#Reggie would have messed him up so bad with this
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soshadysoquiet · 7 months ago
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Five sucks at Math - A Headcanon
This is a personal fav of mine, not necessarily one I think is real in the show, but that I find endlessly funny for an AU and will now provide evidence for.
Sometimes it seems Reggie didn't give Five the same 'break em down' treatment as obviously as he did the others, but boy do we know Five was a frustrated child, so:
Reggie forced this lil toddler to believe his powers were equation-based, meanwhile Five had just Wanted to be in the pantry, what do you mean he needs to do numbers?
As soon as Reggie knows Five is bad at maths, he doubles down - this is why the boy has limitations on his powers that the others don't, Reggie needs to form him into the Correct way of using them.
Five is, of course, useless at maths to the point of near numerical illiteracy initially, not that he Can't learn how to do them with endless repetition and practice, but it does not come naturally, requires a lot of mental energy, and leaves Five extra exhausted and frustrated that he needs to do all this work and One just punches stuff and Two is allowed to work it out from just throwing things not calculate angles (Reggie tried, but we all know he had Zero time for Diego)
That won't stop him from being conceited and prideful: after all the others aren't even doing this kind of math and also it's a defence mechanism.
"Evidence" in the show:
Five can only do so many jumps, and they're very costly to him. The mental strain from calculating even remembered equations on the fly or accidentally slipping and jumping without thinking keeps him tied down.
His jumping is fairly predictable - Lila figures him out in no time, possibly because it was quicker and more strategic for Five to memorise a few set equations than come up with any math on the fly.
He does jump quickly - at what point do we ever see him pause to work out how to avoid being caught in a wall? He automatically jumps away from threat or being thrown (thank you Luther). That speaks to me that it's at least in part instinctual, he defo wasn't doing equations as a bub either.
The most brilliant use of powers Does come at a moment: When he jumps forward at 13, he looks to have no plan for a set destination and just channels his pent up anger and goes. When he rewinds time, he doesn't have time to write on the walls or a book (how we've seen him calculate complex mathematics before) he just needs it and he does it.
Five does not manage to come back from the Apocalypse via maths - now don't get me wrong, It's more complicated than anything I could comprehend and that's very validly the show's reason why. But in the books he Does make it - this Five is bad at math, and he spent horrible years in the apocalypse trying to calculate something he couldn't whilst he was starving and not understanding it.
Why was he forcing himself to find a way out by math if his powers were instinctual? Five says it himself "I told you" he hears in his head every day out there - being frivolous got him stuck, now he needs to follow the rules to get out.
When Five does work it out, he gets it wrong - makes a typo, after having that moment of inspiration. (Again, very valid for Big Complicated Math but stay on this journey with me)
We see him rewind time once, did he stop after this because his abusive childhood training taught him 'shit now I need to work out the numbers before I can do that again don't fuck it up'
Five doing math looks absolutely chaotic (again, many, many reasons for this obvs but lets look at this one) his probability walls produce names out of thin air - where'd you get the names from Five? The phone book? Did the numbers spell that out for you after you'd stared at them long enough? Did you pick some arbitrary people living in the city and work backwards? Complex math yes, but also a brain not wired to do them struggling so desperately to make the numbers make sense. They're meant to make sense. They have to make sense. I wouldn't be in this mess if I had made them make sense the first time-
Five has some little tricks with his powers - swapping a gun with a stapler. That we see him use all of once despite how much of a power move that could be (Viktor's violin? Here's the baguette Klaus was eating) I like to think of this as he found this power instinctually, showed Reginald who Ruined It With Math, and again learned one single practical combat equation that was drilled into him and it was so heinous that he never wanted to play around with more.
SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4.... Five has a doctorate of philosophy on his wall, not a doctorate for math. Powers gone? Awful. No more math? Guess there's the silver lining everyone always talks about.
Anyway, this is just a fun uno reverse that I wanted to write a story about but could never find the full picture for, so here it is.
I liked the idea of in a world with the apocalypse diverted his siblings start to notice Five's struggles with math and gently start helping to re wire that part of his brain that Five didn't have the experience to notice was all Reggie's bullshit.
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unabashednightmarepizza · 1 year ago
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𝑀𝑦 𝐶𝑎𝑡 𝐼𝑛 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑔𝑢𝑖𝑠𝑒
A/N: This is definetly not me projecting my love for cats and Regulus. Also, if anyone is interested in documentaries, I recommend you watching "Inside of a cat's mind". It was really interesting, and also a seratonin boost for me.
A/N: I feel like this sucks but I couldn't think of another way to end this, I hope you guys like it!
Prompts used: "I love her so bad" from this, "you are my favourite, you always have been." from this.
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"That's downright ridiculous..."
"Oh, come on, Reggie! What better way than this to show your lover your new animagus form?"
Regulus swinged his tail back and forth angrily as he laid on his mattress on his front legs, even rolling his eyes at his dumb friends as they continued to tease him with his brand-new look. It wasn't like he could talk in that form, but he was so goddamn sure that his eyes gave his thoughts away. What started this conversation and the endless teasing from his friends was that Regulus could now transform into his Animagus form.
Which was a black cat. A cute and cuddly one, as Pandora said while scratching his ears as Barty and Evan made fun of him for being soft. He hissed at them loudly, showing his sharp claws as a silent threat as he nuzzled closer to the sweater under his paws, full of your smell and perfume as a little happy smile found his face, watching Pandora who had been petting him as she chastised the other two in the room.
But it did nothing to help.
Since when it did anyways? Nothing could stop those idiots...
Barty and Evan let out a bark as they rolled on their bed, Barty crouching down with his hands on his knees in front of Pandora who had been sitting down on the ground, shaking her head for him not to do anything that would anger Regulus.
But, as usual, Barty didn't care, and dramatically wiped a fake tear from his eye as he offered his forefinger to Regulus, who had been eyeing him with bored eyes and an evil plan, wondering if it was obvious on his cat face as he imagined the delight he would feel.
"Awww, look at our little Reggie! So angry and deadly, with his little claws and teeth~ You are so soft now, so cuddly that I can just-AHHH!"
But of course, Regulus' personality didn't change just because he turned into a cat and since everyone practically knew not to call him that name... Well, except for his lovely lover you, and Barty still did it...
It was only fair for him to bite his finger and claw at his face.
"And that's what happens when you mess with Regulus, Barty. He is still the same friend we have that absolutely hates to be teased and that's what you get..." Pandora sighed out as she rose up, passing by them in the common room as she got out. She didn't care about the screaming behind her, Evan cackling on the ground about "how Barty got bitten by a kitten" while the boy tried to convince him that "it was a literal cheetah that bit him and not a kitten" as if his cooings and awes weren't the reason behind that cat's anger.
Well, he warned him that he didn't like that nickname so he had it coming, right?
Regulus nuzzled deeper into Pandora's arms as the young girl giggled, smiling to herself at seeing her friend happy as he always was whenever he had that special clothing close to him. "Don't worry, Regulus... I know Y/N is in the Great Hall, preparing you food again. So, I'll take you to your precious lover~"
And if his face couldn't show the possible blush on his face and how comedically wide his eyes were, the way he jumped up and kneaded your sweater that he found in his room after stealing it definetly did the job.
His heart beated harder at the thought of seeing you, preparing him a plate with a cute frown and possibly cursing at him for not caring about his health as you made little talk with your friends here and there...
He always knew he was one hell of a lucky guy for finding someone like you. So caring and loving and supporting...
All his life, Regulus never had known love or care. At least not from his mother and her twisted way of showing love and his father's abuse. All he had, for the longest time, was his brother and even then, he never thought he could have more, deserved more.
More of that love and affection he craved.
So, after pinning after you since the firs year, he finally had the courage of asking you out... Even if he didn't want to think back to that day because of the high stuttering of his, a sign of how nervous he was and how important you were to him.
Because that mother and father of his might have failed at showing what true love means, he had plenty of times to secretly read all about romantic books and witness it with his own mind and heart. He often thought that they weren't real, that the author went overboard with all the struggles and fights the main characters went through for the love they shared with each other, strong enough to stand against every strong wind, army or even death.
He questioned whether love was worth it all, when he wanted something serene and comforting. He was done with all the fights anyways, he didn't want any of those any more.
He deserved that at least, right?
But soon, he realized that not everyone is like his parents. Not every relationship is disasterous with the fights and disagreements... They are what makes it stronger and more powerful, with every hardship that comes.
He learnt that without those waves and little obstacles in the way, the comforting relationship and tender love he desperately needed would never be his.
So, he gulped down his worries and confessed his love to you, in one of the many times that you two hung out in the Astronomy Tower. By that time, you were already aware of his feelings by the way he was so soft with you and actually seeked to spend more time with you throughout your days together.
Besides, you were sure Regulus didn't spend his time taking girls to watch stars as he rambled about each of them while subconsciously holding your hand.
But then... Another problem arose: Showing his affections, a basic need of a relationship in his eyes.
Because, as any sane person could tell, Regulus didn't have the healthiest of relationship with his parents even though he knew what they... had between each other was far from love. He knew he would never dare, and rather kill himself, to do any of the things they did to each other to you. He knew he wanted to hold you, kiss you, openly show his love, the way his eyes shone brighter at the sight of you as you skipped to him was enough of a sign...
But he knew he wouldn't be able to bear all the teasing his friends and his brother, with whom he recently fixed his relationship, would do.
And he hated himself for thinking like that, doing the exact opposite of what he wanted to do when you didn't deserve it at all. He didn't want you to think that he was ashamed of you, which you never did and gold him that it was fine he didn't declare his love out all the time like a certain older brother of his and knew he loved you through his actions...
But it wasn't enough for him, it wasn't enough for the voices in his mind to stop.
You deserved a man who wouldn't shy away, who didn't have severe issues with himself. Someone who wasn't the item of a fucked up ideology... Someone who would be proud and confident in both himself and you, slinging an arm around you while walking and give you anything you asked for.
Perhaps a free future... Away, in a cottage with some animals...
But he was a selfish man who wanted to be that person, to be the reason of your smile and happiness every day. He just... had to find a way to show all of these thoughts and feelings.
But he was bad at it... So, why not get the help of a cute animal to see what you exactly like? And show his feelings?
"I swear to Merlin, I will strangle that boy when I see him! He disappears all the time, without eating! Who does he think he is?" You angrily turned to your friend who was eating her fries as she stopped her hand mid-air and looked at you with her eyes and mouth wide open. "What? Who?"
"Regulus, of course! That boy will give me a heart attack at one point, the other day I found him literally choking Barty because of that nickname again!" You angrily scoffed as you dumped more food like an angry mother, but your friend only laughed because of the twitch of your lips upwards.
"Yeah, but you love him and his special treatment, no?" She wiggled her brows as she continued to eat and you sighed out in bliss, a loving and stupid smile plastering on your face.
And yes, yes you loved him and his stupid grin whenever he teased you and his sweet smile as he watched you do your own thing.
But it wasn't enough of a reason to not to scold him when you see him as soon as possible.
"Maybe. And yes, I very much so am in love with him but I'll strangle him anyways... He promised to not pick up fights and take care of himself better- Oh, hi Pandora!"
You turned fast to where the bubbly girl was coming to your way, excitedly waving at her when your eyes landed on... the cutest ball of sunshine on her arms.
"Hi, Y/N! I see that you are... agitated?" She snorted to herself as she saw how you changed your mood at the sight of the cat between her arms as you nodded absentmindedly to her, waving off her question while scratching the little cat's chin with a stupid smile on your face. It was a known fact around the school how weak you were to them, and also your boyfriend.
With you both being smitten with each other, y'know?
Unknown to you though, that cat was the boy you loved, and he was soaking all the love in like a sponge. He was grinning from ear to ear, as much as a cat would be able to do, and he jumped down from where he was seated between Pandora's arms and flunged himself up towards your legs, pawing at them to make you cuddle him.
Patheatic, his inner voice said but he answered with I love her so bad....
"Well, it seems that our friend loves you very much!" She wiggled her brows playfully as you giggled, not aware of the daggers the cat, Regulus, was giving to your dear friend. Pandora didn't care though, she knew he never meant any of those stares and besides, that was exactly the moment for her to leave him with you so that he could get his head out of his arse and see how much you loved him and didn't care if he showed his love around people or not.
Because, by the state he was in, he didn't know shit about the extend of your love for him.
"Then, I will leave you with him! Don't worry he is very docile and easygoing, I'm sure you two will get along well! Goodbye!"
"Wait, Pandora- Wow, she left so soon..." you mumbled in thought as you looked down at the cat still pawing at your legs with wide blue eyes, his pupils almost so big that his eyes couldn't be seen as he meowed softly to you.
"Aww, don't worry I won't leave you! But I was going to visit my careless boyfriend who forgot to eat, again..." you kneeled on the ground with a playful scowl as you took him between your arms, cooing at the loud purr he let out as he nuzzled deeper in you. "I think he will like you too, what do you say? Hmm?"
Yeah, love, considering the fact that it's me... I think I will like myself enough...
Throughout the walk to your boyfriend's dorm, you kept the same big smile on your face as you kept looking down at the cat and squeezed his cheeks with your fingers. Cuteness agression is really something, you thought as he looked around the familiar sight of the door to his house's common room. He started to whine and get angsty a little bit, not wanting this "cuddle session" to come to an end.
"Don't worry, little one! I'm not leaving, I will sit here until Reg comes back and probably beg him to let me have you all to myself..."
He meowed in response, wincing under his breath at how this was the only way to communicate with you. Love, you already has that cat to yourself...
You smiled softly as the cat sniffed Regulus' bed and jumped on it, circling around himself until he found a good position and stared at you expectantly. You smiled back at the cat and turned your back to him to set the food down on his desk. Suddenly staring at the dark sky outside and seeing how long has it been that you last saw Regulus, you sighed sadly, wondering when he will be back and whether you should get out of his dorm before his friends arrived or not.
Sensing your sudden sadness, Regulus immediately jumped up and meowed at you hurriedly. Even as a cat, he was weak for your sadness and immediately alerted.
"Hmm? Oh nothing, little guy... Just wondering when my boyfriend will come and finally start to take care of himself." You laughed when he hissed softly and almost seemed like he was pointing at the bed. "You want me to lay down?"
A barely-there nod.
"Okay... I think I can use some rest. Scoot over..." you shuffled on the bed as its silky feeling engulfed you, resulting with you letting out a relieved sigh as the cat purred happily over your chest. You trailed a soft finger down his spine and up towards his face, your hand patting him while holding him as if he was a baby.
And he freaking loved it, loved the feeling of safety of your arms.
And obviously, when cats were happy, they purred loudly.
"Hmm? Oh, you like me? I like you too, little guy! You're so cute and so elegant with your black fur and shiny, blue eyes." Regulus purred even more loudly as he nestled on your chest, bumping his head to your chin, and neck as a way of marking you. You giggled at the cat, actually your possessive boyfriend, and continued to play with the playful cat as he made several cute moves with his body and eyes.
His behaviour surprised you, since you thought black cats were mostly grumpy and "I show affection ONLY when I want to, human." kind of animals. But this one....
This one didn't even leave your side for the whole day and instead laid on your lap, purring at every chance he had. Somewhere in a muggle book, you remembered reading that a cat's purring often touches the paternal part in one's brain and that's why humans care for them a lot.
Which was goddamn right, even if it was the same frequency of a baby crying. But though a baby's cry was often irritating with its high pitch, a cat's purr was comforting.
Another reason to convince Regulus to adopt kittens for when you left the school, and settled in an apartment as soon as possible.
"And you remind me of someone I reaaally love, y'know? I'm sure he would like to have you... Don't tell him this, but you are now my favourite thing in the world!"
Wait... Wait, wait, wait! What? That was so offensive! A cat, who you knew for a few hours, took your favourite place?!
"Meowwww!"
Nope, he couldn't let it happen! The plan wasn't even this!
"Hmm? What's wrong, did I say something bad?" You wondered as the cat you adored suddenly turned pissy, throwing what you assumed as "cat tantrums" after whatever you said that triggered him. Regulus, though, started to pace around the bed nervously. You tilted your head in confusion as the cat he jumped up and tugged on your robes to make you get up.
Yeah, cats definetly have God-complex...
"Okay, okay, fine! I'm up, I seriously don't know what... is... wrong..." your jaw hung open with your eyes wide when the black cat you adored and showed immense love to was... None other than your boyfriend.
"Regulus?"
"Hi, love..." he shyly looked at you as his hand caressed his face tiredly, tugging on the skin as he grumbled at the stinging pain on his back while trying to relieve himself from the pain. "Damn it, my spine hurts..."
"What... I don't understand, you have been the cat?! All this time?" You pointed to him with your hands in surprise, still not believing that the cat was your boyfriend who apparently learnt to become an animagus.
"Yeah, I was the cat..."
