#always wanted to find a good one to pair w it and the wink killer 2nd half xscout was toooo good i was inspired immediately

[surreal-duck]

some business to take care of

[hops-hunny]

When He Sees Me

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Chubby!Reader

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 4.3k

Request: N/A

Summary:(Y/n) always thought she was too rational for love, until she wasn’t. (Based off of the song When He Sees Me from Waitress)

Warnings: Slight negative thoughts and angst but vast majority fluff and pining! Oh and positive use of the word fat.

A/N:  Fred is a little OOC in this?? But I honestly just imagine him as the type of guy to be sorta whipped if he really falls for someone.

I stick with real things

Usually facts and figures

When information's in its place

I minimize the guessing game

(Y/n) had always been a rational girl. In her younger years at Hogwarts, as all her friends began to giggle and blush at their crushes, she kept her nose in her books. Although she was curious of what they were experiencing, the thought never lasted long in her mind due to what her mother had told her from a young age.

(Y/n) was about the age of 6, sitting on the floor near the couch as she colored humming to herself softly. She had noticed her mom was in a bad mood due to her being sprawled out on the couch many upon many empty bottles of alcohol littered the table. She wasn’t sure why her mother was so upset but ever since they had seen her father at the park with her babysitter last week her mom had been in this mood and her father hadn’t been back.

“(Y/n) dear, promise me something.” her mother muttered to her half asleep. The girl turned around smiling at her mom. Her mom gave her a weak smile back as she pet the top of the girls head. “Never give your heart to a man. He’ll only leave it in pieces.”

At the time, the girl obviously had no clue what she meant but the older she got and the more she saw the people in her life get their hearts broken time and time again she had developed a clue. So, she simply focused on anything that wasn’t romance. School, plants, knitting, you name it and that’s what she gave her attention to. Even though it wasn’t a conscious action, it still affected her deeply.

I don't like guessing games

Or when I feel things

Before I know the feelings

How am I supposed to operate

If I'm just tossed around by fate?

Like on an unexpected date?

Although her friends described it to her many upon many of times, she still found herself absolutely clueless of what feelings of love was like. That's why when she saw him, she was confused by what was happening.

“Oh he’s simply lovely! He does this funny little things with his hands where-” Although (Y/n) was focused on her coursework, she was still listening to Diane as usual. She liked to listen to her friends retelling of experiences with lovers, soaking it in like a cheesy romance movie. She looked out the window needing a quick break from her work. Her breath hitched quietly as she placed a soft chubby hand over her heart feeling as it raced wildly in the chamber of her chest. Her body had a tingling sensation all over that she had never felt before as she felt herself get dizzy.

“W-who’s that?” she said in an airy tone, causing her friend to follow her gaze. There he stood, laughing and joking around with his friends pushing each other around. His ginger locks blew in the wind slightly and his skin glowed in the soft afternoon sun. 

“You mean you don’t know who that is? That’s Fred weasley! He’s like one of the most popular guys in our year. I can’t believe you just asked that.” She snickered some, teasing her friend. She stopped once she noticed the girl who was usually quick to snap back was unusually quiet. She smiled softly at her expression, noticing that look in her eyes. Whether (Y/n) knew it or not yet, she was absolutely enamoured with none other than Fred Weasley.

“I don’t like him. He makes me feel funny.” she said, however the way she looked out the window still said otherwise.

“Funny how?”

“I don’t know, just funny.”

“Like laugh funny or like funny funny?”

“Obviously not laugh funny, are you an idiot?” She asked, glaring at her blonde friend. She looked out the window once more. She noticed him look back causing her to gasp, eyes wide with shock. He winked at her causing her to scoff, pick her things up before shutting the library blinds and run off to who knows where.

Diane laughed to herself as she began to pack her own stuff up to go after her friend. She sighed before running quickly out the library to catch up.

“Ah, young love!”

-------------------------------------

With a stranger who might talk too fast

Or ask me questions about myself

Before I've decided that

He can ask me questions about myself

He might sit too close

Or call the waiter by his first name

Or eat Oreos

But eat the cookie before the cream?

“For the last time Diane, I’m not talking to him!” she said, slamming her book closed as she tossed it on the table in front of her. Her, Diane and a few of her other friends found themselves in the common room as they usually did on friday nights talking and gossiping about anything that came to mind. Today’s topic of discussion was the girl’s apparent “crush” as they called it. Considering she had nothing to base off of whether that’s what the funny feeling she had mentioned earlier in the week was, she decided to trust her friends in them saying that’s what it was.

“What? Oh come on, give me one good reason why you won’t.” Molly said, facing her friend her sharp green eyes boring into (Y/n)’s (e/c) ones. 

“Oh I can give you a PLETHORA of reasons why not!” the (y/h/h) girl exclaimed as she stood up. She began to pace, trying to rack her brain for good reasons on why not. “Aha! What if he butters both sides of his toast? Or-or what if he asks me too many questions on why I’m talking to him? Or if he’s as popular and well known as you say, what if he takes that as an excuse to ignore personal space boundaries and gets handsy?” 

“He’s a teenage boy, not a serial killer. Someone’s been watching too much muggle crime specials.” Molly said as she rolled her eyes, sighing as she leaned back into the couch. (Y/n) glared at her friend, letting out an exasperated sigh as she facepalmed. It wasn’t like she didn’t wanna do anything about these feelings. She most certainly did. Whatever would get rid of them the quickest is the route she wanted to take.

“Well, you could always let him know another way!” Ronnie said as they looked up at their friend. “You’ve got so many skills and talents, why not take advantage of it?” Although Ronnie wasn’t very talkative, whenever they opened their mouth they always said something that made perfect sense.

“As per usual Ronnie, you’re the voice of reason. Merlin bless Ronnie for all of eternity!” (Y/n) exclaimed dramatically as she got on her knees, pretending to worship her friend like a god. 

--------------------------

(Y/n) had been doing just that, making herself known to Fred without making herself known. The (y/h/h) girl had wanted to be anonymous about it, leaving things without her name however Diane pointed out the fact that (Y/n) had “the presence of a ghost” and that “even ghost had more of a presence then her” which meant that even if she did attach her name to the things left Fred would have no idea who it was. Because to be frank (Y/n) was, well, a nobody. 

She noticed this little ‘talent’(if you could even call it that) first year when her teachers would mark her as absent despite her being in the front row of the class and having some of the highest marks. She seemed to fly by unnoticed by all but her small group of friends which they all found funny, especially with Diane being one of the most popular girls in their grade if not all of Hogwarts. 

So, she started off small. She’d leave little notes for him in places she knew he’d find them, usually his first or last class of the day, and his seat in the great hall. She would watch him as he’d read them, flushing sometimes as he read them. However, his usual response was to read them out loud to George, bragging about how a pretty girl was leaving him notes.

“Ah listen to this one, Georgie! ‘Here’s a quidditch tip for you Fred. I noticed that when you’re on your broom you have a habit of going to the right which is why you often get stopped. Try switching it up sometimes! However, that’s not the only thing I’ve noticed. Somehow despite being in that dorky quidditch outfit, you still look just as fit as usual. Yours truly, (Y/n).’” He smirked at that part, a chorus of ‘ooo’s from his friends.

“Although she may be blind to say that, she does know her quidditch! Sounds like a catch if you ask me. I’m surprised she didn’t go for me, the better twin.” George said, choking on his toast as Fred smacked him on the back of the head.

Diane nudged her friend, glancing at her. She laughed as she saw her friend’s round face buried in a book to hide the overwhelming amount of shyness that was overcoming her. Even though this had become a regular thing, she still couldn’t stop the way her heart would race every time Fred would read one of the letters aloud. 

To avoid the notes becoming repetitive, she started to switch it up every once in a while. Baked goods, hand knitted scarfs and gloves, even flowers with meanings behind them made their way into Fred’s ownership. However, the more things he got the more not only him but other people became curious. Who was (Y/n) (L/n)?

But what scares me the most

What scares me the most

Is what if when he sees me, what if he doesn't like it?

What if he runs the other way and I can't hide from it?

What happens then?

If when he knows me, he's only disappointed?

What if I give myself away, to only get it given back?

I couldn't live with that

Molly was currently trying to catch up to her soft friend, a sympathetic look on her face. “Why not? I think you should just go up to him and tell him! So many other girls have tried, claiming to be you.” she said, catching the other girl’s attention. She bumped into her as the (h/c) girl abruptly stopped. She turned to look at her friend with tears in her eyes causing her to look down at her agape.

“Do you wanna know why I haven’t just gone up to him yet? Do you really?” She said above a whisper as she looked up at her tall friend, silent tears making their way down her cheeks. “It scares me. It scares me even fucking more than what I feel for him does. Fred is just so..he’s funny, talented, popular. Who wouldn’t want him?” she choked out, looking away. “What if when he sees me, he doesn’t like me? Whenever he reads my notes or gets one of my gifts he always mentions how beautiful (Y/n) must be.”

“(Y/n)...”

“Let me finish Molly. When he says that, he probably means some tall leggy blonde like Diane. I’m just me.” she lets out a dry chuckle, sniffing as she wipes at the tears streaming. “Sure, I find me beautiful, you guys find me beautiful, but the world doesn’t. I don’t look like anyone he’s ever been with before. Fred is always surrounded by tons of gorgeous women. If he saw me, he’d only be disappointed. If I gave myself to him and he rejected me, I couldn’t live with that. Now I see what my mom was talking about.” she said as she walked off leaving Molly confused by the last part of her statement. She frowned hearing her friend’s words but she knew her better than to chase after her when she was upset. She turned the other way, walking quickly in hopes she’d make it to her lecture not too late. However, a flash of red hair out of the corner of her eye didn’t go unnoticed but it did slip her mind when she saw her friend later.

So, I'm just fine, inside my shell-shaped mind

This way I get the best view

So that when he sees me, I want him to

(Y/n) sat in the library at a table by herself. It was a friday, usually she’d spend this time with her friends in the commons. However, after the never ending pestering to just talk to him, to face him she told them she wasn’t feeling well and that she’d be retiring early. It wasn’t a lie, she had completely planned on getting some much needed rest but as she lay in bed tossing and turning her restlessness turned into frustration leading her to read a bit to clear her mind. Reading was what she enjoyed doing when she wanted to clear her mind or simply escape the insufferable reality she was living in. But after she found herself reading the first line to chapter three 10 times she placed her bookmark between her pages, looking out the window.

It was if the universe was taunting her from the sight in front of her. There he stood, talking to another girl from their year. She couldn’t recall the girls name but it wasn’t that important, she was beautiful. She sighed as Fred laughed at something the girl said, patting her head before walking away. ‘It’s better this way. He can’t see you which means he can’t reject you which means you won’t get hurt’ is what she kept telling herself. However if that was the truth, then why did she feel so empty inside?

-----------------------

(Y/n) laughed along with her friends as they sat in the empty common room. Everyone from their house was Merlin knows where at this time as they all shared their intimate horror stories.

“Oh come on, that did NOT happen.” she said through laughs, eating another chocolate from the box on the table. Her cheeks hurt from the amount she had been laughing. Diane was in the midst of telling what happened during her recent sexual endeavor with some guy from her herbology class.

“I swear he did! His face was green and everything! Next thing I know he was blowing chunks off the side of the bed. I offered to take him to the infirmary but he didn’t hear me through his tears so I just made my exit as swift as possible!” she said laughing as well, face red from how much she had laughed through the telling of the story. They all continued to howl with laughter, someone else’s laughing triggering someone else to laugh even more. (Y/n) was the laugh one left laughing as her friends all began to grow quiet. 

“G-guys? Why’d you stop? Who’s next?” she said, looking at Molly who was on her left and Ronnie who was on her right. 

“Um, don’t look how (Y/n) but Fred Weasley is coming this way.” Diane said, causing the girl to stop breathing briefly.

“W-what?!” she whispered loudly, eyes growing wide.

“Yeah and um don’t freak out, but he’s looking directly at you. No pressure though!” Molly said, giving her a rough pat on her back as she offered the girl a smile. The (h/c) haired girl glared up at her. As Fred grew closer, their voices grew quieter.

“Why wouldn’t that make me nervous?!” she said through gritted teeth as she pulled on Molly’s curls causing the girl to let out a quick ‘ow!’. She chuckled nervously. “Well, we have nothing to worry about! It’s not like he knows who I am!” she said as she relaxed some, closing her eyes as she leaned back. She heard footsteps stop in front of her causing her eyes to shoot open as she looked at the ground. Huh. Those shoes didn’t look like Ronnie’s shoes. Matter of fact, they didn’t look like Diane’s either. Or Mo- oh no. She looked up, arms folded across her abdomen self consciously as she looked up at the man in front of her. She couldn’t help but take in his appearance.

He was in a white shirt, some spots see through from what she assumed was a mix of sweat and water. His flaming hair was mostly dry but damp in some spots and he adorned a pair of sweatpants that made him look quite godly in her opinion. If she had to guess, he had just gotten back from quidditch practice. It was weird for her to be this close to him intentionally. The only time she found herself close to Fred was when they’d walk past each other in the hall or when their classes would go by each other due to a required location change for the lesson. Therefore she had never been able to see the freckles on his knuckles, the barely noticeable acne scars that adorned his forehead, or even the way his Irish spring’s shower gel smelled oh so heavenly.

“I’ve been all around the castle for weeks, months even. I think the main reason it took me so long was not only the fact that I haven’t really seen you up close before, but all the other birds claiming to be you. It was like that one muggle film, what’s it called? Cinderfeller?” he pondered for a moment looking off.

“I-it’s Cinderella.” Ronnie chimed in, giving him an awkward smile. They were all quite stunned. Although they all knew that this wild goose chase couldn’t go on forever, they didn’t expect it to be Fred of all people to approach first. They were sure (Y/n) would reveal herself on her own time but it seemed that they weren’t the only one’s getting impatient with the girl’s excuses and whys.

“Right, thank you. So I set off, making a list of every girl in our year in the castle- with the help of George and Dean of course- and we spoke to quite literally all of them. It was easy to weed out the fakes because they couldn’t answer questions related to some of the gifts I had received. So by the process of elimination that leaves you, love. Are you (Y/n)?” He said, crouching down to her level. As hues of brown met hues of (e/c) it was much too intimate for the girl to handle. She sat there, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

“W-well I am a (Y/n). I’m sure there’s plenty of others in the castle!” she retorted letting out a forced laugh, wiping her sweaty palms on her skirt. Was the common room always this warm? 

“If I recall correctly, weren’t you bragging the other day about being the only (Y/n) in the castle? You said and I quot-” a quick stomp of (Y/n)’s foot on Diane’s caused the blonde to quickly stop whatever she was in the middle of saying. Fred looked down at the (h/c) hair girl with a quirked brow and knowing smirk. She was caught red handed. Without another word, he quickly pulled her off the couch with ease, dragging her along with him. She tried protesting and looking at her friends for help but they all simply waved and smiled at her, making kissy faces and noises. ‘Idiots’ she thought as she rolled her eyes. Fred continued to guide her, the path to where they were going looking awfully familiar until they arrived at the astronomy tour.

“Listen Fred, I just wanna say I’m sorry. I know you were probably expecting (Y/n) to be someone who looks like Diane, or hell, even Molly’s dumbass but I’m not. I’m just me.” She began as she walked to the edge, looking off the balcony. “I know now that you’ve seen me you’re probably disappointed. I’ve seen the girls you hang around all the time and they’re bloody gorgeous and-”

“So are you.” he whispered, causing her to whip her head around quickly.

“Pardon?” she responded with glassy eyes. The girl wasn’t too sure why her eyes began to water from three simple words. They weren’t the usual three words that cause or evoke such an emotional response but they felt like the missing piece of a puzzle. Her eyes followed the lanky guy as he walked over to her, tucking a few pieces of hair behind her ear as he interlocked their hands. Long, skinny and defined calloused hands meeting her soft thicker but smaller ones.

“So. Are. You. Beauty is such a fluid thing. There’s no one way to be beautiful, lovely. Museums have many unique and beautiful forms of art and so does life.” He let his hands wander on her sides, gliding up and down her love handles, waist, and hips. He took one of his hands to tilt her head up oh so gently. “If you were a sculpture, you’d be made of the finest of marble by the most talented of sculptors. Hell, if I wasn’t so bloody bad with art I’d sculpt you myself but I don’t think I’d be doing you much justice. It’d be a monstrosity.” he said, shuddering at the idea of him doing anything art related. (Y/n) found herself giggling at that.

“If only you applied this verbiage to your coursework. Perhaps you’d actually be doing decent.” she remarked as she continued to laugh. Fred gasped a bit before joining in as well with his own laughter. As the laughter died down, he lifted a hand caressing her cheek, thumb sweeping across the smooth skin. She found his eyes to see they were filled with adoration. “Fred Weasley, are you whipped for me?” she spoke softly as if she had said it any louder, that he’d simply disappear.

“I have been since the first time I saw you.” He responded, his own cheeks flushing a bit with a light crimson. She looked at him puzzled a bit before her eyes widened slightly.

“You remember that? That was months ago!” she noted. He grinned at that, pulling her closer.

“Of course I do. Imagine my delight when I found out that beautiful girl who slammed the blinds shut on me happened to be the girl my heart was slowly going out to with every note and kind gesture you sent my way. Merlin is definitely on my side.  Although I must be honest,” he looked away for a bit before lookin back at her. “The list was a huge help, but I also couldn’t help but overhear your conversation in the hallway that day. However I knew then wasn’t the right time to approach you, I assumed you would’ve just been more upset over the fact I was eavesdropping a bit.” he mumbled. She opened her mouth to question what conversation before she recalled what she had said to Molly that day in the hallway.

“Let me finish Molly. When he says that, he probably means some tall leggy blonde like Diane. I’m just me.” she lets out a dry chuckle, sniffing as she wipes at the tears streaming. “Sure, I find me beautiful, you guys find me beautiful, but the world doesn’t. I don’t look like anyone he’s ever been with before. Fred is always surrounded by tons of gorgeous women. If he saw me, he’d only be disappointed. If I gave myself to him and he rejected me, I couldn’t live with myself. Now I see what my mom was talking about.”

“Hearing you speak so lowly about yourself upset me quite a bit. I wanted to plan out what I was going to say a bit more and also make sure it was actually you.”

“I’m sorry you had to hear me say those things about myself. I usually don’t say such things like that, I’m very confident in the way I look. To me, fat and ugly aren’t synonymous but I know everyone isn’t so open minded.” she admitted, dropping her gaze to the ground. “I’m also new to this whole feelings thing. You’re the first guy I’ve ever had feelings for.”

Now, it was Fred’s turn to become speechless. He couldn’t believe his ears, he had the honor, no, the privilege of being the first guy to be such a sublime goddess of a woman? He felt his ears heat up and he knew he had to look absolutely ridiculous. “I don’t blame you, I am one hell of a guy!” He said, flexing his arms as he flashed her a cheeky grin. (Y/n) scoffed some, shoving him away as she rolled her eyes playfully. She pondered for a second before standing on her tippy toes planting a kiss on his cheek...or at least that’s what she had planned. Fred being Fred turned his head last moment wrapping his arms around her waist as he pressed his lips into hers. She gasped softly, chills running up her spine again as her body tensed.

Even this was her first time having a kiss, she could tell this was a feeling she’d be craving nonstop. (Y/n) wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling Fred down to her height. The ginger boy smirked into the kiss, trailing his hands all along her soft frame practically melting at the feeling. His hands snaked their way down to her ass, cupping the pillowy flesh between his large hands causing the (y/h/h) to moan softly. The Gryffindor pulled away, biting and pulling her bottom lip along with him.

“So, I have a question for you then…”He started, pressing his forehead against hers. She felt the warmth of his minty breathe hit her face as she looked into his eyes expectantly. “Do I really have a tendency to go to the right when I play quidditch? Because in my opinio-”

“Fred! Really?!”

[peterparkers-bad-youtube-apology]

maybe Y/N Stark is a new avenger, Peter see her before in a college party where they had very great sex. When she is introduced to everone. Wanda reading her thoughts finds out what happened between them. and CAOS. I love you xx

Okay see I love this because it plays into my favorite headcannon that (y/n) Stark is just a big party girl. My favorite trope is just like mean x soft, love someone who is just soft for their baby and that is so my favorite way to potray (y/n) Stark, like she’s just kind of brat expect for with Peter. Anyway I’m saying a big fat yes, and here she is. Hope you like it babe! Love you xx

Guys I am still doing requests and promts so please feel free to send some in, or even just hit me up, would love to be your bestie 💖

Awkward

Pairing: Peter Parker x Stark! Reader

Summary: The first post hookup meetup is always a little awkward 

Prompts

Masterlist

//

(y/n)’s pov

New York city has to be the most magical place in the world, the lights are brighter, the buildings are taller, and the parties are way more awesome than the little boarding school dorm parties I’m used to. As a Stark it’s really just my social obligation to throw the best parties in the city though, and that’s a lot of pressure. I knew my New York debut would have to be awesome, so I rented out the 404 NYC and filled it to the brim with the best food and liquor money could buy, the most killer DJ I could find, and sent out an invitation to every socialite in the city. 

Then I invited Peter Parker, a boy I’ve only ever met in passing really, but he was important to my dad. Dad always used to tell me he thought we’d really get along, but we never really got the chance to know each other before dad passed away. Now that I’m in New York I want to try to be friends, he’s also the only avenger my age so if I want to carry on my dad’s legacy I think he’ll be a good teammate to have. From what I remember he was just a dorky, quiet kid, he’d hardly said two words to me the handful of times we had met. So you can only imagine my surprise when he walked in and the dorky little boy next door had become possibly the hottest boy in all of NYC. 

“Hey Peter,” I giggled as I waved to him, “I’m so glad you came.”

“Yeah, of course, I was a little surprised you invited me though…” he rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward smile.

“Oh yeah, I just figured a friend of daddy’s is a friend of mine,” I stopped one of the waiters walking by and passed Peter a drink, “Here, have this, it’s crazy good.”

He takes a little sip and nods, “Good. I’m glad you did, I was wondering if you were still gonna go to college out here after everything that happened.”

“Of course! I love New York,” I wink before taking a big swig of my own drink, “Plus I kind of wanted to give the whole Avengers thing a shot.”

“I heard, Fury said you’ve been talking about helping out.”

I nod, “Yeah, I don’t know if I really want to be a superhero per say, but it’s my dad’s legacy and I want to help out in some way.”

“Cool,” he blushed as he glanced down at his drink, “Sorry, parties aren’t really my thing still, I actually kind of just came to see how you were.”

“Aw,” I coo, “That’s so cute, I thought you would be, you seem more confident, you actually look me in the eyes now, mostly.”

He looked back up at me with a smile, “More confident sure, but I still don’t really go to parties.”

“Well you’re like an honorary Stark aren’t you?”

His whole face flushed red at that, “I don’t know about that.”

“Nah, you totally are, which means you’ve got to party like one,” I push the drink to his lips, “Chug that and we’ll get you another, then I’ll teach you how to dance,” I wink, downing my own drink to demonstrate.

He takes a deep breath and down the whole cup in one drink.

/

The first thing I notice when I wake up is how unusually warm it is, then it’s the arm around my waist. I roll over groggily and rub my eyes, giving myself just a few moments to take everything in. The first thing I spot is Peter, laying in bed besides me, naked. After checking him out for a second, what happened last night comes crashing back to my mind.  I feel my face start to burn, don’t get me wrong, he was great in bed, but I just know I totally corrupted him. Oops. 

It’s a little hard to feel bad when the sex was that good.

Peter’s eyes flutter open, looking over me sleepily before going wide eyed, “H-Hi,” he stutters.

“Hey,” I smile back, “You’re like a little space heater you know?”

“Uh, thanks,” he sits up very suddenly, looking a little frantic as he grabs his phone, “I-I’m sorry I really have to go, I h-have plans.”

I frown, watching him scramble back into his clothes, “No problem, I’m sure I’ll see you around?”

He nods, not meeting my eyes as he pulls his shirt on, “Y-Yeah, see you!” he’s out the door fast enough to give me whiplash.

Did I just get smashed and dashed by Peter Parker?

/

I feel awkward about what happened with Peter, I mean I had a good time but the more I think about it it just seemed like something was off that morning. I want to apologize or something, but I don’t have his number or anything. I was hoping he’d be at the Avengers tower while I’m in today, but no such luck. I feel really bad, I had a lot of fun with him, I really did want to be friends. He just really doesn’t seem like the type to hit it and quit it so I really feel like I did something wrong…

“Oh hey kid,” Bucky breaks my train of thought and draws my attention away from the papers I was looking over, “What are you up to?” “Looking over some of my dad's old suit plans,” I hum, “What about you?”

“After mission snack,” he smiles as he opens the fridge, “Peter and Wanda were right behind me.”

My eyes widen and I look right to the door, waiting for them to enter and debating what I should do. I guess just ask him to talk?

He meets my eyes as soon as he enters the room, his cheeks flush instantly and he clears his throat, “Oh, hey (y/n).”

“Hey,” I smile back.

Screw that fucking Spiderman suit, he should go to jail for looking like that.

“Hi (y/n)” Wanda smiles as she walks in behind him, “How are you?”

“Good, you?”

“Starving,” she rubs her stomach with a smile, “I need a snack,” she heads right for the kitchen while Peter just stands a few feet away from me. “How was your mission?” I ask.

“Good, nothing special really,” he crosses his arms over his chest, “How have you been?”

“Good.”

How do I bring this up? I mean normally if I hook up with someone I don’t care that much about talking to them after, but I really liked hanging out with Peter at the actual party too. He’s awesome in bed, let’s not pretend he isn’t, but he’s funny too, and wicked smart. Plus he’s a lot nicer than most guys, I don’t know, I just really got along with him. I really hope I didn’t ruin things between us.

