#It pained me to write this smug asshole but getting his ass beat was worth it

[dragonflylady77]

This is one of the first fics I wrote and it's been gathering dust in my GDocs, waiting for me to write more.

I'm not sure I will, so in the meantime, you get to read it.

~~~☆☆☆~~~

Stop flirting and get in the house

A 'that night at the Byers house' ficlet for @lovebillyhargrove because she's the sweetest and i love her to bits. ❤️

Read on Ao3

“Am I dreaming or is that you Harrington?” Billy says, cigarette dangling from his lips as he takes off his leather jacket and throws it in the car through the open driver window.

The other teen sighs, hands on his hips. “Yeah it's me, don't cream your pants.”

Billy mutters, “Wouldn't be the first time…”

“What?” Shock in Harrington’s eyes and something else… Billy can't tell for sure because it's dark and he might be willing it to be there. Just a little bit. He also realises he said it out loud.

Fuck.

“What?” he says, trying to derail this exchange they're having.

Smooth…

“Oh, now, come on, I wanna hear you say it.”

“Fuck off, Harrington, I'm just here for my sister.”

“See, I wish I could believe that.” Cocky asshole. Acting like he's still that King Steve Tommy keeps yammering on about.

The way he’s standing shows he really wants Billy to get back in his car and fuck off.

Too bad.

Billy doesn't have time for the posturing, not when he's already met Neil's fists once tonight and knows he will meet them again if he comes home without the red-headed pain in his ass.

“I don't give a fuck what you believe, pretty boy. Now hand over my sister. I don't know what bullshit you and the weird kids get up to, but I know it's not worth me paying for it.”

The look on Harrington's face goes from cocky to worried in the space of a breath. “What do you mean, paying for it?”

Billy realises he's said too much. “Fuck this shit.”

He takes a few steps closer to the house, still a distance away from Harrington. Can see the kids in the window, a flash of red. Bellows, “MAXINE!!! TIME TO GO, shitbird.”

“Now wait a minute, there, Hargrove.” Steve moves to stand in his way, hand up, just shy of touching him. “You can't just—”

“You don't wanna test me right now,” Billy bites out, teeth on edge. “Move, pretty boy.”

“Make me.”

That's the moment Max chooses to come storming outside.

“Oh my god Billy, would you stop flirting in front of the children.”

Billy glares at Max before his eyes focus on Harrington again and the way his brown eyes are glued to Billy's chest. He feels his heart skip a beat then.

Maxine pushes past Harrington who's still staring. “Billy, I can't go home, there's serious shit going down.” She stops, waits until he sets his eyes on hers and he can see her make a decision. “We could use your help.”

Billy can't believe his ears. “Oh now you want my help?”

That snaps Harrington out of his trance. “What? Max, we can't—”

“Steve, listen. I know he's an asshole, but he's my brother and I think his anger issues could come in handy.” She turns to Billy. “No offence.”

Billy shrugs and lights a smoke. He knows he’s an asshole with anger issues.

“MAX!”

Does Harrington have to shriek this loud?

“What? I'm sure he'll enjoy smashing those demodogs just as much as you do.”

“I'm not giving him a weapon!”

Billy grunts. “He is standing right there.” He sighs. He’s tired, he’s sore and he’s reaching his limit with all the fucking posturing. “Max, what the fuck is going on?”

“Come inside and I'll explain”

“I don't think that's a good idea,” Steve pipes up.

Max rolls her eyes at Steve and walks back into the house.

Billy steps past King Steve with a smug smirk and follows Max, partly because he’s curious to find out what’s going on and also because it’s pissing Harrington off.

He hears Harrington groan behind him and can feel him following close.

When he enters the lounge, Max is in a huddle with the weird kids and they’ve having a hushed argument about him.

He stops and feels Harrington crash into him. The feel of the other teen’s warm body behind him creates a shudder he has no time to stop.

He moves away a bit to lean on the doorframe and crosses his arms in front of him while he waits for the children to decide he’s worthy of knowing what the fuck has them all in a tizzy. Like he fucking cares.

“Max, no…”

“Just do it Dustin.”

“Ugh. Fine”

Billy feels pride bloom in his chest for the way Max takes no shit from those teenage boys.

Billy watches the curly-haired one walk into the kitchen and stop in front of the fridge. The kid looks at Billy then at Max who nods. With a sigh, the boy opens the fridge door and something tumbles out of it.

The silence in the kitchen is eerie as Billy takes in the… creature… that fell out. It’s dark grey, half wrapped in a sheet or something, roughly the size of a big dog, but its head—there’s something wrong with its head, it’s like a freaking flower with teeth.

Billy guesses it’s one of those demodog things Max mentioned outside. He’ll definitely need a weapon if that’s the kind of shit Max and her gaggle of boys are up against.

He pulls out a cigarette and lights it, ignoring the dark look Harrington sends his way. He’s never met Mrs. Byers, but her house is a mess right now, and there’s some dead flower-headed monster in her fridge, so he doubts she’ll mind much if he smokes in her kitchen.

Billy straightens up and sets his eyes on Harrington. “Alright, I’m in.”

The weird kids all start shouting again and Max runs to him, wrapping her arms around his waist in a rare hug that has Billy floundering.

He awkwardly pats her on the shoulder, turning his head to breathe out smoke away from her, because he’s a considerate brother like that.

“Fine,” Harrington says, coming into the kitchen to stand in front of Billy and Billy wants to laugh because King Steve is clearly not the one in charge here.

[pinklocksoflove]

Hatelsia’s Tavern Brawl: Part One

Drabble word count: 1329

Ludwig Herzsprung pushed the struggling barmaid from his knee. In her attempts to resist his unwelcomed kiss she had inadvertently smudged his high velvet collar with the rouge from her cheeks

“Begone, tramp!” He told her in his most imperious voice. Filled with all the undeserving self-confidence the young noble’s son could muster. The blonde girl stared at him angrily, face flushed under the somewhat inexpertly applied rouge and powder, annoyance distorted this woman’s pretty face.

“My name is Ingrid” She huffed “Call me by my name”

“I’ll call you whatever I like, slattern. My father owns this tavern, and if you would keep the job, you only so recently acquired, you’ll keep your tone and your words civil”

She bit back at a retort that she so desperately wanted to scathe this arrogant rat of a man with but cut her losses and retreated out of his reach.

Ludwig knew she would be back. They always come back. Father’s gold saw to that. He brushed the rouge off of his clothing with a well-manicured hand. Then he studied his bearded aquiline features in his small silver hand mirror, checking to make sure none of the girl’s makeup marred his pale skin he so loved. He ignored the titters of his sycophants and the amused looks of the lads who clearly were bullies as boys and never grew out of it, his bodyguards. He could afford to hire them, by virtue of his father’s wealth. He was the undisputed leader of this clique of fashionable fops that liked to parade themselves around in the poorer districts of town so they can flaunt their wealth to those they consider below their status.

From the corner of his eye Ludwig could see the tavernkeeper, Gunther, scolding the girl. The man knew he could not afford to offend the owner’s son and heir, as much as he wanted to. He saw the girl bite back a rejoinder and began to come back to Ludwig.

“I’m sorry for marking your clothes, sir.” She said in a soft voice “Please accept my humblest apology.”

“Of course,” Ludwig replied in an overall haughty tone “Since your clumsiness is exceeded only by your stupidity, and your stupidity is exceeded by your plainness, I must take pity on you. Your apology is accepted. I shall ask that Gunther deduct the cost of this jerkin so I may replace this one you ruined, out of your pay”

The girl’s mouth opened as if she wanted to say something, but she held it back for fear of further trouble. Ludwig knew that the jerkin cost more than the girl would make in a month, including tips. She desperately wanted to argue but knew it was futile. Gunther would side with Ludwig, even if he hated the smug bastard. Her shoulders slumped and he noticed the way her low-cut bodice revealed her bosom and a thought came across his mind

“Unless of course, you would care to repay your debt to me in some other way? Perhaps.... visiting my chambers later this evening around midnight?”

At first, he thought she would refuse. She was young and fresh from the country and still held quaint ideas of virtue. She was born of a peasant, lowest of the low in his mind. She had fled here to town hoping to escape servitude but unfortunately found herself wrapped up in just the same. Losing her job here would surely result in her starving or returning home to face the wrath of the vassal lord she once served under. If she lost her position, Ludwig would see to it she would not be able to get another one elsewhere. The realization of her situation sank and in and her head sunk forward, and she nodded once.

“Then get out of my sight.” Ludwig commanded. The girl fled through the gauntlet of Ludwig’s mass of hangers-on. Tears ran down her face and she hid herself in the back room of the tavern.

Ludwig let off a satisfied sigh then downed another goblet of wine. The sweet clove scented liquid burned down his throat and filled his gut with warmth. He stared towards one of his lackeys, a fat pock-faced young noble son himself, stopped stuffing his face and gave an ingratiating grin

“Nicely done, Ludwig! Afore this night is out you’ll have introduced young Ingrid to the mysteries of you ‘secret lord’ Might I join in later? Take my turn?”

Ludwig sighed and rolled his eyes, knowing fully that regardless this lackey was going to attempt to take his turn with her whether or not he agreed.

“Maybe. Well, that’s tonight’s amusement, but what shall we do till then to while away at the tedious hours in this dull, dull place?” He could see no one worth tormenting, most of the other patrons were of similar status to himself, with their own bodyguards, not much real fun to be had there. A wizened old man in a blue robe sat alone by the fire, had the look of a wizard about him, certainly not a good target. Really wasn’t any entertainment now. Torches flickered in the draught as the outer door opened

“Well perhaps our entertainment has just arrived”

Certainly, an odd arrival, a tall beautiful blonde woman with crystal blue eyes in Dwarvish attire entered, runic patterns tattooed in a ring around her upper arms. She carried with her a runed war axe on her belt, such a beauty would never lower herself to actually fight, would she? Thought Ludwig. Well, oddities of attire and markings aside she was quite the looker.

The blonde moved to the bar and ordered the strongest beer on tap. The tavern had gone quiet, anticipating what Ludwig and his cronies would say. Ludwig knew that they had seen him bait newcomers. He sighed; he had a reputation to be upheld

“Well, well, I didn’t know angels came down dressed as dwarves” It wasn’t the best line but everyone has already had a few drinks and seemed impressed by this admittedly cheesy line

“HA! That’s a new one!” The blonde laughed in her thick Dwarvish accent.

“Ya can’t be serious lad, aside tha fact I ain’t interested, that line was shite” she sipped her beer and turned away chuckling to herself

No one had ever so casually rejected Ludwig before, and this infuriated him to no end. “I find you surly and rude, if you do not apologize, I shall have my men give you a lesson in proper manners”

The newcomer just laughed and slapped her knee.

“Ohhh I’m sorry, did I hurt ya feelins’ Go cry tae ya mum. I ain’t interested in men.” The further spurning only fueled Ludwig’s fury.

“Otto, Herman, Werner, I can no longer bear the sight of this tramp who thinks she’s a dwarf, if you would kindly eject her from the tavern.”  Herman loomed over Ludwig and rubbed one knobbly knuckled fist through his unkempt beard.

“I don’t know if this wise, lord. She looks tough.” He whispered, rubbing his shaven head as he gazed over at the blonde woman knocking back yet another tankard of beer. 

“The way she carries herself, she moves like an experienced fighter of many battles.” 

“So do you” Replied Ludwig, “Otto, I don’t pay you for your wit and charm, deal with her!” Ludwig watched as Otto slipped something hard and metallic over his fist. He leaned back in his chair to enjoy the show.

The blonde looks towards the bodyguards and smirks. “Ya really want tae try this don’tcha? Can’t we just have a pint?” The blonde seems completely unfazed by the trio of bodyguards

“Orders are orders.” Otto replied and swung. To Ludwig’s surprise the stranger easily blocks the attack with her forearm and then doubled the large man over with a single, swift strike to his ample paunch with the wind knocked out of him.

“Really want tae do this do ya?”

