to be listening. You’re watching where you’re stepping, but you routinely turn to Wayne and nod to let him know you’re listening, and every now and then, you even glance back at Eddie and Richie with a soft smile.

And you’re so fucking cute for that.

Eddie thinks he might admire you for that— for being so kind and attentive to Wayne. And you’re like that with everyone: kind and perceptive in a way that makes people feel like they matter, like every word they speak matters. But this… this is different, Eddie thinks.

He’s unsure what it is, but seeing how you interact with Wayne makes his chest warm— like he’s drinking tea on a cold autumn day. Like he’s spent the day shivering in a cold building only to step out into a sunny sky and thaw the cold from his ribs.

It’s endearing, watching you.

Chrissy was never close with Wayne in any way, shape, or form. And although Eddie would’ve loved to see Chrissy interact and get along with Wayne, it just never happened. Not because Wayne was adamant about hating Chrissy or because Chrissy hated Wayne but because they just… never clicked. (And yeah, maybe Wayne disliking Chrissy had something to do with that, but that’s neither here nor there.)

And Wayne is a big part of Eddie’s life. He’s the main reason why Eddie is where he is today and not following in his deadbeat father's footsteps. 

Wayne is Eddie’s family.

And the fact that you can acknowledge that and treat their relationship with such respect and care— it makes Eddie feel things that he’s not very keen on feeling.

But the moment of admiration for you is quickly shattered when he catches a snippet of your and Wayne’s conversation.

“You’re a good journalist, I take it. Will I be getting interviewed for this article, too?” Wayne jokes, and you laugh, “If you’d like to, I'm sure I can make the time before you leave.” You respond.

And Eddie doesn’t like that. He hates that actually.

It’s nearly one in the morning when Eddie knocks on your door. They returned from dinner hours ago and called it a night, but Eddie is standing at your hotel room door, knocking at one in the morning. It’s a heavy and loud knock, enough to wake you out of the deep slumber you’d been in, given the way you grimace when you open the door.

You rub your eyes, blinking a few times before settling into a visible state of confusion once you realize the person in front of you is Eddie. You clear the sleep from your throat before sleepily blinking at Eddie and asking if everything is okay. 

Eddie doesn’t waste time cutting to the chase, “Are you trying to get my uncle in your piece?”

And yeah, maybe the question could have waited until tomorrow, and maybe the question is dumb and not all that serious considering it was clearly a joke, but Eddie smoked a blunt and couldn’t stop thinking about you— and looking at you now, god, Eddie believes if he hadn’t smoked too much to teeter on the edge of paranoid, he’d kiss you. You’re so cute; painted toes digging into the plush carpet (he thinks he should ask if you’ve iced your ankle tonight), oversized shirt hanging over your body like a blanket, messy imprinted lines of sheets on your cheek from your slumber, and a cute little frown gracing your lips. Eddie’s chest tightens.

“…Huh?”

Eddie almost forgot you were stupid.

“Wayne. Are you interviewing him for the article?” Eddie repeats.

You blink a few times, glancing around the empty hallway and shaking your head, “Eddie, this— this couldn’t have waited?” Your voice teeters on the edge of whiney as you speak.

Eddie raises an eyebrow, and you huff, rubbing your eyes again before shrugging, “No, I— I don’t think so. I mean… he’s the one who offered to talk. I’m down to do it if he’d like—” “That’s not happening.”

Your eyebrows pinch together in confusion, “Excuse me?”

Eddie shakes his head, “Leave Wayne out of your stupid piece, okay? I don’t want you interviewing him, asking him stupid questions, and twisting his words. He doesn’t need any of that shit.”

And you blink up at him like you’re having trouble processing what he’s saying, and Eddie really wants to fucking kiss you. 

Too much weed, he thinks. He should’ve never smoked that much after such a long T-break.

“Um,” you hum, taking a moment to register Eddie’s words before speaking, “Okay… I didn’t realize I had overstepped. I won’t interview Wayne.” You respond. Kind, polite, sweet, and all things that make Eddie’s brain waves spike.

You yawn into the back of your hand, “Can I— can I go back to sleep now?”

And you’re standing there, blinking up at Eddie with these soft and pretty eyes, and Eddie thinks… Eddie thinks, fuck it.

Now, Eddie hadn’t exactly planned to come here and kiss you. Or maybe he had; he’s not exactly sure at this point, but he can’t find it in himself to care because kissing you feels better than any drug Eddie could ever get his hands on.

