#Sam had every reason to treat Tory the way she did | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

to-hell-and-beyond · 4 years ago

Text

“On The Inside”

Samantha LaRusso x Female Reader

Requested: Yes : No

Request: Sam x fem! Tory’s sister! reader? Enemies to lovers please! Btw, I’m Cherry anon, but call me Cherry!- Cherry

OMG! A Cherry Anon ask! Sorry this took so long, I’m actually pretty proud on how this turned out.

Summary: What first starts out as protecting your sister turns into a full on Karate Battle. Little did you know what a kiss can do...

Words: 2375

“Y/n!” Your sister screamed. She had never wanted this to happen to you. Karate was her thing, in order to protect you. But here you were lying on the cold hard floor, bleeding. It was her fault, if she had just let you go and not drag you into this you could still be ok. It all started with a fight…

“I just don't want to treat Miguel like you treat everyone else!’ Sam shouted at your sister, as she pointed her finger at her.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?!” Tory shouted enraged. How dare this brat come here and mess with her love life and then accuse her?

“Tory?” You called out from the back door. Both girls then turned their attention to you. Standing there before was a girl, with the most beautiful hair you have ever seen. She kinda looked like a goddess. You both locked eyes before your sister interrupted.

“It’s nothing Y/n, let’s go in now.” She told you as she pushed you past the LaRusso girl. You tried to ask your sister more about her but she wouldn't budge.

“I just want to be no more Tory.”

“You want to know more?” Tory asked as she got up from the couch. “Shure I’ll tell you more. That girl is one of those rich stuck up girls, I tell you to stay away from. She’s a bitch that thinks she’s better than everyone else and can get all in my face.”

Tory then finished her rant and walked away, leaving you to stand in the middle of the living room. Was Sam really all those things? Guess beauty is really on the inside.

You were walking to school like you always do before you looked to see some of the popular students. With them was Sam. You frowned, still thinking about what your sister had just told you about her.

“You’re Y/n right? We have biology.” Sam said as she came up to you. One hand on her hip as she flashed an award winning smile at you.

“Um, Yes. Can you, um leave me alone please?” You quietly asked as his smile turned into a frown.

“What? Why?” She kept on asking as she blocked your way. She had just met you now, why did you want her to leave?

“My sister told me to stay away from you.” Just as you said those words clicked in her mind. You were the girl that called Tory’s name, Tory must be your sister that’s why you must have wanted her to leave.

“Wait, your Tory’s sister?! So you're just gonna listen to every word that comes out of her mouth? Like some sort of pet?” You were outraged that she had even said those words.

“Excuse me? My sister told me to stay away from you because she knew you would act like this, and it's really disgusting that you do.” You told her as you pushed past her to make your way to school.

From that point on you and Sam were enemies. You weren’t as bad as her and your sister, but you two still had bad blood. What was worse is that no matter what she did you still had feelings for her. Even when she said those bad things to your Sister you still liked her. And for that you hated her.

“I have another Karate practice, so make sure to pick up Mom’s pills ok?” You’re sister told you as she grabbed her bag and handed you the prescription.

Next thing you knew you were standing in front of West Valley pharmacy. You waited for it to be your turn as you looked and checked your texts on your phone. The line wasn’t moving that fast as you would like so it looked like you were going to be there for a while.

“Yes Mom...Don’t worry...I’ll be fine...Love you to.” You heard the familiar voice of Samantha LaRusso behind you. Yu locked eyes as she moved to stand behind her.

“What are you doing here?” You asked. Why on planet earth would a spoiled rich girl be standing in line for medication. Maybe she was a drug addict?

“I could ask you the same thing.” She fired back as you two waited for the line to move.

“Hey Rick.” You said as you passed the familiar pharmacist the prescription. He smiled up before handing you the orange bottles.

“Make sure your Mom takes it twice a week right?” You nodded as he flashed you a smile. Sam looked you way as he mentioned your Mom but you ignored her. You didn’t need to add fuel to the fire.

You waited outside as you texted your sister when practice would be over. She had the car and the next bus wouldn’t be available till 8. The ringing of the bell chiming, made you look up from your phone to Samantha LaRusso coming towards you.

“I’m sorry Y/n. I had no idea that your Mom was so sick.” You looked down as she apologized. You didn’t really believe that it was from her heart and you really didn’t need her sympathy.

“Well it's not like I wear a shirt saying “Hello, my Mom is super sick” Sam.” You fired back. She looked down before looking up to meet your eyes again.

“I-I just want to tell you Y/n that the way I’ve been treating you is wrong. My fight is between me and your sister. You're being the good sister standing up for her like that, I’m the one at fault and I’m so sorry.” She apologized, but this time it seemed to be from her heart.

“Tell that to Tory then.” You spat as you turned around to go back to your phone. If she really wanted your sympathy, that apology thing she was doing was not going to work.

“I promised my Mom I would drop this off at my friends house. She lives close to you, I can walk with you if you’d like. I know how scary those streets can be when you're alone.” You thought about it for a minute. It would be nice to not have to wait for your sister and if anything ahppens there’s always Tory to help you.

“Alright.” You agreed as the two of you began to walk. It was silent for most of the walk until Sam suddenly stopped walking and turned around to face you.

“I know this is probably really personal and you don't have to answer it. It’s just-there’s a few rumors going around that you like girls and well...I was wondering if it was true.” You scowled as she asked you the question.

“I do, so what?” You snapped as you crossed your arms to look as intimidating as you could. You couldn’t care less what this girl thought of you.

“What did Tory think about it?” Sam asked.

“Why the hell do you care!?” You shouted outraged. Couldn’t she keep all these questions to herself? It's not like you were playing 20 questions here.

“S-sorry I just wanted to now…” She turned around as you both began to walk. She actually kinda looked hurt. Maybe she was actually sorry?

“She was ok with it.” Your answer surprised Sam as she looked up back at you. “That’s actually the reason she joined Cobra Kai. One time a bunch of homaphobic guys came and they beat me up. Tory was mad that she couldn’t protect me so she joined Cobra Kai. Don't get me wrong I was happy, but I just don’t need her to protect me all the time, you know? I’m my own person.” She nodded along agreeing with you.

“But seriously Sam, why do you ask?” You turned around to face the girl as she stared down.

“W-well, there’s this girl at school and I t-think I might like it. I’m just kinda scared. I thought I was straight but here I am.” You felt sympathy for the girl understanding how hard figuring out one's Sexuality’s can be.

“Well I’m here if you need anything.” And true to your word you were. You and Sam began to hang out more and more in private and next thing you knew you actually had formed a crush on the girl. You weren’t sure that she also felt the same way but your feelings were there.

“Moon’s hosting a party, If you want to come.” You sister invited you. You had actually become kinda close with her fellow Cobra Kais. They were really nice and you felt like a part of their dysfunctional family.

You guessed the alcohol had taken a toll on you as you found yourself in the backyard of Moon’s home. You didn’t want to be a part of the Cobra Kai vs Miyagi-do energy that was inside. You supported your sister and the rest of the Cobra Kai’s but you didn’t want to be a part of that.

“Hey Y/n.” Sam said as she came over to you and sat down beside you. You flashed her a sweet smile. You had seen her with Robby and you were kind of jealous. You had liked her longer than that guy had been now she existed.

“ Are you and Robby a thing?” You asked as you took a sip from your cup. Jealous friend/crush mode was now on.

“Robby? Oh no, he’s like my Brother to me and I didn’t tell you this but he totally swings there other way.” You both laughed. Yes you may have been jealous of the guy, but you were glad he knew at least who he was when it came to that. Just imagine the double dates you guys could have…

“Y/n?” Your dreams about dates were interrupted by the sweet voice of Sam. You looked at the way his lips were slightly parted and the way his hair was flowing in the wind.

“Yah Sam?” You breathed as you moved to be closer to her.

“Remember I told you about my crush on that girl?” You nodded, it was the same day you had become friends. What a wonderful day that was…

“That girl...it was you.” Sam whispered as she captured your lisp in hers. There were sparks flying everywhere as you two go more and more passionate about your kiss. Little did you know that you weren’t the only ones there…

Tory was uspatires looking for the extra cups Moon had asked her to get. She was interrupted by the view of her sister making out with the one and only Samantha LaRusso. Tory’s hatred of the girl had ever been as bad as it was at that very moment. That little rich girl and corrupted her sister, brainwashed her. This was just the beginning...that it was.

You were seated in biology class, sitting right beside your new girlfriend Sam. You both mindlessly listened to the announcements before it started to break up. You looked at each other wondering what was going on.

“Samantha LaRusso.” You both froze as you heard the familiar voice of Tory. “You know what you did, and now you’re going to pay for it.” The students around you began to whisper as all the color drained from your face. Had Tory seen you kiss Sam?

“I’m coming for you, bitch!” You were frozen to your seat and Sam rushed out to go find Tory. You knew one thing for a fact...This was not going to end well…

“I saw what you did at the Party.” You pushed past people to try to get to your girlfriend and Sister before a fight broke out but the people around you wouldn't budge.

“You kissed Y/n.” You stood frozen as the students around you began to “Oooh”. Your sister knew for a fact that you never wanted your school to find out you like girls. But she was telling everyone as she looked like she was stalking her prey.

“Tory!” You screamed, but that apparently I did nothing as Sam froze to look at you as Tory tried to kick her. And just like that an entire fight broke out. People all around you pushing and kicking and punching as you tried to make your way to the girls fighting on the stairs.

You were worried that Tory was going to hurt Sam or worse. You loved your sister but this had to stop. Nobody needed to get hurt.

“Tory! Tory c’mon stop!” You yelled on the top of your lungs as you pushed past more people. You saw that Miguel and Robby were fighting on the top of the staries, and that Hawk and Demitri were always fighting. Everything seemed to be going to hell.

“Y/n!” Tory yelled. She had kicked Sam making her hit the banister where you were, meaning kicking you off. They say that falling is like rewatching your life. But it wasn’t like that, you were watching a different life. A life where Tory and Sam got along and there was no Karate War. A good life you wished you had.

The crack echoed through the school as you landed on the staries. Blood escaped from your head, you knew you were going to die right then and there. Everyone stood frozen as they looked at your body laying on the ground. Sam was the first moving pushing past Tory to get to her girlfriend.

“Y/n! Y/n! C’mon wake up!” She cried as your body lay flat like that. The only sign of life was your small breaths and the fall and rise of your stomach. Tory stood there speechless as she watched the paramedics make your way to you. This was not supposed to happen. She was supposed to help you not cause you harm.

Everyone stood still as they transported your body to the hospital. But doing so they left a bunch of morning students. A heartbroken girlfriend, a guilt ridden sister, Karate students wishing that none of this had happened. But no matter how much wishing they did, you were still unconscious, in the ambulance on your way to the hospital.

#samantha larusso #samantha larusso x reader #sam larusso x reader #samantha larusso imagine #cobra kai #tory cobra kai #tory nichols #robby keene #hawk #hawk cobra kai #demitri #demitri cobra kai #season 2

224 notes · View notes

dojadogedog · 3 years ago

Text

cobra kai s4 spoilers

loved the new ck season *HATE!!!!!! the characters

Sam is pissing me off sm. We’ve seen improvement from most the characters (johnny, tory, silver at first…., hawk) and i expected to see sam follow suit but she still is dicking around—if not worse than before—and that scene where she did the exact opposite of aisha’s advice irked me so bad. I thought that was gonna be a genuine moment of change esp bc tory was trying to re-do things w her and yet…

FUCKING HATE ANTHONY!!!! i get hes young but idc hes just as entitled as sam and hes a fucking ass. That scene w the larussos and vanessa was perfect. lil bastard piss me off. praying that anthony grows out of it

i used to kinda hate tory but shes growing on me. i can sympathize w her more now and i love that she doesnt want ppl to pity her. she struggles a ton obviously but she doesnt go omg i hate myself im the worst🥺 she still tries her hardest despite everything. her anger and how quick she resorts to violence shouldnt go unchecked but thats obvious. the development between the relationship w amanda and tory is honestly kinda sweet

i think silver was a very interesting addition to this. We all knew he was coming back but DAMN! Seeing him decent back into madness and going absolutely insane was really sumn. he really creeped me out every time i saw him on screen my timbers where shivered. there’s just something so intimidating about his demeanor

cobra kai and johnny and daniel and rico did eli sooo wrong. on brand for ck but the way daniel excessively consoled robby about that situation and didnt even talk to hawk abt it at all is disgusting, as is the fact that no other adults stepped in like rico or johnny.

i love robby so very much but i despise the way the adults are treating him like this lil broken sensitive white boy when all the other kids deserve sympathy as well.

I LOVE KENNY!!!!!’! kenny’s character arc is terrifying. its crazy how such a young child can get so violent so quick but its definitely realistic given his circumstances. seeing robby attempt to father him and take him under his wing to give him what he never had yet failing anyway is depressing but, again, realistic

miguel my man.. hes going through it. The scene w him and johnny when he was wasted destroyed me. Not a fan of him becoming more of a pussy but he does need a break. from his family, karate, sam/tory, robby, johnny, everything. im wishing him the best

*i hate them as people not as characters. Theyre very well-rounded and developed theyre awesome but they piss me off. I can see myself in all these characters LOL

all these bitches need therapy

edit: i called vanessa nicole for some reason :skull:

#i need to shut up

3 notes · View notes

whump-tr0pes · 4 years ago

Text

HB4-29/Whumptober day 7

This is a series. Start here, continued from here.

