#Update After staring at it for a while well actually it suits Tom

[philiponmycracker]

A study in expressions Tom Hulce edition, as Mickey Schwerne, from Murder in Mississippi (1990)

[strawberrylemonz]

My head is filled to the brim with ideas, guys. So, I made a new AU. I call it the “Double Dadza AU”

Essentially, a Philza from another timeline, one where his sons were still children and still lived with him, appears into the current dsmp timeline. The way he’d see his broken family shuffling about, trying to find their next step.

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He’d see Technoblade, grown up and wary. He’d hear the stories of when he and Wilbur planned the first downfall of the nation Wil and Tommy created. He’d hear how Techno insisted he wasn’t in the wrong because of how transparent he’d always been. He’d hear about how he dubbed Tommy a hero, telling him to die like one. He’d see and hear how this Techno spoke of traitors. He would then recall his Techno, still small and strong willed. How he would happily tend to his potatoes. The way he sparred with Wilbur in the mornings, just now beginning to teach Tommy the basics to proper sword wielding in the evenings. He’d think of how his Techno had dubbed that he’d protect his brother’s, no matter what.

He’d then see the ghost of his son. Ghostbur, as he was so fittingly named, being amnesiac and happy, offering everyone blue. He’d hear of the leader he once was, how he became a father. He’d hear how he used his baby brother and said brother’s best friend as child soldiers. He’d hear how he was exiled, his younger brother following suit. How he began his spiral of insanity. How Tommy tried to help, while Techno continued to feed the behavior. How he blew up his nation. How he had his father ME put a sword through his chest. How he still faced sorrow after death. How he was evicted from his home, how he followed Tommy to exile. He’d hear about Friend, and how he perished twice. He’d hear about how he was sent to the wilderness to die as a ghost. How terrified he is to return to world, alive. His head would ache alongside his heart as he’d think of his Wilbur. The young, free spirited boy back at home. The one who sang his family songs, and complained about sparring. The one who adored Tommy, and would never let any harm come to him. The one who still had breath in his body.

And then, he’d see his youngest. Little Tommy, who was currently taking his daily naptime back at his timeline. Little Tommy who was to turn 3 years of age in months. His precious little ray of sun, broken. He’d take note of the scars and injuries, from swords and arrows, to explosions and lightning. He’d see the hesitation in his eyes and hear the uncertainty in his voice. He’d see the fidgeting and flinching that would occur during simple, safe days. He’d hear the broken sobs and wails at night, whether Tommy had a breakdown or a nightmare. He’d see how Tommy would stare at lava or water, his gut turning as such a sight. He’d hear about his youngest’s time in exile, finally able to get the child to open up. He’d hear about how hard Tommy fought for his nation, how he loved it so. He’d hear how he gave up him most precious possessions to save the nation who didn’t love him back. He’d hear how his brothers treated him during their stay. Phil could only think of his baby boy, who still had the stars in his eyes. The one who adored his big brothers, looking up to them as heroes. The one who swore that he’d be as powerful, smart and great as his dad and big brothers.

So he decided to work to heal these versions of his sons until he found a way back home to his own. He’d do his darn best to pick up the pieces and mend them to something even more beautiful than before. It was subtle enough, his impact towards Techno and Wilbur. Dsmp! Phil didn’t even see the changes his double was making to the bonds of his sons, how he tried to mend them again. He didn’t seem to notice the other Phil sit down the two, individually then together, and spoke. How he would listen to their reasonings and sides of the stories. Then, he’d explain how even though they thought they were right in some areas, they were not excused of the consequences. He’d lovingly scold them for their mistakes and guided them to the solutions, letting them reach them on their own. Dsmp! Phil definitely didn’t notice when his double would disappear for days, weeks even, to who knows where. Everything was still the same.

Until it wasn’t.

It was when both Philza’s were walking down a simple path to visit Tommy, who was working on creating a more efficient farm. Dsmp! Phil wasn’t sure as to why his double was joining him to see Tommy. He was sure that his traitorous son only called for him in the letter he sent. Shrugging the thought away, he supposed it was due to him not knowing the location of his youngest son. Sighing, it was only then that he’d taken notice that Tommy decided to meet them at the entrance to his area. Upon seeing the two approach, the kid let out a happy cheer as he ran at them, yelling an excited “Dadza!”

Dsmp! Phil is confused as to why his son was ecstatic to see him, something that was a major change to the previous encounters. Nonetheless, he prepares to open his arms for a welcoming. However, he doesn’t take into account that he isn’t who his son was running to greet.

Tommy runs into the arms of the other Phil, who gently wraps his wings around the young boy in a protective manner. The child let out a shaky sigh as he playfully and jokingly wailed how he missed the man, who, in turn, laughed affectionately. Tommy would then pull away, face his actual father, and nod solemnly with a quiet, “Phil,” leaving his mouth. Dsmp! Phil didn’t expect his chest to ache so much at that. Tommy would ramble about his plans for his house not that his father thought of it as a house as the other Phil checked for new injuries, cleaning up the boy as he did so. He listened as his son gave his double updates on his improvement on his eating habits he had trouble eating? Is that why he’s so skinny and his sleeping status he couldn’t sleep well? He silently got to work alongside his double and his son, who chatted endlessly. It’s the most he’s heard Tommy speak in a long time. He listened with a tight chest as Tommy happily spoke of how he got 5 hours of sleep that night, instead of 3. He heard Tommy receive praise and support for being able to keep his meals down. He narrowed his eyes as his double happily gave positive feedback to Tommy’s updates to improving his friendship with Tubbo. But, it wasn’t until he and his double prepared to leave that he felt the impact of his absence.

“Wait!”

A freshly bathed Tommy ran over to them, giving his father a serious nod. After seriously addressing his father and wishing him a safe trip back to the cottage, he turned back to the double. His shift in attitude was obvious. A pep back in his step, Tommy happily gave the double items, gifts for those back at the cottage. Then, joy filling the boy, he handed the double a wrapped box. A gift. The double smiled as he unwrapped the gift, laughing at the eagerness and impatience the young boy held. Then, he’d see the gift. A compass attached to a red string. Two small emeralds were carefully strung onto the string of the compass. Smiling at the boy, the double turned the compass over to see ‘Little T’ written carefully on tape.

“I’ve, uh, enchanted it so that it always points you to me. Not my spawn, not my house, but me. Took a while to do, but I’m badass and all that shit, so I was able to do it!”

“Are you sure you want me to have this, Toms?”

“I trust you with my life, Dad. I’d love you to have it. That way, you always know that I’m safe.”

Dsmp! Phil felt sick.

[wizkiddx]

the worst case scenario part 4

Finally! Sorry it took so so long I’ve just been mad busy! I’m really not sure how much I like this, but deff this is the second last part (if people still want another) so not much more to endure and suffer through if your stuck in it ahah x

tomhollandxreader

Warnings [please check before reading!!] : mentions of death / hospitals and ICUs / bit of lack of childhood love (have no idea how to phrase that rn wow)

Tom had silently cried again when saying goodnight to Y/n for the evening. Harrison hadn’t a clue what to do, except stand back helplessly and watch, giving his friend a bit of space - but at the same time not letting him go it alone. It took a painfully long time for Tom to collect himself before he could straighten up and turn toward Haz.

“You sure you don’t mind staying with her?” Harrison nodded pitifully at Tom’s glassy eyes, the way his eyebrows were furrowed downwards.

“I’ll stay till 10, I got her”

“I owe you bro” Mumbling, Tom launched himself to wrap his arms round his taller mate - squeezing extra hard because that was a way of distracting him from the emotions still threatening to overtake him.

“Nah I’m not doing this for you div…. I love her too ya know?” That made Tom scoff laugh a little, nodding his head as he leant away.

“Yeh she…she has that effect. Just-“ Tom momentarily looked back at the bed, watching the ventilator pump air to mechanically inflate your lungs. “Just call me if anything happens, please promise me.”

“You already know I will…. but- and I know this is hard for you- but you have to promise me you’ll give the baby a chance?” Tom gulped at the mention, looking away at the blue curtains for a minute, his jaw clenching. “Come on Tom just give her a feed or something… you know it’s what Y/n would want.“

“Can we not speak about this in front of her please?” Tom's voice was short and teeth were gritted as he gestured at his unconscious fiancé, giving the clear impression to H that it wasn’t really a question. The nurse pretended to busy herself monitoring all Y/n’s readings, feeling incredibly awkward. She was the one who had mentioned to Tom that Y/n might be able to hear, at the time meaning to be a comforting and possibly hopeful gesture, now she was deeply regretting it. This wasn’t the first uncomfortable situation she’d been in, working 1 on 1 with patients in ICU meant you were automatically privy to some of the deepest conversations between patients and relatives - though this was the first time it was a celeb too, especially one who valued his privacy so much. It was more than obvious Tom wasn’t uncomfortable just because his fiancé might be conscious enough to hear.

“No Tom I…” Harrison lost control. He snapped “No not at all! Because I know she’d want me to give you a good bloody shake! I get you haven’t landed on a name yet but at least see your daughter! I bloody hope Y/n hears this… if that’s what it takes for you to realise that, to be honest she’d be heartbroken and betrayed that you haven’t been loving your baby!”

Silence, except for the beeping and whirring of the various machines.

And the silence stayed for a painfully long time - Tom and Harrison holding each other in intense eye contact, whilst the nurse bit her lip in the corner. Harrisons breathing was slightly ragged from the whisper-shouted words that he’d let slip out. The atmosphere was tense, the nurse was inwardly preparing calling for help if and when Tom ultimately started throwing fists at his friend.

It took literal minutes for Harrison to concede, his friend's dark eyes painfully boring into his skull. Again he hadn’t meant to go off like that, he really didn't want to hurt his friend who was literally going through hell and back. Now wasn’t the time for tough love really , and Harrison instantly felt an insurmountable level of guilt.

“I-I didn-“

“-her names Aurora.”

“No Tom I’m sorry I really didn-“

“Her name is Aurora. Aurora Christina Mary Holland.” Tom wasn’t joking. He was so deadly and sincerely serious. Harrison had no trouble believing this, believing that Tom had been ruminating all day on this - just by the look of his brown eyes.

“It’s beautiful.” The blonde almost was gasping, inwardly repeating the name as a chant inside his head, correlating it to the memories of earlier that day when he was cradling the girl. There was no doubt about it- Aurora was an Aurora, it suited her perfectly. Yes, it wasn’t typical but it was beautiful. “What’s it mean?” He only asked because nobody picked a name without looking into it and Harrison knew that the couple had yet to name the little girl when she was first born as they were still torn between a few carefully considered options.

“Dawn like sunrise I think and-and, you know… the auroras that me and Y/n saw in Iceland the night I…. The night I proposed.”

The word held an awful lot of emotion for Tom. Y/n had always been one of those people - the ‘look up’ type or the ‘smell the roses’. Underneath her sarcasm and wit, she was one of the purest people, in the way that all she needed was the little things in life. It was a ball ache to Tom sometimes but Y/n always would drag him out of bed at stupid o’clock in the morning on a beautiful day to see the sunrise. He’d moan and groan all the way, only to grow silent when he gazed deeply at the sunrise sparkling her eye as she peered out at the horizon.

Of course, the aurora borealis was important too. You can probably already guessed; Y/n loved the night sky and stars too. She also loved the snow, the winter, the cosy log fires, the walks spent launching the freezing powder at Tom’s face - only to get it returned twice as bad. So when Tom was ready and oh so certain he would spend the rest of his life with her, a trip to Iceland seemed a pretty good opportunity to do it. No expense was spared on their little cabin in the woods, wrapped in cosy blankets staring up at the sky through the transparent roof that was the reason this cabin was so incredibly expensive. They’d spent the evening after they’d got back from exploring the frozen forest wrapped in the thick white duvet, chatting pure rubbish while cradling a luxurious hot chocolate, complete with marshmallows and whipped cream. Then these almost otherworldly green and blue ribbons grabbed their attention, dancing and waving across the deep midnight sky. Whilst she was transfixed, hair billowing round her on the pillow while staring upwards - that was when Tom leaned over, pulling the little black box out of the bedside table.

And then there was the new connotation to the word. The new situation that had him so incredibly hesitant to label her just yet. If Aurora meant a new dawn and meant life without Y/n he didn’t want it. More than that, he refused. No matter how impossible it was, Tom refused to think about life without her. It just wasn’t an option. It couldn’t happen.

Yet without much control over his own mouth, when Harrison had asked, it had just slipped out. He knew it had to be her name. But the fact he’d spoken it… that was terrifying.

“Well go see Aurora Tom… please.” This time they’d swapped, Tom was stoney faced and Harrison knew he was about to cry, which really Tom didn’t need to witness. What he needed to do was get him with his daughter. So again, for now, Harrison's emotions would wait.

And with only a small nod of parting, off Tom walked. The man left in the bay released a breath he didn’t know he was holding before turning and all but collapsing into the armchair next to Y/n. Unsurprisingly, this still was too much to process and shut his eyes, squeezing the bridge between the nose as he tried to slow down all the blurring thoughts in his mind - simultaneously trying to bring each one into focus and shock … that wasn’t very easy.

It was in fact at least two and a half hours he sat there, the white noise of the ward whirring dully in Harrison's head while he spent the time just… thinking. He looked asleep, eyes closed and slumped in the chair but he was painfully awake. All the remaining energy that dwindled in him from before this whole nightmare had started was spent trying to organise his thoughts; process all the medical explanations and jargon he’d heard; everything he’d seen, all the wires and tube; the advice on how to feed a baby with a bottle.

That was until a voice got progressively louder from the background crackle, slowly forming into intelligible words.

“Sir… Sir?” Blinking forcefully Harrison's eyes lazily focused on the nurse that had been stationed next to Y/n for certainly as long as he had been here, her black hair pulled tightly into a low bun and kind eyes smiling at him. “Sorry for waking you.”

“No no I was just ehrmm… just thinking.” She nodded with a gentle smile that kind of suggested she didn’t believe him but relented all the same.

“It’s just getting late and I thought you’d like an update before I clock off for the evening?” Nodding frantically, Harrison’s eye quickly shot over to Y/n - just to check she was still there.

“Okay well it all seems really positive actually. The doctors were in just before…” Alright, so maybe H had fallen a little bit asleep because he definitely didn’t know that the doctor had been in. “… they’ve withdrawn the sedation and her GCS has started to improve slightly, which basically is a measure of how unconscious a person is.”

“She’s waking up?” Haz was now bolt upright in the chair, looking between the nurse and the still apparently unconscious women lying in the bed.

“Very slowly… but it is looking good, maybe, the doctors are keen to see her condition tomorrow. I thought you might like to help me do her last GCS check of the evening?”

Just maybe the nurse had already taken these set of observations before she’d stirred Harrison but it was a nice way to demonstrate improvements that couldn’t really be seen to a patient's relative - who couldn’t interpret results like qualified health care professionals could. Hopefully, Y/n’s response would be the same as before and then maybe Harrison could report back to the heartbroken fiancé that maybe things weren’t so bad. Standing in front of Harrison, the state of him was more than evident and she had a sneaking suspicion Tom would be worse. Instantaneously then, Harrison nodded vigorously; jumping out his chair with sprite that even he didn’t know he had.

“Okay so in GCS we test eye responses, verbal responses and the motor - so movement…” The lady talked through it all to Haz who listened intently, nodding his head every so often. She then went through the process of first asking Y/n to open her eyes - nothing. Then applying light pressure to her forehead, still Y/n lay still. She then moved on to trying to rouse her with words, getting Harrison to join in but still receiving nothing back. It was starting to feel a bit hopeless to Harrison, yet he still entertained the lady, going through all her steps.

“Okay so now we test movement so first hold her hand and ask her to squeeze it.” Following her directions precisely Harrison tried, still receiving absolutely no response. “Okay so now we add stimuli, trying squeezing between her shoulder and neck, like your pinching her just not too hard.”

Hesitantly Harrison reached up to her shoulder adding a small pressure between his thumb and first and second finger. Again nothing happened but the nurse encouraged him to go a bit harder - he was being light as he just didn't want to hurt her. With a nod and a small mumble of “cmon Y/n/n” he added strength. It took a moment or two but then sure as Harrison standing there himself, Y/n’s opposite right arm limply twitched upwards - making a small almost pathetic, yet still very clear attempt to remove the pressure on her shoulder.

Looking up at the nurse pleadingly Harrison received a confirmatory nod back at him - communicating the fact that this was indeed progress. In fact, just seeing Y/n not completely limp and almost vegetative - made his adrenalin soar.

“It’s baby steps but in the right direction okay?”

Letting out a breathy and relieved laugh Harrison nodded jerkily, wiping his cheek on his shoulder just because there might’ve just been a tear or two there.

/////////////////////////

For Tom forcing himself to leave the ICU was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. Why he had ever agreed with his mother was so ridiculously beyond on him, yet he felt he had somewhat lost his choice thanks to his well meaning best mate forcing him down the children’s floor. It wasn’t that he hated Aurora, physically that was an impossibility. And yet he hated what she’d done to Y/n, he hated that he was alone in this, he hated the whole situation. Which ultimately was his fault 9 months ago- which just made him hate himself even more.

Also in some weird and convoluted way, he felt as though he was betraying Y/n by seeing their baby. And that was exactly why… it was their baby. She’d been so excited, so so over the moon when those two lines appeared on the stick - it was cruelly unfair that he was physically capable to see her and Y/n was paralysed in an unconscious state.

Again his body seemed to be on autopilot, Tom was confused as to how he knew where he needed to go - having skilfully avoided the children’s ward for as long as possible. It was like a homing instinct, as much as he consciously was almost terrified to see her - he still appeared to need her near him. Seeing his parents in the hallway, Nikki cradling the little bundle wrapped in blankets, both of them making small talk to the nurse opposite. It was his dad who noticed him first, looking over the cautious look in his eyes and the way his fingers clutched nervously at the bottom of his hoodie.

“How is she?”

“The same I guess… she okay?” He nodded toward the little baby, Nikki looking up excitedly.

“She’s beautiful… a little bit stressed out but…” Nikki referred to her slight fussing, which was clearly far from full blown scream, more like tired and muted groans.She didn't really realise her poor choice of words till her son mumbled under his breath.

“Not the only one.”

Before she could apologise and backtrack, the same nurse who had been so kind to Harrison approached them all.

“Ah… Mr Holland right?” He nodded passively, receiving yet another sympathetic smile back. So many of them had been chucked about today, each one becoming less and less helpful and more and more infuriating. Though Tom was not about to fly off the handle since in all honesty, he was too drained for that. “ I just need to get you to sign some paperwork in private with me before we can formally discharge baby Holland. Would you mind bringing her in here?”

Almost even before finishing the statement she had already disappeared through a door into another hospital room, as if demanding him to follow immediately in order to comply with her busy schedule. Still stood a little dazzled, Tom watched the door swing shut while his brows furrowed, until eventually turning back to his mum. Aurora’s groans and general discontent had somewhat escalated during the small interaction with the nurse lady, her immature lungs producing an impressive level of volume. Nikki was doing the best she could, bouncing the little bundle up and down though it had little effect.

So wordlessly and as if in slow motion, Tom took the two steps necessary to be inches away from his mum - now able to completely see Aurora’s distressed face scrunching up with each sharp inhalation. He didn’t want to but Harrison had betrayed him by telling Y/n; the nurse wanted her in the side room; and he did…. He did want to. Wanted to have her pure and soft skin nested into his chest not Nikki’s; wanted to be her safety and her comfort; wanted to do Y/n proud.

In silence, Tom scooped the girl out his mum's grip, both Dom and Nikki watching his with cautious and shocked eyes - as Tom kept his gaze completely on the little thing. Then, he whisked the two of them into the room, away from the prying eyes (even if they were his own parents and Aurora’s grandparents).

As soon as he walked in the nurse pressed her mouth shut, sensing the need to be an invisible entity for a short while. Dom and Nikki had expressed their concerns about Tom’s feeling toward the baby girl before he’d arrived on the ward. She was acutely aware this was the first time he’d held his child in the last 18 hours.

Tom sat down, the girl silent now as she blinked open heavy eyes in confusion, probably because she recognised these arms but couldn’t place where. That was the first time Tom had seen his daughters eyes and all he saw was Y/n. Her Y/e/c eyes with the little darker flick in the bottom half of each iris. Aurora was his little piece of Y/n, which in that moment Tom realised was perhaps what he needed all day. Tears were tracking steadily down his cheeks while Tom used the back of his first finger to gently stroke up and down Aurora’s little chin- enjoying the way she leant into the action, uncoordinated movements of her head wiggling herself within the crook of his elbow.

The two of them and then the nurse opposite just sat quietly for five or so minutes, till eventually - lulled by her Dad’s regular stroking action, deep breaths and scent- Aurora let her eyes close again.

“She looks very happy with you Dad.” The nurse thought now was the safest time to speak, voice low, then taking the time to wait for Tom to respond. When eventually he did, it didn’t really fit the conversation but it was all Tom wanted to - and could- say in that moment.

“She’s just like her mum.”

The two then went through all the various forms Tom had to sign, all of which he did carefully so as not to disturb the little girl in his arms. It didn't take long before the nurse woman was ushering him out back into the hallway, where his parents were waiting anxiously for him. Dom saw the tear tracks Tom hadn’t bothered to wipe away, putting two and two together to realise maybe he’d come to his senses. So with the question of are you ready to go, Dom was more than delighted by the response he received. It wasn’t actually directed at him, more a breathy rhetorical question the sleeping child securely nestled into her dad’s toned arms.

“Let’s get you home Aurora.”

Because like it or not; no matter what the outcome was with Y/n there was doubt that this was a new start. A new dawn. It was terrifying, stressful and hard but in the same way you can’t fight the coming sunrise; Tom knew he couldn’t fight this event. It was happening, dawn was breaking and it was Aurora, him and Y/n. In whatever way fate chose it to be. A new ‘dawn’.

Aurora.

[mxpseudonym]

Just Good Business III

Pairing: Tommy x Reader

Reader Gender Expression: She/Her pronouns, “wife”

Summary: Reminding Tommy that he didn’t marry a fool was the greatest thing to happen to your bedroom.

Length: 1650 words (allegedly)

Warnings: 18+, sex, hints of rough sex, cursing, and as usual, underlying tones of forced/arranged marriage

A/N: There’s a forehead kiss and a sprinkling of Dom!Tommy in here for your patience! I am pretty sure I’m going to have this be a total of five parts. Part IV may not come right away because I’m in the middle of a WIP though.

