#I take that smile everywhere with me like a lucky charm and I hope I'll never lose it❤

[batri-jopa]

Welcome to another one of #my ATWD issues

(that means: me overthinking the movie And Then We Danced/ და ჩვენ ვიცეკვეთ, 2019, dir. Levan Akin)

This one been provoked by my talk with @notasapleasure (and with my short ATWD fanfic)

For long time I tried to analyse the moment in the studio with Merab and Irakli practicing together for the first time. I could not stop thinking why did Merab reacted to somebody's kindness the way he did but even more - I could not quite understand Irakli's response: wouldn't it be natural after getting the harsh reply, that clearly mind-your-own-bussiness message for Irakli to feel hurt, offended or anything like that and not... smiling? Just as if he understood some kind of a joke that we've all missed...

So first of all I think Merabi learned throughout his life so far that every talk with another guy (especially when it's about dancing) was an opportunity to compete - to the point it sounds quite ridiculous sometimes... You can hear it in the studio (when he says "I dance since I can walk") as well as later in Irakli's room (speaking about audition in such a manner as if he really was so sure of his own victory over Irakli). At times like this I think Merab was forever a little boy, trained to always play tough and to prove his worth to his brother and older mates at any given occassion. Although he's trying so much it sometimes looks as if he was just a small, nimble kitten who flexed and strutted to look bigger - and all he can ever manage is to look cute...

Now I can imagine Irakli might have met boys much younger that him behaving in a very similar way - maybe among his friends, maybe some little cousin, maybe a little girl? It is possible that he even have a talk about it with someone already: like older cousins being parents and discussing their kids behaviour, or some friend describing how their much younger sibling is always trying to show they can do everything just as good as the big brother does, or maybe some older person speaking about how one of the adults was like this years ago...

I guess it's highly probable Irakli had a lot of meetings like this in his life for Georgians have big families and often gathering to eat and talk with younger relatives as well as with the older ones (we in Poland do that too, though not that often anymore, like my mom's family is much bigger than the average one and we meet in a wider company 2 or 3 times a year). It also kind of explains the way Irakli treats his Granny - I guess such care and patience toward repetitive and memory losing old ladies is not so common among guys in his age in western Europe. But Irakli is naturally used to cooperate and care for elder people as well as for younger ones.

And above it all - he also is just a person sensible enough to empathize with somebody's struggle and bear it all in mind. Maybe he even once helped some little boy / little girl to win over his/her older siblings? And felt the overhelming happines of that child's long awaited glory - making him feel joyful and satified on his behalf as if that victory was partially his own?

And what if Irakli himself were like that one day as the only child fighting for his place in the group of older boys when he was little?

And so with any exprerience like that and also being slightly older than Merab - Irakli immediately recognised that mechanism in Merabi's impolite reaction and that's why it made him feel so tenderly toward the guy instead of feeling hurt or offended. He saw the ambitious little boy who can't get to be appreciated but never gave up trying.

Now it may sound ridiculous to some of you but maybe that's exactly what set Irakli's attention at Merab in the first place: it kind of switched on his protectivness and the wish to help that little boy prove his worth. And I do not mean any feeling "older and superior" - I mean the empathetic feeling "I am like you, I feel you and I sincerely want you to feel better"

I think even the first tender smile Irakli gives to Merab (barely knowing anything about him yet, mind you!) might be revealing that Merab reminded him of someone. Someone he already knew and who's memory automatically evoked a warm feeling in his heart. Only from now on every next smile like that will be because of Merab and for Merab only.

[So to all of you alloromantic and allosexual ppl that scene was probably just an obvious "love at first sight" with no need for further digging. But I am AroAce so I am here to search for the obvious and find the unexpected🤷]

Now let's get back to Merab:

He is a younger brother and yes it matters as his personality trait.

I am a younger sibling myself though I'm sure the rivarly between brother and sister is nothing compared to two brothers. For Merab it's the neverending proving that he's not any worse than Davit. Especially as he constantly have to hear the opposite:

So there's that one particular day when in the morning he gets replaced in a dance duo (because apparently after a year of practicing he was not as good as guy who just arrived to the town),

then in the afternoon he has to listen to his own dad telling him that no matter if he practice dancing all days long he'll still be worse than his lazy brother (could have avoided hearing that if not trying to sacrifice himself for the family visiting Ioseb to get some money for electric bill...)

and if that still did not make him feel like a shit: after he finally returns home in the evening - who becomes the hero of the day? Why of course, the drunkard carefree Davit!

It was not until Irakli that Merabi meet anyone to whom he would not need to constantly prove his worth. Yes, there was Mari - but no matter all the sympathy and understanding she has for Merab - as a young Georgian boy he'd also been taught to always prove masculinity to her simply because she was a girl...

So Irakli is the first person Merabi do not need to prove anything. The first person looking at him like there was nobody else in the world worth his attention more. And once Irakli can't hide his drunken style adoration - Merab is so visibly confused for suddently getting all of that attention he was never used to get! In the studio he reacted automatically as always when he was competed. But then by the door of his own bathroom it clearly was not the case and now he has no idea of how to proceed under these new "non competetive" circumstances...

I mean Merab looks as if he'd gladly hide behind a cow if only he had one on his own 😆

(Sorry, I had to finally compare Merabi with Hava from Fiddler on The Roof, I just could not stop myself any longer)

[helloalycia]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐎𝐑 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 [𝐓𝐖𝐎] —𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐎𝐑

summary: Jackie and you become closer and she takes it as a challenge to make you fall for her charms.

warning/s: none.

author’s note: part 2 is finally here, sorry for the delay! i’ve had a migraine all day otherwise i would’ve posted this earlier 😅 hope you like it!

one / three / masterlist / wattpad

A month passed and any reminder of my conflict with Leroy and Tiffany had faded into oblivion. Jackie was correct in assuming they'd drop their beef with me, and once my hand was healed and Jackie's face no longer looked like an overly inflated balloon, there was nothing left to remind me of the incidents that occurred.

The only thing to come out of the whole experience was being a little more than acquaintances with Jackie. I couldn't go as far as saying we were friends, but she definitely felt the need to greet me more whenever she saw me in class, and I didn't mind returning the favour.

The real shift in our relationship began when Van, Jackie, Shauna and I were grouped up for a History class project. It was a presentation we needed to pull together, so we'd all made plans to meet up to discuss everything over coffee, which is how I found myself driving there with Van in my new car.

"You know you're gonna have to take me everywhere now," Van pointed out from the passenger seat with a grin. "I'm gonna be your passenger princess."

I laughed. "Hey, I don't mind. It's a bit of a rust bucket, but it beats skateboarding everywhere." I paused, then added, "Who am I kidding? I'm gonna miss skateboarding everywhere."

"We can still hit up the skate park every now and then," she promised. "But driving is a lot easier, you can't lie."

I smiled in agreement. After using some of my savings and convincing my parents it was time to get a car, they bought me an old, second-hand banger from one of my dad's friends who owned a garage. It wasn't the best looking car, but after a wash and a little bit of sprucing up with some car accessories, it looked decent enough to serve its purpose.

Conveniently, I pulled up at the coffee shop at the same time as Shauna, who was parking a few spots down. When Van and I jumped out the car with our bags, Jackie and Shauna were already approaching us.

"Hey," Shauna greeted us both with a smile, before nodding with approval at my car. "Love the new ride, Y/L/N."

"Thanks," I said with proud smile.

"You got to the part where you have to fill the tyres with air?" she asked with amusement. "It's so awkward when everyone watches you do it."

I snorted with amusement. "I'll be lucky if I get that far. This thing is trying its best right now."

She chuckled and glanced over it once more. "It's still pretty nice. Gets you from A to B, right? Driving saves so much time, trust me."

"Very true," I agreed, before I noticed Jackie checking it out curiously, having greeted Van already. I quirked a brow as I jokingly asked, "What? Not up to the princess' standards?"

Van and Shauna exchanged amused glances whilst Jackie shot me a playful glare.

"That's not what I was thinking," she said matter-of-factly.

I stopped by her side to look at it like she was, giving her a sideways glance. "I was kidding. Kind of."

She gave me a knowing look. "It's nice."

I tried not to laugh as I said, "Thank you."

She rolled her eyes playfully before the four of us headed inside to find a table. After claiming a booth in the corner, we pulled out our supplies and textbooks to get started.

"I'll go order our drinks," I offered, before we got stuck in. "Everybody know what they want?"

After they shared their orders with me, I slid out the booth to get in the queue, but Jackie slid out alongside me.

"You might need more hands to carry it," she said, when I quirked a brow.

I shrugged and the two of us got in line to order. It didn't take long to reach the front, and after giving the barista our order and paying, Jackie decided she wanted a muffin that was on display.

"Shoot, I'm so sorry to be annoying," she said with her signature smile, albeit a little apologetic, as she pointed to the muffin. "Please can we get that too?"

The guy, probably no older than we were, nodded eagerly and got the muffin for her, placing it on the tray. "Of course. It's on the house."

I resisted the urge to smile as I raised an eyebrow, watching Jackie laugh flirtatiously.

"No! Really?" she asked with bright eyes. "You're too sweet!"

The guy shrugged casually, his cheeks turning pink as she gave him all her attention in this moment. Before we knew it, our drinks were added to the tray and I picked it up to leave.

"Thanks again," she said with a tilt of her head and a matching smile.

He watched her leave distractedly, and only when we were walking away did I let out a quiet chuckle at what I'd just witnessed.

"What?" she asked, glancing at me, as if she didn't know what she'd done.

I gave her a look of disbelief. "Seriously?" Her confused expression forced me to continue. "You just bat your eyes and get what you want?"

She looked up thoughtfully before nodding. "Pretty much."

Breathing out through my nose, I shook my head with amazement. It made sense that even strangers fell victim to the Jackie Taylor effect.

"Can you get some napkins?" she asked, flashing me the same smile she gave the barista, but I would be damned if she thought she could fool me.

"Not a chance," I said with a stifled laugh, equally amused by her frown as I was her audacity.

