#Lurking tonight but I wanna say thanks for the support

[islandflowerfox-blog]

🌺

[twdsunshine]

Lost In The Act: Pt. 1

Summary:  With an upcoming family gathering weighing heavy on her shoulders, Jess turns to Rick Grimes, her friend and colleague, for support.  She knows the long weekend will be filled with pressure and expectations, piled on by her well-meaning parents who cannot understand why their sweet girl is still single.  When Rick offers to accompany her as her date, she eagerly accepts, but, with long-suppressed feelings simmering beneath the surface and her past lurking around every corner, will she be able to keep up the act?

Pairings: Rick Grimes x OFC

Warnings:  Language

Word Count:  3,844

Check out my bio for a link to my Masterlist!

Author’s Note:  This fic was commissioned by my beautiful birthday twinnie, @greghouse 🖤 and, I’ve gotta say, it was SO much fun to write.  I mean, I feel like I’ve thrown every cheesy trope in the book at this one - mutual pining, friends to lovers, fake relationship, bed-sharing - and it is all the more delicious for it.  And, I got so carried away that, what was gonna be a pretty lengthy one-shot has ended up as a mini-series!  Thank you, Jess, for trusting me with another one of your fabulous ideas.  And thank you all for reading.  Enjoy!

*****

Rick watched through narrowed eyes as Jess paced back and forth across the lobby, her hand fisting in her hair as she spoke on the phone.  It was her personal cell, he noticed, rather than one of the station lines, and he cast an anxious glance towards the sheriff’s office, relieved to see that the door was closed.  Sheriff Ford was a fair man, but he had a strong belief in keeping work and home life separate, and he knew the secretary would be in for a verbal warning if she was caught taking private calls whilst on shift.  Still, it would take someone braver than Rick to interrupt her just then, with her shoulders tensed and a general air of agitation emanating from her, her movements brisk and jerky.  Something or someone, he could tell, was working on her last nerve, and, when she finally hung up the call, letting out a muted growl of frustration, he eased himself to his feet, rounded his desk and cautiously sidled out into the foyer to offer his support.

“Hey, everythin’ okay out here?”

“Fine,” Jess snapped before remembering where she was and who she was talking to, shaking her head to clear away the traces of anger that clouded her thoughts.  “Sorry, just… family, y’know?”  

Rick scoffed, because, boy, did he know, and Jess was well aware of that.  His divorce had finally come through six months ago, after what felt like years of drawn-out negotiations, and he still felt drained from the process.  It had not only created a rift between him and his son, who seemed to blame his father for the break-up, despite it having been Lori’s infidelity that had finally driven them apart, but also strained his relationship with his own parents, who seemed to carry a deep disappointment in him for not sticking around to try to work things out.  To them, it seemed, divorce was a dirty word, and so he’d found himself increasingly isolated as his life fell apart around him, and only Jess’s easy friendship had gotten him through.  “Wanna talk about it?”

“Not right now.”

“Tonight?  We could grab a drink after work?”

She thought on that for a moment before nodding, and Rick left her to take up her post at the front desk once more, returning to the reports he’d been typing up before finding himself distracted by her distress.  

He used to love his job.  A cop was all he’d ever wanted to be, and, when he’d finally earned the position of sheriff’s deputy, he had carried such a sense of pride with him whenever he put on the uniform.  But, lately, perhaps because his partner had turned out to be the man that was sleeping with his wife, he’d lost his passion for the work.  Shane had put in for a transfer once it became obvious that the two of them were no longer capable of working together, but, still, he felt as if the rest of his colleagues looked at him with pity, and Rick hated it.  The truth was, if he was honest with himself, Shane had done him a favour, though he’d never admit it to the asshole’s face.  His relationship with Lori had been slowly deteriorating for a long time, like a house in need of urgent renovation, but without owners who cared enough about its upkeep to put in the work.  Her affair with Shane was really just the wrecking ball that had finally brought the ramshackle construction crashing down, nothing left in its wake but debris and dust that had seemed to take a lifetime to settle.

Jess had been the only one that he found never made him feel patronised or judged throughout the whole ordeal, the only person he could talk to without fearing that they’d either roll their eyes - Oh, man not this again - or snigger behind his back - Yeah, he was putting it to his old lady this whole time and the guy didn’t have a fuckin’ clue!  She’d been through a bad break-up herself, the reason that she’d relocated to King County in the first place, and, though she’d never married the guy, she was still able to empathise with Rick’s struggles, and that had forged a bond, so that he thought she might just be the best friend he had left in the world.  And, if he occasionally found himself considering her in a different way, appreciating the vivid colour of her eyes or wondering whether the sensitive skin of her throat was really as soft as it looked, he forced the thoughts away immediately.  He couldn’t risk overstepping and making her uncomfortable, possibly even driving her away.  Losing her, he’d realised long ago, might just push him over the edge.

As the door to the sheriff’s office swung open and Ford stepped out, casting a glance around the room to ensure that his staff were keeping themselves busy, Rick knuckled down, switching his mind back to the information he was transferring onto the system.  The hands of the clock seemed to be moving in slow motion as the day dragged steadily onwards, and the anxiety he could sense radiating from Jess’s hunched figure as she slumped over her keyboard did nothing to speed things along.

*****

“So, what’ll it be?” Rick asked, slipping his jacket onto the back of a chair in the crowded bar as Jess settled herself at the small table.  “Beer?  Somethin’ stronger?”

“Ugh, I’d kill for something stronger, but I’ve gotta drive.”  Her pout bordered on adorable, despite the genuine anguish behind it, and Rick couldn’t help but smile.

“What if I drop you home?  I can swing by and pick you up in the mornin’, and we can grab your car on the way into work.”

It was obviously a tempting offer as, for the first time since the call that had gotten her into this state, his friend’s eyes lit up.  “Whiskey then, please.  Make it a double!”

The queue to order was long and bustling, with most of the clientele having just knocked off for the day and the establishment being the only half-decent place to grab a drink within a five-mile radius.  As Rick waited, he found himself nodding or raising a hand to greet some familiar faces, something that came from being a cop on the beat in a small town, but he resisted any attempts to be drawn into conversation.  He knew well enough that those kind of chats could easily wind on for hours, and he didn’t want the bother of having to find a way to excuse himself without being rude.  Jess was his main priority tonight, and he was finding it hard to concentrate on anything else.  Perhaps it was just his nature, or the experiences he’d had working the job, but, whenever he saw someone coiled as tightly as the secretary seemed to be right now, he always assumed the worst, and he honestly had no clue what to expect when he made it back to his seat.  Was somebody dying?  Thrown in prison?  Had her house burnt down?  His mind was working on overdrive now that he was counting down to the moment when she might finally open up, and, once he’d paid and was clasping a beer in one hand and a double shot of Jim Beam in the other, he hurried back to her side.

Jess had her head down and was texting, tapping furiously away at her phone as he slid her drink towards her and dropped into his chair.  He waited for her to finish up, casting her phone aside with a surprising level of pent-up aggression, and watched in awe as she picked up her glass and swallowed half the contents in one go.  “Wow.”

“Sorry,” she murmured, coughing to clear the residual burn from her throat and toying with the tumbler, twisting it this way and that so that the amber liquid reflected the light.  “I’m really sorry.  This is all just really dumb and petty, and you’re probably gonna think I’m just making a massive deal out of nothing.”

“Try me.”  Rick held her gaze, trying to ignore the sheen of liquor that clung to her lips, distracting as it might be.  “C’mon, since when do we keep secrets from each other?  You’ve seen me at my worst, Jess, my very worst, and you didn’t judge me.  Let me help, if I can.  At the very least, it might feel good to get it off your chest.”

Jess huffed a sigh, leaning back in her seat and releasing her glass to drum her nails against the tabletop.  “Alright.  You’re right.  I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologisin’.”

“Right, sorry,” she said again, gracing Rick with a small smile when he rolled his eyes.  “So, it’s my dad’s sixtieth birthday next week, and, apparently, my mom’s decided to throw him a party.”

“You don’t like parties?”

“I love parties,” Jess sighed, “just not when it’s gonna mean my entire family under one roof for the best part of three whole days.”

“I thought you were close to your folks.”

“I am.  It’s just… They worry.  They love to worry.  It’s what parents do, I know,” she said, cutting off Rick’s intention to say exactly that, because she knew how much he worried about Carl, especially now that he didn’t have the luxury of seeing him every day.  “But right now they’re pretty much just focused on the fact that I’m still single, and I have been since everything with my ex fell apart, and, for some reason, that’s all they ever want to talk about.  If I show up there alone, that’s gonna be the entire topic of conversation all weekend, I know it.  Oh, Jess, you’re not getting any younger, y’know?  Wouldn’t you like to find a nice man to settle down with?  You’ve been alone for such a long time.  Like, I don’t already know that, right?  I am well aware of exactly how long it’s been!”

Rick couldn’t help but smirk at her exaggerated impression of what he could only guess was her mother’s voice, though he quickly schooled his features into something more sympathetic when her brow creased with a frown.  

“It’s just…  I’m doing okay, y’know?  I’ve got a nice place, savings, a good job that I enjoy, but it’s like none of that means anything if I don’t have a man by my side or a ring on my finger.  And it pisses me off.”

“So, what are you gonna do?” Rick asked, curious.  She’d had several hours to think it through now, and he wondered if she’d come to any conclusions. 

“Well, I thought about just not going,” she confessed.  “Was gonna tell them I couldn’t get the time off work or that I’d been asked to put in some overtime or something.  It’s not like they know my shift pattern.”  Rick arched his brow in acknowledgement as she reached for her discarded phone and cast an eye over the screen.  “But then I got a message from my dad telling me how much he’s looking forward to seeing me, and I can’t let him down like that.  I just can’t.”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“Maybe four or five months ago.  I don’t go back to visit as much as I probably should.”

Rick nodded slowly, processing the information, a suggestion lingering on the tip of his tongue.  It seemed almost too easy though, and he paused to take a swig of his beer, giving himself a moment longer to think it through before deciding, with a shrug, that he might as well spit it out.  “You could take me along.”

Jess nearly choked on the dregs of whiskey she’d just tipped into her mouth.  “Wh-what?”

“As your date.”  Rick shrugged again, wondering if the blush that he could feel spreading up his neck was obvious to the woman sitting across from him.  “I’m a catch, I’ll have you know: good job; got my own place; full head of hair; make cute kids.  Any parents would be glad to have me as a potential son-in-law.”

“I don’t know.”  It wasn’t a flat-out rejection, at least, and Rick could see her mind working, taking in the offer and trying to figure out if it was worth a shot.  “I mean, I’ve mentioned you to them, sure, but never as more than a friend.  Besides, why would you even want to put yourself through that?  These people… They’re like hyenas, Rick.  One scent of fresh meat and they’ll be all over you.  It’ll be an interrogation, all weekend long.  I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You didn’t ask,” Rick pointed out.  “I offered.  Besides, I’m a cop.  If I can’t stand up under interrogation then I really have no business doin’ the job, right?”

“My mom would make Ford cry like a baby.”

“Ford’s not as tough as he looks.”  He watched as Jess gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment, lost in thought, and he wondered if she was trying to picture it: the two of them showing up as a couple.  It was definitely what he was doing in his head, and it was alarmingly easy to imagine showing up to a party with her on his arm.  “C’mon, Jess, let me do this for you.  I owe you so much for the way you put up with me through everythin’ with Lori.  This can make us even.”

Her eyes locked on his and lingered there for a moment, apparently searching for any trace of doubt in his gaze.  Then, finding none, she gave a short, sharp nod.  “Okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.  If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure.  You never know, it might even be fun.”

*****

They spent the next couple of hours coming up with a story that would be believable enough that it would convince Jess’s family that the relationship wasn’t simply a farce.  In the end, they determined it would be best to keep it simple and as near to the truth as they could get: they’d met through work, grown close when Jess was supporting Rick through a messy divorce, and then started to date once the papers had come through.  That would mean they’d been together for around six months by now, of course, but Jess thought she could get away with explaining to her mom that she’d kept it quiet because of the risk that came from getting involved with a coworker.  It made some kind of sense, so Rick was more than happy to go along with that.  Listening to his increasingly inebriated friend plot out the course of their love story made something in his chest clench painfully, and he found himself leaning closer, drawn in by her tales, wishing that things really had worked out that way.  Internally, he was cursing himself already, wondering how he was supposed to get through a weekend of pretending, when just imagining what could have been was driving him crazy, but he’d made his commitment now, and there was no way he was going to let her down.  It would be worth it to see her happy.

When she was no longer quite coherent, her words slurred and her eyes a little too unfocused for Rick’s liking, he coaxed her out of her seat, letting her lean heavily on him as he guided her out of the bar.  His truck was parked in the far corner of the lot, and she wobbled alarmingly as she tried to climb into the passenger seat, almost toppling backwards before Rick planted his hands on her waist and helped her in.  She was warm and supple beneath his fingers, and he knew he held on for a beat too long, forcing himself away and letting the door fall closed.  It was just as precarious helping her down from the cab when they reached her block, and, when she fell against his chest, he decided it would be easier just to slip one arm around her back and another beneath her knees and carry her home.  She wriggled in his grasp, giggling like she was far younger than her years before relaxing against him, letting her head fall against his shoulder as he traversed the path that led up to her porch.

“You’re kinda great, y’know that?”  Rick grinned at her drunken declaration, taking her keys from her fumbling grip so he could unlock her door and push her gently over the threshold.  “Best fake boyfriend ever!”

“Make sure you drink plenty of water before you turn in,” he instructed her, trying his best to ignore her close proximity and the adoration in her gaze, “and eat somethin’.  But maybe don’t cook.  Don’t want you burnin’ the house down now.”

His words largely seemed to fall on deaf ears, though, as she plastered herself against him, arms coiling around his neck to draw him down to her level, allowing her to brush sloppy kisses over his cheeks.  He was used to the affectionate side that came out in her when she’d been drinking, but tonight she was especially effusive, spurred on by her gratitude.  “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

The scent of whiskey was heavy on her breath, and he wanted nothing more than to taste it on her tongue and drink her in.  Instead, he pulled away.  “Alright, save it for the weekend, Jess.”

What the hell had he let himself in for?

*****

Jess woke with a pounding headache, her mouth dry, still clad in the blouse and skirt she’d worn for work the day before.  For a brief moment, she just lay there, sprawled across her bed, trying to put together what had happened the previous evening, and then it all came flooding back, and she let out a loud groan.  She’d agreed that Rick could accompany her to her parents’ house, to her father’s sixtieth birthday party no less, as her boyfriend, no doubt opening the both of them up to a deluge of uncomfortable questions, and, to pull it off, there would have to be kissing and touching and, in the harsh light of day, she was almost certain that it would be more than she could take.  What on earth had she been thinking?

It wasn’t that she was in love with the deputy, it really wasn’t.  She’d told herself that she wouldn’t let those sort of emotions in again after her last trainwreck of a relationship had sent her fleeing from her hometown and turning her whole life upside down to escape the fallout.  It was just that Rick was such an easy man to fall for.  It was his gentle manner, his easy smile and the mischievous sparkle of those blue eyes that never failed to bring a flush of heat to her cheeks.  And it was his sensitivity, the way he spoke about the breakdown of his marriage, never voicing any sort of malice towards his ex-wife, no matter how vicious the divorce became.  She knew it had hurt him, that Lori’s betrayal was made all the worse because it was his partner that she’d chosen to cheat with, but still he bit his tongue, never speaking of her with anything but respect and, perhaps, a hint of weariness, as if he was just completely drained by it all.  It said something about the man, she thought, that he could take those sorts of hits and still resist the urge to let things turn nasty.  So, really, who could judge her for occasionally letting her mind wander and wondering if there might be the possibility of something more between them?  Who wouldn’t want to succumb to that old-fashioned southern charm that seemed to drip from Rick’s tongue like nectar?  It would take a stronger woman than she could claim to be.

At the sound of a knock on the door, Jess resisted the urge to bury her face in her pillow and simply will the world away for another few hours, instead crawling from her pit and stumbling down the hall on shaky legs, tugging it open to find Rick, lounging against the porch railings, not even attempting to mask his amusement as his gaze combed over her dishevelled state.  Jess only grunted in greeting, already turning away.

“Well, good mornin’ to you too, sunshine.”  He sounded far too chipper, but then she supposed he would, having limited himself to just a beer or two so that he’d been able to drive them both home.  “You’re runnin’ late.”

“I know.”

“You look like hell.”

“I know that too.”  Heading for the kitchen, she snagged a box of cereal from the counter, digging into it to scoop up a handful and eating it dry, washing it down with a large glass of water.  It churned in her gut, and she thought for one horrifying moment that she might be sick, but she pulled it together, trying to ignore Rick’s chuckle.  “Give me ten minutes.  I’ve just gotta shower.”

The reflection that greeted her in the bathroom mirror once she’d left Rick to make his own coffee was even worse than she’d realised.  Her dark hair was a wild tangle on her head, as if she’d tossed and turned the whole night through, and the traces of yesterday’s make-up were smeared around her eyes, dark streaks contrasting harshly with the sickly pallor of her skin.  Her clothes were creased and rucked up around her hips and bust, and she honestly looked like the walking dead, she thought.  She tried to swallow her embarrassment, not allowing herself to think too long on the way Rick’s own dark curls were slicked neatly back from his clean-shaven face, his uniform perfectly pressed and clinging to the finely-muscled physique beneath.  He was always so infuriatingly well put-together, which had an annoying tendency to highlight just how much of a mess she could be.  Still, it hadn’t deterred him from extending the offer to pose as her lover in front of her family, so she supposed he must not judge her too harshly.

Fifteen minutes later, showered and dressed in clean clothes, Jess was climbing back into the passenger seat of Rick’s truck, reciting, at his insistence, the story they’d concocted about how they’d got together.  They had the best part of a week to get the information down pat, but, she supposed, he was probably worried that it had all been lost in the blur of whiskey indulgence.  In fact, she remembered it almost too easily, as if she’d laid awake on countless nights wishing that things had actually worked out that way before reminding herself that any relationship was really more risk than she wanted to open herself up to, let alone one with a coworker.  Still, Rick shot her a proud look when she’d poured out every detail, nodding slowly as he rolled away from the kerb and started down the street.

“I think we might just pull this off.”

Jess sighed.  “I really hope so.

*****

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[krst4n]

AOT Veterans reacting to drunk!reader telling them about your dream date with them the previous night (Part I, I think)

characters: Erwin, Levi, Hange, Mike

warnings: drunk!reader, slight cursing

my first headcanon bibis! 😌 I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did creating them.😩

Might make a part II with Nanaba and Moblit😏

Prologue:

All you could see was a shining bright light until you looked down to see them in front of you, sitting at a table where the store seemed to be bustling with people. They were saying something but you just couldn’t seem to make it out. Only the words “Thank you for this date” and “I love you” were the ones you were able to hear clearly.

However, it wasn’t necessarily the scenario that made you think about them all day long, but merely the familiar feeling of warmth and love. You looked in to their eyes as if you saw yourself in a world without titans, only their presence and the satisfaction of being able to spend time with them for as long as you can.

Waking up with your heart beating fast and warm cheeks despite your cold hands from nervousness, you couldn’t help but to drown your thoughts in alcohol that night to try and forget about that overwhelming feeling.

Erwin

He was lurking around the hallways to confirm that everything is in its place that night

He was surprised to hear you scream his name while the scouts were asleep, much more with the phrase “my love” after his name

He was more surprised by your tight hug

“Wouldn’t you consider this hardly appropriate, Cadet (l/n)?”

As soon as he smells a faint scent of alcohol on you, he did not hesitate to pick you up bridal style to his bed

You weren’t too flustered since the whole world felt like it was spinning and him picking you up felt like a normal vision to you

You would tell him on and on about how you dreamt about him last night, your sentences were difficult to make out but he understood well

“Oh really now?” Would be his only response as he cheekily smiled from your childish state

After reaching his place, he would grab a bucket, a bowl of warm water and a towel, as well as spare clothes

He would be hesitant to clean you up, but seeing how much you’ve stumbled before reaching the castle, he just had to

The next morning, you were awoken by the sun hitting your face and a thumping headache

As soon as you realized that you didn’t recognize the place, your eyes crawled over the entire room and by the bedside

you saw a glass of water and medicine with a note saying

You are excused from your duties today. I hope you had another magnificent dream and meet me at the mess hall as soon as you're done with your preparation :)

-Erwin

When you went down (nervous as fuck), your eyes met and he walked towards you with a smile

Ahhh. I have been blessed for a whole year after seeing that smile

“How are you feeling?”

You replied with an alright

“Since you’re free today, would you like to accompany me with some fresh air outside the castle?”

0_0

You respond with an enthusiastic “Yes, Sir!”

“And maybe then we could walk by that restaurant you dreamt about.”

Kudos for being sneaky about that but you replied with a laugh and apology for the troubles you caused last night

Levi

He was checking in on the trainees that night and when he found out that you were missing, he quickly headed in front of the castle to see you passed out by the stairs

Would say “tch” while looking at your state but is actually relieved to see you safe and unharmed with just a couple of dirt here and there

He would definitely pick you up with you on his right shoulder

You woke up after feeling motion sickness and much to your surprise someone was picking you up

Terrified that you didn’t know who was holding you, you screamed “HEY! PUT ME DOWN! I COULD KILL YOU, YOU KNOW?”

He would scoff and, like Erwin, would pick you up bridal style

“You should be thankful I found you alive by the stairs.”

With a blurry vision, you still managed to see black hair and cravat

this was the moment you knew, you fucked up

Because of the liquid courage, you weren’t scared at all. You both would expect your response would be a repetitive apology but instead you muttered the words “Thank you”

He stopped walking for a moment

Would continue again as he comes back to reality and places you on his bed

As he was cleaning you up, you babbled on and on about your dream and he would stay silent, but from the looks of it, he was attentively listening despite your jumbled up words

The next morning, you were awoken by the sun hitting your face and a thumping headache

As you rise from the bed you see Levi drinking tea on his couch, reading a book.

“You woke up pretty late didn’t you, Cadet?”

You were speechless and completely dumbstruck as he walks over you with a bag containing a complete set of things you need for a hangover

You look up at the blessing in human form but to yourterror, he was looking grumpily

Receives a scolding but only because he was worried for you

You swore to him to never drink carelessly againㅠㅠ

“Nevertheless, so long as you’re alright, we can visit the restaurant you were fussing about last night.”

reader would go all •_• and then reply with

“Sure! I’d love that captain.”