Part I | Part II | Part IV

Reminding Tommy that he hadn't married a fool set several things in motion. First and foremost, you and Polly managed to successfully persuade your husband into conducting family business, not that it was hard. You knew London quite well, and one glance at the Eden Club's books had you asking Arthur if he could count to ten. Much of the above-board dealings in London were now your responsibility- properties, charities, and a social life that allowed you to see your friends more often.

Unfortunately, this meant regularly making the trip to Birmingham for the family meetings you'd been avoiding. It wasn't so much the meetings as it was Birmingham itself. One has no great hopes of Birmingham, as they say. However, there was a significant consolation that made it all worth it. 

Tommy Shelby, in action, turned you on. 

Actually, it was one of many things about Tommy that turned you on. With Tommy's guilt out of the way, you saw him around the house more. He came to bed, albeit late, nearly every night, and you got at least two breakfasts out of him a week. Along with finding that Tommy was much funnier than he let on when he wasn't talking about work, you also noticed that you had much in common. Tommy was as stubborn and prideful as you were. After six months, you still credited happenings between you with a desire to conduct good business- and business was excellent. Stubbornness, pride, your appetite for adventure, and Tommy's addiction to risk resulted in one shameless, exciting sex life.

You'd had partners before. Why deny yourself the world's physical pleasures? But while none could keep up with your desire to find and push boundaries, Tommy had mastered it. You thought you'd have to ease him into it, but it really just took you asking, "What are you going to do, Thomas? Spank me?" while bickering to get you on the same page. 

Not that Tommy wasn't enjoying himself as well. He'd met his match in his back talking, neck biting, hair pulling new wife he could hardly bring himself to say no to. What was coming to work late more often or your hands down his trousers while driving the Bentley in the grand scheme of things? 

So at the Birmingham family meetings, there was something about the way he was no-nonsense when he firmly told you where to sit and give updates when asked. If you were both being honest, while you loved taking orders from Tommy in the bedroom sometimes, you were on the fast track to giving them too. For now, you watched with thighs pressed together, and bottom lip pulled between teeth as he commanded the room. 

After Arthur wrapped up the meeting, you'd meant to mingle with your sister in law, but were quickly distracted. Ada didn't need to follow your gaze to know what was stopping you from listening to a word she said. 

"Good god, stop staring at my brother like that," Ada pleaded. You looked at her only long enough to say, 

"I almost wish I could say I was sorry." You had just caught Tommy's eye and smiled. "He can be quite good looking." 

"Ugh, okay, he's coming over here. I'm going to find Finn," Ada scoffed, then all but ran away only to have Tommy replace her.  

"Can I help you?" he asked, amusement evident in his voice. You chuckled and looked up at him.  

"You're already spoiling me, Mr. Shelby. What more could I ask for?" 

"I'm sure you have a list," Tommy said. You plucked his cigarette from between his fingers and took a pull.  

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Should I make you beg for it?" 

"I don't beg," you said, defiant as ever. Tommy rolled his eyes but moved closer. You could feel the warmth of his wool suit, and it matched the heat that was rising to your cheeks. 

"Then what do you call what you were doing the other day in my office?" Tommy asked. You thought for a moment then smirked. 

"Minding my manners. Please and thank you, Sir," you said, making him laugh. 

"Oi, stop flirting on come on," John yelled in partial disgust from where the family was gathering near the door. 

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming," you shooed him. You gave Tommy a knowing look as you grabbed your bag to join the group at the Garrison. 

"Gonna tell me not to get any ideas?" He asked. 

"Of course not. Get as many ideas as you can from here to that pub." You pointed a stern finger at him. 

"Yes, ma'am." 

Tommy had long given up trying to get a grasp on what to expect from you. 

"God only knows what's going on up there," he'd say while tapping your temple. 

But nothing surprised him more than your absolute willingness to have him any time, anywhere. 

"Skirts hike up for a reason, Thomas," You once told him in the stables. Tommy had yet to find a good enough argument against that, so here you were, shushing him through breathy laughs as he almost tumbled into you. 

It was a busy night at the Garrison, and it wasn't hard to leave your group to find the back room. Now you were pressed up against a shelf that wasn't nearly sturdy enough. Tommy's pants were unbuckled in a hasty moment, and your knickers were pulled aside, and you were both stifling your moans. 

"Oh god, fuck, Tommy, how do you always feel so good?" You asked, your grip already in his hair. He groaned at the question and thrust deeper.  

"You're the one always warm and wet for me, aren't you?" He squeezed the flesh of your bottom, making you moan. He quickly relocated you further into the dark and onto a crate. "Such a naughty little thing I've got on my hands."  

"Just the way you like it." You bit his ear as you played with fire. His thrusts got hard and deep, earning more high pitched moans from you until he pressed a hand over your mouth. He kept his grip firm, just how you liked and spoke in your ear. 

"I'm giving you what you asked for with all of these people just out there. Do you want them to hear you?" He leaned back to see you nod. Of course, you did. Tommy shook his head as he chuckled. By the sound of your yearning moan, he just knew you were pouting beneath his palm.

"I know love, but when we get home, you can be as loud as you want. You can let the maids hear you, what was it? Minding your manners for me. How's that sound?" You accepted his counteroffer with a nod and was rewarded with Tommy moving his hand. He relished in the smeared lipstick that was now on your chin before adjusting his grip on you. 

"Now, be good, and stay quiet for me." 

Tommy had to give you credit for carrying out your version of quiet. You forfeited your usual words of encouragement and panted hotly in his ears, a whimper or moan periodically coming forth.  

"Tom," You pleaded his name under your breath. His grip tightened around your waist, and you knew it would bruise, which only shoved you that much closer to the edge.  

"That's a good girl," he praised you, knowing what it did to you. In this case, it made your thighs tighten around him. "So good, you can tell me where you want it. Should I make you walk around with me all over your face?" 

He felt you shiver and swallow a moan that came out like a sob. His thumb reached between them, and it only took a few circles of your clit to send you over. 

"Oh fuck," You bucked against him as you came. Tommy's eyes squeezed close while you kissed his neck. It was truly incredible, you had to admit. You knew he was close and you had to decide. "In me."

"In you?" He repeated, not fully registering anything as he got closer. 

"I want you in me, Tom. Please," you said again. You kissed him, then pulled back to look in his eyes. "I'm begging you." 

You loved watching him come undone. Even in the low light, you took in his parted lips, creased brow, and flushed cheeks. He rested his forehead against yours for a moment before you pulled away and began putting yourselves back together.  

"I'm excited to go home if you keep your word," you said, leaning against the crate while Tommy pulled out a cigarette. 

You quietly smoked and thought about how strange this was. Before it was sprung on you, being married was something you hadn't expected anytime soon. Being married to someone you actually enjoyed was a fate every woman you knew hoped for but knew not to anticipate. And here you were with both a marriage and an enjoyable husband. 

"What's wrong?" Tommy asked, tossing away his cigarette. He brought his hand up to stroke your cheek, but you caught it and observed the silver band around his finger instead, running your thumb over the metal. 

"Do you like this?" Your eyes lifted to meet his. "The ring?" 

The ring, the marriage, what was the difference? He smirked then turned his hand, interlacing your fingers. 

"So much that I think there must have been a mix up of fortune. A better man should have it, maybe." He said, then kissed your forehead and started towards the door. "Come now, I think I'll let you walk around with me dripping out of you for at least a half-hour."

"I may just have to give you a proper thank you on the ride home then, Sir." 

Tommy expertly ignored questions about his whereabouts from his brothers and knowing looks from his sister, all while holding your hand. You smiled to yourself and thought, 

I have a crush on you, Tommy Shelby. 

--

Tommy Tag List: @soleil-dor; @amysteryspot​

JGB Series Tag List: @biba3434

[feralnumberfive]

The Rewatch Academy: Episode 6 of Season 1

“The Day That Wasn’t”

I am in no way a good analyst so my little analysis and speculations probably sound a bit goofy or pretty wild and probably mean nothing at all. Everything I put into this post about each episode is purely what I noticed or thought, whether it’s funny or serious. I will be making jokes, so please just leave it at that (in no way am I trying to make fun of an actor and or character!) I am also in no way saying I noticed this stuff first. This is just what I noticed while rewatching these episodes

☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂

| 1x01 | 1x02 | 1x03 | 1x04 | 1x05 |

☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂

☂ Klaus is lucky that he never got the briefcase shot up

☂ *Hears Klaus flush the toilet and talk* Luther: Oh good, you’re up

☂ Also Luther gave Klaus about two seconds to get up before hounding him again on getting downstairs

☂ Sounds like Tom’s accent slipped a little bit when he said “three days”

☂ Yeah they needed to have a family meeting right away and yet they took the time to go get coffee or at least order it and have it delivered

☂ “Old bastard” and “Our little psycho” 

☂ I still don’t get at this point how they wouldn’t believe Five. Look at him, he himself is evidence of his time traveling! He was gone for 45 years, but to them it was only 17. Either way they try to grasp at that, Five would look older if he made it back without messing up. He knew about their father’s death without anyone telling him. I really think all the mistrust comes from the way he looks and the way he acts (they obviously believe he’s just crazy right now)

☂ “What did Five even see?”

☂ Also throw back to 1x02 and I didn’t realized this until now but Five doesn’t have his tie

☂ I know it’s for the title card gag but no one questions the random umbrella falling and popping open

☂ I aspire to be as sarcastic as Hazel

☂ So where exactly is The Commission HQ at? Is it a random location in the real world? If so then wouldn’t normal people happen to stumble upon it? What about their location in space in the comics? Is this in space?? All we know is that it’s in/based off of the year 1955

☂ “I’d like to discuss the logistics of my family’s safety at your earliest convenience.” He cuts right to what’s most important to him. No “How will you stop the apocalypse?” or “What’s my job?” and even “How will my body replacement work?”

☂ Five sounds almost like he’s snapped back into a work mindset. He's suddenly polite and calm with The Handler. Maybe being back in a work environment has made his brain automatically switch into being more professional. However he might also be acting this way to try to throw her off of him being antsy with a plan

☂ Here's some Commission posters shown throughout 1x06

☂ One of us, one of us, one of us-

☂ So basically The Commission makes up history? How do they know what to do and when to make something happen? How do they know it’s right? And what’s The Commission supposed to do when the world ends? Haven't they already fixed stuff in the past or are there just continuous time loops so they need to make sure things happen over and over again? If multiple historical events happen with multiple ways they are made, then which one gets to be in the original timeline??

☂ Dot: No hard feelings! 😁

Ma’am does it look like he’s going to accept that

☂ Wait why are Hazel and Cha-Cha considered the best Temporal Assassins if Five was/is the best?

☂ Well Five has the job of taking down the Hindenburg again but this time from behind a desk. So it’s possible to accomplish “corrections” without actually having assassins do the work. So I guess there’s just so many timelines that they need to fix every single one of them over and over? That sounds like a pain in the ass

☂ TUA portraits!

☂ Y’know I have to agree with Allison on this one. Vanya was left out, however she’s offering to talk with her about the important family matter and Vanya is just denying it. I get she’s upset, but her sister is offering to include her. After Vanya leaves Allison immediately wants to go after her to talk with her. On the other hand Allison should have told her it was an emergency meeting and that they didn’t have the time to ask Vanya to join them

☂ Klaus seems genuinely concerned/upset for Vanya

☂ “We need to figure out what causes the apocalypse. Now, there are loads of possibilities. Nuclear war, asteroids.” Wow spot on, Luther! I can’t believe they actually included foreshadowing for both apocalypses (even though technically it was a chunk of the moon, not an asteroid.) I wonder how much foreshadowing for S3 was put into S2.......

☂ I know it’s big joke about Luther and the moon, but the poor guy just really believes that he was on the moon for an important reason. I mean if I were in his shoes I would believe him too since he had to send a lot of daily updates and samples

☂ “Klaus shockingly has a point. What gives us a win this time?” Shhhh careful Diego, he’s right behind you

☂ Luther is initially the only one onboard with Five on trying to stop the apocalypse. All the others want to go off and do their own thing before the world ends. He tries to get The Umbrella Academy back together to work as a team, but his leadership skills are now severely lacking. Do people *cough cough* mainly people who hate him *cough cough* overlook Luther wanting to also get his family together to stop the apocalypse with his family? Definitely. 

☂ “We need the full force of the Academy to stand a chance.” Well golly gee, Allison, what did did Luther just try to do? Was that not him trying to round up all of The Umbrella Academy to stop the apocalypse? 

☂ Even though Vanya is ranting, how does she not hear all the creaking metal and shaking cars?

☂ *it’s sunny around them but just the block they’re walking on is rainy until she calms down* “ThAt’S a CoInCiDeNcE.” 

☂ The hall floor and Diego’s floor are so dusty

☂ It’s sweet that Diego wants Klaus to get clean in a safe way instead of going cold turkey 

☂ Dot, what does “utter silence” mean to you?

☂ “Look at you, deadly little thing.” You’re not wrong, but I don’t think he appreciates being called “thing”

☂ Such a smug smile

☂ So how does Five know all of this about Karl and his son? Does it talk about Otto never washing his hands in the file? That seems like an oddly specific detail but I guess in a case file it gives as many details as possible for the worker to figure out who needs to get assassinated

☂ There are a few cog references all relating to The Commission, so I wonder if this is a nod to “Teenagers” or if they’re just using this terminology

☂ Odd tattoos (sorry for the super blurry pic)

☂ “Can I ask you a cuckoo bananas question?” Hazel is such a fun guy

☂ “Wouldn’t it be nice to kill who you want for a change?” You mean like straight up unhinged murder? 

☂ The first time I watched this Hazel and Cha-Cha scene I for sure thought that Hazel was a dead man

☂ This scene just absolutely breaks my heart 💔

☂ *skips 25:24-27:42*

☂ Diego is just so accepting to everything Klaus is saying

☂ I’m sorry, are we suddenly on the set of The Phantom of the Opera?

☂ Diego, I think you’re forgetting a very important person in your life who you let down too who is also dead......(poor Ben can’t believe what his brother just said so he leaves)

☂ “Ordinary is not a word I’d use to describe you.” You’re right, it’s “Extra Ordinary” ha! Sorry Vanya, I had to use that joke

☂ Well at least we know Five ate a sandwich 

☂ How exciting! The same division that made a simple candy taste like a candy from the past, but technically it’s not the past since The Commission HQ is based in 1955, is building a human body! That sounds so promising 

☂ Sooooo whatever happened to Five’s new body? Is it just sitting in a lab somewhere?? Or is The Handler just lying about it to try to get Five to stay at The Commission?

☂ With the amount of time Five was staring at the suit, it obviously hurt him to know that while he has a new body within reach, he’s not going to get it because he’s about to leave

☂ “Course it’s a bit easier to see from 30,000 feet.” What is she talking about Reconnaissance aircraft? There was no mention of aircraft though so why would she bring that up? My closest guess is that she’s referring to strategic bombing in general, or even the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

☂ It sounds like Five suddenly has a New York accent when he says “operator” when talking to The Handler about Gloria

☂ Fuck you, Veggie Tales Hargreeves

☂ *skips 36:47-39:48*

☂ Well there’s your hit, Klaus

☂ I love the camera moving with Klaus as he falls and the transition into Vietnam

☂ “Lock and load, Charlie’s away!” Wikipedia’s definition of a “Charlie” is  an American military slang referring to the Viiet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers

☂ Klaus desperately calling out for a medic hurts my heart

☂ Well Luther if you had left then your body wouldn’t be the way it is now

☂ *fucking skips 45:41-50:00* 

☂ Ooooh I just really love the entirety of the “Kill Of The Night” scene! If you listen to the lyrics it’s about someone luring someone into a trap to get revenge because they messed with the wrong person (it’s also about love but we’re going to ignore that part). I personally believe it’s aimed at The Commission from Five because the entire time it plays he’s messing things up for them and in some way it’s like a little bit of revenge from him

☂ Why is Gloria confused on who Hazel and Cha-Cha are? Hasn’t she heard their names a ton of times especially since they’re some of the best assassins?

☂ How did Five know which tubes to put the messages in? 

☂ You can see at this part how Five immediately gets anxious and antsy. He has a wild look in his eyes. From this point onwards he’s constantly moving, shaking with energy, anticipation, and probably a little bit of anger

☂ “You’re a great disappointment to me.” That’s definitely not the first time he’s heard that

☂ “I don’t belong anywhere thanks to you. You made me a killer!” The first part of that stings. Obviously he feels like he doesn’t belong anywhere, but again I think has to do with the whole “good” and “bad” thing that’s going on. He feels like he doesn’t belong at home because he’s “bad” and has done a lot of dark stuff to get home (it doesn’t help that Luther voiced his acknowledgment of this  to Five and now he has that in his mind that Luther knows and somewhat views him as “bad”). Five 100% feels shame in what he has done, and definitely has an issue of coming back to his family with blood on his hands form what he has done. He doesn’t belong in The Commission anymore because he doesn’t want to stay there to do their dirty work to kill or give out kill orders. He’s done with that or at least wants to be done with that life.

The last statement though is Five taking his anger and guilt about being becoming an assassin out on The Handler. She brought him into The Commission, which in turn he became the best assassin across The Space-Time Continuum. It’s not something he’s proud of, and he never enjoyed killing (as much as I want it to be the DNA alteration I just don’t think it exists in the show or at least not yet). However The Handler replies with “You were always a killer. I just pointed you in a direction.” which you can immediately tell has struck a chord with Five. For the briefest second he looks taken aback and his eyes ever so slightly open wider in shock, whether he took that as the truth or just a terrible accusation isn’t exactly clear. Either way he doesn’t like being accused or hearing the truth out loud of always being able to be murderous, a killer. 

I believe it’s a mixture of The Handler just trying to get into his head and a combination of the truth. Reginald trained The Umbrella Academy to use brute force, but that doesn’t mean Five had killed anyone but he was definitely violent when it came to stopping bad guys (not to mention in the pilot script he was called a “Ruthless little war machine” after violently attacking and decapitating a bunch of mannequins)

☂ Diego: I’m going to go kill Hazel and Cha-Cha!........Riiiiight after I get done walking with my mom in the park

☂ He’s so happy to see Klaus again 

☂ ✨Gremlin✨

☂ Who exactly does Five owe a debt to? Maybe his family after accidentally leaving them and now he wants to save them? Or is it a singular person?  

☂ Ouch! Now that’s what I call a problem later!

☂ 

☂ Five using “Ya’ll” is weird to hear

☂ Five is talking to his siblings like he knows what’s been happening but in reality he’s rarely been at home so how would he know

☂ I love that Five doesn't even answer Diego at the end and instead just stares at his siblings 

☂☂☂☂☂☂☂

Feel free to comment or reblog with things you have noticed too!

[roserozu22]

Rogercop

Author’s note: It’s me with a new update and you didn’t have to wait long. A massive thank you to my beta Nina of fairy tail!

My Social Media accounts:

Twitter: RoseRozu1

Tumblr: Roserozu22

Discord: RoseRozu#2428

Morning had sprung and Nathalie was getting Gabriel ready for a very important event -  careers day at Collège Françoise Dupont. 

 

“Sir, are you sure this is a good idea?” Nathalie asked worriedly. 

 

“Yes, this is a good opportunity for me to see this Nathaniel boy’s parents,” Gabriel smirked. 

 

Suddenly, the door opened and there stood Adrien fiddling with his necklace nervously. “Ready, papa?” 

 

Gabriel looked at his youngest child and smiled reassuringly at him. “You didn’t force me to come with you, and to be fair, I haven’t seen much of your teachers, only your principal. So no need to be nervous mon petit.” 

 

Adrien smiled at Gabriel and then took hold of his father’s hands and Felix’s once he entered the foyer. They got into the car to travel to the school. 

=^._.^= ∫

When the Agreste family arrived at the school (a little late, due to some idiots on the road), they met one Mr. Tom Dupain. 

 

“My day begins at 4 a.m. every morning because the bakery opens at 7. You would think that the life of a baker is pretty routine, making the same pastries, rolls, cakes... but actually, it's different every day. One day someone might order a cake in the shape of the Eiffel Tower, and another day you might-” Tom explained to Gabriel and Felix’s boredom and Adrien’s interest.

“Marinette will come around and pass out some croissants baked fresh this morning,” Tom said as he pointed at his daughter. 

 

“Thank you, Mr Dupain. Now, let's meet Alya's mom, who is head chef at the Grand Paris hotel, owned by our mayor, Mr Bourgeois.” Miss Bustier. 

 

On Marinette’s rounds, she smiled happily at Adrien. She was excited as she knew that his model career would end later than most, giving him more time to model. However, she smiled sadly at Felix as he looked disinterested. As Marinette was making the rounds, Chloé opened a case with a bracelet inside.

 

Sabrina looked at the bracelet and immediately grabbed it, “It's beautiful!”

 

Chloé then promptly slapped Sabrina’s hand. “Don't touch it!” 

 

Whilst this was happening, Gabriel whispered in Felix’s ear, “Remind me why I sent you two to this school?”

 

“Because you wanted me to learn the ‘commoner’ life, and also Adrien wanted to go to school just like his big brother,” Felix whispered back.

 

Gabriel hummed in thought. 

 

“Put it away, Chloé! It could get in the wrong hands!” Mr  Bourgeois attempted to scold his daughter

 

“I wonder how many croissants your dad would have to sell to buy you one of these? What am I saying? He'd have to sell the whole store!” Chloé taunted Marinette as she noticed her passing out the croissants.

 

“Well, if you're so rich, obviously you don't need free croissants!” Marinette said as she left the table but not without smirking as she could hear a poor comeback from Chloé. 

 

Meanwhile, Plagg was having a slight conundrum himself. “Is that Camembert?” Plagg asked himself as flew from Felix’s bag to Chloé's. “Huh? Oh, that's not Camembert... but it is very shiny. I like shiny, hmm!”

 

In the world outside of kwamis… “Unfortunately, I have no dishes to share. But maybe Mr Bourgeois will invite you all to the hotel and treat you to lunch!” Alya’s mum said while looking at her boss, with a glare that could rival Gabriel’s

 

The said boss nodded while sweating nervously at his employee’s glare and sighed in relief when the glare melted away. While the students were applauding, a policeman named Roger started laughing.

Unfortunately, Plagg caused Marinette to slip (as he landed on his head after continuing playing with the bracelet) 

 

“Marinette, are you okay?” Adrien asked as he left his chair while helping the girl up, not knowing that Gabriel was staring at her intently. 

 

Before Marinette could answer, however, Gabriel swiftly put Adrien back in his chair and stood in front of said chair protectively. 

 

“Next on the list is Sabrina's father, a policeman. Please welcome Officer Roger!” Miss Bustier said quickly to diffuse the attention and stop Gabriel from glaring at the students and herself.