This is a sequel to Honor Bound, Honor Bound 2, Honor Bound 3.

AO3

Masterlist

Sam burrito with forehead kisses requested by @endless-whump and @butwhatifyouwrite

Content warning: permanent injury, nerve damage, past torture, mild dissoci@tion, flashbacks, pain medication mention, self-blame

Sam groaned and rolled onto their back. Finally – finally, after almost two weeks, how did Isaac cope with this? – they could lie on their back without pain shooting through them. The whip marks were healing. The wound in their arm was healing.

The nerve they were almost certain was severed, was not.

An afternoon breeze rustled the curtains in their room, making the room waver light-dark-light-dark as they billowed in and out. Their gaze moved slowly over the ceiling, the thirteen dark wood beams that stood out against the white. Thirteen, from one end of the room to the other. They’d counted them so many times in the time they’d spent holed up there.

It was… exhausting, sometimes, to be around the others. Not that the others were doing anything wrong; it was just so hard to look at each of them and seen pain tighten in their eyes every time they looked at Sam. Watching the guilt drag at them all, especially Isaac, with his own wounds healing to scars, was like trying to tear a bullet out of their chest with their bare hands. Never fully sure if they would tear something vital as they did. Wondering if maybe the guilt was something that would stay buried in this family forever. Something they should just get used to, learn to breathe past.

They couldn’t take the guilt. Couldn’t take the way everyone’s hands would jerk towards them when they went to stand, as if they needed something to help them balance every time. They couldn’t take how the others would trail off in the middle of a sentence, their gaze fixed on Sam, as if stunned into silence by the magnitude of Sam’s pain. It was more than frustrating, it was maddening.

Edrissa treated them the same as she always did.

Sam’s stomach growled. I wonder when dinner is?

Their stomach growled again, and louder, as if protesting the notion of waiting until dinner to eat. Sam groaned and pushed themself upright.

They were getting better at it, now, moving with only one hand. Their right arm was still slinged, and the surgical cut Finn had made was nearly closed. The infection was gone. Finn was encouraging them to do small, simple exercises, more just letting their arm hang and slowly using their left hand to move the arm in its socket. Finn said it would make healing progress better.

I don’t think it’s going to get much better than this.

Slowly, they stood, savoring the feeling of the rug beneath their feet. They’d slept on concrete for three weeks, the only respite being when Colleen had forced them to kneel on the soft plush rugs wherever she chose to chain them down. Chain them down and strangle them or beat them or drown them or whip them or—

They shuddered and shook their head. No. No. Can’t fall in. They adjusted their arm in its sling – made of very nice, light fabric, and blue, Edrissa made it for them herself – and walked to the door. They pulled it open and were greeted by the soft brrp? of the black cat sitting right outside.

Sam smiled and bent to pet him. “Hey, Nata,” they said softly. Nata pushed with fierce adoration into Sam’s hand. “Hey, sweet boy.” They straightened, and steadied themself against the wall as the hallway went black for a moment. They breathed slowly through their mouth as their vision returned.

They wandered down the hall towards the kitchen, shivering slightly in their thin shirt and shorts. The house stayed so cool during the day, even though summer was around the corner. They didn’t mind, though. It made it easier to sleep. The heat made Sam’s wounds itchy. They rounded the corner into the living room and stopped.

Isaac and Gavin sat on the couch, their heads together as they looked at the puzzle on the coffee table. A new one – Finn and Ellis had been finishing a puzzle about every three or four days since they’d arrived north, and Gray had an entire closet filled with more. This one was of a seascape, the sun glinting off the water in a thousand different colors if you looked closely at the brushstrokes of the painting that had been printed onto the pieces. It was the hardest one yet, mostly blues and greens, with only a single sailboat to break the design of the ocean waves.

“Ellis will kill you if you mess with that puzzle,” Sam said with a gentle smile.

Isaac’s head snapped up, and his look of shock and near-terror at being caught near the puzzle made Sam burst into a snort of laughter. The laughter drew out into a groan as their cracked ribs throbbed in pain.

Isaac shot to his feet and took a step towards Sam before they could even draw a breath.

“I’m okay,” they gasped, holding their hand out in front of them. Isaac hesitated and fell back a step. “Wh-what are you guys up to? Other than taking your lives into your hands breathing on Ellis’s puzzle?” Sam’s lips quirked into an unsteady smile.

Isaac rubbed the back of his neck. “Um… no, pretty much just that. Just finished up sparring practice with Vera and Edrissa, and I just… kinda zoned out looking at the puzzle. It’s nice. I don’t know if it looks like the actual ocean, but…” He shrugged. “What’re you up to?”

“Um… I was gonna get some food,” Sam said, glancing behind Isaac and meeting Gavin’s gaze for a moment. For once… for the first time since they reached the north again… Gavin didn’t look down and away. Warmth and relief spread faintly through Sam’s chest, like bracing for pain and receiving none.

“I was getting kinda hungry, too,” Isaac said, and glanced at Gavin behind him. “Gav, you want—” Isaac’s mouth snapped shut and he flushed a brilliant shade of red. Gavin’s cheeks flushed to match, and Sam could feel heat on their face, too.

Gav? How did we get here? They bit their lip as for a moment, a memory swept through them, Gavin grinning as he forced their head back where they sat in a chair, their hands tied behind them, holding a knife to their throat as they sobbed and pleaded…

Sam shook their head to clear it. It was a slippery day today, and Sam kept sliding back into their memories.

But I don’t hurt as much today. Please let me stay here…

Gavin got to his feet, his cheeks still pink, his hands buried deep in his pockets. “I could, um… V-Vera showed me how to make eggs benedict last weekend. I could… um…”

Sam’s stomach grumbled loudly in the quiet room. The three of them burst out laughing. Sam winced and bit down hard on their lip.

“Eggs benedict for lunch,” Sam said tightly, counting their heartbeats and waiting for the pain to fade. It was all they could do anymore, now that Finn was slowly weaning them off the morphine and Vicodin. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six… Slowly, the pain in their ribs eased. On the next breath, it would hurt again, but in this precise moment…

Appreciating precise moments free of pain was the only thing that had kept Sam going for almost two weeks.

They looked up at Gavin and Isaac. They were both looking at Sam with almost identical expressions: worry, grief… guilt. Both of them, blaming themselves for the pain Sam felt every day. Both of them, the reason Sam was alive.

Sam couldn’t push that little voice down forever, though: the voice that said that if Gavin had never hurt them in the first place… and if Isaac had killed Gavin in his warehouse, when he was unconscious and bloody…

They gritted their teeth. They hated those thoughts that had crept through their mind more and more, ever since they’d been shot. The pain was poisoning them, and twisted, bitter thoughts had crawled out of that festering place inside them that never felt any relief. Maybe if they had just a day without pain, an hour, a minute, they could push those thoughts away, sweep them out of their mind completely. But they hurt, they hurt, and the only thing that made them feel better were the pills that were slowly, slowly being taken away.

The pills, and Nata. And seeing everyone safe. Seeing Tori when she was herself, tucked under Vera’s arm with a fragile smile. And feeling the wind on their face after three weeks of chilly, stagnant air in their cell. And tasting real food again, Gray’s cookies and Vera’s spicy beef stew and Edrissa’s fresh-baked bread. And looking out over the lake, bigger even than the lake at their first foster home, where they’d chased frogs and swam after spring melted the thin crust of ice over the surface…

All those things made them feel better, too.

Sam blinked, and realized none of them had said a word. They smiled, and the expression felt… tight, but like something they’d been good at, a very long time ago, and were just now trying again. The smile felt comfortable.

“Eggs b-benedict for lunch,” they said again, their tone softer. “Sounds good.”

Gavin let out a gusty breath. “Good,” he huffed. “Because it’s one of the only things I know to make on my own.” He turned and headed for the kitchen. Isaac took a step towards the kitchen as well, then paused, as if realizing he’d moved.

“Gavin,” Isaac said. “Do you want… do you need help, or…?”

“No!” Gavin said, and nudged him back towards the living room. “I can do it. I can… I can do it, Isaac. Stay with Sam.” He blushed and turned away again, and disappeared into the kitchen. He was visible again a moment later over the counter that made a sort of window between the kitchen and the living room, lined with barstools looking in.

Isaac turned back to Sam, a hint of pink still on his cheeks. He flushed darker when he saw them staring at him. “What?” he said weakly, and sat down on the couch near the puzzle.

Sam raised an eyebrow at him. “‘Gav’?” they said with a grin as they made their way to the couch and slowly eased themself down.

Isaac rolled his eyes, smiling back. He sat down on the couch beside them. “It just slipped out, okay? I didn’t… I haven’t been—”

“What, you haven’t been calling him Gav-Gav when you’re alone?” Sam said with a laugh.

“Oh my god, Sam,” Isaac whispered, his face turning an almost painful-looking red. He buried his face in his hands. “No.”

“Thank god,” Sam said, and nudged Isaac with their left shoulder – their good shoulder. “Because I don’t think I could have tolerated that.”

Isaac snorted and looked up towards the kitchen. “Yeah,” he whispered. “Neither could I.”

Gavin was visible over the half-wall of the counter. He was bustling about the kitchen, wearing a look of intense concentration as he gathered the ingredients, wearing… an apron. Edrissa’s baking apron. Sam tried to suppress another snort of laughter.

Isaac nudged them back, gently. “What?” he said softly, his cheeks burning.

Sam grinned and shook their head. “Nothing,” they said, returning their gaze to Isaac. “He’s just…” Sam shrugged, gently, careful with their arm. “He’s… different.”

“He is,” Isaac said, and sat back against the cushions. Sam shivered slightly. Isaac’s eyebrows pulled together. “You cold?”

“A little,” Sam admitted. Something inside them bristled, just the slightest bit, at Isaac’s concern.

He was like this with me before I got hurt like this. He’s always been like this, with everyone. He can’t turn it off.

“Me, too,” Isaac said, and reached for the thinner blanket draped over the back of the couch. “It’s just been so hard to get… warm since…” He trailed off as he shook the blanket open and laid it over both their laps.

Sam pulled the blanket up around their shoulders and leaned against Isaac. Isaac automatically opened his arm to them and they cuddled against his side.

Just like before.

“S-so,” Isaac said softly, and Sam’s heart ached at the familiar sound of his guilt. “How��s the arm?”

“Um.” They squeezed their right hand into a fist – or tried to. Their thumb and first two fingers twitched, and their thumb shook as they forced it to bend. They bit their lip and grimaced, straining with all their might to just make a fist. Something they could do without even thinking with their left hand. But their right… Maybe there had been a little bit of improvement over the past few days. Or maybe there hadn’t. They couldn’t tell, not with the pain that drilled into their arm every minute…

But the pain was fading. Every day. Some days were worse than others, but every day there was a moment that hurt less than all the other moments. And every day, that moment was better than the day before.

They looked up and saw Isaac looking warily at them. They cleared their throat. “Oh. Um. Honestly, it’s… it’s better.”

Isaac’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? That’s… that’s great. What’s been different? Has the feeling come back yet? Have you—”

“N-no,” Sam said, and stared at the pattern of the blanket over them. “Not like that. It just… doesn’t hurt so much all the time.”

Isaac blinked and sat back. “That’s still great, Sam.”

Sam chewed their lip. Tears formed in their eyes. They didn’t know why, they were just there. They sniffed and wiped their eyes with the blanket.

“Hey,” Isaac said gently, and he… god, he really was starting to sound like himself more and more. More of the kind person Sam knew before… all this. Not that Isaac wasn’t kind now, but there was… a desperation to him. There was a sense of terror under his every movement, like he was one wrong touch or loud sound away from losing himself and hurting… anyone that got too close. That had been going away, too, though.

Sam glanced up at Isaac, just to catch him gesturing with his chin at Gavin. Sam hadn’t even realized the kitchen had gone silent until they looked over at Gavin, who was standing stock-still in the opening of the half-wall, his apron and the English muffin in his hand seemingly forgotten, looking at Sam with grief written plainly over his face. He jumped and hurried over to the stove, where Sam could hear the eggs poaching in water.

“I don’t know why I’m crying,” Sam said, swiping at their eyes.

Isaac snorted. “Whether I give you the list chronologically or from best to worst, it would take too long.” He wrapped his arm around their shoulders again, but didn’t squeeze. Sam was grateful. Although, out of everyone Isaac probably knew best how to avoid whip marks… except possibly Vera.

“No, it’s just… nothing’s going on now…” Embarrassed, Sam pressed their face into the blanket, the more they tried to hold back, the more their eyes seemed to leak tears.

“Doesn’t have to be,” Isaac said evenly, and Sam relaxed slightly with his even tone.

“It’s stupid,” Sam mumbled, and blushed with their voice broke.

“Sam. Hey.” They lifted their head and forced themself to meet Isaac’s eyes. He smiled and gently ruffled their hair. “You’re fine.”

Sam shrugged as they wiped their nose. They could smell the butter, could hear the ham sizzling in the pan as Gavin worked.

Isaac laughed weakly. “It’s… good to see you, Sam,” he said, sadness lacing the edges of his voice.

Sam grimaced. “I’ve been around.”

Isaac dipped his head. “You have. But… in your room a lot of the time. Which…” He held out his free hand in a supplicating gesture. “…if that’s where you need to be, you be there. Okay? It’s just…” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to their forehead. “It’s just good to see you out.”