Hange

Couldn’t sleep because they were at the peak of their research so they decided to walk around that night to get some fresh air

Would be surprised to see you awake despite it being lights out

They would come up to you as you were walking and stumbling all over the place

Would catch you right before falling face first on the floor

You would mumble to yourself, “a god🙏” as soon as you realized you didn’t have the powers to levitate

They would face their backs and crouch as they say “Hop on!”

Hange knew you were drunk and so seeing as you were someone they held dear, they wanted take care of you

As Hange was carrying you to their room, you were mumbling all about the dream you had about them

They would ask simple questions every now and then, but not too hard for a drunk person to answer

Would 100% tuck you in bed and hum a lullaby while they’re at it

The next day, you would open your eyes to see Hange sitting at the side of the bed with water and medicine in their hands

“Feeling better (y/n)?” they asked with a smile

Hange’s smile was so bright you thought it was a god once again

“If you want, we could go and find the restaurant you saw in your dreams tomorrow!”

Nothing but a skip of your heartbeat was all you can think about. In the end, you said yes

Mike

He was about to go to bed when he smelled a strong alcohol scent outside his door

When he opened it, you were at the hallway, stumbling and struggling to walk

He rushed to your aid although despite being nearly passed out drunk, you were unsure if it was safe to let the man help you

“(y/n) are you alright?”

After hearing his voice and seeing a clearer version of his face, you let him help you

He picked you up, your thighs hugging his torso and his hands on your thighs ‘for support’

Your hands were wrapped around his neck and before you knew it, you were in his bed

As he was making you comfortable, you were telling him about the dream you had last night

His cheeks felt hot from your story despite your story telling being all over the place

Has a small place so he didn’t have a couch

Was contemplating whether to sleep on the floor but you tapped the other side of the bed, signaling him to sleep beside you

You both fell asleep facing away from each other

The next morning, you felt a hand playing with your hair, eyes still closed and half-asleep, you really didn’t seem to mind it until you were dragged back down to earth and realized what had happened

You found yourself in his chest and looking up you saw Mike still half-asleep

You wish you hadn’t moved when he opened his eyes and stood up slowly

“I’ll grab some medicine and some breakfast, stay right there, I’ll be right back”

An angel sent from heaven, you thought as he closes the door to his room

“Do you wanna go out with me tonight and look for the restaurant you saw in your dream?”

*reader went panic mode* With a smile, you replied

“I would love that, captain.”

[etoileholland]

I will make it up to you

@secretmongereaglegiant asked: Hey, I love reading all your Tom Holland imagines! Could you do one of the boys and Tom’s girlfriend y/n are stuck in quarantine but y/n and Harrison haven’t been getting along and it worries Tom.

Pairing: Tom x female reader

Warnings: angst, a sprinkling of bad words, fluff at the end.

Word count: 4.3k

A/N: My first request! Thank you so much for requesting this! I elaborated on it slightly, but I hope that you enjoy it and that I did it justice. As always, requests are open! And let me know if you want to be added to the tag list 💛

(the gif is not mine, all credit goes to its respective owner)

Although being quarantined wasn’t the best, it did have its perks. You were spending more time with Tom than you had in a long time, and it was nice to be able to catch up on movies and TV shows that you didn’t have time to watch earlier. You were also becoming closer with the boys, and they were becoming more like your little brothers than they were friends.

Except for one.

Even from the beginning, you and Harrison butted heads. You were cut from the same cloth, and it only became more amplified when you were stuck in the same home. It could also be attributed to the fact that it’s already been two months of quarantine, and everyone was starting to become stir crazy.

The squabbles started off small, but as time went on, they became worse.

“I can’t stand you, do you know that?” You scoffed as Harrison stood in the kitchen.

“Back at you princess, I can’t believe we’re stuck in the same home, it’s unbearable.”

“Well it wouldn’t be so unbearable if you actually washed the dishes or took out the trash, or I don’t know, stopped blasting music at 2am when everyone is trying to sleep!”

“I didn’t realise me playing music interrupted your 23 hour beauty sleep. You should shoot for 24 hours instead.” He smirked, and you felt as though you could strangle him.

You stood there for a moment, bringing your hands up in the air, before letting out a sigh.

“Okay I’m going to be the better person here and walk away. You can have the last word.” You made your way out of the kitchen calmly, and were met with Tom standing in the hallway.

“Whoa baby what happened? Why were you two fighting?” He asked as he pulled you into an embrace.

“He just doesn’t do anything useful, you know? I have no idea how you’ve been friends with him for this long.” You spoke against his chest, and he rubbed your back. He paused for a minute and didn’t say anything.

Seeing you two argue broke Tom’s heart, and he realised in that moment that this could be a bigger problem than he originally thought.

“He’s not so bad, darling. You could try to play nice with him for a change.” You scoffed, and Tom just laughed.

“Well he started it!” You whined like a child, and Tom just pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“Doesn’t matter. Anyway, wanna go for a walk with me and Tessa?” He asked and you nodded, grabbing your coat.

—

The next week wasn’t much better. Another argument started when Tom suggested that everyone should watch ‘Knifes Out’ together.

“I don’t want to watch a film with her.” Harrison emphasized, “she talks way too much and gets excited and then you have to rewind it to hear what the actors said. It gets annoying after a while.” He huffed as you crossed your arms over your chest.

“Yeah well at least I’m not a stoic statue of a person who has no emotions whatsoever.” You retorted, and Tom only sighed.

You got up from Tom’s lap and stood up. “I don’t even want to watch the movie, I’m gonna go upstairs and take a bath instead.” You said as Harrison just smiled.

“Thank god, I can’t stand her sometimes.” He tossed a piece of popcorn into his mouth as he pushed play on the film. Tom shot him a glance, and Harrison just shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not my fault you decided to date Y/N, or should I say, the devil in disguise.”

—

A few days later when Tom wanted to exercise with Harrison, you became really clingy with him and insisted that he cuddled with you instead.

“But baby I have to work out, you don’t want me getting all soft and flabby do you?” Tom asked as you placed kisses all along his jaw.

“But I want to cuddle.” You whined as you kissed Tom down his neck. He moaned as he pulled you closer into his lap so that your chest was flush against his. You knew exactly what you were doing, but you just wanted him all to yourself. Also, you were doing it out of spite for Harrison.

“Fine darling you win, I’ll cuddle with you.” You let out a small squeal as you placed a kiss on his lips, before nuzzling your face into his neck.

A few minutes later Harrison knocked on yours and Tom’s bedroom door to see what was taking him so long. He opened the door to see you and Tom cuddling, and he gave Harrison a sympathetic glance.

“Sorry mate, Y/N wants to cuddle right now but I promise I’ll workout with you tomorrow. Isn’t that right angel, you’ll let me workout tomorrow?” He cooed as you nodded your head. Just then, you looked up grinning at Harrison, shooting him a look as if to say “I won.”

Harrison huffed as he walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

—

Tom felt really torn when hanging out with the both of you. You were his girlfriend and Harrison was his best friend, but you two didn’t get along well at all. It pained him to see that you two couldn’t stand each other for more than five minutes. And he felt guilty when he would spend more time with you than Harrison, and vice versa. It never seemed that he could please you both, but he was determined to make it work.

He was worried that the worst was yet to come, but he didn’t anticipate how quickly it would come.

—

As promised, Tom went to workout with Harrison the next day, but you weren’t keen on the idea of not spending time with Tom.

“C’mon Haz, am I not allowed to watch my strong boyfriend work out?” You cooed as you squeezed Tom’s bicep.

“You can, maybe you can even help with my workout, darling.” Tom said as you clapped. Harrison was glaring at you, and you shot him an innocent look back.

“You don’t even need her help! What is she gonna do, help you lift weights or something?” He threw his hands up, already exasperated.

“I don’t know, she can be here for support, isn’t that right angel?” Tom asked as you kissed his shoulder.

“Exactly.” You grinned as Harrison snarled at you.

You were always lurking around, practically hanging off of Tom, and it infuriated Harrison. He just wanted to spend some time with his mate but you were always vying for Tom’s attention as well.

And one day, Harrison set you off completely, and it was almost irreconcilable.

—

“You fucking idiot! I wish I could just go back home and not look at your god awful face every morning!” You chucked his phone at his face, and he barely dodged it. It smacked against the wall, leaving a dent, but his phone was in perfect condition.

Harrison picked up his phone and inspected it before stuffing it in his pocket. “Good thing I have an Samsung, there’s not one crack in it.” He smirked and let out a small laugh. “Unlike your iPhone that fell off the table and shattered into a million pieces.”

“My phone didn’t ‘fall off the table’-” you gestured, making air quotes with your hands, “it was shoved off the table by a certain someone who thought it would be funny to see how durable my case was. It fell outside on the concrete, of course it would fucking break!” You let out a laugh as you became more furious.

“Well then, you should’ve had a better case.” Harrison smirked. He was having far too much fun annoying you, and he began to laugh when he saw how visibly angry you were becoming.

“I swear I could murder you right now.” You sneered, and Harrison only laughed. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re just a conceited asshole, who’s so vain that you have to have constant validation from literal strangers on the internet to make yourself feel better?” You took a deep breath, pausing before you continued. “But the truth is, if the fans actually knew you like I do, they would be repulsed by how unbearable you truly are.” You crossed your arms as Harrison’s smirk dropped and was replaced with a clenched jaw.

You two stood there in silence, and you were starting to become slightly afraid of the man standing in front of you. Sure he was only a bit taller than you, but the look in his eyes screamed ‘revenge’.

“You know what, Y/N? I literally have had enough of your shit as well. Tom thinks that you are a literal angel, but the truth is that you are the most high maintenance, manipulative and complainy bitch in the world. Trust me, I can see why fans are constantly sending you hate and saying that you don’t deserve Tom, because it’s true. You’re just vile.” He emphasized the last word, and he froze as he saw Tom standing there, jaw clenched.

“What the fuck is wrong with you two?” You looked over and saw Tom holding in tears. “Listen, I love you both equally. Harrison, you’re like my brother, and Y/N, I’m madly in love with you. But right now I can’t stand either one of you. The two people I love more than anything in the world can’t get along, and god it breaks my heart.” He sniffled as he wiped away a tear. You took a step towards him but he took a step back.

“I’m pissed off, and I don’t want to do something, or say something that I know I’ll regret. So until you two can get along, I want the both of you to leave me alone. Y/N you can sleep on the couch tonight.” He said coldly as he took another step back.

“Tom.” You pleaded, but he held a finger up.

“I am this close-” he held up two fingers and pinched them together, “to breaking up with you. Don’t say one more word. And you-” he pointed to Harrison, “are getting on my nerves so much that I’m tempted to pack your things and kick you out. I don’t care that there’s a plague going on, I am so furious that I would kick you out in a heartbeat. Why the fuck can’t you two get along?” He stormed out of the room and went into his bedroom, slamming the door shut.

You and Harrison stood there in silence, shocked at what just happened. After a minute, Harrison spoke.

“Shit, we’ve really fucked up now. He never gets this mad at people, and when he does, that means he’s at the end of his rope.” Harrison muttered as you began to cry. “Even if we can’t stand each other, we have a mutual love for Tom. And right now, he’s ready to get rid of the both of us if we continue to argue.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Half the time, our arguing is pointless anyway. How did this even start?” You wiped a tear away from your cheek and Harrison just shrugged.

“Honestly, I have no clue. I think it may be because we’re kinda similar in a lot of ways.”

“Maybe, we’re both slightly passive aggressive.”

“And we’re both competitive.” Harrison replied

“And we’re always vying for Tom’s attention. Does that make us jealous?” You asked, and Harrison nodded.

“I’ve always been jealous, it’s a bad habit of mine.”

“Me too.” You replied as you took a seat at the kitchen island. Harrison pulled a beer out of the fridge. He proceeded to open it and leaned against the counter, taking a long drink.

“You know, maybe we could put our differences aside for Tom. We’re both very important people in his life, and why would we toss all that aside just because we’re arguing? You asked as you massaged your temples. “Can you grab a beer for me please?”

“Since when do you drink? You’re always nagging us to stop drinking because it’s bad for our health.” Harrison replied.

“Yeah well I think the situation calls for it, now gimme.” You made grabby hands as he walked over and handed you the drink. You took a sip and grimaced. “God this stuff is terrible! How can you even drink this?” You scrunched your nose up as you slid the drink over. “I need a chaser, asap.”

Harrison laughed as he reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Coca Cola for you. He popped the lid off and set it down in front of you.

“Thank you.” You took a sip and smacked your lips together. “Now this is better.” You both laughed, and for the first time in a while, you were actually enjoying his company.

“I have an idea.” You stated, which caused Harrison to look up at you. He raised his eyebrow as took another sip of his beer, finishing it before reaching for yours.

“Oh no, what is it?” He asked as you grinned.

“Why don’t we do something really nice for Tom so that he can see that we work together well, and so he’ll forgive us really quickly because I already miss him.”

“Okay, let’s show Tom that we can be friendly so that he won’t kick us out of here!” Harrison walked over and you two high fived.

“So what’s the plan?” You asked as you took another sip of your soda. Harrison pulled up the chair next to you and sat down, contemplating on what to do next.

“I don’t know, maybe we can make him a cake that says ‘sorry for being ass-hats’.” He laughed as you sat there thinking about it.

“Let’s do it.” You clapped your hands together and stood up from the chair.

“You can’t be serious, really?” Harrison asked as you began to rummage around the cupboard for baking ingredients.

“Why not? What have we got to lose? And besides, it would show that we can put our disdain aside and collaborate on something. Can you grab the sugar for me please? I’m too short to reach it.”

Harrison laughed as he walked over and grabbed the bag of sugar for you. “Okay if I remember correctly, Tom loves chocolate cake. Or was it red velvet cake that he likes? Hm I’m not sure, anyway let’s make him whatever kind of cake that we can, with the ingredients we have lying around.” You nodded as you grabbed the well loved cookbook from the counter and flipped through it.

“What do we have in the cupboards? Can you please check love?” You asked Harrison as he let out a small laugh.

“Oh now we’re calling each other pet names? Look at us being amicable, princess.” He added as you let out a laugh.

After a few minutes of searching, you realised you had nothing good to throw into a cake.

“Well, so much for that.” Harrison tossed his apron on the counter, but you had an idea.

“We have an egg, graham crackers and some chocolate, right?” You asked and Harrison nodded.

“Good, I can make a French Silk pie real quick. it’s almost so good that it might make Tom forget how much he’s mad at us.”

And the pie was almost that good. Harrison even surprised the household by preparing dinner. He had made tortellini and garlic bread for everyone, and you had helped with dessert.

“Wow, what happened? And why are you two not killing each other?” Sam asked as he hesitantly took a seat at the table. Harry soon followed as he let out a gasp. “You didn’t kill Tom, did you? Is that why we haven’t seen him all day?” He asked as you and Harrison both shook your head no.

“Well, you see, Tom is mad at the both of us because we can’t get along.”

“He’s ready to break up with Y/N and kick me out of the house.” Harrison added.

“That is true, he did say that. But we’re hoping that he’ll forgive us, and see that Harrison and I are now friends.” He looked at you and nodded, and Sam and Harry just sat there in silence.

“Right, well good luck with that. I don’t think he can be won over that easy.” Sam added as Harry nodded.

Tuwaine came in and took a seat at the table as well. “Oh yeah I heard your argument, it was rough.” He said as he took a bite of the garlic bread. “Damn that’s good.” He said as he took another bite.

Tom came down from his room and stormed past you both so he could grab a glass of water. His face was puffy, and his eyes were swollen and red. You could tell that he had been crying, and it broke your heart that you couldn’t console him. You were the reason he was crying.

“Hey, um Harrison and I cooked for you. We made tortellini, garlic bread, and pie for dessert.” You spoke quietly, as if not to anger him anymore.

“That’s true, we make a good team.” Harrison added as he put his arm around you. Tom stood there expressionless, and just nodded.

“Cool, thanks.” He grabbed a plate and dished himself up. He stormed past you again, making his way back into his room and locking the door. Harry, Sam and Tuwaine all looked at you, pausing, before continuing to eat their dinner.

“Sam, I think you may be right. He’s gonna he mad at us for a long time.”

—

Later that night, after you and Harrison washed the dishes, you tried to get into Tom’s room. You remembered that he said you could sleep on the couch tonight, but you didn’t really think he meant it.

“Tommy, it’s late. Can you open the door so I can go to bed?” You asked through the door, and you heard some shuffling inside the room. Tom cracked the door open and threw some clothes at you, and swiftly closed and locked the door. “I meant it when I said you would be sleeping on the couch tonight.” He replied coldly.

You began to cry as you realised the extent of the situation, and how he was showing no sign of changing his mind. You picked up the clothes and made your way into the living room. It was nearly midnight and everyone else was in their rooms, so you got changed in the living room and crawled onto the couch. You sobbed loudly, letting out little hiccups as you cried some more. A few minutes later Harrison came out of his bedroom, pillow and blanket in hand.

“I’m sorry if I woke you up with my crying.” You sobbed as you rubbed your eyes.

“You didn’t, I mean I could hear you, but that’s not why I came in here. I wanted to say I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for Tom to be so mad at you, and I didn’t think he was really willing to break up with you over our feud.” He handed you the blanket and pillow, and you set them on the couch. “I didn’t mean what I said earlier, I think I was just mad that you were always wanting to spend time with him. You do make him really happy though, when you’re not around he constantly gushes about you.” He looked down and you motioned for him to sit next to you on the couch.

“I’m sorry too, I also didn’t mean anything I said earlier. I think I was just jealous of you spending time with him; it felt like you were taking him away from me. And it’s been hard since I can’t go back home, you know. It’s hard not being around family, and I forget that Tom and the boys are your family. I guess I haven’t really handled this whole situation well, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.” You sniffed. Harrison handed you the tissue box and you smiled.

“I’m sorry Y/N for being a jerk.”

“And I’m sorry for being a bitch.” You added.

“You’re not, you’re really good for him.”

“You too.”

You scooted closer to Harrison and put your head on his shoulder. He stroked your hair and placed a kiss on the top of your head.

“Friends?” He asked as he extended his hand out.

“Friends.” You said as you shook his hand, signifying that your feud was over.

“Would you want to watch a movie?” Harrison asked as you moved your head so that you could look at him.

“I thought you hated watching movies with me. I talk too much and get too excited.” You said as he frowned.

“I didn’t mean that either, you’re just really passionate about things and I envy that about you.” He added and you grabbed his hand. You gave it a little squeeze before letting go.

“And I envy that you’re not dramatic.” You let out a laugh, and Harrison joined in. He positioned himself so that he was laying on the couch, and his head was on your lap. You were stroking his head and playing with his hair.

“How about you pick the movie, princess.” He whispered as you grabbed the remote.

“Is Tangled okay, love?” You whispered back and he only nodded.

“Of course.”

A few minutes into the film, you both were starting to get sleepy. You crawled next to him so that you were both laying on the couch next to each other. He put his arm around your waist, and you covered both you and him with the blanket. Before you knew it, you were both sound asleep.

Tom woke up at 3am, and nearly had a panic attack when he realised you weren’t sleeping next to him.

Oh that’s right, I’m mad at my girlfriend and best friend. He thought to himself. His head was pounding from all the crying, and he knew that he was dehydrated. Slowly, he got up, holding a hand to his forehead as he went to get a glass of water from the kitchen.

He walked past the living room, but stopped in his tracks when he saw you and Harrison curled up next to each other on the couch. You two looked peaceful, and Harrison’s lips were curled into a little smile.

He let out a small smile, and a tear escaped his eye. This was the first time that you two had gotten along, and the sight of it made him cry. He tried to contain his crying but he couldn’t, the tears were steaming down his face. He let out a small sob, and he tried his best to not wake you.

You had woken up to see Tom standing there, sobbing. You looked over at Harrison, who was also stirring.

“Oh shit.” You said under your breath. Harrison immediately untangled himself from you as you both sat up. You were expecting Tom to be mad and accuse you of cheating, but instead he only shook his head.

“So, you two really do get along now.” He said as he wiped a tear away. You handed him a tissue and he took it, blowing his nose before tossing it in the garbage.

“Yeah, Y/N and I are friends now. We pushed our differences aside and realised that the other person isn’t so bad.” You both looked at each other and smiled, and looked back at Tom.

“Tommy I’m sorry for being terrible and for not getting along with Harrison.”

“I’m sorry for not getting along with Y/N, she’s lovely and I’m happy she’s your girlfriend.”

“I’m happy he’s your best friend.” You added as Harrison kissed you on the top of the head.

“And I’m sorry for threatening to break up with you, and also saying that I would kick you out. I didn’t mean it at all, and I’m sorry.” Tom let out a hiccup as he wiped a tear away. “Do you forgive me?” He whispered as you all nodded. Tom held out his arms as you and Harrison both went to give him a hug. After a minute and some more crying, you all pulled away. Tom then grabbed onto your waist and pulled you into a long kiss.

“I love you Y/N, so much. I can’t spend any more time without you.” He sobbed as you put your arms around his neck and pressed your lips to his.

“Will you sleep with me, please? I miss you.” He whispered and you replied “Of course.” He picked you up and you wrapped your legs around his torso.

“Harrison, I love you mate.” Tom said, still carrying you as you placed kisses along his jaw.

“I love you too mate, now go get some sleep.” He replied as Tom led you into his bedroom.

—

After this, you and Harrison were nearly inseparable.

“Okay so I was thinking, you could join me on my jog today and then you could teach me some yoga.” Harrison stated as you were all having breakfast. You took a sip of your coffee and nodded. You two were sitting next to each other, with your shoulders touching.

“And after that, we can watch Fleabag together.” You added as he nodded excitedly.

“Oh! We can’t forget about working on that puzzle.”

“And you still have to buy me a new phone, you did shatter mine.” You added as you both laughed.

“With a better case, of course.” He said as you lightly elbowed him in the side.

“Oh, definitely.” You laughed, as Harrison looked over at you and grinned.

Tom sat across from you both as you made plans for the whole day, and a smile crept onto his face.

“Can I join in?” He asked as you and Harrison both glanced at him.