 

The students started applauding, although with more confusion than anything else. With a quick glare from his brother and father, Adrien didn’t even bother clapping. 

 

“I've been a police officer for 15 years, and I firmly believe that every citizen is innocent until proven guilty.” As soon Officer Roger said this, the drama queen of the class exclaimed. “My bracelet! It's gone! I had it a second ago.” She then looks at Marinette “You! You stole it!”

 

“What? What are you talking about?!” Marinette asked confusedly.

 

“You purposely tripped over my bag so you could steal my bracelet!” Chloé then looks at Roger “You're a policeman! Arrest her!”

 

“My daughter is not a thief!” Tom defended Marinette and glared at the other girl.

 

Gabriel could only look at the students and parents and without warning, got a massive headache and thought of removing Adrien (and Felix) from the stupidity of the whole thing. 

 

Roger then blew his whistle without warning which caused Gabriel’s headache to worsen. “Hold on a minute, Miss Bourgeois, we don't accuse without proof! Now, everyone, calm down, please. Maybe you simply misplaced your bracelet.”

 

“You're calling me a liar?! Daddy!” Chloé said in surprise and anger.

 

“Roger, I demand you search for this girl’s bracelet immediately!”

 

“Ha!”

 

“Please, everybody!” Miss Bustier pleaded although she was not heard at all. 

 

“Need I remind you that as mayor of this city, I am your superior!” Mr Bourgeois said unkindly towards the policeman.

 

Before Roger could say anymore, Gabriel decided to speak up.

 

“I’ve had enough of this. My children don’t need to see this debacle. They came to school for their education, not some soap opera that is poorly made!” Gabriel then noticed that Felix’s friend was recording the whole thing. “This boy hasn’t stopped recording since I’ve entered the classroom, maybe there is something on there." Gabriel then gently moved Adrien from his seat and said. “I’m going back home with Adrien and until this issue is resolved he will no longer be attending school."  Gabriel suddenly looked at Felix. “If you like you can go home with me or stay for the whole day.” 

 

Felix looked at the drama gleefully and then looked at his father and replied. “I’ll stay here and see the drama unfold.” Gabriel nodded and left the classroom with a very reluctant Adrien, but not without giving his secretary’s number to Nathaniel’s parents. 

=^._.^= ∫

As soon as Adrien and Gabriel arrived at the mansion, Adrien was instantly sent to his room (as according to Gabriel he had had too much excitement and needed rest) and went down to his lair and transformed into his evil alter-ego Hawkmoth.

=^._.^= ∫

At the exact moment, Mr Bourgeois and Tom were seen shouting at each other while the students were looking at the two adults in interest (mostly Felix).

 

Nathaniel then looked at the adults and said, “Let’s do what my Mr Agreste said and look through Nino’s video. Maybe we can find something because I for one would like to see my significant other outside of the mansion or photo shoots.” 

 

The adults looked at the upcoming artist in shock (while Felix smiled at the artist with pride until he felt something hit his ankle and swiftly noticed that it was the missing bracelet on top of his kwami’s head and rapidly left the room quietly) not noticing that a new drama was going down. 

 

=^._.^= ∫

Ms Mendeleiev threw a piece of litter into the bin but missed so the litter landed on the floor which caused Rogercop to grab the litter. He then flew to where Ms Mendeleiev was.

 

“You're under arrest!” Rogercop shouted at the poor science teacher. 

 

“What? What for?” Ms Mendeleiev asked in confusion and horror. 

 

“You threw litter on a public sidewalk, jaywalked and crossed the red light,” Rogercop said robotically. The police whistle was still around his neck. His skin was quite pale, and a hollow, light blue triangle pointing downwards was at the centre of his chest. His helmet sported a light blue line above a light blue shield in front of his eyes. His left shoulder and right shoulder wore blinking red and blue police lights, respectively.

 

“Well, I suppose I did. But you can't arrest me! Who are you anyway? You don't look like a policeman!”

Rogercop then threw cuffs at the science teacher “I sentence you to trash duty.” He then blew his whistle which controlled the handcuffs and made Ms Mendeleiev robotically throw the litter in the trash can.

 

“Next mission: Seeking justice on Mayor Bourgeois.”

=^._.^= ∫

Meanwhile back at the school, Felix was seen lecturing Plagg (who was still wearing the bracelet). “Never do that again! Do you know the troubles you caused!” 

 

“I thought it was Camembert,” Plagg said. “And besides I think the bracelet suits my rock-hard abs.”

 

“Well, clearly it isn’t Camembert” Felix groaned and swiftly thought of something else, “and Plagg you do not have abs.” Felix then stopped as he heard footsteps and looked down and saw it was Rogercop. 

 

“Great, great, just great, thanks to you Plagg, we have now to fight against an akumatized policeman. You’ve made another one of your dumb decisions.”

 

“Sorry, Felix,” Plagg said, remorsefully. 

 

“I know, now let’s try and get this bracelet off you, and fix everything.” 

 

Plagg nodded while Felix began looking through his locker for anything that could help. Meanwhile, Rogercop had caused one of the parents to run laps around the gymnasium. 

=^._.^= ∫

Simultaneously, back at the mansion, Adrien was seen lying down on his bed with a look of boredom on his face. He was texting Nathaniel who was giving him updates regarding the situation of the missing bracelet. 

 

=^._.^= ∫

“See, Chloé? I tripped on the bag, but Sabrina held the bracelet, we are all suspects!” Marinette said (while trying and failing to be diplomatic).

 

“But, what about Mr Agreste, isn’t he like in most of the video?” One of the students asked.

 

“To be fair, I wanted to film Adrien and Felix, but I think Mr Agreste knew what I was doing or that he wanted Adrien to not see. You can never know with that dude.” Nino said in Mr Agreste's defence.

 

“And let’s remember Mr Agreste is a fashion designer. If he wants to he can design any jewellery that he or the twins need or want,” Alya said. 

 

And once again, Marinette opened her big mouth and caused the situation to be five times worse than it was until Rogercop entered the classroom uninvited. He asked the students, parents and teacher where the mayor was. They all denied that they knew where he was until a voice spoke up. Recognising the voice, everyone groaned. 

 

“Mr Principal, “I demand that you find who stole my daughter's bracelet ASAP! Or your job is on the line, sir…!”

 

Marinette then quietly left the room and jokingly said to Tikki “Who knew that our mayor could shout like that.”

 

Tikki then glared at her holder and sternly said. “No time for jokes, we’re going to make things right. Now transform!”

 

Marinette smiled nervously at Tikki and shouted “Tikki, spots on!”

 

At the same time in the locker room, Felix had managed to get Plagg out of the bracelet with some help from pepper and Camembert cheese. Knowing he had no time to waste, he quickly transformed into Chat Noir.

=^._.^= ∫

It wasn’t until late at night that everything went back to normal with a slight hiccup from the usual lucky charm item, Chat Noir’s antics and Rogercop firing his handcuffs all over the place. 

=^._.^= ∫

The next day, the twins were seen together and with happy smiles on their faces as Adrien was allowed to go back to school after Gabriel received a call from the mayor telling him about where the bracelet was all along. All’s well that ends well as Roger got promoted to lieutenant and Nathaniel’s parents were coming over for dinner over the weekend. 

[2manyfandoms2count]

You can count on me (I will be there for you)

Another week, another YCCOM chapter! It’s a long update as well, feat Alya, fake-Adrien, oblivious and melodramatic Marinette, and Chat Noir (who is also a little oblivious because it’s fun) 👀

Hope you enjoy! xx

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | AO3

---

Chapter 5

Marinette doesn’t really pay attention during the bridal party toasts. She’s lost in her thoughts, giggles when others seem to, and drowns the very present realisation that she might be sitting two chairs away from her blackmailer in champagne.

She doesn’t notice how fidgety Alya is during her Maid of Honour speech, or her sideway glances when she makes puns that earn her eye squints from Adrien. Those go unnoticed, too.

She temporarily jolts back to reality when Adrien wraps an arm around her waist and leans his head on her shoulder during a very emotional part of Nino’s speech (or so she assumes, from the audience’s aws). And then, again, when the warmth leaves, as he stands up and takes the mic.

At that moment, she can’t help but look up to him and his hypnotising smile. He’s holding her hand as he speaks, and it feels like he’s talking exclusively to her as his eyes bore into hers. Unfortunately, she’s too lost in his green glittering gaze to make out what he’s saying.

She can tell it must be beautiful from the oohs and aahs she hears in the crowd (out of her peripheral vision, Sabine wipes her tears away, and so does Tom - there is no such emotional scene on the Agreste side), but as much as she tries to, she just cannot bring herself to listen. There’s something about Adrien's eyes that’s so familiar. She drowns in their tenderness. She can’t put her finger on it, but something hurts a little inside of her at that moment, there’s a yearning for something that she can’t deny. So much so, that it pulls tears out of her eyes as Adrien tells her, for the whole country, perhaps the whole world, to hear “I love you, Marinette Agreste. As Chat Noir and Ladybug say, it’s you and me against the world. And I am beyond honoured to be on your team.”

She isn’t sure if it counts as bad taste.

At the end of his speech, she gets up, pulls him into a hug, and nuzzles against his neck, the tears still streaming down her cheeks. He tilts her chin up gently to check on her, smiling lovingly at her, and she kisses him.

It’s what a good wife would do.

And that’s what she’s supposed to be today. Not a scheming superhero, waiting for the right opportunity to bolt bad guys behind jail bars, instead of making the most of her wedding day. Not a woman who sees the almost-too-perfect execution of a play she helped stage, which makes her question if the male lead won’t end up broken-hearted by the end of it.

After they’re done eating the delicious lunch, the catering of which was supervised by none other than Tom and Sabine, she drags Adrien off towards a balcony with a very convincing giggle (the champagne, she supposes). Adrien follows her eagerly before he notices that he forgot his phone at the table. She tells him to hurry as she steps outside. The cool air does wonders to sober her up.

Chat Noir makes it to their meeting point before Adrien does, a little out of breath. Marinette smiles at him. This will be quick. It has to be, for Adrien’s sake.

“Hey, guys, sorry to keep you waiting.” The groom says as he carefully closes the door behind him.

“No worries, dude.” Chat Noir smiles warmly. “Well done on the speech, it was really beautiful.”

“Well, anything for Marinette, right?” Adrien turns towards her and she blushes.

“Beautiful speech indeed.” She clears her throat. “Unfortunately,” well, maybe not for me, since I couldn't highlight any phrase to save my life she thinks, “we’re not here to delve into it right now.”

“Is everything alright?” Adrien frowns.

“Well…” Marinette scrunches her nose and shares a glance with Chat Noir. “We’ve had news on the blackmail situation.” Better to bite the bullet now. They’ll have plenty of time to chat later.

“Oh. Bad?” Adrien bites his lip.

“It’s really too early to tell,” Chat Noir replies. “But we have a lead, and we have to act fast.”

“I see.” Adrien nods. “How fast, exactly?”

“We have to take a quick trip somewhere. We’ll be back before you know it, don’t worry.” Marinette says. “Perks of having a Miraculous.”

“Then that’s no problem, girl!” Adrien smiles. “I’ll hold down the fort while you two are gone.”

Marinette frowns. He doesn’t usually call her “girl”. That’s more of an Alya thing.

She doesn’t catch Chat Noir shooting a thunderous stare at Rena Rouge, hiding behind curtains two windows down. The foxy lady grimaces sheepishly and mouths a “sorry” in his direction.

“Er… Sorry, I think my conversation with Alya, and then her speech, rubbed off on me.” Adrien scratches the back of his neck.

“Oh, right. Yeah, that happens to me too, sometimes.” Marinette shakes her head with a small smile, and both Chat and Rena let out a small sigh of relief as she changes the subject. “Anyway, our goal is to make it back before the first dance, so you won’t be alone for too long. I’m going to get Rena Rouge to join you, to make my absence more inconspicuous.”

“Sounds good.” Adrien and Chat Noir nod.

“So I just need to speak to Alya, and then Max before we go.” Marinette strokes her chin.

“I can go and get Alya!” Adrien’s hand shoots up, almost brushing against Chat Noir’s. The latter jumps away, afraid that the illusion might break.

“That would be great, thanks.” Marinette smiles softly.

He disappears off before she can tell him how grateful she is that he is so understanding, but not before he can shoot her a very longing look, one that reminds her of the way he used to look at her sometimes back in collège.

She sits down on the bannister, breathing in and out deeply as her fear of breaking his heart strikes again. Chat Noir joins her, taking her right hand in his.

“Hey, how are you holding up?” He asks, gently tracing circles on the back of her hand.

“Okay, I guess.” She shrugs. “Just getting a little antsy about all this. You have the Miraculouses?”

“Yep.” He pats his pocket, making it jingle slightly.

“Good.”

Her leg bounces as they wait. She seems more on edge than her partner had anticipated, but it could be because of the great performance Alya provided. As perfect as fake-Adrien’s way of looking at Marinette would have been in public, he thought it was a little over the top in this instance. And anyway, when had Alya ever seen him look so love-struck?

“Hey Chaton?” Marinette breaks her tense silence and his thoughts.

“Yes?”

“You don’t suppose Adrien might… love me, do you?” Her eyes are wide with worry, and Chat doesn’t know whether to burst out laughing, hug her, or let the melt-inducing smile he can feel coming on invade his face. None of this transpires as he stares back at her blankly, lips only slightly twitching.

“It’s just… the toasts. I didn’t catch most of it, but his feelings looked so… real.” She breathes out.

Chat Noir lets himself laugh. “You do realise that a couple of hours ago, you were worried he would bail, and now you’ve done a full 180° by thinking he might be too invested, right?” He teases.

“I know, I know, it’s stupid, right?” She lets out a tense chuckle as she shakes her head. “You’d think I could read my husband better than that.” The cheekiness of her small smile isn’t as strong as it could be, but Chat Noir will take it all the same.

“He’ll be fine, I paw-mise.” He smiles tenderly, considering whether telling her that her second reading isn’t far off at all would be saying a little too much, or if he could get away with it.

He doesn’t have time to reach a conclusion. There’s a small knock on the window pane, and Alya lets herself out on the balcony. Marinette gets up and he follows suit.

“Hey, girl! Adrien said you were looking for me?” Alya’s pace is breezy as she walks towards them, until her eyes land on him. She stops in her tracks with an audible gasp. “Chat Noir? What are you doing here?”

He rolls his eyes at her dramatic entrance, but smirks as she comes to stand beside him. “Hi, Ladyblogger.”

“Hey Alya, thanks for joining us.” Marinette clears her throat. “I’m going to cut to the chase. We’ve got a bit of a situation, which is why you and Chat are here.”

“Is that so?” Alya crosses her arms behind her back. She gently nudges Chat, who discreetly extends a hand towards her. Alya places the necklace in it, and he subtly slides it back into his pocket.

“Yes.” Marinette takes a deep breath and wrings her hands as she mentally prepares herself to give her best friend the information she’s been looking for for almost as long as she’s known her, completely oblivious to the silent hand off taking place in front of her. “Alya, I have something important to tell you. I’m really sorry for not telling you earlier, but I swore not to tell anyone. I promise that I really didn’t want to keep this secret from you, I-”

“This sounds serious, are you ill, or something?” Alya cuts her in her rambling, doing her best to act clueless and concerned, even though Chat Noir can tell that she’s practically buzzing with excitement.

“No, it’s nothing like that, don’t worry. It’s pretty small, all things considered.” She pauses. “I’m… I’m Ladybug.” She whispers gently, wincing as she anticipates her best friend’s reaction.

“WHAT?!” Alya’s exclamation is a little too loud, her smile a little too wide for it to be completely genuine. Chat Noir elbows her ribs to remind her to tone it down. She makes up for the lack of volume with extra theatrics. “You mean, all this time, I was so close, and you never even gave me a hint?” She clutches her chest. “You watched me dig around, for years, knowing that I was going in a completely wrong direction?” She gasps. “You even mislead me on some of my paths!”

“I know, I know, I’m so sorry!” Marinette grimaces.

“I feel so stupid!” Alya fake sobs, bringing a hand to her forehead. “What else have you been hiding from me all this time? That Chat Noir is actually Adrien?”

Marinette stares at her blankly for a second, before bursting out laughing. Chat Noir knows it must be nerves, but he can’t help but feel a little offended that the thought has tears streaming down her face, struggling to catch her breath. He shoots another death glare at Alya (what are you playing at?), to which she answers by a shrug and a smirk (sometimes things are best hidden in plain sight).

“No, I’ve seen them together, so it isn't possible.” Marinette wheezes, standing straight and nudging Chat Noir. “Can you imagine, though? That would have made everything so much easier.” She wipes her tears and takes Chat Noir’s hand in hers. “I don’t know who Chaton is. We’re waiting until Hawkmoth is defeated to drop his mask. Which actually might come about a lot faster than we thought it would.”

“I see.” Alya squints suspiciously. “By the way, you two seem pretty chummy, care to explain yourself, Mrs. Agreste?”

Marinette winces. It’s one thing being called Marinette Agreste, but it feels a lot weirder being called Mrs Agreste. “Well, see, Adrien and I are just a temporary arrangement.” She pauses. “He knows, and he's fine with it, though. I think. Anyway, you would’ve found out eventually, but I’m telling you now because I actually need you for something.” She changes the subject to escape further inquiry.

She quickly goes over the circumstances of their speedy wedding, leaving out none of the details regarding the blackmail and her suspicions. Alya regularly peppers in some gasps and “no!”s, convincingly pretending all of it is brand new information to her. Her reactions become more genuine as Marinette talks her through their plan to go and investigate the Agreste Mansion while the coast is clear.

“We haven’t told Adrien where we’re going, so he’ll be staying here.” Marinette exposes.

“Shocker.”

“But we’d need you to make sure my absence goes unnoticed. I’m giving you free rein, you can do whatever you feel necessary.” She nods towards Chat Noir, who takes out the Fox necklace and gives it ceremoniously to Alya.

“Adrien is going to be hiding out in a room and I can do anything to make it credible that you two are together?” She waggles her eyebrows suggestively. “I thought I was supposed to give you a gift today.” She grins.

Marinette’s cheeks heat up at the insinuation.

“Just remember our- THEIR parents are around, as well as the press so… Saying Marinette and Adrien are off for a nap might be sufficient, no need to be over the top.” Chat winks.

Alya looks at him inquisitively, and mouths “our?”. He shakes his head. He can slip up, too. Marinette doesn’t pick up on any of this, again. Chat isn’t sure how he feels about her being so absentminded. If the situation wasn’t as urgent as it was, he’d probably make his identity one of her wedding presents. It would relieve the stress, no doubt.

Unfortunately, the situation is what it is, and they can’t afford to lose any time when they're running on such a tight schedule. Besides, he’s afraid the revelation might put her off her game even more, at this point.

“Wait, so if I’m in your room with Adrien,” Alya puts her hand up like they’re still in school, “and you’re at the Agreste Mansion… Who’s watching our pals Gabe and Nath?”

“Nobody, why?” Marinette frowns.

“I just think it might be a good idea to have them surveilled in case they try to make a getaway. You never know what you might find.” She rubs her chin pensively. “Something in your whole blackmail story smells kind of fishy.”

“You think so?”

“Well, let’s put it this way; what could Gabriel Agreste possibly gain from blackmailing you?”

Her question is met by silence. Marinette shares a glance with Chat Noir, before looking at her feet. Once again, she regrets how quickly the events have taken place since she received the first letters. Had it not been so rushed, maybe Chat and her would have settled down for a minute, to consider that question. Whoever the blackmailer was, he must have wanted something.

“Do you think he might be in contact with Hawkmoth?” Chat Noir’s voice comes out as a strained whisper.

“I wouldn’t rule out that possibility.” Alya continues carefully. “I mean, if he leaked your identity to the press, or used any public communication to get the info out to Hawkmoth and Mayura, then I assume you’d give up your Miraculous, right? And the city would probably grant you some kind of protection for your outstanding services during the years; if not the Mayor himself, then at least the citizens. You saw how quick they were to help on Heroes’ Day, all those years ago.”

“Right.” Marinette mutters.

Seeing that her friend is not going to elaborate more, Alya continues. “So, my bet is that whoever’s blackmailing you, be it Gabriel or somebody else, is somehow in contact with Hawkmoth, and is standing by to send him your identity if you don’t cooperate. Hand him the element of surprise on a silver plate. What does the bastard want?”

“Nothing.” Marinette whispers, hiding her head in her hands. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice earlier.”

She takes a deep, shaky breath as her heart rate picks up.

This is taking proportions she didn’t foresee. Part of her feels like panicking, what a disaster of a wedding, the other reminds her that even if everything had gone differently, she probably still wouldn’t have felt ready.

She feels Chat Noir stroking her back soothingly, and she straightens up. She’s not alone. She’s got him, Alya, Adrien, and a whole dormant team of superheroes a few feet away. They can do it, together.

“Thanks for your insight, Alya.” She takes her hand and squeezes it. “I think I- we" she glances at Chat Noir, "were a little too close to the board to see the whole situation.”

“Always happy to help, girl.” Alya smiles back.

“Chaton? We’re going to need back up.” Marinette turns towards Chat Noir.

“One step ahead of you, my Lady.” He grins as he holds up the Turtle bracelet and the Dragon necklace.

Marinette smiles at him gratefully. He sees her face change as the plan she'd come up with earlier shifted in her head to take the new elements into account, her eyes squinting to see inside the room, nose scrunched what he likes to call the Lucky Charm way.

His Lady is back, and if her confident smile as she explains the first steps of the plan says anything, she’s ready to kick some butt.

[hale-13]

Syncope

By Hale13

For the Summer of Whump Day 18 Prompt - Collapse

Peter Parker was weirdly magnetic. He was also an absolute dumpster fire of a person much to Tony’s chagrin.

Words: 1552, Chapters: 1/1 (Complete), Language: English

Fandoms: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)

Rating: Gen

Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark

Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner

TW: Fainting

Read on AO3 of below the line break.

Tony would be the first to say that Howard Stark was a pretty shit parent. He would also be the first to say that, when he met Peter Parker and drug him off to Germany to fight the Avengers that he could be considered to be a pretty shit mentor. He was determined not to repeat the sins of his father if it was the last thing he did which is why, after Peter turned down his spot on the team, Tony groveled to May Parker and, finally, offered the kid a real, bonafide Stark Industries internship.

Tony tried to remain professional – just some tinkering with the Spidey suit, the chance to play with some cool tech – but Peter Parker was oddly magnetic and, well, could you really blame Tony for quasi-adopting the kid? Once their weekly meetings evolved to twice a week and then into movie nights May Parker set up what she coined ‘co-parenting lunches’ and gave Tony a very firm talking to on what his behavior better look like going forward.