Sam picked at the seam of their sling. “Yeah. I… I’ve been… hurting, and—”

“I know. And you aren’t obligated to see us. Ever.” Isaac leveled his gaze at them.

“I… I know. It’s just…” Sam bit their lip and pulled their knees in to their chest under the blanket, tucking their arm against their chest. “It’s just…” They shot a glance at Gavin, whisking something now, and back at Isaac. “So much of… I mean, you guys…” Sam huffed out a breath. “You all just look so… guilty. When you see me.”

Guilt crossed Isaac’s face. Sam braced for their own guilt, and disappointment, and… then Isaac’s face changed. He smiled ruefully. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” Sam gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Which, you know… I… It’s hard. And… and I feel guilty, too.”

Isaac’s eyebrows pulled together. “For… what, Sam?”

Sam tilted their head back against the couch cushions, tears brimming in their eyes again. “Same old, I guess,” they murmured. “I just… so many of you have been, um, hurt. Because of me. And I… I know that… last bit, with C-Colleen, when she…” They winced as the healing whip marks on their back suddenly burned. “…when she, um, made you say those things. And when I, um, got shot. I…” Sam gulped, and they were helpless against the tears that rolled back into their hair. “If it weren’t for me, you… would never have gotten hurt in the first place. With, um, Gavin. And I… I wanted to come on that mission. I know you didn’t want me to, and I went. And I… when we got taken, all I could, um, think was…” Their eyes slid closed, sending a stream of tears down their cheeks. “Um… all I could think was… ‘please let it just be me this time.’”

Isaac blew out a forceful breath. Sam blinked their eyes open and looked at him. “Oh,” he croaked, his own eyes faraway. “That’s um… exactly what, what I thought, um… too.”

“Well, um…” Sam swallowed the ache in their throat. “Yeah. That’s… that’s why I’ve been, um, in my room a lot. Because, uh… I hate seeing your guilt. And it makes me a hypocrite because I, ah, hate feeling, um, guilty.” They shrugged. “When I see your scars.”

Isaac turned his free arm over, and his gaze moved over the scars there: flat, silver marks from the heated blade of Gavin’s knife, and dozens of thin, pink slashes from his shoulder to his wrist, where Gavin had cut him at Colleen’s house. Those were healed, now, along with the fading ring of pink scars around his wrists where he’d been handcuffed, and fought against the restraints, every single day. Fighting to get to Sam.

“There are a lot more, now,” Isaac said softly, his voice trembling.

“We all have a lot more, now,” Sam said.

Isaac looked at them. “Sam, I… I know, I’m, I’m sorry…”

Sam glared lightly at Isaac. “You’re doing it again.”

Isaac blinked. “Fuck,” he breathed. “I don’t… I swear to god I don’t even… notice…”

“I know, Isaac,” Sam said sadly. They reached out and gently took Isaac’s wrist in their hand, moving their thumb over the scars on his wrists. “It’s just… what you do.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Isaac whispered, his eyes unfocused, like he wasn’t aware he was saying it out loud.

Sam’s lips pulled into a smile. More tears rolled down their cheeks, but they didn’t try to force them down, now. They leaned forward and pulled Isaac into a one-armed embrace. He held them gently, his breath huffing warmly against their hair.

“Um…”

They both glanced up to see Gavin standing over them, his eyes shifted down, one plate in each hand. The smell of Hollandaise and English muffins and ham and eggs washed over them. Their stomach grumbled again, and louder than before. Sam grinned and sat forward.

“We should probably eat at the table so we don’t, um, disturb the puzzle,” Gavin said, eyeing it. “I guess I…” He wandered over to the table and set the plates down. “I guess I could have, um, set that there, and…” He hurried back into the kitchen to grab one more plate and a handful of silverware.

Sam pushed off the blanket and got to their feet. “Smells good,” they said quietly.

Gavin’s head shot up as he set the third plate on the table. “Thank you,” he breathed, wide-eyed.

Sam sat in their seat, watching the curls of steam rise from the plate. Their mouth watered. Almost without thinking, it seemed, Isaac reached for their plate to cut up the food.

“Isaac,” Sam protested weakly. “Yours will get cold. I can, um, I can wait.”

Isaac froze, Sam’s knife and fork already cutting into the eggs benedict. Bright yellow yolk oozed across the plate.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Isaac said. “I didn’t think about it. I’m sorry. I can…” He glanced up at Sam. His lips slowly pulled into a smile. “How ‘bout I alternate? Cut a bite for me, cut a bite for you?”

“That sounds okay,” Sam said quietly.

Isaac cut a bite, carefully spearing the English muffin, ham, and egg, and sauce. He pushed the plate and fork towards Sam and cut a bite for himself.

Gavin had a bite almost all the way to his mouth when he shot to his feet. “You guys eat this with hot sauce,” he gasped, and sprinted to the kitchen. He was back in seconds with the bottle of hot sauce Gray had bought from a woman who grew the best peppers in Crayton – she said so.

Sam took up the fork in their left hand. Even that had gotten easier in the past two weeks. They lifted the fork to their mouth and took a bite, their eyes sliding shut at the hot food. It was delicious.

Continued here

@untilthepainstarts, @womping-grounds, @free-2bmee, @quirkykayleetam, @walkingchemicalfire, @inpainandsuffering, @redwingedwhump, @burtlederp, @castielamigos-whump-side-blog, @whatwhumpcomments, @cursedscribbles, @whumpywhumper, @stxck-fxck, @omega-em-z-02, @whumps-the-word, @justwhumpitwhumpitgood, @justplainwhump, @moose-teeth, @slaintetowhump, @finder-of-rings, @inky-whump, @thatsthewhump, @orchidscript, @insanitywishes, @this-mightaswell-happen, @newandfiguringitout, @whumpkitty, @pretty-face-breaker, @cinnamonflavoredhugs, @inaridriscoll, @im-just-here-for-the-whump, @endless-whump, @grizzlie70, @oops-its-whump

87 notes · View notes

every1studio · 5 years ago

Text

SERIES: “stages of love: everything happens for a reason” [ateez: ???]

genre: FLUFF + ANGST + DRAMA + EXTRA EXTRA LONG

ficstyle: bulletpoints + series [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [END]

prompt: inspired by “I Love You 3000″ by Stephanie Poetri + “Lay Me Down” by Sam Smith/John Legend + “All In My Head” by Tori Kelly + “Should’ve Been Us” Tori Kelly + “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran + “Little Do You Know” by Alex & Sierra + “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars

note: THANK YOU FOR ALL THE LOVE AND SUPPORT I GOT FROM THIS SERIES AND I HOPE YOU CAN SUPPORT MY FUTURE WORKS + PLEASE LISTEN TO THESE SONGS AS YOU READ THIS

your life was finally starting to come together after that party

you cut Yunho away from your life as Wooyoung came into your life

Wooyoung was the perfect boyfriend anyone could ever ask for

although there were times you felt like you weren’t enough for him, he made you feel like you were the only one that mattered in the world

he was your curtain you could hide behind when you were nervous or shy

and he was someone who hyped you up when you wanted to step out and be adventurous

he knew your likes and dislikes but always gave you the chance to try something new

little did you know, so did San

San knew just about everything that Wooyoung knew about you

but the only difference was, Wooyoung was the one holding your hand and he wasn’t

San was quietly cleaning the cups as he watched you and Wooyoung having a lovey-dovey conversation on your break

it was all of your last year of college; you still worked with San at his cafe, you also signed into a well-known music label as a producer by the end of your sophomore year and you had been dating Wooyoung since the party at the end of your freshman year

you told you only had small strokes of luck but you had been happy for a long time, you could hardly believe it

Wooyoung caught you staring at him for too long as he was trying to explain to you his plan after college

he couldn’t help but burst into heart-shaped bubbles

he gently pushes your forehead with his finger, “stop looking at me like that, or I’ll fall in love with you”

you pouted when he interrupted your daydreams with your future with him, “too bad..”

you leaned to squish his face, “you already are”

San couldn’t even look at the sight of you together; he was always “too busy” with the cafe to bother with you guys

would check up on you and hear about all the perfect things about Wooyoung but since then, he hasn’t been too close with you

because he knew if he did, he would fall for you harder and harder

San tried dating after you and Wooyoung became official

he tried to forget about you that way

he tried to give his dates his undivided attention

but the moment he’d see your silhouette, he would fall for you all over again

for a while, he kept his free time to a minimum to work at the cafe; so that would force him to keep some distance from you

he started to hire more people so that you could focus on school and spend least time with him

but every time you’d see him, you wanted to catch up and make plans with him

how could he say no?

“hey San!” you called over to his table

“what’s up?” he answered with his signature smile

“Wooyoung was wondering if you wanted to go to the summer festival with us tonight!” Wooyoung nodded at your suggestion

San massage the back of his neck, “I don’t know... it’s been pretty busy with the cafe and a lot of workers wanna go so I don’t have anyone to cover tonight’s shifts..”

you sulked at his answer and Wooyoung rubbed your hands to ensure that it was okay

“would you like us to help you out?” Wooyoung asked

San hated Wooyoung

he hated how nice he was

he hated how well he treated you

he hated how he made you happy

but those were the reasons for your smiles

and he couldn’t hate your smiles

“it’s okay! you two go out and have fun.. if the festival is still going on by the time the shop closes, I’ll let you know,” San tried hard to give you a genuine smile, “besides.. I have a date so maybe we can do a double date..”

he lied so that you wouldn’t suspect him of anything

you got super excited to see your best friend go on a date and to have you see him in action got you excited

Wooyoung smiled as he saw a resemblance between you and a puppy

“he said “maybe,” don’t get your hopes up too high” he laughed

Wooyoung got up, “well I gotta go head over to my last class of the day..”

you got over to his side to give him a kiss on the cheek, but he purposely move so that you’d kiss his lips instead

you blushed as you looked up at him

“see you later, cutie~” he blooped your nose

“bye~” you softly mumbled

he walked backwards as if he couldn’t get his eyes off of you until he made it to the door

he winked before he left the cafe and you could feel butterflies fill up your stomach

even though you’ve been with him for basically four years now, he still made you feel like everyday was a first date

just like that, you went back to work

you didn’t think about anything but going to the festival with Wooyoung

San saw how giddy you were

“Y/N?”

the way your hair turned and fell back in place when you turned to his call

he wanted to kiss you right then and there but he shook that thought away

one would’ve that after four years, San’s attraction towards you would falter

but it never did, not once

even after you dated Wooyoung, or dated other girls

“you can leave early to get ready for tonight.. you have like 30 minutes of your shift left anyways..”

you ran up and hugged him, “you’re the best boss and bestest friend ever!”

you ruffled his hair and grabbed your bag, “see you later!!”

the bell of the door chimed as you dashed out

“yeah.. see you later...”

you put on an outfit you were planning to wear along with the perfume Wooyoung got you for your one year anniversary

you couldn’t hide your excitement

you got a text from Wooyoung saying that he was outside waiting for you

you were too excited you didn’t see Yunho as you past by him down the staircase

since the party, Yunho hasn’t tried to talk to you

the bags under his eyes sunk in and they were always there no matter how much rest he got

he didn’t want to ruin your mood with him being around; so he did everything he could to stay clear out of your sight

he constantly looks at the pictures he has of you; especially the one you knew you had the matching one of

but you had that picture frame faced down and replaced with one with Wooyoung

that night, he broke up with Aurora, he told her that she deserved someone that could love her for her and help her to become a better person

to his surprise, she agreed to the breakup and both of them parted ways

Yunho hasn’t dated since

a lot as happen since then, he told Mingi about the incident during their late night calls

Mingi was so mad with him, he stopped talking to him for a straight month

Mingi entrusted Yunho to you yet he let some other guy swept you off of your feet

Mingi yelled at him; saying, that he worked so hard to move back to Korea for you, that he had you in his head while he was dealing his hard times at home, that he thought he was doing the right thing by making you “happy” and for what?

to have him fuck up; Mingi told Yunho that Yunho did make you happy at a point in time yet he was the one that took it away, of course you weren’t going to stay unhappy and miserable

at that moment after you past Yunho, Mingi called, “I’m coming back to Korea. you better clean up your act and tell her.. it’s been 4 years, man. If you don’t do it, I will..”

Yunho ended the call and ran his cold fingers through his hair, “easier said than done...”

you saw Wooyoung was waiting by his car with a bouquet of sunflowers tied with a beautiful, black satin ribbon that matched your outfit

“you shouldn’t have...” you reached for them

but he pulled them back, “what if I just got them for myself and I wanted to show them off to you?”

you crossed your arms and exhaled as you walked past to the passenger side of the door

he smiled through his rolled eyes as he wrapped his arms around to give you a back hug as he presented the bouquet

“you honestly can’t throw a little fit like that, princess.. I was just joking around~”

you were suppose to be pouting; but you couldn’t throw his addicting scent of his go-to cologne through his tight embrace

you grabbed the flowers and turned around to loop your arms through him

“you can’t go all romantic on me like that or I’ll fall in love with you”

Wooyoung smirks as he pulls you in closer to open the door behind you, “too late for that isn’t it, princess?”

he bloops you on the nose end the conversation and guides you to your seat, “milady?”

