#and eleanor telling him to keep that to himself because they have important stuff to deal with

[bluerosefox]

The two don't speak as they go home, only Ellie making almost nearly cohesive full sentences as she tried telling Tim everything after he left for work that morning.

Along the way home, she had fallen asleep in Danny and Tim protective hold and the two didn't have the heart to talk at the moment because they didn't wanna disturb her sleep.

Once Danny landed in their front yard, happy that their house was a bit a ways from any main road and then closest neighbor was a couple of minutes away so no one saw Danny land, Tim breathed deeply. He knew Danny was staring at him but merely shook his head and walked into the house trying to ignore the broken door he had discovered the first he came back home from work and knew something had been wrong, it honestly made his skin crawl with anxiety and deep seeded vigilantly paranoia to know their warm and wonderful home for the last couple of years had been broken, had been sullied by the creepy as hell wannabe immortal now. He would deal with those emotions later though, make an appointment with his therapist soon he promised to himself, to Danny, to Ellie. For now he just wanted to tuck his baby into bed and talk with his husband.

When Tim returned from putting Ellie in her room for her to sleep on her bed he found the broken door soddered closed with ectoplasim peeking on the frames, no doubt just put there to keep anything outside out and Danny would go actually fix it later maybe even change the entire design of the door so they both wouldn't be reminded of the scare.

"If you decide to go to work tomorrow just wake me up and I'll phase you outside." Danny said from the kitchen, no doubt his enhanced hearing told him Tim wasn't in Ellie's room anymore "But knowing you, it'll be best to call Maria and let her know to reschedule your appointments and find a replacement for the stuff you can't. I'm sure Nick and Lauren will be happy for the opportunities though."

Tim gave a light "humm" knowing that Danny was right. And that was one of things he loved about his best friend turned boyfriend turned husband and co-parent, Danny always knew where Tim's mind will eventually end up. Maybe it was because they both knew each other like the back of their hands, it's how he knew to save Ellie first when dropping into the room as he did because he knew Danny most likely was going to put fear into Ra's at first opportunity, or maybe because Danny lived his entire life surrounded by people who thought as quickly as he did.

Either way he made a mental note to message his assistant to let her know he had a family emergency and wouldn't be in for a few days. To have any of the senior photographers take over his important clients and allow his two protégé handle his less than easy to insult clientele (cause heaven forbid the rich ones get 'rookies' to take over those clients photoshoots, especially the wedding ones with bridezilla's and (step) momzillia's)

Tim was pulled out of his thoughts when Danny walked out of the kitchen with two mugs and nodded towards their living room. Walking together and overstepping Ellie's little toys scattered around the flooring Tim made space on their rather uniquely painted coffee table, it had gotten that little makeover last week courteously by the famous painter Eleanor 'Ellie' Drake with her signature hand prints on it as well! Tim huffed a tiny laugh as his fingers traced a tiny hand-print painted red and only looked up when his mug was placed in eyesight.

He gave Danny a warm smile and took the mug before asking jokingly "Coffee?"

Danny rolled his eyes and shook his head, equally amused "Tea. Just because we got taken by that false immortal asshat doesn't mean I'm gonna let you break your coffee limit intake this month. Besides we need something calming, not something that'll cause the jitters right now. I saw how you reacted to the door."

Tim, as he was about to take a sip, grimaced at the reminder. He knew how easy it would be for him to spiral back into his less than good habits (late night research into the early morning, coffee replacing all water intake until he could barely function, his vigilantly paranoia making him jump at the shadows and he over thinks everything is a threat). Those habits were things that he had to learn to no longer need as much because it was never going to go all the way away from him, it was too ingrained into him but much like how he helped his husband lower his own bad habits Danny helped keep him on track with his own. They both helped the other keep on top of their bad habits, it was their system and how they worked it worked.

He closed his eyes and take a calming breath of the tea Danny had given him, ah it was good stuff CW had brought over last visit... and the cryptic message he had left had finally made sense as well.

'A stressful unwelcomed reunion indeed CW.' Tim thought, his mind replying everything from the moment he returned home only to find the front door broken down, Ellie's crayons broken (she hated them breaking, and him and Danny did their best to avoid stepping on them), and Danny's favorite space documentary selected but not playing on their TV (Tim always came home to it playing, when it wasn't that normally meant a bad day for Danny). It was due to finding Ra's little note and gift, a photo of Tim, Danny, and Ellie walking into their favorite diner not to far from their place, he had left behind that Tim had felt for the first time in ages his vigilantly side wash over himself.

Again it was easy for Tim to embrace his old lifestyle so quickly. He had quickly made his way to their basement and punched in the old codes, the day he meet Danny, and pulled out his revamped Red Robin suit both him and Danny sometimes worked on, not that they were actually going to use it they just wanted a project that they could both tinker away at, although working on it was becoming rarer ever since Ellie became theirs, it was hard keeping up on things like this with a baby and later toddler running around.

But Tim knew it was best they had. It's silence capabilities rivaled that of Cass thanks to Danny adding a bit of ectoplasim into it giving Tim a very water downed version of ghost powers (invisibility, intangibility), it held a hammer space ruin that Sam etched in via magic which allowed Tim to no longer need to carry actual weapons or items on his person anymore, the tech inside the suit was the lovechild of Tim, Danny, and Tucker and boy was it advanced. It was all in all a perfect vigilantly suit that mixed science, a hint of magic, and ectoplasim.

He had donned the suit on, again acknowledging just how... easy it was to return into his old vigilantly mindset, and set off to confront Ra's. He hadn't been happy at all, he had wanted nothing more than to punch the so called immortal demon and toss him into his beloved Lazarus Pits and make everything go boom. And that was before he found out the asshat had captured his old family Co-workers and now they knew, they knew Tim had a family and now they're going to be even more-

"Tim. Tim breath for a moment. Please my Polaris." Danny's voice broke through his spiraling thoughts, he blinked confused but leaned into the cold hand lightly cupping his face and allowed its cooling touch to ground him back to the present.

"Sorry, sorry." Tim muttered out lowly, it wasn't often he let his mind overthink like this anymore, to think that the, pun not intended, ghosts of his past could do this to him. He was also apologizing for allowing his past to put both Danny and Ellie in danger to begin with. Danny shook his head and merely spoke "Don't apologize for things out of your control. We're both a little rusty from the heroing gig. Even I was caught off guard Tim, and I'm powerful enough to fight Ancients and near primordial beings. If anything I feel like I'm fourteen again and my pants just fell to my ankles cause my powers were acting up."

Tim huffed, a bit amused that Danny felt like that, he remembered all the times Danny would text him all the woes of his powers doing things on their own especially after a ghost growth spurt he had to handle. Fun times waking up to those long winded text rants. They always made his day as he got ready for work at WE.

"My point." Danny pointy said, as he shifted himself a bit more to face Tim on the loveseat the two were on, normally Danny would be sitting in his favorite single chair where Tim would often find him in odd angles as he read a book or watched TV, or entertained Ellie from, but had opted to sit next to Tim instead "Is that this caught us both off guard. We weren't expecting it so we can't undo that, it happened and its over, we're all home safe and sound with no real injuries... and now Ra's finally understands that the warning you gave him when you first left Gotham wasn't to be weary of you but of me. He'll have to be very careful the next time he tries pulling something like this off to get his clutches on you or Ellie again, and he won't because I'll be asking some blob ghosties to watch over and report anything suspicious to me from now on."

And just like that Danny swiftly and effectively nipped many of Tim's fears of what Ra's will do next in the bud. Ancients did Tim love how Danny showed his leadership abilities, almost Kingly if Tim wanted to be cheeky about it.

"Okay... but I'm still activating some old bomb codes I got saved for his bases. As another warning to back off." Tim responded and laughed when Danny squished his cheeks he had still been holding, this earned a small laugh from Danny as well.

Danny than shifted again on the loveseat and let go to reach for his own cooling tea still on the coffee table, Tim smiled warmly when he felt his husband sit back and lean on him, his head cuddled towards Tim's neck and legs tucking onto the seat.

They both sat in silence for a moment, the two of them drinking their cups lightly as they allowed the stress of everything wash over. Tim could see out of the corner of his eye that Danny had closed his own but was no doubt listening with his enhanced hearing to his heartbeat and Ellie's breathing from her room, he knew this because Danny had told him it was one of his favorite things to do when he needed to calm down and destress.

Tim leaned towards Danny as well, the two of them cuddling before eventually Danny spoke up.

"....Are you okay?"

And Tim answered honestly.

"No... Yes? Maybe? I don't know. Seeing them after so long and them trying to talk to me... I don't know what to think. A piece of me is still bitter as hell but another part of me is just.. tired of being angry and letting them effect me like this."

"Hmm" Ah that meant keep going, he's listening for now.

"I know they tried looking for me but it still took them almost a whole month to realize I was serious about leaving, that I was tired of always being everyone's punching bag or scapegoat when anything went wrong. Hell I still remember a time I got blamed for incorrect info about a hideout and the goons numbers and I wasn't the one who did recon on the place, I wasn't even in town when they blamed me."

"I remember, you were in space with the old YJ gang for a fun mission. You brought me back space rocks and was so proud of it." Danny muttered from his cuddle spot "I didn't like how your smile went from a hundred to negative when you got their text. I was about ready to storm down to Gotham myself and give them a new one."

"Huh would had loved to see B try to handle you but also glad you didn't. He would had been impossible to deal with and go all 'you knew of a potential threat and I need to set up contingency plans now.' Mode and would be hounding me for details and... just not trust my judgment when it comes down to it. Hell he would think we're lying if we told him we have set contingency plans for each other if it ever came down to it." Tim said, knowing how the man he once idolized and once thought of as a father would be if he had meet Danny as Phantom ages ago, and the plans they have set were agreed on when they both admitted to facing off evil versions of themselves. Both timelines were no longer going to be but they both felt safer if they something that'll stop the other.

"So... What do you want to do?" Danny asked after a while.

Tim hummed thoughtfully "Right now, I wanna keep cuddling with my husband, be thankful that you and Ellie weren't harmed besides a few bruises, and... go to bed."

"Tim you know what I mean."

Tim sighed but soon agreed "Yeah I know. I'm just... setting up the pros and cons of it. I mean it sucks that it took me leaving for them to finally understand the pressure they put on me was wrong, even when I was being a just as equal asshole at times, but at the same time... they were my family. When we got along and actually put away our egos and annoyance with each other we felt like family... but I know it shouldn't have to be like that, family shouldn't have feel so hot and cold and so unpredictable. I shouldn't had to try to test the waters and figure out whose in good moods or not. It shouldn't take a world ending event or near death for us to feel like family."

The two fell into a silence again as Tim admitted the old awkwardness of emotions his family used to give him and trying to decipher who was okay and who wasn't for the week. It was one of the many things Tim had to figure out before even thinking of heading to Batcave from his Nest or when on patrol.

But at the same time, Tim couldn't help but still love what had been his family. Even after everything and the hurt they had inflected on each other, there had been good moments as well, moments that did show they loved each other...

".... Tim, whatever you choose, know me and Ellie, and Jazz, Tucker and Sam, and every ghost your friends with, we will support it." Danny spoke calmly and firm, letting Tim know he was serious should Tim let the Wayne's back into his life "You let me have my choice when it came to my own parents, and even though it ended with them blowing their final chance when they believed Vlad could 'fix' me and not even listen to me or Jazz, their own children. You still supported me when I wanted to offer them the olive branch, you helped save me before they ripped my ghost half out, you made sure not only was the GIW thoroughly exposed to the public but you also made sure Vlad was put away in Walker deepest prison for his crimes against ghost kind. Tim you caught me, kept me from spiraling deep when I finally realized my parents betrayed the last bit of trust I could ever give them. Now let me return that same support you gave me ages ago. Whatever you choose to do from here on out, I'm going to be right behind you, you wont have to face them alone at all and if they do anything to harm you or Ellie, I'll do everything to make them see why that was a dumb decision."

Tim could feel his emotions, the ones he was doing his hardest to keep down, bubble up as he felt the kindness, support, and warmth of Danny's words. He blinked back tears and let a shuddering breath.

"Thank you my darling Composition."

"Anything and everything for you my bright Polaris."

It's been years since the Bats had seen Red Robin much less Tim Drake-Wayne. It started with a rather dumb argument that after years of holding back his tongue and the stress of being a TEENAGE CEO that Tim finally ripped into them.

They were too stunned by the end of his speech, him also admitting that yes he has his own problems and mistakes but at least he's trying to make amends or get over himself unlike others. It was their prolonged silence that was the final straw for him it seemed though, because Tim finally announced he was done, he was done bleeding for those that kept him on the edge of the family and that he wanted to rest, and with that Tim turned and left the Batcave for the final time.

They of course didn't take Tim's retirement announcement seriously, after all Tim was the last person other than Bruce they all believed would ever leave the life of a vigilante and a hero behind, and they all knew Bruce would keep working on the 'mission' even as a frail old man. It took them a few weeks before one of them finally decided to go see Tim and try to... talk about everything he said.

Only when they reached Tim's Nest, they discovered it was empty and he was no where to be found did they realize he was serious. It was a quick call to Wayne Enterprises to see if he was in and Tam no doubt holding back her sharp response to them that she told them that Tim had stepped down from CEO weeks ago and hasn't been heard from since. The one who went to see Tim immediately called the others, which sent many of them onto goose chase of false leads, arguments, and pointing blame.

Despite looking for their long lost Red Robin, he was good at hiding his tracks and any who might have an idea where he could be weren't talking.

So yeah it's been a while since the Bats had heard any news relating to their lost bird.

So imagine their surprise when Ra's latest attempt to upset the balance in their family again (did he want Damian to return as his heir? Take control over Gotham in the shadow? Upset Bruce? None of them honestly knew what his plan was anymore. Same old song and dance) and having captured them all that he brought up Tim to them. Or rather "shame the Detective is going to be late, but I'm sure his little family shall inform of things once he gets here."

None of them were expecting for Ra's to look away from them and with a snap of his fingers, three assassins brought forth into the room two others. One was being dragged by two assassins, black hair, pale skin, and lean swimmers build of a body. He looked roughly around the age Tim would be. He was placed on the floor right by Ra's boots, arms and legs tied up, clearly but alarmingly breathing low and slow from the raise and fall of their chest. He wore a simple T-shirt but had dark jacket that was covered in stars, NASA logos, and other galaxy themed patches all over it, his dark jeans also held some star patches but also held everyday stains from being outside in the grass and other normal day to day thing. All in all this person seems like a normal civilian individual and none of the Bats knew why Ra's had taken him.

The other assassin that had walked into the room was holding a toddler, a girl from the little pigtails on her messy head indicated. Her hair was just as dark as the passed out male by Ra's and her skin was shade healthier than him. She wore grass stained and messy paints caked overalls with a plan shirt under it and two different kinds of kids shoes (one was a green with dinosaurs and the other blue with little stars). She, unlike the young man on the floor, was awake and was looking around the room while sucking her thumb in clear distress, she also used her free hand that wasn't in her mouth to push the assassin holding onto her away from her as far as she could and was squirming her tiny legs enough to kick their sides. Thankfully the assassin didn't look too hostile or upset meaning she wasn't doing to much damage or being too annoying.

"What a lovely family the Timothy has gained for himself don't you think? I will admit Daniel put up a rather interesting fight that I doubt will work a second time and his little Eleanor has his fighting spirit." Ra's said as he slowly reached over to the toddler to lightly fiddle (just to unnerve them as well) with her hair. However the moment he touched her hair, the little girl's eyes flashed from frosty blue to neon bright green and she had spat her thumb out of her mouth in order to hiss like a cat at him, her little feet kicking hard enough to cause a small 'oomph' from the one holding her.

Ra's gave an amused chuckle as he stared at the toddler in fascination before also casting his gaze down at the passed out young man, remembering the way his eyes also had flashed from blue to green and the amount of power he had saw bubble to the surface when they had ambushed the two in their home. As Ra's said before, if they hadn't had the element of surprise on their side when they went after Timothy's little family it wouldn't had worked. No doubt little Eleanor Drake was a hint of power Daniel Drake held.

Ra's turned to look at the Bats, and could clearly see the emotions on their faces which amused Ra's deeply, and couldn't help but say "Although I wasn't expecting him to marry a being with pure Lazarus blood flowing in their veins. Quite a interesting discovery that was. And that his offspring seemed to carry it also from birth. What interesting boons he has granted the League once he joins us."

Ra's could clearly see the questioning, fear (for the family in his clutches), confusion, and disbelief on the Bats faces and knew it would be so entertaining to watch the little.. family reunion he had set into motion.

He was so amused watching Batman the others he never noticed the light twitch on Daniel's face or the shifting breathing pattern. When he would later check to see of the large amount of tranquilizers they had given Daniel was still in-effect he was none the wiser that it had already wore off and that Danny was merely bidding his time for a opening.

[warship005]

I love The Good Place but looking back at it, was there ever in the show a man who was mentioned to be into other men?

Like, most of the female characters were okay with the idea of being with other women and we were shown that numerous times (Eleanor being Eleanor, the "Tahani is your soulmate" timeline where Tahani seemed excited about it, the Simone in the virtual reality leaning in to kiss Eleanor, etc) but when it came to the guys it was always radio silence.

I guess with Chidi they were trying to avoid stereotypes about bi people but it felt more like they were trying to play it too safe. Mostly because they had him outright say that he wasn't mlm.

It would've been fun seeing him go into great detail about why he'd rather go as "unlabeled" because both men and women are hot while adding between the lines that "there are people who identify outside the gender binary which makes this more confusing and--oh god now I have a stomachache"

I dunno, I just wish they would've let the guys be as casual about dating more than the opposite gender as the girls were.

[catty-words]

it's me again! i haven't really seen any analysis/meta/discussion abt NHIE (i'm pretty new to the fandom) and i really liked your last answer to my q so i was wondering if u had any thoughts on ben/devi as a relationship (not necessarily just the romantic aspect of it but like as a whole) and paxton\devi as a relationship as well and like ur thoughts on all that. sorry if this is werid!

The short version? I love them both and find it really cool that season one gives both relationships a complete arc. As for the long version…

Devi/Paxton: Popular guy gradually comes to appreciate all nerdy girl has to offer is a cute trope, right? Right. Of course, the thing I love the most about it in Never Have I Ever is that behind that cuteness is a lot of dysfunction. Devi chooses to pin all her post-trauma hopes and dreams on Paxton not only because his image holds enough power over the school to overshadow her stint in a wheelchair, but also because he has no idea who she is. He walks past her without seeing her at his swim meet. He’s clean across the parking lot and has not even the tiniest inkling of an idea that he’s about to distract Devi from her trauma long enough to get her walking again. He doesn’t remember that she sits behind him in history class.

And that appeals to Devi because, at the beginning of the season, she’s not looking for intimacy or true connection with Paxton. She’s looking for the image of normalcy. She’s looking to rebrand. So when Dr. Ryan convinces her that getting a boyfriend, any boyfriend, is not the way to do it, Devi—not wanting to completely give up her plan and fueled by Ben’s recent exacerbation of her insecurities—swerves right past the true point of Dr. Ryan’s words to set her sights on having sex.

I adore the way the first season is driven entirely by Devi’s unabashed horniness. She thinks Paxton’s hot and gets to openly gaze at him. She has wholesome ‘I know nothing about sex other than I want this shirtless boy in my bed’ sex dreams. And I adore the way that, on the flip side of that very straightforward and relatable feeling, is how focusing exclusively on her desire for Paxton is shown to cause a lot of her problems. She both gets to indulge her fantasy and get so lost in it, it becomes actively harmful to her life.

Meanwhile, on Paxton’s side of things, we get to see him become very quickly interested in intimacy and true connection. When it becomes clear that Devi’s not actually able to indulge in casual sex—because as much as she might not be looking for true intimacy, she sure cannot bring herself to relax into the surface intimacies hooking up requires—Paxton draws the line for her (no, we shouldn’t keep trying to meet in my garage) but continues to seek out her friendship. Shortly after calling off their attempts to hookup, he chooses her to be in his group for a class project. He’s excited to see Devi show up for Trent’s party. He asks her what Ganesh Puja means to her. Moreover, he opens up a very vulnerable side of himself to her in his relationship with Rebecca.

So, yeah, there’s an obvious imbalance of power in the relationship, and it’s actually not weighted in Paxton’s favor as the trope would initially have you believe. Paxton falls for Devi’s boldness and her YOLO approach to living. He cares about her well-being, as demonstrated by him asking if she’s okay post-pool fall. For Devi, on the other hand, it’s not especially clear whether she realizes just how much she keeps looking at Paxton and seeing only her fantasy, only what he can offer her, instead of the hints of a real person with his own shit to deal with he keeps trying to give her. Look no further than the narration after their kiss—“She just snagged her first kiss from a teenage Adonis. As far as Devi’s concerned, that car ride just solved all her problems.” By the eleventh hour of the season, Paxton is well and truly interested in building a relationship with Devi, while Devi’s excited for their kiss not because Paxton has shown that he cares about her. She’s excited because what she’d wanted this whole time—the image boost of being with him—is well within her reach.

Now, it probably sounds like I think Devi’s callous for this, but not so!! I think it’s impressive, the way the season manages to clearly show Devi’s motivations as sympathetic while also refusing to fully endorse her actions. She’s for sure using Paxton, and it’s not an especially good look. But her desperate desire to be seen as normal—to be talked about for reasons of her choosing and not because life decided to knock her out with some serious shit for a while there—is so, so heartbreakingly accessible to me. Wanting to control your own narrative is a fascinating theme for a fictional character to explore. And the packaging this theme comes in—Devi’s witticisms and Devi’s yearning to have more time with her dad—is charming as hell, is human and heart-wrenching. I love Devi with all my heart. So I don’t dislike her for using Paxton. Also, I love Devi with all my heart, so I can totally relate to the way Paxton falls for her.

Devi/Ben: Rivals to…an undefined something else. Not as cutesy of a trope, which works perfectly because Devi and Ben—though they certainly have their moments that make me squeal—are not cute with each other. Their relationship is about challenge, about being held accountable because messing up is grounds for mockery. And with that accountability and that constant attention paid—I mean, even the point I made earlier, about Ben’s “unfuckable nerd” comment being present in Devi’s mind when she decides to ask Paxton if he wants to have sex, is proof of the way Devi and Ben constantly exert an influence on each other—comes unexpected vulnerability and intimacy.

Which, again, Devi is not looking for. But unlike with Paxton, Devi doesn’t have unrealistic expectations of her dynamic with Ben to get in the way when actual intimacy starts to develop, and therefore she has no readily accessible place to hide. For this reason, she actually ends up leaning on Ben a lot, leaning into the growing compassion between them, and accidentally stumbles into some mortifying ordeal of being known shit. All throughout season one, Devi is honest with Ben without being cornered into that honesty. He reads her mood in the second episode and surmises that her plan to “get railed” didn’t go well, and she lets him offer his Ben-flavored wisdom when just a couple minutes before, she made the choice to mislead her best friends. Ben is the first person she tells about not actually having sex with Paxton, where she has to be put on the spot by Eleanor’s mom to actually make the confession to Eleanor and Fabiola. She asks Ben if she can move in with him and spends a lot of the final episode talking out her feelings about her fight with Nalini and saying goodbye to her dad with him.

So yeah, there’s certainly an imbalance in their relationship, too. Devi leans more heavily on Ben than he gets to on her. Of course, she does have a lot more going on in her life than Ben does. Plus, this imbalance is not quite as insurmountable as the stuff with Paxton. Navigating it won’t be as big an obstacle. As it is, Devi gives Ben the sympathetic ear he needs on more than one occasion—in the kitchen in episode six and at the party in episode eight. He may have to specifically ask for her to shut up and listen in episode six—“I’m trying to be vulnerable here!”—but I think that’s more proof that they’re accidentally really well-suited for each other because of the way their rivalry has built accountability. Stop being a dick for a second, I have something important to share with you. It’s a parallel sense of isolation and image-contentiousness you’re battling. Doesn’t that make the burden of feeling these things just a little bit lighter?

Triangulation: In summation—Paxton kisses Devi to show her that he cares, that he’s not done with her, and she totally misses that in favor of idolizing the relationship they don’t fully have. Devi kisses Ben because he showed her he cares—he stayed!—and she wanted him to know she got the message. Which means, next season, Devi gets to make a choice between something she spent all of season one wanting and something she hadn’t at all expected to want. But, in either case, she gets to explore a relationship with a boy who cares deeply about her—which makes me really excited for her because, you guessed it! I love Devi with all my heart.

[mikauzoran]

Lukadrien: Zebras Can’t Change Their Stripes: Chapter Two

Read it on AO3: Zebras Can’t Change Their Stripes: Chapter Two

Luka looked different.

Not exactly in a bad way. Sure, his appearance was a little disheveled, and he didn’t look like he’d been sleeping or eating well lately, but Josie had said that he was going through a breakup, so that made sense. He didn’t look like he was a perpetual wreck…just that he was having a hard time at the moment.

He was slightly more muscular than Adrien remembered and maybe a little taller too. His hair was jet black now and kind of long on top with an undercut just in back. He had more ear piercings, and Adrien was sure he’d probably picked up another tattoo or two in the past four years.

The eyes were the same cool, relaxing blue, though, and his face was relatively unchanged save for a few lines here and there that either hadn’t existed or hadn’t been as noticeable before.

Adrien would recognize Luka’s face anywhere, though. You didn’t just forget the face of the person who made you rethink your sexuality.

“Luka?” he whispered, fear and dread and excitement lighting up every nerve in his body.