End of Part One

[ackerfics]

hange and their best friend (reader) "platonically" flirt with one another, they use pet names for each other, making others think they're together unintentionally. until reader finds an s/o, not knowing hange actually likes them

she — hange zoe

— hange zoe x female reader (modern au)

— warnings: angst ??? the stinging feeling you get when you see someone you love, love someone else

— summary: hange's best friend found love in the form of autumn while hange associates her with all of the seasons.

— word count: 2.5k

— notes: i love hange but i hate myself for writing something that hurts them :<<< they're my first love in aot and it pains me to imagine them hurting in any sort of way (which is probably the reason why i bawled my heart out in chap 132). this little fic hit too close at home for me bc it's exactly what i felt one time during high school. it's fucking traumatizing and istg, i don't want to relive falling in love with a friend again, it's like the most satisfying way to hurt, too. happy reading tho :<<<

reblogs are greatly appreciated!!

She embodies everything positive in Hange’s eyes.

She is spring — the bursting of blossoms under the tendrils of sunlight seeping between the spaces of the trees in the woods. Every time Hange closes their eyes, they are reminded of how she signifies every single flower they ever know. She makes them feel everything at once — see every color at once in a single frame. There is no space for artistic abilities in Hange’s calloused, mismatched hands but when it comes to her, they can create a myriad of paintings encapsulating her beauty at every stroke of a brush. Her laughs, her flowery perfume that doesn’t hurt their nose, her smiles that are as radiant as the early morning Sun — are ingrained in their brain. She brings forth the butterflies that Hange carefully imprisoned in their ribs, the monarchs’ wings already seeping through the cracks at every joke she makes, reaching to their heart until every beat swayed to the sound of her giggles.

“Hange, the love of my life, there you are!”

Hange turned around with a huge smile on their lips. Their conversation with Levi came to an abrupt stop, with the shorter man mumbling along the lines of ‘here we go again’. The small smile on his face spoke otherwise while watching two of his closest friends hug each other as if they didn’t live together in an apartment right outside of campus. It was such a mystery that Hange could be so comfortable around someone to the point of playfully kissing their neck in public, followed by their best friend’s melodious laughs soon after. However, Levi couldn’t be fooled. He knew the glint in the brown-haired person’s eyes. The downturn of their eyebrows when their best friend wasn’t looking. The longing was apparent when she was talking to someone across the room.

The idiot going by the name Hange Zoe was irrevocably in love with their best friend, [Name] [Last Name].

“What is it, baby?” Hange asked vibrantly, glasses reflecting the equally excited girl in their arms. “Didn’t know your class dismissed this early. What happened?”

“Nothing. Our professor announced that we should visit a museum for our finals.” She then mimicked the haughty tone of her Art History professor, straightening her back to make herself appear taller. “Choose a painting or a sculpture and trace down its history and attach your critique in the final output. If I see anyone half-assing this paper, I will not hesitate to give a failing grade that will make you retake this class. I know you lot don’t want to see me again for another semester and I don’t want to see you again, too. So, prove to me you’re worth your standing in this course.” She cleared her throat. “What he said.”

Hange whistled. “Dang, I’m happy that I didn’t follow you to the Arts Department. Your professor sounds like a complete asshole.” They chortled the next second. “Sounds like my mom, to be honest.”

“At least your mom makes a bomb bento box.”

“Yeah, I guess, you’re right.” Hange then nuzzled their face in her hair. “But your bento boxes taste much more delicious — I could eat them all day. Can I be your partner so that you’ll cook for me every day?”

“I’ve already taken the position of your wife the moment I agreed to be your roommate in university, sweetheart. And I cook for you every single day so you don’t have to ask to be my partner because you already are.”

Hange looked smug at her reply, the heat in their cheeks traveling to their ears. “That was a rhetorical question but hearing those words come out of your mouth, it’s making me feel things.”

“Oh? What are those things?”

The brown-haired person snickered under their breath, glancing at Levi who was now looking at the two of them in that lazy way of his that might come off as him being annoyed again. In reality, he was only waiting for the two to finally stop flirting to recognize he was there. His daily job of being a third-wheel should’ve started fifteen minutes ago but Hange wouldn’t let [Name] go. Hange turned back to the expectant girl. “I don’t want Levi to hear what I’m about to say. Just expect something back at the apartment,” they joked, a cheeky smile tugging at their lips.

[Name] laughed heartily. “I’m looking forward to that, gorgeous.”

“I’m still here, you know?” Levi dryly made himself known. He huffed and turned around in the direction of the university restaurant. “Come on, lovebirds, let’s have lunch. Oh, and [Name]?” When he heard her little hum of acknowledgment, Levi slightly turned around to meet his friend’s eyes with his jaded ones. “It’s your turn to buy me a drink. Make it a venti today.” She only blinked at him, giving him no choice but to resort to that dumb thing she always asked. “Please can I have a venti this time? I got you and Hange a venti last time so this makes us even.”

“Ooh, make mine a venti, too, baby!” Hange squeezed their best friend’s waist.

“Anything for my sweetheart.”

“Again, I’m right here, you know.”

Just the thought of that little scenario hurts Hange.

But as much as the pain comes in the package, she is still summer in their eyes.

The Sun can’t compare to the brilliance of her smile. Kind smiles and gentle touches under the warm rays of the summer heat. Her scent is yellow to Hange — so bright and warm that they don’t care how long they bask in her presence, never caring if they get burned because it feels so right to be within her orbit. She urges them to feel so loved and so special, tender caresses of her warmth cascading down every vein until it reaches their heart. The cerulean waters of the sea hold nothing against the beauty of her grins, brown eyes searching for her every time of the day no matter how ethereal the world painted itself to be. Viewing the sights with rose-colored glasses is what they may call it but for Hange, it’s simply her. Someone once said that summer brings forth a paradise where blue covers everything in its wake, the cry of the seagulls reverberating in the distance, and the scent of ice cream flickers in the breeze. For Hange, summer is in the form of pretty close-lipped smiles, of late-night movie marathons on a worn-out couch, of bento boxes filled with their favorites, of a scent so saccharine, and a loyal friend.

A friend.

Of course. No matter where Hange goes, that word haunts them. Hidden beneath their smiles, their jokes, their longing, and admiring stares. It’s a reminder of where they stand in this limbo they created. At one point, they thought that line had been crossed only for it to be established again in permanent ink. And before they know it, Hange is tumbling down in a spiral, along with a change of seasons.

Fall is where everything started.

The orange glow of the leaves created the perfect view as she sipped on her tall cup of warm coffee. The blissful sigh that came soon after warmed up Hange, even though they were seated in front of each other in the outside tables of the small cozy café where Levi was working at. The chill brought by the autumn wind caused both of them to shiver in their layered clothing. The way she nuzzled more into her scarf made Hange coo, reaching out to pinch her cheek affectionately. Autumn was both their favorite season, how it made them resort to the comfort and warmth their sweaters bring, or how they cuddle in each other’s beds with the air conditioner blasting despite the cold. It was also a season where Hange could admire her in their hoodie, a piece of clothing that swallows her whole because she’s so small compared to their lanky figure.

Hange remembered being called out here because she wanted to talk about something. Now that they thought about it, her cheeks appear to be glowing more than usual and she kept glancing inside the café where Levi was busy telling his coworker how to make the new drink. Hange even went as far as following her gaze but they didn’t find anything out of the ordinary other than Levi sighing in that stressful way of his that always made them snicker. They turned back to their Sun, who was once again in a daze while staring at the clear windows of the café. “So,” they prolonged the syllable, “how’s life going, darling? I know we’re living in the same apartment but I just can’t help but ask you this because it seems like you’re always in a daze these days.”

A pause made the breeze’s call known.

“Hey, Hange, have you ever been in love?”

That spread the chill even more inside Hange’s chest. She called them by their name. Not sweetheart nor big spoon. The reality washed over Hange like a pail of freezing water.

“W-What?” Damn, they couldn’t keep the stutter off their words.

She turned her head to them, eyes so soft and smile so beautiful that made Hange breathless for one second. The butterflies dwindled, losing their iridescent wings when they realized that look wasn’t reserved for them anymore. “I thought about it,” she murmured, rubbing her numbing fingertips on the warm cup. “I have never fallen in love with anyone before. Sure, I love you and all our friends but I’ve never stopped and thought about how someone can look like starlight in front of me. But recently,” again, that pretty smile that pierced Hange’s chest, “I never knew that it could hit me that unexpectedly.”

Hange grinned despite the pounding of her chest. “So, who’s the lucky person?”

She chuckled, going back to staring at the interior of the café. “I told Levi to lay off on scolding her but he never listens, says she’ll never grow a backbone if he’s being considerate on her.”

Now, they’re confused because the only people manning the counter as she spoke was Levi (and she would never fall in love with Levi, seeing as they grew up together like siblings rather than the childhood friends that they are) and a strawberry blonde who looked like Levi’s become their worst nightmare. It took Hange a full minute to process that the person she’s been staring at was never their mutual friend, but the strawberry blonde who looked up towards their direction and waved with a pretty blush on their cheeks. She waved back with the same shyness, leaving Hange dumbfounded. “Wait, the person you’re in love with is—”

“Yeah, it’s her.”

Suddenly, Hange understands why she’s starting to like autumn.

It reminds her of the girl’s hair, which she gushes about smelling like coconut. It reminds her of the girl’s preferred perfume, how it smells so much like cinnamon, something that she sometimes puts in her autumn drinks because in her words, ‘it’s the perfect season rather than winter’. It reminds her of the girl’s hugs, the way both of them fit with each other like lost puzzle pieces.

But as the seasons change, feelings of long-term pining will always be constant.

“Are you okay, though?” Erwin asked them, blue eyes reflecting their pathetic faux smile. He pushed the plate of pasta to them since Erwin had an idea that Hange wasn’t eating that much now. It also worried [Name].

“Yeah, four-eyes, I know you’re not doing that great and I’m saying this in the friendliest way possible because we’re worried now,” Levi reminded them, sipping on his tea with slightly narrowed eyes. “You always decline whenever we want to bring you to somewhere, to the point of leaving Nanaba on voicemail. You always answer at the first ring. Look here, shitty four-eyes,” the way Levi enunciated the nickname made Hange slowly turn their head to him, face void of the smile they were known for, “shouldn’t you be happy for her? [Name] gained the courage to confess and you’re here moping when you should’ve been supportive—”

“And what of my feelings, Levi?”

That made Levi blink and feel like an asshole.

Then, the dam broke.

“I’ve been with her all this time, you’ve seen that. You witnessed how this shy girl opened up to an extroverted idiot and became one of her best friends during high school. It feels like I can’t fucking breathe because I always thought we were meant to be. When she was lonely, I was there to comfort her. When she got a bad grade on an exam, I was the one who knows what flavors of ice cream she wants or how she eats them together like a fucking milkshake. Every day, I never expected her to look my way like she looks at her girlfriend right now. It fucking hurts. It feels so empty to know that I’m not the one she fell in love with. What did I lack? Should I be sweeter and gentler like that girl? Or dainty whenever I eat like she is? Be girly and dress up like a doll? Fuck, I can’t even bring myself to hate her girlfriend. She’s so nice and kind and sweet, anything I’m not.” Hange buried their hands in their hair, making it messier than it was.

“I just want [Name] to love me and make things wonderful. Why isn’t Fate on my side this time?

“Why didn’t she choose me?”

Tears were now drifting down like snowflakes.

“Hange,” Erwin murmured.

“Look, sunshine, it’s snowing!”

A voice catches their attention. A strawberry blonde cheers the words with glee painted in her eyes. Beside her is the subject of the trio’s conversation, the subject of a brown-haired person’s affections. Her eyes are taking in the beauty that is her girlfriend. She looks so pretty in love — how her eyes crinkled at the corners and how snow clung on her eyelashes as if she is a fairy straight from a fairy tale Hange loves when she was a kid. Her girlfriend takes her hand and pulls her to the restaurant where the trio is watching from the windows. Gray and blue irises slide over a somber bespectacled person, gauging their reaction though their face never gives anything away.

“I’m right behind you, Petra. I just took the time to admire you because you’re so pretty under the snow.”

“Stop it! You’re prettier!”

“Did you know that seeing the first snow of the year together with the person you love, your relationship will rival that of eternity?”

“Then, I’m happy I get to see this first snow with you, sunshine.”

“Me, too, angel.”

Hange smiles under a steady stream of tears. “I’m happy for her. I’m happy she found happiness even if it’s not with me.”