“thank you~”

how could this boy fill you up with heart-shaped bubbles inside?

you didn’t know the festival was going to be this crowded; finals were a couple weeks away so you figured everyone wanted to relax before the storm of stress hits

Wooyoung was already holding your hand as he held out his other one

“what?” you questioned

“your bag,” Wooyoung always held you bag, he didn’t care about what people would think if they saw him alone with your bag

you tried to hide your smile when he said, “can’t have my princess lifting even a finger now”

“okay. chill, prince charming~”

Wooyoung was listing the things he wanted to do but made sure that the ferris wheel was the last thing you guys would do before leaving

you were listening attentively to what he was saying until your stomach growled quite loudly despite of the loud festivities

he chuckles as he pulls you closer to him, “did I just hear your stomach growl?”

“maybe..” your face was growing a light flush of pink

Wooyoung shrugs his shoulders as he nods, “well since you’re not that hungry, we’re just gonna past the frozen custard and churros stand-”

“WAIT I’M ACTUALLY HUNGRY!” you pouted as you swung his arm back and forth

without another word, Wooyoung makes his way to the stand and has you wait for him by the table area near the water front

right around that time you saw Yeosang

although you haven’t talked to Seonghwa after you two broke up, you frequently talked to Yeosang whenever you saw him when you went to the campus bookstore that he worked in

but you knew that, where ever Yeosang was, Seonghwa was closeby

those two were inseparable

Yeosang saw how awkward it still was between you and Seonghwa, “I’m gonna go get churros!”

“wait Yeo..sang..” Seonghwa tried to call out to his friend but he already left

Yeosang ran to wait in line with Wooyoung; points back at you and Seonghwa and Wooyoung gives a nod of confirmation

you wondered how Wooyoung knew everyone; trying to ignore the fact that you were standing there with your ex you haven’t spoken to since freshman year

...

there was a moment of awkward silence; you were fiddling with the frayed strings of your skirt and Seonghwa was scuffing the ground with the bottom of his shoes

“you.. you look nice today...” Seonghwa tries to break the ice

you nodded without looking at him, “thanks...”

“um.. so I know it’s been a while.. but I want to apologize..”

that got your attention; so you looked up to hear him out

he missed those eyes, that face.. you

“I was a stupid, selfish freshman.. I know that I shouldn’t have done the things that I did and I know you deserve the world.. and I can see that you’re so much more happier now and it makes me happy to see you being with someone who can treat you better than I ever could and I want to say sorry for all the pain I caused and-”

you started to chuckle, “do you even breath? that’s a lot of “and’s” in one sentence”

he gives you a small smile, “will I ever be forgiven?”

“I never loathed you, Seonghwa. I just wanted to hear your side after all these years. honestly, if you apologized to me our freshman year, probably wouldn’t hear anything you had to say.. but I had a lot of time to think and reflect on what happened. I want to believe that everything happens for a reason.. the reason might not be the one we want it to be. but here we are..”

Seonghwa started to get nervous, for what reason, even he didn’t know what he was feeling inside, “so.. we’re good? we can move on from this, as friends?”

you stuck out your hand for him to take, “as friends”

he’ll take that offer over the selfish ex-boyfriend as he takes your hand

you both stood there for a moment until you felt a heavy arm on your shoulders; the familiar scent of Versace Dylan Blue cologne

Wooyoung gently pulled you hand back from Seonghwa’s, “holding on a little too long there, buddy..”

Yeosang comes back and nudges the cup of frozen custard topped with bite-sized churros to him, “everything good?”

Seonghwa nods as he takes a bite, “got everything off of my chest.. well, we’ll see you two around!”

Seonghwa pushes Yeosang in a different direction; the boys wave goodbye to you and you wave back, happy knowing that you got some closure from that old relationship

“did you get everything off of your chest too?” Wooyoung knew all about your previous boy problems; he was a good listener and a better advice giver

you nodded; re-latching yourself onto his arm

Wooyoung heard the sound of some guitar tuning and tugged you along, “I think there’s a performance going on!”

you quickly saw who was on stage, it was Jongho

“this is my first public performance and I’m really nervous. so before I start, I just want to give a special thanks..” it was like Jongho sensed that you were there when he made eye contact with you

“a special thanks to my role model and my senior, you all probably know her, Miss. Y/N,” he formally gestures his hands over to you and everyone just looks at you

although you were slightly shy, you didn’t look at anyone else but Jongho as you gave him a thumbs up

“Y/N, really helped me write my first song and it is my first time performing it, she also taught me a lot about singing techniques and music producing.. so I want to dedicate this song to her..”

to make his statement less of a confession, he adds in, “her and her boyfriend because they are such a power couple and I aspire to have a relationship like them one day..”

people started giggling at his statement; saying stuff like how cute he was and how thoughtful he was

Wooyoung chimes in with the crowd, “he’s a good kid”

Jongho sings his song as he thinks about how lucky he was to be signed into the same label as you, without any prior knowledge of you signing with any company

he wanted to be a singer as you wanted to be a producer; so he didn’t see you as often as he saw the other trainees

but every time that he did see you, he took every chance he got to talk to you about composing and lyric writing and just everything about producing makeup

his love for you is a love of respect; not in anyway romantic

you could feel his love through his song and you nearly cried

“he’s gotten so good at singing...” you mumbled as you were about to have tears fall from your eyes

Wooyoung holds onto your hands a little tighter, “thanks to the best teacher anyone could ask for~”

you smiled even after he finished the performance and disappeared backstage

Wooyoung saw a Shoot-The-Duck booth as you were gushing about Jongho’s performance

before he could say anything about going over to the booth, you saw a HUGE Gudetama plushie that had a crown on it’s head that you REALLY wanted and pointed to it

“BABE-”

“I gotchu..” you both walk over to it when you notice that person in charge of the booth was Hongjoong

he was flirting with a girl that was trying to get a plushy without playing the game; but he was being stern at the same time

“sorry, sweetheart.. I wouldn’t get paid if I did that..”

Hongjoong was still as beautiful as ever; even though he was probably just eye candy from the start

when the girl walks away, Hongjoong’s fell onto you

“trying to win the lady over here some plushies?” he hugs a Sanrio plushy, “I got some pretty good ones but because it’s sucha high quality set on display.. it’s gonna be pretty hard to score even the little one”

Wooyoung just nods as he hands a ticket over to Hongjoong, “I’ll try anyways..”

Hongjoong loads the toy rifle with 10 tiny rubber bullets, “shoot away~”

you stand back with Hongjoong to let Wooyoung do this thing

“how are things going lately?” you asked him; you both were classmates in a lot of classes through the four years of college, so small talk was normal

“I got a girl now. she’s not as amazing as you, but you could say I’m pretty lucky to have her,” he showcases that oh-so-lovely smile at you,“she’s got flaws but it’s only been a month now.. I can say she’s a pretty hairy gal..”

you gave him a jokingly-extra surprised face, “way to call out a flaw on a girl, what’s her name?”

“her name is Luna~” he shows you the lockscreen on his phone

it was a picture of him and his husky/corgi puppy

you couldn’t help but laugh, “she’s a keeper”

“excuse me, sir. could I get my lady her gift now?” Wooyoung shoves himself in between you and Hongjoong

you both looked over at the shelf with the fallen king Gudetama on the ground

Hongjoong smiles as he collects the gift and gives it to you, “Wooyoung’s a lucky guy~”

you answered back when Wooyoung took the plushy from you, “I’m actually the lucky one here~”

“see you later, man” Wooyoung says to Hongjoong

you finally got to experience the rest of the festival with a lighter heart

at the corner of your eye, you swore you saw Mingi and Yunho but you didn’t get a chance to confirm when Wooyoung interrupted you

“babe, lets go to the ferris wheel~”

you smiled back at him to let him lead the way

you tried to look back to where you thought you saw them, but they weren’t there

you were waiting in line with Wooyoung when he told you he had to go to the bathroom

Mingi shakes Yunho from behind the pole; he whispers loudly, “HE’S LEAVING TO GO TO THE BATHROOM. GO! I’LL DISTRACT HIM IF HE FINISHES QUICKLY!”

Mingi shoves Yunho towards your direction and awkwardly walks quickly into Wooyoung’s direction

“Yunho?” you called out to him

he looks back at you and then Mingi, “y-yeah..”

“are you here with Mingi? I thought I saw him earlier..” you mumbled as you looked around Yunho; ignoring the fact that this was the first time you were talking to Yunho since the party

“Mingi had to go to the bathroom,” Yunho mumbled as he shoved his hands into his pockets; slightly upset that you were more interested in seeing Mingi than him

but then again, he wasn’t surprised by your reaction to him

“you two ready to go on?” the ferris wheel operator asked

you looked for Wooyoung but he couldn’t get back into line; Mingi was with him

Mingi yelled, “just go on with Y/N, I’ll go on with my buddy, Wooyoung here!”

Wooyoung really did make friends everywhere he went

you looked at Wooyoung for some indication that he might say no, but just shooed you to go on without him

you awkwardly went into the carriage with king Gudetama and Yunho

“I hope this was a good idea,” Wooyoung murmurs to Mingi

Mingi slings his arm around Wooyoung, “Yunho’s got 30 minute to make it up to her.. have a little faith”

the first 5 minutes were just you two breathing the awkward air as the carriage slowly raised up into the air

the whole time Yunho just thought about how he wanted to be the one you went home with every night, the only laying next to you with his arms around you..the one to love you through and through

you took the time to look around the campus; spotting all the places you’ve been to and all the streets you walked on

you saw San’s cafe; all the lights were off

you hoped to see him after this awkward carriage ride to tell him all about your day and to see his date

“Y/N..” Yunho broke the silence

“hmm..” you didn’t look at him; you couldn’t

“I..”

“I don’t want to hear an apology.. I just want to know the truth..” you mumbled

it was different getting an apology from Seonghwa versus getting one with Yunho

Yunho was a part of your past, a ghost of your present, and a thought of your future

he told you about how he confronted Aurora and how she was filled with hatred towards you; how she controlled him, how she was going to hurt herself if Yunho ever left her, and how she forbade him to tell you about the situation and to never ever talk to you

you must admit that would’ve been a sticky situation to deal with

but it wasn’t enough to mend the relationship you two used to have

you couldn’t say anything when he finished telling you EVERYTHING about how you two fell apart before the party

all of this took an additional 10 minutes of him rambling trying to get you to understand why he did the things he did

taking your silence as a sign that wasn’t enough, he continued

“I miss you..” you could hear his voice breaking apart

you couldn’t help but feel choked up by his voice; you clenched your plushy tighter

“you don’t get to do that to me..” your voice was breaking even though you forced yourself not to

but when you looked up at him, tears fell from your face, “you can’t expect me to wait for you throughout my childhood, basically thinking that you were dead.. then coming back into my life only to have it break apart because you thought I deserved better?”

Yunho didn’t know what to say but he wanted to respond to you

you cut him off as you shook your shake

“I loved you... I didn’t care if it made me happy or anything.. I just wanted to be with you.. that made me happy. didn’t I show you that? was it real or was it all in my head?”

the awkward air in the carriage became humid with tears and sniffling gasps for air to push away the lumps in your throats

“you never said-”

“actions speak louder than words, Yunho!”

“but actions without words are confusing! I don’t know everything! I can’t read minds, Y/N!”

he exhaled sharply to calm himself down and you did the same

you were selfish, but you thought that you had the right to be after all that Yunho has done

“nothing I say now can take away what I did to you four years ago, Y/N.. but I really do love you and care for you still to this day.. you’ll always be apart of me even if I’m not in yours..”

you agreed, nothing he said could take away the pain you felt but hopefully, one day, you both can move on from this

“I do appreciate Wooyoung being the one caring for you though.. you two look so great together..” you could feel the sincerity in his voice

you wished he could’ve said the same about you two four years ago; that it should’ve been you two instead

and like that the 30 minute ferris wheel ride was over

Wooyoung and Mingi decided not to go on the ferris wheel and waited for you and Yunho instead

Wooyoung came up to you as the operator opened to door for you and Yunho

“you okay, princess?” he notices your slightly puffy eyes

“yeah we had a deep conversation but I think all is well now..” you manage to say

Yunho was so relieved to hear that, he didn’t notice Wooyoung getting on one knee in front of you

“Y/N...”

your eyes widened as you started to shake in pure astonishment

“Woo- baby.. you..wha-what are you...” you couldn’t even form a sentence properly

“I was going to do this in the carriage of the ferris wheel so this will have to do,” Wooyoung pulls out a sapphire velvet ringbox and lifts it open

everyone around you could see the most beautiful ring you’ve ever seen

it looked like something the Great Gatsby would’ve proposed to Daisy with

“you mean the world to me.. and I would do anything in the world to have you by my side.. so would you take the chance to rule the world with me as my queen?” Wooyoung looks at you through his slightly long bangs; you could tell there was none of his usually teasing demeanor in sight

“Y/N.. will you marry me?”