He resolved to never introduce her to Pepper after that conversation – he’d never survive.

That was months ago, though, and things were going pretty swimmingly if Tony said so himself. Peter was over increasingly often and had his own room in the penthouse, May had started to warm up to him more due to their bi-weekly lunch dates and Ross was – for once – off his ass.

Yeah everything was coming up Tony.

“Hey kid,” he called as the music in his workshop cut down and the doors slid open to admit Peter. “Be with you in a sec!” He was so close to finishing this segment of his repulser – it had been a right pain in the ass the whole day and he was ready to just be through with it. Peter didn’t respond but he sometimes didn’t when he could tell that Tony was super busy so he just carried on, finishing about ten minutes later with Dum-E’s… assistance… and he dropped his precision tools with a sigh and a pop of his back.

“Sorry about that buddy,” Tony called as he turned around. “You wouldn’t believe how long that’s been – what’s wrong with you?”

Peter ducked his head quickly but not fast enough to keep Tony from seeing his bright red cheeks, pale features and gigantic eye bags. He was wearing the MIT hoodie Tony had given him (definitely a comfort item whether Peter wanted to admit it or not) but also subtly trembling. Peter let out a suppressed and hoarse cough and muttered a unconvincing ‘Nothing,” that had Tony rolling his eyes.

“Yeah sure,” Tony agreed, standing from his stool and coming to stand in front of Peter, reaching out with the back of one hand to feel the kid’s sweaty and clammy forehead – Peter failing spectacularly at dodging and nearly falling off his stool in the process – and grimacing at the clear fever he could feel. “Your brains melting a little there kiddo.”

“I’m fine,” Peter insisted, his voice cracking and nasally doing nothing to assuage Tony’s concern. “Seriously I am,” Peter said after shirking under Tony’s raised eyebrow. He followed this up by sneezing violently three times and then having the gall to try and paste an innocent look on his face.

Teenagers. Gremlins the lot of them.

“You’re really doing great work making me believe you,” Tony told him pointedly. “I mean look at me – totally convinced.”

Peter deflated a little and pouted, full on sulking now. “You don’t have to rub it in,” he groused and Tony chuckled at him.

“Want to actually tell me what’s going on? Or do you plan to just suffer? That’s a Gen-Z thing right? Suffering?” Peter ignored his jabs and coughed Welty into his elbow before wiping his nose on the sleeve of his sweatshirt making Tony crinkle his nose in disgust.

“Just a cold,” Peter tried, not even trying to meet Tony’s eyes. Guilty. Oh so guilty.

“Uh huh. A cold,” Tony nodded. “And how long have you had this cold that comes with a… uh fever check FRI?” He called out to his AI, making Peter whine in protest and drop his forehead down to rest on the lab table where he was seated.

“103.1 Boss,” FRIDAY called out in her soothing lilt and Tony winced a little in sympathy.

“Thanks dear. A 103.1 degree fever apparently. Jeez kid please tell me you didn’t go to school like this,” the set in Peter’s shoulders, however, told Tony all he needed to know and he let out a put upon sigh. “So you went to school like this. Great. You’re in luck – Bruce happens to be around today to take a look at you. Come on – up!”

“Noooo,” Peter griped, not picking his head up from the table or making any effort to stand at all. “I said I’m fine! I don’t need to go to the MedBay!”

“You’re resting temperature is usually around 96.5 so, yes, your fever alone qualifies you for an all expense paid visit. Don’t make me drag you – neither one of us wants that.” Tony said firmly, poking the side of Peter’s head insistently. Peter groaned again and clumsily batted Tony’s hand away before going to stand up. Halfway to his feet Peter’s eyes rolled back into his head and he dropped like a lead weight, Tony only barely able to catch him before he knocked his head on the side of the table.

“Should have expected this,” Tony grouched, lowering Peter carefully to the floor to rest with his head on Tony’s thigh. It wasn’t the first time the kid had fainted on him and Tony was regretful to say that he was old hat at it now. Tony cared about the kid but, Lordy, if Peter wasn’t an absolute magnet for danger and problems. “FRI?”

“Dr. Banner has been notified. He says to bring Peter up when he regains consciousness,” FRIDAY relayed and Tony nodded, expecting as much.

“Alrighty then. Time to wake up Pete, this isn’t a good look. You don’t want me to have to call May at work do you?” Tony threatened without heat, he would be texting May an update later but there was no need to pull her from work, rubbing the ridges of his fist against Peter’s sternum to stimulate a response.

“Ugh,” Peter groaned, pinching his eyes shut further and flinching away from Tony’s hand. “Stop,” he grunted, turning his face into Tony’s stomach to block out the light.

“No can do kid,” Tony told him, tapping the side of Peter’s face with a couple fingers to keep him awake and alert. “You just took a lovely little nose dive so no sleeping until Brucie looks at you comprende?”

“I passed out?” Peter asked, confused but cracking his eyes open to slits and looking more irritated than anything.

“Oh magnificently,” Tony confirmed, slipping an arm under Peter’s shoulders and lifting him up to sit, leaning, against the leg of the desk. “You feel dizzy or anything? Gonna faint again if you stand?”

“I’m good,” Peter said, swaying for a moment before listing into Tony’s side. It didn’t inspire much confidence.

“Sure you can,” Tony sarcastically mumbled with an eye roll before slipping one arm under Peter’s knees and the other under his back, lifting him into his arms with a grunt. Peter groaned out his displeasure but made no effort to try to escape, solidifying Tony’s decision to just carry him upstairs.

Bruce, to his credit, didn’t seem too surprised by this turn of events and was well aware that Peter was a little human disaster with no self-preservation instincts at all and was quick to get Peter situated on the exam bed much to the kid’s obvious displeasure. “How long have you felt sick and what are your symptoms?” Bruce asked brusquely, rolling a stool over to sit next to the bed, StarkPad perched precariously on his crossed legs.

“It’s just a cold,” Peter told him prompting yet another eye roll from Tony and a put upon sigh from Bruce. Peter rolled his shoulders inward and crossed his arms over his chest in submission. “Since yesterday,” he admitted.

“Symptoms?” Bruce prompted, typing something onto the screen of the tablet.

“Coughing and sneezing for sure and I’m assuming a headache as well. Obviously the fever and the fainting. Am I missing anything Pete?” Tony asked, answering for the kid when it was clear Peter wasn’t going to himself without them literally pulling teeth.

“That about covers it,” Peter said, staring into the corner with his arms still crossed over his chest.

Bruce nodded like it was all to be expected. “Probably some sort of virus then,” he said. “Not a cold but we’ll do the normal battery of bloodwork and cultures to be sure. I’ll send a nurse in to get everything in a few minutes.”

And with that the man bustled out of the room, leaving Tony to perch on the abandoned stool next to Peter’s bed. “Can we just agree to have you tell me the next time you’re sick instead of passing out on me?”

Peter just groaned and tried to smother himself with one of the pillows while Tony laughed – at least he wasn’t stabbed again.

[wolfpawn]

I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 157

Chapter Summary - Danielle and Tom finish their holiday on the south coast and return to London in time for Wimbledon and minding Lucy, which means informing his family.

Previous Chapter

Rating - Mature (some chapters contain smut)

Triggers - references to Tom Hiddleston’s work with the #MeToo Movement. That chapter will be tagged accordingly.

authors Note - I have been working on this for the last 3 years, it is currently 180+ chapters long.  This will be updated daily, so long as I can get time to do so, obviously.

Copyright for the photo is the owners, not mine. All image rights belong to their owners

tags: @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog @jessibelle-nerdy-mum @nonsensicalobsessions @damalseer @hiddlesbitch1 @winterisakiller @fairlightswiftly @salempoe @wolfsmom1 @black-ninja-blade

Danielle and Tom spent the last few hours of their holiday in the house tidying the last of everything and grinning like two fools at their getting engaged. For her part, Danielle was studying the ring constantly with a wide smile on her face while Tom was finding excuses to cease his own work and go and kiss her again.

They decided to ensure that Diana was told as soon as possible, with Emma and Sarah also getting the news but they wanted to tell them face to face and that required them not being spotted with Danielle having the ring on her hand until the following day when she would be caring for Lucy with Diana, so they stayed inside or only had Tom do something that risked being seen, as a few people had ascertained they were in Southampton or the surrounding area by their going to a show in the city that week. James would have to be told also but he had made it clear to call when Tom asked and to come to visit when they had time after so Tom called his father, who gave hearty congratulations and swore he would say nothing should Emma or Sarah contact him.

The drive back to London was only two and a half hours and reluctantly, they forced themselves and their dogs back to the urban jungle, making comment on the notable difference in temperature from the breezy seaside on their arrival. Bobby and Mac availed of the cool tiled floor of the back room turned laundry room to assist them with the heat as Danielle and Tom unpacked.

Snaking his arms around her, Tom kissed the side of Danielle's neck. “We need some shopping, I better make a list and go.”

“It will be here between six and eight,” Danielle informed him. “I ordered it while you were in the shower this morning. Nothing too mad, dinner, breakfast, a nice wine…Tom…” She could not help but giggle as Tom leant in against her, kissing her and rubbing himself against her ass. “Behave.”

“Not possible.”

“You'd think the terrifying prospect of being stuck with me for the remainder of your time on this planet would be a deterrent to amorous thoughts.” She commented.

“On the contrary, I think it a wonderful realisation and one I have every intention of enjoying,” He stated, kissing her again.

“Insatiable,” She smiled before moving away from him, much to Tom's displeasure. “I think we should take this…”

Tom smirked before rushing past her, taking her by the hand and bringing her upstairs eagerly.

*

“Ready?” Danielle asked as they arrived at Emma's home.

Tom was due at Wimbledon soon but he wanted to be there when his family realised what had occurred in the week after their departure, so he left early to drop Danielle, knowing that his mother had stayed the night before to make sure she was up to date with Lucy's routine, as well as let Emma get ready unmolested by her daughter.

Jack was the one to open the door, making comment of the heat and the fact that he would boil alive in the suit as they entered over the threshold while they did so and commenting on Tom having to be in the sun for hours in his own suit.

Tom and Danielle joked and laughed with him for a moment before heading into the kitchen, Jack talking to Tom about the final of the tennis and Anderson and Djokovic's chances. The pair spoke of the tennis as they walked into the kitchen, where Danielle had put on the kettle and had begun making tea.

As though the click of the kettle turning off at its boiling was some manner of beacon, Emma walked into the room, curlers in her hair and her makeup half done. She gave a large smile to her brother and her friend. “Jack, could you heat a bottle?”

“Don't you want to feed her before we leave?” Her husband asked.

“I haven't time to sit still now and do that. I will pump in a while,” She declared rushing off.

“She is not fussing yet, Love, let her wait until you're finished your doing your face and feed her before you put on your dress.” Her mother suggested from the hallway, holding Lucy while Emma rushed around.

“Yeah, okay,” Addled, Emma stared at her brother for a moment. “What?”

“Nothing.” Tom smirked back.

Worried, Emma looked at Danielle who was looking displeased. “Elle, am I…?”

“Don't mind that eejit, you know him and tennis,” Danielle dismissed. “You just need to get finished and get some breakfast.” She ordered, handing a mug of herbal tea that Emma was taking to assist her milk supply to her friend.

Emma smiled gratefully and took the mug before rushing off again.

Tom checked his watch and noted he needed to leave in the next fifteen minutes if he was to get to Wimbledon on time. Giving Danielle a small nod, she decided to do as they had planned.

As she went to talk to Emma again, she saw her friend walking towards her in a dressing gown, ready to put on her dress after having something to eat and feeding Lucy.

Jack got something for Emma while she prepared Lucy to feed, including a nursing muslin cloth. “She actually prefers being under it,” Emma shrugged.

“It's your scent.” Danielle explained nonchalantly. “You have it against your skin and she can smell that.”

“What book did you read that in?” Jack asked, slightly confused as to how Danielle could ever know such a thing.

“Can't remember, I think it was that breastfeeding booklet you got from the nurse.”

“Why did you read what?” He laughed.

“Lucy was asleep and Emma was in the shower.” Danielle shrugged.

“You're just jealous she knows more about this than you.” Emma jested with her husband causing them to laugh a bit before she noticed a small glint as Danielle took a drink of her tea. She focused on Danielle's hand for a moment, specifically because she could not recall her friend ever wearing rings before she realised she knew the ring from somewhere. It then occurred to her that it was on a particular finger on a particular hand. She gasped loudly startling everyone, especially Lucy. “Oh, my God!” She cried out causing Lucy to stop feeding and begin to whimper in shock.

“Em?” Jack asked, completely confused as to why his wife made such a declaration. “Are you okay?”

Emma could hardly hear her husband's words, instead she focused on her brother's proud smile. “You...you did, didn't you?” She squealed. Tom and Danielle merely grinned back. “MUM!!!!!”

Diana had been in the bathroom when Emma shrieked first, but the callout caused the older woman to rush to the kitchen. “What happened? Lucy?”

“Lucy is fine Mum, Emma is just excited because...well,” he looked at Danielle and smiled lovingly as she did the same to him. “She just realised that Elle and I are engaged.”

Diana have a slight gasp before her hand went to her mouth. “You're not joking with me, are you, Tom, I am warning you, do not be joking with me.” His mother threatened.

“It’s no joke, Mum. She has Nan's ring.” He showed his mother Danielle's hand.

“That's where I know it.” Emma recalled. “How come you have it?”

“Because I was the only boy.” He stated proudly. “The rule was to keep it in the Hiddleston family, that was granddad's rule.”

Emma shrugged as she recalled her paternal grandfather being stern regarding rules. “So this is real, you actually are engaged?”

“Yes, matron of honour.” Danielle grinned at her friend.

“Damn hormones.” Emma wiped her eyes as she cried. “I am happy, I swear.”

Danielle and Tom laughed at her before looking to Diana again, going over to her worriedly. “Mum?”

Diana was weeping also. “So you get me to stop badgering you, saying it is not something to consider for another two or three years and you ask only a month later?”

“I didn't want her to feel pressured.” Tom admitted. “And I wanted to make it a surprise.” Diana pulled him to her.

“Where? Tell me everything,” she insisted going over and embracing Danielle who stood up to hug her.

“There's nothing to it really, we went for a walk up the cliffs yesterday, we talked about the future, I took out the ring and I asked her and thankfully, she said yes.” Tom recapped.

Diana beamed, elated at the news before looking at Danielle again. “Who would have thought seven years ago when you were sitting looking lost and scared in my living room that this would happen? Now, look at us all. We'll be busy today now.”

“I knew you'd say that.” Danielle laughed, wiping a tear from her eye.

Diana cupped her face and looked at her lovingly before hugging her tightly. “So, what did your father say when you asked for the ring?” She inquired.

“Nothing much really, told me to get it sized properly and to get a good box.”

“Nothing else?” Diana rarely spoke to her ex-husband, they were amiable when at an event with their children or grandchildren but otherwise they were not two to mingle much.

“He asked me to tell him when I asked, I've called him and we are taking him out for lunch on Sunday.”

“Good,” Diana always encouraged her children to be part of their father's life too.

“He also mentioned you doing the honours again,” Tom informed her with a smile, knowing his mother was wondering about that particular tidbit of information.

“Good, I will send it in for the weekend, do inform Luke as well, won't you?”

Tom nodded and noted Danielle looking at the pair worriedly, not sure of what they were referencing yet knowing it was engagement related so she looked at them concerned. “Mum wants to make an official announcement in the paper as she did with Sarah and Emma.”

“In the paper?”

“It's the done thing in these parts,” Tom explained.

Unsure and confused about the practice, Danielle simply nodded and decided not to bother herself too much about it.

“Can I tell Sarah?” Emma asked excitedly.

“I didn't tell her about your engagement.”

“Well, someone has to tell her before it gets out and she is working.” Diana stated.

“Video call.” Emma took out her phone and dialled her sister's number. A moment later, Sarah came up on screen.

“You're not backing out of the wedding, are you?” Sarah asked, half suspecting Emma to refuse to be away from Lucy, having had several conversations with her sister regarding such concerns while they were on holiday as well as since they returned.

“No, I'm nearly ready. Tom and Elle are here too.”

“Well, Elle is supposed to be helping Mum with Lucy so that's hardly…Emma, what are you crying about, you'll ruin your makeup.”

“I'm happy.”

“About?” Sarah felt as though it was pulling teeth to get Emma to make sense.

Emma walked over to Tom and Danielle who were sitting beside one another. Tom took the phone from Emma and lifted Danielle's hand to reveal the ring.

Sarah focused for a moment before her eyes went wide. “What!”

“Guess who's getting married next year.”

“No….No….Really? Really?” Her voice became more excited as she spoke.

“Really really, so don't say you weren't warned.” Tom chuckled.

“Congratulations!” She shrieked. “You two clearly had an interesting time after we left. I just...ah! So where are we talking, here or Ireland or somewhere else?”

“We haven't even started those discussions and it only happened yesterday so don't run away with ideas just yet.” Danielle explained. “You'll know when Diana starts the real madness.”

“I will not.” Diana dismissed. They all looked at her silently, all of them thinking back to Emma and Jack's wedding. “Oh, hush.”

“Well, I had best get to Wimbledon, so I better say goodbye and see you soon.” Tom rose to his feet and waved at the phone as he handed it back to Emma. “I better contact Luke in a while also.” He leant down and gave Danielle a chaste kiss. “Enjoy the day of indoctrinating a child in cycling.”

“Enjoy the day of watching two men hit a small ball back and forth.” She retorted playfully.

“You two, enjoy being human again.” He commented to Jack and Emma. “And Mum, please don't terrorise Danielle too much with wedding stuff.” He warned. “There's plenty of time and I don't want a text halfway through the day saying she has thought better of it.”

Though she looked disappointed, Diana nodded. “Fine, we will simply discuss a few things.”

“Behave, Mum,” Tom warned, grateful to be leaving, knowing g his mother would be excitedly overthinking about it all for the day. “Will I collect you this evening?” Tom asked Danielle.

“No, you're fine, have a glass of wine or whiskey or two for yourself,” Danielle smiled. “I will get a taxi back.”

With a nod, Tom gave his goodbyes and left.

“So, what are we thinking, Spring or Summer?” Emma asked, knowing that Danielle insisted the Irish idea of longer engagements was a better one.

“Summer?” Diana was less than impressed by such ideas. “That's far too far away.”

“Natalie Dormer has been engaged for about six years.” Danielle pointed out.

“That is not even funny.” Diana shook her head knowing that Danielle was purposely trying to irk her playfully. “In all of this, I notice you have said nothing, Jack.”

Jack finished the last of his tea and rose to finish getting ready. “I was with Tom when he got the ring resized at Christmas, I actually got bored of waiting for this little announcement, I thought he had chickened out of it.” He explained before leaving the room.

“Wait, Christmas?” Danielle asked, following Jack to the hallway, shocked that it had been so long planned.

“Yes, the day we had dinner out and we thought we had food poisoning, that day he sorted it.” He informed her. “He asked me to help think of a way to ask you when the time was right.”

Startled, Danielle could not think of anything to say in response.

[katahnisharma]

the press tour [5] | t.h.

Word Count: 2.5 K

Warnings: none, i don’t think??

Summary: You’re a new, inexperienced actress plucked from the obscurity of everyday life to play the lead in the reboot of a famous British Jane Austen novel, and Tom Holland just so happens to be playing your love interest.

A/N: This one is a mini chapter so it’s shorter, but next week’s will be longer. Also Tumblr apparently won’t let me link things so if you’re looking for my masterlist, playlist, taglist, or writing challenge it’s in my bio <3 

Tom Holland and Zendaya Officially Together! Is Marriage on the Cards?

“Ugh! It’s on BBC too?! I thought they had journalistic integrity!!”

For the past two days, every news channel had been carrying Tom and Zendaya’s whirlwind romance. Everywhere you looked, there were pictures of the two of them being cute somewhere. Out to lunch, taking a stroll in New York City holding hands, kissing in Paris, even posing for photos with fans at Central Park. It hurt every time you turned on the TV, it was like you were intentionally trying to see the new reports. You were shocked Tom had moved on so quickly, and with the girl he had always said he felt nothing for.

Guess that was a lie.

There were so many thoughts running through your mind about Tomdaya that you didn’t hear Bailey come down the stairs and stand next to you with her hands on her hips.

“That’s it, you need to leave the house. You haven’t moved from this couch in two days. You need to get out and date.” She said, pulling the blanket off you. You winced and glared at her, snatching the blanket back. You were also clutching a near empty tub of Haagen-Daz cookie dough ice cream, but you had mixed reactions about it because the brand was apparently Zendaya’s favorite.

Wow, you were petty.

“Really? What, just like that?” You muttered, poking around the tub with your spoon. You’d been picking out the cookie dough bits, and Bailey used to tease you for it. She thought it was stupid that you bought ice cream just to pick at it, but now it just made her sad. You looked so tired and upset, it was killing her.

“What, like it’s hard? You’re Y/N Y/L/N! All you have to do is bat your eyelashes. flash a smile and you’re set!” Bailey cried, sitting next to you and throwing the tub over your shoulder. You let out a yell, but she pulled you back before you could go find it. She looked at you and you felt yourself shrink from her eyes. You knew she was right, but you weren’t over Tom yet. Your heart needed time to heal.

“Fine, give me some time to get over him and I’ll do it. But I’ll only date on one condition.” You said, and Bailey let out a sigh of relief. If it meant you would finally leave the house and get out a bit, she would do whatever it took. She leaned forward and motioned for you to continue.

“You have to date too.” You smiled, and Bailey immediately recoiled. She jumped up from the sofa and began to pace around the TV. You watched her, rolling your eyes at how dramatic she was being.

“Yeah, no. No, absolutely not!” Bailey said, standing in front of you shaking her head emphatically. You got up and threw the tub in the trash. Surprisingly, you felt a little lighter having done it, and you turned back to see Bailey staring out the window.

“Too bad then. Bumble would have been perfect for you. The women get to pick the men, which is perfect for a powerful, independent woman like you. No more creeps and losers. Plus, I mean Priyanka Chopra created it so....” You said, and you swore Bailey perked up a little. She turned to look at you and she pursed her lips.

“Shut up, you’re just trying to flatter me. And you know I love Priyanka.” She whispered, and you laughed for the first time in a while. You had almost forgotten what that sounded like.

“Well, duh. Is it working?” You giggled, and Bailey threw a pillow at you which just narrowly missed. You threw it back and it hit the vase that held Tom’s lilies. They were dying anyways, and the vase hit the floor and shattered. You weren’t one to believe in signs, but it seemed like one.

