#also: got a nice sweater and thought it would impress michelle and she said 'you should've checked the mirror before you bought it'

[tommytranselo]

had to get a suit for the francis mcreary lawyer job interview mission and like...it’s hot but it kind of looks wrong i think niko is just meant for casual clothes.  he’s supposed to be a little grimy it’s his natural habitat

[kurt-nightcrawler]

How to know if the lost girls have a crush on you

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐩! 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

Warnings: mentions of drug use and language

Word Count: 1.9k

A/N: I know requests aren’t open jddndjdj but I enjoy writing for the lost girls so enjoy!!

Darcy

Darcy is a sucker for romance

She’s a bit shy and awkward, despite her semi-scary looking demeanor 

(She’s 6’0 and has resting bitch face)

Darcy isn’t going to be super obvious or up-front about her feelings at first though

It will be the cliche “we’ve been friends for 10 years and everyone knows we like each other except us” 

Darcy will always have a hand on you. She wants to feel your presence 

subtle touches, little “pinky holding” or her playing with strands of your hair

Her poking any freckles you have when she first discovers them

You’re one of the few people she let’s mess with her hair. Which is a telling sign

“Your hair looks nice Darce” “thanks, (Y/N) did it” “oh worm? 👀” 

She loves having you run your hands through her hair, it soothes her

Sometimes, if you can’t make it to the cave— bad weather, car trouble, etc.— shell come over and you guys watch a movie together

Darcy’s got an extensive tape collection of rom-coms, so she’ll pop one into the tv and snuggle under covers with you

She’s probably going to ask to borrow your clothes if she’s “really cold” since she exclusively wears sports bras and her leather jacket

Also she likes that your sweaters and sweatshirts smell like you 

But you’ll definitely have to have been friends for awhile before she even CONSIDERS telling you how she feels

“I live forever. I have to be sure about my feelings and what if I get rejected?” “Anyone who rejects you is stupid. Almost stupid as Michelle—“ “HEY!” 

But overtime she’ll try to make things more obvious— to the point where Pauline and Marcella are teasing you both and then she kind of HAS to come clean

But you find it sweet! 

And a bit shocking, someone as powerful and strong and amazing and gorgeous as her, has feelings for YOU??? damn okay babe 

Dominique 

Dom is going to be a bit cold at first

It’s not necessarily intentional, but she just has this aura of mystery around her

Those icy blue eyes that peer into your soul

And anyway she wants to get to know what you like and if you like her

If not, she can’t exactly force you 

Cough cough Michelle cough cough

 Anyway, Dominique will try to learn about the things you like so you have something to talk about

Even if they aren’t her cup of tea. She’s a good listener and likes seeing your face light up and you so passionate about a subject/hobby

Dom is going to steal buy you things she thinks you’d like

“You said you liked cherry chapstick. I got you some.” “I got you some chips and your favorite soda in case you’re hungry” “Here. I saw this giant care bear and thought of you.”

It’s sweet, but you feel a bit flustered and embarrassed, not giving her anything in return

“Seeing you smile is enough, Kitten”

Speaking of! Pet names! 

Dominique finds using your full/actual name too personal

So if you have a nickname she’ll use it. If not she’s given you pet names— most notable are Kitten and Pumpkin

She’s not big on physical touch but sometimes she’ll put the idea of it into your mind so you want it

She won’t manipulate you, but she wants you to come to her. She’s had too many bad experiences where she confessed first, and she doesn’t want another one

So when you do finally confess to her she’s all smug and knowing

“I um… I really like you… and uh well—“ “I know.” “Oh…” “I like you too.”  “Oh!”

 Marcella

She’s going to be playful and flirty with you but quick to deny anything the other girls accuse her of

“No I don’t have feelings for (Y/N)! Shut up!” “Haha you so do!”

She’s rowdy and high energy but also more quiet than Pauline

So she’s not going to just blurt it out or recite sonnets for you

Instead she’ll give you a patch she was going to put on her jacket. Or make you a cool little pin

She’ll constantly hype you up if you’re wanting to try new fashion styles or wear something out of your comfort zone

“You look amazing! Better than any girl out on the boardwalk” “You really think so?” “I would never lie to you. Honest.” 

She’ll let you braid her hair and stick all kinds of colorful little clips and barrettes in her curls 

(I know they weren’t popular until the 90s but imagining covering her hair in hundreds of little butterfly clips!) 

Honestly she’ll be like those movie scenes where “do you like it?” *it’s hideous* “if not you don’t have to wear it!” “No. I’m never taking it off.” 

She asks you to help care for her pigeons so you guys can bond together more

“Does Pauline or Sebastian usually help you feed them?” “No. No one does. I don’t let them.” “Oh…”

If someone upsets you she's ready to go and have them as her meal for the night

Sometimes you have to stop her

“Look! Cathy from my work is a total bitch but you can’t kill her! I won’t have anyone to cover my shift tomorrow”

“Fine… You're lucky I love you”

“What?”

“What?” 

She’d probably accidentally tell you and then act like she has no idea what you could be talking about

“Well I like you too. But I dunno… Dom’s pretty cute too—“ 

“Oh that’s it!” She’s definitely smothering you in little kisses and tickling you, getting you say you’re sorry and say you think she’s the cutest

 Pauline

She’s just going to blurt it out point blank. 

Why wait? If Pauline likes someone, she likes someone! She may be immortal but she’s also immortally impatient 

She tells you she likes you so much you start to think she’s kidding

But she’s not! 

She’ll bring you baked goods edibles and take you out to concerts and maybe steal your shoelace to wear on her wrist

Sometimes you’ll have little “sleepovers” and you’ll hangout at the cave. Usually this means sharing a joint and watching her play songs on her guitar

She’s definitely not exclusively playing romantic songs for you

One night she’ll get high and just pour her heart out to you

“And I think you’re one of the coolest people I’ve ever met, and I’ve met a lot of people, babe… And sure, I’m definitely a bit ditzy but I’m not completely stupid! I know you don’t believe me, but I really really like you! I think about you a lot and I hate when you have to leave right before the sun rises. And on nights you can’t hangout with us it’s so boring! We do the same things every night, but you always make them special. I really like you babe… I really really like you…”

She’ll wanna take you out on a little date to one of the small bands playing on the boardwalk and you’ll both dance together and she’ll be real giddy and excited and probably kiss you but it’s really messy and quick because she was just so wrapped up in the music! 

 Michelle

She’s really obvious

Like, staring at you with heart eyes when she first sees you out on the boardwalk

She’ll try to not-so-subtly follow you around. She’s not being creepy, but she just wants to admire your beauty 

She thinks she’ll never see you again

Imagine her surprise when she sees you again! 

“Told you! She probably lives around town” “Shut up Sam!” 

You’ll eventually confront her and ask what her deal is

“Oh! Uh, um, well, I just— I... like... your outfit?...” 

She’s bad at coming up with an alibi

“thanks. I get most of my clothes at the thrift store away from the boardwalk. Wanna join sometime?” “Uh yeah! Sounds good!” 

She’s going to do some dumb things to impress you— racing on her bike, getting more piercings, dressing in lots of leather, offering to buy you food— but you think it’s cute

She’ll follow you around like a lost puppy at times, partially cause she’s new in town

Sam likes you though!

When you and Michelle hangout, you’ve usally got the braincell and you don’t tease Sam for liking comics so much

“No Samantha, I’m not taking you to the comic shop” “Aww Sammy I will!” “Thanks (Y/N)! You’re the best”

Honestly you knew the whole time she liked you! You had moments of doubt but she’s always so obvious about it. Once you even swore she drooled over you

A bit gross, but you were also eating ice cream so…

Visiting her at work! She’s a lifeguard down at the beach! She’s definitely trying to get you visit her ;) and go swim and sunbathe ;) maybe have her “perform cpr” on you ;)

But you’d still have to make the first move if you wanted it to go any further 

 Sebastian 

He’s got this aura of mystery around him 

But he’ll steal glances if he spots you in the crowd, thinking you’re cute

The lost girls will want him to bring you back to the cave

He will, but not for awhile

It will be small one on one hangouts and dancing together on the boardwalk 

Walking in and out of shops, saying you’ll buy things but you never will

Sebastian will offer to pierce your ears and paint your nails 

Night swimming together! 