San dropped the bouquet of baby’s breath he got for you; the first bouquet he’s ever bought for a girl, his first love

the girl who made him feel what love was for the first time

San was going to confess to you; more so just tell you how much you meant to him, how you were the most important person in the world to him, how you were the one his wishing star told him to meet

but he was too late.. one year? two years? three years? four?

he should’ve told you about his feelings for you when he walked you to the train tracks that one sunset four years ago

he never used those chances that he could’ve had with you; all for the reason that things between you two could never be the same

and now, fate was sealed, you two would never be the same

San runs past you as you were congratulated by everyone around you

Yunho clenches his jaw as he smiles for you; he saw this coming but not this soon

Mingi swallows the lump in his throat as he ruffles your hair, “she’s all grown up now.. the band would be so happy to see their baby sister in one of her happiest moments of life”

everything was happening so fast; you could feel the world spinning around you

but when San briskly walks past you, the spinning came to a stop

you kisses Wooyoung as you told him you’d be right back

you ran after him as you called out to him

he couldn’t hear you; you tried your best to get as close to him as possible

San thought he was hearing things when he could hear you call his name louder and louder

he turns and sees you chasing after him

he immediately stops and lets you catch your breath

“why didn’t you say hi or anything?” you huffed and puffed

San grabbed your hand and placed it on his heart

he was falling out of his usually calm state and started to show more of his real self; he wasn’t okay, he was heartbroken, he’s been heartbroken

“even though you just ran, why does my heart feel like it’s my heart is beating faster than yours?” you were confused at what he was trying to say

“San.. are you oka-”

“NO! I’M NOT!”

you’ve never heard him yell or raise his voice

“I’ve been by your side for so long.. I knew you never saw me the way I saw you. I ignored it. I tried to move on. I thought my actions would be loud enough for you to hear.. but why do you keep on making my heart beat so fast for? why do..”

San looks up at you with his glossy-coated eyes, “why do I love you?”

your mouth opened in shocked; San? you?

you could recall having deja vu when you said the same thing to Yunho

San felt his hand placed around the ring that Wooyoung proposed to you with and let go of it

“I tried to be “just friends,” but you know what? everything happens for a reason right? I’m sorry, pretend this never happened..” San smiles through his visible tears

“San..” you reached for him but he stepped back

“congratulations Y/N... Wooyoung is one lucky guy...”

San runs as soon as he saw Wooyoung run up behind you, “babe, is everything okay?”

all you wanted to do was cry into his chest

Wooyoung didn’t question anything after he saw you breakdown

Yunho happens to find a bouquet of baby’s breath on the ground near the ferris wheel waiting area, “what’s a perfectly good bouquet doing on the ground?”

he finds a card written inside

he recognized the handwriting and signature, it was his current roommate’s, San’s

it said everything that San had just told you

he chuckles as he stares up into the setting sun-colored clouds, “there’s really no one in this world like Y/N...”

[FAST-FORWARD TO ONE YEAR AFTER YOU ALL GRADUATE]

it was your wedding day

you never thought that your scrapbook of your ideal wedding from high school would in handy

everything was perfectly the way you would’ve thought royalties would have their weddings

and your dress?

it was specifically designed for you by Hongjoong who graduated as a fashion designer

“are you sure you don’t wanna ditch this wedding and runaway with me?” Hongjoong joked as he made the final touches to your dress

“I think I love my soon-to-be husband too much for that. sorry Hongjoong~” you have him a just-as-joking face of condolence

the hair and makeup crew came in for their final touches as well

Hongjoong dramatically bows, “I’ll see you at the alter, my sweets”

“yeah in your dreams~” you smiled at him

you chatted with the crew when you saw Yunho walk in baring a little bag

“Yunho!” you slapped him on the arm, “what are you doing in here!?”

everything was how it used to be with Yunho; minus the romantic aspect

he gave you a sincere smile as he hands you the bag, “thought you’d look better than you already do with these”

you rolled your eyes as you opened them; it was a pair of stunning earrings

“you shouldn’t have..” you pouted at him

he shrugs with his lips curved to the skies, “just putting the cherry on top for your special day~”

you thanked Yunho with a hug; he envelopes you like a teddy bear and kisses your head

he wishes that time would stop right there; hoping that it would be like how it used to be

but time stops for no one and he walks out the door just like that

“SURPRISE!”

Mingi comes in shortly after with the band, recording your reaction, “I THOUGHT YOU GUYS COULDN’T MAKE IT!!”

they all came in to give you a group hug; Mingi didn’t even join because 1) he was behind the camera and 2) he was just in awe to see how beautiful you were clad in white

“thanks for coming.. it means so so much to me..”

“and you mean so so much to us. of course we would come, silly goose..” the bassist of the band pinches your cheeks and the others laugh

Mingi could’ve had a chance with you if he wasn’t so insecure in himself; he was so love in with you it scared to and made him back away

but this was fine

because he convinced himself that you wouldn’t be this happy if you were with him a long time ago

Jongho came in with a big flower sign from the company and gifted you and Wooyoung with a song he wrote; you had invited him as the spotlight singer for your wedding and Jongho couldn’t say no to that

Yeosang and Seonghwa came in to greet you as well, they were your flower boys because honestly you and Wooyoung didn’t think of that until last minute; frankly speaking all the other ladies who attended the wedding probably wouldn’t mind seeing some flower-looking flower boys

everyone had left the room when San was leaning by the door

he saw you in your element; fiddling with the earrings that got caught in your veil

he doesn’t say anything when he walks over to help you

“San?” you were surprise to even see him

he’s turned into an acquaintance the after day he confessed to you

even when you tried to make conversations with him, he’d answer them bluntly and go back to whatever he was doing

you thought lost your best friend; he never made time for you anymore after that incident

but something in your heart told you that it was more than just that

you haven’t seen him since you graduated

you sent him an invite but even you were skeptical that he wouldn’t come

he looks different now

he dyed his hair blonde and it was pushed back

he wore a simple light grey suit; formal enough to be worn at a wedding but it was a pretty casual look compared to everyone else

“I didn’t think you were going to come..”

“why wouldn’t I?” his voice was softer and deeper than you remembered, “my best friend is getting married.. I wouldn’t miss it for the world..”

you knew how hard it must’ve been for him

but since he slowly detached himself from your life, it’s been hard on you too

you truly missed him

you didn’t know what to say; there were so many emotions running through your head and heart

“I got you something. could you lift up your veil?”

you did as he asked and you could see his face ever so clearly

was he always this handsome?

when San made eye contact with you, he remembers all the feelings he tried to push away since he confessed to you

he places a necklace around your neck; it was dainty and it had yours and Wooyoung’s initials on strung onto the chain with diamonds in between each letter

“think of it as your final paycheck..”

there it was

his signature smile

his hands left the clasp of the necklace and you wanted to grab his hands

but you didn’t

“you look beautiful, Y/N.. you truly are one of a kind...” San shoves his hands in his pockets and left the room

what moments lead up to this?

what feelings did you have bottled up inside?

what lies were you feeding yourself?

what lies were you feeding to others?

you couldn’t help but cry as you frantically get up to run

Wooyoung turned his head as he saw the beautiful sight of you

“Y/N, you know it’s bad luck to see each other before the wed- are you crying? babe what’s wrong?”

how could you tell Wooyoung you loved him when you loved someone else?

you wanted to tell yourself that that person that made you second guess yourself on your wedding day was the same person you thought you told yourself that you could never be interested in them

but Wooyoung saw through you

he knew everything

he knew the moment he met you for the first time; accompanied by San

he knew the moment he saw how you interacted with San

if anything, he was also convincing himself that there wasn’t anything there

Yunho gave Wooyoung the bouquet of baby’s breath right after your encounter with San; he read the card

Wooyoung always lived his life honestly but wanted to be selfish for once in his life

Wooyoung reached for your left ring finger and gently took off the ring, “everything happens for a reason, right?”

you felt so sorry towards Wooyoung; he didn’t deserve this

but he wiped your tears as if he could read your mind and kissed your forehead, “I’ll give up the world for you. even if I’m not going to be apart of your world, you’ll always be in mine.. I don’t think I’ll love anyone as much as I love you... but!”

he flips your veil, “you need to be with the one you truly love.. that would make me the happiest man in the world..”

“Wooyoung...” you gave him one last bittersweet kiss

he reaches into his pocket and hands you his card

“people are going to ask a lot of questions about this.. I think you should hide for a while.. I got this..”

he gently pushes you to the door; not giving you time to protest

“go to him... go to San..”

you cried as you looked at Wooyoung who was standing there by him lonesomeness

you turned and ran; because if you stayed for a second longer, you wouldn’t have the heart to leave him the way you just did

Wooyoung cried for the first time in his life as he clenched the ring he thought would promise you happiness

you ran

heels tacking against the marbled floor

you didn’t care that guests were coming into the venue; you had to find San

you saw his figure getting into his car

you knew you had no chance to catch up to him in your heels

so you through them away and ran to him

but you stopped when you saw a silhouette of another woman wiping his tears

he grabs her hands and kisses her forehead

then he kisses her lips

you were seeing things?

the car backed up to exit the venue

that was when everything was as clear as it could’ve got

San was with someone else; he was crying in someone else’s arms

she was someone that was going to mend his broken heart from you

he looks out the window one last time; praying that you’ll have a happily ever after

that was when he saw you; face covered in tears dress slightly tattered from the gravel on the ground

that sight of you like that would be ingrained in his head forever

he wanted to stop the car

he wanted to run to you

but he had no courage to

because if he did, he would never let you go

so he let the car sped away from the venue, from you

Wooyoung saw all of this happen from the window of his room and ran to where you were

guilt washed over you

how could you ever love someone without feeling like you were the caused of all the misfortune of love around you ever again?

you weren’t mad at anyone but yourself

you felt a warm embrace; the scent of a familiar Versace Dylan Blue cologne

you never thought you smelled this scent ever again

you thought this scent would leave you forever

“I’m sorry.. Wooyoung, I’m so sorry..” you chanted

you knew he was crying before you felt pellets of tears fall onto your veil

he carried you back into the venue

“we don’t have to do the wedding if you don’t want to... you don’t have to be with me-”

you shook your head to shake out the tears and any other second doubts you had in your mind, “please don’t let me go.. ever again...”

at this point, neither one of you knew who was the selfish one in this moment

Hongjoong shooed Wooyoung away to fix your dress while the hair and makeup crew dragged him out

the wedding went on like how it was planned

you and Wooyoung were the only one who knew of what happened and it was slowly pushed to the farther-most corner of your minds

time is foe enemy but time is also a foe

what did you regret?

what would you give to turn the clock back in time?

would you have said those unspoken words?

Hongjoong would’ve

Yunho would’ve

Mingi would’ve

Jongho?

Yeosang?

Seonghwa?

San?

even Wooyoung?

everything happens for a reason; you knew that

but not everyone knows what the reason is

the reason could be happiness

the reason could be anger

the reason could be guilt

the reason could be an answer

but the reason could be a question

END

I FINISHED THIS AT 7AM PST LOL. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE LOVE AND SUPPORT! I WILL BE CONTINUING WRITING REQUESTS. THIS SERIES WAS A JOURNEY AND NOW IT’S OVER.

[ masterlist + guidelines ]

279 notes · View notes

travisandersondatingblog · 6 years ago

Text

How To Move On When You Still Love Him: 15 Ways Move Forward With Your Life

After a big heartbreak, you’re struggling with how to move on when you still have strong feelings. From where you stand, it seems plain impossible that you’d ever be able to get over him.

Whether he ended it because he wasn’t ready to commit…

You broke up with him because you caught him cheating…

Or the two of you simply argued all the time…

Whatever the reason the relationship ended, you’re wondering whether it was the right decision after all. And yet, he seems to have less trouble figuring out how to move on from you…so why are you finding this so hard?

I’ve worked with thousands of men and women as a dating coach, and believe me: I’ve seen it all. There’s one thing I know to be true with breakups: the fact that it’s over is a sign it wasn’t meant to be.

Absorb that for a moment.

This wasn’t The One. It may have felt like he was. But he wasn’t. The sooner you accept this, the sooner you figure out how to move on, and the sooner you can heal.

How to Move On (15 Ways)

youtube

The strategies you use in how to move on will be your unique recipe for finding happiness again, but here are some proven tips I’ve seen work with my clients (and myself!).

1. Stop Texting or Talking to Him

I know, this sounds easier than it is, especially if he’s reaching out to you, trying to get you back. When you’re down, hearing from the man you loved (or still do) can be like a boost of serotonin. He still cares about you! That feels good, right?

The problem with this is that having this attention makes it too easy to forget why you broke up. You rationalize (with your very irrational post-breakup brain) that if he still loves you…and you still love him…why shouldn’t you be together?

I’m going to have to put my foot down here and insist on zero contact. Sure, if you have kids together, you’re going to have to communicate about logistics, but even then, stick to business-only and avoid communicating about your relationship.

I guarantee if you implement the 3-week No Contact Rule, you’ll have a much different perspective about things than you do right now.

2. Unfollow Him on Social Media

It’s kinda funny how we are as a society these days: when you start a relationship, you announce it on Facebook, where it becomes “official” once you’ve changed your relationship status. You do the same after a relationship has ended, but you also ceremonially “unfriend” the guy on Facebook and other social channels to communicate your pain to him.

I have slightly different advice. On Facebook, you have the option to unfollow him without unfriending him. This makes less of a loud statement (“you broke my heart and now I don’t wanna see your face in my feed!”) and if you ever do want to see what he’s up to…down the road after you’ve healed, you still have that ability.

Still, resist the urge to see what he’s been up to on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter or anywhere. It will only hurt you. If you want to know how to move on, you have to stop caring (or at least pretend not to) about what he’s doing.

Just think: if you saw a photo of him and another girl, how would you feel? Don’t take that chance. Stay away!