"But... why? Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of you for achieving becoming an animagus," he smiled softly at how you didn't miss the opportunity of praising him for his accomplishment, and he couldn't help but wonder at how easy it was for you to see past the fact that he hid something from you. He expected you to be angry for hiding it, but you were just... confused?
Why?
"But why did you hide it? I mean, it's a pretty big deal and your cat form was so beatiful with your little paws, soft fur and big eyes- I'm starting to loose the point of the talk, so please... explain."
He laughed when you finished your rant with a blushing face, looking at him with a flustered face as you waited. He knew you wouldn't judge, Merlin knew you never did, so he sat down on his bed and patted the area next to him.
"Because... I didn't know what else to do to show you." You continued to look at him confused for a second, occasionally side eyeing the room as if a clue would suddenly appear and lighten whatever that was going on right now.
"Well, it's only logical to show me rather than throwing random bottles on the ground... But I think you don't mean you, being a liquid-"
"Cats are not liquid, love..." Regulus sighed lovingly as you knitted your brows and playfully shook your head before laying a kiss on his cheek. "No, they are! They fit into anything possible even an asymetrical glass box!"
"When did you see a cat do that?"
"My sibling's cat... Though it could be because it is weird..."
He laughed as you seriously started to wonder whether what you said about the cat was true or not, and pulled you to himself by your shoulders. He was grateful you changed the subject after noticing he was slightly uncomfortable but...
He had to be honest after spending the whole day with you, and seeing what Pandora said about you and how much stronger your love was for him.
Because he finally knew, he didn't have to be a cat spy to show you his love.
"As much as my heart feels like it could explode with love from you noticing I was uncomfortable and tried to change the subject," you smiled bashfully as you blinked your eyes at him, not stopping him. He sighed once before keep going. " I did it to show you... how much I love you and show my affection in the only way I knew."
You would have cut him in the middle but by the slight wavering of his voice, you knew that it was something he had to get off of himself... That this conversation was important for him in every way possible.
So you listened... And with every word passing his lips, your eyes softened for the fragile and soft-hearted boy next to you.
"I never knew love, I never knew how to love and show it freely. Mom and dad saw it as a weakness, others saw it as some inconvenience... Sirius was the only one I have, and even then, he was the one expressing his feelings freely. Not me. I always did it silently... Taking care of Sirius' injuries after mother punished him or dad beat him. I did it by stealing his favourites from the kitchen or learning how to make them when my parents weren't home...."
A deep sigh, one that told many unsaid stories and feelings.
" Then I showed it with taking notes for my friends when they weren't able to attend classes. I showed it by taking care of their many injuries that definetly weren’t a result of training but rather... abuse. Merlin knows, I know those kind of bruises like the back of my hand. Then... But then, you came along with your shining eyes and wide smile, asking if you could sit with me in the train and suddenly... I-I wanted to be more. For you. I wanted to be enough of a man to deserve your love and show it to the whole world. Like my brother who openly hugged people, and kissed their cheeks or nuzzled to them... But soon, I was reminded that I would always be his shadow."
Silence scretchted between you as you continued looking at him, not being sure what to do now that he suddenly opened up about why he was avoiding you. You definetly didn't think your night would end up like this, even if him opening up to you was everything you wanted, but you would never be able to know that feeling.
Feeling like someone's shadow, having to endure what Regulus endured... Something he was grateful that never happened and would never happen now that you were with him.
You wouldn’t understand any of it, but you could be there for him now that he wouldn't be alone.
"You once asked me... 'Do you ever hide who you trully are?' at the side of the Black Lake in one of our nightly dates. I kept my silence then, didn't want to scare you off with my strong feelings since it was still too early but not for me who loved you for 2 year prior to that night, but... I never did, not with you, never with you. But... I never felt enough for you. I mean... How could someone as amazing as you would deserve the love of some coward? Someone who feared showing love?" He almost spitted the word "fear" as he shook his head in near disbelief at himself and how "ridiculous" he sounded, and you hated how much self-loathing he had and how easy it was for him to point that hatred to himself.
You had to change it, maybe not immediately but definetly in time.
"Regulus..." you softly rubbed his hand softly to make him look at you, and when he turned his head towards you... You saw the tears pooling in his ocean eyes. Your heart dropped to your stomach harshly as you gulped and brought his forehead down to meet yours. A silent move to convey your feelings to him.
"How could you not be enough of something you already have, from the very beginning?" You rubbed his cheek softly, bringing his face closer to yours as you kissed his eye-lids. As if you were scared to hurt him even more, when what all the world had been doing to him was hurting him.
Regulus shuddered as a shaky breath left him, suddenly overwhelmed by the weight of your words. He lifted his eyes, looked into your own that showed only one thing and only for him: Love.
"You are enough, even if you don't think so and I love you, I loved you from the beginning." A gasp left him as his hands thightened their hold on yours nervously. You laughed awkwardly. " You don't have to say it immediately but... Please, don't be so harsh on yourself. It's okay to not want to do PDA, I already told you.... All I care is your happiness, that's it."
And with that, Regulus threw himself all over you from the immense feeling he was feeling at that moment, hugging you with all his might as you returned to gesture just as fiercely. After all, it had been a long day and you missed your boyfriend, the one that would speak about Quidditch nonstop all the while letting you sleep on him as his hands caressed your hair and rubbed your back softly.
Just like now, with the adding of inhaling the scent of your hair deeply which made your heart race sweetly.
And now that the stress of him was now over and you knew what was going on...
It was time to tease him back.
"Did you just get jealous of a cat enough to come clean to me?" You mumbled from your position where your face was buried in his neck, the tingles making him giggle as a groan left him at feeling your smile on his skin.
"Love, please!"
"What? You are the one who was jealous!" You giggled playfully, but your enjoyment was soon cut when Regulus threw himself on his bed with his arms still wrapped around you. You landed harsher on his chest than you imagined and you were worried you accidently crushed him but his sigh of contentment and the way he nuzzled to your neck showed that he was far from being bad.
"I can't believe you now have a nuzzling habit, are you going to knead at me too?" You hit his chest softly when his eyes shot open and an evil smirk found his face.
Oh, that's not something good...
"I already did it earlier when I laid on your chest- Oww!"
"Regulus Arcturus Black, when did you have a foul mouth!" You hit him with his pillow as he laughed hard and ended up on the floor while trying to stop you.
"What can I say, love. I have the most gorgeous lover of all Hogwarts!"
That little shit and his sweet tongue, knowing how to get himself out of any problem...
"Okay, you got out of trouble for now... You are my favourite by the way, you always have been, in case your childish self got jealous of a cat..." you grumbled out when his head landed on your thighs and looked up at you innocently.
"That cat was still me though..." he looked at you through his lashes as you giggled, relishing on your words and how they made warmth spread all around his whole body.
"Yeah, yeah, sure... There is something I have to show you though. I was planning for a few days now. Promise to not get sad?" He nodded without knowing and guessing what was happening...
But the only thought that crossed Regulus' mind, when he saw you changing into a pure white cat, was I love her.
As you swinged your tail around Regulus' waiting hand and nuzzled to him, he smiled softly and scratched your head softly while patting your ears. His heart felt so full of love and he didn't remember any other day he felt this much happiness.
"You are... most certaintly the most beautiful yet also annoying person I know. Being a white cat Animagus, completely contrasting me but also creating something so beautiful? Did you think I will let go of you easily after this?"
You tilted your head teasingly and let out a purr before changing back into your human form with your feet dangling off of the bed like a little kid as you threw your head back towards him to look at his raised brows while he tried to surpass the smirk that threatened to take over his face.
"Yeah, I know... But you love me, no?" You cutely smiled as you nuzzled closer to his chest, and unknown to you, he smiled to himself like a fool as he wrapped his arms all around your body thightly when your body reached where he was now sitting on the bed.
Oh Merlin, he already does love everything about you.
"Can we... cuddle like that? As cats? It could be our new bonding activity!"
"I can't believe... Okay, fine. Don't try anything funny though."
"Like what?"
"Like the meaning of that wiggly eye-brows!"
But since you both were weak for each other, you two soon dozed off like that, one white and black cat tangled together peacefully as their hearts beated the same beat.
Not knowing that the next day, Barty would startle everyone awake and embrass you while yelling "Our Reggie found another chich, cat, kitten, whatever! He is cheating on our sweet Y/N!"
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crownofgildedlilies · 8 months ago
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tellin' myself i can always do with out it -> cool about it [3]
in which: a son of jupiter can't remember the life he lost to time and circumstance. or the daughter of mercury he lost, too.
pairing: jason grace x daughter of mercury!roman!reader
warnings: cursing, angst, threats of violence, actual violence
word count: 6.6k
a/n: I simply cannot talk enough about this fic. also, reminder, this has a nonlinear plot!
one two [three] four
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Thunderstorms sent your blood singing.
The drop in temperature, the racing winds, the sound of torrential rain and striking lighting. You loved it all. When you were little, sometimes the only sense of stability and routine you had would be the clap of thunder following the bolt of electricity arcing from the skies.
You loved thunder.
But thirty seconds ago, there hadn’t been a cloud in sight.
You had noticed the change in the air instantly, maybe even quicker than your half-siblings seated around the Mess Hall table with you, arguing over where the best vacation spot would be, if demigods could safely vacation.
"Somewhere warm!"
"Somewhere with a view!"
"Somewhere with lots of tourists to pickpocket."
"This is why us kids of Mercury have a bad name, Reggie."
The storm was centralized over the field set aside for War Games, which piqued your curiosity even more, because you knew Jason volunteered to oversee the group assigned to clean the shrapnel from the grass.
There had been some disgruntled comments over the fact that you hadn’t been assigned clean-up duty, considering it was entirely your doing during the last games that led to so much damage on the field. Jason had stepped in to settle the issue, and somehow ended up leading the group.
He's always sticking up for her, a daughter of Mars named Janis that followed after Octavian like a leashed dog had muttered. It’s not fair that the Praetor has favorites.
And though Janis had meant to insult you, you took the comment with a smile full of sharp teeth. Because you couldn’t exactly deny that you were one of Jason’s favorites, and the fact was so far from upsetting.
"All you, Centurion," Your half-sister snickered, shoving your shoulder in the direction of the vicious storm. And really, you couldn't deny that you were probably the only one capable of breaching the gale force winds to calm the source at its heart.
Meaning, no one but you could get close to Jason when he was in such a state.
"Pride of the Praetor!" Another sibling shouted as you stood, and they should have counted themselves lucky that you were more worried about finding Jason and not launching the remains of your lunch at them in retaliation. Your face flushed, but you didn't give any reaction beyond your middle finger extending over your shoulder as you turned to leave.
You would be lying if you said that you didn't walk just a little faster than typical towards the source of the storm. The alarms hadn't been raised, so it wasn't an attack, but the wind had picked up and rain was hammering the ground in an almost perfect circle, a ring of soaked Romans clad in purple standing at the edge.
"It's bad, this time," Rico, a fellow member of the Fifth Cohort, winced when he saw you approach, his dark hair stuck up in every direction from the wind, his hands wringing the rain from hem of his shirt. "Like, bad. You sure you want to go in there?"
You made a low sound in the back of your throat, almost like a hum, more similar to a warning. Through the haze of the rain, you could see Jason hunched on the ground, right in the eye of the storm. Head tucked between his knees, shoulders heaving with his heavy breaths.
"You think this is bad?" You settled on asking, tone almost scoffing. Rico shot you a glance, like he couldn't believe careful, curated Praetor Grace could get much worse. "You should have seen him after Krios almost killed me."
Rico shuddered at the mention of the Titan, killed only a few short months back. Or maybe it was at the memory of war, but maybe it was at the memory of how Jason had nearly torn down all of Mount Tamalpais after the battle, searching for your injured body in the rubble.
"Henry almost got blasted just now." Rico tried to counter, after a moment, nodding his head in the direction of the storm crackling with lightning every few seconds.
"Henry probably deserved it," You said flatly, not missing a beat and tugging an elastic from your wrist to tie back your hair. It wouldn't do you any good, flying around in your face while you fought to get to Jason through the storm.
A dozen feet to your left, Henry let out an offended 'hey!', but you had already grit your teeth and stepped into the bubble of chaos.
Towards Jason. Always, to him.
Rico murmured something about you being crazy, probably for being stupid enough to dive headfirst into one of angry Jason's thunderstorms, but you had never really seen him as a scary son of Jupiter.
The myths about the king of the gods were… less than flattering. Egotistical, paranoid, cheating, lying, lord of the heavens, Jupiter.
But your Jason? He was all that was good in the world.
A protector, a fighter, a total sweetheart. Real pretty, too.
And yet, as he sat in the middle of swirling winds and torrential rains that no one wanted to get close to, you saw his father in him.
The anger, the depths of power. It was, always, all in Jason. Hidden, yes, under his bright smile and caring temperament, but there, nonetheless.
The anger wasn’t enough to scare you off. You weren’t sure anything about him would be enough to do that. Besides, hadn't you shown him time and time again just how relentlessly angry you could be?
And he still stayed. Still paid for your coffees in New Rome and let you borrow his books on military strategy, which you would have found unendingly dry if it weren't for his annotations, written in blue ink in the margins. Sometimes, you found yourself reading his thoughts more than the actual text.
Once, he’d written your name at the bottom of the page, next to a star, and when you had asked him about it he had flushed and claimed it was a reminder to himself to ask your opinions on the strategy listed.
You could have kissed him right there. You should have.
He wasn’t a bad guy. He just had rotten luck in fathers and temperament when pushed too far.
So you planted your feet in the dirt and fought against the winds and rain to get to him. You didn’t even care that you had an audience, or that your clothes stuck to your body with the sudden onslaught of rain and storm chilling you to the bone.
All that mattered, ever, was Jason.
Reaching where he sat, tucked tightly in on himself, you dropped into the spot beside him, so close your knee dug into his thigh.
The moment you joined him, he turned to face you with red-rimmed eyes, and the sight was enough to clench your heart in a cold, fearful fist. Anger knitted his brows together, a wolf’s snarl on his lips, but it all softened when he saw it was you beside him.
You had expected him to be angry, yes, but you had rarely ever seen the total fury that now shone bright in his eyes.
"Jase?" You had to shout to be heard over the wind, but your voice still came out quiet. Instantly, the winds died around you, though they raged in the greater circle around the both of you that you had already fought through, creating a bubble of peace and serenity between you and nosy Roman onlookers.
Silence roared in your ears, a dozen sets of eyes burned holes into your back, waiting to see how Fifth's most violent calmed New Rome's most powerful.
"I don't—" Jason started, voice tight, but you stopped him with a hand on his arm.
"Hold on," You murmured, then twisted in your spot to face the drenched crowd at the edge of the storm. They couldn’t hear you, not as wind and thunder still raged around the bubble Jason had granted you, but they could see you.
More importantly, they could see your middle finger, raised once more.
Fuck off and leave us be, you said in your own form of sign language.
Rico got the message first, started shoving the other Romans in the direction off of field and back towards main camp without further prompting.
“There. Better.” You hummed, turning back towards Jason. You knew things were bad, this time, like, bad as Rico had so eloquently put it when Jason didn't even humor you with a teasing, chastising grin.
You're not going to make any friends that way, he had once shook his head and smiled, fist knotted in the back of your shirt between your shoulders as he practically dragged you away from Octavian's gaggle of brainless bruisers. You had long since given up on trying to fight back against him, because he was bigger and stronger and had thoroughly kicked your ass in sparring once that day already.
Good. I don't need any other friends. I already have you, you had spat, letting yourself be led like a feral kitten picked up by the scruff of their neck by some heart-of-gold animal rescue volunteer.
Might not have me forever, Jason had suggested, and you dug your heels so deep into the ground you actually managed to force him to stop.
Don't even joke about that, Jason Grace, you had seethed, voice tight, and you had watched the panic cross his face at the lethality of your glare, the silent promise of what you would do to him if he kept making comments about his exit from your life.
Sorry, soldier. Won’t happen again, he had promised. I’ll be by your side forever.
Point was, even when he didn't exactly approve of your actions, he still granted you the privilege of his scar-flecked smile.
“Jase,” On instinct, your fingers carded through his soaked hair, moving it off his forehead for just the chance to touch him. “Baby, what happened?”
“You only ever call me that when you’re worried,” He pointed out, dodging the question. You frowned, tilting your head towards him involuntarily, as if you could physically see what was bothering him if only you moved closer.
"I am worried." You told him flatly, still trying to get him to meet your eye, wondering if maybe it would be affective if you tried to physically smooth away the anger living in the knot of his brows. "Forecast said we weren't supposed to have rain until next week."
"I don't want to talk about it," He grunted, holding his head between his hands. You told yourself it was because he was growing overwhelmed by his fury, not that he did so to stop your fingers from brushing comfortingly across his skin.
"What did Henry do?" You took a shot in the dark.