Your lips are soft and sweet and taste like the lip balm you’d applied before bed. And here, this close to you, Eddie can smell the shampoo in your hair, the clean, scented body wash you use, and the fresh linen lingering scent of the hotel sheets, and it’s intoxicating. 

You’re shocked at first; Eddie can tell from how still your lips are, but when you realize that Eddie is kissing you, god, Eddie nearly melts.

You kiss like nobody Eddie has ever kissed before. Like you’ve spent years perfecting every single move, calculated and precise and all things electrifying. And if this is how you kiss when you’re grumpy and sleepy, Eddie can’t imagine how you kiss regularly.

But he shouldn’t be imagining that, and he shouldn’t be kissing you, and he shouldn’t even be here, for fucks sake! 

It takes nearly everything in Eddie's body and soul to pull away from you, and it pains him when he loses the feeling of your lips against his, but Jesus Christ, Eddie doesn’t know what came over him.

You look at him in shock, almost like you’ve seen a ghost, and Eddie doesn’t know what to do or say.

All he can do is turn around and go back to his room without another word, leaving you speechless and confused, with only the echo of his door slamming to aid both of your whirling thoughts.

————

part five

————

a/n: GASSSPPP A KISS ?? LMAOO NEXT PART WILL BE A BIT MORE DRAMA FILLED SO LOCK IN BESTIES! AS ALWAYS, I LOVE ALL AND ANY FEEDBACK SO PLS LMK HOW U FEEL <3

————

cutie lil taglist: @mastermindmiko @whataboutbibi @ryanmxrie @ihatepeanutss @tlclick73 @motherfckerrr @emxxblog @jesssssmaybankk @eddiesguitarskills @bibieddiesgf @chloe-6123 @micheledawn1975 @demxnicprxncess @emma77645 @sidthedollface2 @mvnsonslvt @s-u-t @hereforshmut @welcometohellsock @lma1986 @animechick555 @sheneedsrocknroll92

[tunastime]

47 and ethubs?

OOOH anon, you know I always want to write Ethubs :3 lets see what song it is!

OOOOOH. Man oh man. This was SUCH a fun song for them, and I really had to listen to it a few times to get the feeling that I wanted to convey. This was a top song of mine either last year or the year before, and my band of ALL TIME. I'm so glad I got my friends into them <33 anyway, here's ethubs! (595 words)

Bdubs has kept a very close eye on Etho. It's hard not to—he. He has to keep himself on a very short leash around Etho right now because/ Well. He's red. Etho is being nice, but he's Etho, and there's something just under the halting laugh of his tone when he tells him he has to stay on one side of the base that threatens as much as it does soothe. 

He's Etho. 

What does Bdubs mean by that?

The obvious answer would be that Bdubs loves him, much too much and much too easily at that. He has loved Etho for a long time, much longer than Etho has loved him. Much longer than the clouds continue to grey and much longer than the mushy snow walls they've encased themselves in will last. Whether or not Etho knows that is not the focal point of this discussion—it's almost irrelevant, actually, to the weight of his decisions.

Bdubs is spinning in his mind all the possibilities of his survival. Less so than, he thinks, Etho is. Etho’s survival hinges on Bdubs’ death—or it at least hinges on Bdub leaving him to his own devices. Bdubs’ survival hinges on keeping himself alive, obviously, and in the arms of someone who’s safe. For that reason, Bdubs keeps his eyes on Etho. He can’t help but wonder though.

It would be so easy for Etho, to press the sharp tip of his sword into his chest and split the skin. Would he let him? Would he even yell? He'd have to draw the sword against him. Bdubs knows he won’t. He can't kill the thing he loves even if it bites him. And Bdubs bites him, even when he doesn't mean to.

Maybe he does mean to.

Bdubs presses his forehead against the lip of the small window in the closed room he’s been telling all these secrets to. The stone is cold under his skin, but he can’t tell if it’s the abnormal heat of him or the weather outside that makes it feel so icey. Does it really matter?

Right—where was he again?

He has to keep an eye on Etho. Half because he loves him far too much, and half because Etho might kill him just to save himself. He’s still trying to figure out if he’s okay with that.

(When it comes down to it, Bdubs will still be upset. Because as much as Etho promised him that he would live, he never got anything out of it in the end. Etho plays a game that keeps people at arm's length. Or maybe they’re not playing the same game at all.