“Hmm, nope, sorry mate. She’s all mine now.” Harrison said, leaning his head on your shoulder as Tom pouted.

“Something tells me I’m going to be the third wheel from now on.” Tom remarked as everyone at the table broke out in laughter.

——

Mes petits anges (taglist): @starkissedholland @scarletxwidow @fangirlwithasweettooth

[a-pretty-nerd]

Rebellion

Tomura Shigaraki x AllMight!Daughter!Reader

Chapter 1

Premise:

When The League of Villians discovers that AllMight has a daughter, they are quick to snatch you up and hold you hostage. Shigaraki had a careful and thought out plan, but that was before you got there. Now you're in the mood for some not-so-healthy rebellion.

Word Count: 2551

Warnings: Themes of depression, emotional abuse, and violence.

A/N: I'm kinda obsessed with Shigaraki.

I think he's just a wonderfully well written character that not even I can get my head around 100%. He's like Kylo Ren...but way better and with actual values, not good values, but values. Anyways, I'm super excited to be writing this because the last series I wrote was also a villiany character thing but it was less work to work out the characters because one was an actualy psychopath were as Shigaraki isn't even a sociopath, he's just a survivor of truama and grooming and his own hate so I'm really excited to play with it! DON'T FORGET! I have a Patreon acc if you wanna support me there, you can make requests and vote for new content and join my discord! Thanks for reading!💕

Support Me On Patreon! 

Prologue Chapter 2 

"So, how do you like teaching?"

You asked as you played with the small bowl of Udon in your hand. All Might looked up from his bowl. The past month had been uneventful and lousy. There were little opportunities to spend time together and when you did, it was awkward and hopeless. It was hard to open up, apart of you just couldn’t bring yourself to get personal with him. You still had a little time left, you were hoping it would just a slow and gradual change, but a change none-the-less. 

“I enjoy it more than I thought I would.” 

“You miss hero work?” 

“It’s more frustrating than anything. Not being able to really do anything anymore. I was used to be the symbol of peace and now I’m just...” 

“Normal?” You asked. The insinuation clearly made him uncomfortable, his shoulders relaxed and let out a sad sigh. 

“As normal as a retired hero can be.” You felt bad for his, really, he looked so sad and defeated. 

“What is it they say back home? Teachers are the real heroes. They define and build the future by teaching future generations. Right? So really, you’re still a hero. Just in a different way, right?” He looked up at you with a small twinkle in his eyes. His lips slowly curled into a reluctant smile. 

“I guess you’re right.” The apartment fell silent again as you ate your meal. Finally, he broke it again. “So, two majors. That must have been a lot of work, what made you get two?” 

“The deal was if I could get scholarships for both, I could study what I wanted. Just as long as I got a law degree too. As a , quote, ‘backup’.” 

“A backup? I though forensic science is a pretty stable thing anyways.” 

“Forensic psychology, and yeah, it is. She told me she wouldn’t support me if I didn’t get the law degree.” 

“Wouldn’t support you? That’s a little harsh, but I thought you got a lot of scholarships to pay for it all.” You sighed at his ignorance. Apart of you had forgotten how little he really knew about you. It stung to even think about. 

“Well, I had a bit of an incident freshmen year and I lost them.” 

“An incident?” 

“Yeah. I had a bit of a breakdown. I’m fine now. I just lost everything and I had to take a lot of makeup courses so I could graduate on time.” You tried to avoid eye contact by looking out the window and onto the city at night. 

“Why didn’t you call me? I could have helped. Money’s no object, you could have-” 

“It’s fine. It’s not like she couldn’t afford it. Besides, it’s all done now and I have more opportunities. I have a job lined up as soon as I get home anyways. Everything’s fine now.” You brushed it off. 

“You can come to me for things, y’ know. I know I wasn’t around much when you were a kid but I’m here now. I was hoping this trip would help us reconnect.” 

“Yeah, me too.” 

“How is your mom doing, by the way?” 

“Oh, she’s fine. She got married again recently. Nice gal.” 

“Oh yeah? What happened to the last wife?” You shrugged. 

“I don’t know, it’s always something with her. Sucks, I really liked Sandra.” 

“Yeah, they seemed really good together. Do you at least keep in contact with Sandra? You guys were close, right?” 

“Yeah, she was there at my graduation. I miss her a lot.” 

“Do you not like the new girl?” 

“I don’t know her enough to know really. I didn’t even know mom was dating someone. She’s not much older than me though.” 

“Oh.” 

“Yeah, y’ know people expect this kind of thing from a Dad but I guess Mom’s always been the type to break stereotypes. I don’t get what you ever saw in her.” All Might chuckled as she scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. 

“It was a long time ago, we were different people back then.” 

“Yeah, I know.” The conversation fizzled out from there. “Are you done?” You asked him as you finished your bowl. He looked down at the empty thing. 

“Oh, yeah.” 

“I got it.” You took it from his hand and got up to toss the little bowls of takeout away. He stood and cleaned up the rest of the table before dropping dishes in the sink and walking over to the couch. 

“What do you want to watch tonight?” He asked as he sat down and turned on the TV. 

“Um, I was gonna go to the gym for a little if that’s okay.” You said as you shuffled your coat over your shoulders and adjusted it. He looked up at you, a little surprised, or was that disappointment? 

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you later.” 

“See you.” You waved as you threw your backpack over your shoulder and headed out the door. You locked the door behind you with the spare key and shoved it into your bag before going on your way. Usually, the gym would be empty at this time of night. You were a little disappointed to find you weren’t alone. Another man was running on a treadmill across the gym. You continued with your routine regardless. Pretty soon you were left alone to go about your business. 

You didn’t love to workout, it wasn’t the physical aspect that you enjoyed so much. You just liked the peace, being left alone to your own devices, and having people respect your privacy. You could plug in with your headphones and zone out for a while in the name of exercise. Sure, the strong body you’d acquired was nice and all, but you didn’t work out for appearances, not anymore. 

Sometimes you pushed yourself a little too hard, it was easy to. It was easy to ignore yourself at this rate. Easy to brush yourself aside, your wants, your needs, your desires, it was too easy to push aside and give in. It was so ingrained in your being to ignore yourself, that you barely even noticed how badly you were hurting. The constriction of your chest, the struggle to breathe properly was normal now. You hardly even noticed how dehydrated you were until your vision began to darken and your body started to crumble. You came out of your train of thought panting and sweating profusely. You reached for your water bottle and began to huff as you drank desperately from it. 

You gave yourself a long moment before the heavy feeling overcame you and you shuffled helplessly to the bathroom before hunching over, and spilling your guts in the toilet. You cursed at yourself, scolding yourself for working yourself sick. You stood in the cold shower for longer than you probably should have, your body shaking under the water as it ran smoothly over your form. You closed your eyes and tried to relax the best you could. 

Then you heard footsteps. What time was it? There usually isn’t anyone there at this hour. You turned off the shower to dry yourself off and to listen to the sound. The footsteps came around the corner to the showers before stopping abruptly. Weird. This is a little too weird. The silence felt wrong, felt suspicious. Then you heard the breathing, louder and louder until you knew it was right outside your shower stall. Your heart pounded rapidly in your chest and you began to panic. Normally, you could manage in a fight, but you had overworked yourself now. Your stomach was empty, your muscle ached, and your head was pounding. You felt sick. 

The silence was broken with the harsh sound of the shower curtain flying open. On the other side, a girl with a big bright, twisted smile lunged at you. She held a knife over her head and swung. You threw yourself to the shower wall, missing the blade as it came down. You pushed yourself out of the small space, clinging to your towel to cover yourself. You ran to the bathroom door, only to find a man standing in your way. The man lurking in the gym before. Your stomach dropped with fear as you gawked up at him. Now you could see him, a scar carved into his forehead. You watched him as you back away from his advancements, he pulled a mask over his head to complete his costume before he spoke. 

“Hold still now-Sorry about this!” He shouted at you before reaching out to grab ahold of you. 

“I got her!” The girl declared as she came from behind and grabbed ahold of you by your arm. She held the knife to your throat and tucked her chin in between your neck and shoulder. 

“Let me go!” You struggled against her, unable to push her off, unable to think of what to do. Unable to lift a finger at this rate. Your body cried out in defiance of your movements, the sick feeling rushed through your body and into your vision. Everything went blurry, and then everything went black. 

When you opened your eyes again, you found yourself clothed. Everything was still black, you realized there was a blindfold over your eyes and bindings on your wrists and ankles. You took deep breathes as you tried to make sense of your surroundings. Pressure, you felt pressure on either side of you. You were sitting. 

“She’s waking up.” The girl’s voice came from your right side. 

“Man, she really took a tumble!” The man’s voice came from your left. 

“I didn’t think it’d be that easy to grab her. You’d think the daughter of the number 1 hero would be a better fight.” The girl. 

“Doesn’t look like she has a quirk either, otherwise she would have used it, right?” Another man’s voice spoke from farther away. A car, you were in a car. It was moving, taking left and right turns. The voice now must be the driver. 

“She looks sick-She looks fine!” The man’s voice to your left spoke. 

“We’re close.” The driver spoke. The car turned another corner and pulled into a secluded garage before parking. 

“Come on, girly. He’ll be so happy to see you!” The girl giggled as she pulled you by the elbow out of the car. You still felt sick, hardly able to walk, especially with the ropes around your ankles. 

“Up ya go!” The man’s voice came from behind before you felt large hands grab ahold of you. They picked you up and held you like a baby as the man’s torso leaned back to properly carry you. He walked with you in his arms through a door and into a building. It was much warmed inside. 

“That the kid?” Another man spoke. 

“You wouldn’t believe how easy it was to nab her!” The girl cheered as she followed. You heard a lot of shuffling before he finally sat you down into a chair. From there, you were restrained further. 

“Not what I expected.” A raspy voice spoke from far away in the room. The blindfold was finally removed and light-flooded your view. It took you a second to make out figures, then the details of those figures, then the details of the room. It appeared to be the living space for an abandoned home. 

“You sure you got the right kid? I thought they’d be younger.” A man from the back of the room spoke. He held his arms tightly across his chest. His patchwork face starring you down in distaste. 

“100%!-Not sure!” 

“It’s All Might’s own flesh and blood alright! We’ve been watching them for weeks!” You shook in your seat as you looked up at the girl who boasted. A man with a face covered by a single hand stood from his seat across the room. He lurked closer and closer until he loomed over you. One red eye stared down at you as you stared back at it. 

“Are you really All Might’s daughter?” The raspy voice asked. You watched him for a moment before responding. 

“What do you want?” You croaked. He paused and stood up straight before looking back at the others. 

“Why is her hair wet?” He asked the girl. 

“We caught her off guard! Got her in the shower. She just passed out too, poor thing. Her body just gave out. Had to dress her myself.” Your face went hot with embarrassment and fear. 

“What’s her quirk?” 

“Doesn’t look like she has one.” The lizard-man spoke as he entered the room from the back door you came through. Red-eye looked back down at you. 

“What do you want?” You repeated. 

“You look pale. You sick or something?” He ignored you and changed the subject. 

“No. What do you want?” You insisted. 

“She looks sick, get her some water or something.” He groaned before walking away and sitting back down on a couch nearby. 

“What do you want with me?” 

“Should we tell her?” Patchwork asked Red-eye. 

“What? That’ll ruin the surprise!” The girl said with a face of glee. 

“I don’t know anything about the Heroes if you’re looking for information.” You spat helplessly. 

“Oh, we don’t need information.” Patchwork lulled. 

“Your accent, it’s American, isn’t it?” The girl smiled at you. 

“She’s American?” 

“That’s right, she flew in ‘bout a month ago to visit Daddy. And judging by her Japanese, she doesn’t visit much.” 

“She doesn’t know who we are, does she?” Patchwork spoke as he approached your chair. You stared up at him before he leaned over. 

“I don’t know names, but I have a pretty good idea who I’m dealing with.” You spoke softly. 

“And who do you think we are?” He purred. 

“The League of Villians.” Suddenly a sharp, raspy laugh rattled the room. Red-eye was hunched over giggling to himself on the couch before he stood and walked back over to you. He shoed patchwork away and knelt down to look up at you. He looked you in the eyes. 

“Bingo.” He smiled under the hand that covered his face. 

“What do you want with me? Clearly you know where All Might lives, why not hit him there? I can’t give you any information about UA either.” 

“I’m no low-life murderer, Y/L/N. I have bigger plans for you.” 

“You’re not trying to recruit me, are you?” He let out another chuckle at you. 

“No. You see, it would be easy to take All Might out now that he’s retired, that’s not the point. The symbol of peace is done for, people know that. What they can’t seem to understand is that its not just All Might that’s done for. It’s all heroes. They’ll see that when not even the world’s best heroes can get you back.” 

“So you’re going to kill me.” You murmured. He reached up and removed the hand from his face. He scared face peeking out from behind his shaggy hair. 

“Why would I kill my most valuable player? We’re not going to hurt you, we’re just going to keep you for as long as we need until the show is over.” He stood up finally and looked down at you once again. His face was almost, handsome.

Taglist:

@craftybean13 @babayaga67 @imjustverable 

[headinthe-fridge]

My Grandfather’s Lawyer (pt. 3)

⁂ – Ushijima Wakatoshi x reader –  ⁂

warning: nsfw, swearing

Summary: Your grandfather, Washijo Tanji, disowned your mother when she was pregnant with you and her hatred towards him was passed on to you. Now, your estranged grandfather wants you to leave your life in Tokyo and come live with him in his estate in the Miyagi Prefecture.

You took a day off and a 6-hour trip, intending to give him a piece of your mind before disappearing from their lives forever. You didn’t expect to see an ailing and fragile old man. Your day trip stretched into weeks and soon, you patched things up with your estranged family and warmed up to everyone -except to one: Ushijima Wakatoshi -your grandfather’s lawyer.

He thinks you have ulterior motives in reuniting with your grandfather.

You weren’t suppose to care what he thinks of you. His opinion didn’t matter.

But it did.

AN: I would like to thank you all for supporting this fic! I love you alll so damnnn much. I try to update everyday beacause the parts are very short. Please enjoy this next part. :)) Lemme know if you guys wanna get tagged!

Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 2

You just got off the phone, informing Kiyoko that you wouldn't make it home today as well as asking her to look for someone to cover your shift tomorrow when Kuroo's voice sounded from behind the sliding panels.

"y/n-chan, you awake?"

You padded your way across the room and slid the panels open. "Kuroo-san, do you need anything?"

He greets you with a smile. "Dinner time, come."

"Sorry, I'll skip, I just ate snacks that Saki-san bro-"

He completely ignored what you were trying to say and grabbed your wrist. "No skipping meals in this house." He lectured as he pulled you towards the dining area.

You tried to yank your hand free from his grasp, heels digging against the wooden flooring of the engawa. "I'm fine, rea-"

"Hep!"

"Bu-"

"Hap!"

What the hell?

"Seriously, I do-"

"Hep hap hep!" He paused in his steps, let go of your wrist, and finally faced you. "Look here my dear cousin, it may not be obvious to you but Ji-ji loves you very much. So imagine our shock when he allowed you to go -yeah, 'Tsumu and 'Samu told me. You," He emphasized. "Who was long lost to him, and the daughter of his only daughter."

"What are you trying to say?" You asked, irritated, though you didn't really know what got you riled up all of a sudden.

"If you're only gonna stay one night with us -with him, at least give us this. We're still family, you know."

Well, that caught you off-guard. Once again, something pulled at your heartstrings at your cousin's words.

Cousin. Wow, it just dawned on you that you have one -scratch that, four cousins. Your father was an only child and you barely saw your relatives from his side. You've always thought about what it was like to have cousins that visit every holiday, celebrating family reunions, sharing meals over long tables.

Now, this cousin of yours just asked you to spend one night with them. Just one night and you were so selfish to even think about bailing out.

"Hmm, what'cha say?"

You let out a defeated sigh. "Fine. Lead the way, Kuroo-san."

His boisterous laugh filled the hallway, when he calmed down, Kuroo affectionately ruffled your hair. "Nii-chan. Call me nii-chan."

You scowled. "Maybe next time, Kuroo-san."

"Tch, cheeky little brat."

The dining hall was just as magnificent as the rest of the house. The area is well-lighted and the sliding panels were pushed to the side, letting in the night summer breeze. Instead of plain zabutons on tatami mats, padded floor-level, polished wood chairs were placed around the chabudai.

All your cousins were already seated when you and Kuroo arrived. The twins(greeted you) and your most lovable cousin, Hoshina (glowered at you), sat on the left side while you and Kuroo sat on the right. You mumbled a soft 'good evening' at the trio, not letting Hoshina's antics get to you.

Saki-san arrived with two women carrying their food.

"Your grandfather will not be joining you for dinner tonight." She informed. "He will have his meal in his room."

Your cousins were about to ask why when another person beat them to it.

"Why, is he not feeling well?"

"Of course, ji-ji isn't feeling well. Someone here gave him a headache."

Your eyes narrowed at her thinly-veiled jab. You opened your mouth to retort but once again, that 'voice' spoke.

"Be careful with your words, Hoshina-san, you don't want to eat them later."

Your brow shot up at the lawyer's words. You clearly didn't need him defending you but his counter made your cousin shut up. You're not thanking him though.

"Man, I'm hungry!" Atsumu -or was it Osamu, you weren't sure, cut the tension in the air.

"Come on, Ushiwaka-san, take a seat." Kuroo invited and gestured for the seat beside you.

You silently prayed he wouldn't accept your cousins invitation. After your excange earlier, you were sure there was bad blood between the two of you now.

"Sure."

Ah, shit.

Ushijima took a step towards the seat beside you when another presence interrupted him.

"Good evening everyone!"

All heads snapped to the direction of the new comer.

"Kotaru-kun!"

You did a double-take. Was that delight in Hoshina's eyes? Wow, she could be real gorgeous if only she always smiled that way.

"Hey, there Shina-chan," He greeted with a wink and you swore your cousin swooned. He proceeded to greet everyone then his eyes landed on you. "Who's the beauty here?"

It was Kuroo who spoke.

"Our cousin, y/n, just came from Tokyo."

"Cousin, eh? Well if that's the case then I'll seat next to your pretty y/n. What do you think Kuroo?"

"Be our guest, I know well that your weakness is pretty faces. But let me remind you, y/n is my cousin."

He wasted no time occupying the seat next time, his dazzling smile never faltering.

You didn't know if you'd be relieved or bewildered. But you were thankful nonetheless at not having to seat beside Ushijima -who took the seat next to the one called Kotaro.

"Nice to meet you, y/n. I'm Kotaro, I'm the marketing manager of your grandfather's company. Iff you want to know more about the family business, feel free to ask me."

You chuckled at his casual flirting. "I'll keep that in mind. And nice to meet you too."

"So, what's your work back in Tokyo?"

"Nothing fancy, just waiting tables at a cafe and-"

"Are we going to eat or what?" Ushijima's irritated voice interrupted your chat. "Why don't you talk about what you do for a living some other time and finish our dinner so we could go check on your grandfather."

What the hell is this dude's problem?

Kotaro leaned towards you and whispered in your ear. "Don't mind him, he's always been a little stiff." He said then snickered.

You fought the grin that threatened to come and instead focused on your meal. Even with your attention focused on the food, you could feel everyone sparing you glances periodically while Hoshina's looks were accompanied by visual daggers.

----

"What are you al doing here? And why are your faces like that?" The old Washijo asked when the lot of you entered his room. His voice was stern but the fond look in his eyes was obvious as he looked at you all, one by one. "Even my marketing manager is here, did you come here to report or are you just lurking around?" He jeered lightly.

"Of course not, boss. Since when did you see me just lurking around your home? I came to give my monthly sales report and I'm glad that I did otherwise I wouldn't be able to meet your pretty grandchild."

You flushed crimson at his words. What a flirt!

"Since you said that my granddaughter is pretty, you are forgiven." The old man said warmly as he glanced at you. "But what are you all doing here? I'm not going to die yet."

"I think they are not used to eating dinner without, especially now that y/n has arrived," And with an uncharacteristically handsome smile, he added. "Is it beause of over-excitement or old age?"

Okay, what?

Did this man just threw a half-joke half-insult at your grandfather?

"That's what I tried to tell Saki-san earlier, but you knew her, she's very strict."

And he got away unscathed?

You looked around warily but it seemed everyone was fine with it, like it was common occurence.

The old man assured all of you that he was fine and shooed everyone out.

Except for you.

"Now, please leave me with y/n/, I would like to speak with your cousin privately. We have some very important matters to discuss."

Each of them said their goodbyes and to your surprise, all your cousins gave the old man an affectionate hug -with Hoshina even placing a soft peck on your grandfather's temple.

The last one to leave the room was your grandfather's lawyer, he turned to close the sliding panel when your eyes met.

Your insides churned at his unreadable gaze. It wasn't friendly but it wasn't hostile either but you were sure that his look held meaning.

Part 4

Taglist: @thegrumpyhag​ @sushij1ma​ @valoryess​ @yakus-yakult​ @ly-nia​ @ushi-please​ @plutoglass @kokofirebangbomb​ @strawberryy-milkk 

I hope I didn’t forget anyone. Please feel free do message me if I did. And I’m sooooooo sorry if I did.

[eternalstann]

Celebrity

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Warnings: swearing?? Flufff

Summary: You and Tom just so happen to each other’s celebrity crushes 🥰

"Y/N, Y/N!" The photographers called out as you walked along the red carpet. You loved your job but the photographers and paparazzi were endlessly annoying. It was your third VMA's. You'd been a very successful singer for a while now, but this year you'd done your first big movie. You'd gotten nominated for 4 awards. You gave one last smile before walking into the building. Your manager walking to your side immediately.

"You're performing at 10:15 so enjoy the show while you can- I'll come get you around 9:30. You're sitting in the front row. We wanted to push the fact that you're focusing on acting right now so we sat you next to other actors." He glanced at his phone, "Brie Larson on your left and - Tom Holland on your right." You tried to hold in your excitement at the names he said. You were a huge fan of Marvel movies, so to sit next to Captain Marvel and Spiderman?! You were ecstatic. "Thank you Donovan" you spoke, kissing him on the cheek before walking off to mingle.

