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iamwhelmed · 6 years ago

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The Jisatsu Experiment: Prologue-- Himura University

Summary: Years after Conan leaves with no explanation and Haibara becomes a distant Miyano Shiho, Ayumi graduates and heads off to Himura University-- as far away from Tokyo as she can get. She finds it hard to leave Conan and Haibara behind her despite Mitsuhiko and Genta moving on, but the mystery she's about to take on is going to begin unraveling a past she'd repressed, and it's very possible she's bitten off more than she can chew. Just how deep does this case run? Shinichi may just have to step in, but can he and Shiho stomach the mess Ayumi has gotten herself into, or save her from herself?

Okay so Homesick will be updated when my boyfriend gets around to sending me the beta, but in the meanwhile, he's a story that's been kicking around in my head for, well, YEARS. It's heavily inspired by both Nicole, the Winter Wolves Dating Sim (honestly my favorite of all time, so worth the $5) and Mystic Messenger. However, I left this story open to being a one-shot in case there is no interest! So the mysterious, scary parts can be read as references to Ayumi's past with Conan and Haibara and how it's keeping her tied down. Please enjoy!

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Read it on Fanfiction.net

Things had changed over the years- not by a lot, not all at once, but little by little.

The Detective Boys never disbanded, nobody moved, nobody died, but Ran got her own place after she graduated. Kogoro's detective agency grew, and he had a few interns here and there that ran their time and carried on like clockwork. Eri had moved back in, though the two weren't sleeping in the same bed again (not that they ever said, no, Ayumi had merely made the guess because there was a warmth that wasn't quite there yet). Shinichi-niisan and Heiji-niisan were still best friends; Sonoko and Kazuha and Ran and Sera, they all hung out, had girl's nights. Haibara (Miyano? Shiho? Ai?) would join them when she wasn't working on something with the professor (who she still lived with, who was still like a father to her). Mitsuhiko found the time to balance the Detective Boys and the Science Club-- he was their president, after all, got Teitan High further than it ever had gone before in the finals despite the lacking company. Genta was still their club's strong arm, though what was once body fat was now muscle and height. He towered over most boys in their school by their first year, scared a few third-years back when. His love for food had been channeled into a love of cooking, his hobby when he wasn't solving a case or manhandling criminals. Conan had disappeared. That was that. She'd come to accept it. It still broke her heart.

Ayumi, she felt alone these days. Genta and Mitsuhiko were still there but…

Genta had a girlfriend now, small and sweet and every bit a cook as him, though her skills strayed in the area of sweet-making. Mitsuhiko would deny it until he was blue (Haibara had hurt him, hurt him so bad, and Ayumi was the only one who understood because she'd felt it too, and that pain held him back, more than he let on, and Ayumi supposed he kept it all in while she only mourned to herself) but there was a cute girl with big glasses and a sincere smile who was always looking at him. (He liked her, Ayumi could tell, but he wasn't taking that plunge and she didn't blame him).

She was the only girl left in the Detective Boys, and the only member left who had no other hobbies-- well, she dabbled in makeup as homage to a memory long past, but it was nothing she spent time on. She sorted through and selected cases, she gathered information, she put clues together as much as she could until she had Mitsuhiko's and Genta's help. The days passed, and though each hour took three to pass, she could tell the years were moving quickly, so quickly that it would almost seem right-on-time if she were to receive a letter from Conan. But she didn't. He'd left them a note and hadn't said goodbye, just that he'd be in touch but he never was. She shouldn't have been surprised, not after the fifth empty year (that's what she told herself when she started crying for no reason after a case, when she'd hide away in the bathroom for a few minutes because only Sato would see her there and know, and nobody else needed to see, nobody needed to worry, she was fine, she was fine).

Shinichi, kind as he was, tried to fill Conan's shoes, they could all tell. He was their self-proclaimed mentor, a friend and a protector (there was a fear in him and a fury she only saw when they were in danger, something she could never quite place). He taught them and molded them for a year before he seemed to back off, and she wondered if that was because he knew he couldn't replace Conan, or because he'd deducted that they all felt he couldn't. Besides, he was probably tied up with Ran-neechan. Last she'd heard, he'd moved into that apartment with her when she'd taken the leap from the agency. Haibara, she seemed to keep her distance. Sometimes Ayumi thought she wanted to reach out, but that outstretched hand would retract, and she would be cold again, and eventually it stopped killing her that she wouldn't (no it didn't, she was just used to it, expected it; Mitsuhiko wasn't there yet).

Ayumi was a social butterfly, but butterflies hardly ever stayed in one place, and she flitted from one group to another without ever truly belonging, just long enough to know names and faces. This was why she and Mitsuhiko were so alike, she'd shut down, too.

Come their third year, Ayumi was closing cases all on her own. Mitsuhiko and Genta came when she called, but she tried not to (she was scared that eventually they wouldn't come). She wondered if Shinichi knew all the trouble she was getting up to (she wondered if he cared-- why? Why did it matter if he cared?) He had to hear about it through the police, or deduce that it was her from the nameless papers drawn up hours after she'd closed her cases. She shrugged off the thought (but there were eyes in her dreams, odd ones, like a memory that she's so curious to touch but terrified to recall).

Regardless of the people and the cases and the criminals and the failures, she could put her cases on her resume, and that meant she'd get into a good university. Somewhere far away, somewhere near a beach, somewhere suburban and away from Tokyo. So she took Himura University's offer and didn't bat an eye at the distance. Her mother and father cried and fueled her packings full of microwavable food (it was enough to make the seven-year-old Genta she once knew salivate), and Mitsuhiko and Genta squeezed the daylights out of her and all three of them stood at the train and wept for an hour straight, right up until the train was making its final call and she had to go.

(Haibara and Shinichi hid a few aisles over, clutching badges they no longer wore as she cried and he pretended not to notice for her sake-- and for his.)

She got set up in the dorm room easy enough. She made her bed, hung some pictures (she debated setting the frame of the Detective Boys, all five of them, on her nightstand, and instead hid it face-down in her drawer). It took a few hours for her roommate to arrive, but she was beautiful and tan and had green eyes that sparkled when she said hello. Her name was Akiko Nishimura. They shook hands and something warm started chipping away at the cold patch where Indigo used to be.

She was scouting out her semester's classrooms and got lost when she ran into Katashi Sasaki-- and she nearly died when she looked into his eyes and saw Conan's. No glasses, just blue, familiar all the same. His hair was styled differently, more of a western cut and as yellow as the sun, but his face and his lips and his ears and his eyes… She dropped her books and he cocked an eyebrow at her and said "I was gonna ask if you needed help with those. Guess that answers my question." She'd gone red in the face, huffed and said:

"Thank you, I'm okay, though."

He tapped her head with her Math textbook and said: "Liar. Where are you headed?"

The rest was history.

She was studying on the second floor of the library, brushing up on her English and failing miserably when a boy sat down across from her. Brown eyes, auburn hair- a foreigner like Katashi, but less American, more European. He cracked a book open, glanced up at her, blinked, then turned his attention back to his textbook with a yawn. They didn't speak, though the uncomfortable air compelled every cell of her body to. She tried to concentrate on English, sound out a difficult word, but she kept stressing the R and couldn't say the L. She grimaced. "I can practically hear your brain imploding. I suggest dropping the class and studying a different language." And that was the first thing Yori Smartass Sata ever said to her. She'd glared and reminded him to be polite to strangers and returned to studying. Five minutes later, he'd proclaimed himself her tutor.

Takumi Ikeda was a frail, cowardly boy who reminded her of Mitsuhiko the first summer after Haibara and Conan had left-- a shut-in gamer who slept in the day and lived for the nightlife his roommate-less dorm-room afforded him. He was as pale as the moon itself, bright enough he nearly blinded her when she first saw him stumbling out of the nearby cafe with layers of bags under his eyes. Despite the lack of sleep, his face was rounded and baby-ish, cute with the round glasses that were falling off his nose. His large baggy sweater dipped over his shoulder as he passed by her with a murmur about "finishing Devil Souls". He'd dropped his wallet, and she'd spent the rest of the day deducing what dorm-room was his, determined to return the small bit of yen and the student ID she'd found inside. It'd taken her until the early evening, but she'd knocked and interrupted his playthrough of the newest Sunshine Valley RPG…. so it was only fair she stay and help him farm with the tricks she'd learned from the previous games.

She hadn't meant to stumble into the football locker rooms, she really hadn't, but the tan Osakan guy with a wide cocky grin and a mouth full of wit she wanted to stuff with his dirty socks- Youta Oshiro- didn't seem to have any intention of letting it go. She had the unfortunate luck of being in his Math class and in his English class and even free during the time she'd set aside in her schedule for lunch. "Caught you sneaking a peek earlier, ya just have to ask, ya know." He'd taken to clinging at her side, like he thought she had a crush on him or something, and it drove her up a wall. The other personalities she'd been used to, but a guy like him was new territory in an already-new situation, and she grew more disgruntled each day. He knew Akiko, apparently. Grew up in the same town, though they didn't speak much. He used it as an excuse to get closer to Ayumi, though. He ate lunch with her and flashed his muscles (which he certainly did have as the star football player, she'd admit), and he asked her questions about class (was actually kinda helpful when she didn't get something, almost symbiotic). She was starting to get attached to him, hardly fought against it when Katashi joined them. They were rivals? Or something. They butted heads, and she wagered it had something to do with Katashi's dad being a cop and Youta's being a shady lawyer with suspicious sources of information. She wasn't sure, but she was starting to feel at home (she could see Genta and Mitsuhiko going back and forth over the picnic table as Agasa Hakase settled them down).

She'd gotten calls from home a few times by the third week. Most were from her parents, who found the time to call despite their work schedules, but the occasional call from Genta or Mitsuhiko would trickle in. They asked how she was, if she'd taken up any cases, if she was making friends (great, not really, and more than she'd thought possible). Mitsuhiko's classes were going well, extremely so, of course, and he was confused by the attention he was getting from complete strangers (all girls, and Ayumi wondered how a boy as smart as Mitsuhiko couldn't see that the ladies were flocking to him, and wondered if maybe he was willingly ignoring it for modesty or something more painful). She'd laughed and told him to spend some time being more social; he declined initially, but she knew he'd fold. Genta was in culinary school and having the time of his life, learning new dishes, learning new tricks with knives (the thought of which made her nervous in the worst way). Neither had taken up any cases, necessarily, but the towns surrounding their schools were quiet, at least not as rambunctious as Tokyo had been. Hearing their voices was like smelling a candle that carried the scent of home, or feeling a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer. It brought tears to her eyes, and she sat on the side of her bed stifling her sobs because she didn't want Mitsuhiko or Genta to hear, didn't want them to worry because she was fine.

Akiko came home to find her leaning over her knees, burying her head in her hands and whimpering with the phone on End Call. She'd sat beside her and rubbed soothing circles into her back. "It'll get easier," (spoiler: actually, as this story unfolds, it only gets harder) she murmured, and "you've got friends here too" (another spoiler: some might not actually be friends). Ayumi leaned into her shoulder, wiping the tears from her eyes and forcing a smile. For the moment, she wasn't alone, maybe wasn't for the first time in a long time. "Hey," Akiko picked up her phone and playfully tossed it in the air for good measure, grinning at Ayumi's red-rimmed eyes. "Why don't I give Youta a call? He knows the best ice cream place and he won't tell me, but maybe he'll tell you if we guilt him with your big sad puppy eyes!"

"Akiko-chan! That's so mean!"

"Don't worry, don't worry! He owes me anyway! I did his essay last week and he still hasn't paid me."

A small bead of sweat dripped down Ayumi's head.

It took Youta only a few short minutes to arrive at their door, a scowling Katashi in toe for some reason. Ayumi didn't mind; she took it as a sign that she was meant to be with these people right now, and that was okay. Youta wrapped an arm over her shoulders and argued with Katashi about the statistics of crime in Japan and other things she had a hard time following, and Akiko clung to her other side and egged either end on like a referee who was biased (depending on who she thought was winning) and dirty. Ayumi stood, surrounded by the chaos feeling oddly serene. Whatever tears had been in her eyes before were gone, for the moment, maybe for longer, and she'd be thankful for the whirlwind she found herself at the center of right now.

She didn't notice the black car parked across the street, or the familiar eyes that haunted her dreams watching her from behind the cracked window.

#Detective Conan #Ayumi Yoshida #Shinichi Kudo #Conan Edogawa #Ai Haibara #Shiho Miyano #mitsuhiko tsuburaya #genta kojima #AyuCon #MitsuAi #OCs/Ayumi #Seriously guys she has so many suitors and she is so confused #HAH bet ya didn't think I'd be writing for Detective Conan again!#To be fair I didn't either #but inspiration strikes #and I answer its call #Also if I count all the guys Ayumi is gonna be romantic with in this story #I think the full count is 6?#This fanfic is based on dating sims okay fite me

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incorrect-ikevamp-quotes · 4 years ago

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Hi! I love everything that you write and heh I am a fan! 😄 tbh this is my first time requesting something on Tumblr! If you don't mind and if I am not being a bother...can you write about how the guys would react If MC suddenly starts making meme references? I don't know how I got the idea but I am REALLY curious. And love you! :D

Hiya! Tyvm for the kind words, and apologies that this took a while! I hope you have the chance to enjoy it regardless ❤️❤️❤️ Love you too, sweet pea! I promise to get to the next request you’ve sent ASAP~

Aight but this would be hilarious because the range of the reactions is just ungodly. I will be putting this under a cut after Napoleon so I don’t clog up everyone’s dash, but all the suitors are included below otherwise!

Comte is the one that recognizes a few, but didn’t really stay in modern times long enough to be as well-versed as a Gen Z kid might. Regardless he finds the wittiness and absolute chaotic fuckery to be delightful, and will 100% support the harmless nonsense. It never fails to get a laugh out of him

Mozart that first day be like: “Buzz off MC I hate you” MC, because she likes swinging bats at wasps’ nests: “Well that’s not very cash money of you” Mozart: ?????????? Comte, giggling in the bg like the secret fae he is This one’s just because I’m petty, but after the events of Comte rt I just imagine them encountering Vlad again and MC’s just “I lived bitch.” while Comte is flipping him off behind her lkjahgkjhdsg

Comte @ Leo when he finds the latter under his desk: Had it not been for the laws of this land, I would have slaughtered you. MC: wheezing from the hallway as she’s about to give him his letters

MC: So how was your day, honey? Comte: Good, good--briefly had to go beastmode upon the punk that pilfered my lint roller MC, biting her lip to keep from laughing: So does Leo still have his kneecaps? Comte: for now.

Comte, @ literally anyone upsetting the MC: I won’t hesitate, bitch

Comte: Be careful with my emotional baggage, it’s designer

MC: What if I was evil and ran towards you at very fast speeds Comte: My arms are strong, I would catch and hug you

Leo and Dazai are the ones that don’t have a single reference point but are filled with so much dumbass chaos energy that they just. Understand immediately???? Nobody knows how or why, but they just catch on so fast--adapt the language in a matter of weeks. Never underestimate the power of combined boredom, depression, and humor

I swear to god I just see MC taking them their Blanc/Rouge and being like “here you go sir, one enslaved moisture” and they just go fucking hog wild from day one. MC starts impersonating Theo when he leaves the room around Dazai, like fake deep voice “you all only hate me because you do not like me and I am mean to you. grow up.” Or like the MC meets a baby on her travels with Leo around town and she holds them and says v seriously and sagely “So you are Baby? I have heard tales of your exploits.” and Leo about loses his shit right there. They both think MC is the funniest person alive--they’ve never been more eager to throw a ring at someone in their entire life.

Also a bonus for my beloved Dazai: MC, facing even the slightest inconvenience (like dropping her fork) in the most dramtic voice possible: Life is not daijoubu. Dazai: wheezing

MC, after watching Theo turn down a woman at the bar in the meanest way possible: bro quit letting the darkness consume you u r scaring the hoes Dazai, literally rolling around on the ground, half-drunk and dying:

MC, walking alongside Dazai and stopping to stare at her reflection in the River Seine. Dazai’s expecting some sad or twisted shit, since people often feel comfortable talking about those things around him, but instead she just: “Oh, it’s you. The source of all my problems.” And he about falls into the river from shock HAHAHA

At this point don’t be surprised if his next book is about an absolute madlad woman similar to MC

Napoleon finds it to be a delightful quirk more than anything? He doesn’t really understand it, but he finds it funny when they change their voice for effect or speak in exaggerated tones. If it’s just comprehensible enough for an outsider to understand--or Sebas gives him context--chances are it’ll send him into a laughing fit

For this one I just imagine MC singing that Ratatouille meme song obnoxiously bad while cooking, and Napoleon and Comte are just so wildly amused by it bc it makes zero sense and it’s only vaguely French at this point

MC @ Napoleon while they’re cooking brunch: Can I offer you a nice egg in these trying times?

MC, conflicted because she’s tired and wanted to sleep in but also got to see Napo’s cute sleeping face for a few hours: For my next stunt, I’ll wake up at 5AM on the day I can sleep in. Sebas: Early to bed and early to rise makes a person healthy, wealthy, and wise MC: early to bed and early to rise makes me a massive bitch Napoleon: laughing in agreement

Isaac is the type to be bewildered and concerned at first (especially when he hears the more nihilistic ones hoOOOoooOO BOY) but eventually begins to understand it’s some bizarre attempt at humor (that hurts Zack baby). While some part of him laments that it reminds him of Dazai and he’s secretly jealous of how she and Dazai bond over it, he will sometimes join in the chaos when the mood strikes him and he’s feeling mischievous

Isaac: How are you feeling? MC: Oh, I’m not Isaac: seconds from dialing 911 Isaac: Are you okay? MC: Oh yeah dw I just suffer from that syndrome where your neutral expression makes you look like you’re an angry serial killer Isaac: say sike rn

Isaac, tutoring MC and correcting something: MC, muttering while redoing it: The risk I took was calculated, but man am I bad at math. Isaac: unable to help a laugh

One time MC was avoiding Isaac for fear of hurting his feelings and he just confronts her like: Isaac: back by unpopular demand, me! What’s wrong, MC pls MC was so hecking proud of him

Isaac, telling MC about a recent discovery he learned at uni from another professor: bones typically heal stronger after they’ve been broken--so long as they’re set properly, of course MC, looking him dead in the eyes: So what you’re saying is that I should break every bone in my body until I become superhumanly powerful? Isaac: please do not, no

Mozart and Jeanne are just. Totally lost. Why are you talking like that??? Why are you making “crab hands”???? They don’t understand. Maybe never will. They reach a point where they just kind of laugh and shake their heads, endeared by the oddity after they’re used to it and have determined it isn’t a threat/insult.

MC: It’s a cold and it’s a brooooken, Waluigi. Waaaaluigiiiii...waaaahluigi..... Mozart: surprised, then starts snickering and playing along on the piano

Arthur, asking MC very personal questions out loud because he is an idiot sometimes: Soooo MC, are you a top or a bottom? MC: I’m a threat. (If he asks a second time, the response will be “Wouldn’t you like to know, weatherboy.”) Jeanne, fighting a smile:

MC, about to punch an asshole: Your free trial of being alive has ended Jeanne, seconds from laughing for the first time in 100 years:

Also, because I genuinely can’t help myself. You know that knight meme like “Parry this you fucking casual.” I cannot stress enough that it is literally the personification of Jeanne’s entire character. I’m not even joking.

Arthur and Shakespeare are utterly fascinated by the rapid evolution of wordplay and the sheer hilarity. They will ask all about these so-called “memes” and ask for examples of them if MC can show them (either somehow accessing her phone or drawing them). MC draws Arthur the knife cat meme and he about a s c e n d s at the hilarity of it all, points and yells THEO IS HOLDING THE KNIFE. He is correct. They will be delighted and follow along eagerly, and--god forbid--will make their own based on late 19th century struggles.

Is this where Shakespeare got the idea for “What, you egg? stabs him” and “You are a saucy boy.”? I’m too scared to ask. Don’t even get me started on “The Fool jingled miserably across the floor.” That one is just too on the nose...

I can’t even imagine what would happen to Shakespeare if MC like translated vines and memes into Ye Olde English around him. Imagine she’s at one of those noble balls and hears rumors of these two guys living together and they’re so obviously gay and he says “And those gents w’re roommates.” And in the most false surprised tone ever MC just replies “oh mine own god, those gents w’re roommates.” Imagine having a wife that’s just as hilarious as you are and hits you with all the force of a bag of wet mice every time you speak in retaliation, he’s going into palpitations.

Every time Arthur does smth stupid MC just: “I Pretend I Do Not See It.”

Vincent is tickled pink by MC’s penchant for finding joy and/or amusement in nearly everything they do, and he smiles gently when he sees them muttering and laughing to themselves. He wants to be able to join them in what they love, but he has a harder time following along and understanding the darker humor sometimes. Mostly gets confused??? Please give him the easier ones to mimic and laugh when he tries--or just include him in your jokes MC. He’s babie your honor...

But he also. Will not. Stand any kind of self-deprecation or borderline verbal self-harm. He’s usually very easygoing and calm, but for whatever reason that stuff makes him go deathly quiet and upset.

MC, after something goes horribly wrong, hugging Vincent: Oh Vince, we really in it now Vincent: giggling a little despite his worries, relaxing

MC: Theo stop simping for Vincent that’s my job

MC, when Theo leaves the room and she gets Vincent all to herself: The evil is defeated.

MC: And this is where I would put my will to live...if I h a d one! Vincent: ;-; MC: oh shit, oh fuck, I was only kidding Vincent wait (MC was subsequently lectured and loved on for many hours)

Theo is conflicted because on the one hand, he loves to see you smiling and having fun. On the other, you’re clowning as hard as Dazai and Arthur and he can only handle so many monkeys in his circus. Most of the time he will roll his eyes and be the straight man of this comedy, but you might find him cracking a smile--or accidentally letting a chuckle slip past his lips now and again.

MC, after meeting Theo: I’m a nice person, but I’m about to start throwing rocks at people.

Theo, those first days: Oh? You’re approaching me? Instead of running away, you’re coming right to me? MC: I can’t beat the shit out of you without getting closer.

Theo: Every time I ask MC to explain “vibe check” to me she hits me with some kind of improvised weapon

MC, after the “incident” (you know the one): This year, I lost my dear lover Theo Theo, in the distance: QUIT TELLING EVERYONE I’M DEAD! MC: ;-; sometimes I can still hear his voice...