I returned to the booth as she went to grab some napkins for us, and the four of us got stuck in immediately. As well as getting the base of our presentation researched, we also had a nice bonding session. To be fair, Van already knew Jackie and Shauna well, but I enjoyed getting to know them too.

I especially learnt that Jackie was pretty used to getting what she wanted whenever she wanted, and having people fall head over heels for her. This was something that came to light the more time we spent together working on this project. I guess you could say that the project is what intertwined our lives again once more.

—

After yet another studying session with Jackie, Shauna and Van in the library last night, I realised I grabbed Jackie's notebook by accident and planned to return it to her the next morning at school. I found her by her locker, but she was in a conversation with Jeff and I debated whether or not to interrupt.

They weren't together, the two of them surprisingly staying broken up unlike the many other times they'd somehow got back together, so it was odd to see them talking. But it wasn't any of my business, even if I was a little curious to whether they were back together – especially after everything that happened – so I just sucked it up and politely interrupted.

When I stopped by their side awkwardly, their conversation fell quiet and Jeff glanced at me, no doubt thinking of the whole Leroy incident. Without another word, he walked away, leaving Jackie and I alone.

"Sorry," I said to her uncomfortably, before holding out her notebook. "I just wanted to give you this."

"Oh, thanks," she said, blinking, before accepting the notebook. "I was looking for this all morning."

"Yeah, I must've grabbed it by accident," I said with a small smile. "My bad."

She nodded, and I was about to leave, but then she met my eyes and said, "That wasn't–"

She'd stopped, so I prodded, "Wasn't...?"

Uneasily, she explained, "He's been trying to get back together with me. Jeff."

I chewed on my lip, unsure what to respond, because she didn't owe me any kind of explanation. But a small part of me was nosy enough to want it.

"I'm not stupid, obviously," she continued.

"Obviously," I repeated in agreement, otherwise stumped for words.

"But yeah," she finished, a small, awkward smile on her lips. "That's it."

I mirrored her smile, nodding. "Awesome... er, thanks for the update."

She cleared her throat, nodding too, and then an uncomfortable silence filled the air. I was relieved, though I would never admit it, to know that she wasn't considering going back to him. It only reaffirmed all she'd said about listening to me, and it showed that she respected whatever friendship we seemed to share.

"I'll see you in class," I said, straightening up.

She relaxed her shoulders. "Yeah. See you."

—

Shortly after finishing our group assignment together, Jackie felt the need to work with me more often, for whatever reason. She had a lot of friends, so I couldn't see why she needed me in the mix also, but I guess I wasn't totally against it.

I was walking into Chemistry class when I spotted the blonde sat where my usual lab partner, Dennis, sat. Getting a sense of deja vu, I watched her questioningly as I set my stuff down in my seat.

"Is there a particular reason you're sat there?" I asked, when she flashed me a nonchalant smile.

Placing her chin in the palm of her hand, she stared at me through her lashes. "I feel like you don't know me well enough. So, I switched partners."

I resisted the urge to laugh, oddly intrigued by whatever game she was playing. "I mean, we've only been in the same classes all our life, but–"

"It's not the same," she insisted with a wave of her hand, making me laugh.

Not caring enough to be opposed to her trading seats with Dennis, I took a seat beside her and began to get my books out. As I did, our teacher, Mr Turner, approached our table with a stern expression.

"Miss Taylor," he addressed her. "Can I ask why you're not sitting in your assigned seat?"

I watched on with amusement, wondering how she'd get herself out of this one. But if she was sweating in the slightest, it didn't show.

Shooting Mr Turner her signature smile, she said, "I'm sorry, Mr Turner. I was just about to come and ask you permission. I thought moving beside Y/N here would help improve my grade and be less of a distraction than my old partner."

I quirked a brow, glancing between him and her, and watched as his expression softened slightly. Holy shit. The Jackie Taylor effect worked on teachers too?

"Very well," he conceded. "I suppose that's alright, if it's for the betterment of your learning. Just don't let me catch you chatting through my teaching, alright?"

She nodded innocently. "Of course. I'd never disrespect you like that."

My mouth opened slightly with disbelief, her pure arse kissing astounding me. Mr Turner nodded appreciatively before returning to the front of the classroom, and Jackie turned to me with a cheeky smile.

"I'm impressed," I admitted. "Everybody really loves you, huh?"

As she grabbed her book, she shrugged, though gave me a sideways glance as if she was pouting. "Almost everyone."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "C'mon, Jackie. You have the whole school– heck, probably the whole world at your fingertips. Why are you so adamant on making me like you?"

She raised her brows impatiently. "Because I'm likeable!"

The pink tinge on her cheeks, darkening her already-existent blusher, paired with her impatience only served to make me grin. If I'd known treating Jackie Taylor like this would get her so flustered, I would have done it more often. It was definitely entertaining, and she was going through more effort than she needed to, which only made me laugh more.

As amusing as it was though, I knew she'd give up soon. I simply refused to let myself slip under the Jackie Taylor spell that she had over everyone – doing whatever she wanted, treating her like she was god's gift, there at her beck and call... Unlike every other poor soul who genuinely believed they had a chance with her, no doubt because she had a power to make you feel that way, I wasn't naive. Jackie Taylor was out of my league, as a friend or anything more.

I wasn't blind. Her powers of seduction were rooted in her beauty and ability to turn heads wherever she went. It was normal to have a tiny crush on her, I was sure of it, but I'd never let it be more than that.

Of course, there were small micro-moments where I'd let myself indulge for once, to be a little selfish and delirious. Like now, as she sat beside me in class, nodding along to what Mr Turner was explaining. From the corner of my eye, it was easy to make out the perfect curve of her jaw, the glossiness of her lips, the flutter of her eyelashes. And it would have been even easier to give into it all, especially when she asked me to grab her a lab coat from the back of the classroom, a soft smile on her lips and a single bat of her eyelashes.

But all it took was one relinquishment of power and I'd be just another fool who let Jackie Taylor create delusion in their heads. And I refused.

"I don't know what the arrangement between you and your last partner was, but here, you do things yourself," I said with a suppressed smile, appreciating the way her face dropped.

She tensed her jaw slightly, before trailing along behind me to grab a lab coat. After suiting up, we returned to our desk and I got out the lab equipment whilst she read over the worksheet we'd been given.

"Okay, first step is to turn on the bunsen burner," she read aloud, glancing at me expectantly.

"Great." I pushed over the bunsen burner to her. "Go on."

Indifferently, she straightened up and began to connect the hose to the bunsen burner, shooting me a knowing look as she connected the whole thing to the gas tap.

"I know how to do things myself, y'know," she said disapprovingly.

I chuckled. "I know, it's just fun watching you actually do it."

She huffed dramatically before twisting the gas tap without warning, making me jump back quickly as the flame lit up. Her eyes widened as she twisted it off, before falling to me with both concern and amusement.

"Shit, are you okay?" she asked, hand covering her mouth, but a smile was threatening to break out.

I released a breath, touching my shirt which almost set on fire, and shot her a look. "I am, yeah. No thanks to you!"

She began to laugh quietly. "I'm sorry. See? If you'd just done it for us, that wouldn't have happened."

"Oh, if I'd just done it for us?" I asked sarcastically, mimicking her voice.

"Yeah, you should've just listened–" she started, eyes darting between mine with entertainment.

"I should've just listened," I agreed, still as sarky as ever.

"Yes," she agreed between laughter.

I sighed, giving into my smile as she watched me with dismay. This was going to be a long lesson.

—

As much as I hated to admit it, I was enjoying having Jackie as my lab partner, looking forward to the hour lesson where she was as careless as ever when it came to our experiments, but to the satisfaction and humour of me. Of course, she could never know that all of her efforts to sway me were working, so I played it cool.

I definitely didn't expect to see her beyond that, so I was especially surprised when I showed up to the local community centre after school with the intention of improving my college application and saw her waiting outside with a few other students. I did a double take, her face being the last I expected to see.

"Hey," she said when she recognised me, moving to stand beside me with her usual blinding smile.

"Are you stalking me, Taylor?" I asked jokingly.

"You wish," she retorted with a playful eye roll. "I'm here because it looks good for my college application."

"Ah, of course."

She lifted a brow. "You?"

"Same," I admitted sheepishly, making her laugh.

Once the other students turned up, there were thirteen of us in total and the manager of the community centre met us outside to brief us. We were to work on the community garden over the coming weeks, helping to clean it up and plant some fresh produce and flowers to brighten up the place. Only once it was complete would we get a certificate of recognition for our efforts.

We got stuck in straight away, everyone assigned to different areas. Jackie and I were working on planting the flower beds, so the first thing to do was bring over the soil to the designated area. I heaved the giant bag of soil over my shoulder and brought it over, dropping it to the ground with a sigh and wiping the sweat from my head.

Giggling made me look up, and I watched as Jackie got some freshman to grab her bag, twirling her hair and fluttering her eyelashes as he dropped the bag beside mine.

"You're too sweet, Johnny," she said with a classic tilt of her head, touching his arm. "Thanks again."

He shrugged casually, clearly affected by her attention. "Anytime. You need a hand with anything else, just let me know."

She nodded in agreement and watched as he walked away before her eyes found mine.

"What?" she said like it was obvious. "It would've gotten my nails dirty."

I glanced down at the soil staining my shirt, before giving her a knowing look. "Wait until you start to plant the seeds."

Kneeling down, I used the spade provided to dig out the old dead plants from the flower beds. She kneeled down beside me, careful not to dirty her skirt as she did, and watched my hands work.

"I'm curious," I said, glancing at her. "Were you planning to help at all?"

She straightened up with a sense of pride. "Of course." And then reluctantly, she used her hands to help me remove the old plants, but not without pulling a face.

I tried not to laugh as I watched, finding a sense of satisfaction as her fingernails did indeed get stained with soil. Working alongside her, I used the spade to dig out the next plant, but it skidded across the soil, the plant too firm, and I ended up flicking a handful of soil at Jackie.

"Oh, shit," I said with a stifled smile, watching as she looked down at her clothes. "Sorry."

She breathed out slowly and dusted the soil off, but it left dark tracks in its midst. "It's fine."

"Good thing you wore your old clothes, right?" I asked, biting my lip to contain my smile.