"Henry?" He asked, momentarily startled out of his frustration by the sudden, out-of-place question. He lifted his stare towards you, confusion briefly breaking up the anger displayed across his face. "Nothing."
"Right, remind me to apologize to him later." You kept your voice light, praying to gods that only ever picked and chose when they listened that he would take the bait and grin along with you.
It didn't work.
"Don't make me kick your ass for keeping secrets from me," You puffed out your chest like you ever had any hope of being intimidating to Jason. Sure, a good chunk of Camp Jupiter groaned and lamented when they learned they were going up against you in the War Games, but Jason had never.
He ducked your gaze, and your patience started dangling on a very thin thread, so you leaned to the side and placed your chin on his shoulder, proving to him that you weren't giving up so easily. Not that he needed the reminder. He had once seen you, for weeks, track down the legionnaire that had unintentionally taken your unassigned assigned seat in the Mess Hall, slightly inconveniencing her every chance you had.
Romans were known for their relentless dedication, after all.
"Jason Grace," You tried again, forcing a feigned disappointed edge to your voice. Your next step was to start whining, then maybe you would set your hand on his leg, the shortest inch above his knee. That always got him flustered, and you enjoyed rosy-cheeked Jason far more than you cared to admit. "Give me a name, at least. I wanna know who we're mad at."
He sighed, and even though he still wasn't looking at you, you took that as a victory.
"Damien," He huffed the name, hands flinching into fists atop his knees and scar flexing as he spoke.
"Oh, that dick," You cursed, grinning, because sure Damien might have been the most obnoxious son of Venus you had ever met, but he was leagues above Octavian in terms of summon a thunderstorm types of anger inducing. Jason grunted, in agreement, and you dug your chin harder into his shoulder, a silent reprimand for not looking at you. Maybe you should kiss him there, as punishment. "Why are we mad?"
We. It wasn't even a question. If someone pissed off Jason, chances are you were already plotting their demise. And if someone pissed off you? Well, that was just an average Tuesday, but Jason still had your back.
"Don't make me say it," He pleaded, the broken edge to his voice shattering through both his anger and your chest, rocking you to your core.
"Humor me." You asked, because the alternative was tracking down Damien and beating the truth out of him, but you had searched out Jason with the intentions of helping him calm down, not riling him up more.
Even if you were probably going to find Damien the moment you left the field, anyways.
He sighed, again, and lifted his stare to yours. His blue eyes were still cracking with lingering fury and rain raced down the slant of his nose, dripping off the end and falling into the soaked grass.
They said lightning never struck the same place twice. But Jason's did, scorching your heart each time he caught his gaze against yours.
And maybe that was only a metaphor, or all in your head, but his real lightning blasted a crater into the dirt thirty-some odd feet to your left, in a spot you were pretty certain had been the same one in which he had used a bolt to shred apart a water cannon during War Games, once.
“It can’t have been so bad." You reasoned, because if you stayed silent any longer, you would have done nothing but stare into his eyes for the rest of time. "I hit Damien too hard over the head during training a few weeks ago for him to think of clever insults.”
Jason offered you a dry chuckle then, darting his stare to his fists, still clenched atop his knees. Without thinking of the consequences, you settled your hand over one of his.
"He called you annoying,"
"I am annoying," You stated plainly, face twisted in confusion. While Jason had always refused to play along with your whole self-depreciating bit, he had never gotten so worked up over it. "That can't be all he said."
"I'm not saying the rest," Jason shook his head, clenching his jaw so tight you had to knot the hand that wasn't covering his fists in the hem of your shirt to keep from tracing the carved edge of it. "But it was... horrible stuff. And I would have beat the shit out of him, right here in the fields, except that new boy, Sammy, was watching all of it."
Any other day, you would have grinned and called out the Jason Grace for cursing and fighting, but the anguish in his voice was almost too much to bear. Clearly, he wasn't only mad about what Damien said about you, which was a relief.
You could fight your own battles. You didn't need the praetor doing that for you, no matter how pretty his smile was.
And you knew what he was worried about, too. Sammy was the camp's newest arrival, and the youngest they had seen in a while at only nine. You had seen him around, wobbling lips and watering, frantic eyes.
Sammy was scared, of camp, of the monsters he had already seen, of the big kids with big swords he saw at every turn.
You couldn't blame him. You had been the same way, too.
"He looked... so scared when I started yelling," Jason's voice shuddered, his face once more pinched in anger and anguish. "I didn't want him to be any more scared, and especially not of me. I'm his praetor, and I got worked up and scared him. He's going to think I'm some brute he can't trust, and—"
"I'll talk to him, later," You interrupted, because as much as you talked badly about yourself, you couldn't stand when Jason did the same. "Alright? I'll make sure he understands that Damien is a dickhead and you are the sweetest, smartest, safest fucking person in the world, who just happens to have a built in lightning show attached to his emotions."
Slowly, the remaining thunderstorm tapered out, until even the light drizzle disappeared and you were left with your golden boy under the rays of sun, just like the forecast had predicted.
Jason's shoulders briefly shook with a silent chuckle, the corners of his lips curling up the slightest bit as he turned to face you, eyes still rimmed with red but not quite as distant anymore.
"Maybe don't use those exact words. The kid's only nine." He teased, bumping his shoulder into yours and causing you to roll your eyes, a familiar and well-loved chain of events.
"I was worse when I was nine," You countered, taking his fist from his knee and pulling into your lap, eyes tracing the outline of his skin against yours.
"I can imagine," He fired back, voice quiet, distracted, as he watched you slowly ease his fist open, splaying his fingers and pressing your palms together, heels lined up, so you could see just how much larger his hand was than yours.
An old trick, but it made your face warm all the same.
"Fine," You hummed, studying how nicely his hand slotted against yours. "I'll tell him that you're the most dedicated praetor to exist—Reyna included, so she doesn't get mad at me. I'll tell him that you insist on checking my armor for me at the start of battle, even though I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself."
You sent him a pointed look, because you were capable of doing your own armor, but it was more a part of Jason's routine than any distrust of your skill, anymore.
"I'll tell him you walk me to my bunk each night to make sure no one is ever messing with me, even though the teasing comes after you leave." You made that comment just to watch him flush, finally threading your fingers through his. "And I'll tell him that your hands may summon lightning, but they are also kind and gentle and not meant only for hurting."
You turned to face him, but he was only watching how your hands fit together like they were always meant to, a conflicted look on his face. Lips slightly pursed, you had the sudden urge to kiss his pearly scar.
It was far from the first time you had dreamed of doing so, but never had you felt so close to saying fuck it and committing.
Instead, because you knew your self control hung on a thread, you leaned close to his ear, voice dropping and warm breath brushing against his damp skin.
"Besides, I think it's hot when you get all protective of me," You whispered, then blew a puff of air into his ear that had him flinching away from you, startled by the sensation.
Your head tilted back in a laugh so loud it would have carried all the way back to camp if Jason's winds had willed it. There was a flush on his cheeks, lips moving as he grumbled out complaints about you, none with any real heat, none that ever crossed any of the boundaries that protected your heart.
Still, you jumped to your feet and sprinted away from him, knowing his retaliation would be swift, imminent, and lethal. As expected, Jason stood, too, ready for the chase.
He was smiling, though. So you considered it a victory.
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There had been some complaints, some valid arguments made, when you declared that you would be joining the party that would follow the Greek trireme.
"You won't be able to make the hard choice, when it comes to it," Rico had murmured, voice dropped low. Dakota wasn't stupid enough to say it to your face, but you knew he felt the same. Most of the legion did.
How could they not?
The hard choice in question involved killing Jason Grace, and you had yet to remove the key to his bunk room from around your neck, even as you readied your eagle for flight while Rico desperately tried to talk you out of it.
"Centurion, just listen to me, for a second!" He pleaded, your back to him. Takeoff was any minute now, you knew, and if you wasted time kicking Rico's ass for what he was suggesting about your Roman loyalties like you wanted to, you would miss it. Besides, you couldn’t even convince yourself where your Roman loyalties laid. "You don't have to do this to yourself—"
"Legionnaire," A commanding, familiar, and almost haunted voice called out to you. Reyna. "Leave us."
Rico nodded his head and left, and for a horrifying moment you thought that Reyna would tell you that she was ordering you to stay behind. That she bought into the fact that Jason had, of his own free will, left with the group that had destroyed the only home he ever knew, the one he knew held you.
And maybe he didn't exactly remember you, but you had to trust that his instincts ran deep. He would never hurt you.
"Rico has a point," Reyna stated, and the only thing tethering you to your body was the massive but you heard silently tacked onto the end of her sentence. "You and I both know what's at stake here. Beyond Jason Grace, beyond the borders of camp."
"Gaea is rising. And she won't care whether we're Roman or Greek when the killing starts." You confirmed. You hadn't stopped to let yourself think of anything other than the news of war the Greeks had brought. What it meant for you, for your chances of tracking down Juno and pummeling the shit out of her until she relented and gave you your Jason back.
It was a good distraction, you had to admit. And you trusted the Greeks, because Jason trusted them.
"Then I know you will do what is necessary when we find the trireme." Reyna nodded, and just as fast as she appeared she was gone, leaving you with more questions than answers and a heart made of lead.
Reyna's words echoed in your mind on a loop, all the way to Charleston.
And suddenly, you were standing in the harbor, searching through the chaos for Jason and the others, hoping against hope that after the Roman chariot had just collided with Jason midair that you would find him in one piece.
That you would find him.
Because you were certain no one else received Reyna's cryptic message.
You opted for a sword, because you always found it more useful during single combat than a lance. The moment you jumped off the back of your eagle, you had slipped from the group, knowing that you couldn't even convince Dakota that you were doing the right thing.
Fort Sumter was one hell of a piece of military history, and if you had cared much at all about American history you would have been jealous that Jason had already visited the site once before, instead of being jealous that Reyna had been the one to go with him.
But, standing on the paved walkway, your back to the trireme with Jason, Frank, and the Greek named Leo at your front, you were jealous of the screaming mortals, able to run away from the scene, guilt-free.
Jason was ten feet in front of you. The only time you had ever been on the opposite side of battle than him had been in drills. It hurt, far more than you would have thought, to have Jason hold his sword out and study you for weaknesses he should have already known about.
You favored your right side, moved your feet around too much. Dropped your elbows, too. He should have known about those factors, because he had been the one to point them out to you.
"'Morning," You called out, voice tight and knees locked, shoulders back and shield raised. And though Jason trusted him for reasons you were yet to understand, you couldn't help but pin your glare on Leo and snarl. "You blew up my city."
Children lived there. Families you knew and vowed to protect, who had humored your constant streams of questions about Jason's whereabouts and never, ever, made you feel like a monster.
You sure as hell felt like a monster, then, at the look on his face.
"If it helps, I didn't mean to," Leo called back. You barely remembered hearing him when he had spoken back in New Rome, but his tone was the same. Light, joking, not taking a damn thing seriously. Or maybe you didn't know him well enough to hear the strain in his voice.
"Maybe when I kill you, it will be an accident, too." Gods, it was like you were ten again. Making threats you didn't mean, hating people because people had always hated you.
How quickly had you reverted to the person you had been before, when Jason was no longer around to calm your temper.
"You don't mean that," Jason commented, though it sounded more so like a question than the truth that it was. "I don't know how I know, but I do."
You wanted to scream and swing your sword because Jason did know how he knew that. Years and years of following at your elbow, of teasing and conversations and comfort taught him when you were being serious and when you were bluffing.
"The killing me part or the accident part?" Leo asked, darting a glance to Jason as Frank looked like he wanted to be anywhere but beside him. "Because I'd like some clarification on which part she doesn't mean."
"We need to get to that ship," Jason ignored Leo, his stare locked on you so tightly you wanted him to close his eyes. "Please,"
"It's three against one," Leo glanced at his friends, confused, pulling a hammer from his tool belt you were beginning to realize was magic. "Frank doesn't even need to go elephant mode, and we're home free."
"Are you kidding me?" Frank glared at Leo. You could only watch the boys carefully, hands never wavering on your sword or shield as they decided on their plan of attack. You didn’t want to hurt any of them, but you would if they tried you. "You've never seen her fight. We'd be dead before I could even think of an animal to become."
"She's got powers?" Jason murmured, like the idea didn't sound right to him, but the possibility was still there. There was shouting in the distance, Romans trying to find where the three traitors standing before you had ended up.
"Skill," You clarified. And maybe your Mercury blessed speed might have counted for a power, but you would never wield it against him maliciously. You would never wield anything against him. "We've got about two and a half minutes before someone finds us, and I stop being so nice."
"Nice?" Leo questioned, darting another glance to Jason. "Bro, first Khione falls in love with you and tries to freeze you forever in her palace, then Medea wants to get me and you to kill each other because you've got the same name as her old boyfriend. Now, your old girlfriend thinks it's nice to threaten to murder me? Dude, what is it with you and scary girls?"
"Leo," Jason hissed through clenched teeth, and you knew he saw the hurt and shame and embarrassment crash over your face, but what you didn't know was if he knew what it all meant. "Shut up."
"Yeah, maybe I'll try that."
You didn't have it in you to see the humor in the situation.
"If you know me as well as Hazel claims, then you'll understand why I need to leave." Jason reasoned, taking a step towards you, and gods if you weren't trying your hardest to not be bitter.
How had you forgotten about Hazel? The sweet young girl who had been the only one on the trireme that had seen you and Jason together, and then your downfall after his disappearance. If he had wanted to ask about you, she had plenty to say, no doubt.
But Hazel had only ever seen the two of you from afar. She hadn't been privy to the ways you and Jason had seemingly shared a mind and soul.
"I know you better than anyone, Jase." Your voice was more ragged than it had been the last time you had spoken. Somehow the conversation and Jason's almost indifference had taken a physical toll on you. "Apparently, better than you know yourself."
"Look, I'm sorry for not remembering." He apologized, as if any of it was his fault. The wolves, the bullies, the monsters, and the wars. The gods that always needed his help for just one more thing, dangling the promise of a few months respite in front of his face like it was a reward instead of the norm.
Your lip curled in a snarl, then softened into a frown. Anger had always been easier than vulnerability for you, but never when it came to Jason.
"They will kill you if you're caught," You warned, because maybe he didn't remember that, either. Almost of its own accord, your sword lowered. "Then they'll kill me, for this."
You stepped to the side, nodding your head in the direction of the trireme in the near distance. Leo and Frank took off at a sprint past you, but Jason's pace was slower, stopping at your feet like he had never once feared the weapon in your hand.
No matter how many times you had pointed it at his throat during trainings.
"Thank you," His voice was sullen but strong, like he was upset it had come to such a point though he would never back down. Little soldier Jason, always doing what he must despite how he felt.
You wanted to berate him. To take his face between your hands and hold him until he remembered you, your touch, just how deeply you meant to him. It was embarrassing, really. How much Roman training did he manage to override in you, with only his stare and few words?
"Save the world for me," You ordered, deflecting. Giving directions to others was easy. You were a centurion, after all. But making yourself listen? That was a trick not even Jason had quite figured out, yet.
And now, maybe he never would have the chance to keep trying.
"Gods, I wish I remembered you." He muttered, voice almost pleading. The sound was like Aphrodite herself cracked open your chest and carved out your heart. You had half a mind to track down Juno that very moment. "When I get back, we'll figure this out."
When I get back.
Because he was still leaving you.
This time, at least, you would know where he was. But the Ancient Lands were forbidden from you. If something happened to him on such a wildly dangerous quest, you might break off to find him, sure, but you had no way of getting to him.
You might have known where he would be, but he was still just as removed from you as before.
"Do me a favor?" You tilted your chin up defiantly, the same way you always did whenever someone questioned you. Jason nodded, like the sweetheart he was, had always been, eager to help you with whatever you needed. "Don’t think about me any more than you have to."
Because you weren't naive enough to believe that his missing memories of you wouldn't be wildly distracting for him, especially after whatever Hazel shared, and you couldn't live with yourself if he got hurt on his quest.
"I can't just not—" Panic flooded his devastatingly handsome face, obscured only by a few scrapes that would heal in no time.
"Go," Interrupting, your gaze settled on the Fort behind him, shouts from your fellow Romans growing louder, closer. If he stayed, you would have no choice but to fight him when the others appeared.
You didn't give him the chance to argue, turning from him before he could hurt you more.
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It was easy enough to fake your injuries, considering you already had real ones nobody knew about.
Your battered ribs were already a mess of bruised skin and you simply exaggerated the limp you had been sporting since the giant army attacked New Rome.
But then Octavian, Dakota, and Rico joined your cluster of Romans after the trireme fled into the open water. They were soaked from no doubt an unintentional swim in the harbor, and maybe you could have have been more convincing.
You were claiming you had tried stopping Jason, Frank, and Leo, but they simply got the better of you. Some of your party believed you. Most refused to comment.
Octavian, of course, refused to shut up.