He was screwed. Luka knew who he was. Luka could tell the rest of the band before Adrien was ready.

He’d just had an epiphany about fixing his life and reconnecting with old friends and reaching out for help, but he wasn’t actually prepared to do anything about those things yet. This was too soon. He couldn’t—

“—Whoa there,” Luka interrupted Adrien’s runaway train of thought, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. “I come in peace, I swear. I didn’t want to make a scene back there because I figured, if you were using a pseudonym, you wouldn’t want me to out you, but I wanted to talk to you.”

Adrien’s shoulders started to hunch up defensively, expecting the worst.

His father had hurt Luka and Luka’s family, and while it had never occurred to Adrien that Luka might take out his grievances on Adrien, it certainly wasn’t outside the realm of possibility. Adrien had seen perfectly nice people turn into ogres as soon as they found out Adrien’s true identity.

“How are you doing?” Luka asked, voice overflowing with concern as he took in Adrien’s appearance at close range, scrutinizing.

Adrien blinked in surprise because that was one of the last things he had expected to come out of Luka’s mouth.

“I’m…okay,” he answered disjointedly, still trying to get his thoughts together. “Why are you asking me that?”

Now it was Luka’s turn to blink at Adrien incredulously.

“I mean…I haven’t seen you in four years, and I’ve been worried sick,” he scoffed, hand going to his hip. “Adrien, you disappeared on us. No one got to talk to you and make sure you were okay before you left for London. You didn’t reply to any of our texts or emails. You didn’t pick up your phone, and then we found out from your cousin that you’d run away and no one knew where you were.”

Adrien averted his gaze, staring down at the sidewalk. He’d always felt guilty for disappearing like that, but…he just couldn’t deal with anyone at that point. Only now was he beginning to feel like he might be ready, but he still wasn’t completely sure.

“Of course I want to know how you’re doing,” Luka continued in exasperation. “I’ve spent the past four years scared that you were dead or-or worse. I care about you.”

Adrien’s eyes snapped back up to Luka’s to see the earnestness there.

It just about knocked him flat.

“You do?” he whispered, wanting to believe it.

“Oh my God, Adrien,” Luka hissed, stepping in and roughly pulling Adrien into a tight hug. “Yes. I love you. You’re a precious friend. A lot of people are worried sick and want to know you’re okay.”

“Oh,” Adrien breathed, letting himself sink into Luka’s arms. “I didn’t realize… I wasn’t thinking about…”

“It’s okay,” Luka whispered, giving Adrien’s hair a comforting nuzzle. “The important thing is that you’re safe. I’m just so glad that you’re safe.”

Tentatively, Adrien let his arms wrap around Luka, returning the hug.

The relief he experienced then was almost overwhelming. The warmth of another person, the protective shelter of Luka’s arms…it felt so good.

It had been so long since the last time Adrien had been able to relax his guard like that.

Luka pulled back with a warm, fond smile. “Want to get lunch together and catch up? Or did you have something else you needed to do?”

Adrien hesitated, thinking of his dwindling funds. He didn’t have money for food and lodgings.

He bit his lip. “I actually already ate before the audition, but I could just get a coffee or something. I’d like to talk.”

“Awesome,” Luka responded with a dazzling grin, feeling better than he had since The Breakup.

 “You’re sure you don’t want to get a pastry or something?” Luka arched an eyebrow when Adrien really did just order an expresso. “I seem to remember you having quite the sweet tooth.”

Adrien forced a smile.

In truth, he’d kill for a hot chocolate and a pain au chocolat or something. He’d even settle for a fresh croissant, but he had to budget if he wanted to make it to his first payday with the band.

“I’m good, really,” he insisted.

Luka easily shrugged the matter off, far more interested in getting Adrien’s story out of him. “So where have you been these past four years?”

Adrien fingered his waterglass nervously as he tried to decide what to share. “I’ve been around,” he informed vaguely. “After I left London, I headed to Marseille…Nice, Lyon…Strasbourg. I’ve just been travelling around, seeing the country.”

“Huh,” Luka hummed. “That sounds nice, actually. I’m glad you’re finally getting to travel. I know you didn’t get out much before.”

Adrien nodded, keeping his polite smile in place.

Part of him felt dishonest for purposely misleading Luka into thinking he’d just been off gallivanting, but he wasn’t quite ready yet to confess how destitute he was.

“I just needed some time on my own,” he explained. “I’m kind of…you know…finding myself, I guess?”

Luka nodded. “So how long are you back in Paris, do you think? Have you been back long?”

Adrien shook his head. “I just got into town two days ago. I’m hoping to stay long-term, but I don’t really know yet.”

“What do you do for work?” Luka inquired, gazing at Adrien with interest as he leaned his elbows on the table. “You were getting your degree in Business, weren’t you?”

Adrien looked away. “Uh…I do this and that. I move around a lot, so having a stable job for more than a few months hasn’t really been a thing. I…”

He chewed on his lip, debating. “…I actually didn’t get to finish school. I was right in the middle of my degree program when my father was arrested, and things just…” He shook his head. “My world got a little upended, and I never made it back to school.”

He couldn’t afford it. The Agreste fortune was gone, and the money that Gabriel had said he’d been putting in trust as payment for Adrien’s work as a model for the company had never existed. There had been no accounts in his name, only his father’s, and that all got sapped up with the rest of the assets.

“I’m sorry,” Luka responded with a worried frown. “Do you think that’s something you’ll do now that you’re planning on being in one place for a while?”

“I’d like to go back to school,” Adrien answered truthfully. “Maybe someday…. But tell me about you. How are you? How’s your family? What are you up to nowadays?” he asked in rapid-fire succession, anxious to get the focus off of himself.

More than that, though, he really wanted to know what Luka had been doing the past four years. He wanted to catch up with his friend and get back in the loop so that he could start feeling like a part of Luka’s life again.

Long ago, they’d been thick as thieves, and Adrien craved that kind of intimacy. He would love to be close to someone again.

He listened intently as Luka told him about the bands he’d been in, about picking up violin and piano, his reconciliation with his biological father.

“At first I was thinking I didn’t want anything to do with him out of principle,” Luka explained. “I mean, he didn’t bother acknowledging me for twenty-three years; why should I acknowledge him? But then I started thinking, ‘Well, why shouldn’t I take his money? Don’t Maman and Juleka and I deserve it? It’s not just for me. He owes us this’.”

Adrien nodded in agreement. “Absentee parents are the worst. It’s not like money is enough to make up for the gaping hole in your life where he was supposed to be, so I don’t see a problem with you taking as much as he’ll give you. You’re not sacrificing your principles; you’re just taking a small fraction of what he owes you.”

“Yeah, I felt better when I started thinking about it like that too,” Luka confessed. “…Though…I’ve actually been having dinner with him and his family occasionally.”

Adrien’s eyes widened. “Oh? And…how is that going?”

A sheepish smile started to stretch across Luka’s lips. “Pretty well? I mean, it’s really surreal, but…” He shrugged. “Penny is awesome. She’s been invaluable as far as giving advice for my own career and making introductions and stuff like that. Their kids are also really cute. I kind of love them.”

Luka pulled out his phone and quickly found a picture of his half-sisters. “Michelle and Eleanor.” He pointed to the five- and three-year-old girls with cappuccino skin and big, expressive brown eyes. “Named after the Beatles songs, of course.”

“Aww,” Adrien cooed. “They’re adorable.”

“He’s actually a really good dad to them,” Luka admitted, even though it pained him. “That helped me forgive him somewhat. It makes me think that, maybe, if he had known about me, maybe he would have been a good dad to me too.”

Adrien smiled sympathetically and nodded, handing back the phone. “I’ve only interacted with him a couple of times, but he doesn’t seem like a bad, malicious person. Careless and distractable maybe, but…not bad, so…maybe you’re right.”

“But we’ll never know,” Luka sighed, shrugging again as he put away his phone. “I guess all I can do is see what he does going forward. Maman and Juleka were always enough family for me. It sucked sometimes not having a dad in my life, but I never felt like I needed him to complete me or anything. I don’t need him now either, but…it’s nice to be able to reach out and talk to him if I feel like it. I like that it’s on my terms.”

“I’m really happy for you,” Adrien replied with a sincere smile.

His own life and relationship with his father were rubbish, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t happy for Luka. He wanted good things for Luka. Luka was a wonderful person, and he deserved happiness in his life.

“Thanks.” Luka returned the smile, thinking about how lucky he was to have things that Adrien never would. “Seriously. That really means a lot.”

Adrien shrugged and was about to say something when the food arrived, completely distracting him.

Catching sight of the ravenous look on Adrien’s face, Luka arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure you don’t want to order something?”

Adrien quickly snapped his poker face back into place. “No. I’m good. I just ate.”

He smiled innocently and took a sip of his espresso.

Adrien’s stomach let out a loud roar of protest.

Luka frowned.

Blushing, Adrien drained his water glass, hoping that giving his stomach something at least would make it shut up.

Luka pursed his lips. “…I think your stomach is ready to be fed again.”

“I’m really not hungry,” Adrien mumbled into his glass.

He could feel his ears starting to heat up in shame.

“…Are you sure? Because I don’t actually think I can eat all of this croque madame on my own,” Luka tried an alternative route, beginning to suspect the problem. “If you could split it with me so that it doesn’t go to waste, that would be awesome.”

Adrien looked up at Luka suspiciously. “You’re not going to eat all of it?”

Luka shook his head, pushing the plate across the table.

“Well, if you’re sure.” Adrien only hesitated a moment before taking half of the admittedly large sandwich.

It took an enormous amount of self-control not to scarf it down like a starving wolf because that was exactly what Adrien felt like.

Luka picked up his own half of the sandwich and chewed at it as he watched Adrien thoughtfully.

He waited until Adrien had finished to say anything. “…When was the last time you actually had a decent meal?”

Adrien blinked at Luka in surprised confusion. “I…I just ate earlier.”

Luka shook his head. “Adrien, you’re even thinner now than when you were a model. What’s going on? Why aren’t you eating?”

“I am eating,” Adrien argued fruitlessly, unwilling to drop pretenses and let Luka see what shambles his life was in.

Luka gave Adrien a look that told him that Luka could see right through him. “You’re a vegetarian. For the six years I knew you, whenever you had any say about what you ate, you always ate vegetarian because your mother traumatized you when you were little. Yes, you would eat chicken or pork or whatever if it was put in front of you, but you never enjoyed it, and you always picked at it. I just watched you inhale a ham sandwich like it was the most delicious thing you had had all month. Now, what’s going on?”

The hair rose on the back of Adrien’s neck, and his shoulders scrunched up to his ears.

Tears began to sting back behind his eyes as he realized he’d been tricked.

Still, he didn’t have it in him to admit defeat. He couldn’t stand to have Luka look down on him. That was why he’d never wanted to turn to anyone from his old life for help. He couldn’t bear for them to know how bad it really was and think less of him for it.

Everything else had been taken away from him; he couldn’t give up his dignity too.

“Nothing is going on,” he insisted, voice trembling.

Luka took a deep breath and reached across the table, resting his hand on top of Adrien’s. “Perfect Fifth?” he pleaded gently, using a nickname Adrien hadn’t heard in years and hadn’t realized until that moment how much he’d yearned for it.

“Talk to me. Please,” Luka entreated, eyes soft and inviting. “I’m really worried about you.”

The tears started to fall as Adrien’s resolve shattered completely. He couldn’t do this anymore. He needed help. He needed to feel safe. He needed Luka to wrap him up in another hug and make things feel okay again.

“I don’t have any money,” Adrien hiccupped. “Like…none.”

It started as a trickle, but once Adrien got going, the dam burst, and he found himself confessing everything: “Father never put money in an account for me like he said he would. After he was arrested, they froze all of our assets, and then everything got eaten up in the litigation. There’s nothing left. I couldn’t afford to pay for university, and my aunt was really resentful of me staying with her, and it hurt too much anyway because she and Maman are twins. Whenever she’d say passive-aggressive things with my mother’s face, it really messed with my head, so I stole some money from her and left, but it’s really hard to find a job where you don’t have to fill out paperwork, and no one wants to hire Adrien Agreste,” he lamented bitterly, “so I’ve been washing dishes and cleaning hotel rooms and working in laundry rooms and kitchens and-and I’ve thought about becoming a sex worker because then maybe I could earn some decent money and not have to eat out of dumpsters or sleep on the street ever again, but I’m asexual, and I just-I just can’t,” Adrien choked.

Luka sat there stunned for a moment, trying to process everything Adrien had said. He quickly decided that processing fully would have to wait until later because Adrien needed Luka to jump in and do something four years ago, so there really wasn’t time to spare.

“Shhh,” Luka cooed, taking both of Adrien’s hands in his and rubbing his thumbs back and forth against Adrien’s skin soothingly. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay, so just take some deep breaths, all right?”

Adrien nodded slowly, making an effort to compose himself.

“Where are you staying right now?” Luka inquired pragmatically.

“A hostel,” Adrien replied. “In Pigalle. It’s just a couple blocks from the Moulin Rouge.”

“How long do you think you can afford to stay there and pay for meals?” Luka pressed.

Adrien looked away. “It’s one or the other. I can stay there one more night and get some snacks to tide me over the rest of the week, or I can eat regular meals and sleep rough.”

“Okay. No,” Luka decided. “You’re coming home with me.”

Adrien blinked at him. “Sorry…. What?”

“My apartment has an extra bedroom. I used to have a roommate, but she moved back to Nice to help out with her sick grandma five or six months ago, and she’s not coming back,” Luka quickly explained. “You’re coming to live with me until you’re back up on your feet and feel like getting your own place.”

Adrien pulled his hands back away from Luka, frowning and shaking his head. “I don’t want your pity.”

Luka clicked his tongue, taking one of Adrien’s hands back forcefully. “This isn’t pity. This is what friendship looks like…. I have a feeling it’s been a while since you’ve experienced it, so I’m reminding you of how it works. We’re friends; therefore, I care about what happens to you and want to make sure you’re okay. I have enough crap going on in my own life without having to worry about you sleeping in alleys and passing out from hunger. Do me a favour and make my life less stressful. Come live with me so I know for sure that you’re not lying dead in a gutter somewhere. These past four years have been really hard, Adrien.”

Adrien’s jaw went slack, and his mouth dropped open. “…You actually care about me, don’t you?”

Luka nodded, giving a tired smile. “Very much. So, what do you say?”

Adrien inhaled slowly, trying to piece together fragmented thoughts. “…If you really don’t mind. If I wouldn’t be in your way.”

“Adrien, you would be doing me a favour. I’m serious,” Luka insisted.

Adrien pursed his lips. “…Okay,” he finally agreed, still not certain this was a good idea but knowing that it would be better than continuing to try to go it on his own.

“Good.” Luka’s face brightened as he squeezed Adrien’s hand and then let go. “Thank you. Now, let me flag down a waiter and have him bring us another menu. I’m actually starving because I woke up at noon and haven’t eaten all day, and I have a feeling you could eat more too.”

Adrien frowned, not understanding. “But…I can’t afford…?”

Luka waved Adrien’s protests away. “Until further notice, your expenses are my concern. Order whatever you want.”

The furrows in Adrien’s brow deepened. “I couldn’t possibly—”

“—How long has it been since you had a hot chocolate? A crêpe with chocolate sauce and ice cream and whipped cream?” Luka tempted.

Adrien thought very hard for a moment, trying to decide if his principles and pride were worth more than the luxury of eating something just because it tasted good.

His stomach won out, and Adrien decided that maybe it would be okay to be kept by Luka. There were worse things in life.

“Okay,” Adrien agreed, making a big show of how reluctant he was to do so. “I think I see your point.”

Luka’s impish smirk turned affectionate. “Seriously. Get whatever you want, but don’t eat too much so that you make yourself sick. I’m not going to let you go hungry, okay? You’re always going to have food from now on. You’re safe.”

It had been a long time since Adrien had last felt safe. It was a huge relief to know that feeling again.

“Thanks,” he whispered weakly, tears threatening to overwhelm him yet again.

[stargazing-dreamer-girl]

Royalty

Fandom: The Irregulars

Pairing: Billy x female!OC, Leopold x Bea, unrequited Leopold x female!OC

WC: 17k (You can also find it on ao3 here)

Summary: Mary-Belle has always been like family to Leopold. The only one who stuck by his side and rather stayed inside with him than to go outside. That was, until he decided to leave the palace for an adventure and found new friends there, a new family. But, of course, Mary-Belle was still worrying about her friend, the one she had been in love with for years. She watched as he fell in love with Beatrice and still tried to keep him out of trouble, getting pulled into it herself by doing so. With the end of the world near she tries her best.

A/N: This has taken me so long to write and it's the longest one-shot I've ever written. I put a lot of work into this and I hope you guys like it as it is my little baby xD I also posted this on ao3 and linked it above since reading longer stuff on tumblr can be a pain. So, Enjoy!

Whenever she moved through the castle, Mary-Belle carried herself with grace. Her back straight, her head held high, so as to proclaim her status without uttering a single word. Nobody stopped her on her way to Prince Leopold’s room. Somebody knocked on the door for her when she came to a stop in front of it. It was opened right away for her to enter. She gave the servant a small nod in thanks. They knew not to enter after her, so as soon as she was in the room the door was closed behind her.

“You’re back,” she spoke the obvious. Leopold was standing in front of the mirror that looked just as expensive as anything else in the room. He met her gaze through the reflection. She had moved to the middle of the room, hands on her hips and eyes glued to him. He let out a sigh and gave up on arranging his clothes before turning around, feeling the whole weight of her disapproving stare. “You can’t keep disappearing on me. I don’t care if you run away from your family, but not me. You tell me where you go. I worry too, you know. We don’t keep secrets from each other.” She had stepped closer, her hands on his coat, adjusting it to sit right with harsh movements.

“I know, Mary. I’m sorry.” Her touches got softer adjusting his collar before she took a step back when he looked presentable. “But you don’t have to worry. They probably hate me for leaving again and there’s no way I can go back with the soiree taking place tonight.”

She went to sit on the sofa by the foot of his bed, patting the spot next to her, so that he would sit down as well. “Tell me what happened since the last time we saw each other.” So, he sat next to her and told her about the woman who had stolen people’s teeth and tried to assassinate the duke of Winchester and about the mansion they were trapped in and the tarot cards. “If you were anyone else, I would not believe these stories at all,” she laughed softly. Stories about magic certainly were quite unbelievable. On the other hand, the danger Leopold seemed to be putting himself in was very real and believable. “Is there anything else?” She knew that there was. Having known him since childhood she had learned how to read him like an open book. All his mannerism and quirks, she knew about.

“I kissed Bea.” She ignored the way her way heart seemed to constrict at the statement. The way he smiled and the gleam in his eyes let her know everything she needed. The girl, who she had hoped would just be of short interest to him, had made its way into his heart and taken it over. There was no way now for her to find her place there. So instead, she smiled and placed her hand on his arm reassuringly. “But right after, I left. I heard the bells and was about to be late for the weekly breakfast with my mother. I did miss it actually and now Daimler is onto me. He’s the one who talked to my mother, so that I would be allowed to go to Louise’ birthday soiree. All that so he can keep an eye on me.”

“You are helpless, Leo,” announced Mary-Belle. “You cannot kiss a girl and then just leave. Imagine how she must feel.” His gaze moved to the floor. His thoughts had been about how he would make it back in time and not how Bea would be feeling in this moment. He wanted to hit his head for his ignorance. “But there is nothing you can do about it now. Let’s just enjoy the soiree. You might actually like it.” She stood and walked towards the door, not waiting for Leopold. He would need another moment to gather his thoughts before he would attend, so she made her way down to the room by herself where everyone already appeared to be having a good time. There were couples dancing and people talking. A lively atmosphere filled the room. A servant offered her a glass. She lifted it off the tray, her gloved fingers gently holding on to it. The sweetly bitter taste filled her mouth when she took a sip. It took some getting used to before she actually enjoyed the drink.

Rather quickly she was able to find Louise between all these people and made her way over to the girl to wish her a happy birthday and talk to her. “Have you seen Leopold’s entrance? He is already rather popular,” noticed Louise, gesturing towards the dance floor where Leopold held a blonde girl close while they swayed to the music. Mary-Belle hadn’t even realized he was present. “Although he does appear to be a rather inept dancer. I thought the two of you had practiced.”

“Ever since we were little, yes,” confirmed Mary-Belle, “his thoughts are elsewhere tonight which seems to be translating into his dancing. He is quite competent at other times.” The two girls watched as Leopold once again stepped on his dancing partner’s feet, but fortunately the song came to a close and they moved off the dance floor. He apparently didn’t lose his appeal to the girl either since she led him over to a group of people and introduced him. “He seems to be doing well enough for himself,” she pointed out.

Louise agreed before her attention was taken up by another person. “Oh, I almost forgot, there was someone I wanted to introduce you to.” She grabbed Mary’s hand and pulled her along past the group Leopold was sitting with, coming to a stop in front of two men. They were quite handsome but didn’t seem to have much to offer other than that. They appeared to have grown up with the idea that having good looks made a personality unnecessary. She entertained them for a little while for Louise’ sake before she wandered off on her own.

She noticed Leopold leaving the room with the girl he had been dancing with. She considered following them but decided against it and let herself get distracted by her surroundings. Louise got ahold of her again, pulling her to another couple of girls whose behavior was already influenced by the alcohol. They were laughing loudly, holding each other up while they filled Louise and Mary-Belle in about Eleanor Margot, the girl Leopold had been spending his evening with. Like how she only cared for herself. A trait she shared with many people present tonight. It came with the upbringing.

But when Eleanor Margot returned, Leo wasn’t by her side anymore. An uneasy feeling filled Mary, so she excused herself and approached Eleanor. “Where is Leopold?”

“I don’t know,” she answered. “I left him upstairs somewhere.” She waved her hand dismissively, rolled her eyes and turned away from Mary-Belle who was equally as irritated by the short exchange. Making her way upstairs to look for Leopold she passed some people who had separated themselves from the happenings of the soiree and a passed-out girl. She checked one room that was being occupied by a couple that didn’t even realize someone had entered. She quickly left.

The next room was barely illuminated. She entered cautiously but there were no noises coming from the direction of the bed this time. But, through the thin curtains hung in front of the windows she could make out two figures out on the balcony. Curiosity took over. When she came to a halt in front of the window, she moved the curtain slightly, just enough to look through the opening, but hopefully not enough to be noticed. On the balcony, Leopold and Daimler were in the middle of what looked like a very intense conversation with Leo standing on the other side of the railing.

Before she fully realized what was happening Leo had jumped. A shocked gasp escaped her. She moved away from the window, the curtain slipping from her hand. Her shaking hands came up to cover her mouth. What had he done? She hurried to the door to the balcony. Daimler was already gone and when she looked down, Leopold was nowhere to be seen either. She hoped he was alright, that he hadn’t hurt himself and was on the way to his friends. She would have to go look for him herself to make sure of it, but for now she would return home. Too many thoughts filled her head, worries about Leo’s wellbeing.

She made straight for the doors, taking one of the awaiting carriages and drove home. As she looked out onto the streets of London her thoughts were on Leo who had to be out there somewhere. Once again, he had left her without a word. It had been just by coincidence she had seen it happen. She didn’t want to think that she would never be as important to him as Beatrice and his new friends were even though they had known each other almost all their lives and he had just met them. It hurt too much, so she pushed that thought away. She wouldn’t think that way. She would find Leo and he would have a reasonable explanation for it all. Or at least she hoped he did.

Her plans to look for Leopold had to be moved to the day after because after waking up the next morning her mother announced that Mary-Belle had to accompany her. It was a rather annoying thought to be stuck by her mother’s side all day when she could be out. She’d rather use the day to find Leopold than to attend boring meetings with other ladies who would just end up talking about themselves, their husbands or their children. But she complied. They went to a tea house first. If she weren’t as worried, she might have actually enjoyed it. The place was quaint with only a few tables for guests to sit down, the food looked delicious and the tea smelled even more so. The woman who served them the tea always had a friendly smile on her round face that put Mary-Belle at ease. She was quite certain that that woman would provide better company than her current one. But she couldn’t leave. It would put a bad reputation on her family. How ironic life could be. That she had more sense for keeping up her family name than Leopold did. And he was the Prince of England! If she were more like him, she’d just stand up, walk out and search the streets until she found her friend.

She stayed. She stayed and listened to the conversations that were always the same with a small smile on her face that was as fake as the friendship between her mother and the other women present. When appropriate she chuckled. When it was expected of her, she told an anecdote that didn’t happen the way she said but that didn’t matter. Not to these people. Not to her. She could come up with anything as long as it was a story that fit the picture her family painted of themselves in public and what was demanded of her.

The sun was already setting when they returned home. Going out now would be a lost cause. She wouldn’t find anything, even if she didn’t get lost. It had to wait until tomorrow. Maybe she could study a map. Her father had to have some of them. She would ask at the dinner table. Most of the time she got what she wanted, so she was hopeful. It might make it easier to find Leo. And, like she had expected, her father let her into his study after dinner, rolling out a map on the desk. He asked her what she needed it for, but she waved him off with the explanation that she was just curious about London’s infrastructure which – even in her ears – sounded like a weak excuse, but her father believed her. He left her alone with the words that she can stay there as long as she wanted. She just had to be careful and put everything away when she was done.

When the door closed, she allowed herself to relax a bit more. She wasn’t exactly sure how the map would help her now, but she had hope. Leopold did mention some stuff when he told her about his new friends, so she just had to look for some of those markers. It couldn’t be that hard to do. She could find the cellar somehow, she was certain.