She hummed in agreement, jaw tensing slightly, and a grin fell upon my lips. Everything she wore looked too nice to be considered old. Poor Jackie was probably not expecting to lift a finger.

For whatever reason, whether it was to prove me wrong or to prove her own point, she actually helped me with our tasks, no longer using freshmen to get everything done. It was fun, working with her, and it only gave me more time to appreciate spending with her.

Once we'd done our assigned two hours, it was finally time to leave for the day, and Jackie and I walked out together. Parked a few cars down from mine was Shauna's, and I gave Jackie a look of disbelief.

"You made Shauna pick you up?"

"Duh," she said with a shrug.

I breathed out slowly, looking up and shaking my head. "Why do I still get surprised?"

"What? That people love me?" she asked with a teasing voice.

"Yes."

She rolled her eyes, lips pressing into a smile. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. Until then, see you tomorrow."

I waved goodbye to her as she kept walking, trying to understand the hold she had on everyone. Her and her silly smiles and silly hazel eyes and silly raspy voice.

Annoyingly enough, I was starting to see it.

—

I found myself in Chemistry class later that week, doodling on my notebook as I waited for class to properly start. Jackie arrived as usual, greeting me, and when I looked up, I took a moment to find my words.

"You look different," I said without thinking, trying to figure it out.

"I'm pretty sure I don't," she said with a chuckle, sitting beside me like always.

But no, there was something different about her today, something that had me admiring her a little more closely than usual. And as I was subtly studying the freckles on her face, the slope of her nose, the golden flecks in her eyes, it hit me.

"Your hair," I said with realisation, making her look up. "It's up. You never have it up."

She lifted a brow with amusement. "I guess, maybe not often, but..."

She'd worn her hair up before, obviously, but her signature look was to leave it out, freshly curled. So, seeing her with it up just happened to draw my attention more, and also show off her pretty face a bit more, which I guess is why I noticed.

Satisfied that I'd figured it out, I nodded. "Yeah, that's it. It looks pretty like that."

Her lips curved into a soft smile, eyes darting away from mine in an uncharacteristic manner. "Er, thanks."

I didn't think much more of it as I returned to my doodling, but then from that day onwards, I noticed she began to wear her hair up more often. And every single time, I found myself admiring her secretly, letting myself indulge just that little bit more.

—

Promising to pick up Van from soccer practice today, I headed to the field to wait in the bleachers for her, having killed time studying all I could before my brain would fry itself. I was a little early, so the Yellowjackets were still practicing.

I took that as my opportunity to get comfortable at the bottom of the bleachers, feet leaning on the ones in front of me as I pulled my headphones on and focused on my book. I was deep into it when something hit me and I jumped, startled.

Yanking my headphones off, I looked down to see a bottle cap, and then looked up to see a laughing Jackie stood by the bench on the field, bottle of water in hand.

"Thanks," I said sarcastically, before tossing the cap back at her, which she swiftly dodged.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with a grin.

Admittedly, she looked really cute right now, dressed in the school gym kit, a little sweaty and her face flushed pink from all the running she'd done. But I would never give her that satisfaction, so sarcasm was my next best defence.

"Oh, I just had to come and see Jackie Taylor in all of her team captain glory."

She raised her brows, pausing. "Really?"

"No. I'm here to pick Van up."

She scoffed gently, rolling her eyes.

"As much as your many admirers would love to watch you practice, I'm not one of them," I teased.

"Hilarious," she said with narrowed eyes, making me grin. Dismissing my mockery, she asked, "Are you coming to the pep rally tomorrow? First game of the season is this week."

I leaned back, thinking about it. "Eh, why not?"

Hand on her hip, she shot me a disapproving smile. "Don't sound too enthusiastic or anything."

I crossed my legs comfortably as I met her challenging stare. "I'm not big on the whole soccer thing. I'm just going to support Van. That's what a good friend would do."

She began to smile, a glint of amusement in her gaze. "A good friend, huh? Pat yourself on the back much?"

"Someone has to."

She looked away with disbelief, hiding a smile. "Wow, I see."

I quirked a brow, smile forming on my lips. "See how annoying that is? That's what it's like having a conversation with you."

She pursed her lips as she looked over me with feigned irritation. "Touché, Y/N."

I flashed her a satisfied smile as she finished the last of her water before flipping me off then jogging back to the others. I chuckled to myself as I watched her leave, admittedly checking her out as I did. Stupid Jackie and her stupid cute face.

—

We were well into October when it happened. I couldn't have seen it coming in the slightest.

Lottie, one of Van's teammates, was hosting the ultimate Halloween party at her mansion of her house, able to get away with it because her parents were away. Everybody was attending, and if Van herself didn't invite me, at least ten other people had because of how awesome it was supposed to be. Naturally, I said yes, loving a party more than anyone else but especially a costume party.

So, I showed up with Van and Taissa, the latter opting for a Catwoman costume that she very much pulled off, and Van and I dressing up as two of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – her as Michelangelo and myself as Leonardo. They were iconic outfits, what could I say?

Of course, I may have felt a little stupid when we met up with the rest of Van's team, including Jackie who looked drool-worthy in her Supergirl costume.

"Wow, you two look...," she began when she saw Van and I, eyes flickering between our matching costumes. "It's very you."

Van swung her nunchucks in agreement. "I thought so too. Love the sexy Supergirl getup."

Jackie stifled a smile as she nodded in acknowledgement, before her eyes fell to me. "Which one are you? Raphael?"

I pointed to the blue bandana over my eyes. "Leonardo, obviously."

A grin broke out on her lips as she touched the bandana, pulling it over my eyes a bit better and also sending goosebumps all over my skin at her touch. "Obviously."

I swallowed thickly, trying not to let my eyes drift below her head, because her costume was very tight and she looked very good right now.

"Nat's pouring everyone drinks in the kitchen," she said, looking between the three of us. "You coming?"

"Hell yeah," Van spoke for us all, raising her nunchucks in the air, before glancing back at Taissa and I. "Leonardo and Catwoman, on my six!"

I cracked a smile as I readied my sword and followed after my idiot best friend. 

It was admittedly an eventful first few hours, with Van and I stressing Taissa out enough times that she was forced to take our pretend weapons off us for the rest of the party. Apparently assuming the personas of our costumes wasn't going down well with her, which, in hindsight, was fair when I remembered how drunk we got.

At one point, I found myself rambling to some random guy about the lore of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, aware that he was passed out on the couch beside me but still talking anyway, when Jackie strolled over to me, just as drunk as I was.

"There you are," she said with a grin. "Come dance with me."

"Jackie, I'm in the middle of a conversation," I said, motioning to my passed out friend.

"He's asleep, idiot," she pointed out, before outstretching her hand and wiggling it. "Come on."

I batted her hand away. "I don't dance."

She lost her smile as her patience ran quicker now that her inhibitions were lowered. "Y/N."

Finding it amusing, I motioned around us. "There's a billion people here. One of them would kill to dance with you. Why not ask them?"

"I'm asking you," she said through gritted teeth.

Not really aware of her anger, I pushed myself off the couch with a stretch. "I'm hungry."

She glared at me as I walked away, pushing through the party-goers and intending to find the kitchen, but Lottie's house was huge and I'd already forgotten the layout. I opened several wrong doors, and then on the last one – some sort of games room – I felt someone shove me from behind, forcing me in.

"Hey–!"

"Why does nothing work with you?!" Jackie interrupted my complaining, shutting the door behind her and fixing me with a frustrated stare.

I blinked, confused.

She scoffed, uncrossing her arms and rolling her eyes. "I've been trying to get your attention for months, you idiot! I even started–" she faltered, embarrassed, "wearing my hair up because of one stupid compliment you gave me."

My brain was working slower than usual, so her words were catching up to me little by little. "I noticed that."

Still not happy, she narrowed her eyes at me. "Why do I even try?"

Realising this was about the Jackie Taylor effect, as I'd rightly dubbed it now, I said, "Everybody loves you. Why is it so important if I don't?"

Her eyes flickered between mine, and I was certain she was going to slap me or berate me or shout at me. But then her expression softened and she admitted, "Because I want you to."

I didn't get chance to register her words before she stepped forward, pressing her lips to mine. Her fingers curled around the back of my neck and I found myself melting under her touch, falling right into her. Her lips tasted like alcohol, tobacco and strawberry lipgloss, and I was suddenly eager to taste her concoction even more, all my senses heightened as I pulled her close.

She moved her lips against mine eagerly, fingers sending shivers down my spine as they tickled my skin, and I pushed my tongue between her lips in retaliation, not even thinking about anything other than her. We broke apart for air, barely seconds passing before our lips reconnected, and I was infatuated with every part of the blonde that had been on my mind these past few months.

Time was a drunken haze – we could have been there for seconds or hours for all I knew – and we were unfortunately interrupted by the sound of the door suddenly opening. Our sloppy movements meant we pulled apart a second too late, and we turned to see Van standing there in her Michelangelo costume. God, did I look that stupid right now?

"You're both trashed," she said, words slurred, before she looked to me. "C'mon. Catwoman is taking us home." Then she looked to Jackie, adding, "Shauna's looking for you."

I glanced at Jackie, heart still racing and her taste still on my lips. The state I was in made everything feel like it was so distant, as if it was happening to someone else, so I still hadn't truly acknowledged what had just happened between us. Jackie was already looking at me, eyes half lidded and cheeks flushed. I almost wanted to kiss her again, but Van impatiently calling my name snapped me out of it.

"Coming," I told her, before tearing my eyes from Jackie and following after Van.