"He should not have been able to get past you, Centurion!" The augur chastised, like anyone, anywhere, would have been able to stop a determined Jason Grace.
You had said it before, and would say it a thousand times again. The world should have been grateful Jason was not as cruel as his father.
"You let Percy get past you," You countered, chin raised and glaring. "And you weren't alone."
"How did you end up alone, searching for Jason?" Octavian purposed, taking at step closer to you. Somehow, with a control of yourself you had never felt before, you didn't draw your sword from the sheath at your waist and hold it to his throat. "Perhaps looking to follow him? We all know how much of that you did back at camp."
Reyna stepped forward, but so did you, each one of your muscles clenched tight and ready to snap.
"Perhaps no one followed me. I'm our best shot at getting to Jason, aren't I?" You tilted your head to the side, two inches at most, in an act so condescending Octavian turned purple. The implication was there, that he would never be able to capture Jason, because Jason couldn't stand him.
But you?
"Do you really think that’s the same Jason Grace that was in love with you?" Octavian sneered. "The Greeks have changed him for the worse. Whatever future you had planned for yourself with him is gone."
From the time you were a small child, you had lived in a perpetual state of anger. Sometimes, it was simmering low under the surface, barely seen through your smiles and loud laughter. Sometimes it showed itself in short bursts during battles or Senate meetings when other members got too mouthy.
And sometimes, your anger burned so hot you couldn't see straight.
The last time it happened, you had found out a stupid son of Mars named Mark had been harassing little Sammy.
Another, younger, camper had told you of the bullying one evening while you readied to meet Jason for dinner. You had calmly stopped what you were doing, exited the bunk house, and trekked all the way to the Mess Hall on your own.
You didn't even say a word to Mark as you tackled him to the ground, he on his back and you straddling him to lay punch after punch to his face.
You had expected to take him to the ground, but not so soon. Mark's inability to fight was suddenly made very clear, highlighted by the fact that he had been trying to harass a nine year old kid instead of someone in his own weight bracket.
You might have sent him to the infirmary unconscious, instead of on his own two feet, if Jason hadn't arrived. Sweeping in like the hero he was, pulling you off Mark and muttering promises to fix whatever had happened.
I've already fixed it, right Mark? You had spat at the dazed son of Mars, the entire Mess Hall watching in silence as Jason struggled to lead you away, untold violence almost a promise in your eyes. No more beating on children, 'cause it sucks to be the weaker one, huh?
To someone who didn't know what had just happened, you calling Mark the weaker one looked a little ridiculous. He was twice your size.
But you were twice Sammy's size. And you threw a punch a hell of a lot better.
You spent the night in the brig, had to dig trenches for a week, but Jason had held your chin in his hands and told you that he would have done the same if it were him, so it all evened out in the end.
Whatever future you had planned for yourself with him is gone.
Octavian had pushed you past your breaking point.
You launched forward, hands gripping the edges of his armor to pull him close so you could get in his face without him being able to get away. He tried, struggling to wriggle free and pull your hands off of him, but you held fast.
"If you ever talk to me that way again, I will gut you like one of your stuffed animals." You hissed a promise, fury contorting your face into something that had sent plenty of enemies running on the battlefield. "Let's see if you can read the auguries in your own entrails."
Octavian was spluttering out half-sentences, shocked by how lethal your voice sound, when Dakota and Rico managed to haul you away from the augur. Your friends each had an arm locked around yours, and you struggled to free yourself, anger and venom still dripping from your every movement.
"Let her go," Reyna ordered. At once, Dakota and Rico dropped you, and you wasted no time in pinning them both with glares. You knew they were only trying to help you, but you had felt so far beyond help, lately. "We need everyone for our next step."
She sounded tired, weary. You wondered if you were the only one who heard her.
"Next step?" You heard someone ask, and somehow the question seemed to take several years off of Reyna's life. You remembered how haunted she had looked when she spoke to you before leaving camp, and now you wondered if she knew it would come to this all along.
Because you had studied war strategies for years. You knew what came next before Reyna had the chance to say it.
"We go North. To Camp Half-Blood."
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a/n: tried to do an anger parallel with them, but idk if it worked so well bc duh jason's not there to comfort reader at the end, like she was to him. they just get each other so well! also, if you asked me to be on the taglist, and ur not, plz let me know! I could have sworn somebody else asked but I cannot for the life of me find the notif
tag, you're it! @aezuria @tayswiftlovebot @bonnie-tz @folklorefantasies14 @sunshine-of-ur-life @irwinchester @bellamysnatblida @saph-nic @auroraofthesun1 @helloimamistake @maybxlle @p-rspective @lauptimist @dontstopxx @apollosfavkiddo @ebony-reine-vibes @poppysrin
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mini-anne · 17 days ago
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Toxic Bartylus to Barty/Evan/Reg/Remus hcs that I might turn into a fic
Okay. So I love Barty and Reg together, but they’re toxic because they don’t know how to deal with the way the other loves in a healthy way so while they’d genuinely give their lives for each other the other encourages it in a super unhealthy way and feed into each other
They’re both the “hurt me so I know I’m yours/I’ll hurt you so I know you’re mine” type
So they hit a point where they realize it’s not healthy and it ends
Bats ends up with Rosie and Reg ends up with Remus
But Reg and Bats are like… still in love with each other and they’re happy but there’s like… always that hole
(In my Reggie’s words “Like they're addicted to each other”)
And so Remus and Evan start talking and become really close friends and they’re like “… let’s test a theory”
And this is how they find out Reg and Bats can have each other as long as there’s a system to keep them in check and help them love the other without it eating the other alive
I can just picture moments of both Reg/Bats having to tell Remus/Evan that they do love them and they’re enough for them because they’re terrified they’re messing everything up by loving each other but Evan/Remus are like “I know. And you love them and that’s okay”
Because there’s just this understanding that yes they have their partner’s heart but reg and bats souls are intertwined
They could never see each other again and they would still belong to each other
Bonus content
Barty who was down bad for reg from the moment he saw him (he did misgender him but when reg corrected him he just went “oh that’s cool you’re still pretty do you know about lighters because some kid just showed me one and they’re wicked”)
Reg encourages Bat’s chaos but still keeps him in check and when he encourages him people are like “wtf” and reg is just “it makes him happy🤷”
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zaceouiswriting · 1 year ago
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The scumbag jock boyfriend
Characters: Reggie Mantle x Archie Andrews x male reader
Universe: Somewhere in Riverdale
Warnings: Smutty, cheating
Sweat drips down my body as I wait. My patience quickly wears thin as I stand in the same place for over an hour. What is he doing? Did he forget again that we had a date? When I look at my phone, I see I have no reception.
Pissed off because most of my clothes are soaked with sweat, I huff. I angrily stuff the blanket back into the basket along with the food - I had prepared around dawn, which is definitely bad now. I couldn't hide my disappointment. With everything packed, I leave the clearing in the forest near the sweetwater river where we created our little romantic space when we were just kids in love.
I can't believe he completely stood me up this time. He usually arrives a little later since he always has a reminder on his phone. The only thing I can do is to go to his house. So I do exactly that, with my anger rising by the second.
As soon as I get to his house, I knock on the front door, but even after pounding several times, I don't hear any sound inside. I look around. In front of the garage, I could see Reggie's car but not his parents. Even more annoyed, I walk around, trying to find a way in. The front door did not open, so I go over to the windows, but they wouldn't open either, and even the garage door wouldn't move. I knock on the front door again. Involuntarily, my eyes fall on the keyhole. Suddenly, I realized something. I silently curse myself for my forgetfulness. I reach into my pocket and pull out the key Reggie gave me so I can enter whenever I want since his parents aren't home often.
It didn't take more than one step inside before I could hear a sound that couldn't be misinterpreted.
“That asshole!” I mutter angrily.
Following the sounds, I'm confronted with the bedroom door I've sneaked into hundreds of times when I couldn't sleep: a plain white door made of solid wood with a nameplate beneath a drawn football. Even now, it looks adorable. But the noise quickly takes me away from the beautiful memories that Reggie and I have built over the years of our relationship, which was initially secret and later public.
As I pull the door open, I could see Reggie and Archie, of all people, lie on the former's bed, their pants at their ankles, and Archie has his shirt behind his back, showing off his abs. Both have the other's thick, long cock in their hands.
To my annoyance, Reggie takes a moment too long to realize what a mess he's gotten himself into. I'd be lying if I said it didn't turn me on, in particular, because I know that neither would ever give their ass up for the other or any guy. I quickly realized what it is really about.
When I look over at Reggie, he's already trying to hide with his blanket and even a pillow I usually use for sleeping. He must have seen the anger on my face and is rightly afraid of my reaction.
“Cut the shit, Reggie. We both know, maybe even all three of us know, what that is. What’s wrong with you?” I ask him rhetorically. “Just because I said ‘no’ to a threesome? Do you think this will change my mind?”
Like a fish out of water, Reggie opens his mouth without making a sound. His head is getting redder by the second, probably out of embarrassment. Meanwhile, Archie just sits next to Reggie, showing off his great body and magnificent big member, which is almost as large as Reggie's. He flexes his muscles, making it obvious that he's involved.
"Please, we can just forget about this and-"
Before he can say anything else, I interrupt him by saying, "Archie, go against the headboard, arms over your head."
He moves without question, his eyes glistening with growing lust. I pull my belt out of my pants, walk over to Archie, straddle him, and press his member against my dressed leg, making him moan involuntarily. I tie his hands tightly together. As I look into his eyes, I place my hand on his cheek and my thumb on his bottom lip. I can see his desire for a kiss, and I'm not willing to deny him this wish. I lean in and kiss him softly. But he obviously didn't want any loving touch because he pushed his tongue roughly into my mouth. It's clear that he just wants his desires to be fulfilled. It reminds me of who really is in charge, that he only allows me to take the lead and even sit on top of him. He is much more subtly dominant than Reggie ever was.
Finished kissing Archie, for the moment, I turn to Reggie again, whose cock is still rock hard, but his face is white as a ghost.
“Remember, this is what you’ve always wanted, babe,” I tell him with a big grin. "Now I'm going to drain Archie's balls until all his cum is inside me. All the while, I'll jerk you off a little and maybe give you a blowjob, but you're not allowed to cum!"
“But-“
"No buts!" I interrupt him angrily. "You went behind my back to get what you wanted, so I'm giving you what you wanted, just not how you wanted it."
I once more turn back to Archie and take off my tight shirt, making the lust in his eyes even greater. This will definitely be fun.
[Masterlist]
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heliads · 2 years ago
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sorry to send in two requests but if you've got the time Luke Patterson x reader where she is his tutor for English or something and he develops a crush, so even when he understands the stuff she's teaching him he pretends to be confused so that the tutoring sessions last longer. And then one day he gets a good grade and she's proud of him but that means the sessions are over so he builds up the courage to ask her out? You can put this at the bottom of the list or not even write it because I know how swamped your requests get, but ily.
do not apologize for two requests!! my blog exists for you!! and jatp s2 may be dead but my feelings for that show are not. xoxo
masterlist
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Luke Patterson is currently fighting a one-man war against his English class, and he is losing. Badly. This was not supposed to be his problem class, he was thinking the biggest struggle would be math or science, but surprise surprise, there’s no such thing as a class you can just skate through. He tried to skate through English. He tried really, really hard, but instead of Spark Notes-ing his way through whatever classic book they threw his way, Luke’s staring at a bright red D on his latest essay.
This would happen to be the most recent essay they were assigned, the one Luke pushed off until the last minute because he was too invested in getting some good songs down on paper. He hadn’t meant to procrastinate, he never does, it’s just that whenever Luke had a spare hour or two, it’s always far more tempting to head out to the studio and mess around with some chord progressions than to do homework.
This essay had gone just like all the other ones so far this year. The book had been assigned, the essay followed not soon after, and Luke told himself that he was going to start it on time for a change. The only problem was that he came home late that day after a shift at his job, so he couldn’t start it that day, and then he was studying for a test the next day, and after that he was working on songs. Before he knew it, it was the night before and he was speed writing to get everything down in time. Luke doesn’t even think he had time to proofread before turning in that mess.
So yeah, he shouldn’t really be surprised about this grade in particular. Still, he isn’t pleased about it. He doesn’t want to see the look on his parents’ face when he dodges another question about his grades, nor listen to all the other kids in his class talk about how easy that essay prompt was. Everything just makes him feel worse.
And, if Luke’s day couldn’t get any better, his English teacher pulls him aside after class to talk about it.
“I noticed your last few assignments haven’t been going as expected,” she says sympathetically, “is there anything you want to tell me about that?”
There’s a lot Luke wants to tell her, such as the fact that this class is dry as a saltine and twice as bland. They’ve spent the last few classes just going over social hierarchies around the time when the book was written, talk about boring. If Luke wanted to study history, he’d read a textbook.
He can’t say all that without damaging his final grade even more, though, so Luke plasters on a grin and does his best impression of an earnest student who’s just had a bad string of luck. “Not really, I’ve just been so busy recently that I didn’t have enough time to really ponder the prompt, you know?”
Usually, this is Luke’s best strategy for getting out of these kinds of nonsense conferences. He’ll whip out a few key words like ‘time commitments’ and whatnot and his teachers will fall for it every time.
He might have done this too often, though, because his teacher just nods and refuses to let him go. “That makes sense to me. Do you think it would help to spend a little more time exploring the prompt or connecting the book to the essay topics?”
“Sure,” Luke says vaguely. He’s only half paying attention; he just saw Reggie outside the door mouthing the words what did you do?? as dramatically as he could.
The teacher looks pleased by this. “That’s what I thought. I’ve gone ahead and signed you up for some tutoring sessions, you’ll start this afternoon after school.”
Luke blinks. “Wait, what?” Clearly, he hasn’t been paying attention nearly enough. Since when was tutoring on the table?
The teacher spreads her hands. “You need a little more help and organization to stay on track. Tutoring is the perfect answer to this.”
“Is it?” Luke asks feebly.
“Absolutely,” the teacher decides, and that’s that. Luke tries to wheedle his way out of it through repetition of how busy he is, like, all the time, but it doesn’t matter. She’s caught him in a half-lie and there’s nothing he can do to avoid it.
Reggie’s waiting for Luke outside the door when he finally leaves. “What happened in there?”
“Pure misery,” Luke groans, and contemplates giving himself a concussion by ‘accidentally’ falling down the stairs so he can go home without having to go to tutoring.
Unfortunately, Reggie enlists Alex in keeping Luke free of head trauma, and so he finds himself in an empty classroom later that afternoon, mournfully watching all of the other students leave the school with no doubt wonderful plans awaiting them.
Luke’s just starting to wonder if his tutor isn’t going to show up after all (after fifteen minutes, he’s legally allowed to leave, right) when someone slides into the seat in front of him.
“Sorry about being late,” they gasp, “I just found out I was doing this like ten minutes ago.”
Luke breaks his desolate stare out the window to glance at his tutor and instantly, he feels the crushing weight of shame bear down on him tenfold. It would have been one thing to have a total stranger be his tutor, someone Luke could avoid looking at in the hallways and never speak to again, but he knows this girl. More importantly, he’s thought she was cute for at least the last four years.
This is the worst case scenario, then. Y/N L/N is smart, she’s pretty, and judging by the fact that Luke always sees her in a group of friends laughing at her jokes, she’s funny, too. Definitely someone Luke would want to impress through gigs or shows instead of, say, his crumbling English grades.
“I’m Y/N,” she says, and Luke realizes that she’s probably been waiting for him to say something. Great, he can’t even introduce himself properly.
“Luke,” he answers, “but you probably knew that already.”
Y/N laughs, and judging by the slightly manic tone behind it, she’s just about as composed about the whole thing as he is. That makes him settle slightly in his chair, lowering his guard. “I was told that I would be tutoring you when I was trying to leave class. Ms. Brown pulled me aside when the bell rang and told me about it.”
“That makes two of us,” Luke grumbles.
The corners of Y/N’s lips quirk up before she manages to tamp them down again, and if Luke weren’t totally out of his mind, he might even say that Y/N has the same attitude towards their English teacher as he does. That would certainly make this whole tutoring experience a lot more interesting.
“So,” she says, clearing her throat in an attempt to sound official, “you wanted to talk about essay pointers, right?”
Luke starts to say something about how he didn’t want any of this, actually, but Y/N arches a brow and he relents. “Yeah, essay stuff. The last one didn’t go over too hot.”
Y/N tilts her head to the side, contemplating this. “Did you agree with her grading?”
“Yeah,” Luke admits, “she wasn’t wrong to mark me down, I kind of did it the night before in one sitting.”
Y/N frowns. “Really? Why’d you put it off so long? I thought you liked writing. Whenever I see you, you’re always jotting something down in that notebook of yours.”
Luke grins. “You’ve been watching me? That’s creepy, you know.” He’s obviously holding back a laugh, though, so the comment has no trace of a barb.