Sebastian is last because oh boy. OH BOYYYYY I LOVE HIM. Okay so the way I see this happening with Sebastian is just. So wild. Because at first he’s t r y i n g so hard to be the proper butler man. He does not meme. But then he starts to drift closer to what Niles from The Nanny was, where he’ll quip and joke in private or when the situation is just beyond the amount of absurdity he can handle without making a snarky comment. Everyone in the house can’t fathom how Sebas and MC got so close so fast, but there are points where they’re just “Are they even speaking English anymore???” It’s 11 times funnier than normal because Sebas almost never smiles or laughs when memeing, the deadpan quality of his playing along sends MC every time

Has ABSOLUTELY said “HEY. PANINI HEAD. ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME???” jokingly when MC made a mistake in the kitchen. They laugh about it for y e a r s

MC: I can’t date someone who keeps a lamb as a pet, that’s so weird Sebas, brushing Lotte in front of MC: MC: MC: Okay, I will make an exception because she looks very polite

MC and Sebas, fully aware of the fame some of the men will reach in modern times: We will watch your career with great interest. (I s2g that’s like half of Sebas’ rt right there I’m crying)

Sebas rt with Lotte be like that 500 dollar Mareep meme: “sometimes a family can be just a boy, his gf, and their 500 dollar two foot tall Lotte”

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onward-magic-princess-barista · 4 years ago

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Meet the Callahans

(A Barmelia self ship fanfic introducing Amelia's family)

"934 Camelot Court" Amelia instructed as Barley approached the cul de sac called Camelot Court. "So where is your house exactly?" he asked with slight confusion. "It's in the middle of the cul de sac. Only house that looks like it came from the times of old. Can't miss it" He heeded her instructions as he kept an eye out for her house until he noticed a two story mushroom house that definitely looked like it came from the times of old with the numbers "934" plastered in gold on it. Barley saw her house in awe and surprise as he proudly stated in his viking warrior prince accent "Amelia, my beloved princess, I have seemed to have located the trace of the whereabouts of your humble abode" She started to blush a flustered red and giggled at the sultry sound of his viking warrior prince accent, which had been one of the many attributes that she admired about him. As Barley parked Guinevere II in front of Amelia's house, he walked over to the passenger side and opened the passenger door as Amelia took off her seatbelt. "M'lady" Barley gestured as he gracefully bowed and offered his right hand to help her out of Guinevere II. Amelia giggled and began to blush a flustered red at the chivalrous gesture as she took his hand as he helped her out of Guinevere II. Barley cheekily took a moment to press his lips against the knuckles of her left hand as he gazed into her eyes with a lovestruck expression. "You have the most mystifying and radiant blue eyes" he replied flirtiously in his viking warrior prince accent. "Why you cheeky scandalous ruffian you" she teased in her Charlton Heston-esque Essex princess accent. Barley gestured his arm in walking arm-in-arm with Amelia. "Shall we?" "We certainly shall" she replied as she put her arm through his as they proceeded to walk arm-in-arm towards the front door. Barley knocked on the front door as he and Amelia waited patiently. No sooner when someone answered the door that an intimadating tan bulky elf who stood two inches taller than Barley glanced at him with a piercing stern look upon his face. Barley immediately became shook with fear upon the piercing stern glance that he took off his beanie and bowed in respect before him. Amelia became slightly embarrassed at her dad's "shot gun dad" notion. "Hi...DAD" she greeted while implying her slight embarrassment. "Well, if it isn't my most precious delicate young flower" Joseph greeted sweetly to his daughter. "DAAAAD!!!" "What? I just thought it's nice to see my most precious delicate young flower again..." his attention turned from Amelia to the piercing stern look at Barley, still bowing in respect towards him "...and...I assume you're the suitor that my daughter talks highly about?" he asked in an intimidatingly stern tone. Barley nervously raised his head as he put back on his beanie and immediately got back up on his feet. He immediately stuck out his right hand in offering a decent handshake "I-i-it's nice to meet you Mr...." Joseph immediately shook Barley's hand in a painfully gripping handshake "Joseph Fredrick Callahan" "Barley Lightfoot" "Ok...Barley...I'll have you know that if so much as one measly strand of hair on my precious delicate young flower's head is split in two, I will surely have your head for a trophy, do I make myself clear?" Amelia rolled her eyes in annoyance as Barley tried his hardest not to wince in pain. "Crystal" he replied while trying not to wince in pain as Joseph let go of the handshake. Just then Amelia’s mom Marissa shown up at the door. “Joseph, honey, is someone at the doo...” as she stopped short to notice Barley with her daughter. “Lemme guess, you’re Amelia’s super cute boyfriend” she teased playfully. “MOOOM...seriously?!?!?” Amelia replied much to her embarrassment. “Uh...yeah...I am. Barley Lightfoot, at your service Mrs...” “Marissa Callahan” “Marissa, I’m delighted to meet your acquaintance” Barley proudly replied in his viking warrior prince accent as he bowed and kissed her knuckles in respect. “Oh, the pleasure’s all mine. Wait a minute...Did you say you’re name’s Barley Lightfoot?

I thought you seemed familiar. How’s your mom been lately?” “She’s fine. She’s been married to our stepdad.” Barley replied with a slightly annoyed tone mentioning their stepdad Colt Bronco knowing that sometimes he can feel a bit cringed towards him at times. “Oh that’s nice. I think it’s sweet that she was able to move on after Wilden passed away. Anyway, what are we doing out here? Please do come in.” They all went in as Barley started to marvel at the interior of the house as it looked like the interior of a castle from the times of old. “Wow” “Yeah, my family’s big and fascinated on the importance of the times of old and I mean really big on the importance of the times of old that we preserve the customs and traditions of our family’s legacy” Amelia stated as she gestured to the wall where the Callahan coat of arms majestically stood with two portraits on each side. Amelia gestures to the portrait to the left of the coat of arms that shown a majestic Grecian-like king on the left and his queen on the right. She pointed to the king pictured in the portrait. “That is my 40-times great grandfather King Aydon Callahan” she then proceeds to point to the queen on the right “and that queen right there happened to be a sorceress who once saved King Aydon’s life and was betrothed to him as his queen. She’s my 40-times great grandmother Queen Edith Sparkstein Callahan.” “Wait? Your 40-times great grandmother was a sorceress?!?!? Then that must mean you have the magic gift!!!!” Barley exclaimed in excitement. “Uh...yes as a matter of fact I do” she replied sheepishly. “But...how did you know about the magic gift?” “Well, it just so happens that my little brother Ian also has the magic gift as well” he stated proudly. “So...If your 40-times great grandmother was a sorceress queen then that must make you a sorceress princess” he implied flirtatiously. Amelia began to blush a flustered red. “Oh...stop” Barley and Amelia slowly leaned in to kiss until they were cut short when Leonidas and Tyrus witnessed the moment with mischievous smirks plastered on their faces as they both began to sing “Barley and Amelia sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I...” Amelia glared at the both of them as they stopped as Barley greeted them in his viking warrior prince accent proudly “Ah, if it isn’t Lightanicus and Thundarius, Brothers of smite” “Sir Barley the Bold” Tyrus greeted back in his mighty and powerful sounding Charlton Heston-esque Essex accent. “You guys know each other?” Amelia asked in surprise. “Uh...yeah. We go over to his house every night for our Quests of Yore campaigns” Tyrus stated sarcastically. “Of course” she replied with disgust. “Is that my favorite twin sis in the world?” Sophia asked with excitement when she saw Amelia and gave her a big hug. “Sophia, I’m your only twin sister in the world.” Amelia reassured her. “I know, I just like saying you’re my favorite twin sister.” She then started to notice Barley. “So....who’s Mr. Big, Blue and Handsome?” She asked, teasing playfully. “Oh...Sophia, this is my boyfriend Barley. Barley, this is my twin sister Sophia.” Amelia replied upon introduction “Wow, Amelia he’s quite the catch” Sophia implied in a playfully teasing manner as she playfully winked. “Soooo...you two are twin sisters?” Barley asked upon surprise. “Yeah, but one way you can tell us apart is that I have dimples and Amelia doesn’t” Sophia stated. “Ugh, mom, do I have to?” “Katrina Everhilde Callahan, I expect you to be on your best behavior for your sister and her boyfriend” Katrina was far from impressed when she saw Barley. “Soooo...I’m guessing you’re my sister’s mushy boyfriend and I bet you call each other gross mushy pet na...” Marissa glared at her with a stern look. “...that I am really excited to see that my sister has a boyfriend” Katrina begrudgingly said while faking a smile through gritted teeth. Tyrus let out a stifled laugh as Katrina socked him in the arm. “So Barley will you be staying with us for dinner? We’re more than happy to have you.” Marissa offered. “Uh...sure. I’ll be more than happy to stay...”

he then glanced over at Amelia with a devilishly flirtatious glance “...especially when it’s with my beloved princess” he cooed flirtatiously as he pressed his lips against hers as Katrina rolled her eyes in disgust. “Wonderful, it will be ready in just a bit” Marissa replied with excitement. Soon it was dinner time as the table was set like a royal feast much to the Callahan custom upbringing. “Sooo...Barley...have you actually been on an actual quest?” Leonidas asked with interest. “Well, I’m glad you mentioned it Leonidas because Ian and I once went on an actual quest and we almost gotten ourselves met in the face of death by a Gelatinous Cube.” “Wait...you’re saying you’ve actually encountered an actual Gelatinous Cube?!?!?” Leonidas asked surprisingly as Tyrus done a spit take in surprise. “Wait...what’s a Gelatinous Cube exactly?” Amelia asked. “Uh...it’s only the most giant lethal glowing green cube that’s known to disintegrate anything and anyone it touches” Tyrus stated. “Aaah...I see...thank you captain obvious ” Amelia stated with sarcasm as her brother looked at her with annoyance. She couldn’t help but notice that her dad was still glaring at Barley that she couldn't help but break the ice on the situation. "Um...Dad I'm sure you'll be happy to know that Barley succeded in protesting to preserve a historal fountain landmark" Amelia stated proudly. "Oh? Is that so?" Barley sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Uh...heh heh...yeah I'm known to have a history of "protest quests" "Well, clearly I'm quite impressed that you're a man of superb integrity" Joseph stated proudly. "Hey, dad, I'm sure you've already aware of his dad Wilden Lightfoot" Amelia hinted. "Ah, yes, he was indeed my most dearest friend. I can see that his eldest son inherits his charisma and integrity" he complimented. "Oh...thank you" Barley said, appreciating the compliment. "Say, Barley, I happen to be an expert in the art of being a bladesmith recreating many swords from the days of old. Perhaps after dinner I can show you my workshop." Joseph offered. "Oh wow... I'd love to" Barley replied with excitement. After dinner, Joseph showed Barley to his bladesmith workshop. "This is the sword that once belonged to King Aydon Callahan, and this once belonged to Lord McGracklin..." "And this?" Barley asked noticing a special sword with a platinum crystallized handle and a Phoenix Gem orange colored sheath complete with the Celtic tri symbol that reminded him of his dad. "This...this is my most prized possession. This happened to be the sword that I, as an apprentice, once made for your father as a birthday present for him when he was just a boy of sixteen. When word came to me that he passed, I swore to myself that I will forevermore fight to the death for him." He glanced gently over to Barley "My daughter is lucky to have you as her worthy suitor. I am forevermore grateful to give you my blessing, but however I must warn you that if a single strand of hair was split in two..." "...I will face the wrath of your beheading" Barley reminded him in an uneasy tone. Joseph expressed a gentle smile and gave Barley a gentle reassuring pat on the back. Later, Barley and Amelia stood outside her house as he was about ready to leave. "I'm so glad you got to meet my family. I really appreciate it." Amelia complimented. Barley cupped Amelia's face in his hands as he drew closer to her. "Well...it was worth it... especially for you, my beloved princess" he replied flirtiously in a soft spoken tone as he gently pressed his lips against hers in a sensationally satisfying kiss. As they slowly parted from the kiss, Barley bid her farewell in his viking warrior prince accent by saying "Parting is such sweet sorrow, my beloved princess, but I must bid you farewell until our paths cross again once more" "Indeed, as I also bid you farewell until our paths cross again once more" Amelia replied in her Charlton Heston-esque Essex princess accent. She watched as Barley got into Guinevere II as he drove out of the cul de sac as she stared with a dreamy lovestruck

expression on her face with two hands on her heart as she made her way back inside her house.

#onward #pixar onward #onward pixar #barley lightfoot #cute #ship: barmelia #elf boyfriend #elfsona #amelia callahan #f/o: barley #genuinely romantic #romantic f/o #barmelia fanfiction #self ship #fanfic

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kouei116 · 5 years ago

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Jakou no Lyla - Trap of Musk: Asian night

Jakou no Lyla - Trap of Musk: Part 2 Asian Night - Korei Rin (seiyuu Okitsu Kazuyuki, e.g. Brothers Conflict Masaomi) the white hair guy. My favourite atm!（人´∀`*） - Kirei Rin (seiyuu Sato Takuya) the black hair guy

Korei: ...I am Korei, Rin Korei. White Lady (Hakujoushi) ... I have wanted to meet you so much ... finally I can meet you.

Korei really likes (well, obsessed abt) the Legend of White Snake - a Chinese legend abt the love of a human man and white snake spirit lady (you can read abt the legend on wiki), to the point that he refuses real life women because his heart already has the White Lady. Korei (older) and Kirei (younger) are brothers with different mothers. They visited Shanasa kingdom to attend the Princes Conference. They were walking around the market when Korei spotted MC - who is exactly how he imagined the White Lady to be.

Y: Crown Prince Kirei? Hey, please let me hear your voice more? Your voice calling my name...

Korei kept thinking abt MC as the real life White Lady and couldn't focus at all. Kirei was worried abt his brother’s state, and he was a bit interested in MC himself so he offered to go look for her. He found the show salon Kamal and was in awe of her dance performance. The Salon master invited Kirei to talk and suggested Kirei to hire MC on a mission: MC will act like the White Lady during the 9 day period of the Princes Conference to seduce Korei to love her enough and forget about ImaginaryWhiteLady; then on the last day, MC will refuse Korei, shattering his illusion abt the White Lady completely. Kirei is a play boy, he asked MC to try seduce him first: he bites on his fan, if MC can make him drop the fan, he will hire her. MC used her special tattoo, kissing his ear neck chest etc, eventually Kirei opened his mouth and tried to kiss her. She was abt to use her sleeping needle on him but luckily Salon Master came back into the room to tell Kirei it's time to talk abt the mission payment $$$

Korei: Ahhh... so sweet, the peach juice dripping down to your throat. Ahhhh.... more is steadily falling down.... So ripe and sweet ...Nnnnn.... Ahhh, White lady.... the peach juice on your white skin ... Nnnn... it's as if I'm eating peach. White Lady... please look at the peach stone, you have eaten it completely (so clean that there is only stone left). Fufu, how did it taste? There are still many peaches here ... do you want to eat another one?

Y (This person... gets ‘excited' by feeding me peaches.. !?)

MC tries to seduce Korei but every single time he politely steps back, e.g. she offered to sleep in his room (not really though, she planned to use sleeping needle on him so he’ll dream abt ‘sleeping’ with her) he gave her his room to sleep and slept in Kirei's room's sofa instead. She offered to take a bath together, he refused, she really insisted, he said fine but please keep thin bathing clothes on. He held her hand, looked at her with gentle eyes, praised her, cared for every teeny tiny details abt her, said he loves her a lot. MC is confused with these mixing signals (me too, though unlike MC, I'm too thirsty for PureKorei ლ(́◉◞౪◟◉‵ლ)), and asked him why, Korei said bc I love you, I want to treasure you. This moved her, bc during her missions, men jump at the chances to sleep with her/see her neked, but Korei is different from them.

Only this one time, Korei let her sit on a chair, tied her hands with soft cloth (very lightly, doesn't hurt at all, MC thought “By any chance he likes tying? :3) then... fed her a peach. The peach is large and juicy, when MC bite into it, the peach juice dripping down from her lip to her throat .... and Korei licked them all :3 Ohoho my ears were blessed ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Kirei: Ko-nii (Korei older brother), you are an Otaku. Oh, “Otaku” is from an island country’s language. It refers to people who are crazy about people that don't exist.

I seriously feel so attacked with this sentence lmao.

The girl in the middle is Miran. The Empress (Korei's mother) chose her to be Korei's wife but he kept refusing her because he already has his White Snake Lady, hence Kirei told Korei this.

Y: ... Crown Prince Korei will definitely become a wonderful Emperor.

Kirei: Y... Hey, I want to be seduced by you ... Because very soon, I won't be able to meet you again.... Y... Is it ok?

It's nearly the last day of the Princes Conference but Korei still hasn't really fallen for MC yet, so she visited Kirei's room to discuss how to proceed. Poor Kirei, he likes MC and has to look at her trying to seduce his older brother all these time. I was aiming for Korei's route so I selected Use Sleeping Needle option on him. The next day, Kirei woke up extremely happy thinking he slept with MC but she wasn't next to him though. He ran to her room to find her, but she told him nope, they didn't sleep together, she wants to focus on finishing her mission.

Y (This person is really good at dancing...)

MC and Kirei dance together (a type of dancing while holding weapons, MC holds a sword while Kirei holds fans) at the party.

Tbh by the end of the common room and the first half of Korei's route, I was very worried that this will end badly because Korei seems like he is still obsessed with the White Lady and may not love MC for herself at all ( ；´Д｀) But I'm glad the last half went ok, he has a reason from his past why he behaves like this (the White Lady obsession and the abstinence), just needs to communicate better to MC. Korei's confession and good end are very sweet and fluffyyy. He's such a cute dork otaku and still has strong resolve to protect his family and his kingdom people, oughhh I luv him, esp ThirstyKorei ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡ Yep, I just need to pass the exam and I'll be free to write his route summary ;u;

Before I play otome games, I was really into Chinese love stories (books and TV dramas). Korei's white hair reminds me of Dong Hua Emperor in Three Lives, Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms who I really like. In Korei's happy end CG, Korei looks quite similar to Dong Hua so yep, this is the final push for Korei to jump to my fav suitor spot. Don't worry Rolan, I still luv you a lot~

Surprisingly Kirei grows on me. He is a playboy but in front of MC (who he likes), he turns into a blushing pouting mess. Kirei and MC's banters are very funny bc both of them are very good at seducing the opposite sex so Kirei's cheesy lines don't work on her. Kirei really cares for his family (Korei and the younger sisters) and by the end of Korei's good end, he plays around less, and works very hard as Korei's right hand man.

#jakou no lyla #trap of musk #korei rin #kirei rin #kouei116 translation #kouei116 nintendoswitch

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omg-foreverfilledwithweird-posts · 6 years ago

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That Girl is Poison...

PAIRING: Eddie Brock/ Venom X Reader

Summary: You’re assigned to work with the infamous but sexy and charming journalist, Eddie Brock, there to be his assistant, get him into meetings and interviews, and help him with anything he might need. Fast forward a year and you’re good friends, closer than you thought you’d get when you first met the character, and now you’ve fallen in love with him. You’re invited to a night at his favorite bar, to play a game with heated game of pool, where the winner gets anything they want, and things get steamy quickly.

A/N: So I’m watching Venom and staying up WAY too late while writing this but it’s worth it I never sleep anyway and I am now in love with Eddie Brock another fictional character yay so please enjoy this took me so long and I went kind of overboard eek let me know if you want more which I will probably give cause he’s my whole life now (also Happy New Year!!) also ALSO i crave feedback (in need of validation)

Warnings: swearing, sexual tension and themes, cheesy, mentions of alcohol, an overwhelming load of fluff (seriously it should be illegal), heavy makeout

You walk through the double doors of Eddie Brock’s private office, re-tucking in your white blouse into your tight pencil skirt, hugging your curves, a glimpse of your y/s/c skin peeking through where the top button previously popped. You curse yourself for accidentally snapping the button on your way to work in the cab and pray Eddie doesn’t see the glimpse of scandalous skin that just barely reveals your lacy, black bralette. All that you, of course, only noticed to be showing once you got to the building. Cue the small panic attack in the staff bathroom.

Eddie happens to your boss, of sorts, which means no dating according to company policy. Even when you do most of the things around here, as he always likes to tell you, you’re his rock. You do what he asks, set up his meetings and interviews, get him coffee and lunch, answer phone calls, and write articles of your own. All those late nights, caffeine-fueled cramming sessions at the office and mounds of paperwork you’ve completed together, you’ve grown close. He won’t ever admit it, but he trusts you more than anyone else in his life, sometimes more than himself. Especially as of lately.

That’s why when you walk around his desk to discuss with him his schedule, his eyes immediately dart to your slightly revealed chest, the sight of you in your flattering work clothes making his mouth go dry. His chest seizes with guilt, you’re his friend, quite possibly his only one, and he doesn’t want to ruin that. Yet a wave of lust washes still over him and it’s not just Eddie that feels it.

Venom hums pleasantly in Eddie’s head, We like her, hm? She’s yummy. Yes, we do. But she’s a friend, and it will stay that way, thanks to you. Come on, I’ll behave, promise. Your promises are shit. Ouch, harsh one, Eddie.

You peer down at his frustrated expression and how he’s whispering to himself, wondering if this job has finally gotten to him and he’s gone mad, hearing voices in his head. You wave your hand in front of his face with a small, assuring smile and he looks up at you, blinking hard. His gaze flipping from confusion to complete adoration for you and your kind, picturesque, stunning features. Tendrils of hair fall down, framing your angelic face.

“Eddie,” you say sweetly with a honey-laced tongue, his eyes wanting to flutter closed at the lullaby sensation of your voice, cooing him to sleep. “Earth to Eddie, are you alright?” you say with an amused lilt in your tone, smiling at him.

“Y-yeah, yeah I’m fine,” he gulps, licking his dry lips, returning your easygoing smile, halfheartedly at best, and he clears his throat. “What’s on the schedule for today?”

You lean over his desk, pointing to the schedule you created for him, and he finds it hard to keep his eyes to himself, your wonderful, floral perfume and shampoo masking the air. He wishes to fall into you and never get back up again.

“You’ve got a meeting at 11 and we prepare for an interview scheduled for Monday at noon during lunch, into the rest of the day if need be. And besides that... nothing else and you’re free to enjoy your Friday night.”

Your chest brushes his arm when you stand up straight and he inhales sharply, sitting himself up along with you. You place your hand on his forearm, afraid you alarmed him somehow, and there’s lightning in your fingertips when you meet his skin. He looks at you and you pull your hand back, “Sorry, sir, I-I didn’t mean to frighten you,” you chuckle slightly.

“Oh, oh no,” he situates himself, both from you brushing up against him and the way your sweet voice calls him sir, how you’d say that term in other circumstances. He blushes at the inappropriateness of ll this. He stumbles out of his leather, desk chair when he moves to hide his excited area with his jacket.

“You didn’t, I-I’m just... tired and jumpy. Not your fault, you’re amazing... wait, no, I mean, you are, but I what I’m trying to-” he stops himself with a wiry, crooked smile. “You-you’re fine.” Your bright eyes crinkle with amusement at the sight.

Venom laughs menacingly, Nice going, Casanova. What was that before about just friends? Your heart rate has never been this high with someone just a friend... Shut it, parasite. P-parasite!? Say you’re sorry!

Eddie ignores the grumpy voice in his head and instead looks at his just a friend, you, knowing deep down the voice in his head is right.

You smooth down the wrinkles in your shirt, tucking hair behind your ear with a tender curl of your lips, “What? Got something on my face?”

He shakes his head frantically, slowing down when he sees your eyebrow raise then you smile and laugh at him. He smirks, leaning against the desk, his mind drifts to daydreaming about pressing you against this office wall, taking you right here and now.

“No, sweetheart, you look...” he gives you a once over before he can think better of it. No choice of words can fit you. And the ones that do aren’t appropriate for work so he opts not to speak at all, tongue-tied in your presence.

You run a hand through your hair, giving it much needed volume, to distract yourself from the pet name he’s decided on giving you. You like it more than you’d like to admit, “Don’t hurt yourself from thinking too hard, Brock, can’t have your death on my hands, what would the people think?” you mock gasp.

He snorts, “You couldn’t hurt a fly, no one will believe you did it. I have plenty of enemies that easily could have done it and framed you.”

“I-I can be... tough if I have to be.”

“I’m not saying you aren’t,” he laughs. “I’m just saying you’re not capable of murder, princess.”

“How thoughtful,” your lips curl. “But who will testify on my behalf if you’re not here to tell them that?” you continue to play along, tucking the clipboard of papers under your arm.

“No man in your life who could do it for you?” he flips through a random book to seem busy in front of you, peering at you from the corner of his eye. “I’m sure you have many... eligible suitors.”

You shake your head, hair falling down and hiding your flushed face, “None at the moment, no. That’s still sweet of you to think so, Eddie.”

He lifts his head up and his eyes light up when he beams at you, “Of course, any guy would be...” he locks eyes with you and your breath catches. “...would be lucky to have you, y/n.”

Your heart warms at his words, but you both think better of it and he clears his throat, looking away. He suddenly has an idea, and he knows it’s dangerous, being with you outside of work. He can hardly contain himself around you as it is, it’s a bad idea. Being alone with you... he’s done it before, all those late nights, he doesn’t know if he could do it again.

Then he does it anyway. “I have an idea.” Venom snorts, You have no self-control. You stay out of this.

“Well, that’s never good.”

“Hey,” he says with mock offense. “-some are... not so bad.”

You dissolve into laughter, filling the room with the melodic sound, hand resting over your beating heart, “One would think so.”

He rolls his eyes, unable to suppress a small, fond quirk of his full lips, “My idea... smart ass,” you guffaw at that. “-is that you could come for a drink with me...”

Your head snaps in his direction, masking your shock at his invitation as best you can. You didn’t expect this, but you’re certainly not mad either.

“Really?” you beam, cheeks flushed with color. “At O’Malley’s?

He nods and chuckles coolly, the sound resonating deeply from his chest, “So... w-would you maybe want to,” he scratches the back of his neck nervously, clamming up with an anxious chuckle. “To do that...? If you want and as friends, of course, completely professional.”

You push your hair back shyly behind your ear. “Of course. Completely...” you look him over, dark shirt, leather jacket, and black jeans, your favorite look on him, and meet his eyes once again. “Professional.”

He half smiles, “Is that a yes, then?” Your chest flutters.

You nod quickly and smile softly, “Yes, sir... That’s a yes.”

He can hardly contain his excitement when he breaks into a rare, genuine smile that takes up most of his handsome face, “Alright. I’ll see you then.” He stumbles back into his desk and catches himself on the corner. You giggle and he finishes, “After... well, work.”