Sebastian definitely has really floral swim trunks, almost like tacky dad Hawaiian shirt print 

He’ll do the thing where he’s under water for a long time and then jump up and scare you

Once you meet the girls you’re all playing games together like sharks and minnows, chicken

Sebastian always wants to team up with you though. Even if teams aren’t a part of the game

He likes to read. He’ll spend a good amount of time at the bookstore on the boardwalk, staying there for hours reading books, and leaving with a whole stack

If YOU have a book he wants to read/borrow he will definitely maybe leave a little sticky note in it as a thank you

“thank you! ur sweet :D <3” 

Laura will love you!! 

She’s very close to Sebastian and everyone thinks they’re siblings, and they most definitely have the dynamic 

So if Laura likes you, Sebastian will definitely like you. I mean, he already does, Laura just kind of seals the deal, ya know?

Dominique and Pauline will be the most blunt about Sebastian’s feelings for you

“He’s like Darcy. Not necessarily the most obvious but you can tell” 

“It’s so obvious. He like, talks about you all the time when you aren’t around and he’s got this real love sick look in his eyes”

Dominique is going to interrogate you to see if you’re “worthy” or not of Sebastian. 

“Sebastian is my— our friend— like a brother almost. Hurt him and I will kill you :) that is a promise” 

Once she deems you good enough she’s going to push Seb into asking you out. “You guys already go on enough ‘dates’ just make it official” “no” “-_-“ “hhh fine”

Sebastian is going to be really simple with it but also kind of coy and shy. He’s nervous. He’s much rather you asked him out or confessed your feelings but he’s willing to go first. He finds himself trying to compete and keep up with the girls. He’s the only boy, and while it may not matter he doesn’t want to seem weak and pathetic while they’re big strong vampires

Anyway once he tells you how he feels he’s all red in the face and nervous!! Poor boy

He’ll constantly ask to kiss you all the time, worried maybe you don’t want him to but you’re always reassuring “yes, Seb. you can have a kiss” “thank you” 

[thesameasbe4]

Tangled Up in Tuscany

Sebastian Stan showing all of us that he’s really just a normal guy with a nice jaw line. 

It wasn’t my first time in Tuscany, but the last time had been over ten years ago on a high school trip. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite the same experience this time, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. I stepped into the grand entrance of the hotel, doing my best not to look too out of place amidst the fine room and well dressed people. I had not traveled with the rest of the wedding party out of Atlanta, unlike the rest of them, I had a real job and couldn’t just take off three weeks for a luxurious wedding, so I was the last to arrive by about five days. And in that time I had been bombarded by the photos and messages on the bridal party group text of all the extravagant things they had been doing. Touring old churches, wine tasting, eating at the most elegant restaurants. While I was a tad jealous, I also got the impression that doing these things in the company of the other bridesmaids would perhaps detract from the overall experience. So it was what it was.

The door man walked me to the front desk where I shyly greeted the shrewd desk clerk. “Hi, I should have a reservation under LeBlanc.” I spelled it and his rather illustrious eyebrows lifted. “Tu parle francaise?” The man asked.

I smiled a little and shook my head, “Non, je ne parle pas francais, je parle l’anglais.”  

“But it is a French name yes?” He pressed, and I responded in the affirmative. Seeming in better spirits he motioned to a man standing to my left in some kind of negotiation with another clerk. “It seems you two are here for the same event, do you know each other?”

I looked again at the man, he had dark brown hair and a five o’clock shadow covering his strong jaw line. He fit in here, dressed in his well cut European suit and perfectly coiffed hair. Returning my focus to the clerk and straightening my posture, I responded, “Nope, never met him.”

“I think you stole my room,” the gentleman interjected in what I was surprised to hear was an American accent.

I raised an eyebrow in his direction, “Indeed? I have arrived just now, so I don’t know how that can be possible.”

“No look, I think Liz switched the name on the last available room,” he persisted.

“Well I guess you do know the bride then,” I said, noting his casual use of my friend’s name. I replied, “Why would she do that?”

“Look I don’t know, but Joe said there was a room waiting for me here and that was a few days ago.”

I pulled out my phone, planning on giving the bride and groom a call to get this sorted out when the big white numbers on the screen reminded me that it was 3 AM. Sighing, I looked at the clerk, “Are there any more vacant rooms?”

“No madame,” he responded, his voice pinched again like when I first arrived, “that was how we first developed this misunderstanding.”

“I guess that makes sense.” I looked again at the gentleman, “Can you prove you know Liz and Joe?” He reached in to his inside jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. He swiped around till he found what he wanted and handed it to me.

“That was two years ago in Prague, we worked a movie together.” My eye swept the screen, finally making out the face of the man that stood before me in a cluster of several other people dressed in period clothing. “Also, Joe is allergic to shellfish, which he learned while in Hawaii only after eating an entire shrimp and pineapple pizza.” I laughed, anyone who knew Joe had heard that story.

“Well, you can bunk in my room tonight if you are desperate, then we can get this all settled at a decent hour tomorrow.” I wiggled my room card at him.

“I don’t wan’t to impose,” he said, suddenly looking concerned.

“Look, you already have. All I want is a hot shower and a few hours of sleep, and this compromise is now the quickest way to getting that.”

Maintaining eye contact with me he worried his lower lip, “okay, I guess.”

So we made our way to the elevator. “And I do really appreciate it,” he said as the elevator started going up, “I hope I wasn’t too rude, I just always have really bad luck in Italy.”

“Well let’s hope this trip breaks the cycle, cause I don’t know that I will get another shot at a Tuscany vacation.” I said stepping out of the elevator and into the hallway, locating our door by the small pile of bags that were waiting for us.

I handed him the key as I gathered my things. “Um, I think we made a very American mistake,” came a voice from inside the room.”

“Huh?” I said confusedly, groaning as I came to stand next to him. The room only had one bed.

…

A string of profanity ambled out of my mouth as I stripped in the bathroom. I had insisted that I didn’t need to be put up in such a nice hotel, especially if Liz was paying for me, but no, she wanted me to be with the rest of the wedding party, she wanted me to get along with her fancy Hollywood friends. So here I was in a swanky ass hotel with a strange man that I had, in my fatigue and delirium, decided to trust.

After several minutes of letting the hot water loosen my back and shoulders I climbed out of the shower and slipped into a pair of leggings and a tank top. “It’s all yours,” I said as I traipsed past the much too small bed on which the stranger was lounging.

“Hey, whats your name?” He asked and I stopped, realizing I hadn’t even thought to ask him his God damned name.

“Michelle,” I said, holding my hand out to him. He grasped it firmly and shook.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Sebastian.”

I fell into a fitful rest quickly after laying down and I didn’t wake up till the sun began to enter the room through the gorgeous doors that let out onto the little balcony. I took a deep breath, finally taking in the fact that I was in Tuscany, for a glamorous wedding, and I didn’t have to pay for any of it. Then I flexed my arms, realizing too late that what I had thought was a pillow last night was actually the hulking form of a man. Shit what did he say his name was? Sebastian. I pulled my arm away from him quickly but the damage was done.

“Morning,” he groaned, sitting up. I replied with a wave of my hand, too embarrassed to speak, hiding my head back in the sheets. I felt the mattress move as he slid off the edge and bustled around the room and then let himself out. Now that the coast was clear I sat up and rubbed my eyes, forcing myself to wake up.  I pulled my hair up into a quick bun then looked around me for my phone. I had sent Liz a string of panicked texts last night about the room situation that she hadn’t replied to till this morning.

Sorry about the confusion. No, Sebastian isn’t a serial killer. Welcome to Tuscany! Meet us in the lobby at 10.

I glanced at the time. It was barely seven. I cursed jet lag as I marched into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I heard the door open while I was in the bathroom and stuck my head out.

Sebastian had returned with a porter, who placed a matching pair of brown leather suitcases in the closet (I guess all of Sebastian’s luggage hadn’t made it here last night)  and then returned wheeling in a cart full of food. My nose perked at the smell of coffee and I hoped he was planning on sharing.

“So Liz finally confirmed that you aren’t a serial killer,” I said, leaning against a wall.

He smiled at me, “Oh, good. Well I just spoke to Joe, he told me the same about you.” I nodded, smiling now. “I got a little worried last night when you had me in a death grip,” he said, winking at me.

I cleared my throat and looked at the ceiling, “yea I’m a hard sleeper, I cannot account for the actions of my subconscious.”  My gaze drifted to the cart with the heavenly smells of coffee wafting from it.

“Compliments of the bride and groom, for the mix up, I think we got in the way of some kind of argument they were having,” Sebastian said, handing me a white mug with cappuccino foam peaking over the brim.