Y/N rolls her eyes, although her face looks a little hot at the moment. “Just answer the question.”
“Alright,” he says, hands raised in mock surrender, “you’re right, I do like writing.”
“Then why wait until the last minute to do the essay? I mean, I get not having a ton of time to work on assignments, but if you really do enjoy writing, it shouldn’t be all that bad, right?”
Luke groans. “ This is different. It’s not fun writing,” he tries to excuse himself.
It sounds bad even to him. Already, Luke can see how this is going to play out– she’ll laugh at him, maybe, say that someone who just got a grade like him can’t possibly be thinking about writing and fun in any way at all. She doesn’t, though. Instead, she nods and smiles at him. A real smile. Not mocking in any way.
“What is fun writing, then?” She asks.
Luke blinks in surprise. “Well, writing songs is fun, I guess,” he stammers, “stuff that actually matters, you know? All these essays are the exact same, but songs are all different. That’s why I care about them and not some pointless paper.”
Y/N nods. “That makes sense to me. So you release music, right?”
Luke isn’t sure where she’s going with this, but he’s perfectly happy to talk about music instead of that offensive red scribble all over his paper, so he plays along. “Yeah, me and my band. We try to, at least.”
“Have you ever gotten a review that bothered you? Not because they didn’t like it, but because they disliked your songs for the wrong reason? Like you had a whole story in mind for your album but the critics just ignored it?” She prompts him.
“Yeah,” Luke says, eyes widening with irritation, “Man, it’s so annoying. You go to all the trouble of writing out these ideas, and you make them have a really good meaning, too, and then it’s like they never read it at all. It makes me so mad sometimes, I want to write a column or something in response about how they totally missed my point.”
“Like, say, an argumentative essay about the real strengths of your chosen piece of writing?” Y/N says as casually as she can.
Luke’s about to argue and say that’s not like this at all, but on second thought, it is. It totally is. “Wait, you’re right. I never thought about it like that, but you’re right. Y/N L/N,” he decides on the spot, “I really like you.”
She grins back at him. “Luke Patterson, I like you too.”
That settles it for him. Luke had been annoyed at the thought of having to suffer through tutoring beforehand, but maybe he’ll be alright with it now. Y/N isn’t a part of the oppressive legion of teachers all conniving to make his life a living hell because he wants to be a musician instead of a doctor or a banker, she’s on his side. That makes it all better somehow.
And, unsurprisingly, it is better. Luke actually ends up having a really good time in his tutoring sessions with Y/N. They don’t feel like tutoring at all, more like a chance to hang out with a friend. They talk about Jane Austen and tell awesome jokes, read Shakespeare and spend more and more time together. Luke knows this is only a temporary thing until his grades get back up, but it’s too easy to forget that.
Until, one day, it isn’t. His English teacher hands back an essay with a bright red ‘A’ marked on the front, and tells him that she’s proud of all the progress he’s made so quickly. Instead of a sigh of relief, the only thing escaping Luke’s lips is a desolate sigh. After all, if Luke’s improved to this point, that kind of means his tutoring sessions will be over, right?
Y/N doesn’t know that, though. Y/N doesn’t have access to his grades. All she knows is what Luke tells her, and if informing her of his latest essay win means she’ll stop seeing him after school, why should Luke let slip a single syllable?
So, later that day, when Y/N asks him how the latest essay went, Luke shrugs and pretends to be disappointed. “I’d hoped for more,” he says, “she, uh, didn’t like my commentary.”
“Really?” Y/N questions, frowning slightly, “I thought you were really good at that.”
Luke’s eyes widen, caught in a lie. “Who knows with teachers, right?” He laughs weakly.
Y/N pretends to shudder. “I know, right? I feel like half of your grade is literally just how much she likes you. English classes are always so subjective.”
“Subjective?” Luke asks, grinning and propping his chin up on his hand, “Tell me about that.”
Y/N laughs. “Only if you promise we’ll talk Jane Eyre immediately afterwards. Immediately.”
“I so swear,” Luke intones, holding up his right hand with all the solemnity of a president being sworn into office.
Y/N swats him on the shoulder with her notebook, but she obliges, and maybe they don’t talk about Jane immediately. Maybe they laugh a little longer than usual. And maybe, just maybe, Luke thinks that he’s perfectly fine with obscuring the truth if it means he can have more of this when he needs it the most.
The truth, unfortunately, has a habit of making itself heard regardless of who is inclined to hide it. Luke comes into their usual study spot in the library one day to see Y/N waiting for him, not already in her seat like normal but standing tentatively at the side.
He frowns, slinging his backpack down on the ground and pulling up a chair. “Everything alright? You look like you’re about to run. If you’ve got something planned, we can do this another day.”
Y/N shakes her head slightly. “No, I’m free all day.”
Luke gestures towards the table. “Then sit down, my legs are getting tired just looking at you. We’ve got stuff to study, don’t we?”
“Well, that’s what I was going to ask about,” Y/N says, “Ms. Brown stopped me after class today, said she had someone else she wanted me to tutor. I said I was already booked with you and she was confused. Apparently you’ve been doing just fine for quite some time.”
Luke feels his breath catch in his throat. This is not how he’d wanted Y/N to find out. For what must be the hundredth time this year, Luke sends out a silent curse to all meddlesome English teachers.
“Yeah,” he says as carefully as he can, “I have, but only because of your expert tutoring. It’s like antibiotics, you know? You don’t stop taking ‘em when you start feeling better, only when the prescription is over.”
Y/N blinks at him in surprise. “What are you talking about?”
He runs a hand through his hair, trying not to feel like everything is slipping out of control in an instant. “It was a simile, sorry. A bad one. All I mean is that we don’t have to stop this just because I got a good grade or two.”
Y/N almost looks like she’s smiling, but that could just be Luke being delusional. “I thought you didn’t want to do tutoring.”
“I didn’t at the start, but you’re different. We’re cool. We are cool, right?” Luke starts rambling more and more with each passing second, but he can’t help it. He’s overthinking everything. What if he’s literally just been a tutee this whole time, and she doesn’t think they’re friends at all?
Y/N stares at him a second longer, then takes a seat at last. “Luke Patterson, are you telling me that you like my company so much that you’re willing to keep going to extra English practice just to see me?”
Luke can feel his face heating up, but he does his best to ignore it. “Well, when you put it that way, it sounds–” He still has a little bit of self control left, so he cuts himself off before he can make a truly terrible mistake.
Y/N catches him, though. “It sounds like what?”
“It sounds like I like you,” he admits, and Y/N’s smiling at him, so he decides to take the leap of faith and just do what he’s been wanting to do for quite some time. Since the start of this, actually. “And I do like you. I like you a lot. I might not need the tutoring anymore, but that doesn’t mean I want to stop seeing you. So what if we met up sometime soon? Not for English, for us.”
Luke decides that he likes Y/N’s smile more than anything. “Are you asking me out?” She says.
“I am,” he affirms. “Are you saying yes?”
“I am,” she repeats.
Suddenly, Luke feels like the luckiest kid of all. Maybe he does have to throw in a good word or two for meddlesome English teachers after all. Sometimes they have a way of connecting you with the best people in the world.
requested by @thatfangirl42, i hope you enjoy!
jatp tag list: @rogueanschel, @retvenkos, @callsign-scully, @lovesanimals0000, @amortensie
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regulus-cannot-swim · 7 months ago
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No Pretending - Jegulus
James muttered an excuse to his friends and quickly left the dinner table. He gave a weak smile when Sirius asked if he was okay, and assured that he was, just wanted to get some Quidditch practice in.
As a matter of fact, he was not okay. James rarely was, but he wanted to pretend like he was fine. What reason did he have to be so sad? All his other friends went through something, and James had a loving family, great friends, and he was doing fine in school. So why wasn’t he okay?
James felt like he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think sometimes, like the voices in his head wouldn’t stop. Everything just got too much to hide sometimes, and when it did, James left. He didn’t want to burden anyone with his stupid problems. It wasn’t like he was actually going through anything.
What James didn’t notice when he left was the slightly concerned face Regulus made from the Slytherin table, watching him as he left, then quickly making an excuse to his friends to leave.
James didn’t notice Regulus following him, because he was too overwhelmed by everything and was just focusing his energy on trying not to cry, so he didn’t even hear Regulus’ footsteps behind him. Regulus grew increasingly more and more concerned.
James went to the quidditch pitch, just like he had told his friends he would do, but he didn’t practice. No, he just crouched out on the grass, and tried to focus his breathing, tried not to cry, but he failed at both. Why couldn’t he breathe?
Distantly, he felt someone crouch down next to him, and he looked up, quickly wiping away his tears and putting on a smile. He still couldn’t breathe though, and was sure he looked a mess.
He wasn’t expecting to see Regulus when he looked up.
“Hi Reggie,” James said weakly.
Regulus, for once, didn’t give James a talking to for the nickname, showing just how bad James must look.
“What’s wrong? “Regulus inquired, unable to hide the worry in his tone. “What happened?”
James slowly shook his head. “Nothing- nothing happened. I don’t know why I’m acting like this,” he still couldn’t quite keep his breathing even.
Regulus pulled James’ hands to himself, and starting breathing louder. “Breathe, James. Just follow what I’m doing, okay?”
It took a couple of minutes, but after following Regulus’ breathing, James eventually calmed down. He felt his cheeks heat as he realized what he was doing.
“I’m sorry,” James spoke.
Regulus looked surprised. “Whatever for?” he asked, trying to act gruff but he still couldn’t keep his concern from his tone. James waved a hand in the air helplessly. “For whatever this was. I don’t know what happened.”
Regulus looked at him with a new understanding.
“You’re used to acting like you’re fine all the time, but you’re not.”
Regulus stopped James before he even opened his mouth to protest.
“And that’s fine. It’s fine that you’re not okay and- “Regulus took a steady breath before plowing on. “And I’ll be here, no matter if you’re sad, happy, or mad. I’ll still love you, no matter what.”
James’ eyes blurred for an entirely different reason now. This was the first time Regulus said the L word. James had said it multiple times, but Regulus had never quite managed it yet.
“I love you too,” He assured.
Regulus gave him a half smile. “I know,” he said, pulling James close. “And I’ll be here, okay? You don’t have to pretend around me anymore.”
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hyper-trash-panda · 3 months ago
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Teaser: Bad Boys - Legacy
Fandom: “Bad Boys” movie franchise
Storyline: Continues the franchise after “Bad Boys: Ride or Die”
Timeline: Three-ish years following ROD
Warnings: Guns I guess?
In the fifth installment of the Bad Boys franchise, Miami is under siege as a potent new drug dubbed Helios has flooded the streets, leaving a trail of chaos and mass casualties. The narcotic's rapid spread threatens to overwhelm the city, pushing Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett to the brink as they scramble to uncover its source with the help of their next in line: Former Marine Reggie and recently acquitted fugitive Armando.
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The Miami skyline raced by in a blur as Mike Lowrey's Porsche 911 rocketed down the sunlit streets. Traffic parted reluctantly in the car's wake, horns blaring as the sleek vehicle wove through lanes with reckless precision. Mike's jaw was set, his eyes narrowed behind his Ray-Bans with determination as he ignored the pounding in his chest.
Beside him, Marcus Burnett clutched the door handle, his knuckles white, eyes wide with a mix of fear and frustration. He braced himself as they narrowly missed a delivery truck, the tires screeching in protest.
“Mike, man, slow down! I didn't sign up for the Daytona 500!" Marcus's voice was strained, each word laced with anxiety as his stomach churned, his breakfast threatening to make a return visit.
Mike didn't glance over, his eyes locked on the road ahead. "We're late. And if you hadn't stuffed your face with that stack of pancakes, we wouldn't be in this mess!"
Marcus groaned, leaning his head back against the seat. "I told you, my metabolism ain't what it used to be! I needed a good breakfast to get me through the day."
"You needed a good breakfast? Or you needed to sample the whole damn menu?" Mike shot back, swerving around a taxi that had stopped abruptly. The sharp turn caused Marcus's stomach to lurch, and he swallowed hard, regretting the third helping of bacon.
"I swear, you always gotta bring up my eating habits when we're in a life-threatening situation," Marcus muttered, clutching his stomach.
"Oh, your life gone be threatened alright if you so much as drool on my leather seats." Mike snapped.
From the back seat, Reggie, Marcus's son-in-law and new recruit to the Miami PD, leaned forward, his brow furrowed in concern. "Uh, sir, this speed is unlawful given that we're not in pursuit of a suspect. According to Miami's police code of conduct, officers are required to maintain—"
"Reggie, shut up!" Mike barked, cutting off the younger man. "We're late, and I don't need a lecture on driving.”
Reggie, still trying to process the banter, cleared his throat awkwardly. "Sir, I'm just trying to follow protocol."
"Protocol's for rookies," Mike snapped, turning his attention back to the road. "And last I checked, you're riding with the best. So buckle up, kid."
Marcus shot Reggie a sympathetic look, though he was clearly not thrilled about the situation himself. "Mike, he's got a point. The kid's just doing what he's been trained to do. Besides, we're supposed to be setting a good example as his shadowees."
Mike glanced at Marcus, an eyebrow raised. "Shadowees? The only reason he's even allowed to shadow us is because you're sweet on the receptionist who pushed the paperwork through."
Marcus bristled, his voice defensive. "I'm not sweet on her. I'm just polite and charismatic—something you wouldn't know nothing about."
"I wonder how 'polite' Theresa would be if she found out just how 'charismatic' you've been." Mike shot back, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Hey, now!" Marcus's eyes widened, his voice dropping to a hushed tone. "Ain't nobody being anything but polite. Don't start something you can't finish, Mike."
Before either could respond, the radio crackled to life, cutting through the tension in the car. "All units, be advised, we have a 10-80 in progress near Biscayne Boulevard. Suspect vehicle is a black SUV, heading northbound. Requesting backup."
Mike's eyes lit up with sudden interest, and he gunned the engine, the Porsche surging forward with impossible speed. "Well, would you look at that. Sounds like our kind of party."
"Mike, you can't just—" Marcus began, but his words were drowned out by the roar of the engine as Mike made a sharp turn toward the boulevard.
"Can't what, Marcus?" Mike snapped, his voice edged with impatience. "According to Poindexter back there, we ain't supposed to drive like this unless we're chasing a suspect."
Mike smirked as he pushed the car to an even more reckless speed. "I'm just trying to set a good example as a shadowee."
Reggie fumbled for his seatbelt, his eyes wide as he prepared for whatever chaos was about to unfold. "Sir, are we engaging?"
"Hell yeah we are!" Mike grinned, his tension replaced with the adrenaline that only a high-speed chase could bring. "Bad Boys for life."
Marcus sighed, his stomach knotting even tighter. "Bad Boys for life," he muttered, knowing there was no turning back now.
The Porsche hurtled down the streets of Miami, the roar of its engine echoing through the concrete jungle as the radio crackled with updates from the chopper overhead, its pilot providing a bird's-eye view of the chase.
"Suspect is heading northbound on Collins Avenue, approaching the airport," the dispatcher's voice crackled through the speakers.
"Well, isn't that convenient," Marcus muttered, gripping the dashboard as Mike took another sharp turn, the tires squealing in protest.
"There he is!" Mike pointed ahead where a black SUV was weaving through traffic, trying to shake off its pursuers. "We're in this now, Joker. Time to show 'em how the big boys play."
Marcus squinted at the SUV speeding ahead, his heart pounding as he took in the chaotic scene. Civilians scattered, cars swerving out of the way as the chase tore through the city.
"Alright, Marcus, shoot out his tires!" Mike ordered, eyes locked on the target.
Marcus's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? Hell no! There are too many civilian vehicles out here, Mike. You trying to get someone killed?"
From the back seat, Reggie interjected with a nervous glance at the manual in his hand. "Actually, according to the handbook, we're supposed to request the driver to pull over through the intercom first—"
"Reggie, I don't care what the handbook says!" Mike barked, cutting him off. "Marcus, shoot out the damn tires!"
Marcus shook his head adamantly, his hands clenched tight. "I'm not shooting in the middle of all this traffic. Do a pit maneuver or something!"
Mike's grip on the steering wheel tightened as he scowled. "I'm not messing up the new paint job on my car for this fool."
Marcus shot him a disbelieving look. "So you'd rather I risk shooting a civilian than scratch your precious car?"
Mike huffed, frustration mounting. "You won't hit a civilian if you put on your damn glasses before you fire."
Marcus opened his mouth to argue, but Mike was done with the back-and-forth. He turned his head slightly to the back seat. "Reggie, shoot out the tires."
Reggie's eyes widened. "Is that an order, sir?"
"Damn right it is!" Mike snapped as he hit a button, opening the sunroof of the Porsche.
Reggie swallowed hard, then reached out, taking the gun Mike handed him with disciplined hands. Standing up through the roof, he positioned himself for the shot, his military training kicking in as he steadied his aim. The wind whipped around him, but Reggie's focus was unshakable.