“Yeah, work,” you take your bottom lip between your teeth, stifling more laughter. “Can’t forget about that.”

~~~

Eddie paces anxiously in front of the bar, taking a swig from a beer bottle the barkeep slid to him. He continues to check the time on the large clock hanging on the wall above the drinks, watching as the hand ticks, each click increasing his state of worry that you won’t show up. That he’s made a mistake. Of course you won’t, you deserve better than him, he thinks-

“Is this over a girl, big guy?” the bartender, Marty, asks, wiping down glasses.

He sighs and cracks a wistful smile, “How’d ya know?”

“Cause there’s a lovely one in the doorway looking right at you,” he nods to where you’re standing by the door.

“Keep it together, Eddie, it’s just y/n,” he whispers to himself, leaning back against the bar with a sigh as you walk over to him.

He’s frozen, seeing you outside of work clothes. You wear a plunging, red bodysuit, tucked into a pair of flattering black jeans that hit your curved waist flawlessly. His eyes are glued to that revealed piece of y/s/c skin, smooth and he finds himself wondering how you’d feel in his calloused hands, touching ever inch of you and his lips would follow. He shakes the thought away, crimson red. Your hair mussed from rushing down the bar’s stairway, trying to make it at least a little on time. You run a hand through it in an attempt to tame the beast. And he’s awestruck, you look stunning.

“I’m sorry I’m late, traffic was terrible,” you laugh, tucking a curl behind your ear. “Just a glass of red, please, Marty. Put it on my tab, too.”

“Sure thing, dollface.”

Eddie reaches for the wine glass when the bartender slides it down at the same time you do, your fingers brushing during the harmless exchange. The simplest of touches and your face goes hot. He grows flustered as well, cheeks a rosy shade of an adorable pink. You let go and he extends it kindly to you, your fingers wrapping around the base of the glass.

You chuckle, “Thanks.”

Marty takes his cue to walk back into the kitchen, just before sending a warning look to Eddie, “Everyone back here knows y/n, she’s family. If you lay a hand on her, we gotta shovel in the back. I doubt anyone would miss you.”

Eddie snorts to hide the sudden fear for his life buried in his eyes, cracking a smile in your direction, “Glad to know where his loyalties lie.”

You can’t help but laugh, “They’re harmless, Marty’s just an old family friend,” you tell him, unconsciously leaning towards Eddie, giving a delectable view of your crimson shirt and cleavage. Venom growls internally and Eddie finds himself doing the same.

“You look...” he breathes an airy laugh, running a hand through his hair. “You look beautiful, y/n.” You’re caught off guard from the compliment but take it all the same, warming you up from the inside out.

You grin, growing heated under his stare, “Thank you,” you breathe out, color rising to your cheeks. “You look great as always yourself.”

He takes a sip from his beer bottle, lips curling around the rim when he side eyes you, drinking you in, “Flattery will get you everywhere with me, darling.”

You giggle, intoxicated, not by the drink dangling between your fingers but from the heat in his dark eyes, “I’ll keep that in mind.” A door in the back of the bar catches your eye, the game room with a pool table, completely unoccupied.

Eddie has the same idea when he sees where your gaze lies and takes another sip of liquid courage before standing up from his seat, taking the bottle with him, “Play some pool with me?”

“It’s been awhile since I’ve played,” you look at him and take a sip of your wine, hiding a smile behind the glass. “I might not be very good.”

He clicks his tongue with a smirk, “You’ll be fine, we’ll make it interesting,” he hold out his hand, inviting you to take it. You look from his extended hand to his eyes and back again, cautiously resting yours in his before he pulls you from your seat, falling into his hard chest.

“Sorry,” you blow hair out of your eyes, a rosy smile gracing your face. You look at him in the eye for just a moment, breath catching.

He shakes his head, hands steadying you, placed firmly your waist, “Don’t be. You don’t ever need to apologize around me,” his mouth twitches at the side when his hand falls to the small of your back, guiding you through the tables and people.

A group of men in an isolated booth looks your way, wolf whistling and calling you over, whispering foul things to each other. Eddie picks up on the way you’re burning up, embarrassed, angry, and uncomfortable, hoping for a hole to appear in the ground below you and swallow you up before you do something you’ll regret. He instinctively wraps his arm around your waist, softly at first, tucking you into his side while you both walk, an air of safety warming your chest. Your hand on your wine glass gripping tighter.

You shut the door behind you and watch on as Eddie prepares the game, dusting the cues and setting up the balls into a triangle in the middle of the green felt. You wait and continue to look on, setting down your drink, fascinated in the way he moves. His carved from stone muscles clench and flex when he gathers everything you two need. He catches you looking from the corner of his eye and flashes the ghost of a smirk. You realize you’ve begun to like him more than you’ve let on.

He stands behind the pool table and leans against the redwood, cocking his head towards the game in question, “Ready?”

“Before we play, we should practice for the interview on Monday,” you idly walk around the pool table to him, “How do you want to do this? Practice it and I pretend to be who you’re interviewing...?”

He sighs, putting the game on hold because of that doll like look in your eyes, turning to face you, “You’re going to let me ask whatever I want instead of playing pool with me?” he tilts his head. “And you answer truthfully?”

“We can play in a moment. This is more important. Pretend I’m Richard Ford, the tech mongol you’re going to be on television with,” you chuckle, failing to remain serious, tucking fallen hair behind your ear. “See,” you grab a tendril of hair, twirl it, put it under your nose, and pucker your lips, faking a mustache. “The name’s Richard, nice to meet you.”

Dimple. “I can hardly tell the difference,” he humors you.

“I’m a master of disguise,” you let the piece or hair fall with a sweet smile. You extend your hand for him to shake, deepening your voice, “Hi, I’m Richard, it’s a pleasure to meet you Eddie. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“This is the worst version of role-play I’ve ever done with a woman,” he teases when he takes your hand in his. You roll your eyes and he takes the game a step further, placing a cheeky kiss to your knuckles, nose brushing the soft skin. “The pleasure’s all mine.”

Your face lights up, heat sent straight to the knot in the pit of your stomach, “Y-you’re going to kiss... Richard’s hand, Eddie?”

“You have to make a good impression with these sort of things, it’s only polite.” He cracks a smile, “Or maybe it was an excuse for me to kiss you, you’ll never know.”

“I guess I won’t,” you flush. “Right... okay, let’s get started then.”

“No fun, all work, huh?”

“We can have fun.” You grumble with a small frown, “I-I’m fun.”

His lips curve into a smile, “Never have I ever then... while we play pool.”

You sigh, if you brought work into this you were hoping it would diminish that damn knot in the pit of your stomach, coiling and spreading like wildfire from your chest to your fingertips. This wasn’t the greatest of ideas but when have they have ever been between you two?

“And if I win?”

“Your choice,” he folds his arms over his broad chest.

You lock eyes, “Same with you?” This would only end badly. He nods.

“Fine,” you grab your pool cue and take aim, “Never have I ever cheated on a test.” Keep it innocent.

His brow pinches in confusion, taking a long sip of his beer, and setting it back down on the edge of the pool table, “You’ve never cheated on a test? Ever? I doubt that.”

“I was a good kid,” you chuckle, hitting the ball into the corner pocket. Hm, maybe you were good at pool.

“Every kid cheated on at least one test.”

“Not me.”

“You’re just a liar.” You stick out your red colored tongue, stained with wine and just as sweet, but missing your next shot.

He rolls his eyes, “Alright, never have I ever ogled at someone in this room when they were shirtless at the company retreat in Lodge Falls.” He misses and frowns. Innocent questions only, that idea seems to have been thrown out the window.

You scoff, “And you didn’t look at me?” you say while taking a quick sip, lips curled around the rim of your glass. Both of you walking around the table, remaining across from each other, neither daring to cross the distance. You make the shot, a solid color too.

“Had to distract myself with other things,” he smirks. Liar.

“Other things named Jacqueline and Angela...” you clarify for him, his eyes poring into yours, masked guilt in both of your gazes, hidden by a year of a friendship of will-they-won’t-they. You force a small smile, lessening the tension as much as you can, hitting another corner pocket, but the air has changed and something’s clicked.

His brow arches, “Were you jealous?” he asks quietly, almost afraid he’ll scare you off if he raises his voice above a mere whisper. You reach to where he stands, right beside him.

You laugh quietly, “No,” you answer quickly, too quickly, voice cracking towards the end of that damned word. Your eyes on him making him miss his shot.

His mouth twitches in the right corner, deciding to drop the clearly tender subject, he nods to the table, “Alright. Your turn.”

You walk closer to him, pool cue in hand, and an interesting idea arises, something to distract him from making a good play when he shoots next. You take a step between him and the table, making a show of bending over in front of him. He inhales sharply, too shocked to move when Venom chuckles darkly. She’s a minx, this one. I say we teach her a lesson. Eddie visibly stiffens, jaw clenched tightly, as he tries to covertly situate himself behind you while you take perfect aim, and, as expected, make an equally perfect shot.

You stand up straight again and throw him a coy look over your shoulder, “Never have I ever gotten aroused by someone in this room tonight.” If he wasn’t going to make this easy, you weren’t either.

He locks eyes with you and takes a sip of his beer. You smile. He wets his lips and sighs, slightly amused, “You, sweetheart, do not fight fair.”

You smile, feigning innocence, “I don’t remember us making any rules.”

He clicks his tongue, cutting his eyes in your direction before getting level with the table, and shooting a ball into the corner pocket. One after the other until there are only a few left, meaning your distracting tactic clearly didn’t rattle him enough. The odds don’t seem to be in your favor.

You exhale slowly, aiming your cue, just as Eddie circles the table to stand behind you.

His eyes glaze over you, “Your hands are in the wrong place, darling.”

You chuckle, delightfully buzzed, “Really?” you muse. “And where should they be?”

You stand up straight once again, his chest pressed against your back, close enough for you to hear the telltale beating of his rapid heart.

His breath is hot by your ear, your chest tightens, “Would you like me to show you?”

“Do I have much of a choice?” you breathe a laugh, voice failing you.

Eddie’s calloused fingers dance up your bare arm, eliciting goosebumps and a sharp intake of breath from you, your lungs filling with his woodsy, cedar scent. His other hand falls to your waist, thumb caressing the fabric of your shirt, making it painfully aware to the both of you of the clothes separating your skin from meeting. His sensual touch is warm and inviting, conveying a silent love letter you can’t yet read. He slides his hands down to grasp your own, placing them in the right spot on the cue stick.

You arch your back at the sensation of his his lips smugly brushing your neck, “Eddie... What are you doing?”

“Fighting dirty.” He guides you to pull the cue back, “Now aim.”

You scoff, “I’m almost impressed.”

He chuckles deeply, “High praise coming from you.” His hands encompass yours entirely when he readies you to take the shot, “And... shoot.” You hit the ball directly into the side pocket, much easier and swifter when he’s here aiding you.

You turn around, his hands on either side of you, resting against the edge of the pool table, and pinning you against it. You blush, “Thank you.”

He looks over you, eyes riddled with both lust and adoration, the more flustered you get the bigger his smirk, “You’re very welcome.”

You tuck your thumb tenderly under his chin and lift his head up, guiding him to meet your eyes, “But was this your way of attempting to distract me, Eddie?”

How do you do that, he thinks. Flip from cute to sexy so quickly? But he smirks, well pleased with himself, “Maybe... Is it working?”

You shake your head, smile, and lie, “No, I’m afraid not.”

“I don’t believe you.”

You raise your eyebrows in mock offense, “Are you calling me a liar?”

“No, sweetheart, I’m not... Because you’re a terrible one.” You scoff at that. “Might I suggest that you never get into gambling.” He walks away from you.

“I can lie,” you turn back around, ignoring his protests about your hand placement while he circles around the table, praying for no more urges to touch you again, your skin still tingling from it.

“For example...” you look up at him from your cue, “I told you I liked your ex girlfriend.” Clink. Right into the side pocket again.

He can’t help but smile at that, “You didn’t like Anne?”

You shake your head, making your next shot, “Not really, she was always jealous... of you and me. She would sometimes come up to me when you weren’t around and tell me to stay away from you.”

He frowns deeply, “I didn’t know that.”

“I know,” you look at him. “I didn’t want you to stop seeing her on account of me. I’m sure she was great besides that and I-I wanted you to be happy, so I stayed away. So when she had to move to Prague with Dan, for her new job, I just kept it to myself. I thought there was no use in telling you. Because you’ve moved on.”

“Sure, there was,” he walks back around to you, wanting to hash this out, but you didn’t expect this reaction. There’s concern etched in those worry lines between his brow and on his forehead. “You could have, sure I’ve moved on and it was a long time ago, but I-I would have liked to have known.”

“I didn’t want to worry you,” you breathe out. “But now it seems I have. I’m sorry, I j-”

He tilts his head curiously, “What did I tell you about apologizing, sweetheart?” he says to you.

You can’t breathe. His hands lightly grasp both sides of your face, thumb caressing your flushed cheek. You sad smile is faint, going weak from his gentle touch. “To not...” Your nose nudges his, lips brushing, and you gulp hard. You smile against him, “But when have I ever listened, hm?”

“God...” his eyes clench shut, like he’s fighting an inner turmoil you won’t ever see for yourself. “We can’t... We’d lose our jobs.”

“I know,” you nod, your hand resting over his.

Eddie’s breathing has gone shallow, hands falling to his sides, the anticipation becoming too much for the both of you. His eyes burn into yours, “You don’t make this easy, you know that?”

You lick a stripe from his bottom lip to his top, tasting the bittersweet flavor of liquor and a musk you can only classify as Eddie. You couldn’t take it anymore. You hum pleasantly at his lust blown pupils, “I though you enjoyed a challenge.”

“Y/N...” his voice is hoarse. “Stop. We can’t.”

Are you out of your mind, Eddie?! I can’t! I want to but I can’t, she’ll lose her job and I’ll lose mine, it’s not right. I won’t hurt her like that. Jobs come and go, my friend, but there’s only one y/n... Take her right here.

You lock eyes with the man and utter just two words, voice barely above a whisper, “Make me.”

His hands grasp both sides of your face once again and he pulls you to him, all restraint a distant, forgotten memory when his lips crash desperately into yours. You inhale sharply, both from surprise and delightful release as your trembling lips part for him. Wanting something for so long and finally gaining the satisfaction of grasping it, him, you, it’s almost too much to bear. Your arms tangle around his neck, ensuring there is no space between your bodies when he guides you flush against his chest. He takes your red bottom lip between his teeth and tugs, moans falling from you like sin, legs gone weak at the simple action. His lips are soft and plump, bringing a tingling sensation to your own There’s nothing rushed in his kiss, nothing harsh or fast. He’s taking his time with you, gentle hands now running languidly up and down your curves, worshiping you and your body for all your worth.

His powerful arm wraps around your back and picks you up like you weigh absolutely nothing, laying you down on the pool table. His eyes wander all over you, your body on display for him, the brown in his eyes completely diminished by the black of his pupils, dark and hooded.

You hold his face in your hand and he places a soft, fluttering kiss to the palm of your hand, leaning into your touch, “We’re so fired,” you giggle.

He runs his thumb over your swollen, rose flushed lips and smiles softly, “You’re worth it.”

Then his lips press to yours so ferociously and completely that a soft, mewling whimper escapes you, tugging on the ends of his hair, and earning a groan from him. Your smile, pleased, into the kiss and tilt your head up when his lips migrate to just below your mouth, your chin, your throat, your neck. He peppers wet, open mouth kisses anywhere he can reach, leaving fire in his wake. His big hands roam your body, roughly squeezing and gripping your thighs and your ass.

Venom grows excited, growling impatiently, My turn. No, Venom, you’ll scare her off. Now isn’t the time. Oh, Eddie... you insult me. Let’s let the girl decide that for herself. Venom, please n-

He breaks away and you frown, wondering why he pushes away from you like you’re skin was on fire.

A black, molten liquid transforms his body, encompassing him completely until he stands above the table. You look on, terrified and curious, your eyes wide as saucers. What was happening to Eddie? The monster from the news. You must be dreaming. Because this can’t be happening, this isn’t real...

Your hands are shaking as you muster up the words to question this... thing, hoping this is all in your head, “W-who... who are y-you?”

He flashes his large, razor sharp teeth, lips curling maliciously, ivory eyes slitted with dangerous intent.

“We... are Venom.”

5K notes · View notes

shipsrulemylife · 6 years ago

Text

Jily Fic Rec

Surprise, surprise. Guess who’s back with another fic rec!

It’s Jily this time because who doesn’t love a good enemies to friends to lovers trope?

EDIT: apparently the links only work if you click on the read more??? why is tumblr so weird

Key Limes by cgner [Rated T]

In which Academy Award winner Lily Evans discovers the periphery of internet fandom and the mysteries of Prince James’s gold star system.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7402624

Mother Deer by GhostofBambi [Rated T]

Euphemia Potter is the unequivocal boss of everyone, including and most especially her son, and if the sweet, bright-eyed redhead who frequents her coffee shop doesn't know that yet, she's about to find out.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13594827

Polyjuiced by ladyoftheknightley [Rated T]

A very pregnant Lily invites the Marauders round to help her entertain James. Somehow, this degenerates into 4 Jameses wandering around her living room, with her having to guess which is her actual husband or (horror of horrors) lose a bet against Sirius Black.

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10101206/1/Polyjuiced

Salmon Fishing in the Olympics by GhostofBambi [Rated T]

Modern Era AU: When Lily Evans seeks assistance from James Potter to avoid the attentions of a suitor who just won't take no for an answer, she accidentally lands them both on the front page of every gossip magazine in Britain. She should have thought about that before pretending to be the girlfriend of a famous athlete.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11393601

Cat in a Fifth Floor Flat by GhostofBambi [Rated T]

Modern Era AU. When Remus Lupin moves out and Lily Evans moves in, James Potter finds himself instantly drawn to his beautiful new neighbour. Little does he know that a mysterious force of nature is secretly pulling the strings.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10610682

The Yeast I Can Do by elanev91 [Rated T]

Dr Lily Evans had an absolute shit day at work. Luckily, there's a bakery nearby that offers a course that she hopes will take her mind off of things.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11677191

Try, Trial, and Try Again by BeeDaily [Rated G]

Spell engineering has never been so complicated than when an afternoon of trying and trialing leaves James and Lily in an interesting position.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12404292

Supermarket Sweep by GhostofBambi [Rated T]

Modern Era AU: James Potter can find anything he needs in his local supermarket - bread, milk, the woman of his dreams - they've got it all.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11608353

we could be gigantic by elanev91 [Rated T]

Lily and James have been best friends since they were kids. Uni, a band, a trip abroad, a few tours and a couple of albums later, things start to change. Half an email fic, half a regular ol' narrative.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13926795

Swipe Right, Swing Left by ShadowRose997 [Rated T]

The unspoken rule of using dating apps in D.C. is that you always start with where you work. James Potter, it seems, never picked up on that one.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16743499

Erotic Porridge by elanev91 [Rated T]

Euphemia Potter thinks her doctor needs to go on a date with her son. This story is so named because I saw it somewhere, could not stop laughing, and my best friend professor-riddikulus hates it so much that I just had to. This story has nothing, literally nothing, to do with porridge. (I really should give my stories better names) - Muggle AU

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10475154/chapters/23112117

Elevator Love Song by BeeDaily [Rated T]

James unexpectedly finds himself trapped in a dodgy apartment elevator with Lily Evans.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13814355

Motionless by lovesickjily [Rated T]

James Potter always had thought that he was the only person in the world who had the power to stop time, but somehow, just the sight of Lily Evans makes every second feel like an hour.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16720791

Pickup Limes by elanev91 [Rated G]

Lily loves to blow off steam in Waitrose. Tonight, she spots an unbelievably gorgeous man in the bakery. Modern AU, Muggle AU, Grocery Store AU (still def not a thing)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11603553

Orange Cardamom by ShadowRose997 [Rated T]

James may not believe in love at first sight, but he's beginning to think there may be some merit in love at first sip.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16412123

Too Fic Too Furious by elanev91 [Rated T]

The M25 needs to undergo massive emergency repairs and the entire motorway has been shut down for, well, probably the rest of eternity. Lily Evans was foolish enough to think she could make it through before the traffic properly started. She's absolutely dying of boredom when she spots the guy in the car opposite.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14990837

you exist behind my eyelids by lovesickjily [Rated T]

How could they be in love with someone whose existence was only known because they frequented each other's dreams?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15861750

the one with the white suit and the red beanie by Apalapucian [Not Rated]

james agrees(?) to be a model for lily's photography class project, and jeanne, james, and lily all fall one way or another in the duration of it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16018502

Wishing you all a Good Evening by thejilyship [Rated T]

Lily Evans is a news anchor for her college news station and James Potter is a football star who has gained quite a bit of local notoriety. Lily's not impressed by him and his arrogance, but James is quite impressed with everything Lily does. After the blunder that was their first meeting, James is determined to change her mind and she's determined not to let him. College!AU

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15408027/chapters/35760174

So Just Act Like You Love Me by twilightstargazer [Rated T]

Lily was looking forward to a nice, quiet Christmas by herself. Instead she's heading back home for her sister's engagement party with a fake boyfriend in tow.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11616078

the one with the storm and all the texting by Apalapucian [Not Rated]

James and Lily get stuck in a coffee shop during a storm.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16044326

Unexpected Perks by thejilyship [Rated T]

James and Lily meet in an airport after missing their flights, though by the end of the day, it all sort of seems like fate.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15368979

Sing A Reckless Serenade by twilightstargazer [Rated T]

“What kind of work thing?” James asks, warily. Lily takes a breath. It seemed like a brilliant idea last night, when she was more than three drinks under, but now in the light of day it just seems… pathetic. Still though, she needs help, and needs it soon, so she finds herself blurting out: “I need you to fake date me for a week.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/9794741

Dr. Jones and the Witch by jamespotterthefirst [Not Rated]

Who is the stranger Lily drunkenly met at a party? And why can't she stop texting him?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16477184

no matter what (i love you) by softjily [Rated G]

When Lily’s aunt Rose introduced her to a scrawny twitchy eleven year old boy with frantic hair and glasses that were too big for his face, she certainly didn’t think she’d spend the next seventeen years beside him." Or, the VirtueMoir AU no one asked for.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16216460/chapters/37903337

Have a Biscuit by PetalsToFish [Rated G]

No matter how many biscuits it took, Minerva was too invested in James Potter's relationship with Lily Evans to tell him that he needed to stop eating all her biscuits.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16301453

The Engagement by itsa_bee [Not Rated]

Lily and Marlene decide to go wedding dress shopping, even though neither of them are even in a relationship much less engaged. One thing leads to another, James Potter enters the scene, some fake dating ensues, and then they eat an engagement cake!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15728991

Sixty-Nine, Nice by a_collection_of_nonsense [Rated T]

In which James Potter and Lily Evans are in a math course together and have absolutely no chill.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15663510

#Jily by Chie (Chierafied) [Rated G]

Twitter seemed awash with the hashtag Jily. Lily blinked at in confusion, until she realised it was one of those silly couple monikers people had bestowed on her and Potter. …Though there was a small dissenting crowd following a tweet from Potter’s bandmate Sirius Black: Jily? Hah! More like LAMES.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7292149

victorem by gryffindormischief [Rated T]

When God closes a door, sometimes you have to jump out a window.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14134368

Cheers to That by wotcherpotter [Rated G]

Breakout star James Potter has seen success on the new hit comedy Have You Ever, and has been nominated for his first BAFTA. Upon the announcement he receives congratulations aplenty online, including from fellow actor and long time crush Lily Evans.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12185553

follow your heart gently; by lilevans [Rated G]

social media au + “after lily spotted james on campus, she posted a video to her university’s campus story, telling james: ‘To the cute guy wearing the blue jersey in the university’s snapchat story, I’m seriously in love with you. find me.’ a modern day cat and mouse game ensues with the whole campus urging romeo and juliet to meet because oMG its love at first sight!!”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12130413

Questions and Answers by lizardcookie [Rated T]

The simple question of whether or not they're dating doesn't exactly have a simple answer. Seventh Year Jily.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7723105

Upside Down by Bob_The_Other_Zombie [Rated G]

Lily’s pop star career seems to be hitting a rut, until her publicity team comes up with the perfect plan- a fake relationship with James Potter, frontman of the hot new boyband The Marauders. Lily’s less than enthused- last time she and James were in the same room together, there was vomit involved, all over her nicest pair of shoes. After a few dates, however, lines begin to blur, and suddenly things between them don’t seem to be just PR anymore...

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7500300

Sweet Tooth by mylifeissocoollike [Rated T]

Lily and James were best friends growing up, but when he moved away and they drifted apart they thought that would be the end of their friendship. But fate has a funny way of working out, and Lily can’t keep herself away from the brownies in the grocery store.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7301335

Lilium Regale by jewishwondergirl [Rated G]

Flowershop!AU. Lily works in a flower shop, and every Friday James comes in to buy flowers. For this prompt: "you keep buying a bunch of flowers so i think i have no chance but it turns out theyre for ur mum" Written (early) for Jily Trope Fest! Nothing but fluff.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7065067

The Benefits of Recklessness by madnessandbrilliance [Rated T]

Some people really were lucky they had good medical insurance. A Jily AU.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/6779974

Darkest Night by thelittlegreennotebook [Rated G]

"It’s a tiny place, warm and welcoming with soft light and softer croissants. A place so small that if you happened to, say, run into the bloke you had been hell-bent on avoiding—well, there would be no avoiding about it." The third and last in a series of Jily college AUs for the November Fanfiction Challenge.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2563049/chapters/5699597

Happy reading!

#oof #harry potter #harry potter fic rec #jily #jily fic rec #jily fanfic #jily fanfiction #fic rec #james potter #lily evans #lily potter #marauders

366 notes · View notes

jinterlude · 6 years ago

Text

Andante, Adante

↳ header is made by yours truly. I do not own the rights to the image used.

➳ Pairing: Kim Junmyeon x Reader (female OC)

➳ Genre(s): College!AU, Professor!AU, Romance, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, & Slight-Angst

➳ Words: 3.5K