[kazucafe]

love language. [ modern au ] — the little things they do to remind you that they love you.

characters: albedo, xiao, kazuha, diluc genre: fluff, comfort, established relationship note: yet another one posted on my old account, i hope you like this one too :> likes and reblogs would be highly appreciated!

if there's anyone who could ever know you better than you know yourself, it's albedo. does it come as a surprise? no, not when he cherishes you and wants to always be able to provide you with whatever you need. he's a keen observer, silently noting the things that make you happy, what upsets you, how to comfort you, and so on. remember that thing you said you wanted three weeks ago? no? albedo got it for you anyway. maybe it wasn't that important to you, but it made you smile nonetheless — that's why he'll always remember.

xiao normally wakes up before you and goes out to get some fresh air before eating breakfast. he worries you might feel lonely waking up alone, which prompts him to leave short notes saying “did you sleep well?” and “i'll be back for breakfast, wait for me.” he disappears randomly, but always leaves some sort of reassurance that he'll return and that he's thinking of you while he's away. once he comes back, he gives you things like a flower he picked up or even an oddly shaped pebble because it reminded him of you.

this one seems obvious enough. kazuha makes it a habit to write poems and little love letters for you. the sappiest most beautiful ones are when he speaks of the sound of your laughter, the comfort of your heartbeat, how radiantly you shine in his eyes... the list goes on. he's flattered when you constantly praise him for his way with words — “well, they are, after all, a reflection of my muse,” he responds.

if diluc ever comes home late from work (that's if he ever gets off work late— he usually never does, he loves his time with you way too much and never wants to be apart. needless to say, he abhors overtime.) and you've passed out waiting for him, he'll tuck you under your blanket and hold you in his arms until sleep overtakes him beside you. on weekends, he'll plan outings with you to unwind; if you prefer staying in, though, he'll stay beside you as he reads a book.

on one of your dates, you and thoma bought a potted plant to add some life to your home, and he's probably more enthusiastic about taking care of it than you are— you caught him baby-talking one morning while he was watering it, which you never stop teasing him over. whenever thoma is away for days at a time, he takes it with him. he says it's like a lucky charm because it holds one of his favorite memories with you. in a way, he feels as if he's taking you everywhere he goes, and he likes it that way.

[dracosrep]

~Missed You~ D.M

(fluff, semi-smut)

---------------------------

PAIRING: Draco Malfoy x Y/N

WARNINGS: fingering in public

SUMMARY: Draco teases Y/N during breakfast at Hogwarts.

I just woke up, but not in a great mood. I studied all night for the charms test hoping I will get at least 60/100.

I decided to get out of bed earlier so I can get ready, for what's next. My boyfriend Draco got a break from Hogwarts because of personal causes. It's been two weeks since he left. But yesterday he sent me a letter to let me know that he's coming back today.

Me and Draco have a really great relationship. We fit perfectly like puzzle pieces. And my God, those ocean blue eyes. I feel like they hypnotize me. I'm so lucky to be with him, he's just so kind. Not to mention all the love and the attention he gives me.

I put on my uniform and fix my hair then I search for my books. I finally got myself out of the room with so many things going inside my head 'What personal causes?' 'Why didn't he tell me?'

I enter the Great Hall and my eyes are looking for him everywhere. He didn't arrive yet, I guess. So I go and sit next to Pansy.

"Hey how are you girl?" Pansy spoke to me but I didn't notice, I was too busy looking for him in every inch of this big room.

Pansy noticed that I'm constantly turning my head. "Who are you looking for- oh" Draco entered the hall, immediately he saw me and rushed to me. I quickly got up and ran to him. He embraced me in a long, big hug.

"I missed you." He softly spoke to me. "I missed you more." I whispered to him. He split the hug so he could look at me. "No that's impossible, I'm sure I missed you the most!" He seriously said. I smile at his words but I couldn't say a single thing before he pressed his lips on mine. He kissed me with so much passion.

"Draco, let's head to the table. It seems like we're being watched." He then looked around before nodding and taking my hand to go to the table.

We sat down at the table next to each other. Pansy saw that one coming so she switched seats, now she's sitting next to Blaise. At first Draco had a talk with them then he started talking to me.

"What did you do without me, hm?" He said in a deep voice. "Not much, studied, hard" He raises his eyebrows. "What for?" I took a bite of an apple,Draco watching my movements. "We have a charms test today. I couldn't sleep because of it" He sighs. "You know you should slow down with these things, you are taking them too seriously. They are just classes after all." He spoke.

"I'll try. Well what did you do?" I was really curious, he didn't mention anything in the letter.

"Oh I had some important family meetings, nothing fun really." He drunk some juice before saying again. "I would prefer to stay here with you anytime than going to those meetings." I softly chuckle. "I thought you hated Hogwarts!" He took a bite of his food. "Yeah but with you here, it's different. You are the only reason I'm still here in this pathetic school."

I smile before looking into his eyes. Like I said they take my breath away. Moments of silence and just staring at each other hit. He was gorgeous.

"Mate so you see.." Blaise broke the silence so he could talk with Draco about some new quidditch stuff. That's when Draco put his hand around my waist.

I kept eating and suddenly I felt his hand lifting up the back of my shirt. He slid his hand under my shirt. His cold hand sent me shivers down my spine. I tried to act normal but he started to slowly move his fingers drawing circles on my back.

This man. I don't know what he's doing but I know he's driving me insane. He's teasing me. He actually enjoys it.

I looked at the table looking for pancakes. They were far away on the table. I get myself up so I can reach them pushing myself into Draco as a tease. My skirt lifts up. I just feel him smirk. I take the pancakes and put them on my plate, I sit back down. My man didn't waste any time before putting a hand on my skirt.

He slowly starts to slide his hand in. He already feels my wetness. I slightly gasped when I felt his hand on my clit. He started moving his fingers. I tried so hard to act fool. He inserted a finger in my pussy. I covered my mouth trying not to make a sound. He was watching me, he was just enjoying how I'm struggling. He added another finger and started to move them in and out. I couldn't help but silently moan.

Pansy turns her head. "Y/N are you alright?" Draco kept doing his work while I was trying to respond to Pansy. "Y-yes I am. I just have- mm cramps" I finally spoke. Then I felt a familiar knot in my stomach. I was close.

Draco was almost laughing at me watching me like this. "I'm close.." I whispered to him. He nodded and approved that I can cum on his fingers, so I did. Another silent moan hitting.

Draco smiled and said to me. "I missed you like this too." He chuckled. I playfully rolled my eyes.

"Then that means I'm not gonna sleep tonight either."

------------------------------------

Hey! This is my first ever written story. I hope it's good. I would like to hear opinions. I really enjoyed writing this so I think I'm gonna keep writing. I take requests! 🫶🏻

[copingmechanizm]

Oh, my car smells like chocolate

(modern au steddie)

*the title comes from "chocolate" by The 1975*

Eddie Munson is a man of many talents. He's pretty decent at singing, his guitar skills are at least star quality and he can fix any minor fault around the house. He even found out he's capable of organizing all kinds of events, which he chose to be his job after scraping through college. What he's not good at though is baking and keeping his mouth shut. So when Chrissy, who just begun to work with him few weeks ago, told him in distress that the bakery which was supposed to provide a cake for Saturday's event cancelled last minute, Eddie said that he'll do it then. He. Baking a fucking cake. Of course he wouldn't do it! The only thing he even attempted to bake was chocolate chip cookies and that was a disaster. His kitchen barely survived. So he's afraid to even think what would happen if he'd try to bake a full on cake.

Now then he has two options. Number one: he'll go to every bakery in town to try to get a two store customized cake for at least fifty people. He's ready to beg for it if needed. Number two: he'll admit his idiocy and tell Chrissy he won't bring any cake for Saturday. He's sure after shooting disappointed look his way she would figure something out. The choice was simple. Of course he chose option number one.

After spending yesterday's evening and half of today searching for a kind bakery, he's pretty close to admit his defeat. Everywhere he went he got the same answer: no one will take his order at such a short notice. So now he got less than 24 hours to bring the promised cake to the venue with no idea how to do that. He's slowly leaning into choosing option number two when his eyes catch on the sigh across the street saying "King Steve's Bakery". Well, worth a try even if the shop seems small and he doesn't have much hope left.

He enters and he's welcomed by cosy interior, all wood and stone, with many mismatched pieces of art stuffed around the walls. No one appears to be here at the moment. He gets closer to the counter, where there's all kinds of baked goods displayed. Eddie has to admit all here looks delicious. He can't get distracted though. He has another fight this day ahead of him. He rings the small bell, similar to the ones at the hotel receptions, and waits. Soon, though the doors leading to the back, comes the most beautiful man Eddie has ever saw. Sharp jaw, soft blue eyes, hair that looked like professionaly styled and a splatter of moles and freckles. Not to mention clearly athletic body with muscular arms accented by fitted polo shirt. The apron with a crown he has on weirdly gives him a sort of gentle aura. The name tag says Steve so that's probably the baker's name. He dust his hands from what looks like a flour and with a charming smile openes those perfectly shaped mouth.

"What can I do for you, beautiful?"

Is it just Eddie or it bacame suddenly hot in here?

"I...um... I- I mean, I want to buy a cake". Fucking hell he couldn't embarrass himself more, could he?

"Well, you're in right place then." The baker softly chuckled, looking right at Eddie. "So what you're exactly looking for? You want something ready or a custom made one?"

"Right, yes, I want a custom made, two store for fifty people. Best if it's floral related but honestly right now I'll take anything." The event is for some florist association and ideally it's supposed to picture some kind of flower that's on their logo but he thinks at this rate they're lucky if they get anything at all. He looks hopefully at his potential savior who returns the look with raised eyebrows.

"Two store you say? That's a helluva lot of work. When's the deadline?" And there, that's when Eddie's last chance will shatter to pieces.

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?! Dude that's a really short time you give me. This place is small but we do have other clients, you know?" Shit, fuck and other cursed words in this language. Not only he won't get the cake but also he somehow managed to piss off the perfect man.

"Yes! Yes I know, really. It's just- I'm like desperate. I'm ready to beg." Especially to you. "Tomorrow's this big event and the bakery cancelled last minute and I promised I'll do it but I couldn't bake to save my life and I probably visited every bakery in this shit town and you're my last chance." He finished lamely very much aware he started rumbling. Steve stared at him through his monologue looking more and more amused with every word. Finally, after what felt like eternity of silence filled with fast beating of Eddie's heart, he speaks out sealing his fate.

"Alright. I'll do it." What? Did he hear right? Does miracles truly exist? "But." Ah. There it is. " You'll have to help me."

"WHAT? Did you not hear when I said I can't bake???" He looked at confident face of the baker like he was crazy. He can't be serious, right? RIGHT??