The chill blows inside the warm walls of the restaurant the moment the door opens, [Name]’s joyous greetings for her best friends bringing smiles to two of them. Her eyes drift to brown ones before turning to Petra to ask for a pack of tissues since Hange’s tears are still visible. Hange watches the commotion with a small smile, the chill spreading through them like a snowstorm.

Winter is here.

general taglist:

@angelofthorr

[thecandywrites]

Jewel Of The North Part 11

Woo, this was so much fun. Karma begins to sink her teeth into Alorna and Doug. Meanwhile Noah and our dear reader Zara draw closer and closer. Que- Lady in Red.

Many thanks to @monstersandmaw​ for sharing ice orcs with me. I am having a blast. Enjoy. 

Jewel Of The North

Part 11

The next morning, you accidentally slept in because you were up half the night getting some of the best sex of your life and reconciling with Noah and having the best heart to heart while you were fucking the other’s brains out and this morning you felt like you were running around like a chicken with your head cut off trying to get ready on time and Noah walked you to the spa himself and you weren’t five steps from it before you saw Alorna and Doug at the counter, getting last minute upgrades on their services and about to go into it and both you and Noah stopped dead in your tracks and gasped and squeezed the other’s hand tightly and you doing that made Alorna and Doug turn around to look and one look made them freeze and breathe in tightly and the looks on their faces were priceless as they looked like they both had been caught with their pants down as both you and Noah quickly got your phones out and got pictures of them, together for proof of where they were and why the couldn’t be found back on the mainland.              

And seeing them, you and Noah looked at each other before looking back at them and started busting out laughing and pointing because the odds of the four of you meeting back up, let alone like this- was astronomical. So it was either by fate that you met or by the craziest coincidence. Yesterday you would have wanted to beat them both to a pulp. Today- though, you didn’t care. You had your family and a clean conscience and you knew they couldn’t boast of that last one and you knew Karma was about to bite them in the ass and you knew that justice was coming for them and for you. 

“Oh my gods, you left John for Doug?” Noah asked his sister. 

“What if I did?” Alorna shirked with a shrug. 

“I mean you’re a stupid, faithless bitch either way and incase you missed it, I officially disown you. By the way, since you seem to have been ignoring your phone, I think you should know I got a text from your soon to be ex husband, telling me that you had skipped out of town on a cruise and he officially called all his credit cards that you have- in as stolen and cancelled your check card and kicked you off the checking account at the bank. And his lawyer is expediting your divorce and all your stuff is at the community center and that he changed the locks on the doors. But at least he left you your car.” Noah informed her as he pulled up his text from John on his phone and read it off to her. 

“What?” Alorna blanched as she came over to look at his phone to read it herself. 

“Even if that’s true, Sweetheart, you can move all your things in with me.” Doug offered Alorna which made her beam smugly at her brother. 

“Thank you Baby, I knew I could depend on you.” Alorna practically sang as she sauntered back to him and kissed him sweetly as you just stood there and shook your head as you texted your picture to Summer and gave her the update as even more updates came pouring into your own phone.  

“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment I need to keep.” You excused yourself and went up to the desk to check in for your own appointment. 

“What are you getting done?” Doug asked you curiously from down the counter.

“Nothing. It’s an interview and sales pitch to be an onboard LMT, I get the ultimate cruise experience and elite package in a King’s Suite for free just for about an hour or so of my time and any money I spend on this cruise, I write off as a business expense, both personally and from a business expense for all of my businesses. So while this cruise is free, I get to enjoy a twenty thousand dollar tax break for myself and for each of my businesses, which considering all four of them and counting myself, is a whole hundred thousand dollars. Not bad for an hour or two of my time eh?” You returned with a smugness of your own as Doug and Alorna’s jaw dropped in jealous disbelief. 

“Enjoy your time at the spa.” You offered sweetly before you paused and turned to address them head on. 

“Oh by the way, before you go, I should remind you- just in case you didn’t know, there is always legal backlash for defaming and maligning a priestess of Aura. Because my lawyers have already been in contact with every single elder in every clan up here and especially with every single elder on the councils and got so many statements of what you two said about me to them and already have more than enough evidence to sue you both and it doesn’t matter if and when which of you turns on the other or not, both of you will answer for what you’ve done. You should know that the last person to defame a priestess of Aura, was sued for a 150 million dollars in damages, and the out of court settlement ended up being 15 million. So you’ll be hearing from my lawyers when you do get home and currently you’re both in the process of getting warrants out for your arrest because defaming and threatening a public figure which all priestesses of Aura are, is an arrest-able offense in every country in the world and an expedite-able offense too. So enjoy jail. I doubt anyone but me will have pockets deep enough to bail you out and there’s no way in hell I would ever do that either. But I hope this little affair was worth it for you.” You offered, your tone sweet as honey but the gravitas of what you were saying hit them both like a ton of bricks Noah beamed the happiest, proudest smile. 

“Yes! In your faces motherfuckers!” Noah cheered as he gave them both the bird. 

“Baby, I’m gonna be sitting right over here until you get out.” Noah informed you happily as he pointed to a chair before he strutted over and settled into it. 

“You’re lying. That’s the worst bluff I’ve ever heard.” Alorna scoffed at you. 

“I guess we’ll see when you get off the ship, in any port you do get off at. You’ve fucked around, now you get to find out.” You smiled smugly back with a shrug. 

“Ms. Kingsley?” Sharon- the spa’s manager called when she came out. 

“That’s me.” You confirmed as you went over to her and shook her hand and went back with her into the spa for your interview. 

“What if she wasn’t bluffing.” Doug murmured to Alorna before their own therapists came out to get them. 

“She has to be, she’s just trying to get the last word and the last laugh and steal our fun. It’s not gonna work.” Alorna insisted but Doug wasn’t sure before they went back into the spa. 

Noah happily texted his mom that you and him had fully reconciled and that he had told Alorna the ‘news’ of John’s divorce as his mother confirmed everything you had just told Doug and Alorna and that yesterday, shortly after you left, that she had gotten a call from a lawyer asking about the incident and that not only did she and Ukluk confirm the case, but so had Isla, Tonrar and everyone else involved and that the clan law was in the process of getting modified by each clan and that each clan was offering Zara a share of the tribal lands as recompense for believing the lies about her and were working on a formal apology and would be officially stripping Alorna and Doug of their clan standing and ties and that the police were involved and that there were indeed warrants out for their arrests and that cops were already contacting the cruise ship to let them know they were harboring wanted individuals. 

Noah simply giggled gleefully as he got up and went to the closest bar and got a celebratory drink before settling back into his spot.

Finally, after all this time, and pain and heartache and damage, his sister and Doug had caused, they were getting what was coming to them. Karma was real and was gonna bite them in the ass soon enough. And the best part about it, is he didn’t have to lift a finger and neither did you. All he had to do was stand by you and do right by you from now on, which he was more than prepared to do. Never again would he waiver from you. Because while you had lost the battle the other night, you sure as hell were going to win the war and just because you weren’t physically fighting or combative, didn’t mean that you weren’t fighting back, you were just fighting back in the best way possible. You were going to hit where it would hurt them the most. And Noah for one would rather get the shit kicked out of him rather than be abandoned by his clan. So he was supremely grateful.

He pulled out your check that had been in his pocket, and turned it over to read the back one more time. 

‘Dear Noah, please don’t think that I’m giving up. I’m not. I will never give up, not on you or on Sakura. And I will fight till my last breath for you both. I don���t want you to have to choose between your heritage, your culture and your birthright- and me. You deserve both. You both deserve everything you want. Love, happiness, honor, pride, heritage, roots and family. When you read this. I hope you’ll understand that as a priestess, there are rules I have to follow while in regalia. And I hope we find each other again soon. No matter what happens, I will always love you both- Sincerely, Zara.’ 

Even now, Noah wiped a stray happy tear from his eyes as he pressed the check to his heart. He had been a fool yesterday. A thankless bastard, a reprehensible asshole. But you redeemed him. Even when you shouldn’t have. And for that, he would always be grateful. And love you unconditionally and always treat you with the utmost care and respect. And treat your children as his own. Even if they both hated him at first. He would win them over by staying true to you and them. And he was always going to have your back and theirs and be the trustworthy rock you and they needed. He silently prayed to every god you both believed in and vowed this to them and when he had finished. A renewed sense of peace and happiness came and settled in him and renewed his spirit. 

The interview process did take about an hour and a half. But you came out of the spa, happy and smiling and laughing with the spa’s day manager before you practically strut over to him. 

“So? How’d it go?” He asked before you slid into his lap and drank the rest of his drink. 

“It went great, they offered me a job but sadly I had to turn it down because I actually want to be around for my kids and possible new husband and can’t do that living on a ship full time.” You hinted. 

“They have a jewelry store on this cruise ship right?” Noah asked. “I can get you a wedding ring right now.” He offered. 

“Don’t you dare, the jewelry on this ship is cheap in quality and sky high in price. I would much rather have a traditional ring from the clans or bead in my hair or whatever. Besides, if you do get me a ring, it’ll live on this necklace or any other necklace you get for me because I can’t wear jewelry on my hands for work. But I would wear it on my off days and special occasions.” You answered. 

“Besides. Call me old fashioned, but I want a traditional wedding with all the friends and family and all that and not some last minute thing on a cruise ship.” You urged him. 

“Me too.” Noah simply grinned as he happily wrapped his arms around you and held you comfortably. 

“So, let’s go get some brunch.” You urged him before you got off of him and offered him your hand to help him up which he gratefully took and once he was up to his full height he returned the glass to the bar and walked down to one of the restaurants on the ship with you comfortably under his arm. 

“I will say this though, could we get you some nice dress clothes for dinner?” You asked as you walked down the hallway with your own arm around his waist. 

“Sure.” Noah answered before you both gorged yourselves on a brunch then went shopping to get Noah a few things for the remaining nights of the cruise, including a black suit with a black dress shirt and black dress shoes with black socks with a few different ties and handkerchiefs that would match the dresses you brought so that you would match and so that Noah’s suit would be versatile. 

“Aww, I see you found her.” Maggie said as you guys walked past the customer service desk together, both of you carrying several bags each. 

“I did.” Noah grinned proudly. 

“So- what did you forget?” She asked you curiously. 

“His heart.” You answered truthfully. 

“Awww!” She gushed. “Really?” She asked as she looked from the two of you. 

“Yeah, we’ve been falling for each other since we first met each other, and it just took one good kick in the pants for me to come to my senses and come after her.” Noah revealed. 

“What was your kick in the pants?” She pressed giddily. 

“This.” Noah said as he showed her the back of the check before she and everyone else at customer service read it and started crying once you explained the whole story after putting your things on the counter so you wouldn’t have to keep holding them and it freed your hands up for your gestures. 

“So, I actually won’t be needing my cabin. I’m rooming with her.” He nodded over to you. 

“Well then I guess you need a refund for your suite don’t you? I mean you didn’t even really use the room at all, barely stepped your foot in it. So it doesn’t count, besides, we need the room for other guests anyway.” Maggie insisted before she got his room card and re-programed it so it would work for your room instead. 

“And I got you some ship credit for whatever else your hearts desire while sailing with us for any “inconvenience”. Oh this is straight out of a movie I swear!” Maggie swooned happily as she typed on her computer before she printed out receipts and stuff for you both. 

“Thank you so much for sharing. I ship you guys so hard. Here’s my email address, email me what happens, I want to know.” She insisted as she wrote down her personal email address to you. 

“Definitely.” You grinned before you got your stuff and went back to your suite together and got ready for dinner at the cruise’s most fancy restaurant. 

“Wow.” Noah breathed in awe before he wolf whistled at you from the comfort of the couch in the suite when he saw you walk out of the bathroom in a red dress that hugged your curves gorgeously and was sexy as sin. Your hair was done up, your makeup flawless, the red of your lipstick matching the shade and tone of the dress perfectly and your jewelry he could tell was older and most likely inherited from your late adopted grandparents. 

“Thank you.” You thanked him bashfully as you struck a few seductive poses for him. 

“That’s going to be real fun to take off.” Noah grinned as you could already see the beginnings of a hard on tent his pants. 

“Yes it will. Later of course, not right now, we have a reservation to keep.” You urged him as you got on two different pairs of shoes. 