The Duck and Quiver. That’s what she needed to look out for. It had to be around here somewhere. She had followed the roads the map had told her to take and she was sure she was in the right place. She had to be. She took a turn to get off Baker Street. It was already a lot different from the environment she was used to, but it was oddly nice. The way the people interacted here out in the streets felt a lot more genuine than she’d ever experienced with people of the royal court. A man was shouting at another, shoving him before they both broke into laughter. Two women sat off to the side watching some kids kick an old can around in the middle of the street as they talked with each other with genuine smiles on their faces.

She took another turn and, in the distance, saw the sign she was looking for; the Duck and Quiver, it read. A relieved sigh left her. She had been looking all morning and finally found it. She made her way over and even before she got there, she saw Leopold. He was up on his feet, so he wasn’t hurt too badly, she concluded. He actually looked happy standing there with the crowds of people passing him.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him further to the side before he knew what was happening. But, when he saw her there, he smiled at her. “You found me!” he announced happily.

“I did! But I only went searching because I saw you jumping off the frigging balcony! Do you know how dangerous that is!” She shoved his shoulder. “I was so worried! I mean, you jumped off a bloody balcony, for fuck’s sake! I thought you wouldn’t put yourself in danger like that. We had just talked about it and then you go and do that. I can’t believe you!” She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Leopold tried the same by putting his hand on her arm but she shook it off. “Are you hurt?” she asked. For the first time she completely took in his appearance. His clothes were clean and the patches of skin she could see seemed unharmed.

“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry,” said Leopold.

“Well, I do worry because you’re my friend,” she explained, hitting him in the side this time. He hissed at the contact. His face scrunched up trying to fight the pain. “You have got to be kidding me! Leopold! You are not fine. How bad is it?”

“It’s fine, really.” She wanted to protest and look at the wound but Leopold didn’t let her speak or pull up his shirt to reveal his side. “I was hurt a little. There was no going around it, you know that. But I have been lying in bed since then to heal and it’s gotten a lot better. I can move, no problem.”

“That didn’t look like it was fine though,” she argued motioning towards his side.

“Well, yes, but you hit me! It’s fine if there is no one purposefully hitting me there. See,” He stood straight, opening his arms and jumping a little, “completely fine again.”

“Fine.” She gave in. There was no way she could convince Leo to rest anymore now. She has had to deal with his injuries before. He never stayed in bed for long. She looked around the place again, watching the people walking by, wondering if any of them were his new friends. “So, they forgave you?” She didn’t need to say which ‘they’ she was referring to for him to understand.

“They did.” He nodded. He noticed the distaste in her face, correctly assuming that it wasn’t aimed towards the people around, the place itself or his new friends. She was still mad at him for leaving. “Please, forgive me. I didn’t mean to leave like that. It was just all getting too much. That life,” He gestured towards the general direction of the castle, “it’s not what I want. I can’t keep living like that, if it means living a life of unhappiness. I wasn’t meant for that kind of life. All my life I was being locked away in the palace. It’s not what I want anymore. It wasn’t ever what I wanted, but I didn’t have a choice. I was born into that life, but now I found a way out. I found another life for myself with friends who like me for who I am and don’t just try to get close to me because of my family.”

“So, you think I’m not a real friend, that I don’t care about you and just want to spend time with you because – what, because you are the prince?” Leopold reached for her hand but was once again shaken off as she took a step back, tears collecting in her eyes out of both anger and sadness. “I was always there for you. Always. And not because of your status or your family but because of you, Leo.”

He tried again to reach out and pulled her back towards him before she could run off. “That is not what I mean. You are my friend, Mary. You are one of the few people in that place I actually care about and leaving you behind wasn’t easy. I never thought you were just there because of my status. Hell, you wouldn’t be here now if you didn’t care about me. You mean a lot to me, Mary, and me leaving that life has nothing to do with you.” He wiped the stray tear that had escaped off her cheek, his voice soft. “I told you everything about how I felt in that place, how trapped I felt. I often thought, you might even know me better than I do myself, but you can’t say stuff like that. It’s simply not true.”

“I know,” she admitted in a small voice. “I don’t know why I said that. I’m sorry. And I’m happy you got out, really, and that you made things right with your friends. I’ll be here for you no matter what. You can always count on me.” She looked up at him. They both calmed down and stepped a little farther apart. The close proximity felt too intimate all of a sudden.

“Well, uhm, do you, maybe, want to meet them?” He asked, unsure of what else to say, but she shook her head no.

“No, thanks. I… should probably go home before my parents notice and everyone thinks we ran away together.” She laughed, even if she didn’t quite feel like laughing having to leave Leopold again shortly after finding him, but it was true. She had to get back. “But I will come back tomorrow, if that’s alright.” At least now she knew where to find him.

“Yes, of course!” He nodded excitedly. But then his attention was caught by something behind Mary-Belle. She turned to follow his line of sight. There stood a girl with a round face that was framed by her long dark hair. She was beautiful. By the way Leopold looked at her, that had to Beatrice. Bea, for short. Mary-Belle wouldn’t call her Bea. She didn’t know a lot about her. Leo had told her that all of them were orphans. Beatrice had a sister, but Mary-Belle had forgotten her name. And of course, Beatrice was the one Leo was in love with. She was looking right back at the pair, confusion clear on her face. “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow then,” said Mary-Belle and went in the direction of the Baker Street to find her way back from there.

“Mary-Belle!” Leopold called after her before she had gotten far. “And don’t tell anyone where I am!”

“Of course not,” she reassured him. “Just… be safe.” He promised her to be, but given what they had already experienced, he would probably not be able to keep that promise. He would try though. Or at least not tell her if he weren’t. They exchanged a last smile before they each turned towards where their life was taking place.

All the while they had been watched by Billy and Spike who had been sitting in the perfect position to see when Mary-Belle had pulled Leo to the side, catching Spike’s attention. “Hey, who’s that girl with Leo?” he asked his friend pointing towards the two of them who seemed to be arguing. Spike flinched when Leo was hit in the side, imagining the pain that must have caused him.

“I don’t know,” said Billy, taking in the situation with suspicion. “Looks like another rich girl who wouldn’t look our way twice. Just another one thinking they’re so much better than us. Just look at her.” The distaste on her face supported his argument. “Maybe he used to have something going on with her.” He shrugged. The situation interested him. Her presence alone and the way the both of them seemed to be close spoke against everything Leo had told them. When Leo cradled her face, Billy was convinced that what he had said was the truth. The way that girl looked at Leo held a lot of emotions.

“But what about Bea?” asked Spike. “I thought Leo liked her?”

“Maybe Leopold is a wanker, like I’ve been telling you guys. He doesn’t deserve Bea. Especially not like that.” He looked on, like Spike did, until they went their separate ways. “I’ll be right back,” he let Spike know before walking after her.

When Mary-Belle stepped out onto Baker Street the scenery changed immediately. Men were walking by in expensive suits and the road wasn’t as dirty. She let out a yelp when she was pulled back. A blond boy was towering over her intimidatingly, staring her down. With every step he took, she moved back, away from Baker Street and the people who might intervene in this situation. “Who are you and how do you know Leo?” he basically barked at her. Mary-Belle felt more at ease at his statement, not backing away anymore. Her searching eyes stopped to look at his face. This guy knew Leo. Not a lot of people did, so he had to be one of his friends. She hoped he was. Her change in composure didn’t go unnoticed by him which aggravated him even more. His chest heaving heavily, his fists clenched by his sides.

“I’m Mary-Belle, Leopold’s… acquaintance,” she said studying the face in front of her. His blue eyes stared right back at her. His dark-blond locks were cut short. She crossed her arms over her chest. “And you are?”

He ignored her question. “That back there didn’t look it was between acquaintances,” he argued. Mary-Belle’s eyes left his face shortly to look back to the direction she’s had her conversation with Leopold.

“I fear, that’s not any of your business. Why should I tell you anything anyway? You won’t even tell me your name.” She smirked. His face turned red, his muscles flexing. He looked a lot more intimidating like this. Maybe that was a mistake, maybe she shouldn’t have provoked him.

“What are you doing, Billy?” called Leopold’s voice. Mary-Belle let out a sigh of relief when ‘Billy’ backed away from her. She looked to where his voice came from. He was making his way over quickly, followed by Beatrice and two others. A pale girl with long dark hair that was pulled back into a braid, who she assumed must be Beatrice’ sister, and a boy with brown skin who focused on getting between Billy and Mary-Belle and talking the former down.

All eyes were on Leo and Mary-Belle when he came up to her, asking if she was alright and if Billy had hurt her. “Yes, I’m fine. I was just surprised. Not hurt or anything.”

“Who is that, Leo?”, asked Beatrice, her arms folded in front of her chest and an eyebrow raised. The other three were standing behind her as if to back her up, metaphorically and literally. Billy had seemed to calm down, but his eyes never left Mary-Belle even when Beatrice addressed Leo.

“I’m Mary-Belle.” She answered in his stead. “And I can speak for myself, thank you.” She smiled sweetly at them. “I’m a childhood friend of Leo’s.” This answer had to satisfy her because she couldn’t think of much else that wouldn’t reveal Leo’s identity this quickly but she was already thinking about a believable story. She’d stick to the truth as far as she could. It would make it easier.

“And what are you doing here, Mary-Belle?”

“Well, Beatrice,” if it affected Beatrice in any way that Mary-Belle knew her name, she didn’t show it, “I knew that Leo had run away from his home situation, so I was worried. But now that I know where he is and that he’s fine, I’ll be leaving. Which, by the way, had been my plan all along, hadn’t your friend here stopped me.” She eyed Billy up and down once more who was still looking back at her. “Well, it was nice to meet you, but I’m gonna take my leave now.” Instead of going around the group to get to the street she moved straight forwards. Beatrice moved out of her way, but Billy remained where he was. She ignored it, shoving him lightly with her shoulder as she moved past him. This time they let her go, but the questioning wasn’t over. Now they focused on Leo.

“I thought you said you didn’t have any friends,” said Jessie. Her tone was not accusing in any way, just curious, different from all the looks he got from the others.

“I did say that. I lied,” he admitted. “I’m sorry. She’s the only friend I have. This is the truth, I swear. She’s the only one at home who ever really cared for me. She cares enough to know that I couldn’t stay there, that I had to get away from that life she’s a part of. That’s also why she came, to check up on me, to see if I was alright. I swear to you guys, that’s the truth. I didn’t tell you because…” He stopped for a second. Why hadn’t he told them about Mary-Belle? “If you had known that there was this person at home that cared about me like she does, you wouldn’t have let me in, we wouldn’t be the way we are now.” And he had wanted to keep her a secret. She had stuck by his side all their life. He never understood why she had decided to stay inside with him when there was so much to see outside of the palace. She did go outside, partly due to his request, but she’d always come back and tell him about what she’d seen. Even if it felt wrong, she belonged to a different part of his life. A life that didn’t fit into this group.

The others were still unconvinced, but let it go for now. He had broken their trust, but his reasoning was understandable, so they would forgive him soon. But now they had things to do. They huddled together revising the plan they had made the night before on how to efficiently shadow Watson before they started the operation.

The next day, Mary-Belle followed the same way she had taken before. Now that she knew where to find Leopold, she didn’t have to stop and overthink whether she should have taken that turn back there or the one up ahead, whether she walked in the right direction or should turn around. The streets were just as crowded as before but a familiar sight made her stop in her tracks.

Men of the castle, dressed in their uniform, were roaming the streets. As she took a closer look, she recognized one of them as Daimler who had been responsible for Leopold for as long as she could remember. They talked shortly with each other, three in total. Then they parted ways. But none of them walked back towards the castle. Rather they seemed to stroll down the streets, their gazes moving over the people. It took her a second to understand what was happening, but when she did, Mary-Belle hurried, taking a different way to get around them and to Leopold before Daimler did.

She kept looking behind her to reassure herself she had lost them or that she at least was in front of them. She had just thrown another look over her shoulder when she bumped into someone. She was about to apologize and move on when the voice of the person she had run into reached her ears. “What happened that you look so panicked, Mary-Belle?”

Leopold looked at her questioningly when she grabbed his arms and looked at him with wide eyes. “Daimler is out looking for you. I saw his men stopping people who resembled you. He’ll be here soon.” She looked back over her shoulder seeing one of Daimler’s men already down the street. “There is one of them!” She pointed him out to Leo. “I’ll distract him,” she offered. “You go hide!” Leopold thanked her quickly before he turned on his heel and ran in the other direction.

She did her best to regain her composure taking a deep breath before she moved into the path of Daimler’s man, looking as much of a fine lady as she was born to be. Her mother had taught her well. “You’re looking for Prince Leopold, have I heard correctly? Did something happen to him?” She faked a surprised gasp, leaning in conspiratorially. “Did someone take him? I had thought my eyes were deceiving me when I saw him in Acton, but it seems he indeed left the palace. He must still be there. It hasn’t been long since then.” She was lucky this man didn’t recognize her as he thanked her for her help and ran off. Not even the fact that she knew of Leopold’s existence threw him off.

While that man was now going to look for Prince Leopold in the wrong part of the city, she remained in the right one. Since she didn’t know where exactly he went to hide, she walked on towards the place she had talked with him in yesterday. He wasn’t to find there either, but she recognized two of his friends standing around there. One of them was the brutish one who had rudely confronted her the day before. Billy, if she remembered correctly. The other one she hadn’t caught the name of but he was the one walking up to her now with a friendly smile on his face. “You’re Leo’s friend, aren’t you? I’m Spike! Nice to meet you! I actually wanted to apologize for this lad’s behavior yesterday.” He pointed his thumb back over his shoulder at Billy who was eyeing the two of them skeptically. He leaned in and whispered, “He can be nice too, y’know, just doesn’t show it in front of new people.” She chuckled. He seemed the type.

“I understand. I guess, I would be reluctant too if a stranger showed up all of a sudden. My name’s Mary-Belle, but you can call me Mary if you want,” she offered.

“Are you kidding me? Of course, I remembered your name. How could I forget? Grumpy over there wouldn’t shut up about you last night.” This caused a real laugh to bubble up in her throat. Spike laughed with her and led her over to mentioned Grumpy.

“Always a pleasure, Billy.” She smiled at him. His expression turned even sourer. She hadn’t known it to be possible hadn’t she seen it with her own eyes. She turned back towards Spike who seemed to be more willing to engage in a conversation with her. “Have you seen Leo by any chance? I was looking for him.”

“Haven’t seen him since he left the cellar this morning, but he’s supposed to meet us here soon. You’re welcome to wait with us.” Spike sent another one of his charming smiles her way which she returned.

“Thank you. I think I’ll do just that.” Turning towards Billy she cocked her head to the side. “So, Billy, harassed any girls already today?” Spike moved to stand between the two of them before Billy could do anything.

“Don’t you think that takes it a bit too far?”, he asked her.

“No, I don’t actually. He cornered me and wouldn’t let me go until you guys came around. That’s not alright, so no, I’m not taking it too far. I was lucky he was actually your friend and not a random person. Who knows what would’ve happened otherwise!”, she argued. Her voice remained calm, but her eyes gave away the storm of feelings inside of her. Spike looked taken aback, so was Billy. They hadn’t thought of it that way.

“I’m sorry,” was the first thing she ever heard Billy say without any menace lacing his words. Their eyes met for a moment before he looked away again and went back to being quiet.

Spike looked from one to the other, wondering if there would be any more or if she had made her point and that’s it. She didn’t say anything either. Rather she opted to lean against the wall they had been standing next to. Spike followed her move to stand next to her.

“So,” broke Mary-Belle the silence, “what have you guys been up to?” Spike and Billy shared a glance, their uncertainty about what to say evident on their faces. “Leo has told me all about the monsters, so don’t worry about that.”

“He has?”, blurted Billy.

“He has,” she confirmed. The boys shared a look, the meaning of which remained unknown to Mary-Belle, but the moment was over quickly and Spike turned towards her. Billy went back to watching the people who passed, seemingly uninterested in the conversation.

“Just boring things, really. Nothing you have to concern yourself with. But we barely know anything about you. Why don’t you tell us something?”

“There is not much to know, to be honest. I’ve lived a fairly easy life, everything dictated by my parents, much like it had been for Leo, but I always had a roof over my head and a warm bed. Whenever we were together, I felt free, like I could just be myself without having to behave the way everyone expected of me.” She stopped talking quickly, thinking back over her words and let out a chuckle. “That was probably not something one should share in their first conversation with someone. Anyways, my favorite colour is blue.”

“Oh, that’s Billy’s favourite colour as well!” Mary-Belle let out a relieved breath that Spike chose not to focus on the first part but kept the topic of conversation light. Her eyes met Billy’s for a second before he looked away again, ignoring Spike who had grabbed his shoulder. “Mine’s orange. You know, when the sun’s almost down but still colours the water. That orange.”

“I don’t even remember the last time I saw that, but it sounds nice,” she admitted. She probably had never seen that, having been held in carriages if they were out at that time. They barely went near the water either. Most of her travel was between her home and the castle.

Billy opened his mouth to add something to the conversation, but stopped himself when someone called out to Mary-Belle. Leo made his way over and asked to speak to her alone for a moment. “Thank you for keeping me company,” she said to the two boys, “both of you.” Her gaze went from Spike to Billy. Then she walked a few steps with Leo until they were out of earshot.

“Daimler found me,” he came right to the point.

“What? Then why are you here now? And not on your way back to the castle?” She tried to keep her voice calm, but failed as it was slightly raised.

“Mother wasn’t informed of me running away. He would lose his job if she knew he let me, so he won’t bother me again.”

“Are you sure? He’s smart, whether you like it or not. He will probably come up with another way to get you to come back. He knows where you are now.”

“He won’t be a problem. I know it.”

“If you say so.” She wasn’t convinced of it.

“I actually have to go now,” he noted. Over her shoulder he could see that Bea and Jessie had joined Spike and Billy and were now just waiting for him. “We will talk soon, I promise,” he adds at the hurt look that flashed across her face. She nodded and watched him go with the others.

Spike turned and waved at her as they were leaving. She raised her hand and gave him a wave as well. A small smile had made its way back onto her face. Another pair of eyes watched her before his focus was taken by Spike prodding him with his elbow.  “Don’t tell me you’ve had a change of heart, Billy!”

Early the next day Mary-Belle heard word that Prince Leopold was to entertain his cousin Helena with a possible marriage in the future. Her mother had mentioned all that off-handedly during breakfast, making Mary-Belle choke on her tea. “I shall meet with him afterwards.”

“I’d assume they already count on you showing up on a day like this. Just be safe, your father had mentioned rising disturbances in the streets.”

“Of course, mother. I will be on my way shortly, then.”

Now she was walking the grounds, having been too late to show Leopold off to his meeting or talk to him about what had transpired the day before and too early since he was still having tea with Helena. Her mind was racing with thoughts about what might have happened, whether Leopold had come back willingly which she doubted but it was an option. Or maybe her worries had been legitimate and Daimler had found a way.

She got distracted by a commotion ahead of her. Palace guards stormed over to a person who had seemed to have jumped the wall. She neared cautiously which turned into confident steps when she identified the person being escorted off the grounds as Spike. She held herself high to convey as much authority as possible. “Let him go!”, she ordered, her voice not giving away the nervousness she was feeling as she stood up to the guards.

“But Lady-“, one of the guards who seemed to be in charge of the rest tried to argue.

“I said to let him go. He will come with me.” The guards who held onto Spike looked from her to their superior who nodded after a moment of consideration. They reluctantly let go of Spike who dusted off his jacket and reorganized his clothes. “And now you should go back to your posts.”

“Yes, Lady Mary-Belle!” They left, but not without wary side glances at Spike whom she turned to next.

“And you, follow me!” She started walking towards the castle. Spike easily fell into step next to her.

“That was amazing! I didn’t know you had it in you to have palace guards tremble in their knees. Thank you!” He looked back over his shoulder to watch the retreating guards.

“You don’t need to thank me. I’d rather you tell me what happened yesterday that Leo is back now.” Her brain seemed to just now catch up with her actions and the fact that Spike had tried to actually break into the Buckingham Palace. “And how you knew to come here! And why you did it. You just risked imprisonment or even a death sentence! Do you realize that? A lot of bad things could have happened, hadn’t I shown up.”

“Yes, but this is important! I had to come here and get Leo. He needs to come back with me.”

“Why? What happened?” She stopped next to the door she had used to enter the gardens. Her hand was already on the handle before she put it down again. This conversation was better to be had out of earshot of nosy palace personnel.

“Didn’t he tell you?”

She shook her head no. “I didn’t get the chance to speak with him yet.”

“Some guy told Bea who Leo is. He was in the cellar when we came back yesterday. She threw Leo out after. But we need him for what’s to come. She doesn’t know I’m here, but I know it’s what needs to be done.”

“I understand. Alright, come with me. He’s doing something right now, but I will make sure he speaks with you.” She led him through the palace halls, ignoring the hushed whispers of the people they passed at the sight of him. “Why did you come alone?”

Spike hesitated. “Bea doesn’t want to see him and I don’t know where Jessie is. Her and Bea had a fight.”

“What about Billy?”

He hesitated again. “He was imprisoned because he accidentally killed Vic Collins,” he admitted.

Mary-Belle stopped abruptly. Spike almost walked into her but caught himself before he did. When she turned towards him her eyes were widened in shock. “He did what? Wait- how… wha- how do you kill someone accidentally? And who is Vic Collins?”

Spike started to feel uncomfortable under her intense gaze and with the questions. He looked around before leaning in and whispering, “Can we talk about this somewhere else?” She realized they were out in the open, easy for anyone to listen in to their conversation.

“You’re right.” She grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the next room. A quick look around told her that they were alone, so she put her attention back on Spike. “Explain!”

“Well… don’t you want to sit down?”, he asked gesturing towards the chairs standing in the middle of the room.

“No, I don’t want to fucking sit down, Spike! Tell me what happened!” Her voice came out louder than intended. She tried to compose herself again with a few deep breaths but couldn’t help the anxious thoughts of all the possible things Spike might tell her now. Even though she hadn’t been particularly friendly with Billy, she never would have thought him a killer.

“Vic Collins was the master of the workhouse Billy and the girls were at. I don’t know everything that happened to them there but it wasn’t pretty. Billy saw him the other day and then last night… I don’t know exactly what happened but he told me it was an accident. Billy hit Vic. His head hit a pile of bricks and that was it. But Vic was one of them, so even if this was an accident…” He didn’t like speaking those next words. Luckily, he didn’t have to because Mary-Belle understood him anyways.

She knew how important these people were for Leo, so she made a decision rather quickly. “Where is he being held?” Spike told her. “I will take care of it,” she promised. “Leo will get out of his meeting shortly. Until then, I will leave you in good hands.” She once again led him out of the room. He was too perplexed to say much more. She was different than what he had imagined, doing that for a person she barely knew. Billy would be surprised, he thought.

She opened the door to the room she knew Louise would be occupying. She introduced Spike to her who was already charming his way into her heart when Mary-Belle left. On her way out, he called after her to meet them at Baker Street 221B, whether she succeeded or not.

Her first stop was her father’s office. The door was adorned with a plaque announcing the name of the person within. She entered after a voice from inside told her to come in. Her father was not a scary person. He might look the way with his stern gaze and his broad-shouldered physique and if Mary-Belle didn’t know him she would certainly be intimidated by him, but the person in front of her was her father who had never shown her anything but kindness.

“Mary-Belle, what a nice surprise!” His features softened as he recognized his daughter. “What are you doing here? I thought you would be at the palace.”

“I was.” She neared the desk her father was sitting behind. It was a big one, elegant, dark, something conveying his status. “I need your help, Father.”

“What is it, Mary-Belle? Come, sit!” He came around the table and led her to sit in one of the comfortable chairs he had standing by the wall. He took a seat next to her, taking in her troubled expression. “What can I help you with?”

“There is this boy…”, she started, but was interrupted.

“Are you in love, darling?”

“No, no, that’s not it.” She had to laugh a little at the absurdity of the thought. “He is a friend of mine, but something happened. He… There was an incident. He defended himself, but while doing so the other man… he- he died. And now my friend is going to get a death sentence because he is poor and the man he killed was a master at the workhouse. But he is not at fault, Father! It was in self-defense! He does not deserve this, so I need to get him out. Please, Father, will you help me?”

Her father hummed understandingly. “That is quite the situation your friend has gotten himself into. But I might be of help. If he is important to you, he is important to me.”

“Oh, thank you, Father!” She couldn’t hold back the smile as she threw her arms around him. When she let go of him, he walked over to his desk and pulled a piece of paper out of one of the drawers. She watched as he wrote something down on it, put it in an envelope and sealed it. He did the same thing a second time, putting names on both envelopes.

“Now I need you to do something. I do not have the time to do it myself, so I’m leaving this task to you.” She nodded, already reaching out for the envelope her father held towards her. “Bring this to Governor Jameson. If he does as it says in the letter, he will give you one as well. Then this one,” he handed her the second envelope, “you bring to the Chief of Police. As well as the one you will get from Governor Jameson. It will probably not be enough, so,” he opened another drawer. Two little sacks were put onto the desk, the content clinging as they were moved, “here is some money. He may not let him out just by the words of some important people, but I know the man. He is as greedy as they come. Give him this. Save some coins to give to the ones working where your friend is being held. I can’t do any more than this, but I hope it is enough.”

“Thank you so much, Father!” She grabbed the coin bags and put them into the pockets of her skirt before she turned to leave.

“I hope you can get him out, darling. And take care!”

“Of course! I will see you tonight!” She held onto the letters as tight as she could without damaging them as she ran through the streets of London. Governor Jameson’s office was not far but the streets were rowdy. She let out a sigh of relief when she entered the house.