“Yes. Alright, I’ll think about it. Now get up, the Met Gala is in three days and you need to meet with designers.” Bailey said, giving you a dress to change into. You took it and realized it was the same one you had worn on the date with Tom. Bailey saw the look and gave you a “come on, just wear it” look, and you weren’t about to argue with her while she was considering dating for the first time in five years.

“On it, boss. I’ll be back in a bit.”

✦✧✦✦✧✦✦✧✦✦✧✦✦✧✦✦✧✦✦✧✦✦✧✦✦✧✦✦✧✦✦✧✦✦✧✦✦✧✦✦✧✦✦✧✦

Three days later and you were standing in front of the mirror, completely taken aback at your appearance. There you were, looking ethereal in a custom Maison Valentino gown and your makeup done to perfection. The theme for the Met Gala was Ethereal Fairytales, and Pier Paolo Piccioli had outdone himself. Your inspiration was Rapunzel, and you couldn’t be happier with it. The dress was a light purple satin that draped to the floor in a long train. The sleeves were a light chiffon that extended into a lacey, embroidered cape in the back. The rest of the dress was done in brocade, with jewels and flowers sewn into the fabric. With the lace and embroidery, the gown looked much heavier than it was. In reality, it was so light that you felt you were wearing feathers.

“You look so beautiful!” Bailey squealed, clapping her hands behind you. You turned and smiled, thanking Pier for his handiwork. Bailey looked gorgeous herself. She was wearing a strapless pale pink Stella McCartney dress with clear sequins. When you had asked her to come with you to the gala, she’d nearly had a heart attack. And then she had pulled out the only formal dress she had, and your heart nearly broke. Bailey hadn’t bought a new dress in years, though you knew you paid her enough for designer clothes. All the money she made went back to her family, keeping only what she needed to survive.

So you bought the dress for her, whatever she liked. At first, Bailey protested and refused to wear it. She thought it was far too extravagant and she felt embarrassed that you were spending all this money on her. But you assured her that she deserved it, she was the world’s best personal assistant. Plus, Priyanka Chopra was going to be there and she had to look stunning in case they bumped into each other.

They weren’t actually going to “bump into each other,'' you'd asked Priyanka if she would mind meeting Bailey at some point in the night. But Bailey didn’t have to know that. As far as she knew, the meeting would be purely kismet.

“You think so? I feel like a goddess.” You whispered, and Pier nodded in agreement. Bailey took your hand and twirled you around. The dress moved with you, and it made the most beautiful sweeping motion. Your hair was curled slightly and left half up and half down, and somehow Christian Louboutin had gifted you a pair of Degrastrass. Bailey had done her own makeup, she insisted upon it, but you bought her a pair of nude Sandale du Deserts which you wouldn’t let her refuse.

“Well, you look like one. And thank you for letting me come, and spending all this money on me. You shouldn’t have.” She whispered and you slung and arm over her shoulder.

“You don’t have to thank me, we’re best friends first and foremost. I wanted you here, and as for the money it was no big deal at all. I’m just glad you actually agreed to wear everything.” You laughed, and she nudged you slightly. You asked Pier to take a picture of the two of you, and he agreed graciously. You’d post it to your instagram later. After Pier had taken a picture of you and you’d grabbed your clutch, the three of you were planning to leave.

That is, until something on the TV caught your attention.

Pier had turned on the live red carpet updates for the Met Gala, because you loved seeing what everyone was wearing. There were some big names at the event, and Bailey had screamed when Nick and Priyanka arrived. The couples of course looked amazing, and you found yourself wishing that you had a date too. You wished you were here with Tom.

And that’s when you saw them.

Tom and Zendaya had stepped out of a limo, and your heart stopped. You almost weren’t breathing as you realized they were wearing coordinated outfits. Law Roach guided them up the steps and Bailey rested a hand on your shoulder to console you. They looked so beautiful together, you almost cried. Then you remembered Nina Park had done your makeup, so you couldn’t cry. Zendaya was wearing a gorgeous blue gown in the style of Princess Tiana’s from the Disney movie The Princess and the Frog. Except it had been elevated, so that the dress was a modern take. The left sleeve was satin and hung from her shoulder and the bodice was lace to match the lace trimmed hem. Tom was so handsome it hurt. He wore a cream colored suit that was trimmed with gold around the edges. A blue sash went across his chest and it accentuated his body. Tears pricked your eyes and you physically willed them away.

You cried for days over Tom, but you refused to do that today.

“You okay?” Bailey asked, and you nodded, straightening up again. Pier stood by the door, giving you a sympathetic look. You knew he meant well, but it rubbed you the wrong way. You didn’t want people to pity you, you wanted them to just see you.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go, we’re holding everyone up.” You said, and Pier took your arm to lead you out. Bailey walked behind, making sure your train wouldn’t catch and keeping photographers at a distance. There were lights everywhere, and you could barely focus as the cameras flashed. People shouting your name, telling you to turn, asking you about Tom, it was almost too much. Thank God for Pier, or you would have fainted on the spot. A particularly bold photographer moved forward, jostling to get your attention.

“Y/N! Y/N! How do you feel about Tom and Zendaya?” He yelled, and for a brief moment Bailey looked as though she was about to physically throw him out. But you held up your hand, and tried your best to plaster a smile on your face. Pier steadied you and you gave the photographer a defiant look.

“Why, am I supposed to say something scandalous?” You laughed, and the photographers laughed with you. For the first time in a while, you felt as though you had the upper hand. The photographer went red, but he persisted.

“I mean, how do you feel after Tom dumped you for Zendaya?” He shouted over the noise and your face went slack. You felt sick to your stomach, hearing someone say it for the first time. Sure, you had never officially dated each other, but the man was right. Tom had dumped you for one of the most beautiful women in the world.

Ouch.

“I’m happy for them, Tom and I are just friends. Nothing more. That salacious enough for you?” You asked, and the photographer went silent. Bailey came to your aid and told the photographers to stop asking questions. This wasn’t an interview, she said, and they needed to respect your privacy. Pier took your hand and lead you farther up the carpet. You were still shaking from the encounter, but you forced yourself to smile. Your father had always told you to never let your detractors know they hurt you.

It was a sign of weakness, and you weren’t weak.

“Alright, this stretch is just cameras, Pier will be answering the questions.” Bailey said, and you breathed a sigh of relief. You didn’t think you’d be able to endure any more questions about Tom and Zendaya. Pier stood with you as you posed and looked on as Pier talked about the process involved in creating your dress. From the corner of your eye, you could see Beyonce and Saoirse Ronan climb the stairs behind you. Bailey was watching, completely starstruck.

“See Priyanka anywhere?” You asked and Bailey shook her head.

“No, she’s probably inside with Nick already. It’s fine, it was cool just getting to see her on TV.” Bailey gushed, and Pier helped you up the steps to the top to take your final picture. Bailey stood next to you, because you made her, and you both looked down onto the street below.

“I would never have imagined I’d be here.” You said, and Bailey looked at you. She had more faith in you than you had in yourself, and though she wouldn’t say it aloud, she was extremely proud of you.

“Well, I would have. I know I don’t say this often enough, I’m really proud of you Y/N.” She said, and your mouth dropped a little. Bailey wasn��t one to talk about her feelings, so this was a big deal.

“I love you, you know that right?” You said, and Bailey rolled her eyes. You could see her eyes start to well up, and she dabbed at them lightly.

Awww, what a softie.

“Yeah, yeah. Stop making me cry, my makeup actually looks good today.” Bailey whispered, and she helped you up the stairs as Pier followed. The carpet began to get thinner, until you reached the doors of the Metropolitan. One more step, and you’d be inside one of the biggest events of the year.

“Ready?” Bailey asked, and you smiled at her and Pier.

“As I’ll ever be.” You replied, and with that you walked out of the frying pan and into the fire.

[dwellordream]

This is kind of two unrelated questions but: if you're still doing the director's cuts, could you do chapter 3 of grass crown? (Or whichever chapter of whichever fic you want) and what your favorite fanfics are (regardless of fandom)?

I’ll rec some fics first because that’s going to be shorter than a director cut haha: in terms of what is currently updating that I’m following: An Unexpected Journey is a great The Mandalorian fic involving one of the most well-written and well-rounded, human OCs I have ever read in any fic, ever. His Highness Steven Universe is a very funny Steven Universe AU which does a great job of portraying fledgling teen romance as being so excruciating and mortifying yet giddily fun. Little Swan Lost is a very interesting modern Hobbit AU involving female Bilbo and an arranged marriage? sounds a little far-fetched but it’s both quite angsty and quite sweet. Our Blades Are Sharp is a great ASOIAF AU series revolving around a still-kicking Domeric Bolton and Sansa Stark; it offers a really interesting take on House Bolton. War in a time of “peace” is an awesome HP AU about a daughter of Sirius Black and a French Veela and her struggles through Hogwarts in Slytherin. Chapter 3 aka Lydia’s Dramatic Entrance aka “In the garden of Eden”: I actually had a great time writing this chapter and considered it a nice breath of fresh air into the fic in general (despite it literally being Chapter 3). Lydia was one of the first ‘wholly original characters’ I thought of when developing Grass Crown, and she sort of just sashayed onto the page with a martini in hand, dressed to the nines. We literally open with Lydia staring at her reflection- or trying to- much like the fish in the Rosiers’ gaudy ornamental tank, Lydia lives in a glass house and is always under inspection and observation.  Then we pretty quickly break down the Rosier family tree- mother Cordelia, father Gilbert, big brother Lyle, and pregnant sister-in-law Cecily. Cecily’s pregnancy is a big deal for the Rosiers, and a point of pride- with pureblood birth rates dwindling, a viable pregnancy is truly seen as something to celebrate and brag about. This chapter goes into detail about Lydia’s observant nature right off the bat, as well as how perceptive she thinks she is, pretty much dissecting everyone with one look alone. Projection, much? The big ‘problem’ of the hour is, of course, the floral arrangements- this is the sort of stuff that makes up Lydia’s extremely constrained life. Floral arrangements and caterers and decorations- party planning and social hours and gossip and fashion is pretty much what she’s expected to limit herself to. While it’s not immediately clear if the Rosiers have actively dissuaded Lydia from having a career or not, it’s obvious that she’s not really encouraged to be interested in that sort of thing- she’s got a big future on the horizon, but that future is someone else’s, with her sort of tacked on as part of the decor.  We also see that Lydia is far from hesitant or shy; she teases and jokes and rolls her eyes, but is careful to never actually show (or even feel) any real anger or upset at the world around her. basically it’s like she’s on thin ice all the time, as toothless as the Rosiers might seem at first glance, aside from just being snobs. The scene of her under the rose trellis and by the fountain talking to her brother was the first real image I ever had of Lydia and what she’d be like in this fic. The roses are beautiful- but also completely artificial- they aren’t natural growth, they were forcibly created to bloom so wonderfully with magic and potions. We also get the first hint of Lydia’s metamorphmagus abilities here.

Lyle stands in contrast- the prodigal son to Lydia’s seemingly perfect daughter. Whereas she is always gracious and polite, he’s sullen and rude, acting more like he’s still a teenager than a 30 year old man.  Lydia says “They wouldn’t even know me” in reference to guests showing up early- suggesting that the face she was just speaking to Lyle with is not necessarily the same one she’s about to put on for the party. The one real concern Lyle seems to show is that Lydia might forget to wear her engagement ring- she doesn’t seem to go around wearing it at home, which already tells us a lot about her relationship with Tom, and it is odd that in this one regard Lyle seems actually concerned- does he worry about Lydia’s interactions with Tom for her sake or his own? The ring is very much a product of the time period- it’s not an antique or heirloom like many pureblooded engagement rings might be, it’s brand spanking new, something Lydia is not at all bothered by- she clearly doesn’t mind that Tom isn’t like the other supposedly pureblood men she knows, and she is spiteful about the fact that others are jealous of her luck in becoming engaged to someone slated to become the Minister for Magic. We then find out she is just 23- very young compared to many of the other adult characters. On the other hand, we also get the sense that Lydia is looking forward to this marriage to Tom- she may not have had a say in the matter, but she certainly doesn’t view it with much trepidation or disgust, whether she actually likes spending time with him or not. She is also very aware that their engagement is part of the political machine- it looks better for Tom to marry into one of the Sacred 28 families, so that’s exactly what he’s doing, and she happens to be the lucky young lady. She acknowledges that her parents have put their faith in him to help bring back an era of grandeur and power, but expresses little interest in that herself, having more focus on the future and what it holds for her personally. Lydia then literally does up her face, which is pretty much suited to the ideal beauty standards for the time period- peaches and cream complexion, thick, light hair, small nose, thin eyebrows, dark lashes and pink lips. It’s not about what she likes, it’s about what other people expect and want to see, and, as she notes, what Tom in particular seems to like- she’s already picked up on some of that. We then get a brief flashback to their first meeting when Lydia was just nineteen and Tom twenty-six; how easily he charmed her parents and how interesting she found him, mostly because he wasn’t all over her or condescending to her.  Tom is very particular about who he accepts drinks from, we see. And barely a few hours after being introduced to this man, Lydia is pretty certain she’s going to end up married to him- not because she’s falling in love, but because she knows her parents will be in favor of the match due to Tom’s political connections and rising star in the Ministry- plus the wealth it promises to bring to the family. Lydia’s reaction to this, we see, wasn’t anger or fear but general apathy. ‘Oh well,’ she seems to think. ‘Better him than someone worse.’ This doesn’t seem to be a very normal reaction for a young woman, even from a pureblood family- Lydia comes across as deeply pragmatic to her very core right from the start. We then see that Lydia has, in fact, heard of Amy, surprise surprise, but any mention of Tom and Amy’s very peculiar relationship in school has been reduced to the assumption that it was a hormonal fling.  Then we finally get the party started; “No one picks a wallflower” Lydia’s mother warns her, but Cordelia has nothing to worry about- Lydia knows how to command a room and has zero issues flattering and chatting with whoever comes her way. We see more of what she finds appealing about Tom- he’s not lusting after her or forcing awkward conversations about their future, he mostly leaves her alone unless he needs her for something, which Lydia seems to prefer. For all her social graces, she seems to be a deeply solitary person who’s used to confiding in no one but herself.  Tom shows up with the Princes here, and Lydia greets him like the perfect 50s housewife with a drink in hand and a kiss on the cheek. Together they put on a very cute show of young love for the Princes, and then later reunite to talk business. They discuss how things are looking good for Tom in the polls, and then Lydia does seem to express a genuine interest in something for the first time all night, and asks if they can dance. As it turns out, she really does like to dance. She also likes to needle Tom a little- she takes a risk in bringing up Amy at all, mostly so she can judge his reaction. Tom could have headed the whole thing off had he been able to shrug and go ‘who?’. Instead he reacts as if electrocuted, which really tells Lydia all she needs to know. Whoever this Amy Benson is, she and Tom have some unfinished business.  Lydia quickly changes the topic, sensing Tom’s not happy to have been asked about Amy, and tells him she’s missed him. Is this true? Tom seems doubtful, but they agree that love often revolves around people entering and leaving each other’s lives, only to pop back up again. Wow, what could that be foreshadowing?

[notes-from-my-journal]

lover series: london boy - t.h.

A/N: And the fluff continues...

Word Count: 2.2k

I love my hometown as much as Motown, I love SoCal

And you know I love Springsteen, faded blue jeans, Tennessee whiskey

In terms of the phrase “some days are better than others” this was definitely one of the others. You felt the homesickness physically churn in your stomach, thinking of LA and the whiskey you would order at the dive bar on Friday nights to celebrate the weekend. Spending last night with Tom was really tugging at your heartstrings, because the dive bar is how you guys ended up meeting. 

“Whatcha thinking about?” he walks up in his Spider-Man suit, smirking at you. Clearly thinking that he was the one on your mind, but you wouldn’t satisfy him that quickly. 

“Home, actually.” You smile up at him. That whiskey sure would help right about now. 

“Missing it?” he questions. “A little bit. Must be nice for you to be filming in London.” 

“Yeah, it actually is. My mum and brothers are going to visit set later today. You should say hi if you, you know, you want,” he stutters the last part out as he tries to cover it with a cough. 

You smile back, equally as nervous. “That’s moving a little fast, don’t you think, Holland?” 

“They already know you basically…”

Your eyebrows furrow. “How so?”

“I may have told them about you…” 

“Tom…”

“No-not like that darling!” Darling. “I just mean, I talk about the cast and crew all the time, and they notice you in particular because you’re the crew member I talk about the most, and I-”

“Tom. It’s sweet, really.” “You think so?”

“Yes,” you chuckle. “I’d love to say hi.” 

His eyes widen. “That would be great! I’ll let you know when they’re here yeah?”

You smile and nod, hearing his name called in the distance on the set. 

“I gotta run, I’ll see you later darling!” he runs off before you can even give him your own nickname. 

It had been less than 24 hours since you had kissed and spent the night just talking about all the feelings you had kept inside for so long until you both fell asleep. You both had to be up at 5am for a 6am call time, but the adrenaline kept you energetic regardless of the three hours of sleep you had gotten. 

Watching him run off into the distance, you were glad you both admitted that “close friends” wasn’t working for you anymore. You knew that “just friends” wouldn’t work the second you met him in the dive bar in LA all those months ago, but to have it reciprocated was a new level of relief you didn’t know you’d be able to achieve. 

But something happened, I heard him laughing

I saw the dimples first and then I heard the accent

six months earlier...

You had walked in with your roommates, hoping to forget about the fact you had the biggest interview of your life earlier that day and that it could make or break your career in the entertainment industry. 

The bar was slightly full, still being early in the evening, and while all the girls went to dance you decided to sit. You had a difficult time bringing yourself to dance with strangers, and sometimes sitting and watching was more relaxing and less anxiety inducing. Turning around, you see one of them already dancing with a tall, gorgeous blonde with the brightest shade of blue eyes. Score. 

“You fancy the seats more too, eh?”

And you’d be lying if you said it wasn’t the prettiest voice you had ever heard. The words rolled out of his mouth like honey, quiet and smooth and delicious. You turned towards the owner to see an even prettier set of curls on the warmest face you had come across in any bar. 

“A little bit,” you smile. He looked familiar. Why did he look familiar?

“Not ashamed to admit I love them. Dancing isn’t really my thing - unless it’s choreographed anyway. Harrison, on the other hand,” he nods towards the tall boy behind your roommate. “My roommate is entertaining him just fine I think,” you gesture towards her, giggling. 

He smiles, the kind that reaches your eyes. He sticks his hand out, “I’m Tom.” 

And then it clicks. You grab his hand, “Thought you looked familiar. I’m Y/N.” 

“Hoping you’re not going to call the paps on me. Trying to lay low tonight,” with any other guy that happened to be a hot celebrity, you would have scoffed. But he was clearly joking around, trying to be lighthearted. It was sweet. “I actually am not a superfan...I just happened to interview for crew today. For the new movie.” 

His eyes light up at the mention of work, “No way! That’s awesome. What do you do?”

You sigh, “Gaffing mostly. Nothing exciting. I really want to produce...eventually.”

“You will be sooner than you think,” he smiles. How could a stranger have more confidence in you than you had in yourself? “Tell you what. If I could just get your phone number, I’ll make sure to put a good word in and then keep you updated.” 

“Put a good word in? You barely know me!” you try to be serious, because this was your career after all, but it was Tom fucking Holland. Why would he do something like this? 

“Because you seem lovely, dedicated to your job just by the look in your eyes when you said the word ‘gaffing’,” he stops to laugh, “and it does help that you are one of the most gorgeous women I’ve ever met.” You scoff. 

Charming. 

And the rest was history. 

They say home is where the heart is

But that's not where mine lives

You were more than relieved to have your feelings towards him be out in the open, but that didn’t mean it was open to everyone else necessarily. You were starting to get distracted at work not only having Tom there, but also thinking of meeting his family? Who apparently already knew about you. 

Shaking off the stress, you continue setting lights and building equipment - something you could do mindlessly while keeping focus somewhere that wasn’t your hot coworker. 

Before you knew it, it was your lunch break. Walking back to the trailer, you feel another hand grab yours delicately. And there he is, once again grinning from ear to ear making you breathless - as if his hand grabbing yours wasn’t stressful enough. 

“Hey! The gang’s all in my trailer, wanna come over for a few?” You swallow thickly. 

You nod and try to manage a smile. “Sounds great.”

You were convinced you had blacked out during the walk to the trailer, just from pure panic. Before you knew it the nicest British family was standing in front of you, with the cutest dog ever. An adorable puppy to add to the fun? Your heart rate was definitely going to set off the Health app on your watch. 

“Darlin’, this is my mum, and my brothers - Sam, Harry, and Paddy,” Tom smiles and gestures to each member. 

“So nice to meet you Mrs. Holland,” you reach out to shake her hand, which she uses to pull you in for a delicate hug.

“Lovely to meet you darling!” This family and that damn darling. “I’m Nikki. Mrs. Holland is a little older sounding than I like,” she laughs. 

“Hi guys, nice to meet you,” you turn to the brothers. Paddy’s eyes had widened when he got a good look at you, and before you could ask why he answers.

“You really are as pretty as Tom described,” Paddy laughs with a blush. 

“Paddy!” Tom yelps. You feel your cheeks heat up. 

“I’m flattered, thank you,” you chuckle. 

“Alright, well I...have to get back to set so you guys can be on your way!” Tom hints through gritted teeth to his family. 

“Oh but my dear brother, we have no idea how to get out of here,” Harry chuckles. “Maybe she can show us the way?” he turns to you with raised eyebrows. Well. 

“Of course,” you smile. No need to be rude, no matter how nervous you were. 

Tom groans, “Please don’t embarrass me anymore. I want Y/N to like me enough to hang out with me tomorrow.” 

You whip your head around, “We’re hanging out tomorrow?”

“Might want to ask the girl out before you assume things, brother,” Sam laughs. 

“Shut up Sam! Yea-ah I was hoping I could show you around Camden Market tomorrow morning? Since it’s our day off but you don’t have to I know you probably have better things t-”

“Tom!” You interrupt. He whips his head up to look you in the eyes. They’re always pretty, but when filled with hopeful anticipation they glow more than usual. How could you say no to that?

“I’d love to. Tomorrow morning. Now let me show your family how to get out of this maze.”

You know I love a London boy

I enjoy walking Camden Market in the afternoon

The next morning Tom is at your hotel door at 9 a.m. - which is considered sleeping in to you two with your schedules - with your coffee order and a smile. Always smiling, even in the morning.

Tom was probably one of the only people that could cause you to smile in the morning. A morning person you were not. And Tom knew that. 