…

It was two days before the wedding and I was beginning to think I should have delayed even longer. Liz had sent me instructions for both Seb and I to “dress casual” for the day which would be mostly wandering town. What I forgot was that casual meant something very different to a common working woman like myself than to the other rich Hollywood people I had to deal with on this trip. After greeting my friend finally and listening to her reassure me that I was not under dressed in my plain dark wash jeans and chunky sweater, I skulked to the back of the group taking in the dozen or so perfectly sculpted bodies adorned with designer heels, leisure jackets and other decidedly not casual ensembles. I had not seen my roommate come down to the lobby but as we headed out I noticed that he was wearing a very modest ensemble of black jeans, polished shoes and a blue denim jacket over a plain green shirt. I tipped my hat to him silently, either he was a normal like me or he was down to earth, either way I was glad to have gotten stuck with him rather than any of the others.

In the town of Sienna I lagged back, finding the group too noisy and attention grabbing. One of the tall skinny women in our party turned and waved at me, beckoning me closer. I took a few long strides to catch up with them.

“Your Liz’s friend that came in last night right?” She asked.

“Yep,” I replied.

“OMG, so your sharing a room with Sebastian then!”

Raising my eyebrows I replied again, “yep.”

“Well, whats he like?”

“Um, I don’t really know, I slept most of the time we were together, I assume he did too,” I offered in a confused tone. Who was this guy?

“But isn’t he so hot?” The woman asked.

“Well I was mostly concerned that he was a murderer when I first met him, I mean, he wasn’t happy and then I wasn’t actually sure he actually was with the wedding party.”

“But you knew who he was, so what did it matter if he was in the wedding party?”

Utterly confused I said, “Wait, who is he? Why should I know him?”

The woman giggled, “Sebastian Stan? He’s an actor in the Avengers franchise? He’s got a huge fan base and is notoriously private.

Okay so I didn’t really know much about those films but I was intrigued now and despite my greatest efforts to pay him no more mind than I had been, I noticed him more the rest of the day. Many of the women in our group would find reasons to stand next to him, they would grab his arm and laugh, or touch his chest. Interestingly, as the afternoon slipped into evening, he seemed to grow visibly agitated with all of the attention. By dinner time he looked like he was barely holding his polite facade together.

We were scheduled to all eat together at a very nice restaurant, however there was some conversation amongst Liz and Joe and our guides and they made a last minute call to eat separately. I was confused by this, the whole trip having felt micro managed up to this point, but I was glad to get away from the group that I felt so apart from and I took off rather than wait around for an explanation. There was a lovely outdoor patio bar down the street from where we were staying, so I leisurely walked that way.

The air was comfortably cool and I tilted my head back to breathe in the smells of the sleepy town as I sipped my wine. This was the kind of night I would have loved to enjoy with Lizzy, but that was before the days when she was famous.

“You must be American,” a voice behind me said. I turned to see two young Italian men standing behind me. As if that was an invitation to join me, they moved to sit in the vacant chairs on either side of me. “So what are you doing in our town?” One of them asked me in a thick accent and placed a hand on my knee, I shivered at how freely he touched me. I crossed my legs, shrugging his hand off of me. They both looked at ease and there were other people around us so it seemed generally safe, but I didn’t feel like doing this tonight. I slid my chair back, stood and walked to the far side of the bar, out of their line of vision. If they followed me I knew I would just have to leave so I steadied myself for that possibility.

It seemed at first like they had lost interest, but about ten minutes later I heard their laughter moving in my direction. But before I decided how to react I felt a warm hand settle on my lower back. “Hey, don’t freak out, It’s just me.” I looked up at the voice speaking into my ear and saw the grey blue eyes of my roommate. “There are two guys that have been staring at you from across the room, I wanted to make sure you knew that.” I nodded at him in thanks. But the men’s voices drew closer still so I turned to face Sebastian.

“Flirt with me,” I said to him.

“What?”

“They have already been bothering me,” I replied trying to keep my eyes on Sebastian and not give the men any reason to come closer. He nodded and moved closer to me so that we were sharing the same space. He kept his hand on my back and the other one combed through my hair. He touched his forehead to mine and laughed. After a second he drew away just enough to look up, scanning the bar for the two men.

I’m gonna kiss you okay?” He said. I gulped and nodded, after I had agreed, he drew my face up to his and very gently touched his lips to mine, leaving them there for a few seconds then breaking away from me. “They’re leaving,” he said and I sighed, though I honestly wasn’t sure if it was in relief or in reaction to the kiss.

…

I sat against the headboard of the bed, my hair drying from the shower and I flipped through the Italian television channels, trying to ignore how strangely domestic it felt to be sharing a hotel room with this person. A man who was apparently a very well known movie star who had recently helped me out of a sticky situation by kissing me. I held a cup of tea in my hands. I was bringing it to my lips when Sebastian emerged from the bathroom a napkin of a towel wrapped around his waist. My hands trembled just enough at the sight of his sculpted torso to spill hot tea all over my lap.

“Fuck,” I said as I stood, pulling the now damp fabric of my leggings away from my skin.

“You okay?” He asked, looking up from rummaging in his bag.

“I’m fine,” I shot back at him, “just put some goddamn pants on,” I muttered. He laughed and I squeezed my eyes shut, “I guess he had heard that,” I thought to myself. He straightened with a wad of clothes triumphantly held aloft then retreated to the bathroom again to change.

“By the way,” I said when he finally came back out, “thanks for the assist there in the bar.”

He winked at me, “Well I’m sure you’d do the same for me,” he said.

“But I haven’t,” I replied, “I have been watching women throw themselves at you all day and I did nothing to save you, “so really, what you did was an unselfish act.”

He walked to his side of the mattress that never felt so small and threw himself down, making the whole frame shake. “Yea, well none of them looked as hostile as those two men.” He shifted so that he was laying on his back distractedly watching the Italian soap opera that I had found. Soon he was breathing steadily with just a very light snore. I smiled and looked down at him. He really was very nice looking. He had well defined features, long eyelashes and full lips. I caught myself biting one of my own lips and rolled my eyes. Deciding that looking at him like this was creepy I switched the tv off and turned the light off, easing down into the sheets.

I was just on the verge of unconsciousness when I felt Sebastian’s arm wrap around my stomach and pull me into him. His body was relaxed but still solid. I hadn’t realized how big he was. I thought for a moment that I should release myself, that it was the right thing to do, but he wouldn’t know I was awake. Maybe I shouldn’t disturb him? He shifted again this time nuzzling his  scratchy chin into the back of my neck, and if I wasn’t mistaken, his lips were pressed up against the back of my ear. Now throughly enjoying his contact I relaxed into him, laying my arm on top of his.

…

Sebastian’s alarm went off at seven the next morning, the day before the ceremony being filled with activities. I groaned at the shrill sound and was startled to realize my voice was muffled by something I was laying on. I moved my head around, trying to get my bearings without opening my eyes yet. It couldn’t be a pillow, it smelled too good and was too solid.

“Morning,” the thing under me said. I stiffened. Apparently I had managed to fully lay the length of my body on top of Sebastian in the course of the night. He was still on his back and his hands were resting on my bottom, my head was nestled into the crook of his neck and my hands were splayed over his chest. Instead of being embarrassed, I found that I really was just comfortable.

“Do we really have to get up?” I whined into his chest.

I felt his rumbling laugh, “Well I don’t really wanna face the wrath of Lizzy if we don’t show up on time,” he said.

“I thought you were my protector?” I said. He patted my bottom a few times and tried to shift me off of him but I wouldn’t budge.

“I’ll bring you up a cappuccino if you let me get up,” he said. With one more groan fit for the stage I let him roll out from under me. He stood over me for a second and I looked up at him with a mock hurt look on my face. And then before I had time to think, he leaned over me, one hand on either side of me and gently brought his lips to mine.

It was brief but lovely.

“I’ll be back,” he whispered in my ear before turning and leaving the room.

Now fully awake I wandered about the room, unsure of what to do with myself. I pulled out of my suitcase the outfit I was planning on wearing today. The “rehearsal dinner” was more of a rehearsal excursion to the countryside complete with a quartet to play classical Italian music and a wait staff serving Prosecco all day. Lizzy had said to wear “cocktail casual” but I had no idea what the hell that meant. I had settled on a dark burgundy romper. The neckline was a low v and the straps criss-crossed in the back. I laid it out on the bed and was still assessing it when Sebastian returned, a tray of coffee in his hands. Intoxicated by the smell I lifted one of the steaming cups off of the tray and retreated to the small balcony. The morning was cool and the view overlooked the mediterranean rooftops of the little town. I breathed deeply the crisp air and the fragrant coffee.