You snuck behind your friend Shawn Mendes when you saw him slapping up Drake. "Omg my two favorite Canadians!" You joked, hugging Shawn and then Drake. "Y/N, you look incredible" Shawn spoke, gripping your waist and taking in your appearance. "Like a snack" Drake added, snatching you from Shawn and twirling you around. "Thank you guys! And a snack?! Y'all look like full course meals and dessert" They both laughed at your comment. "So what's the moves for tonight mamacita?" Drake asked and you smirked, "You already know, everyone back at my place for the after party" you exclaimed, already excited. "Aye!" They both cheered in unison. It was very well known you threw the best parties in Hollywood as of late. "Text me and let me know if you need anything love" Shawn hugged you again, and told him you would before walking to your seat.

You felt eyes on your back, but when you turned around there was no one there.

Little did you know your seat neighbor Tom Holland had watched your whole interaction. He was chatting with Jake Gyllenhaal, Jacob and his brother Harry when he saw you. "Holy shit, that's Y/N" Jacob whispered, pointing over at you. "Every song she makes is an absolute banger! Tom go introduce us" Harry joined in. "No fucking way she's literally talking to Drake, I can't go over there" Toms heart ached watching you giggle with the two men. He'd literally never spoken to you, but he'd developed quite the crush on you. He watched all your interviews, and loved your music. You made him feel like he was in elementary school again. "Just go!" Jake exclaimed, shoving him in your direction.

Tom stumbled before catching his stride and following behind you. He didn't know if he should jog to catch up with you, or do an awkward speed walk, so he just kept his normal pace. He mentally kicked himself when he didn't make it to you before you got to your seat. He tried to causally walk past you as you sat down, but did a double take and tripped over his own feet when he saw his face on the chair beside you. Tom literally wished the floor would swallow him up so he could disappear forever when he hit the ground in front of you.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?" You ask the man laying at your feet, and you could hardly contain your excitement when you realized it was none other than Tom fucking Holland. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine" he insisted, pushing himself up with the help of your extended arm. Once he's off the ground and in his chair you introduce yourself. "Hey, I'm Y/N" you beam at him, turning your body to face him. "I know who you are, I think everyone does" he laughs, reaching out his hand for you to shake. You ignore his cue, pulling him in for a hug. "You smell really nice" he murmurs and it was your turn to laugh. "Thank you; it's so nice to meet you!" You tell him and he shakes his head. "Me?! It's nice to meet you! I'm a huge fan" he expresses and your heart races, he's a fan?

The next twenty minutes turn into a compliment competition; the two of you just spewing nice things to each other and laughing. You even joke through the start of the show, Brie shushing the two of you which only makes you laugh harder. "What are you doing tonight?" You ask him while a presenter was rambling on about something. "Nothing, why?" He quips back and he can feel himself start to sweat, were you going to ask him out?

"and the winner of the best collaboration award.....Y/N and Drake for Rewind!"

You were caught completely off guard, you and Tom both look at each other in shock. "That's you, get up there!" He exclaims, a wide smile on his face. He stands with you and walks you to the stage, he hands you off to Drake at the steps and you thank him. You reach the microphone and stand in front of the huge crowd, Drake next to you and begin to talk. "Wow, um, I really wasn't expecting this-" you cringe in your head, everyone says that- "but thank you all so much! We truly have the best fans in the world. Your support is unmatched and I love you all so much!" You cheer raising up your moon man and stepping aside to let Drake talk. You weren't even really listening to what he was saying, all you could focus on was Tom standing there staring at you with a face full of admiration. You didn't want to be corny but you were positive you were in love with him. And he looked really good. Like you wanted to tie him up keep him all to yourself good.

Next thing you know your being escorted off the stage and you hug your manager backstage. "Congratulations" he tells you and thank him, before turning to make your way back to your seat. "Girl where are you going? It's 9:26, you need to start getting ready" you sigh, you loved performing but you wanted to go back with Tom. You scroll through your Instagram while getting your hair done and see Brie Larsons story, you click on it. You smile at the selfie the two of you took. What you weren't expecting though was to see a video of you and Tom laughing together with the caption "get a room🤣🥴". You immediately go to your own profile and begin to go through your tagged pictures. A lot of you in your dress on the red carpet, screen caps of you and drake accepting the award and then boom; you and Tom. You click on reposts and screenshots of the video and read some of the captions.

'Yessss Y/N get that superhero dick!'

'Omg they look so good together- we have no choice but to stan'

'Ew bye he better stay away from the queen'

'and I oop-'

'Tom shooting his shot 👀'

'Thank you Brie Larson this is the content we deserve'

“She always fuck with white boys smh”

And so it begins you you think to yourself. You realize you never even followed Tom, on your real account at least. Only your account you use to lurk, so you press the button the blue button. Tom doesn't leave your mind the rest of the time you spend getting ready. You don't think about anything besides Tom until the time you start performing. And even then, you can't help but look for him in the crowd.

Your performance goes almost perfectly, you have the best adrenaline rush afterwards. But once again you're sat back in the hair and makeup chair. You're not gonna lie you probably needed it after how much you were sweating on stage. They bring out your dress, but it's a different one. A short backless white dress, much different from your earlier gown. "Donovan what is this?" You ask your manager. "Your dress for the party. We have to go make sure everything is all set- and yes I know you wanna go see your little boo thing Tom but we don't have time!" He replies, motioning for you to put on the dress. You groan and slip it on before following him out to the car waiting outside.

You get back to your house, doing a quick walk through to make sure everything is in place. Taste testing the food and liquor. You knew tonight was going to be crazy. Everyone would be amped up from the awards and live performances, you were starting to get excited. You were proud of your party throwing skills- until you realized you never got the chance to invite Tom. "Shit!" You shout, actually face palming. You pull out your phone and try to figure out the best way to get a hold of him. You text Zendaya- she would definitely have his number. Seven minutes go by with no response, the party starts in less than an hour. "Fuck it.." you mutter, opening Instagram and typing out a DM to Tom,

'Hey Tom, I'm throwing a party tonight and I would love for you to come. You can bring whoever you want. Hope to see you there!'

So basic, but it'd have to do. You didn't wanna look too thirsty or something. You sent the address in a separate message. You didn't even notice your leg bouncing up on down in anticipation, waiting for him to respond. You were pulled from your thoughts by the sound of your door opening and closing, then voices. It was Shawn, Drake and some of their friends. "Hey guys" you chirp and they come over to greet you.  "Do either of you guys know Tom Holland?" You ask and they raise they're eyebrows. "No 'how are you?' Or anything first?" Drake would laugh you would just rolled your eyes, "I'm serious!"

"Spider-Man? No I don't know him, but we follow each other on Instagram" Shawn spoke. “Ughh you guys are no help-“ you were cut off by the sound of your phone dinging. It was Tom! You take a deep breath before opening the message.

“Oh I’ll absolutely be there, see you soon love. Thanks for the invite xx”

You could feel yourself swooning and let out a little squeal. “He’s coming!” You inform your guests before the doorbell rang again. You go to open it and this time there’s a multitude of people waiting to come in - not to mention the linebof black cars and limos in the round-about dropping off even more guests. Bella & Gigi Hadid, Niall Horan, Halsey, ASAP Rocky & Big Sean, Normani and more. You hug everyone who comes in, joking with Sean about his song playing through the speakers. You drink and talk with everyone, but you can’t help but keep glancing at the door. You were really waiting for one person. After half an hour you finally settle in, maybe he wasn’t coming.

You’re sitting on the couch, on Bella’s lap pretending to listen to Lewis Capaldi talk about how nervous he is for his U.S tour. Your attention is drawn to the door though when you hear a familiar laugh. “Tom!” You exclaim, unable to hide your excitement immediately going over to him. He hugs you and you wish he’d never let go. He does though before introducing you to his guests. “This is my brother Harry, and this is my friend Jacob” he informs you and you smile at both of them before embracing them as well. “It’s so great to meet you! Make yourselves at home, can I get you some drinks?” You inquire, gesturing towards the kitchen. “They got it” he spoke whisking you away.

“Listen, Y/N, I know you hear this all the time but I think you’re an amazing woman and I’d love to take you out sometime”

“I’d love that Tom!”

________________

PT 2 HERE!

lmaooo what a shitty ending, but I feel like this has potential to be a series but idk. I like Y/N and I like kind of shy Tom 🤧

Love you all, feel free to hmu ❤️

[vgckwb]

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 40: Out of the Dark

Friday after her shift at the convenience store, Ren got a call. She answered it. “Hello?”

“Hey kid” Iwai said on the other end. “I’ve got a special job for you tonight. Meet up at the shop, and do as I say, OK?”

Ren was puzzled. “No offence, but an older gentleman calling a young girl, such as myself, and asking her to do as he says isn’t a good thing usually.”

Iwai sighed. Ren giggled. “You know I hate dealing with cops as is. This kind of thing would only attract more unwanted attention.”

“I know I know,” Ren said. “I just like yanking chains.”

“Would that be why you got arrested?” Iwai said, turning it on her.

“Nah” Ren answered. “I only pull chains when I know I can get away with it.”

“Figures” Iwai said. “Just meet up at the shop.”

“I’ll be there in a few,” Ren confirmed. “Later!” She hung up and headed towards Untouchable.

“Good. You’re here” Iwai said. “So you do wanna do as I say?”

Ren smiled. She liked it when people were quick on the uptake. “Well, I could fight you, but I don’t think the police would be on my side.”

“Heh” Iwai laughed. “You could probably murder me and get away with it as far as the police are concerned.” Iwai stood up. “In all seriousness, let’s go.”

“Huh? Where are we going?” Ren asked.

“There’s this diner nearby,” Iwai explained. “I’m meeting someone there. I just need you to hang back and call me when I give the signal. I’ll even pay for your food… Provided you don’t order too much.”

“Question” Ren asked. “What’s ‘the signal’?”

“…That’s fair,” Iwai said. “I’ll just cough. Is that OK?” Ren nodded. “Good. Now let’s head out.” They headed towards the diner. “Alright, I’ll head in first, and then give it a few minutes before I head in. Sit somewhere close by. Oh yeah.” Iwai went through his pockets. “Here’s your spending money.”

Ren nodded. “Thanks.” Iwai nodded back. He walked into the restaurant. Ren let some time pass and followed him in. Ren spotted Iwai and sat at a booth close by. Once seated, she placed her order, and got out a book to make it look like she was studying.

A few minutes later, a man walked in and sat with Iwai. “Hey Mune. What’s the occasion?”

“It’s been a while,” Iwai answered.

“Feeling sentimental, eh?” the other guy asked.

“Well, I also heard some noise about Tsuda when some cops came by,” Iwai said. “I just wanna make sure everything is going OK.”

“Ah, good ol’ classic Mune” the guy sitting across from him said. “Always willing to uphold the oath.”

“...If there’s anything I can do…” Iwai pressed on.

“Heh. You know you’re always welcome to come back” the man said.

“...You know I gave up the life,” Iwai insisted.

“Right…” the other guy said. “Well, if we do need anything, we’ll let you know. After all, you’re our brother, right?”

“Of course,” Iwai said. He coughed. Ren, overhearing all of this, pulled out her phone and called Iwai.

“You feeling alright?” the other guy asked.

Iwai drank some water. “Just a little parched. His phone went off. “He checked it. “I gotta take this. It’s business.”

“I understand.”

“Hello?” Iwai said. “I see.” He placed his hand over the receiver. “Hey, I’m going to need to cut this short. Someone’s trying to mess with me.”

“If you give us a name, we can assist” the other guy said.

Iwai looked at him sternly. “I’m a skilled business professional. I can handle this.” He got back on the phone and started to leave. “OK now, where were we?” Once he was outside, he switched his tone. “OK, stay on the line, but don’t say anything to arouse suspicion. If he leaves, tell me.”

The other guy got out his phone and proceeded to make a call. “Hey Tsuda. It’s me, Masa...Yeah, that meeting Iwai wanted to take. Apparently the police are already looking at us...Right...Of course...No, that's fine...Yeah, it’s probably that deal from the beginning of the year...Huh?...No, you know Mune. He’s just saying this to honor the code. Although he is interested in helping out, provided he doesn’t do anything uncouth...Yeah...No, of course you can handle it…”

Ren got another drink. “Thank you,” she said. The man looked over to see she was also on her phone. Ren panicked slightly, and tried to cover her tracks. “Right, so, your day sounded lovely dear. As for me, I just got off work at the convenience store, and now I’m having dinner while studying...Yeah…”

The man, Masa, turned back to his conversation. “Nah, it was just some girl talking with her significant other...Yeah...Anyways, don’t worry about it...I’ll look into how much the police know, while you think of something for Mune...Yeah...Talk with you soon...Bye.” He hung up, finished his food, and left.

��He just left,” Ren told Iwai, over the phone.

“Alright. Good job” Iwai said. “I’m guessing he gave you a look.”

“Yeah,” Ren said.

“Still, that was some quick thinking,” Iwai said. “I guess it’s a good thing I hired you. If you had ran into Masa on your own, he might have tried to sweep you up into his deal. Although I’d like to think you’re smart enough to avoid that.”

Ren giggled. “Thanks.”

“I’m gonna look into what they’re doing,” Iwai said. He paused. “You know, it’s nice to have someone assisting me like this again. Ever since I’ve been on the straight and narrow, I haven’t had much in the way of assistance. I guess I thought I was used to it. But thank you. I couldn’t have done this alone. I think I’m starting to like you a little more. Enjoy your meal.”

Ren smiled. “Thanks boss.”

Hanged Man-Munehisa Iwai: Rank 2

Ren hung up, finished her meal, and headed home.

On Sunday evening, Ren got a call from Yoshida. “Hello?”

“Hello?” Yoshida said from the other line. “Is this Amamiya-chan from the restaurant?”

Ren giggled. “Yes.”

“I see,” Yoshida said. He sighed. “I’m glad I got the right number. Hey listen, I’m working on a speech tonight, and I was wondering if you could come and assist me.”

“Sure thing” Ren answered.

“Great! I’ll be out by Central street” Yoshida answered. “See you soon.” He hung up.

Ren headed to Central Street to meet up with Yoshida. Once she got there, she tapped his shoulder. “Mr. Yoshida?”

“Ah, splendid!” Yoshida said. “Perfect timing. I still have a few minutes before I go on. So, why don’t we chat for a bit?”

“OK?” Ren said, cautiously optimistic.

“Good,” Yoshida said. He sighed. “While I appreciate the help, I do have to ask: Why are you helping me?” Ren was caught off guard. “It’s just, there are other politicians out there with a more solid foothold in the political world. I’d figure you’d rather place your bets on a winning horse over me.”

Ren looked the man over. He seemed sincere, but a little doubtful of himself. Yet he continued making speech after speech. Ren smiled. “I told you before, I like your message.” Yoshida was stunned. “You stand up for the people. You want to assure people that the government can help them, especially if they can’t help themselves. I can’t help but admire that. Besides, you can’t count out a Dark Horse candidate until the race is over, right?”

“BAHA!” Yoshida said. “You’re quite right. I suppose the impossible COULD happen. Hm. Thank you.” Ren was taken aback. “For assuring me about my message. I wasn’t sure people were listening. So it’s nice to see that people are. Even if they can’t vote yet.” Ren smiled and bowed politely. “And how serendipitous is this: Tonight’s speech is about a couple of Dark Horses in our world today. Are you ready?”

Ren nodded, but then paused. “Um, what exactly am I doing?”

“Oh, right,” Yoshida said. “Well, basically for now you’re going to hold up these cards that advertise what I am speaking about for the evening. I might ask you to assist me in other ways in the future.”

Ren nodded. “Got it.”

“OK!” Yoshida said. “I’m just about on. Grab that sign and let’s go!”

Ren nodded. She went over to grab the sign Yoshida asked her to. When she read it, she was jolted a bit. “Tonight’s Topic: The Rumored Phantom Thieves.” Well, at least we have some attention. She grabbed the sign and headed to position.

Once they were in place, Yoshida began speaking. “People of Tokyo!” A small crowd began to circle around him. Although Ren noted that they mostly seemed apathetic and just wanted a way to kill time. “Tonight I wish to talk to you about the Phantom Thieves! Those rumored vigilantes that have recently sprung up in the city.”

The crowd’s attention was piqued. “While their existence may be unknown, we have to ask: If they are real, why did they show up in the first place? Shujin Academy, the place they made their mark, was home to one of the most heinous scandals I’ve even seen. Students felt unsafe in the very place they should be welcomed.

Furthermore, the person making them feel unsafe was a highly respected member of society; which would make it difficult, if not impossible, to tell someone. They had no other option BUT these rumored Thieves. They uncovered a dark truth surrounding the school, and managed to put a stop to it, which is why people are taking note of them, and some are even showing their support.

However, as a politician, I know that for every one cruel deed you find, there are ten more still lurking in the shadows. The Phantom Thieves arrived because no one else was willing to help! But we can’t continue to rely on the Phantom Thieves forever! The government’s job should be to unearth these dark truths and stop them. Yet the powers that be are doing nothing.

That is my pledge to you! If you elect me, I promise to shed light on the darkness. And I will continue to fight for you all! Thank you.”

The crowd was murmuring. Ren noticed that they started to take interest. However, one man walked up and said “Psh. Chasing headlines to garner support? Don’t pretend like you’re nothing but the No-Good-Tora! I bet those thieves would come after you next!”

“WHA!” Yoshida said, in shock.

Ren was incensed. “HEY! That’s Mr. Yoshida to you!”

“Oh wow!” the man said. “You managed to convince someone to work for you. I wonder how you managed to swing that.”

Ren was seething. Yoshida took a deep breath and motioned Ren to stop. Ren was confused and looked at him. “It’s alright,” he said, nodding at her. He turned to the heckler. “My apologies. As you noted, she IS new. I’ll talk to her about all of this.”

“Hmph” the heckler said. “Whatever.” He walked off.

Yoshida sighed. He addressed the crowd. “Thank you everyone. And I’m sorry about the slight interruption. But please, do take my message to heart.” The crowd once again murmured, and then dispersed.

After they left, Ren and Yoshida met behind the wall. “Well, tonight could have gone a bit better…” Yoshida remarked. “...But it could have gone worse as well. Thank you.”

Ren as a tad confused. “That guy though…”

“Bahaha!” Yoshida laughed. “I’ve been a politician for quite some time now. I’m accustomed to the occasional heckler. But it’s important to remember to let cooler heads prevail.”

Ren sighed. “You’re right.”

Yoshida smiled. “Although I would have been lost had you not stood up for me in the first place.”

Ren was delightfully surprised. “Oh, thanks.”

“Truth is, I have a bit of a troubled past,” Yoshida explained. “And whenever someone brings that up, I feel weakened. But I’ve learned my lessons, and I’m trying to do what’s best for the country now. And that has to involve not letting naysayers get the better of you. Although, I have a bit of trouble in that area. Still, you being here tonight helped me focus quicker. Because I know someone was listening, and if I gave into my worst instincts, they might learn to do the same.”

Ren smiled. She then shifted around. “So, um, your speech… Do you support the Phantom Thieves?”

“Hmmmm” Yoshida pondered. “Well, as I said, I like what they did, but surely there has to be more we can do. The Phantom Thieves can only do so much for us. And their appearance in general is a bit worrying. If they’re our only hope, then the country is heading in a dark direction.”

“I see…” Ren said, taking note of this.

“What do you think of them, Amamiya-chan?” Yoshida asked.

Ren was a little caught off guard, but gave an answer. “Well, I can’t help but be biased,” she said. “I mean, I do attend Shujin, and I have been the target of that man’s actions, as well as several of my friends.”

“Oh my!” Yoshida said, shocked.

Ren smiled. “But it’s because of that that I believe you.” Yoshida was confused. “It’s hard to trust anyone after going through something like that. There are people with a vested self-interest that only look out for themselves, even if they tell you otherwise. But you’re different. When you say you wish to help people, I can tell you mean it. And I want to be there with you to make sure your message gets heard.”

Yoshida smiled. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Amamiya-chan. I’m looking forward to continuing working with you.

I am thou... Thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow...

It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Sun Persona I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power.

Sun-Toranosuke Yoshida: Rank 1

After that, Ren and Yoshida headed home for the evening.

[pastellhunny]

•Under The Red Sky•

Chapter 3. What is this?

Angel and Vaggie returned back to the hotel with plenty of alcohol being carrier by all four of Angels arms. Vaggie had a pained expression as she reluctantly walked in through the front door beside him. The day was pretty much over and everyone was pretty tired on their own. Al was still in his room, the lights were off but he held his hand. The hand that charlie touched gently with hers, a strange feeling lingered within him after it. The feeling of his guts moving on their own was still present and worsened when he thought more and more about the little hand hug they shared. He was convinced she had done something to him despite the obvious hints his radio staff gave him.

Maybes it's some kind of like spell she's put on me. "Is it possible that i can inflict this suffering on someone?" Al thought to himself as he got up to head back to the main area to test his theory. Al made it down the stairs to see Angel and Vaggie had returned and not a second later Husk came back in with his arms full of cheap booze too. Appearantly Husk has swooped out too when everyone left.

"AH Husker my friend i'm going to need you for a little experiment of mine!" Al exclaimed as he rushed over to Husk and swooped him away causing him to drop all his booze.

"HEY my cheap booze!!" Husky yelled angrily as Al dragged him away. "Oh i'll make you pay for thi-"

"Oh shut up Husk you'll get your booze later!" Al yelled as static emerged making Husk quited down with a pissed look on his face.

Angel and Vaggie just watched on as Al dragged husk away up the stairs, "Oh Charlie said to dress classy for the dance!" Alastor shouted as he disappeared up the stairs with Husk. Once out of sight Al used his shadow ability to teleport them to his room.

"Alright what the hell is more important than my booze." Husk grumbled with his raspy voice.

"Hold out your hand for me Husker." Al commanded and Husk complied thinking if he did what he said he'd get back to his booze sooner. "Now let me..." Al paused as he fixed his hand flat against his and did the same as what Charlie did to him. They both sat there for a moment before a crack sifted through the air.

"I don't understand Husk maybe you can explain something to me, do you feel like your guts are going to burst out at the thought of me. Do you feel any different?" Al asked with intrigued as he circled Husk examinening him for any difference.

"The only difference is i'm sober you asshole now let me get back to my whiskey." Husk said with an angry face as he scurried out the door running back to the bottles he left on the floor.