The governor wouldn’t speak with her right away. She was told he was in an important meeting, so she waited in the hall. Every now and then someone passed her but they usually didn’t pay attention to her. As she waited, she thought about what was happening at the palace right now, if Spike already had the chance to speak to Leopold and what he had said. Maybe he went with him. She hoped he did. From what Spike told her they needed him. He had become a part of their group. And now she had to work on getting the last member of that group back.

Now that she had time to think, the pressure she was under sank in. She was responsible for getting Billy out of jail and through that saving his life. If she failed, what other options would he have? Would it be over for him then? She didn’t like to think about that outcome. This needed to work. If not, she wouldn’t know what to do anymore.

A young man came towards her. “Governor Jameson will see you now, Miss.” He showed her the way, knocked and opened the door for her to enter.

“Ah, Lady Mary-Belle. How is your father? I would believe he has much to do with the way people seem to be acting at the moment.” The man behind the desk had a round face. He usually tried to hide his receding hairline with a hat which was now hanging from the hat stand next to the door. He invited her farther into the room before he asked what he could do for her.

“My father sent me. He gave me this letter for you,” she explained and held the envelope out to him. He took it with a smile that couldn’t quite hide his surprised expression. It was unusual for anyone to send their daughters for business purposes. He opened the envelope, intently reading the letter inside, nodding along as he read. “I see,” he muttered when he put it down. “That’s quite the dilemma. I will support this, but tell your father he owes me.” He picked up a pen and pulled a piece of paper from a drawer.

“Of course! Thank you, sir!” He quickly scribbled some lines down before he sealed the letter into an envelope. “I believe you have somewhere else to go now, so I won’t keep you any longer, but remember that this won’t come without a price.”

“Yes, thank you again, sir. I will be on my way then.” She took the envelope from him. Now that she had the letters whose content she was unfamiliar with she felt like half the work was done already, but she was unsure of how the conversation with the Chief of Police would go. He might be the biggest obstacle in her way.

Even getting an opportunity to speak with the Chief of Police turned out to be quite the deed. The whole building was bustling with people running around. There were shouts and clamoring. Everyone was restless. She tried to go about it as usual, walking up to the reception and waiting for someone to offer their help. But even behind the reception desk there was no one who spared her a second glance as they went about their business, frantically looking for things and calling people’s names. She stood there for what felt like forever just watching them ignore her. The door kept being opened and closed, the slam filling the air each time it fell shut. And each time it did, Mary-Belle jumped a little. When the loud noise of the door closing sounded again, she decided she would not wait around any longer. Since nobody paid attention to her anyways at the moment, she used it to her advantage and tried to find her way through the hallways to the one person she needed to speak with.

She never thought it would be this easy to get inside the Headquarters without being stopped, but there she was reading the signs by the doors that would tell her which room she had to enter. She blamed it on the current situation with all that negative supernatural energy or whatever it was in the air. It might’ve helped to ask more about that, but now it was too late. The thumping footsteps came and went, but they never stopped next to her.

When she finally found the right room, she was out of breath. The building was larger than it looked like from the outside. But she was also incredibly nervous. Now was the moment that would decide Billy’s future. She fumbled for the two letters in the pockets of her skirt. The paper got scrunched a little by how tightly she held onto it. This was it. This was possibly the only chance.

She knocked. She wanted to knock with force, letting the Chief know that she was no person easily intimidated, but it was a faint, polite knock. A knock in the way her mother had taught her. Still, it was heard, even over the commotion happening all around and she was asked to enter.

The midday sun illuminated the room, its rays finding their way through the big windows behind the desk the Chief was sitting behind. He watched intently as she entered, curious as to what a young girl was doing there at a time like this. “Please, sit down. What may I help you with, miss?”

She did as she was told, sitting down in one of the two chairs facing the desk. It was uncomfortable, not meant to be sat on for a long time and Mary-Belle felt utterly unwelcome even though the Chief of Police gave her a smile. It didn’t reach his eyes though which were accentuated by the dark bags under them. She once again made use of the mask of confidence she put on at the palace. “Hello, sir. My name is Mary-Belle Heavensforth, daughter of Lord Aaron Heavensforth. I come to you regarding the case of a young man who is now in confinement. I may answer any question you have, but first, you should read these letters.” She handed them over, surprised at the fact that her hand was not shaking.

He broke the seal of the first letter quickly, scanning over the lines before he turned his attention to the second letter. He held one in each hand, his gaze darting from one to other, humming in acknowledgement. The content of the letters was unknown to Mary-Belle, so she had to assume her father only gave information he had known from her. He might have left out some details – the letter wasn’t long enough to have the whole story and the plea – so it was on her to fill in any information he might still need and to do anything it would take to get Billy out. “I see,” he said before he looked over the brim of the papers at her. “So, you believe this boy to be innocent.” She nodded. “Explain to me then what transpired and why you think we should let him go.” So, she gave him the story that Spike had told her, about the master at the workhouse, his history with Billy and his friends and what had happened the night Vic Collins died. “And were you there that night? Did you see it with your own eyes?”

She faltered. What was the best way to go about this? “I was not.” She chose to stick with the truth. “But,” she followed up, “I do know this boy. He would not consort to this kind of violence if he weren’t defending himself or the people he loved. And he would never kill someone with intent. In front of you, you have the testimonies of two highly educated and sophisticated men with power. They speak out for his release and vouch for him.” At least she hoped that this was what was written on those pages her father had sent with her. “I vouch for him as well even though my word might not mean much to you. I will see to it that such thing will not happen again and that you may not hear of him badly anymore.”

“It does say here that your father will see to it that the boy may be put under his supervision. I do believe that your father is a man of his word. I have not been proven to think any less of him yet.” The Chief put one of the letters down to scratch his beard in thought. “But I can’t just write you a release form for this boy out of nowhere.”

“My father had guessed you might say something like that, so he gave me this for you.” She reached into her pockets once again and pulled out one coin bag. She sat it on top of his desk, making sure the coins made a sound as she dumped it on top of his papers. He snatched it up immediately, opening it to look inside at the shiny coins.

“That is indeed a compelling argument,” he pondered. He weighed the bag in his hand eyeing the coins with great interest. “Alright, I will write a release form for this boy, but do have your father contact me again in a few days. I need to speak with him.”

“Of course.” She could barely suppress her smile. She did it! She actually did it! Billy would get out and not die by judge’s rule. She looked on as the Chief shouted for someone. The door swung open revealing a rather young-looking man. His hair was disheveled and he seemed to be just as busy as everyone else in the building.

“Please, show this young lady to our front area,” he addressed the man. Mary-Belle felt panic rush in. If he had just betrayed her, taken the money and the letters, she would have lost. She would have fought for Billy’s life without success and would have to leave him to his destiny. As much as she had thought about it, there was no other way. She would be back on the streets with no trumps up her sleeve and the impending death of a boy weighing down her heart. But, the Chief turned back towards her as she lifted herself off the chair. “I will have the letter brought to you shortly. Just wait down there and that boy will be free as soon as you get the letter to the according office. That is, if your father follows up with his promise that the boy will be put under his care. He will be responsible for the boy’s actions, so he better behave or it will be over with your father’s good standing.”

She recognized his words as they were. A threat. As easily as he could get Billy out of prison now, he could put him back and take her father down right beside him. “Yes, Sir!”

She had to wait in that front area for way too long. People passed. She watched the same people that would enter the building leave it again. A cycle that seemed to find no end and still no release letter in sight. The doubt crept in slowly again. He could just take the money and act like nothing ever happened. She would have nothing against him. And who would believe her? She had no such standing as he did. She was already thinking about how to break the news to Leo and Spike and their other friends. She wasn’t even able to do that. She was quite useless apparently. And replaceable. Leopold had shown it clearly. Each time it seemed so easy for him to leave her and just run off to his new friends and go on adventures with them. Compared to them she had nothing to offer, except for her love but even that he didn’t want.

When the letter finally arrived, given to her by the same man who had led her out of the office, she just took it without another word and left. He would probably not care enough to take the story of her rude behavior back to his superior. She had somewhere to be now and she didn’t care about other people’s opinions at the moment. She felt troubled enough, torn between her love for Leopold and the selfish wish of having him back at the palace with her, away from his new friends and the fact that they were nice people who did nothing wrong. They offered Leopold some form of family, something he couldn’t find at the palace. Something she apparently couldn’t compare to. And now one of them had his life on the line. No matter how she felt towards them she could not just let someone die who didn’t deserve it while knowing she could do something about it. And apparently, she could. Or rather her father could. For the first time ever, she realized how far connections and money could get someone. It opened doors and gave you leverage. She had always been amazed by her father. Now even more so. Even though she didn’t spend that much time with him, she’d always admired him, his hard work and how far it had gotten him.

The scene outside had changed since she had entered the building. Where before the streets seemed quite deserted and eerily quiet, there was now clamoring coming from every corner, frightened screams, angry yells, shocked cries. She dared a quick glance down the first alley she passed on her way to where Billy was held. Two men were rolling in the dirt, their shirts already speckled with blood that dripped from their respective faces. Dirt covered all their clothes as they held onto each other, throwing punches mindlessly. As long as they made contact, they seemed satisfied. She hurried to get away from there and stayed away from small alleys the rest of the way.

She was stopped right after entering the building. An arm shot out, followed by a body that moved in front of her. The burly man sneered at her. “This is no place for a little girl like you.”

She brushed over the comment, choosing to stay professional. “I am here on business,” she announced, handing over the letter from the Chief of Police. “I am to get a boy you are holding here.” He snatched the letter from her hand. He took a quick glance over the written words before he let out a groan. “Fine. Jackson,” he screamed into the room he had previously come out of, “get that orphan kid from the cell. We’re letting him go.” He didn’t seem pleased about it as he looked back at her. “You should be careful. He’s dangerous.”

“I am aware,” she answered nonchalantly before she pulled the second coin bag out of her pocket and put it into the hands of the officer. “For your troubles.” She smiled politely. His eyes narrowed onto the bag, intrigued by the weight in his hand. His demeanor changed drastically in a split second.

“Of course. It is our duty to be here for the people of London. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to get back to work, but you will be brought to the boy shortly.” Mary-Belle refrained from rolling her eyes, but gave him a polite smile and nod instead. At least until his back was turned towards her. She doubted he would work now. He will probably go to sit down in private and count the coins in the bag.

Another man appeared in the door. “Please, follow me. He is being held in the back.” The smile on this man’s face seemed way more genuine than the old man’s. He couldn’t be more than a few years older than her. He led her down the narrow hall and down some stairs into a gloomy basement that held the cell. It was packed to the brim with all different kinds of people. She couldn’t find Billy at first glance, the many bodies obstructing her view. The man, Jackson, walked over to the guard by the door telling him what was about to happen. His eyes wandered over to her figure shortly before looking back at Jackson and narrowing his eyes. It took him some more talking to before he turned around and focused his gaze on someone. “You, orphan boy,” he called out catching the blonde’s attention, “you’re free to go.” The barred door rattled as it was pushed open. The surprise on Billy’s face was obvious as he stepped out of the cell. “You have that lady over to thank.” The guard gestured over to you.

A look of confusion washed over Billy’s face as he saw Mary-Belle standing at the bottom of the stairs. He never expected to see her there, especially not to get him out of jail. He was too shocked to say anything as he neared her. Mary-Belle quickly grew tired of his non-reaction. She grabbed his wrist and led him out of the shabby cellar and out onto the street where the people were still clamoring and screaming at each other. A different picture than what she was used to seeing in the streets of London.

Billy got ahold of himself quickly after they made it outside. The fresh air helped him focus his thoughts. As soon as they got to the street, he jerked his hand out of her hold, making her turn to look at him expectantly, eyebrows raised and hands on her hips. “What are you doing?”, he asked, still in that tone like he hated her guts and was spitting accusations.

“You know, you should be nicer to the person who got you out of a trial that would most definitely have ended in your death.” That shut him up, at least momentarily, but he also did not deem it necessary to thank her. He glared at her for another moment before he left her standing there. She watched after him in bewilderment at his audacity. But Billy rethought his decision when he saw at least five people in a fistfight happening over a dead body. It was already worse than he had thought. He walked back over to her, grabbed her wrist like she had his before and dragged her along with him, past the fighting people.

“We are supposed to meet Spike at Baker Street 221B,” she told him after they had walked in silence for a minute. Billy wondered shortly how she came to know this, what happened while he had been in that cell that now this girl he barely knew got him out of his certain doom, but he kept quiet and led her to Baker Street 221B.

They were the last to arrive. The whole group was already present. Bea and Spike were happy to see Billy out as a free man and greeted him happily, enclosing him in hugs. They thanked Mary-Belle for her help before they turned their attention back to him. When the three of them and Leo moved to the other room, she didn’t know whether to follow them or leave. Eventually, she took some steps to follow them but stopped in the doorway. There, in the room, a dark-haired girl was lying unconsciously on the sofa with the others gathered around her. It seemed an intimate situation that she didn’t want to intrude on, so she made the decision to leave them now. She had done her part and was not needed anymore.

A tall man walked towards the room the teenagers were gathered in when Mary-Belle was about to open the door. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her. His gaze followed her arm to the door handle. “You shouldn’t go out there now,” he advised. Joyful sounds came from the adjacent room. The girl must have woken up. “Come with me,” he ordered and so, she followed him back to the room.

The girl that had been previously unconscious was sitting upright on the sofa now and told this man about a place they needed to go to. He nodded sternly and told the boys to follow him, leaving Mary-Belle alone with the two girls. She felt entirely out of place and didn’t know what to say or do. She couldn’t even look at them, so she walked over to the window and looked outside while the other two were speaking in hushed voices among themselves.

Outside was a mess, people running around, swinging weapons of all sorts, handmade, bought or just using whatever was available to hurt others. Just outside the window she was looking on as a man bashed in the skull of another, his teeth fletched. He even seemed to be growling at the man who was lying at his feet, blood flowing out of his fatal wound, coloring the sidewalk a dark red. Mary-Belle covered her mouth with a shaky hand at the barbaric act that had occurred in front of her eyes. And when the man looked up, his crazy eyes staring right into hers she let out a gasp and took a step back. She had seen pure rage in his eyes, no clear thoughts, just the urge to hurt and kill.

Her eyes were still fixed on the curtain. It had fallen back into place but she still had the image of the open skull and the look in the man’s eyes on her mind as if she was still staring at it. A hand grabbed her arm and pulled her away. Her gaze travelled to the person who sat her down on a chair far away from the window. She was still shaking. It was Billy whose place was quickly taken by Leo. He had looked out the window to see what had left you in this state. The crazy man was gone, but the body was still lying there on the sidewalk. Leo kneeled down by her side. His hand rested on her knee as he talked to her reassuringly. Her breathing calmed after a short while as the others looked on. She found words to answer Leo’s worried questions in a quiet voice.

As it was clear that she would be fine the other’s attention shifted. Beatrice and Jessie shared a look that had a clear meaning. They had to go. Now. Beatrice announced it to the group that immediately moved to the entrance. Bea stayed back a moment longer with Leo and Mary-Belle. “She’s coming with us!”, Leo insisted, looking up at Bea from his kneeling position.

The girl did not have the time to argue with him right now. They were in a hurry, so she agreed. “As long as she doesn’t get in the way.

“I won’t,” Mary-Belle promised and stood up to join the rest of the group.

When they left the building, warned by Watson to stay together, she threw a glance in the direction of the window she had been standing in. The body looked different now. Pieces of the skull and brain were scattered around it. Bile rose up in her throat, but she forced herself to look away and keep moving. She promised not to be in the way and so she wouldn’t. And she wouldn’t slow them down either. She hiked up her skirt – which was a very inconvenient choice of clothing for the occasion – and hurried after the others.

She was filled in about the whole situation by Leo on the way. To say she was shocked would be an understatement. “I thought you said you’d be safe!”, she exclaimed in frustration and anger. “That is not ‘being safe’! It’s like the opposite of safe. We are literally running towards the danger!”

“The danger is all around us!”, he retaliated. “We have to stop this! We’re the only ones that can because we know what is happening.”

They came to a stop in front of the entrance to Aldgate Station. Watson tried to open the door, unsuccessfully. It was jammed. It only took him a moment to come up with a different plan. He showed them another entrance, through the sewers. All of them stood around the hole looking down into the dark. Even though it was the only way to get to the Linen Man and Sherlock, a shudder crept down Mary-Belle’s spine at the thought of going down there.

Billy nudged Spike to tell him to go first, but he refused. There was another moment where none of them moved a muscle but then Mary-Belle heard distant noises which made her overcome her fears for a moment and announced, “Then I’ll go first!” She quickly climbed down before she could change her mind again but the growling and yelps coming from up there just helped to reassure her in her decision. Her skirt tore on the way down. She didn’t complain though as it gave her more freedom to move although it was a bad day to have worn one of her favorite dresses.

Surprisingly, the sewers were lit well enough to see without any additional gadgets. It only took Mary-Belle a moment to get used to the dim lighting. By the time she was able to see completely fine, the others have found their way down. Watson instructed them to stay together and to be quiet. It would be over for them if the Linen Man knew they were there. In moments like this Mary-Belle regretted tagging along. She was pretty certain she would die today. How could a bunch of teenagers save the world? Especially from some supernatural Rip that’s threatening to absorb this world? She still didn’t quite get what was actually happening. It was all a bit hard to wrap her mind around.

She kept close to Watson while moving through the tunnel. Sticking close to the only adult seemed like the most reasonable decision. He gave the impression he knew what he was doing which made her feel a little safer.

Nobody noticed the moment Beatrice stopped moving with them. Only when she cried out in agony they realized and quickly rushed back to her. Panic washed over Mary-Belle as she remembered the words Watson said about what would happen if the Linen Man found out they were there. Watson covered her mouth to stop her screams, hoping against all hope that the Linen Man and Sherlock hadn’t heard them yet and thus knew that they were close.

They started moving again after Beatrice had calmed down. It hadn’t taken long but time was precious now. With every second passing the world was closer to its end. Mary-Belle still remained close to Watson while she kept stealing glances at Beatrice to gather whether she would be alright. Every single sound had her on edge.

That the boys were not behind them anymore was suddenly realized when they started crying out. Beatrice did as well, clutching her head and sinking towards the ground. Tears were streaming over her face and she mumbled, “No, no, don’t go! Mum! Mum!” Mary-Belle tore her gaze away from Beatrice when gunshots were fired right next to her. The loud sound left her ear ringing. She only saw a flash of white before it was gone, scared away by Watson’s gun. Jessica ran after it and left them to deal with Beatrice who would not calm down.

The boys’ cries could still be heard as well, Leo’s standing out to Mary-Belle the most. She couldn’t bear hearing that and doing nothing, so she ran towards him. Watson shouted her name after her, telling her to not walk off alone, but she didn’t listen. If he didn’t have to take care of Beatrice, he would’ve gotten up to stop her, but he couldn’t leave the crying girl on the ground alone there.

Mary-Belle ran back down the path they had taken, following his outcries, she quickly found Leopold. He was sitting on the ground, knees pulled up to his chest and his head between his hands. He screams and cries out. Each cry tore more at her chest. He removed his hands from his ears to stare at them as if he could see something on them that she didn’t. She dropped down next to him and tried to talk him out of it like he did with her back at Baker Street, but she couldn’t get through to him, so she just sat there, quiet tears rolling down her face at seeing the boy she loved in this state.

And then it stopped. From one moment to the next, his screams quieted down. He looked up from the ground and towards her in confusion, not grasping what had just happened. Relief flooded her system as she threw her arms around him. It took a moment, but then he returned the hug, desperately holding on to her.

Billy’s voice called out to Leo prompting them to let go off each other. He appeared in front of them seconds after and helped Leo off the ground who in turn helped Mary-Belle. His movements were still slow and staggered like he didn’t quite have a grasp on reality. Billy then called out to Spike who called back immediately. The three of them moved towards where his voice was coming from, finding him on the ground as well. He was already back on his feet when they came to a stop by his side. They made sure he was unharmed, physically at least, before continuing on the way they had gone before this happened, hoping to reunite with Beatrice, Watson and Jessica.

When Beatrice and Watson were already in sight, just down the tunnel, the earth began to rumble, debris falling down, dust collecting on their heads and clothes. Leopold pulled Mary-Belle back before the ceiling of the tunnel collapsed in front of them, separating them from Beatrice and Watson.

When most of the dust settled and she could see clearly again she saw Billy lying on the ground. His leg was pinned under two big stoned and he knew that it was wrecked. “Billy! Leo!”, Beatrice shouted from the other side of the rubble as Leo and Spike helped Billy up. He couldn’t put weight on the leg without crying out in pain, so Spike supported him. They let Beatrice know that his leg was probably broken.

A short argument broke out since Beatrice wanted them to go back to the cellar but Billy refused to leave them. “Be reasonable, Billy,” Mary-Belle chimed in. “The tunnels aren’t safe and you wouldn’t be of much help anyway with your leg. You should rest before it will get even worse,” she argued.

Billy was about to retort when Beatrice spoke up again. “Listen to her, Billy!” She sounded desperate. “And promise me… Promise me that you’ll keep each other safe.” Silence overcame them for a moment as they thought about what they were going to do before Spike agreed and gave her the promise. Leo followed suit. For Billy to agree it took some more demands from Beatrice. Her voice still sounded strong despite her desperation and in that moment Mary-Belle realized what Leopold saw in her. “Mary-Belle?” Beatrice called out to her as well, this time a bit calmer. “Will you promise me, too?” She was surprised that Beatrice wanted her to give the promise as well. After all, she was not a part of their group.

“Of course,” she replied nonetheless, never having thought of doing anything other. “I promise.” With those promises made they went on their way, Leopold going to Billy’s other side to support him as well. Mary-Belle walked behind them. Still feeling uneasy, she kept throwing glances over her shoulder like something would appear there at any moment. Thankfully, it didn’t and they made it out of the sewers without any more incidents.

“Mary-Belle, here, take over!”, Spike instructed you, so that he could move in front of them to protect them. She took his place at Billy’s side. He slung his arm over her shoulder begrudgingly. He didn’t have much of a choice now about who would help him move. He just needed to get home and off the streets, so he would have to get used to the idea of Mary-Belle supporting him on the way.

The streets were ruthless. Never had she seen anything like this. The people had turned crazy. The ones that hadn’t either fell victim to the ones that had or hid out in their homes behind barred doors and windows. Having to basically carry Billy through the streets slowed them down immensely. Each time they came upon someone she tensed but kept moving in the strong believe that when it came to it, Spike would protect them. Most of the time they were ignored though. Maybe they were not interesting enough for those who found liking in eating someone’s intestines. The things Mary-Belle had already seen today were nightmare material for the rest of her life, but she doubted that it would be all. The day wasn’t over yet, the world hadn’t ended yet. There was still time to be traumatized even more.

With each step Billy hissed in pain. He tried his hardest not to scream but some steps were even worse than the ones before and he couldn’t stop the screams that escaped him.

The sight of the ‘Duck and Quiver’ sign was a relief. They had made it. Mary-Belle was out of breath. Her body was hurting from having to haul Billy all the way through the city but she did not dare compare it to the pain he must be feeling. He had to sit down for a moment on the stairs across the street from the pub, groaning and hissing. They had tried to stabilize his leg. It didn’t do much but was probably better than just leaving it without.

“Watson was right,” said Leo, “the city’s turning. With the Rip the way it is every time someone prays for help or wishes, that’s all it takes now.”

“We should’ve stayed and found a way through. We’re useless here,” added Billy.

“You would have been useless there, too,” Mary-Belle remarked, growing tired of his behavior. “I mean, look at you. You can barely stand. What would you have done there? Going back was the best option whether you choose to believe it or not.”

“You-“ Billy’s answer was cut short as what looked like blue lightning soared through the sky. It rumbled, crackled and sissed as it came down from the sky and connected with the building that held the pub. Blue lines danced along the walls as the magic – there was no other way Mary-Belle could describe it – made its way into the building.

“Jessie still hasn’t closed the Rip,” observed Leo. “It’s nearly over. It could be too late now.”

Spike rushed them to get moving again, so that they could find shelter in the cellar and hope for the best. Mary-Belle moved back to Billy’s side and helped him get up as Leo took his other side. They stopped again shortly after as terrified screams came towards them and a bunch of people came running from behind the corner, a weapon-swinging attacker after them. They tried to stop him as he had a nun cornered against her door but without any luck.

Spike didn’t hesitate as he lunged forward and knocked him out with his rifle. The man fell to the ground having lost his consciousness. Spike was rather excited about the fact that he succeeded in taking him down. “I rifled him! I rifled him!”, he announced in disbelief. Leo, Billy and Mary-Belle moved over to him as he helped up the nun who had been cowering on the ground. She told them how the man came after them in the church. She was desperate as she told them that they had nowhere to go. Billy immediately offered that they could come with them and so, they made their way to the cellar together.

Mary-Belle let out a sigh of relief when Spike closed the door behind them and barred it. With walls surrounding them she felt a lot safer than out on the street. They set Billy down on a chair. Without him weighing down on her she stood up straight again and rolled her shoulders to get at least some of the tension out. It barely worked. The stress and anxiety just made her more tense. No rolling her shoulders would help with that.

Sister Anna, as Mary-Belle had found out the nun was called, moved to the back of the cellar with the other two they had taken in while Billy, Spike, Leo and Mary-Belle stayed more in the front. She went to stand with Leo. “How are you feeling?”, she asked.