Sensing his presence behind me I spoke up, “I never would have imagined that visiting a place this beautiful would be such a headache.”

He came to stand next to me. Leaning forward so that his arms rested on the edge of the balcony, the entire side of his body made contact with mine. The heat radiating from him was soothing.

“It is beautiful here,” he said, looking at me, not the view. “Why is this trip so hard for you?”

I sighed, “I guess it’s not. I’m just being dramatic. I knew Liz way before she was famous. She and I had always talked about coming to Italy, about hiking and living close to nature. And this- this trip just shows how we have changed, thats all,” I said giving up. “And I hate all of her new friends.”

Sebastian laughed, “Well I’m gland that I’m Joe’s friend then.” I turned my head to look at him and he winked. Then he straightened up and pulled me into him, “is this okay?” He asked into my ear. I nodded silently, my stomach churning. “Well I think all her friends are jealous of you,” he continued to whisper in my ear, “know why?” I shook my head smiling a little as his words tickled my ear, “because they all want the natural grace and beauty that you have.”  

I moved to face him, his large muscled body trapping me against the balcony rail. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers tangling in his hair. He lowered his mouth to my neck as he pulled me closer to him. “Do you promise to come save me today if all those women don’t leave me alone?” He asked into my neck.

I squirmed at the sensation of his breath on me. “Of course Boo,” I said, patting his bottom in a playfully condescending voice.

He raised an eyebrow, “I think I like being your Boo,” he said moving from my neck to my lips, biting my lower lip playfully.

“Yea?” I replied.

“Mmmh,” was all he said.  

“Then as my Boo would you please explain to me what the hell ‘cocktail casual’ means?”

…

After a bit of debate, Sebastian had convinced me that my choice of attire was perfect and he just so happened to have a shirt that matched my outfit, so we arrived in the lobby in plenty of time to meet the rest of the group. Unsurprisingly, I did stand out, most of the women wearing very short dresses and tottering on stilettos, however, when I considered that the alternative was having to wear a short skirt and heels all day, I decided I was happy with my ensemble.

We were ushered into a small bus that would drive us out into the countryside. The inside was nice, but Italians have a very different sense of space than Americans, as demonstrated by the very small seats. Because I had dressed for comfort, I was better able to maneuver my way to the back seat, so I found myself wedged into the very back corner of the van seated next to one of the men in the party who was a talent manager or something and wouldn’t shut up about all the famous people he worked with.

On top of that Sebastian was two rows in front of me, surrounded by needy looking women who were sitting too close to him and thrusting their scantily covered chests towards him.

Finally the bus stopped at a sprawling villa on the side of a mountain. I was antsy to get out both because of the view and because I was quite nauseous after all of the switchbacks we took to get up here.

The day was average, there were some speeches, a few games, lunch, and then drinks. During all of this I had noticed several footpaths that led into the surrounding countryside. As the group broke up into social clusters I slipped away, making a b-line towards a path that I was hoping would take me along the crest of the mountain to reveal more lovely views.

“Wait Michelle!” A voice called from behind me. I turned to see Sebastian scampering behind me, his jacket discarded and a few buttons undone on his shirt. Catching up to me he stopped, “may I join you?”

We followed the overgrown trail for several minutes, finally the brush gave way to a beautiful bald overlooking a valley that reflected gold and red in the low afternoon sun. I turned to Sebastian and found him looking at me. “What?” I asked.

“I want to kiss you,” he said simply. So I closed the gap between us and my lips met his hungrily. We pressed against each other desperately like we couldn’t get close enough to each other. Our breathing grew heavy and I got the sense that we were both wearing too many clothes, so with all my strength I pulled away from him. He let out a little whine and showed me his puppy dog eyes.

“I think we need to cool off a bit,” I said shakily. “If I take this thing off now then it’s not going back on,” I said gesturing to my romper. Sebastian nodded in defeat and took my hand as we walked back to the group.

…

As the afternoon turned to evening other guests of the the bride and groom arrived and the sweetness of the afternoon faded as my world went on repeat. I watched one woman after another try her luck with the dashing Sebastian Stan while I kept to myself, drinking alone. I wasn’t upset at Sebastian, I wasn’t really sure what to do with our short dalliance, was it just born out of convenience? Is it just something to pass the time on this miserable trip? No, what bothered me was watching the entitlement in the way these women acted. They knew they were beautiful or young or well connected and so they approached with confidence, but had very little to contribute to the conversation, literally “what you see is what you get.”

“Ah,” came a voice from over my shoulder, “you are the friend from Louisiana right? The one who Lizzy grew up with?” I turned to see a nice looking young man in a dark suit standing behind me.

“Who’s asking?” I said.

“Hi, I’m Dan, I’m a friend of Lizzy from LA.” He held out his hand, I took it, and in stepping closer I also noticed the alcohol on his breath and the slight waver in his voice. It had been a while since he was sober.

“Nice to meet you, Dan,” I said. He leaned into me slightly, as if he couldn’t keep his feet under him.

“Hey, do you wanna dance? Lizzy said you are a good da-dancer?” He said, hiccuping.

“Maybe in a bit, big guy,” I said, motioning to a waiter for a bottle of water.

“No, you look like you are here for- for a good time. Lets take this back to- back to my place.” He was too drunk to be intimidating but he was quite tall and I found it difficult to shift his weight away from me. Indeed he was very close to toppling over and taking me with him when suddenly his weight was no longer draped over me. Getting my bearings I looked behind me to see Sebastian helping, if a little roughly, to get Dan into a chair.

I didn’t think much of it, but I was surprised Sebastian had gotten to me so quickly. When some other guys came over to take care of the very sloppy and probably soon to be puking Dan, I turned my attention to Seb. He had moved to stand next to me and wound his arm around my waist protectively. “Thanks for the assist,” I said lightly. To my surprise, Sebastian didn’t think it was funny.

“Why don’t those kind of guys ever know when to stop?” He growled, his hand still firmly at my waist.

I turned to face him. “Hey, I appreciate the Feminist outrage, but I was okay, I didn’t feel intimidated by him like the guys in the bar yesterday.” I put a hand on his chest, waiting for him to slow his breathing. Finally he looked down at me.

“I think I was just jealous of your attention,” he said sheepishly.

“Well why the hell didn’t you come over here sooner, I’ve had to watch women fawn over you all evening,” I said with a little pout.

“But I thought you were gonna come save me.”

“I don’t compete with other women!” I said in a whispered yell, turning my back to him. I avoided him, embarrassed and feeling a little too tender after such a long day. Gently he twisted me back to face him. I didn’t resist, I did want to be with him here, but I couldn’t look him in the eye. Carefully, and slowly he tilted my head up till I held his gaze, then he brushed his lips against mine, holding them there just long enough for chills to run down my body and my breathing to quicken before pulling away. I moaned in frustration.

“You aren’t competing with anyone.” With that taste of drama that actors tend to have naturally, he pulled me into the light, closer to the music, and we danced. It was sensuous and romantic. We stayed close together, his nose buried in the side of my neck, my head laying on his chest as we moved in a slow circle. His hands would stray low sometimes, but I would pull them back up so they rested on my hips, and he would chuckle each time.

As the event wrapped up, we walked back to the vehicles together. And as if we had passed some invisible test, everyone left us alone, letting us sit together and talking around us.

Back at the hotel I paused to chat with Liz while Sebastian helped Joe out with something for the ceremony the next day. “OMG, I knew you two would be good together!” Liz gushed.

“Wait, did you do the room thing on purpose?” I asked.

She looked up at the ceiling, “I will not reveal my tricks, but just know that if you two are still together in a year I am so claiming that I set you up.” I rolled my eyes.

I made my way back to our room but was stopped by one of the pretty blonde women in the wedding party. “You are Lizzie’s friend from back home right?” She asked in a valley girl accent I thought had to be a joke. Thinking she had some scheme about the wedding tomorrow, I told her that, yes, I was her childhood friend. “Then what the hell do you think you are doing flirting with someone like Sebastian Stan?” She demanded, serious outrage in her face. I was startled, not expecting this little outburst.

I looked her over again, her makeup was looking a little fuzzy and I could smell vodka on her breath as she teetered on stilettos and pulled her dress down each time it slipped a little too high up her thighs. Before I could respond she continued, “I mean, look at you. You are at least a size ten, no make up, you are wearing flats for Christ sakes.” She gasped like it was the end of the world. “You have no idea the women who are interested in him. Models, actresses, I heard one of the Kardashians even made a pass at him. This is the big leagues little girl. You need to stay in your lane.” In parting she gave me a little push that I thought was more likely to have her on the floor than me.