Alastor was perplexed and completely confused. What in the world did the princess do to him. Maybe it's one of the royal families powers. Lucifer has been said to be able to get demons to obey him with a single command. Powerless to appose him, maybe the princess inherited something similar to this. Maybe i'm resisting something she told me to do and that's why i feel this way?

Al paused for a moment, "I'll have to find a way to see her demonic side and get a closer look at her powers." He thought to himself as he left his room. Upon stepping out he bumped into something and immediately static spurred out and a little whimper of fear was heard.

"AHH Al wait i'm sorry i didn't mean to-" Charlie apologized as she backed up away from him, stepping backwards on the first step to the stairs leading down. She lost her balance, her eyes went wide as she reached her hand out to grab onto something.

Al watched as everything seemed to slow down, playing in slow motion. He watched as Charlie seemed to slowly fall back as her arm flung up out towards him. Without thinking he sprung forward and grabbed her hand in the blink of an eye while holding on to the staircase post. He swiftly pulled her close to his chest wrapping his arms around her for a moment making sure she wouldn't fall again.

Charlie's head was pressed closely again his chest, she could notice the smallest details of his red coat. The pink lines that ran down it to how soft the material felt against her face. She instinctively held onto his arms for support as she looked up at him with her rosary cheeks and heated blush.

Al noticed this and felt that feeling again, the churning of his guts. "Again?!" He thought to himself as he slowly let her go and stand on her own.

"Oh my gosh i'm so sorry i bumped into to you but uh thank you for um saving me there." Charlie apologized as she hid her face for a moment before she looked up and met his gaze. She noticed how it took him a moment to move or say anything, for that matter, back to her. "

"Ah yes not a problem my dear why we can't have the princess of hell injuring herself now can we." He got close to her and patted her head with his hand gently. "Be a little more careful darling." With that Al turned, his face hidden from view, and began to walk down the stairs towards the main area.

Charlie still stood silent watching as he made his way down. She lifted her hand to her cheek noticing it was strangely warm. Al turned his head back up to her and waved her to follow.

"Now come on shall we speak of the plans for the dance." Al said up to her with a genuine smile on his face.

Charlie hurried down the stairs shaking away her nerves as she scurried.

Everyone gathered in the main area. Angel and Husk drank their alcohol ofcourse while they listened on. It was around 9pm and the plan was to set out tomorrow and put up flyers promoting the dance around town.

"That's good an all but what flyers?" Vaggie asked in the middle of Charlie rambling on about how fun it's going to be.

"Oh well um i'll be making them... tonight.. by myself." Charlie stuttered as she didn't realized she didn't have any made.

"Don't worry you won't be by yourself." Vaggie reassured her and raised angels arm in the air offering him up to help as well.

"Huh the fuck am i gonna do." Angel said half drunkenly.

"Once you sober up your gonna help Charlie and i make flyers for the dance you idiot!" Vaggie angrily bickered at him as he took another swig of his alcohol.

He grumbled in response as he rested his head down on the bar table and dozed off.

Al stood and watched a part of him wanted to offer his help but he said nothing. He did get the party catered for Charlie afterall so he considered that his part in helping. Besides he didn't know if it was necessarily safe to be exposed to Charlie, everytime he was around her it was like she would use her demon powers to make him feel different. It even made his chest hurt at times it all confused him to the point where he left the hotel to return home.

Instead of staying afterwards to monitor how things were going and to see if Charlie was okay he said his goodbyes and slipped out of the hotel sooner than usual.

Al used his shadow to pretty much fly across the city to his home. His house was what you'd expect on the outside. a 1920's themed home, it had roughly three floors painted red and crimson with a large concrete fence wall that surrounded his home. Sharp ended poles spiked out of the hard walls giving it a ghostly atmosphere. A gate that had strawberry vines growing around it was the only entrance. Al had no need to push it open he just simply teleported past it and immediately into home. His shadow lurked behind him as he carefully walked through his halls down to his basement. Blood was splattered all over the ground per usual one of his last victims recent tracks. He walked past it to a locked steel door which his shadow opened with a shark like smile casting itself on the walls. Inside was his library, books upon books of all that he'll could offer. Rituals, summonings even types of tortures but what he was looking was about history. Specifically demon ability history.

Hours had past and Al had already read all the books he had on demons. He already memorized the books anyway but searched for any clue or power he could tie to Charlie. There was telekinesis, but he would have noticed that. Possession was a big no. All the options it gave him were of no help nothing explained what was happening to him.

The more frustrated Alastor got the more radio static surrounded him. Nothing of it made sense to him for once Al didn't know the answer. "RAGHH!" Al yelled in frustration as he made a portal appear on the floor with black tentacles and an ominous yellow glow come out of it. Al threw the book at it straight at the whole in dimensions. His shadow immediately caught it and saved the poor book from total damnation. Al sighed in defeat as he leaned up against the wall and slid down in defeat, his eyes were tired and felt heavy for once. What in the world has that girl done to me?" The thing that Al didn't wanna admit the most is that he liked the way she made him feel for some strange reason.

Alastors shadow opened the book he threw, on the front it read "666" as the title. It's dark claws flipped to the middle of the book on a page about the angels. Al looked up from his pity party and despair, he took a long glance at the page and then remembered that if the whole redemption thing were true then maybe he could make it out to the golden gates. Al's smile lifted a bit as he stood back up, his eyes glowing with a low tint of pink as he summoned his cane into thin air. Al still hesitated a moment that feeling in his guts still lingered and the more he thought about his real cause for wanting to use charlie just to get out of hell left a sour taste in his mouth. His shadow was merely a darker part of himself it loved the idea of using anyone and anything to cause destruction. Al shook his head as he put his books away with his powers. "I think i might abandon this until i figure out what that princess did to me." Al spoke as he turned to his shadow with red tinted eyes. His shadows smile widened sickenly Al could tell it didn't like the sound of that at all but oh well Als word over his shadows.

"Besides i should support her the most i can if i actually wanna get out of here."

The hotel was quiet it was about 3 am and pretty much everyone was passed out, Husk went back to his room, Nifty passed out in the corner with papers all around her. Vaggie fell asleep with her head leaning on Angels shoulder. Angel wasn't quite asleep yet he was still coloring the flyers but was ungodly tired and hung over. Charlie was passed out on a chair across the room soundly asleep, she was drooling on one of the flyers she was in the progress of finishing. Angels smile grew even bigger when he looked down and saw Vaggie so peaceful on his shoulder. Even though Vaggie and Angel have their own differences they're still friends maybe a little strained but they can get along sometimes. Well when Angels not putting a bad name on the hotel that is. Angel laughed to himself as he leaned his head on hers.

Morning soon came, though there wasn't much of a sun people just kind based their sleep around the set clock of the city.

Al got up bright and early and made his way to check up on the hotel. He cleaned up his mess ofcourse and fixed his hair and smoothed out the "hair" tuffs on top his head. Everyone knew they were his ears but no one dared to touch them.

Al entered the Hotel through the door for once instead of using his shadow. He was a little exhausted from the stress that was yesterday afterall.

The noise of the door stirred Angel awake, his eyes opened slightly to see who opened the door. When Angel saw the red coat he shut his eyes closed and pretended to be asleep.

Alastor looked around the room to see everyone was passed out all over the place. Poor Nifty was knocked out in the corner while Vaggie and Angel seemed to have been getting along. His eyes eventually drifted over the the body of Charlie. Al figured everyone was asleep so no one saw him. He walked quietly over to Charlie's sleeping body. Al admired her peaceful face how smooth it was and examined all the tiny details of her face for a long moment. He gazed at her gentle eyes and her roses cheeks. His smile was less stressed as his eyes lowered gently upon seeing her heavenly self.

Angel watched on as Alastor reached his staff out above her head. A sudden radio crackle came through as static emerged from Alastor. For a brief moment Angel peered into Alastors eyes and saw how sinister his expression was.

"My god he's gonna kill her in her sleep!"

⎯

part 1 part 2

[baekchelor]

ｔｈｅ ｂｒｅａｋ ｕｐ (ｉ)

pairing: george mackay x reader   genre: gossip girl! au, angs, slight smut summary: Gossip Girl here, your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite. Spotted: George Mackay at Heathrow, homeward New York. What could possibly make George abandon his self-imposed exile at his hometown and venture back to Manhattan? We bet Y/N wants to know. After all, George flew the city all of a sudden, while Y/N Y/L/N shed tears for the dearly departed. word count: 1.3k a/n: hello hello, welcome to the firt glimpse at my new George fic. This one is going to be way more angsty than the others, but I think you’ll enjoy it a lot. I’ll be posting on Mondays. So wait for the first chapter 🤭🤭 Lots of love and I hope y’all are staying safe. xoxo Ps. Y/N/I/L stands for Your Name Intial Letter

❝ Just so you know, there are a few things that I consider sacred. The back of a limo is one of them.❞

ｐｒｅｌｕｄｅ ｈｏｗ ｔｈｅｙ ｓｔａｒｔｅｄ

Resolute. To no longer yearn for his touch, to not pronounce his name and neglect any idea of him. Determined to obliterate it all, each kiss on the forehead, on the flushed pink cheeks, on the lips. Every smile, every gaze... just everything. In such mood, Y/N Y/L/N hops out of the black car, chin held high and a smirk curving her pretty little face.

"Where's Dean?"

As soon as her ears register foresaid name, her mouth neglects the newfound smile. Dean. Known in the Upper East Side as the fairy-tale couple, they grew a reputation of mythic and enviable love. Manhattan's Queen B and her Charming-Chapman Prince were an item throughout their years at Columbia. Both their parents talked about wedding plans during their jointed dinners —Y/N has even tried the fit of the Charles-Chapman's engagement ring heirloom.

The whole shebang was perfect. But turns out fairy tales end when they do for a reason. Y/N matured, found new horizons, and although Dean was nothing but goodness in her privileged life, he felt merely juvenile.

"We broke up."

"Beg you pardon?

"I don't want to talk about it, George," with a pointed look, she makes her way inside the club, barely glancing at his intense blue stare. "I just want to forget. That's what this place is for, right?"

George laughs under his breath, a hint of malice tangled in the whisper, "Indeed."

For a change, Y/N agrees with George tonight. She wants to forget Dean, misbehave, and to achieve that purpose, a substantial amount of liquor must be drowned. Alcohol is supposed to transform pain into nonsense, scattering the memories of young first love into the strobe lights and waning them within the swarm of lively bodies on the dance floor. Whether or not George Mackay is Dean's British best friend, Y/N couldn't care less. The boy is new in the city, aching for adventures, and a well-known playboy who wouldn't ditch several bottles of Moët in the sake of friendship boundaries. Hence Y/N shrugs away Dean's remaining memories, and delicately —with her characteristic grace and elegance, takes a seat in George's private boot.

The Brit orders two bottles of champagne and slurs to the waitress' ear to keep them coming. The blonde winks at him, making sure to sway her hips as she departures, pretending to be a star in a catwalk. It makes Y/N roll her eyes. She met George Mackay for the first time three days ago, during brunch at The Palace, and even then, with family and the elite present, girls threw themselves at him. Pathetic.

How different could she be from those girls, though? If she's alone with George, at some club in the West Village, just an hour past her breakup with charming Dean.

Trapped in the line of thoughts, Y/N gulps the entire flute of Moët. She doesn't even wince, eyes fixated in a couple slow dancing to a beat song. That used to be her and Dean, that could've been her and Dean right now.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, princess," George's voice catches her attention. "Downing champagne until you knock yourself unconscious is not the way to deal with a breakup."

"Fine," she rests her elbow over her legs, cupping one side of her face as she nods toward the remaining bottle. "Help me then."

George laughs, "No way. One of us needs to be able to think straight tonight."

"Have one, and I promise that I'll stop for now."

George licks his lips and brings the flute towards his mouth. As he tilts his head back and exposes his bare neck, Y/N is victim of a warm feeling at the pit of her stomach.

He sets the flute back on the table, smiling darkly, "I know you don't wanna talk about what happened but…"

"Relief," Y/N answers, eyes merged in the writhing silhouettes moving at the rhythm of the music, "I feel relief." Is hypnotizing: the music, the dance moves, the flashing lights and the rush of welfare running through her veins; is everything and nothing at the same time and she wants to be part of it, she wants to have a night to do all the stuff she gave up to be Dean's perfect girlfriend, "Y'know, I got moves."

"Really? Then why don't you get up there?

"No," she kind of, sort of, giggles. Y/N Y/L/N never giggles. "I'm just saying I've got moves."

"C'mon, you're ten times hotter than any of those girls."

There's lurk in her voice as she answers, "I know what you're doing, George," but then something mild forms inside every pore of her skin when George tilts his head, looking at her with defiant ocean eyes. They seem dangerous, like a tide willing to drag her to the bottom of the ocean. Yet, the blue colour is appealing, beautiful even, and the pink streak across her porcelain cheeks, assures her that the distress is nothing but adrenaline. "You really don't think I'll go up there."

"I know you won't do it."

That's it, that's all it takes. George likes playing games? Well, she'll prove to him she can play too —and better. Curving a seductive smile toward him, Y/N grabs his hand, "Dance with me."

She's not surprised when George encircles a hand around her waist and leads her into the ocean of people; she had discovered, just now, that he understands him, to the extend that she might even be able to read his mind. What comes as a surprise, however, is the way her body reacts to him. George's palms rest on her hips, slowly guiding her figure to grind against his in rhythm with the music.

With each beat, her thoughts blur together further. Dean's face has left its perpetual place in her mind, and the crowd, the lights, all are gone too. In her world, it seems to only exist George, and them both, pressed up against each other —George's fingers digging into her skin, her hands tangled in his light-brown locks... But boundaries can't be damned that easily. Although George Mackay isn't known for his excellent sense of morality, he still is Dean's best friend, for long enough to neglect the unknown thing fluttering around his stomach. So before he has time to regret it, George guides Y/N out of the crowd, straight to the back of his limo.

He will take her home. Right now.

"Thanks for the lift home," she breathes out, confused over the abrupt shift between them, but unable to stop holding onto his warm gaze. Get lost in his eyes seems effortless.

"Thanks, for…tonight."

Leaning closer, as they stare into each other's eyes, no one can't think of anything, anyone else. It could be the alcohol in their systems, or the rush in their blood, or perhaps is the erratic beat of their hearts and the goosebumps emerging the moment George's fingertips lay on her. But Dean's voice screaming at George to stop this madness because she's still the girl he loves, and he still holds her dear to his heart, goes mute. And Y/N's inner self, reminding her that George is not a perfect gentleman neither prince charming, is shoved away in a closet, one as secured as the one where Y/N/I/L stores her Manolo's.

Suddenly, his hands are at the small of her back, foreheads pressed together, and soft lips sucking on hers. Y/N's mouth opens in a gasp, and George takes this opportunity to insert his tongue. He tastes like a variety of alcohols, one of them being the champagne she forced him to drink earlier, and it is intoxicating.

He pulls back. Both of them panting as they stare into each other's glazed-over eyes, "Are you sure?"

Y/N doesn't breath out an answer, her mind is working to sluggishly to form coherent words. She merely holds onto his shoulders for support and gives a soft peck to his lips.

Leaning down, George growls into her neck as his fingers travel south to play with the hem of her dress.

Oh-Oh, Upper East Sidders, turns out that for G and Y/N/I/L, boundaries can be damned that easily.

[laylacooke]

The Carous-Hell Waltz || Orion & Layla

timing: during the weeks the carnival was in town parties: @3starsquinn & @laylacooke summary: rio and layla take a ride on a cursed merry-go-round. warnings: animal abuse tw????

She had already ventured to the carnival once. However, it had been on her own, and after playing one game, Layla had decided it had been enough for the night. But when the offer came up to go back, she jumped on the chance to hang out with someone who was easily becoming one of her best friends in White Crest. As she sat on a nearby bench, she watched for Rio to arrive, wondering what kind of trouble they would get into tonight, hoping that her head wouldn’t give her any issues from the bright lights and constant noise.

Orion knew that he couldn’t trust the carnival. Even though his experience with the carnival had been overwhelmingly positive, he wasn’t completely blind to the fact that some darker was lurking beneath the surface. The Ferris Wheel lasting longer than possible, the trick mirrors that Blanche had told him about. The amount of Fae that seemed to show up yearly. But it didn’t matter. For the first time Rio got to explore the place himself, without his family leading the charge. He had gotten the chance to explore with the group earlier and the week, and now he was excited to explore with Layla. He didn’t even care that his ribs still stung, and that people kept staring at his black eye and bruised cheek. It probably wasn’t a pretty sight, but at least the swelling in his face had gone down by now. He spotted her at their meetup spot, waiting for him on the bench and jumped up and waved his arms around to grab her attention. “Hey!” Rio said once he had jogged over to her, “Have you been here yet? Because it’s a weird place.”

When Layla spotted Rio jumping around, a smile came over her face. Slowly getting up off the bench, she limped over to him. Noticing his face, she moved a little faster, “Rio! What happened?” She inspected his eye and cheek. Quite the pair they were. Every time they hung out, one of them or both of them were either hurt or got hurt, “I would say wonder twin powers activate…” She motioned to her head, “But I think I met your sister once, so I’m guessing she has that covered. If you don’t have a sister, just ignore I ever said anything.” She grinned. “But really what happened?” She glanced back over to the bench, and was thinking about going back over to it, but before she could, someone snatched it up, “I have. Once. Don’t play Hanyo.”

Layla was limping. The two of them were clearly bad luck charms. They attracted danger to themselves and possibly each other. It didn’t exactly bode well for the carnival, but Orion was dead set on having a good time tonight. Despite the pain he was still in. “Long story.” Rio sighed, scratching the back of his head and trying to explain, “I have bad luck in forests. And lots of things there like to attack people, apparently.” The troll that Rio had killed still rested in the back of his mind, forcing him to relive the moment over and over again. “You met my sister?” Rio froze. That was enough to get him to stop thinking about the troll for a minute. First Ariana and now Layla? Athena wouldn’t leave his werewolf friends alone. “How’d that go?” He wasn’t keen on the idea of Athena knowing Layla. She had enough trouble in her life already. But he also couldn’t bring himself to warn them about her either. Athena would only be more dangerous if she got backed into a corner. “Yeah, don’t worry about me, I had no intentions of playing that. Better question is, why would you?”

“You know, I wouldn’t say forests are all bad luck. That’s where we met.” A smile spread across her face. Yes, he had an excellent point about forests. She had killed a man in a forest. She had been attacked by a vampire in a forest. And she was bitten by a werewolf in a forest. But she was trying to start a new path in her life, and dwelling on the negative was something the teenager so desperately wanted to put behind her, “Uh, yeah. And no offense, but I’m not too fond of her. The circumstances weren’t the best.” She wasn’t sure she could tell Rio exactly why she had met Athena or that she had threatened Layla’s life if she didn’t cooperate during the ritual that helped save the town. In her mind, it had been one of the worst moments, considering she had hurt Frankie. But in the end, everything was okay, and that’s what mattered. She was just glad he brought the carnival up, “Good. And don’t laugh, but they had a plush I wanted. And I sacrificed a good pair of jeans and my hands for that thing. Wanna smell?” She stuck her hand towards his face. The smell had nearly worn off, but her extra sensitive nose still picked up on hits of it every now and then that made her want to gag.

Orion laughed, but nodded, “Yeah that was probably like... the one good thing about that day. Considering the other circumstances weren’t ideal.” He could still vividly remember the vampire that had attacked them. The details were etched in his brain. Seeing her coated in blood, screaming at Rio as she tried to choke the life out of him. But Layla and Rio had survived the night, by some miracle. And a great friendship had come out of it. So, it felt like it had been worth it all along. So, Layla hadn’t been a fan of his sister either? No surprise there, “Can’t say I blame you. She’s an acquired taste. Definitely not everybody’s cup of tea.” He shrugged it off. He didn’t need to get into too much detail about his relationship with his sister, or lack thereof. “No laughing here. I support whatever prize it was.” When Layla waved her hand towards his face and laughed and tried ducking away from it, “Oh god, no! Please spare me I hate that smell I hate it” Rio wanted to side stepped away to put some distance between the two, laughing the entire time. This was what he had needed. To get his mind off the week he had. “So, what should we do? I wouldn’t suggest the Ferris Wheel.”

Layla was grateful for Orion’s friendship. Yes, it had come out of chaos, but it was worth it. As for his sister, she had preferred to keep avoiding her until she physically couldn’t, “I don’t think she’ll ever be my cup of tea, and vice versa. But you, on the other hand, are amazeballs. My hand…” She pulled it back. “Not so much. Try living with this thing with a werewolf nose. It’s awful.” She shuddered. But back to the task at hand. Glancing into the large area filled with rides, games, and food, she let her eyes scan the carnival. But she quickly looked back at her friend at the mention of the Ferris Wheel, “Wait. What’s wrong with the Ferris Wheel?” She was curious. Hanyo had been simple. No tricks. Just a huge container full of grossness, so her curiosity peaked at his words. If not the Ferris Wheel, then she would suggest something else, and then she saw it. The Merry-Go-Round. “How about that?” While they were still just outside the gates, she let her finger point to the animals bobbing up and down to carnival music.

Orion shrugged her statement off. For all parties involved, Rio didn’t want to dwell too much on Athena tonight. “Well, thanks. We are two very different people. But people usually like her. So it’s uh- weird. Having people that like me now. Not to get too sappy or anything.” Rio’s nose curled at the thought. Rio’s sense of smell was heightened, though not to the same level as a werewolf’s. “The mayonnaise does a great job of ruining any sappy moment, so thank you.” Ah, so Layla hadn’t seen how weird the place could be. He supposed that a vat of mayo wasn’t exactly supernatural, even if it was still pretty freaking weird. “Well when the five of us got on in it was like… midday. And then Winston and I- who were alone in a cart which is a long story- talked for like maybe ten minutes and then got off, it was nighttime. Over five hours had passed.” He could only guess that they had been drugged or the Ferris Wheel was some weird time hole or something. “That seems innocent enough. Let’s do it!”

Layla could tell that talking about Athena had made him uncomfortable, and that was the last thing she had wanted to do, “Enough about family and hanyo. Although my hands have been really soft…Sorry. We’re here to make new memories, and hopefully not come out anymore wounded than we already are.” She wanted to say what’s the worst that could happen but refrained. “Oh, I know Winston. How are they?” She hadn’t seen them in quite some time (Next person on her list to make it a point to hang out with). “And you don’t have to explain anything to me, Rio.” She smiled softly at him, before she started to limp towards the entrance, “But that sounds pretty weird about the Ferris Wheel, so we can avoid that, too.” Pulling out some money, she waited in line at the front gate. “Merry-Go-Rounds always seem like a safe bet. And afterwards maybe some carnival games?”