“I’m not sure, to be honest. That was close back there. You do realize you were almost crushed back then, don’t you?” His gaze was fixed on her, worry in his eyes.

“Don’t turn this on me now,” she scolded. “I asked how you were doing. I am fine, thanks to you, but the Linen Man got into your mind. What did you see? Do you want to talk about it?”

“I- There was blood, so much blood. I-I don’t know. I thought I was about to die.” His eyes glazed over as he thought back on the visions he had. “I was all alone and I thought I was dying.” He didn’t say anything else, stuck on that feeling. Mary-Belle wrapped him into another hug bringing him back into the moment. “Thank you!” He smiled at her softly before his gaze moved over to Billy who was breathing heavily from the extortion that getting to the cellar had been for him. “How did you get Billy out of jail anyway?” She recalled the story for him, stressing that it wouldn’t have been possible if she had done it without her father’s help. “How did he take the condition that he would be under your father’s supervision?”

“I didn’t tell him yet,” she admitted, avoiding the reproachful look he gave her. “How am I supposed to tell him? I can barely be near him without him hating every moment. That doesn’t really make me enjoy his company either. He hates me. I’m sure of it.”

“He doesn’t hate you,” Leo argued. “That’s how he was with me at first as well. Now we’re friends. New people are not really his thing, I guess, especially rich ones.”

“Leo’s right.” Mary-Belle jumped at Spike’s sudden appearance by her side. “It may be hard to believe for you, but Billy is actually quite nice and a good friend. He cares. More than he admits himself sometimes. And I bet he doesn’t hate you. You two just got off on the wrong foot.”

“So, you’re saying…”

“You should talk to him.” Spike and Leopold both rolled their eyes at the groan she let out. They kept looking at her expectantly as she waited to see who would give in first.

“Ugh, fine.” She was the first to break. She turned towards Billy and even got a little shove from Spike to get her to move. She shot a sour glance at him over her shoulder but went to sit down next to Billy. He looked up from what he was doing to focus on her. She couldn’t quite decipher the way he was looking at her. It might be hatred, might be intrigue, might be disgust.

“What are you doing?” He asked after she did not speak up after sitting down.

“I just wanted to sit,” she replied but she could feel Spike and Leo watching her, their gazes boring into her and giving her the motivation to talk a little more. “How are you feeling?”

“Still think we should’ve stayed, should’ve been there for Bea and Jess,” he grumbled.

“Look,” she tried to explain once again, “I told you. With your leg like that, you can barely move. Just getting here already took such a strain on you. If it had come down to it, if we had to get out of there quickly, you would’ve held everyone back. You can’t do much with your leg like that. And if we hadn’t come here, who knows what would’ve happened to Sister Anna. It was the most reasonable decision. I am sure, Beatrice thought the same. Otherwise, she probably wouldn’t have sent you back. She wanted you to stay safe and I bet she won’t let herself get hurt either. You will all be together again.”

He considered her for a moment. “I guess,” he agreed begrudgingly. They sat in silence for another minute or two. Both of them looking anywhere but at each other. “Thank you,” he finally mumbled. At her confused gaze he groaned once more. “For getting me out of the trial, I mean. You’re right. If they had gone through with it, it would have ended with my death sentence, so thank you. I appreciate it.”

“How about we start over?”, she proposed, turning so she could properly face him.

“What do you mean?”

“Just what I said. Start over.” She paused for a second before giving him a bright smile and extending her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Mary-Belle.” Throwing all the things she had learned about etiquette out the window she introduced herself with only her first name.

Billy seemed surprised at that. He looked thoughtfully at her outstretched hand before he grasped it. His eyes didn’t leave hers as he pressed her hand gently. “Billy. The pleasure’s all mine.” He laughed a little as he let go of her hand. It brought a genuine smile to her face as she chuckled along. “So,” Billy stated. His gaze was on Leo and Spike who were looking over in a manner that was not very inconspicuous, “do they think I would murder you or is there another reason they are watching us this intently?”

She followed his gaze. The two boys weren’t bothered by the fact that their attention was now on them. “They might. Or they think I would you. We do not have the best history after all.”

“You’re different from what I thought,” Billy admitted which took her by surprise.

“Elaborate.”

“Do I have to?” His eyes found hers again. A teasing smile adorned his lips.

“You do,” she insisted.

“I guess, we met you at a time I was also very suspicious of Leo. For good reason, I might add. He lied to us. I have forgiven him for that, don’t worry,” he added after he saw the look that she gave him before he continued, “But my experiences with nobility hadn’t been very good. I didn’t trust him, so I wouldn’t trust you either. I was rude and I scared you. I’m sorry about that. I thought you’d be just like the others who are well-off, up-tight with a stick up your arse and thinking you are better than everyone else, especially those living like we do. But you are… not like that.” He didn’t explain any further.

“I take that as a compliment, so thank you. You’re not as much of a rowdy as I thought you were.” She squeezed his shoulder as she got up as a way to end the conversation, before she walked over to Leo and Spike.

“He seemed to have taken the news well,” noticed Leo.

She just sighed, hanging her head in shame. “I couldn’t do it. We got along for once and I didn’t want to destroy that right after.”

“You have to tell him at some point.”

“I know. Let’s just survive the night first and then I will tell him. I promise.”

They were shaken out of their conversation when a rattling sounded from the door. Someone was trying to get in. They came together at the bottom of the stairs, ready to defend the cellar. Somehow, Mary-Belle ended up next to Billy who noticed the way she watched the rattling door. Each of them grabbed a weapon. Billy handed her one as well. “Scared?”, he asked.

“Of course. Unlike you apparently, I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“I’m scared, too,” he admitted quietly before chaos reigned down upon them. Surprisingly it didn’t come the way they expected with the door splintering and bloodthirsty people storming in but with the Sister finishing a prayer. They hadn’t been able to stop her from saying that last faithful word. They barely moved fast enough to watch her turn. Her eyes turned black, no light shining in them, no life, no recognition. The dark lines crawling over her skin made her look monstrous, inhuman. But even as her appearance had changed into something not quite human, her voice remained calm as she spoke to the two who were kneeling in front of her and had been praying with her. They too were overcome with the magic of the Rip, not moving away from her, not screaming as she broke their necks.

She then turned her attention to the four of them, calling them heathens as she neared. Her skin was pale, a stark contrast to the dark veins and her black eyes. Mary-Belle was terrified. The feeling only deepening when the bullet Spike shot at her did her no harm. Mary-Belle was pulled back and down some stairs until she moved on her own. Leo supported Billy again as they ran from the cold-hearted monster that had once been a loving person filling people’s hearts with warmth. Spike stopped to reload his rifle. Even if the bullet might not do damage, it might slow her down. But before he was able to target her, she grabbed the rifle out of his hand and threw it to the ground. Her hands gripped the front of his shirt and threw him into a corner. He didn’t move or make a sound, worrying his friends. Mary-Belle could just watch, frozen in place, as Billy attacked the monster. She flinched with every punch and kick he got before he too was thrown across the room. His body slid on the ground until his head bumped against the wall and he fell unconscious.

Her feet were frozen. No matter how much she willed them to move they wouldn’t. She stood there and watched as the monster came towards her. In the corner of her eye she still saw Leo trying to get between her and the monster before she felt her hands on her, felt a dull pain and everything went black.

She came back to when her body was shaken. Slowly opening her eyes while trying to ignore the searing pain behind them she saw Leo towering over her. The worry on his face changed into relief when her eyes found his. She groaned as she sat up, holding her pounding head. Leo helped her up, holding onto her arms tightly. “It’s over!”, he explained. “It’s over! Jessie must have closed the Rip!” She felt great relief as she clung onto Leo.

“Is Spike alright?”, she asked after pulling away from him.

“Am fine, love,” the boy called over having heard her ask the question. Her face lit up as she realized that he was indeed alright. She rushed over and gave him a hug as well, surprising him, but he didn’t complain. Near-death experiences did bring people closer together. Either way, she had always liked the charismatic boy. In her mind they were friends. In his, too. She just didn’t know.

“And you?”, she asked Billy who was sitting down again. The fight could not have been good for his broken leg.

“Not much worse than before,” he answered honestly. Apart from the throbbing in his head, his leg gave him the greatest pain, but it had done that before, too. She nodded at that. They were well and alive and the world wouldn’t end today. She looked around the cellar once more, noticing the absence of the Sister and the bodies. They must have already taken them out while she was unconscious.

“I should probably go, then,” she started, but was stopped by Billy.

“You should at least wait until Bea and Jessie come back and tell us what happened. You deserve to hear the story, too.” The other two boys agreed. It didn’t take much convincing to get her to stay a little longer. They sat in silence, much needed after everything that had happened. It was interrupted after a while by the door opening. Steps made their way down into the cellar. The two girls appeared, covered in dirt with sad looks on their faces that were replaced by happy and relieved ones at the sight of everyone being there.

Mary-Belle watched the way Leopold and Beatrice looked at each other as they got closer and enveloped each other in a hug. It was adoring, loving, in a way Leopold had never looked at her, but she understood now. Understood how she could never compare to Beatrice who was so adventurous and brave. More hugs were exchanged while Mary-Belle just sat there and watched on. There was a short moment Beatrice and her held eye-contact. The black-haired girl nodded at Mary-Belle as a sign of respect and as a thank you for keeping the promise she had made. She couldn’t justify not liking Beatrice anymore after today, but she didn’t know if that made it harder or easier to let go of her feelings for Leo.

She stayed seated as the girls found their own seats and the boys went back to theirs before they started telling what had transpired. Jessie filled them in about her mind battle with the Linen Man and together they told them about their mother who had appeared from the Rip. It was a heart-wrenching story. Mary-Belle’s eyes filled with tears that she didn’t want to let fall in front of the others but the story and the expression on the sisters’ faces made it hard. She admired them even more now. Having to make such a decision wasn’t an easy weight to bear and then having to live with it.

Soon after everyone filled the others in on what they had experienced the groups dispersed. Mary-Belle took that as her cue. There was just one more thing she needed to do before she left them. She walked over to Leo and Beatrice, hesitant to interrupt their conversation but doing it anyways to get it over with. “Excuse me,” she butted in, “Leo, can I talk with you outside for a moment?” His gaze fluttered over to Beatrice who agreed silently before the both of them climbed out of the cellar and onto the street that had already gone back to some sort of normalcy. People were bustling around, going after their business, others were in charge of picking up the dead bodies and cleaning up after them.

They came to stop a short way away from the cellar when Mary-Belle turned to face him. “What are you going to do now, Leo? Are you going to return to the palace? What is your plan?”

“I… would like to stay here. These are my friends and I belong here, not in the palace,” he announced.

She nodded, a sad smile on her face. “I understand, but I’m certain the Queen will have people looking for you when she notices that you are missing. You can’t stay away from your responsibilities forever.”

He let out a desperate sigh. “I know, but… I want to enjoy this time for as long as I can.” She nodded and squeezed his arm briefly before she watched him descend into the cellar again to live this life for a bit longer.

She turned to walk away, home, back to a life so unlike the one Leo chose to live, but she didn’t get very far before she was stopped by a hand hesitantly reaching out to her. Jessica stood there. She quickly retrieved her arm after gaining Mary-Belle’s attention. “We were actually going to get fish and chips later. You, um, you should eat with us. After all, you’ve helped us.”

“I didn’t really do anything actually. I was probably just in the way most of the time, but thank you. You guys should enjoy your evening by yourselves.”

She wanted to walk away again, but Jessica spoke up once more to stop her. “That’s not true! If anything, you got Billy out of jail! The others told me. You didn’t have to do that. You barely know us, but you did! Please, I would really like it if you would eat with us.”

In the end, Jessica had convinced Mary-Belle and when they were all sitting together that evening eating fish and chips she felt content and happy. Looking around at their smiling and laughing faces she could understand how Leo found his family in this group of people.

She caught the expression on Billy’s face when Leo and Beatrice walked past him to get up to the street. It was a sour one, full of jealousy. So, she walked over and sat down next to him. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”, she noticed quietly, following their retreating figures with her eyes until they disappeared outside and closed the door behind them.

Billy’s head whipped around to eye her suspiciously. “What would you know about it?”, he asked.

“Well.” She let out a sigh. “I’m in love with him,” she revealed, “so, I guess we’re in the same boat.” The two of them shared a mutual understanding that the people they loved, loved them too, but not in the same way.

“Should we do something about it, then?”, Billy asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“What are you thinking of?”, Mary-Belle asked with a smile, before Billy grabbed her face and pulled her close. His lips hovered over hers for a moment, enough time for her to pull away if she wanted too, and then he kissed her. A gasp sounded which pulled the two apart. As they looked over to the source of the sound, they found Spike staring at them, his hand dramatically on his chest which made them all laugh. Billy threw a chip at Spike to get him to stop with his antics. He had a carefree smile on his face again. Even as he looked over at Mary-Belle, which he used to do with such a dark gaze, it didn’t falter and maybe, she thought, she could find her place here as well.

[spidernerdsblog]

I forgot that you existed: Chapter Two

A/N: Chapter two is here. Tensed situation arising between our ex lovers. Hope you like it. Feedbacks and suggestions are always welcome.

Pairing : Tom Holland × Singer reader

Summary : It's been more than five years since you and Tom have gone their own ways after a heartbreaking breakup which had left both of you shattered. Both of you thought that you were finally over with each other and were happy in your respective lives until you meet again at a reunion trip planned by your best friend and you realise you are still not done with each other.

Warnings: none

Mini playlist: Endgame by Taylor Swift

Music playing from car stereo

I don't wanna touch you (I don't wanna be)

Just another ex-love (You don't wanna see)

I don't wanna miss you (I don't wanna miss you)

Like the other girls do

I don't wanna hurt you (I just wanna be)

Drinkin' on a beach with (You all over me)

I know what they all say

But I ain't tryna play

I wanna be your endgame

I wanna be your first string

I wanna be your A Team

I wanna be your endgame, endgame

 You leaned on Tom's shoulder as he drove the car. Your hot breath falling on his neck as you start kissing his sweet spot behind his ears as he lets out a soft moan. Your hand intertwining with his free hand resting on his thigh. "Stop it love" Tom mumbled softly.

"Tom" you said softly "Tom!" This time you called his name loudly and Tom suddenly broke out of his trance and was brought to reality it wasn't you but it was his beloved fiancee Eleanor . She straightened herself to look at him with concerned eyes "is anything wrong Tommy?"

 "No love everything is fine" he reassured her

 His attention went to the song playing. He frowned and said "just this song irks me, not a fan actually of such kind of songs."

 "Seriously Tom, how can you not be a fan of Y/N, her songs are too good." El started gushing over you.

 "Yeah I know you are a huge fan of hers but I prefer old school hip hop." Lies.

He was your biggest fan since childhood though he doesn't admit it now but he is very proud of you. Seeing you grow into such a big star makes him admire you more. After so many years he still adores you and your songs. He was nervous to meet you and be in close proximity to you for so many days. Yes he still had feelings for you and that is why your songs wreaked havoc in his mind making him feel your presence even if you were far away from his life. He sometimes feels guilty that he isn't being true to El as soon she is going to be his wife and you still reside in his heart. He can never love anyone as he did to you. El was a very humble, sweet, understanding and smart person whom he got to know through one of his friends. Soon both of them found they had a lot in common, small chats turned into dates and then to a full fledged relationship for 2 years. Dom and Nikki approved their relationship and wanted their son to settle down and finally see him happy. Tom wasn't much excited about the wedding so all the planning he left on El.

 It was around noon when you three finally arrived at the beach house. You were filled with nostalgia as you had lots of fond memories connected with this place. There were a total of  5 bedrooms in the house. 2 were reserved for the couples, one for Tom and another for Harrison's other two friends Ed and Chloe, the others had to share. You liked the sea facing rooms and there were only two on the first floor. You immediately ran upstairs. You suddenly stopped in front of the first room and glanced at the empty room which once belonged to only you.

 Sounds of laughter "Tom stop.. Please oh I can't breathe" you said giggling as Tom tickled you even more. You both laid on the bed and laughed. You took out your phone to take a selfie to capture this moment. Tom kissed your cheek as you clicked the photo. You threw the phone on the bed and climbed on top of him straddling him around the waist as you planted soft kisses on his forehead, his cheeks and lips. You sat back to admire him " I love you so much Tommy" . He rolled you over to be on top of you

" Love you too princess." As he connected his lips onto yours.

 You brushed aside your thoughts as you went to the adjacent room and placed your luggage on the floor. Zendaya came with her luggage afterwards. It was a nice room with a queen sized bed and thankfully an attached bathroom.

 "You don't snore right?" Zendaya chuckled

 "Don't know about snoring but I do kick in my sleep." You laughed.

 "Okay let's freshen up first then we can start unpacking our things." Z said

 "Yeah you go first I need to make a call to my second mom." you chuckled.

You had three missed calls from Alex which left you wondering what was the matter. You put your airpods on and called him. You came out of the room as you started strolling in the corridor.

 "Seriously you don't trust me do you? I have barely spent a day here and you have already called me three times."

 "It was important the company wants you to do a concert at the beach carnival there."

"What! Dude I'm on a vacation and they expect me to do a concert."

 "Yeah it will be nice for the promotion, kind of a tour actually and I think it's good only for you to keep you distracted from, you know what I mean"

 "I don't know I need time to think"

 "There is nothing to think the concert is on the last day of your stay so you will get to enjoy your vacation as well as do a little interaction with your fans good for your rep."

 "Still I need to think Alex . I have to go for rehearsals then I need to know the whole schedule of the event. It's a lot of work."

 "I'll handle those things and get you in touch with the event manager, don't worry."

 You were walking backwards through the corridor as you were talking, you suddenly bumped into a solid sturdy figure, you lost your balance letting out a light shriek as you thought you were about to fall, instead you felt two strong arms catch hold of you, one hand on your back and one wrapped around your waist. You fluttered opened your eyes and your eyes were met with those familiar hazel brown eyes and loose brown curls falling over his face. Tom looked at you with concerned eyes; he himself couldn't stop admiring you. This is the closest he has come to you in the past few years. Your familiar lavender scent was intoxicating for him, he also noticed that your hair is longer than before which made you look more beautiful. You two were so lost in the moment that the whole world hazed out for you. Both felt a warm feeling inside.

But you were brought to reality as Alex started talking.

 "Y/N are you there? what happened?"

 You pulled away from Tom's hold as you stood straight and stuttered

"yea…Yeah I'm fine can I…Can I talk to you later? I'll think and tell you okay"

 "Okay honey bye take care love you"

 "Yeah bye love you too Alex"

 As you turned back to Tom you both blurted out "I'm sorry"

 "No no it was totally my fault I wasn't looking where I was going" you said eagerly.

 "It's okay" Tom said

 You purse your lips and smiled as you were about to turn to go to your room he spoke again

 "By the way Hi! meeting you after a long time."

 You sheepishly looked at him "yeah Hi"

"So how have you been?"

 You were a little taken aback by his warm gesture because he had almost stopped talking to you after the whole breakup "I'm fine, how are you?"

 "I'm fine too" . Tom was about to say something but you were interrupted by a loud shriek

 "Oh My God!!! I can't believe this Y/N Y/L/N" excitement in her voice. "I'm such a huge fan of yours." She pulled you in a tight hug you didn't get the time to process what was happening as you looked wide eyed first to Tom and then to the girl.

 "Oh sorry Hi I'm Eleanor you can call me El I'm Tom's fiance nice to meet you." Your eyes immediately went to the big shining rock adorning her ring finger. A tinge of jealousy creeping inside you.

 "Hey! nice to meet to you too"

 She turned towards Tom and asked "you guys know her ? Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Tom fumbled at his words "umm.. Yeah we have been together since childhood." He looked at you as he continued speaking "then she left and we lost touch" the last line was obviously directed to you.

 "Uh ah correction it was you who lost contact because I was always in touch with the boys. By the way where are they? Can't wait to meet them."

 "They will be here in any second I guess" El said

"I can't believe you know each other since childhood, he always says that he doesn't like your songs"

 "Oh does he?" you looked at him quirking your eyebrow

 "No I didn't say that I don't like her songs I just said it's not my type"

 "Yeah yeah I know you're an old grandpa you prefer old school stuff." you said sarcastically

 "You are coming to our wedding right?" El asked

 You looked at Tom "umm I don't think I'm invited besides I may not have time to attend it. When is it by the way?"

 "Next year in March"

 "Great!! Wish you both a happy married life."

 "Uh ah.. I'm not accepting your bland wishes. You are invited to our wedding and you have to sing at our reception."

 "I would love to honey maybe I'll compose something specially for you guys but I don't think your husband will like that as he hates my songs" you looked at Tom

"Oh leave Tom anyways he has given me all the responsibility of planning the wedding so you are coming and that's final."

 "Okay dear as you wish" you placed a hand on her cheek and smiled.

 " Let's take a selfie. I really want to capture this moment," El insisted. You stood in the middle one hand on Tom's shoulder and the other on El's. You all smiled as she clicked the picture.

 Suddenly there was a lot of noise of people laughing and shouting and you immediately ran down the stairs. There stood Harry, Sam, Paddy, Tuwaine in the middle of the living room. As they saw you they ran towards you and circled around you for a giant hug.

 "Hey!! Y/N missed you so much so happy to see you again"

 "Me too guys"

 "We are going to have lots of fun this time gonna do everything we used to do when we were kids." Paddy said beaming with joy.

 You smiled and you all hugged again. Your eyes went up the stairs to find Tom staring at you. You looked away as you started chatting with them. Jacob, Ed and Chloe also came in later.

………………….

Zendaya and Harrison were sitting on the couch as you kept pacing the room

 "Seriously Y/N it isn't a big deal. It was just an accident stop stressing out about it."

 "It is serious for me Z . The first day on my trip I fell into my ex's arms and had a moment don't know about him but it was definitely a moment for me. And then there is his fiance who is such a sweet and humble person who doesn't have any clue of what relation I share with her husband.Why did I give into your plan God only knows uggh!!!" You sat between them on the couch holding your head. 

 Harrison wrapped his hands around your shoulders and tried to comfort you.

 "I know it's a bit weird for you to be around El due to your past with him but please for my sake try to tolerate just for 10 days."

 "You have vodka right?" you asked

 "Uh yeah why?" Haz looked at you confused

 "I'm exclusively reserving it for me because I'm gonna need it for the next 10 days if I have to stay here." You smirked

 "Tom, are we there yet can I open my eyes?"

"Patience love patience" Tom said, covering your eyes as he led you towards the beach.

It was your 16th birthday and your families had decided to celebrate on the beach house. Tom had told you that he has a surprise planned for you and you were growing impatient to know what it is. You both finally reached the spot Tom removed his hand from your eyes and you slowly opened your eyes as you saw the sea in front of you, waves thrashing on the shore. You looked around to see that he had decorated candles around you in the shape of a heart.

 "Seriously this is your surprise?" you asked him confused.

 "No love, the best part is yet to come."

He kneeled on his right leg as he took out a box from his pocket. He opened it to reveal a sparkling ring. He took it in his hand. He took your left hand and slid it in your ring finger and said

"Y/N Y/L/N will you be my girlfriend forever?

I liked you since childhood but didn't have the courage to say because I thought you were just a passing crush and you are my best friend and didn't want to ruin our friendship. But now I know that I feel happy when you are around, I like to spend time with you, that I love you. You don't have to say yes but I really wanted to say this to you.

 Your eyes were filled with tears, you bent down and kissed him to stop him from talking anymore .Tom gets a little shocked at your sudden act but then he kisses you back. You pull back after sometime as you cup his face with your hands.

"I liked you too Tommy and yes I will be your girlfriend for lifetime.

You looked at the ring to admire it.

"I know this isn't a real diamond because I can't afford a real one right now" Tom said scratching his head

"Your love is worth more than a thousand diamonds." you said as you kissed him again

 You were standing at the porch leaning on a pillar as you sipped into your cola can. You looked at the ring on your finger that Tom gave you. Out of habit you used to wear it everyday but now it's time to let go of it you thought.

 "So you finally had the courage to come here." Tom said grinning.

 What?! You frowned

 You previously thought maybe he's over it and now you two can be on good terms but you were wrong as here he is in front of you again being all cocky.

 "I mean after all these years you finally came here"

 "Firstly, this is my best friend's 30th birthday so couldn't afford to miss it. Secondly stop prioritizing yourself Tom, not everybody's lives revolve around you, not mine, at least" you scoffed

 "Yeah because your life's current priority is Alex right?"

 Was he jealous after he heard you talking to Alex you thought in your mind.

"What? Seriously Tom" you smiled and shook your head. He is my manager and he's like an elder brother, a mentor to me. Why even am I clarifying to you? You don't owe me anything so just leave if you don't have anything else to say."

 "I just came to say that stay away from El. She is my fiance."

 "Yeah I know she is your fiance you posted it on Instagram dufus. I even congratulated you and I had expected a thank you from your side but never mind. "

 It was three months ago you were at your LA residence enjoying an off day. You were scrolling through your Instagram. When you saw the post with the caption she said yes❤️💍. Even after your breakup you guys followed each other to avoid any kind of gossip by the tabloids. You both were very private person so you never went official with your relationship but there were rumours of you two being together which eventually died down. For the first few minutes you didn't know how to react to the whole thing. The life you once imagined for yourselves he is living it but you are no more in it. Your eyes welled up but you overcame your emotions and felt happy that at least one of you is finally going to be happy in life. You liked the picture and commented congratulations🎊❤️❤️❤️.

  "And I also know that she doesn't know about me. Why didn't you tell her about me? Scared of the feelings you still have for me huh?" You smirked

 "Just shut up Y/N. I hate you and that's never gonna change. And you are not gonna tell her anything okay!"