➳ Summary: After witnessing your friends become broken hearted over and over, you have vowed to never fall in love. You even develop this tower around your heart in order to protect it. So, what happens when a certain new department chair comes into the picture? Will he successfully tear it down or will he just further prove your worries right?

The faint crackle from a record player slowly enters your ears. This warm, comforting feeling invades your heart as a familiar instrumental begins to sound. The signature sound of your favorite music group, ABBA, fills your office while you dig out a vanilla colored folder from your bag.

You didn’t have any class sessions scheduled until the afternoon, so you have a decent size break. A break that is needed since you’re quite behind on grading your students’ papers.

Why did you assign a ten-page research assignment again? Oh…that’s right…there’s this weird university requirement where the students must write at least two thousand words for the class before the semester is over—and apparently creative writing assignments do not count towards the requirement.

A faint scoff exits your lips as you shake your head, quietly mocking the stupid university requirement. You then reach for one of the many red pens that are bundled together in a mug. You pull off the cap and then put it on the end of the pen.

“Alright…time to get to work…”

You reach for the first of many assignments and start grading…

Or so you’ve hoped…

Not even done with the second submitted assignment, your office door swings open but immediately slams shut. Then, heavy pants combine with the voices of ABBA, creating this sense of alertness within you. However, you remain focus on your goal. The goal of grading at least half of your students’ assignments.

“Isn’t it a bit early for the theatrics, Sumin?” You question with little to no emotion, skimming the contents of the third turned-in assignment.

Soon, a soft yet impactful whine flows through your ears. Oh, goodie… you triggered her.

The younger woman pushes herself away from the door but not before locking it, praying that her loving yet extremely annoying fiancé hasn’t figured out that she’s hiding out in her big “sister’s” office.

She then maneuvers through the semi-mess that is your office and plops her cute little behind on the chair in front of your mahogany wood desk.

A faint amuse smile paints your lips as you peek up from the fifth submitted assignment that’s currently in your hands.

“I’ll ask again, isn’t a bit early for the theatrics, little sis?” You ask again, waiting for her answer.

Sumin frowns and then cocks her head back; her eyes now glued onto the ceiling.

“Why did I agree to marry him again?” She replies in a questioning tone of voice.

Okay…

That’s not the response you’re looking for.

“Maybe because you love him and see yourself spending the rest of your life with him?”

“Ugh…why did it have to be me?”

Your mind registers her question; a chuckle begins to brew within your chest. How fitting that she says that just as the song, that is titled with that question, begins to play. Who would’ve thought that a song which starts off so lively is actually about self-doubt and essentially one-night stands?

Slowly but surely the chuckle starts to surface. Even though you’ve tried your hardest to stifle it.

The last thing you want to is to annoy your rather adorable colleague—though—it’s quite entertaining to do so.

“Let me guess. You were lonesome, almost blue, and it had to be him,” You begin, quickly masking the amused expression that wants to display loud and clear, “But you only wanted a little love affair so now you think it’s better that Seokjin forgets you.” You finish, thinning your lips to prevent the boisterous laugh that’s desperate to come out. Sumin’s face is freaking priceless right now.

Oh…her confusion is always the best thing on this planet. Well, besides ABBA of course.

Sumin opens her mouth but soon closes it, a bit unsure how to phrase her next set of words.

Her brows knit together. Tiny wrinkles form on her forehead.

Minutes pass and this look of realization dawns on her.

“Did you just quote ABBA to me?” questions Sumin, a bit confused as she mentally repeats each lyrics that is being sung.

Finally, the laughter, that brews within your chest, erupts into a loud, lively sensation. Your boisterous chuckle bounces off the four walls of your office, mixing with the music that comes from the record player.

You nod; your laughter slowly dying down, yet you still have the amused smirk gracing your face.

“But in all seriousness, why are you hiding away in my office?” You inquired, setting down yet another graded paper on its designated stack.

Sumin glances away from the ceiling, tilting her head down to establish eye contact with you.

“Because, this is the last place that he’d—” Before she can finish her sentence, someone knocks on your door. Then, a person’s voice follows.

“Princess! I know you’re in there!”

This look of dread washes over your friend’s face. Panic instills in her eyes as she grows unsure. What will she do? She doesn’t want to hurt his feelings. She especially doesn’t want him to think that she regrets accepting his proposal.

She slowly turns towards you and mouths, “help me…”

You make a face. You too are unsure on how to handle their unique situation. Then, an idea pops into your mind. Taking a page from one of your student’s essays, you decide to play couple’s therapy.

Without saying a word, you push back your chair and stand up. You feel Sumin’s gaze on you as you calmly walk over to your door.

“What are you doing…?” You hear your friend ask as she becomes more anxious.

You grasp the door handle and swing it open.

“Easy. I am mending your relationship with your fiancé.” You tell her, revealing a panting Seokjin.

Seokjin muttered a quick thanks as he strides right in your office.

Sumin unleashes a long, annoyed groaned, as she feels betrayed by you.

Oh well. She’ll have to get over it.

“Why are hiding from me, princess?” He asks, taking a seat right next to her.

You chuckle softly as you make your way back to your desk. This ought to be entertaining for you. You plant your ass back in your office chair and move it forward your desk, closing the gap between. It’s always easier to grade papers and stay focus when you are close to your work table.

“Yeah Sumin. Why are you hiding away from your doting fiancé?” You playfully ask, repeating his question.

Sumin rolls her eyes at your comment, silently berating you.

“Because, I can’t take all of this wedding talk!” She practically shouts. Her emotions bursting out.

Seokjin’s eyes widen. His jaw nearly drops to the floor. He feels his heart tighten against his chest after hearing her comment.

You, on the other hand, let out a long wince. You’re just her friend and you feel his pain.

“Then, why did you accept my proposal if you dislike planning our wedding?” He spat, allowing the hurt and anger to consume his mind.

“I never said I disliked planning our wedding!”

“That’s pretty much you mean when you said that you can’t take all of this wedding talk!”

“I mean that I’m being overwhelmed, you insufferable twat!”

“Oh!? So, now I’m being insufferable?!”

“Right now?! Yeah!”

You watch the two of them go back and forth. You honestly feel like you’re watching a tennis match, that’s in a never ending rally. Both of them raising their voices to outdo the other. The insults gradually worsen.

Is this what love is supposed to be? If it is, then you’re glad that you’re single. It seems like love hurts…and it doesn’t help that you already have developed a tiny fear of it. You have seen your friends countlessly broken hearted after being dumped by the one person who has sworn to love them forever.

To protect yourself from it, you decide to focus on your work. You develop this giant wall around your heart, guarding it from any potential suitor that express interest in you.

No broke heart for you…

Not wanting to be yelled by your fellow department members, you shout, hoping to get their attention. Time to play, “couple’s therapy”, or else their relationship is done.

“Okay…seems like you two have some pent up frustrations…” You begin, picking your words carefully as you don’t want to trigger them again.

Both Sumin and Seokjin scoff.

“That’s an understatement…” mutters Sumin, crossing her arms over her chest.

Seokjin nods in agreement.

You purse your lips, exhaling deeply, as you think that you need to tackle this a little differently.

“So, why do you guys have so much bottled emotions? Don’t you guys usually talk it out?” You question, leaning in your seat a little.

“We do, but this fool right next to me believes that everything is just dandy once I apologize for my mistakes. He doesn’t even remotely admit that he was in the wrong too!” Sumin answers. Her voice raising a bit near the end.

Seokjin becomes offended by her words. He then refutes her claims by stating that he does acknowledge his mistakes, but it is her own damn fault for not listening to him. Then, that triggers her again.

You stare at them in disbelief as they engage in another bickering war.

For the love of God…

“Okay! Enough you two! What you guys are doing has to stop or just fucking break up! You two constantly arguing over the littlest of shit is quite frankly toxic, and it makes me fucking glad that I’m single!” Your anger bursts out of your body. You breathe heavily, staring intensely at the two. You just want to get back to grading since your free time is almost over.

Both Sumin and Seokjin shyly glance at each other. Their hearts aching at the thought of them no longer being a pair. Something has to change or else they will have to part ways for the sake of their sanity.

“I’m sorry.” They said in unison, looking incredibly apologetic.

You eye them oddly, feeling a bit confused at how fast they apologized. Maybe you will think about becoming a couple’s therapist as a side job. It doesn’t hurt to earn a little extra money.

“It’s not like I’m fed up with planning our wedding. I’m just…feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything.” Sumin confesses, explaining her recent behavior. Though, she knows that doesn’t give her the excuse to be uncooperative.

Seokjin places his hand on top of hers, squeezing it just a bit.

“What’s got you so overwhelmed, princess?”

“Just that we got this new dean in my department, and I hear that he’s terminating people’s position based on the success rate of their students last semester,” Sumin pauses for a moment, “And as you know, I didn’t have that great of semester during the Spring…” She finishes as this look of concern washes over.

You eye your friend sadly, not wanting her to be fired over something so little. It’s not her fault that her students gave up halfway after seeing that her class isn’t this “throw away” class where you earn easy credits. No. Just like with your class, if you want an “A” in her class, then you do the work. Plain and simple.

As you open your mouth to say some encouraging words, the three of you hear a knock.

Your brows furrow together as you aren’t aware that a student has come to see you during your office hours.

You tell the couple that you’ll be right back as you push your chair away. You stand up and head over to the office door. You swiftly open it, not wanting to keep your student waiting.

“I’m incredibly sorry. I wasn’t aware that I had someone scheduled to come in during…my…office…hours…” Your voice slows as you see a man, nicely dressed in a dark grey suit with his hair styled just a bit, standing outside instead of a student.

Oh…that’s extremely awkward…

“Pardon my intrusion, but my name is Kim Junmyeon, and I am your new department head.” He introduces, holding out his hand for you to shake.

You remain standing there; your mouth slightly ajar, looking like a complete idiot. Your pupils dilate just a bit. You feel your face grow warm while your heart starts to race.

In short…you’ve become smitten with the handsome man in front of you.

Sumin, noticing that you haven’t said anything in almost a minute, peeks behind your body.

“I apologize for my friend, she’s usually articulate in these types of situation!” You hear Sumin tease, forcibly pulling you away from your conflicted thoughts.

You lightly slap your face, pulling yourself together. Though, you’re certain that you just made a bigger fool of yourself.

Luckily…Junmyeon doesn’t think so. Unknown to you, he finds it a bit cute that you’ve become awestruck. Normally, that happens to his friends Jongin and Chanyeol due to how extremely handsome they are. While, with him, he deems himself as average. Seeing your eyes widen and your lips slightly open makes him feel—happy.

“That’s quite alright.” He chuckles as he drops his hand, acknowledging that he’s not getting a hand shake, “I usually get that myself, so I know that feeling.” He says, smiling at you. He needs to stop though or else you might actually fall for him. “As I was saying, I am the new department head for literature, and I wanted to get to know my fellow colleagues.” He states, explaining his presence near your office.

You nod with a friendly smile.

“Oh. Well, hello! I’m Y/N L/N, and I teach composition theories and practices and introduction to the literature of the United States and British Isles for this department.” You finally introduce yourself, feeling a bit proud of the subjects that you’re so graciously bestowed with.

Junmyeon can’t help but feel impress with your topics, especially with British literature. He always finds that subject to be quite difficult since British literature has a wide range of authors and eras with different issues that need to be known.

Yeah…it makes his brain hurt just thinking about it…

“Well, it is nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you and maybe seeing you around in the office.” He says before bidding farewell to you.

You say a quick, “okay”, as you close your office door. Though, you swear that your voice cracked just a little. Great.

A long, content filled sigh leaves your lips. You remain still, alone with your thoughts. You try to wrap your mind around the fact that your department chair makes you this silly school girl with a crush. You can’t possible feel this way over someone you’ve just met. No. It’s not possible. Yes, you don’t deny that he’s handsome but, at the same time, it’s highly inappropriate to think so. You need to squash these feelings quickly.

With a determined smile, you walk back to your desk. Not to grade your students’ assignments, but to gather your class material as it’s time for your next session.

“So…you’re not going to pursue him?” You hear Sumin ask, registering the playfulness in her tone.

“Seokjin, can’t you control your fiancée?” You question, ignoring Sumin’s knowing smirk and the teasing gleam in her eyes.

Seokjin laughs, “Oh, I wish I could, but you and I both know that she does what she wants. I’m just here to make sure that she doesn’t get in trouble whenever you or Kat are not around.”

This time you laugh, agreeing with his statement.

“Speaking of Kat, how is her relationship with what’s his face?”

“Chanyeol? Last time I heard, it’s good, especially when she says that he makes her “wetter than a wet nap”.”

“Gross. I didn’t need to know that.”

“Well…you asked…”

A few weeks later, things have returned to normal. Well – as normal as they can be – since the semester is nearing the end and everything is becoming fast-pace. You still have papers to grade. Projects to assign to your students. It’s just one giant tornado of assignments that need to be release. You even have students coming up to you and inquiring how they can raise their grades. Now, that means you have to create extra credit opportunities. Which means…more grading…

Currently packing away your lecture materials, you say goodbye to each and every one of your students as they exit the classroom. You turn off the computer, making sure to grab your thumb drive in the process.

And just as you’re ready to exit the room, you hear someone knocking. They even announce that they’re knocking.

“Ah, Y/N! I was hoping that I would find you here.” Says a familiar voice, causing you to smile.

“Well, Mr. Kim, I’m always in this room until about 10:15 A.M.” You playfully point out as you walk over to the door, which Junmyeon politely holds open for you before trailing after you.

“Of course, I knew that,” He scratches his neck nervously, “Anyway, I was wondering if you would like to grab a cup of coffee with me before your next lecture.” He says, trying his hardest to sound confident.

From what Sumin has told him, you like strong, confident people. Bonus points if they’re dorky and funny, which he is – or at least – that’s what his friends tell him. All. The. Fucking. Time. If only he hasn’t known them since their high school days, he would’ve gotten new friends by now.

“I mean, if it is too forward of me to be asking you this, then I take it back!” He quickly adds, observing your long silence, as the two of you exit the liberal arts building.

You snap out of your thoughts, “Huh? Oh! You’re not being forward at all! I was just um recalling what I had to do before the weekend comes.” You explain with an apologetic smile, embarrassed about your actions.

However, Junmyeon waves away your explanation, citing that you never have to apologize for worrying about work. He adds that he understands completely. While, he doesn’t lecture as often as you do, he juggles his lecture position with his department chair position. And that is not fun whatsoever. There have been times he accidentally brought his lecture materials to his meetings with other department chairs and vice versa. So if anyone understands your struggles, it’s him.

And that is something that makes you feel appreciative. That is also why the wall around your heart is almost gone. Since the first day the two of you have met, you feel this strong pull. But – of course – you ignore them as you allow the fear of falling in love control your happiness. You even chant repeatedly that it’s inappropriate for two colleagues to even remotely express interest in each other.

So…why…?

Why has he continued to show a keen interest in you?

Ranging from leaving a nice fresh cup of coffee on your office desk to happily buying you lunch.

Seriously. His sweet gestures show no chance of stopping anytime soon – and it only fuels the warmness in your heart. Lately, you find yourself smiling softly or blushing like a fool whenever you see his little presents or even just thinking about him.

Hearing his name alone sent the butterflies in your tummy into a wild frenzy. And when you’ve talked this out with Sumin, that’s when it finally occurred to you.

You no longer fear love. You no longer fear the idea of arguing with him over something little. As you recall your friend’s wise words,

“Honestly, you should worry when he doesn’t fight you on something. Seokjin arguing with me, here and there, shows that he cares enough in this relationship to let me know that ‘hey, I’m here, and I’m not going let some petty argument get the best of us.’ Most of the time, I’m in the wrong, and I freely admit that once I’ve cooled down and see his perspective of the situation.” Sumin smiles softly, “And, I wouldn’t have known that if he didn’t argue back.” She finishes before taking a sip of her peach flavored green tea.

If arguing means that he will never let you down, then you’ll gladly accept that.

“Of course, I’ll love to get a cup of coffee with you.” You say. Your eyes practically beaming with happiness.

Junmyeon’s eyes widen in return. His heart skipping a beat. His tummy doing somersaults. To say that he feels like he won the jackpot would be an understatement.

He feels that the Gods of romance finally bestowed him the chance at happiness. He has never met someone who connects with him on a personal level before. Most of the time, it’s been fake. The women he unfortunately went out on a date with, only wanted to get to know his friends. Women only see him as this stepping stool to get to his friends but not you.

No…

You’re special.

“Would it be alright if I call this a date?”

“I’ll do you one better. Pick me up this Saturday evening at 6:00 P.M.”

“Perfect.”

A/N: I FINALLY FINISHED ONE OF THE XMAS PRESENTS! If you can’t tell this is for @yehet-me-up Sarah AKA Suho’s queen! She has written me a birthday drabble last year and honestly, she’s just an amazing person. While, I do not talk to her about any problem that I have, I know that she would listen to my worries if I ever did. She is one of the brightest and warmest person on this site, and I just love her. She is like my Tumblr big sister, who likes to make me suffer here and there. I will forever be grateful to have her in my life and value my friendship with her.

I hope you like this one shot! I may not be writer goals like you and Kat LOL but I tried my best, especially listening to the “Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again” soundtrack on repeat lol I love you Sarah! :)

Side note: @yeoltidecarol I had to mention Kat and one of her infamous tags when it comes to Chanyeol ;)

Don’t forget to leave a comment/like/reblog/a message in my inbox! I love hearing your thoughts! :)

- Kim

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zigsexual · 6 years ago

Text

waiting game (drake/liam)

note: all the previous driam vignettes are linked on my masterlist here if you want to catch up. this brings book one to a close!! next up, the hunt to clear riley’s name, wherever that might lead. sorry this one is long as fuck.

summary: riley and drake have a heart-to-heart. maxwell shows his cards. the coronation comes sooner than anyone has planned.

pairings: driam, still-in-its-infancy maxwell/mc

word count: 7400+

• • •

Drake agrees to help Maxwell with the party more for himself than for anything else. It’s an excuse to keep busy when all he wants to do is drive off a bridge. Plus, Maxwell has all sorts of expensive whiskey stored away in that mansion of his, and Drake is not above being drunk today.

Halfway through the afternoon, Bertrand puts him and Riley to work on the centerpieces to keep them out of the way while he yells at Maxwell. Riley — whose time with the Beaumonts has been limited, though still extensive — looks concerned, shooting furtive glances over to the corner where the two brothers stand, arguing.

“That’s normal,” Drake says, taking the bouquet from her hands and dumping it unceremoniously in a vase. “Bertrand is calmest when he’s yelling at Maxwell about something.”

Riley seems unconvinced. “I’ve never seen him act like that.”

“You’ve never seen him throw a party before,” Drake hands her a piece of ribbon. “Can you please tie this? If I do it, Bertrand’s just going to yell even more.”

She takes the ribbon from him, wrapping it around the vase, finally focused back in on their project. “Did you ever go to their parties?”

“Not unless I had to.”

“Why would you have to?”

He catches himself, pausing while she finishes her bow. “I, ah… sometimes Liam asked me to go with him. Y’know… so he’d have someone to talk to.”

It sounds stupid as soon as he says it, but she doesn’t press, only straightening up to survey her work. “You guys are really close, right?”

Drake surveys her warily. “Yeah.”

“Does he ever… talk about me?”

“Brooks,” Drake frowns, “I’m not giving you dirt on Liam so you can get the edge up on everyone else.”

“No, no — sorry, that’s not what I meant.” She sighs, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “It’s just… he and I were talking the other day, and he asked me if I thought I could be Queen, and… god, I don’t know. It hasn’t even been that long, and I like him, don’t get me wrong, but…”

She bites one of her nails, pacing around the table. “This is just… a lot? You know? I mean, getting married? Becoming the Queen? I’m not even thirty. I still don’t really understand what a 401k is. I haven’t even bought my own health insurance before.” She looks up at Drake, wide-eyed. “Does Cordonia have socialized medicine?”

“Hey, Brooks, Jesus,” he grabs her shoulders, forcing her into a stop. “What are you on about?”

“I’m freaking out!” she hisses, pushing his hands off her. “What if I don’t want to get engaged? This is all so fast, I don’t even know what I’m doing. Marrying a prince? I mean, what if I —”

She cuts herself off, covering her face with a frustrated groan. Drake glances over to make sure no one else has noticed, but Bertrand is still berating Maxwell, hands gesturing wildly.

It’s been hard to hate her lately, this girl in front of him. She hasn’t ended up quite how he expected her to be, and she’s shied away from the typical suitor behavior ever since she arrived. He understands why Liam likes her, even if he desperately wishes he didn’t. But this — holding everything he’s ever wanted in her hands and folding before she even draws a card?

“You’re not serious, are you?” he says, “Do you know how many people would kill to be in your shoes? You’ve got everything handed to you on a silver platter and now it’s not good enough?”

“This isn’t about you and your ‘nobles are trash’ bullshit!” she says back, level with him in a way he hadn’t expected. “I’m trying to talk to you. I just… I thought maybe by now you would finally admit that we’re friends.”

“What?”

She lets out a loud sigh, plucking at a leaf on their floral arrangement, slowly pulling it off the stem. “Drake, did you ever have a girlfriend?”

He stares at her. “I’m not following.”

“I’ve only dated like, a handful of guys back home, and it was never anything serious. Never anything where I thought I wanted to marry them.” She picks at another leaf. “And with Liam… how am I supposed to know him when it’s only been a few weeks? I’ve always been game for crazy shit, but this… this is next level.” She glances up at him, something serious in her eyes that makes him listen. “Am I making the right choice? You know Liam, probably in a way I never will. What do I do if he actually asks me to marry him?”

“I…” Drake isn’t sure what to say, torn between breaking his own heart and breaking Liam’s. Riley is tearing apart pieces of leaf in her fingers, letting them fall on the ground like confetti in front of him. “Well… what do you want? Do you want to marry him?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you love him?”

“I don’t know.”

Drake sighs. “Brooks, you’re giving me nothing to work with here.”

“That’s the root of the problem, I guess.” She shrugs. “I don’t really know anything at all.”

“Didn’t you ever, like… plan your wedding or something? Girls do that, right? You never thought about what the person you’d be marrying would be like?”

She rolls her eyes at him. “You literally have a sister, you don’t have to act like I have cooties.”

“That’s not — okay, look, you’re the one who asked me for help with this.”

“Fine.” Riley pauses, thinking. “I’ve always pictured myself with someone who makes me laugh. The kind of person I know I can always have fun with, even on the worst days. Someone loyal and generous, who doesn’t take himself too seriously. Marriage is supposed to be a lifetime with your best friend, right? That’s what I want — a guy who will be my best friend, who I can’t wait to wake up to in the morning.”

She glances over at Maxwell again, frowning when she sees that Bertrand has now taken to reading aloud a printed-out bank statement he appears to have just been carrying around the whole time. “You sure we don’t need to intervene?”

“Yes.” Drake swallows against the knot that’s risen in his throat at her words. Every time he thinks it’s gotten easier, he’s wrong. “Listen, Brooks…”

Bertrand’s voice shatters the moment, footsteps loudly echoing across the floor of the banquet hall, “Have you only finished the one table? In all this time? Good grief.”

Riley slips away from Drake as quickly as possible, apologizing to Bertrand as she grabs a new bundle of flowers and heads to the next table, busying herself arranging. Bertrand follows after her, criticizing her technique.

Maxwell sidles up next to Drake. “Well, that was fun.”

“Sounded like it.”

He glances over at him, a sad smile on his face. “Do you want a drink?”

“God, yes,” Drake replies, and the two of them slip out before anyone else can notice.

---

Miraculously, the party goes off without a hitch — at least as far as Maxwell’s definition of ‘a hitch’ is concerned. The King and Queen make their customary appearance, the horses are inexplicably released into the halls, and Bertrand doesn’t ruin any of the festivities. All in all, they’ve managed to pull off their ruse quite successfully.

Liam leaves right around the time things get particularly crazy, citing his need to be well-rested for the coming coronation events. No one can blame him, but Maxwell still attempts to spray him with champagne before he makes it out. The King’s Guard intercepts him twice.

Drake had spent most of the night avoiding Liam, finding reasons to stick close to the bar, too many memories of parties just like this one where they’d been at each other’s side long into the dawn. He’s tried to keep himself busy (as busy as one can be when an army of staff is constantly there at your beck and call), tried to focus on anything other than the rapidly looming coronation, but as the party comes to a close, he finds himself halfway through a bottle of Irish whiskey with nothing at all to show for it.

Now he’s left with the remains of their motley crew, sprawled around Maxwell’s room as an escape from the lingering debauchery below. Riley is drunk, laughing too long and talking too loud, one arm draped around Maxwell’s shoulders as she tries to teach Hana the rules to “Truth or Dare.” As if there were rules in the first place. Drake is quiet, staring off into the fireplace listening to the three of them yell over each other all at once.

“You’ll play, right?” Riley asks, poking at him with her foot. “I wanna know your secrets, Drake.”

“No thanks,” he responds, edging away from her. “I’ll pass.”

She pouts, turning to Maxwell. “Why won’t he do it? I wanna know.”

Drake rolls his eyes. “Listen Brooks, I’ve been down this road before, and you can’t win with Maxwell. All his dares are personal humiliation like you’ve never seen, and truth is even worse. I’m going to bed.”

He moves to stand up, but Riley grabs his arm, an exaggerated frown on her face. “Please? It’ll be fun. You never let me have fun, Drake.”

“Have your own fun without me, I promise it’ll be a lot better.”

Riley grins, closing her eyes and pulling his arm against her cheek, fingers like a vice grip. “Not letting you go until you say yes.”

Great. He’s had too much whiskey to deal with this. He looks over to Maxwell for support, but Maxwell only shrugs. “The lady has spoken. I promise I’ll go easy on you.”

“Ugh, fine, just —” He shakes his arm in an attempt to get her hands off him, but she’s relentless. “Let go already, Jesus. I’m sitting down, okay? I’m sitting down.”

Riley drops his arm, clapping her hands together gleefully. “I’m starting! My turn first!” She leans back into Maxwell, her hair falling over his shoulder. “Hmm… Max? Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” Maxwell says, not hesitating for a moment.

Riley looks confused. “Oh. I didn’t want that.”

“It’s the rules,” Hana pipes up, demurely sipping some fruity drink she’s been working on over the past hour. “You just explained them.”

Riley crosses her arms, sitting up. “Well, now I don’t like them.”

“Maxwell never does truth,” Drake says, rolling his eyes, “that way no one can ever verify any of the ridiculous rumors he spreads about himself.”

Maxwell holds up a hand. “How dare you, I do not spread rumors about myself. I’ll have you know I never pick truth because I’m an open book, so it’s just boring. I don’t like boring.”