"Yes I heard. I also heard that you promised that you'll be the one making it so it's a compromise. Don't worry, I'll do the most of work." That doesn't make Eddie worry any less. "So? Tonight at seven I'll meet you here? I'll close up and we'll be ready to bake." This bastard has the guts to grin at Eddie self-satisfied like he didn't just sentenced his bakery to die in flames. But alas, he doesn't have much of a choice. He won't find anything better and if all he has to do is sit and watch as Steve works his magic, maybe occasionally mix something? then deal.

"Deal. I'll meet you tonight. But don't blame me if by tomorrow you won't have a place to work at." Steve laughed, and oh he even has a perfect laught, making Eddie a blushing virgin again.

"Deal. Till tonight, beautiful boy."

"Fuck- I mean- my name's Eddie." This man will kill him someday if he won't die in the fire tonight.

"Alright, Eddie. See you." His name has never sounded so beautiful.

"Right, see you." He choked out and one last time looked into those eyes, now full of mirth and amusement. He quickly walked out so he wouldn't change his mind and went back to his place. He looked at the clock. A little past four. So he has three hours to get ready and mentally prepare himself for tonight's disaster. Heaven and hell help him.

[fangirlstorycreator]

Hey Bestie 🖤 I just thought about a Max Parish scenario. Let's say we are friends with Diane and she introduced us to him but because of our job we live in a different city but we stay in touch and start a long distance relationship with him. I would love to know how he would handle that and what he would do to change that and finally be with us? Take all the time you need 🙏Love you Bestie 🖤

Of course bestie, I will happily write this for you 😊💚💚💚

You were visiting your friend Diane in another state, she was a police officer like you, but because you were both far away, it wasnt always easy to see eachother. One afternoon she showed you around the police station, when someone in the coffee room literally falls out of the door, with coffee in his hair, making him look very wet and frustrated. "Hey! Maybe if you learn to take a joke you wouldn't have to waist a perfectly good drink!" He shouts as he gets up off the floor. Diane just laughs and you both walk over to him, and she hands him a couple of cloths to dry his hair. "Are you attempting to make jokes again Parish?" "You say attempting, but it was a funny one this time!" "Max the last time you told a joke to bex, she filled your coffee with salt instead of sugar, maybe you should just stop trying to make her smile? She's always been grumpy"

"Ah you know me, I like a challenge....Hello? Who's this with you?" He asks cheekily l, giving you a smile. "Y/N, this coffee soaked neanderthal is Max Parish, one of the police officers in this station. Max, this is Y/N, my friend from the next state over" You smile and hold out your hand to him, and he shakes it more than willingly. "Its nice to meet you Y/N, so what are you doing hanging out with Diane? I didnt know she was capable of human kindness?" "Oooh your lucky Y/N's hear Parish, or I will give you a cappuccino chaser to add to your hair style. I just have to talk to my boss Y/N, I'll be right back. No funny business Parish" "Like I'd get up to anything behind your back?" She just gives him a raised eyebrow and an unimpressed face as she walks towards the big office. "So? What do you do Y/N?" "I'm a police officer just like you" "No way! That's awesome! In the next state over right?" "Yeh, it's a little while away, but it's nice to travel too"

"Of course, you had to travel, just so you could bump into the funniest and most charming man in the entire police force!" "Oh really? And where is he?" You ask playfully looking everywhere in the room besides him. "Oooh, I like you" You both continued to talk while Diane was in the office, and by the time she came back out, you and Max were exchanging numbers. You both got on like a house on fire, you hadn't had this kind of connection with someone before, it was like magic. Diane had told you about his previous failed marriages he's had in the past, but you didnt care, you were also someone who had gone through 2 divorces, that kind of thing didnt bother you. Over the next few weeks, Max and you were texting and phoning eachother non stop, and even had been out on a couple of dates. Resulting in quite a few nights staying over at either yours or his place for a night of fun. He was amazing in bed, the best you'd ever had, he was like sugar to you, so sweet and you wanted more.

However, being in a long distance relationship wasnt always the easiest. You missed eachother a lot, and the travelling to and from each state was taking its toll. One night your on the phone with Max when you both discuss it. "Babes, I really wish you were hear" "I know Max, but I'm hoping soon that my office will change up a bit and I can see about changing my position" "What do you mean by that?" "Well my boss is advertising for a new partner, and when the position is filled, I'm going to try see if I can transfer to another station closer to you and Diane" "Wait a second? You'd really do that? For what we have?" "Of course I would. Max I'll be honest with you, i have never felt the way I do for you with anyone else before, it's like we're bestfriends who get to sleep together, it's great!" "Oh I know right! I always look forward to you coming over to my place for a little lovin..."

"So yeh, I'm going to see what will happen, then take it from there" "Alright babes, you still wanna come over friday night?" "I wouldnt miss it for the world gorgeous" You both said your goodbyes and you went to sleep. A few days later, your boss walked up to your desk to talk to you. "Y/N?" "Yes sir?" I'd like you to know I have given the partner position to a new officer, and I'd like you to meet him" "Yeh sure, lead the way" As your walking to the office, your boss tells you "This guy seems very good at his previous job, great references, quite cheeky and he recently moved hear too, he's got a flat about 10 blocks from hear" When your boss opened the door, that's where you see infront of you, sat quite smugly in the interview chair, your boyfriend Max! "Y/N, I'd like to introduce you to your new partner-" "Max!" "Oh? You know this guy already?" Max just chuckles "Oh yeh, it's safe to say we know eachother" "Great, well Y/N why dont you take Max and show him to his desk? It's the one next to yours seeing as your going to be partners" "Yes sir" You and Max leave the office, but before you walk over to your desk, you pull him aside to talk to him privately. "Max what are you doing hear?" "I'm your new partner babes! Arent you happy?" "Max of course I am, I'm just a surprised" "Why?" "Why?! Max you left your old job, moved away and changed everything just so you could be closer to me" "I dont see why your so shocked, you were going to do the same for me" You realise he's right, you were going to do it too. "Listen babes" he says as he takes your hands in his "I have never had someone plan their life like that to show me how important I am to them. I love and respect you so much for that, and if that is something you can do for me, then I can make damn sure I'll do it for you. Your worth it" "Oh Max, you are literally the sweetest man ever" "Hmmm? And do I have the sweetest lips I wonder?" He asks playfully, rubbing his finger over his chin. You just smirk, grab him by his collar and pull him in for a heated kiss. "Does that answer your question?" "........oh absolutely! But I might need just one more to get the point across-" you stop him kissing you again by putting your finger to his lips. "Ah ah ah, were at work now gorgeous, maybe if your a good boy for your first day you can have another one when we go out and patrol the streets" "Ooohhh your so addictive!"

[violettierre]

If you're my mutual or we've interacted before please read this,

So to save your time im going on a hiatus.

And here's some elaboration;

Tumblr have never failed to put a smile on my face it's a fun website to visit and i've always enjoyed the content made here, and most of all, enjoyed interacting with poeple that have always been very kind and sweet and some even consider me a friend which is a far bigger deal to me than one may think because of personal reasons and i really mean it when i say Tumblr never fail to make my day with those silly posts and inside jokes that may mean nothing, overall, it's my go-to place to relax from my noisy life and be my questionable silly little inner violetta that im thankful no one really judged, and it was a breath of fresh air when i signed in here. I've treated my account, like most poeple, as my account where i talked about stuff i enjoyed and my opinions in things, ect... but if you are my mutual i feel like you did notice sometimes i slip and im no longer enjoying my inner self like i usually do, which is common. It does happen to lots of poeple where real life issues just hit too hard for them to enjoy their distractions they used as coping mechanism to keep themselves sane just like i do that's why no one really judges that from what i concluded in my experience. However, as many times as everyone thankfully ignore that, those moments still bother me every time cuz it's never been about other users noticing, it's never been anything outside of personal. Like i said before, this is my prefered go-to comfort space that i open to rest from real life issues and the effects it had on me, and the interference that accure between them never fail to make my health worse, and so i don't go to details, this place simply start to lose its charm for me because it began losing the one thing i personally associated it with. Which is why as far as i believe, it'll be better to take a pause from being active here. Because sometimes the stuff that help us get through things that hurts, shouldn't be exposed to it, and the less harmful option is to hide it so we can go back to it when we're desperate for comfort instead of losing it completely.

Naturally, I have no idea how long i'll be on a hiatus for, it may take months, or maybe a year, who knows, even if i wish for it to be sooner than later, it's something that happen undecided, but it may most likely last at least until my personal crisis calms down and im a little more stable and ready to use once again that one violet that i admit i've mistreated as well, because in order to stop my stress and mental health from sneaking into my safe space i must face it and deal with it, which im really scared of, but that's pretty much what is left to do. Things that go our way aren't necessarily our ideal solutions.

It's a silly little hiatus for most poeple, but behind it, im going to a metaphorical war and im scared that's why im writing this long useless elaboration post before getting a pause from all my social media not just tumblr and try to look after myself in a way i've been running away from.

And if you're reading this as my moot or we've interacted, i do hope you understand this and mostly hope that everything will stay good between us once i come back sooner or later, it's already gonna be awkward for me to do anything i like again after im basically right now going to ditch my self care, so i just want you to keep in mind i do not want to lose you or anyone in here and we could remain in good terms.

And happy new year from now, since i won't be able to celebrate it here. I wish everyone on tumblr a healthy and lucky new year lifestyle starting or continuing from 2023 and fortune will follow everyone everywhere. And merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and whatever other holiday i won't celebrate in here, im sending all my love throughout those times and all time, thanks to everyone for everything and hopefully i get to interact with you guys later on.

With all my geniune love, Violetta.

[dragon-kazansky]

Dangerous | Helmut Zemo

AU! Race car driver Zemo 😎

Gender neutral reader

Collage by @realremyd

[Masterlist]

[Previous chapter] - [Next chapter]

Part 5

It had been a week since you had seen Zemo. You hadn't seen your friend at all either. You had tried to contact her a couple of times, but after receiving no responses, you gave up. It still didn't sit right with you that she and Stark were a thing.