 "But I love you Tommy." You grinned

 Tom scoffed, rolling his eyes and frustrated he started to walk away.

 You called him back "Oi!! Don't worry I'm not gonna tell her anything but I'll still advise you to go and tell her. It will be better and less awkward if she gets to know it from you rather than from anyone else. Trust is the foundation of a relationship, don't break it."

 "Look who is talking about trust and relationships. It's our matter, we can handle it, don't need your advice."

 "Okay cool" you gave a thumbs up

 You really felt exhausted after the whole conversation putting up a no care attitude was really hard as you were totally bothered by the whole ordeal.

………………

 After you and Zendaya finished unpacking your stuff she was exhausted and so decided to get some rest. You on the other hand decided to go for a stroll near the cliff. It was one of your favorite places to go. That place gave you peace and tranquility. You slid your sling bag around your shoulder and put your lyrics notebook inside it. You used to always carry that everywhere whenever you get an idea you note it down in it. You walked along the seashore feeling the cool sea breeze all over your body. You reached the cliff and took a deep breath standing on the edge. You looked over the sea the sun was setting with a golden and orange hue spread across the horizon. It was enchanting. Suddenly some ideas started coming in your head so you took out your notebook and started scribbling on it.

 "What'cha writing?" You were startled by the question you looked back to see Tom climbing the cliff towards you

 "What came to push me down the cliff?" You asked sarcastically

 He rolled his eyes "no seriously what are you writing?"

 "It's none of your business "

 "Come on you can tell me about your new song"

 "I can but first tell me what happens in Avengers 5?"

 Tom shook his head and laughed

 "What?! I'm serious I really can't wait for the movie. Are you bringing back Tony Stark or not. I still cry watching endgame."

"Marvel still doesn't trust me so can't say" he laughed as he took a deep breath and said "I really like this place".

 "Yeah me too"

 "I'm really happy that you came Y/N everyone missed you for the past years"

"And what about you?"

 "Yeah I also did a little." You both smiled.

 You are still confused at what Tom is trying to do. A few moments ago he was being all so mean and rude to you that you were almost about to have a breakdown and now he is here telling you that he missed you. What game are you trying to play with my mind Holland you thought.

You were looking away as Tom stole a glance of you. He really felt guilty, he wanted to apologize for his behavior but showing his anger towards you he thought was the only way to stay far from you. He had a lot of things to say to you but didn't know how to say he missed the time when he could say you everything without any hesitation but now things seemed very complicated for both of you.

 "By the way you look beautiful with long hair. It suits you. "

 You felt a warmth rising in your cheeks as you blushed. You tucked in the stray hair strands flying in the sea breeze behind your ear.

"Umm thanks you look handsome too as always." You smiled awkwardly

 Both looked at each other for a moment then you broke the silence "umm okay then I think I should get going see you around"

 "Yeah sure" Tom nodded

 You turned to go as Tom called you "Y/N! I'm really happy for you. I really am."

 You turned and smiled softly "the feeling is mutual Holland".

Taglists: to be added send a message or ask I'll be happy to add you in the following chapters.

@sophs-library​ @sleepybesson​ @spideyparkerstark​ @itstaskeen​ @milli86​

 @astridcommings

[eleanor-devil]

Boruto: Sacrifices [Remade] | Chap.15 - Coping with the Pain

Written by: Eleanor-Devil & @mirage-05​​

Prologue | Chap.1 | Chap.2 | Chap.3 | Chap.4 | Chap.5 | Chap.6 | Chap.7 | Chap.8 | Chap.9 | Chap. 10 | Chap.11 | Chap.12 | Chap.13 | Chap.14 | Chap.15 - You’re here

Boruto watched as a pair of curious blue eyes slowly rose up to the level of his gaze, and tried not to sigh at the seventh attempt of Himawari to cheer him up. Giggling quietly and closing her eyes for a moment, his sister brought her hands to the sides of her face and stretched her cheeks while sticking her tongue out, making a face that would've been cute or funny in any other circumstances. As she studied his unchanged expression, a huge pout came onto Himawari's features. "Aw come on! This was different - I worked on it, too, y'know!" In any other circumstances, as in if he was just back from a mission and was only really tired... he would still have attempted to put on a smile and try to encourage her, by telling her something like, "Way to go, squirt, I will teach you better next time." but... It felt like his mind wasn't entirely here right now. Which, to tell the truth... it wasn't.

Seeing that he still didn't give any reaction, the look on her face saddened. "Onii-chan... I know you are sad about those jerks, and I am too..." Boruto closed his eyes, this wasn't the best topic... "But you know what?" she perked up. "Next time we will beat them up together. And show Mitsu-nii how we want him he-" "It's alright, Himawari." the blond finally cut in, it was becoming harder to keep his control. "I-I'm just tired, okay? We will talk tomorrow." This resulted in her heaving a very deep sigh. "Alright, alright. But I'm not giving up until you begin smiling again." She got up and was about to turn back when Boruto suddenly leaned forward and pulled her in a hug. He had caught her by surprise, but she was quick to return it, and the older brother held on for dear life. He didn't bother telling her that he probably wouldn't be smiling for a long time. "You don't have to thank me for that," she said with a big grin when he finally let her go. "Good night, onii-chan." "Good night, Himawari." Boruto whispered. As she walked out, he finally gave in and lied down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. When that got old, he turned to his left and pulled his knees to my chest, trying to forget... to not think of anything... It had not been long, presumably, since he and Sarada were dragged out of the hospital, maybe a few hours if he had to guess... But it seemed so much longer... [Flashback] "Excuse me... papa... I don't think I really understand you..." Sarada whispered, her eyes wide, her expression that of shock... "I am here to take both of you home." Sasuke, on the other hand, was the perfect image of stoic calmness, his tone matter-of-fact, his eyes unrelenting. There was a moment of silence. "Over my dead body!" Boruto snapped finally, fists clenched and looking very... very furious. The older Uchiha turned to him with a frown. "There is no need to be dramatic." "Stuff it, uncle Sasuke, I'm not going anywhere!" the blond continued, not bothering to keep his voice down at all. "We can't leave him!" Sarada backed him up, but she was more collected, more like she was trying to reason with her father. "We promised... We are not gonna make him feel like he was abandoned again!" "But sweetie..." Sakura said with a sad expression. "You can't keep staying at the hospital." "Yes we can!" It was the first time the pink haired medic had seen such stubbornness in her daughter. "Who says otherwise?" "The hospital rules." "To hell with the rules!" "Boruto." Sasuke's voice had taken on a very dangerous tone. "You are not going to talk to me like this." "I can talk however I want! I'm not going anywhere! And I would love to see you force me to leave!!" ... Uzumaki Boruto had one thing to admit: he had a big mouth. That did not mean that he was going to give up easily, though. Of course, it was no trouble at all for the Uchihas to grab the two pre-teens and head out. Naturally, aunt Sakura was gentler with it, so even though it took about twenty minutes to finally persuade her, Sarada was relatively calm while being led out by her mother. On the other hand... "Let me go! I said let. me. GO, you shitty old man!!" Sasuke didn't say anything or give any reaction, he just kept dragging the blond behind him. Coming to the realization that digging his feet on the ground or tucking back as hard as he could wasn't going to help, Boruto looked his master up and down and found the perfect spot. It was not the pain of the kick (though it had been a hard one) that made the Uchiha stop - he had felt much worse in his time - it was the abruptness of it. He closed his eyes for a moment as if praying for patience before he turned back and knelt to the level of Boruto's eyesight. "Serves you right, 'ttebasa," the blond said spitefully. "We can do this the easy or the hard way." The threat was not light. "You are gonna have to cooperate." "Or what?" "Or you can enjoy your time out here. It's getting cold." He looked up at his wife, who sighed inaudibly. "I can't allow you back into the building, Boruto." "Fine. Leave me here for all I care." Jerking his arm away from the black haired man, Boruto slumped on the floor, crossing his legs and arms. "I'm not going anywhere until he wakes up." [End of Flashback] He must have fallen asleep, because he didn't remember how he was brought here. And he had refused to talk to anyone after that. Boruto felt his gaze blur... He failed in his promise to be by his side at any costs. And here he was, forced to stay in his room while he didn't know what was going to happen in the next second... He was indeed such a good friend. ... Naruto looked up as he heard the door open. "Everything in order?" he asked in a tired voice which lacked the usual carefree tone he would normally etch in it. Hinata gave a small smile. "Yes... they both went to sleep." She stopped for a moment then, and her gaze drifted to the floor. "I just wish there was a way Boruto's sleep wouldn't be disturbed..." The man sighed. "Yeah... me too..." There was the sound of quiet footsteps and a shift on the bed as someone sat down on it. The blond then felt gentle hands placed on his shoulders. "Naruto, are you going to be alright...?" Hinata whispered sadly, squeezing his shoulders a little. At that, he closed his eyes, not sure how to answer for a moment. Then he nodded. "Yes... yes, I will manage..." ... 'Dammit... please make it in time...!' the Hokage thought frantically, the horrific phrases ringing in his ears. He was trying to block out the terrible images rushing to his mind, to keep his focus, but it was hard. How low can someone get to attack a child...? To even go ahead and murder him in cold blood...? He noticed that suddenly, he didn't hear any of the others with him, and felt actually glad for that. As long as they were safe... as long as there weren't two more kids he needs to worry about... He couldn't lose focus, then he will have a better chance of saving Mitsuki before it was too late. His blue eyes widened in surprise when he saw what looked like a figure being thrown against a tree. A small figure, he was almost sure it wasn't an adult... but then his sensors hit up and he felt it... Mitsuki's chakra! It was him! Frown deepening and teeth gritting, the Hokage quickened his pace to step in front of the fallen and hurt child before whoever was attacking him decided to strike again. And strike he did, the tall black haired bastard, he had a kunai, a special long, extra sharp kunai held out in front of him as he approached the hokage and the child. Yelling out of pure frustration, Naruto grabbed the man's arm, squeezing it hard enough that he was sure the man's bones were breaking. Then he raised him up like he was a rag doll and threw him against a tree, just like what he did to Mitsuki, and heard a satisfying crunch which probably meant at least fractures. He then rushed to Mitsuki, only to see another, blond man, one he was sure he didn't see before, by his side, raising his foot as if to kick the fallen child. The hokage was seeing red by that time. He took the man down in no time at all, his rage burning. Mitsuki, who was trying to hold the pain back, slowly raised his head to see why no one else attacked him more. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw that it was no one else than the Hokage. He was there... he had gotten his message! In less than a second, the young blue haired boy felt himself being picked up, held tightly and safe in the arms of a warm presence. For a moment, Mitsuki closed his eyes, as in taking in the safe figure... he felt safe... then he opened them and looked up at the Hokage. "Lord Hokage..." he murmured. The Hokage's fierce expression turned into a soft one as he looked at the brave, brave young boy in his arms. He closed his eyes for a second, letting the healing chakra flow through and beyond him, engulfing Mitsuki. He heard the boy gasp and opened his eyes with a smile, looking into the widened golden orbs. "That's right," he said in a gentle tone. "My time to protect the family after all. You are not alone..." Mitsuki felt his throat and eyes burn. His heart ached and seemed to skip a beat. The Hokage's warm presence was doing more than just healing him... it was reassuring his heart that he hadn't realized had been emotionally damaged during that fight. "T-Thank you..." a tear rolled down his cheek. Naruto felt saddened as he saw the tear falling down on the boy's cheek, wondering the extent to which the people had hurt Mitsuki... the ninjas, the people in Konoha... He felt his compassion growing up inside, knowing only too well what the boy had gone through, regretting each second he had lost to act upon the villagers' hatred... "Mitsuki..." he said, his voice tight. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to stop this... You are needed, wanted in Konoha... You are important to us, too." "I can't..." the child started. "I can't be needed in a place... where I can't even protect the people important to me..." He thought of Boruto and how he had gotten hurt trying to defend him... And once again, the Hokage was stunned by how this child carried such a burden on his shoulders. Was this really how he defined his place in the village...? This was too heavy, too cruel for just a boy his age... "Mitsuki..." he began. "Sometimes, you should let yourself be protected, too. You truly belong in Konoha, no less important than anyone." The child bit his lip. He didn't know how to counter that... how to convince the Hokage that as long as he stayed in Konoha, things would never be the same... But before he could even open his mouth to answer... Something caught his eye. The blond man with the lightning blade, aiming it at the Hokage's back... It all happened way too fast. Before Naruto could even register Mitsuki's breathing becoming hitched, his eyes widening as he looked at some point behind his back, the child yelled, "Lord Seventh!!" and suddenly, he wasn't in his arms anymore. The Hokage turned around frantically... Just in time to catch the boy falling back... And a huge blade sizzling with lightning cutting through right where his heart is... Naruto's eyes widened as he stared at the blue haired boy, realizing then that... If it wasn't for Mitsuki... that blade would go through him... Blood... huge amounts of blood escaped through the young boy's lips as he coughed and tried to breathe... but... it was so hard... He tried to say something but the words failed to come out, like they were stuck in his throat... "I..." that was all he managed to say. "No... no, no, no..." The light of the blade was fading, just like the light in the boy's eyes... Seeing him struggling to breathe, trembling with the pain that was too much, Naruto tried to hold back his emotions as he called forth his healing chakra again, he had to save the child! "Stay with me..." he mumbled, almost pleading, concentrating... It didn't work... "No..." the Hokage tried once again, why - how could the damn thing not work?! "Boruto..." Mitsuki murmured before coughing more blood, his throat hurt so much, joining the pain in his chest. "Sorry... tell him... I'm... s-sorry..." The memory of his best friend and the promise he was about to fail to fulfill... made another tear roll down his eyes. Naruto was close to losing it altogether, his breathing was hitched, his eyes burning as tears of his own threatened to fall when he saw the boy shed another tear... "No, you will tell Boruto yourself, you'll make it..." his words jumbled together as he watched the boy's chest moving slowly. Mentally cursing, he tried to call for the chakra once again... This time, the chakra came back to him, only too slowly... He gritted his teeth, willing, forcing his powers to come back... Just when the red chakra burned brightly around him, he saw Mitsuki's chest stop moving altogether, and watched, his blue eyes widened and horrified, as the boy's head fell down to a side... He couldn't do anything... shocked into immobility as everything around them came to a standstill... No voices, no light, no nothing... Naruto gathered the child's body in his arms gently, as if afraid to hurt him even more, his hands shaking as he looked at his now lifeless face... "That was my responsibility..." he whispered, his voice broken and tight. He drew Mitsuki even closer to his chest, leaning forward as tears started falling down to his cheeks... ... The scene changed too quickly, before he knew, Naruto was no longer in the forest and neither was Mitsuki's bloody body leaning against his chest. But he was still in the same position. Kneeling. Slowly he rose and looked around... white... he was at the hospital... ‘Mitsuki...!' the Hokage snapped out of his thoughts about the boy when he heard the door next to him clicking open. From there came out a familiar figure. Sakura... But she had the saddest and reddest face he had ever seen... She had been crying, and not just a little. Before he had even registered what he was doing... As if it was not his mind that controlled his body but something else, he rushed towards her, although he almost tumbled down. 'No, no, no...!' A frantic voice was screaming in his head, fogging any coherent thought. "Sakura-chan..." He mumbled, his voice tiny, so much so that he didn't know if she heard him. Sakura broke into a fit of new sobs, bringing her hands to her mouth, large tears splattering on them. Naruto didn't dare raise his head to look into the room... "He... His heart couldn't take any more..." He heard Sakura's voice, as if from too far away. She shook her head, she herself was still having a hard time believing the reality of what was happening but she had to bring herself to act like the medical ninja she was. So trying, hard, to control her sobs and tears, Sakura lowered her hand before speaking. "I'm sorry, Naruto..." she said. "Let's... let's just hope he is in a better place..." This... this was too much... It couldn't be...! Naruto walked right past Sakura, striding into the room, coming to a sudden stop... Everyone was there... The child was lying peacefully on the bed, free of the machines that connected him to this reality, to them... The hokage just watched, forgetting how to even breathe, how Hinata tried to pry Boruto away from the bed... His son was a complete wreck, he had been crying so hard that his eyes weren't even visible, shaking with the continuous sobs... And the young Uchiha, also crying and hiding most of her little body in her father's cloak... Sasuke was completely in silence and had his arm simply wrapped around his daughter's frame. Naruto watched, in horror and denial, how Tsunade slowly pulled up the white blanket until it covered Mitsuki's serene face... That... was the final blow... Naruto fell on his knees once again, his head bowing low as he started to softly cry himself, engulfed in the pain and sorrow of... losing... a child... How... How couldn't he stop this...? How could he let that happen...? "Lord Seventh..." He heard a soft voice whisper, and his head immediately perked up... They were no longer in the hospital. He didn't even know where they were... Everything, anything his eye could see to the horizon, was pure white... Mitsuki was standing right in front of him, a soft smile on his face. Naruto gasped as he raised a hand to touch the kid's shoulder... His hand went right through... He saw Mitsuki keep his soft smile as he shook his head. Silently telling the Hokage that he was nothing but... a spirit... "Lord Seventh..." his voice echoed through the space. "I have to go but... first... I want to thank you. For giving me a chance to live in your village... for allowing me to become a ninja... for allowing me to understand what friendship is and..." He closed his eyes and the smile widened. "For giving me a second family..." Naruto brought his hand over his mouth, tears fell down his face, and he actually felt himself trembling a little. "Don't thank me..." he whispered, his voice tight with the sobs. "I don't deserve it... I couldn't save you... You did nothing but love and protect the village and in return... All we caused you was grief and pain..." "I don't blame you or anyone." Mitsuki answered. "This was what destiny set it for me, it was my decision to leave and protect the village..." He sat in front of the Hokage. "Please...tell Boruto that I'm sorry for not keeping our promise... and don't let him grieve over me forever, he has to continue with life." "Mitsuki..." He was at a loss of words. The child was so honest, so pure that he felt the reality of this being the last time he would be seeing him was tearing him apart... "Be at peace..." He whispered brokenly, gazing at the child with a sad, sad look. "I will make sure Boruto moves on..." Somehow, he added in his mind, because he wasn't even sure how he himself was going to do just that. Mitsuki gave him one last, kind smile before his whole figure started becoming more and more transparent, until it vanished like thin air. He closed his eyes... Letting his agony take over as he wrapped his arms around his own body, just staying there and... existing... ... The man sat upright as his eyes opened to a darkened room. His breathing was hitched, and it took a while for him to understand someone was calling his name. "Naruto...!" he turned to his left and as his eyes adjusted, saw his wife watching him with a very worried expression. No words were needed between them - although Naruto didn't tell her about it, it wasn't hard for the woman to understand what was troubling her husband's sleep. The blond snuggled closer to Hinata and laid his head on her shoulder, and Hinata hugged him from around his waist. Naruto closed his eyes and felt tear after tear falling from them. Now that they were surrounded by concealing darkness, now that he didn't have to maintain a tough stance in front of the children or the villagers... he didn't hold back. Moments passed in silence, Hinata didn't say anything, she was just caressing his hair, letting him know that she was here... "I saw that I saved him..." she heard a mumble then, and she shifted only very slightly to look at him. "...that I was there in time..." His wife's hold tightened a little more with that. "But as soon as I save him, he... he..." He trailed away, closing his eyes tight as the images replayed in his head. "A Hokage is supposed to protect his people... It's not supposed to be the other way around... Especially not a child..." Silent sobs started rocking his body. He felt like he was rendered helpless once again, something he had not felt in a very long time, maybe not even since childhood... Hinata placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, closing her eyes. "Naruto..." she mused softly, brokenly. "...is there anything I can do to make you feel better...?" "Just... just hold me close..." the blond whispered, and Hinata did so, laying her chin on top of his head, allowing him to just wash the remnants of the nightmare away... ... She wasn't really sure of how much time had passed. She had stopped caring some time ago, a long time ago... She wasn't sure. The only thing she knew was that it was dark outside. When they came back from the hospital... The sky was a lighter shade, so yeah... it should've been a while. She didn't remember what she had been doing during that time. So Sarada just sat there, her back to her wall, knees pulled up to herself, staring at her toes, and trying not to remember, well... anything. The deep silence was broken when the bedroom door opened, revealing her father's tall figure. "Sarada..." he called, but got no answer from the girl. Sasuke sighed inaudibly, this had been going on for a while... And the scariest part of all of it was that he didn't know - he practically had no idea how to comfort his little princess. So instead of feelings, he decided to tread on safe waters - facts. "It's late." He said in his usual matter-of-fact tone, with worry tinting it. "You need to go to sleep." "I can't..." she murmured. "If I sleep I will just..." she gulped before continuing. "I will just see him... dying..." Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment when he heard his daughter's barely audible voice. Her words had triggered unwelcome memories from his past. How many times did he skip sleeping just so he wouldn't see Itachi's last smile plastered in front of his eyes...? Or scream loud enough so he wouldn't have to hear his voice...? Opening his eyes he walked into the room and sat on Sarada's bed. She didn't give any reaction. "I don't know much about that child..." he began, then paused for a moment. His next words were what he had been telling himself over the many decades. "He fought bravely to make sure we can sleep peacefully for another night. Don't let that be for nothing." Sarada didn't react for a moment... She closed her eyes before shaking her head... first slowly and then furiously. "No..." she murmured, at first it wasn't audible to Sasuke. "No, no, no I don't want him to be brave, I just want him to come back...!" She raised her head with widened, sad eyes. It made the Uchiha lose his voice for a moment, he didn't know what to tell her. So... he just scooted closer to her and pulled her in a hug, it would be what Sakura would do... "He is stubborn... and let's thank your mother's stubbornness too... it was a close call but... she won." "I..." Sarada closed her eyes for a moment, trying to control her shaking, but... it was no use... She snuggled closer to her father before opening her eyes, a distant look in the onyx orbs. "...I wish she was there from the beginning... What good was I...?" Her hands curled, her nails biting into her dad's arm. "Maybe it wouldn't have turned out this bad... I was useless... I did everything I could think of but in the end... I was useless..." Another tremor went through her body and she gulped, trying to not lose control. "Sarada..." he started. "It was destined to be this way... whether your mother had been there from the beginning or not..." He wasn't sure if he had chosen the right words to comfort her... he was trying but Sakura had always been better at this kind of stuff... "But you were not useless..." "I could've stopped this before it got this far... before he decided to leave the village..." It was as if she didn't hear Sasuke, her voice was almost a monotone. "When we found him... I-I was so shaken, I wasn't really concentrating... A-and w-when his h-heart st..." Her voice trailed off, she was breathless by now. "I... I just can't shake it off papa.... Nothing I did worked..." He didn't know what else to say... she was clearly suffering and he had no idea how to comfort her. What else could he do? What else could he say? "Sarada..." he started... but didn't finish. He just didn't know... "He is stubborn, you'll see..." "But what if he doesn't?! What if he never wakes up?!" Instinct took over as the man put his hand on the girl's head and started stroking her hair, trying to calm her down, even if for a little. "Have some faith in him..." Before he knew it, his voice was soft... possibly softer than it had ever been. "He managed to come back even when it was... almost beyond your mother's control..." And that was when she just stopped... everything around her stopped... as her eyes widened in shock... She felt her throat getting dry, losing her voice... her chest tightening... so hard that she put her hand over it, trying to regain control of her emotions... She didn't know... how close it had been... Sasuke immediately realized something was very, very wrong when he felt her daughter stiffening in his arms. Every cell in his body went into full alarm mode as he looked at Sarada, only to see her widened, frightened eyes. "Sarada?" "Papa, I..." Her words came out in a gasp, and she was clearly having difficulty in taking in another breath. "I-I can't breathe..." And he panicked, he really did. He put his arm on her shoulder and forced her to look at him. "Sarada look at me." She was shaking so badly now that her teeth were rattling. Images, voices, their first mission, the first time they went to hang out as a team, even their first interaction when she was at the cafe with Chocho... they all swam in her head, blurring her vision, making her gasps even more painful... Had they really... really been so close to lose all these...? When she heard him, she tried to use her father's voice as an anchor and tried to focus on him, hard as it was... "Sarada... are you okay?" Sasuke asked slowly, making sure his daughter was back on her senses... he was glad to see her eyes move back to him... "We... we... n-nearly lost him... for real... forever..." she still wasn't making sense... "But he fought his way back." Sasuke said seriously, looking deeply in her eyes, just making sure he held her right there. "He is a strong boy. He won't give up." If he was anything like his father, he thought to himself with an inner smile, that word probably didn't even exist in his vocabulary. Sarada took a couple of deep breaths, she was coming back to herself... slowly... "He... he is... he is strong..." she mumbled. Sasuke nodded. "He is... and he'll be fine, you'll see." Sarada snuggled closer to her father as she felt herself getting calmer. She felt tears starting to stain her cheeks, tears she didn't realize she was holding back... She didn't bother to stop them. "Papa... Stay with me, please..." Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment and touched his lips gently atop her head. "Always..." He watched his princess crying herself to sleep silently, caressing her hair... ... They had been running away... yet again. Honestly, this was beginning to become a habit. "Got your back, Boruto," he heard Mitsuki call. He tried not to roll his eyes at the prospect of just how ridiculously easy the assignment initially was. It was supposed to be a C-rank, they were gonna re-claim (or re-steal, in Boruto's words) a huge sum of money that was stolen by thugs from a wealthy landlord from the land of fire. These weren't ninjas they were dealing with, so it shouldn't even be a sweat - but apparently, one of the thugs was a really talented fighter who was also quick with his sword work. So they had to act quicker - basically distract the guy while Sarada took the money. Getting to lose the guy was easier said than done, though. "This calls for drastic measures," Boruto shouted, and Mitsuki's eyes widened when he noticed the hand signs. "Not that jutsu?" "Yes that jutsu!" Boruto answered curtly before crying out. "Oiroke no jutsu!" Mitsuki shrugged then, and quickly completed the combination. 'I don’t really care anyway,' he thought inwardly before shouting out loud. "Oiroke no jutsu!" Then he noticed where they were headed. "Bonita, look out!" he cried in a high-pitched, feminine voice. He didn't know whether it was his warning or the very-suddenly-made-up name that stopped his friend, but they came to a sudden halt in front of the famed waterfall of Konoha. "Bonita?" Boruto turned to look at him. "Seriously?" Then he stopped and a grin appeared on his face. "Hey, nice body. For the team's baby, that is." "Not bad yourself." Mitsuki said with a smirk, raising an eyebrow. They both turned back as they heard the bushes behind them rustle and the fighter stepped out of it. "Why you little..." The man stopped in his tracks. "Ladies?" he asked in a weird tone of voice, which was leagues away from what it was a minute ago. 'Ugh...' Boruto groaned inwardly while trying to keep a straight face. "Wow, gosh, isn't it such a very hot day?" he chimed in what he hoped was an acceptable imitation of Mitsuki's former squeal. "Oooh, it is," the man said, his grin widening. "Scorching, if you know what I mean..." 'Great,' Mitsuki thought as he resisted the urge to face palm. Of course, Boruto just had to say that. "What is it that you are looking for, dear sir?" The man immediately went back into business mode - or at least he tried to. "Two boys, one blond, one blue-haired. About this tall." He pointed with his hand to somewhere close to his waist. "Hey! I'm not that short!" Boruto shouted, at which point Mitsuki rammed his elbow into his ribs. "What?" the man asked, confused. "What h-she wanted to say is, yes, we did see two boys matching your description, just maybe they were a bit taller. I think they went that way, right, Bonbon-chan?" "Alright, this is too much. You don't see me calling you Mimi-kun, do you?" "Ah, but I thought you liked the name, especially that time when-" "What the hell is going on?" the man asked, even more baffled now. "Yeah, y'know what, you, Mimi, my friend, you are going down!" "Oh, please, Bonbon-chan, bring it on." Boruto never realized that he accidentally let go of the jutsu as he and Mitsuki jumped on each other - at least not until they heard the man let out an angry roar. "Why, you little critters, I'm gonna chop you to pieces!" Boruto saw his friend quickly eyeing their surroundings before yelling "Jump!" and put a hand to his chest to shove him back. 'Jump?' He lost his balance when he reached the edge of the cliff, flailed his arms wildly for a bit, then both him and Mitsuki tumbled down. ... It was exhilarating! Boruto couldn't help but scream in excitement as they fell down some meters below into the river. The chilling water cut his breath on impact and for a while, stars danced in front of his eyes. Then he kicked up and burst through the surface, laughing joyously. "Haha, that was priceless, don't you agree?" There were no replies. Confused more than concerned, Boruto looked around. Where was Mitsuki? They had both jumped in... didn't they? Fear hit him at the possibility, and he immediately looked up... to see the clear blue sky from a minute ago completely changed into dark, grey and navy colored clouds, and they were closing in. A storm making its way through them. "Mitsuki!" he shouted, or he thought he had, but no sound came out. He gasped in shock, bringing his hand to his throat, but still nothing. Actually, it was eerily, completely silent. No one was atop the cliff. No one was around the shore. To think about it... he couldn't see the shore at all. The dull greyness seemed to stretch on forever, and it frankly freaked Boruto out. Alright, they had fallen to the water... Did Mitsuki not resurface? Was it even possible that he had been holding his breath for this long? Was it natural? He didn't wait any longer to ponder on that as he dived back in, the coldness of the water again bit at him, but this time, he didn't give it much care. Strangely, it was clearer underwater than it was above. It was still empty, but at least the blond could see clearer. "Mitsuki!" he called once again, and he heard his frightened voice rang through the oblivion. For some reason, he found it oddly comforting to be able to hear his own voice. There weren't any signs of his friend yet, and Boruto was slowly going into full panic-mode. This... this wasn't the way this mission was supposed to go, right? There was another outcome, this wasn't real... right? Maybe he was dreaming? He broke through the surface once again, his lungs rejoicing in the fresh air once again filling them. He brought his hand to his forehead to pull back some of his hair falling into his eyes and then looked up... Red. He gasped as he turned around, and found a trail of red... A long, thin trail... An ugly color that didn't belong... He began swimming as fast as he could, following the trail, but it was as if he was swimming through tar, he was too slow... Too late... A lightning flashed high above, and Boruto almost came to a halt as an image flashed through his mind... ... The... hospital...? The first person that registered was Sarada. Of course it had to be her, he would've noticed her anywhere, whether it be a lonely room or a crowded out place. She was... she was huddled on a bench, as far away from the crowd gathered in front of the glass window of the room as possible, in a fetus position, hugging her knees, trembling from head to toe. Was she... Crying...? Dread gripped his heart as he was forced to look away from her to the people gathered and recognized them one by one... His father holding his mother in his arms, tears sliding down both their faces, his mother couldn't even look up, while Naruto seemed like he couldn't take his eyes off. He seemed to age on that very spot as he watched from behind the glass with a grief-stricken face. Lastly... he watched as Orochimaru's pale fingers grip the glass frame so hard that his knuckles turned white. His face could be regarded as emotionless from anyone else's point of view, but the blond saw deep lines of sorrow etched into the sannin's face. The next thing he knew, Boruto had pressed himself to the glass, the cold fear in his heart threatening to make it come to a stop. Sakura had bent over the bed. As she shifted slightly to kiss the person on the forehead, sobbing quietly but hardly, Boruto saw through her arm a glimpse of light blue hair, and his friend's... his best friend's pale, deathly pale skin... ... "No..." Boruto gasped, out of breath as he tried to reach the place where the red was much thicker, and a tear rolled down his cheek. The cold pressed down on him, making his movements that much slower, but he kicked stubbornly, trying to make it over there faster. Another lightning flashed... ... It was a rainy day. It was kind of like an unspoken tradition in the leaf village that whenever there was a sad event, like a funeral, there was rain. It felt so surreal, so out of place that he got to be standing here, in his black mourning clothes. It didn't feel like he was attending the last service of a friend, a very close friend, rather for a stranger. Because... this didn't happen... this couldn't happen, right? He took in his surroundings, looking at the faces of everyone gathered one by one. He realized he didn't know just how many people lived in Konoha - the place was practically overcrowded. From what he could see through the misty haze, guilt and grief ruled many, if not all of the expressions. He remembered how furious he was towards them when some of them wanted Mitsuki gone, the way they harassed him... But now he couldn't bring himself to feel that way. His friend wouldn't have wanted that. "He harbored a kind, unbreakable heart." his dad's words echoed back to him, like Naruto was standing at the end of a long tunnel. "He was just a child, yet he didn't hesitate to sacrifice his life for the village's safety. So here on this day, when we gather to honor him, I would like to say this... Mitsuki... this village shall never forget what you did, and we will not let your sacrifice be in vain." Naruto leaned forward to put a single white carnation on the coffin. That was then that Boruto saw the picture standing on the altar. It was when he looked at his friend's pale golden eyes, the eyes which would only look through lifeless photos from now on, that it started. His own tears mixed with the rain as he walked forward to put the red carnation he was holding on the coffin. ... "MITSUKI!!!" Boruto screamed, turning around himself wildly, still not having seen his friend, his breath coming strained as rising panic brought him to near hysteria. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shape in the middle of all that ugly red color. Any and all kinds of thoughts erased from his mind as he hastily swam there. Mitsuki was lying on his back on the water's surface, his body relaxed, his head tilted to one side. He could easily have been sleeping if not for the blood oozing from the several wounds across his body, and the fact that... his chest... was not moving at all... "Mitsu... ki...?" the blond whimpered, too shocked by the sight to utter anything else. He tried to lift his hands, to grab hold of him, to just be able to... do something... But his hands limply dropped to his sides as he just stared at the blue-haired boy, too terrified... ... He didn't know just how much time had passed. Could've been days, weeks, months... Years... Or merely hours. He didn't care. Time has lost its meaning for him, really. He was standing in front of the K.I.A. monument. Like he had been doing so many times in the passing time. For some reason he was yet to understand, being here was actually... calming. He didn't know how to explain. Maybe he was content that he was returning to his friend after each mission. Or maybe... the place where it all ended. The setting sun shone on Mitsuki's name, although he didn't need the emphasis. His eyes were already glued to it, maybe a little selfishly ignoring the others. A bitter smile crossed his lips as his friend's face came into his view. "We've missed you..." he whispered softly, tracing his fingers on the smiling kanji. ... Time regained its pace as movement returned to Boruto's muscles, and he leapt forward, grabbing and bringing Mitsuki's form closer. "Mitsuki!" he shouted, and tears came freely when his friend didn't respond in any form whatsoever. He desperately held the younger boy closer. "No! You're not gonna do this! You're not gonna do this to us, you idiot!" His head hung low as the silence continued, and he began sobbing. "Come back..." ... This was supposed to be his happiest day. And he was happy, too... in a way, he supposed. Finally marrying the woman of his dreams, the one who had accepted his hand in a life-long unity. But of course something... someone was missing... as surely as he did for the past decade. He tried to gulp as he gazed into the golden eyes of Mitsuki... in the photo. He sighed. "You know... I'm so angry with you right now. You were supposed to be the friggin' best man here. Do you have any idea how hard it was to get along with Shikadai, Inojin and Metal? Shikadai honestly didn't let me have a breath of fresh air." There was a moment of pause, and the look in his eyes saddened. "I did everything I know you would want me to go through... I lived my life... to the fullest. You were always there... somehow. And you will be here today, too." There was a knock on the door, and Himawari peeked in. "Onii-chan, we are ready..." She came to a halt as she understood what was keeping him... Boruto turned to face her with a small smile. "So am I. Hima... please take him to the reception." The young woman nodded mutely as she walked forward to take the frame in her arms... ... He didn't know how long he stayed there crying, but suddenly, very clearly, he heard his voice. "Boruto." His head immediately snapped up. They were no longer in the water. It was some dark place... Actually, he couldn't see anything... But his friend standing right in front of him. The blond gasped in shock, making Mitsuki smile a bit. "It's gonna be alright." the blue haired boy said, his voice barely above a whisper. He wasn't sure what he meant. The younger then put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you..." he said softly, and his smile turned into a full-on grin. "...for everything." And Boruto watched, horrified, as Mitsuki's form relaxed and he fell forward to him. The blond immediately held his friend, his eyes widening as the younger completely slacked against him, his head lying on his shoulder, blood all over his body... ... It was gonna be a sleepless night. Naruto had already conceded to it. He was on the window sill, looking outside, a haunted look in his eyes. He wondered how the kid was doing right now, if he was going to be able to see the light of the day, like they would... And for the countless time in the past two days, he wished Mitsuki had just overlooked the rogue nins and they faced them in Konoha. An ear-piercing scream coming from his oldest's room snapped him out of his trance-like state. He saw Hinata jolt up from the bed, immediately alert herself. "Boruto!" she gasped, and they were out of the room. Boruto's screams of agony rang throughout the house and it was really hard to listen to it. The pain in it was so much that it was almost as if he was physically hurt. It was enhanced by the fact that Boruto had never... ever let them see what he deemed as weakness - just a sign showing how he was really affected. When they reached the door of his room, they found out that Himawari was already there. "Onii-chan!" she was calling through the door, banging her small fists on it. "Onii-chan, what's wrong?" "Naruto, take her!" Hinata called to her husband, who gulped and nodded, grabbing Hima around her middle and carrying her away. Hinata then opened the door to his son's room and rushed inside. Boruto was thrashing around in his bed, the covers all tangled over his body, and he was screaming at the top of his lungs, although his eyes were still closed. Tears were streaming down his face as he whimpered, soaking the pillow and the bed sheet. "No! Please... Don't go... Don't leave us..." He sobbed hard, and continued to moan and cry in a soft voice. Hinata brought her hand to her mouth to contain her sobs, her heart breaking as she watched her son break down. After the initial shock, she walked over to his bed and sat down next to him, pulling her whimpering son close to her. "Ssh... It's gonna be okay, baby, ssh..." "Please come back...!" Boruto whispered once again, his hands reaching forward to reach out to his friend who was not there. ... Naruto laid Himawari down on her bed and sat down next to her as he looked into his daughter's widened, tear-filled eyes. "Papa... What's wrong with Onii-chan?" Hima asked in a tiny voice, clearly frightened. "I... I never heard him like that..." "I know, baby," Naruto sighed as he pulled her closer to him. "I know..."        