“Vanilla latte,” he hands you the warm cup. You sigh as it rests in your hands. Taking a sip, you close your eyes to enjoy warmth filling your body. 

“Thank you,” you smile. 

“No worries, pretty girl.” You take a pause.  

“That’s the first time I’ve heard you use something other than ‘Dah-lin’,” you giggle trying to mimic his accent. 

“Well, darling is common. I’m trying to not use common names for someone special,” he winks. Damn he was smooth. “Also that is a horrible accent!”

Okay maybe not that smooth. 

He leads you from the hotel down the streets of suburban London, people barely waking up and opening the curtains. Being up early on occasion was nice, just for the sake of the quiet and low risk of running into fans. Regardless of the time, Tom still wore his signature black hoodie when he didn’t want to be noticed. It was sweet that he wanted to hang out with you as privately as possible, and you feel your sleepiness roll off of you as you smile. 

“What’s so funny?” He chuckles. 

“Nothing’s funny. You’re just cute,” you giggle - eyes wide and hands covering your mouth after you realized what you had said. He pulls your hand away from your lips (rosy from the cold). 

He likes my American smile

“Don’t cover that smile up pretty girl” he smirks as he kisses the corner of your mouth. You could definitely get used to this. You know you’re probably making heart eyes when you realize he’s staring at you. 

Like a child when our eyes meet, darling, I fancy you

“Everything okay, Tom?” 

He smiles, but it’s not playful per usual. There’s something deeper behind it. “Yeah I just...I fancy you.”

The moment is ruined when you start laughing. He rolls his eyes. 

“I was trying to be romantic!” 

“That was the most British thing you’ve ever said, I’m sorry!” You attempt to stop laughing while he pouts at you, eventually calming down and kissing his cheek. “I fancy you too, dah-lin,” you giggle. 

“You’re lucky you’re cute.” 

Took me back to Highgate, met all of his best mates

So I guess all the rumors are true

A few nights later, Tom asked you to come to dinner so he could catch up with his best friend, Harrison, near his suburban hometown a few miles away from set. You reluctantly agreed, hoping that it wouldn’t be too weird (unlikely for you and your social skills) but after realizing Harrison was the tall blonde from all those months ago at the club, your heart rate steadied a bit. 

You went to the diner Tom and Harrison would go to when they were younger, and you were surprised at how easy the conversation flowed. By the end of the night, you and Harrison were laughing about how your roommate ghosted him and how much you loved pancakes. 

“Guys I’m literally right here,” Tom rolls his eyes. 

“I think I might like Haz more, babe,” you laugh. Harrison doesn’t say anything when he notices the pet name, he just smiles and feels confident that you would be around for a long time. 

The next morning, paparazzi photos of you three in the diner show up along with you and Tom leaving together. He drinks his tea and slams his phone on the table in his trailer. 

“Fucking hell! I can’t get any privacy even in the suburbs,” he groans. Your eyes soften with empathy. Walking over to where he was sitting you try to calm him down. You grab his hands and kiss his knuckles. He glances at you, and the anger slowly dissipates. 

“It’s okay. At least they’re not rumors right? We really are seeing each other,” you try to amuse him. He lets out a dry chuckle. 

“I guess you’re right. Thank you, pretty girl,” his smile returns and he kisses you gently while you keep your grip on both of his hands. 

“Hey Tom?” 

You know I love a London boy

Boy, I fancy you

“Yeah baby?” 

“I fancy you,” you smile.

[winterisakiller]

Get Better - Chapter Fourteen

Title: Get Better

Chapter: 14/18

Character: Tom Hiddleston/Cath Richardson (OFC)

Genre: Romance

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: Love. Companionship. Family. These are all of the things Tom Hiddleston desperately wanted. But his life and his choices left that a distant and unlikely prospect. So he did his best to move on and live his life as is. When an opportunity to return to the theater arises, he jumps at the chance and along the way finds that maybe, just maybe, those distant and unlikely prospects are closer than he could have imagined. Sequel to Brave Face.

Authors Notes/Warnings: So as I was writing Brave Face I knew that Tom’s story wasn’t over, even if that particular part of it was. And while I knew, more or less, what the overall ending to the story would be, its taken me a while to figure out the time in between.

Thanks to @redfoxwritesstuff​ for being an absolute godsend in regards to this story. I would truly be dead in the water without you.

This story will update on Thursdays.

Tag list: @tinchentitri @theheartofpenelope @noplacelikehome77 @blacksuitofdoom @nonsensicalobsessions @messy-insomniac-bookgirl @wolfsmom1 @just-the-hiddles @theoneanna @hiddlescastle @alexakeyloveloki  @echantedbytwh

Previous Chapter

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

 “You’re back.”

 The words fell from Tom’s lips unbidden as he’d rounded the corner into the dressing room. He found Cath standing at her station, her back to the door and head thrown back, laughing at whatever story Zawe was sharing with her. Tom fought desperately to tamper down the rush of joy he’d felt at the sight of her. Tried to write it off as just the happiness of having his friend back. Nothing more, nothing less.

 Liar!  

 He shook the thought off and fought to keep his face as calm as possible. But from the quirk of Zawe’s brow, as her eyes met his, he knew he hadn’t been as successful as he’d hoped.

 Bugger.

 “Tom,” Cath exclaimed, whirling around towards the doorway, her hand clutched to her chest. Her green eyes were bright and she offered a soft, warm smile as Tom walked into the room and towards her. “Hi.”

 “I trust everything is alright?” He queried as he made his way further into the dressing room, pausing before her station. He made sure to keep a respectable distance between them despite the fact all he wanted was to pull her into his arms. And it simply wasn’t something he could, or honestly should, do. “We missed you.”

 Cath nodded, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. “Everything’s fine. Just a small family matter.” She shrugged and carried on. “I hope Lorna’s taken good care of you lot.”

 “That she did.” Lorna’s voice piped up from behind one of the curtains with a note of laughter in her tone. Tom let out a surprised laugh at the sudden intrusion. He liked Lorna, she wasn’t ever afraid to speak her mind. Or put him in his place. “As you well know, oh insulting one.” She poked her head out, rolling her eyes at Cath.

 “Good,” Cath laughed back, shaking her head. Her eyes sparkled with amusement and Tom felt the all too familiar flutter in his stomach. Tom couldn’t fight the smile that spread across his face. It was wonderful seeing Cath so amused and content. She seemed so at home here. So in her element. He’d missed her far more than he could put into words. “Now,” she started, turning her attention back towards Tom and Zawe, “let’s get you both dressed and ready shall we?”

 “Yes, boss!” both actors echoed as they quickly made their way towards the changing areas.    

 Tom took his time folding his jeans and jumper after he’d changed, setting them carefully on the stool at the back of his curtained station. He didn’t dare look too closely at just why he felt so suddenly on edge. It was bad enough knowing he was far more transparent than he’d intended (if Zawe’s look was anything to go by). Looking further into the whys would only bring discourse he wasn’t prepared to deal with at the present moment.

 Some actor you are, Thomas old boy. Can’t lie to save your bloody life.

 “You alright in there, Hiddleston?”

 Tom jumped at the sound of Lorna’s voice from just beyond the curtain. He took a slow, deep breath to calm the rapid pounding of his heart.

 “Yes. Yes, I’m fine.” He called, running a hand through his hair.

 He turned to look once more into the standing mirror and straightened his suit jacket. Taking a deep breath he pushed the curtain aside and headed back into the main room. He could do this.

                                                          —

 “Glad to see there were no mishaps tonight,” Cath laughed softly as she leaned over to wipe the last of Tom’s makeup from his face. He found himself staring at the point of her pink tongue, sticking out just the smallest of margins between her lips as she concentrated. He was taken aback, once again, but just how striking she was doing something so utterly mundane.

 “It was a close call,” he started with a chuckle, letting Cath lift his chin with her small, warm hand to reach the base of his throat. He was grateful for the movement which forced him to break his focus on her mouth, though the feel of her skin against his was maddening. “Very nearly dropped a glass or two during the second scene. That would have been a treat.”

 Cath chuckled, “Nothing like trying to avoid shards of glass. I’m sure Zawe’s feet thank you for not actually doing so.”

 “That they do,” Zawe called from the next station. She held up said feet, wiggling her toes in Cath and Tom’s direction. Tom swatted at Zawe’s feet while Cath laughed and shook her head. “Fine, fine. Spoil sport.”

 “Alright, Tom. That’s you done.” Cath turned to toss the used wipe into the rubbish bin by her feet. He didn’t immediately climb to his feet, instead sat for a moment trying to gather his thoughts. She was so close, he could feel the heat of her against his side. It shouldn’t matter, she was his friend; that was all. He’d made certain of it. But knowing it and forcing himself to accept it where two completely different things.

 “Tom?”

 He shook himself, immediately bounding to his feet. “Sorry, lost myself for a moment there.” He rocked awkwardly on the balls of his feet for a moment before mumbling, “I’ll just…Go change,” and hurrying towards the curtained changing area.

 Once he was safely absconded behind the curtain, Tom lowered himself onto the stool in its corner (once he’d moved his street clothes to the floor) and cursed at himself. Seriously, what was wrong with him? What happened to his ability to play it calm, cool, and collected? He did this sort of thing for a living, surely some of it had to rub off eventually. Wouldn’t it?

 Tom took several deep breaths, his head cradled in his hands. He needed to pull himself together before he went off and did something stupid. Again. That was a course of action he could ill afford, with things as shaky between them as they were. With determination, Tom pushed himself back to his feet. He slid the jacket of his suit off his shoulders and carefully onto its waiting hanger. Jumper, shoes, and trousers were next. He slipped quickly back into his street clothing and with one last glance around the room to make sure his suit and accessories were properly sorted (it was a habit he didn’t bother trying to break) he headed back out into the main dressing room.

 Charlie was paused at the dressing room door, chatting quietly with Zawe as she ran a quick comb through her hair. He glanced up at Tom and smiled, “Ready?”

 Tom nodded, “As I’ll ever be.” He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. “Shall we?”

 Smiling the three headed down the staircase, through the hallway and out onto the street to meet with the evenings’ stage door crowd. Tom smiled and laughed as he talked with fans, posing for pictures when asked, signing programs and various other items handed him (within reason) and doing his utmost best to make each encounter as open and genuine as he could. While stage door wasn’t a requirement, he knew how important it was for fans and (within reason) he wanted to give what he could to show his appreciation.

 And for the most part, the fans were lovely; giddy and excited as they spoke with him (and with Charlie and Zawe as the moved down the ordered line). There were the few odd encounters, those who wanted more than the usual small talk/photo/signature, but nothing that raised any flags with him or with his security. He still had trouble wrapping his head around the need for them, but several bizarre encounters had made their need clear. So they remained.

 He turned his attention to the next fan who approached the barricade, flashing a warm smile. “Hello, darling, what’s your name?”

                                                         −

 Tom smiled and waved as he headed back into the theatre, doing his best to ignore the groans of disappointment from those still left waiting. A part of him wanted to stay longer and sign all he could (and in years past he would have) but he’d learned well over the last few years just how important limits were, for others and for himself. Once inside the theatre, he climbed the stairs two at a time, suddenly desperate for the comfort of his own home.

 The lights were still on in the dressing room and as he rounded the corner he found Cath and Lorna still inside. Zawe was there as well, settled onto the small cushioned chair a few feet from the door. All three of their backs were towards the doorway, purses piled on the chair at Lorna’s station, and they talked as they completed the final bits and bobs of the nights’ straightening.

 “I mean it, Lorn,” Cath breathed, hands on her hips. “I don’t want to make a big deal of it. Seriously.”

 “But it’s your birthday!” Zawe cut in, disbelief clear in her tone, “We can’t just not do something.”

 “It’s your birthday?” Tom asked without thinking. All three women spun towards the doorway to face him. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.” He grinned sheepishly at the women standing before him. He hadn’t intended to eavesdrop (let alone get himself caught at it).

 “Nosey git,” Zawe teased, flashing him a cheeky grin. “You just have to be in on everything, don’t you?”

 Tom chuckled shrugging and running a hand through his hair. “It’s a terrible habit, drove my mother and sisters mad as we were growing up.”

 “I can only imagine,” Cath added, laughing and shaking her head. “And it’s not my birthday yet. Next week Saturday, actually.” She paused and let out a soft sigh. “These two seem adamant about making a huge deal of it.” She narrowed her eyes at Lorna and Zawe, who smiled brightly back at her.

 “Well then,” Tom started, clasping his hands together before him. “Happy early birthday.”

 She smiled warmly at him. “Thank you.”

 “Is there any reason why you are so against celebrating?” Tom was most likely pushing his luck, he knew it, but his innate curiosity wouldn’t let him leave the matter alone.

 Cath dropped herself onto the chair at her own station, and folded her hands in her lap. “I just don’t see the point. I’ve done the big party thing and it’s honestly not me.” She shrugged. “I would much rather be sat at home with a film and a glass or so of wine. No fuss needed.”

 Tom nodded. “My elder sister’s the same way.”

 Cath laughed. “Smart woman.”

 “She has her moments,” Tom joked. He unconsciously reached his hand up to rub the side of his neck. “Well, I just wanted to say good night.” He smiled softly at Cath and turned to nod at Zawe and Lorna. “I’ll see you lot tomorrow. Be safe getting home.”

 He turned quietly towards the doorway and a chorus of “good nights” followed him out of the dressing room.

 As he jogged down the stairs he found himself thinking over the conversation they’d had; grateful for another piece of the puzzle that was Cath. She had burrowed her way into his life in a way he hadn’t allowed in so long. She deserved something for that. Something to show her, despite all of his fuck ups and his faults, that he valued her friendship and her warmth.

 He nodded at the guard at the door, pausing to wish him a good night as well, and followed his driver back out into the cool early May evening.

                                                       —

 Tom let his eyes fall to the wrapped gift sitting on his side table. It had taken nearly two days, and more shops than he’d care to admit, before he’d found it. He’d been so focused on finding the exact right ‘something’ (he refused to let himself think on just why that mattered so dearly to him) that’d he’d very nearly missed it. The battered, leather bound book had been half buried in a pile of heavily read paperbacks in the charity shop not far off the main road in Notting Hill. He’d moved the pile at least twice before he’d spotted it. And even when he had, he’d very nearly overlooked just what it was.

 Cath had talked about it just once. They had discussed books they’d loved as children during the first few days of the play’s run in their bid to get to know one another. Hers had been a battered copy of The Tale of Peter Rabbit which her grandmother had given her when she was a small child. The book had belonged her to grandmother (she’d had it since she was a little girl herself) and had definitely seen better days; the binding was loose, the cover page torn in several places, and there was an odd stain that no one seemed to be able to account for. But she had fond memories of both her grandmother and mother reading the story to her. It had been lost in a move when she was in her late teens and while she could easily find a more modern edition (and initially had done so) she had always hoped to find that particular edition once more.

 Tom had no idea if the book he’d found was in fact the right edition, but had purchased it without a moments’ hesitation. How could he not, finding it like he had? When he’d opened the book once he’d gotten home, he’d been startled to find it was a first edition; certainly not in the best repair but a hasty Google search had found it was worth much, much more than the paltry £1.50 he’d paid for it. Pure insanity. He certainly wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

 He’d spent far longer than he should have making sure the book was wrapped as neatly as he possibly could. He’d thankfully had wrapping paper that was not Christmas themed (Emma and his mother had gifted him several rolls of Christmas themed paper a few years back and he’d slowly been working through the backlog since) hidden in the back of his closet. Plain though it was, it was infinitely better than anything brightly colored and covered in reindeer or Christmas baubles. While he didn’t think Cath would have turned her nose up at seasonally incorrect paper, Tom wanted everything to be perfect.

 Now all that was left to do was wait. And he’d never been brilliant at waiting. Yes, he certainly could when the time called for it (and he’d had great practice at it over the years). But this…This was different. Waiting was excruciating. All he wanted was to see her face when she tore open the paper and found what was waiting inside. Tom wanted nothing more than to see the joy spreading across her features, her eyes lighting up as she realized what she’d received. It wasn’t the same book, no, but it was as close as he could come.

 Bobby barked twice, breaking Tom from his meandering thoughts. He glanced down to find the spaniel looking up at him with impatient eyes. Tom had been up and about for almost two hours now and while he’d fed Bobby and let him out back to relieve himself, they’d yet to go on their customary run. And that clearly wouldn’t do.

 Tom let out a soft sigh. “Alright, give me five minutes and we’ll head out.”

 Bobby barked once more and scampered off towards the front door. Tom shook his head and made his way upstairs to change. Bobby was still at the door, waiting with a wagging tail when he jogged down the stairs several minutes later. He barked twice as Tom hooked him into his leash and harness, vibrating with eagerness. He grabbed his phone and wallet from the side table, shoving them into the pockets of his running shorts.

 “You, my lad, are a menace.”

 The spaniel rapidly wagged his tail in response before barking once more. Shaking his head, Tom pushed open the front door and led them both out into the bright sun of the early May morning.

                                                       —

 Cath chuckled and shook her head as Lorna proudly paraded into the dressing room cupcake in hand (with a flickering lone candle), singing ‘Happy Birthday’ at the top of her voice. Zawe, who’d stopped by the theatre early that afternoon, joined in clapping her hands and laughing as Lorna placed the impromptu cake before Cath at her station.

 “I hate you both, just so you know,” Cath threatened, laughing as she blew out the candle.

 “Worth it,” Lorna shot back, pulling Cath into a tight hug. “Happy birthday, babes.”

 Cath returned the hug with enthusiasm. It had been a busy day thus far. Her mother had woken her far too early with her customary birthday call. That call was followed in short order by calls and texts from her siblings wishing her the same. She’d treated herself to a large latte and sweet treat on her way to the theatre (honestly how was she supposed to resist the gooey cinnamon buns they’d had at the counter? It was her birthday after all).

 Cath eyed the cupcake with longing. It was a white iced monstrosity that looked as though you’d gain a stone just by breathing it in; she couldn’t wait to see how it tasted. “You really shouldn’t have though.”

 “Like that’s ever stopped me,” Lorna snorted. She pulled out an envelope from behind her back and presented it with a bright smile. “Yes, I know I didn’t need to. I did it anyway. So take the card and deal.”

 Grumbling, Cath reached out and took the envelope, tearing it open with a practiced ease. She smiled at the cutesy card Lorna had chosen. Finding the most ridiculous card had become a tradition between them and this time Cath had to admit Lorna had certainly come through. Nestled inside the card was a gift certificate for one of Cath’s favorite coffee shops. She laughed aloud. “You are only feeding my addiction, you know this right?”

 “What else are friends for?”

 A flash of movement beside her tore Cath’s attention from Lorna. She turned just in time to see Zawe pop a finger covered in frosting into her mouth.

 “What?” Zawe started, with a smirk. “I washed my hands.”

 Cath stared at her in disbelief. After a moment she grabbed the cupcake, slid it closer, and covered it with a napkin. She narrowed her eyes slightly. “Try that again and talent or not, I will end you.”

 Zawe clasped her hands to her heart. “Aw, Cath, I didn’t know you cared.”

 “It’s cute you think I’m kidding.”

 Zawe just grinned back and pushed herself up from her chair. “Anyone fancy a coffee?”

 “Actually Zawe that would be wonderful.” Tom’s voice echoed from the doorway.

 The three women jumped and turned towards the doorway in unison. They looked at Tom and then at each other, bursting out in nervous laughter at their ridiculousness.

 “Who says I was offering for you, Hiddleston?” Zawe quipped, recovering first. She crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to look stern. An attempt ruined by the smile that threatened to spread across her face.

 Tom laughed, his head falling back. “You did leave it rather open,” he pointed out once he’d recovered, his shoulders still shaking slightly.

 “For that, my dear man, you can get your own coffee.” Zawe turned back to face Cath and Lorna. “Any takers?” She grabbed her purse from Lorna’s station top and headed towards the door.

 Cath laughed, shaking her head, “I’m good.” She was still vibrating from the latte she’d had earlier. Maybe those four shots of espresso were a mistake.

 “I’m game! I’ll have a large mocha latte, please,” Lorna called. She paused momentarily before adding, “With extra chocolate and whipped cream.”

 “And I’ll have a double espresso!” Tom called to her retreating form. Zawe flipped him off as she jogged down the stairs.

 Cath sighed and shook her head before turning her attention towards Tom. “Like you possibly need more caffeine.”

 Tom grinned at her. “I didn’t say I needed it. I fully acknowledge my caffeine over indulgence.”

 “Well,” Lorna chimed in looking back and forth between Tom and Cath. “They say acknowledgement of a problem is the first step.” Cath saw the knowing look in her friend’s eye and hoped to god for once Lorna would hold her tongue. This was not what she needed today. Not on her birthday.

 Tom chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 Lorna let out a snort. “Please do.”

 Wanting to stop the conversation from venturing down roads she absolutely did not want taken, Cath clapped her hands together. “You’re early today, Tom.” A flash of movement near his feet caught her attention. She looked back up at Tom and smiled. “And you’ve brought company.”

 Bobby barked once, tailing wagging ferociously as he tugged at his leash. Cath laughed and dropped to her knees. Bobby barked excitedly and charged towards her. Tom had brought the spaniel to the theatre off and on during the run, mostly on double performance days. Cath had enjoyed the dog’s company, having unofficially become his minder when Tom was on stage. And Bobby had taken to her as well.

 She’d had a dog growing up, a black lab they’d called Shadow. He’d been an energetic, friendly animal whom she loved fiercely. It had broken her heart when they’d had to put him down (he’d had what the vet thought had been a stroke and had lost a good deal of function). Bobby reminded her a lot of when Shadow has been younger (though she admitted with a rueful laugh Bobby was three times the trouble maker Shadow ever was) and she enjoyed the simple joy of doggy companionship without the hassles of actual ownership.

 Bobby licked her face eagerly, clearly thrilled to see his new favorite playmate. She laughed at the spaniel’s eagerness and Tom’s admonishment. “Bobby, sit!”

 The spaniel paid him little mind and Cath could hear his groan of annoyance. “It’s not my fault he likes me best,” she teased, pulling back enough to look up at Tom with a bold grin.

 She couldn’t quite read the emotion that sparked through Tom’s eyes. Didn’t dare let herself think too much on it. Going down that road when he’d been clear it wasn’t what he’d wanted. Or at least wasn’t worth it to him to try. It was gone in a moment though, his smile bright. “He’s a sucker for attention.”

 Cath flashed him a cheeky grin. “Well they do say dogs resemble their owners…”

 Lorna snorted, covering her mouth with her left hand. “Oh Tom, you’ve walked right into that one.”