You were currently at work. You were on the afternoon shift today. You could handle the afternoon crowd easier than the morning crowd. It wasn't your usual shift, so your usual co-workers weren't here to banter with.

You were wiping down the counter when a customer approached. You wipe your hands on the towel over your shoulder and turn to take their order, only to stop.

"Zemo?"

He stands there smiling. He was wearing slacks with a button up shirt. He looked very smart, yet so laid back.

"Hello Y/N."

"What are you doing here?"

"Not happy to see me?" He grins.

"I am, it's just... I didn't expect to see you before the race."

He chuckles as he orders something to drink.

"I couldn't wait much longer. I wanted to see your world." He glances around the cafe. It was a nice place. Classy and clearly a good place for groups to hang out.

"Well this is it. I make drinks for people." You make him his drink and hand it over. He pays for it there.

"I like it. It suits you, but I think you'd fit into my world just fine."

You laugh, "not that I'd be of any use in your world. I can barely change a tyre."

That makes him chuckle.

"I'm sure there would be something for you."

You shake your head with a smile.

"Oh, it's your lucky day by the way. My boss happens to be a fan of yours, so I have next weekend off for the races."

"Ah, lucky me indeed." He looks very smug right now. You shake your head, grinning.

"Just this once. I can't take every weekend off."

"Well that's no good. I need you for all my races," he says, stating it like a fact.

"You don't need me. You just want me there for some reason."

Zemo leans on the bar and looks at you softly. He has a small soft smile on his face. You were right in every way.

"Yes, I do want you there."

"I don't see why."

"I like you," he says with ease, confidence oozing from him as he grins at you.

You laugh softly.

"You're so..."

"Handsome? Charming? Dashing?"

"So funny."

You both laugh softly.

"I should get back to work before my manager catches me chatting up the customers," you say, glancing over your shoulder.

"Oh? Do you flirt with others then?"

"Only the good looking ones," you stick your tongue out at him. He winks and takes a seat at a table near by. Though there is literally plenty for him to do, he chooses to watch you work instead.

This was you in your element. Life passing more slowly, more safely.

There was serenity in this life style. Something he couldn't provide through his. He couldn't guarantee anything, as much as he would like to pretend.

There was always that risk.

Risks such greater than anything you could ever face here. He looked down at his half empty cup of coffee. Maybe he shouldn't ever ask you.

You bid goodbye to your customer, and looked over at Zemo. You smiled at him. He smiled back. He finished his coffee and got up from his table.

"That was lovely, though I do have a particular fondness for tea."

You chuckle.

"We serve tea too."

He smiles.

"When do you finish?" He asks.

You look up at the clock on the wall.

"Two more hours. Why don't you go look around the town or something."

"I think I will. I'll pick you up later, no arguing," he winks at you and makes his exit. You smile as you clear his table.

Zemo walks through the town you live in. It's nice, pretty. Again, it suits you perfectly.

Looking around, he almost feels homesick. There was nothing left of the place he once called home. He shakes those thoughts from his mind.

Something catches his attention up ahead. A limo. It stands out vastly against the rest of the cars on the street. Far too sleek, shiny, and expensive for anyone around here.

It irks him that he has a bad feeling about it.

From up the road, he watches as the man he dreaded steps out. Tony Stark put on his shades before holding his hand out for someone. A pretty young lady climbs out of the limo.

Something about her strikes Zemo as familiar. He can't pinpoint from where though.

Zemo watches as Stark closes the limo door and takes the young lady into boutique behind them.

What was Tony Stark doing here?

Zemo had made the trip for you. He had his excuse to be here instead of down at the track. Tony, however, didn't.

Zemo headed over to where he was stood across the street, though he couldn't quite see through the store window display.

He had to make himself scarce before Stark came out again. He didn't want Tony seeing him. As he walked away, he didn't let go of the thought that he had seen that girl before.

Zemo was back at the cafe at the end of your shift like he said he would be. The car he was driving was another one from his collection. He opened the door for you and climbed in once you were safely in his car.

As he drove to your address, which he flirted with you for, his mood changed to something a little more serious. Concerned, you had to ask him what happened in those 2 hours he was alone.

"Are you alright?"

He glances at you.

"Yes, why?"

"You're clutching the steering wheel rather tightly and your jaw is locked again. What's on your mind?"

"I saw Stark here in town."

You swallow awkwardly.

"Did he see you?"

"No. I saw him. He was with someone." He glances at you as you shift in your seat. Now it was turn to be concerned. "What is it?"

"That's my friend. Remember when she called me at the airstrip? She told me she was going to meet me at the train station and tell me something big. Well, when we got out, Tony Stark was there with a limousine. Apparently the news was she is daring him. They had met that night after the first race, he had asked her out and she agreed."

You couldn't look at him.

Zemo, keeping an eye on the road, reached over and placed his hand on your knee. Your eyes flickered to his hand. His touch was warm and comforting.

"She won't talk to me now. When we got to my place, I had asked her about it. She got defensive and shut me off."

His thumb rubs circles on your leg.

"You don't think this is some kind of stunt do you?" You ask, looking up at him.

"I don't know, but I wouldn't put it past him. It's not the first time he's done something big for publicity."

You want to ask, but something else comes to mind.

"They haven't made it public yet."

"I assume he'll make his move at the next race. Cameras everywhere there." He glances at you.

That makes sense.

"Are you bothered about it?" You ask, looking at him from the corner of your eye.

"No. What Stark does for publicity is his problem. The question, does it bother you?"

"Yes," you state honestly, "because I can't tell if it's real, or if she's being carried away by the fantasy of dating her favourite pro racer. I looked into racing as much as I possibly could before that second race. I tried to get some background on the racers, you included, but Stark seems to thrive on being in the spotlight. He wins over and over again, he trots around the globe to meet people and race his cars. He is always making headlines somewhere."

Zemo gave a nod. He was aware. It was because he kept seeing Stark pop up everywhere that he became a pro racer himself.

"You're worried about your friend. That is understandable."

"I'm worried for her if it's not real."

He glances at you. It's as he is sitting there, hand on your knee, glancing at you as he listens to you, that the thought returns to him. Helmut Zemo is not a man who plays around with people's feelings. If this was you two, there would be no other way than for him to be honest and true to you.

As a man who had lost everything in the past, he would never do that to you.

He takes his hand back as reaches your destination. Your apartment building was a nice little thing. You were up on the 3rd floor.

"Do you want to come in?"

He smiles.

"Yes, I do."

You chuckle. You both get out and you lead him up to your apartment. You smile nicely at your neighbours as you pass them, hoping they don't question the handsome man trailing behind you. No one seemed to recognise him, so that worked in your favour.

You let him into your apartment first.

"It's not much, but it's home."

The apartment wasn't huge, but spacious enough for one person. It was decorated nicely, every little thing a reflection of you. There was a bit of clutter here and there, but it was clear you looked after your space.

"I like it."

"Can't imagine the kind of place you live in. Bet it's a lot nicer than this." You head into the kitchen to make him some tea.

"Perhaps a little bigger, it's no castle."

You chuckle softly and set out two cups.

Zemo glances around at the photos on display. You don't have a lot, but he's curious to see what they are.

"Can I ask you something?" He asks, not looking away from a photo of you and your friend.

"Of course."

"When you were researching the racers, what did you find on me?"

You let the kettle boil as you look at his back.

"Not much, I'll be honest. I didn't want to ask about it, but there was something, if you'll let me."

He halts his movements and wonders what you found. It couldn't be, could it?

"What is it?"

"You're from Sokovia, right?"

He relaxes. Zemo turns slowly and smiles, but there isn't much emotion behind it.

"Yes. I was."

You nibble at your lip softly.

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologise for," he says, walking over to you.

"Still, I remember hearing about it on the news. It was everywhere for a while. I can't imagine losing my home country."

Zemo reaches over and takes your hand in his. You wouldn't vocalise the fact you realised he was being a lot more physical today. You enjoyed the feel of his touch.

"Thank you for your kindness, but you don't need to worry. I am happy where I am now."

You smile at one another. The kettles clicks off, you reluctantly let go of his hands, missing their warmth. You turn around to see to the tea.

"There really wasn't much else about you online. You're a mystery to me, Zemo."

He smiles.

"Makes me all the more interesting, yes?"

You laugh softly.

"I suppose it does."

You hand him one of the cups and you both go sit down. You face one another on the sofa, enjoying the tea you had made. You watched the way he closed his eyes and took a sip.

"This is very good."

"What can I say? I'm a professional," you joke.

"I believe you."

"So, the race." You smile, sitting up and leaning forward a little. Zemo laughed. It was sweet how excited you were about it, considering you hadn't had an interest before... well, before him.

"I can I take you to the race myself?" He asks, reading your face for a response.

"Take me? Isnt6that going to be a hassle? Going there, coming back, and then going back again?"

"I'll do it for you," he grins mischievously.

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?" He asks.

"Flirting with me."

"Of course I am. You haven't told me to stop," he tells you.

You smile shyly at him. That was true.

"You should focus on your car, I'll be there. I promise."

He shakes his head subtly.

"Too late, I've made up my mind. I'll be here to pick you up the day before. You can stay with me over the weekend. Sound like a plan?"

You look at him, trying to see if this was just him teasing you, but you don't see anything like that. If anything, those beautiful brown eyes of his are almost pleading for you to agree.

"Alright."

His smile is so full of joy, your heart feels like it could burst. He looked so handsome smiling like that.

"Then I best be on my way. I have some thing to plan before the weekend." Zemo put his empty cup down and got up. You did the same and showed him to the door.

You see him out, but before he leaves your apartment completely, he leaves you with a kiss on the cheek. He doesn't say anything as he walks away.

You're left a smiling blushing mess.

@ajeff855 @moonstuffsteve @sky-writes-stuff @lieutenantn @lostghostgirl94 @friday18eo @yaskna @my-blood-is-maple-syrup @gingerwriter97 @lunamooney2406 @wilder-fangirl @nectav @whovianayesha @thesuitkovian @cathrin2405 @deathtothepatriarchy @belle82devart @dxrksxul06 @killeromanoff @alex-the-nb @latenightartist-author @hb8301 @goddessofmischief03 @xxidontwikeitxx @themeanestlittlewitch @scuttle-buttle

[cassieschaosdimension]

Okay! Here it is the fanfic some of you have been requesting!