“Well I’m just gonna grab a snack too,” Peter pushes his hand through his hair, a light pink color dusting his cheeks and nose, “I’m pretty tired…”

“I bet, you should get some rest,” I cross my legs and turn back to the notes, only to spot Wanda staring at us, “What?”

She smirks, “Nothing, nothing.”

I frown, “Okay, not nothing, what is it?” “You two are just having some interesting thoughts,” she snickers.

Both Peter and I flush red while Bucky cocks his head in confusion, “What are they thinking about?”

She gets ready to speak but I’m quick to interject, “Nothing.”

“The kids were just having a little fun,” she smirks, “Come on Bucky, I think they need a little alone time.”

He went wide eyed, “You two better not try anything in here.”

“Jesus Christ we won’t!” I snap, “You two are gross!”

“Oh I’m gross?” Wanda raises a brow, “I know exactly what’s going on in that little head of yours,” she glances towards Peter, “She’s into the suit Peter.”

“Hey!” I glare at her while he blushes, “Don’t kink shame me.”

“I’m gonna go throw up,” Bucky snatches up his food on his way out. “You better leave to,” I threaten Wanda, pointing my pen at her as threateningly as I can.

She starts laughing, “Yeah I’m getting out of here before you two start getting heated,” she winks to me as she saunters out of the room, “Wrap it up this time!”

“Hey!” I snap, my cheeks flushing once more, “I have an IUD,” I try to assure Peter, who seems to be malfunctioning, “Uh, you good?”

His mouth hangs open for a minute before he speaks, “I’m really sorry about them.”

I shrug, “It’s fine. I really did want to talk to you alone though, I’m really sorry about the party.”

He knits his brow, “Why are you sorry? I had fun at the party.”

“It seemed like you regretted it,” I bite the inside of my cheek nervously.

He purses his lips and shakes his head, “I don’t regret it. I shouldn’t have left like I did though, I promise I’m not normally like that.”

“Oh,” I don’t really know what to say, “So you really just had to go?”

He averts his eyes before shaking his head, “I kinda panicked?”

“Panicked?” I chuckle, some of my nerves starting to ease out, “Why?”

“I just haven’t really done that before…” he blushed.

My jaw falls open, “Oh my God Peter I am so sorry, I had no idea. I should have asked if I was your first th-”

“No, no! Not like that, I’ve slept with people before,” he shakes his head, “It’s just always been with long term girlfriends. I just didn’t really know what to do when we got up and I panicked.”

I can’t help the small laugh that escapes from my lips, “That’s really cute Peter, and I mean what you did was fine, I was just a little disappointed I guess. I mean I had a lot of fun just hanging out too so I was kind of hoping we could have kept hanging out, but if you just wanted a one night stand that’s fine too.”

“W-Well I wanted to keep hanging out too, I guess I should have just asked,” he laughs lightly at himself, “Sorry.”

“You can make it up to me by taking me on a date sometime,” I shrug, “You know, just if you still wanted to hang out sometime.”

He goes wide eyed before clearing his throat, “Oh, um, yeah, I should do that. Do you, uh, have plans tonight?”

I shake my head, “Nope.”

“Cool, uh, would you want to go to the movies then?”

I nod eagerly, “I would love to.”

“O-Okay!” he grins ear to ear, “I’m gonna go shower though, and change! I’ll be back in ten?”

“I’ll be right here,” I smile back, “Can’t wait.”

“Me either,” he begins walking away but spins suddenly loudly declaring, “Oh!” before he spins back around. He presses a quick peck to my lips and bites his lips, “Okay, I’ll be right back.”

I blush, my stomach filling with anxious butterflies, “I’ll be waiting.”

[thelittleboyfromloveactually]

Record Store (pt. 1)

Thomas Brodie sangster x reader

Prompt: Royal records is one of the best in the country, it’s also your favorite. On your weekly trip there you meet a friendly face. And later on you find you have a lot more in common than just your taste in music.

Warnings: some cussing (honestly it’s gonna be in every fic) fluff

Word count: 1640

Requests are still open yall!

You woke up early, the sun shinning through your sheer curtains. Your white bed sheets tangled in your legs. You reached over to your bed side table to grab your phone. 7:24. You dragged yourself out of your warm bed and into the shower. Today was Sunday, your day off. You were currently studying at Cambridge college med school. You had classes everyday except Saturday and Sunday. Saturday you normally spent at work and studying. Every Sunday you would wake up early, and then walk over to one of your favorite places in London, Royal Records. You had a great passion for music, you had an angel like voice and had learned to play piano from a young age. As you grew your taste in music got better and bigger. Royal records was your favorite record store around, it was small but you knew how to find hidden gems.

After you got out of your shower your blow dryed your hair, showing off your gorgeous layers. You did your make up and threw on a pair of black leather pants, a black shirt, your leather jacket, your black boots and some gold jewelry. You grabbed your bag and left your dorm room, quietly so as not to wake up your room mate. You walked down the hall and to the elevator. You pressed the main floor and felt it beggin going down. The doors opened and you stepped out, checking the time on the wall. 8:15. It was about a fifteen minute walk to the coffee shop and only five minutes from there to the store, you would be there just in time for opening. After grabbing your coffee you started on your short journey to your favorite record store. Getting there at exactly 9:00. Once you arrived you saw Felix, he was a good friend of yours who also happened to work here. You had met him in your first year of college, he was in your French class and was struggling, you offered to help. You were fluent and French, Italian and Spanish. Your mom was part French so you grew up being exposed to it.

“Bonjour Felix!” You said as you skipped up to him just as he was unlocking the door

“Hey Y/N! How are you ?” He said smiling at you

“Fine thanks, and yourself?” You asked, smiling once he finally opened the door escorting you inside

“Pretty good” he went behind the counter and opened a new box of records that they had ordered

“Ooo are those the new ones?” Personally you were a fan of older ish music, but you always kept an opened mind.

“That they are” he said looking up at you, you joined him on the other side of the counter and began to look through them. “Tell you what, you get a fee record if you help me organize these” he said

Your face lit up “deal!” You said already grabbing some carefully and going to put them into their sections.

After about 25 minutes you had finished, you were pretty fast. The bell rang as someone walked into the store, Felix greeted them and so did you. A few more people came in and you began your search, looking in every box there was. Then you found it. AC/DCs back in black album, for some reason this was hard to find, you reached for it. But when your hand was on it, so was someone else’s. You looked up, your face blushing a little for your fingers had touched each other’s.

“Oh I’m sorry” said the boy, he looks so familiar, he was tall and thin, blonde hair, your couldn’t put your finger on it.

“It’s fine, really.” You said smiling at him “you can have it”

“No no! You were here first” he said

“No really, my friend works here, I will know the second another one comes in” you said handing him the album

“A-are you sure?” He asked

“Yup” you said smiling, you had to admit, this boy was cute

You walked with him over to the desk

“So you like AC/DC?” He asked looking at you

“I would hope everyone does” you said

He laughed “there are quiet bloody amazing, what’s your favorite album?” He asked

You blushed “that one” you said pointing at the vinyl in his hand

“Oh no, well, take it!” He said, he tried to put it in your hands but you put them behind your back.

“No, like I said I can find another one” you said smiling politely at him

“They are hard to find though” he said hesitantly

“I’m good at finding things”

He smiled and nodded his head, “I’m Thomas” he said reaching his hand out for you to shake it

You put your hand in his “Y/N”

“Pleasure to meet you, Y/N” he said smiling an adorable smile at you

“The pleasure is all mine” you said blushing

He bought the album and you said goodbye

“It was nice meeting you Y/N” he said smiling

“You too thomas” you smiled back

He walked away, looking back at you and smiling to himself.

The next day you woke up at 9:00, got ready and headed to your first class. You only had one class on Monday but it was a long one. 2 hours and 15 mins of psychology. You wanted to be an OB/GYN but you had an interest in the mind too. It’s also nice to be able to understand people. Throughout the entire class though all you could think about was that boy you had met. Thomas. The familiarness was bothering you, why did he seem so familiar? He was also cute and had a good taste in music.

After class you went to your dorm and got ready for work, you grabbed some lunch on your way and arrived 5 mins before your 12:00 shift started. You had worked at this coffee shop for 4 years now. It was also one of your favorite places. You lived the smell of pastries and coffee. You loved the locals that you had become friends with, you loved the people you worked with, you loved seeing which new book Harriet was reading this week. Harriet was the old lady who came here every morning from 11:00 to 12:15, she would sit and drink her coffee, eat her brunch and read her book. They were always some sweet romance novel, mystery or classic. She owned your other favorite place, the book store. You stepped into the kitchen greeting everyone and grabbing your apron and your notepad.

“Y/N go help table 4 outside!” Your manager called

“Will do lizzy!” You called back

You made your way outside to table four, dodging the other waiters.

“Hi, uh what can I get for you today?” You asked nicely whilst taking out your pen from your pocket

“A black coffee please, love” you recognized the voice immediately, you looked up from your notepad and saw Thomas smiling up at you. He was wearing a coat and sunglasses. He looked as if he was a spy or something.

“Oh my god! Hey!” Your said

“Hi” he said smiling at you

“W-what are you doing here?” You asked

“Just getting my coffee”

“Ah I see, so I don’t need to file a restraining order?” You said jokingly

He laughed “I would hope not” he said “why don’t you sit with me for a second, my coffee can wait” he said gesturing to the seat across from him.

“I would love to but I’m working” you said with an apologetic smile

“Right well, I don’t think they will mind you being gone for one minute” he said

You sighed taking the seat across from him

“You know you look like your in disguise?” You mentioned to him

“Do I now?” He asked leaning toward you

“Yes you do”

“Well I’ll be honest, I need your help, I am investigating a murder and the killer is here in this cafe” he said, he seemed like he really ment it

You laughed, hoping it was a joke

He smiled “I’m joking with you, uh um I am actually an actor”

Of course he was! That’s where you had recognized him from!

“That makes so much sense! I knew you looked familiar, newt right?” You asked

“Yup” he said smiling

“So what is a hot shot actor like you doing here at this cafe?”

“Well if I’m being completely honest, I didn’t come just for the coffee, but rather the company. Yesterday I went back to the record store to see if you were there, you weren’t so I asked your friend, who is very nice by the way, for your number. He said he didn’t know me and he wasn’t going to give your number to a stranger. I convinced him to tell me where you worked, and then I ended up here.” He said smiling

“Well that’s quite a story” you said blushing

“Well I think fait just wants me to get your number so” he dragged off, nudging his phone over to you

You giggled “sure”

You typed your number into his phone and texted yourself

“There you go” you said handing it back to him

“Thanks love, you know sense I have you here, would you like to go to dinner sometime? Or to the movies? Or just ya know, hang out? Maybe?” He asked sweetly

“I think I would” you said, you could talk your face was red

“Uh well great then, shall I text you the details?” He asked

“Yes” you smiled, standing up

“Wait where are you going?” He asked grabbing your hand in his

“To get your coffee” you said winking and walking away

Part two :)

[no-heart-no-soul-t]

Mechanic!San x Reader

I finally did it after thinking and talking about it for so long lamo. It’s not good, maybe rushed? or something idk. But please have fun reading it!

Pairing: Mechanic!San x fem!Reader

Genre: fluff, some angst, applying of smut

Warnings: brief mention of death, drinking, some cursing

You and your friend thought it would be an amazing idea to go on a road trip. Emphasis on amazing, since she didn’t get her car checked before the trip, if it can handle a four hour drive to the beach. You packed your things, throwing it all to the trunk of the car and drove away. Two hours already passed and you decided to take a nap, two more hours of driving awaiting you and Jade. You were awoken by Jade, shaking the Hell out of you. “Y/N, I think the car broke down,” you looked at her with widened eyes, “Please, be joking and tell me that only the gas ran out.” You had some reserve gas back in the trunk. She shook her head and pointed at the front. You came out of the car, instantly looking at the smoke coming from the hood. You looked at her in disbelief, “I told you to get it checked before the trip,” “But! In my defense, that car shop I am always going to, is closed down because of renovations,” she answered with a small pout. “You know, you could go to another one right?,” “Nooo~ in this they always give me a discount,”  you shook your head, knowing there’s no point in arguing. Closing the hood, you take out the phone searching for nearby car mechanics. You found one, an hour away, called “Satan’s Room.” ‘Welp that sounds friendly,’ you thought while dialing the number. Just after few rings a deep, older voice answered, “Hello, this is Satan’s Room, Mr. Choi speaking, how can I help you?,” you were surprised by the professionality in the voice, not gonna lie. “Ah, yes hello, can I ask if you could come to the 34D road? Our car broke down and it showed that only you are the nearest,” you asked nervous waiting for a reply. You heard some shuffling around the room and slamming of the door, “Yeah, it’s not a problem. We are on our way,” Mr. Choi said and hung up. “So? What did they say?,” Jade asked while looking around the road. Having your car broken on the road where there was forest around didn’t seem too appealing to her. You shrugged walking back to the passenger's seat, “He said it’s no prob and be here ASAP,” you said while putting your legs on a dashboard. “HEY! Put them down! I swear you’ll be cleaning this car,” and you slowly put them down, smiling innocently.

Forty minutes passed by since the call and you decided to go look around, still having extra twenty minutes. “Where are you going?,” Jade asked you from the open window. “Just want to check that apple tree over there. I am craving apples,” you said going over to that place. When you got to the tree it indeed had apples on it, so you went up and took some. You were mesmerized by the view from the tree. It wasn’t tall but you could see a beautiful meadow with a mountain in the background more clearly. Smiling to yourself, you just sat on the branch, enjoying the view. totally forgetting about the time. “Y’kno, in this place, stealing apples is a crime,” you heard from below you. You looked down and saw a guy not much older than you. He was wearing black sleeveless tee, black sweats and was smirking at you. Rolling your eyes you were slowly going down, but you slipped and were preparing for an impact with the ground. But it never came. Opening your eyes you saw the mysterious hot man looking down at you, holding you, smiling. You were taken in by his looks, seeing his dimples coming through. Admiring him whole, you realized he was looking right back at you with some feeling, you couldn’t pinpoint what it was, in his eyes. Coughing and blushing you quickly came down turning away. “Your friend, Jade, said you were somewhere here so I came looking for you,” he said while standing in front of you. “How do you know Jade?,” you asked confused, he just chuckled and pointed to his tee where it said “Satan’s Room” and realization hit you like a truck. “Sorry….” looking down, you went ahead not looking if he was following you. “Cute” San said to no one but himself and looked up at the sun, smiling. “Hey! My name is San, what's yours sweet cookie?,” you looked at him shocked because of the nickname but answered nonetheless. “Y/N, nice to meet you, San,” you still smiled tho, even through the shock that came over you of his choice of the nickname. “Mmmm, not only your appearance and voice are sweet, but also your name,” winking at you, he was going down the road back to the car. You stood there still shocked, but moved when you heard your name. Jade couldn’t talk. Still processing the words of Mr. Choi and San. “W-what?,” “I am sorry Jade, but that car will need at least two weeks of reparation,” Mr. Choi said apologetically. She just sighed, looking all distressed, “How much will I have to pay you?,” “Well, normally it would be two thousands of dollars,” she screeched at the price already panicking, “but, we will do it for five hundred dollars, since you are not from around here and looks like you two are just a students on the trip,” “That we are,” you confirmed. “Wait, you’ll just give me that big discount? Are you actually angels in disguise or what?,” still shocked she looked at them with big eyes. You found her very cute at the moment and thought San found it cute too. That sparkled a small pang of jealousy in your heart. Wanting to look at him but at same time you didn’t. Anyways, you looked up seeing him smile at Jade with his dimples. Instantly, you looked away and asked a question, “But, where will we be staying? Since it’s for two weeks…,” Jade coughed, seriousness back in her voice, “Yeah, maybe there's a motel around,” the two of you looked at the father and son duo if there’s really something around. San looked at you apologetically, smile disappearing, “Sadly… there’s nothing like that around,” “But you can stay at our place with us. We have extra room,” Mr. Choi quickly added, “Don’t worry, we are not serial killers,” he joked and you two eased a little bit. After agreeing, they took you to their house. On the way there you learn that San’s mother died three years ago and it’s only the two of them. There’s also a younger son, JongHo, but he left for another city to study. Also you learned that neither of them cooks and are only eating delivery food, so you made it your task to cook for them for these two weeks, since they gave you a big ass discount and are letting you two stay there. 

It was already morning, you went downstairs finding only note on the table in a very messy kitchen saying, ‘We are at the workshop, see you two later. You can do anything you want to - San,’ you sighed, going back upstairs to wake up Jade. You both got ready, “So what are we gonna do today?,” she asked while sipping on her coffee. “How about cleaning this messy kitchen and living room, go buy groceries and make them real food?,” you answered, looking around. She agreed and went to clean at least half of the dishes before you went shopping for groceries and stuff for cleaning. It took you two at least four hours to clean the whole house. Satisfied you went to the now clean kitchen to prepare some chicken breasts with potatoes and vegetable soup. Simple, because you had zero strength at this point, after all the cleaning. Bathroom took you a very long time to get rid of the oil stains. Jade sighed saying she will take a shower first and you just nodded, chilling on the sofa. After five minutes you heard that the washing machine was done with washing the clothes so you went and took them out to get dry. Humming you were hanging the clothes to dry in the backyard. “Oh! Hello? Are you San’s new girlfriend or something?,” you heard from beside you. Turning around you saw an old, lovely lady, looking at you fondly. “Ah, Hello. No I am not, me and my friend are staying here. Our car broke down and they said it will take at least two weeks so they are letting us stay here,” you answered with a small blush. She smiled, “These guys are sweet. And sorry for quickly assuming you are San’s girlfriend. He wasn’t dating anyone since his mother’s death. All the time helping his father at the car shop,” she answered looking at the house, something like memories flashing through her eyes. “It’s good you are helping them, at least for this short amount of time. I was always cooking for them, but these last three months they are saying they don’t need it, saying they are cooking for themselves,” she added and you chuckled, “If hundred boxes of delivery food is cooking by themselves, then yeah, they are cooking,” she looked at you shocked, “I will smack them! Living so unhealthy, tsk,” you again chuckled at her fondly. She waved you off going back to her house mumbling about how she will smack them and make them real food.  You went inside and found Jade baking brownies, “What? I mean they might want some? If not, I am surely craving some after that cleaning,” she pouted and you laughed, going to the shower. 

You were singing a song called ‘I miss you, I’m sorry’ by Gracie Abrams. Memories from the last relationship coming back to you. “You said, "forever," and I almost bought it

I miss fighting in your old apartment

Breaking dishes when you're disappointed

I still love you, I promise

Nothing happened in the way I wanted

Every corner of this house is haunted

And I know you said that we're not talking

But I miss you, I'm sorry” You sang brokenly, still not over it.  You finally got out of the bathroom, only to slam into something, well, someone. “Hey, you okay?,” San looked down at you, worry in his eyes. You didn’t understand why and then you realized you were crying. Memories had really hit you hard in the shower while singing that song.  “Yeah, yeah, just got some shampoo in my eyes… Did you eat?,” “No, I am gonna take shower first, then dad and then we are gonna eat,” you just nodded, going downstairs to find Jade and San’s dad laughing about something. “Y/N! Mr. Choi said they will paint my car pink!” she jumped up and down, all happy about the new color. “Oh, wouldn’t it cost more thought?,” “We will only take one hundred dollars more, otherwise it’s a lot more,” he answered kindly. “Also, thank you. For the cleaning and the food,” he softly smiled, his small dimples showing. ‘Ah, so San’s dimples come from his dad, cute’ you thought, smiling softly at him. “Dad, you can go now! They even cleaned up the bathroom. Never seen it this clean,” San laughed. His dad patted him on his back and went to the bathroom. “While cleaning we found this,” Jade handed San a photo frame where he, his dad, his younger brother and his mom were on the photo. “We were looking for that for a year now,” he smiled sadly, caressing the photo, “Where did you find it?” he looked between you two. “Y/N found it in that pile next to the sofa,” Jade pointed to the now empty spot. He looked at you and softly smiled, “Thank you,” you just nodded your head and went to heat up the food.

After the simple dinner, you four were talking on the porch, looking at the sky. Jokes were coming back and forth. Also Jade telling San’s dad about your school lives. “Y/N, are you single?,” that random question from San surprised you. “Yeah.. I had a pretty bad break up a few months ago,” you scratched your neck nervously. “I see,” he smiled at you and winked.  After these small talks you went back inside. “San fell in love with you on the first sight it seems,” she smiled at you, “No. he didn’t. I saw how he was looking at you the whole day,” you answered, faking a smile. “But he asked you if you are single,” she looked at you confused, “Maybe courtesy, I don’t know, let’s go to sleep,” turning the light off, you let the darkness consume you.

These two weeks you enjoyed yourself. Having fun with Mr. Choi and San and Jade. It was time for you two to go, car already done. Time flew by quickly. San was always talking to you about anything but also nothing. You thought he was just nice to you because he wanted to be with Jade. You always saw him in sleeveless tees or only in pants. He was really toned and you couldn’t think about some things. Sometimes when you visited their workplace you would find him leaned above the hood, repairing something. You knew, these images wouldn’t get out of your head for a long time.

“Well it’s time to say goodbye,” Mr. Choi said, handing Jade the keys. “Yes, promise us to eat home cooked food and not delivery. Maybe we wil be going around again sometime soon and we will need help again,” Jade laughed, hugging both of them. You just stood there on the side, looking down. “Hey, give me a hug, princess,” San said while crushing your bones, smiling at you, “Don’t worry, sweet cookie, I know we will meet again some time soon,” he winked at you and kissed your cheek. You blushed, looking him in the eyes, “Why,” with small voice you looked back down, “Because I like you,” he casually said and hugged you again. Your brain was frozen, not understanding.  Then it hit you, that he meant it in a friendly way. You just smiled and went inside the car. Three months came by. October is already here. Your head was just full of school, part time job and San. You just couldn’t stop thinking about him. “Let’s go to the club tonight, we need some chill,” Jade grunted while jumping on your bed. “You know, I hate clubs,” rolling your eyes, you continued on with your homework. “C’mon, it’s been so long since we went somewhere,” she pouted, getting in your face. You sighed, agreeing. “Also, maybe, you will meet some cute guy there,” she winked and went to get ready.

You wore leather high waist pants, with harness around your left thigh, black, long sleeves V neck and some choker. Jade said if you didn’t want to wear a dress, you are going in this. You just shrugged, taking the second option.

“Well, you look so hot,” she whistled and checked you out.

Finally at the club, the two of you went straight for the bar, each taking a shot of tequila. Jade dragged you to the dance floor. You enjoyed yourself, you couldn’t lie. All the stress and thinking went away. Your thoughts were interrupted by someone sneaking their hands around your waist, pulling you into a chest.

“Hey, angel, long time no see. You look really hot,” you recognized the voice. Your ex, Jaehyun. Turning around quickly, you looked up at him in shock,

“What the hell do you want here, Jaehyun?,” Jade screamed at him, pulling you away.

“Came by to have some fun, like you,” he winked at you, licking his lips.

“Just leave, you hurt her more than enough,” she tried to take you away but he held your hand saying you are not going anywhere.

“Leave me alone!” you screamed and hit his chest.

“No, angel, you are mine. Bet you are still virgin, wanna have some fun?,” he laughed, pulling you into him. All of the sudden you were taken away from him. When you looked up, you saw San beating up your ex on the floor.

“San! No! Stop!,” you just went to him and back hugged him,

“Let’s just go, he is not worth it,” San relaxed and took your hand, going out of the club.

After some running, you got to your apartment. It was nearby and you ran there without thinking, San following you. When you got in and closed the door behind you two, you looked at him shocked.

“What are you even doing here? How did you know we would be there?,” millions of questions coming from your mouth.

“Hey, chill. I will answer one by one,” he put his hands on your shoulders, to calm you down a little bit.

“I am here, because I wanted to see you. And Jade texted me that you will be in that club, earlier today. So, here I am.” You looked at him still confused. ‘He and Jade have exchanged numbers?’ you thought to yourself, all the happiness from seeing him going away.

“I see…” you took your shoes off, ignoring him and going to the living room.

“What’s wrong?” he asked while back hugging you, nuzzling into your neck.

“This is wrong! You and Jade had each other's numbers this whole time! And here you are, hugging me and nuzzling your face into my neck!,” you yelled trying to get away.

“What are you implying?,” he turned you around looking into your eyes. You swear he could take your soul away by just his looks.

“That. You are here playing with my feelings? And not with Jade? What am I even to you, Choi San? Just a small fun before you will ask Jade out? Or what?,” you said brokenly, tears coming from your eyes.

“Those two weeks, I really liked you. Scratch. I like you even now. Couldn’t stop thinking about you this whole time. And now,” you looked away, sighing. You weren’t prepared for this. He took your face into his hands and smashed his lips onto yours. The kiss was hungry and full of passion. No words needed.

“I didn’t give you my number, because I needed to focus on something. It was a big project for a very rich and dangerous man. And I know you would distract me. But I am sorry, princess. I gave my number to Jade just in case you, Y/N,  would need me,” his eyes telling you that he said the truth. You kissed him softly on his lips, hoping for a good reaction. He kissed you back, lifting you up. Locking your legs around his waist and hands around his neck, you deepened the kiss.

“Where’s your room?” he asked with heavy breath and you just pointed to the door, kissing his neck and making small galaxies. Grunting he opened the door, your attack on his neck making him more aroused.

“Baby girl, calm down,” he chuckled, putting you down on the bed and getting on top of you.

You blushed, realization hitting you,

“San… there’s a thing,” he caressed your cheek humming for you to continue, “I- I am still a virgin,” you blushed looking away. After few seconds he turned your head back to him and smiled,

“And? You think I wouldn’t want you because of that?” nodding you tried to look away again but he held your face, looking at you fondly.