Orion nodded profusely at Layla’s insistence that they drop the family and the hanyo subject, “Good idea. Great idea actually.” Anything to stop talking about Athena. Especially where Winston was involved in the conversation. Rio really didn’t like talking about them together. “They’re good! Well… I think. It’s been a long few weeks. For a lot of people honestly, but I think they’re holding up okay.” At least Rio hoped so. He tried to make sure that Winston was doing okay. He was a pretty bad… whatever he was if Winston wasn’t doing okay. “Oh it’s- no it’s definitely not that I don’t want to explain it.” Rio laughed. Layla and he had gotten pretty close since being attacked by that vampire. Rio didn’t want to keep things from her. But even he didn’t really know exactly what to say. “I don’t really know how to? I think Winston and I sort of have like… a thing? Maybe. I don’t know, I've never dated anyone before. I don’t know what to call it.” Rio stood beside Layla in line, hands stuffed into his pockets. “Sounds good! I’m horrible at carnival games.” 

“I’m glad to hear they’re doing okay. And, honestly, Frankie’s the only person I’ve ever dated. I don’t think it needs labels as long as you're both happy.” She gave Orion a soft pat on the shoulder. With Frankie, Layla just knew. Yes, she had kissed Ariana in a drugged induced haze, but it was at a moment when she thought she had done the right thing in giving her girlfriend an out. Little did she know, the woman was going to show up a few weeks later. But she was grateful she had. “And just know you can ask me stuff anytime you want. Me and Frankie have been together since Sophomore year, and we’ve known each other since we were like super little.” Stepping closer to the ticket booth, she recounted her money rather quickly, “I’m a pretty good aim, but maybe we just get through the Merry-Go-Round then.” She laughed, “If we’ve both already had weird experiences here, there’s no telling what this is going to be like.”

Orion had only briefly known Frankie, but had enjoyed his time chatting with her in the diner. He had seen her again briefly at Layla and Lucas’ party before being conned into humiliating himself playing Twister. Still, it was obvious how much Frankie cared about Layla. She had come to White Crest for her after all. Rio hoped to hang out with the two of them together soon. “I will take you up at the offer. Because I bet you’re super cute together. I’m glad you two are still together after this long.” He followed behind Layla, passing by the ticket booth and climbing onto the Merry-Go-Round. He moved slowly, carefully. He had to admit he was a bit nervous. He didn’t trust this place, no matter how normal a Merry Go-Round seemed. Rio made sure to grab one right next to Layla and climbed on top of it. So far so good. Now they just had to make it through the ride. This was fine. This seemed fine. “Okay. So far so good, yeah?”

Layla blushed at Orion’s comment about her and Frankie, “Thanks, Rio. I’m glad we are, too, even after I kinda up and left her, but all with good reason.” She still felt horrible for everything she had put her girlfriend through. Frankie hadn’t deserved any of it, even if Layla had thought it had been for the best. But that was in the past, and if it’s one thing Layla had learned recently, it was that Frankie could take care of herself.

Once she had paid and they were inside, Layla found a spot on a wolf. It was only fitting considering what she was. Climbing onto its back, she grabbed onto the pole and grabbed it tightly. From the things she had already heard about the carnival, she was curious what this ride would bring. Looking to Rio, she laughed nervously, “Yeah. I mean it’s a Merry-Go-Round. What’s the worst that could happen?” Every part of Layla was screaming internally at such an ignorant comment. It was a cursed carnival. Everything could happen.

What’s the worst that could happen? What a loaded sentence. One that Orion wished Layla hadn’t mentioned into existence. While Rio couldn’t think of anything about a merry-go-round that could go wrong, clearly, he just wasn’t being imaginative enough. This was the same place with a freaky hall of mirrors and time defying ferris wheel. Clearly something could be wrong with this ride. Something probably was wrong with this ride. But Rio didn’t want to curse them any further, so he just let out a single, albeit nervous, laugh and gave Layla a thumbs up. Appropriately, Layla had chosen the wolf to ride on. The music started before the actual ride, but eventually with a jerk, the machine roared to life.

It wasn’t bad at first. Things started off pretty normally. The animals rose along with the music, falling rhythmically. It was faster than Rio had been anticipating, but other than that all seemed okay. At least… until something started to feel a little off. It was around the fourth spin. Rio had been judging their time by focusing on the tent selling cotton candy, focusing on the bright weaving colors every time the two completed a spin. The fourth time, just as a kid ran off with a massive collection of sugar, the animal began to rise again. Only this time, Rio could tell that he was not changing height. No, it was like the thing was breathing. The split moment of carefree that Rio had allowed himself abandoned him in an instant, panic taking his place as he feared for a second that the plastic beast, he was sitting on top of may not be so plastic after all.

Layla looked to Rio with a nervous smile gripping the pole she was hanging onto a little tighter once the ride started. Feeling the animal beneath her move up and down, as plastic critters normally did on Merry-Go-Rounds, she felt fine. So far, so good. But the spinning of the ride felt as if it was gradually getting faster and faster, until her heightened wolf senses alerted her to danger. Danger in the form of an alpha wolf threatening a lower level wolf to get off its back. And before she could say anything else, she felt a violent motion as she looked down to see a living, breathing animal trying to take a bite out of her leg.

With wide eyes, Layla quickly looked to Rio, “Um, maybe...Maybe I spoke too soon!?” Her claws dug into the metal pole for extra grip as she tried to avoid once again losing her leg to a wolf bite. But instead of fear, which had been the redhead’s go-to emotion for so long, she tried something new. Retaliation. Glancing around first to make sure no one was near them, the teenager let out a low growl to match that of the animal beneath her. Never had she been one for attacking an animal, but this was no ordinary creature, and she wasn’t going to let either one of them end up as wolf chow or the meal of any other animal that now found life on this ride.

Digging her heels into its side, Layla let go of the pole and shifted her grip to that of the wolf’s neck. Claws going into flesh, she could feel blood seeping out its neck and through anger, fear, and sadness for the actions she was having to take, tears began rolling down her cheeks. It wasn’t long before the violent thrashing beneath her had stopped; blood pooled on the spinning ride flinging out onto bypassers watching the ridiculous ride move on. But she had stopped the animal from attacking, and somehow, instead of it going limp, it had returned to its hard-plastic form waiting for the next unsuspecting victim as the Merry-Go-Round continued to spin on.

Confusion filled Layla’s face, but she had figured it out, and with tears lingering in her eyes, she turned to her friend, “Rio, you have to kill it!” It sounded ridiculous, but it had been her only hope, and she wasn’t sure what would happen if the animal he was on remained alive, “I know it sounds crazy, but look!” She motioned to the plastic beast that now sat perfectly still and poised beneath her, once again rising and falling with the music.

The animal was alive. Orion had racked his brain trying to think of what could come from a merry go round that was dangerous or supernatural. Of all the theories he had come up with, this had not been one of them. It just… how? This shouldn’t even be possible. Even though nothing should surprise Rio anymore, this seemed to shake him. His body jerked, a desperate plea to get away from the beast he had been riding on. Unfortunately, as his body fell backwards, his leg bent, hooking onto the metal pole used for stability. He was flailing back now, half of his body hanging off the horse that he had been riding while his right leg was latched onto the beast. It was going crazy, trying its best to kick Rio the rest of the way off. For what it was worth, Rio was trying the same thing to get free. Their combined motion seemed to work against each other, with Rio’s foot ending up jammed against the horse’s body and blocking him from pulling his leg free. 

It wasn’t until Orion heard Layla’s voice that he realized what she had done. “Kill it” Rung over and over again in his head. All he could do was picture the troll. Was that what he was now? What he was capable of? The smell of blood came and went quickly. Was it a memory? Or Layla’s beast being slain? With little time to think and less to act, Rio bent his body forward, grabbing both hands onto the horse’s neck and tightening. The feeling made him sick to his stomach, but in one swift motion he twisted. At first, there was a sudden crack until Rio blinked to hide himself from the sight. When he finally braved a peak, Rio found himself riding the normal plastic animal again. 

With nothing keeping him locked into place, his leg easily slid from the smooth plastic body of the horse and Rio’s leg fell loose, Rio dropping the rest of the way and landing on his neck on the ground. The ride was still spinning, and now Rio’s head had joined. He groaned in pain, lying there for a moment longer before slowly climbing up to his feet. That wasn’t real. It couldn’t have been real. Just some weird illusion. He hadn’t killed anything. “So that is the worst that could happen, apparently.”

Layla watched as Rio flailed with the animal, but when she noticed he was taking her suggestion, she turned her head. Even though she knew what the outcome of the horse would be, she still couldn’t bear to see the boy snap its neck. But when it was done, and she heard the thud, Layla quickly turned her head to see her friend on the ground. Quickly hopping off of the plastic wolf that continued to move up and down, Layla maneuvered her way over to the boy, “Are you okay?” She watched as he climbed to his feet and spoke, “And you know, I don’t want to wait around to confirm that theory, so I say we call it a night.”

With the ride still spinning, Layla made her way to the edge, and without much hesitation, jumped landing with a hard thud and a momentous roll into a nearby barricade separating the ride from people waiting in line. Slowly climbing to her feet, scrapped and bruises forming, she watched hoping Orion would follow, “I wouldn’t ride that thing if I were you…” She sent a cautious glance in the direction of the group standing next to her as she waited on her friend.

Despite Orion’s better judgement, he figured that leaping from the machine was safer than staying on it. He followed Layla’s lead and jumped off it, leading on his feet for a moment before the momentum threw him off balance and he collapsed onto the ground, rolling forward. He peaked an eye open, staring at the plastic animals still bounding upward and downward as they spun around the merry go round. Had that actually just happened? Or had it been some weird illusion that both Layla and Rio had seen? He glanced over at Layla, already on her feet and advising people not to ride the thing. Unsurprisingly, only a couple of people seemed to acknowledge her, while most stared at her as if she had been insane for jumping from the ride. Which- okay, it did look bad. But for good reason. Rio picked himself up from the ground and made his way to Layla, beelining it to get farther away from the ride. “You know, growing up in this town has taught me that most people are always going to think that things are normal here. But it was worth a try.” He laughed, pointing back at the group that was now getting ready to climb onto animals of their own. For their sake, Rio hoped things were normal. He considered their conversation earlier, “You know… I know we talked about doing some of the carnival games. But maybe instead we uh- don’t?” He offered, hoping he didn’t sound too desperate. He had had enough of the carnival for today, “Maybe we can just grab dinner instead?”

Layla watched as Rio followed her lead. Having him off the ride and safe was a relief, “If they only knew, Rio...If they only knew.” She watched as more people boarded the ride. It wasn’t a surprise that they had looked at Layla like she was insane. She had gotten used to those types of stares since coming to town, but the more she was learning about White Crest, the more she questioned why she had decided to stay here in the first place, “You know what? Food sounds so much better than carnival games. And you know what sounds even better? Food far away from this place.” It wasn’t like there was much Layla could eat anyways, and even if there was, she didn’t want to remain at the carnival any longer, “Al’s? I hear they’re serving sweet potato fries now.” An uneasy smile settled on her face as she watched the machine start up again hoping for the best for those who hadn’t heeded her warning and grateful that her and Rio had escaped when they did.

[alleycat97]

A Night Out (Pt. 5)

Notes: Part 5 y’all! Thanks for all the positive support it means the world to me. I never thought I’d come back to this! I blame it on my incredible support system. You guys rock and have given me hope once again! Slight language here and there. As usual, PBs characters, General Audience.

Description: Kamilah is taken out on the town to blow some steam off with an unlikely source, Priya. Kamilah didn’t care for an all mortal nightclub but Priya promised her it would be worth it, saying she would finally get laid in over a century

Pairing: Kamilah x MC (Aurora)

Tag list: @onyxgaytrash @wildsayeed @beyondthenakedeye28 @scarlet-letter-a0114 @mrskamilxh @kamilahslittlehoe @lightning-fury @kelseyapperson if you want on or off just let me know!

...

Morning came fast for Aurora, it always did it seemed. She was excited for her second day of work and also late...very late.

“Shit!” She panicked falling out of her bed and onto the floor trying to untangle herself from her comforter. She went to grab her phone to call Adrian but was extremely nervous because he had texted her already.

“Don’t worry about working days, I’m moving you to nights if that’s ok. See you at 8pm.”

Aurora fell back onto her bed relieved she didn’t have to work yet. She pulled her comforter back up to her chin and started contemplating that she would soon have to talk to Kamilah. A conversation, she wasn’t looking forward to.

...

Kamilah didn’t sleep after Priya had left. She spent the remainder of her night at her home desk thinking of ways to have Amy debriefed. She had no business knowing about the vampire world, it was too dangerous. And the fact that Adrian would allow a mortal into it, again.

The thought of Adrian being around Aurora more than her made her sick. She loved Adrian but she knew his game. Aurora was technically fair game and he was trying to get his turn. Kamilah didn’t do jealousy, she hasn’t been jealous in over a century but boy when she got jealous, no one was safe.

Kamilah grabbed her phone and dialed Adrian, he should be in his office by now,

“Hello Kamilah, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

“Where is she Adrian.” Kamilah said plainly and to the point.

“Who?” Adrian asked confused.

“Aurora. Your new assistant.” Kamilah hissed out.

“Oh.” Adrian had done figured out what this was about. The scene at Priya’s answered his question. “She is home. I told her to come in tonight.”

“Of course. Adrian why didn’t you debrief her! It’s much too dangerous for a mortal to be in are world!”

“But Kamilah...”

“And you always do this! You get attached to them and it never ends well! You’re a council member for OUR people Adrian, a mortal will make you weak, and vulnerable! You know this!” Kamilah continued to rant.

“Then why do you want her so bad?” Adrian challenged, making Kamilah go silent.

“I....I don’t know.” She finally answered.

“Look Kamilah, she asked me not to debrief her. She said she wanted in and I cannot make her do something she doesn’t wanna do.” Adrian replied. He was right, it was their code and Kamilah had to respect that.

“Well then. Where is she now?” Kamilah asked.

“I guess at home?”

“What’s her address?” Kamilah toyed with her response trying not to look eager.

“You know I can’t tell you that.” He replied. “It’s confidential.”

“Adrian...” Kamilah spoke, Adrian knowing the tone and knowing to just give in.

“Fine...”

...

Kamilah headed straight for her car, typing in the address into its navigation system. Halfway there Priya called,

“Hello?” Kamilah answered.

“Darling! Have you had the talk yet!?” She squealed.

Kamilah sighed and rolled her eyes. “You just left my house like...6 hours ago, so no I haven’t.”

“Well you’re wasting time! Go get her tiger! And you just have to bring her by the mansion tonight! I need her to be my muse!”

“Oh hell no.” Kamilah grumbled while changing lanes.

“Please!!!!!” Priya whined like she always did to get her way. “You should have seen her in one of my originals! Darling, she was the talk of my club! I promise to keep my fangs away...”

“We will see.” Kamilah sighed.

“Where are you anyway?” Priya asked, hearing the sounds of the interstate.

“I’m going to talk to her. Adrian gave me her address.”

“YESSSSSS!!!!” Priya moaned almost busting Kamilah’s speakers. “I hope you tell her how dumb you are and hopefully the rough makeup sex, well, makes up for it.”

“You’re unbelievable.” Kamilah lightly chuckled, pulling up to the destination. “Ok I’m here, I gotta go.”

“Good luck! Call me after the sex! Or during, I don’t care either way!”

Kamilah hung up immediately and began to laugh. Priya could be a handful but she did make life interesting at times. But Kamilah quickly brought her focus back into adjustment.

She had to talk to Aurora and it wasn’t going to be easy. She had a lot of making up to do and honestly she was becoming overwhelmed.

As she stepped out of her car, she was careful to avoid the sunlight and before she could enter the complex, a loud high pitched squeal gained her attention.

She ran to the frantic screaming, floor by floor she climbed until she found the voice,

“Aurora! Get back! Don’t let it touch you!” Kamilah demanded, drawing her daggers.

Aurora threw her shoe at the creature, earning her running room to get behind Kamilah.

“What is that thing!?” Aurora said in shock.

“A feral.” Kamilah backed away from it, pushing Amy with her. The feral charged and Kamilah pushed Amy away and accepted it with a heavy slash of her dagger, earning a high pitch scream from the feral.

It only grew angrier as is set it’s sights on Aurora, but Kamilah was there and quickly made a clean swipe at the neck, separating the head from its body and quickly falling into a pile of ash.

Kamilah put her daggers away and extended a hand to a shaking Aurora,

“You saved me.” Aurora said rising to her feet. “What was that thing and what did it want?”

“Short answer, it was a infected vampire. They just lurk around trying to feed. I’ll explain once inside.” Kamilah said gesturing to continue their walk.

“What happened?” Kamilah asked again while Amy processed this information.

“I went out to go get breakfast and when I came back, my door...was...open...Lily!” Aurora took off into the room looking for her roommate.

“Amy wait! It could be dangerous!”

[unapologeticallyjaylos]

descendants halloween week - day 3

prompt: haunted house

pairings: jay x carlos ; mal x evie

rating: T for references to abuse and sex

----

There was a reason Carlos declined to enter the haunted house with the rest of the Auradon group.

He wasn’t a wimp, as Chad had said. Nor had he been “too boring” like Audrey had implied. Carlos was neither of those things, and he knew it. These fake haunted houses - set up around Halloween with the primary purpose to scare the shit out of kids who’d never truly been scared in their lives - didn’t even raise the hairs on his arm. He could predict every single thing that would happen tonight inside the dorm building masquerading as a “scary mansion.” From fake blood on the walls to hired students to jump out with chainsaws and maybe even a dummy hung from a ceiling fan should Fairy Godmother have loosened up the restrictions on gore level, the Auradon students had spared no expense trying to make the haunted house as terrifying as possible.

But it was all fake.

Each bloody handprint had been left by a laughing Auradon Prep student; the cobwebs had been carefully draped with the lights on; and the screams from within were all in good fun. So no; whatever the group had just paid five tickets to enter into at that night’s Auradon Prep Halloween Festival was not a haunted house.

“Hey, Pup.” Jay approached the bench Carlos was sitting on now, holding two cups of punch. Briefly, Carlos wondered whether it was spiked, but the possibility vanished all too quickly: Auradon parties definitely didn’t allow alcohol. “They were all out of the pink punch, but I figured this was just as good.”

Handing him one of the cups, Jay sat down beside him and stared out across the lawn at the booths and tents set up. Despite the black sky and late hour, Auradon Prep’s Campus was lit up with lanterns and strung lights, looking almost too lovely to be considered eerie enough for a Halloween party.

“Thanks.” Carlos sipped the punch without even really tasting it, still too lost in his thoughts to fully focus on its fruity flavor.

“Something’s on your mind.” Jay arched his brow, and Carlos sighed. Jay was too perceptive for his own good.

“Nah,” Carlos lied, fidgeting with his remaining strand of yellow tickets. “I was just waiting for you to come back, that’s all.”

“Where are the girls?” Jay glanced around, as if he expected to spot Mal and Evie among the throngs of students.

Carlos managed a grim smile. “They left to find the ‘bathroom’ ages ago.”

And Jay groaned under his breath, rolling his eyes. “Damn them. Of course Mal is getting some tonight. Fuck, I really gotta get laid now.” He shook his head, and for a moment, Carlos wondered if he’d drop the previous subject. But after a moment, Jay’s eyes narrowed again. “But that doesn’t let you off the hook; what’s up? Did someone say something? Chad? Cause I’ll kick his ass, you know I will.”

“Chad is a moron.” Carlos truly didn’t care what Chad thought about him. “Besides, they all went to the haunted house anyway.”

“Haunted house?” Jay screwed up his face. “What the hell is that?”

“Some stupid thing they do here,” Carlos explained with a small shrug, gesturing to the dorm building with its flickering lights and screaming occupants. “They go in there to get scared. There’s fake blood and spiders and people yelling at you.”

“Why would they do that?” Jay’s eyebrows were knitted together in confusion.

“The adrenaline rush, I guess.” Carlos noted Jay’s relaxation and figured the other boy could understand that, at least; he’d always gotten off on dangerous building jumps or motorbike races down the dusty island roads.

“You didn’t go right?” Jay suddenly looked concerned. “Did they try and make you do it?”

“No.” Carlos scoffed a little, because really, as if he’d be so weak-willed as to let a bunch of princes force him into that building. “I have no desire to set foot in there or be chased around by people waving their arms. I got enough of that growing up, thanks.”

“Hell Hall.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah.”

Carlos figured Hell Hall was as close to a real haunted house as he would ever get. He hadn’t seen the place since they’d all left the island that fateful day - back when he was just fourteen - but still: fourteen years in that house was fourteen years too many.

Just then, Audrey came running back across the lawn, squealing alongside Jane. Their costumes - sparkly fairy wings and wands - glittered in the golden lantern light.

“Jay!” the daughter of Aurora laughed breathlessly. “Tell Jane she has to do the haunted house! It’s amazing! Even better than last year’s!”

Folding his arms, Jay grinned, and Carlos marveled at how quickly his energy morphed into flirtation. “Well, now, beautiful, were you scared? Shame I wasn’t there to hold your hand.”

Carlos knew Jay could care less about Audrey; he never cared about the girls he spoke to in that smooth purr. Still, he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of jealousy at Jay’s sudden and complete focus on the other girl.

“Yes!” Audrey laughed, shaking Jane’s arm. “But you weren’t there, and now I know where all the scary parts are! I can be your wingman, Jane!”

“Wingman?” Carlos wrinkled up his nose.

“Yeah.” Audrey shook her head, sending her perfectly curled ringlets bouncing. “Like - someone who can help look out for you once you’re inside.” Apparently, she was growing impatient because she turned back the way she’d come, still grasping Jane’s arm. “Come on! We’re going!”

“Fine!” Fairy Godmother’s daughter huffed at last. “But Aud, you have to stay with me! You can’t abandon me like last year when…” Their voices drifted away as they blended back into the crowd.