“The red or the black?” You posed as you stood before him, switching from one foot to the other. 

“They both look amazing, pick whichever one is more comfortable.” He urged you. 

“They’re about the same. I’m going with red. Save the black for the little black dress.” You decided before you walked over to a chair and put the other red shoe on the other foot so now they matched before you found your shawl and put your things in a little clutch. “You ready?” You asked once you were all put together as you draped the shawl around your shoulders. 

“Ready.” Noah said as he turned the TV off and got up from the couch and straightened himself up before he was by your side in just a few strides and happily escorted you to dinner and smiled so proudly when everyone you walked past seemed to stop and stare at you strutting past them. You could tell most of them wanted to say something, a few of the brave ones whistling lowly after you passed them but one look from Noah had them biting their tongue and looking away guiltily. While Noah looked perfectly dashing- he was an ice orc after all and therefore- not someone to mess with and Noah happily escorted you to the restaurant where you got seated at a table in the center of the restaurant where you happily shrugged your shawl off and laid your clutch next to you in the comfortable armchairs. 

Noah wanted to pinch himself. Two weeks ago, he was bartering flights and airplane fuel and googling what he could make for dinner with only two or three ingredients and a handful of spices and he felt like he was treading water, barely keeping his head above water and begging his garden to ripen his produce faster so he could eat it and use it and he had been so grateful that Taylor had recommended him to you. You were one of the first clients to not haggle. He had given you a high price to start with, expecting to be haggled down. But you had accepted it and even sent him a deposit and that had set him straight and it was enough to ease the sinking feeling and gave him breathing room. And then the moment you walked into his life. Suddenly money was the last thing to matter to him. For the first time since childhood, money was not a major factor in anything. All that mattered was Sakura and you. Your safety, your wellbeing, your comfort, your happiness. And when you took to Sakura as easily and readily as you did, all he could do was thank the gods for answering his prayers for allowing the right woman into his life and Sakura’s life and for giving him the patience to wait for her. You were like a soothing balm to all the wounds losing Neena he and Sakura had sustained. 

Neena, while she was traditional in most senses and was an excellent mother and careful with money and expenses and incredibly thrifty and resourceful because she had to be, she was easily contented and not demanding at all, however she wasn’t the greatest lover, or cook. She was very reserved. And not expressively passionate. 

But you? Passion and heart, feeling and intuition was in everything you did. You were mild, gracious and generous when you wanted and needed to be but you didn’t let anyone walk all over you or take advantage of you and very protective. You were balanced between open yet discrete and an excellent judge of character. And you created such a safe, wonderful, nurturing, welcoming and relaxed environment wherever you were. And you were always, always- professional. You garnered respect wherever you went and whatever you did. And you were a goddess in both the bedroom and the kitchen and the perfect fit. 

He felt guilty comparing you with Neena. It wasn’t fair to either of you. He had married Neena out of obligation, because Isla had arranged it since his youth and being married to her was a lesson in patience and persistence and learning to adjust to the other and learning to be a team.  But to feel his heart and his soul and his mind light up brighter than the moon and the stars in the dark of night- when he met you, was something else entirely, it was an instant attraction rather than a growing to like, then love and working in tandem with you was second nature to him. You were an addiction for his soul. And he couldn’t believe he was lucky enough to have you in his life. And he was adamant, that he was never, ever going to be foolish enough to try let go- ever again. 

Soon enough, he noticed that your table didn’t have the usual two waiters, your table- had four. And all of them were practically drooling over you. Noah was used to only having great service at home. They were treating both you and him like royalty and he sincerely doubted he would get this kind of service if he wasn’t with you. But he was going to enjoy it and suddenly the table was full of all kinds of complementary offerings. And with you flashing that smile and remembering each waiter by name and being sweeter than sugar and honey, they were all eating out of your hands. Even the chefs and sous chefs came out to see how you liked their offerings and happily sent you away with a handsome spread of other desserts to enjoy in the room since you were quite full just from all the appetizers and tapas and entrees whether they were on the menu or not. 

On the way back to the room as both of you were carrying a few bags each, you passed Alorna and Doug who were leaving the casino and arguing bitterly with each other. Apparently they both had had some really bad luck in there and you and Noah simply snickered a laugh and shook your heads at their theatrics and drama. 

Once you were in the room Noah was all too happy to peel your red dress off of you so you could take your corset off and groaned in relief once your body wasn’t being restricted anymore which got Noah to chuckle as he got his own suit off. 

“Feel better?” Noah asked. 

“Much.” You answered before you went to the bathroom to wash all your makeup off and once you reappeared you found Noah in a simple t-shirt and a pair of night shorts as you had donned your own pajamas. 

“Dessert on the balcony?” You suggested. 

“Sure.” Noah nodded as he grabbed the bags as you two went out the porch as you grabbed a blanket and snuggled into the double sunchair together as you two got to digging into dessert. 

“So what are your hobbies?” You asked him curiously. 

“Like what?” He asked you. 

“Well, bedsides the flying, when it’s the off season, what do you like to do?” You asked as Noah took a big bite of cheesecake and thought it over as he chewed.  “Besides the things you have to do to live up here, what are the things you look forward to doing in your off time?” You clarified before you took a bite yourself. 

“Well I guess, just...making things and improving things. Two weeks ago, my winter plans were to rewire the parts of my plane I didn’t rewire last year. And the usual home improvements. Last winter I made Sakura a new dresser, so I’m kind of a jack of all trades.” Noah answered. 

“Well then I think I have something that will interest you, it’s a workshop and it’s a decent sized outbuilding. When Andy and I were designing the house, he wanted to have a space to do his tinkering, to work on the vehicles, to do some maintenance and whatever else he needed or wanted to do. So even after he died, I went ahead and built the workshop that’s bigger than a shed but not quite a pole barn. It’s big enough to do small to medium sized projects in, comfortably. Thanks to my brothers and brothers in law and my dad I was able to score a lot of various equipment for super cheap from a lot of the old estate sales and barn sales and such. Like I have a lot of woodshop equipment, mechanic stuff, forge stuff, blade-smithing stuff, blacksmithing stuff and the like. And my dad and all the men in my family, whenever they come over, I can always find them out there, fiddling with stuff. Like it could be a proper man cave. All it would need is like a couch and a tv. Because it already has a mini fridge for soda and beer along with a bathroom and washing facilities. It is a separate space from the stables, and the hay barn.” You informed him as you pulled out your phone and showed him pictures of it before he took the phone and zoomed in on some of the equipment was shown as Noah’s lips were pursed into a silent ‘ooh’. 

“Why do you have a hard on?” You teased as you noticed his half hard cock make an appearance in his shorts as you stroked your leg against it from half sitting in his lap.  

“Cause I’m looking at one of my biggest fantasies brought to life, in my wildest dreams I never would have imagined anything like that and my head is almost spinning with all kinds of ideas of everything I could do with all of this. It’s almost too good to be true. I mean that’s a….” Noah chuckled as he looked at it all before he started listing off what he saw and what he knew about all of it as you just smiled brighter and prouder as relief and validation and vindication flooded your mind. 

“Good.” You beamed. 

“Why did you build it if Andy wasn’t alive to enjoy it and use it?” Noah asked you thoughtfully.  

“Can you promise me not to freak out?” You posed. 

“Yeah.” Noah answered as he gave you a curious look. 

“Ok, so it was one of those- ‘build it and they will come’ kind of things. I had always planned in my head that if and when Andy would die, I would just up and move to the northern Great Lakes to be with the rest of my family. And then when Andy did die and we had already bought the property and were in the process of bulldozing the existing farm house and clearing brush and trees to make room for the house. I flirted with the idea of still cutting ties and just up and moving. But Olga surprised me by coming down to see me and she advised not making any rash decision with a broken heart and not to let my past ideas limit my current potential. And she had me bring her out there. And she ended up doing a peering right then and there, among the dirt and gravel. She told me to not change my plans of moving there, that my roots where I was- were already deep enough to sustain me and my family and if I uprooted myself and my family that I would damage them and me more than help them and myself. That I had the will, the means and the ability to build my dreams right there, from start to finish and that if I built it, they would come true. I just had to lay the foundations. To grow a garden, you ready the soil and then plant. I had already started to ready the soil. What I grew from there depended on how much soil I readied and what I planted. Both literally and figuratively. And that by the time my heart was ready, everything else would be ready too. And when she shared that with my family, they were all too happy to help in any way they could. When I had full control of all the funds from all of my inheritance from my adopted grandparents- I went back to the design firm and did a complete redesign and because I now had, literal millions to play with, I was able to design my dream house with all the flourishes and thoughtful touches and dreams and fantasies I had initially wanted but gave up because they didn’t fit the utilitarian point of view Andy had and I got to plan and execute it exactly how I wanted it. And even when there were little hiccups with the construction. I was ok with it. Because I wanted it to be perfect and it was. And then after it was built, and I was furnishing it and suddenly my dad, my father in law and my brother and brothers in law drug me to all these estate sales and barn sales and I got a ton of equipment for super cheap. And Olga told me that the right man would recognize what I have and know exactly how to use it best, not just in my self but with what I had. Which you just demonstrated for me, cause you knew what all of that was and I am willing to bet that you have at least a dozen ideas of what to do and how to use it all in your head.” You grinned proudly as you tapped the side of his head affectionately.  

“Oh at least a hundred.” Noah admitted happily before he turned to kiss your fingers and your palm with equal affection.

“I look forward to seeing them.” You insisted as you snuggled further together. 

[secondhand-trash]

Tough Competition

@shinsoubowl​ Week 2019 Day 2 (Prompt: Competition+”Is that really the best you got?”)

A/N: I had such a bad writer's block while writing this one. Thank god I managed to get it done.

Pairing: Shinsou HItoshi x reader

Description: Nothing like a bit of friendy rivalry to get the tension going and affection to blossom.

Word count: 3195

Playlist:

Make You Mine//PUBLIC

Waterloo//ABBA

I Hate Myself for Loving You//Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

-

If anything, you had enough self-awareness to admit that you were a ridiculously prideful person. So to see that damn smirk on your opponent’s face when your back hit the mat immediately sent a pang of bitterness straight to the back of your throat.

“Is that really the best you got?”

What a prick.

You groaned at the numbness on your back from the pain, “You have to rub it in, huh?”

Shinsou’s extended hand was left hanging as you got up and walked straight pass him, a hand on your back to ease the discomfort.

Now, before people started to assume things, you did not hate Shinsou. Not really, but you were a really bitter loser and you had never won in a spar against that kid. Never, not once since you started training with him under Aizawa’s instruction.

Perhaps it was the universe’s cue to keep your ego in check when you didn’t make it into Hero Studies in the first place.

To say that you were crushed would be an understatement. It was a reality check that you were, indeed, not as good as you thought you were. But you didn’t just give up, admitting that you failed in achieving your dream would be an even bigger blow to your pride. So you settled for what you could get in the time being and worked twice as hard as you used to, preparing for the day you could finally prove your worth.

You nearly cried in joy when they said that you would be trained to see if you were suitable for moving to Hero Studies next year.

You weren’t so excited to see another person there in the gym though.

Not only was Shinsou somewhat in competition with you for the same goal, he was also ridiculously good at it. He was very serious with the whole thing in the same way as you did which you respected but somehow, he seemed to find amusement in your frustration as much as you were frustrated by him.

“You know, if you stop being such a sore loser, we might actually get along.” you rolled your eyes as you heard his irritating voice when you were about to push open the door to the gym. Another day, another training section with the person who made you grit your teeth every time you talk to him.

You turned around with a glare and exaggeratingly shrugged, “Why are you so interested in getting along with me? As far as I’m concerned, being a lone wolf was your brand.”

You were expecting to see that smirk but you faced him to see that it had dropped. He looked almost sincere and the scrawl on your face went stiff. “Because it took me a while to see that pushing people away won’t get you far,” he said, “we’re actually pretty similar, you and I-”

“Let’s just go back to kicking each other’s ass, it’s more fun that way.” walking pass the door without sparing him another glance, you could hear the sigh from behind your back. If you had to receive a lecture on the importance of peer relationships with someone, it would be the least convincing to get it from Shinsou Hitoshi whose only interaction you had with was beating each other up.