“Princess, that doesn’t matter. I want you,” he finished with a soft kiss that turned to a passionate one really quickly. Finally you pulled away, taking a breath. His eyes were so dark and dilated, you lost yourself in them. He smirked, taking his shirt off,

“Baby girl, I won’t hurt you,” kissing your neck, “but I might later on. In a good way,” taking your shirt off, “also this choker is staying on your neck throughout this whole time,” he finished with a searing kiss. The night was filled with moans and soft breaths, the moon making it more magical.

[captain-yeet]

Don't You Knock? (Felix Volturi x Reader One-shot)

Summary: Finding out that vampires and soulmates existing in a single day is exhausting, let alone discovering you're the mate of one. The night after the Newborns came to Forks, you get a surprise visitor in the dead of night.

Pairing: Felix x Reader

Word count: 2.8k

A little something I’ve been working on this past week and also to celebrate a wee follower milestone. Come get y’all JUICE, enjoy!

Slamming the door to your apartment with accidental unnecessary force, you shrug out of your frozen jacket and tossed it to the floor. Today had been eventful, to say the least. It began with helping out your supervisor with paperwork down at the police station and ended with a vampire practically starting a riot over you.

Oh, and vampires exist now. Neat.

You were only a few years older than Chief Swan's daughter and he had asked something rather odd of you a few months back after she returned from disappearing to Italy; "Keep an eye out for her, will ya?"

So, you found a way to insert yourself into Bella's life, like a friend with older sister vibes. She was none the wiser, and so were you in terms of what kind of shit the silly girl had gotten herself into.

Shrugging out of your pants, you let out a content sigh. "Right, relax time," you breathed. No vampires, no pyres of burning bodies. Just me and some pasta.

You were just planning on tailing her and the gaggle of pale friends of hers to see what exactly they were up to. You'd seen them while out on a hike and immediately your suspicion grew when you saw Bella being carried down the hillside by her boyfriend Edward Cullen, accompanied by the largest wolf you'd ever seen.

Following them at a distance, the sight you stumbled across made you let out a very loud "What the fuck is going on here!?"

Bodies burning but with no horrid stench. One of the Cullen boys ripping apart a corpse with his bare hands and tossing it into the pyre. A naked boy on the ground writhing in pain, being lifted and carried off by more shirtless guys and one woman. A teenager curled up into a ball on the ground.

"Y/N what are you doing here?" Bella cried.

"What am I doing here? What the shit are you doing here, what exactly have these people roped you into?" You had snarled the last part, backing away from the two approaching Cullens.

The doctor's wife had whispered a quick explanation to you. They weren't human, but vampires. Vampires existed what the actual heck. Bella was in danger but isn't any more.

And the Volturi, the "vampire police" were arriving soon, and you had no time to leave before they did.

An hour passed and you hummed a song to yourself while you washed up the plates after having a quick dinner. The day had turned to custard and you just wanted to forget about it for a moment and go to bed.

The buzzing of your phone made you jump. Picking it up, you saw the name on the screen and sighed heavily.

Caller ID: Bella

"What now?" You groaned, leaning against the counter. You pressed the answer key and held the phone gingerly up to your ear. "Hello?"

"Y/N, are you home?" came Bella's voice through the speaker. There was a hint of urgency in her tone that had you immediately tense.

"I am, why? Has something happened?"

"Listen to me," she urged, "you need to leave, Alice has a vision that -"

Your brows knitted together in confusion. Bella had given you some information about her boyfriend having some kind of mind reading gift but you didn't realise that extended to the rest of the Cullens being gifted too. "She had a what now?"

A short sigh. "Someone is coming for you! Please just trust me and go!"

Pushing yourself off the counter, you paced in your kitchen. "Who?" you deadpanned, fear growing in your heart.

"Y/N go!"

Suddenly you heard the creak of that one rickety window in your living room shutting. You grabbed the closest thing to you; a pan. "If I don't call you back by tomorrow morning assume the worst," you murmured in a hushed voice before hanging up.

Placing your phone down, you grasped the pan firmly and stalked to the corner leading into the living room. You couldn't hear anything but the sound of a dog barking outside and the steady rain that had begun as you drove home. Taking a deep breath, you rounded the corner and entered the room.

Nothing. No one was in sight.

"You know that pan isn't going to do much," a deep voice commented from behind you.

Yelping in shock and fear, you instinctively turned and swung the pan with just the one hand at whoever it was behind you. An ice-cold hand gripped your wrist, stopping your attack.

The tall intruder raised his eyebrows at your clumsy attack, red eyes boring into your own with intensity. You were caught off guard by how ridiculously handsome, tall and muscular he was, which you knew was probably the last thing you should be thinking about right now. You swung at him with your free hand and he caught that too. Now you were pinned.

"Easy, I mean you no harm," he said firmly, his tone ringing with authority. He began walking forward, still with you firmly in his iron grip making you step backward till your back hit a wall. "If I let you go, will you calm down?"

"You broke into my apartment and you want me to be calm?" you hissed, the last word turning into a screech.

"Please, I -" the man struggled with his words for a moment. "I just want to talk. About what happened today, if you'll give me a chance."

You glared at him for a little. He could end you very quickly if that was what he wanted to do. You knew that after what you saw of him today. He was a killer, through and through.

So, you conceded with a solemn nod.

The man was pleased with your cooperation, releasing your wrists and stepping back away from you. You set your poor choice of a weapon down on a table and leaned against the wall, quickly wiping away a stray tear that began trailing down your cheek before crossing your arms and staring him down with a hard glare.

Red eyes traveled up and down your figure, at first with curiosity that dissolved into something else, something more akin to fleeting lust and you suddenly remembered your lack of pants. "Don't you vampires know how to knock? It would have given me time to make myself more decent."

A low chuckle came from the man. "That would have been a politer choice, but I guess I miscalculated things." With a pause, he added, "not that I'm complaining, it's a nice view."

He winked and you cursed yourself for the impulsive flush of heat to your cheeks. It really should be illegal to be that good looking and that infuriatingly forward.

Padding over to the couch, making sure to have the front of your body facing him and not your rear end, you made yourself at home and placed a blanket over your lower half. Resting your hands in your lap, you sheepishly looked up at him. "I'd feel more comfortable if you sat down."

Moving slowly, you assumed so he wouldn't frighten you, he sat next to you on the couch on the furthest end, giving you some space. "Where would you like me to begin? I'll answer any questions you have if you'll also grant me the same privilege."

You thought for a moment. Many pressing questions came to your mind at once. You weren't sure where to begin. "Okay," you agreed with a heavy exhale. "Well, the first question I have to start with is who are you?"

"Fair," he smiled and again your heart skipped a beat. "My name is Felix, as you know already, I'm a member of the Volturi who are tasked with enforcing the secrecy of our kind."

Your brain took a moment to process the information. "So... you're essentially the vampire police?" you concluded with a raised brow, earning another chuckle from Felix.

"I guess you could say that although we're closer to being a governing force, now let me ask the same of you."

Glancing away briefly, you let your eyes roam around your apartment before meeting his curious red ones again. "My name is Y/N and uh, I work down at the local police station here in Forks - a cadet, got in thanks to my okay-ish GPA." You felt yourself rambling so you quickly shut up before you embarrassed yourself further.

"You don't strike me as a woman who'd aspire to be a cop," he mused, his head cocking to the side.

You shrugged meekly. "Maybe so, but I've always wanted to try making a small difference and I figured why not try and work towards becoming an officer?"

"That's admirable."

Heat flushed to your face. You racked your brain for more questions. "Well, if you're a vampire, how old are you?"

"About 2,000 years old, give or take."

A strangled hysteric laugh caught itself in your throat, making him purse his lips and stare at you like you'd grown another head. "I'm sorry," you said quickly, "it's just... wow that's a... long time to be alive." Taking a moment to compose yourself, you gave him a small smile. "You look amazing for your age, I gotta say."

A grin spread across his handsome face, and again your heart skipped a beat. You couldn't deny he was incredibly handsome - ridiculously so. "Immortality does wonders," he replied with a wink, clearly enjoying making you flustered.

A question popped into your mind at that moment, one that had been plaguing your thoughts since you left that clearing "... What is a mate? Why is it so significant for, your kind?"

You recalled the moment the two of you locked eyes for the first time. You remembered Edward Cullen's hiss of anger and shock and the way this man before you stared at you. It was like he was a deer in headlights and time itself had stopped. The pyre had disappeared, every confusing new thing that had surrounded you in a matter of minutes gone.

In that finite moment, it was just you and this tall strange man who gazed at you like a blind man seeing colour for the first time.

"Straight to the point, aren't you?" He murmured, chuckling to himself. Eyes downcast, he paused to think about how he wanted to answer. "My kind lives for a very long time," he began, lifting his gaze back to you. "Some of us will find another that we connect with so intimately that nothing else compares. A mate is a life partner, someone who feels as if they were made for you."

Resting your chin on your hand, you listened to his explanation earnestly. The idea of soulmates felt like a silly girl's fantasy, but you couldn't help but feel a tug at your heartstrings at his words. "And me?" You asked softly, scooting a little closer to really lock eyes with him. "Edward said I was your mate."

Mate. The term felt so foreign to you, it rolled off your tongue strangely.

With that announcement, the clearing had become chaos. Angry snarls from both Volturi and Cullen alike sounded through the area, you'd been pulled behind a blonde golden-eyed woman.

And many protests.

"Impossible!"

"That's absurd, Felix would never become attached to a human."

The voice of reason had come from Doctor Cullen. "It isn't impossible - look at Edward and Bella. If this is true then it's up to them to decide their fates."

Felix's reaction was the one that stuck out to you the most "You seemed so angry, back in the clearing..."

During the outcry, Felix's face was the one you focused on. After moments of staring at you with thunderstruck wonder in his eyes, he balked and you could have sworn you saw him say "No," to himself, squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose like he'd suddenly gotten a bad migraine.

He sighed. “It was more shock than anger. Of all the things I had prepared myself for dealing with when we arrived, meeting my mate was not one of them.” Shaking his head, he offered an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry that the way we met wasn’t under better circumstances. Having you see me like that on our first meeting...”

 “I wish the circumstances had been better too.”

Another memory flickered in your mind. The young girl on the ground. Her screams as she cried out in pain, Felix stalking toward her with a stoic expression. There was no doubt in your mind that even if this ‘soulmate bond’ thing was true - and a tug at your heartstrings swayed you to believe that maybe it was - the man before you was dangerous.

 “You killed that girl,” you stated bluntly.

 “I had orders,” he retorted, the stoic mask returning. “I had no choice.”

You were shaking your head before he finished speaking. “That doesn’t mean that what you did was right!” Exasperated, you raised your hands. “Just because someone orders you to do something doesn’t mean that it’s the correct course to take! Don’t you have a mind of your own?”

Felix opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it, jaw clenched.

Okay, maybe don’t try to aggravate the vampire, Y/N, you cautioned yourself. Hands falling with a slap on your exposed thighs, you sighed. “Shit, I didn’t mean to go off like that.”

Silence followed. You watched him carefully and he watched you, neither making a single move for a while. 

 “You’re afraid of me.” The words left his lips calmly, not phrased as a question but rather a statement.

Lips parting slightly, you felt your face turn into a grimace. Your emotions were all over the place at this point in time and you didn’t know what to do about it or how to feel. Maybe you were scared of him - he did break into your home after all. And a rational part of your conscious knew that being afraid was probably a good thing. But at the same time? You felt a sense of hope - hope that this whole vampire mate thing may be true and that he really wasn’t here to kill you or worse.

 "I guess I can’t blame you for feeling that way,” he sighed. “Do you still want an answer to your original question?”

Biting your tongue for a moment, you nodded. “Yes, tell me.”

 “Meeting you was a shock, that is true. It’s just...” A pause for a moment, and in a more gentle voice he spoke once more. “I have been around for a long, long time. Centuries. In that time I thought I wouldn’t ever find my mate as I watched others find theirs - I even became somewhat promiscuous, because if I was never going to find the one, what was the point? Why not fool around with whomever? And then you appear before me and I’m shaken to my core.”

The room was silent save for the frantic beating of your heart, the patter of rainfall and the distant sounds of life around your apartment building.

 “I fear I’ve ruined my chances of you accepting me as yours,” Felix confessed.

 “I... may be willing to accept you - or at the very least give you, us, a chance. But you must do something for me first if you’re willing?” Is this a bad idea? A great idea? Maybe both, you concluded.

Felix’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What do you want me to do?”

You pointed at the door. “Leave my apartment and knock on the door.”

Suspicion turned into amusement. “You want me to leave and then come back in?” he repeated, playful sarcasm in his tone.

You felt your lips twitch up into a smirk. “Yes, that is indeed what I want. If we’re doing this I want to give it a real shot with a proper beginning - no attacking anyone with a pan and preferably with pants on.”

The two of you eyes each other a moment before you broke out into a fit of giggles. Felix shook his head muttering something along the lines of “Strange human” before taking your hand gently in his own, pressing his lips against your knuckles in a feather-light kiss, sending your heart beating overtime. "As you wish."

Letting your hand fall from his grasp he rose to his feet and walked away from you. Opening the door to your apartment wide, Felix faced you and stepped backward with a smirk, closing the door behind him.

When he closed the door, you stood up and rushed to find a pair of pants. Luckily you’d conveniently left some unfolded laundry out in the living room after a late-night trip to the laundromat. Shimmying into some comfy leggings, you murmured to yourself, "Feel free to knock now, big guy."

Not even five seconds later, and there was a short knock at your door. What, they have super hearing too? you chuckled to yourself.

Taking what felt like the millionth deep intake of breath for tonight, you opened the door for your “unexpected” visitor.

Pursing his lips trying not to laugh, Felix nodded in greeting. The man towered over you and for a brief moment, one of his hands running through the dark shaggy locks of hair, you wondered how his head didn’t hit the doorframe. And also how soft his hair was to touch. “Hello, may I come in?”

 “Since you’re so polite, of course you may,” you greeted him, stepping back to allow him to enter.

 “Does this mean you’ll give this a chance?” he took a hesitant step forward, watching you for any sign of discomfort, “you want to give a future with me a chance?”

You nodded. “It’s not every day a vampire comes to my door asking to be my lover,” you replied teasingly, winking at him as he had done to you earlier in the night. And besides... if you're serious about me being your mate, then I want to give this a go."

An earnest, genuinely happy smile lit up Felix’s face. You’d never seen a more beautiful man in your life. Beaming back at him as he entered your apartment, you knew from this night onward your life would never be the same. Were you ready for that? You weren’t quite sure.

But for now, you were certain in your feelings; if soulmates were real, you’d feel like a fool to pass up your own. Whatever the future held, you’ll face it.

You’ll face it with him.

[skullrock]

the reunion - Steve x Reader

pairing: Steve x Reader

prompt: Hi!! Could you write something where Steve is in a long distance relationship with the reader because they’re in LA wanting to be an actress and one of them surprises the other by turning up at their place of work after not seeing each other for a couple of months?

word count: 868

warnings: swearing!

a/n: thank u for being patient w me as I got this out anon!! hope you enjoy!

===

You check yourself out in your rearview mirror once, twice, three times. You’re sitting outside of Family Video as hordes of families and children pass your car, heading either to the arcade or to rent a movie. You know Steve is working – he always works Fridays, and his car is in the lot. You’re sweating slightly. It’s been three months and you hadn’t seen him, only catching him on the phone once a week. You felt your stomach flipping and knees growing weak. He’s your boyfriend. But that does nothing to quell the nerves rising through you, feeling like ice as anxiety clutches your chest.

You roll your shoulders a few times, shaking your head. You force yourself out of the car, shutting the door lightly. You take a deep breath, cheeks flaming, and head for the door. Your breath catches as you walk inside – thankfully, Steve’s not in view. Instead, you see Robin, who nearly jumps out of her skin at the register. After helping someone check out, she flies over to you, wrapping you in a tight hug.

“Dingus is in the back doing inventory while we’re slow,” she says, stepping away. “He’s going to blow his top, Y/N. He hasn’t shut up about you since the second you left.”

“Good to know he’s still into me,” you say, laughing nervously.

“He totally is,” she assures, smiling comfortingly. “But make it snappy, because when the droves of moms come at 5, I’m gonna need some help.”

You nod and salute, heading to the back, taking a deep breath before stepping in.

Steve looks just as glorious as you remember. His hair falls over his forehead while he leans over a table, concentrated, writing on a slip of paper while he counts VHS tapes. He’s got a striped long sleeve on, accented with an ugly green vest. You don’t mind the vest, though; it looks right on him, accentuating his arms. He’s lean, strong, skin as perfect as usual. The sight of him takes your breath away and you immediately tear up.

“Are we switching?” he asks, without looking up. “Gettin’ a little tired of counting copies of Labyrinth.”

You smile widely, cheeks hurting from the joy. “I don’t think I’m qualified.”

You don’t know how his neck didn’t break when it snapped over to look at you, pencil falling from his loose fingertips. Steve’s eyes are as wide as saucers, eyebrows up to his hairline. He’s so handsome, you think, and a tear runs down your cheek as you laugh happily.

“Is that really you?” he breathes.

“In the flesh.”

He runs to you, wrapping you in the tightest hug you’d gotten from him to date. He smells like he always did, woodsy and clean, with a hint of hairspray. He twirls you slightly before pulling away, tears welling in his eyes, too. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”

“I missed you,” you mumble, resting your head on his shoulder. Your eyes squeeze shut to trap the tears behind your lids.

“I missed you,” he says back, sniffling slightly. “You were gone for too long.”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“You’re here now,” he says, his hand snaking around the back of your neck to cup it. He rests his forehead on yours and smiles faintly. “That’s what matters.”

Steve kisses you, and it’s just as amazing as you remember. Soft and sweet, tasting like Coca-Cola and forcing the butterflies in your stomach to go crazy. You pull him closer to you, as close as you can. It feels like if you loosen your grip, he’ll disappear forever. Your fingers tangle in his hair and he groans, biting your lip. You part your lips slightly and his tongue finds his way into your mouth as your hands roam down his chest.

“Hey, shitbirds!”

You and Steve swivel towards the door, seeing Robin, arms crossed, and eyes narrowed.

“No sex on company time, Harrington,” she reprimands. “We’ve got moms on the floor. Look alive, pal.”

She turns on her heel and leaves, leaving you and Steve alone, blushing and trying to catch your breath.

“Don’t leave,” he says sadly. “I don’t want you to go.”

“I’ll stay right here,” you promise. “Well, as long as Keith won’t be in.”

“If he says anything, I’ll kick his ass.” Steve bends down to kiss you one more time, lips lingering a moment longer before pulling away. He squeezes your hands and smiles, eyes shining.

“I love you,” you profess, pulling his hand up to your lips, kissing it gingerly.

“I love you,” he says softly, tenderly. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Steve!”

“I’m coming!”

He turns back to you. “Wish me luck. These moms can be killer.”

Steve winks at you and walks out, looking back one last time, happy for the first time since the day before you left. You smile back, feeling content, happy to be home.

===

taglist (join here!): @harrington-ofhawkins @comedy-witch @gothackedalready @wolfish-willow @sassisaluxury @willowrose99 @harringtown @m-blasterrr @whimsicalwoodlands @anerroroccurrrrred​ @marvels-gurl​

[mostlycompetentwriter]

“Blessings”- A Domesticated Drabble

F/M Pairing: Y/N X Bang Chan (Stray Kids)

Word Count: 4K

Warnings: Language...I guess?

Genre: Married Life AU, Parent AU

Note: This was a request from an anonymous user so I can’t tag them but here ya go!

I should have known better because it was one of those days teetering over the boundary of too perfect. I woke up next to Chan in bed, his hospital pager eerily silent, feeling as though I had been asleep for years. My body felt great, the sheets bundled around my waist because I was a notoriously bad bed partner, pulling the blankets further and further away from Chan as I sought additional warmth. But Chan didn’t seem to care, wearing nothing but boxer shorts as he remained statuesque-still with the heavy promise of a rare morning where he could sleep-in. I decided to leave Chan alone while I prepared breakfast, catching the attention of a still-groggy Felix who walked into the room with heavy eyes, grabbing a piece of toast before struggling back to his room. It was almost too peaceful, cooking alone in the kitchen with the company of my thoughts.

I fixed myself an omelet because I was feeling especially cheerful, flipping the eggs as the ingredients provided an alluring smell. Taking a seat at the counter, I started eating while scanning through my phone, excited to see a few promising emails swimming through the promotions tab. “Yogurt,” I murmured quietly, suddenly filled with an odd craving for the frozen treat.

Yet, just as quickly, my stomach suddenly started churning uncomfortably as if deciding that breakfast was a really bad idea. A wave of nausea washed over me like a profound warning before I was rushing to the bathroom. I tried to be as quiet as possible when I closed the door, dropping to my knees to empty the contents of my stomach into the toilet, groaning as I tasted the foul substance on my tongue. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been so sick, and I pressed my cheek against the cool surface of the floor, sweat pooling above my upper lip.

“Sweetie?” I heard Chan’s voice somewhere through my disoriented haze. “Are you okay?”

I swiped a hand across my face, flushing the toilet before pulling myself up against the sink. “I’m fine,” I tried to assure him, grimacing as I reached for my toothpaste.

“Are you sure?” Chan insisted and that’s when I knew that he must have heard my unfortunate bout of sickness. More than likely, every doctor instinct ingrained in him was demanding to assess my condition courtesy of endless training in college.

“I promise,” I said, closing my eyes against another passing pain of abdominal discomfort. 

“I’ll use Felix’s bathroom,” he said kindly and I thanked every possible deity for the inclusion of Chan in my life because he always understood when it was best to leave me alone.

“How about this one?” Minho asked loudly, holding up the pregnancy test for everyone in the whole damn store to see.

“You idiot,” I hissed at him, snatching the offending object away. “I don’t need everyone in here knowing!”

“Congratulations,” an elderly woman said to Minho, offering him a pat on the shoulder and a wink in my direction.

“We’re both excited,” Minho said to the woman before I dragged him further away since he insisted on embarrassing me.

“I hate you right now,” I said, slamming a few different tests on the counter, waiting for the cashier to process my order. 

“You definitely have the mood swing thing,” Minho commented.

“And you definitely have the asshole thing.”

“Why do we even have to do this?” Minho asked. “I’m sure Chan can just run some stupid tests or something.”

“Home tests are better for me right now,” I said, handing the cashier my debit card. “And Chan is a general doctor. I would set up an appointment with the OBGYN.”

“Are you planning to set up an appointment without him?” Minho asked with a gasp. “Can you film his reaction when he finds out?”

“I’m not trying to keep anything from him,” I snapped. “I need to be sure first before I go telling Chan that he knocked me up.”

“It’s not surprising, Y/N,” Minho said. “You told me that you stopped using Condoms, so what the hell did you expect?”

“It felt better that way,” I whined, snatching the grocery bag from the innocent cashier who was watching us with trepidation.

“Bad things always feel better for you,” Minho said, reaching into his jacket for a box of cigarettes. “See?”

“At least pregnancy won’t murder my lungs.”

“Yeah? But you’ll feel like shit,” Minho argued like the supportive best friend that he was. “Swollen feet, morning sickness, and carrying around an extra ten pounds? I’d rather lose my lungs.”

“Remind me again why I decided to call you this morning,” I lamented. 

“Because you weren’t going to ask Felix to shop pregnancy tests with you and Chan was unavailable?”

“That’s right,” I nodded, pausing next to my car. After my corvette was totally wrecked a year ago, Chan had decided that small cars just weren’t safe enough. This is why my ass had to drive around a Sienna Minivan now despite my protests.

“The Grandma car could use a fresh coat of paint,” Minho snickered and I sighed as I observed my bloated reflection in the side view mirror.

I held the pregnancy test up high, trying to catch it just right in the dim light of the bathroom. “Five minutes,” I murmured, re-checking the box to make sure I had read the instructions correctly. “What the fuck am I supposed to be looking for?”

“Are you almost done?” I heard Minho’s voice from outside. “God, it can’t possibly take this long.”

“Will you come in?” I asked nervously because I was starting to really hate the fact that my urine on a stick was somehow supposed to determine a very important yes or no question.

“You’re still not pissing in there, are you?”

“Minho,” I snapped through the door. “Just get your ass inside!”

He twisted the doorknob, hesitantly looking inside to meet my glare. “Sorry,” he whispered, opening the door fully to join me. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know what the hell I’m doing,” I said, trying to hand him the test but he quickly threw his hands up. 

“Didn’t you pee on that?”

“Grow the hell up,” I said, slamming the stick onto the counter. “It’s supposed to show a blue stripe if I’m pregnant.”

“So if there’s nothing, then we’re good?” he asked, squinting down at the device like he was suddenly far-sighted.

“Not necessarily,” I said, handing him the box. “Red if not pregnant.”

“But there’s nothing.”

“Thank you, asshole,” I grumbled. “Why do you think I brought you in?”

“You’re always dragging me into your problems, Y/N,” Minho said, shaking his head. “Just take another one I guess.”

I let out a groan. “I can’t spend all day taking pregnancy tests!”

“Is that so? Well, I could be with my girlfriend right now if I wasn't here with you,” Minho pointed out.

“Fine,” I muttered, grabbing a different test box.

After a series of failed observations, including an unfortunate incident in which Minho knocked a test into the toilet, we finally got a reading on a particularly expensive offering. “Pregnant,” Minho declared, glancing at me nervously. “Are you okay?”

“One more,” I insisted, but Minho reached out for my hand.

“Just go get tested, Y/N,” he said. “This will literally drive you insane.”

I whined at his words. “I don’t want to be pregnant right now, Minho. Chan and I haven’t planned for this!”