[lightaroundthecorner]

TROS - What did I even watch? Or how I lived to see the day Disney murdered a prince, left Cinderella alone in the desert, and hoped for the world to rejoice because it was “fun”?

Dear friends, I’ve been here for the spoilers and I’ve even talked with some of you. I went to watch the movie today, with 0 hope of anything except of seeing my baby Ben Solo and Adam’s fenomenal acting (and listening to some good John Williams). 

I knew it would be horrible, but as @nevernerdenoughblog said seeing it makes it even more. Like @clairen45 it felt so wrong. Should I rejoice with a Reylo kiss that Rey gave but seconds later didn’t even cry over Ben’s dead body? I refuse to acknowledge this characterization of Rey. She was the only one that ever believed in Ben Solo, she shipped herself to make him know he was loved and wanted and to help him. Where was this Rey in this movie?

I am sorry guys (especially for the tagging) but I need to write this out or it will eat me and you guys are the few ones that relate to my pain. You know what really hurt me the most in all this? Toxic masculinity disguised as feminism.

1) FAREWELL HEROINE’S JOURNEY

They trashed the Heroine’s Journey. They murdered it and spit in its face. JJ Abrams simply decided that the Heroine’s Journey (done in act 1/ep. VII and act 2/ep. VIII) was not cutting anymore and decided to send Rey on a Hero’s Journey (ep. IX only, new 1st, 2nd and 3rd act altogether), where she has become this almost toxic masculine fighter under Leia’s training  — Badass girl? Yes. Full of anger? Yes. Logical? Yes. Connected to anything? No, not even herself, she kept on the run, afraid. In search of the Jedi detachment? Yes. —, only to send her happilly off to a desert planet in the end of her journey and finishing with her alone talking with an old lady.

Which remind us of the start of TFA, meaning she has comeback to what? Luke didn’t even comeback to that “home” in Tatooine the end of his Hero’s Journey? So she went to a place of death to what? This is a slap on the face of the Heroine’s Journey. This is how toxic masculinity corrupts and interrupts the most uncomfortable (to psychologically unhealthy bystanders) and fundamental (to the woman herself) phase of Heroine’s Journey: You want love, family, a partnership, connection, nurturing or progeny? That is weak, it is foolish. You need to fight, to conquer, to take, take and take. Otherwise you won’t be strong or independent.

REALLY???????????

I AM CRYING! WHY? WHY? WHY? Daisy, are you really seriously satisfied with this ending? Because REY DESERVED BETTER. 

BTW, BEN SOLO DESERVED BETTER! The true feminist of this story DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER! ADAM DRIVER DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER! He always respect the director’s view, does his best to accomplish it and brings his best acting to the table. The only saving grace in the whole movie to me was Ben’s arc because 1) Adam was doing it and 2) He honored his character. Man he deserved so much better!!!!!

I’m not even going to repeat what everyone already said about where is George Lucas’ Fairytale Story, because you guys said it all. But I have a beef with Disney executive decisions:

2) WALT DISNEY - HOW I WISH WALT WAS ALIVE

Walt Disney. Much have been criticized concerning his choices to make HEA in fairytales. But what now? We find balance by wanting our children to grow up to be cynic and seeing the feminine as weak? Unhelpful? Bad? 

“Yo independent women! You need no prince even if you have one. He can compassionately and selfelessly die to save you because he loves you and you can go off, happily, to celebrate with your friends! You don’t mourn his body, oh no. You don’t tell him you love him. You forget him. You go be that cool lonely warrior.”

Excuse me but I can kick ass and have the romantic love life and children I want! I can have both! Because I am a human being and I deserve it. This is not a matter of being a men or women. This is a matter of balancing the feminine and masculine within.

But that is not just it. BEN SOLO DESERVED BETTER! WALT WOULD NEVER, EVER LET A CHARACTER THAT WENT THROUGH ABUSE AND SO MUCH PAIN DIE THE WAY BEN SOLO DID! Is that a Disney movie??????? I mean, what did I just watch????

Walt Disney, the man who promised P.L. Travers, upon knowing who Mr. Banks was to her (her deceased alcoholic father) and what Mary Poppins, her work, meant to her, said:

“George Banks and all he stands for will be saved. Maybe not in life, but in imagination. Because that is what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again and again.”

THAT IS WHAT STORYTELLERS DO! Like so many fanfic writers in this fandom @nite0wl29, @stargazer1116, @intp-slytherin97, @eleanor-writes-stuff, @postedbygaslight, @raven-maiden, and so many others!! Btw, thank you all!! My vacation starts tomorrow and I’m going to read again all your amazing fics to regain exactly that: HOPE!

What was TROS? Leia and Luke believing in the good in Rey? The whole Jedi Order believing in her? I have nothing against that but why didn’t they believe or help Ben too? Ben didn’t receive any of that love, WHY? What was wrong with him? What did he do?! He was the most selfless of souls, just like his Father and Grandmother. Is this vicntim blaming??? WHY DISNEY, LUCAS FILM and JJ ABRAMS, WHY?!

I used to think people were wrong when they said Disney was only doing SW for money. Because Walt Disney also said and lived by this rule:

“The important thing is the family. If you can keep the family together — and that’s the backbone of our whole business, catering to families — that is what we hope to do.”

SW is about family and I refuse to accept ep. IX as SW. It has all the make up of SW, but it lacks the heart and very essence of it.

As dear @eleanor-writes-stuff said, so much for criticizing Rian Johnson, only to consagrate his work. That man honored the storytelling art and I’ll be forever grateful to him for his touch in SW and for how his writing touched and changed my life. And I know Waltz would have approved too because he also said:

“I prefer to entertain people in the hope that they learn, rather than teach people in the hope they are entertained.”

3) PLOT? WHAT PLOT?

Leia’s feelings for Ben have remained ambiguous, you can both read her as someone who wants her baby boy dead (because her death allows Rey to stab Ben to death if she wants to, when Ben was never going to harm Rey) or not. Actions speak louder than words, and this was the movie when Leia would have the chance to assume the responsability for her mistakes and take action, instead of only claiming she believed her son was alive.

If she clearly wanted to reach Ben, was Maz’s words needed? No, they weren’t. It was exactly because Maz needed to voice it that proved Leia’s actions could be read as ambiguous. Again, actions speak louder than words. Her body only disappeared after Ben’s did too because what? She was expecting him to die so she could collect his soul?

I dearly love Leia’s character but LEIA DESERVED BETTER! CARRIE DESERVED BETTER! In the end I’m not sure what to make of the ST Leia. She could have helped Ben but clearly sent him away to Luke because? What?

Ben Solo get his redemption from his own 2 hands + his father’s memory (not force ghost) + Rey’s confession. In the end he becomes the bride of the monster, only to die right after, in a what? Plot twist?

Finn, who? That was so messed up! Rose? Poor Rose!!! Hux? Oh Hux deserved better too. I was glad to see that Poe matured though and grew in his arc.

I’m also mad and confused about other plot points:

Ben throws his bleeded kyber krystal away because of his father. Okay. Why did no one help him when he cried on the Force to crack his kyber and soul, but Luke Force Ghost appears to catch Rey throwing a lightsaber in an on fire tie fighter?

Rey would turn to the Dark side if she killed Palpatine, right? 5 minutes later she won’t turn to the Dark Side anymore even if she still kills him in anger? Just because the self righteous jedi chose to let Ben get thrown down the abysm by himself but Rey was the Chosen One?

Still on this topic, so she choses to give up her soul so Palpatine uses her body as the vessel of his soul and the legion of siths, in order to save her friends, but she won’t take Ben Solo’s hand, even if she claims she wants to + retaining her body, to do the same?

I think force bonds don’t make much of a difference anymore when one of the parts dies. Ben can die and Rey seems pretty okay?

INTERESTING FACT: Beside me there was a father with his 6 or 7 year old son. The child kept asking what was going on everytime the movie introduced any plot twists or too much information too quickly. When the Reylo kiss came on screen, you know what the kid said? “I told ya!” I wanted to cry when seconds later the boy was claiming now was Rey’s turn to bring Ben back. Children understand the Heroine’s Journey and it doesn’t scare them. It is beautiful like that. The father then had to try and explain to the boy that other things were going on and that no, “that guy was gone”. What have you done people?

4) EPISODE X

I must have a clown face. They lied to us about this movie being “The Rise of Skywalker”. Maybe they lied to us about this being the end of the saga? Considering JJ claims this is fun, happy and hopeful, yeah, I doubt they are making an episode X or ressurecting Ben Solo after throwing in the garbage the Heroine’s Journey. I vaguely remember Adam also said he wasn’t going to appear in another SW.

IF they do announce an ep. X, I’m not watching it unless Ryan or someone like him directs the movie.

I loved to see Han Solo’s memory helping his son. That man trully loved him and it is tragic that he screwed up as a father only because he thought he wasn’t enough to be a good one and that Leia and Luke would know better.

I also loved to see Ben Solo as his father son and grandchild to his grandmother and great grandmother. He was beautiful and I love him and he’ll be forever with me.

I liked the Reylo kiss... but Rey’s actions in this movie have affected me so that it doesn’t feel like they scrapped the surface of making justice to this that could have been the happiest and most balanced of all SW couples.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN EPIC. IT COULD HAVE BEEN GRAND. But it wasn’t.

I’ll forget TROS. YBTOTT is now canon to me, because it is a perfect 3rd act in this trilogy, and @postedbygaslight honors the Heroine’s Journey like few writers have the gut and courage to do. Thank you so much Wayne!

And if anyone had the patience to read this to the end, thank you. I feel it too guys, this was awful and horrible.

[fortunatelylori]

Next to being married, a girl likes to be crossed in love now and then

Thoughts on Sanditon finale

It is a truth universally acknowledged that you should never blog in anger. Last night’s Sanditon episode left the entire fandom in a state of uproar. Cancelations have been issued. Curses have been cast and tears have been shed … those were mostly mine, to be fair.

For once I decided not to start furiously typing just as the episode ended but wait out the inevitable momentary fury and return to the episode tonight for a second viewing. I have to thank @and-holly-goes-lightly and @kitten1618x for putting up with my temper tantrums late last night on private chat so all of you nice people wouldn’t have to endure my more volcanic outbursts. Being far more reasonable people than I, they pointed out the grayness in a sea of black and white and made me reconsider the episode.

In addition I would advise anyone to do a second viewing of the episode if you haven’t done so yet. Reason being that your first viewing of something that you are so deeply invested in will always be heated. I could hardly pay attention last night to the scenes I was watching because I was so desperate to get to the ending. On top of that, the reality of what you see on screen will fight with the theory you’ve already made in your head and more often than not you end up disliking canon not because it’s bad but because it’s not what you thought you were going to see.

That being said, after a thorough rewatch, I have to declare this episode as one of the finest finales to a season I’ve seen. I say finale to the season, not the series because as a series finale it would be more than a little disappointing. But if there is one silver lining to take from this episode is that we are getting a season 2. I just can’t see how we wouldn’t.

Now, nothing in life, has any business being perfect and this episode wasn’t either. So I will quickly list what I felt were the major flaws so we can proceed to the good stuff of which there is plenty.

Not sparkers of joy

The pacing and structure

It was somewhat rushed. Scenes jumped from one to the other without much preparation (particularly in the first half) and several things were not addressed. People have pointed to the fact that they did not include a Charlotte/Georgiana good-bye scene which I agree was a mistake. In addition, we were presented with a Georgiana and Arthur that were the best of friends even though in episode 7, Georgiana couldn’t stand him. That’s not to say they couldn’t reach this point but I expected to see that journey, not skip it.

Georgiana, on the whole, was odd. Aside from her rebuke of Sidney and conversation with Charlotte which were keeping in line with what she did in episode 7, the rest of her time on screen was perplexing. She was lively, dancing with everyone, huge smile on her face … this being the girl that refused to leave her bedroom a few days before. Again, not saying she couldn’t get to this stage but where did I see how she did that?!?

The whole Sidney/Eliza situation was resolved off screen which … why?!? First we weren’t given the scene of him sending her packing in ep 7 and now we have no idea how he turned that around to the extent that he got himself engaged to her and with the money to save Sanditon, all in a week.

I mean ok, I get that he’s got but ... OK, OK! He’s THAT hot!

There were other examples of shoddy storytelling but those stick out in my mind the most.

The sudden tone shift

The reason why I reacted so badly to the episode to start with was because for 7 hours I was led to believe this was a fluffy, cozy regency romance in the vein of Northanger Abbey or Emma. Sure, things happen to cause momentary sadness but it all gets resolved in the best way by the end of the episode.

Instead the Sanditon finale marked the tone shift from the fluffy to the angst. We are now firmly in Persuasion/Sense&Sensibility territory. It’s still Austen as I will explain below in more detail but I would have appreciated some warning that this is where we were heading.