 “Ha ha,” Tom deadpanned, shaking his head pointedly ignoring Lorna who only laughed harder. He turned his attention back onto Cath who was chuckling away while scratching behind Bobby’s ears. “And to think I was about to wish a certain someone a happy birthday.”

 “Aww, Tom, no need to be a grumpy Gus just because you’ve been called out,” Lorna laughed, settling back into her own chair.

 “Don’t you have costumes to check or something?”

 Lorna clasped a hand over her heart. “I’m hurt, Tom. Truly hurt.”

 “Somehow I think you’ll recover,” Cath joked. She gave Bobby one last scratch behind the ears and pushed herself back to her feet.

 “Et tu Brute?” Lorna turned towards Cath, eyes comically wide. Cath merely smiled and shrugged. “So ungrateful,” Lorna huffed with a hint of a smirk on her lips causing Cath to laugh despite herself. “I can see when I’m not wanted.” She pushed herself up from the chair and to her feet. Taking one last look around the room, Lorna let out an exaggerated sigh and headed for the doorway.

 Tom chuckled and shook his head. “Flair for the dramatic that one.”

 Cath quirked an eyebrow, “You’re one to talk, Hiddleston.”

 He simply shrugged and let his backpack slide off the shoulder he’d rested it on. He placed the bag on Lorna’s station top, unzipping it without ceremony. From the bag he produced Bobby’s dog bed, a fair bit squished in the journey and a plainly, but neatly, wrapped parcel.

 Cath eyed the parcel with a keen interest. She hadn’t wanted to get ahead of herself or to assume, but she couldn’t shake the niggling feeling that it was for her. He’d clearly taken his time wrapping the thing, whatever it was. The paper folded nearly onto itself, edges defined and taped with precision. She watched the way he handled the package with the utmost care.

 In the end curiosity won the battle over propriety and Cath found herself asking, “Whatca got there?” Her eyes darted from his face to the parcel in his hands and back as she awaited his answer.

 Tom paused, the parcel still clutched tightly in his hands before raising his eyes towards hers and offering a soft smile. He took a deep breath and without ceremony extended his arm and the parcel towards Cath. “Happy birthday.”

 “I…”Cath started, taking the parcel from his hands unable to fight the involuntary smile spreading across her face. “Tom, thank you. You honestly didn’t have to…”

 “Nonsense,” he chimed back. “I found it and it made me think of you. It’s your birthday and you deserve it.”

 She blinked back at him. “Thank you.” She placed the parcel on the edge of her station and without letting herself overthink the action, pulled him into a brief embrace. Her action startled him, it was clear in the way he tensed before relaxing and wrapping his own arms around her. Cath knew she was pushing the invisible lines that had been drawn between them, knew she could so easily tip the scales in a way that would only cause them both distress, but she couldn’t stop it had she tried.

 “You’re welcome,” he breathed into her hair.

 His heart thumped against her ear as she remained pressed against his chest and she found herself reluctant to want to pull away. Cath knew she needed to, knew letting herself remain in his arms was not smart nor particularly good for her sense of wellbeing. But he was warm and comforting and she wanted to believe just for this one moment in time things were different. That they were different. It was stupid and selfish but knowing that did little to cease the wanting. The yearning.

 With great reluctance she made herself be the first to pull away. She could sense the hesitation in his embrace before he let her go. She couldn’t look him in the eye, knowing she’d crossed the line that he’d drawn and she hadn’t protested. Cath cleared her throat and turned her attention back to the parcel on her station top. She tore the paper with great care, more than she usually reserved for gifts, wanting to respect the effort he’d clearly put into the project.

 Confusion then disbelief spread slowly across her features as she found the book nestled in folded sheets of tissue paper. She blinked back tears as she looked up at him, words escaping her. Her mind flashed to the afternoon, months ago now, when they’d talked about stories and books they’ve loved. How she mentioned, in passing, her grandmother’s copy of The Tale of Peter Rabbit and how heartbroken she’d been when it was lost. A conversation that lasted no more than five minutes. How had he possibly remembered?

 “How…?”

 Tom smiled warmly. “I found it in a charity shop and I knew you would love it. I don’t know if it’s the same edition or even close, but I just…I had to.”

 Cath launched herself at Tom, not caring that doing so was the height of impropriety. They both stumbled backwards, nearly tipping over before Tom had been able to right them. She buried her face in his chest, torn between laughter and tears. He’d given her something truly priceless and she didn’t think she could find the words to express just what this meant to her. “Thank you, thank you, thank you..,” she murmured over and over again into his chest.

 She felt the rumble of his soft laughter against her cheek. “You’re more than welcome.”

 He ran his hands up and down her back, his touch no doubt meant to be soothing. It sent shivers down her spine and she bit back a groan. He was such a tactile person, seemingly had always been that way. And she loved and hated that about him. Loved the way his hands felt on her, even in the most platonic of touches. And hated the way she knew his touches were meant to be just that. Platonic. Safe. Friendly. He was that way with everyone. And once again she selfishly wanted once, just once for him to touch her because he wanted to. Because it was her warmth and affection he sought with his own.

 Cath banished the thought away. If wishes were horses…She raised her face to his and offered a watery smile. “I…Thank you. So much.”

 Tom returned her smile but didn’t say anything else. They stood, staring at one another, neither speaking. Cath shivered as she felt Tom’s thumb brush her cheek, wiping away the tears that remained there. His touch was warm, the skin of his fingers softer than she’d expected. There was a flash of something in his eyes she couldn’t place. She licked her suddenly parched lips and watched in dazed wonder as his eyes flicked from hers to her lips and back.

 And just like that night they both seemed to move without conscious thought. Cath could feel the warmth of his breath against her slightly parted lips. So close. He was so close…

 Bobby’s sharp bark erupted through the silence of the room. They both leapt backwards in stunned startlement. Cath could feel her heart pounding in her throat. Laughter echoed from the hallway. She whipped her head towards the door in time to see Lorna making her way back into the dressing room, Zawe beside her a cardboard container with three takeaway coffee cups. Both women paused halfway into the room their eyes darting between Cath and Tom. Cath felt her cheeks flush and she fought to suppress the traitorous reaction of her body.

 Lorna smiled coyly. “Are we interrupting?”

Next Chapter

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: Love Language, ch. 6

[tomcuddlesfic]

The Truth Between Me & You

TITLE:  The Truth Between Me & You

ONE SHOT / MULTICHAPTER: One Shot

AUTHOR : tomcuddlesfic WHICH TOM/CHARACTER:  Tom x OC

GENRE: fluff / romance / angst / family drama FIC SUMMARY: Ever since she could remember, Lily knew she was the black sheep of the family. She was always in her older brother Phillip’s shadow and she was never taken seriously. When Tom, Phillip’s best friend, shows up to the wedding, Lily’s attraction to him flares up and suddenly, she’s caught between telling the truth and losing everything or the man she loves.

RATING: T

AUTHORS NOTES/WARNINGS:  It’s been SUPER LONG since I last updated on this page and yes, who am I? Who is she? I completely forgot about her. Well, I can’t say I’m officially back but I was inspired by a song and my head kind of went crazy and I really needed to write it down. So here it is. It’s super long (5,200 words) and I was going to break it down to two parts but I have no time for that.

Tom didn’t know how long he sat in his car outside his best friend’s house. He continued to stare at the modest red bricked house he practically grew up in with Phillip and his little sister, Lily, remembering his life before he was launched into the spotlight and made it big. Before where he wasn’t constantly being followed by cameras and he could get a damn cup of coffee from his neighborhood café without it being splashed on the front pages of The Daily Mail. The simpler days were what he deeply craved right now especially since at the age of thirty-eight, he was sending off his last bachelor friend into the land of holy matrimony while he had no inkling of a love interest in sight. Of course, despite his desperately single status, the tabloids had a way to spin anything into a story.

Just last week, his publicist, Luke, rang him at five in the morning, alerting him that he wasn’t going to like what he sees when picks up the paper. Apparently, Tom was in a secret relationship with Ukraine’s top model with icy blue eyes and hair so blonde, it was almost white. Tom had only met her in passing at one of the galas he was forced to attend because his agency thought it would be a good networking session and if he was being honest, he couldn’t quite remember her name. Lydia? Linda? Lisa?

“Are you just going to sit there all day or are you going to come in?” A female’s voice broke through his thoughts so abruptly, he jumped up in his seat, and banged his head on the roof of his car. The owner of the voice snorted.

Rubbing the top of his head, he whipped his head and glared at the strikingly beautiful woman standing next to his car. For a moment, Tom was rendered speechless. It has been a long time since he saw Lily. Aside from the few short emails and text messages exchanged between them and any news passed on from Phillip these past few years, Tom hadn’t actually seen Lily all grown up. Instead of the awkward gangly kid sister he had engrained in his memory, Lily, at age twenty-nine, had filled out her figure. From her silky violet bridesmaid’s dress that hugged her body, he could tell her breasts were full, probably spilling out of his large hands if he were to cup them. His eyes lowered from her cleavage to a trim waist and hips that flared out. He didn’t have to look to know that Lily had a great ass.

“Tom?” Lily knocked on the window when he continued staring. “My eyes are up here.”

Tom gulped, his cheeks warming. Did he really get caught staring at his best friend’s little sister?

“For the record,” He opened the car door smoothly, effectively pushing her back away from him, and slammed it shut. “I was looking at the stain on your dress.”

Lily gasped, looking immediately down at her spotless dress and growled. “Still haven’t grown up?”

“No, I’m afraid not.” Tom smiled smugly and walked past Lily, leading the way into the bustling house filled with family and friends. Phillip and his fiancée had chosen to keep the celebrations small, opting to hold the ceremony in the backyard they played in during their elementary school years. “How bad is it in there?”

“Why do you think I’m out here talking to your lanky arse?” Lily huffed, trailing after him. Her dress was so long, she had to lift up the fabric just to walk. She picked up her pace and walked ahead of him, confirming his earlier suspicion. Lily had an ass that made Tom’s mouth dry and his pants a bit tighter. “Brace yourself, mom’s a bit high-strung.”

 **

It had been almost six years since Lily last saw Tom. That is, of course, if that didn’t count all the movies or television appearances and the tabloids Lily religiously watched Tom in. One movie was all it took to take her brother’s best friend from small town actor that barely scraped by to a hot heartthrob that was loved by all. Sometimes she hated the character Loki. If Tom never got casted as Loki, he would have stayed in London more. He wouldn’t miss any important traditions or events like Christmas, Phillip’s birthdays, or most importantly, her birthday. Every event Tom missed because of his hectic schedule, was an event that Lily felt an unexplained feeling of emptiness to. It just wasn’t the same without the curly blond boy who taught her how to ride a bike because her father was too busy at work and Phillip had more important things to do than to teach his kid sister. Or how Tom always managed to keep the peace between her and her older brother when things got too heated. Without Tom as a buffer, Lily often struggled being in the same room with her family.

Lily sighed deeply, watching wearily at her loud obnoxious aunts who caged Tom in like animals ready to pounce and feast. She had finally moved out recently to a nice studio flat near the inner heart of the city and every time she had to step back inside her parents’ house, she felt like she was trapped. Lily always knew she was an outsider, a black sheep that nobody understood. Her father had pushed for her to get a reputable business degree but she still managed to continue her passion for photography on the side. In fact, she worked was an investment banker during normal working hours and a professional photographer after. Lily was good at her work. She was proud of it but her family never understood it. They thought of it as a silly fad that would pass soon enough and even laughed when she brought up the idea of quitting the bank to be a full time photographer.

It was another reason why her showcase was so important. Lily needed her family to see her work and take her seriously. She poured her heart into every photo taken, capturing the right moments at the right time to tell stories that could never be told with words. Just then, her Aunt Shirley, dropped her the contents of her purse, leaving Tom to bend down to pick it up. His dress pants pulled tight across his butt, leaving little to no imagination. Tipping back her flute of champagne, she gulped it down in one shot.

He had suffered enough.

“Tom, I think Phillip wants to see you.” Lily walked over to where he stood and squeezed his forearm for his attention. Her mind instantly went to dangerous territory that came with being near him. He smelled good. His lanky build had been replaced with thick muscles and the way he looked at her never failed to send shivers throughout her body. Lily was going to be in trouble if she spent any more time with him.

“Great!” Tom smiled broadly and excused himself from her aunts who tried to hold him longer with more questions and compliments about his latest work. Once they made their way back into the house where Phillip and Holly were getting ready, Tom’s smile immediately dropped. “You know you could have saved me sooner.”

“I was busy.” Lily shrugged, grabbing another flute of champagne off the tray from the passing waiter, and drank a long sip.

“You were watching me being eaten alive.” Tom grit his teeth and narrowed his gaze on her. Did his eyes linger on her mouth or was that just her being loopy from so much alcohol?

“You were fine.” Lily retorted.

“Your aunt grabbed my ass.”

“She must have been disappointed.”

“You didn’t seem so when you were staring at it earlier.” Tom pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Says someone who stared at my tits longer than my face.” Lily mimicked his stance, and raised an eyebrow. His eyes met hers and grew darker. The room suddenly felt a few degrees hotter as they properly studied each other. She had a few boyfriends growing up but nothing ever lasted long enough to get past the heavy petting stages. If she were to be honest, she probably wouldn’t have let herself take any step further. None of the guys she went out with ever stirred the unwarranted feelings inside her now than Tom.

“Hey, shit head.” Lily’s brother’s voice broke the delicate silence between them. Phillip walked into the room, dressed in his sleek black suit, and clapped a hand on Tom’s shoulder before embracing him in a hug. “I’m glad you made it or else I would have dragged your ass here no matter which country you were in.”

Tom laughed, squeezing his old mate tightly before pulling back. “I had to give my condolences to Holly for marrying your ugly face. How she holding up? She’s not still crying or trying to escape right?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Phillip rolled his eyes, his face growing somber. “I mean it. I’m glad you made it.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Tom replied, feeling his chest constrict. He hadn’t been a good friend. With his crazy lifestyle involving long extended filming schedules, he had found it extremely difficult to keep up with everyone. When he was immersed in a project, he tended to leave things by the wayside. It had gotten so bad that Tom almost forgot about the wedding if it weren’t for Lily’s email asking if he was going to have chicken or fish at the wedding. His eyes flickered to Lily who seemed fascinated by the floor.

“Lily, why don’t you go and see if Mom needs help?” Phillip asked, his voice cold to Tom’s ears.

Lily looked up immediately. Her jaw tightened and her eyes narrowed. “Sure.”

What had happened between these two? When the three of them had been in the same room together six years ago, the brother and sister duo seemed as tight as ever. But now, they appeared to be strangers.

Squeezing past the, Lily ventured back out into the backyard where everyone sat waiting for the ceremony to begin.

“Something wrong?” Tom asked, watching Lily go. Her shoulders hunched as she walked closer and closer to her mom.

“Nothing much changed.” Phillip sighed, his gaze following where Tom watched. “She’s been a brat then and a brat now. I thought she would have grown up by now after graduating from University but she’s gotten worse.”

“Come on, Phillip.” Tom laughed lightly. “What could have she done?”

“She stole from my parents, Tom.” Phillip said gravely. His face was filled with pain as he relayed the story. “Took my mum’s pearls and pawned it off for money so she could buy a new camera.”

Tom had trouble believing Lily would do such a thing. After all, this was the same Lily that had been shoved across the playground after she told her teacher which one of her classmates cheated on a test. She didn’t care about the consequences simply because she did what was fair and right. But it had been six years since he’s last seen her. Six years could change someone. It had definitely changed him.

Tom swallowed, finding a lump in his throat. “That’s awful.”

“She paid her back soon after she started her job but…” Phillip inhaled a sharp breath. “It’s hard to regain trust after something like this. I just never thought she would go to these lengths just for her silly hobby. If she needed money, she could have asked. I would have lent it to her but she went behind our backs and it’s tough…”

Tom could only nod, digesting the information that he was once again fooled by his attraction towards a woman.

**

The ceremony had ended an hour ago. Dinner was served and in proper wedding fashion, Lily had gotten borderline drunk. It was all she could do as she watched her brother and his now wife slow dance across the makeshift dance floor in the backyard. Lily had slipped inside, unnoticed like always, and watched the festivities from the kitchen window. She sipped on her glass of wine, and hummed along to the soft music playing outside.

Holly was a good woman. Lily could sense someone and tell who was genuine and sincere. Although Phillip was a news anchor, it was never Holly being the lucky one who snagged someone as famous or as wealthy as him. Lily saw the opposite. She saw Phillip being the lucky one to marry a woman like Holly who was forgiving, selfless, and extremely loving. In fact, Holly had made Phillip a better person and that was something Lily could attest to.

Something moved behind her.

Startled, Lily let out a short yip before splashing the contents in her glass across the floor.

“Tom?” She squinted at the dark figure standing a few feet from her.

“Lily.” Tom confirmed with his low crisp voice that made her brain run wild. How did he sound like when he woke up in the morning? How would he sound like if he was on top of her or when he came? Lily mentally shook her head before looking at the floor.

She grabbed some towels and threw them down to soak up the mess, watching them stain red.

“Already tired of being the center of attention?” Lily asked, cleaning up the mess as best as she could. She could only do so much as intoxicated as she was.

Tom grunted before kneeling down and helping her clean. She looked up just as he did, locking eyes.

“Why are you in here?” He asked, quietly.

She blinked, taken aback by his question. Her heart clenched as she stood up straight and went to the sink to wash her hands. “Some people don’t like big social gatherings.”

Lily said calmly, not facing him because she couldn’t trust herself with him. She felt raw and vulnerable around him with her piercing eyes that seemed to see her for who she really was. When everyone else seemed to be hearing static on a radio, Tom always seemed to find the right notch and hear her loud and clear.

“You’ve been avoiding everyone.” Tom stated, and walked right up behind her. She could lean back and fall into his safe embrace. Where was he when she needed him the most?

“There’s no proof.” Lily turned around, letting her eyes slowly run up from the middle of his chest to the base of his neck and finally to his devastatingly handsome face. She gulped.

“Lily, tell me what happened.” His voice firm, completely opposite to the fluttering of her heart. Her chest ached because Phillip had told him and now he was no longer going to be on her side. Tom probably thought the worst of her just like her family when she revealed the truth.

The truth made her laugh.

“You already know.” Lily laughed bitterly, moving away from him but only to have him grab her forearm, holding her in place.

“I want to hear it from you.” Tom spoke louder, irritation lacing his words. It made Lily sick to hear how he was speaking to her. Never once in their years of friendship did Tom use this tone of voice with her.

“I sold my mother’s pearls for an old camera so I could take photos for my portfolio.” She let the words fall out robotically. It was the same story repeated over and over again whenever someone asked why she wasn’t close with her family anymore. The people who she told were always taken aback by her bluntness and her character but what could she do?

The statement was met with silence.

She shook her arm, peeling back his fingers that gripped onto her and caressed it to her chest. She needed to leave. Her emotions were already wrung out by everyone’s judgmental stares this evening. Nobody could ever get past the idea of the groom’s little sister stealing from her own family. If she left now, she could get to the grocer’s and grab some ice cream before they closed and return home to a bubble bath where she soaked and ate ice cream by the pint.

“I don’t believe you.” Tom finally spoke. “The Lily I knew wouldn’t do that.”

“You barely spoke to me in the past six years, Tom.” Lily scoffed, fighting back tears. Damn, she really needed to go before she exploded. “I’ve changed.”

**

Lily was back at her parent’s house again. It was a week after the wedding so she thought it would be an appropriate time to go back and retrieve the last few remaining items in her bedroom. This would hopefully sever the strings attached between her and her parents. With proper planning and execution, Lily believed she could get away from seeing them except for the holidays and birthdays. Inhaling a deep breath, she braced herself for the awkward greetings but no amount of deep breathing exercises would prepare her for the sight of Tom in her parent’s house.

Lily had left after their conversation in the kitchen, refusing to look back at the house, and saying goodbye to everyone. She knew her aunts would have something to say about her rudeness but she didn’t care at that point. She needed out. Tom had not tried to contact her afterwards and for that, she was glad. Lily didn’t need the constant reminder that Tom was disappointed in her as well.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” Lily closed the door behind her and stood from the doorway, watching him sit on the couch in the living room, watching the morning news.

“I was invited for brunch.” Tom explained, watching her closely when her face crumpled and quickly snapped back to a fake happy self.

“Right.” Lily blinked, refusing to let being uninvited to Sunday brunch dampen her moods. This was what she wanted. A clean cut from her family so she can go on and live a happy life where people never thought of her as a pest or menace. “I won’t be staying…I have some things to pick up and then I’m out of here.” She laughed breezily before running up the stairs to her bedroom.

She slowly cleared off her bookshelves, taking the photo frames off and carefully putting them in an empty box. Lily sniffled, allowing a tear slip when she saw a photo of her brother and her at the local fair. They were happy then. It was one of those rare moments in their siblings dynamic did she feel equal and appreciated. Growing up with Phillip had been hard as she was constantly in his shadow from his grades to his sports events to his family’s general appreciation for him.

When she finally packed up the last box, she started carrying them one by one to her car parked outside. The outside porch steps creaked as she climbed down and when she climbed back up, her grip on the railing slipped. It was shaky and loose. Frowning, Lily went to the garage and grabbed a hammer and some nails to fix the mess before her mom got hurt.

She was just about finished fixing the mess when Tom’s voice broke her concentration.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t believe you.” Tom said behind her.

“I can’t help you there.” Lily packed up her tools, turned and squinted up at him. “I am what they say.”

“If you were really as awful as others say, you wouldn’t fix the railing for your mom.” Tom pointed out simply. “You would have left that railing like that and not care if your mom or someone else had gotten hurt.”

Lily was gob smacked. Once again, Tom saw right through her charades. She wanted to cry into his arms, have him tell her everything will be okay, and let her have things return back to normal. But she knew nobody could be her hero.

“Got me there.” Lily admitted defeat and slowly got back to her feet. She walked back to the garage to put away the tools as Tom followed her.

“Why did you tell everyone you did it?” Tom asked urgently. “Why? Who are you trying to protect?”

“Tom, I’ve been an outsider in this family since the day I was born.” She whipped around, her eyes fierce, and voice strained with emotion. “Let’s face it, I wasn’t your friend. I was your best friend’s annoying little sister. You had to play with me or be around with me because I was part of the package deal. I’m not little anymore. I don’t need you to be here out of obligation.”

Was it really that bad? Tom thought back to their childhood days and slowly pieced together faded memories. Him and Phillip raising hell on the school playgrounds, Lily always following closely behind, and Phillip telling her to leave. It was what normal brothers do. Or how dinner time at their house went down and Phillip would always be able to share his school stories at the table but Lily’s stories were ignored or cut off by someone. Or when Lily expressed her interest in arts during school and everyone taunted her for it, telling her it was a silly dream for someone like as she had didn’t have talent. One memory burst in his memory. It was when Lily wanted to audition for a lead in the school play and her parents had laughed and told her she shouldn’t bother if she wasn’t good as Tom.