Beads of sweat slid down your forehead as you blocked yet another hit from your opponent, finding the chance to strike back. The gym was filled with the sound of grunting and the squeaking of the hard wooden floor as the fight carried on with a feverish force. It was a level playing field, as much as you were worn out, the heavy breaths and the way his shirt stuck onto his body showed that Shinsou was not exactly having the easiest time fending you off.

You would never give him the satisfaction of hearing you say it out loud but it you were not the one on the receiving end of it, watching Shinsou fight was an enjoyment. It’s the way his body moved, every muscle working together in the swiftest motion and each move was so precise. When you saw him in the Sports Festival, you did not take him as the combat type of person but apparently the training did him well.

Sometimes, you weren’t sure if you could say the same for you.

You were immediately caught off guard when Shinsou decked and moved out of your view. Suddenly, there was a firm grip on your forearm that couldn’t pull back fast enough after your lunge.

Before you knew it, you crashed onto the ground and groaned when you heard the line that you were almost expecting to hear. “Is this really the best you got?”

You snapped your eyes open, disregarding the pain that wanted to force them shut out of instinct, and wanted to snarl at him with a comeback of your own. It took you by surprise when you felt a heavy weight on your shoulder and Shinsou’s face hovering right above yours. He was had both knees on your side, trapping you and keeping you on the floor.

“What the fuck? Get off me-”

“Why do you hate me so much?”

Blood rushed to your face at the close proximity between you and him. You tried to ignore the fact that you could almost feel his shaky breath fanning your face as you retaliated, “Did you heard what you just said to me?”

“What is it about me that made you detest me so much?” his grip on your shoulder tightened slightly as he spoke, “You kept coming back at me with the same attitude when I had been trying to be nice to you. You ignored me when I walk past you in the halls. Look, if this is about what I say to you after we spur, I’m sorry but-”

“I don’t hate you!” you yelled and tried to get out of his grip, you were not ready to have this huge confrontation with him when you yourself had been refusing the mental debate in your head. Did you feel bad for treating him like that? Always, but your guilt was gone every time you felt the chilling wooden floor under your back as you heard his words rang in your ears. It reminded you of your own failure and although it wasn’t fair to blame it on someone who had no business with your own insecurities, you just couldn’t help it from letting your anger out. “I’m a sore loser, you said it yourself. The only reason I’m still here talking to you is because I had to unless I want to just hand away the only shot I have at doing what I want.”

His brows knitted together, a hint of hurt flashing through before a sharp look replaced it in his eyes, “Do you think it’s not the same for me? I could be doing something else that actually benefits me instead of bickering with you but I still tried anyways because I thought we could both use a friend!” He nearly shouted at you with the last sentence and you winced. He let go of yours shoulder and stood up, “But apparently, I was wrong.”

The cold tone in his voice made you shiver. You weren’t sure what that feeling was when you stared at the back view of him walking away, a loud thump from the door echoed in the empty gym as he left. You sat on the floor, still processing what just happened but failed to keep your mind straight at the weight from where he held you down ghosting on your shoulder and that disturbing feeling of the churn in your stomach distracting you.

“Hey! We’re going to this new cafe after school, wanna come?”

“Can’t,” you groaned as you turned down your friend, “had to train with that asshole again.”

Your friend snickered, “What’s going on between you and Shinsou?”

“There is no ‘me and Shinsou’, what are you talking about?” you raised a brow at your friend’s smug smile. You weren’t lying, ever since that day in the gym, he stopped trying to approach you like he did before and you obviously had no intention to reach out to him yourself. You still held on to your argument that you didn’t hate him but it seemed like you couldn’t quite say the same for him with the way he gave you a side eye each time you walked past him. Never one to back down, you would always return with an equally icy glare. Sparring did not go any differently, the two of you were more determined to beat each other than before after you got farther from being friends.

“Oh, please,” you rolled your eyes at their grin and the amused tone they were using, “everyone can feel the tension between you two.”

You let out a soft ‘tch’ in annoyance, “Because we both want to strangle each other?”

“Yeah, yeah, keep denying it,” they smirked, “but the way you two stared each other down? I’m more convinced that you both want to ravish the other person-”

“Ok, how about no?” you ignored their cackling as you swung you bag on your shoulders and made way to the door, “And if you use the word ‘ravish’ again, I will throw up on you.”

You were a prideful person and you knew it but there were times when holding up the wall that was your ego put too much strain on you. You could not take failure, you did not have to be the best at everything but you would not accept the torture that was being anything less than serviceable. It was mid-term season and you had not gotten enough sleep for at least a week. Your progress on hero training was everything but ideal with the standards you put on yourself and you were exhausted. Now that the week was over, there was nothing you wanted to do more than hiding in your dorm room and hibernate.

But no, you had to spend such a beautiful weekend doing extra training with the one person you did not want to see.

Shinsou could sense that something was wrong when you stormed into the gym without acknowledging his presence at all. Normally, there would be at least an eye roll or a glare but you did not even look at him as you threw your stuff down onto the side. Unlike your usual good posture, you shoulders were tensed up and he could almost see a slight hunch on your back. The bags under your eyes could almost rival his own.

“You looked like shit, where have you been?”

He was expecting a snarl and words caught in the back of his throat as he heard a sigh instead. You sounded so tired and he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with it. “Look, I really don’t have the energy for this today.” you ran a hand through your hair and tried to concentrate, “Let’s just get this done and over with.”

“Right.” he wasn’t sure it felt weird that you two weren’t bickering because he was always so annoyed by your snarky attitude but he pushed it to the back of his head as the two of you got into position.

Unlike most times, you didn’t strike the first move. It didn’t take a genius to see that your moves were way sloppier than usual. Shinsou had been spurring with you for long enough to see that you were not holding up with your standard performance. At certain moments, he was so sure that you were gonna lose balance and collapse.

“Stop, stop, stop.” you looked at him in confusion when he suddenly gripped your wrist, “I can’t do this anymore.”

“What?” you asked in disbelief as you tried to break free of his grasp.

“I can’t fight you when you are like this.”

You bit the inside of your cheeks as you felt humiliation building up in you. He hadn’t let go of you and you yanked your hand away from him, “I don’t want your pity.”

“I’m not pitying you.” Shinsou sighed at how difficult you were being, “It’s gonna look bad on me if I win you when you look like you are about to pass out anyways. Let’s just call it quits, ok?”

If it was any times other than now, you would have yelled at him to not go soft on you and carry on with what you were doing. But right now, his offer sounded just a bit too tempting for your worn out self.

Shinsou wasn’t sure why he felt so relieved when you nodded and backed down, going to pack your things without much protest as he thought you would.

“Thanks.” you mumbled as you took the can of soda from his hand. Taking a large gulp, you let out a content sigh as the cold liquid brought you back to life.

You didn’t move away when Shinsou sat down next to you on the bench outside of the gym. He stared at the side of your face as while you lowered your head, your fingers tracing the rim of the can mindlessly. He had never looked at you properly until now, too busy either fighting you off or trying to keep up the part of an eager rival. With your eyes draping down and your lips pursing tightly together to form a frown, he was all too bothered by how distressed you looked for someone who was supposed to hate you.

“Sometimes, I’m not sure if I can convince myself that I’m good enough anymore.” you said with a forced chuckle and the pitiful sound made his heart ache.

“If you’re not good enough then what does that make me?”

You gave him a weak shrug, “Well, someone who could beat me every time, that I am sure of.”

You must be really beaten down to say it out loud. Shinsou furrowed his brows together as he thought hard on what he should say. He thought that he wanted you to admit that he was a worthy opponent but the fact that someone as prideful as you were was basically stepping on themselves, it left a really bad taste in his mouth. This was not like you and despite what you said basically acknowledging his own abilities, it made him feel terrible.

“Are you kidding me? Do you have no idea how much of a hard time you give me every damn time?”

You snorted at his attempt a cheering you up, the corner of his lips tugging upwards as he saw the small smile on your face. “Right.”

“So stop putting yourself down because you’re insulting me in the process.” you gave him a soft swat on the arm as he grinned, “Whatever is bothering you right now, please pull through. I want my tough competition back.”

“God, you are so infuriating!” you laughed and shook your head. Tapping the side of the cold aluminum, you stayed silent for a while before turning to him. “Thanks, I guess.”

“You’re welcome, I guess.” Shinsou said in amusement at your attempt to lower your pride. You looked almost flustered just saying that and it was adorable to see you let your guard down around him for once.

For a while, you two just sat there without saying a word. The silence was comforting, something you never expected to feel around Shinsou. As the sun slowly descended, everything was tinted with the golden light and the warmth on your skin reminded you of the comfort of being surrounded by blankets on your own bed.

“I think I should go.” you stood up and turned to face him with you back towards the sunlight. Shinsou could feel the flush on his face and he wasn’t sure if it was the sun or the genuine grin you had on your face that gave him the warmth on his cheeks. “Next time, I’m not losing again.”

He got up and looked at you straight in the eyes, looking more delighted than he was competitive. “We’ll see about that.”

Shinsou was caught off guard when you smiled at him as you entered the gym, not that he was complaining. “Ready to get beaten up?”

“Say that to yourself.”

You two had spurred for countless of times but somehow it felt different this time round. Something clicked and the two of you were more aggressive and less calculated with your moves. Both of you were set to win and you must have snapped out of that bad headspace you were in because Shinsou had never seen you so fierce before, even when you two had all that pent up angst towards each other. At one point, he could not even make a move of his own as he was too busy just blocking your hits. How did you get so much better in the span of days?

There was a glint in your eyes that he had never seen before and it was just enough to distract him for long enough that you managed to break his defense. With a hand gripping onto his upper arm, you tripped him down with a kick and pinned him on the floor. Intimating what he once did to you, you pressed him down and trapped him in between your knees.

You were right above him as you came to the realization that you had won against him for the first time since the training started. Still panting and struggling to gather your breath, you smiled. Not so much because you managed to pin him down, but more for the fact that you could actually do it.

If it had happened a week ago, he would have been infuriated. But now, he could not help it but being mesmerized by how you look hovering above him. Your hair was sticking to your forehead and you were flushed from the fight, would it be wrong if he thought that you looked oddly good? You were so close to him. If he sit up just a little taller, your faces would touch and he was so tempted.

Your eyes widened in surprise when you felt the abrupt peck on your lips. The boy who was still beneath you did not even make that big of a move for you to notice. It you could not see the faint blush on his face, you would have thought that it was an illusion from the adrenaline.

Shinsou was expecting you to slap him or yell at him for kissing you out of nowhere. He wasn’t proud of it, but it was right there and he could not help himself.

His breath stopped as you licked your lips and smirked. “Is that really the best you got?”

Shinsou wasn’t sure if he was more intimidated or turned on by that.

[xsixxx]

Bad Influence - Chapter 11

Word Count - 5.4K

Authors Note - It's been a while! 👋🏻 About 4 months I think 😬 If there are any Bad Influence fans actually left out there, I'm so sorry & I love you. I had a really fuckin shitty last few months of 2019 & because of that, I kinda stopped doing the stuff I enjoy, writing this fanfic & using this blog being one of them.

Then I tried to come back before I was ready 😂 I wrote this chapter out about 2 months ago, but never bothered to post it bcos I didn't care enough about it. But I've recently returned to it, rewrote it & remembered why I fuckin love writing this fanfic. So I'm super excited to post this chapter & I hope you don't all hate it after how long it's been 😂 It's a bit rough bcos I'm getting back into it & I'm kinda rusty!

I love you guys for baring with me, I can't wait to get back into writing this fic for you 🖤

Warnings - Um, the f word is used in like every sentence oops, some implied smut when Nikki is remembering (choking trigger warning), I guess 'violence' but not really violence???, a whole lot of angst & a teeny bit of fluff at the end

Tags - @cruecifymesixx @freddiessmallnipples @queen-crue @scarecrowmax @lovesick-heart0 @littlesunnymoon @80sheart-strings @cranberrirolls @inthebackofmycarlaytheirbodies @versnatasha @zoenicolesetser @crazysaladchopshop @ggorehorror @lunamadhatter99 @justtryingtoovercome @chaoticvybe @you-know-im-a-dreamer @eightiesrockbaby @valentines-in-london @xrosegoldwolfx @fupatroopaa @lilypetite88 @this-blog-must-be-the-place @ashleecrue @lauravic @dark-princess99 @unknownoblivion @mgkobsessed @antheasnow @rockaholi @nassauartist @sparxx27

(there's one bit where Nikki is glaring across the bar at a character & this gif is spot on)

*Nikkis POV*

I drummed my fingers to the sound of a guitar as I watched Mick do his thing through the glass of the recording booth, his fingers working magic as he played the riff to Looks That Kill.