That’s what Bdubs will learn, but not today.)

Bdubs steps out of the room that feels more like a confessional feeling significantly more thirsty for blood. Etho turns as he notices him from the corner of his eye. His eyes crinkle playfully.

Jumpy.

“What were you doin’ in there?” He asks, tilting his head. Still Etho, afterall. 

“Schemin’,” Bdubs grins, shaking off his anxiety. “What’s it to you?” 

Etho snorts.

“Nothin’,” he says lightly, turning back to the fire he’s building. The sky is getting orange around the edges. If Bdubs squints, he thinks he might be able to see stars. Beside Etho’s foot rests a battered metal teapot with a short piece of rope tied through the handle. “I was just curious.”

“Right,” Bdubs says. He tugs his cloak a little closer to him. “Aren’t you always?”

Etho laughs.

Bdubs pretends like it doesn’t make the words clam up in his throat.

(send me a number from 1-100 and I'll try to write a fic!)

[mandiemegatron]

It was almost suffocating, this feeling permeating throughout the room. He knew he had to get the two of them out, and fast.

(it's two sentences but shhhhh. Go crazy :D. I of course had law in mind cause teehehehehee 🤭🫣 I love him. But you write whomever!! Love you!! -Rye)

ɪᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ɪʟʟᴇɢᴀʟ ᴛᴏ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟꜱᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴀɴ ʟᴀᴡ 🤭💖 ᴀʟꜱᴏ ᴀᴀ ɪ'ᴍ ꜱᴏ ᴇxᴄɪᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴇɴᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪɴ, ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ɢᴏᴏᴅ 😈😈😈 ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴍ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇꜱᴛɪᴇ 🤭💖

ᴵᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᵃˡᵐᵒˢᵗ ˢᵘᶠᶠᵒᶜᵃᵗⁱⁿᵍ, ᵗʰⁱˢ ᶠᵉᵉˡⁱⁿᵍ ᵖᵉʳᵐᵉᵃᵗⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰʳᵒᵘᵍʰᵒᵘᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ʳᵒᵒᵐ. ᴴᵉ ᵏⁿᵉʷ ʰᵉ ʰᵃᵈ ᵗᵒ ᵍᵉᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᵗʷᵒ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉᵐ ᵒᵘᵗ, ᵃⁿᵈ ᶠᵃˢᵗ.

Law glances over at you again, noticing the panic slowly settling over your face as you take in the now closed entrance where you two had walked in. The heavy doors refused to budge, no matter how hard you kicked and how much you silently begged for them to reopen.

The lantern you'd brought and handed to him began to flicker, showing signs of low oxygen in the room. 'This isn't good...' Law thinks to himself before he places the lantern down, laying a heavy hand on your shoulder as he says,

"Stay calm, Y/N. The others weren't too far behind us, they should find us soon-"

He froze when you slowly looked up at him with watery eyes, fear and anxiousness settling over his skin. "T-they won't," you started, turning Law's blood to ice as you took a shuttered breath,

"Shachi s-said they were gonna turn back... they don't know how far into this place we ended up going..."

As Law takes in the ceiling littered in raw sea stone with a broken Kikoku in hand, he sighs heavily and goes to respond, only to get cut off as a low, gutteral sound echos off the dusty and dilapidated marble walls. You step closer to him and cling to the back of his shirt when something, what seems to be a similar echo, responds.

Weakened and now seemingly outnumbered, Law looks down at you as you grip your own weapon, ready to go out with a fight. You look up at your weakened Captain and you can only smile sadly as he whispers brokenly, "I'm so sorry."

You weren't given a chance to reply as the lantern finally flickered out, and all Law could hear was you screaming as something pulled you away.

[papayafiles]

two hearts in one home <3

(lando norris & max fewtrell - sweet creature by harry styles)

[kuwdora]

new witcher fic: Geralt/Vilgefortz

Ouroboros: Act 1

Explicit. ~5k. Masturbation, Fanon Continental art history, sexual fantasy, wankery. See the AO3 page for ample tags and notes. Choosing not to warn for some fic spoilery reasons and other stuff but I've still tagged a lot of things. Canon-typical everything applies to this fic. Show-book canon blending. There will be 5 parts with a lot of symbolism and western philosophy.