With perfect precision, he fired two shots, the bullets hitting their mark and blowing out the SUV's back tires. The suspect's vehicle swerved wildly, its speed dropping as the driver struggled to regain control.
Reggie dropped back down into the car, his breath coming in short bursts, adrenaline pumping through his veins. "Tires neutralized, sir."
Mike flashed a grin as he maneuvered the Porsche closer to the now-crippled SUV which careened wildly as it barreled toward the passenger pickup area of Miami International Airport. The tires left dark streaks on the pavement as the driver fought for control. Smoke began billowing from under the hood, the engine pushed beyond its limits.
"Pull over and stop the vehicle!" Marcus's voice boomed over the intercom, but it was clear the SUV had no more fight left. The engine coughed, then with a final groan, it blew out, sending a cloud of smoke into the air. The SUV slowed to a crawl, finally rolling to a stop right in front of the airport's sliding glass doors.
Mike brought the Porsche to a screeching halt in front of the smoking SUV, his eyes sharp and focused. "Showtime, boys," he said as he threw the car into park.
In unison, Mike, Marcus, and Reggie exited the vehicle, guns drawn and pointed at the SUV. Civilians in the area scattered, some ducking behind pillars and parked cars as the trio approached the suspect's vehicle with the practiced precision of seasoned cops.
"Hands where I can see 'em!" Mike barked as they neared the driver's side.
The door creaked open, and a man stumbled out, coughing and waving his hands in surrender. Before he could even think about making a run for it, Marcus was on him. He grabbed the suspect by the collar, yanking him from the SUV and slamming him onto the hood of Mike's Porsche with a force that made the man wince.
"You're under arrest, jackass," Marcus growled, snapping a pair of handcuffs around the man's wrists. "Don't move unless you wanna get to know my bullets real well."
As Marcus secured the suspect, more officers arrived on the scene, their flashing lights adding to the chaos. Marcus handed the suspect over to a pair of uniformed cops, then turned back to Mike, who was still watching the scene with a careful eye.
"Alright, suspect's in custody," Marcus said, wiping his hands on his pants as he approached his partner. "Not bad for a morning's work."
But Mike wasn't listening. His gaze had shifted, his focus drawn to the figure standing just beyond the smoke, his silhouette becoming clearer as the cloud dissipated. Although it had been over three years since he last saw the man, Armando hadn’t changed since; standing there with his duffel bags slung over his shoulder, a bemused expression on his face.
Mike holstered his gun and approached his son with an apologetic smile. "Sorry I'm a little late for pickup," he said, trying for a light tone as he gestured back at the chaos behind him. "Got stuck in some traffic."
Armando stood there, his face a mask of indifference. Without a word, he rolled his eyes and walked right past Mike's open arms, heading straight for the trunk of the Porsche. He tossed his bags in with a casual ease, as if this kind of thing happened every day.
Mike lowered his arms, the smile fading as he watched his son's retreating back. He sighed, the weight of the moment pressing down on him.
As Marcus walked over, having finished briefing the other officers, he took in the scene and couldn't resist. "Well, at least the kid's punctual," he joked, clapping Mike on the back.
Mike shot him a look that could melt steel. "Not now, Marcus."
"Hey, just trying to lighten the mood, man." Marcus raised his hands in mock surrender, though the grin on his face said he wasn't all that sorry.
Mike shook his head, glancing back at Armando, who was now leaning against the Porsche, waiting. The distance between them felt like miles.
"Let's just get outta here," Mike muttered, brushing past Marcus to head toward the car.
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sensei-venus · 1 year ago
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Serpent-Cide (1/?)
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(Unedited) (Reader secretly hates everyone, she just wants to go home. Number one #fuckthenorthsiders fan Reader. Reader is just a loner who tolerates everyone’s bs.)
(Part One|Part Two|Part Three|TBA|)
Reader didn’t want to think about school. She didn’t want to think about having to walk the halls along side the stuck up students. The cheerleader, jocks hell even the geeks of the school where assholes. It was like the north side was a target for producing shitty ass people.
Just about everyone in the whole town could be labeled a horrible person.
It was like they where breed here, raised here, meant to start a life long relationship with hurting others. Both physically and mentally, hell even emotionally.
Half of the kids at that school where skilled at emotional manipulation.
“Reader you will be assigned to the welcoming committee. You don’t have any community hours for this semester so this should give you quite a few. Make sure you meet in the hallway tomorrow morning, 8:00 sharp. The new transfer students from SouthSide High should be arriving by then.” One of the volunteer heads said. Reader slumped in her seat a little and rolled her eyes. Great, now she had to deal with not only the stuck up northsider kids but now the southsiders.
Moments later the bell rang for first period and everyone in the community room slowly started to leave. She waited a moment until just about everyone was gone. Slowly grabbing her bag from off the floor she made her way to class. The hallway was crowded as she maneuvered around the crowds of students. Flooded with kids, pushing and shoving each other.
The sound of something hitting lockers, hard, filled the hallway and made her look around. She pushed past the people around her. Hoping to just get to class. She didn’t need to get into anyone business, know anything she really didn’t need to. It would just be a reason for her to keep thinking about the people who lived, breath and love this shitty ass school. All she wanted to do was get to class.
Sadly her luck wasn’t on her side this time, it never seemed to be.
Her eyes caught the one and only Reggie Mantle as he shoved some poor kid face first into a locker. Their eyes only met for a moment before him and his friends went back to what they where doing. Messing with some bottom feeder kid who probably just looked at him wrong. The urge to just go the other way she came started to bubble into her gut. So that is what she did, turned right back around and went with the flow of the opposite direction of traffic. It would take twice the time to get to her class but she didn’t have to worry about bumping into that jerk. She huffed as she was shoved deeper into the crowed.
Why did this school always have to pull the worst shit over on her.
The next morning didn’t go as planned at all. The bus she usually took to go to school broke down and she had to walk. Instead of waiting around to get a ride she decided to just walk it. She ended up having to jog just to make it on time. All she needed was some stupid mark on her record for “trying to skip a volunteer credit” or something from the leadership board.
Huffing she enters though the front of the school where she was meet with a few different faces. Most of which made her even more exhausted then she already was.
Archie, Veronica, Betty and even Cheryl stud around the almost completely empty front hallway. It was almost as if half of the student body didn’t want to be around the southside kids. She kinda understood where they where coming from, then again she didn’t really care. Stereotyping a whole group of people they had never even meet before wasn’t really something she had hopes of doing. The southside was bad, shady and drug filled. But as long as these kids didn’t mess with her like the kids at this school, she would be ok with them.
Hopefully they would just cut her some slack and leave her alone for the rest of the year.
Or, her worst nightmare, they picked up on half of the schools ideals for bullying people, no matter who they where or what they did.
“Hey Reader you made it! I was scared you would have skipped the introduction.” Betty said in a whisper as they walked to a more casual spot in the hall. Reader just sighed, looking at the closed front doors of the school. She had to admit that her nerves where a little on edge. Being around people for her was hard, even people she knew. Betty was a okay person, a little preppy and a bit of a good girl but she was nice enough In Reader’s opinion.
She wouldn’t say they where friends per say but rather good acquaintances. They worked on a few projects together, sat with each other at lunch a few times, borrowed books from each other when they checked them out of the library. Nothing huge to make them good friends but decent enough that Reader didn’t see her as a issue to deal with.
“Stupid bus broke down and they wanted me to wait for a whole hour for another one to show up. All I need is that community leader to try and say I was trying to skip. It’s always something with this school…” she trailed off. Lazily she checked her phone, Betty only nodded saying “I get it…this school definitely sucks some times.” Reader snorted, sarcasm laced her voice “Puff that’s the fucking understatement of the century…” she pushed her phone back into her pocket. Betty only gave a small half smile before walking off to go see Archie.
For a good few minutes she just watched them. The two teens where talking about something and then Veronica joined them. She raised a brow as she glanced over at Cheryl who looked to be glaring at the other teens. It was funny to see the “Queen of the school” not be invited to their little party. Even if that party was three other people talking without her. Stuck up bitch. A smirk passed her lips for just a split moment.
Suddenly the door of the school entrance opened with a huge bang.
Some kids that were still in the hallway scattered at the mere sound, some from the sight of who walked through those big doors. The braver students stayed in their place, a hand full, mostly the jocks. They slowly started to creep up from the back of the hallways. Slowly inching closer and closer. Inching in towards new pray, or more like an even foe.
The southsiders were making their way into the northsiders territory and threatening their sickly little teen livelihoods. The big dogs were about to get pounced on by a whole bunch of serpents.
A whole herd of students walked through the doors, stomping up to the small group of teens. Reader was reluctant to join them, not because she was afraid of them or like most of the other kids still sticking around wanting to harass them. She just didn’t want to act like she was alongside any of these people.
She was quick to notice that one of the leaders was actually Jughead, which was a little shocking but not by much. Jughead was just as much of an outcast really as she was, maybe a little more popular seeing as he was Archie’s best friend.
The look on his face was insanely similar, mostly because it mirrored hers. The look of both boredom and disgust crossed his face quickly. As soon as he stepped close to Cheryl it seemed to double by ten folds. Out of nowhere, Reggie made his appearance from one of the hallways, a few cheerleaders and half of the team of jocks followed close by. He stepped up and stood behind Cheryl who only smirked at Jughead.
“Listen how about you and your little “serpents” go find another school to destroy. We don’t need your low IQ’s muddying up our school. We can only expect our test scores to start dropping dramatically in the next few weeks because of you and your little trailer trash bunch.” Reggie bowed up “Yeah and your little junkie friends. Bet we will start finding needs all over the hallways and burnt spoon in the trash cans.” Some of the jocks and cheerleaders laughed. Cheryl only smirked, her cherry-red lips only seemed to grow at the words.
Two of the kids behind JugHead almost growled at them, bowing up but then being held back by Jughead.
One was a girl, slight brown skin with long dyed pinkish purple hair with a serpent jacket on. It also my swamped her shoulders in the thick leather material. Her face was twisted up in a nasty scowl as Jug held her back.
The other person was a tall boy with black hair and a good-sized snake tattoo on his neck. Reader couldn’t help but look him over in curiosity. The tattoo stuck out to her as she scanned him over, the bob of his throat, the glimmer in his eye of pure hate. It was…interesting. She was glad that she stood off to the side. Maybe no one would notice her gawking at the bean stock of a boy- slash that, man.
Reader almost jumped a little when the boy broke free of Jugs arm. He marched up to Cheryl and Reggie and basically growled right in their face. Jughead was quick to grab him by the back of the jacket along with the help of the girl. Both of them use a good amount of strength to pull him back. It wasn’t easy as he fought back against their attempts to reel him back in. His height and weight alone kept him from even flinching at their pulls.
Lucky he seemed to calm only by a little and stepped back. He bared his teeth at them, almost in mocking and anger.
This did nothing to phase Cheryl and only made Reggie more riled up. One of his eyes twitched and a vain popped from under his collar. He stares all of the southside kids down, trying his best to some how intimidate them. Believing that somehow it was going to do something to them.
It failed miserably as the other southside kids held their ground.
“Love how I’m gone only a little while and I come back to this, the same loving treatment as before. Great job keeping your mutts in line Cheryl.” Jughead mocked with crossed arms. His gaze shifted from her to Archie for a moment. A look of displeasure corsages his face. Maybe even a hint of sadness threatened to form. But it was quickly gone within moments of appearing. Archie gave a small smile back hoping to show his feelings on the situation. Jughead seemed to take it with a grain of salt.
“Can we just stop fighting for once. We have to share our school and it’s only fair that we at least try and be civilized.” Veronica said getting between the two groups. She put both hands out to stop the two groups from getting any closer to each other. There was a small table a few steps over, she walked over to it and grabbed a few papers.
Looking them over before holding them up, she looked back toward the serpents. She cleared her throat saying “Over here you will find your class schedules, locker assignments, and a map of the school. We will also be assigning small groups of new students with some of our volunteer students. They will help you with any questions you may have about the school, show you around, and also help you figure out any resources you may need.”
There was some mumbling among the group.
Betty and Archie walked over to the table and grabbed some of the papers. Betty read over a few things on one of the pages. The other girl shoved a new paper into her hand making her roll her eyes. She looked it over and raised a brow.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Yep, it’s right there. Start grouping up after they all get their schedules.”
Suddenly Veronica’s gaze shifted over to Reader. She cocked her head to the side and just stared at her. Reader felt herself clam up a little.
This was definitely not going to be a day to go down into the good history of the school.
It was going to be a literal blood stain by the looks of it.
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(Will be continued, will be cross-posting to AO3!)
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lulublack90 · 2 months ago
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Prompt 23 - Two
@rosekillermicrofic September 23, word count 746
Previous part First Jegulus part
“I swear this is taking longer to do than it did to steal them!” Barty grunted as he carried another stack of books up the narrow staircase. He dumped them at Sirius’s feet, who had somehow wormed his way out of helping bring them up by saying he was the only one who knew how Regulus liked them ordered on the shelves. Barty thought it was a load of bullshit, but Sirius had been amazing today, so he let him off. 
Finally, the van was empty and Barty flung himself on Regulus’s new sofa. He let his head loll back and his eyes closed, he was exhausted. 
“What’s in the boxes?” Remus asked, pointing at the collection of stacked cardboard boxes. 
“The rest of Regulus’s clothes and knick-knacks,” Barty supplied, yawning widely. “I’ll deal with them in a minute. I know just how Regulus likes to fold his shirts,” He cracked an eye to see if Sirius reacted. 
“Don’t lie, Barty, you just want to get your hands on Reggie’s underwear,” Sirius snorted at him. Barty couldn’t help it. He laughed too.
“Aww, he already knows me so well,” Barty snickered. “Hey, Evan?” He craned his neck so he could see his boyfriend. “What do you think about the other Black Brother for our threesome instead of Reggie? I bet Sirius has stamina. Look at those thighs! Hey, Remus, how big’s his—” Barty ducked as a hardback copy of War and Peace flew at his head. 
“Go manhandle my brother's briefs and leave me alone,” Sirius ordered. 
“Yes, darling. Keep talking to me like that, and I’ll be yours forever,” He cackled as he fled the room before any more classic literature could be used as a weapon. 
Regulus’s bedroom was neat and tidy when Barty entered and, after a few minutes, it was total chaos. He’d dragged all the drawers out and the wardrobe doors were wide open. Clothes were everywhere. He’d dragged the boxes in and the contents of two of them were thrown across the bed in a heap. He really needed Evan’s help. “Evan?” He asked, popping his head around the corner where he spotted Evan looking quite cosy on the sofa with Remus, discussing something or other. Evan looked up and rolled his eyes at the pleading look on Barty’s face.
“How bad is it?” He asked. 
“Bad,” Barty replied. 
“Excuse me, Remus, the gremlin was let loose,” Barty would have stuck his tongue out at the comment, but he was too worried that Evan wouldn’t help him if he did. 
Evan walked into the room and surveyed the mess Barty had made. “How? How have you made so much mess in less than five minutes?!” Evan sighed in exasperation. “Go and sit in that corner and don’t move,” Barty dutifully did as he was told and watched Evan work his magic. 
Soon, Evan put everything back to rights and all the rescued clothes were put away as well. “Right, you, go take those boxes down to the recycling, and then you can see if anyone wants a drink,” Evan ordered. Barty didn’t backchat and did as instructed. By the time he got back up to the flat, Sirius had filled the bookcases and neatly stacked the overflow beside them. 
“Does anybody want a drink?” He asked. They all nodded and gave him their orders, thankful that they were easy ones, and went into the kitchen to find the kettle already boiled. 
When he came back through with the tea tray, Sirius was on the phone. 
“Sure, Mum, I’ll ask,” Sirius moved the phone to his chest and asked. “Do you guys want to come over to the Potter’s for dinner tomorrow night? Effie says she wants to thank you both and would love it if you’d join us,” Barty looked at Evan, unsure. 
“Pandora’s going,” Remus added, and that decided it for them. If Panda was going, they would. 
“Please,” They said in unison, and Sirius conveyed the message to Effie. Evan sat down and dragged Barty with him. Barty snuggled into Evan’s side and felt his eyelids drooping again. Evan would wake him up when the tea was ready to drink, so he didn’t fight it and was overjoyed when Evan’s fingers found his hair as he continued the conversation he was having with Remus. Barty fell into a doze, excited to see Regulus’s face when he got home and saw all of his belongings squashed into his flat.  