“You’re not an open book,” Riley says, making a face. “That’s why I wanted you to say truth. You’re a locked book. Empty book.”

“Am not!” Maxwell replies indignantly, looking around the room at the others. “Come on, I tell you guys everything.”

Drake just shrugs, and Hana adds, “Well, if you’d really like to know, that’s not usually the case.”

“Ugh, fine,” Maxwell sighs dramatically, turning back towards Riley. “Truth it is then.”

Riley grins, clapping her hands again before she seems to realize this means it’s her turn to ask the question. She pauses then, brow furrowed in thought, before finally saying, “Have you ever been in love?”

“Nope,” Maxwell answers almost instantly. “Alright, my turn now.”

“Open book, my ass,” Riley lays back onto the floor, spreading her arms out like a starfish. “I don’t like this game anymore.”

“Too late,” Maxwell singsongs, pointing at Hana. “Truth or dare?”

“Oh,” Hana looks scared. “Dare?”

“I dare you to go streaking in the banquet hall right now.”

Hana goes red. “Do I have to take off my clothes?”

Maxwell sighs. “Hana, you do know what streaking is, right?”

Riley sits up again, the grin back on her face, already stumbling to get up while using Maxwell’s shoulder as a crutch. “I’ll do it with you! We both go together!”

“That’s not the rules —” Hana tries to interject, but Riley is already making her way over to her, holding out her hands. With a glance between Maxwell and Drake, Hana relents, letting Riley pull her up to her feet.

“Come on Drake,” Maxwell says, standing up as well. “We have to supervise to ensure the dare is completed accordingly.”

Begrudgingly, Drake follows the lot of them into the hallway and down the staircase, slick with spilled champagne, careful to make sure Riley doesn’t accidentally take herself out as she wobbles her way down. She’s already trying to take off her dress before they’ve even reached the room, a flurry of tulle getting caught in her hair. Hana attempts to help, the two of them giggling when Riley finally emerges in just her underwear, raising a single fist triumphantly.

“Now you!” She announces, pointing at Hana, who is already blushing something fierce. The banquet hall is right ahead, where only hours earlier Drake had been fussing with floral arrangements. God, the things he does for these people.

Maxwell opens the doors, the place still set up just how they’d left it, plates and silverware now cleared from the tables. Riley busies herself unzipping the back of Hana’s dress, even as Hana attempts to protest that she doesn’t need any help, face reddening even more with each passing second.

When the dress pools around her ankles, Hana instinctively covers herself with her arms. Riley laughs, brushing Hana’s hair back over her shoulders. “Don’t hide, silly! You’re hot!”

“Oh, I —”

“We both are!” Riley grabs Hana’s hand, tugging her along as she starts off towards the other end of the room, unsteady on her feet. “Enjoy the show everyone!”

As their footsteps fall away into the vastness of the room, Drake takes a deep breath. “I don’t know how you handle that one.”

“She’s fun,” Maxwell smiles. “I’ve never had anyone fun live with us before. It’s nice.”

“Yeah, I kinda… I overheard Bertrand earlier.”

“He wasn’t exactly being discreet.”

“Are you guys good? I mean —”

Maxwell holds up his hand, looking at Drake with one eyebrow raised. “No free truths.”

“Oh, come on,” Drake leans back against the wall, surveying Maxwell warily. “Some open book you are.”

“You have to ask.”

“Ask what?”

“You know what.”

Drake lets out an exaggerated sigh. “Ugh, fine. Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

Hana and Riley have reached the other side of the room now, both laughing and out of breath, Riley steadying herself on Hana’s shoulder. Drake watches them for a moment before turning back to Maxwell. “Do you have a thing for Hana?”

“Hana?” Maxwell laughs. “No way, she’s gay.”

“What?” Drake’s brow furrows in confusion. “No, she’s a suitor. She wouldn’t… did she say something to you?”

Maxwell shakes his head. “Nah, but it’s not like she’s subtle. She’s barely even looked at Liam, I’m pretty sure she didn’t kiss her ex-fiancé until they were actually engaged, and she blushes every time Riley touches her. I mean, look.” He points out at the two of them, now slumped down on the floor with their backs to the wall, Riley braiding Hana’s hair. Even from as far away as they are, Drake can tell Hana is flushed straight up to the tops of her ears.

“That’s… astute, I guess.”

“I know everything,” Maxwell muses. “You’d be surprised what you can learn when everyone writes you off as an idiot.”

“Okay then,” Drake says, slightly warier of Maxwell now. Maybe he’d been paying more attention to all of them than they’d previously thought. “If you’re not into her, why did you dare her to go streaking?”

“Not everyone has ulterior motives, Drake,” Maxwell answers, crossing his arms. “Sometimes dares are just fun. Also, you didn’t ask again. That one is a freebie.” He turns to look at Drake. “Truth or dare?”

“I know how you work, Beaumont. Truth.”

Maxwell considers him for a moment. “Are you fucking Olivia?”

“Jesus, um —” He pauses, mouth open, not sure how to continue, but the fact that Maxwell has even posed the question must mean he already knows the answer. “Okay, yeah, but it’s… it’s not like that, I swear.”

“I knew it. Okay, your turn.”

“You’re not… I mean, don’t tell anyone that, alright? Nobody knows.”

Maxwell gives him an incredulous stare. “Sure, Drake. Nobody knows.”

“Ugh. Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“When did you lose your virginity?”

Maxwell rolls his eyes. “That’s boring. On my birthday. But you don’t get to know which one.”

“Seriously? What’s your idea of not boring, then?”

Maxwell glances over to Riley and Hana, almost as if he’s making sure they’re still out of earshot. Riley appears to be falling asleep in Hana’s lap, and Hana is stroking her hair gently while she gazes down at her face. Shit, maybe Maxwell was onto something with his earlier theory after all.

He turns back to Drake with a grin. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“When did Liam lose his virginity?”

“I —” The question catches him off-guard, and he fumbles for something to say, leaving the silence lingering between them for far too long. Maxwell isn’t smiling anymore, but he’s still looking at Drake with that curious expression of his, that stare that maybe really does know everything.

“Take your time,” he says quietly.

And Drake is certain then — from the way he glances cautiously back over at the girls, the way he’s lowered his voice at the subject — Maxwell knows.

“I don’t…” Drake still isn’t sure how to respond, grateful for the brief reprieve from Maxwell’s inquiring gaze. “I’m not, I mean — Liam’s very… private.”

Maxwell crosses his arms, leaning back next to him against the wall. “You both are.”

His heart is beating too fast again, echoing in his ears, yet mingled with all the fear and the worry in his veins is something else — something like relief. A tiny sliver of him that is almost grateful for the chance to remind himself that it wasn’t just him alone in this thing. That maybe, even with how hard they’d tried to conceal their feelings all these years, a part of Liam loved him enough to let them leak through.

Maxwell is silent, letting him think, or perhaps just waiting for him to speak. Drake bites his lip. “You remember the week I came back from college?”

“Yeah.” Maxwell glances over at him. “Why?”

Drake looks at him pointedly.

“Oh. Oh.” Maxwell raises his eyebrows, turning to look back out into the vastness of the banquet hall. “Wow. I didn’t actually expect you to answer. Respect, I guess.”

“If you ever speak a word of that to anyone—”

“Truth or dare is sacred to me, Drake,” Maxwell interrupts, “Don’t worry about it. Plus, I’m good at keeping secrets. Kept that one for ages.”

Drake runs a hand through his hair, already feeling the heat rise in his cheeks. “I can’t believe… I mean, you never said anything.”

“What did you expect me to say?” Maxwell tilts his head. “’Hey guys, remember that time I caught you in the upstairs hall and Drake said he dropped something? Well, you may be interested to know that —‘”

“Oh god,” Drake is certain his face is red now. “You saw that?”

Maxwell scoffs. “Wow, you really do think I’m an idiot, don’t you? Liam was literally putting his shirt back on, Drake. Also, I was standing there for like a full minute before either of you noticed.”

“So that would probably be the appropriate time to say something.”

“I was waiting for a natural break during which to announce myself, but you wouldn’t stop making out—”

“Fucking Christ,” Drake sighs. “Is that how you found out?”

“Nah,” Maxwell smiles, only slightly smug. It’s enough to make Drake wish he were anywhere else in the world. “I knew way before then. That was just further confirmation.”

“When did you know?”

“Uh, like Year Seven maybe? I’m perceptive.”

“Okay, it has not been since Year Seven —”

“Drake,” Maxwell shoots him a knowing look. “You’ve hated every single girl Liam has ever been remotely linked to. Remember when he said his celebrity crush was Blake Lively? You wouldn’t watch Gossip Girl with us for a year.”

Drake frowns, crossing his arms. “That’s totally unrelated. Gossip Girl is a terrible show and I hated it.”

“That’s not what you said before Blakegate.”

“Oh my god.”

Maxwell laughs, but there’s still something sad in his eyes. “I always wondered when you would finally say something to him. Or did he say something to you?”

“Nice try, but you didn’t ask. Also, it’s not your turn, and it’s none of your business.”

“Ah, the truth or dare touché.” Maxwell pushes off from the wall, nodding towards the sleeping figures that have become of Hana and Riley. “Come on, let’s get them back to the bedrooms.”

He starts off towards them, but Drake grabs his shoulder before he can go too far. “Wait. You haven’t… told anyone, have you?”

“Who would I tell?” Maxwell looks back at him. “You guys are my only friends.”

“Well… I mean, there’s Bertrand.”

Maxwell just laughs again, shaking off Drake’s hand. “I could fill a book with the things I don’t tell Bertrand. Three books, probably.”

Drake falls into step next to him, the two of them starting the long trek across the room. There’s something amicable there between them now, not so much a friendship (despite what Maxwell says, Drake is ever wary of the nobles), but certainly a kind of quiet understanding. As they walk together in silence for a few minutes, he’s grateful for it.

“Hey,” he says, stopping Maxwell one more time before they approach the two girls. “Thanks. Y’know… for not saying anything.”

Maxwell shrugs. “Sure. For what it’s worth… I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine."

“No, it’s not. Not really, anyway,” Maxwell says. “But if it makes you feel better, once Riley wakes up, I’m going to dare her to eat a ghost pepper.”

And he has to admit, that one does make him smile.

---

The coronation is upon them before anyone is ready, least of all Drake. He’s tried to play by the rules for once, worn a suit and only had a glass or two to drink beforehand, but it’s barely been fifteen minutes before he’s ready to jump off the palace roof.

When Riley arrives, she beelines towards him, much to his displeasure. Maybe she thinks his “commonness” will be a respite amongst the opulence of the occasion, but there’s irony in the fact that the only two commoners now have next to nothing in common.

He pretends not to see her until she’s practically standing in front of him, the skirts of her dress swishing as she walks. She looks beautiful — she always does — but there’s a part of that beauty that’s been ever so precisely engineered for this particular crowd.

“You look just like them,” he says, raising his drink towards her. “Congratulations.”

She makes a face. “Don’t say that. I’m still me.”

“Not for long.”

She eyes the glass in his hands as he takes a sip. “Let me guess, not your first one of the night?”

“It’s a party, Brooks. Ease up.”

“You ease up,” she frowns, “I’m nervous, and you’re one of the only people I really know here, and you’re being a dick.”

“Maybe you should’ve started drinking earlier too,” he deadpans, looking over towards the receiving line where the King and Queen are standing with Liam. “Aren’t you supposed to be over there, anyway?”

She glances over too, following his gaze, and her shoulders tense up. “Yeah, I just… I’m not ready yet.”

“Ready for what? To get married? To become the queen?” He rolls his eyes at her, and she turns back just in time to catch the tail end. Her brow furrows.

“What’s your deal? You know how scary this is for me, I… I don’t understand why you’re being such an asshole. I’m sorry that I’m not wearing Levi’s to a royal coronation, but —”

“That’s what you think this is about?” He scoffs. “You’re such a hypocrite, Brooks.”

“What the hell is up with you?” She says, voice raised. “Like you’re one to talk, anyway. Best friends with a prince? Living in the palace never wanting for a thing? What a rough hand you’ve been dealt.”

“You have no idea what my life is like,” Drake tells her. “You think you know everything, but you don’t know shit about me or anyone else here.”

“Because none of you will trust me with anything!” She yells, attracting a few looks from those closer by. Her lower lip quivers, and she takes a deep breath, steadying herself before she speaks again. “You can’t possibly know what it’s like to come into this world without a single ally. Liam has always had your back, from day one. But he can’t do that for me, because it’s ‘not fair to the others,’ or whatever. I’m already the outsider here, and all those girls hate me, and the press is just itching for a reason to hate me too. I don’t know what else I have to do to convince you that I’m not some gold-digging bitch, Drake. I’m just me.”

He looks at her, really looks, a part of him softening at her words. “Listen, I… I’m sorry, okay? I’m not trying to…” He sighs. “Fuck, I don’t know. You shouldn’t even be talking to me. You should just be enjoying this night.”

“So should you,” she says, “Your best friend is about to become the king. Go pop a bottle or something.”

“Like I said, Brooks,” he looks towards Liam again. “You have no idea.”

Something passes across her face at his words, a question she almost asks, but doesn’t.

“Fine,” she says instead, turning away from him. “I’m going to find Maxwell.”

“Great,” Drake retorts, “I’m gonna get some air.”

There’s a hallway just outside the ballroom that leads outside to the palace gardens, and suddenly he just desperately wants to be alone. He leaves his now-empty glass on a table and slips out of the room through a side door, already filled with relief as the din of the guests is hushed behind him. The hallway is silent except for the security posted every few feet, and they don’t pay him any attention as he starts off towards his destination.

He doesn’t get very far.

“Drake?” A voice calls out from behind him, couched in laughter. “Drake Walker, is that you? God, you look exactly the same.”

Drake turns, teeth gritted. “Leo.”

The former heir to the throne claps him on the shoulder, his other hand firmly clutching a large glass of wine. “How the hell are you, man? Still hanging out with his royal highness?”

“Mhm,” Drake searches for an exit from this conversation, desperately scanning the hallway for anyone to pass Leo off to, but the area is completely deserted. This is what he gets for trying to have a moment alone. “Still ruining the family name?”

“Ouch,” Leo laughs again, holding up his hands in surrender, almost spilling his wine. “Guilty as charged.”

“No offense,” Drake asks, “But why are you here? Liam said you might not make it. I don’t think any of us expected you would.”

“Gotta make a few sacrifices when it comes to my brother, you know?” Leo takes a drink from his glass. “And this is a nice cabernet to boot.”

“A few sacrifices.” Drake stares at him. “Right.”

Leo seems to sense the hostility, barking out another laugh in an attempt to break the tension. Drake doesn’t waver. “It was for the best, what I did. Dad never wanted me to be king anyway, we all know that.”

“Well, Liam sure didn’t.”

Leo appraises him for a moment, Drake crossing his arms as Leo’s steady gaze washes over him. Finally, he shrugs, taking another sip. “That’s life though, you know? You can’t always get what you want.”

Drake scoffs. “You’re such an asshole.”

“Hey, listen,” Leo taps his shoulder again. “Me and Katie… it only took a few weeks for me to know. That’s soulmate shit right there. When you fall in love someday, then you’ll understand.”

Drake’s hands ball into fists before he can even register what he’s doing, and then Leo’s hand has tightened on his shoulder, arm stiff against him as he pushes Drake back. “Hey, Jesus dude —”

“Why the fuck,” Drake says, voice low, knuckles white, “do you think I came back from college?”

Leo blinks, taking a step back from him, head tilted in confusion. “I asked you to?”

“In what fucking world do I ever do what you ask me to?”

Leo pauses, letting his arm drop back to his side. “Wait… you and Olivia? Is that what this is about?”

“No, what the —” Drake lets out an exasperated sigh. “Why does everyone always think that?”

“You just kinda remind me of each other,” Leo shrugs. “Never thought you’d admit it though. Congrats, I guess?”

“You’re such a goddamn idiot.” Drake shakes his head slowly, looking off to the side. “I didn’t drag myself back to this godforsaken place for Olivia, you moron.”

“Then —”

“It’s Liam,” Drake hisses. “It’s always been for him.”

Leo pauses, and the realization takes a few seconds to dawn on him, but when it does he raises his eyebrows, a soft chuckle breaking free before he covers his mouth with his hand. “Damn, Drake. My baby brother, huh? I mean I always knew you were close, but…” He shakes his head, eyebrows still raised. “Would not have pegged you for that type.”

“What does that mean?”

“Just,” Leo shrugs. “Nothing personal, man. I didn’t know, is all.”

“Of course you didn’t know,” Drake seethes, fingers curling in on each other again. “You never think about anyone but yourself. Did it ever even occur to you what you were asking him to give up? The life you took from him?”

Leo’s smile fades, his expression steeling into something reminiscent of royalty. “You don’t understand half as much as you think you do, Drake.”

“What is there to understand? You dropped the crown on your own brother just so you could fuck off with some girl you just met. You’ve been leaving Liam with your responsibilities for years because you know he’d never let anyone down. He’s twice the person you’ll ever be. If you’d ever given a shit how he feels, this would have been your coronation, just like it’s supposed to be.”

Leo twirls the wine in his glass. “Maybe you’re not wrong.”

“Oh, come on.” Drake clenches his fists tighter, jaw set in anger. “Now you want to act like you care? Do you have any idea how many times I’ve watched him pick up the pieces of your fucking mess? How many times I tried to hold him together when you seemed hell-bent on making sure he fell apart? He’d do anything for you, Leo. He thinks the world of you. And what a disappointment that is, knowing what a piece of shit you actually are.”

Leo just looks at him, devoid of any real emotion. “I won’t argue with you. I never deserved to be king.”

“Who cares about being king? You never deserved Liam.” Drake gives him one last disgusted look before turning around, heading back towards the ballroom. “Honestly, Leo? Go fuck yourself.”

He heads straight for the bar inside, ordering a double with no ice, leaning against the counter as he tries to relax his hands. God, he’d never wanted to punch someone so badly in his life. So much for getting some air.

He looks out at the crowd, already antsy, watching as the nobles move about in another traditional waltz. He spots Maxwell and Riley together, already laughing about something as he leads her into a spin, while Hana is caught up in what looks to be an incredibly uncomfortable dance with Rashad. God, he hates that guy. Poor Hana.

“I thought I’d find you here.”

The relief that floods through his veins at the sound of Liam’s voice is almost euphoric.

“Hey,” he says, looking up as Liam approaches, not even trying to conceal his smile.

Liam bumps his shoulder, leaning against the bar next to him. “Hey.”

“You were looking for me?”

“You didn’t come to the receiving line.” Liam’s eyes sweep over his face, taking him in. “I had something to tell you.”

“Never been patient enough for lines.” The bartender slides a glass across to Drake, and he takes a much-needed drink. “What is it?”

Liam leans in close, his breath warm against Drake’s skin, goosebumps rising on his arms as Liam whispers, “Meet me in the maze in fifteen minutes.”

Then he’s gone, as quickly as he came.

Drake breathes out slowly, fingers tightening around his whiskey before he throws back the rest of the drink, barely feeling the burn.

---

He gets to the maze early, wandering along the path for a few minutes as he makes his way to the center. Maybe once this place had been full of unknowns for him, but now he could follow each route by heart, mapping out his footsteps in memories.

He knows where Liam will meet him: the bench overlooking the pond where they used to spend hours together. The swans are still there, feathers glowing in the moonlight, and Drake watches them for a moment before he sits.

Part of him aches inside, being back in this place. Maybe he’s never really let the reality of this day set in; the knowledge that tomorrow morning Liam will be the most powerful person in the country feels not quite real. And the knowledge that he’ll be engaged is too painful to touch just yet.

He looks up when he hears footsteps approaching. It’s Liam, emerging around the corner tentatively, relaxing when he sees Drake on the bench. “You’re here.”

“Of course I am.”

Liam lingers against the hedge for a moment. “I worried… maybe you wouldn’t be.”

“Come on,” Drake cracks a smile. “I’m predictable.”

Liam edges away from the greenery, crossing over and sitting down at his side, careful to leave a respectful amount of space between them. Drake angles himself towards Liam, trying to memorize the way he looks in this moment, before he has to accept the inevitable.

“I just wanted to see you,” Liam says, looking down at his hands, folded neatly in his lap. “This day, it’s been… overwhelming would be an understatement.”

“I can imagine.”

“Remember when we used to spend the whole afternoon out here? Just the two of us? We had no idea. I wish I could have that back.”

“You said no wishing,” Drake reminds him, “It just makes things harder.”

Liam nods. “I know. I just… miss you.”

Drake takes a deep breath, turning back out towards the lake. Even though he can see the palace looming up in the distance, it feels too far away to be real. “Do you ever think about… about what could have been?”

“Always,” Liam answers. “Every single day. Every morning when I wake up, every night when I fall asleep. Do you really have to ask?”

“Liam,” Drake whispers.

“You’re not the only one in this.”

Now it’s Drake’s turn to look down at his hands, too scared of what he might do if he turns back towards Liam. “It’s Riley, isn’t it? She’s the one you’re going to pick?”

He pauses a moment before answering. “Yes.”

Drake nods slowly, letting the words sink in before he speaks again. “Do you love her?”

Liam looks at him, a different kind of pain in his eyes. “Why do you keep asking me to break your heart?”

“At least you’ll be doing something with it.”

Liam is quiet again, but his hesitation seems to be less about Riley and more about present company. It gives Drake a little comfort.

“In a sense,” He finally says. “I feel very close to her. I like talking with her, and I admire her a great deal. I think she would be a good queen.”

“Can I ask… I mean, are things real with her? Have you…” He trails off, not wanting to finish the question, not really wanting an answer.

Liam sighs, and it’s heavy with mixed emotions. “It depends on your definition of real. I mean, I haven’t… been with her, if that’s what you’re wondering. But… I’ve tried to make things real, I suppose. It’s just…” He sighs again, running a hand through his hair. “It’s nothing like you. Not even in the same realm of what it is with you. I could spend years trying to love her like that, but it would never come close to even the first seconds I knew I loved you.”

Drake looks up at him. “You’ve never told me about that.”

“When I knew?”

“Yeah.”

Liam pauses, thinking. “I... I suppose I first thought about the possibility of it when we went on that camping trip together, the summer before Year Ten? I couldn’t fall asleep for hours because I kept thinking about how close you were, what you might do if I touched your hand. I’d never been so nervous around someone before.”

Drake laughs. “I made you nervous? Me?”

“Yes,” Liam laughs too. “You drove me crazy for two years after that, always not-quite-flirting. I didn’t know what to do with myself.”

“I find this hard to believe.”

“Do you?”

“You’re the most capable, put-together person I know. I’m a fucking mess, and I made you crazy?”

“Maybe your mess is contagious.”

“That’s the only plausible explanation.”

Liam smiles. “I have no idea how I got the courage to kiss you. It must have been adrenaline; I’d been trying to do it for months.”

“For months? And then you waited two years to do it again?”

“We’ve talked about this. I... I liked it too much. I thought if I started kissing you again I would never stop.”

But you did, Drake thinks. You did.

“Okay, but when did you know for sure?”

“That I loved you?” This time Liam ponders for only a brief moment before answering. “The second I opened the door and saw you for the first time since you’d left for America.”

“Well, I guess Leo was good for one thing then.”

“He... has his moments.”

Drake bridges the space between them, resting his head on Liam’s shoulder. It’s tentative at first, but when Liam wraps his arm around his shoulders, Drake relaxes in against him.

“I think I’ve always loved you,” he says.

Liam leans his head against Drake’s, and Drake closes his eyes, willing time to stop for them right now, right in this moment.

“When I take the throne... we can’t do this anymore. This back and forth with us.” Liam’s voice is strained, the weight of his words too heavy. “I can’t keep leaving my heart with you when I need to be whole for the country. It’s not fair to you, it’s not fair to them, it’s not fair to me.”

“Don’t say that yet,” Drake sighs, lifting his head and meeting Liam’s eyes. “Give us one more minute. That’s all I ask.”

Liam nods, gazing back at him, arm still tight around his shoulders. Drake reaches up to touch his face, brushing his fingers through his hair before running them down along his cheek.

“If I kissed you right now,” he asks, “What would you do?”

Liam just looks at him with sad eyes. “You know what I’d do. I’d kiss you back. I’d do anything you asked me to, Drake. Anything at all. I would step down from the throne if you said that’s what you wanted.”

“Liam…” Drake’s voice breaks. The way Liam is looking at him makes it hard to focus on breathing.

“I would,” Liam says softly. “If you had asked me… if you had ever truly asked me to abdicate for you, I would have done it. But I think part of the reason I love you so much is that I know you’d never ask.”

“Don’t make me reconsider,” Drake whispers, letting his hand fall. Liam presses a kiss into his hair, the closest he’s let them be since that night after Leo’s abdication, and Drake feels so warm it’s like his blood has turned to fire in his veins.

He sighs. “So where does that leave us, then? I mean…”

“You’re my best friend,” Liam says. “You’re the person I trust most in the world. But it can’t be more than that. I know I... I’ve never been good at saying no to you. And I know I’ve asked things of you that I shouldn’t have. But after today, I need you to be my friend. And that’s all.”

“I...” Drake feels his chest tighten at Liam’s words.

“So while we figure out what that looks like, it may be best that we... take a break from each other for a while.”

“How long?”

“As long as it takes,” Liam says, resigned. “Until we stop wishing.”

Drake can barely breathe, but even as the tears burn hot in his eyes, he knows Liam is right. This is the only way. This is what it’s always been coming to, ever since they knew he would become the King. He’d just thought… maybe it would get easier. Maybe it would be gentler.

“Will you say something?” Liam asks, and Drake can tell he’s crying too. “I hate myself right now.”

“You shouldn’t,” Drake manages, breathing in deep. “You’re a good person, Liam. The best person I’ve ever known. I hope… I hope Cordonia sees that in you. I hope Riley does too.”

Liam nods. “I love you. I always will.”

“I know,” Drake answers. “I love you too.”

It’s the last moment of the night that seems to make sense. Everything else passes in a blur — the King and Queen giving their speeches, Liam about to make his announcement, the buzz of insidious gossip ringing throughout the room, Riley’s face as she’s pulled towards the exit, the horror of Madeleine standing at Liam’s side.

Drake tries to run after Riley, the lesser of two evils as it were, but the King’s Guard removes her just as mysteriously as she came. And with that, fate is sealed in the worst possible way.

Maxwell calls every airline he can, pulling the noble card whenever possible, and somehow amidst the chaos of the evening, he manages to track her down. They’re huddled in Liam’s quarters like a war room, everyone stricken with confusion and grief and uncertainty.

When Maxwell finally leaves, promising to bring her back, it’s hours into the night. Hana heads out soon after, and the two of them are alone again, circumstances so impossibly shifted that it’s hard to remember the state of mind they’d both started the day with.

Liam is equal parts angry and terrified, pacing back and forth on the phone with all manner of people who might be able to help before finally giving up and sitting down on his bed, staring off into space.

“Do you want a drink?” Drake asks. “I can go grab something.”

“No,” Liam’s eyes are distant, empty. “I think I should just try to get some sleep. It’s late, and there’s so much to do in the morning…”

“Right.” Drake purses his lips. “Well… I’ll be down the hall if you need me.”

He moves towards the door, already reaching out towards the knob when Liam speaks.

“Wait.”

He looks back over his shoulder, and this time Liam’s eyes are locked on him. “Will you… can you stay? I just… I don’t want to…”

Pain flashes across Drake’s face. “I thought… you said we needed to take a break.”

“Tomorrow,” Liam says, desperation in his voice. “We can start tomorrow. Please… I can’t be alone tonight.”

And Drake is already crossing back, already falling right into old habits. “Yeah, Liam, of course. Anything.”

Liam sinks into the pillows and Drake lies down next to him, both on their backs, staring up at the ceiling. A minute passes before Liam reaches over and takes his hand, intertwining their fingers.

In the silence, Drake can hear his own heartbeat louder than anything. It brings to mind a distant memory of ocean waves, of sand in his hair, of Liam.

#driam #drake x liam #trr fanfic #playchoices fanfic #maxwell/mc #my fic #long post #SORRY I KNOW OK I KNOW

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musikat18 · 7 years ago

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Courters and Kisses: Valentine’s Request! (Skurge x Reader)

Pairing: Skurge x Reader