“Aren’t most pregnancies unplanned?” he grunted, swearing when I threw an empty test box at him. 

“They don’t have to be unplanned! A lot of couples talk about this with each other.”

“Wasn’t there an inherent agreement when you decided to let Chan fuck you raw?”

“You know what? Stop talking,” I said, shoving him out of the bathroom. “Go home to your girlfriend.”

“Call the doctor,” Minho retorted right before I slammed the door in his face.

The OBGYN office was way too bright. I squinted against the Halogen nightmare while fidgeting anxiously on the table, holding onto the hem of the oversized hospital gown they had loaned me to wear. A smaller cart sat next to bed offering a variety of dangerous tools that looked like they were meant for a serial killer’s house as opposed to a friendly office.

“Y/N?” an older woman greeted me, opening the door before locking it behind her. “How are you today?”

“I’m fine,” I said nervously, resisting the urge to jump out the window.

“Just relax,” the doctor said, scanning over a chart. “This is for pregnancy confirmation, then?”

“A possible pregnancy confirmation,” I said, and the doctor chuckled.

“I take it that this was unplanned?”

“Very much so.”

“Is that why the father is missing?”

I took a moment to glower at the doctor. “The father is missing because I don’t know if he’s actually a father yet. My husband works long hours at the ER. I didn’t want to bring him here if this turned out to be nothing.”

“Based on the symptoms you’ve described,” the doctor carried on as if ignoring my last rant. “And the home pregnancy test results, I don’t think you should expect negative lab work.”

I bit my lower lip, struggling to keep myself in check. In actuality, I wanted to scream at the nurse that she was definitely wrong because I did not want to be pregnant right now. “That’s why I’m here.”

The doctor nodded. “Go ahead and lean back, this shouldn’t take long.”

“Will it hurt?” I asked with a wince, slowly easing myself against the pillows.

“You shouldn’t feeling any pain,” the doctor replied, negotiating her stool to situate herself right between my open thighs. I had to force myself not to cover my exposed vagina, deciding that the doctor should spend no more than five minutes down there before I was forced to intervene. “Pull up your shirt for me,” she said, selecting one of the wands situated next to my bed.

I glanced at it suspiciously. “Is that going...inside?”

“It’s for your stomach,” she said, jerking an overhanging screen to eye-level. “I’m going to use a very small amount of what might look like jelly. It might feel cold on your skin.”

This warning still didn’t stop me from jerking in surprise when she placed the wand on my stomach, rubbing it over my skin with precision. “This is interesting.”

The doctor grinned. “After this, I’m going to need a urine sample as well.”

“Okay,” I managed, watching the screen with careful eyes, searching for any signs that there was something growing inside of me.

A few moments later she pulled back, removing her gloves with a snap. “All done.”

“Just like that?” I asked incredulously.

She offered me a smile. “That’s it.” 

“Holy shit,” I cursed, accepting the paper towels to swipe across the mess on my stomach.

“For your urine sample,” she said, offering me a sterile cup. 

I accepted it with a sigh. “How long will it take to get the results?”

“Not long,” she promised me with a wink.

I retreated into the adjoining bathroom after downing a few cups of water, waiting until I could finally accommodate her request before re-entering the room. “Here,” I said, offering her the sample.

“Great!” she chirped. “Your results will be ready shortly.”

I watched her leave before fanning a hand across my stomach. “Why did you choose now of all times?”

Silence greeted my words and I worriedly played with my wedding band while I waited impatiently for the doctor to return. In moments like this, I really missed having Chan at my side because he always knew the best ways to calm me down. Without his familiar presence, I was left succumbing to all of my nervous ticks including that nasty habit of picking at the skin around my cuticles. 

“Now I need a manicure,” I sighed, startling when the door abruptly opened to welcome my doctor back inside.

“Congratulations, Y/N,” she said, offering me a manila folder. “You’re pregnant. The scans are available for you inside that packet.”

The heavy revelation slowly settled in as my stomach churned uncomfortably.

“You’re quiet today,” Felix remarked, watching me over his bowl of popcorn. I couldn’t even remember what movie we had been watching.

“Tired,” I grumbled.

“I thought you had the afternoon off,” Felix scoffed. “Is it that hard answering phone calls?”

I glared at him. “Maybe it is.”

Felix held up his hands defensively, fingers glistening with a mixture of salt and butter. “Sorry for asking.”

In actuality, I couldn’t stop thinking about the scans sitting on top of the counter. There were a million different scenarios running around my head as I envisioned Chan’s reaction to the news. At this point, it was inevitable that I told him, no more hiding behind Minho as we experimented hopelessly with a bunch of stupid pregnancy tests. I had the confirmation in several successive scans and my heart was beating at an irregular pace against my chest.

Chan had called earlier to tell me that he was on his way home and I had immediately panicked. I had nothing prepared to say to him, except something stupid along the lines of “You see? This is what happens when you stop wearing condoms.” Then, I could shove those scans at his chest and hide away in my bedroom for the rest of the night.

But all rational thought completely failed me when I heard Chan’s key turning in the lock. “He’s home now,” Felix remarked, wiping his nasty hands on his jeans. “Maybe Chan can order us takeout.”

I slowly exhaled, watching my husband walk into the living room. “What have you guys been up to?”

I froze in place while Felix complained about the lack of suitable groceries in the refrigerator. “I ate a TV dinner for lunch, Chan,” Felix whined.

My husband rolled his eyes affectionately, glancing at me with concern. “Y/N?”

“I’m okay,” I assured him quickly, nervously wringing my hands together. “Can I show you something in the kitchen?”

“What did you break this time?” Chan joked, but his smile was gone as soon as he noticed my expression. “It’s never good when you look at me like that.”

“It’s...something,” I offered, leading a ponderous Chan into the kitchen with a nosy Felix trailing behind. I carefully picked up the scans from the table. “Chan,” I exhaled, gazing into his understanding eyes filled with adoration. But words were suddenly impossible and instead I shoved the manila folder at him. “Here.”

“What is it?” he asked with a trace of amusement, flipping open the cover to look at the first scan.

“It’s supposed to be a baby,” I replied, suddenly aware of Felix joining us in the kitchen.

“A baby?” Chan repeated, looking up at me with wide eyes. “Our baby?”

I nodded slowly. “I had a scan today.”

“We’re pregnant?” Chan asked, his smile growing wider with every subsequent confirmation. “We made a baby?”

“The sperm was good,” Felix nodded solemnly, taking the scans from an overjoyed Chan.

“Are you serious, Y/N?” he asked.

“I went to the doctor today,” I said. “The tests were all positive.”

“Why aren’t you more excited?” he asked, pulling me into his arms with careful consideration for my stomach.

I relaxed in his hold. “I’m nervous, Channie. Don’t you feel the same way?”

“Well, of course, I’m nervous,” Chan said, studying me carefully. “This is a big deal.”

I took in a deep breath. “We didn’t plan for this.”

“I know we didn’t,” Chan said, “but we should have anticipated the risks of dropping the condoms.”

“I hated those fuckers,” I complained. “Your cock feels better without them.”

Chan pulled me closer. “What did you expect, Y/N?”

“Married bliss for the rest of our lives?”

He chuckled. “Why can’t we have that with a kid?”

“Kids get in the way,” I said. “My parents had to send me to my neighbor's house just so that they could have quick sex every once in a while.”

“You’re worried that we won’t have sex anymore?” Chan asked in that ridiculous way of his that let me know I was being irrational.

“No,” I groaned, burying my face against the fabric of his t-shirt. “I’m worried that I’ll fuck everything up.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do I honestly look like I could be a mother?” I asked, stepping out of his arms. “How do you even take care of a baby?”

Chan sighed, reaching out for my hand which I tentatively allowed him to hold. “Sweetie, we’ll learn these things together. You act like you’re all alone and that’s not true at all. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

“You’re not scared?” I asked, brushing my thumb across his hand.

“Of course I am,” he nodded. “But I’m also really excited. I think that’s how most new parents feel regardless of whether or not they planned for a baby.”

I didn’t know what to say, but I could always find solace in his eyes. At least until Felix ruined the moment. “You totally knocked her up, bro!”

Chan sighed, glancing over his shoulder. “That’s not helpful, Felix.”

“Sorry,” Felix mouthed, taking the scans into the dining room. Meanwhile, I simply allowed Chan to maintain his familiar grip on my hand because there was no better feeling in the entire world.

Nine months progressed at the slowest possible pace as if the conspiring universe was determined I should suffer from every possible pregnancy symptom imaginable. I was beginning to think I was doomed to suffer, complaining to Chan until he finally forced me to revisit my OBGYN. “The sickness is really bad,” he explained to my doctor while I just groaned on the bed.

“Let’s have a look,” my doctor suggested leading to the unanticipated revelation that I was carrying not one, but two kids inside of me.

“Twins?” Chan gasped, clapping his hands together like he had just won the jackpot lottery. Meanwhile, I suddenly lost all motivation to even move from my spot on the examination table. Apparently, pregnancy symptoms were more severe when carrying multiple children, and I had just about reached my breaking point until one glorious day when my water broke while I was beating the shit out of Felix at MarioKart.

“That’s gross, Y/N,” Felix complained until I threw my phone at him and demanded he call Chan.

By the time my husband got home, I had finished ordering Felix around, demanding he pack my bags for me until there were two suitcases instead of one. “Are you going on vacation, sweetie?” Chan asked to which I offered him my most wilting glare yet. His face immediately paled. “Right, let’s get you to the hospital.”

I was practically numb with pain by the time we were finally checked-in, leaving me groaning on a hospital bed while my idiotic doctor explained that I wasn’t dilated enough. “How the hell is that possible?” I growled.

“What about an Epidural?” he suggested.

“She doesn’t want that,” Chan insisted until I reached out to firmly crush his hand beneath mine.

“I do want that!” I snapped. “And I want it right now before I die!”

“Of course! Whatever you want, sweetie,” Chan assured me, fleeing my hospital room like he had just seen a ghost.

I tried to lean back in the bed, growing more and more irritated with the endless contractions. My doctor insisted that I wasn’t ready, but I would hate to see how much worse this could possibly get. In the meantime, Chan returned only moments later with Jisung faithfully by his side. “No,” I snarled, pointing at Jisung. “Do not let him anywhere near me with needles.”

Graciously, Chan knew better than to object to my vicious demands. 

“Oh fuck,” I sighed in relief when the pain slowly started to ease. “This is amazing.”

Chan grinned from his seat next to me. “Do you feel better now?”

“I feel like I’m in one of those Willie Wonka cartoons,” I said. “Channie, I think this is what Heaven is like.”

Chan seemed amused by my reaction. “Was it really that bad, sweetie?”

“I think the kids were trying to split me open,” I told him. “My entire body was at their mercy.”

“I don’t think it’s their fault,” Chan teased. “After all, it’s just your body’s way of preparing itself.”

“Those women in the movies are fucking liars, Chan,” I said. “Pregnancy is not fun and I don’t recommend it to anyone. 0 out of 5 stars.”

Chan couldn’t hold back his laughter, leaning forward to brush a few strands of sweat-caked hair out of my eyes. “It’ll be over soon, sweetie. Then, we can finally meet our twins.”

“I expect two Mozarts, Chan,” I said. “For all this pain and suffering, I want two child prodigies who can grow up and make us lots of money.”

“Are you telling me that you’ve been incubating our retirement fund?”

“Hell yes.”

The doctor’s arrival disrupted our moment. “Shall we try pushing now?”

“Please,” I practically begged him, more than ready to do whatever it might take to end this unnecessary suffering.

“Remember your breathing,” the doctor reminded me and I quickly sought Chan’s hand, gripping it tightly between sweaty fingers. Chan was always strong, but apparently, even he found his limits when his wife was steadily crushing his hand. “Sweetie, it hurts,” Chan said, but didn’t try to pull away when I only gripped even tighter, screaming out through clenched teeth.

And several hours later, I was completely spent, breathing hard as the room filled with the sounds of distinct crying. “Congratulations, Y/N,” the doctor said, but I was already falling asleep, too exhausted to stay awake any longer.

I was still tired, despite my two-night stay at the hospital, coming home surrounded by people who insisted they needed to be involved in some capacity. Chan helped me walk to our bedroom, hand wrapped securely around my waist. Meanwhile, someone had decided it was a good idea for Han Jisung to manage both baby carriers while Felix slowly drug my bags across the floor, complaining about their weight. “They’re so cute!” Jisung squealed, bouncing the carriers with far too much enthusiasm.

I gripped tightly to Chan’s collar. “Please save my children from Jisung.”

Chan nodded, eyes perfectly serious as he adjusted my blankets. “Give me a minute, sweetie, I’ll be right back.”

I groaned, reluctantly allowing him to leave the room. Of course, the pain was absolutely worth it because when I finally woke up, I was greeted to the sight of two adorable tiny babies looking up at me with wide, curious eyes. “I did this?” I immediately questioned which Chan found amusing.

“Good job, sweetie,” he said, pressing a tender kiss to my forehead.

“I guess you helped too,” I grumbled in return.

I was drawn out of my memory by the sudden appearance of Felix who wore a bright smile. “Jisung is offended that you don’t trust him.”

“I’m just being protective,” I said. “You have to take certain precautions when it involves Jisung.”

“Well, I think we might go out later,” Felix mused, lingering by the doorway. “Are you still out of it?”

“It’s not so bad now,” I reassured him. “I did just push two kids out of my vagina.”

“Don’t need the visual,” Felix shuddered, moving out of the way for Chan who walked into the room with both baby carriers in hand.

“Jisung had to go back to the hospital anyway,” Chan said. “I’ll put the twins down in their room.”

“Okay,” I agreed, eyes following the carriers until they disappeared from sight. 

“How can you already be whipped?” Felix asked. “I’ve never seen you this way.”

“My maternal instincts, I guess,” I offered in return, drowsiness slowly summoning a new urge to bury my face in the pillows.

Felix seemed to notice my dilemma. “Next time we play MarioKart, you can’t interrupt the game in the middle of a round.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

In the background, I could hear Felix talking to Chan before my husband was sitting next to me on the bed. “Try to get some sleep, sweetie,” he encouraged me, but I was already one step ahead of him.

Later that night, after several wonderful naps, I convinced Chan to help me walk to the twins’ room. “Just for a little while,” I pouted at him because Chan could never resist me.

“Alright,” he agreed. “But only because you asked so nicely.”

I stuck my tongue out at him while accepting his outstretched hand. “I probably won’t break.”

“It’s my job to protect you,” Chan said, ushering me close to his side as we slowly made the arduous trek to the bedroom at the end of the hallway. Eventually, when they were older, we planned to give them their own rooms. However, for the time being, I knew it would make things a lot easier if we could take care of them at the same time.

“Did Felix go out earlier?” I asked Chan as we passed by his room.

“He went out with Hyunjin and Jisung.”

“That’s a very dangerous combination,” I said.

“They know how to stay out of trouble,” Chan said, but I was already reminding my husband to call Felix later just in case Hyunjin tried to convince them to go to a strip club downtown.

“Here we go,” Chan said, nudging open the door with his foot, leading me inside as we navigated the darkened space. Chan kept a firm grip around my waist as we both looked down into their cribs. I remember when we first set up the beds when Chan kept screaming at Felix and Jisung because they couldn’t figure out the instructions. Eventually, I called over Minho and his friend Seungmin who were more adept at solving the complicated steps.

“We did it,” Chan whispered, sweet voice soothing in my ear.

I looked down at my twins and felt a burst of pride. “Yeah, we’re pretty fucking cool, right?”

“The coolest,” Chan agreed, leaning down for a kiss which I was more than willing to reciprocate.

[masked-buffoon]

Chapter 13: Filled emptiness (Part 3)

Warnings: addiction, mentions of murder

Author notes: here is part 3...! It is a quieter part compared to the previous one, I hope you’ll like it!

We went back early enough for me to take a small shower and trade my shirt for a clean one. The doctor wanted to meet me in front of the dorms at half past seven, which also allowed me to have breakfast. While I was getting prepared, Dazai had gone to his bedroom to rest, but I was convinced he had most certainly fallen asleep. He rarely did sleep, even when he felt exhausted, so I hoped he could at least close his eyes without becoming an easy prey for his nightmares. I took a deep breath and exited his apartment to start my day, which would be the first of my therapy, too. I had not slept at all, yet I felt more energised than ever, and determined to finally turn a page of my life to start anew.

As expected Yosano-sensei was there, easily recognisable by the peculiar hairpin in the shape of a butterfly she wore everyday. I walked towards her, and greeted her with my brightest smile.

"Good morning sensei…!"

"Ogawa…! Just on time…! Today—"

She stopped, then grabbed my chin to take a closer look at my face. She narrowed her eyes, annoyance clearly changing her expression.

"... Are you kidding me, Ogawa…?"

"W-Well…"

"You didn't sleep, did you?" She clicked her tongue "I refuse to start your treatment today. You'll only feel pain, and it won't help at all."

"I see… I should have expected as much…"

"It doesn't matter." She patted my shoulder lightly "You surely had something important to do… I still have something to show you, though…!"

"And I'm impatient to see what it is…!"

She took a couple of keys out of her pocket, then led me towards the door to an apartment. I first thought it was her place, but that guess was pushed aside the moment I saw the room was empty. With a smile, she showed me around, and I quickly understood what was happening.

"Is that… My future home…?"

"You're wrong." She corrected me "It's not your "future" home, it's your home from now on. The former resident has just left, so you can use it."

"But… I don't have enough money to rent it… I thought that was why I was still living at Dazai's…"

"Money isn't an issue since the Agency pays for us. It was simply a matter of freeing some space for you. And, at last, it happened…!" She exclaimed, rather proudly "Do you like it?"

"Do I like it…? I love it…!" I answered, wholeheartedly "I finally have a home… Ever since I was born, no place had ever felt so warm… I'm so glad, thank you, Yosano-sensei…!"

"I'm happy for you, then." She smiled "You already have a futon, and a table. You can add other furniture when you have enough money to buy some."

"Yes…! I can already picture a bookshelf right here… It would be filled with books… And a pillow too, to create a cosy reading space…" I imagined.

"That's not a bad idea." She agreed "Oh, and… Look inside the wardrobe."

I was curious, so I did just as she said and opened it, only to find a set of new and colourful clothes. There were a few identical white shirts, as well as a navy blue suit composed of a jacket and a pair of pants. I looked at the doctor, astonished.

"Sensei, I… That's so much… I can't accept it…"

"It's a late welcome gift to the Agency." She said softly "Your clothes are… Well, I'm not sure you can call them clothes anymore… This is a new life, you need some changes."

"Even so, they are so beautiful…"

"You also have a new pair of shoes at the entrance, although you were too amazed by the place to notice them." She chuckled "I'd also like to do something for your hair… But let's wait for that addiction  to go away first."

"I agree… I'll really be freed when morphine won't control my life anymore."

"That's right. For now, you should rest. Have some sleep, too. I'll see you tomorrow at the Agency for your treatment."

"Thank you again, sensei… Oh, and… I have a case, too… A request from a friend… I have to go to Hokkaido by the end of the week." I remembered.

"I see… Do you think you can handle this while following your therapy…? It might be too hard…"

"I want to be cured. And I can't go back on my word. Besides, it is rather urgent, since someone's life is at stake. I'll manage, somehow." I assured her.

"If you say so, I have no other choice but to trust you." She nodded "See you tomorrow at the Agency, we'll discuss the case and prepare for your departure."

"Yes, sensei…!" I smiled at her "See you tomorrow…!

As soon as I closed the door behind her, a feeling of relief and joy overwhelmed me. I had a new place… My own place, one I would call "home", where I would go back to, where I would hide from the world… Since I had been generously given a day off, I grabbed my keys, enjoying the light tinting sound they made between my fingers, and decided to head off. I at least needed to buy a teapot and a book to occupy my quiet day, before starting one of the toughest times of my life, my therapy. I had lived in the streets, killed people for the Port Mafia and had even merely escaped from death, yet separating myself from morphine seemed like an impossible challenge to overcome. The simple thought of not getting my injection anymore made me crave the sweet sensation provided by the product, and I immediately stopped in my tracks. After all, it would only start the next day… For the moment, I was still an addict and had the right to consume morphine. For the moment…

Once the drug was freely flowing in my vessels, I was ready to leave and go shopping. I also needed to fill my empty fridge, and Uemura-san's store seemed like the perfect place to spend my money. He knew me, and it would not be an issue to use the laundered money I had earned from the Port Mafia. From an illegal point of view, I was pretty rich, but it was money I could never use, except with a few rare people. The man welcomed me warmly, glad that I had finally settled down somewhere.

"And how is my disciple? I hope he takes good care of you." He said, scanning the price of my purchase.

"He does." I told him "He's too worried about me for my liking, but I suppose I can't help it… I'm touched, but…"

I sighed. I could not say it made me feel irrational when it came to Dazai…

"He can be pretty insistent." He shrugged "I think you remind him of his sister, that's why."

"His what…?" I frowned.

"He didn't tell you? Well… He had an older sister, back then… She was very kind, and lived absolutely unaware of her brother's activity. A nice girl, really…"

I took the bag he handed me.

"What happened to her?"

"She met a man. The wrong one. She went on a date with him and her body was discovered the next day. Her head, however… It was never found."

I felt a shiver running down my spine, then recalled the case. It was a famous one, I had heard about it, even in the Port Mafia. The culprit was a serial killer, and had never been arrested…

"He was only seventeen back then… A young teen with an incredible gift for his current activity… It left him with quite a trauma."

"I see… That serial killer…"

I clenched my fist. I was not one to work for justice, nor to defend Yokohama, but, somehow, it angered me that such an awful man was still running free in the world. Besides, since the case of the Fox's sister, many other headless female bodies had been found in our city… It was strange that the Agency and Ranpo-san had not already arrested the criminal… Maybe he had not been requested to work on the case, after all…

"Well, now, you may understand his behaviour better. Don't tell him that I told you." He winked.

"I won't." I promised "Oh, and, thanks for your advice. About cooking, I mean."

"Don't worry about that…!" He chuckled "I can't let you eat junk food everyday after all. Besides, if you want to start a new life, you've got to start by eating better…!"

"Still, thank you." I smiled "I'm very grateful that you support me so much… I'm not sure if I deserve your kindness… But I'll try to be worth it."

"You sought my support, and I am glad to give it to you." He patted my shoulder "Do your best. You're a good person, Ogawa."

"Thank you, Uemura-san… Thank you…"

It felt comforting to have someone who believed in me and in the fact I was able to redeem myself, somehow. I had never been a good person, and it was a lie to say that the Port Mafia had turned an innocent girl into a monster, for that beast had always lied dormant within me. However, being given a chance to be a better human was something I would forever be grateful for. We all had the right to change, after all…

When I came back to the dormitory, I instinctively walked towards Dazai's door, before remembering the reason I had gone out was to slowly inhabit my own place. Delighted, I inserted my key into the lock to open my door, and immediately relished in the quiet atmosphere of the room. Slowly, I removed my shoes and went to my fridge, feeling oddly satisfied as I placed the diverse vegetables and goods I had bought for the first time. I had never gone grocery shopping before… The only shop I had ever visited was an old pharmacy to buy morphine with a forged prescription. Even so, the pharmacist had never taken a look at the said prescription, too eager to chase an addict away from his store quickly, which explained why I had never lacked pain relievers despite leaving the Mafia. Truly, it felt… Normal.

Delicately, I unpacked the kettle Uemura-san had given me to celebrate my new place. With it, boiling water would be so much easier, and making tea would only take a blink. Five months ago, when I had just become a detective, I had decided to stop drinking alcohol whenever I needed a distraction from the world. Yosano-sensei had strongly warned me about the state of my liver, and I had decided to listen to her. Following her advice, I had discovered tea, which had then slowly replaced sake and whisky, although I still drinked alcohol from time to time. Immediately, I prepared a cup of tea, ready to relax for the rest of the day, before realising that I had forgotten to stop by the bookstore to buy the first book I would read in my new home. It was important to me, and I needed time to choose… Thus, I prepared to leave again, but when I opened the door, a small package had been placed in front of it, accompanied by a note.

"Welcome, neighbour!"

I giggled as I recognised Dazai's handwriting, and unwrapped the gift. It was a book, of course… The mystery I had been reading just the previous evening, and which I had yet to solve. That one would be the first book of my home, and it was not a bad thing that it was one I would continue. Because I now had a home, it did not mean I had to start everything anew… With a slight smile, I went back inside. Finally, I was ready to spend a relaxing day off, the last one before a series of troubles. Even so, I knew that everything would be fine, eventually.

[yetanotherreader]

One Day

Fic Type: Stand-alone/One-Shot

Genre: Drama (Heavy Angst)

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Y/N Y/L/N

Characters: Dean Winchester, Y/N Y/L/N, Sam Winchester, Joseph Hughes (OC)

Word Count: 3,032.

Warnings: Angst, Depression, Anxiety, Marital Abuse, Mentions of marital rape, abusive marriage, physical violence.

PLEASE HEED THE WARNINGS AND DO NOT READ IF ANY OF THIS IS TRIGGERING FOR YOU.

Mobile app doesn't support the cut, so pardon for the no read more thingy.

A/N: Hey guys. I know I went on this little(big) break and I haven't updated useful in a while. I'm going through a writer's block again, trying to write and stopping after a while. and I have so many college projects to do during quarantine. I hope y'all are keeping safe. I wrote this one shot in hopes of getting back at writing. Woke up all night writing this, so I really hope you all will like it. But again, since I woke up the night writing this, it may or may not be up to your expectations. Please heed the warning above, girls. I really do not want any of you going through more stress during these stressful times.