3. Stop Telling Yourself Stories About How Great Things Could Have Been

Don’t play the “what could have been” game!

I gave up too soon. We could have made it…

Humans do something kind of funny. While they’re in a bad situation, they fully recognize that things are crap. But when they’re out of it, it’s like a fog of forgetfulness rolls in and they can’t remember any of the negative aspects of the relationship.

Its like having a bad job. You reluctantly roll out of bed every morning, cursing the world, only to come home every night to bitch to your friends about how awful work is. Would you then quit just to start telling yourself that it wasn’t so bad because so-and-so brought in Munchkins once a week? NO! Buy your own damn Munchkins, start looking for a new job, and remember how great it is to not deal with that bitchy co-worker Sam, and in no time you’ll be making twice the salary and eating those delicious little donut holes every morning.

Your relationship ended for a reason. To tell yourself otherwise is to tell yourself lies. I know that right now your relationship looms large in the rearview mirror. But one day — with a little time and healing — it’ll be further away, and you’ll have better perspective on why he wasn’t the right man for you.

4. Take Care of Yourself

I know all you want to do is wallow on the couch, not eating and crying your eyes out, but I really need you to understand that taking care of yourself is part of knowing how to move on.

You are incredibly precious. This man didn’t have a clue how wonderful you were. And even if it’s hard for you to accept, I need you to treat yourself like you love yourself. That means getting out of the house and going for a walk. Spending time with friends (they’re your support group, after all).

Exercise is a wonderful way to heal. It releases endorphins that act as painkillers for that broken heart. Read The Secret. Go to a paint party. Do something that benefits you, while taking your mind off him.

I’m not saying you can’t have a Bridget Jones bingefest with Ben & Jerry on the side. Feel free to have a wallow day or two. It’s good for you. Just don’t make the wallowing your permanent state. Keep your goal in mind: feeling good and whole again. It may seem light years away, but if you take care of yourself, you’ll get there faster.

5. Get Back to Being Social

Believe me: I know how incredibly challenging these strategies for moving on can be. I know you don’t feel like being social. But I also know that if you are, you’ll heal faster.

Friends are so critical to moving on and feeling more like yourself again. Did you realize there are different types of friends you’ll need after a breakup?

There’s the friend who says comforting things, like “you’re better off without him. You’ll find someone new!”

There’s the friend who will get you drunk to forget the pain and try to hook you up with this guy she knows.

There’s the friend who will come over, throw open the curtains, and demand you finally get dressed and get out of the house.

There’s the friend who will just listen, not giving an opinion one way or another.

The fact is: you need all of these friends to get through this hard time. If you’ve built a loving and supportive network of friends you can turn to exactly the kind of person you need in the moment. But beyond simply talking to your friends, make sure you’re also getting out with them. Don’t skip your weekly girls’ night because you feel sorry for yourself. You’ll feel so much better surrounded by people who love you, who will tell you that you made the right decision and that they’re there for you.

6. Start Dating Again

via GIPHY

I know, I know: in no way do you feel up for dating right now. But all I’m asking you is to be open to it. When you’re ready to put yourself back out there for the right reasons — not to forget your heartbreak or make him jealous — you may find that you simply enjoy going out with a man who appreciates you.

You don’t have to fall in love. But you might be surprised at how you notice little things that you like better with a new date than the man you’ve been struggling to get over.

Maybe you go on a date with a guy who showers you with compliments…your ex never did.

Maybe your date takes charge planning your evening…your ex was always wishy-washy about making plans.

Maybe the guy you meet on a dating app texts every day to check in with you…your ex took forever to respond to your texts.

Even if you’re not ready for a serious relationship yet, dating again can help you clarify what you’re looking for in a mate…and show you what you were lacking with the last guy.

7. Get Therapy if You Need It

Some people figure out how to move on after a heartbreak on their own, while others need professional help doing so. There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeing a therapist, and it could, in fact, help you heal faster, according to a study published in Social Psychological & Personality Science.

You may feel like you’re wearing out your welcome, complaining and crying to your friends. But if you’re not moving on, you still need someone to talk to. A therapist has experience helping people heal and may see aspects of your situation that you couldn’t see on your own.

Especially if you’re dealing with depression, I encourage you to see a licensed mental health professional. You may be surprised at how much better you feel.

8. Have a Good Cry (or Three)

Before you try to be all Wonder Woman and not cry, let me argue in favor of crying as an emotional release. Think about the last time you had a good cry (it might have been today!). While you may have felt terrible while you were sobbing, I would bet money that after you finished, you felt better.

Throw in sad music for even better results. No, really. Think back to your eighth-grade self. What did you do after Billy rejected you? You listened to Tori Amos or Alanis Morrisette and bawled your eyes out.

Guess what? It still works.

A recent scientific study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, found that listening to a sad song and crying is cathartic and healing.

Who are you to go up against science? Embrace your eighth-grade habit. Maybe replay those songs that got you gushing back then. Or find new ones. Your sad playlist will be different than anyone else’s, but I bet you already know those tear-jerking songs you want on that list, right? Grab your box of tissues and go for it.

9. Stop Replaying Your Greatest Hits Reel in Your Head

Your best-of reel could easily turn into a horror film.

Since you’re not sleeping much these days, you find yourself playing a little film in your head at night.

The first time you kissed him…

The first time he told you he loved you…

That trip to San Francisco…

The problem with this movie you’re playing is that it just features your relationship’s greatest hits. If you’re honest with yourself, it was probably way crappier in real life than you’re remembering it to be. So the next time you find yourself daydreaming about your perfect relationship with this guy, get real.

Add the time he yelled at you in front of your friends…

Or was late for a date for the umpteenth time…

The time you caught him cheating…

If you’re going to relive the good times, you also need to relive the bad ones. This will help you remember why you left and why he’s not right for you. It’ll be easier to figure out how to move on if you are realistic about what your relationship really was.

10. Stop Blaming Yourself

“If only I…

…told him I loved him more…

…did what he told me…

…wasn’t so uptight about monogamy…

…was prettier…”

More than likely, you’re blaming yourself in some way, even if the relationship didn’t end because of you. You feel like if you’d acted differently, if you’d been different, things might have worked out.

Everyone’s got an opinion about Fate, but let’s look at it like this: if you believe that everything is predestined, then you were with this guy exactly as long as you were supposed to be. You could not have changed the outcome by acting differently. You owe it to yourself to always be authentic, and if you were doing that, then how can you expect that if you acted like someone else, things would have been better?

This is not your fault. You were supposed to have this relationship for as long as it lasted.

11. Stop Talking About Him

Your best friend: “You should wear the red dress tonight when we go out.”

You: “Ted loved me in that dress…”

Your best friend: “Let’s go out for tacos.”

You: “Ted loved cheesy gordita crunches…”

If every other word out of your mouth is your ex’s name, it’s time to be aware of that and change the habit. If you’re talking about him, it means you’re thinking about him, and if you’re thinking about him, you’re not successfully learning how to move on.

Put a rubber band on your wrist. Every time you start to talk about him, snap it (or better yet, have your friend snap it). This will make you aware of the habit and break you of it.

12. Know That He Wasn’t The One

Knowing he wasn’t the one will help you mend that broken heart.

I’ve said this a few ways in this article, but bottom line is: this wasn’t Mr. Right. There was some reason (or likely many reasons) you weren’t supposed to be with him long-term. If you clear away all the good memories, you’ll find those reasons.

Be assured, however, that ending things with this guy makes you free to find the guy who is right for you. You now know more about what your dream guy will be like (at least, you’ll know what he won’t be like) and can put your energy into finding the man who will make you happy every single day. This was not him.

13. Forgive Him

Don’t misunderstand me: I’m not suggesting you forgive your ex for his wrongs and take him back. But there is healing power in forgiving and moving on.

When you forgive him for hurting you, you release those negative emotions that were trapped in your head. This frees your heart and allows it to heal more easily.

You don’t have to tell him to his face that you’ve forgiven him. You don’t have to tell him at all. This is for you.

Write a letter to your ex, expressing your hurt about what happened. Then, write those simple words: “I forgive you.”

It may take a while to actually believe those words, but over time, you will and you will learn to let the past go. You can’t change the past, so the best thing you can do is let go of it.

14. Take Lessons Away from the Relationship

One day, when you have a different perspective, you will be able to take away lessons from the relationship. It might not happen today, but it will happen.

Maybe being with this guy taught you how to be open to love, or be more assertive, or even to trust your gut next time.

Maybe you learned that you needed to work on being more authentic in a relationship.

Maybe you learned that intellect and good conversation is super important to you.

Rather than look at this relationship as a waste of time ending in heartbreak, find that silver lining. Something good comes out of everything, even the tough stuff.

Make a list of what you liked in your relationship, what you learned about yourself, and what you discovered about what you want in future relationships. You might be shocked that this list is pretty long!

15. Give Yourself Time

I’m not going to lie: learning how to move on takes time. There’s no schedule for it. What might take your best friend two weeks to get over may take you a heck of a lot longer.

Be okay with it taking time.

Don’t rush it. You can’t rush grief, and in fact, trying to rush it will only prolong the pain.

So settle in with it. Accept that on any given day, you may feel like crap. You may be unable to see that light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to trust that it will come.

Conclusion:

Healing takes time, but you will get there!

The good thing about learning how to move on is that it gets easier. Maybe this is your first real heartbreak and you’re struggling with the process. But if there is a next time that your heart gets hurt (and I sincerely hope there is not), it may be a little easier to work through the pain and get to healing because you already have those strategies for how to move on faster.

You know what works for you after going through it once. You know, for example, that from Meet Positives SM Feed 3 https://ift.tt/2vTMVOG via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Meet Positives SM Feed 3

0 notes

fayecallasdatingblog · 6 years ago

Text

How To Move On When You Still Love Him: 15 Ways Move Forward With Your Life

After a big heartbreak, you’re struggling with how to move on when you still have strong feelings. From where you stand, it seems plain impossible that you’d ever be able to get over him.

Whether he ended it because he wasn’t ready to commit…

You broke up with him because you caught him cheating…

Or the two of you simply argued all the time…

Absorb that for a moment.

This wasn’t The One. It may have felt like he was. But he wasn’t. The sooner you accept this, the sooner you figure out how to move on, and the sooner you can heal.

How to Move On (15 Ways)

youtube

The strategies you use in how to move on will be your unique recipe for finding happiness again, but here are some proven tips I’ve seen work with my clients (and myself!).

1. Stop Texting or Talking to Him

I guarantee if you implement the 3-week No Contact Rule, you’ll have a much different perspective about things than you do right now.

2. Unfollow Him on Social Media

Just think: if you saw a photo of him and another girl, how would you feel? Don’t take that chance. Stay away!

3. Stop Telling Yourself Stories About How Great Things Could Have Been

Don’t play the “what could have been” game!

I gave up too soon. We could have made it…

4. Take Care of Yourself

I know all you want to do is wallow on the couch, not eating and crying your eyes out, but I really need you to understand that taking care of yourself is part of knowing how to move on.

5. Get Back to Being Social

Believe me: I know how incredibly challenging these strategies for moving on can be. I know you don’t feel like being social. But I also know that if you are, you’ll heal faster.

Friends are so critical to moving on and feeling more like yourself again. Did you realize there are different types of friends you’ll need after a breakup?

There’s the friend who says comforting things, like “you’re better off without him. You’ll find someone new!”

There’s the friend who will get you drunk to forget the pain and try to hook you up with this guy she knows.

There’s the friend who will come over, throw open the curtains, and demand you finally get dressed and get out of the house.

There’s the friend who will just listen, not giving an opinion one way or another.

6. Start Dating Again

via GIPHY

You don’t have to fall in love. But you might be surprised at how you notice little things that you like better with a new date than the man you’ve been struggling to get over.

Maybe you go on a date with a guy who showers you with compliments…your ex never did.

Maybe your date takes charge planning your evening…your ex was always wishy-washy about making plans.

Maybe the guy you meet on a dating app texts every day to check in with you…your ex took forever to respond to your texts.

Even if you’re not ready for a serious relationship yet, dating again can help you clarify what you’re looking for in a mate…and show you what you were lacking with the last guy.

7. Get Therapy if You Need It

Especially if you’re dealing with depression, I encourage you to see a licensed mental health professional. You may be surprised at how much better you feel.

8. Have a Good Cry (or Three)

Guess what? It still works.

A recent scientific study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, found that listening to a sad song and crying is cathartic and healing.

9. Stop Replaying Your Greatest Hits Reel in Your Head

Your best-of reel could easily turn into a horror film.

Since you’re not sleeping much these days, you find yourself playing a little film in your head at night.

The first time you kissed him…

The first time he told you he loved you…

That trip to San Francisco…

Add the time he yelled at you in front of your friends…

Or was late for a date for the umpteenth time…

The time you caught him cheating…

10. Stop Blaming Yourself

“If only I…

…told him I loved him more…

…did what he told me…

…wasn’t so uptight about monogamy…

…was prettier…”

This is not your fault. You were supposed to have this relationship for as long as it lasted.

11. Stop Talking About Him

Your best friend: “You should wear the red dress tonight when we go out.”

You: “Ted loved me in that dress…”

Your best friend: “Let’s go out for tacos.”

You: “Ted loved cheesy gordita crunches…”

Put a rubber band on your wrist. Every time you start to talk about him, snap it (or better yet, have your friend snap it). This will make you aware of the habit and break you of it.