I laughed uncomfortably as I made it back to the room. Sebastian was there, sprawled on the bed, his torso bare, a pair of navy joggers seated low on his waist. He looked like a snack. And all of a sudden I could only hear the words of that woman. I must have stood there too long cause Seb spoke up. “What did Liz do? Did she change something at the last minute? You look really distracted.”

“Oh,” I said, “Nothing, she didn’t change anything.” I turned away from him and reached behind my back to undo the top of my romper. Sebastian’s hands grasped mine and put them to my sides as he undid the ties, his fingers lingering on my skin. “Sebastian is this just for tonight?” I asked, biting my lip after the words left my mouth.

“Uh, I guess it can be, why?” He replied, his tone measured. I continued to stand with my back to him, needing the space to say this.

“I- I just don’t know how this would work with you being so mobile. I don’t want you to feel like this has to go beyond this trip.” I cut myself off, feeling like I was whining.

“Actually, I am kinda interested in making this work for a longer time. Where are you from? Louisiana? The long distance thing might be a challenge but I’d like to give it a go.” I gulped loudly, my arms and legs felt weak.

“Are- are you sure?” I pressed, feeling like I was in a dream.

“Have I overstepped?” He responded with a concerned look on his face. I shook my head fiercely.

“No, but why me? All those women who are prettier than me, they get the world you come from, you have so many options.”

I had moved away from him now, feeling exposed as I spoke, but he closed the gap between us. Pulling me into him, he gripped me tightly, protectively.

“I don’t want anyone else. You are intelligent, confident, beautiful. No one else has those things.”

I sank into him and felt a sob escape from my lips. A hand grasped the back of my head and pulled me in tight to his chest. I shook a bit with a few more sobs but he was there with me. When I had calmed down I reached up and kissed him on the jaw.

Stepping away from me, he pulled a shirt on and I made a disappointed noise. Laughing he said, “Why don’t you change into something more comfortable, and we can go to the bar and make people jealous.” Rolling my eyes, I smiled.

…

As we approached the bar Sebastian grasped my hand and intertwined our fingers. There was a small group from the wedding party that was gathered at one end of the bar. One of the guys called us over so we joined them, greeting everyone in the group.  There was one available seat so I took it, Sebastian stood behind me and his hands lingered on my waist and hips. They were meeting to discuss a few last minute requests of the bride and groom, so I listened as attentively as I could with Sebastian’s warm breath tickling the back of my neck. The skinny woman who had trapped me in the hall earlier was staring daggers into us, but I just looked past her to the conversation happening.

After a few more minutes the conversation broke up. I noticed a few men pat Seb on the back as they left, our friend the skinny woman tottered off in a huff. I felt Sebastian shake a little as he chuckled. “That was more fun than I was expecting,” he said.

“Yea whatever, can we pleas go back to the room? It’s time for you to take your shirt off again.”

…

When we got to the room we both stripped to our underwear. We tumbled into the bed together, the playfulness of moments before leaving us quickly as we both let the exhaustion of the day settle in. Instead, we nestled into each other comfortable just to be with one another. I was laying on my back, Seb’s head resting on my chest. He clung to me, arms and legs wrapped tightly around me and thats when I realized we might actually have as shot.

…

It had been a month since the wedding. I sat nervously in the airport gripping my phone and my eyes glued to the arrivals screen above me. Finally I saw the word “arrived” appear in green next to his flight and soon after my phone pinged and it was a text from him saying he was on his way to baggage claim.

And then there he was.

In a tight t-shirt and joggers, his long legs brought him to me in a few quick strides. I brought him in close to me and squeezed him tight. “It’s been too long,” he said.

[demivampirew]

Keep Calm and Go to London chapter 9

Synopsis: This is the story of (y/n), a successful actress, musician, musical producer and songwriter. After battling depression and breaking up a long relationship, she seeks for a change of air, escaping LA for a while going to visit some friends in London and there she meets Henry. -Disclaimer: some chapters are mostly smut.

Previous Chapters:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Triggers: conversation that refers to sex and mention of nude, but it’s not smut. It’s a pretty safe chapter for everyone to read.

Tag list: Here’s the incredible people who showed me support (thank  you   so much for that) and people who asked me to tag them too  ☺️   (I   think I will write a few chapters of this story, if you want me to  tag   you, tell me ☺️   ) @cavillanche @mary-ann84 @henry-owns-these-tatas @yespolkadotkitty @dancingwendigo   constip8merm8   penwieldingdreamer iloveyouyen  littlefreya  wondersofdreaming  alyxkbrl solariumss  sweetybuzz25 @thethirstyarchive @agniavateira   @honeyloverogers @hell1129-blog   @lunedelorient​  @michelle-1185​

You woke up with the annoying sound of your alarm. You felt warmth yet cold at the same time. Then, you realized that the reason was that Henry was not by your side holding you. You got up and went straight to take a quick shower and put on a soft pink cashmere sweater and tight white pants with a pair of white snickers. You went directly into the kitchen as you already knew Henry would be there. And you were correct. He was preparing you breakfast and scons for you to eat on the plane. He must have woke super early because everything was almost ready by the time you got up at 7 am. He made enough pastries for you to enjoy on your travel and to share with Beth. - So, you're staying with your friend, right?- he asked you - Yes. I'm currently homeless. - it sounded like a bad joke, giving the fact that you were wealthy, but it was actually true- I sold my beautiful mansion on LA to move with the one who must not be named and now I don't have a house....not yet. I'm just going to stay at her house whenever I'm in LA, and I'm going to buy a nice house here in London. I don't see the point of buying two houses right now. I like spending time with her, it's truly like being with a sister. And, luckily she lives alone and enjoys my company as well. It's a great plan. - I can't wait to meet her.- he told you with a smile. - I do. She always has had a crush on you, since The Tudors, so I'm afraid she might try to steal you from me - you jocked and laughed; Henry laughed as well. - Really? - he asked surprised - Are you surprised that a woman finds you incredibly attractive? - you asked amused and he grinned and blushed a little bit. You ate breakfast as slowly as you could to be able to spend your last moments with Henry before leaving, but unfortunately, you knew it was time to go. You grabbed your package and went to the door. Henry wanted to take you to the airport, but you insisted on going on a taxi. You didn't know exactly if the plane was going to leave on time and might be hours on the airport before the plane takes off and he had to be on horse training in a few hours and you didn't want him to leave job duties aside just for you. He was not happy but finally agreed to call you a taxi instead. You hugged him tight, but not as tight as he held you. You were going to miss being wrapped around those strong arms. Then he held your hand, kissed it and kissed you on the lips. "I'll be back soon. I promise" you said "I know...I know" he replied sadly. You let go of his hand and try to turn around to leave but Henry was still holding your hand. You looked at his puppy face with a "please" look and he sighed and released your hand. You gave your best Schwarzenegger in Terminator impression and said "I'll be back" which made Henry laughed and you felt a little better. Luckily the plane took off at the time that was supposed to and everything went as planned. Beth was waiting for me at the LAX airport. As you made your way to her car, a guy with a camera approached you and started to ask you questions about your breakup. You rarely forgot faces so you immediately recognize the man and knew he worked for TMZ. You limit yourself to answer two things: "I'm great, actually" and "I haven't and I don't intend to do it either" when you were asked if you had spoken to Jared since your two split up. You finally felt relax once you made it to Beth's house. You already had your room in her place, where it used to be the guest bedroom. You left your suitcases and handbag and grabbed your phone from your pocket to text Henry. It was 10 pm London time and Henry had been up since pretty early that morning and had to be on set the next day, so you decided to wait until the next day to let him know that your plane arrived safely and that you were ok. You spend a few hours catching up with your best friend about your entire trip to London and gave her the news about moving to London. You decided early on not to tell her over the phone, because it felt like something more serious that deserved a face to face conversation. To your surprise, she took it well. You two had been close for more than a decade and living in different countries was something hard to imagine. But she also knew you as no other person did. She understood perfectly how much you needed that change in your life and how toxic the place was for you and she couldn't blame you. She told you that she'd had moved with you there if it wasn't for her band -she was the lead guitar on an alternative rock band and thankfully they were successful-. After you finished eating the delicious scons that Henry made you went to take a bath. It felt wonderful to be cover in warm water and just rest your head on the edge of the bathtub and relax. You heard your phone ringing and reached it and carefully so it wouldn't fall into the water you looked up at the screen and saw Henry's name, you picked up immediately. - Hi! - he greeted you as soon as you answered - Hi Hen! I was going to text you earlier but I assume that you were probably sleeping so I decided to wait so I wouldn't wake you up. - you replied - Oh, that's great. That's why I was calling, I...I was worried. I don't want to sound like a controlling dude or anything, but I knew that you were supposed to land about more than three hours ago, so I got scared that something bad might had happened. Sorry, again, just wanted to make sure you were ok. I tried to sleep, but I was to worried.- he confessed and sighed. -Forgive me! I've should have texted you anyway. - you apologized - There's no need for apologies and yes, always text me to let me know you're alright, no matter the time. - I promise you. And you too, when it's your turn to fly away from me, ok? - Ok - he agreed. - What are you doing? I miss you and Kal too. - I miss my boys too. I'm taking a bath right now and after that, I'll probably I'm going to bed because I'm exhausted. It's been a long day. - You know that you're punishing me right now? -he objected - Why? - You're giving the mental picture of you, on a bathtub, naked while I'm not just in a different country, but a different continent. That's harsh woman. -he said and the last words sounded a little high pitched, which made you laughed out loud. He joined your laugh. -Sorry. I'll make it up as soon as I see you again.- you assure him. - What are you doing right now? - I'm talking to you on the phone - he replied in a playful tone - Haha, pretty funny sir. Not seriously. - I'm lying on the bed with Kal. -He made a slight pause and then continued - Honestly? I spend most of the day reliving the last few days in my head and thinking how wonderful they were...how amazing you are and how much I like you. And also I was thinking about last night - he laughed, but you knew that was not a "this is funny" laugh, but a "this is awkward" laugh.- Last night was amazing. I've never done anything like that before. I really enjoyed it. Thank you.- You smiled. He was the cutest thing in this world. - You don't need to thank me. I didn't do it just for you. I enjoyed too. And you were amazing as well. It might have been my idea, but it happened because we both wanted to. I'm surprised that you never have done it before. Do you mean the Bond thing or roleplaying? - Both. -Seriously? Wow. - you were shocked and soon enough you realized why probably he had never done it before. Clearly, he tended to be the dominant part by also is quite shy and probably thought it would look weird to ask his previous partners to roleplay. Or maybe he did it at some point and someone said no and he never tried again. That sounded like something he would do.- As long as we are together, I'll always be open to experiences. I think it's fun to try new things. It worked out great for me with London. And especially going to a birthday party of a person who I didn't know...if it wasn't for that, we wouldn't have met. -That's true. -he paused before speaking- Do you want to know something? I was not going to go to that party that night. I was tired I just wanted to take a Guinness and watch some tv next to my buddy, but Edgar and other friend convince me to go. -It's a lovely coincidence- you said and couldn't hold your smile. - Yeah. - Baby, you should rest. In a few hours you have to be on the set, right?- you questioned and for a minute only heard his breath on the other side, "he's probably asleep already" you thought. - No, I have to be tomorrow at midday. I'm only shooting two scenes tomorrow. In two days I have to start to be early in the morning. - he explained. - Oh, I see. I thought that you were already asleep since you didn't answer me. -No. I...I was processing the fact that you called me "baby".-he said, he sounded like if he was proud of that. -Did you not like it? -I love it, baby. - he replied and your heart melted.- I should probably try to see if I can sleep for a few hours. We'll talk tomorrow, ok baby? - Yes, baby, good night! Sweet dreams! - They'd be sweet dreams only if you're in them. Good night and sleep well!- he finished.