Also, I used the same tag list as Useful in this one too. I don't know if everyone of you will like to be added to any of my other works so let me know if you want your name removed or added. :)

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His eyes were locked on the big gates of the hall, both waiting for and dreading the moment that particular person entered who he'd been missing for months. He gave a once over to the venue. This place was gorgeous, a palace in fact. A big chandelier graced the double ceiling and there was a colorful fountain in the garden outside. The lights were the right amount of bright and the drinks tasted just about perfect. Even the waiters wore their uniforms more expensive than his suit. It was something Dean had always seen in those Disney movies which, don't tell anyone, were his guilty pleasure.

He and Sam had come here for a case—the only reason that gave them the privilege to get into a place like this one. People have reported weird occurrences happening around here, followed by the abduction of everyone who saw it. Turned out, it was a serial killer and the police had taken care of it even before they reached.

Something about that place, though, made him want to stay. For some reason, he didn't make a U-turn and go back. Maybe it was the fact that it was the annual ball of the city where only the rich and reputed were invited, that he wanted to feel reputed for once, or that here he would see someone he hadn't seen in a while, someone he missed everyday he lived. He knew it would shatter his heart when he saw her, but he was willing to take a heartbreak if it meant seeing her once. Sam didn't say a word against it, but Dean knew better than to think he was okay with him going through all that torture.

Just when his eyes reached back to the doors, he saw, once again, the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on. The woman who made his heart flutter and break at the same time, the woman he loved the most. She was dressed in rose gold, the drape hugging her curves as perfectly as he remembered. Her hair was up in a messy bun, which only she could pull off that good, with few softly curled strands coming out to shape her face. Her lips were colored wine red, as tempting as ever, and her face was covered in a darker make up than he ever remembered her wear. In a better shape than when he last saw her, her posture screamed royalty. She looked breathtakingly gorgeous. The only thing was, she wasn't herself. Or at least, her old self. Does time change people that much? It took him all his power to remove his gaze from her, her arm entangled with the other man's, helped. 

She wasn't his to call anymore, she never was. Maybe the only woman who he liked but never kissed, the only woman who made him go all hot and bothered but he never dared touch her the way he desired. The only woman he loved enough to not make a move. He knew his feelings were mutual, he saw it in her eyes when they sat on the hood of the impala, chatting through the sleepless nights. He saw it every time she laughed at his piss poor jokes or narrowed her eyes at the women who flirted with him. He saw it when she cried for the first time in front of him and yelled at him because she thought he got himself killed. He saw it when he felt her heart accelerate everytime they hugged, like his own, and when she refused to leave him in the worst. He saw it when he saw her build walls to hide her broken heart after he asked her to leave. He saw it in her indifferent expression and a lone tear escaping her eyes when he told her he'd be better off without her.

And boy did he regret every word he said. He called her as soon as he realized what he did. That in order to save her, he might have just given her the biggest of the insecurities. It was a month later that it happened. He apologized to her, told her he never meant whatever he said, tried to explain why he did what he did. And she forgave. He couldn't believe his ears when he heard her say those words, he wanted her to yell at him, hate him, punish him for what he did but she said nothing more than a 'It's okay, I understand.'. And maybe that one sentence hurt him as much as he hurt her. She didn't even think of him good enough to be mad at. She shouldn't have understood, she should have argued. He might have lost the best thing that ever happened to him like that. And his fear proved right when he saw her photo in the newspaper, two months later, with a man. Joseph Hughes, a big name, apparently. The man he ran into, not so long ago, in missouri.

"Mr. Winchester." He heard the deep, masculine voice as it approached him, "Didn't know we'll meet again so soon."

If running into that man earlier made his heart heavy, meeting him with his arm around Y/N's waist made it fall down with a thud, "Mr and...Mrs Hughes. Fancy seeing you here, too."  He shook his hand with a firm shake, forwarding it toward the man's wife to do a similar action. Instead, she folded her hand in a namastey greeting, as she looked at him shocked, and scared. Maybe she didn't want her husband to know about him.

"I would ask how did you know she was my wife, but I guess you read newspapers." The man said in his smooth accent with a laugh, which Dean returned halfheartedly.

"Got that one right," he smiled at Hughes, his eyes lingering a little longer on Y/N, "Your wife is beautiful."

At the comment he saw her husband's hold tighten around her in sudden possessiveness, his fingers almost digging into her flesh as she flinched a little. He tore his gaze away from her, reminding himself she was someone else's wife and he had no right to be staring at her. But something about this whole situation felt wrong, that touch felt wrong.

She didn't look at him once after that. The tension in the air suffocated them both, and he was sure the shorter man in front of him felt it too, "Let's get you meet some of my friends, darlin'. If you could excuse us?"

Dean gave them the way, as he contemplated whether his decision of staying was even right. It crushed his heart seeing the woman he loved in someone else's arms. He felt like throwing up. Seven months ago, he couldn't have thought there'd be a day like this. He hated himself for that.

"Dean, do you want to go?" Sam's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"N-no," He cleared his throat when his voice came out rough and hoarse, "No, I guess I'll just go to the washroom. Go find some hot chick for me " he winked at Sam, who clearly saw right through it but didn't say anything. He stayed in the bathroom for a while, to calm his aching heart. People knew Dean as a man, as strong as an alpha, but here he was, falling weak. 

After splashing water on his face a few times, he got out of the bathroom just to see people frozen in their spots. His eyes went to his brother, immediately worried about his safety only to find him silently, but furiously glaring something, his hands were fisted like a beast about to attack its prey. When he followed his line of sight, he felt something similar inside of him. There stood Joseph Hughes towering his wife, glaring her down and his nails digging into her, now pale, arms, "I said, Tell. Me. The. Truth."

"I told you. He w-was a f-friend." Dean heard her voice for the first time in a long while, and his chest hurt at how small and scared it was. Y/N wasn't a hunter but she was fearless and brave. She had put her life on her palms so many times to save him and Sam without hesitating. That was one of the reasons he pushed her away, but here seeing her so helpless and terrified, he didn't know how to react.

"A friend, huh? A friend shouldn't look at you like that." His voice came out in a growl, audible in the pin drop silence, that sent visible shivers running down her spine, "That's why I don't leave you around men, you pathetic whore. I'm done being okay with you slutting around-"

Dean charged forward, enraged at the man's audacity to even let those words out of his mouth, but before he even took two steps, Y/N pushed that douche with enough force to make him stumble, pausing Dean mid-walk.

"You're done being oka-I AM DONE BEING OKAY!" Y/N raised her voice, violently shaking out of fear and rage. Joseph looked shocked, as if he never expected her to speak like that, as if she never spoke to him like that. The thought alone made Dean's eyes tear up, what had that monster done to her, "I am done being okay with the things I'm not okay with! I am done being okay with you touching me without my consent and I'm done being okay with getting slapped everytime I say no! I am done being okay with you locking me in and I am done being okay with you hitting me with whatever you find! I AM DONE WITH YOU!" She broke down into tears as she was done with her little speech.

"You are saying this here on purpose. You want me to lose my reputation." He said low, his eyes trying to scare her down.

"Y-yes, I'm saying this here on purpose because if I said it at home, you'd beat me to a pulp." She said, trying to sound low, but the eerie silence in the room making her damn well audible to his ears. Dean saw nothing but hot, white rage. Seeing Y/N so scared, so broken, Dean wanted nothing more than to break the bastard's bones, every single one of them. And when Hughes charged at Y/N, he lost whatever little control he had on himself jumping at the said man. Sam, immediately, went to Y/N's side as she hid in his chest, shaking like a dry leaf. Sam had never seen her so scared and so vulnerable. He felt a sharp pain in his heart seeing the sight of his best friend so broken, as he tightened his hold on her. Dean kept on hitting the man, like an animal that got out of its cage. His knuckles were bloodied, with which he didn't know was his blood or the other one's but he wasn't stopping. After what felt like forever, Dean was stopped by two strong arms around his own, from behind.

"Dean, stop. You'll kill him." Sam's calming voice fell into his ears, "stop"

It took Dean a while to register, as he tried to release his hands from his brother's still kicking the battered man that lied in front of him, "I don't care."

"Y/N wouldn't want you to kill him, Dean." And at that, he stopped. Y/N. Where was she? He stood up and searched for her, seeing her frozen at the same spot as earlier, zoned out and shaking violently. His heart hurt so bad seeing her like that, he couldn't stop tears from welling in his eyes.

"Y/N," he whispered as he took a few long strides to reach her and pull her into a careful hug.

She went stiff under his touch, as he loosened his hold on her, scared he might scare her before he heard her, barely, speak out, "Dean.." as she clinged to him for dear life. Hearing her say his name again wasn't as pleasant as he'd imagined a million times before, rather it was gut-wrenching. It was painful, because this was the last thing he had imagined that made her say his name. He wrapped his arms around her fully and spoke comforting words to soothe her.

"Let's go home, Y/N."

It had been a week she returned to the bunker, moving into her old room. Hughes was arrested, and divorce agreements were signed. He got to know that the thing between Y/N and Joseph was more of a business arrangement than a marriage proposed by her father, who had no idea about his son-in-law's abusive habits. Sam and Dean kept a positive atmosphere around the bunker, not going out for any cases, but there was no change in Y/N. She, mostly, kept herself locked up in her room, not talking to anyone. They thought it was necessary to give her her space but that was just deteriorating her health more. She ate too little for survival.

Dean stepped into her room with the plate of her favourite food. She loved it when he cooked for her, he just hoped to God, she still would. His eyes fell on her form, lying down on the floor, her back resting by the bed. She looked into a distance, zeroing her vision. As he went and sat beside her, keeping the plate on the floor, she spoke up, "He'll come back for me, Dean. He'll take me and he-"

"He won't," Dean cupped her cheeks and made her look at him as he met with the broken sight. Her eyes had sunken in, dark circles forming around them, face paler and her natural blush around her cheeks gone, "I promise I will not let anything happen to you."

She looked at him like she wanted to believe, but a sudden wave of anxiety stopped her, "No..no no no no, Dean! You don't understand! He..he will come back and he won't leave me. He'll beat me and...and those chains. He'll tie me up again and he'll...he'll-

She stopped mid-sentence, a horror coating her features. This new piece of information startled Dean, breaking his heart into two..enraging him, too. He didn't know how to react to it, so he did what his impulse told him to, he hugged her tight, hiding his face in her hair. More than comforting her, it was for himself. He wanted her close and safe, "He used knives, Dean. He said he loved seeing me bleed..it was so painful" Dean shut his eyes tight, trying to push away the horrifying images from his head, as he let the tears flow free. What all she had endured because of his one mistake. She sniffled as she continued in a small voice, "you won't be able to do anything, Dean. He's very powerful. You can save me from monsters, you can kill them..but him-"

"I'll kill him if he laid his finger on you ever again." Dean spoke with determination.

"N-no...No, Dean. You won't kill him. Don't kill him please, don't be like him." She shook her head violently in his chest, "not like him..no, no, no.."

"Hey, hey," he soothed her rubbing a hand on her back, "I won't. I won't be like him, okay? Shh.." It took Y/N a few minutes to calm down, while he rocked her in his lap, "You hungry?"

She shook her head, mumbling into his chest "I never feel hungry."

He sighed, "Okay. Eat a little, with me? Please? Because I'm starving."

Her eyes sparkled a little when she saw the food, "You made it?" He smiled and nodded, proudly, "Can I..can I eat the whole thing?"

He chuckled, heartily, "madam, all yours." She smiled up at him, hesitantly. As if trying to remember how to smile, at which his eyes softened, "when did you eat this last?"

She dug into the food, liking the taste of it. The taste of home, "with you. He didn't let me eat this, wanted me to look good like his wife should." 

Dean clenched his jaw at this, wanting to practically undo that man's existence. The things he did to her, he was sure if he saw him someday, that'd be his last.

Y/N looked at him, a little scared and a little more sheepishly, "Can I get some more?" Dean smiled at her and got her some more. He looked at her eating, his eyes filled with unshed tears. She was so, so pure, only if he could take away all her pain, make her forget those dark months. Only if he could give her all the happiness in the world, because there was no one he knew who deserved it more than her.

Later that night, Dean asked Y/N if he could stay with her because his nightmares scared him. He knew she understood what he meant, and the fact that she didn't deny made his heart flutter. Y/N hadn't slept in days. Either she would wake up from a nightmare, yelling, or not sleep at all. He just wished she'd have a goodnight sleep in his arms, and she did. But he didn't miss what she said just before she fell into the slumber, something the Y/N he knew would never say. Something that hurt his heart and made him make a silent promise to her, and himself. 

"Dean, don't send me away ever again. Please."

Never. He would never let her out of his sight again. He'd save her from every monster, supernatural or not. He didn't know long will it take her to fall for him again, or if she'd ever fall for him again. All he knew was, he'd shower her with so much love, she would forget every pain that son of a bitch caused her. He'd love her so much that she'd start loving herself one day. He would hold her so dear, that her scars would stop scaring her.

One day. One day, he'll make everything okay.

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[i-am-beyoutiful]

Family Over Story: Childish

Hello there, I know its been a hot second since I posted my last chapter but hopefully you guys like it. This chapter takes place after Kyle and Cecily have been together for a year. AO3 Link

Joe looked over at his sister while she jumped out the nerves before her match. His phone buzzed and on the screen he saw a text from Kyle O Reilly, his sisters boyfriend. He was asking if Cece had safely arrived at the venue. Roman knew Cecily sent a text at every show to let Kyle know she made it ok. She must have forgotten by accident. 

Joe tapped Cecily shoulder, “Hey, did you forget to check in with Kyle? He asked me if you were okay.” Cecily looked surprised for a split second then schooled her face to look indifferent. “Oh! I must have forgot. Just tell him I’m fine.” Cecily rolled her shoulders as the beginning notes of her entrance music played in the arena. Cecily asked her brother to wish her luck before she walked out into the screaming fans. Joe sighed then typed out a message to Kyle in response. 

Yeah, dude, she’s fine. Don’t know why she wouldn’t text you

Thanks for letting me know. I’ll call later and see what’s up.....

----------------------------

Joe and Cecily were in the car that night on the way to the hotel where everyone was staying. The next day, Cecily and Joe were flying out to Florida. Joe going to see his family and Cece visiting Kyle. During the ride, Cecily’s phone kept going off. Call after call coming thru but she never answered. After the fifteenth call, Joe finally had enough. 

“Aren’t you gonna answer that?” Joe glanced at Cece who looking anywhere but at his face. 

“Oh its just one of those unknown numbers, like a robot call. I’ll just turn it off so it won’t bother you.” Cecily turned her phone off just as another call came thru. 

Joe had a feeling the caller wasn’t a robot.

----------------------------

Joe was waiting at the terminal for both his and his sister’s flight but she still wasn’t there. Joe knew he should have waited for Cece at the hotel so she wouldn’t be late but it wasn’t like his sister to be late for a flight. Jon yes but Cecily, Never. It wasn’t in her programming to be late. Joe texted her multiple times, telling Cece to hurry up or she was gonna miss her plane. The flight attendants gave their final call and Joe gave up. He walked over to the terminal for his flight and sent one last text to his sister. 

They just gave word for last call. You know I can’t miss my flight so just let me know what you do.

Joe put his phone on airplane mode and settled down for his short trip wondering whats going on with his sister. 

Hours later, after Joe had landed and managed to rent a car, he turned on his phone to see a text. It was from Cece.

Hey Joe. I forgot to tell you Pam invited me to a girls weekend and I offered my house as the main base. Sorry if I worried you. Have fun with your family and tell Galina and Jojo I said Hey!

Joe shook his head, more confused than ever about what was going on with his sister. 

-------------------

Kyle frowned looking at the message on his phone from Joe, 

Sorry man but Cece bailed last minute. Call her and see what happened. 

Kyle was lucky his workout was done because his mood did a complete one eighty. His friend and trainer, Marcus, walked over and slapped his shoulder, “Dude! You just finished a killer workout! What has you so down?” 

Kyle locked his phone and started putting his things up, “Nothing major, just found out my girl isn’t coming this weekend before she goes back to work.” Kyle and Marcus made their way out of the gym and into the nighttime air. 

“We’re talking about Cecily here right, The girl who I still haven’t had the privilege to meet yet. The one who freaking Thomas has met before me!” Kyle laughed at his friends antics. He unlocked his car and threw his bag into the backseat. “Trust me, if she was coming, I was gonna introduce you. She hasn’t meet any of my friends and its about time she does.” 

Marcus shrugged, “There’s always next time right.” Kyle nodded and the two said their goodbyes. Kyle, on the way home, couldn’t help but think about all the messages he left on Cece’s phone. He knew her phone wasn’t off so why was she missing his calls. 

-------------------

Becky was riding in the car with Seth on the way back home from dinner when she got a text from Cece. Becky figured her best friend would be having a very lovely time in the arms of her boyfriend but she didn’t question it much........until she read the text for the second time.

If anyone asks, I’m in Chicago with Mercedes and Pam 

Becky was thrown for a loop. What the hell was she talking about???

Let me guess...you’re not in Chicago with Cedes and Pam. 

Not in the slightest but they already said they would cover for me. I know getting you to lie for me will cost so just name your price....

The price is telling me what the hell is going on Cece

I’ll tell you on Monday. Thank You, Becks 

“Hey, who’s that?” Seth asked. 

Becky contemplated just telling Seth the truth but she knew as well as anyone that if she told Seth outright, somethings wrong with Cecily, He and his brothers would be on the next train smoking to wherever their sister was. 

“She was just bragging about how much fun Her, Cedes and Pam were having at their girls night.” Becky said.

“What girls night?! I thought she was going to Florida to spend time with Kyle.” Seth questioned as the pair pulled into the driveway at Seth’s house. 

“I don’t know but they look like their having fun.” 

And she better have a real good explanation for this at Raw. Becky thought as she and Seth entered the house for the night.

------------------------

“Why not just call him?” Mizuki asked her friend. 

Mizuki is Cecily best friend since middle school. the aforementioned women was confused when she opened her front door to see her best friend standing in the entrance. Mizuki knew her friend was supposed to be on the next plane to Florida way before now. Cecily should have already been there. She could see something was bothering her friend and didn’t question what happened. Mizuki just let her in. This leads to the present, where Cecily is sitting on her friends couch clutching her phone. 

Cecily shut her phone down and finally faced Mizuki, “Because I just need a second before I talk to him, Alright?” Mizuki shook her head but decided to leave the subject alone. 

-----------------------

Two weeks had passed and one thing became clear to Colby. His sisters actions were not normal. Cecily was avoiding Kyle for some reason beyond his knowledge. He didn’t know why or how but he planned to find out. 

-----------------------

“Hey Cecily, Have you talked to Kyle today?” Colby asked, out of the blue. 

Cecily looked up from the TV displaying Raw, a smile was on her face but it didn’t reach her eyes, “Yeah I spoke to him earlier. He wished you good luck in your match tonight.” Cecily focused her attention to the screen once again.

That was a bold faced lie. Colby had called the man in question earlier that day to see if the two had talked. The couple hadn’t spoken to each other in almost three weeks.

“Why do you ask?” Cecily questioned.

“Hmm. Oh, no reason.” Colby went back to picking between the two gears he brought to the show that night. His mind on already on the next phase of his plan.

-----------------------

Colby saw Mercedes and Pam hanging around in the corridor and hoped that catching them off guard would lead to some progress in his master plan. He walked over and causally talked to them about whats new in their lives before bringing the (metaphorical) hammer down.

“So how was the girls weekend thing? I know Becky was bummed she missed it.” Colby pried causally. 

“What girls we-AH” Pam winced at the sharp elbow to her side from Sasha. The boss fixed Pam with a look. The hugger realized what was happening and quickly recovered

“OHHH that girls weekend. Oh yeah it was complete blast. A full two days of nothing but anime all day” Pam said. 

Colby feigned confusion, “Anime? Becks mentioned something about Fast and Furious?” 

“The anime was after Becky talked to us. We watched the fast franchise before that. Next time, we’ll tell becks so she can get out there with us.” Mercedes covered up the cracks.  

“Well, its good to know you guys had fun. I’ll see you around.” As Colby walked away, he heard Mercedes hit Pamela again. 

“OW! Cedes, that hurt.” Pam rubbed her bicep. 

“It’s supposed to! You almost blew Cece’s cover. You know she doesn’t want to talk to her brothers about whats going on yet.” Cedes and Pam get off the crate they were sitting on and started walking in the opposite direction of Colby. Colby frowned before setting his sights on one last person. 

------------------------

Becky looked up to see Colby in her locker room door, “Hey babe! What’s--” 

“I know somethings going on with Cece and I know you, Mercedes and Pam are covering. I’m asking you as her brother to tell me what you know so I can help.” Colby was determined to get answers and Becky couldn’t deny that she loved when Colby got protective. Becky sighed and thought, Forgive me Cecily. 

“I don’t know what’s going on either but if you hide in the bathroom, you’ll be able to hear what she has to say. You just gotta stay quiet, alright?” Becky gestured to the bathroom behind them and Colby winked at her. As Colby passed, he gave Becky a peck on the lips. Colby closed the door to the bathroom just a knock rang though the room.

“Come in!” Becky shouted.

Cecily entered the room, frown on her face. When she saw Becky, her face perked up just a little. The two shared a hug before taking a seat on the bench in the middle of the room. 

Becky started unwinding the tape off her wrists, “So you finally want to tell me why I needed to lie to your brother and my boyfriend?” 

Cece gave an exasperated huff in reply before speaking, “There’s not really anything going on, It’s just me being stupid.” 

Becky threw the used tape in the trash can then gave one of her best friends her undivided attention, “Care to elaborate? I can’t give sufficient advice without a full break down.”

Cecily rolled her eyes, “It happened three weeks ago. You know how I told you that Kyle was gonna start introducing me to his friends outside of the business,” Becky nodded, “Well that started with his best friend, Thomas, from his days playing lacrosse. Thomas was over at his house and I was getting my bags ready for my flight to the live shows that week. When I came down, I heard them talking.” Cecily, in her nervousness started to play with her fidget cube. 

Cecily took another deep breath before continuing, “Ky was telling Thomas about how we met and why he couldn’t just let me slide thru his fingers without shooting his shot and then Kyle said and I quote, ‘Yeah I love her, and this is between you and me, but she can be so childish’. I didn’t stay to hear the rest. I crept back upstairs, grabbed my bad, rushed back downstairs and luckily, it was time for me to head to the airport. I haven’t talked to him since. That’s what happened.” Cecily flipped the switch on her cube one last time then looked at Becky who hadn’t spoken for a couple seconds. Becky got up and continued to change into more comfortable clothes. 

“So whats really going thru that head of yours.” Becky pulled out two shirts contemplating which one was the cleanest. Cecily laid back on the bench, “It’s not so much that he called me childish, I’ve dealt with that my entire life. The problem is I don’t want to lose him because of who I am and what I like. I don’t want to learn about space in a book. I want learn about it while discussing if Mario can survive on the planets in Super Mario Galaxy. I wanna go to comic con and cosplay as my favorite characters. I wanna finally go to Disney World.” Cecily stood up from the bench and started to pace. 

“That’s why I’ve been avoiding him for weeks. I don’t want to pick up the phone and I don’t want to talk to him because I don’t want to lose him. I don’t want to lose him because I lo-” Cecily stopped in her tracks before her those words came out. Becky started smirking behind her back, now knowing exactly what was going on with her friend. 

“Scuse’ me, dear friend of mine, you wanna finish that sentence?” Becky grabbed Cecily’s shoulders and Cece head dropped into her chest. 

“Your gonna make me say it, aren’t you?” Cecily mumbled. 

“If you could for the class.” Becky’s smile widened. 

“UHHHH!!! I don’t want to lose him because.........Because I’m in love with him.” Cecily laughed a little. Becky shrieked in excitement before tugging Cecily into a fierce embrace. The two hugged for a little while longer, Cecily feeling like a weights had been lifted off of her shoulders. 

“Come on out Colby. You’re not very quiet you know.” Cecily and Becky separated and looked at the entrance to the bathroom where a sheepish looking Colby entered the room. Cecily just shook her head at him, diving into his arms for a hug. 

“Oh my God, my sister is in love.” the brother and sister separating as Becky joins them on the other side of the room. 

“Yeah and this sister is also pissed that you,” Cecily hit Colby on the left shoulder, “Were,” right shoulder, “Spying,” left, “On,” right, “Me!” one last hit to the right shoulder, for good measure. 

“OW! Jesus Cece that hurt.” Colby rubbed his shoulder to remove some of the sting. 

“It was supposed to.” Cecily turned her attention back to Becky, “So what should I do. I haven’t spoken to Kyle in weeks.” Cecily desperately looked on as Becky walked over and grabbed Cecily’s cell phone. As Becky handed the phone over, the front screen flashed to show a picture of Kyle and herself.

The photo was taken during the couples first date. Kyle had taken Cecily to a showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 with a live orchestra. Cecily had talked endlessly about going to the one show that was showing in Florida. So, Kyle went and got tickets but didn’t tell Cecily. Kyle knew if she was told, Cecily would over plan every little detail and he wanted to make an impression. By forcing her to live spontaneously. I guess you could say it worked. 

The picture is after the concert at a small restaurant where the two spent hours just talking about everything yet nothing at all. Before the night was over, Cecily wanted a picture and was able to get one. The lighting is horrible but the kind waiter captured the perfect moment. The two in an embrace, Cecily hugging Kyle’s waist and Kyle’s left arm around her shoulders. The couples eyes locked on each other, loving smiles plastered on their faces.

The sight of the picture brought a smile to Cecily’s face. Becky tapped the side of the phone, “I think you know what you need to do.” Cecily nodded and walked out the locker room to grab her bags and head out for the night, sending a long awaited message.

Hey, I’m sorry for being AWOL. I’m catching a flight out to Florida and If you wanna meet me somewhere.......just let me know....