“I’ll be your wingman,” Jay announced suddenly.

“I’m not going into that house.” For a wild, panicked moment, Carlos wondered if Jay would grab his arm and pull him towards the thing. He wasn’t scared of the Auradon Prep dorms, but perhaps the memories lurking beneath the surface had him more freaked out than he cared to admit.

But of course, Jay did nothing of the sort, and as the anxiety-riddled moment passed, Carlos felt a bit ashamed at having even let the thoughts enter his brain. Jay didn’t try to force him or even insist they move at all; he just shook his head and took another swig of punch. “In life, I mean. I’ll be your wingman. Look out for and support you and shit. Not leave you behind.”  

Maybe the drinks were spiked after all because a warm glow washed over Carlos. He smiled softly - his first real smile since hearing about the haunted house - and felt bold enough to lean against Jay. The other boy was warm, his steady, firm foundation supporting him perfectly; Carlos found himself oddly comforted by the contact - a new experience for him.

A group of cheerleaders passed suddenly - their practically translucent “ghost” costumes sure to make waves during the costume competition. Plenty of people drooled over them as they passed, and Carlos waited for Jay to do the same. But although they giggled and fell over each other as they walked by, Jay didn’t follow them.

“I thought you said you needed to get laid.” Carlos looked up at Jay from his spot on the other boy’s chest, ready for him to pull away at any moment. “Aren’t they usually down for a hookup? I’ll hold your punch if you wanna go… you know… to the bathroom. Just - wash your hands when you’re done, avoid the bathroom near the science wing because I heard Fairy Godmother was heading there a few minutes ago, and say hi to Mal and Evie for me if you see them.”

To his surprise, Jay only wrapped his arms around him tighter. “I’m good, ‘Los,” he shrugged. “A wingman wouldn’t leave his… his guy over a one-night stand. I’m all yours.”

All his.

Ironically, Carlos owed this warm, flushed feeling to a haunted house.

Maybe I don’t wanna go inside one ever again, but I suppose getting a wingman out of it hasn’t been the worst thing in the world.

[theartoflivingalways]

i’ve been awake for over 24 hours

I haven’t been on tumblr in years. i stopped using it after high school, but I don’t know why. but now I’m back tonight, because I needed someone to talk to, but I have no one to listen. i have friends, i have family, i have a boyfriend. i have a therapist. but no matter what: i feel so unheard, so unseen, and so ignored by everyone in my life that i literally feel like i have no one to truly turn to. for anything. so, here i am. hope i get a warm welcome!!!

here’s the thing: i’m NOT a depressed person. i’m not sad, i don’t have any major mental health issues apart from anxiety and some adhd. and before you take that the wrong way, please don’t. i just got my master’s degree in social work and i’ll be starting my new job as a therapist in a couple of weeks.

but, i’m also NOT a happy person. tbh, i can’t really describe my overall ~mood~ or whatever you wanna call it. i kinda just wake up and survive the day, every day. i take it one day at a time ... kinda like what AA says to do; but no, before you ask or the thought crosses your mind, i’m not an addict. at least not a alcohol/other drugs addict ??? sorry

maybe this is why there’s no one to listen when i need them to. i fucking ramble about literally nothing before getting to the point. 

it’s weird that i’m writing right now (ok, typing???). i haven’t done this since i was little. it feels good to do this, to have some sort of outlet when you feel so fucking unseen and unheard by every. single. person. around you. 

so i haven’t slept in over 24 hours. it’s my own fault for sure and i have adderall to thank for that (yes i’m prescribed). i decided to start a blog again because i’m sitting here, still wide awake in my apartment, alone, while my boyfriend is sound asleep in my bedroom.

so what’s my fucking problem??? why do i want someone to talk to?? i don’t know honestly. i just feel like lately all i do is listen to others, help others, give myself completely to others. and in return, i get nothing. nothing even close to what i give, or to what i’m capable of giving. which is sad. not for me particularly (maybe?), but for others, yes, i think so. 

i’m not saying that i expect anything in return for helping others, because i don’t. i didn’t enter the field of social work for the fucking money. and i know a lot of fucked up shit is going on in the world right now, and in no way do i want to minimize ANY of that. i’m just feeling a little lost and lonely, so i’m hoping this is a new outlet for me to sort out those feelings.

the last couple of hours, i’ve had a LONG string of thoughts. if you read through, you’ll eventually found out how they started. but one of the things i’ve been wrestling with in my mind is the type of person i am. 

you see, it’s difficult to be “that” person for others your whole life, especially all the fucking time. if you’re anything like me, you know what i mean by that. and if you aren’t anything like me, well, first of all congrats!!!!, and secondly, i’ll explain what i mean.

when you’re “that” person for others, like myself, it’s easy for other people to walk all over you. take advantage of you, take you for granted, expect you to ALWAYS be there no matter the cost. and of course, why wouldn’t they? you’re always there to help. you’re ALWAYS there to offer support, guidance, and advice. you’re nurturing. you listen. you’re a fucking irreplaceable, loyal to death friend. if you’re VERY much like me, you’re also the one person in your family who isn’t a total fuck up (at least not publicly?)

you’re also nonjudgmental, and you were blessed with the curse of being empathic towards others at all times. empathy of course is beautiful and a very good thing to have in this life, but do you know how hard it is to feel for every single person around you.. and not have anyone feel for you???? damn

also, you never let anyone down!! ever. you’re reliable, dependable, trustworthy to the point where it’s almost sketchy because like??? who can be that way to everyone else at all times? you guessed it- people like me and people like u!! (if this is even semi-relatable, i’m sorry) 

but people like us, like you, like me, tend to do this thing where we keep the same shitty fucking toxic people around that have hurt us, continue to hurt us both indirectly and directly, and who have let us down time and time again, because we continue clinging on to the fucking useless hope that “someday they’ll change”. someday, they’ll realize how fucking important you are to them and how shitty their lives are, and would be, without you in it.

you- we - also live by honesty and truthfulness, and assume others just live by this as well. but then you’re proved wrong over and over and over again, yet you never fucking learn your lesson because you are STILL hopeful that somewhere, somehow, deep down, other people DO stand by the morals you try so hard to stand by in life. most of the time, though, you’re completely avoiding the reality of other people and their experiences and who they really are, only to try to fit your own narrative of how you see things and how you think things should be. 

if this sounds anything like you... i’m sorry. i know it all too well. 

i grew up as the “golden child” in my family. not just my immediate family. my entire fucking family. the pressure to be perfect has lead me to develop debilitating anxiety in my 20′s, and it is what it is, but like, why the fuck couldn’t i have anxiety in high school like a normal teenager? why now? 

so yeah my anxiety’s pretty bad. it’s pretty bad tonight, which is why i turned here. to tumblr. to try to write out my thoughts. which, by the way, i’m sorry, because this is an absolute fucking mess and makes no sense. if you are reading this, though, thank you. thank you for listening when no one else seems to.

anyway. growing up with the pressure of being *perfect* has a cost. at least for me it did: 1) anxiety of course, and 2) perfectionist tendencies. these have literally- LITERALLY - ruined my entire college and graduate school experience. perfectionism combined with anxiety is a recipe for fucking disaster, and i’ve been cooking it for years.

i am deliberately writing this without proper punctuation/grammer/whateverthefuckyouwanttocallit, not capitalizing my letters etc., because i want to not have to be so perfect all the time on here, if this is something i’m going to stick to.  i know that sounds silly but it’s actually been very difficult for me to write in all lower-caps and i’m very worried that no one will even read this and HEAR ME because of my literacy negligence (i have no idea if that’s even a real thing or if it even has meaning but it sounded right)

do u want to know why i decided to write this though, truly? what lead to me feeling like i’m “spiraling” - apart from no sleep in over 24 hours now? well, get ready to laugh, because i truly think i’m pathetic and going crazy.

i went to dinner tonight with my boyfriend and his fam. our waitress was a girl i used to know years ago in high school. my boyfriend knew her too. in fact, he knew her VeRY well. for the sake of my anxious overthinking, i don’t feel like going too much into the details of *that* situation, so thanks in advance for understanding.

anyway. this corny bitch made a joke about the current political environment. i won’t say what exactly, because i’d really like to keep my identity as concealed as absolutely possible on here. but long story short, no one really laughed - every one just kinda smiled awkwardly. but you know who did laugh? my boyfriend :) 

TO ME, it seemed intentional. she wasn’t fucking funny, for one. she made a bad - no, a very bad- joke. like one of those corny dad jokes. not even a dad joke actually. a step-dad joke, except your step-dad is a loser that you hate, who treats ur mom/dad bad, has no sense of humor or a horrible sense of humor and idk, just fucking sucks you know ???

sorry that got kinda dark and it was unnecessary but do u know what i mean??? and no, that was literally not relevant to me or my family system/structure in any way. just kinda came to me, ya know? ...writing works in mysterious ways man

alright so if you don’t agree, that’s fine. i already told you to get ready to laugh, because i am well aware of how insane i fucking sound. but you know what makes anxiety & perfectionism 100x harder to cope with? insecurities. and i’m FULL of them. 

so anyway. we left dinner. him & i were driving home. i will admit that i did have some wine at dinner, and i wasn’t drunk but i definitely was feeling cocky enough to stir the pot with him. so, i casually said, “hey... didn’t you date _____?” *insert annoying waitress’s name who i knew once upon a time*

i said it very calmly. very coooool. v collected and nice. he said “no? i’ve never even talked to or hungout with that girl”.

i wish u could see my face as i’m writing this right now bc i cannnot. like i gave u a choice.... the opportunity. tHE SIMPLE opportunity - a chance - to be fucking honest................................

this dude. straight up. lied to my face. about this fucking girl. ???????

YEARS AGO, they most certainly did talk. a lot. in fact, my crAZy ass searched their names on facebook to find their old little love notes to each other that they posted on each others’ walls. which were very cringey but nothing that made me feel jealous or insecure (for once). after all, they were from years ago- i’m talking 5+ - so likeeee.... why would he lie (: 

oh and they definitely did hang out because.... i remember clearly.... a PICTURE OF THE two of them *together* *hangin* (prob bangin too) (sorry) years ago in this now-waitress’s bedroom. i believe it was a ~webcam photo~ that they took on the new mac computer her parents prob bought her. so this photo is now NO WHERE to be found. and believe me, i looked. no, i LURKED. i went to the beginnnning of her instagram posts and deep into her uploaded facebook pictures. ok, not ‘deep’, i literally got to the first pic she ever posted on FB just to try to find this damn picture. and it took me for. fucking. ever. because this bitch has prolly posted a million pictures in the last 5+ years like who does that???

but i swear to fucking whatever the fuck that this picture exists. i have fucking seen it. i’d describe it in perfect detail right now as if i saw it today, but, once again, i’m concealin my identity, yo, so i can’t do all that. v sorry

anywho. this dude - who i call my boyfriend (and yes i love him very very much and our past is absolutely fucked but that’s a whole other story for a very different time) - had the nerve, the audacity, to tell me to my face, that he “definitely doesn’t have a picture with her” because “they’ve never hung out or talked before” ... ?!??????

obv i sent him screenshots of the dirt i dug up on facebook from 5+ years ago (i.e., the old posts between them in case ya forgot during my rambling) bc like, caught ya in a lie sir. red handed.

i might be late on mentioning this part, but here’s the fucking kicker (and i’ve never used that phrase and i don’t know why i said that but ok?): TODAY, for the first time in MONTHS, literally!!!, bc of the virus and the quarantine and all that, i got ready today for dinner with his family. like actually got ready. i spent HOURS doing my make up. i don’t even remember the last time i did my make up, ok. i dressed in a really cute outfit. i felt fucking very good about myself. i thought for sure when he’d come pick me up to go to dinner he’d at least say something. at least acknowledge it. he has literally only seen me in raw form for too many days now. like, complete bare face and sweat pants basically every day since march.

but. did he even look at me twice?!!? no. did he mention anything about how i looked? how it was drastically different from my everyday attire the last couple months? did he take 2 seconds out of his day to say something corny or flirty to me? even just, “you look beautiful”??? honestly i would’ve even appreciated, “you look beautiful, for once” ???

did u guess the correct answer? well if u didn’t, it’s N O.

but u know who he did look at twice.

our waitress at dinner.

(: 

i think i wrote enough for one night. if u think this is my anxiety/perfectionism/insecurities combination spiraling out of control after being tamed incessantly for 20+ years, PLZ TELL ME.

but also, if you have a fucking brain, you’d know that:

1) this is definitely NOT the first time i’ve responded to something like this the way i did, and 

2) i really just needed to ramble on and vent about all the shit that’s been going through my mind the last 2 1/2 hours, so there’s that.

have a good night get some sleep!!! thank u for ur time. 

[bucky-iss-bae]

Numbing the Pain - Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader

A/N: Sooo this was just me having some fun and trying to write something while once again procrastinating from Uni work (Deadlines are killing me xoxo) I’m also aware how dire this account has been lately, like I’ve got so much I want to post, and some requests to catch up with so I’m so sorry. This is just some bs to help my writing. 

But enjoyyyy xoxo 

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader 

Fandom: MCU/Marvel

Prompts: Bucky x Fem!Reader Fluff/Angst Prompts: ‘You did what you had to do’ – ‘Why didn’t you just call me’ – ‘Stay here tonight’ 

Warnings: Drunkness - Some Angst 

Word count: 1700ish 

I want to hopefully write more shit like this to just gain confidence and get better so hope you all enjoy xoxo 

Masterlist Fandom list

Living in New York City wasn’t exactly the safest city, but Y/N knew her way around how to defend herself. Working with, and being friends with the Avengers made this a whole lot easier. Especially if they’re the ones who taught her how to fight.

It still didn’t stop her from getting scared at 3am when there was a loud banging on the door. She had her fair share of break-ins in the past, but now she was in a safer neighbourhood, heck she was even invited to live at the compound but chose against it. It also shook her up because this is New York City. There’s danger lurking everywhere, but when she wrapped her robe around herself and looked through the peephole, it was shocking to her seeing Bucky Barnes n the other side. His head hung, as he rested against the wall across from her apartment,

She sighed smiling to herself and shook her head but unlocked the door as he did Bucky looked up, a dopey smile on his face,

“Bucky” She sighed a small smile playing on her lips while leaning against her door frame, “What’re you doing here?”

“I...” He started, “I was in the neighbourhood. Thought I would come and say hi. You not happy to see me doll?”

Bucky and Y/Ns relationship was a tricky one at best. Neither had admitted their feelings for the other, but their interaction had always been something that showed they liked one another more than friends. Bucky treated her different, he was free with her, he laughed and joked with her without feeling like he was faking himself. She wasn’t afraid of him, she scolded him when needed when Bucky and Sam were acting like teenagers rather than grown men. She kept him on track and he the same to her. Calmed her down when she was frustrated or angry at a situation in her family, or when something happens to someone or something she cares a lot about. She had a bit of fire in her. Something that stood out compared to her usual composer. But bucky loved it, he loves how she stuck true to her word and her feelings, and nothing would compromise this.  

She snorted at his response, “Uh huh, I’m always happy to see you Barnes. Just not at 3am, when I think I’m getting burgled. And let's not forget your drunken state”

Bucky snorted, “You know, Thor would make a lot of money selling his stuff. But that’s illegal so I made the most of what I could, and then I went to a bar, and the stuff there Y/N, it tastes like water. And then the bartender said I couldn’t drink anymore, but I just wanted something a bit strong, and then, he called me a taxi. I didn’t want to go to the compound. You know Steves disappointing face. The frown and when he crosses his arms in that way. Reminds me of my mom whenever I done something wrong. Or when one of my sisters did. I tried to do it, but I always laughed. Steve, he could do it though. Whenever they done something stupid, he gave them that disappointing look, and they would apologise, and grovel for forgiveness, and do I look like I’ll be grovelling for forgiveness from Rogers anytime soon? Pftshh, Sam will use it against me for the rest of my life. You know how those smartphones work and he’ll whack one out, and start filming and I won’t know anything on how to stop him and...”

“Bucky” Y/N stopped him in his tracks, “Shh, you’ll wake up my neighbours. I don’t need Ms JoJo knocking on my door at 8am about how I’ve got these fells comin’ round at stupid o’clock, then she’ll give me that look you're on about alright. Now come inside” She nodded her head towards where her couch was waiting, most likely to soon be occupied by the very man stood in front of her.

He pushed himself off the wall only to stumble into Y/N and then her door, “Oops” He grumbled while trying to stand straight while holding onto Y/Ns arm.

Se looked down at his gloved metal hand and then his eyes, she bit her lip trying to stop a grin forming on her face, his face was only inches away from hers but she could see how drunk he really was,

“Bucky” She whispered putting her hand on top of the one holding onto her arm, “You’re very, very drunk right now. And never did I think I would see a drunk Bucky Barnes in my life. So, let's get you inside, let me get you some tea, and then get you to sleep”

He nodded at her not saying a word, instead staring into her eyes as if he were looking into her soul, “Your eyes are beautiful Y/N. Has anyone ever told you that?” He slurred out,

“Just you Bucky, just you”

Y/N had a soft smile on her face not feeling frustrated with Bucky at all, knowing he trusted her enough to look after him in his drunken state was something she was surprised at. She had seen him at both his best and worse. And now this weird place in between.

She managed to get Bucky inside he just decided to stumble into Y/N completely and put his arm around her so she could support his body.  

“God, what do they feed you” She grumbled while throwing him on the couch, he automatically just relaxed into it, taking off his glove and throwing it anywhere. He then toed off his boots and made himself comfortable while Y/N went to get that mug of tea. She boiled the green tea on the stove with some green tea, tea bags knowing this often helped him sleep at night before she went to sit with him and handed him a glass of water.

“Bucky” She whispered, cupping his right cheek, “Tell me, what happened tonight”

He just grumbled incoherently enjoying the warmth of her hand on his cold skin,

“Hey” She called again, sitting on both knees in front of him, getting him to look at her, “Are you ok?”

She could tell how his body language had changed, his face had just collapsed almost,

“It would’ve been my mom’s birthday today” He whispered, “And I miss them. All of them. You know I had 3 younger siblings. And it was hard work looking after them to make sure my mom didn’t overdo it yano. I... sometimes dream about them. Well, I think it’s them. I don’t really remember those dreams.” He had managed to get Y/N tucked under his arm, she was cuddled into her side, “Don’t really remember what they look like. I remember the layout of our house, but can’t visualise it. And the way my mom smelt, I’ll never forget that or how my younger sister always wanted me to teach her how to box, I was a champion yano that Y/N, I worked hard at everything I have done to be thrown into the future where none of my family are” His eyes were sad and dark, Y/N just let him talk, she could feel the way his chest was slowly rising and falling,

“I just wanted a way to numb the pain. And when the alcohol couldn’t do it, figured you could”

“You done what you had to do Buck. But why didn’t you just call me?” Y/N asked him,  

“Figured you’d be asleep and I didn’t want ya driving around town at this time of night”

“You woke me up anyway didn’t you?” She grinned while nudging his side, “Now let me go so I can get your tea” She said though in reality, she didn’t want his arms to leave her.

As if he read her mind his arms just tightened around her, “Hmm, I think I like you like this though Y/N”

“I think I do as well Buck. But I also know that the only way I’ll get you to get a little sober is with Tea”

He then reluctantly let her go but only to stand up with her and lean himself against her again to the kitchen,

“Why do you do this for me Y/N?”

“Why not buck?”

“I know but you just... you’re too good to me sometimes” He grumbled into her hair,

She laughed at that statement, “How am I too good to you?”

“You... look after me. You just... had this thing about you and it sounds stupid but you make me feel safe”

She smiled at that, and turned down the boiling water before starting on his tea,

“You wanna hear something stupid?” She asked him before turning to him, “you make me feel safe as well”

A smile broke out on his face and instead of saying anything back he leaned down to kiss the top of her head,

She then wordlessly gave him his mug and took it before he nearly spilt the contents and gave it to him again when he was sat down, both of them closer than before.

“Thank you Y/N. For everything”

“Anytime Bucky. 3am, or 3pm. I’m here for you”

“Don’t worry, I’ll go as soon as I’ve finished this”

She snorted at that statement, “James Buchanan Barnes. If you think, I’m letting you leave here tonight. You can think again” She used her stern playful voice, stern because she used his full name, playful because she had a smile on her lips, one she was hoping he would miss, but nothing would make him miss that smile. One that made him feel infinitely better.

“Calm down doll. If you wanted me to stay the night you should’ve just said”

“Alright, I will. You stay with me tonight, and there’s nothing you can do about it Barnes”

He laughed at that, he knew coming here would be the right decision, especially since he knew she made everything better for him,

“You’re not going to leave me out here alone though are you Y/N” He joked his voice light and flirty,

He felt her head shake, “Wouldn’t dream of it, Barnes. You make me feel safe. So I gotta keep you close. Especially in this city”

He chuckled at that feeling content at her words.

**

A/N: As I said, not my best work, nothing is right now considering I’m just splitting my concentration and decided to post 3 fics in one night because I’m avoiding everything in life rn banter though 30 days left of university forever, also 

If anyone wants to request anything, just send me the request and I'll try my best - you can send your own prompts or grab them from what I’ve already posted. 

[spyvstailor]

Need 70 More

Sorry to do this, guys, but even though I thought I placed a one time stop payment on a bill that was coming out, it came out anyways, so my bank account is now overdrawn. I need just 70 more to get to a comfortable spot in my friggin life. However! Good news is you all reached my original goal! So life is doing good things for me!

HUGE THANKS AND SHOUT OUT TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED AND REBLOGGED! SOME OF YOU GAVE LIKE WAY TOO GENEROUS FOR MY SHITTY WRITING AND IT DID NOT GO UNAPPRECIATED OR UNNOTICED! GOOD THINGS WILL COME TO YOU IN LIFE FOR YOUR GENEROSITY. I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Donate to my Paypal. Also I now have a Ko-Fi at the suggestion of someone dear to me, so here’s the link to that. It’s kind of barren right now, I’m working on it to offer people things they might like in order to earn my keep.

But as promised, here is my give so I may take. Chapter Two of Graveyard Dirt & Salt!

Chapter Two

The bell tower was covered in bird shit and looked like it was going to give him some kind of disease, but the view from it was worth the filth.