For: @bsotstory

Summary: As a scribe of Asgard, you don’t have much to do beyond record decrees, and that’s how you kind of prefer it. Around the Thor-instituted “Valentine’s Day,” though, you become an artisan of handmade cards and letters for lovers...and a warrior of Asgard has come to you for help.

Warnings: Tooth-rotting fluff

A/N: Happy Valentine’s Day! I do kind of owe you guys something sweet, so here you go! Enjoy, especially to Ash, who requested this lovely fic~

Truthfully, you’d never given much thought to Prince Thor’s attempts to bring Midgardian traditions to Asgard. You were a scribe and a writer; Midgardian traditions were an interest, but nothing much to fuss over, although you could at least tell that Prince Thor’s Midgardian woman had snapped him out of the recent funk he’d been in over Loki’s grand betrayal of the kingdom.

At the very least, this festival in particular gave you a little more business than usual. Valentine’s Day, the young prince had called it when he explained it to you. Midgardians exchanged gifts and letters with those they held dear, be it a lover or a friend or a family member or simply a random act of kindness.

Most every Asgardian could read and write, but you were known for your scribe services and neat calligraphy. Often, you would record mandates from King Odin or pass on messages for the masses, but for festivals such as this new one, you had become a source of specialized letters and cards, decorated for the occasion.

You didn’t regret the extra work, of course, although sometimes your heart ached seeing all the happy couples while you always went home alone.

(You shuddered at the idea of attending feasts and large parties. The quill was your strong suit-- not social gatherings.)

There was a sturdy knock at your door, and when you opened it, you were almost surprised to see one of the lesser-known warriors of Asgard standing behind it: Skurge.

Like you, he seemed to keep to himself, if only to flirt with the occasional maiden. Ruggedly handsome and broad-shouldered with soft hazel eyes making a lovely contrast to his harsh frame, you understood where the attraction came from, but you didn’t know him well enough to decide for yourself what your opinion of him was.

“Skurge,” you bowed your head for a moment and allowed him in. “How may I assist you?”

“Are you still taking orders for those valentine things?”

You nodded, “I’m nearly booked up, considering the celebration is next week, though I am still taking orders.”

“Alright...I need a letter for...someone,” he said. You settled back at your desk, tilting your head at his strangely tense demeanor.

“Like, a Valentine’s letter? For who?”

“...I’d rather not say, yet,” he shifted his weight to the other side. “I just want to know if you’ll do it.”

“Of course I will,” you said. “I just want to know what you want it to say and what kind of embellishments you want on it.” He pursed his lips and avoided your gaze.

“Well…” he measured his words, “I don’t...know a lot about her.” You furrowed your brow, which seemed to coax an explanation out of him, “She’s not very talkative...keeps to herself a lot. I haven’t quite figured how to win her over, so I was hoping you’d be able to help me write it.”

This was a new request. Usually, people came in with long, gushing odes that needed severe retooling for any reasonable price to be applied, but you’d never been requested to help author one before.

“You do realize I’ve never been courted by anyone,” you said bluntly. “I’m probably the last person who knows how to actually author an entire love letter.”

“I just...think you’ll have the best intuition about her. You two seem awfully similar,” he reasoned, “and I’ll pay handsomely.”

“You really don’t have to pay that much for it,” you offered. “I wouldn’t want to charge you any more than I would for any other work.”

Skurge dropped a heavy bag of gold on your desk, and he turned pleading puppy eyes on you.

“I’d do anything for this person,” he said seriously. “I want to make sure it’ll be perfect.”

Temptation crashed over you like a wave (whether it was from his piercing gaze or the promise of a good profit, you weren’t sure), but you took only the proper proportion of currency from the bag and pushed the rest back at the tall man.

“Gather as much information as you can about your love and come to me tomorrow,” you promised. “I will come prepared to draft something then.”

He gave you a grateful smile that fluttered your insides in an unfamiliar way, bowed his head, and left with the remainder of his money.

“You have nothing?” you raised your eyebrows at him when he returned the next day. “Not one scrap of personality or interest?”

“I don’t talk to her on a daily basis,” he grumbled. “It would be hard to broach the matter without giving my intentions away, and I’ve only spoken with her once before today.”

You were more than a little frustrated at the lack of information to go on, but you kept your cool and moved on to the next best question.

“Alright...what about...uhm...what do you know about her, exactly? Anything beyond appearance and being on the reserved side?”

He pulled up a chair and sat in it, crossing his arms over the frame of the back so that he could lean towards you while speaking, “She’s never been courted before...I learned that rather recently.”

“Well, I can at least relate to that,” you said with a dry laugh. “Let’s start there. She likely might not be receptive, if she hasn’t had this kind of experience before. You might have to convince her that your intentions are true.”

He shifted nervously at your comment, so you chewed your lip as you tried to put a positive spin on it.

“I think it should describe what’s drawn you to her...how serious is this letter going to be?”

“...I want her to know just how beautiful and special I think she is,” he gave you those sweetly sincere eyes again. “I just think she might feel overlooked, so I want her to know she hasn’t been...that someone does actually want to get to know her.”

You smiled warmly at him, “Then that’s what we’re going to do. Let me get my drafting paper and we can get started.”

He gave you a confident smile that you had only seen him give maidens of the court before as you pulled out a scroll to begin drafting ideas.

You had to hand it to Skurge; he seemed to be a very attentive admirer, even if it was in secret. You’d never pegged him as the type to notice the shine in a lady’s hair or the kindness in her eyes when she performed a selfless errand or the simple pleasure she seemed to take while sitting alone in a small garden. If she didn’t seem so agreeable, you might have been jealous of the reverence he appeared to hold for her.

When you finished a draft based on his words, you passed him the scroll to look over. A soft smile spread across his face as he scanned the parchment; it was a pleasant expression of his that was much nicer than you might not have expected of him before.

“It’s perfect,” he said.

“I just wrote as if it was for myself,” you shrugged. “There was certainly a lot about this secret woman of yours that I could relate to easily enough to write something.”

“Ah, yes,” he shifted his weight backwards, dipping his head slightly. “I’m...glad that is came to you with such ease. Do you think it will be done by Valentine’s?”

“Certainly,” you nodded. “Return to me the morn of the festival and I’ll make sure you have it in time to deliver it to her. She’s very lucky, you know, to have such a thoughtful suitor.”

You thought you saw a blush on the warrior’s cheeks, “I hope she feels the same when I reveal myself to her.”

Skurge turned and left without much more to say, and you began work on your many projects for the celebration at hand.

Even though it wasn’t you he was seeking to impress, you’d be happy for him nonetheless.

You had barely had time to start sorting out the areas of the city to deliver letters and cards to on the morning of the Valentine festivities when there was a knock at your shop’s door; you weren’t as surprised, this time, to find Skurge there, holding a large bouquet of flowers, likely one of the breeds Prince Thor had discovered on Midgard.

“Is it ready?” he asked, stepping inside when you allowed him in. You nodded and sifted through your pile.

“You never gave me a recipient, so I planned on delivering it to you in the barracks if you didn’t come by now.”

It didn’t take you long to find the embellished letter you had written as per Skurge’s request. You had copied it onto a sturdier parchment with a magically gilded black ink, the letters neatly curving along the page in your neat penmanship. You had even sketched a delicate rose along the top of the letter, the rich red paint standing out beautifully on the tastefully yellowed parchment. You passed the letter to Skurge, and he looked positively pleased with how it had turned out.

“It’s perfect,” he said. “I’m sure she’ll love it.”

To your surprise, instead of turning to leave and make his delivery, Skurge held out the flowers and the letter to you with a shy smile.

You, being the creature of social grace that you were, blinked stupidly, “...Pardon?”

His face fell slightly as he took in your confusion, “I...this was meant for you. I...I thought you might have figured it out.”

You continued spilling rather dumb and obvious statements from your mouth, “I...no, I didn’t. I- I just assumed...they’re never for me. I don’t...I’m not...it can’t be for me.”

“No, no, it is,” he insisted, placing his flowers and letter on your desk and looking rather sheepish. “I just...I’m not...words are...not my strong suit. I had absolutely no idea what to say to you...so...I figured...who better to write a letter for you than...you?”

For once, you had absolutely no words.

“We’ve barely ever spoken face-to-face,” you whispered. “I mean, sure, you’ve always been an impressive warrior...I...I’m just not the type to...I’ve never done this before.”

“You...intrigue me,” he admitted quietly, placing a gentle hand on your cheek to bring your eyes to his. “If you don’t see me as a good fit for you, I completely understand...I just had to tell you...all I needed was the words…. I’m sorry if I’ve offended you.”

Little did he know, you were feeling quite the contrary. Your heart was beating loudly against your chest-- you hoped to Bor that he couldn’t hear it-- and you were mesmerized by the delicate blend of green and brown that made his eyes.

“I, um,” you felt just as shy as he seemed to be, “I...wouldn’t be opposed to...perhaps trying. Pursuing a courtship, I mean. I don’t really know where to start, though.”

Skurge’s characteristic roguish confidence seemed to return as he smiled, “I could kiss you, if that’s what you wish.”

“I’ve never been courted. What makes you think I know how to kiss?”

“Then you need a teacher,” he suggested, and when you gave him a tiny nod of approval, he dipped his head down to meet yours, applying a gentle pressure to your lips. The sensation of butterflies overtook your stomach as a wave of bliss wracked your body, and you tentatively placed your hands on his muscled, armored shoulders. He slipped an arm around your waist, bringing you closer, and he tilted his head to deepen the kiss, facial hair scraping softly along your chin. The kiss only lasted a few sweet moments before he pulled away with a lovelorn smile, gazing into your eyes as you suddenly missed the subtle lines of his lips on yours.

“...We can do that again later, right?” you gushed shyly. “After I make my rounds? I’m sorry, I feel like that was horrible.”

“It was perfect,” he assured you, “and if that is what you want, there’s no reason for there to not be more later.”

He kissed your cheek once more and promised to return later, leaving you giddy and alight, running your fingers over your lips before going back to sorting your deliveries for the day.

A first kiss and a surprise admirer? You were beginning to rather like this Midgardian holiday.

Tagging: @lauuerodz @taylorjacksonandtheolympians @bsotstory @annathewitch

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bubblesthemonsterartist · 7 years ago

Note

Touch

“Young Lady, go see your father right this instant!”

Kiki stands up, dusting the smears of dirt off her skirts angrily. “He started it!”

The lines on her governess’s face grow deeper. “I care not one whit!” she says, fists to hips. “You go to your father right now and explain why Lord Ito’s son likely has a broken nose or I will!”

Kiki’s cheeks puff out, looking at the boy sobbing in the arms of his aide. She sneers, satisfied, when she notices a bright red spot blooming against the virgin white tissue being pressed to his face.

He’s such a baby. She saw more blood two weeks ago during her monthly visitations.

“Fine,” she spits, whirling on her heel and storming inside.

~ ~ ~

It was easy to be brave outside when all she had to do was prove herself with her fists and gusto, but every step under the withering gazes of her deceased forebearers, glaring down at her from their places high on the wall, makes her doubt.

Maybe she was too boorish, too unladylike for her station. Maybe it was wrong of her to insist on so much from those who were raised to give so little.

She snorts. Maybe Zen, and his declarations that he would marry for love and love alone, were beginning to rub off on her.

Foolish.

She pauses outside her father’s study, the large mahogany doors looming above her, and swallows.

“Kiki?” her father calls faintly from the other side. “Is that you?”

She flinches. How did he always know?

“Yes, Papa.”

He sighs so heavily she can feel it through the cracks of the door.

“Come inside, child.”

~ ~ ~

He is still as a statue, staring out the large windows overlooking the gardens, and she sits carefully facing his desk, hands folded delicately in her lap. Kiki licks her lips inelegantly, looking down, and blanches when she sees the blood smeared across her knuckles. Quickly, she hides them in the folds of her dress.

“Well?”

Her head snaps up, caught, but he is still gazing patiently towards the mountains in the distance.

Her mouth opens but no sound comes out.

“I’m waiting, young lady.”

“He is an arrogant and dastardly prat!” she defends. “He speaks lowly of his servants and the serfs who work his father’s land, he’s a poor swordsman, and he can’t even take a punch without babbling like a snot nosed toddler.”

Lord Seiran tilts his head towards her, eyebrows raised.

She sinks back into her chair. “You couldn’t possibly ask me to marry someone who would weaken our bloodline like that,” she pouts.

His lips twitch.

“My dearest daughter,” he sighs, rubbing his mouth and turning on his heel. “You have rejected nearly half of the suitable bachelors of your age. Should I begin looking amongst the widowers and newborns of Clarines nobility?”

She crosses her arms. “No.”

“Then what are you looking for?”

“I don’t know!” she huffs. “Just someone who’s not a dumb boy.”

He laughs softly, coming to sit on the edge of the desk nearest to her. “And how many boys out there are not dumb, do you wager?”

“Well, Obi’s not dumb!” she declares. “…Usually. But I can forgive him being dumb on occasion. It is the plight of his sex.”

Lord Seiran snorts.

“So there has to be more than just him!” she continues.

He reaches out, brushing what must be dirt off of her cheek. “You know,” he begins, thoughtful. “It is a rare blessing to find a spouse that you can tolerate, let alone one that you actually like.”

She presses her lips together. “I know that,” she interrupts.

“Hush, girl,” he scolds. “What I am trying to say is, even though he is currently cast out of home, your friend is of noble birth. It wouldn’t be the most ideal of circumstances, but it is something to consider if you were to find it… tolerable.”

Her eyes go round. “Wait. What?”

~ ~ ~

She’s in a daze as she walks back to her rooms, staring blankly at the carpet beneath her feet. Surely, her father wasn’t serious.

But, the more practical side of her mind argues, he is right. And while Obi is a bastard, he is still a member of the Goto family. It would be a reasonably good match…

“Hey! Hey Kiki!”

Her eyes close. Out of all the times–

“Hey Kiki, wait up!

She stops.

Obi arrives at her side, breathless and grinning. “I heard what happened with Lord Ito’s son. Wish I was there to see it! Did your father punish you?”

She smiles wanly. “Not as much.”

“That’s good!” he nods, nudging her shoulder as they continue walking down the halls. “So what did he say? Is he going to take a break or does he have another potential husband waiting in the wings?”

The lines of her shoulders feel tense and she hedges. “In a way…”

His eyes widen. “Wow. That was fast. So who is our new target? Do you know him?”

She nods, haltingly.

“No way!” he breathes. “What do you think about him?”

She glances up at him out of the corner of her eye, considering. She supposes Obi is what certain girls would call handsome with his sharp cheekbones and strange eyes. The maids certainly seemed to think so. And he was tall. A good fighter, too.

“He’s… tolerable,” she concedes.

He whistles lowly, impressed. “Tolerable? Now I want to meet this guy.”

She stops walking again, glancing down the empty hallways, and - her heart pounds in her chest - it might be the only one way to actually find out if this was the right path to take. “Obi?”

He skitters to a halt, looking back at her. “Hmm?”

She sucks her lips between her teeth. “Come here.”

He frowns, twirling on his heel, and comes back to her. Her neck cranes up and she purses her lips. Why must he be so tall and she so short? This would never do.

“Lean down,” she commands.

His face widens, confused. “Do you really need to whisper it in my ear?” he jokes, bending at the waist for her. “Of course, Miss Kiki. You’re wish is my– mmpph!”

It’s over before it starts really, just the slimey slide of lips just beginning to touch before they throw themselves to opposite walls, each others faces painted with complete horror.

“What?” Obi pants, lips tilting downward comically. “Why would you do that?”

Her whole face screws up, wiping her mouth against the back of her hand. “I don’t even know!” she wails, disgusted. “My dad just said–”

“Wait!” Obi demands, holding up one hand. “Me? Your dad was talking about me?”

She nods, her face hot and he starts laughing, long and loud. It pierces the air. “Oh my,” he gasps, rubbing the tears from the corner of his eyes. “And you were taking him seriously?”

She pouts. “I just wanted to check!”

He’s still laughing and now her pride is starting to feel the toll. He pushes himself off the wall. “And what did you think, Miss Kiki?” he grins, teeth sharp. “Was it everything you ever hoped?”

She wrinkles up her nose, thinking. “It was weird,” she finally declares.

Obi’s face falls. “Weird?”

She nods. “Your lips are too soft. It was like kissing my baby cousin.”

He looks absolutely scandalized. “I’ll have you know!” he begins. “That plenty of girls like my soft lips!”

She’s skeptical of that. “You moisturize them too much, I think.”

He huffs, folding his arms over one another. “Well you need to go eat some mint out of the garden!” he shoots back. “I’m going to need to raid your dad’s liquor cabinet to get the taste out.”

She flushes, angry, and holds her hand to her mouth, exhaling and smelling the cupped air. “My breath doesn’t smell!” she yells.

He snorts, turning back to walk towards the gardens. “Yea, keep telling yourself that.”

“Wait,” she says, her voice smaller than she meant. He pauses, his face shifting from insult to worry. “Was it- was it really that bad?”

He hesitates. “Well- I mean- yeah-” he begins.

She deflates.

“What does it even matter what I think?” he grins, his face a worried sort of playful.

She looks away.

“Wait,” he breathes. “Kiki. Was that your first kiss?”

Her neck sinks into her shoulders. “Who else do you think I would kiss!”

“You have a million suitors!” he replies, his voice cracking. “They’re here practically every day. I would have thought you would have tried with at least one of them!”

“I hate them,” she pouts. “Why would I kiss someone I hate?”

“Well, you just kissed me!”

“I don’t hate you!” she spats, looking him dead in the eye. His face draws blank. “You’re- you’re my friend.”

His face softens. “Well,” he says, mouth tilting to the side. “Even though I thought that was gross-”

She whines, hiding her face in her hands.

“Hey- stop,” he says, pulling her hands away so he can look her in the eyes. “Even though I thought it was gross, I can definitely see another boy liking it.”

She glares up at him. “Really?”

Obi nods once, sharp and confident. “Really.”

#bubbleswrites #one word prompt #noble lines au #maybe cutting too close to the quick with the most recent chapter #but OH WELL #¯\_(ツ)_/¯#kiki #obi #seiran #kikiobi #jaygirl987 #(kiki's like #13 here #and obi's around 15)

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romcomathon2016 · 7 years ago

Text

They Came Together (USA, 2014)

Predictions: Alex had seen this movie before and knew that it was a romcom parody. Kat was thus slightly confused as to why we were watching it, but nonetheless made a prediction. She predicted that Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd meet for the first time at a restaurant, but everyone THINKS that they came together. Dun dun dun.

Plot: Interestingly, Kat was not far off. The movie does indeed begin at a restaurant, with Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd telling Ellie Kemper and Bill Hader the interminable story of how they met. Ellie Kemper and Bill Hader are held hostage like Ted Mosby's kids while Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd flash back to every single romcom trope in the book.

Our interminable story begins with Paul Rudd about to propose to Cobie Smulders, who is obviously cheating on him with one of his coworkers, because he is oblivious and she is so beautiful and so heartless, blah blah blah. Amy Poehler, meanwhile, has just gotten out of some relationship or other, whatever. Also, Paul Rudd works for a giant candy conglomerate (where?! can WE work there?!), and Amy Poehler owns a tiny sweetshop (or there! we're not picky).

They get set up by their friends at a party, where, you guessed it, guys: it looks like they came together!!!! #aceprediction ...because they randomly met moments earlier on the street and decided they hated each other. But then they realize they love each other. Things are going great. Paul Rudd really bonds with Amy Poehler's son, whose dad is in prison. He tells her about his dream of opening a coffeeshop. They both love Q-Tips. It’s fate.

Unfortunately, however, then Paul Rudd finds out that Amy Poehler's parents are white supremacists, and, like any reasonable person, ends their relationship. Time passes with them seeing each other at parties and being awkward. He gets back together with Cobie Smulders. She starts dating boring Ed Helms. Nearly marries him, in fact, of course, until she doesn't -- and then she and Paul Rudd meet up on the Brooklyn Promenade, surrounded by everyone they know. After a brief sword-/fistfight and the revelation that Paul Rudd has saved her candy shop, Amy Poehler chooses Paul Rudd over all her past suitors, including Prison Dad.

Back to present. Ellie Kemper and Bill Hader are extremely relieved that a) the story is over and b) their own love story is, you know, less absurd. Their sad marriage is revived. Meanwhile, we learn that Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler actually did not last and are now just friends. But then they decide to maybe give it another shot. The end.

Best Scene: The sudden appearance of Amy Poehler's kid was kind of funny (and very true to romcoms). He had a Pikachu shirt, so that was great. But can we talk about Paul Rudd's supposed favorite Pokémon being SMEARGLE???? Yuck. Also, we enjoyed their endless series of awkward holiday parties, especially when Team Paul Rudd/Cobie Smulders got For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf during charades in like one second and Amy Poehler's team could not get Jaws. This felt true to both romcoms and, from time to time, life. (Team Kat and Alex would be Team Paul Rudd/Cobie Smulders, though. Don't worry.)

Worst Scene: OBVIOUSLY THE SCENE WHERE PAUL RUDD REALIZES THAT HE IS AT DINNER WITH WHITE SUPREMACISTS. Slightly Jewish Paul Rudd is understandably horrified. The most puzzling thing about this movie is the fact that he is able to move past this???? HE IS SLIGHTLY JEWISH, AFTER ALL.

Best Line: At one point, Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler run into one another in a bookstore and are pleasantly shocked to discover that they both like "fiction books." OH MY GOD, NEITHER OF THEM HAS EVER MET ANOTHER PERSON WHO LIKES FICTION BOOKS BEFORE!!!! But the best line is actually later, when Amy Poehler asks Ed Helms if he likes fiction books, and he says he does not. Because they are not real. That was pretty hilarious.

Also, A+ for the large chain bookstore "Brams and Nerbils," and other hilariously weird fake product names. We do love a good fake product name. Add in Paul Rudd's dream coffeeshop being named "A Cup of Joel," and it's clear that someone on this writing staff had our exact sense of humor.

Worst Line: ...Probably something said by the white supremacists, you guys.

Highlights of the Watching Experience: Wondering continuously if Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler were going to seriously discuss the fact that her family are Nazis. Also, literally not a single person has a line in this film who isn't a famous comedian. Or Cobie Smulders.

How Many POC in the Film: Kenan Thompson. Paul Rudd's Indian assistant. Amy Poehler's black friend. NOT Jason Mantzoukas, although we bet Amy Poehler's family would think so. According to IMDB, Randall Park for the blink of an eye, and maybe some others... BUT NOT MANY, GUYS. Probably best, if Amy Poehler's family was ever going to meet any of her friends and acquaintances. (Does Amy Poehler's black friend know about her Nazi parents?!?! Probably not, right??)

Alternate Scenes: We would like to think that, somewhere between the flashback events and the present-day events, Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler cut ties with her parents. Or perhaps that her parents reformed, although that seems...less likely.

Was the Poster Better or Worse than the Film: Better. The poster allows us to believe that we are about to watch a real romcom, which would bring us happiness. Instead, we watched this film, which brought us boredom. It was funny at times, but mostly it was just a one-note 80-minute sketch. Although admittedly one that featured many people we like. We would have preferred to see these people we like genuinely falling in love and kissing; that's all. :(

Score: 4 out of 10 Brams-and-Nerbils smooches. We CANNOT BELIEVE that this movie has a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Miss Congeniality is currently at 42%. We are OUTRAGED.

Ranking: 67, out of the 93 movies we’ve seen so far. Sigh. Many, many scenes in this movie were funny -- or would have been, if the movie had been just-one-of-those-scenes long. We didn't need to watch the same joke over and over. We'd actually rather watch Catherine Zeta-Jones fall in love with what's-his-face in The Rebound. Very, very slightly less boring.

#they came together #amy poehler #paul rudd #2014

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word-bug · 8 years ago

Text

Of Dates And Misunderstandings

Happy Birthday Sarah ( @lifeinahole27 ) <3

Here’s a little something for you. I am so glad that this time I got something out for your birthday. And I didn’t forget to tag you. It should have been up at your midnight but I will assume there is still somewhere when it’s just the beginning of your birthday.

Special thanks to @ladyciaramiggles and @space-whales for beta reading. Thank you so much. <3

Of Dates & Misunderstandings (T-rated) AO3

Emma’s leg started jittering as she waited for her laptop to power on. She missed the comfort of her bed but with the wine she had already drank she was reluctant to get too relaxed, lest her mind wandered to less than innocent territories that she wasn’t ready for yet. She still believed that online dating sites were a farce, especially ones with the cliched names like - Happy Endings. But, drunk Emma made questionable decisions and signing up to an online dating site at Ruby’s prodding was one of them. She signed in and carefully made her visibility selective. She didn’t want the entire world to know she was online and having to fend off sleazy come-ons that would put her perps to shame.

No, Emma was interested in only one - therealkillianjones.

Emma was intimately aware of the nitty gritty of an online dating website, she had used them too many times to lure in her perps. Men were predictable that way. Act a little coy, laugh, or in this case, send a winky emoji on their crass pick up line and -boom- you had a date. She had fake profiles set up on many of these platforms but Ruby raved about the advantages of finding dates through them, gushing about the men and women she had met. So one day, Emma sat with her friend after sharing a bottle of wine between them and proceeded to set up her profile. Though drunk, they had created her profile including as much information as they could without revealing too much. It was fun while it lasted. Together they had vetted potential suitors and fended off some sleazy ones - a nice way to blow off some steam. So, she was surprised to get a direct message from someone named therealkillianjones.

therealkillianjones - Oh My God! I love that quote and the book. It’s one of my favorites.

Emma was tempted to ignore it. Many people used celebrity names or a mixture of random words not wanting to give away their privacy. Emma respected that but Killian Jones was an actor that she really didn’t like. He wasn’t bad looking, on the contrary, the man was sex on legs, but he was overhyped, and Emma hated overhyped things. Every street corner had vendors selling magazines with his face plastered and what’s the saying - too much of a good thing is bad for you? Killian Jones was that good thing for her. It didn’t help that all the movies that he did were trashy flicks with a manic pixie girl as their protagonist. Emma hated those movies with a passion. So, hatred for Killian Jones was an acquired trait for her and it would take a lot for her to change her mind.

But for the first time, someone had actually gone through her profile, rather than just see her profile picture and send a pick up line. So she figured it couldn’t hurt to reply back and it wasn’t like her username, theswanprincess, was highly original. She figured, if the guy got too clingy, she could just shut the conversation down.

theswanprincess - Me too. The Princess Bride is my all time favorite. And the movie adaptation does it justice.

therealkillianjones - Aye. I agree. I am partial to the book, for obvious reasons. But the movie has a permanent place in my collection. I’m Killian by the way.

Emma scoffed, this guy was taking the charade way too seriously. She had been scrolling through his profile. He seemed nice on paper at least. All the fields of the profile were carefully filled with all the proper grammatical conventions. The profile picture was that of a pirate, she waited for it to download. When it became clearer she didn’t know whether she wanted to laugh or cry. The picture was of Killian Jones, the actor, in the whole pirate regalia. She remembered seeing it on a magazine cover for his upcoming TV series or movie, she couldn’t remember. She was about to call him out on it when she saw the dots jumping, indicating he was typing.