------------------------

Cecily was heading over to baggage claim after her long flight. She sent a message out to her brothers, 

HEY YOU GUYS!!! I made it to Florida. I’m gonna rent a car then head over to the house. 

Only one reply came thru from Colby,

Trust me I don’t think you’ll need a rental car.....Have Fun!!

Cecily was confused by her brothers text at first but then the same sentiment came from her two other brothers. That’s when she knew something was up. She tried to ignore the anxious thoughts creeping into her mind of what her brothers may have done. Before she could spiral further, Cece spotted her bags. 

Cecily started to make her way over but arms around her waist stopped her. A backhand was about to be unleashed on the stranger until Cecily heard a voice whisper in her ear. That voice that could simultaneously calm her and excite her, sending shivers down her spine. 

“Hey, let me get that for you.” Kyle pecked her check and walked over to grab her huge suitcase. Cecily was frozen in place. Kyle walked back over, her suitcase rolling behind him, with a smile on his face. 

“How much did you pack, women! Aren’t you only here a week?” Kyle asked. 

The question knocked Cecily out of her trance, “Actually I was able to get time off until the rumble. They injured me at the last-” 

“Last Raw. I know I was watching, like always.” Kyle grabbed her hand, “Come on, the cars in the parking lot.” The two were half way out of the airport before Cecily asked a question. 

“Wait, Are you dropping of at my dad’s house? That’s where I was planning to stay. Plus my dad wanted me to take care of some things from him their while I’m here.” Cecily and Kyle finally stepped outside the airport and headed toward Kyle’s vehicle. 

“You’ll just stay with me and you know wherever you need to go I’ll just drive you. Besides, Your brothers let me know that we need to talk. A suggestion was sent to my phone yesterday about heading to the airport around this time. They figured that you would take the chance to stay somewhere else and avoid me for as long as you can.” Kyle put her bag in the truck and unlocked the rest of the car. “Let’s get going, shall we?” Kyle opened the passenger door for Cecily with a smirk. Cecily held back a smile and shook her head.

Brothers

-------------------

Cecily finished freshening up before going downstairs to face Kyle. She tried to practice what she was going to say to him but that lead to more anxiety filling her person. Cecily entered the living room and paused, watching Kyle relax on the couch, hoping to buy herself more time to calm down. And, of course, that didn’t happen. 

“Why don’t you join me, Sly?” Both wrestlers smiled at the mention of Cecily’s nickname, given because of her Harry Potter house preference. Cecily walked over and sat on the far end of the couch, bringing her knee to her chests and wrapping her arms underneath her thighs. 

Kyle stared at Cecily but she was looking anywhere but at his face. 

“You wanna tell me what’s-�� “I heard you two weeks ago!” Cecily interrupted Kyle’s question. He was taken aback, what was Cecily talking about?

“I’m sorry what?” Kyle shifted to face her completely. 

Cecily rolled her eyes, “When Thomas was in Florida a couple of weeks ago, I heard you call me childish to him.” Cece started tapping her fingers against her thighs, “I know I’ve told you that I’ve been made fun of because of what I like. What you said didn’t bother me a lot. It just made me realize how much I care about you. So I wanna know why you called me childish.” Cecily felt the tension in her shoulders melt after saying what she felt. 

Kyle was silent for some time. He reached over and grabbed Cecily hand and pulled it so she would face him, “I’m not gonna lie to you, yes, I called you childish. But you didn’t hear what I said afterward. I told Tommy that yes, you are childish. And that is exactly what I love about you. You are so invested in everything you care about. You could spend week doing a deep dive into a new topic and come out the other side an expert on it. I love it when you freak out over new music. I can’t help but smile when you watch wrestling as a fan and lose it over near falls.” Kyle moved over and wraps his arm around Cece’s shoulders, “I’ve dated girls who tried to fake smart way too many times. You don’t care about any of that. You are wholeheartedly yourself at all times and I love you for that.” Kyle kissed her forehead. Cecily turned her head and caught Kyle lips. 

“I love you too.” The two share a smile then leaned in again.

The two kissed for a while, Cecily ending up in her boyfriends lap. The two broke apart when the need for air became too much. The happy couple smiled and laughed, the feeling of being in love filling them with euphoria. Kyle tightened is grip on Cece waist.

“Why don’t you head upstairs babe?” Kyle kissed her collarbone. 

Cecily giggled, “Why’s that?” 

“Cause I don’t want the neighbors to hear you scream that much.” Kyle whispered in her ear, nibbling at the lobe. And there goes the shivers again. 

--------------------

That night Kyle posted three videos and a picture on his Instagram. 

The first video is of Cecily behind the wheel, dancing and rapping in her seat to Power by Little Mix. The second video is Cecily doing a dance with Mizuki to Crybaby by Melanie Martinez. The third video is of Cecily crying while watching Rent on dvd. 

The picture is of Cecily. She’s lying on a couch in a massive hoodie that’s basically a dress. She has no make up on and her hair is wrapped up in a scarf. 

Kyle’s caption reads: 

I met this girl a couple weeks after I came to NXT and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She was (and still is) cool, confident and strong. But as I got to know her I saw the other sides of her. Her unabashed love for singing, acting and dancing. Her extensive amount of music. Her dedication and love our craft.

So one day, she told me that she would never date a wrestler again and I asked this girl to let me change her mind. I guess I did managed because a month later we finally became boyfriend and girlfriend. And now a year and two months later, I can proudly say I have never felt this way about anyone before. I love Cecily Perrin and She loves me.

The post had over 1500 comments and growing..

romanreigns - 4 outta 4 shield members approve...

wwerollins - Better treat our sister right, Mr. O’Reilly

beckylynchwwe - I’m so happy for you two!!

sashabankswwe - Looks like the girls are just waiting for Charlotte to get herself a man....

itsmebayley - You too are so cute!!!

charlottewwe - Absolutely Undisputed

candicelerae - We need an double date ASAP!!!!

[serenhyunjinity]

blood thirsty [minho]

“isn’t it funny? people seem so innocent yet you don’t really know what’s behind closed doors”.

SKZ LEE KNOW || LEE MINHO

warnings: disturbing descriptions, mentions of death, murder, alcohol and smoking.

daytime. the time when everything is considered safe at least in the view of society. that is until night hits, when safety is then a risk to some. gangs own the streets as the street lights flicker through the dark abyss, but who knew there would be something much darker happening in seoul.

a happy couple, blessed with ethereal visuals that anyone would consider model worthy. y/n and minho had been together for what seemed like a lifetime, despite only being a mere four years. everyone loved them, i mean you didn’t really have a reason not to like them.

nobody knew the truth that the two hid from the world. more people went missing, including their best friend han jisung and their senior kim woojin. everyone believed it was all due to the rivalry gangs living in the area, but truly, it was much deeper and truthfully darker.

“y/n where are you?” minho called desperately as he searched around the area for his girlfriend. it was late, almost too late to be out in the streets. that was until he saw a figure crouching on the side of the road, muffled cries escaping the girls mouth. automatically, minho decided to run to the black haired girl, who didn’t even look up.

“what if we get caught? we can’t stay lucky forever” y/n softly wiped the tears from her eyes with blood stained finger tips. “why do we even do this?” minho couldn’t answer, he didn’t even know the answer himself.

“y/n honey, let’s go home yeah? i’ll order you some chicken” the girl nodded as she grabbed onto the boy to help her up. it always ended like this, they would go out and do something that they would later regret in the future, before going home and trying their best to completely forget it all.

minho and y/n met during college, being in the same classes and coincidentally always sitting next to one another. it was hard to not fall for minho, not only was he handsome but he had the personality that anyone would find attractive. after three months of being in the class, they eventually got together and nobody was surprised.

yet it got dark two years later. on a cold, winter’s night they headed to their best friend jisung’s apartment to have a movie night. that was until the plans completely changed, instead of watching a gruesome horror movie, they were now living it. all it took for minho to get mad was jisung simply placing his arm around y/n’s shoulders jokingly.

“minho why are you getting so angry? it’s a joke, calm” the younger boy chuckled before opening the fridge, attempting to grab something to snack on. that was until minho did the unexpected, the anger inside him building up as he grabbed the kitchen knife which was coincidentally beside him. in a split second, the knife was buried deep into the innocent boy’s back.

“m-minho what the fuck” y/n didn’t know what to do, shock completely took over her body. jisung’s limp body hit the floor in a crash and it hit minho instantly, did he just kill his best friend? “w-why did you-” minho cut her off, shouting for her to help the now murderer clean up the area and dispose of the innocent boy’s body.

from then on minho had changed, y/n too, they weren’t just the normal young neighbours who were in love. they were the murderous and violent killers, it was like an addiction to them, seeing the bodies of their victims lying before them. it obviously wasn’t a healthy addiction, but in their minds it brought them closer. they hadn’t been caught yet, until a certain day in june completely changed their lives.

minho placed the lit cigarette between his lips, puffing the smoke out of his mouth. he knew this wasn’t a good habit to pick up on, but let’s be honest, he’s done worse. y/n sat with the alcoholic drink placed within her fragile hands, staring out of the window, at the dimly lit street below them.

“min, i’m bored” the younger girl looked behind, trying to grasp the attention of her now fiancé. the boy hummed, trailing towards her and wrapping his arms around the girls waist, overlooking the street.

“let’s go out” he winked, instantly she knew what he wanted to do, it was pretty obvious. at first y/n was terrified of the idea, the fact the love of her life was so evil, but she came to the conclusion that if it made him happy, it made her so so happy.

it didn’t take long before the pair were out in the darkness of the streets. the dim street lights paved the way as the two held hands with large smiles painting their faces. the only people outside at this time was the minimal amount of young people partying. that was until a boy, shorter than minho surprisingly, began to walk towards the two, his hands glued to his phone.

“i think we found our man for tonight” minho chuckled as he whispered in the girls ear. still holding hands, the two turned and faced the boy, he looked young i guess, but definitely only a year or two younger than minho. “hey, emo boy” minho called out causing the short, black haired boy to turn in confusion.

“what’s your name?” y/n asked in a slurred tone, but the boy clearly wasn’t interested in anything the pair were saying. “i asked you a question emo boy” with this, the boy slipped his phone into the pocket of his torn up jeans.

“changbin, why are you talking to me anyway? i’m busy” minho laughed sarcastically, this boy really wanted to test his patience at a time like this. now he really wasn’t going to feel guilty when his body is limp on the floor.

“well mister changbin, can you help me, my boyfriend and i lost something and could really use a helping hand” with y/n’s angelic smile, it was almost impossible to refuse. sooner or later, the three were in an alley, searching for nothing in particular.

with a nod in minho’s direction, it was time. the boy grabbed the knife from the bag beside him and made his way towards changbin, who was crouching on the ground looking intently for the ‘missing object’.

“you really think i’m that stupid lee minho? put your hands above your head, you too miss y/n” changbin got up with an unfazed look, catching the couple off guard. suddenly, a mass amount of police officers sorround the area, guns pointing at the two, who ran to one another’s sides.

“you know you’re not discrete? your fingerprints were all over han jisung and kim woojin” he chuckled as the two began to get handcuffed. “we’ve been watching your every move since then, planning on getting married? good luck doing that”.

minho couldn’t imagine being apart from y/n, she was the one he would sacrifice everything and anything for, yet she was slipping away from him. if only he could turn back the time, all he wanted was for her to be back.

“minho, i love you okay, remember that” and that was the last thing he ever heard her say, at least for this long, dreadful period of time. now it was his time to pay for his mistakes.

masterlist

this is my first written imagine thing idk what to call it haha. it’s pretty crap sorry but i’ll try to improve!

[barnesandrogersfanfics]

With All Your Heart - Part 3

"Jesus Y/N where is your head at today?" Nat scolded you as she knocked you on my ass for the 100th time in the past hour.

"In the gutter Nat where else" you smirk at her, it wasn't a lie! All you kept thinking about was Bucky!! How nice it was waking up in his arms.... how you wanted more!

"We need to get you laid girl!" Nat laughed holding her hand out to help you up off the floor.

"I know right!" You admitted whilst grabbing your towel from the side and wiping the sweat from your brow "I've got all this pent up energy i need to get out of my system.... even being in here aint helping! Especially when we've got half naked super soldiers standing across from us" you nod in the direction of where Steve and Bucky were working out in just a pair of shorts, both doing weights and making the most sexual grunting noises you have ever heard in a gym!!

"Is it just me or are those grunting noises...."

"Sounding very sexual??" She finished and nodded her head "its not just you"

"Oh thank god" you laughed and caught the attention of the two grunting soldiers.

"You ladies okay?" Steve called over sitting up on the bench.

"Peachy Cap" you called back while turning your back to them to hide your laughing.

"You sure?? You seem to find something quite amusing"

"Its nothing Steve, just girl talk" Nat winked at him as you both walked over to the treadmills.

"Well if you need anything we'd be happy to assist you" he said politely and Nat and you both burst out laughing before starting a quick paced jog on the treadmills.

"What??" You hear Steve ask as he walked over to us, he wanted to know what was going on now. Bucky was looking over curious to what we were talking about.

"The kinda help she needs is a little outta your job description Steve"

"Natasha!!" You snap shaking your head at her, the woman had no filter sometimes.

"Oh.... oh you mean...."

"Sex Steven, you can say it. Its not a bad word" Nat said teasing him at how uncomfortable he looked.

"Nat leave him alone" you say hitting the stop button and slowly coming to a stop.

"Steve can you help me stretch, if i don't do it properly I'm gonna cramp like a bitch later"

"S..sure" he nodded quickly with a smile and walked over to the mats. He led you through some basic stretches, then he was kneeling between your legs pushing one back towards your chest a little further than you could manage on my own. It felt so good you let out a quiet moan and instantly felt your cheeks flush red "you okay?" Steve asked looking concerned, you nod quickly and laughed nervously "yeah I'm fine, that just felt really good"

"Oh my god get a room you two" Nat laughed as she walked passed.

"Nat i swear to god I'm gonna kick your ass you keep on" you called after your best friend.

"You don't stand a chance while that mind of yours is in the gutter Stark!"

"Shes right" you huff throwing your arm over your eyes dramatically.

"That we should get a room??" Steve asked wide eyed making you laugh.

"No, about me not standing a chance while my mind is in the gutter" you sat up and tapped him on the arm "don't worry cap i wont corrupt you".

"Maybe id corrupt you" he shrugged casually "how would you know??"

"Fair point" you smirked getting to your feet "id be too much for you to handle though Cap" you say patting his chest and walking out.

"See ya later Buck" you smile sweetly at him as you passed.

"What the hell was that about??" Bucky asked Steve once they were alone, Steve shook his head looking just as confused as Bucky.

"I have no idea!!"

"Was you coming onto her??"

"I.... i don't think so"

"Well do you like her?"

"Of course i like her"

"You know what i mean!"

"I don't know Buck, i think i just got caught in the moment" he shrugged then looked at his best friend with wide eyes "wait... do YOU like her??"

"W..what.... no of course not" he said quickly but the red blush that crossed his face said he did.

"Bucky you can tell me pal, I'm not going to judge you. It will stay between us i promise" Steve said to his friend, now he thought about it he couldn't believe he didn't see it sooner.

"So what if i do like her Steve?? Y/N will never see me like that" he said sadly.

"How do you know that?? You haven't even given her a chance"

"Come on man if shes into anyone its you! She's always so open and flirty with you. Don't think i haven't noticed the way shes so comfortable around you, the touches between you"

"Maybe shes trying to see if she gets a reaction from you when shes close with me. You were always so stand offish with her.... she didn't think you liked her pal"

"She makes me nervous okay!" Bucky suddenly snapped "i don't know how to act around her! And then she was always sitting there talking about all these terrible dates she was going on.... i couldn't stay and listen to her talk about being with other guys, so id just leave the room"

"Well then maybe you should ask to take her out yourself??" Steve smirked.

"She'd never say yes to me Steve" Bucky said dropping his head sadly.

"Well you better make your move pal, that girl is needing some attention and she'll go on more of those ridiculous dates to get it" he slapped Bucky on the back and went to go take a shower.

***

After the show put on by the super soldiers in the gym and having Steve between your legs while stretching you were super horny! On the way back to your rooms Nat had suggested a girls night which you instantly agreed to. Now you were in the shower with your vibrator trying to relieve some of the sexual tension you were experiencing before going out. Your breathing was heavy as you felt yourself start to clench tighter.... your mind replaying the images of a shirtless Bucky and those amazing grunting noises he had been making. It was enough to send you over the edge and let out a loud moan as your free hand grabbed hold of the wall to steady your wobbly legs.

"Fucking hell" you sighed closing your eyes and trying to catch your breath, this was getting ridiculous! It was then you heard a knocking at your door "just a second" you call out quickly turning off the shower and grabbing a towel, you wrap it around yourself and make your way through your room to open the door.

"Oh.... S..sorry!" Bucky stuttered looking away from you when he saw you in just a towel.

"Its okay Buck" you say smiling up at him "whats up?"

"I just... i thought we could talk"

"Id love that, really i would but I'm getting ready to go out for girls night with Nat and Wanda"

"Oh okay never mind... it was just an idea..." he said looking flustered at you rejecting his offer.

"Hey, how about tomorrow morning? We can go to that diner down the street that you like, Just you and me?" You offer and he smiles instantly.

"Yeah id like that" he nodded "have a nice night" he gave you a smile before making his way back to his room.

****

You chose to wear a tight fitted burgundy dress (that didn't leave too much to the imagination but made you feel sexy) and a pair of black heals, your hair was curled loosely and your make up natural looking with a slight smokey eye. You were ready for a night out with your girls and you felt good about yourself!

You head out to the kitchen to meet Nat and Wanda. Wanda was already out there waiting for us like usual making some drinks before we started our night.

"Y/N dear?" Tony said looking at you over the papers he was reading.

"yes brother?" You say in a tone that warned him you were not in the mood for his witty comments, of course that didnt stop him.

"Did you loose half of that dress??" He asked, making you instantly roll your eyes "i mean your almost exposing your....." he waved his hand over his groin area.

"Im perfectly covered, you cant see anything" you assured him.

"Im just saying you could have picked a dress with a bit more material to it sweetheart"

"I bet Nats is worse than mine and you wont say a word to her"

"Like i said before Nat is not my baby sister"

"Tony im not a baby anymore you dont have to worry about me"

"You will aways be my baby sister and i will always worry about you" he stated simply "im sorry kid but i cant just turn that off".

"Wow!"

"Jesus christ...."

Came the voices of Steve and Bucky as they walked in and saw what you were wearing.

"Oh god your gonna give these old men a heart attack walking around dressed like that Y/N" Tony commented.

"Well i think she looks hot" Wanda smiled hooking her arm through yours and giving you a smile.

"She does! You both do!" Steve nodded

"Hey dont forget about me!" Nat said as she strolled in to join us finally.

"You all look stunning"

"Thank you Steve, we do look pretty hot tonight ladies" Nat said as she pushed the drinks Wanda had made towards us "drink up and lets get this party started!!"

You, Nat and Wanda down your drinks and start to get ready to leave, Bucky had walked over to get a bottle of water from the fridge behind you and as you was about to leave he leaned in and quietly said "you look real nice doll" with a killer smile that made your insides turn to mush. You feel your cheeks burn but wasn't sure if it was from your drink or Bucky's compliment!!

"Thanks Buck" you reply quickly following the girls out before you make a complete idiot of yourself in front of Bucky.

[ilovehighhats]

Reticulum, ch. 02

On the next morning after the fateful day when they learned of Anna's death, Bane sat Helena down in his living room and started an in-depth questioning.

Each and every person at the Easter table was carefully investigated and scrutinised, all findings noted in meticulous detail, and pinned to the wall outside Bane's bedroom. Out of sight of prying eyes, but readily available for him or Helena, if she chose to add any information she previously omitted.

As it turned out Bane, as it was, knew an insane amount of details about Helena's life, and by extension her friends. But there were blanks, all the more noticeable for his experienced and brilliant mind.

“So, Lucy and Tom, you’ve never met them before.”

“That's right. And I didn't really talk much with any of them during the brunch. Tom mentioned he's working on a novel about living out in the woods. A ‘Walden’ of sorts, I think? Lucy was too far away, and since they came late and then the whole ordeal with Anna began I didn't have an opportunity to engage any of them properly.”

“He's been truthful about his occupation, but she has some interesting things in her resume,” Bane commented, but ignored Helena curious gaze and moved on with his questions. “Next, our thespian,” he spat the last word with distaste. “What do we know of Alex? Of course there is a trove of information on his personal life online.” He clicked his teeth and winked to snickering Helena. “But we need something less common and more substantial.”

“He's gay,” Helena supplied. “All those rumours of dates with models and fellow actresses is just publicity. He wants to build his fanbase as wide as he can.”

“Indeed?” this time Bane's tone in voice was unusually gleeful.

A small smile graced Helena’s lips.

“Were you jealous of him?”

“That scrawny little pest? Of course not,” he replied with a derisive snort.

“Of course not,” the scribe mocked. “Who's next?”

“Magnus.”

“Met him for the first time, but Grace and Graham mentioned the boy frequently. He's from a very low-income family, a single parent I think. Grace mentioned something about a very old acquaintance. They finance his studies, which basically means they pay his monthly expenses. I don't know the details.“

“Perhaps they would like to correct an aspect of this society that isn't to their liking.“

“What do you mean?”

“You may remember I noticed that the brunch was like a scene from a novel. Let's talk about our gracious hosts. Both are over their sixties. There is a longing there, a nostalgia for what had been. They're playing bridge. No one plays bridge anymore.”

“They're charming people,” Helena argued. She knew them for years now, and always could rely on Grace’s motherly advice or Graham’s generous hand with alcohol.

“Did you know that Graham was a high ranking officer in CIA?”

“I thought he was some kind of retired chemistry professor.”

“He is. A person can be more than one thing.”

“None of them ever mentioned anything of the sort. Do you think Grace knows?”

“She disabled perimeter detectors that day when she came to invite us to brunch.”

The information visibly shook the scribe.

“You have that kind of security?“ she gasped.

“We have,” Bane corrected pointedly. “And I've replaced them and changed the pattern to something she wouldn't know. added some new toys as well,” he murmured the last part tapping a finger to his lips pensively.

“Oh, my.”

“You thought Grace was just a homemaker.”

“When they lived here we visited each other very frequently. She had never been anything other than friendly, pleasant and appropriate. She does charity work, and has some innocent pastimes.”

“Did you ever take her to the shooting range?”

“No. I go alone. For a while, I used to go with a friend, but it was only because I met him there already.”

That piece information caught Bane’s attention enough to make him swirl around to face Helena again.

“Who?”

“Weren't we supposed to talk about people at the brunch?”

His eyes narrowed, but he reluctantly let go.

“We'll get to that later, then. So, Grace and Graham are a veritable mystery to you. Our friendly policeman and his family, do they have any secrets or peculiarities?“

“Tirill works with Anna at the school. And they both have tried to convince me to start calligraphy workshops for kids. Jack is mostly out in Oslo, studying. When she comes on weekends, we sometimes see each other at Hanson’s, but that's that. “

“You didn't mention anything about Knut.“

“Nothing to say. How did you know him?”

“We met when I first came here to buy the land, and then when I was building cottages.”

“Did he see you without the mask back then?”

“Yes.”

“That's wonderful.“

“I'm glad you're happy about it. “

“No, I'm serious. Look, that story about you studying in Hong Kong and then working as an antique dealer, and now making the people here know and remember you before Gotham! It's the best cover!”

“Most of that was true.” The sofa dipped when he sat down with a small grunt. “The point of our little exercise here is to sow the oats of the official facade, and get to the truth underneath.”

The remainder was sobering. It was just as Bane said. The truth could be hidden beneath what was apparent and ostensibly obvious. Even though he was an astrophysicist and a historian he also was a terrorist and a killer.

“Who do we have left?” she asked with a tired sigh.

“Sven and Anna.”

The spite in Bane’s words reminded Helena of his terse exchange with the medic at the brunch.

“What do you have against my good doctor?”

“Nothing. What gave you the idea I have anything against the man?”

“Dorrance, you said to him. Not Tony, like you introduced yourself to others. Why single him out?”

“Alex and Magnus also didn't get to call me by my first name.”

“Oh, but Lucy did feel right at home calling you Tony,“ she pointed out.

“I didn't notice.”

“Right.”

Bane hid a satisfied curl of his lips.

“Is there anything at all you think is relevant regarding Anna or her father?”

“You know, I always thought she was a tad closer to Graham than Grace. It was subtle but seemed like whenever I visited she was keeping close to him. Nothing overt. Maybe it was because Grace is such good friends with Sven. Come to think of it, I would not be too fond of listening to my parents' chit-chat, so that's probably it.”

“Probably.”

“Why are you asking me all those questions?”

“I told you. One of the guests at the brunch may have been a killer. I won’t stand to have someone like that near you.”

“Is that all? You’re wasting your time and considerable mind power to maybe find a perpetrator of a possible crime. Because as far as I know, it was an accident, wasn’t it? Listen, time is the most precious of resources. We all have a finite amount of it. Even the most brilliant of geniuses,” she sent him a pointed look, “has the same twenty-four hours in a day, as we all do. You could leave the police work to the police, and focus on your dark matter or whatnot.”

“Dark waves,” he corrected gruffly. “Let’s consider this my hobby.”

“An escape from the tedious day job?” She laughed.

“Something like that.” Bane gathered her close, and kissed her temple, then hid his nose behind her ear and inhaled the fragrance of her hair deeply. “It will help me stay calm.”

Helena couldn’t argue with that.

oOo

On Wednesday Helena went out with Bane as he was leaving for his pilates class. She had a date with Grace right after and needed to do some shopping in the free hour she’d get before the class ended. Then it was an afternoon of helping with the funeral affairs, the notices, the flower arrangements, the musicians. All that tedious and costly work that needed to be done, but no one ever wanted to actually take care of.