12. Know That He Wasn’t The One

Knowing he wasn’t the one will help you mend that broken heart.

13. Forgive Him

Don’t misunderstand me: I’m not suggesting you forgive your ex for his wrongs and take him back. But there is healing power in forgiving and moving on.

When you forgive him for hurting you, you release those negative emotions that were trapped in your head. This frees your heart and allows it to heal more easily.

You don’t have to tell him to his face that you’ve forgiven him. You don’t have to tell him at all. This is for you.

Write a letter to your ex, expressing your hurt about what happened. Then, write those simple words: “I forgive you.”

It may take a while to actually believe those words, but over time, you will and you will learn to let the past go. You can’t change the past, so the best thing you can do is let go of it.

14. Take Lessons Away from the Relationship

One day, when you have a different perspective, you will be able to take away lessons from the relationship. It might not happen today, but it will happen.

Maybe being with this guy taught you how to be open to love, or be more assertive, or even to trust your gut next time.

Maybe you learned that you needed to work on being more authentic in a relationship.

Maybe you learned that intellect and good conversation is super important to you.

Rather than look at this relationship as a waste of time ending in heartbreak, find that silver lining. Something good comes out of everything, even the tough stuff.

15. Give Yourself Time

I’m not going to lie: learning how to move on takes time. There’s no schedule for it. What might take your best friend two weeks to get over may take you a heck of a lot longer.

Be okay with it taking time.

Don’t rush it. You can’t rush grief, and in fact, trying to rush it will only prolong the pain.

So settle in with it. Accept that on any given day, you may feel like crap. You may be unable to see that light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to trust that it will come.

Conclusion:

Healing takes time, but you will get there!

You know what works for you after going through it once. You know, for example, that from Meet Positives SM Feed https://ift.tt/2vTMVOG via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Meet Positives SM Feed

0 notes

messymindofmine · 3 years ago

Text

While I don't think bullying is quite the right word for what happened between Miguel and Robby in S1 and 2, rivalry isn't either. Honestly, I think we've all gotten so caught up in the semantics that the original discussion has been forgotten altogether. The fact of the matter is, for every fight in S1 and 2, Miguel was the aggressor. Then in S4, the only time Miguel and Robby had any interaction was during a dojo face-off. Their first encounter after Robby found out about him and Sam was when Hawk was bullying Kenny. Even then, it wasn't actually about Miguel for Robby. In fact, he ignored him until Miguel actually spoke up. Yes, what Robby said then was definitely a low blow and I would've been pissed if I'd been Miguel as well. But that doesn't change the fact that nothing actually happened beyond Miyagi-Do pranking the Cobra kids. Then, the next real encounter they had was at the prom. Yes, Robby and Tory went their with the intention of ruining their night but lest we forget both have plenty of reason to be angry at their former significant others. I definitely feel that Tory's attack on Sam was completely unwarranted. Her fight should've been with Miguel. But she does have lots of reasons to be angry with Miguel and Sam. Tory's reaction to Sam's snobbery was out of proportion but that doesn't make her reason invalid. Robby also had reason to be angry. Sam cheated on him twice. Even if the first time was more her being taken advantage of by Miguel, it doesn't make Robby's hurt invalid. And then he had to see them together at the dojo after he got out of juvie. When he called Sam out on it, she tried to turn it around on him by saying that he never answered her emails. Never mind the fact that Robby was in juvie and the last time they'd seen each other before that was when Robby found out that she'd kissed Miguel. I mean that alone would be reason enough for him to believe they weren't a couple anymore. Robby pointing out that its hard to respond to emails when you're getting the shit beaten out of you in juvie is not him gaslighting or manipulating Sam. He's simply pointing out the truth that we literally saw with out own eyes. Because Robby did try to respond but Shawn shut the computer off and started harassing him. Then the next time he saw Sam at the skatepark, he was still willing to hear her out. But Sam spent the whole time talking about her feelings and what she wanted. Not once did she even consider his feelings. After that, the next time they see each other is at the prom. Actually, I'd say that Robby and Tory's plan to get back at their exes by attending prom together was actually the most age-appropriate plan that any of the characters have had. But even that they abandoned pretty quickly and decided to just enjoy prom together. Which they actually did have the right to do. Tory, as a student, had just as much right to attend prom and bring a date as Sam and Miguel did. Plus, it was Sam who actually started the fight. She could've ignored them and just focused on her date but she chose to start a fight. Even Miguel was upset with her for that. Even during that fight, Sam refused to acknowledge her own wrongdoing and told Robby he'd broken her heart too. Even if she'd meant that in the way of someone being hurt by their friend leaving them it's still not fair. Sam is the one who cheated twice. Sam is the one who has treated Robby as nothing but a token of peace between Johnny and Robby without even considering what Robby's feelings might be. Robby owes her nothing. Also, everything that happened at the cafeteria fight does not trump what happened prior to that. After all, there is a reason why that fight happened in the first place

#cobra kai #robby keene #tory nichols

12 notes · View notes

whump-tr0pes · 4 years ago

Text

HB4-40/Whumtober day 25

This is a series. Start here, continued from here.

This is a sequel to Honor Bound, Honor Bound 2, Honor Bound 3, and Vera.

AO3

Masterlist

Content warning: migraine, emesis, death mention, mention of parent killing a child, implied noncon drugging

The room was moving slowly around Gavin, but he was lying still. He blinked his eyes open and winced as even the soft light from the crack in the curtains stabbed into his eyes, feeling like a knife directly into his brain. He squinted and groaned softly as his eyes slowly focused on his own hands, bound in front of him and lying on a pillow, and Isaac, lying next to him on his back, his pinky just touching Gavin’s.

Gavin stirred, and froze as the pain behind his left eye pounded harder. His stomach churned. He twisted his hands against the rope and winced as it bit into his skin.

He squinted – why was his left eye so blurry? – and looked at Isaac where he lay. Gavin didn’t want to wake him; he seemed peaceful, relaxed, his mouth open slightly, the muscles of his face soft and loose. Another wave of nausea rolled over him and he squeezed his eyes shut. He gently placed his hand on Isaac’s shoulder.

Isaac jerked awake with a gasp, his eyes darting over the room, his right hand curling into a fist. Gavin collapsed against the pillow with a moan. Isaac found Gavin and froze, then relaxed, all at once.

“Hey,” Isaac said, with a soft smile. His gaze flicked to the rope still around Gavin’s wrists. “Oh, shit,” he murmured, and hesitantly reached out. “Can I—”

“Please,” Gavin breathed. “Don’t… don’t feel good.”

Isaac’s brow furrowed as he fumbled at the knot. “Oh. What… what’s going on?”

“Head hurts,” Gavin gasped, as even the act of talking seemed to make the throbbing behind his eye even worse. “Nauseated. Don’t wanna move.”

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry. Is it…? Did something…?” Isaac’s hands stopped on the rope. “Are you… sure I didn’t hurt you last night, Gavin?”

“Yeah, sure,” Gavin breathed. “Please, just… f-fuck, hurts…”

“I’ll get Finn,” Isaac said, and Gavin sighed with relief as the knot came away. “Maybe they—”

“Just a headache,” Gavin said tightly. He carefully rubbed his wrists where the rope had cut into them, just a little, while he slept. “It’s… it’s just…” Just the movement of his hands was enough to tip the room around him. He heaved forward, leaned off the side of the bed, and vomited into the small trashcan there. Sweat broke out over his skin.

“I’m getting Finn,” Isaac said in a rush, practically leaping off the bed. He opened the door and disappeared down the hallway. Gavin groaned as he slumped with his head hanging off the side of the bed. As the blood rushed to his head, the pounding grew even worse, although Gavin didn’t know how that was possible. He dry heaved once, then retreated back until his head lay against the cool of the mattress. The cool felt good.

“…n’t know what’s wrong,” came Isaac’s voice as he approached their room. “I just woke up and he was—”

“Don’t turn on the light,” Finn said, their voice coming from the doorway.

Thank god for you, Finn. Please, please don’t turn on the light.

“Oh. I… why, is that…?”

“Just… give me a sec.”

Gavin could hear the soft sounds of padded feet on the floor, but quieter than normal, as if… as if Finn was trying to be quiet. Even so, the sound crawled under his skin and made him feel sick with it. The air moved around him as Finn knelt beside the bed.

“Careful, I…” Gavin’s mouth was numb. “I… I puked.”

“It’s fine,” Finn said, their voice barely louder than a whisper. “Ellis has had morning sickness all week. It’s just puke. You woke up like this?”

“Y-yeah,” Gavin mumbled.

“No recent head injuries?”

“Not… recently…” Gavin laughed, once, then moaned as the pain in his head ratcheted up another notch. “Oh, god.”

Finn huffed out a laugh of their own. “Okay, fair enough. Ever had this happen before?”

“No,” Gavin groaned. “Oh, fuck, what’s…?” He pressed his hands against his head, desperate to push away the pain. “What is this?”

“It’s a migraine,” Finn said gently. Gavin flinched as he felt Finn’s cool fingers against his head, carding gently through his damp hair. He groaned and pushed weakly into the touch.

“F-feels good,” Gavin whimpered. “I’m… s-sorry, I… I don’t know what’s… happening…”

“Honestly, I’m surprised we aren’t all having them,” Finn murmured, a smile in their voice. “They’re a really common symptom of stress. And—”

“You’re the ones who were stressed,” Gavin said, weakly. “You’re the ones who were being tortured.”

Finn blew out a slow breath through their lips. Finally, they turned to Isaac and said, “Please explain to your boyfriend what a dumbass he is. I’m going to get some ice. One of the theories about migraines is that they’re caused by a blood vessel in the brain dilating and putting pressure on the surrounding tissue. Ice on the back of the neck can constrict the—”

“Not a dumbass,” Gavin whispered, trying to ignore how his cheeks flushed. Isaac’s boyfriend? If he didn’t feel so fucking… sick…

“Yeah, sure, Gavin,” Finn said gently, and the air moved again as they stood. Their voice faded until it sounded like they were standing outside the door. “I’ll be right back, Isaac. I’ll bring a clean trashcan and clean that one. I could try to get my hands on some rizatriptan, too. A classmate of mine used to take it for her migraines. It works pretty well, from what I hear. If this is gonna be a regular thing—”

“You mean this is gonna happen again?” Isaac whispered. “Finn… he… he doesn’t fucking… Finn, just… just tell me what to do. Okay? Just… tell me what to do. He… he takes care of me, all the goddamned time. Finn, please…”

“Isaac… breathe. It’s a migraine. It sucks, but it isn’t life threatening, and there are medications that treat it. I can ask Edrissa if she knows any herbal remedies. She might—”

“You… you won’t tell her who it’s for, right? I mean…”

Finn laughed, softly. “I won’t let her poison him, Isaac. No, I’ll say it’s for Ellis. She’s been going absolutely bananaballs over that baby. She’d be happy to help.”

A pause. “…okay. I just… Finn, he… he doesn’t deserve this. After everything he did… I mean, yeah, no shit he was stressed, he walked the fucking wire for three weeks in that fucking nightmare mansion, for us. And… this is how he’s repaid?”

“I know. Believe me, I know. We’re all dealing with… various versions of this. Ellis says their morning sickness is way worse than the first two times. I’m pretty sure Tori’s got an ulcer, and Vera’s back pain has been… I mean, yesterday she could barely get out of bed. And… well. You’ve seen Sam. Although they’re getting better every day.”

“Yeah, but… Finn, could… could this be… I don’t know, a result of the head injury I gave him? I mean, that was almost a year ago now, but… could something that long ago be causing it?”

Gavin’s chest ached at the guilt in Isaac’s voice. He wanted to call out to him and tell him no, this wasn’t from the head injury, he was sure of it… but he felt if he raised his voice, his brain would catch fire and come melting out his ears like hot cheese. The thought made him gag.

“I… don’t think so. I mean… yeah, technically, it could be from that, but it’s way, way more likely that it’s from the stress. I mean… don’t tell Ellis I said this, but… I’ll never doubt his place in the family again, because of how much he sacrificed for us. His mother would have skinned him alive if she ever got even a hint that he wasn’t hers, and that he still cared about us. And he did all that anyway. It would have been… much, much easier for him to just go with it, and let her kill us one by one. I mean, she might have still killed him, but she might not. And he would be… I mean, fuck, Isaac, he was… tortured. And the torture he put himself through, lying for us… what he made himself do to you…”

“I know,” Isaac said brokenly. “There’s… no way I could ever thank him enough for what he did for us. For… for me.”

“You have a lifetime to try, Isaac.”

For a moment, the pain faded, pushed right out of Gavin’s head by his shock. He’d hoped they’d let him stay, but there was some small part of him that believed they were only letting him stay until rumors of their survival had faded, and he could be released again with minimal risk. He’d hoped they’d want him, as part of their family. He’d hoped Isaac would let him stay by his side.

The pain rushed back in and Gavin whimpered softly. Finn and Isaac were silent for a moment. The smell of his vomit was making him sick. He pressed his face against the mattress.

“You… you think he’d want me for that long? A lifetime?”

Finn sighed. “You’re both dumbasses. Yes, Isaac, I do. You’re… you’re literally the first person to ever show him what love looks like. You think he took you just for shits and giggles? I mean, for that reason, too, but… I think he wanted to see what it was that made you so special that you’d give yourself up for Sam.”