therealkillianjones - Which house are you in? I was sorted into Gryffindor but in my heart I recognize myself as a Ravenclaw. My brother teases me that I am a Hufflepuff but he doesn’t realize that being sorted into Hufflepuff would be an honour, a fact the movies failed to capture.

All her thoughts to call him out on his choice of name and profile picture flew out the window as Emma launched into a full throttle response to his question .

theswanprincess - I feel you. Some of my friends are the same. Though I was sorted into Hufflepuff and I wear the badge with the honour. Tough luck!

Emma bit her lip resisting her temptation to add a wink at the end. She didn’t want to come on too strong but she was enjoying the conversation and prayed that he wasn’t a douchebag or something worse.

therealkillianjones - Touche, Swan! Rubbing my face in it. So tell me about yourself.

Emma was startled to see him address her with her last name. She hadn’t made her name public so she started working herself up about it, when it struck her that he was calling her by her chosen username. He did tell her that his name was Killian but she wasn’t sure whether it was his real name or not, so she decided an alternate way to find out.

theswanprincess - If you’re gonna call me by Swan, what should I call you? ;)

This time she let the wink remain to maintain the playful tone of the conversation. If he read too much into it, then what was the harm? She was here, after all, to date.

therealkillianjones - As I said before love, Killian will do. ;)

Emma learned over the course of month that he was English but had moved to the States after the death of his parents when he was a teenager. Currently, he was in Ireland for some work and their conversations would be cut short due to the time difference. Emma loved the time when she was on a stakeout the entire night and he had no work the following day. They talked the entire night and she loved it. After a while, she found herself constantly smiling. Ruby had nudged her for that very reason but Emma had waved her teasing aside saying it was just nice days at work. Thankfully, Ruby had forgotten about the dating profile so all was smooth sailing.

She and her online date hadn’t gone beyond the medium of the website to communicate, but no topic other than the specifics about their professional life, remained untouched between them - from past troubles to lost loves, from emotional scars to physical injuries. They talked everything out, she found the anonymity of a dating website helped her open up. He didn’t press her for more, not even a photograph, the one she had used as her profile picture hid some part of her face so no one could outright recognize her. She never did call him out on his username choice, figuring that it could be his real name. It did have an English ring to it, too. So they remained in the bubble. She had almost forgotten about his actor namesake until she came across the trailer for his new show. It was a modern retelling of Peter Pan but with Captain Hook as the lead. The actor Killian Jones was playing it and he looked nice. She was just reeling in what she had seen when the message from her Killian popped up. She didn’t even notice her use of the possessive pronoun when thinking about him.

therealkillianjones - Hey Swan! How is it going there?

theswanprincess - The same old. Nothing exciting. I finally did see the trailer of this new show. I think so it’s called Neverlanders? Neveravengers?

therealkillianjones - The Neverland Rangers?

theswanprincess - Yeah... The show in which the actor you is acting.

therealkillianjones - Did you like it?

theswanprincess - Surprisingly, yeah.

therealkillianjones - Surprisingly?

theswanprincess - Yeah… I mean I see this face on every newspaper stand and I am just so done. It’s just so obvious that the acting choices have been made to cash in on the dashing looks nothing else. I am really glad that this time it was on content matter rather than just looks. I hate people like that, no offense.

therealkillianjones - None taken. Glad to know what you actually think. Swan…. They’re calling me. I’ll get back to you. I had to ask you something.

Emma looked at the clock, confused as to why he was leaving so early when she saw the time. It was almost two. It must be around seven in Ireland, she mentally calculated the time. She was about to close her laptop when another message popped up.

therealkillianjones - Goodbye love. xoxo.

Emma knew what it meant but she didn’t know what to make of it. They had spent the last month talking and never even once had they sent a parting greeting. That was surely crossing a line, right? It was too intimate. But they were on an online dating website so wasn’t that what was expected to come out of a conversation in the end? She went to bed thinking about it and sleep soon engulfed her and, for the first time, she dreamt about her Killian Jones.

The next day, she made conscious effort to not sign in wanting to distance herself and test the waters. She didn’t know what he wanted to ask her so her mind was conjuring weird scenarios. Would he ask her something personal? Or for a photograph? Did it matter? Weren’t they already more intimate than they could physically ever be? So what he could possibly ask her?

The following day proceeded the same way,albeit, Emma was calmer than before. A day away from him had helped her put things into perspective. She realized it didn’t matter what he asked of her. She knew if she said no he would take a step back immediately. He respected her and she him. Suddenly, she wanted to know him, wanted to have a face to go with his name and it didn’t scare her. So when she went back home, she switched on her laptop and logged in, certain a message would be waiting for her. She waited in anticipation but her excitement crashed down on her when there was none. Emma glanced at the time. It was five. Maybe he hadn’t logged in yesterday? So she waited for him. His last activity was in the morning so he had come online but she didn’t understand why he hadn’t sent a message. There hadn’t ever been a day when there wasn’t a message waiting for her. She sat there, browsing aimlessly on the net waiting for a message to come but it never did. She didn’t know when she had drifted off, waking in the morning to find her laptop’s battery had died. She was tempted to switch it back on but decided against it.

When Emma returned home that night, she delayed going online for as long as she could but she knew it was inevitable, it was too much of a habit. She watched some random video and went to check her profile only when she was ready to sleep, not wanting to get excited about nothing. There was one unread message and Emma couldn’t manage to contain her excitement. She opened it but there sat a message from someone named wizardofoz.

wizardofoz - so ur a princess? Want me to use my wand and hv sm wicked ways with you?

Emma scowled seeing the message. It wasn’t from whom she was expecting and it was the worst written message she’d ever seen. She blocked wizardofoz when another message popped up.

therealkillianjones - I don’t know when you’ll get this as the connection is a bit problematic here. I am going back to New York tomorrow and I would really like to meet you. Here’s my number. I am sure I’ll be jetlagged so I won’t be able to message you straight away. Sorry for that. I’m hoping you would like to meet me, too, or we could stay as strangers. Though, I’d rather go forward than backward. Hope you’ll call.

And sure enough there was a New York number attached. If Emma let out a squeal seeing the number, no one would ever know. She really wanted to meet him. Emma glanced at the time. It was around eleven. Would he still be sleeping? She wanted to wait but she couldn’t contain her excitement. Double checking the number, she saved it and opened whatsapp to message him.

The contact list updated and she let out a snort seeing his display picture. Yet again, it was that of the actor Killian Jones but it was only his face with his hook resting near his chin. She had to admit he was kind of cute but she was sure he wouldn’t hold a candle against her Killian. Emma bit her lip, smiling like a schoolgirl with crush, she typed a simple greeting.

“Hey… Swan here.” - E

Emma wasn’t expecting a response. Sure there were double ticks but there weren’t blue ticks so he probably hadn’t seen it and forgotten to switch off his net. She was about to switch to another conversation, when his status changed to online and blue ticks appeared. Before she could process what was happening, her phone started ringing.

“Hello...”

“Hey… love...” came his husky voice and Emma lost her breath for just a moment. He was really English, his accent heavy in his voice. Emma bit her lips but then realized, hitting her forehead against her phone, she was behaving like a teenager.

“Hey… love you there?” His voice came again and Emma realized she still hadn’t replied.

“So you’re really English, huh?” Emma mentally berated herself. Smooth Emma. Real Smooth.

He let out a booming laugh and Emma decided that she really liked his laugh.

“Aye... love. I told you, didn’t I?”

“Yeah… yeah you… did.”

“I can’t believe that we’re really talking.”

“Yeah me too.” She whispered. They remained quiet, words failing them in the moment. Emma didn’t know what to say. They knew each other so well but she didn’t know how to talk to him like this. Suddenly, he was real and not just some stranger on the net. She wanted to say something but he beat her to the punch.

“So… I was wondering… I mean... shit I’m not normally this bad with words. I don’t even know your first name….”

“It’s Emma.”

“Emma….” It seemed he was testing it and Emma really liked hearing it from his mouth.

“Emma… Emma Swan… It’s…. It’s a beautiful name.”

“Thank you.” She whispered back and the silence returned. She wanted to see him. She wanted to meet him but she didn’t know how to broach the subject.

“Uh… Emma… Swan… I was wondering… would you like to go on a date with me? I mean… like not a date… but like would you like to… uh… meet me. I would love to put a complete face to your name.”

“I would too.” Emma answered. She wanted to know what he really looked like.

“Huh?”

“I mean… I would love to go out with you.”

“Ohh.. great. Tomorrow at 7 at the Eleven Madison Park?”

“Yeah… sure… text me the address.”

“Yeah… sure. Bloody hell. I can’t believe this is happening.” He laughed nervously. He was adorable.

“Can’t wait to meet you.”

“Aye… me too, love.”

Killian had texted her the address as soon as they said their farewell. Emma was excited to finally meet him and put a face to his name. Seeing his profile picture for so long, she had started imagining him as the actor Killian Jones and it unsettled her because this Killian was a real person and she didn’t want to give him someone else’s face. When she had looked up the address she was surprised to see the grandeur of restaurant. She started thinking of the dresses that would match the place. Emma really wanted to call Ruby, knowing her friend had dress for literally every occasion but this thing with Killian was so fragile and she really wanted to keep it to herself for the time being.

In the end she went shopping for a new dress. She had her eye on a black and bronze number for so long but couldn’t muster enough strength to buy it - because there was no one she wanted to wear it for and she really didn’t want to wear it for a fake date with a perp. The dress was too beautiful for that. It was a one shoulder dress with a black upper bodice and minimal embellishments. The lower portion of the dress was in complete contrast, it had a flowing bronze skirt, finishing just above her knees with delicate embroidery that caught the light depending on the angle. Emma had paired it with black pumps that made her legs look shapely. She had gone with minimal makeup but had carefully curled her hair in perfect ringlets that weren’t too tight and flowed freely. She had forgone jewellery save for a set of diamond drop earrings that she had bought on her last birthday. She looked and felt beautiful.

When she reached the restaurant, she was, yet again, taken with the beauty of the place. It was elegantly lit with artificial candles that looked like diamonds floating in the sky.

When she reached the reception, she was guided to a more private dining area. It was intimate, with tables kept far away to offer privacy to the patrons, quite a contrast to the outer seating area of the restaurant. It was currently empty and she was glad there wasn’t anyone to witness their first meeting. She saw the fire crackling in the fireplace and got lost in the movements of the flame when she heard her someone speak.

“You’re way more beautiful in person.”

Emma turned around startled at his sudden entry.

“Fuck… you scared me….” her hand went to her chest trying to calm her breathing. She looked up but her eyes widened as she saw him. “Holy shit you’re Killian Jones.” The face that had haunted her for the last week was standing in front of her and she didn’t know what to make of it. He just looked confused as if she was being absurd.

“Yeah… and you’re Emma Swan. Are you okay, love?”

“Are you… are you insane? You’re Killian Jones. THE freaking Killian Jones. Star of Neverengers.”

“Neverland Rangers.”

“Yeah… The same. I am sorry. I think the maitre’d misdirected me. I was about to meet someone who, oddly, is also called Killian Jones. I think they mixed it up. I’ll just leave.” As she started walking, he came behind her catching her arm.

“They didn’t mix it up Swan. You’re here to meet Killian Jones. And I am Killian Jones.”

“You’re not my Killian.” Emma spoke exasperated that the actor couldn’t see reason. Was he just a pretty face? How could he be so dumb?

“Your Killian…” His eyebrows waggled hearing her call him that.

“Yeah… Now if you would please…”

“Swan… Wait...” he took her hand again, “I really am your Killian. You’ve seen my picture on my profile.”

“No I saw your picture...” she spoke pointing at him, it was getting exhausting, she really had to leave lest her Killian believed she had ditched him, “on my Killian’s profile who is a fan of yours.”

“What are you talking about? That was me. Why would anyone use someone else’s picture on a dating website? That’s insane.”

“Yeah exactly… This is insane. I am leaving.” For the third time that night, she was stopped from leaving.

“Swan… would you just wait? Who did you think I was? You really had no idea that it was me?”

“I mean… yeah obviously I had no idea. I mean why would you need a online dating profile? This just doesn’t make sense.”

“You love cinnamon on hot chocolate. It always warms you up and makes you feel secure and happy. ‘Your Killian’ has a ship named Jolly Roger that he wanted to take and sail towards the horizon. ‘Killian Jones the actor’ aka me should make better career choices and not rely on my good looks. Though, I was flattered to know that you find me dashing.”

“Yeah… well I’m not blind,” but Emma realised she was getting carried away. She also realized that she had criticized his career choices to his face.

“Shit… I called your career choices rubbish.” Emma covered her mouth in horror and Killian guffawed seeing her like that. She threw a venomous look towards him but that didn’t perturb him.

“Yeah… admittedly that was a little strange but then you said things I felt myself so I let it slide. Love… no one finds my career choices more rubbish than myself. But I needed to find my footing in the industry before taking riskier projects.” His voice then took a softer note, “you really didn’t know it was me? I thought you knew.”

“I swear I didn’t know it was you. I thought you were a fan and then you started talking about books and it was long forgotten. And why on earth would you need a online dating profile?” Emma asked wondering what he was doing on the portal in the first place.

“Too much drinking leads to questionable things in life. And the sort of anonymity that it provides… I don’t find that much in real life. Why do you have a dating profile? I can’t believe a lady like you needs to resort to these means.” Emma blushed under his appreciating gaze and Killian smirked seeing his effect on her. They were standing closer than before and he could smell her perfume and it was the sweetest thing.

“Well… When you go on too many fake dates to apprehend people who skip their bail, your dating pool gets kind of shallow.”

“So you’re a bail bonds person? That’s hot, no offense.” Killian spoke making Emma smirk. They slipped into silence, neither knowing what to do. Now that Killian knew she had no idea it was him who she was talking to, he couldn’t help wonder whether she wanted to go out with him or not. When they had started talking he had been happy because he had been connecting with a person who knew who he was but had chosen to talk to him for who he really was. But now things were different and he didn’t know what to do with the information.

“Uhh… well you’re welcome to join me for dinner. I mean you were expecting someone else and I mean I will understand if you want to go home,” he spoke hurriedly.

It took sometime for his words to register with Emma and she was touched that he was giving her the option to back out . She hadn’t imagined that she would be meeting a celebrity with the intention of going on a date with him. If she was to date him, her life wouldn’t remain the same. But she had been his friend for more than a month and it had been amazing. If he had been just Killian, she would have jumped on the chance to date him. Did it change if he wasn’t just Killian rather The Killian Jones? There was only one way to find out.

“Yeah… let’s have dinner,” she said, a grin covering her face and the smile she got in return rivalled the sun.

In the end, she didn’t just decide to stay for the date, she also kissed him and went on a second date with him. He had joked during the dinner that she should help him in vetting new scripts and few weeks later, she was doing just that, in his shirt, on his bed with him bringing her her hot chocolate and spooning her as they read one of the scenes together.

Happy Birthday Once Again, Love! Have a long and happy life <3

#cs ff #cs fic #Captain Swan #Emma Swan #Killian Jones #Of Dates and Misunderstandings #Vaish Writes #Happy Birthday Sarah #Finally Have Something #For you

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madsigano · 7 years ago

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Because you Love to Hate me- Book review

Warning: May contain spoilers!

Because you Love to Hate me was a book I had been dying to get a hold of ever since a few of my favourite Booktubers mentioned this collaboration.

The book contains 13 short stories of villains, each author paired with a Booktuber to give them a prompt for said short story. I have to admit, some stories I absolutely loved... others I either had a neutral or slightly negative opinion of. Let’s go through them:

The Blood of Imuriv by Renee Ahdieh, prompt by Christine Riccio:

This short story prompt was “The Grandson of an Evil, Matriarchal Dictator who tried to rule over the universe wants to follow in her footsteps and accidentally loses his temper, killing his sibling in a game of chess”. Wow, Christine. That’s a prompt and a half.

The thing about this story was that although it was very good, there was too much content for the reader to fully grasp the storyline itself. This would make for a good book, but the shortened version left my head thinking the story lacked, simply from the amount of information that had to be thrown at the reader for the story to make sense. Christine- although I love her- could have maybe made the prompt a little easier for Renee to write something readers would appreciate more. That said, if this short was made into a novel, I can guarantee I would enjoy it more.

3/5 stars.

Jack by Ameriie, prompt by Tina Burke:

The prompt given for this story was “Jack and the Beanstalk meets Phalaris of Agrigento”. One of the more well thought out ideas for a prompt, I’ll give you that, Tina.

However this was one of the stories I didn’t enjoy as much. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good “take a childhood classic and remake it”... but this just didn’t grab me. I rarely find a book I struggle to read through, but this was one. The character to me didn’t feel villain-y, and I also struggled to connect with her.

The friendship between man and giant didn’t really feel like that, which is probably why the ending didn’t shock me as much as I think Ameriie was intending.

It shocked me, but only in the way that there was no build up. Had I been given hints to this happening it may have affected me, but I personally felt it was a bit hit-and-miss.

2/5 stars.

Gwen and Art and Lance by Soman Chainani, prompt by Samantha Lane:

The prompt for this story was “A modern-day mash-up of the King Arthur Legend and Persephone-Hades Myth”. As someone who avidly loves all things myth and legend, I had high hopes for this one, Samantha.

However, this didn’t feel evil. I loved the context and the layout of text-style storytelling, I thought this was pretty creative actually. But this didn’t fit with the book for me. I was expecting one of the boys to act more like Hades and be cunning in his pursuit of Gwen, or for Gwen herself to feel a bit more villain-y. But I just got that High School not even the meanest of mean girl vibe.

2/5 stars.

Shirley and Jim by Susan Dennard, prompt by Sasha Alsberg:

“A young Moriarty”. Many things to be done with that prompt. I maybe would have expected the story to just be about Moriarty and his psychopathic ways coming to the surface, like a true origin story. But I got a gender-bent Sherlock and John. As teenage girls swooning over teenage-hottie-new-guy Jim Moriarty.

Okay... I was actually surprised at how much I ended up liking this one. Sherlock is one of my favourite shows, and yes I am one of those people who ship Johnlock and/or Jimlock. So for Moriarty and Shirley to be a kind-of couple warmed my little shipper heart.

But the end. It was so well done. The twists and the explanations just... Ah!

4/5 stars.

The Blessing of Little Wants by Sarah Enni, prompt by Sophia Lee:

The author’s prompt for this story was “ A Dark Sorcerer’s motives for seeking immortality or Omnipotence”. First thing you think is, “Voldemort!” right? (If you haven’t figured already I skipped to the prompt before reading the story itself). But alas, no Tom Riddle for us.

I got serious Magneto vibes instead, and I’m not complaining. I was confused to the extreme; WAS HE REAL?! I thought he was part of her imagination but then her reaction confused me even further. Definitely well written on Sarah’s part. This seriously needs to be a book just so I can find out answers.

4/5 stars.

The Sea Witch by Marissa Meyer, prompt by Zoe Herdt:

Zoe’s prompt was “What if the Sea Witch had previously been in the Little Mermaid’s shoes but decided to kill the love interest and turn back into a mermaid instead?”. Let me just start by saying that “what if...” is my favourite prompt for any book. Every scenario in my head is a what if of book characters.

This story was one of my favourites in this book, simply because it was this kind of origin story I had been expecting and waiting for. The plot of an outcast mermaid who has a serious fangirl crush (let’s be real- who doesn’t have an unhealthy crush on someone famous?), gets rejected in the most awful way, gets bullied by him and his slimy girlfriend, tries to kill herself, falls in love again with a human, becomes human for him, only to get betrayed by him, then (my favourite part) lets him enjoy his wedding day until she slits his throat. Good on you girl. Promptly returning to the sea, she becomes the sea witch we all know and love to hate.

5/5 stars.

Beautiful Venom by Cindy Pon, prompt by Benjamin Alderson:

Warning: mentions of rape.

When I read the prompt “Medusa, Go!” I was not expecting to read such an amazing story. Medusa was one of my all-time favourite legends from history when I was younger, so when I say I had high expectations, I mean really high.

And I was not let down. This story features easily the most evil villain in this book, and I don’t mean Mei Du/ Jia Mei Feng. This Medusa tale has an Asian twist to it, placing the well known Greek Mythology Gods into this culture instead. Jia Mei Feng is one of the lucky girls to be chosen to be the Emperor’s new wife, but the at-first dashing Hai Xin unexpectedly comes into her life and will not leave her alone. Her path twists violently into a dark path when Hai Xin kidnaps Mei, and rapes her when she says No.

I cried so much at this story, as it truly represents victim blaming as well as the rape culture, and the Goddess of Purity (Goddess of Bitchiness as far as I’m concerned) blames Mei, asking “did you say no?” and “Did you refuse him during his first visit?”. The Goddess curses Mei to look as ugly as a serpent, becoming Medusa, for something that was not her fault.

The power this story holds is incredible, showing that we must not ignore these issues and unite against victim blaming and rape culture. It is not ok.

5/5 stars.

Death Knell by Victoria Schwab, prompt by Jesse George:

The prompt for this story was “Hades waked up after being unconscious at the bottom of a well in Ireland”. The lyrical, beautiful writing from Victoria in this story was extraordinary and had me hooked from the start.

The relationship that blossoms between Death and Grace is short and quick, which is normally something I don’t particularly like, but I found myself enjoying the rapid romance between the living girl and the boy tasked with transporting her to death.

Although this story was very predictable- you knew as soon as she avoided him the first time that she was going to escape death at any cost. And you knew as soon as they were near the well that she wasn’t going in. Yet I wasn’t disappointed.

4/5 stars.

Marigold by Samantha Shannon, prompt by Regan Perusse:

I have to admit, I had to re-read this one when writing my notes because I had completely forgotten about it. an “Era-Queen retelling in Nineteenth-Century London” was a very good prompt, and I’m a sucker for historical retellings.

Yet I couldn’t remember it. And then when I read it I understood why. Nothing about this story grabbed me. Which surprises me given my previous statement about how much I love historical retellings. It wasn’t that I thought it was particularly bad, it was actually very well written, but it just didn’t grab me.

3/5 stars.

You, You, It’s all about You by Adam Silvera, prompt by Catriona Feeney:

This story’s prompt by Catriona was “A female teen crime lord concealed by a mask”.

The immediate aspect that spiked my interest was the second person point of view. Second person is always guaranteed to interest me as the character is you, which brings you even deeper into the story. The main character herself was definitely one of the most twisted villains in this book; wearing a mask made of the flesh of her abusive father. That was very disturbingly creative on Adam’s part. The storyline of the drugs being made by this crime lord was incredibly creative, not just using illegal drugs we already know about, but using the drugs to make the character even more disturbing.

4/5 stars.

Julian breaks every rule by Andrew Smith, prompt by Raeleen Lemay:

The prompt “A psychopath in a futuristic setting” really excited me, as I have a worrying love of psychopaths.

Andrew did not disappoint, making me laugh out loud earning strange looks from people near me, and just overall writing a very good story.

I do want to know what Andrew has planned for Julian though, as that cliffhanger left me aching for more.

4/5 stars.

Indigo and Shade by April Genevieve Tucholke, prompt by Whitney Atkinson:

“Beauty and the Beast: Suitor’s revenge” does actually sound like the dark sequel to the classic tale, but this story strayed from the darkness it could have been.

To be honest, I find the Beauty and the Beast story to be overused right now, as the Cinderella one was for a time. This story I’m afraid to say does slot into the overused category. The story was good, don’t get me wrong, but it was the bad side of predictable.

3/5 stars.

Sera by Nicola Yoon, prompt by Steph Sinclair and Kat Kennedy:

Congratulations Nicola, Steph and Kat- you made my favourite story in this book! Talk about saving the best for last. As previously stated, I love all things myth and legend. So the prompt “Gender-flipped God of War” is so far up my street it’s in my back garden.

I could go on forever about this short story, but I’ll dial it down as much as I can.

The writing style from Nicola was amazing; a diary documentation kind of layout, watching Sera grow and seeing from her mother’s eyes what was happening. It did make me laugh a few times throughout; especially when little Sera put up finger guns to the murderer and said “bang bang”. I thought that was just a very funny image.

The best part of this story was the POV flip at the end. We’d seen from Sera’s mother’s third person POV that Sera had been extremely ill, and then it had jumped to Kareena watching Callie being burned alive by Sera.

But the POV flip to Sera’s POV creates a reallllllly condensed version of the last 15 or so pages, showing the reader how she felt this entire time. She changed her appearance dramatically by dying her hair and wearing contacts because she wanted her mother to love her, and the “light” she was feeling was something she knew was dangerous so she tried to conceal it, making her ill.

And then we find out that her sister tried to kill her while their mother stood and watched, hence why Sera killed her sister. This moment had my mouth nearly to the floor. Beautiful writing from Nicola and a perfect prompt from Steph and Kat.

5/5 stars.

If you didn’t agree with my review please feel free to comment, but please don’t write anything offensive!

Likewise if you did agree, or enjoyed this, or want to add a bit more then please feel free to comment or message me!

#becauseyoulovetohateme #renee ahdieh #ameriie #soman chainani #susan dennard #sarah enni #marissa meyer #cindy pon #victoria schwab #samantha shannon #adam silvera #andrew smith #april genevieve tucholke #nicola yoon #booktube #christine riccio

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chloewrites · 7 years ago

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The Rules of Robots and Love: Chapter 1

Pidge closes her eyes, the round glasses that perennially perch on her nose closed and grasped in her fist. And her brain begins to stir.

Fog.

Colours.

The shadow of someone holding her hand.

She has Voltron, standing before her, fully formed and ready. The lions are tall, proud, as brightly coloured as their names. Controllers, screams, people.

She sees the Galra Robotics Club dismantled and taken apart, the ruins of their mini-Zarkon on the ground at her feet, irreversible damage. Probably done by her.

She sees five, no, six people before her.

Shiro, looking as regal and leader-like as ever, ever the dad friend,

Hunk, his best smile on his face, arms outstretched and beckoning,

Keith, wearing that stupid cropped jacket and hint of a smile on his stupid face,

Coran, mustache perfect as usual, smiling and holding a cup of coffee,

Allura, gorgeous, eyes showing off the intelligence that many didn't see on the surface,

and...

Lance.

Pidge quickly opens her eyes, letting the world back in, slipping on her glasses and running off into the distance.