---

Vilgefortz quietly shepherded Geralt into a wing of the Gallery of Glory that featured artwork that was critical of mages and the history of the Brotherhood. Vilgefortz knew that with these paintings he would be able to entice Geralt into further discourse about divergent paths and reflect upon the future together.

Geralt followed along wordlessly and Vilgefortz could sense that Geralt was missing Yennefer, wanting nothing more than peace and solitude away from the ball. Vilgefortz would offer him that.

He had encountered many puzzles in the world, but they held little mystery because Vilgefortz’s experience as a vagabond, druid, and mage had given him a unique skill set to see through them. In spite of their ongoing discussion about the life of an outcast, Vilgefortz remained no closer to fully understanding the puzzle that stood at his side.

Geralt frowned at the painting he was standing in front of and Vilgefortz sensed the melancholy surging around the witcher like the tide of the ocean.

read Act 1 on ao3

[antaripirate]

soft kellila as cats i found saved in my camera roll:

the ‘rhy and alucard made us come to this event, we do not want to be here, please leave us alone’ :

the ‘kell watching lila touch stuff in fletcher’s shop after he specifically told her not to’ :

the ‘kell ‘i know i’m an idiot but idc bc i’m your idiot’ maresh’ :

the ‘i don’t need to sleep with my back to the wall and a knife on my knee anymore’ :

the ‘you’ve been steering the ship all night and i’m half asleep and don’t know much about sailing but i’m here to hold you for moral support’ :

the ‘finally arrived back in london after a long ass journey, time to collapse’ :

and finally, the ‘anoshe’ :

[buntanteen]

svt fic recs list <3 - ot13 carat day/valentine's day edition - sfw & nsfw ver.

summary: for carat day and valentine's day, 26 reader insert fics [1 sfw & 1 nsfw per svt member]

contains: 18+ nsfw (mdni!!) majority is afab reader

✩ svt writing & fic rec masterlist ✩

✩ choi seungcheol/scoups ✩

❥ cheol of the day - @xinganhao

❥ older bf! cheol (+18 mdni) - @cherrybr4t

✩ yoon jeonghan ✩

❥ so disconnected - @ylangelegy

❥ fake enemies - @cherrybr4t

✩ hong jisoo/joshua ✩

❥ what it's like having joshua as your husband - @wonkierideu

❥ joshua overstimulating reader - @hoshifighting

✩ wen junhui/jun ✩

❥ clingy jun kitty jun - @miaoua3

❥ junhui with hickeys - @sluttywonwoo

✩ kwon soonyoung/hoshi ✩

❥ AREN’T YOU FORGETTING SOMETHING? - @minniesfiles

❥ porn star!hoshi - @hoshifighting

✩ jeon wonwoo ✩

❥ DATING WONWOO INCLUDES… - @svtswhorehouse

❥ pretty boys bring you to heaven - @cherrybr4t

✩ lee jihoon/woozi ✩

❥ critical inquiry - @heartsfromia

❥ woozi boyfriend headcanons (NSFW) - @jihoonjuseyo

✩ xu minghao/the8 ✩

❥ fan account - @channiesbakery

❥ touch me, tease me, feel me up - @seungkw1

✩ kim mingyu ✩

❥ not for sale (masterlist - ongoing) - @xinganhao

❥ shutting mingyu moans while you're riding him while there are people in the next room - @hoshifighting

✩ lee seokmin/dokyeom/dk ✩

❥ ultimate boyfriend material - @fairyhaos

❥ pussydrunk!seokmin - @hannieehaee

✩ boo seungkwan ✩

❥ tangerine tours - @xinganhao

❥ aphrodisiac - @hoshifighting

✩ chwe hansol/vernon ✩

❥ vernon + clingy/affectionate!reader - @ssentimentals

❥ you're so sweet, but… - @seungkw1

✩ lee chan/dino ✩

❥ operation dispatch - @xinganhao

❥ phone sex with chan as he uses a fleshlight - @hoshifighting

ames note: no commentary cuz there's like...so many fic recs on here i didn't want to crowd it with too much text haha. i hope y'all enjoyyyyy these and carat/valentine's day!! <3

[giddyfatherchris]

📱skz texts — they find out you have a marriage pact with a friend

| including. bang chan, lee know, changbin, hyunjin

type. gn!reader, request <3

warnings. curse words here and there but thats it!

a/n. these were literally so fun to make!!! also this is my second post in like two or three days :o who am i :o hope you guys enjoyyyyy mwah xx

maknae line