Next part
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theworldskindestcynic · 6 months ago
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Sirius loves the ocean
Regulus loves the forest
It was a difference in preference only they knew about eachother
When they were kids Sirius would run along the shore line with messy hair and a wide smile
Collecting sea shells in his pockets
Carrying water in cupped hands
standing over tide pools
palm in palm with his little brother
pointing out the fish that looped and jumped in the water
On particularly bad days Sirius would hoist Regulus onto his shoulders and wade into the water
Letting Regulus feel the magnitude of the ocean without the salt ever having to touch his skin
Sirius often feels like he is too much
The vast body of water ahead
assures him that there is room for him in this world
Regulus finds solace in the forest
He sits under large trees for hours on end
Hidden away from all the eyes and expectations that seemed to have followed him since birth
Sometimes the sound of the wind in the leaves is the only thing that can pull him from his own thoughts
He rests his head in Sirius’ lap
And points at the sky with a small smile every time the light peaks through the leaves overhead
Regulus feels like he is on display for the rest of the world
The forest reminds him that there are places and people who won’t judge him
In 1979 as the water makes its way into his lungs a realization hits him with just as much force as the waves
The last time he tasted the ocean was on his big brother’s shoulders.
He closes his eyes and allows himself to believe if he opened them
he’d see the world from up high and a familiar grin
“See? It’s not so scary Reggie”
In the summer of 1994 Sirius leaves the cave he’s been made to hide out at
,in favor of sitting under a tall oak that covers the sky
he closes his eyes and allows himself to believe if he opened them
, he’d be met with a mess of dark curls and bright gray eyes yet to be put out by the world.
In the end
Even after everything
the brothers can still find each other in salt and saplings ;
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sayuricorner · 10 months ago
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Are you still on the TWST x Ever after high thingy? Bc I got ✨ideas✨
More in depth about the TWST casts and their new dragon companions! I feel like some of them in the care of their new master would adapt some traits of said master and that would be so funny-
Riddle’s dragon would be as strict as he is! If the ppl aren’t afraid of Riddle enough? Bring out the dragon that is glaring daggers at them because breaking the rule is a no no. That will teach them. Takes care of his dragon very seriously, continue to seek out the girls (especially Raven) to get more information and soon enough, he became an expert (even more than some of the EAH girls).
Leona’s probably doesn’t like the fact that his dragon imprinted on him lol, more responsibility. But if the dragon takes on his laziness then he wouldn’t mind. Spoils the little thing like crazy, like literally has a dedicated spot to it, he wouldn’t admit to that thought- Reggie now has more chores to do (poor him).
Azul well…he would definitely try to profit from it first lol, then he would panic bc he didn’t know anything about dragons (except for Malleus-), actually tries his best in taking care of the thing and when he realize he struggles with riding it, he practices on his free time and even skip work. Out of all of the TWST cast, he probably has the deepest bond with his dragon.
Kalim is ecstatic to get a dragon as a pet! When the dragons first hatched, my boy immediately skipped class (much to Jamil’s dismay) and went to see the hatchlings! Does the whole pspspspsps thing to lure them to him AND IT WORKS 💀💀💀. Kalim would be excited to take care of it and insist he takes care of it himself bc he wanted to be independent for once. Kalim’s dragon would be protective of him, side eyeing everyone foreign and snarling at anyone with bad intentions, Kalim doesn’t notices it though lol-
Jamil first met his dragon when he was chasing Kalim to get him back in class, the dragons notices him and said “I want that one-“ and imprinted on him. Like Leona, isn’t too thrill about having a dragon pet bc he’s already so busy but bond with it over time. The dragon is the one thing he can have for himself so he is very protective of it. Jamil’s dragon is as cunning as he is, sometimes doing the more…mischievous things for him and everyone will chalked it up to it being a pet (Jamil abuses this part a lot-). Even though their dragon’s personality clash, him and Kalim’s dragons are besties.
Vil’s dragon is the most sassiest creature ever, Vilm swore up and down he will turn it into the most beautiful dragon out of the bunch and spoils it endlessly and the dragon eats it up. It has the most etiquette out of all of the dragons, from the way it walks to the way it flies, everyone knew it was Vil’s dragon from a mile away. It is also the most famous dragon because of course Vil will creates photoshoots for it (did I mention it’s photogenic as well? Are you surprise?)
Idia fucking panics when the dragon imprinted on him, he just muster the energy to went and see if the dragons are accurate to the games he plays or not and now he has one as a pet?! No! Ortho encourages him to take care of it to create a healthy routine besides gaming and it actually works. Idia’s dragon is like a cat- that’s it, cat dragon, the thing does pull him away if his sleep schedule is too messed up though-
Malleus is excited to have a dragon pet because :O, another thing that is not afraid of him! Asked Lilia alot about how to care for it and when he realizes that this dragon is different, immediately went to the EAH girls for help. Another one that took care of his dragon seriously, sometimes too seriously. Probably the one to fly the dragon the fastest out of all of them. Malleus likes to take his dragon out on walks to where he carries it in his arm and just talks to it about the things he like (gargoyles).
I know Yuu/Mc doesn’t have one but still I can’t help it-
Yuu is there when the dragon hatches so is it a surprise when one immediately imprinted on him/her/them? Grim at first doesn’t like the new companion but one threat from Yuu about revoking his tuna privileges and he shuts up immediately. Yuu tries to take cares of his/her/their dragon the best of his/her/their abilities and the dragon notices it, sometimes licking his/her/their faces as a thank you. Likes to hang out with Malleus and his dragon on their nightly walk, so the two dragons are besties.
Oooooh I love those ideas!
And the interraction with the twst characters and their dragons are just adorable! ^^
And yeah I'm still working on the AU! I'm really sorry it's take so long, I'm trying my best to finish the Way too Wonderland part and I promised I'll post it as soon it's finished! ^^
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invisibleraven · 29 days ago
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Just a little something for the darling @jmrothwell on her birthday. Love you sweetie!
By this point, Julie had gotten used to living with her ghosts-used to walking into a room and finding them there. Sometimes just chilling, sometimes catching up on television, sometimes even napping.
But they usually tended to avoid the kitchen-the reminder of how they died and their inability to eat stil cut deep, so they often didn't go in there unless she was there.
Well, except Reggie. He liked 'helping' her dad cook, the way the sun made the room light up throughout the day, and fixing snacks for her and Carlos.
Today though, she found him covering the counter in supplies that made no sense to her.
"Reg? What are you doing?"
"Hi Julie!" he replied, then looked at the covered counters. "I'll clean it up I promise."
"You always do," she replied. "But I was wondering what you were making?"
"Pizza!"
Julie smiled fondly, shaking her head. Of course-of all the foods that Reggie lamented missing, pizza topped his list. She got that, she'd be pretty sad if she couldn't have pizza ever again too.
"You remember you can't eat it right?' she said as she sat at the counter, rolling a tomato in her hands.
"I know, but I like making it too," Reggie replied. "My MeeMaw taught me how when I was young. We made everything from scratch, all from stuff we grew on the farm. The only thing we bought was the meat."
"That's really cool," Julie admitted. "Don't think we have all those supplies though."
Reggie smiled at her-that crooked disarming smile that always warmed Julie to her toes-not that she would ever admit that. "No, but you have the basic staples-you just have to tell me what toppings you want."
"Do you want help?" Julie offered as she passed back the tomato. "I can chop veggies and shred cheese."
"That'd be great," Reggie replied, passing her a pepper, cutting board, and knife. "It's always more fun to cook together."
"What other kind of stuff did you make with your grandmother?' Julie asked as they chopped.
"Bread-we made challah every week for the Sabbath. Lots of soups and stews. I learned to pickle and preserve a lot of foods, make jams and jellies. Pie, lots of pie, mostly peach, it was Georgia after all," Reggie reminisced.
"So where did the pizza come from?" Julie asked, handing him the onion-one benefit of him being a ghost was that it didn't make him cry, while she took the mushrooms.
"Oh, I was a big fan of the Ninja Turtles," Reggie admitted. "And well, there wasn't a lot of places to get a pizza in rural Georgia, so MeeMaw figured out how to make it just for me."
Julie had to coo at that. "That's so sweet."
"That was MeeMaw."
They were quiet for a moment, just chopping together until they were satisfied with the amount of toppings, leaving Reggie to stretch out the store bought dough that Julie didn't even know they had.
"So which turtle weapon did you try to master when you were a kid?' she finally asked.
"Sai swords," Reggie replied. "I was...really bad at them. I so wanted to learn to twirl them, but I kept dropping them, or almost losing a digit. Then I switched to the bo staff-figured it would be easier since I was decent with my toy lightsaber."
"Was it?"
"I might have given myself a concussion?" Reggie admitted, a blush painting his feature.
Julie burst out laughing at that, a deep belly laugh that made her sides ache as it went on, eyes streaming with tears, especially when Reggie joined in. "Oh, I needed that."
Soon enough the pizza was done and in the oven. Reggie dusted his hands off, then looked at the kitchen. "Now to tackle this mess."
"Do you want help? I'll dry," Julie offered.
"You don't have to, I'm sure you have better things to do with your time until it's ready," Reggie replied. He often deflected like this, so unsure that anyone really wanted him around, and it always made Julie's heart ache when he did, wanting to find whoever had made him believe he was unwanted and hit them with a comically large fish.
"I helped make the mess, I help clean it up," she stated. "Plus, you can tell me more of your ninja exploits as we go."
"I think I've embarrassed myself enough for one afternoon."
"Fine, then I'll tell you about my horrible history of trying to be a cheerleader and baton twirler."
"Did you give yourself a concussion?"
"No, but I did break a vase...and papi's nose."
Reggie giggled at that. "Okay now that you have to explain."
Julie leapt into her spiel of her disastrous attempts to learn the baton, and the dishes passed in a flas as a result. Made even better as once they were done cleaning, the oven was signalling that the pizza was done.
"How is it?" Reggie asked, watching her with envy and longing in his eyes as she took her first bite.
"Delicious."
"Wish I could have some," Reggie sighed. "I miss pizza-but it was really nice to make it with you."
"It was," Julie admitted. "Maybe next time you could teach me how to make pie?"
"I'd like that," Reggie admitted, his hand finding hers on the counter, and Julie smiled as neither of them let go.
And she wondered how hard it would be to find some real Georgia peaches-and bo staff lessons.
Maybe this time they would incur less injuries-and if not, at least it would be a lot of fun. And if all else failed, there was always pizza.
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loveelle · 2 years ago
Text
Thank You, Jerry~ Part 6
Luke Patterson x Alive!Reader Series
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Summary: After getting an afternoon free from the band, Luke decides to see his parents, only to find out something he wasn’t expecting.
A/N: Surprise! Guys, guys, guys, it’s over! Listen, I enjoyed writing this series, but it brought me WAAAAY more stress than it should have because it lined up perfectly with my writers slump. I wanted to write more for it, but I pushed this for almost two years and it was baaaaad. I might write an epilogue for it to tie up lose ends and thoughts, but I’m not promising anything because who knows how when that could be out. 
I am also trying something new with tags! I am so tired of adding taglists at the bottom of fics, so I made a taglist blog and it is @updates-from-elle​ and the idea is if you want to be tagged in fics, you follow that account and turn on notifications. I’m going to use it for this blog as well as my doctor who blog, so you would get notifs for both, just focus on the ones you want to read! That should be it! Hope you enjoy!
WC: 4K
Master
Part 6: Where do we go from here?
---
Luke’s mind was racing as he sits in his friend’s silence, each of them processing everything Luke had told them about you and being Jerry. When he came back to the studio less than an hour ago, he knew he had to tell them everything, especially since he had disappeared for a whole day.
“This whole time you were lying to her?” Alex mumbles, bouncing his leg and chewing on his nail. Luke wasn’t proud of himself, but he nods.
“I was going to tell her.” He tries to defend but his friends all give him different looks of disbelief. Luke slumps back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest with a pout. “Eventually.” He mutters and Julie throws her arms in the air.
She reaches for her phone on the table in front of everyone. “What are you doing?” Reggie asks, peaking over her shoulder as she searches through her contacts.
“Calling Y/N. Luke is going to explain everything to her.”
Luke’s eyes bug out of his head as he leaps across the table, snatching Julie’s phone out of her hand and holding it out of her reach.
“Give me my phone back!”
“No!” Luke’s desperate plea is ignored as Alex plucks the phone out of his hand and tosses it to the girl. “No, no, no, wait please- Don’t call Y/N, she’ll hate me!”
“She’ll get over it.” Julie says and taps the phone icon next to your name, hearing the little rings as she fakes a smile.
Alex and Reggie are holding Luke back from grabbing the phone again and Luke doesn’t know what to say until he shuts his eyes tight and shouts, “I’m in love with her!” The room falls quiet again and the only sound to be heard is Julie’s phone playing out your voicemail. Julie hangs up and Alex and Reggie’s hold on Luke disappear. They all take their seats once more, each in shock by Luke’s declaration, including the guitarist himself. Luke takes a shaky breath. “I know that I messed up.” He finally says, voice quiet and unsure of himself. “And I need to fix it.”
Luke was thankful your call went to voicemail. He needed to make things right, but he needed more time than this.
---
This was bad. This was really bad.
It’s been 5 days since Luke had last seen you. 4 days since Luke was ready to tell you everything. 3 days since Luke started to get worried. 2 days since you last left Julie on read and sent her to voicemail. And 1 day since Luke first popped into your house when he had time between rehearsals at a time you and your dad typically eat dinner, only to see your dad eating at the table alone.
He didn’t want to assume anything happened, but he only had a few minutes to check on you. He hadn’t seen your truck in your driveway for a few days, and neither Julie or Flynn had seen it at school. He went into your room a few times today, looking for any sign of you, but besides how freakishly clean your room is for you, he’s seen nothing.
“I’m telling you,” Luke groans, throwing himself on the couch, “something happened to her. I know it.”
“I’m sure she’s fine.” Julie tells him, smacking his feet off the couch and taking their spot. “She’s probably just out busy or something.”
“And ignoring her best friends?” Luke asks, giving her a look that tells her he already knows the answer.
Julie’s quiet for a moment until she starts playing with the hem of her coat. “Well, there could be another reason.”
Luke furrows his brows for a moment, trying to figure out what she was talking about until it hits him. Before Julie can even call out his name, Luke disappears, reappearing in your bedroom. He looks everywhere, going through your desk, bedside table, even opening your closet.
A lot of your clothes were missing, and your suitcase which you kept on a shelf at the top was gone. You were gone. He throws the door closed, pacing back and forth as he tries to think of some reason, of any reason, why you’d leave and where you’d go. He stands in front of your photo wall, eyes darting back and forth until Luke notices something very obvious and very depressing. Every photo of you had of the band and you and the little scraps of paper you hung up for Jerry was gone. He runs his hand over where they used to be. He tugs on the leftover pinned corners of the photos and notes. Not only were they gone, they were torn from the wall.
Luke’s stomach falls.
You knew.
You knew everything.
And now you were gone.
---
Luke didn’t think he was at your house for that long, but he collapsed on the bed, staring up at the ceiling he knew all too well as his tears dry on his cheeks. He didn’t hate that you knew. Secretly, he believes he was glad you knew, that he didn’t have to keep this a secret for any longer. But he hated that you found out on your own. He hated that he kept it a secret for months and you found out by yourself, probably believing you were lied to by all your friends. You were actively ignoring Julie, you didn’t say anything to the band, and you were just… gone.
The front door bell rings a few times as Luke sits up, knowing he should probably get going. Your dad opens the door as Julie stands there with a smile. “Can I help you?” Your dad asks, holding the door unknowingly wide enough for Julie to see Luke appear over his shoulder, his eyes red and puffy.
“Hi.” Julie sighs before looking back at your dad, “um, sorry. I’m friends with Y/N,” Your dad takes a deep breath and sighs. “I just haven’t seen her at school in a while and she’s not answering her phone. I just wanted to make sure she’s okay.���
“Julie, right?” Your dad asks and Julie smiles and nods. “Y/N talks about you all the time, I knew I recognized you from her wall.” He rubs his face before sticking his hands in his pockets and leaning against the door frame. “She’s fine. She uh, she decided she was going to go live with her mom for a while.”
“Her mom?” Luke pulls a face at your dad’s answer. You wouldn’t go live with your mom just because you found out the truth, would you?
“Her mom?” Julie repeats Luke’s question, hoping to get a bit more out of the adult. He nods, the smile he forces on his face was fake as Julie can see how sad the thought made him. “Um, thank you. If you talk to her, do you think you ask her to call me back?” Julie asks and your dad nods before seeing Julie off.
Luke joins her side only seconds after the front door closes. “She knows.” He says, making Julie jump as she walks. “She tore all of our pictures off the wall.”
“Maybe it was an accident.” Julie tries but Luke was unimpressed.
“An accident that only resulted in our pictures being gone and thrown in the trash?”
Julie stops walking with a frown. “She threw them in the trash?”
Luke shrugs. “I don’t know, I never found them.”
“So maybe she kept them.”
“I don’t know! But I do know one thing.”
Julie looks at Luke, her brows pulling together in wonder before her face falls. “Oh, please don’t tell me you’re going to-”
“I’m going to go see Y/N.”