~~~

The cafe that Voltron Robotics currently occupies would be very nice and peaceful, bolstered by the chirps of birds in early morning, cool winds and smell of fresh coffee brewed by Allura and Coran, but-

"You told your mum what?!" Shiro screams, completely and utterly surprised.

"Since when did Pidge have a boyfriend?!" Lance and Hunk exclaim in perfect unison.

"I don't!" Pidge butts in, silencing a eager Shiro. "My mum just assumes I do, considering most of the people I hang out with are male. To her, that means like fifty potential suitors."

Pidge collapses in her chair, her tiny body perfectly occupying the area. Apparently, hanging out with the opposite gender meant sexual attraction. Assuming meant making an 'ass out of you and me', so Pidge never felt more frustrated when her mother would think a friend was her boyfriend. At least she wasn't normally 'traditionally feminine' enough to be mistaken for one of the boys' girlfriends by anyone else. Not that being feminine was a bad thing.

"Does she even know you were pretending to be a boy to join our club?" Hunk questions. The five attend Altea High together, Shiro being the oldest and Pidge the (prodigious) youngest. But there was a rather stagnant robotics club, handed down by traitorous member Zarkon. It seemed like it was going to only be Shiro, Keith, Lance and Hunk, but it turned out that Katie Holt, now Pidge Gunderson, wanted to join without anyone else knowing who she was outside of the club.

"Nope." Pidge, satisfied, reclines in her chair. "Hey, c'mon, I'm more clever than you think."

The four raise their eyebrows at Pidge.

"Since when have we ever even underestimated you, smol bean?" Lance jokes, fluffing her already fluffy hair. Pidge smacks his hand away, shooting him a glare.

"There's an obvious underestimation."

"Stop it, Lance. Pidge, why the hell did you let your mom think you're dating someone?" Keith interrupts, shooting Lance a equally strong glare. Lance makes a face back.

"Do you think I wanted to bring home a boyfriend?" Pidge Gunderson complains, pushing up her large round glasses with one hand. "As if I'd even want to date. I'm perfectly happy with just my computer and cryptids, thank you very much."

Keith gives her a high-five.

"I'm just going to tell my mum that I'm never going to have a boyfriend. Then dad won't expect someone to play catch with and I'll be left alone."

"Pidge, dear," Allura sets down Pidge's favourite peanut butter and chocolate muffin, special of Castle Cafe. "I pity the boys that will never get a chance to date you."

What boys, Pidge thinks. If she were like Allura, with her silky white hair, perfect curvy figure, and a face that shone brighter than the sun itself, yeah, there would probably be boys throwing themselves at her. Look at Lance, and more secretively, Shiro. But she was Pidge. She wasn't in search of attention for looks. She wanted recognition for the robotics she knew she could do. And that's the only reason she was in Voltron. Yep.

"Yeah, who would pass up this cutie~" Lance fluffs Pidge's hair again, much to her annoyance, but she can't stop that little pink tint that colours her small cheeks. Allura smiles, throwing a wink at Shiro, handing out the rest of the food and leaving.

Pidge looks at Shiro's napkin and almost laughs.

"Well, no more talk about faux dating. We need to think of the robotics contest!" Pidge quickly changes the subject, much to Lance's amusement.

"C'mon, Pidgeotto, it's a Saturday. Let's go to a beach or something, not work!"

Lance's suggestion irks Pidge for a moment, because all he wanted to do was probably ogle tall, voluptuous girls in bikinis rather than actually hang with the Voltron gang. But sure.

"I'll pack the picnic!"

~~~

The beach is as warm and sunny as Pidge expected with June rapidly approaching. The minute they reach, Pidge sees so many of Lance's would-be targets. Lance had even put on his lucky swin trunks, blue with little duckies on them. Pidge had changed into a swimsuit, the only purpose to not ruin her clothes.

"You changed into an actual, real, made-for-purpose swimsuit?" Hunk notices. "You never do that."

"Well," Pidge replies, "I think it's a little smarter than sacrificing perfectly good clothes."

Shiro looks like he's about to burn, his pale skin starting to redden rapidly with barely five minutes of sun exposure. Now that Pidge looked properly, Keith looked like he was going to be set on fire, tongue out and panting.

Pidge carries her laptop and headphones in a canvas bag, also having a beach blanket and small umbrella. Yes, she had grown used to random beach excursions and therefore kept a beach bag nearby, no, she did not like the beach. She only went along for the friends. At least today there was some decent winds that somewhat combated the UV rays just tearing away at her patience.

Why would anyone want to bake in hot sun, get sand everywhere, get perfectly good electronics wet from the sea? Nah, you could probably tell Pidge preferred the sanctity of her room at home, geeking it out with her family.

Hunk hands her a large jar of peanut butter, other hand offering a large spoon and a big smile on his face.

"Hunk, you are my freaking saviour."

Pidge digs out a huge scoop and sticks it in her mouth. Hunk sits down next to her on her green rug.

They stare at Lance, eagerly running from woman to woman, throwing numerous pick-up lines and sleazy smiles their way.

"Does he know how stupid he looks when he does that?" Pidge asks Hunk, who looks like he's about to throw up his hearty lunch.

"Either he doesn't know, or he seriously doesn't care."

If anything, Lance probably thinks his 'stupid' behaviour was attractive, and it most certainly was not. At Altea High, Hunk, Pidge (over there referred to as 'Katie') and Lance were in the same grade, while Keith and Shiro were in the grade above. So yeah, Pidge wasn't sure whether Lance was really a friend. She preferred to stay distant from most of her classmates, Lance and Hunk occasionally being the exceptions. Voltron made them grow a bit closer, she'd admit.

"Girl, you've already activated my-"

Pidge spits out her peanut butter.

"LANCE!"

Shiro tugs Lance by the ear, apologising profusely to the poor Nyma that walks away, confused.

"Did you see the face on that one?!" Pidge cracks up, laughing so hard that she doubles back onto Hunk, equally riled up.

"Hmph." A disgruntled Lance sniffs at the sight, rather miffed. "She was so all over me, until SHIRO DECIDED TO BREAK US APART."

"You know she's been with Rolo for a year right?" Keith points out, gesturing to a muscly guy that had an arm wrapped around Nyma.

"STILL-"

"Face it Lance, there isn't a girl out there who's actually susceptible to your charms."

Lance's eyes glint, and suddenly Pidge felt like she'd gotten herself in a big pile of Kaltenecker poop.

"Well, Pidge, Pidgey, Pidgeon, Pidgeotto-"

"Pokemon Go is over, face it , McClain." Pidge cuts in. Shiro sits by, eyes glinting too. Keith too. Hunk too. Wait, what the hell was going on?!

"Since you seem so adamant to the fact that I will never have a girlfriend-"

Pidge looks up at the substantially taller Lance, eyes focusing on his and not wanting to go any lower down for her own self-respect.

"At least you admit it's a fact that you will never have a girlfriend," she smirks. Keith high-fives her again.

"Hey!" Lance exclaims, pouting. Hunk laughs loud, giving a Lance a big bear hug.

"Aww, did someone hurt your non-existent heart, Lance?" Pidge jokes. Lance pretends to be shot, falling on the sand.

"You've wounded me so, fair maiden, now help me out!" Lance's arms flop uselessly to his sides. Pidge jabs him with her elbow, hard, smirk plastered on her face, making him jolt skyward with eyes blown wide.

"Pidge!"

~~~

Lance never did end up finishing that sentence, whatever it was supposed to be, even on the car drive back in Shiro's minivan("You're such a dad, Shiro!"). But Pidge could definitely feel something had changed. She wasn't really sure what, but Lance seemed to be behaving slightly...differently.

As per usual, Pidge sat on someone's lap (or even sometimes, lay down on multiple ones) because of the cramped nature of the car's backseat. ("It's a freakin minivan, Shiro, can't you be a good suburban mom and choose one with actual space!") And of course, as the smallest person, she'd been chosen to stick it out in random places in the car.

Some days she would be on Hunk, probably her best friend after Matt. But most days she would sitting on Lance, because she knew he would think nothing of it. And the height difference made it less uncomfortable slash awkward. Today, she sat on Lance. (Inconveniently,

Normally all would be fine. In the van, they would chat, discuss the next robot project, make jokes about each other ("Look, Keith's back in the 1980's with that hairstyle") and everything was so casual with each other. No problem at all.

But now, Lance just looked different, and it frustrated the analytical Pidge. He looked like he was...actually thinking for once. Like there was something actually going around inside his head. Weird.

"What's up with you, Lance?" Pidge whispers, her voice indistinguishable behind the banter going on with Shiro, Keith and Hunk. Something about Hunk's new girlfriend, that also happened to be Shiro and Keith's classmate in the higher grade.

"Ooohh, Hunk's dating an older woman!"

"No-nothing's up with me, Pidge. Nothing."

Lance's eyes shift and flit everywhere, so fast that Pidge can't really comprehend where they're going. From up, down, but Pidge wonders why. After all, she's blocking most of his line of sight, so where are his eyes even going? Her head rests next to his, as she adjusts herself to be more comfortable.

"You sure?"

"What makes you so worried, Pidgeon? You don't usually ask."

Lance smiles, actually, smirks. Pidge returns the smirk, the two breaking out into laughter.

"I think it's just nothing then." Lance lets out a breath that he didn't know he was holding, Pidge feeling it through her slender back. He seems nervous, tense, something.

Pidge doesn't know what it is.

~~~

"We've got some news."

Shiro stands at the front of their small borrowed workshop, bulky arms folded and eyes stern. Pidge isn't really listening, preferring to fiddle with the little robot she'd finishied after spending some time on the design. Rover, she finally decided to call it. Rover. Lance had said the name was cute, just like her.

Why was it suddenly so uncomfortably hot in here?

"Zarkon has decided to join the Galra Robotics Club as their new president."

Well, shit.

"They're planning to join the Inter-School National Robotics Tournament. Just like we were."

Well, good to know that one of the most brilliant, charming and intimidating students was electing to join a college where everything was invested into their robotics and the like. Zarkon was someone that from their, lowly, five people club perspective, seemed invincible.

"Can't we just kick their asses at the next competition?" Lance drawls, confidence dripping from his words, sitting back in his chair, feet propped up. "I mean..." He gets up, dramatically shoving the chair behind him.

"First up, we have Takashi Shirogane, our unspoken but obvious leader with much experience in unarmed bot fighting and piloting." Lance's lanky arms shoot out to point out at Shiro, who uncomfortably rubs the back of his neck.

"Second, we have dreamboat Hunky Garret, a wonder with engineering and cooking the best beef tacos you'll ever find."

Hunk grins, returning Lance's fist bump as he flits over to Keith.

"Here, we have My Chemical Keith Kogane. I don't know what we use him for, he's pretty useless now that I think about it-"

Keith coughs, shooting Lance a glare.

"Do you mean our robot weapons expert, management and controlling expert?" Hunk asks. Lance shoots him a look.

"Thank you, Hunk. And he is absolutely right." Keith responds, grinning with snark at a ticked-off Lance McClain.

"Over here, a little downwards-"

"Hey!"

"-we have Pidge Gunderson, AKA Katie Holt, AKA multitalented robotics student. Like, how does anyone engineer, control, program, and study all in one! Especially the studying part!" Pidge has to fight the urge to slam her face into the table, messing up her auburn ponytail. Instead, she settles for gently placing her face on the table, hiding the blush that tints her cheeks pink.

Wait, what?!

"And of course, I've saved the best for laaaast!" Lance cheers, dragging out syllables. "Introducing Lance McClain, expert controller and logician for all kinds of robot competitions!"

And in comes the jazz hands, the dramatic karate kicks, the large grins and smirks free of charge from Lance himself.

"Since when have you even had a little drop of logic?" Keith questions, stood in the corner. He looks unamused, bored, and done with Lance's shit. "Like, you say we should just kick the asses of one the best funded, supported, and famously powerful robotics clubs in the nation? Such logic," Keith scoffs at Lance, who starts screeching back at Keith indignantly.

"Well, excuse me for wanting to put some positivity back into this team, Mr.Negativity," Lance fires back. "At least I'm trying to bring our spirits up into the new plans rather than dragging them down like a certain someone-"

"Stop it, Lance." Pidge scolds, punching him lightly on the arm.

"But he started it!-"

"Pidge's right, we've got to focus on creating the robot for the next championship." Shiro steps in, shooting both Lance and Keith a look.

"Sorry," they both mumble. Pidge punches him harder.

"Oww! What do you do, karate?" Lance groans.

"Wanna test that theory?!" Lance's eyes shoot downwards, seeing that Pidge's knee was aimed uncomfortably close to his dick, eyes glinting.

"Okay, now, Pidge, cool it-"

Lance's face flushes red.

"Okay, okay, that's enough banter for now," Shiro tuts, successfully pulling Pidge up and off the floor by her jacket, plopping her down right next to him.

A moment of silence.

Pidge looks up at Shiro, and in that moment, Shiro knew he was completely and utterly fucked.

"SHIIRRROOOO!"

"Pidge is so light that Shiro can legit just pick her up with one hand-oh my lord!" Hunk actually screams, falling on the floor as they watch Pidge actually climb on Shiro and hang on his shoulders. And even better, even while hanging, Pidge's toes still wouldn't touch the floor.

"Holy shit-"

"Shut up."

"HOLY SHIT!"

"I swear to god, Lance-"

Yeah, they didn't get anything done that day.

#plance #therulesofrobotsandlove #pidgance #lidge #voltron #voltronlegendarydefender #lance mcclain #pidge gunderson #katie holt #pidge #lance #vld

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