And then there was the prospect of a visit to the chapel, to seal the casket after a short ceremony for the closest family.

In the church there was only Sven, sobbing quietly on Grace’s shoulder. Helena was standing awkwardly beside them feeling like a third wheel. The doctor left some trinkets on Anna’s chest, and both women put in a simple rose each, and then it was done. The scribe didn’t even listen to the priest, the prayers foreign to her not only because of the language but also because she felt them unnecessary.

She remembered when she thought that Bane and Dorrance were both dead, back when she didn’t know she was actually mourning one person. The trips to the sea were her prayers, steely sky and stormy sea her church, cold sand under her feet was her pew. The wind howled a requiem every day, and the vastness of the water reflected how empty she felt. Everything was hidden beneath the waves, and the surface looked as if no life was there. Only different brands of emptiness.

Grace’s palm at her shoulder brought Helena out of her musings, and she sent a pale grimace resembling a smile Sven’s way. He nodded and left with the priest, while Grace hooked her arm with Helena's and started the opposite direction, out the main entrance and into her car.

Drive to Helena's cottage was mostly silent.

“She was so young,” Grace said while waiting for the lights to change.

Helena looked over and saw that the older woman’s eyes were glued to a pair of people sitting on a bench. They were kissing. Despite the cold, the girl had a simple dress on, and the boy didn't have a proper coat. But they looked comfortable and happy.

“Reckless,” Grace added.

Helena observed her when the light changed, and the car moved obediently forward under the experienced touch.

“Why do you say that?”

“Say what?”

“That Anna was reckless. She seemed pretty dull to me, actually.”

“She had her little secrets. Still wet behind the ears, but thought she was an old dog.”

The comment was angry. Unusual and uncharacteristic, especially since both women always seemed to get along just fine.

“Don’t we all have our mysteries? The undisclosed desires and actions under wraps?“

“I guess we all do. Sorry, I’m still shaken.”

“I understand, don’t worry.” There was still some five minutes of the drive ahead, and Helena would hate to part on a sour note. “You have a lot on your plate, especially with how much you help out Sven.”

“Thank you, darling,” Grace sighed. “To be honest, I’m worried about the clinic. Sven needs someone to cover for Anna until we find a full-time replacement, and we can’t have the girls at the reception desk doing overtime for a month. But he doesn’t feel like recruiting now, and who can blame him?”

“I could help out,” Helena offered. “Not like I have anything better to do anyway. Small commissions won’t be taking too much of my time, and I can spare few hours every day to help.”

“Would you really?” Grace perked up. “Oh, that would be wonderful!”

“Sure, let’s get over the details after the funeral. I’ll be able to start next Tuesday.”

“We have the schedule fixed until the end of the month, but I'll be sure to ask if any of the girls would like to change her hours. And you could start a regular shift in May, just four or six hours a day, until we find someone.”

“Sure thing.”

Grace stopped by Bane’s cottage at Helena’s request and refused to go in for a cup of tea, excusing herself with her tiredness. Maybe it was for the better, the scribe thought, seeing how absorbed Bane was with his notes. She let herself in through the main entrance, the one either of them rarely used, which left her approaching Bane from the corridor. He was sitting with his back to her, fireplace blazing, a cup of tea on the table in front of him, along with some loose sheets of paper. He was scribbling something but stopped as soon as he felt Helena's palm slide over his shoulders.

“Have you eaten?” he asked.

“Not yet. Did you wait with dinner?”

“I did.”

“That’s nice,” she said.

Bane dropped his papers to the side when she circled the sofa and climbed on his lap. His lips stretched in an amused warm smile when Helena nuzzled the side of his neck, the sensation pleasantly tingling.

“Your nose is cold.”

“I’m warm someplace else, wanna check?”

“Perhaps later.”

“What are you working on?”

“My hobby.”

She chuckled into his arm and straightened with a resigned sigh.

“You’re incorrigible. Obsessed with a problem until it’s picked apart and explained in its entirety.”

“That’s… An accurate characteristic,” he admitted begrudgingly.

“Grace is very similar to you in that regard. She is so absorbed into the funeral arrangements she even started organising Sven’s clinic.”

“Did she?”

“Mhm. What's for dinner?” She slid away and went towards the kitchen, stretching arms over her back with a slight gasp.

“I’ve made curry. Rice is warm in the cooker.”

Bane sat at the counter, watching Helena wash her hands, then ladle out the meal.

“So what's with the clinic, why does it need organising?”

“Anna used to help out at the reception desk, so now the rest of the girls have to juggle overtime to cover for her absence. I offered to help.”

“Indeed?”

Helena set the bowls on the table and slid out the cutlery drawer without looking.

“Grace was so tired with all the stuff she does, and then she started telling me how they have to find someone to take Anna's place. And of course, Sven is in no state to hire anyone at this point. So she said they had to find a way to fill the gap, but it is straining everyone, and she worried so much about it.”

“Did she say ‘we’ while talking about the clinic?” Bane asked before tucking into his meal.

“Several times.” The spoon stilled midway to Helena's mouth, and she set in back in the bowl after a second. “Why?”

“She’s not working there. Nor is she an owner.”

“So what gives her the impulse, or the right to treat clinic affairs as her own?”

“As her’s and Sven’s.”

“They are pretty close.”

“Too close?”

“Hard to say.”

“Worth a check,” Bane said in the end.

“But not tonight,” Helena cautioned. “I require your assistance.”

Bane compiled, and let Helena snuggle with him on the couch watching a movie on Netflix.

But he was scribbling in his notes again when she left, barely raising his head when she said goodnight and lowered over him for a parting kiss.

oOo

The door opened almost noiselessly, the only sound disturbing the tranquillity of the living room was the seal hissing slightly when the door detached from the frame and a single squeal of the hinges. Helena expected to see Bane in the kitchen or reading on the sofa, but the whole room was dark.

“Hey, what’s for dinner?” she yelled towards the corridor. “You missed the lunch hours, so it’s dinner time already!”

Perhaps he was asleep? Lately, he did have a habit of grabbing a few hours of sleep during the day. Helena knew it was because he could barely catch any rest at night, so she didn’t comment on that. Good thing he could get some respite at all.

She walked cautiously down the corridor, making sure she was as noisy as possible.

“Are you in your bedroom?” she asked, the smile on her face transported in her voice. “If you are there won't be any more sleeping, you know that?”

She stopped just outside his door. Open. The bed was made and seemingly untouched, and the room looked neat and ordinary as ever.

Helena frowned, looking around to see if anything at all was out of place. But no, save for the bizarre display just beyond the entrance it all seemed perfectly normal.

With a sigh she neared the wall in the corridor, transferred by Bane into a repositorium of his knowledge over people present at the brunch. The information she offered was put down on the paper, the notes much more extensive than she first realised. He had researched those people in depth, and she wondered when and why. Certainly, she never told him when Magnus's birthday was, and yet that date was on a sheet of paper dedicated to the man, along with a picture of him, and even more notes. His family history, his education? Ties to Hanson’s and other people at the table?

How did Bane know all that?

She inspected the papers, amazed at the intricate details and the insane attention to any possible links at all. There even was a sketch of the table itself, with the placement of guests and pencilled in numbers. Helena had five and nine, Bane eleven and ten.

She wondered, what did it all mean?

The silence of the cottage felt oppressive all of a sudden. There was no one there. Only the wind blew at the wooden and concrete structure, making the roof moan slightly as it always did. It never bothered Helena before, but today it felt ominous. Foreboding.

Bane was nowhere in sight.

Just to make sure, she inspected every nook and cranny, even those which she rarely visited. The boiler room, bathroom and toilet, laundry room and pantry. Last was Bane's study, converted from the old dining room, which he used mostly as a storage space for books and papers. Helena barely saw him work there, he mostly just sat in the living room. At least he did that whenever she was home with him.

There was no note anywhere, not in the kitchen, nor in her room, so with a shaky sigh she sat down by the dark fireplace and took out her phone.

No messages there either.

Bane was under ‘ICE Dorrance, Tony <3’  and she felt a pang of resentment that even in her own smartphone she couldn't just call him by his real name. But it was out of the question, and she understood of course. Still, it didn’t feel right.

When she dialled up, she heard the worst possible answer.

“The number you have called is currently unavailable. Please try again later.”

At that moment fear gripped her so harshly, Helena felt her chest tighten.

What could have happened to him?

[kfawkes]

It’s You - [Eggsy Unwin x Reader]

[Hi guys! This actually isn’t a prompt… I’m sorry! I just had this idea, and I neeeeeeeded to get it out!!! I just wanna say, this is in no way meant to diss Tilde… I just… Don’t feel their relationship lol, so this is my little fix it for TGC lol. No shit talking on her, or anything like that so don’t worry but it is about her leaving the picture if you get my drift lol ;)

Pairing: Eggsy X Reader

Words: 1.7K

Warnings: Cursing! Always!! :D

— Read on Ao3!]

“What?” You asked quietly nearly at a complete lose of words. 

Now, this may sound dramatic, but it literally felt like your whole world had been turned upside down. Like you had been thrown onstage for a play expected to deliver lines you seriously should know, but didn’t.

There was just no way that Eggsy fucking Unwin was here, saying… this. It just couldn’t be possible. Eggsy was with Tilde– he was going to MARRY Tilde, or at least that was the plan wasn’t it? He did ask her… The wedding was in a few fucking weeks… 

This was literally the princess of Sweden you were talking about, yet here he was in the middle of the night standing on your door step; dripping wet from rain the pounded the city streets outside of your flat. Wearing that bright fucking orange suit jacket you’d helped him pick out several months before… And damnit if he didn’t look just like a dream. 

A very, very confusing dream.

“I love… I love you.” He breathed out again, and still you could hardly believe your ears; even though this was at least the 3rd time you’d made him repeat it. 

Eggsy’s eyes were light yet somehow heavy at the same time; his brows were raised above his glasses and lined in tiny droplets of water. He was holding his umbrella to the side like a crutch, but didn’t use it– and for a moment you wondered why as silly as that sounds. 

But it wasn’t just ‘why’ was he allowing himself to ruin a two thousand dollar suit… It was ‘why’ was he here telling you he loved you. Now of all times. It wasn’t that you didn’t want him to.

There weren’t many things you wanted in life, but he was absolutely top of the list. You’d been in love with Eggsy since you met him a little over 3 years ago…

Only you were his best friend… his partner, and the one he went to when shit went down or when he needed someone. You were– not the girl he was supposed to love. 

Eggsy deserved everything, so much better than you. He deserved a fucking princess. Someone royal, elegant… Not some trained killer that just so happened to be really good at computers and enjoyed the same shit movies he did.

“I heard… you. B-but, I don’t understand, Eggsy… you’re with Tilde– you’re marrying Tilde… you can’t ju–” You started, the words falling quickly out of your mouth before you knew exactly what you were even saying; but he interrupted you before you got too far.

“I ain’t marryin’ her…” 

When Eggsy replied you almost couldn’t hear the quit patter of rain anymore. Everything around you seemed so still and silent… Did you actually hear that correctly– had he actually broken it off with her?

“W-what do you mean– you’re… not?” Your voice was rushed and urgent; and you weren’t even trying to hide the surprise or excitement from your tone. 

In those moments of silence you felt your heart thumping dully in your cage of a chest like a drumming. It was pounding so hard it engulfed the droplets and the late cars that passed the flooded streets… It was so thunderous you could feel it booming inside your skull almost relentlessly.

Eggsy stepped closer to you shaking his head briefly, with jaw clenched together tightly behind slightly parted lips; and you could tell he had no idea where to start… But neither did you.

“I couldn’t do it no more…” He looked into your eyes intently sending a wave of nerves and chills like a blanket over your chilled skin. 

After pausing for a moment, he took another step towards you with brows raised passively; with just a hint of sadness cascading his otherwise serene face.

“Havin’ Harry back made me realize somethin’… Somethin’ I think I always knew,” He pulled in a deep breath, dropping the umbrella he held to the side like it was nothing. “that… was hard t’admit.”

Eggsy was only about a foot from you now, and you hadn’t said a thing since he started again. 

What could you say? I love you too? I’m glad you two broke up..? Because that’s exactly what you felt like saying and fuck did you love him too… 

You loved that fucking cheeky smile, and that scar on his eyebrow. You loved his perfect wink and the shape of his jaw. The way he laughed and the color of his eyes… You loved him so fiercely that you sometimes didn’t know what to do with yourself. 

But you’d never have imagined that he’d love you too… Not in a million fucking years. Only, he did. For some fucking reason, he did.

So what else could you do but nod and try to find the words… After a moment you started not nearly as strongly as you intended might you add; crossing your arms, hugging away the chill of night. “And what’s that?” 

“That Tilde– she’s a good person, yeah? … but she ain’t the one I wanna spent my life with. She ain’t ever gonna be that person.” Eggsy spoke honestly, and you knew now that there was no going back from here. You’d crossed a line, and it wasn’t the kind that you could go back over.

“You can’t just… you’re about to get married, Eggsy.  You… you asked her to marry you. There– there are plans, set. Sh-she’s a fucking princess, for fucks sake…”

“She ain’t you.” Eggsy answered quickly, unable to move his eyes from yours. 

And boy did he mean that.. There was nothing he regretted more than letting a false sense of safety entrap him when he was vulnerable. He didn’t like thinking about Tilde or their relationship that way; he cared about her, he really did. Eggsy loved her even… but he wasn’t in love with her, and he knew he never would be. And once he realized that, he also knew he couldn’t go through with it. 

He inched closer to you, and now you could smell the piney scent of his skin… That scent alone was enough to send you flying, and now with the look he gave you– well, lets just say you were in seriously fucking deep here. 

“I never shoulda let it go on like it did– was wrong a’me. Was jus doin’ what I thought was right, as shit as that sounds…” Eggsy slid a hand to your chin, pulling your eyes back to his lightly. 

As he touched you, a chill spread over you and you pulled your eyes tightly shut, enjoying the embrace more than you should. 

Was this what guilt felt like? 

But why should you feel guilty at all… nothing happened. Nothing was happening. Not really. And even if it did– he broke it off with her. They weren’t together. 

You didn’t want to admit it, but you’d been hoping he’d leave her for the last 3 years. It wasn’t something you were proud of, and that guilt alone was enough to make an awkward tension between Tilde and yourself… Now when you thought about it, you wondered if she might have known all along.

“I won’t marry someone I don’t love…” He spoke softly, and finally you met his eyes again. “It ain’t fair to her.”

“I know… You shouldn’t have to.” And you really did mean that. 

You meant what you’d said because even if Eggsy hadn’t just confessed his love for you, you wouldn’t want him stuck in a shit marriage. And he was right, Tilde didn’t deserve to be in one either. 

“You wanna know what Harry said t’me when he came back?” Eggsy asked pulling his lower lip between his teeth nervously; his gaze scrolling your face like a book. “What it was that made me realize…”

For a moment you weren’t sure where this was going, but you nodded lightly ready to listen; enjoying the softness of his thumb tracing your jaw tenderly. 

“He told me that if I ain’t careful– I’d be stuck… stuck doin’ somethin’ I didn’t want. Livin’ a life I hated an wishin’ I’d done it different.” He pulled his other hand to your neck, his fingers barely touching your skin sending feather soft tingling through your limbs. “Didn’t understand at first, course I didn’t…” 

Eggsy paused letting out a deep breath, nodding silently as if he was mustering more courage from deep within. ���An for months I couldn’t stop thinkin’ bout it… Then, I jus– knew.”

Now it was hard to keep yourself from crying, but you did– somehow. You pulled your lips together, locking your brows in a soft crinkle as you wait for him to finish.

“I knew… that if I went through with it– with marryin’ her. I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”

At this point you couldn’t stop the salted tears from releasing their gentle decent across your cheeks. What was the point? What was the point in denying that this wasn’t the best news you’d had in months…

“That I’d regret not tellin’ you how I felt… without at lea-” 

You weren’t exactly sure what came over you, but you nearly jumped into his arms; wrapping yours around his neck– pulling him into a long awaited kiss. And you could swear to whatever God was out there, that you’d made it to heaven in that moment; because damn did he feel perfect. 

Eggsy was surprised at first, but he slid his hands around your waist like he’d been doing it for years. Pulling you closer to him, kissing you more fervidly than you’d been kissed before… And you knew that this was what it always should have felt like.

There had been many fantasies involving a kiss like this, but you’d never had imagined it would have been so damn cliche. Kissing in the rain in the middle of the night? It was a bit much, even for you. But you really didn’t give a shit how cheesy it was, because you had wanted this for so long and now it was yours. 

Time nearly stopped, and there was no sound around you… there was just this. 

Just him, and you knew it may be dramatic but once your lips met–  your world spun back to place more complete than before. You may not know what would happen next or if this would last… but you absolutely were ready to find out. 

“I lo.. I love you too, Eggsy.”

[trash-the-tozier]

The Disappearance of Georgie Denbrough (4/10)

Title: The Disappearance of Georgie Denbrough

Length ~60.8k (~6.9k for this part)

Summary: The summer between junior and senior year of high school, Bill’s little brother Georgie goes missing.

Warnings: It’s relatively canon-typical in terms of content. For this part there’s explicit language, vague mentions of child neglect, vague description of sexual abuse, description of a corpse, lots of gay

Pairings: eventual Richie/Eddie and Ben/Beverly

A/N: just a head’s up: beverly’s dad is in this part! and he’s a huge bag of dicks. hopefully the reddie will make up for it though. also posted to my ao3 here (much more readable tbh) Previous Parts: 1 | 2 | 3

“I got you ice cream.”

Bill watched as Eddie held out a cone with a huge vanilla scoop on it in Richie's direction. He had two, one of them obviously his and already licked on. His voice completely lacked enthusiasm, Stan snorting in amusement, but Bill noticed that Beverly was grinning. Richie gripped at his chest as though he'd just been shot.

“Eds! You shouldn't have!”

Then he leaned forwards, leaned completely past the ice cream Eddie was extending to him, and licked at the one Eddie was holding close to his body. Eddie shrieked and recoiled, and Richie laughed at him.

“That one's mine! I was already eating it!”

“Oh!” Richie's eyes widened with a mock innocence. “My mistake!” He reached for the one Eddie was trying to give him, who snatched it back.

“Nope. Mine now. You get the one with your germs all over it.”

Richie accepted without complaint, licking the ice cream again.

“Hm. Vanilla with a side of Eddie.”

Eddie scrunched up his nose. “You're disgusting.”

Richie just winked.

“Hey guys!” Ben walked up happily, waving. He looked much better today, Bill noted, than he had the days previous, waving back. Beverly greeted him when he arrived, and now they were just waiting for Mike. Bill was feeling near exhausted with anxiety. Everything that Mike had shared with them yesterday had been both good and bad, both fitting and terrifying, and part of him wished he’d never heard it. But he had something to go on now. Georgie hadn’t fallen into the sewer; he’d been taken there. But Betty Ripsom had been taken only a week before Georgie had, and if she was already dead, if the clown really had been holding her body… They needed to find him as fast as they could.

As if in compliance with his thoughts, Mike came into view, riding fast on his bicycle.

“Sorry.” He gasped. “I’m late.”

He wasn’t--they’d never set up a time to meet--but Bill wasn’t about to tell him to slow down, Mike talking in a rush about how he’d had to take a detour because he thought he’d seen Bowers’s car.

“It’s probably free now, though.” He said. “We can cut across the creek to get there.”

Nodding, they set off walking. Beverly walked next to him, Ben on her other side while Stan trailed behind, striking up a small conversation with Mike. Eddie and Richie flitted around the group, bickering lightly like they always did as they finished their ice creams. Bill supposed their banter would be amusing if he was paying it attention, but it was near impossible to distract his mind from the task ahead. Part of him wished he could, but any time that he spent not looking for Georgie always haunted him, coming back to him as time wasted, time he was letting his brother suffer.

Richie ran ahead as the creek came into view. He let out a shout as soon as he reached the edge of the water, throwing out his arms and skidding to a stop so suddenly that Eddie ran into him and nearly fell down.

“What?” Stan asked. They all hurried over, Beverly cursing under her breath.

“Is… Is that…?”

Laying face up in the creek, eyes wide, bobbing lightly as the current rushed around it was the head, torso, and left arm of a girl. She was pale, bloated, and blue from the water, her dark brown hair a mess around her face. Despite all this, Bill recognized her instantly. He’d seen her enough times, looking into her eyes for a moment before stapling Georgie’s missing poster overtop of her own.

“B-B-Betty Ripsom.”

“Fuck.” Eddie twisted one of his hands into the back of Richie’s shirt, the other grappling with the zipper of his fanny pack as his breathing became increasingly quick and labored. “Shit.”

Stan stumbled over, but as soon as he looked down into the water he turned his back, his body heaving, and soon he was vomiting in a patch of grass a few paces away.

“We…” Ben looked incredibly pale, his eyes on everything except the body in the water. “The police. Someone. We need to tell someone.”

“I’ll go.” Mike said instantly, jumping on his bike. He was out of sight soon enough, struggling to race through the overgrown grass. Richie had gone over to comfort Stan, rubbing his back as he dry-heaved, Eddie still clutching onto him, inhaler in hand, struggling his breathing under control. Bill continued to look down, the corpse’s wide, dead, cold eyes boring into him.

“Stop!” Beverly took his chin in her hand, wrenching his eyes away. “Stop staring at her, I can’t stand it.”

Her eyes were bright, alive, and warm, though she looked close to tears.

“S-sorry.” He mumbled.

“You just… You looked so terrible. I’m sorry.” Beverly let him go. “I--”

“Georgie was j-just a w-w-week later.” Bill said. “A w-week after s-s-she went missing. A-and… If she’s already d-d-d-d-d…”

He couldn’t get the word out, Beverly meeting his eyes again.

“We’ll find him, okay?” She said fiercely. “We’re going to find him.”

The conviction in her voice made something inside of him crack, and she must have felt it because she pulled him in tightly for a hug. Her arms were around him so strongly that it hurt, but Bill knew that if she let up on her grip, even a little bit, he would fall apart.

The questioning from the police took hours. Most of it was waiting around, instructed not to go anywhere as each of the seven of them had individual statements about their discovery taken one at a time. Eddie couldn’t help but feel that they were suspects now, especially with the way one of the policemen kept glancing sideways at where they were sitting--Mike moreso than the rest of them--as he walked by. Ben patted his arm and told him he was just being paranoid, but the feeling gnawed at him anyway.

By the time they’d all spoken, Betty’s body had been recovered from the water and transported to the station. It was on a gurney and covered in a blue tarp, and in a weird way not being able to see it made it all the worse, watching in silence as it was rolled past. The police offered to call their parents, and Bill was the only one that accepted, thinking that they would want to know. The parents of Betty Ripsom were alerted too, showing up not much later, and they watched as Betty’s mother fell apart, sinking to the floor, her husband kneeling next to her in tears. It came as a relief when Eddie looked at the clock and realized it was half past four. His mother insisted that he be home by five o’clock for the rest of the week, and if he wanted to make it in time, he would have to leave soon.

None of them were upset by his announcement, abandoning the plan to go to Mike’s and pushing it to tomorrow instead. For this, Eddie was glad; none of them--but definitely not Bill, judging by the expression on his face--needed talk of a killer clown after what they had been through that day.

Mrs. Denbrough offered everyone rides home but only Ben and Beverly accepted, Eddie heading out the police station doors with Richie next to him. Eddie hadn’t asked if they could walk together and Richie hadn’t offered, but Richie went all the way up to his front door, comfortable silence keeping distance between them.

“Hey, Eddie?” Richie stopped him before he went inside, placing a hand on his arm. Eddie swallowed.

“Yeah?”

“D’you think you could… Could you leave your bedroom window unlocked tonight?” Richie’s head was angled down, his bangs falling in front of his face, his grip on Eddie’s arm a little tighter than it needed to be, and Eddie’s heart ached.

“Yeah, sure. Course I will.”

Richie gave him a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, his hand trailing down Eddie’s arm and falling to his side.

“Thanks.”

Eddie frowned. He reached up, needlessly readjusting Richie’s glasses.

“You don’t need to thank me. I told you that you can come over whenever you need me, regardless of what my mom says. I meant it, Richie.”

Richie laughed a little.

“Nah. If you really meant it I’d be moving in with you, Eds.”

At a loss for anything else to do or say, Eddie hit Richie lightly in the arm.

“...don’t call me Eds.”

“You love it.”

“Shut up.”

Then Richie began his own walk home, Eddie watching him turn down the street before finally going into his own house. He was in love with Richie Tozier, and it was much more than a little bit.

Richie didn’t usually ask first, when he spent the night at Eddie’s. Usually he just knocked on the window, gripping onto the trellis for dear life until Eddie relented and let him in. Richie didn’t ever say why he was there, but over the years Eddie had been able to guess. Hunger, or nightmares, or a fight with his father on one of the rare nights of the month that the man was home. But this time felt different, and it made Eddie nervous, and before he knew it he’d cleaned the entirety of his already-orderly room. Richie would make fun of him for that.

It was late when Richie finally showed up, opening the window without Eddie’s help, rolling onto his bed and knocking three books off his desk with his foot and laughing at the loud noise they made against the floor. Eddie shushed him violently and whacked him with a pillow, but he was giggling too.

“Hey, Spaghetti Man.”

Eddie took him in for a minute, then his mouth fell open.

“You didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?” Richie was trying to give him an innocent expression but was failing marvelously, the ghost of a smile playing around his lips.

“You did not walk all the way to my house in your underwear!”