[getthesamovarready]

First Sight

Also on ao3

Because they absolutely should have slept together after that bar scene. Nobody talks like that to someone they don't fancy. "Trying to assert your dominance" you'd like that wouldn't you Owen.

Chapter 3: dancing is a dangerous game

She makes a box from paper on her desk, for the cupcake. It's flimsy, and it would probably be easier to just carry the thing, but she does it anyway. She's bone tired, the long first day catching up with her, so she's grateful for the quiet moment she takes to fold the paper. "Hey Cap." Nancy hovers in the doorway, already changed. "You coming?"

"I gotta go home and change." She tells her. "Can't have this new team think we can't be fancy." A sweater and sneakers isn't exactly the fanciest outfit she could wear. And she's absolutely not thinking of a dress for Owen's sake. Not at all. 

"I don't know if these people would see the Honky Tonk as a real night out." Nancy raises her eyebrows. "Hell, I don't see it as a night out." She smirks when realisation dawns on her. "Trying to impress someone?" She grins, and Michelle feels a flush creep up her neck. She is, not that she'd even admit it to herself.

"Don't be ridiculous Gillian." She scoffs. "I'm just going home to throw something different on. It's no big deal."

It seems an awful lot like a big deal when she's putting on makeup. And perfume. And it definitely feels like a big deal when she bypasses her usuals, reaching instead for one of her slightly more fitted dresses in the back. She doesn't choose it because she knows Owen will look, not at all. She just felt like it, obviously. 

It's not her most sensible choice. She has to put concealer on her shoulder, and arrange her hair so the mark is covered, even though she knows she will forget to keep it that way. 

She's not quite finished when she hears Carlos pull into the driveway, so she runs her fingers through her hair instead of brushing it, only just remembering to grab the cupcake before heading out the door. 

"You look nice." He tells her, with the slightest hint of judgement, when she opens the car door. "Don't know why you had to change though, I mean, it's not exactly high class." His eyes flick to the box in her lap. "What's that?" 

"A birthday cupcake. I thought we should split it." His face falls, nodding slowly, before he starts the car up again. 

"So…" he starts, when they get on the road. "The guy from last night. Hoping he's there again? That why you're wearing one of your, "trying-but-not-obviously-trying dresses"?" There's no judgement, only a teasing smile, and she relaxes into the seat. 

"It's just a random dress Carlos." She rolls her eyes. "It's nothing."

"I know you, Chica. I've seen this all before." She says nothing, just glares at him. "It's a nice dress, don't pretend it's not. So unless someone on the new team is worth trying for, this is about the guy from last night."

"And what if it's neither?" It's both, but she's not exactly going to give Carlos the satisfaction. "What if I just want to celebrate my sister's birthday?"

"It's not neither, but I'll let it go." He concedes, before flicking his eyes over to her briefly. "But this guy, would you see him again? Did he give you his number?"

"He did." She bites on her smirk.

"Are you gonna call it?" 

"No." Her smile falls, and he examines her curiously out of the corner of his eye. "I did think about it." She admits. She had thought about it nearly constantly all day. She's actually surprised that she would have called it, had Owen not showed up at work. Maybe she would have dwelled on it, debated against it. But she would have called him, eventually. "It would be a bad idea though." She shakes the thought out of her head. 

"I know I was a dick about it this morning." Carlos sighs. "I'm sorry, I was just...I dunno. I was angry that I had to arrest you again I guess. And maybe I'm a little over cautious about stuff. And I shouldn't have been so judgy. You liked that guy, I know you did, so don't not call him because I wasn't happy about it." 

"That's not why I'm not going to call him Carlos." She really needs someone to talk to about this, because it's such a bizarre situation that she can't just not talk about it. But they are about to walk into a bar with Owen, and all her new colleagues. And Carlos doesn't have the best poker face she's ever seen.

"Then why not? I know you want to." He pulls into the parking lot. 

"It's just a bad idea." She decides to say. Best to keep the real reason to herself tonight. 

She grabs them a table not far from the team while he gets their drinks. She wants to do this just the two of them, and she's sure the team can manage without her for a little while longer. She's just finished unfolding the box when he arrives with two tequilas. "Why didn't you cut it before you left?" He chuckles as she folds the paper to cut the cupcake. "Wouldn't that have been easier? And like way less messy?"

"Yes." She huffs. "But this works, so leave me alone, or I won't split it, and you don't get anything." It shuts him up, and she manages to cut a squished and uneven line down the centre of the cupcake. "See? It works." She grins, presenting him his half with a flourish. 

Carlos slides her glass towards her. "Thanks Michelle." He raises his glass. "To Iris."

Behind Carlos's head, he sees Owen smile at her, and she raises her own glass with a nod. "Happy Birthday Iris." She downs her drink, settling the glass on the table with a dull thud. Her chest tightens, and she chokes down a corner of cupcake with a shudder. 

It really is a delicious cupcake, and somehow that makes it all worse. "Wow this is good." Carlos mumbles through a mouthful of cupcake. "Iris would approve." 