Fuck, that weird little guy could play.

“Nikki, this song is gonna fucking kill!” Tommy yelled enthusiastically, beating his drumsticks on the arm of the battered couch his was lounging on.

I smiled weakly back at him, my nerves keeping me from matching his excitement. “I hope so,” I mumbled. I look around the studio, basking in the enormity of where we were right now. Mötley was recording their second album & my nerves were shot. It had to be perfect. It had to do well.

“Stop stressing man, everyone’s gonna fucking freak over this album, I just know it!” He replied, smiling encouragingly, his usual Tommy level of positivity feeling sickeningly sweet, but still, I nodded at him gratefully. “So we hitting up The Whisky or what tonight boys?” He continued, addressing Vince as well as me, who was pouting on the couch next to him.

I chuckled without amusement, shaking my head. “Fuck no, not a chance I’m going in there yet.”

Tommy scowled at me. “Sixx, come on dude, you cant avoid the place forever. Plus, she might not even be working tonight!”

“I’m not risking it! I’m not gonna be able to enjoy the night if she’s there, judging my every fucking move, you know how she is.” I replied, rolling my eyes.

“So you’ve still not talked to her since..” Tommy trailed off, awkwardly. But Vince happily picked up from where he’d left off.

“Since you lead her on, fucked her & then blew her off?” He snapped arrogantly, instantly causing my jaw to tense.

“Don’t fucking start with me, Vinny. I’m not in the mood.”

“Oh, you mean you don't wanna hear about what a dick you were? What a surprise.” The sarcasm thick in his voice.

I slammed my hand down on the recording table & stood up sharply. “The fuck is your problem, man?” I snarled, his attitude & the mounting stress from the album mixing together to create a dangerous cocktail of anger & belligerence.

“My problem?” He questioned, standing up to meet my stare. “My problem is you Sixx. Beths a good fucking girl, what you did was real messed up, I should fucking floor you again for how you treated her. You owe the chick an apology at the goddamn least.” He spat, his anger in Beths defence honourable, but fucking irritating.

I chuckled arrogantly at his misplaced valiance. “Give it up the knight in shining armour act Vinny, I didn’t see you rushing to commit to her when she was getting your dick wet.”

I saw the danger flash in his eyes as he took a warning step towards me. “I didn’t fuck her & leave either.” He hissed, the venom in his voice palpable.

“Aw, did I upset your girlfriend?” I joked patronisingly, very aware that I was pushing it too far, but yet I couldn’t help myself, Vince acting all high & mighty was really starting to piss me off.

Vinces eyes narrowed sharply & I saw his hands ball into fists at his side. “Like I said, she’s a good girl. She didn’t deserve that.” He said through his teeth, the strain to keep calm evident in his voice.

I smirked at him amused, looking him up & down. “Whatcha gonna do Vince? Hit me again? Defend her honour? She’s a chick dude & a stuck up one at that. And she ditched your ass if you remember, you should be thanking me.” I laughed, shrugging.

“You know what Sixx, you’re an asshole. You know as well as I do that Beth isn’t another fucking groupie to this band. Nah, I didn’t wanna date her, but I like her- We all like her.” He corrected himself quickly.

“Vinny’s right man, I’m not taking sides, but Beths cool & I kinda do like having her around!” Tommy piped up, nodding.

“Fuck off T-Bone, you only want her around because you know as soon as she goes, so does your uptight piece of ass.” I shot at him, my frustration with the pair of them growing at a dangerous rate.

“Dude c’mon, there’s no need..”

I cut Tommy off viciously. “What the fuck has happened to this band?!” I shouted, shoving Vince out of my face. “Since when do we give this much of a fuck about chicks?! Look at where we are?!” I gestured around the recording studio. Mick had stopped playing & had casually lit a cigarette as he watched us bickering through the sound-proof glass. “This is what’s important. Now I’m going for a fucking smoke, this conversation is done & when I come back in we’re gonna record a fucking album, got it?!”

I barged out of the studio, flicked open my lighter & sparked up my cigarette, leaning back against the wall as I took in a shaky drag, my anger still surface level. I exhaled & closed my eyes, feeling the May sun warm my face & start to melt my mood away.

What was everyone’s fuckin’ obsession with this girl?!

Yeah she was cool, but she’s still a chick. And chicks = trouble.

I let my mind wander back to the look she gave me as she lay beneath me, my hand around her throat as she came undone & smirked to myself as I lifted the cigarette back to my smug lips. She was so worth the chase.

But Christ, I’m supposed to feel bad because I don’t want all that cutesy shit afterwards? No. Beth knew me, we’d had enough arguments about the kinda guy I am, she did this to herself. Not my fault that she thought she meant anything more to me than any one of those other girls. She was a fuck. A good fuck. But a fuck nonetheless.

I took another drag as the image of Beth sat in her bed with that stung look on her face snuck its way involuntarily into my mind. I could see those hurt tears & hear her bitter words ordering me to leave. I couldn’t help the pang of guilt in my stomach that accompanied the image.

She’s a fuckin’ chick, Nikki. Chicks = trouble, I recited to myself, rubbing my face roughly with my hands, almost in hope that I could scrub away the memory of her pained face. Get over it man, it’s done.

I sharply exhaled the last of my smoke before throwing it aggressively to the floor, somehow more frustrated than I was before.

Time to go record a fuckin’ album.

*Later*

*Beths POV*

I smoothed out the material of the tiny black dress I was wearing as I pouted my lips at my reflection in the mirror, appreciating the sight of myself all dolled up & ready to forget all about Nikki fucking Sixx.

I flashed an all too familiar looking smirk at myself before I spun around of my sky high heels & strutted out of the ladies bathroom & back over to Sophia who was waiting at the bar, two drinks in hand. She winked at me as I got closer, holding out one of the glasses for me to take.

“Girl, you look unreal! If we weren’t here trying to pull for you, I’d take you home right now,” she laughed, nudging me & winking again.

I let out a laugh as I took a swipe at her arm, “I am not here trying to pull!” I insisted, not even managing to fool myself. It’d been a little over a week since I went from the all time high of fucking Nikki to the crashing low of realising I meant nothing to him in a matter of minutes & I’d laid around feeling sorry for myself ever since. Well, not tonight. I was gonna find a guy & I was gonna remind myself what a goddamn catch I am.

“Oh Beth, there’s a reason you’re wearing that dress tonight & girl, it ain’t for the coverage,” she giggled as I took another playful swipe. “Hey, there’s no judgements here! I’d want a good lay after the emotional rollercoaster that has been Nikki Sixx!”

I raised my eyebrows at her as she quickly mimed locking her lips. “Sorry, sorry, we don’t mention that name, my bad.”

I shook my head. “It’s fine, I’m over it,” I lied. “But, if a cute guy wants to buy me a drink & maybe show me a good time, I’m not gonna say no.” I shrugged as we both burst into a fit of giggles, before I took a long sip of the very strong cocktail.

“Well that sounds like my queue.” Came a smooth voice from behind me. I turned to face the handsome stranger who was stood leaning casually against the bar, eyebrow cocked as his eyes scanned up & down my body, drinking in the sight of me. “You have excellent timing.” I blushed, appreciating his good looks right back. He was classically good looking, with blonde hair & a chiselled jaw, dressed smart in a shirt that hugged his toned physique & muscular arms just enough to spark a little intrigue as to what lay underneath. He was the exact opposite to Nikki in every physical way. Where Nikki was unruly & unkept, this guy was clean shaven & well groomed. He wore no leather or studs & his smile was friendly & genuine, not smug & he wasn’t dripping in arrogance.

“I’m Daniel.” He introduced himself, holding out a hand for me to shake. I looked into his electric blue eyes & blushed once again.

“Beth, it’s nice to meet you.” I replied as smoothly as I could.

“& I’m Sophia, but I guess no-one asked,” she piped up mockingly, winking at me. “Now Dan, unless you’ve got a cute, single friend for me, I’m gonna get outta your way & go for a dance.” Soph smirked, grabbing her drinking & flouncing off towards the dance floor, blowing us a kiss as she did.

We both let out a laugh. “She seems great,” Daniel said as I nodded, taking a sip of my drink. “She mentioned something about an emotion rollercoaster though? I hope I’m not stepping on anyone’s toes?” He queried.

I swallowed my drink before letting out a little laugh. “Not at all, there are no toes to be stepping on, don’t worry.”

“Well good, I’m glad. I’m surprised though, a gorgeous girl like you doesn’t have a man. You’re sure there’s no-one, because you seem way too good to be true!” He flirted, as I laughed

“Oh you’re smooth.” I teased, “but no, there’s absolutely no-one.” I answered, pushing any & all thoughts & feelings I might have towards Nikki Sixx out of my mind.

*Little later*

“Wow, so you’re a doctor?” I asked, impressed.

Daniel laughed, shaking his head. “I wish! I’m a med student currently, but that’s the hope one day.”

“What made you wanna get into medicine then?”

He paused for a second, his warm smile faltering for a brief moment & I sensed his hesitation to answer. “I, um, lost my dad when I was younger. Spent a lot of time in hospitals with him when he got sick. I remember watching all these doctors around me taking care of people, helping, curing.. They seemed like superheroes to me back then. After we lost my dad, I knew I wanted to help people, be one of those people that kids could look up to in the same way I did, yanno?”

I nodded, smiling at his compassion & genuineness.

“Sorry, bit heavy for a first meet, I know.” He laughed awkwardly.

“Not at all!” I replied, “I asked the question, you just answered it honestly, I appreciate that.”

As Daniel carried on talking about his studies, I couldn’t help but admire him. THIS was the kinda guy I was supposed to end up with. Smart, hot as hell, a brilliant career ahead of him, goals, aspirations.. He was exactly the kinda man I could take home to my father. Daniel was everything I should want & he was actually interested in me.

And yet, I still felt that unwanted & yet infuriatingly all-to-familiar flame ignite the second I heard his voice drift over from the bar.

“Jack & coke please darlin’.”

Nikkis voice hit me like a slap in the face & rush desire all at once & I immediately froze, my body unsure how to react to my contrasting emotions.

“Are you ok?” Daniel asked, reaching out & touching my arm, concern written across his face. I flinched as his touch, still lost somewhere in Nikkis voice, & snatched my arm away instinctively.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“ Started Daniel, his concern look now laced with panic.

“N-no, its fine honestly, its not you, its just..” I drifted off, briefly glancing behind me, trying to pin a location on the voice. My eyes caught sight of the four of them standing at the bar, waiting on their drinks. Nikki was dressed in his usual leather trousers, torn at the knees, & combat boots & a torn up shirt. His hair almost appeared messier than usual & he had a cigarette hanging from his lips. He couldn’t have been more different from the sharp, handsome man sat opposite me.

Daniel followed my line of sight & spotted the literal motley crew. Nikki was already hitting on the bar maid, distracting her whilst Tommy & Vince reached over & stole a bottle from behind the bar; all whilst Mick stood by, watching disapprovingly & swigging from his trademark flask.

“You know them?” Daniel asked hesitantly.

“Nope.” I replied bluntly, snapping back to reality & turning back to him. “I fancy getting out of here though, you wanna head back to mine, continue the drinking there?”

Daniel looked a little taken a back at the upfront offer as I stood up & downed the last of my drink, but I was fairly certain he wouldn’t refuse. I didn’t care either way at this point, I just needed out of here.

“Um sure-“

“Great, I’ll go find Sophia..”

“She’s over there, talking to those guys you apparently don’t know.” Dan stated, his tone now flat & a little judgemental as he raised an eyebrow at me.

“Look, Daniel, I don’t wanna get into it, but its better we just leave.” I said, hoping to avoid any questions, but his face was growing more unimpressed by the second. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you Dan, ok? But I can’t be here right now, so I gotta go. I’d, um, I’d like you to join me.. If you want to, of course. I mean, you don’t have to..” I mumbled, suddenly very aware & embarrassed by how he must be viewing me in that moment.