“I’m not special. Anyone else would have—”

“You are to him, Isaac. And to the rest of us, too, but absolutely to him. Now… let me go get some ice, okay? I can grab the trash can in a sec.”

“No, I… I can do that,” Isaac said, his voice low and gentle. “It’s fine.”

“…okay. Well, I’ll be back. Grab the trashcan from the bathroom.”

“Yeah.”

The voices faded. Gavin floated in the pain, every heartbeat grabbing him and pulling him back down into his body. The room moved slowly around him, the sour smell of his own sick rankling in his nose. There was a rustling, and when Gavin peeled his eyes open, there was a fresh trashcan on the floor beneath him. He sighed and pulled the covers up over his head.

After a long moment, several minutes or several hours, he couldn’t tell, he felt the mattress dip as someone sat next to him. The blanket was drawn back from over his head, and a cool compress settled on the back of his neck. He groaned softly as the cool pushed away the nausea for a moment.

“Thanks, Finn,” he whispered. Then, fingers trailed gently through his hair, and he whined softly. He’d know that touch anywhere. “Isaac,” he murmured.

“Yeah,” Isaac said softly, his hand moving slowly across Gavin’s forehead. “I asked Finn to let me bring you the ice.”

“Mmm,” Gavin moaned, and his eyes slid shut again. “Thank you.” His left eye ran tears into the sheets.

“I’m sorry you don’t feel well,” Isaac whispered. “I… didn’t know what you needed.”

“Neither did I,” Gavin mumbled. “Ice is good, though. And… and you. You’re… good.”

Isaac huffed out a laugh. “Ah. I just brought the ice—”

“But… it feels good. Thank… you.”

Isaac was silent for a moment. “Yeah, Gavin,” he said after a while.

Every heartbeat pounded in Gavin’s head. For a while, the ice helped. Gavin stirred and opened one eye, cringing when the light from the hallway stabbed into his head. “Do you… do you need to do anything else today?” he said weakly.

“I don’t have anything to do but be here with you,” Isaac whispered. “Unless you want me to go.”

“No,” Gavin sighed. “Stay… please?”

Every breath, every second, seemed to move through Gavin in slow motion. He thought back to the headaches he’d had after Isaac put him in the hospital. Those never lasted for very long, because whenever he started complaining of a headache, his mother would give him something that made him sleepy and dizzy, and he’d crawl back to bed and doze until it was over. For the first time since reaching the north, fear sunk into Gavin’s chest that if any of the team got sick – and Finn couldn’t help them – they were hundreds of miles away from the state-of-the-art hospitals that kept him alive when he’d been close to death. He curled into himself and tugged gently on his own hair, desperate for relief.

The compress on the back of his neck began to warm. Gavin whimpered, tears of frustration running from his eyes. He felt trapped in his own head, assaulted on every side by the faint light from the hallway and curtains, and by the sounds of the others somewhere else in the house.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, was a vague memory of another cool hand on his head, a soft kiss in his hair, a low voice, soothing him as he lay in bed. Pain spiked in his head and he shoved the memory away. He didn’t need to think of her, not now.

Isaac’s hand slid down the back of his head and down his neck, under the compress. “Let me get a new one,” he said softly. The mattress bounced slightly as he stood. Gavin lay still as he walked out of the room, although all he wanted to do was to cling to Isaac, beg him to stay. The headache was getting worse.

A moment later, an eternity later, the mattress dipped again.

“Hey,” Isaac’s voice whispered, and Gavin could have sobbed with relief. “I have some tea… try some?”

Gavin moaned and obediently lifted his head. A cup pressed to his lips and he took a sip. It tasted herbal, sweet, with a hint of spice as well. There was a faint sound as Isaac put the cup on the nightstand.

“Wh-what is it?”

“Something Edrissa made,” Isaac murmured. “Tea with peppermint, lavender, ginger, rosemary, and honey. She said those herbs are good for migraine.” He pressed a fresh cold compress to Gavin’s neck.

Gavin moaned weakly. “She… tell her thank you,” he whispered.

“Hm. Maybe someday,” Isaac said. His voice sounded sad. “For right now… that tea is for Ellis, as far as she knows.”

“I hate lying to her,” Gavin whispered. “If she ever finds out, she’ll… she’ll hate me.”

The unspoken words hung in the air between them: she already hates you.

“Don’t worry about that right now,” Isaac murmured. “You can tell her once you’re better, if you really want. Right now, let’s just… focus on getting you over this. Finn already called into Burmingham to see if they carry riza— I don’t remember what it’s called. Sounds like they can order it and have it in within a week.”

“Hope I don’t get another migraine before then,” Gavin rasped, and pushed weakly into Isaac’s hands as he stroked his hair.

“Yeah,” Isaac said weakly. “Me… me too.” Isaac’s throat clicked as he swallowed. “Can I… do anything else? For you? I mean… do you need anything else?”

“I just need you,” Gavin whispered, not caring how that sounded. “Can you… can you just… I don’t know. I just want you with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Isaac said gently. His hand moved down to gently massage the back of Gavin’s neck. “Is that… okay?”

“Yeah,” Gavin sighed, and shuddered as another wave of nausea rolled over him. “That’s… that’s good.”

Continued here

65 notes · View notes

whump-tr0pes · 5 years ago

Text

Ash/Athena Crossover AU: Trust

The team waits in the safehouse @ashintheairlikesnow‘s Nate prepared for them and hope for good news.

Sam hadn’t stopped crying since they fled the summer house.

They were curled up on the couch in Nate’s safehouse, completely inconsolable. Tori’s fingers were stroking through their hair as their tears soaked into the fabric. She murmured soothingly to them, holding back her own tears as she did.

“We left him,” they sobbed. “We left him there, how is he going to feel when he finds out we heard someone was coming and left…”

“Shh,” soothed Tori. “He’ll understand. He’ll understand that if we hadn’t left, we’d all be –” Her voice choked off.

“But we left him!” they wailed. “We could have stayed, we could have… done something, we could have fought them…”

“And we’d be killed, honey.” Tori’s fingers kept moving through their hair. “We’d have tried to fight the Michaelsons on their own turf and we’d have been killed.”

“They’re going to torture him!” Sam’s voice was quickly becoming a scream. “They’re syndicate, Danny and Ryan are different but… Nate wouldn’t have gotten us out if he hadn’t… known… They’re going to hurt him…”

Vera was pacing, biting her nails down to the quick. She squeezed her eyes shut at the words. “They’re not going to torture him,” she said firmly.

Sam hiccoughed. “You don’t know that!” they whimpered, and buried their face against Tori’s thigh. “They’re going to hurt him, they know he protects us, they know he knows our safehouses and friends…”

“They’re not going to hurt him,” she said, more quietly. “Okay? They’re not.”

“How do you know?” Finn looked over at her from where they were seated at the kitchen table, their head in their hands. Their face was wet with tears, too. “How do you know they won’t hurt him?”

Vera bit her lip. She thought about how Isaac had looked the first morning they were there, cheeks flushed red, a sort of… preoccupied look in his eyes. Not haunted, like he sometimes was. Happy. She thought about how the boy Danny had looked at him, with furtive smiles and downcast eyes, how their hands had rested on each other with such care. How they laughed together. How Isaac didn’t flinch when Danny was close. She smiled softly. “You saw how they were together.”

Gavin bit his lip and looked away.

“We should never have come,” Sam moaned. “We shouldn’t have come here, we’ve lost Isaac!” They buried their face in their hands.

Vera cast a glance at Gray. They were in the kitchen, leaning against a counter. Their face had been drawn with pain ever since Nate had come to them and said, “leave your things. Pack your family up and go.” Her eyes didn’t linger on them. She knew well enough that they felt terrible that they had made the decision to come here. That they had let Isaac fall into syndicate hands. But if we hadn’t gone, the Stormbecks would probably have us now. It was the right decision. It was the decision I would have made.

Vera wandered to the couch and knelt in front of Sam. She smoothed her fingers through their hair and they whimpered. They lifted their head and looked at her with tears in their eyes. “He’s being held again,” they whispered. “I know what that will… do to him…” Vera glanced at Gavin as he flinched behind the couch. She pressed her lips together.

“Nate’s going to get him out,” she murmured, and stroked their hair. “He’s going to do it. Then we’ll all be together again and we can keep moving.”

“We’re putting an awful lot of faith in that asshole,” Gavin spat. “I don’t trust him. He’d do anything to Isaac to keep that fucking…” He swallowed hard and grimaced. “If Daniel Michaelson could be convinced he needed to hurt Isaac, Nate would do it in a heartbeat. So why are we trusting hi—”

“We’re not trusting him,” Vera snapped. “We’re trusting me, and my instincts. Nate will come through. He’ll bring Isaac. I know he will.”

“What the hell do you know about what he’s going to do?” Gavin said miserably, like a petulant child. “He spent more time in his room with Isaac and that syndicate prick than he did with anyone else.”

Vera took a deep breath. Let it out. Felt Tori go very still in front of her.

Vera stood and carefully made her way across the room to Gavin. He quailed under her glare. They were the same height, but she seemed to tower over him, baring her teeth and backing him into a corner like an angry snake. She brought in a slow breath that hissed through her nostrils and wet her lips.

“Nate Vandrum was tortured for years. I can guarantee he has scars that look exactly like mine. And when those fucking monsters who kept him hurt the one he loves, he burned them to the fucking ground.” Gavin swallowed, his eyes wide and fixed on Vera. “I know more about who he is than you ever want to find out.”

There was a strange look on Gavin’s face that Vera couldn’t place. He looked… desperate. Hurt. Like he was being torn apart. She didn’t understand why.

“Forgive me for worrying about who we choose to place our faith in,” he mumbled. “I just want him back.”

“Not as much as I do,” Vera hissed. A strange look crossed his features and she turned her back on him.

The phone rang.

Everyone jumped. Vera looked over at Gray, still leaning on the counter. Their eyes were faraway, their forehead still wrinkled in worry. Vera took a step towards the phone. Gray gave a small nod, their eyes never focusing fully on her. She swallowed and picked it up.

“Hello?”

“It’s me.” There was an edge to Nate’s voice that made Vera go still.

She felt the burn of tears in her throat already. Keep your shit together for him. He would do it for you. Keep it together for Isaac. She didn’t speak. She knew her voice would shake if she did.

There was a deep breath over the line. “Look… I kn-know you have no reason to trust me. I know you don’t.”

“I do trust you.” Vera pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling.

“I’m… grateful, f-for that.” A pause. “I’m calling in every f-favor I have to get Isaac out. I’m g-g-going to try to have him to you between midnight and 0200. I’m doing m-my best.”

His stutter was better. He’s focused. Just like I get. “Thank you.”

“He won’t be st-stuck as a p-plaything. I won’t l-let it happen. I won’t let hi-hi- anyone be treated like Danny w-was. I p-promise.”

The world lurched around Vera and she had to grab the counter to stay upright. There was a pause at the end of the line. “…what?” she whispered.

Another pause. Longer.

“Did they hurt him?” Tears sprung to Vera’s eyes. She noticed everyone sitting up and looking at her out of the corner of her eye.

“N-no. But it was… Danny… it w-was the only—… Corrine would have…”

The room was spinning. “How…”

“I-I’m going to fix th-this. I’m g-going to get him out. Th-then you and your t-team n-need to b-be ready to drive w-west. There’s a th-thin band of territory that neither th-the Michaelsons nor th-the Cor-ordovas patrol. Follow it t-to Cedar S-Springs and the 35 will take y-you out from th-there.”

“But –”

“I might n-not have t-time to tell you when I arrive w-with him.”

She clenched her jaw. “…is he…”

There was a heavy silence. “…he thinks we b-betrayed him. But he knows y-you didn’t.”

Vera blinked tears from her eyes. She took a steadying breath. “Bring him back to us.”

“I will.” No stutter. “I’m going to get him out. I swear to you, I will d-do everything in my power. He will not end up like Danny.”

Vera’s throat tightened. “Bring him back to us. Be safe.”

“I will.” The line went dead.

She stood at the counter, stunned. She squeezed her eyes shut.

“Is he okay?” Sam asked, terrified.

“They, um.” She squeezed one hand into a fist. Let it go. “Danny claimed him.”

“What?!” Gavin’s voice shot across the room.

“Um.” She struggled to steady her voice. “Corrine Michaelson was going to kill him. Danny claimed him. Nate’s still going to get him out.”

“That scarred-up son of a bitch claimed him?” Gavin shrieked. “I’m going to kill him, I’m going to fucking kill him.”

Vera’s head snapped up. “You’re on dangerous fucking ground, Stormbeck,” she hissed. He froze at her use of his last name.

Gray appeared at her shoulder. “Nate’s going to get him out?”

“Yes,” she forced through her teeth, eyes still blazing and fixed on Gavin. “Between midnight and two this morning. We need to be ready.”

Sam was sitting up on the couch with tears still streaming down their face. “But we’ll get him back?”

Vera mindlessly touched the scars at her throat. “We’ll get him back. Or the Michaelsons are going to figure out Nate isn’t the only one who can burn a fucking house to the ground.”

#ash/Athena au #Athena/ash au #honor bound AU #daniel michaelson's au #whump #betrayal #safehouse #implied torture #murder bros #can nate be a murder bro(TM) too?#Gavin is...#not jealous #not jealous at all #nope #sam is a cinnamon roll

35 notes · View notes