"I wasn't going to do anything like this." She sighs, breaking off another piece of the cake. "I didn't really see the point." There is no point, really. Iris isn't really alive, or really dead, in her mind. She's just...gone. And she has nowhere to direct her thoughts. "He said it would be a good idea." She rolls her eyes. 

"It was." Carlos takes her hand. "It was a good idea. Not everything has to be so difficult all the time." She shrugs, nodding. "I feel a lot better." A smirk forms on his lips. "You should thank him… for his good idea." He quirks his eyebrows, and she swats him on the arm. 

She hears someone on the team call her over. "Come on," she nudges Carlos. "I'll introduce you." 

The team toast to their first day, a success all round they agree. "To the 126, past and present." Owen smiles sadly at Michelle, Tim, and Nancy. "Cheers." 

The team resume their chatter, Tim and Nancy pulling Carlos in for a catch up, giving Michelle an opportunity to sidle up to Owen. "I should thank you." She smiles. "For the toast," she quirks her head to Nancy, still holding back tears. "That was sweet of you." He waves it off, it was nothing, really. "And I should thank you again, for your advice. And the cupcake." 

His gaze softens, before it twinkles with humour and he smiles. "Speaking of, you got a little…" And then he reaches out, his thumb brushing against her lip, wiping at a stray smudge of frosting. Halfway through the motion, he seems to realise what he's doing, his thumb pausing on her lip. Neither of them move, until a fraction of a second later, she hears TK cough behind Owen, and he jumps, pulling his hand away. 

She shakes herself slightly, laughing. The music shifts, and an idea pops into her head. "Well Captain Stand, shall we?" She turns slightly to the middle of the bar, where a crowd is clearing away. 

"Oh I see, that's why you brought us here, I see you." He chuckles, their tension diffusing. "You wanted to assert your dominance." She flushes madly, glad of the low lighting. If there is one thing she wasn't doing this time last night, it was asserting any dominance.

"I just think a man should have to earn his spurs." She smirks, eyes twinkling. It's suggestive, and she sees TK's eyes widen behind Owen. She also sees Owen spinning the thought around in his head.

"Trust me, you don't want to see me dance." He shakes his head, tensing when TK laughs behind him. 

"Are you shy?" She challenges, stepping slightly closer. There's no way he won't concede. Not with TK ready to mock him. And not when she's looking at him like that.

He concedes, just like she knew he would. He isn't nearly as bad as he suggested he might be, but her plan to pull him away from the team to talk fails miserably. The entire team joins them, eager to celebrate the move to Texas with some bad line dancing. So she keeps her conversation to teasing him, that seems to be how they talk in front of everyone else. 

So they dance, and if they flirt a little, and dance a little too closely, then it's a good thing everyone else is so distracted. 

She knows exactly what's wrong with him when panic crosses his face, and he ducks out of the crowd, hand on his chest. She glances around only briefly, no one is watching them, and if they were she thinks it's worth the risk to follow him anyway. 

"Owen?" She calls from the doorway, catching sight of him doubled over, gasping for breath. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." He gasps out, clearly not fine. She insists that she let her check, she's a paramedic after all. "It's nothing, just a little short of breath."

"Dancing too strenuous an activity for you, Captain?" She asks, giving him a once-over. It makes him flush, and his breath stutters even more. "Didn't think it would be a problem for you, not after last night." Her hand is on his chest, for purely examination purposes, and she feels it shudder. "I'm serious Owen." Her face loses its teasing edge. "This isn't common for you, is it? If it is, you're putting yourself at a lot of risk working right now."

"No, it's not common." He assures her. "First time." She sighs and pulls away from him. "It's really not a big deal." 

"Owen you're sick. Even if you feel fine most of the time, it's risky." If she ends up having to save his life during a call because he decided to work as a goddamned firefighter with lung cancer, she might just let him die. 

"I know." He huffs, his breath finally back to normal. "I'll stop when I have to, I promise." She doesn't seem satisfied, but she shakes the look off when someone calls his name.

"Captain Strand?" The woman steps towards them. "Michelle?" 

Michelle's face brightens at the woman's presence. "Grace!" She smiles, pulling the woman into a hug. "How are you?" She asks, face falling with her second, more serious, question. "How's Judd?"

"That's actually why I came out here." Grace steps towards Owen. "Grace Ryder, Judd Ryder's my husband."

"Nice to meet you." He holds out his hand in greeting. 

"Actually, we've met." She shakes his hand. 

"Grace works 9-1-1 dispatch." Michelle explains at Owen's puzzled look. 

"I took the call that night." She tells him, and he sees Michelle start to fidget uncomfortably. "I was on the line with my husband when the explosion happened." Michelle remembers. Remembers being halfway there when the call came in that they couldn't go to the scene, that another crew had to take over. "He was running, back towards the danger."

"Yeah I read the report." He assures her, a sad kind of understanding on his face. "And his commendation." 

"And I read yours." Grace smiles at him, and he knows where this is going. She's right, he and Judd are a lot alike, but the difference is, he put the work into recovery.

"Yeah well, he needs to take a little time to take care of himself, before he can take care of anyone else." Michelle shifts behind Grace, and he realizes exactly how hypocritical he must sound to her. 

"I'm not asking you to throw him back into the action right away Captain, I know he's not ready for that." 

"So what are you asking?" There really isn't very much that Owen can do without the man's total cooperation. And if they are as alike as Grace says, Judd Ryder might just be too stubborn for that. 

"I'm asking you to do what you do best." Grace swallows. "I'm asking you to save him." It's pleading, and she has to wipe at her eye before she backs away from them, re-entering the bar with just a quick look back. 

"Owen." Michelle steps forward at his sigh. "I'm not just saying this because he's my friend, but you should really give him a chance. He's a good guy to have in your corner."  She rests a hand on his shoulder. "I understand why you're still working. And I know you understand why he has to." 

“Michelle…” He sighs. “The man is traumatised. He can’t do our job with that kind of untreated trauma.”

“And you can do it with compromised lungs?” She counters, though not harshly. “Just think about it? Talk to him?” 

“Fine.” He concedes. “I’ll talk to him again.” 

“Come on.” She cocks her head towards the door. “You look like you could use a drink.” 

He could use a drink, in fact he uses several. "Are you even allowed to be a paramedic?" He asks her, many, many, drinks later. "How can someone get arrested fourteen times and still have your job?" There's no one around them, with half of the team already gone home, and the other half still dancing. So there's no one to see when she swats his arm in mock offense. 

"I'll have you know, Captain Strand." She giggles. "It's been fifteen times." She says it as though it is something to be proud of, and he has to laugh at her. 

"You got arrested again?" He looks around. "Or did you lie to me last night?"

"You told me to celebrate her birthday!" She defends, back straightening on her stool. 

"I didn't tell you to get yourself arrested! Again!" His idea of a birthday celebration had been more along the lines of the drink and cake she had tonight, not violating a restraining order.

"No one ever does." She shrugs. "But it keeps happening." She giggles into her glass, before knocking back the rest of her drink. "It's my turn." She shimmies out of her seat, stopping him when he goes to do the same. 

He watches her the whole way to the bar, jumping violently when TK appears at his side. "You can't sleep with Captain Blake dad." He warns, eyes narrowing. "Don't do it."

"What makes you think I would?" He splutters. 

"You're flirting with her. You've been flirting with her all day." He's actually been trying his best not to flirt with her all day. 

"No I haven't." He tries to defend, stopping immediately at TK's glare.

"Captain Blake seems really nice." He warns. "I don't know her, but she seems like a really nice lady. But most importantly, she's Captain Blake! You can't sleep with the paramedic Captain. We just got here, and you can't make it awkward and weird." 

"I'm not going to sleep with her." He assures him. Michelle had made that clear earlier, even if he'd been doubting how much she meant that with every interaction they've had since. 

"Good." TK nods. "Plus, her best friend is a cop, who could kick your ass if you did anything." Owen watches TK glance back at Carlos, eyes lingering for a moment. 

"You sure you're not only warning me off her," Owen smirks. "Because that would make it awkward for you to see her best friend?"

TK flushes madly, his hands flailing, very nearly knocking over Owen's empty glass. "No." He chokes. "I'm just saying. Don't do it." He catches Michelle turning to walk back to the table, and ducks away. 

"Here you go!" Michelle sets a tall glass of water in front of him. "I figured you'd need it, I'll be right back with the real drinks." She grins at him, turning back towards the bar, hips swaying as she walks. 