I saw his eyes narrow at my discomfort &, I’m assuming against his better judgement, he nodded & stood up to join me. “I’m not sure what’s happening here, but I’ve enjoyed getting to know you too & maybe you could fill me in on why you’re running away over that drink at yours?” He asked, a little suspicious but friendly. I nodded, giving him a small smile.

We started towards the exit when I felt a pair of hands snake around my waist & lift me excitedly into the air. I squealed in shock & suprise as Tommy span me around before placing me back on my feet.

“Beth! I cant believe you guys are here, what’re the chances? Soph said you came here to avoid us & we came here because Sixx wanted to avoid you! How fuckin’ funny is that?” He said, roaring with laughter, his hand resting on his stomach as he struggled to regain control on his amusement.

“Tommy.” I said sternly, shooting him a look that told him to shut the hell up. He quickly stood up straight, coughing a little to hide his laughter, before glancing over towards Daniel.

“Hey, who’s this? I’m Tommy dude, how ya doing?” He said, offering out his hand enthusiastically.

“Daniel, I’m good man, how’re you?” He answered, accepting the handshake hesitantly.

“I’m good? Hey, you wanna come meet the rest of the guys?” Tommy offered enthusiastically, without a second thought as to why that might not be such a good idea.

“Actually T-Bone, we’re just heading out.” I replied sharply, giving him another warning look.

“Ok, ok,” he laughed, holding his hands up in defeat as he got the hint. “It was nice to meet you man!” Tommy smiled at Dan, who nodded awkwardly back to him before T-Bone practically bounced back over to the bar.

“Don’t know them huh?” Daniel asked, his voice oozing with sarcasm suddenly, making me cringe.

“I’m sorry, they’re just.. A lot, ok?” I tried to explain, frustrated, mainly with myself.

“What’s the deal with this one?” Asked Dan, gesturing towards Nikki, who was leaning against the bar, sipping on his Jack & coke, his eyes fixed coldly on he two of us.

“That’s the, um.. Emotional rollercoaster.” I answered sheepishly, coughing to distract from my amounting discomfort, whilst simultaneously avoiding the eyes of both Nikki & Dan.

“Right.. Well, your rollercoaster is on his way over here.”

Fuck.

I glanced up to see Nikki, in all his arrogance, strolling towards us, his usual smirk fixed in place.

“I’m so sorry for whatever he says.” I quickly whispered to Dan, before Nikki came to a stop in front of us. I watched his eyes scan up & down Daniel, obvious sizing him up without an ounce of subtlety, before he turned his attention to me.

“Leaving without introducing us, Lizzy?” He drawled, the pretension thick in his voice.

“Yes Nikki, I am. So if you’d like to move-“

He cut me off, his focus back on Daniel. “I’m Nikki Sixx,” he stated, without the courtesy of a handshake.

“Daniel,” Dan replied, flatly, seemingly glad there was no extended hand to shake.

“And how do you know the lovely Lizzy here, Dan?” Nikki asked, his smirk never once faltering.

“We just met tonight, but we’re justing heading back to hers, if you don’t mind.” Dan replied simply, taking my hand.

“Oh but you see, I do mind.” Nikki stated bluntly, his smile as wide as it was dark as he side stepped back in front of Dan who had tried to manoeuvre round him. “Lizzy here is what we like to call a groupie & we,” he gestured towards the rest of the band behind him, “don’t particularly like sharing.”

“Oh fuck you, Sixx.” I scoffed, my face growing hot with a mix of anger & embarrassment. I turned to look at Dan, cringing at his raised eyebrow & gave him an apologetic look. “Don’t listen to him, he’s just being an asshole, I’m not a groupie.”

“Really?!” Nikki replied, dragging out the word dramatically as his shit eating grin somehow managed to grow wider. “Because I remember fucking you about a week ago & my boy Vince over there,” he pointed to at the very pissed off looking lead singer, “swears he remembers fucking you not long before that? Or are with both mistaken? I mean, there are a lot of you girls, you do all kinda look the same.. Feel the same too.” He chuckled darkly, shooting me a sly look. I glared at him with an expression so deadly that dared him to carry on. He rose to the challenge. “I tell you what though buddy,” Nikki continued, leaning into Dan so he was speaking into his ear, but just loud enough for me to catch what he was saying, “if you’re heading back to hers you’re in for a treat. She’s got the mouth of a motherfuckin’ Angel.” He finished, glancing over at me & winking. I was prepared to fly at him in a blind rage, fists balled, ready to wipe that smug smile off of his face permanently, when Dan spoke up, in a voice so peaceful & gentle, that it made his words seem somehow harsher.

“You are an arrogant piece of shit. I’ve been sat with this girl for the last hour & I spend a minute in your presence & it’s immediately clear to me that she’s way too good for you. But I’m sure she’ll realise that in her own time.” Daniel turned back to me, his expression stoney & irritated, but I could swear there was a hint of sympathy in his eyes. “If you ever get off of this rollercoaster doll, you know where you can find me.” He said, letting go of my hand as he stepped around the unmoving Nikki.

“Daniel, wait..” I caught him by the arm & quickly stepped in his path, stopping him.

“Beth, you seem like a great girl & I don’t think I’ve ever hit it off so quickly with someone like I have with you. But it’s obvious you have something with that guy & I’m not really interested in competing with him for your attention.”

I nodded slowly, knowing his words were fair. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok. And I mean it, if you decide to get off the rollercoaster.. I can probably offer you a slightly calmer ride. A carousel maybe?” Dan winked, laughing as I let out a light giggle. His blue eyes focused on mine, sending a surge of electricity through my body that momentarily extinguished the flame that Nikki somehow always managed to light. I lifted my lips & placed them softly on Daniels for the briefest second, before pulling away.

“Thank you.” I whispered.

His eyes lingered on my lips for a second, silently asking for more, before he came back to reality & gave me a genuine smile. “It was nice to meet you Beth. I do hope I get to see you again”, he nodded, before kissing my cheek & heading for the door.

I stood still for a second, gathering my thoughts & regaining my composure, before walking towards the bar where the Crüe & Sophia were stood, trying to act as if they hadn’t been watching.

I had barely made it over to them before Nikki was straight in there with his sly comments, immediately trying to get under my skin.

“Aw was Prince Charming not happy to hear the Princess was actually a band slu-“

Nikki didn’t get the chance to finish his insult. He was silenced by the remainder of my drink soaking him as I threw it at him furiously, dousing his arrogance with my cocktail.

“That is for thinking you have any right to chase away a good guy just because your petty, selfish ass is jealous.” I spat. “And this..”

The loud crack of my hand slapping him sharply across the face echoed around the bar, followed by the whooping of Vince & Tommy. I even caught a glimpse of Mick smirking.

Nikki recoiled, his hand flying to his crimson cheek, shock & fury on his face. But his rage couldn’t match mine. I grabbed his face roughly, my hand cupping his chin & cheeks, forcing him to meet my wrathful glare.

“That is for fucking me & leaving me like I was one of your whores.” I seethed, my voice quiet & dangerous.

Nikkis face went from white hot anger to an ice cold stare in an instant as he straightened up, pushing me off of him as he did. He took a step towards me, but I didn’t move an inch. I was way too fucking angry to back down.

“Listen Princess, you’re fucking lucky I’m not a bad guy-“ he began, but my sharp laugh rang loud, cutting him off.

“Not a bad guy?! Nikki, are you really that delusional?! You’ve done nothing but purposely fuck with my head from the day I met you. You’ve insulted me, dragged me down to your level, used me, screwed my chances with two different guys & for what?!” I screamed, tears threatening to form. “No, you know what?! You're fucking lucky Sixx, I’m not gonna do this here. I’m done. I don’t want anything to do with you.”

I span around, ready to make my dramatic exit, when I came face to face with a very happy looking band manager, Doc. He clearly couldn’t care less about our drama as he marched over to us like nothing was happening.

“Bartender, a round of shots for these boys & their girlfriends. We need to celebrate;”

“The fuck are you talking about Doc?” Snapped Nikki, his eyes still fixed on me.

“Boys, you’re in!" He announced, unable to hide his obvious pleased-with-himself smirk "I've just been told that Mötley Crüe have been offered a last minute slot to play alongside the likes of Judas Priest, Scorpions, Van Halen & The Prince of fucking Darkness, Ozzy fucking Osbourne at the US Festival on Memorial Day weekend!” Doc exclaimed, laughing as the band began shouting & whooping, looking disbelieved & excited as hell. Choruses of “are you serious?!” & “you’re fucking kidding!” we’re passed between them as Doc reassured them that they were on their way up.

In that moment, watching these guys I’d grown to love over the last couple of years get the break they worked so hard for, I couldn’t be mad. I watched as Tommy jumped on Nikkis back, Vince hugged Doc & Mick silently smirked to himself. They deserved this.

Doc handed me & Sophia a shot as we congratulated them all, although I couldn’t quite bring myself to share my enthusiasm with Nikki. But he was too busy to notice as he held up his shot glass in a toast.

“To us! We’ve got an old man, a kid drummer, a cover band singer & a fucking run away. Win it all or loose it all, we’re Mötley fucking Crue!” He yelled, his excitement & energy almost infectious, as much as I wanted to hate him.

“To you guys!” Sophia cheered, laughing as we all downed our shots.

“Let’s get another round in, we’re celebrating! And pour one for yourself gorgeous.” Vince called to the barmaid who was more than happy to oblige, blushing as he winked at her, turning on the Vince Neil charm that would assure she’d be going home with him at the end of the night. I remember that well, I chuckled to myself.

The atmosphere of the night had changed so dramatically from what it was 10 minutes previously, everyone’s anger & awkwardness forgotten in the wake of such elating news. I looked around all the happy faces; Vince flirting with the bar maid, Tommy all over a giggling Sophia, Mick & Doc eagerly discussing set lists & felt an overwhelming sense of misplacement. After all that had happened, I just couldn’t bring myself to match their enthusiasm, not tonight.

I noticed Nikki's gaze focused on me, his face betraying his now obvious guilt as he watched me stand alone, uncomfortable & upset. His sudden success had clearly snapped him out of his petty, jealous mood.

Uninterested in an apology from him, I let my eyes continue to scan the room, looking anywhere but at him, when Sophia glanced over, catching my eye & gestured for me to join in. I forced my best smile as I walked over to her & Tommy.

“Take another shot Reynolds!” Tommy shouted, pushing a shot glass of mysterious liquid at me. I laughed politely as I shook my head.

“Thanks, but no thanks T-Bone. I think I’m actually gonna shoot yanno, I’m getting pretty tired.” I lied.

“Beth, don’t leave, please?” Tommy pleaded, his face suddenly serious, moving away from Soph & towards me.

“T-Bone, it’s not a big deal honestly, you guys enjoy your celebrations!”

“Just talk to him. I know the fucker doesn’t deserve it, Beth, I know. But he cares for you more than you think, I promise. We all do.” He added, placing his hand in mine & giving it a squeeze as he flashed me a goofy half smile.

I gave him a half smile & squeezed his hand back. “I know Tommy & I love you guys, I really do. But I can’t be around him, its.. it’s too hard.” I muttered back, so quietly it was almost inaudible above the music playing in the bar. But Tommy caught it.

“You care for him too, don’t you?” He asked, just as quietly.

I nodded, my eyes filling with tears. “God knows why T-Bone, he’s made it clear he doesn’t care about me. I’m just another girl he fucked.” I sniffed, furiously wiping away my tears before anyone noticed.

“Beth, Sixx is a dick. I’ve watched him fuck over chick after chick who was convinced they’d tame him & he tosses them without a second thought. But not you. I don’t know what the fuck goes on in Nikkis head, but that fucker cares about you. So please, don’t ditch us all just because you think he doesn’t.”

“I’m sorry Tom, I know he’s your friend & you wanna see the best in him, but you’re wrong. Nikki Sixx only cares about himself.” I replied, straightening my posture & regaining my composure. I pulled Tommy into a tight hug & congratulated him again. “I’ll see ya around T-Bone, I’m sure.” I winked, gesturing towards Sophia.

He laughed, “I’ll look after her.”