Tom had laughed along with them, taking it in as teasing but now in hindsight, he wanted to punch himself.

“You are not an obligation.” Tom gritted his teeth. “You are special to me and I care about you. I can tell, Lily. I can tell that you’re breaking so just tell me so I can help.”

Lily squeezed her eyes shut and put her hand on her forehead, willing silence in her mind. Her brain was swimming with memories and emotions, dizzying her to no end. “I lied for Holly.”

“Jesus.” Tom ran a hand through his hair. He swore. “Holly?”

“Her uncle needed to repay a loan and threatened to ruin her relationship with Phillip if she didn’t give him money.” Lily spoke quietly but firmly. She wrung her hands and sobbed. She had no clue what to do when the pearls went missing and Holly came crying to her, asking for advice. Holly was so afraid of losing everything with Phillip, it broke Lily’s heart. So she protected Holly by lying. This was for the greater good, she had thought. She didn’t feel like she was part of the family already so what harm would it have done if she lied for Holly?

Only she didn’t know it would hurt so much worse.

“You let everyone think the worse of you because of Holly?” Tom began pacing, clearly agitated and frustrated. He could punch a wall. He wanted to scream for the injustice.

“If you can’t beat them, join them.” Lily shrugged, and laughed sadly before wiping her tears away. Thrown back from the embrace of his hug, she stumbled little before he righted their balance. Tom hugged her tightly as if he was trying to hold it all together for her.

“You have not changed one bit.” Tom muttered, pressing his lips to the top of forehead and inhaling the sweetness of her fruity perfume she wore all throughout her teenage years. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. “You are still a bloody idiot.”

Before Lily could have a chance to retort, Tom pressed his mouth on hers. His body felt alive as he finally did the one thing he wanted to do all along. Deeply relieved that his premonition was right and that Lily was nothing like the deceitful women he met in his life, he slowly it himself fall for her.  He wasn’t sure but somewhere between remembering their earlier days together, her growing up to the woman she was today, and watching her go to great lengths to save her family, he found himself in love. His heart thumped against his chest as he deepened the kiss, savoring the softness of her lips, the short sighs escaping her mouth, and the feeling of her body melting into his. She was all he needed. And she was right there in front of him all along.

Lily felt like she was in one of her dreams. More specifically the dreams she had when she was a teenager and when she had a secret crush on Tom. The dreams had always ended up with a kiss from him. She would never admit this to anyone but when she watched him kiss his costars in movies, she often wondered how it would feel like. She imagined it to be great but definitely not this good. Inching up her tippy toes, she gained better access to his mouth. Her breasts rubbed against his solid chest, aching to be touched. She wanted him. She needed him.

“What the fuck!” Phillip’s voice roared. Her body slammed against the garage door before she was able to right herself. For a second all she saw were two bodies wrestling on the grass. They tossed and turned, Phillip, at one point straddling Tom, and throwing a punch right to his nose. A sickening crunch made Lily shrill hysterically. Undeterred, Tom grabbed Phillip’s shirt and tossed his body like a rag doll off of him. He rolled on top of him and was ready to beat the shit out of the man who was supposed to protect his little’s sister and instead turned his back on her without hearing her side first when Holly ran out of the house and got between them.

“Stop it!” Holly yelled, separating them with her hands. “Stop it right now!”

Tom exhaled a deep breath and dropped Phillips shirt, and backed away. His eyes landed on Lily who was cradling her arm close to her chest and clearly in shock.

Phillip slowly rose up from the floor and looked at Tom like trash on the street. “You’re really out here trying to fuck my little sister?”

Tom shook his head, ready to explain himself and his feelings when Lily cut in.

“It was me.” Lily said, looking at Phillip. “I kissed him first.”

Phillip looked back at Tom for confirmation but Tom was flabbergasted by Lily’s lie. Frozen solid, Tom blinked in confusion at Lily when she spoke again.

“It didn’t mean anything though.” Lily smiled, shaking her head. “I just wanted to kiss a movie star and I did it.” She shrugged and looked at Tom. “It was good but I’ve had better kisses.”

Tom didn’t meet her smile. His stomach had fell when she saw the fake Lily take over the one he loved. The one who acted like what everyone thought of her and pretended like she had no feelings or regards for others. It was complete bullshit. No one kissed him back like that unless they felt something. And what they shared during the kiss was everything. He wanted to vomit. This was all going entirely wrong and there was nothing he could do to get her back. It wasn’t his secret to tell because he knew if he did, it would ruin all of their lives.

“I guess I’ll go now.” Lily moved away from the crowd, still holding onto her arm. Tom could see her shoulders folding in, the way she did when she was holding in a sob.

“Wait!” Holly cried, her big eyes glistening with unshed tears. All eyes focused on her as she looked to the floor. “I have something to confess, Phillip. I’ve been carrying this guilt ever since a month ago when all this started.” She gestured with her hand, the space between him and his little sister.

“It’s my fault.” Holly said quietly. “I’m the one that ruined your relationship with Lily.”

“What?” Phillip breathed. “Darling, I don’t understand.”

“My uncle.” She hiccupped, silent tears falling down her cheeks. Phillip tensed at the mention of him, inching closer towards Holly. “He needed to pay back a loan.”

Lily watched at his brother squeezed his eyes tightly, digesting the news. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down his throat. “Did he hurt you?”

“No.” Holly cried. “He wanted me to give him money or else he would do everything in his favor to ruin our engagement. I couldn’t, Phillip. I couldn’t. I didn’t have the money and I became desperate so that’s why I took your mom’s pearls. I was going to earn back the money and buy it back but she found out.” She paused, shaking her head. “I confided in Lily but I didn’t expect her to cover for me like the way she did. She didn’t steal the pearls for a camera, Phillip. She never did. It was me.”

Phillip watched his wife cry as she hugged herself tightly. He didn’t know what to do or how he should feel. As his gaze left his wife and slowly went to his little sister, his heart squeezed tightly.

“Lily…” He said, not knowing where to begin. “I’m the worst brother.”

Lily inhaled a sharp breath.  She was crying just as much as Holly now. “You’re not.”

“I am.” Phillip shook his head. “I’ll never be able to forgive myself for how I treated you and I can never apologize enough. I’m so sorry.”

He reached for her, stopping halfway, unsure about his actions. Lily met him halfway and walked into his arms, hugging her older brother tightly. Burying her face in his chest, she squeezed tighter, crying for all the times she wanted her brother to protect her and letting go of the past.

When Phillip pulled away from Lily, he looked at Tom. “I may not have been a good brother back then but this shit changes now. If you fucking break her heart, I’ll break you.”

Tom grunted. “No need for the threats. I will never hurt her.”

Phillip nodded and released Lily to attend to his wife. He grabbed his hand and murmured into her ear, leading them back into the house where they could have some privacy.

“Let me see your arm.” Tom demanded, rushing to Lily’s side. He gently inspected it, noticing the slight bruising but nothing too serious to raise alarm. “You’re going to need ice.”

He frowned when she winced.

“So much for never hurting me.” Lily teased and yelped when he pulled her into his embrace, careful not to hurt her more.

“Are you always going to be this sassy?” Tom pressed his forehead against hers, allowing his heartbeat to go down from the adrenaline rush.

“Yes.” She quipped, kissing him softly on his mouth.

“I thought I was going to lose you.” He confessed quietly, his chest constricting at the mere thought. Lily was the only constant in his life that grounded her at this point. He couldn’t imagine days without her.

“It broke me more than I thought it would.” Lily stroked the side of his face with her index finger, studying his facial features.

“Promise to always work things out instead of running away?” Tom kissed her mouth softly.

“Promise.” She said, returning another kiss.

[rambling-at-midnight]

Protection: Part 13

The next update won’t be for a while because I haven’t written it all out yet, but it should be either the last or penultimate, depending on how it all plays out... Anyways, enjoy!

6:00: Hour One

Tom has to fight the almost-forgotten urge to chew on his thumbnail with anxiety as he welcomes the first guests to the gala. O’Brien is late, but that isn’t a surprise; nobody likes to show up on time, especially not boys that have had everything handed to them on silver platters their whole lives. Either you show up early to work business deals or at least five minutes late. It’s another one of those unspoken rules.

Unless you want to make a scene, you’ll show up five minutes late. Tom had wanted to make a scene; he’d wanted to show everyone that the Y/L/Ns and the Hollands are allies in the most extravagant way possible, and now he’s trying to work it out so that you don’t make an appearance at all.

Harrison bumps up beside him as Tom greets an old wealthy couple that are basically retired from the life but still have reputations that make them nearly untouchable. “No go,” Harrison mutters. “Unless we tell her, she’s not going to leave.”

Tom’s smile freezes on his face. What he wouldn’t give for you to be easy just once in your goddamn life. Why can’t you take Devin and Harrison’s words at face value when they say that it’s not safe for you anymore? Why can’t you not take everything as an attack on your strength?

Why couldn’t Tom have been a little more attentive? He should have known. He should have known that all the marks on your body couldn’t have just come from missions, considering your ‘ghost’ reputation. There was no way you’d gotten caught that many times, no way your father’s money couldn’t have fixed all your scars up, not unless he wanted them to be a reminder. Of course, all the scars are easily coverable by clothes, and Tom should have known. He should have known.

Why couldn’t he have refused the deal? His father always told him to watch out for the Y/L/Ns, but then Tom had to go and help one of them fake his death and signed a contract over the other one (that he also happens to be infatuated with). His pride and his arrogance had screwed him over.

Dimly, Tom realizes the clean solution to this mess is to kill you and your father. That would keep him on top, business-wise, and the lengths he overstretched himself to would be erased. Everything would be fine. He’d be fine.

He’d be terrible.

Zendaya Coleman, probably the person Tom trusts most in the world besides Harrison and his family, arrives and a real smile lights up Tom’s face for the first time. Her talents include being an heiress and fashion icon but not being particularly interested in continuing her family’s business. Mostly she travels the world and appears at various functions. She’s the only smart one out of her, Harrison, and Tom; she’s the only one that knows she’s already too rich and therefore doesn’t need to keep working.

What’s Tom working towards, anyway? Soon enough he’ll have all the money in the world besides Haz and Z, and then what will he have?

Not you, that’s for sure.

“Harrison told me you’re in a bit of trouble,” Z whispers into Tom’s ear while hugging him.

“Haz doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Tom replies, keeping the pleasant smile on his face so passerby just think they’re talking pleasantries. He’s not really in trouble. He’s got an issue, but there are solutions right at his fingertips, so long as he reaches out for them. One bad investment isn’t going to ruin Tom’s career (unless said investment slits his throat, and at this point he wouldn’t put it past you).

“Do you need any help? You know Austin or Julien would love—”

Tom shakes his head and takes a step back, clearly dismissing her. Zendaya stifles an eye roll and walks into the ballroom, murmuring, “Think about it,” as she passes.

Dylan O’Brien arrives eleven minutes late. He must be trying to make a statement.

“Tom!” the boy exclaims. Tom’s not sure if the boy is actually happy to see him. He seems to be under the impression that the two are friends, but Tom’s not sure if that’s an act or not.

You’d be able to tell Tom within seconds whether it was an act or not.

Tom pushes that thought away and greets O’Brien.

7:00: Hour Two

“I think a deal looks to be in our future,” Mr. Stroker concludes. He’s awfully bold to act like he has something to offer Tom rather than just wanting a hand in Tom’s bank accounts. On the one hand, it’s manners. On the other, Tom’s quickly growing disenchanted with the flowery words and careful way to say things without actually saying it. Maybe Z does have a point…

“It would be a pleasure to do business with you,” Tom replies, agreeing to nothing. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Starr,” he dismisses, pressing a quick kiss to the back of Mr. Stroker’s daughter’s hand. She’s nothing special. Tom’s sure other men would love the idea of a girl that can hardly think for herself. Though she is reasonably attractive, the completely sheltered upbringing most trophy girls are brought up in eliminates all of their independence and critical thinking. Tom’s seen firsthand how demanding they are from being used to having all of their needs met from that one time Haz’s parents tried to set him up with a girl. Their courtship had lasted about two weeks.

Starr Stroker (Tom thinks blandly if that is supposed to be a dirty play on words or something) blushes the way she’s supposed to and simpers, muttering something that is so noncommittal and soft that it could literally have been anything. They both disappear into the moving crowd of flashing dresses, jewelry, and wine glasses that make everyone look like multicolored beetles rather than people. Oh, if only they actually were insects. If only Tom really could squish each and every one of these people beneath his shoe.

Before anyone else can petition Tom’s time, Devin slides into the seats vacated by the father and daughter, glaring viciously at a man that takes a half-step in their direction. She doesn’t need to mess around with the politics as much as Tom does, and he envies her for that. The only people assistants answer to are their bosses, and only she knows that Tom isn’t going to punish her for doing what he so desperately wants to do.

On the other hand, Tom’s supposed to not answer to anyone and have everyone answer to him, but on the other hand history is fraught with rebellions of the commoners overthrowing their kings. He doesn’t want to give anyone the reason to do so.

“She’s not leaving,” his assistant says without preamble. “She’s got it into her head that you’re not actually going to kill O’Brien or just trying to take away her kill. Besides, she doesn’t even want to talk to me.”

Tom’s mouth quirks up into a smile despite the situation.

“I don’t know what you did to her, exactly,” Devin continues. “But I do know she doesn’t trust me because I work for you—”

“Smart decision,” Tom nods. Devin silences him with a glare.

“The only solution I can see to this is telling her the truth,” she concludes.

Tom’s shaking his head before she even finishes. “No way.” He’ll use the excuse that he doesn’t need that getting out; that his reputation could be slandered, but why would it be? People would just nod, accept that the Y/L/Ns and Hollands apparently have an alliance now, and if they had contacted your father about the Hollands before in any derogatory way, well, they’d be quick to cover their tracks and possibly flee the country.

In truth, he can’t stand the thought of having protected someone that’s caused you so much pain. More than that, he can’t stand the thought of the look on your face, like he’d betrayed you—because Tom had—if you figure it out. It would damage the trust between you two—not that there’s any there anyway. If anything, it would completely shatter the relationship and burn the bridge (the bridge that you’re still dangling from, rope around your neck like a thick necklace, bright against dull grey rock).

Devin sighs and stands up. “I’ll… get Y/N ready.”

“Hey, when Y/F/N gets here, have him go to a separate room,” Tom instructs, a bright idea forming in his mind. “Have Haz get him in there.”

Devin shakes her head. “You haven’t seen Harrison. If he sees Y/F/N—”

“Tell him to stop acting like Y/N is his little sister and man up,” Tom interrupts. “We’ve seen worse things happen to better people.”

“Not people we’ve loved.”

Tom doesn’t have a reply for that.

8:00: Hour Three

O’Brien approaches Tom shortly after 8:00, not aware that his time on this earth is drawing to a close and that he should be praying or whatever someone does when they’re facing certain death. Tom wouldn’t know; even if he was staring down the barrel of a gun, as long as you’re holding it, he’s nothing less than immortal. Even if only for a second before your fingers squeeze the trigger.

“I saw the headhunt you put out,” Tom mentions. The boy has a few glasses in him and his smiles are more open than they should be. Tom almost feels guilty; O’Brien was raised in the life but his parents were only minor and didn’t take the training as literally as they should have. After one big break O’Brien was shoved into the spotlight, but he’s never been suited for it, no matter how much he enjoys the eyes assessing his every move. “Y/N Y/L/N, right? Thought she’d left the life.”

O’Brien chuckles and shakes his head. “Y/N’s still alive, if that’s what you’re saying. I’m trying to change that.” He nudges Tom twice with his elbow and all pity is erased; Tom’s jaw works and he has to exercise his self-control so as not to shoot O’Brien right here and now. “No, she was a little bitch,” the boy continues, still unaware of how much he’s pushing it, “and a boy’s gotta have some fun, you know?”

“And your fun is…”

“She refused my first idea of fun, so I suggested the second,” O’Brien answers. A sick feeling erupts in Tom’s stomach; he knows exactly what the boy is implying.

Tom may have flaws. He may be a murderer. He may blackmail people and torture people, but at least he doesn’t order headhunts on people simply because they don’t want to screw him.

“Well, good luck with that, I guess,” Tom replies, clapping him on the shoulder and trying to turn away.

A ripple of shock passes through the crowd of shiny beetles and Tom catches the barest hint of it. He turns around as O’Brien turns, trying to catch wind of what’s caused so much shock, only to see you on the arm of Harrison. You’re wearing a simple dark y/f/c dress, and your throat, ears, and wrists are bare, though when you turn your head Tom can see faint glimmers in your curled hair.

You’re not a beetle. Tom wonders if Devin had done that intentionally, or if it was all you.

Through some unconscious movement, people clear a path between Tom (and subsequently O’Brien) and the newcomers, probably waiting for Tom to tear you to pieces for arriving late, hanging onto his second, no less. Tom can already imagine the rumors.

O’Brien’s eyes narrow. “You—” He looks at Tom out of the corner of his eye, which is always a bad move. You should never take your eyes off your opponents.

A loud bang sounds through the suddenly-silent ballroom and O’Brien falls like a puppet whose strings had just been cut. Tom steps neatly out of the way so blood doesn’t seep into his shoes, though a drop had landed on his cuff. He wipes it off with his handkerchief.

“Oh, don’t mind us,” Harrison says, his voice way too loud in the silence. If you’d said it, it would have sounded too cocky, but Harrison’s humor is infamous. A low, uneasy chuckle sounds throughout the room, as if from everyone instead of only a few people. “We’re just here to enjoy the party.”

Tom signals for the music to start up, and by then everyone’s placed you. The great Y/N Y/L/N, back again after years of radio silence, on the arm of Tom’s second but without any baubles glinting in the lights. Everyone wants to know what you and Tom are planning, because Harrison obviously isn’t involved in any of this. If he was, you’d be a beetle too.

Tom barely catches your eye before the beetles swarm in around him, scavenging for flesh.

9:00: Hour Four

Tom’s maids dragged away O’Brien’s body in a bag and draped a rug over the bloodstain on the floor. If anyone hesitates to step onto it, the guards stationed around the room will report on it back to Tom and he’ll decide how to proceed from thereon.

By now Tom’s already gotten a few drinks in him and this whole party is starting to look a whole lot better. Now the glints of light off of necklaces and jewels is pretty and catches his eye, rather than giving him a headache when they flash in his vision.

He’s trying to focus on the pretty lights rather than the noticeable lack of flashing in one corner of the room, where you’re surrounded by every suitor you’ve ever scorned. They’ve apparently all forgotten your rejection, though, and Harrison’s presence isn’t enough to keep them from kissing the back of your hand.

When Tom passes by the first hand, he overhears “—so hard, without your father—”

When he passes by the second time, he overhears, “—happy to help whenever you need—”

He doesn’t pass by any more than that. You’ve already noticed his hovering, but then everyone else would also notice. It’s enough for you to show up at one of his parties; the Hollands might have gone to Y/L/N parties, but never the other way around; it was just the way Y/F/N did business. More than five men more than twice your age but still intimidated by you have approached Tom, hoping to broker a deal with you through him. As if he’s a messenger boy.

Tom approaches a reasonably attractive girl and asks for this dance without even thinking about it. She’s pretty enough she’ll be good company as long as she doesn’t try to speak to him, and she looks smart enough to have a conversation for more than a minute. It’s definitely a good sign when she’s alone or with friends, not trailing after her parents. She agrees and he sweeps her out to the dance floor.

At one point you lock eyes with him mid-dip and Tom has the irresistible urge to drop the girl there and then. He tightens his grip around her instead and you look away into the eyes of a boy that’s taller than Tom but poorer, with straight hair instead of curls.

10:00: Hour Five

Harrison drops you off by where Tom’s sitting at the bar for some relief from the incessant people asking for business deals. His presence is enough to provide you some relief from the constant badgering of boys hoping to get inside your accounts and your pants in one go.

You know you can’t show any discord to the public, so you go and sit down next to Tom. He doesn’t hesitate before asking, “I don’t suppose now you’ve killed him you’ll leave?”

“So eager to get rid of me,” you drawl. “I don’t suppose you’ll tell me why I should leave.”

“I don’t suppose I will.”

“Then I don’t suppose I will either.”

“Would you leave if the party was over?”

“Yes,” you say without thinking. He immediately jerks to stand up, but you yank him back down again until his face is inches away from yours, eyes wide with surprise and something else you can’t quite read. “But I don’t think this party will be ending anytime soon.” The way you say it is a threat, and Tom’s pathetic, because he finds it hot. “Haven’t you heard, Holland?” You smile bitterly as the last name cuts deep into Tom’s chest. “I get my way most times.”

“You’d hate me for what I did,” Tom whispers, swallowing dryly. What can he say? He’s a sucker for you. Even if it kills him. Even if you kill him.

“Then why would you bring it up at all?” You counter, letting go of his shirt collar like it had burned you. It had, in a way; your fingers had brushed up against Tom’s skin and it had sent shocks racing up and down your arm. “Why try to fix it? Why not try to bury it?”

“It’s a bit unburiable,” Tom laughs. “It’s a bit unfixable, too.”

“No problem is unfixable,” you laugh. “Didn’t I just fix the one that brought us together? All it takes is a click and a bang.”

Tom’s eyes widen. All it takes is a click and a bang. He’d been considering it, sure, but now that you’re here, with your stone-cold eyes that he remembers once being warm, the possibility seems real. He can break out of these rules that chafe against him like rough metal handcuffs in this way. If he let you in on it… if he told you what was going on… can he trust you not to kill him? Can he trust you to follow through with the mad, half-thought-out plan brewing in his mind?

Well, Tom thinks a bit crudely, I’ve already trusted her with things more intimate than this. Might as well try.

Because, and no matter how much it pains him to think this, you’re outnumbered. You wouldn’t really be able to hurt Tom if you two were alone in a meeting room that’s filled with Tom’s guards.

If only Tom could lower his guard. If only he could be alone with the girl he loves without wondering if she’s going to kill him.

“I’m trying to fix what I did,” Tom says, a little pleading. “Just hear me out, okay?” He stands up and holds his hand out to you. You take it after only a second’s hesitation.

Protection Taglist:

@littlemarvelqueen @musical-whovian @lemirabitur @childofcrystals @bubbles1642 @annymcervantes @sleepybesson

Forever Taglist:

@lemirabitur @annymcervantes @queenmissfit @quiet-because-it-is-a-secret @iksey