“That’s what it looks like to me!” Richie, who was lying on his bed in nothing but his boxer shorts and a huge bag of a t-shirt, lifted his legs up into the air, white and lanky and completely bare. Eddie slapped them back down. “What? It’s hot out there! Besides, I’ve gotta be ready at the drop of a hat for my lover Sonia Kaspbr--”

“Put on pants or you can’t stay.” Eddie interrupted flatly, and after laughing some more, Richie did as he was told. He put on a pair of Eddie’s shorts, and once he had them on Eddie didn’t really know why he’d been so insistent; Richie’s legs were so long that the pants didn’t cover much more than the underwear had, but at least it helped Eddie feel a little less flustered. Richie made a big show of taking off his glasses and getting comfy under Eddie’s covers before turning on his side, facing the window, and Eddie slid in beside him. Their sleepovers weren’t about hanging out, playing games or talking for hours. They were about not being alone.

Still though, Eddie had expected a little more than this. Finally, he decided to ask about it.

“Hey, Richie?”

“Yeah?” Richie turned, seemingly surprised to see Eddie already facing him.

“Could I ask you something?”

“What, how I came to be so devilishly handsome? Well, it was a fateful day in 1976, and--”

“No, no. Shut up.”

Richie seemed to realize that he was trying to be serious, falling silent immediately.

“I just wanted to know…” Eddie didn’t really know how to phrase his question. He went as simple as possible. “Are you okay?”

Richie didn’t know how to answer that. He didn’t really want to, either; the idea behind coming over to Eddie’s for the night was to run away from all of the thoughts that had been consuming his mind during silences, not confronting and actually talking about them. Richie didn’t talk things through. He was on a mission to repress until he died.

“What do you mean?” He wanted to know how little he could get away with as an answer. Eddie thought for a moment, biting down lightly on his bottom lip.

“Just… You’ve been acting different. Ever since Georgie disappeared, something has been off, and today...”

Richie didn’t know why he thought he’d be able to hide anything from someone as empathetic as Eddie Kaspbrak. Bill was relatively dense when it came to other people’s feelings, and Stan only offered help if he thought a person really needed it. But that wasn’t Eddie.

“It’s just…” Richie let out a breath. He had to actually do this. “When I was little, like six or something, my parents bought me a cat.”

It was obvious by Eddie’s expression that this wasn’t what he’d expected to hear, and Richie almost wanted to laugh. He’d never told anyone about this before.

“I’d thrown a tantrum, because neither of them had been home on my birthday. They’d both forgotten, and I knew they had, and they tried to lie that they hadn’t, but I wasn’t hearing it. So they went and bought me a cat. An attempt to fix it, I guess. I don’t know. They didn’t buy anything the cat needed though, so I couldn’t take care of him. After two weeks, he ran away.”

Eddie frowned, moving as though to touch him before seemingly thinking better of it.

“But… He’s never really felt gone.” Richie said, hoping that would cheer Eddie up a little. “It wasn’t like I saw him die. He just… Went somewhere else. It’s a weird feeling, but I was reminded of it when people started disappearing around here. It’s how I think my parents would feel, if I actually decided to run away. Just… Somewhere else. They just went somewhere else.”

“But now Betty Ripsom is dead.” Eddie said quietly, and Richie nodded.

“Betty Ripsom is dead, and I’m just… I’m scared.” He confessed. “I’m scared for Bill. I’m scared that I’ll disappear, that those missing posters will have my face on them. Betty Ripsom is dead, and Georgie could be dead, and I would be dead, and…” Richie had to stop. His throat hurt, and his eyes were burning. A panic was stirring in his chest, a feeling he’d been fighting to keep in since Stan had shown up outside his door in the rain.

“Richie.” Eddie reached out, touching the side of his face lightly. “You’re right here, and you’re not going anywhere. You won’t disappear, okay? I won’t let you.”

Eddie was looking into his eyes, his fingertips soft against Richie’s cheek, his expression steadfast and completely serious and in that moment Richie had the incredibly strong, inexplicable urge to lean forward and kiss him. He wanted to kiss the breath out of Eddie’s lungs, kiss him until the rest of the world fell away, and it startled him so much that at first, he didn’t notice Eddie moving closer to him.

He started backwards on instinct but Eddie didn’t let him get very far, reaching out with his arms and wrapping around him, pressing his face in the crook of Richie’s neck.

“Ed--”

“Shut up and let me hug you.”

Richie did.

To everyone’s relief, the next day, they properly made it to Mike’s house. It was a large, incredibly old farmhouse, but they didn’t stay inside of it long. After getting everyone something to drink after the long walk over, Mike led them back outside and into the barn. The sheep stared at them as they entered. Stan wasn't afraid of animals per se, but he liked smaller ones better--birds and bunnies, for instance--and felt a little uneasy around any creatures that were larger than a good sized dog. Mike seemed to notice, putting a hand on his back.

“It’s okay, they only bite if you give them a reason to.” He said, which wasn't exactly reassuring.

“Just like me.” Richie tacked on, snapping his teeth in Stan’s direction and winking. By that time, they'd gathered everyone else's attention.

“Is S-Stan afraid of t-t-the sheep?” Bill asked. He looked painfully sleep deprived again, but Stan was glad to hear amusement in his voice.

“No.” Stan snapped, maybe a little too waspishly, because everyone laughed. Mike directed them up a ladder into a loft, Stan climbing up first, eyebrows going up his forehead in surprise. Journals, old books, and loose papers were strewn around in the hay, more of it there than Stan had expected to see. It looked as though it had started to be organized, but given up on halfway through and turned into a bit of a mess instead. He stepped carefully, making his way to an open patch of straw and taking a seat.

Richie climbed up behind him, and as soon as he’d found a seat he took off his Hawaiian shirt, exposing his collarbones and bony shoulders, now just in a tank-top and shorts.

“It's not that hot up here.” Stan remarked, but before he could ask what Richie was doing, Eddie’s head popped up above the landing.

“My allergies--” He began, but Richie laid his shirt out and patted it.

“Already got you covered, Eds.”

Eddie gave him a surprisingly sheepish thank you, and soon they were all seated in a misshapen oval around Mike's stuff.

“It’s… It’s kind of a lot.” Mike said, rubbing the back of his neck a little as he noticed the surprised looks on everyone’s faces. “I haven’t really even looked through all of it, so I don’t know if some of it is useless or not, but I didn’t want to accidentally miss anything important.”

“W-w-we need to find him.” Bill said, swallowing hard. His face was set. “R-Robert Gray.”

“I had the idea last night of putting together a timeline.” Mike said. “It… It would be hard, and I don’t know how long it would take, but…”

“It’s a good idea.” Beverly encouraged with a nod. “Especially if we could map out everywhere he appeared, too. It would give us an idea of where he could be, or if he moves around.”

They spoke like they knew what they were talking about, and Stan couldn’t help but wonder if he was the only helpless one here. Then Eddie caught his eye, his own eyes a little wider than usual, and Stan felt a bit better.

“I… I-I don’t know.” Bill was frowning. “Wouldn’t that t-take too long?”

“Not if we’re all doing it together.” Ben said. He sounded upbeat, a little too much so when considering the task at hand. “I mean, we’re all good at school. Everyone here can read decently quickly, right?”

“I guess.” Richie pulled a book into his lap, looking less than enthusiastic. “I just didn’t mentally prepare to spend my summer pouring over murder files from the little library on the prairie.”

“Before I met you guys, I spent most of my summers in the library.” Ben said, Richie’s eyes going wide with horror.

“Oh no. Nerd alert.”

“Oh, like you’re any cooler.” Beverly cut in. “You’re one of those losers that would stay in the arcade for hours. Let me guess… Street Fighter?”

“Street Fighter!” Richie cried out mournfully, falling back onto a pile of hay behind him. Eddie frowned and began brushing him off as soon as he was upright again. “You any good at the game?”

“Could probably kick your ass.” She answered offhandedly, and Richie's jaw dropped.

“You know Molly Ringwald, if you weren't such a bitch I could marry you.”

Beverly flipped Richie off, but she was laughing.

“So, timeline?” Ben asked, a little louder than he needed to. He was staring at Richie, who didn't notice. When no one objected, he continued. “We’ll write down all of the sightings of him and everything, and if there was some kind of crime that went with it we should write that down too. Mike, do you have a map?”

Mike miraculously supplied one, and they got started. They were silent for the most part, reading quietly, Richie even keeping the fidgeting to a minimum. They would call out anything they came across that seemed important, and someone would write it down. Beverly was marking and labeling the map, Mike was taking down dates, and Stan himself was on death duty.

“Tally marks?” Eddie asked, looking at his paper. “Really?”

“What?” Stan asked back. “I thought I was supposed to be counting.”

“I guess, but--”

“Pennywise.”

Richie’s interruption had everyone falling silent.

“What?” Beverly asked him. Everyone looked up.

“Oh, it’s just…” He picked up and showed the page he was looking at, a piece from the newspaper a few days after the Kitchener Ironworks explosion. There was a happy picture on the top of the crowd before the accident, and the clown was standing in front of a wooden cart with words and a portrait painted on it. Richie pointed as he read.

“Pennywise the Dancing Clown.”

Stan felt unsettled, the hair on the back of his neck prickling. He looked away, only to be faced with Pennywise looking at him from the pages he was holding, and he put them down.

Eventually, the timeline was complete. Stan felt a little less safe in the town he had to sleep in with his paper showing twenty-three dead bodies, and the map looked discouragingly like a scatterplot, but it was done. They sat for a moment, looking over their new evidence.

“Twenty-four.” Ben said, pointing to Stan’s paper. “Betty Ripsom.”

“Oh. Right.”

Richie was making an incessant popping noise with his lips, looking over the map. Stan hit him in the arm.

“Shut up.”

“No, you shut up. I’m thinking.”

“Rare.”

“No, actually shut--oh!”

He pointed to a place on the map. Nothing was marked there, but Stan knew what it was: the road perpendicular to Bill’s where they’d found Georgie’s rainboot.

“...what?” Mike asked after a moment.

“S-sewers.” Bill said softly.

“Sewers.” Richie repeated with a nod. “Look, he has little groups of activity, and they’re all relatively close to a gutter, see?”

“But they’re still all over town.” Beverly said. “He has to have a home base somewhere.”

Nobody had anything good to say after that. Everyone was quiet for a few seconds, then a loud electronic beep was heard.

“Oh.” Eddie quickly pushed a button to silence his watch. Stan knew what that meant; it was time for Eddie's afternoon medication. He went to unzip his fanny pack before rethinking it, tapping Mike on the shoulder instead. “Could I have some water?”

“Of course.” Mike got up quickly, looking around at everyone. “Uh… Should we take a break? Who’s hungry?”

Everyone’s hand went up, and they began descending the ladder. Something fell from Beverly’s back pocket as she got up, she and Stan the last in the loft, and he picked it up to hand it back to her.

“Bev--” He began, looking over it as he spoke. It was a postcard, a confession of love written out strangely poetically on the back. It was from a secret admirer, addressed to Beverly, who blushed pink and snatched it from his hands.

“You dropped it.” Stan said quickly, holding his hands up to his chest, because Beverly looked like she just might start swinging. “I didn’t mean to read it, I’m sorry.”

Beverly deflated a little, seemingly relieved that Stan wasn’t going to tease her.

“I don’t know who sent it.” She confessed. “It showed up in my bag a couple of days ago.” She paused, looking at Stan in what he realized was a prompting manner.

“I don’t know either.” He told her quickly. “It wasn’t me.”

Beverly looked him over. “I didn’t think it was.”

“Oh.” Stan watched as Beverly refolded the postcard with care, replacing it in her pocket. “It might be a good idea to put it somewhere else, though. Or, not carry it around.”

“Why?”

“Well, you might lose it.” Stan pointed out. “And… You’re just lucky I’m not Richie.”

Beverly was silent, and Stan could tell by the vague horror on her face that she was imagining the teasing that would have gone with the trashmouth finding the postcard instead. She placed her hand absentmindedly over her back pocket.

“Let’s just agree not to talk about this, yeah?” Beverly asked, Stan laughing a little.

“Yeah.”

“Are you guys done making out up there?” Richie asked loudly, Stan feeling his face heat up slightly as Beverly stuck her middle finger up over the edge of the loft. Then she climbed down, Stan following after her, avoiding the side eye both Ben and Bill were giving him. They all reentered Mike’s house together. Mike got Eddie his water first, then set out to put together some lunch. Stan wanted to help him but didn’t quite know what to do, feeling quite useless, knowing by looking at his friends’ faces as they also sat around that they felt the same way too.

Before long, everyone had a warm bowl of soup in front of them.

“I, uh… I made it yesterday.” Mike said, slightly sheepish. “Sorry to give you all leftovers, but I figured it would be better than making you wait.”

“It looks great.” Beverly said reassuringly, and it was. Things like soups and stews were low on Stan’s list of favorite foods, but he--along with Beverly, Richie, and Ben--asked for seconds. Ben stared into his bowl for a couple of moments, but when Mike asked nervously if something was wrong, he just shook his head, rubbing at his eyes.

“I just haven’t had food like this in awhile.” He said. “It’s nothing.”

“Mike, and his tear-wrenching soup!” Richie exclaimed, raising his spoon valiantly. Mike laughed, looking embarrassed, nudging Richie with his elbow to get him to stop.

Mike was fitting in with their group, fitting in so well that Stan barely even noticed it. It wasn’t that the group didn’t feel different, because it did, but it felt… Better, somehow. More balanced. Mike seemed realistic and level-headed, something the group had been missing for some time. They needed someone that could withstand Richie’s constant stream of bullshit without losing their minds, because as much as Stan wanted to say that person was him, he knew it wasn’t.

“Bill, you need to give your eyes a rest.” Eddie said. “If you strain them for too long you could go blind.”

Bill had a book propped up against his empty soup bowl, the thing looking rather old and boasting the cheery title “Derry’s Disasters”.

“But we n-need to f-f-find him.” Bill insisted. “We d-didn’t figure that out. We did all that, but we s-s-still didn’t…”

“But we know a lot more now.” Beverly insisted. “We know that he found somewhere to go fifteen years ago, because that’s when the break-ins stopped. He must live somewhere relatively deserted, and if you and Richie are right, and he has something to do with the sewers…”

“My neighbor’s house.” Richie said suddenly, and everyone stared at him.

“W-w-w-what?” Bill sounded incredulous. “Richie--”

“No, seriously! I’ve never seen anyone live there.” Richie sat forward in his chair, beginning to count his reasons on his fingers. “Abandoned house, it’s right across the street from the gutter…” He then ran out of steam, and nobody looked convinced.

“I’ll write it down anyway.” Mike finally said, taking the pen he’d been using from his pocket and pulling a napkin towards himself. “Any other ideas?”

“I think he might live in the woods, really.” Beverly said matter-of-factly. “If no one in town knows him, he can’t live in town, right? And the sewers open up to the woods too.”

Stan could tell by Bill’s face that he didn’t like that idea, but Mike wrote it down.

“What about that house on Neibolt street?” Eddie asked hesitantly.

“What about it?” Stan asked back. “It’s not really in a good spot.”

“But it is abandoned.” Eddie said. “And… It’s creepy.”

That seemed to be the main point in Eddie’s reasoning, Beverly nodding along to his words.

“I’ve never liked that place.” She confessed. “Whenever I walk by, I feel like it’s watching me.”

“B-b-but it’s not--” Bill began.

“If I were a murderous clown, that’s where I would hang out.” Richie agreed.

“If?” Ben asked. The joke caught everyone off guard, a grin growing on Richie’s face as he looked over at him.

“Please Benjamin, the only thing I kill are the ladies, with my dance moves.”

“Richie, everybody knows you can’t dance.” Stan deadpanned, Richie’s mouth falling open.

“Mike didn’t!” He exclaimed indignantly, gesturing in Mike’s direction, who was laughing again. Despite misgivings, ‘Neibolt house’ was also written down. They tossed a few other locations around, but none of them made the list, and the conversation eventually devolved into a few less terrifying subjects. Stan kept one eye on Bill, who wasn’t laughing or joining in, staring down at the list in the middle of the table.

“Could w-we still go down and l-look through the sewers?” He asked, finally speaking up. “We s-s-still haven’t g-gotten the chance to yet. I just w-want to look around.”

“Sure.” Beverly allotted instantly, but she was looking up at the clock on the wall with a small frown. “We could meet up there tomorrow; we need to get going if Eddie wants to make it home on time.”

She was right. They cleared their places and thanked Mike for his hospitality, Eddie leaving as quickly as he could to get back into town. Bill and Beverly both departed while Stan was in the bathroom, and when he walked back towards the open front door he heard a strangely serious-sounding Richie talking to Mike. Curious, and knowing Richie would go full goofball if Stan made his presence known, he stilled in the doorway to eavesdrop.

“Hey Michael--can I call you Michael? Is that what Mike is short for?” Richie was asking. Mike was silent for a moment.

“I mean… I guess.” He said. Stan peeked around the corner. Richie was looking at his feet, and Mike looked curious and slightly confused at being talked to.

“I feel like I can trust you. If that's weird let me know now, because I've got a question.”

“I…” Mike was still perplexed. “No, it’s fine. What’s your question?”

Richie’s face was full of hesitancy, a tiny bit of fear in his expression, and Stan suddenly felt guilty about eavesdropping. Moving now would make his presence known and he didn’t want that either, but before he could think of an alternative solution, Richie spoke.

“I… I think I’m in love with someone, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

Mike was silent for a few moments. Richie couldn’t stand still while he waited for a response, rocking back and forth on his feet, stuffing his hands in his pockets before pulling them out again to run his fingers through his hair. Stan waited with baited breath, hoping that Richie would elaborate but knowing already that he wouldn’t.

“You should be sure about something that big.” Mike finally said. “And when you are, you should say something. No sense in keeping something like that to yourself, you know? People like knowing that they’re loved.”

Richie stuffed his hands back into his pockets, nodding a little.

“Thanks.” He said, swallowing and looking down at his feet. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Thanks a lot.”

“Sure.” Mike scratched the back of his head and then the moment was over, Richie sticking his head inside the house. Stan shrank back against the wall, but thankfully Richie didn’t look around, just yelling down the hallway.

“Stan! Get your scrawny white ass out here or I’ll leave without you!”

“How about you get your scrawny white ass out of my house?!” Came a responding yell from somewhere upstairs. Richie gave a bewildered laugh.

“God?” He asked back, as Mike clutched his chest in laughter.

“My… That’s my grandfather.” He answered when he could breathe again. Richie nodded a little, and Stan had to hide all over again as he stuck his head inside once more.

“Thanks for housing us, Mr. Hanlon!”

“Go home!”

Ears now ringing, Stan waited a minute or so, hiding until both Richie and Mike’s backs were turned before stepping outside as though he’d just walked up.

“No need to scream my head off.” He couldn’t help but say. “You’re going to give me a migraine.”

Richie winked, grinning. “I tend to have that effect on people.”

Stan just shook his head, thanking Mike again for having them over, and he and Richie made their way down the street. Usually Richie would strike up a conversation, saying something so incredulous that Stan wouldn’t be able to resist arguing with him on it, and they would laugh at each other before parting ways. But Richie was quiet, walking all the way to Stan’s house with him, completely passing the fork in the road that led to his own street. Finally, Stan couldn’t take it anymore. He wasn’t going to ask about Richie’s question--he didn’t want him to know he’d been eavesdropping--deciding to go with a question of his own.

“Hey, Richie… Are you okay?”

It took a beat for Richie to react, blinking as though he’d been pulled from a stupor. He looked Stan in the face for a few seconds before a huge smile grew on his lips, slinging an arm around him and hanging heavily on his shoulder.

“I’m fine! Why do people keep asking me that?”

It was an obvious lie, but Stan didn’t press him on it. Richie would talk to him if he wanted to. They reached Stan’s front door, then parted ways.

Beverly walked Bill home. She knew he didn't need her, and maybe it was a strange thing to do, but if he thought so he didn't say anything. It was a little selfish really, but she knew she would feel better about herself if she didn't let him be alone. Once they'd made it to Bill's driveway, he stopped.

“I h-h-hate it.” He said after a moment. “Can y-you just… Sit outside w-with me for a little bit?”

She nodded and they sat on the curb together. Bill was quiet, not complaining when Beverly took out and lit a cigarette. Then he was quiet for even longer, and Beverly decided to strike up conversation.

“Hate what?” She asked.

“B-being at home.” He pressed his lips together, looking angry. Not angry at her, or angry at his house, even; angry at the world. “After G-Georgie disappeared, being there j-j-j-just…”

“It sucks.” Beverly supplied. She knew it must be an understatement--she couldn’t imagine how Bill must feel--but he nodded anyways.

“M-my parents, they’ve started f-f-fighting all the time. We used to always eat d-d-dinner t-together, but we’ve stopped doing that too. I don’t like l-l-leaving my room, because Georgie’s stuff is still everyw-where; no one can clean it up. No one wants t-to touch it, or even talk about it. A-a-about him.”

Beverly reached out and rubbed his back, resting an easy arm around his shoulders, and he seemed to lean in to the contact without realizing it.

“But being in my room is almost w-worse, just lying in bed… I can’t sleep, I c-c-can’t eat, I… I’m sorry.” He looked over at her. The sun was setting, the orange light catching on the reddish tint of his auburn hair and making it glow. He was handsome, Beverly thought, his cheeks and nose round but his jawline sharp, a green tint to his grey eyes. Her gaze caught on his lower lip, where his injury seemed to have reopened before healing completely, now a red streak that stretched when he spoke.

“Sorry?” She asked.

“F-f-for this. Complaining.”

“I would worry more if you didn’t.” She assured him, sitting a closer and resting her head on his shoulder. Bill’s hand found her waist, holding her, and she rubbed his back a little. “I can’t believe how difficult this must be for you. I’m so sorry.”

He swallowed hard, blinking a couple of times and angling his gaze at the asphalt beneath their feet.

“He h-has this walkie-t-t-talkie.” He said after a moment. “G-G-Georgie, I mean. And he was w-wearing it, that day. A-a-and I know it’s s-stupid, b-b-but…” He stopped, closing his eyes and taking a breath before continuing. “I t-try calling out to him, s-s-s-sometimes. J-just to see if h-he’ll answer. He can’t be d-dead.”

His voice cracked on the last word, his head hanging, and Beverly rubbed his back again, wanting to comfort him. She didn’t have any words that could help this though, she knew that much. She had no assurances; no promises to make. They could only hope.

Bill’s head rested on her own as the sun went down, and it wasn’t until the darkness had fully gathered around them that Beverly realized she was supposed to already be home. A jolt of fear ran through her, and she removed her hand from around his back. He let go in turn, already looking apologetic, but she didn’t let him say anything.

“Goodnight Bill. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Try to get some sleep. For me.”

“Okay.” He finally said, and after smiling and exchanging goodbyes, Beverly made her way home. Dread churned in her gut, and she already knew what was awaiting her. She wouldn’t be lucky again. Her father would be awake, and he would be angry.

He was. She didn’t look at him as she came in, not even when he yelled her name, running past him. He grabbed her by the wrist but she managed to shake him off, making it into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. She locked it with trembling hands, taking the postcard from her pocket, looking down at it. She wanted help. She needed help, but she had nothing of the sort. All she could do was hide the postcard and hope for the best; Beverly didn’t know what Alvin Marsh would do if he found out about her secret admirer, but it was the last thing she wanted.

She stuffed it in the tampon box, a sob escaping her lips as her father pounded on the bathroom door.

“Bevvy! You unlock this door!” He bellowed.

“In… In a minute!” She called back, trying to keep her voice level. It had been a while since she’d heard him this enraged. The bathroom was supposed to be her safe space, but safe was the last thing she felt.

She heard the lock click in the doorknob, and then the door was opened, her father standing in the doorway.

“Bevvy?” He stepped forward, the concern on his face making her skin crawl. He reached out, taking her face in one hand. “Why are you crying? What happened to you? You’re home so late.”

Beverly considered running for the window, but she knew she couldn’t make it.

“I lost track of time, that’s all.”

“Where were you? Who were you with?” His hands moved to her shoulders, trailing down the sides of her body. She was fully crying now, forcing a lie past the lump in her throat.

“Just walking around town with some friends. We went and got ice cream.”

His grip on her hips tightened until it hurt.

“Why would you lie to me?” He asked, his words barely a whisper, leaning in until his lips touched her ear, his liquor-streaked breath ghosting over her face. “You don’t smell like ice cream. You smell like dirty, rotten cigarettes.”

“Daddy--”

“You worry me, Bevvy.” One of his hands was on the waistband of her pants, his fingers trying to get under her clothes. She tried to squirm away, but he held her fast with his other hand. “You worry me a lot.”

It was over in a matter of minutes. It could have been faster, but something new had risen in her and urged her to fight. She'd writhed, clawed and cried, but all it got her was a quick slap in the face and bruises the shape of handprints on her thighs.

“Why did you do that to your hair?”

She was lying on the bathroom floor, tears leaking thinly from behind her closed eyelids. She didn’t respond to the question, but her father wasn't looking for an answer.

“It makes you look like a boy.”

Then he closed the door behind himself and was gone. Beverly curled into a ball, letting herself lay there, letting herself cry. Just like all the other times, she considered calling the police. She considered running away. But just like all the other times, she knew she wouldn't. Instead, her eyes caught on the tampon box under the sink. The top wasn't fully closed, a couple inches of the postcard sticking out, and Beverly thought that maybe her luck hadn't run out just yet.

She pulled out the postcard to look at it again, somehow feeling better and worse all at once. But it gave her the energy to get up off the floor, and when she felt like she could she hurried to her bedroom. She took the postcard with her and stuffed it quickly under her pillow and got into bed, feeling tears stinging her eyes again as her fingers curled around one of the corners.

“My heart burns there too.” She whispered to herself, lying still and trying not to feel the aches in her body, willing sleep to take her.