"Oh, yeah." TK appears again. "Probably won't be home tonight." He tells him, before disappearing again. Owen watches him brush his hand against Carlos's arm, and chuckles, shaking his head. 

"Those two really hit it off, huh?" Michelle asks, setting his drink in front of him and settling herself into her seat again. 

"Yeah." He sips his water. "Apparently TK won't be home tonight." 

Michelle shifts in her seat, a tiny smile gracing her features, eyes shining. "He won't?" 

[melonpanbread]

The New Girl’s Secret: Part 7 // Peter Parker (TH)

Sorry it’s been awhile! Life got crazy... But I hope you enjoy this part!!

~

“What are you doing?!” Peter said angrily to Ned as everyone left the gym.

“Helping you out!” Ned retorted as the three of you started to exit the gym together. “Did you not hear her? Liz has a crush on you. Dude, you’re an Avenger. If any one of us has a chance with a senior girl, it’s you!” Ned said to Peter. Peter stood there, thinking about Ned’s words as you looked at Peter and sighed.

“Ned, wait!” you called out as you ran up to him, leaving Peter behind. “What about me? Why did you drag me into it??” you asked as you caught up with Ned.

“You have a crush on Peter!” Ned whispered excitedly to you.

“What! No!” you blushed.

“You totally do!” Ned exclaimed. You were about to argue back, but Ned gave you a look and you sighed in defeat.

“Okay, maybe!! But I barely just met you guys and he likes Liz!” you said to Ned.

“Yeah there’s that, but literally there’s sparks between you guys! The way he looks at Liz is nothing compared to the way he looks at you! It’s like in the movies where the new mysterious girl comes to town and main guy character falls in love with her and eventually learns about the new girl’s past, but still loves her anyway; mixed with the classic a friend is in love with their best friend, but the best friend is in love with another, the main character pushes aside their feelings and helps the best friend get the person they love, and somehow the best friend realizes that they’re meant to be with the main character and they end up together in the end! Also, they get help from their mutual friend along the way!” Ned told you excitedly. “And Peter didn’t have to ask, but you are already going to help him impress everyone at the party so he can impress Liz! We are already halfway there!

“Ned, this isn’t a movie though.” you sighed. “Just don’t tell Peter, okay? Keep this between us.”

“But, ___…”

“Ned, please..” you pleaded. Ned gave you a sad look before nodding his head.

“Thank you.” you said, giving him a small hug before running off to the girls’ locker room to change back into your normal clothes. “See you guys at the party tonight.”

“She said I can’t tell Peter… But she didn’t say I can’t do anything to bring them together.” Ned said to himself with a smile as he started to think of ways to bring his friends together.

~

“House party in the suburbs.” May said to Peter and Ned as they pulled up to Liz’s house. “Oh, I remember these. Kind of jealous!!”

“It’ll be a night to remember!” Ned said excitedly from the backseat as Peter just stared at the house.

“Ned, some hats wear men. You wear that hat.” May complimented Ned.  

“Yeah, it gives me confidence.” Ned said with a smile.

“This is a mistake.” Peter panicked. “Hey, let’s just go home. “

“Oh, Peter. I know. I know it’s really hard, trying to fit in with all the changes your body is going through. It’s flowering now.” May started to lecture and Peter chuckled sarcastically at May.

“He’s so stressed out lately.” May said to Ned.

“What helps with stress is going to a party. So we should go to the party.” Ned said. “Plus, ___ just got here and is waiting for us out front. We can’t bail on her!” Ned added as he pointed to you. You were waiting on the sidewalk in front of Liz’s house. You were wearing a nice baggy sweater and leggings, no doubt that you were wearing your suit underneath it. Ned watched Peter stare at you in awe. Even though you were just in a sweater and leggings, you still looked super pretty. “She dressed nice too! It would be a shame that she wasted such a nice outfit if we bail!” Ned added as he nudged Peter, hoping he was really listening to his words. But Peter snapped out of his daze and turned back to May as she looked over to you.

“Oh! Is that the lovely ___ I have been hearing all about!” May gushed at the sight of you. “You definitely can’t leave that sweet girl all by herself, Peter! At least go to the party with her, after all she did get you a new backpack!”

“Okay, I’ll go.” Peter said as he got out of the car and Ned did too.

“Peter..” May said before Peter closed the door. “Have fun, okay? And I want to meet ___ next time.”

“I will and okay.” Peter said with a small smile.

“Bye May!” Ned waved as you walked up to him and Peter. All three of you turned around and walked towards Liz’s house. “Dude, you guys have your suits, right?”

Both you and Peter rolled up your sleeves a little to show him your suits. “This is gonna change our lives!!” Ned said happily as you guys walked into the house.

Music was blasting throughout the house and Flash was the DJ. Everyone was talking and mingling with one another.

“Okay. We’re gonna have Spider-Man and Iron Wanderer swing in, say you guys are tight, and I get a fist bump or one of those half bro hugs from the both of you.” Ned explained to you and Peter.

“I can’t believe you’re at this lame party.” Michelle said to you guys as she buttered her piece of toast.

“But, you’re here too.” Ned retorted.

“Am I?” Michelle shrugged as she took a bite of her toast and walked away.

“Oh my gosh. Hey guys!” Liz greeted as she walked up to the three of you. “Cool hat, Ned.”

“Hi, Liz!” Ned said with a smile as he looked at Peter.

“Hi, Liz!” Peter said as he looked uneasy, nervous, and in awe of Liz all at the same time.

“Hey, Liz.” you greeted back.

“I’m so happy you guys came! There’s pizza and drinks. Help yourself.” she said kindly, mostly smiling and looking at Peter.

“What a great party!” Peter said kinda out of nowhere.

“Thanks.” Liz smiled. There was some yelling and the sound of glass breaking. “Oh, I-- My parents will kill me if anything’s broken. I gotta go..” Liz said before walking away to where ever the noise came from. “Have fun.”

“Yeah.” Peter said quickly. Ned rolled his eyes a little. Peter was too blinded by his crush on Liz to realize his dream girl is quietly standing next to him. Ned would have to try a bit hard to get you and Peter together.

“Have fun.” Ned said as he gave Liz an awkward wave.

“Bye.” she said to you guys as you just smiled and gave her a polite nod.

“Dude, what are you doing!” Ned scolded.

“She’s here Peter, let’s suit up.” you added. Ned sighed, because he wasn’t talking about Liz.

“I know I dragged you into this, ___… But Spider-Man and the Iron Wanderer is not a party trick!” Peter replied to you. “Look, I’m just.. Uh.. gonna be myself!”

“No one wants that..” Ned said more so thinking out loud than the conversation between you three.

“Dude..” Peter said as he looked at Ned before walking a few steps away. You and Ned followed just as Flash noticed Peter.

“Peter Parker!!!” Flash yelled through the microphone, only he didn’t actually say Peter’s name. “What’s up?! So where’s your pals Spider-Man and Iron Wanderer?? Let me guess… In Canada with your imaginary girlfriend?? That’s not Spider-Man or Iron Wanderer. That’s just Ned in a red shirt and ___ in a sweater.”

~

You and Peter put your clothes in a pile as you two stood next to each other in your suits. You were on top of a ledge of a house outside of Liz’s. You looked through Liz’s giant sliding glass door as Ned stood by it, looking out for you guys. You tied up your hair as Peter practiced what he was going to say. Peter crouched down as he too, looked at Ned through the sliding glass door.

"Hey, what's up? I'm Spider-Man. Just thought I'd swing by and say hello to my buddy Peter. Oh, what's up, Ned? Hey, where's Peter and ___, anyways? They must be around…” Peter said in a weird voice, obviously trying to mask his.

“Gosh.. This is so stupid.. What am I doing?” Peter sighed. “___, I’m so sorry that you got dragged into this…” Peter apologized as he looked up at you.

“It’s all good, Peter.” you said with a small smile. “It couldn’t be helped, and it’s the least I could do after dumping all my secrets on you and expecting you to keep them.”

Peter opened his mouth to say something, but the sound of a blast and a bright blue light caught yours and Peter’s attention. Peter quickly stood up beside you as you put on your hood.

“What the heck?” Peter said as he looked at you. You looked back at him and both of you nodded in agreement to the unspoken question you both asked each other. Peter started running towards the blue light and put on his mask. He shot out a web and started to swing away and you put on your mask and turned on your rocket boots and flew next to Peter. Whatever that blue light was, it wasn’t good and you and Peter were going to find out what exactly it was.

~

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