I blew him a kiss before heading towards the door, not wanting to disturb anyone else’s night with my drama.

“Lizzy, wait up.” I heard Nikkis voice call. I closed my eyes briefly, choosing whether to stop or keep going. I chose the latter & walked swiftly out of the door, pretending I hadn’t heard.

But my ignorance was in vain & he was right behind me, following suit out of the bar.

“Nikki please, just go back-“

My sentence was cut short by his lips crashing onto mine. I froze, feeling anger, lust & passion sweep through my body as my brain tried to compute the correct emotional response. I pushed him away sharply, deciding anger overwhelmed any feelings I had towards him.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?! Are you asking for another slap?!”

“Lizzy, I’m sorry ok?” He blurted out, clearly uncomfortable with apologies.

“You’re sorry?! Oh, well that makes everything ok then.” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes at him.

“I know ok, I fucked up. I’ve been a dick to you & I’m sorry. I just, I don’t know how to do this shit.” He mumbled, running his hands through his tangled hair.

“Do what, Sixx?” My frustration mounting with his half-assed apology.

“I don’t fucking do.. This.” He gestured between the two of us, struggling to find his words.

I sighed with exasperation. “What is this Nikki? Is this an apology or what, because honestly there isn’t much you can say right now, just let me go home.” I finished, turning to leave, but he caught hold of my hand, pulling me into him. He placed his hand gently under my chin, bringing my face up to his.

“I don’t do this, ok? I don’t do feelings or relationships, fuck, I won’t even sleep with a girl twice.” He laughed, before clearing his throat when he saw my unamused expression. “Lizzy, I am sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I got pissed as hell when I saw you with that fucking pretty boy, I snapped.. I don't know, I guess I was kinda jealous.. I do care about you.”

I scoffed. “You’ve got a funny way of showing it.”

“I do, Lizzy. But listening to you telling me why I’m a bad guy, all the shit I’ve done to you, you’re right. And I’m sorry. Just, please don’t leave. Come celebrate with us, we all want you here. I want you here.. You’ve been with us from the start, it wouldn’t feel the same without you. You mean a lot to me... Um, to us. You mean a lot to us.” He corrected.

I looked into his green eyes & saw the sincerity, noted the lack of arrogance in his voice & the absence of his usual smug smile. I so badly wanted to give into him. I wanted to taste his kiss again, melt against him like I always do. I wanted to take his hand & go back inside, enjoy the night with the band, drink, have fun & fall into bed with him when the night was over.

But I’d fell for Nikkis sweeter side before, I knew how the night would end. He’d leave afterwards & I’d be hurt all over again. And I wasn’t gonna let that happen.

“No Nikki, I’m sorry.”

[lovemychoices]

Always Be My Driver - A RoD Rom-Com [Colt x MC/Logan x MC]. CH 2

Book : RIDE OR DIE

PAIRING : Colt x MC/ Logan x MC

SUMMARY: Emma and Colt have been childhood best friends since forever, they were both inseparable. In middle school they became something more but when Colt had to move with his mom away from LA all the way to Miami, things started to change between them. A small misunderstanding leads to the end of their relationship. Years later they meet again at the most unlikely place. Will Emma and Colt be able to mend what has been broken between them? Or will it continue to crash and burn?

Characters except my OCs belong to Pixelberry, I am just borrowing them

Word count : 1790

Chapter Summary: 5 years later...

A/N : I’m here with another chapter from my Rom-COM series and for the for the first time in forever I finally managed to write something below 2K words!

Some of the dialogues were taken from Ride or Die. 😬 Also I only did a one over polish so like sorry for the grammatical mistakes.

Shout out to @client-327 for Beta reading this for me!

As always let me know if you want to be added or removed from the series.

Warning : None... Okay maybe some swearing? IDK.. pretty PG-13.

Catch up with the rest of the series HERE

Summer 2019

The rumbling sounds of engines revving filled the streets of El Segundo as the street racers lined their cars up on the starting line. While the sound of the crowds cheer in the background for their favorite drivers.

Emma sat in the driver's seat of her GtR R34, both hands on the steering wheel. Playing with the throttle of her car letting it’s engine roar as she readies herself for the race. “Keep your focus, find your momentum.” She murmured under her breath.

“Hey barbie, why don’t you give me a kiss once I win this race.” Salazar hooted at her with a wide grin. “Pretty smug for a guy who’s never won a race against me before.” She sneers back at him. “We’ll see about that!” He scowls then looks away.

The organizer steps up to wave the flag. Beside Emma five other cars starts revving their engines. “Racers are you ready..set...GO!”

Emma releases the clutch and punches the gas. Her car zooms ahead with the other races leaving dust of smoke behind the starting line. The crowd cheers as the vehicles speed away from the lot, moving further away into the deserted street. Salazar manages to get ahead of Emma, blocking her path every time she tries to overtake him. She takes a quick look at the rearview mirror and sees the other cars behind her. Changing gears she manages to divert herself from behind Salazar, now both their cars are now racing neck in neck.

Salazar notices her next to him, his brows furrow. “You ain’t passing princess.” He said gritting his teeth and picking up speed. The road reaches a wide corner and they start to drift but Salazar's car takes a wide corner causing his car to fall back behind Emma’s. “Too wide asshole!” She howls and speeds past him. They finally pass the last corner, leaving a long stretch towards the finish line, with only a short distance left Emma hits the NOS button which causes her car to go into overdrive in just mere seconds just in time to cross the finish line, winning the race. Her car drifts to a stop followed by Salazar and the other drivers behind her.

The crowd cheers at her victory and the organizer walks up to her. “I believe this is yours.” She grins, handing her a stack of cash worth 10 grand. “Here’s a tip.” Emma smiles, and hands the organizer a few dollar bills before turning to where Salazar and the other guys who raced were standing. “Maybe next time boys.” She winked and walked away to join the rest of the crowd at the sideshow.

Loud music filled the air and a set of colorful light illuminated the abandoned industrial park. Engines roars as driver's lift their hoods and compared their rigs. Emma scans the area looking for her friends.

“Not bad for a girl. You race here often, sweetheart?”

She turns to see a boy off by himself leaning against his white motorcycle with his arms folded.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” She quirks an eyebrow at him while crossing her arms.

The boy laughs. “Don’t flatter yourself too much, sweetheart. Smugness doesn’t look good on you.”

The nerve of this guy, who does think he is? “Yeah cause you’re such a charmer.” She claps back and gave a sarcastic eye roll.

As if on cue Logan arrives. “Hey babe.” He grinned, placing his hand on the small of her back and giving her a quick kiss. “Vaugh told me you kicked ass during the race against Salazar and the others just now.”

“Kick ass? I basically killed them on the streets tonight.” She beamed proudly.

“Sorry I wasn’t there to witness your victory, boss had a last minute job he wanted me to handle.” Logan turns to the stranger on the motorcycle, his eyes narrowed. “Is this guy bothering you?”

“Relax prince charming, I was just keeping your girlfriend here company while you were late.” The boy replied with a grin.

“Everythings fine Logan, we were just talking. I Promise.” She assures Logan giving his arm a soft squeeze.

The stranger swings one leg over his motorcycle. He looks right at Emma and winks. “See you around, sweetheart.” He revs his bike and guns ways. Logan glares after him.

A little while later Emma and Logan manages to find the rest of the group amongst the crowd, they decided to go to Kelso’s for a late night snack. When they return back to the garage they notice Teppei in his office discussing matters with someone.

“Who’d you think the boss is speaking to at this hour?” Toby asked with an eager tone in his voice.

Mona shrugs. “Probably some business associate.”

“At this hour?” Toby raises an eyebrow turns to the office door. “I wanna eavesdrop.”

“That’s not a good idea.” Ximena advises him but he is already peering his ear by the door. Just then Teppei’s office door flies open. He glares at Toby who is still crouched with his ear pressed to the door. “Ahem.” Teppei clears his throat furrowing his brows at Toby.

“Sorry boss, I was just uh… cleaning your door. Look all done.” He stuttered and walks towards where the rest of the crew were standing.

Teppei steps out of the office, his expression emotionless as he looks at the crew.

“Everything alright boss?” Logan asked with his arms folded.

“Everything is fine.” Teppei assures him. “Now that you’re all here, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

As soon as he said it a figure steps out from his office. Emma and Logan eyes go wide when they see that it’s the stranger from the sideshow. He gives a smug look when he sees the two standing in front of him.

“What the hell is he doing here?” She whispered to Logan.

“No idea but this better be good.” He replied, eyes glaring at the stranger. The rest of the crew cocked an eyebrow wondering who the person standing in front of them was.

“Everyone this is my son, Colt. He will be joining us temporarily and will only be working for us by the book. Is that understood?”

Emma stammers back her eyes go wide open. Colt? As in Colt Kaneko? The smug asshole at the sideshow was Colt? Her Colt? How could she recognize someone she practically grew up with all those years ago? There was definitely a lot that had changed about him. The Colt she remembered was shorter, skinnier. But the Colt standing in front of her? He was different, he had grown a foot taller than her, maybe even more, his skinny figure was now replaced with toned muscles in all the right places and his face was much clearer. Hitting puberty definitely did him a lot of favors. But how could she have not seen it the moment they met on the sideshow. Or better yet did he recognize her?

“C—Colt?” She stuttered and he gave a curious look. “Yeah that’s my name?” As if instinctively she approaches him and gives him a hug.

“Geez Logan, you really need to tell your girlfriend to stop hugging strangers. It gets creepy.” Mona smirked at Logan who looks confused at Emma.

Colt is taken aback when she suddenly comes up to hug him. What in the world is this girl doing? His body stiffens, slightly confused but as he took in her scent he couldn’t help but notice how familiar it was to him.

“Emma?” He murmured under his breath. Like her, he couldn’t believe that he didn’t recognize her as soon as he laid eyes on her at the sideshow. She was so different from the Emma he grew up with. She had coloured her jet black hair into a rose gold pastel color, she had tattoos on her body and she wore makeup which she didn’t do before. Even the way she dressed was different. But she was still beautiful maybe even more than she was before.

His body relaxes under her embraced and hugged her back, he didn’t realize how much he had missed her. But then memories of their break up start surging back, all the pain and anger he went through. She broke his heart. Remembering all this his body stiffens again as he pulls back.

“Emma, you look different.” He said with a flat voice then straightens his jacket before turning to his father, ignoring Emma like he couldn’t care less and at that moment she feels her heart shatter.

“So pops, you gonna introduce me to the crew or are we just gonna just stand here and stare at each other all night?”

Teppei introduces the team, Toby enthusiastically shakes Colt’s hand while Ximena gives him a big bear hug. Mona nods at him and finally it’s down to Logan who glares at Colt.

“So Logan, you must be my pops new pet. Glad to see he still does the occasional charity work.” Colt sneered giving Logan a smug look.

“You’re lucky you’re Kaneko’s kid or I‘d beat your smug ass to the ground right now.” Logan retorts.

******

While Teppei and Logan are in the office discussing business. Colt, Toby and Ximena are at another corner talking about the new engine Toby just installed in one of the cars they just got. Mona saunters over to Emma, who’s leaning on the hood of her car with her arms crossed glaring at Colt.

“What’s the story between you and Junior over there?” Mona asked leaning next to Emma pulling her out of her thoughts.

“He used to live next door to me when I was a kid.” She answered.

“That does not explain the whole tension vibe I just witnessed. Were you guys together or something?”

“We… We were close.” She replied giving a half smile.

“That’s not a no.”

Emma gave a half shrug. “It’s... Complicated.” She looks back at Colt who still pretends like she doesn’t exist. Could he still be holding a grudge of their break up after all this year? But he was the one who cheated. Emma shook her head trying to get rid of Colt from her mind. “Look Mona, I’m really tired so like tell Logan I went to bed already.

Mona leans back at the hood of Emma’s car, chewing her gum and blowing it into a bubble while observing her surroundings. In one corner, she sees Emma climbing up the stairs to the loft. At Teppei’s office Logan walks out while Colt walks in, Colt making sure he bumps into Logan’s shoulder as he goes making Logan scowl at him. The bubble pops and she draws it back into her mouth. Her lips curved into a mischievous grin. “Well this is going to be interesting.”

***

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