---
Julie was calling you again.
You hit deny before powering off your phone, falling back in the sunflower field you were sat in. You just needed time. Living with your mom again was the last thing you wanted to do, but you only slept at her house and chose to spend your days here in the field or around the town. You just couldn’t be home with your friends right now. Julie most likely had no idea Luke was Jerry when you were telling her about him, but there was no way she didn’t know they were ghosts.
You were so lost in your thoughts as you watched the clouds dance through the sky that you didn’t hear the footsteps coming your way before a shadow falls over your face. “Hey.” You sit up a little, leaning on your elbows to look up at the girl standing in front of you, someone you hadn’t seen since before you moved with your dad. Kendall smiles down at you. “My mom thought she saw you out here in our flowers yesterday.”
You didn’t know what to say. She ignores you for months, hanging out with her new friends and thinks she can just show up while you’re struggling through things and pretend to be friends again.
At your silence, Kendall huffs. “Look, I don’t know what’s been going on with you lately since you moved, but you’re still my best friend. We went from texting or calling every day to whatever this is where I haven’t heard from you in weeks! And-and when I do, it’s like you’re not even you!” You stare at her, your lips part as you release a shaky breath because you had no idea what she was talking about. She picks at the flower in front of her, refusing to meet your eyes. “I miss my best friend.”
“I texted you.” you whisper, hearing your voice crack from its first use in a few days. Kendall meets your eyes. “I texted you and I called you and you sent me to voicemail.”
“What?” She gasps, taking a seat next to you. “No, I didn’t. I texted you every day for weeks and you ignored me.”
You shake your head and pull out your phone, scrolling through the unanswered messages from you to Kendall. What surprises you is when Kendall hands you her phone and shows you the same. Hundreds of text messages and outgoing calls from her to you that you never got. Kendall and you were beginning to put two and two together.
“Wait, show me my contact.” Kendall says and you show her phone number, nothing weird on your end. “Call me.” You do so, hearing the phone go to voicemail, but nothing pops up on Kendall’s phone.
You tilt your head, drawing your lip between your teeth before asking her to show you yours. You read the number on the phone before closing your eyes. “That’s not my number.”
Kendall’s quiet for a moment. “When was the last time I texted you?”
“Um, I don’t know.” You say and start scrolling through your texts. “I think the last time I saw anything from you was a few months ago and you left me on read because you were at Meredith’s party.”
“Meredith borrowed my phone.” Kendall whispered. Within just a few seconds, Kendall and you find your phone number sitting in Kendall’s blocked contacts.
“She blocked me.”
“That bitch.”
Your eyes widen. “Wait, you don’t like her?”
Kendall huffs out a laugh. “Like her? I hate her! She literally made your life hell.
“Then why were you hanging out with her and going to her parties?”
Kendall starts blushing as she avoids your eye contact. “Because she’s friends with Bailey. And Bailey is hot.”
Your mouth drops open in amusement. Leave it to Kendall to only hang out with your enemy for a cute girl. You start laughing, feeling immense relief that even after everything is over, you’d still always have her. Kendall slowly joins you in laughing, bumping her shoulder with yours as you both lay back in the sunflower field, enjoying being together once again.
When the laughter stops, Kendall speaks up. “Why did you come back?” She’s not mad that you’re here, you being here just made this one of the best days she’s had in a while, but she is confused. “I thought you’d never willingly choose to live with your mom again.”
You sigh, breathing out a laugh through your nose before you tell Kendall everything. Every little thing from moving into the new house, meeting Jerry, meeting Julie and the boys, getting to know Luke, and most importantly, being lied to by him.
Kendall doesn’t know what to say and her silence is scaring you a little. Finally, she takes the bag she was carrying and smacks you in the arm with it, repeatedly.
“Ow!” you say although she wasn’t truly hurting you.
“I’m sorry, but are you stupid?” She says and you push her away jokingly. “Y/N. It’s so obvious that you’re in love with him.”
“He lied to me, Kay. He’s still lying to me. How can I be sure he wo-”
“So, talk to him.” She interrupts you, grabbing your hand. “Look, what he did sounds stupid and awful and I don’t doubt you would love to ignore him and your new friends and never have to deal with the problem.” She knows you very well. “But I also know that those feelings you have for him aren’t going to go away and you are just going to eat yourself up inside until you figure out why he did what he did. I’m sure for some reason or another, Luke had a reason to pretend to be Jerry.” You know she has a point. And you know that this can’t just be a problem you push aside and ignore, just like the problem you thought you had with Kendall. Your phone buzzes on your lap, Julie’s contact lighting up the screen as Kendall and you sit up. She squeezes your hand one last time. “Talk to them. Then, come over to my place. You’re staying the night with me and not your mom.”
You watch as Kendall gets up and walks away, leaving you in the sunflower field with Julie’s call still ringing. With a final sigh, you answer the phone.
---
Luke was pacing back and forth in the studio, waiting for Julie to get off the phone call. The door finally opens and Julie steps inside. Luke jumps her way, followed by Alex and Reggie who were all worriedly waiting to find out what exactly is going to happen.
Julie glares at Luke before nodding and relaxing her shoulders. “She wants to talk to you.”
Luke’s legs almost give out in relief. “Is she still on the phone?”
Julie shakes her head. “She wants you to go to her. She said she’s in ‘her spot’, and that you’d understand what that meant.”
Luke’s face lit up almost immediately. He knew exactly what that meant. You were in the sunflower field.
“Wait, wait, wait.” Alex interrupts Luke’s happiness. “How are you going to get there? It’s not like you can poof there, you don’t really know exactly where she is, right?”
Alex had a point, but Luke knew he had to go. He had at least known the town you lived in, finding a sunflower field after that couldn’t be that hard, could it?
He smirks to all his friend and jumps a few times on his feet. “Wish me luck.”
The three of his friends all exchange different forms of worried glances before shouting ‘good luck’ before Luke is gone.
“He’s not going to find her, is he?” Reggie asks, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Alex claps him on the back before throwing his arm over the bassists shoulder.
“He’ll be lucky if he finds the town correctly.” The blond says and all three of them chuckle at their friend’s eager departure, yet happy to believe everything will be alright.
As long as Luke can find you.
---
Luke found the town, he had barely a problem there, the only real problem was the town was a lot bigger than he expected. He should have asked Julie to look up the sunflower field on her phone before he left. He didn’t even have a phone. He didn’t even know how to find or use a computer enough to even look for the sunflower field. Why couldn’t you have been somewhere easier to find? Like the town hall in front of Luke. Or that coffee shop right next to the town hall. Or with Kendall, who is walking into the coffee shop.
Luke’s eyes practically bug out of his head when he recognizes Kendall and he’s quick on his feet to follow after her with a smile. She was ordering when he pushes open the door, making the bell ring hard above the door. A lot of people jump at Luke’s arrival, including Kendall, as they all look his way but quickly gets back to their own conversations. Except Kendall. She looks away from Luke for the briefest of seconds before her eyes are locked onto him again and wide.
“You.” Kendall says, pointing at Luke and Luke’s smile quickly falls when he sees her frown and eyes narrow.
Luke’s words are rushed. “Where’s the field?”
Kendall is closer, her pointed finger almost pushing into his chest. “You!”
“Kendall!” He puts his hands in the air, taking a few steps back until he’s pressed again the door behind him. He almost yells.  “The field!”
“Behind my house!” She yells back but doesn’t move from her position. “But you go and you make things right and you apologize for breaking my best friends’ heart and you promise to never ever do it again or I will find you and I will make sure your ghost butt stays dead.”
“I will.” Luke promises her and Kendall’s hand falls a few seconds later and Luke can finally step away from the door, relief flooding through him.
“Good.” She nods.
The two of them stand in awkward silence for a moment before Luke clears his throat. “So uh, you know then? Abo-about everything?”
Kendall lets out a soft laugh before nodding. “You really messed up. Go fix it.”
Luke didn’t need to be told twice.
---
After getting the exact directions from Kendall, Luke was standing in front of the Sunflower field, knowing you were somewhere amongst the flowers. He closes his eyes before starting through the field, looking for you.
He can see your head, poking up amongst the flowers. You were pacing back and forth, barely as tall as the flowers around you. Luke just watches for a moment, unsure what exactly he is going to say until your eyes flicker up, finding his surprisingly fast.
Your breath stills in your throat and you want to look away so you don’t give away how much seeing Luke and knowing the truth hurts you, but you can’t. Instead, you remain eye locked with him as he slowly comes closer, gently pushing aside the flowers to get by.
You can’t make yourself say anything as Luke stops in front of you, his eyes softly locked onto yours. “Hi.” He manages to breathe out but you stay silent. His fingers twitch as he fights his desire to touch you, to take your hand in his and hug you or do anything to beg for your forgiveness. Instead, he simply stares at you, wishing he put a little more thought into what he was going to say instead of leaving without thinking.
Luke could feel the tears begin to build in his eyes, “I messed up. I messed up so badly and I shouldn’t have lied to you. I should have- I should have said something, told you the truth, told you anything. And I didn’t. I’m so sorry.”
It hurt to look at him. It hurt to be close to him. You wanted to yell at him, to put space between you both, to show him how much it hurt you to know everything was a lie.
But you couldn’t.
In fact, you did the opposite.
Instead of yelling, you close the distance. Your chests meet as your hand fall on the back on his neck, pulling his lips into yours. Luke grips your waist, scared he was imagining it all, that he could let go and you’d slip through his fingers.
Time stopped in the small sunflower field as Luke and you lose yourselves in the kiss, gently pulling each other closer than you had ever been and loving every second of it.
When time moves again, your forehead rests on his, your eyes and his were closed as you wiped away a tear falling down your cheek. “I wanted to hate you.” you finally say, your voice was quiet and broke with your words. “I wanted to hate you so much.” Luke couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes as he pressed his forehead against yours, no longer fighting his tears and resorts to wiping them as well. “I trusted you and you lied to me and you kept lying to me.”
“Y/N-“ he finally speaks but you shake your head and pull away.
You meet his eyes and barely muster a smile. “But I can’t hate you.”
Relief floods Luke’s body as he releases a breath and blinks away his tears. His hand finds your cheek and his thumb drags across the wet streak on your skin. You lean into his touch and your eyes flutter close for the briefest of moments. “I love you.” You say, placing your hand onto his. “And it doesn’t matter if you were Jerry or Luke, I think I loved you as both.”
Luke doesn’t know what to say, there’s only one thing he can say. “I love you too. I have for months now, and I didn’t know what to do about it.” He knows no matter how great, how amazing and perfect this moment is, he needs to explain himself. You deserve that.
And so, as the two of you lay down on the sunflower field and watch the sky fade from a bright blue lit up by the sun to a dark blue illuminated by the stars, you listened to Luke explain everything. He started with everything about meeting you and the months since then and about Jerry. You listened closely, not wanting to interrupt Luke as he played with your fingers, apologizing every so often when he imagines how you must have felt.
After a while, the two of you run out of words to say. You’ve moved closer to each other, Luke’s arm was stretched out and holding you as you were settled into his side, resting your head on his chest. His hand not wrapped around your body was still playing with your fingers, lacing them through his own as he smiles.
“I never thought I would see this.” He whispers, more to himself but with your closeness, you hear it. You hum and squeeze his hand before he returns the gesture along with a kiss on the top of your head. “So where do we go from here?”
Luke’s question catches you off guard. To be honest, you weren’t sure. You both knew he had a long way to go before he earns your complete forgiveness, but he would spend the rest of his afterlife trying. That wasn’t the only problem, however. He is a ghost, you are alive. You could never have a normal relationship, but as you lay here in his arms, you were certain of two things. The first was you didn’t want normal, you just wanted him. The second was you were absolutely in love with him, and it didn’t matter where you both went from here.
As long as you had your Jerry.
As long as you had your Luke.
.
.
.
.
Read authors note about taglists! Thank you to everyone who has read, reblogged, and left comments/questions for this series, love you!
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badkitty3000 · 5 months ago
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how do you think five would act/react to finding out his partner hid something from him for a long time?
Wow, so this is a very good question and one I had to really think about. I'm still not sure I know my exact answer, because I suppose there would be several factors that could play into it. Like how long had they been together, and what was the thing they were hiding from him. I have definitely made Five be the one hiding big things from his s/o before, and usually that's because he is ashamed of certain things from his past or about who he is, so in his messed up Five brain, he wants to protect them from that. In the end, that usually doesn't work out too well for him when he's busted.
If the shoe were on the other foot, though, that's a whole other thing. I think Five has major trust issues overall, probably because of the Handler and Reggie, so there's a big old stew of wariness about new people constantly rolling around in that brilliant brain of his. He had a big issue with Lila showing up with Diego in season 2, and definitely did not trust her. But I think as long as you can do something to show you can be trusted, he will let you into his little circle (Elliott and Hazel come to mind).
So...if Five were in a long term, committed relationship with someone that he completely and fully trusted, and then that person revealed they hadn't been completely honest with him, that would crush him. I don't think he'd lash out violently or even scream or yell. It would be a quiet and sad reaction, maybe even blinking away from them so he could process his feelings alone. He still loves this person and now they have just broken his heart. Maybe he would sling a few hurtful things back at them, just to try and disguise his pain. Again, depending on what had been hidden from him, I think he would still love them and stay with them, but it would be a tough road to gain his full trust back again. He may even take it out on them in the bedroom with some very rough and angry sex, but then feel bad about it afterwards. Overall, I just think a big reveal like that from someone he cared about would really mess with his head for a long time and he wouldn't really know how to deal with it.
@kaybreezy3000 has some pretty good examples of this in her Paramour series, with Five having some trust issues with his lady. Sorry, I can't remember where in the series those come into play, but the whole thing is amazingly good and takes a deep look into Five's mind as he navigates a lot of those feelings.
I'm not sure I answered this in a very concise way, because I do think it's a complicated question, but it's a very good one and definitely makes me think. Thanks, anon!
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innytoes · 22 days ago
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May I please have some "Fuck therapy I'm becoming a knight" for Flynn &/ anyone? Cause like. She would.
When Reggie dragged them all to the renaissance faire when it was his turn to pick a date, Julie couldn't feel too bad. She got to wear a pretty dress, there were some fun shows and cool stalls, and well, the view wasn't too bad either. Between the boys in leather pants, Carrie and Flynn in some corseted dresses that definitely showed off their assets, there was plenty of eye candy to go around.
Luke had of course bought a lute at the first chance he got, and had figured it out well enough in like an hour that he'd accidentally earned ten bucks in tip money. Because of course Alex had been smart enough to put the ridiculous poofy hat Reggie made him wear at Luke's feet when it became clear they'd lost him to a new instrument for the time being. They passed him from time to time, but he seemed to be having the time of his life, writing a song on the spot about princesses and dragons for a group of very excited kids.
Carrie seemed to enjoy playing princess, and Julie also didn't really mind the way Reggie gallantly carried her over a puddle so she wouldn't get her dress wet. (Also, the piggyback he gave Willie when he demanded the same was pretty funny as well.)
There were also some more questionable sides the the Ren Faire that Julie had her doubts about. The giant turkey legs, for one. The fact that anyone thought it was a good idea to let Willie have a bow and arrow.
The axe throwing.
The fact that Flynn seemed to be scarily good at it gave her pause, but she did win a certificate. When Carrie asked her how she'd managed it (especially the fact that the guy working the stall had to put his foot on the target to pull the last axe out), she just shrugged and said: "Pictured Samantha."
Samantha, Flynn's super toxic ex who still came out of the woodwork every few months to find a new way to mess with her.
"That makes sense," Carrie said. "Next game, I'm picturing that reviewer that called Dirty Candi 'cheap and slutty'."
It did not make her hit the target (shooting tiny catapults trying to knock down a castle), but her little beanbag did nearly take out the eye of the lady running the stall.
Then there was the jousting. There were two wooden horses on rails you had to pedal to move towards each other and you got to try and knock off your opponent. Julie and Alex immediately opted out. "I like my head un-concussioned, thank you," she said, and Alex agreed.
Carrie versus Reggie ended in disaster, mostly because she lost her balance trying to ride sidesaddle and his lance hit the ground and catapulted him off the horse, but at least they both came up laughing.
Willie volunteered to next, and while Alex noped out, Flynn was more than willing to take a turn.
The lance broke beautifully on Willie's shield, and he landed on his back so hard 'for a moment there I questioned my sexuality because that was really hot, Flynn'. Flynn of course beamed with pride.
"Fuck therapy," she declared, after they made sure Willie was fine (and still very gay). "I'm becoming a knight."
"Heck yeah!" Willie cheered. "Let's go buy you a sword!"
As they ran off together, Alex took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh. "I blame you for this," he told Reggie, who seemed unperturbed. In fact, he looked rather excited of the idea of a pretty girl with a sword.
"Come on," she said, pulling Alex along. "Before they buy a crossbow as well."
9 notes · View notes