Enjoy it!

"Nico!" Will called to his boyfriend. "Put that sweater on right now! You know you want to!" He starts running after Nico with said sweater in hand. He knows his boyfriend wants to wear it, but the goth message is too strong.

Nico is being chased all over their apartment in New Rome by his overly energetic boyfriend who wants to match for their first Christmas on their own. He would have put the sweater on by himself, but it was too ugly to be seen on anyone. Even Hephaestus and the guy was ugly!

Will stopped all of a sudden and stared at the sweater in his hand. "Nico, it's not that bad! Please wear it! For me!"

Oh no Nico thought as he watched his boyfriend turn on that Southern charm and the puppy dog eyes. He tried to look away, but found he couldn't because Will was advancing slowly towards him.

"William," Nico says slowly edging towards the front door of their one bedroom apartment. "Be reasonable, would you want your dad, the fashion guru of Greek mythology to see me in that?!" The horror is present in his tone. "First off, I would not wear it and you know I would wear almost anything to please you. I draw the line at that thing!"

This gives Will a pause as he considers the question. He stares at the jingle bells stripes and Christmas tree underneath them. The green and gold don't work out and the red of the presents aren't helping the poor sweater's case. He thinks back to the time his dad yelled at him for wearing sandals with socks because he was in a rush after being late for cabin clean up duty. He shudders. He does not want a repeat of his over dramatic father flapping his arms while lecturing him on fashion choices.

Will sighs. "Alright Nico. You win this one. My dad's fashion lectures aren't for the faint of heart and I've had enough of them to last a lifetime. But please dress in green or red okay? You would look really good in emerald green." He starts walking to their room.

Nico grins to himself. He's won this round with his mad reasoning skills. Then again, he almost always wins his arguments with Will. Decades in the Lotus Casino arguing over games will do that to you. Then he registers what his boyfriend requested of him.

He starts to run after Will. "Will! I don't have emerald clothing! I have brown, black, and grey! What are you talking about?! William! Get over here!"

Will cackles to himself while going through their closet. He bought his boyfriend colored clothes for occasions with his father and Nico looks delicious in cool, dark times so that's what he bought. He was lucky he hid them on his side of the closet. He turns to see his boyfriend glaring at him.

Nico stares at his poor boyfriend he only knows wants to help him make an impression on Hades. It was only supposed to be the two of them and Hades and Persephone, but of course Apollo had to invite himself. Rolling his eyes at the memory he turns back to Will with his hands on his hips glare still in full force.

With a pleading look on his face, Will is desperate. They're running late and he doesn't want to leave the three gods alone more than they have to be. "Nico," cue the sigh. "We're already running late and I don't want to find a war going on with your stepmom in the middle. She's scary."

"Will… Fine!" Nico says throwing his hands up and walking to grab the shirt from his boyfriend who is now grinning broadly. He walks to the bathroom and changes into the shirt grumbling about Will and if he didn't live him he wouldn't do this.

Meanwhile Will is getting dressed in a dark maroon, fluffly long sleeve sweater and dark blue jeans with black vans. When Nico comes back from the bathroom his heart stops.

His boyfriend stands slightly slouched, uncomfortable with the attention. The emerald shirt sets off his long lashes, dark eyes, and raven hair perfectly. Will wants to swoon, but they have business to attend to.

"Good you're ready to go. Hades confirmed he's ready for us?" Will says coming next to Nico.

In response Nico nods and they head out the door. "Just so you know," Nico says with an undertone. "I'm only wearing this shirt and making nice with your dad because your mom loves me so now I need to win over your dad."

Will doesn't tell Nico his dad was won over the minute Nicon said hello, I'm only here because Will made me. Maybe he might actually behave. One can hope.

They head to the car deep in each of their thoughts. Nico is worried how long his dad is going to last in Apollo's presence. Will is worried how long Hades can stand to be in his dad's presence because Apollo is overbearing.

They have agreed to meet in the Underworld and Zeus has given Apollo permission to head down there to celebrate with them. As Will starts to drive south, the air in the car turns warmer. They banter and whine about the music choice. Nico wants Green Day and Will wants to listen to Blake Shelton.

They left around eleven in the morning on Christmas Day and it takes them about seven hours to get to Hollywood because of traffic in the LA area. They park the car and walk behind the Hollywood sign, Will grabbing Nico's leather jacket in the way behind the sign because even with a sweater on the Underworld is a child, unforgiving place. There Will grabs onto Nico and they shadow travel down to Hades' living room.

Nico wonders why they couldn't shadow travel in the first place and why Will insisted they drive when they walk in and he immediately knows why.

Persephone is standing by the wall her hands over her head while her husband and cousin are going at it.

"This is my domain Apollo you do not have the authority to say what's going to be served for dinner. I can do that on my own."

"But Uncle, you're serving turkey! It's supposed to be ham! Most mortals use ham!" Turning to his son he implores him. "Will tell Hades most mortals use ham for their Christmas dinner!"

Will is torn between getting the approval of his boyfriend's father and his dad. He ultimately goes for the one that will save his life. "Dad, many mortals celebrate Christmas differently or not at all. If Nico's dad wants to serve turkey then let him serve turkey! We are here as his guests and I expect you to behave!"

Apollo looks torn but nods and says "Will, I know you want to make a good impression on Uncle over there, but I am your father!"

"No dad. Mom raised me to have manners and her manners have taught me to accept all food unless I am allergic to it and I have no food allergies. Now sit down and we can eat." Will turns to Lord Hades. "Please excuse my father Lord Hades. I had a talk about this with him earlier, but it seems to have not rectified in his brain."

Hades nods and strides over to Nico. "Nico. Thank you for coming. I am starting to warm up to the boy, but I still need time."

Nico sighs his left hand clenching in a fist involuntarily. "Father you have been given years to accept Will. And it seems you have, but you don't want me to know. Father, the spirits talk."

Hades looks shocked and now angry. "Now listen here Nico. I may have approved of him, but he must be worthy of Maria DiAngelo's child. Bianca wishes she were here, but she is having fun in the fields of Elysium."

Meanwhile Will and Apollo are having their own discussion.

"But Will, Uncle said he didn't mind me coming!"

"Dad, you invited yourself here, remember? I know what mom saw in you, but really. Your manners need brushing up. For real. Just because Lord Hades is your uncle doesn't mean you can barge into his domain even with Lord Hades permission." Will feels like a dad reprimanding a child.

"William," Apollo strikes a pose. "I am the god of music and medicine. This is a celebration with my son and son in law. I had to come." He dramatically sighs and heads to the table. "Come now Will, let's stuff our faces!

As Will follows his dad he wonders who exactly the child is. He looks over at his boyfriend and his dad. They look like they're still having a heated discussion. Luckily for Will he has Nico's jacket so the chill in the air isn't as bad as it could have been. Nico hasn't noticed the jacket is gone until he brings his hands up to tig it around himself and it's gone. Looking up he mock scowls at Will.

Nico walks up to his boyfriend with an air of I don't care. They both know he cares very much. "Will, give me my jacket."

In response Will sticks out his tongue and says no. This results in a banter fight much like the one back at the apartment.

Will doesn't want to give the jacket back because it's warm and he's freezing. Nico says he can get him another one of Nico's leather jackets. But Will isn't having it. He knows this is Nico's favorite jacket hence why it was in the car, he takes that thing everywhere he goes. He wants to wear his boyfriend's favorite jacket. His boyfriend wants to wear his favorite jacket. The two of them are so engrossed in their argument they don't see the three adults smiling at them.

Persephone was reminded of how she first felt arguing with Hades over the fact she was kidnapped against her will by a much older man. She was intimidated by this man yet she felt some sort of weird connection to him. She pitied him because he was older and lonely down here with no one but Cerberus to keep him company. Eventually she came to care for this man unlike her stepson and his boyfriend who genuinely seem to get along even when arguing.

She goes over to break it up. "Boys, you can have this argument later. Nico, let Will keep the jacket, you can feel him shivering. I'll go turn up the fire. Will dear, come sit and stuff your face as your impatient father has been doing for the past half hour.

At this Apollo looks up turkey gravy dripping from his mouth. They all sigh and hope this is over soon. The dinner drags on and on and suddenly Hades can't take it anymore. While the rest of the group has polite conversation, Apollo finds it necessary to butt in and make it funny when it's not.

Normally Will accepts this behavior with grace, but not on Christmas and not when he is trying to get approval from his boyfriend's father who happens to be Lord of the Dead.

"Hey Dad," Will says from across the table where he has watched his dad pack away most of the food on the table. "I don't appreciate this and maybe I'll tell mom about this little gathering and how your Southern manners disappeared." He raises an eyebrow and Apollo's response is hilarious.

He sits up straight and acts like a Southern gentleman the rest of the time. Will signs in exasperation and turns to Nico and Lord Hades.

"Lord Hades, please forgive my father for his behavior," here he pauses while throwing side glances at his father.

Hades waves his hand in a gesture of peace. "Please boy. This is almost tame for my nephew. Did you enjoy your meal?"

Turning to Nico for reassurance Will answer carefully. "Yes Lord Hades. The good was quite delicious. Thank you for inviting us over for dinner."

"You are welcome boy," Hades says turning to his son. "Now, let's get the gift giving over with so my nephew can go home." The two snicker together and Will tries not to join in. It's impossible though as Persephone is talking to Apollo utterly bemused while he sprouts haikus about the meal.

"Father, here is my gift to you," Nico's voice carries as he hands a gift to Lord Hades.

"Thank you son. I appreciate it." His voice also carries. Apollo is beginning to quiet down and not be so energetic. Now he begins to get downright cocky. He's no longer dramatic.

He heads to their end of the table near the tree Persephone insisted on having. "Ahhhh presents. I remember when I was youn-" Apollo is cut off when Nico hands him a gift.

They're all speechless and Will stares at Nico in shock. Looking around at all of them he asks "what? I can give gifts."