If he stood, with his back to the trees that grew in thick to the South of the convent, the back end as he'd come to call it, he could see straight down the cattle trail that lead from the convent gate, almost all the way down to the highway beyond the woods. To his right, to his left, to his hindquarters, was nothing but trees. Thick woods to give them cover.

They were both a blessing and a curse.

In his mind, if anyone took beef with them, the trees would be perfect cover for lurking invaders. But on the other hand, the trees kept their little convent a secret from the rest of the world.

Kicking some of the larger detritus out from his new nest, he unfurled his bedroll and began to make himself at home. If he stayed longer than a week, if he lasted longer than a week, he would give it a good, solid scrub down, but for now it was a place to sleep without worrying about having his ass snacked on.

Besides, he was pointedly warned against trying to settle into the cloister itself, the dorms where the nuns seemed to sleep. So he had to make his bed someplace other than the infirmary.

The clacking on the wooden ladder up to his perch alerted him to the fact someone was about to visit and he settled on his haunches, wanting to appear non-threatening to the woman who was about to appear.

A blonde head popped up into view, followed by a blue jumper dress.

The young nun carried with her a plate with bread smeared with what looked like honey and she smiled sweetly at him.

“Mother Mena wanted me to bring you some food, she said you'd be hungry.” The woman said.

“That's very sweet of you, thank you.”

Setting the plate in his lap, the woman turned to leave.

“So...tell me about you nuns here, what's your deal?” He called out to her, mostly desperate for some conversation after months of solitude.

The woman turned. “Oh...uh...well, what do you...um. I'm sorry, I'm Mary Elizabeth, I'm a novitiate, which means I haven't taken my vows yet. We're a Cisterian order, which means we value stability and simplicity.”

“And you don't ever...do anything beyond pray?”

“Well, we garden and take care of our chickens and hives, mostly we supply...well, we used to supply vegetables and peaches from our trees and eggs and honey and bees wax to the local farmer's market to support our convent. Most of our funds go to charity in the church, people starving in other countries, disaster relief. And we reflect, on God, on man, on everything in between.”

Splitting the bread slice in half, he handed her the larger piece and bit into his.

Mary Elizabeth took the offered piece with a shy grin and squatted down like a lady to join him, knees together, skirt covering anything inappropriate, one hand on her knees to ensure this.

“Is it really bad out there?” She asked as they chewed in silence. “Some of our order went to the market nearly half a year ago and never came back.”

He nodded. “I can't give you any hope, they're probably gone. Swept away with the dead.”

The woman's pretty little face puckered in dislike of that idea, but she soldiered on bravely.

“It's like Revelations. The dead rising. Scares the dickens out of me, if I'm honest.”

The woman was so sincere in her fear, as she rightly should be, but it troubled him to think of her now knowing the full extent of what was going on outside the convent walls. The Lieutenant had been forged by war overseas, by rigorous training and by all he had seen and done in his forty-three years and he couldn't imagine being in the dark while the whole world fell to pieces around you. Then again, he was always the one running into the danger, as others fled.

This slip of a girl, barely old enough to vote, it seemed, was scared of the rotting corpses that walked across the land and he understood how she could be. It was bigger than them, out of control, there was nothing left but the dead and the vultures who picked at the corpses of society. The wildfire had spread, the towns and holy places had fallen.

Downing the last morsel of his bread and honey, the Lieutenant stood up and pointed at her. “Well, either you're closing your eyes to a situation you do not wish to acknowledge or you are not aware of the calibre of disaster indicated by the presence of a pool table in your community.”

The woman clutched her hands together and beamed happily. “Oh! I love The Music Man!”

“Ya got trouble, my friend, right here, I say, trouble right here in River City,” he went on playfully.

Mary Elizabeth blushed shyly. “Mother Mena says you're the trouble around here.”

“She's getting a hunter and protector out of this deal. Missy should watch her tongue.” He returned, easing his ass against the railing and folding his arms.

“I'd better get going, I have to do the washing tonight and I wasn't really supposed to talk to you.”

“It was nice to talk with you regardless, Lizzie. But don't get yourself into trouble on my behalf.”

The woman giggled. “You too, Lieutenant. And I won't. I think it's uncharitable to pretend you don't exist. Seems a little cruel. Not that I judge Mother Mena! She's kind, she's just...scared, I think.”

“We're all scared. That's the human condition. Fear of being the prey to a greater predator and for the longest time man was at the top of the foodchain. Mind yourself going down now,” he cautioned, moving to offer her a hand down the ladder, before remembering that he wasn't to touch any of the nuns, so he drew his hand back quickly.

Mary Elizabeth beamed at him. “Thanks for the offer though. I like a gentleman.”

For days the Lieutenant hunted for the nuns, but he was like a ghost at the convent. The nuns saw him, the spoke of him in hushed whispers, but no one dared approach him.

He'd bring them an animal sacrifice and they'd send someone up to his tower with a plate for his share of the meal, but he was still awful lonely.

It had taken an entire week before another nun spoke to him.

“That is a household worth of baggage, Lieutenant.” She said.

He had just returned to the convent with a successful bounty, two ducks and a goose for dinner, when Sister Mary Agnes approached him. He had met her the other day when she was the one to bring him some food. He liked her matronly look.

“I got lucky,” he returned, preparing to clean the kills.

“I meant that pack on your back,” she said, kneeling beside him. “Doesn't it ever get awful heavy after all that walking?”

Glancing at his pack, the one he went everywhere with, he grinned. “It's my apartment. Everything I own is in that bag.”

“How on earth can a man travel with so much on his back? Don't you ever get tired?” She demanded.

“Mais, when you don't have a home, Sister, you make do. My apartment is on my back, ready at a moment's digging.”

The woman stopped them both, her dark eyes grave. “What's it like out there, Lieutenant? Really?”

“Hell on earth,” he admitted. “If it's not full of the dead, it's lonesome and abandoned. Torn apart like the aftermath of a child's temper tantrum. It's like walking through a bad dream.”

“Sounds like things are bad.”

“Worse. Whatever you're thinking, it's worse.”

Mary Agnes frowned. “I sometimes wonder why, when everything has turned to dust, we're left here holding the bag, as it were.”

“We're the survivors,” he explained. “It takes a lot of hard work to become the survivors. A lot of loss and a lot of pain, but we're here.”

“I suppose that makes sense. They always said the broken ones triumph.” She nudged him kindly. “So what broke you?”

For a second he was thrown, gunshots echoed in his memory. Shouting and verbal abuse, memories of his mother, of everything that had shaped him came flooding to the forefront of his mind, before he managed to recover himself.

“Why, sister,” he teased. “We are all broken children under God's eyes. Doesn't take much more than a dead dog or a bully in our childhoods.”

“I pried,” she returned simply. “I'm sorry. But humour will only deflect for so long, Lieutenant.”

“Mais,” he sighed. “It lasts long enough though.”

He was on the wall later that evening, watching an uggie as it shambled from out of the woods towards the wall he was on.

Poor little lady in her bathrobe, one slipper still on, the other long gone.

“Didn't expect to be caught in your jammies, huh?” He asked the thing.

It grunted and made a mad dive for the wall just under him, hands clawing at the stones.

“Never actually thought people even wore bathrobes,” he went on calmly. “Maybe I should start wearing one. Look like one of those old Hollywood actors. Cary Grant, yeah?”

“What on earth on you doing up there?” Missy asked from the ground behind him.

“Bird watching,” he returned casually. “Wanna come up?”

“And fall off that wall and break my tail in this habit? I think I'll pass on the offer. Being up there in jeans is one thing, but this habit is a wind catcher for sure.”

Turning around he held out his hand to her. “Come on. I won't let you fall.”

Hitching her robes to her, she moved to a spot where she must have propped an old ladder in order to climb up.

He moved to help her onto the wall, once more forgetting that he couldn't touch the nuns.

She held out her hand as he moved to grasp her elbow and stood on the wall, peering down at the uggie in her jammies.

“Do you suppose they're in pain?” She asked.

“I don't think so, think they're running on instinct and nothing else.” He said, running his hand over the butt of his rifle a little nervously, ready to steady Missy at a moment should she prove correct and the wind grab her. “Reminds me of this fact I heard about octopi and how if you put their corpse by salt their little tentacles react, but they're dead as rocks. Like that, I suppose. Them folks in Japan eating them basically raw, and their little tentacles grab at them chopsticks. Little undead squiggles putting up a fight.”

“This is a person,” she murmured. “She had things to do, goals and dreams.”

“We're all born astride the grave.” He stated.

Handing her his rifle, he pulled out his knife and jumping off the wall, over the thing, he came up behind her and knocked the uggie against the stones, holding her there so he could drive his knife into the base of her skull. It sunk heavily to the ground and he eased the poor woman back into a dignified laying position. Kneeling by the corpse, he wiped his knife blade on her bathrobe, before looking up to find the nun peering down at him quietly.

“Do you want a hand with her?” She asked.

He moved to help her down, his large hand sliding around her waist so that she could hop against him to break her fall somewhat, the other day she had precariously climbed down and nearly fell, today she was wearing her full habit, she offered him a hard look as he set her on her feet.

“That had better been my only option of dismount,” she warned him.

“Unless you want to break your neck today, then yes, ma'am.”

Kneeling over the corpse, Missy pushed the woman's hair out of her face and peered upon the rotted visage.

“Last rites?” He joked.

“I can't give those,” she said. “I just wanted to look at the poor woman. I killed so many of these the past few weeks, I never had a chance to pause and give thought to them. I honestly thought it was for the best to put them out of their misery. They are abominations after all, but they were once God's children.”

Kneeling with her, the Lieutenant nodded. “Bet she was someone's mama. She looks like a mama.”

“I hope her babies are alright, but from what you tell me, I don't imagine they are.” She was quiet for the longest time, before adding, “you'll keep my girls safe, won't you?”

“If you want me to,” he replied. “I haven't got anywhere to be.”

She looked at him for the longest time, those pretty blue eyes of hers shining and hard, despite being the bluest things he had ever seen. Set against her white chocolate skin and framed by luscious dark lashes, she was hell in a habit. If he had to gauge an age on her, he would wager she was around the same age as him, maybe a little younger. She certainly aged well if she were any older, and maybe she had, she was in charge of her convent, after all, and it took a while to advance in any profession.

“Then if you advise me on how to keep them safe, I will listen, but I will not compromise our faith for anything. The bell will stay silent, and we will do a patrol of the wall, but I will not expect any of my girls to harm anyone or anything without knowing for certain that it won't damn them. Some of my nuns still have their faith and I want them to keep it strong.”

“Fair enough,” the returned with a grin, holding out a hand to shake.

She considered it for a moment.

“Nobody went to hell for shaking a Cajun's hand,” he teased.

“Yet,” she murmured with a very, very small shine in her eyes.

Reconsidering his dirty hand, the Lieutenant wiped it on the front of his shirt, before offering it again.

This time she took it, shaking gently.

“You know this reminds me of this story my mamere used to tell me,” he explained, grunting as he scooped up the dead woman. “About this--”

“Sorry, your 'mamere'?” Missy interrupted.

“My granny.” He said, moving the corpse onto the muddy cattle trail of a road leading up to the convent gate where a fire would burn better without starting the woods ablaze. If they were going to keep collecting bodies, he would have to begin burning them. That pile in the woods would soon be doing nobody no good. “She used to tell me about this old man named Gilliam, used to beat the hell out of his old hound. Never deserved the poor thing, so one night, my...uh...granddaddy, he goes over, dead of night, dark as Hades--”

“I don't mean to cut your tale off at the root, I'm certain it's a wonderful parable, Mister Lieutenant, but we are about to burn a body here? Perhaps some wise words or none at all?” Missy suggested.

The Lieutenant was quiet, settling the corpse up in the middle of the muddy trail, before reaching for his lighter. He set the woman ablaze, burning her clothing, knowing full well the parchment paper flesh that remained on her corpse would go up in smoke easily.

Standing back, he glanced around cautiously, knowing that uggies liked to pop up when least expected.

Finding them alone, he turned his attention back to the burning body.

“Uh, dearly beloveds we are gathered here today to, uh, burn this--”

“Are you marrying the corpse or laying her to rest, Lieutenant?” The woman demanded with another very small twinkle in her eye.

“Mais, girl, go easy on me. I ain't a priest.”

“Honey, even the heathens had idols they worshipped before the Christian God,” she pointed out.

“So I'm lesser than a heathen and yet greater then a toad, yeah?” He winked at her.

As the smoke began to choke them with the scent of burning flesh, the nun turned on her heel and headed back to the wall, hiking her hem up as she went tiptoeing through the mud.

“You're certainly bigger than a toad,” she said. “Now use that might and give me a hand up and over, please?”

She squealed an undignified and rather girlish noise as the Lieutenant came up behind her and scooped her up and at the wall with his hands.

“Mind your hands,” she warned coolly as soon as she recovered her dignity.

“Sorry,” he said easily, shifting his left hand from where it cupped her inner thigh, “there's so much skirt to you that I wasn't sure where the safest place to stick my hand was at. I guess I aimed wrong.”

“I nearly had to abandon my vows for you to make an honest woman of me,” she declared, hoisting herself up onto the wall.

Beaming up at her, the Lieutenant said, “hey, now, Missy. Mind your tongue before the devil cuts it off.”

As soon as she was safely on the wall, he said, “now hand me that rifle you got.”

“Aren't you coming up?”

“Well, I promised you some venison now didn't I?”

“This late? Lieutenant, it's almost dark.”

“Best time of day to hunt for deer, yeah?” He winked at her and held out his hand for the gun.

That night the Lieutenant stood in his bell tower watching over the land.

He had to admit, at night like this, with only the cicadas chittering, the ruined world was beautiful still.

As much as he loved people, he enjoyed his solitude as well and with the stars in the sky and the land absolutely still, he was able to just think his thoughts.

“If it keeps on rainin', levees gonna break,” he sung to himself, wandering around the small perimeter of the bell tower, watching all sides for anything moving in the shadows below. Raising the rifle he peered down the scope at something that shifted, it appeared to be shrubs and the wind. “If it keeps on rainin', levees gonna break.”

In the woods he knew they were there, lurking, shuffling, ambling, tripping up and falling. Maws open to devour whatever they fell upon, hands clenched into death claws at their sides, the muscles having retracted and dried up in death.

“And the water gonna come and we'll have no place to stay,” he lowered the rifle as an uggie emerged from the woods.

It was just a shadow really, shuffling from the darkness, finding the wall with its chest, bouncing back and staggering to regain its footing. For a moment, the thing stood dumbly, head bent down, before it seemed to lift its chin and sniff the air.

It wasn't worth it for him to shoot the thing, his gun wasn't much use at times like this, the sound only drawing more to his location, but he liked to use the scope to watch as the dumb thing sort of collapsed against the wall.

From his perspective, he could only see the top of its head, but the manic bobbing told him it had caught their scent and was trying to find a hole in the wall to get at dinner.

Tomorrow he would have to reinforce the wall properly, a few sharp sticks, some hole traps, anything to give them an edge on the dead. He'd head into the nearby town to find something that still drove that he could back against the wrought iron gate.

He wasn't sure about that one, most of the time the vehicles didn't turn over at all. Having never pondered it, he supposed that maybe the gasoline had gone south. He knew it could stale, had tried to drive old lawnmowers enough times to know you had to drain the gas out from the tank if you weren't planning on using them for a good, long while.

Maybe he'd find one though. He only needed her to limp to the convent, it didn't need to win no races.

“Good morning, Lieutenant.”

He had emerged from the church the next morning to Sisters Dymphna, Felicity Perpetua and Mary Claire standing around the steps in the cool shade of the north side.

“Good morning, ladies,” he returned. “Aren't y'all not supposed to talk to me?”

“Only when Mother Mena's not around,” Dymphna replied, her brown eyes sparkling. “Are you heading out?”

“I was planning on doing a little work on the wall today. Did you need me to head out for something?” He asked, coming to stand in the little clutch with them. So far he had found the younger nuns more receptive to his presence than the older ones.

Except for Sisters Gertrude and Boniface, he adored Gertrude and her cats and Sister Boniface was a Quebecois French woman, so he felt a sort of kindred spirit in her.

“Maybe we wanted to do something for you for once,” Sister Mary Claire said with a smile that could brighten a stormy day.

“Something for me?”

Sister Felicity Perpetua, who had been standing with her hands behind her back, produced a child's lunch kit and held it out to him proudly. “We made you a lunch if you're planning on leaving.”

“You have to stay strong,” Sister Mary Claire added. “An army marches on its stomach.”

“Plus, you know, we appreciate you being here for us.” Dymphna added.

There was something sincere in their eyes, something which made the Lieutenant give a slight, unsure pause, before he accepted the lunch kit.

“Thank you,” he said. “I'm going to be just outside the wall working on it today, but maybe at some point I might hike it into the nearby town, see if I can find a big enough truck or some kind of van maybe.”

“What for?” Felicity Perpetua asked.

He motioned for the nuns to follow him towards the gate. They all stopped before it and he motioned with the hand holding his lunch at the rusty gate. “She's solid enough, but old and if enough of those things out there pushed against her at once she could go. I'm going to back a heavy girl up against her and reinforce it.”

The nuns were quiet for a bit, before Dymphna said, “I'm going with you.”

“Nope,” he declared firmly.

“Yes,” she insisted. “You can't go into the town alone with those things out there.”

“I lived this long on my own, I'll be fine.” He stated. “You nuns don't go anywhere outside these walls without me. My job is to keep you safe, your job is to make my job easier by staying here and being your cute little selves.”

“What if something happened to you?” Felicity Perpetua whispered. “My soul would know no peace.”

“Don't you have chores?” Someone asked from behind them, causing a couple of the nuns to jump.

Sister Thomas Aquinas, a stern faced woman of about seventy stood behind them, her arms full of blankets.

The three nuns all ducked out quickly, but not before Dymphna grasped his forearm with a strong, small brown hand.

Looking at him with a hard, glittering stare, the older nun seemed to be sizing him up for a moment, before handing him the blankets.

“Here,” she said. “We found some of these to spare. I thought you might like to keep yourself warmer up in that bell tower.”

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome,” she said tersely, before turning and walking off, muttering to herself about a 'fox in the hen house'.

He missed the days when he could go out into the woods and just sit and enjoy the peace.

Now, whenever he was in the woods, he was vulnerable and on edge. Always prepared for something to stagger out of the underbrush.

There was a time, when he was a boy, he'd duck into the woods by his rural home near Eunice, what wasn't swampy bayou, was pretty little woods filled mostly with cypress and oak trees, the forest floor was always good and moist, carpeted with the soft needles that the bald cypress trees shed.

The smell of the forest was always the way he found peace. That scent of good, clean country air, with a little harmless stank from the bayou, coupled with the scent of the damp earth. It was home sure enough and he missed it.

Georgia had it's own smell. Less bayou, more fresh water on the air. Rivers and streams and creeks. Nothing like the stagnant scent of the swamp.

He supposed, it was perhaps a little more fresher air, though it just wasn't home and that made all the difference.

Georgia was True Love Ways compared to Louisiana's Oh Boy, if Buddy Holly songs could be used to compare the two. Both good songs, though one was a little more melodic and slow-paced, the other had a bit more get-up-and-go.

“Boy, what are you doing to my wall?”

The voice came from above him on the wall and he looked up to find a furious nun standing there, swaying a little unsteadily in her habit and the mild wind.

“Just reinforcing it, Missy,” he said.

Philomena sighed. “We look like an ancient castle with these sharp sticks poking out.”

Stepping back, he admired his work and nodded. “Yeah, palisades, that's where I got the idea. Figured if it kept them old Celt tribes out, it'd work for us.”

“It doesn't look very inviting,” she muttered.

“It's not supposed to be a welcome mat,” he replied.

“Well, I suppose that's fine, just please don't hoist yourself on your own petard,” she said after a moment of thought.

He wiped his hands off and dug through his pack for the lunch the nuns had packed him. “You up there for a reason?”

“Sister Mary Claire says some of the younger nuns expressed interest in helping you outside these walls.”

“And you want to slap my wrist for tempting them?” He used the gate to climb onto the wall and sat beside her to eat his lunch.

“Not entirely,” she admitted, easing down a little clumsily beside him. “I think...well maybe you could be permitted to teach those of us interested in a few ways to defend ourselves from the abominations.”

Plucking a half a carrot out of his mouth, he crunched on the other half for a good long while. It was so delicious. He had forgotten what fresh veggies tasted like.

“Really?” He finally asked.

She stared off down the cattle trail before them, and he followed her gaze. The path was hung over with oak branches and Spanish moss, pretty for the late summer, but it was tainted by the dead. Always and forever tainted now. Somewhere out there in those pretty trees and green shrubs they ambled and shuffled and staggered and crawled, gnashing and drooling for their next meal. And somehow it worried him more to think about them in the broad daylight, then at night where all the boogins and monsters belonged.

He supposed those uggies all had hopes and dreams and plans set aside now for one thing and one thing only. Same as him, same as the woman sitting beside him, same as all the nuns in the convent behind them.

“Our wills and fates do so contrary run,” he began with a sigh, reminded by something she had said earlier.

Beside him Missy was quiet still, eyes on the world beyond her walls. “You're well read, for a soldier.”

“I'm sure you had to read Hamlet in high school too,” he teased. “A lot of it just stuck with me, I suppose. Don't be fooled,” he went on with a grin, “I'm just a simple country boy from the bayou.”

“I grew up in Savannah,” she said. “Have you ever been?”

“No,” he admitted. “Didn't get a chance before all this and I damned well won't go now. It'll be overrun.”

“We've been so secluded here,” she admitted gently. “I thought though, that someday I would be transferred out to a school or a...missionary, but I suppose this is my life now.” She hurried to add, “not that I'm complaining. I will bear this with grace, only that I miss the outside world, God's real world out there. Art and books, beauty created by the hands of His creatures, so much lost now.”

The Lieutenant stared at the woman as she continued to gaze wistfully out at the trees. He was so struck by how easy she made being beautiful look. “Has anyone ever told you that you that you look like Vivian Leigh?” He asked.

For a moment, the woman's face read irritated, then puzzled, before she finally smiled sweetly and looked down. “Tell me, Mister Lieutenant, is it nature or force that compels you to flirt with every woman you meet?”

“Sometimes it's not just women,” he teased.

“Oh!” She offered him a scolding look, though her face was still mostly smiles and amusement.

He beamed.