A shocked silence falls over the room when Will throws himself in Nico's arms. He whispers in his boyfriend's ear. "He didn't expect to get one from you Nico. Look, you made him cry. " They look over still wrapped in each other's arms. Apollo is in fact hugging the gift while grinning with happy tears running down his face.

The look on Will's face says it all. Nico grins as he watches his boyfriend watch his dad open the gift. Suddenly Apollo is rushing towards Nico and grabs him in a hug. Stiffening Nico is confused but then reaches around the god and hugs him back.

Hades looks on with pride at his son who with Will Solanc's aid will grow to be a fine young man. He already was, but since he met Will he had grown in leaps and bounds in height and personality. He was proud of his boy.

Will is beaming with pride at the fact his boyfriend was thoughtful enough to get his dad a gift. To their surprise Apollo hands a gift right back to Nico.

The night is just full of surprises and after the gift giving and opening, Will and Nico start to clean up to head out. They had fun despite the rocky start and by the end of the night Hades had laughed out loud more times than Apollo can remember and Apollo hadn't felt the need to be cocky or arrogant. He was the man Will's mom must have fallen in love with.

As Nico and Will get up to leave Apollo hugs each of them, but Nico's is especially long. He whispers thank you for everything in his ear. Nico is absolutely shocked. He didn't think Apollo knew the words thank you. But here he was a mere demigod getting thanked by a god! Wow, Will's dad is full of surprises…

Apollo then goes over and hugs Hades and Persephone. He really is full of surprises today. He goes and leaves. In his wake four very confused people discuss what happened.

Hades wants to know how his nephew behaved all nice and sweet. He almost didn't recognize him! Persephone told him it was because he realized he could be himself and not have to put an image up.

Nico says he doesn't know which Apollo he finds most sickening, earning him a slap on the back of the head from Will.

They discuss it more and the four grow closer. The Christmas dinner really was a success even with Apollo there. Nico hugs his father and stepmother then gathers up their gifts. Will goes up to Hades and shakes his hand thanking him for inviting them. Persephone hugs Will saying he must come back soon when Nico next visits them.

Soon the two fade into shadows with the two immortals waving after them. Will takes off the jacket and puts it back in the backseat of the car with a grin.

"Well Neeks, I'd say it was a success though I was worried for a second." Will says getting into the driver's seat.

"Me too Will. Your dad actually seems like a really nice guy. I bet it gets tiring putting up a facade all the time," Nico responds through a yawn. "Will, don't drive all the way home. Stop at a hotel okay?"

Nodding Will turns the ignition and starts to drive. They talk about the dinner and how different it turned out from what they expected. Then they start to banter tearing each other with how they expected the night to end up.

"Neeks, you look really good in emerald holy Hera!" Will glances over at his tired boyfriend who is drifting off.

"Will, don't even start you look amazing in my leather jacket. Maybe I'll let you wear it more often." Smiling to himself Nico thinks he'll let only Will wear his leather jacket now. They can share it. His last words before he falls asleep are: "I love you William so pull into a hotel and we'll spend the night there. You're not driving all the way home this late."

Nico's soft snores fill the car and Will can't help but think he and Nico are made for each other. They complement one another perfectly and he thinks back on all the memories they've made together since they got together all those years ago.

Seeing a vacancy sign at a motel he pulls into the parking lot. He leaves Nico snoring away while he goes and asks for a room. Coming back out he rouses Nico and tells him he can sleep in a real bed.

Half asleep Nico leans on his boyfriend for support. The night turned out better than he could ever expected. Maybe next year they could shadow travel or even stay the night.

As Will supports his boyfriend while walking to the room he thinks of how grateful he is to Apollo for catching the eye of his mother so he could he born and also Lord Hades because he made Nico come into existence.

Opening the door, Will walks over to the bed placing the dozing Nico on it. After giving him a forehead kiss he goes to the other side of the bed. "Love you too Neeks."

Both Nico and Will dream about the wonderful Christmas dinner they just had and wonder what will happen next year.

And that's a wrap (lol) on they fanfic! I hope you guys like it! Please let me know what you think of it!

[hildagirl99]

I will follow you

(Part 2)

He's heading for the Saloon as planned. He hated crowds, all these noises tormented him. After slipping between the tables in the Saloon, he arrives at the bar.

"Here, hello stranger!" Exclaims an enthusiastic voice.

He jumped. It was Barbara, the boss of the Saloon.

"Finally you've made up your mind to come to the bar! Come on! Drink this! It's free." She said handing him a glass of whiskey.

Jimmy was surprised, he takes the glass casually.

"I know you're not from here but my eyes are everywhere! I saw you two or three times in the Saloon, without you taking anything, with that girl. Are you visitors?" Barbara said cleaning the bar.

"Uh… kinda… and that girl… that's my…" he speaks until someone interrupts him.

"Ah !! There you are! You are quick this time! So you have something new?" Writes Eva, patting his back.

Jimmy blushed shamefully.

"N ... no." he replies.

"What? What are you doing here then? Get back to work and quickly!" She yells.

It attracts the attention of customers who turn around one after the other.

"I don't like the way you talk to her, girl… it's not your dog. Please change your tone." Barbara said, crossing her arms.

Eva glares at her and gets down to her level by provoking her.

"No, but who does the girl think she is? I can talk to my brother as I like. Don't get involved in this if you don't want to end up with a hole between your eyes, go back to your dishes." Eva said scornfully, pointing her gun at her.

Barbara raised an eyebrow, remaining calm and expressionless.

"Well, it's going to be simple my bitch, if I still see you doing your strong woman's act or mistreating your brother, the girl will kick you out ... and now if you don't want me to pass a soap. "

Eva looks around her, a few men get up to surround her. She puts her gun away.

"It's okay guys… take your seats back. Well, here's when you want to be a nice girl. Get checked out from here on out." Barbara said turning on her heels.

"Well… we'll meet at the exit…" Eva breathes to her brother before leaving the Saloon.

Jimmy's legs were shaking.

"It's okay ?" Barbara asks.

"Yes… I was so scared…" Jimmy answers.

"Is she always like that with you? Stand up for yourself. You know, I have a sister and I won't let anyone hurt her, and I will never allow myself to talk to her like your sister does."

"Your sister is lucky."

"Hehe my sister is the one who runs the flower shop not far from here. Even though she and I are different, we always help each other and we love each other. She is my twin. She is very calm. and curious. Unlike me. " She said laughing.

Jimmy's eyes widen. The girl he has a crush on is the twin sister of the boss of the Saloon.

"Really? You don't look too similar physically."

"Haha yes it's true! But we're twins. Very complicated, she looks a lot like my mom and I look like my second mom, but I have my dad's quick wit."

Jimmy looked confused by these revelations.

"Anyway… I talk a lot. If you have any problem, you can come here."

"Thank you Madam…"

"Call me Barbara. Madam, it's for the old women." She said with a knowing smile.

After 5 minutes in the Saloon, he decides to go out, but no sooner has he left than a hand grabs his shirt.

"So you! You will have done everything to me!" It was his sister, ready to hit him.

"No! Wait! I have… some information…" Jimmy wrote.

"Huh?"

"I… I… I know he's coming back here in three days! Someone told me!" Jimmy said quickly, gritting his teeth.

"Really ?" She lets go of Jimmy.

"Hmm he's not here right now but he's coming back in three days… that gives us time to prepare for an ambush." She said, thinking.

Jimmy gets up but did not notice that the money that Marilyn had given him fell to the ground, which Eva does not miss.

"But where are you getting that money from? $ 200? You stole it?" She asks.

"I…" he didn't have time to answer that she grabbed the tickets.

"Little secretive, you pretend you're a victim but you have thief's blood in you!" Said Eva smiling mischievously, hugging her brother.

Jimmy didn't understand. Thinking his sister believed he had stolen money.

"$ 200! Wow! Food for a week! At least daddy will be proud of you for tonight! Come on home now!" She said dragging him by the arm.

Jimmy couldn't protest, he was already engaged in his lies.

In the evening, in the heart of the desert, in a small dilapidated house, Eva and Jimmy were back with their father.

"$ 200? Not bad… but do you have any information regarding Showdown Bandit?" Asks the man, sitting on an old armchair.

He looks very old, bitter, with a wooden leg.

"Well for once, Daddy, Jimmy knows it! He'll be back in Showdown Valley in three days!" Said Eva.

Jimmy was in the background.

"Are you sure ?" The man asks.

"Yes !" Eva answers.

"I was asking your brother the question, are you sure?" He asks again with a much deeper voice.

"O ... yes, father." Jimmy answers.

"Well… we'll have to watch this closely. Try to see her surroundings, especially Miss Undertaker."

"Undertaker?" Eva asks.

"Yes… she must know too, and I have a grudge against her too."

"Don't worry, daddy, you will soon be avenged!" Said Eva.

"I'm counting on you. Especially you, Jimmy."

"Mom wouldn't like this." Said Jimmy lowering his head.

"Your mother is dead and it's me who decides !! Stop playing the weak! Eva… I'm counting on you to harden him!" Scold the man.

"Yes Dad."

"Now go to bed, and go back to the valley tomorrow."

Jimmy laboriously climbs up to his room, he slept on the floor as the only blanket of buffalo hides and a rug. Perhaps he could have kept Marilyn's $ 200 to sleep in a good comfortable bed. But the machine was launched, he could not move back, in spite of himself.

"You seem thoughtful…" Barbara said to her sister Marilyn.

"Me? Not at all…"

"I know you by heart, sister. Have you met anyone?"

"N ... no come on. I'm just a little overwhelmed with my job, even though I'm making money, I can't save, maybe I should invest in something else. Or go to town where it's better paid. "

"Would you be willing to give up your store and go to town?"

"No… I'll need a lot more than that. I'm staying here for now. But you're right, I met someone." Said Marilyn blushing.

"Oooh who is that? I want to know everything !!" Barbara writes.

"A stranger, whom I saw in my store, although I don't know him well enough, he's quite charming and quite my style. I hope I will see him again."

"Well, well. Do you go for the first guy that suits you? Aah love." Barbara said teasing her.

"Noooo! Stop!" Laughs Marilyn back.

To be continued...

Part 1 here