The specifics of the cliffhanger

Now this is obviously personal preferences but I do have some issues with the manner in which they chose to separate Sidney and Charlotte. Having Sidney propose to Eliza in order to get the money to save Tom from prison does resolve several issues in a very expedient way: it forces the two young lovers apart; it creates angst and anticipation for the next season; it also allows for Charlotte and Sidney to both be victims of the separation and still desperately in love with each other and wanting to get married.

However, the cost is that Sidney is now in the position of doing to Charlotte exactly what Willoughby did to Marianne in Sense and Sensibility. Sidney is obviously not Willoughby and his motives are selfless. But his actions are a play by play of Willoughby’s betrayal: he pursues Charlotte, kisses her on the cliffs (substitute that for Willoughby taking a lock of Marianne’s hair), means to propose to her and then disappears, only to return engaged when a lack of money force him to choose between love and a fortune. 

He even makes a “I don’t love her” confession, similar to Willoughby’s scene with Eleanor. Of course, Sidney tells Charlotte that not to victimize himself like Willoughby but rather because he can’t bare the thought that Charlotte might think he’s done this because he doesn’t love her. But you can see how this kind of narrative choice can really negatively impact Sidney’s character. 

It’s sad that they chose this cliffhanger, particularly since they didn’t need to. I firmly believe that had they ended on a more hopefully note for Charlotte and Sidney we would have tuned in anyway for season 2. I wish they had had more confidence in their story and in their viewers.

But enough of the negative!

Sparks joy

Theme

I have to say that thematically, they hit this finale out of the park. The most important piece of dialogue in this whole episode occurs between Esther and Lady Denham:

Lady Denham: It is infinitely better to be loved than to love. Especially in a marriage.

Esther: You’re speaking from your own experience or someone else’s?

Lady Denham: My own. Not with my husband, of course. It was long before that. A man called Rowley. Some people said he was the handsomest man in all of Somerset. But to me he was the handsomest in the world. And he knew it!

Esther: What happened?

Lady Denham: He kept me dangling for a while. Trembling. Waiting for a look, for a smile, for a tender word … like one of his dogs. And then he up and married a girl from Gloucestershire, with 50.000. He had debts, of course. Couldn’t have afforded to marry me. Should have been obvious to me at the time but … you know what girls are.

May I just say that Anne Ried’s performance in this scene is a treasure trove of skill and emotion? You can just feel the longing and the sadness this story can still elicit from this seemingly cold matriarch. Lady Denham, like all our characters, is more than she seems. She starts off as a Lady Catherine de Bourgh clone and develops into one of the wisest, mot rational people in the show.

She gives Esther excellent advice and is compassionate when she realizes what Edward has been doing to her.

She also gives us our theme for the finale of Sanditon and perhaps of the whole show. Because her speech doesn’t just apply to Esther and her relationship to Edward. It applies to Georgiana’s heartbreak over Otis and Charlotte’s impeding heartbreak at the hands of Sidney. In even more general terms, it speaks to the heartbreak most Austen heroines experience at some point during her novels: 

Next to being married, a girl likes to be crossed in love a little now and then. It is something to think of, and gives her a sort of distinction among her companions - Pride and Prejudice

Her whole speech reminded me of what my mother told me the first time I broke up with someone I loved. She said: “No girl can pass through life without having her heart broken”.

The show telegraphs this home by having the Sidney/Charlotte cliff walk follow immediately after this scene.

We are so distracted by the innocent beauty of Sidney and Charlotte being in love and so mesmerized by their first kiss:

That we fail to take Lady Denham’s warning seriously. And, just like Charlotte, we end up paying the price for it

The Austenverse

Lady Denham also clues us in to where exactly we are within the Austenverse. Many people have claimed that episode 8 marked the moment this stopped being an Austen story because Austen novels always have happy endings:

My characters shall have, after a little trouble, all that they desire.

Did you think we were just going to skip the “little trouble”part? Sweet summer children! We���re at the moment where Elizabeth finds out Lydia has run off with Wickham and thinks she’s lost Darcy for good. We’re at the moment where Knightly reprimands Emma for treating Miss Bates poorly and leaves for London. We’re at the moment where Anne is forced to join her father in Bath and believes Fredrick will soon marry Louisa Musgrove.

And finally, and most pertinently since this is what Sanditon is trying to emulate, we’re at the moment where Edward’s engagement to Lucy Steele is made public and he and Eleanor say their final good-byes (supposedly).

Austen heroines are never spared heartache. But it is a depiction of heartache that is not gratuitous. It allows the characters to grow, to understand the true depth of their feelings and eventually to value the good fortune they have when it all turns out for the best in the end.

And no novel drives that point home more than Sense and Sensibility and Austen’s Eleanor character, the suffer in silence heroine who pretends she is fine, all the meanwhile dying on the inside. Kind of like this:

Honestly it shouldn’t surprise me that we’ve ended the season on this somber note. Sanditon visually owes a great deal to Davies’ Sense and Sensibility 2008 adaptation. That mini-series had a somewhat different feel to usual Austen productions, particularly in comparison to the 1995 Ang Lee film. It was darker, grittier and had a bit of a western feel to it than Sanditon reproduces to great effect, I think.

So it’s quite understandable, in retrospect, that Charlotte’s character arc would see her start off as a Marianne type character (open, romantic and impulsive) and slowly turn her into Eleanor by the end of the season.

In order to make that transition complete, a lot was asked of Rose Williams and she manages to convey the transformation in one breathtaking shot:

I am deeply, deeply impressed with her acting in this episode, and particularly in this scene. You can literally feel her heart breaking and see the mask that will dominate in the church scene fall into place.

Which brings us to Sidney …

I’ve said it a million times and I can’t help but say it again: Theo James OWNS this character. I don’t know if he simply hasn’t gotten the proper material in his career until now or if there’s something special about Sidney that resonates with him but his acting is so spot on that even when Sidney breaks Charlotte’s heart, behaving like Willoughby as I’ve said, you can’t hate him.

Not when he is the same man who gets chocked up as he tries to propose to Charlotte:

Not when he’s the man who tells her this:

Sidney: I have never wanted to put myself in someone else’s power before. I never wanted to care for anyone but myself.

And not when, with just one look, Theo James is able to convey Sidney’s despair and pain. How can you hate him when he’s clearly breaking himself into tiny pieces over giving Charlotte up?

And how the hell can you hate him when you can hate … this clown instead?

Oh, sorry I meant …

Words cannot describe how much I loathe Tom Parker. Well actually, my new fictional mum comes close to enunciating our common and general distaste:

Lady Denham: I will see you in the debtors prison! I will see you in the poor house! Where are your promises now? Dust and ashes! You might as well have lost my money at the gaming tables! You despicable man!

If only Lady D would have been allowed to go forth with her threat and hand Tom over to the debt collectors. How much happier everyone would be right now!

Unfortunately the Parkers are far too nice for their own good. They all jump in head first, trying to save this sorry excuse for a man. Arthur even offers up his entire inheritance. Tom refuses … Not because he thinks it’s not right for his youngest brother to risk his entire life’s comfort for his unworthy clown’s ass but because … IT’S NOT ENOUGH MONEY!

Tom Parker has amassed 80.000 pounds worth of debts. Luckily Google allows me to illustrate to you exactly what 80.000 pounds meant in 1820s era England:

80.000 pounds could have paid the wages of an immortal skilled worker in perpetuity!!!! And this MORON decided not to ensure it … Apparently, Kris Marshall has said that Tom is the Regency’s version of Steve Jobs … I assume Steve Jobs too let his younger brother prostitute himself for his benefit, after already taking a 3000 pounds “loan” from him and thinking up ways of spending his baby  brother’s inheritance on top of that … Oh, wait! Steve Jobs was a visionary who died a billionaire. Take several sits, Kris!

What really irritates me is that everyone is very quick to absolve Tom of any blame, jump to his defense and in due course Tom, himself, decides he should not be so hard on himself, which is why he is ecstatic when Sidney returns to Sanditon, with the news of his engagement. This is what comes out of Tom Parker’s mouth:

Tom Parker: This is excellent news! Oh, Charlotte, glorious news! Sanditon is saved!

So he knows full well that Sidney has asked Mrs. Campion to marry him in order to save him and he is perfectly willing to let him go through with ruining his life. The saddest part is that the rest of the Parker family goes along with this lunacy.

That includes Mary who already knows that Sidney and Charlotte are in love. Kind and sensible as she might be, Mary decides to turn a blind eye to Sidney’s sacrifice and Charlotte’s pain in order to have her husband safe. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise since she’s the one that told Sidney this back in episode 1:

Sidney: And tomorrow is the famous ball, is it not?

Mary: Tom has been in such a state about it! You will do all you can to help him, won’t you?

I thought I’d mention this since everyone seems to be under the impression that Sidney sacrificing himself for Tom now is a sign of the growth of character Charlotte inspired in him. But it actually isn’t.

Both Tom and Mary make it very clear early on that they relay on Sidney’s help. He’s sort of the third member of their marriage (they do have a painting of him in their entryway) who is there to ensure Tom’s ass is saved from the fire of his own making. And both Tom and Mary are complacent in this.

Sidney choosing to marry Mrs. Campion over Charlotte isn’t a new development in his dedication to his family. It is the end result of years of emotional blackmail and dependency Tom has dished out, and Mary has, most likely unconsciously, supported.

And all of that spells disaster for Sidney who is left closing the door to the coach that will take the love of his life away from him:

I know we are all commiserating with Charlotte over what happened. But I think we should spare Sidney a thought as well. He is ruining his life, his integrity and his happiness for someone who will most likely waste his sacrifice in a matter of months. Add to that Eliza’s behavior at the wedding and it’s pretty safe to say Sidney will pay for the money he will give Tom in every which way possible.

The only glimmer of light in all this unbearable darkness is that Lord Babington (he still doesn’t have a first name … :( ) and Esther are now married. Their wedding is actually very much a visual representation of Austen type country weddings, down to everyone smiling and throwing petals at them:

However even in their case, there are still clouds on the horizon since Esther was pretty clear about not being in love with her husband. She took Lady D’s advice that “ being loved is better than loving: and season 2 will show us if that is enough for her or indeed her husband.

Unfortunately, our two protagonists weren’t as lucky as Lord and Lady Babington. The road ahead for them is hard and filled with angst. There’s bound to be a lot of darkness before the dawn. However, do not despair and listen to the only voice that matters:

Lady Denham: Well, Miss Heywood? You’re still proclaiming your independence? Or is it that none of our young men have taken your fancy? I’ll wager we’ll see you walk down the aisle very soon. What do you say, Mr. Parker?

My fictional mummy is never wrong!

[angryhausfrau-writes]

I Travel Troubled Oceans - Chapter 2: The Heist

Charles was, in fact, difficult to persuade of the plan. Sure, he wants money just about as much as any of the rest of the crew. But he's also pretty fucking pissed at Eleanor Guthrie.

Although the prospect of getting one over on her – and ruining another one of the people responsible for sending him to jail and getting filthy rich in the process – is a strong incentive. And Jack's always been good with words. Persuasive, one might say. Charles is stubbly, slightly recalcitrant putty in his hands.

So they all troop down to the nearest YMCA so Charles can take a shower. And Anne shoplifts him some slightly more upscale slutty clothes, because God forbid the man ever actually wear a shirt. But he looks like a halfway respectable stripogram by the time he shows up to Eleanor's little birthday party – a fashionable two hours late so the party's in full swing and he doesn't look desperate. Though Eleanor will probably still read him that way. A pathetic sad sack crawling back to her on bended knee, ready to beg forgiveness and willing to do anything to get back in her good graces now that his former crew is a wreck and Flint's run off to America.

Eleanor thinks she's got Charles right where she wants him – under her two-thousand dollar heels. But that doesn't mean it's not a scene worthy of the fucking Baftas when she sees him come through the door.

Jack and Anne and the new guy are posted up in the kitchen, dealing to all the posh little fucks looking for a bit of white gold to get the party started right. Just killing time until Charles makes his move and he and Eleanor head to the bedroom.

And minimalist open plan living being in fashion, even in these old Victorian piles, they can hear every fucking word of the happy little reunion from a whole half a house away.

“Why Charles,” Eleanor practically purrs – and it's the purr of a Jaguar, lethal and expensive. “Whatever are you doing here.”

It's not a question.

Charles forces himself to look down at his feet. As if he's weak. As if he's ashamed.

“Eleanor.” He makes it sound anguished instead of angry. “I had a lot of time to think while I was away.”

Because Eleanor and her lot threw him away. And who knew Chaz was such a good actor? There's none of the violent, simmering fury Jack knows he feels over the betrayal. His tone is contrite and he must look suitably groveling, because Eleanor lets him continue.

“I started thinking about what was important – what was good in my life.” Namely her. And what he'd do to get her back. Though that goes unsaid, because there's such a thing as laying it on too thick, even for Eleanor fucking Guthrie.

And they – Jack, mostly Jack, who'd coached Charles through the whole interaction - must have struck just the right balance of pathetic groveling and virile masculinity with that little performance, because Eleanor says, “Why don't we discuss this somewhere more private, Charles?”

A few minutes later, Jack gets a surreptitious eggplant emoji from Charles's burner phone – the prearranged signal that he's successfully convinced Eleanor to sleep with him and that they're free to comb the house. Jack sends a winky face in response and then he, Anne, and the new guy split up to search for the cash.

Knowing Charles – and Eleanor – they'll probably be tied up for a while. Charles almost definitely literally. But that doesn't mean they can dawdle.

Anne takes to rifling through the bedrooms, disturbing several couples – and more – in the throws of passion. But she's always been good at intimidating idiots to stay out of her way – and so obviously on a mission that they don't do more than voice a few token protests. Plus, she's good enough at what she does – and they're so wrapped up in their drugged out fucking – that she's in and out before some of the participants even notice she's there. But, as Jack learns from her regular updates of terse “NO” and red “X” texts, she has no luck finding the cash.

Jack hadn't really expected Eleanor or Woodes Rogers to keep the cash in a random bedroom, where any horny houseguest could stumble upon it. So that just leaves the master suite – empty, what with Eleanor having taken Charles to the room that apparently serves as her bedroom cum sex dungeon, if Max's deeply - horrifyingly deeply - detailed description is to be believed. (Privately, Jack thinks Eleanor may have gotten just a little bit too invested in the whole Fifty Shades trend. But bored horny women are bored horny women, regardless of bank account balance, apparently.)

And Woodes Rogers is otherwise occupied downstairs, courtesy of the new guy, who's apparently caught his eye and is being rather badly flirted at, if the increasingly frantic texts Jack keeps getting are any indication. Jack feels bad, he really does – ok, not that bad, he'd do the same thing on purpose if Woodes Rogers was into queens. But he likes a little bit of rough - not that Jack can blame him – and the new guy seems to be doing it for him, even if he's got a pretty boy face. And this is probably the best chance they're going to get of having the house to themselves for the search. So he tells New Guy to stick it out and if Woodes Rogers starts getting too sleezy to make a break for it. They'll all meet at the rendezvous point at the kebab shop in the West End anyway, it doesn't matter if they don't all go together.

Plus, it'll help take the heat off if they just look like regular party goers instead of co-conspirators in a heist.

But Jack doesn't have a lot of extra time or attention to spare for New Guy's plight. Because Anne's struck out in the master bedroom, except for some rather tasteless but presumably expensive jewelry. And Jack's searched the study - a big, stupidly imposing room that practically screams “compensating” - and he's come up with zilch. A fucking goose egg, outside of a moving bookcase that hides a humidor. Probably Eleanor's.

So he moves on to the library, the last place the cash could reasonably be without them having to try and search the fucking basement.

It's probably the least used room in the house. Because sure, Woodes Rogers is a lawyer of some description and Eleanor an accountant. But the paraphernalia for that kind of stuff gets kept in blinding glass and steel corporate offices. This room is for impressing the impressionable. And it's absolutely stuffed to the fucking rafters with first editions of classics and entire sets of encyclopedias that Jack would bet real money have never even been opened by their current owners.

There are also several oil paintings in heavy gilt frames – perfect for hiding a wall safe. And if that doesn't reveal anything, there's always the horrifically overbearing desk situated in pride of place in front of the enormous bay windows. Jack can just see Eleanor there, sitting in the high backed antique chair like it was a throne, dispensing her version of mercy on groveling penitents.

Jack wonders if she ever made Max fuck her in that chair. That feels like something she'd be into.

And with that lovely thought, Jack turns to search the nearest painting – a drab toned portrait of a man who is presumably one of Woodes Rogers's antecedents. Blugh. But, heinous crimes committed during his life or no, he isn't the final resting place for stolen goods.

Jack turns to the next painting and the next with no more success. The final painting – one of hounds on the hunt – doesn't reveal the cash, but it does reveal some rather racy photographs of Eleanor and one of her previous lovers (neither Max nor Charles, so Jack doesn't remove them) in what is apparently Woodes Rogers's pathetic attempts at a black mail collection on his wife. It's quite sad really, so Jack just takes a snap of it for Anne – who'll undoubtedly show it to Max, who'll get a kick out of it - and moves on to the desk.

There, he strikes gold. Or cash, really. There's a hidden compartment in the bottom of the desk drawer with a lock on it – as if that could stop Jack. Or anyone with better fine motor skills than a toddler. It only takes him a few minutes and an unbent paper clip to open the catch.

And there lays the cash.

Jack signals Anne and the new guy to come help, since there's approximately a metric fuckton of it. Someone who's not Jack is going to have to practically crawl inside the desk to get it all. But they've found it, finally.

Thank Christ.

Jack starts laying bundles of cash into the bottom of his traveling case – one of those hard-sided suitcases that businessmen so love to use. And he's honestly not sure if that's going to be enough. But fortunately, the new guy had the foresight to bring a ratty backpack along and between the two bags and the three of their pockets, they get it all stowed away.

Jack texts Charles a Jolly Roger to let him know he can wrap things up with Eleanor and all that's left now is to get away clean.

Which is almost easier done than said. They walk out the door, times staggered enough that it doesn't look like they're all leaving together, and no one notices a thing. It's all very anti-climactic, honestly. The movies always make this part seem so exciting – car chases and shoot outs and etcetera. But they just walk right out the front door, completely invisible to the partiers still inside the house.

Jack leaves last, so he's only about a half block away when Charles finishes their little distraction off with a bang. They'd planned it all out – how to make it look like Eleanor had the upper hand in the breakup this time, so she wouldn't look too hard at the evening and link the theft back to Jack or Anne. How to make sure that Eleanor was left physically and emotionally satisfied enough that she never seeks Charles out for another night of fun. How to make her feel in charge and in control and like she's throwing Charles over, instead of them conning her.

And frankly, the bits Jack can hear are a masterstroke. Charles is pathetic and groveling in a way that is genuinely unappealing – but that apparently gets Eleanor's rocks off, because she's got the most self-satisfied fucking smirk on face, the one he imagines she wore the entire time Charles was in her bed. And Eleanor stands at the top of the stairs, framed by the open doorway, lauding her everything about herself over Charles as he begs her to take him back. Which she does not deign to do at all.

All the other party goers have gathered around to witness the carnage and Eleanor's not even pretending to feel sorry about making such a scene. This – this is what she's been looking for ever since Charles gave her the boot – coincidentally right before he went away on that two stretch. And she's milking her ability to get one over him in that same way for all it's fucking worth.

“We're done, Charles.”

She says it with the cold finality of a vault door swinging shut. And she sweeps back into the house, surrounded by the ranks of simpering sycophants. Leaving Charles curled into himself on the cold pavement.

[ninja-go-to-therapy]

I don’t trust Kat to give you context, so I’ll do it this time.

I decided to write something based on some stuff we were talking about. I don’t have the most confidence and this is more related to her stuff anyways, so while convincing me to post it, she offered to host it here. This has the added bonus of it being HER that hits post, limiting my chance to chicken out.

So enjoy this out of context thing I wrote because Kat is a bad influence.

-grungekitty-77

Eleanor knew she was an artist from a young age. From the moment she took he first picture she knew she’d found her calling. Other girls played dolls, she focused on posing them. She took photos of everything, always looking for something she hadn’t seen before. She got bored often and nothing frustrated her more than having nothing interesting to photograph.

From a young age she was hailed as a prodigy. Her eye was so unique, and she had a knack for finding things and making them interesting, things nobody realized could be that interesting. So, she had no trouble getting a start at a studio.

She hated family portraits. She hated them with a passion. They always wanted the same straight on angle and it was so painfully boring. They were frustrating to work with, they were all the same stiff smiles, one shot no different than the next. No talent or expression. She’d outright refuse them if they weren’t keeping the lights on.

She was ready for another grueling photoshoot that brought no fulfillment and wasted her talents. This family had an unruly kid.

Eleanor never really go the appeal of kids. They were loud and needy and usually a mess. They did provide more interest than their parents though. The boy screamed randomly at one point, much to his parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents’ dismay.

He laughed at their frowns and Eleanor captured it. The emotions and dynamics were the most interesting thing she’d gotten so far.

The boy got lectured by his mom and pouted. The adults were back to their static smiles, but he displayed his emotions, not looking at the camera or standing straight. Eleanor captured that too, focusing on the boy’s emotional journey.

The adults got frustrated with him as he fidgeted, and their smiles dropped. His mother pulled him aside and screamed at him. He shrunk down and started to cry. She captured it.

Then she hugged him, telling him that she loved him and just needed him to behave. Eleanor captured her favorite shot of the shoot. It was a photo she’d have framed and hung in her house for years to come and would be her favorite for a long time.

This child, crying and filled with shame, clinging to his mother, comforted by the very cause of his tears. The vulnerability, the emotions, the submission, it was all something Eleanor hadn’t seen before.

The rest of the shoot went normally, the kid even having some real fun by the end, but Eleanor never forgot how that mother had the power to control her child’s emotions like that.

Family portraits stopped being so boring after that day. Eleanor stopped focusing on trying to make something worthwhile within the stifling constraints, and instead focused on how much power mothers had over the children. How if Eleanor needed something from them, the mother would provide it. Telling the child directly rarely worked but asking the mother to tell the child always did. It was like they weren’t interacting with the world as their own beings, they could only understand what was filtered through their mothers. Eleanor became obsessed with that power. The power to control another’s reality like that. A mother was her child’s whole world, and she could shape that world as she pleased.

Eventually her artistic work gained enough of a following that she never had to do a family portrait again, much to her relief. She hated working through the mothers. She may’ve been fascinating with their power over their children, but she wanted to have her own and constantly borrowing theirs was getting irksome. She wanted to shape her own worlds, and not have to work around the worlds these women had already shaped.

She still didn’t want a baby though. She wanted the control of her subject being a mother brought, not a child to raise.

Her dilemma sent her on a path to find others like her, a path that led to a private online forum. It was full of people like her, people that were obsessed with controlling, with shaping a world and having total power over it. She finally had people that understood what was going on in her head. Not all of them approached it from the same angle as her, but they all wanted to control a subject. She made good friends.

Itssnowing: have you thought about a pet?

SkullsandRibbons: maybe….

Itssnowing: Get a pretty little thing and train it. I know where you can get a lovely little purebred. It might fill the hole.

Eleanor took her friend up on his suggestion and got Lucy.

At first Eleanor was happy to have a new subject, but quickly she got frustrated. Lucy didn’t listen. She couldn’t get Lucy to do what she wanted, and all of her shots were off center or blurry because Lucy refused to hold a position.

Itssnowing suggested she send her off to get trained and Eleanor again, took his advice.

It worked. Lucy came back ready to obey orders. Eleanor was delighted for about a month and a half.

Then Lucy got boring. She looked the same as any other pure breed. She had the same few emotions and responses; the interest ran out. Eleanor ran out of new things to capture. She hated taking repeats of shots she already had.

Lucy was sold.

Itssnowing: Why? I would love having something so pretty in my house. A living, breathing piece of art that’s just for you.

SkullsandRibbons: Why would I want something I can see anywhere? There’s nothing new about it. Nothing unique. Nothing raw! Nothing new to see. It’s boring!

Itssnowing: I guess I’m just boring then. I’d much rather a quiet afternoon at home with a pretty little thing snuggled on my lap.

SkullsandRibbons: Well you’re an office worker, I’m an artist! I need something fulfilling!

Itssnowing: Suit yourself then.

SkullsandRibbons: I’m gonna go to the shelter tomorrow, see if they had anything interesting.

Itssnowing: You want a MUTT!?

SkullsandRibbons: Absolutely! No two are identical. I might actually capture something unique!

Itssnowing: I don’t understand you… but I suppose I don’t have to understand your tastes.

Eleanor laughed at her friend. She shared almost everything with Snowing. He got all the shots she took of her new rescue. He even admitted that the pictures were marvelous, though he still had his own tastes.

Eleanor got bored too easily. She decided to foster, so that she’d get a different subject every once and a while. She definitely preferred the rescues over Lucy. They all had stories and intrigue and were far more dependent on her attention. She could brighten them right up with a little affection, and then destroy them by ignoring them for a minute. Best was that she could do it all over again and it still worked.

But dogs got boring. She needed something fresh, something entirely unique, something that screamed at her to be captured and focused on.

She was browsing the internet one day and a headline caught her interest. She’d vaguely heard about the ninja, but she hadn’t actually seen any real pictures yet, so she clicked the article just to see what kind of pictures it had.

The green ninja made her eyes roll. Scared boy trying too hard to look strong and important and nothing else. A few candid shots had potential, but he seemed to only be himself when he didn’t know he was being seen, which would be pointless to explore with a camera.

The white ninja made her cringe. He had nothing to give. Well, the interesting anatomy could be worked with, but the ninja himself was a stiff subject that had nothing to see.

The blue ninja was all energy, no form. She could probably get some good shots, but it would get very one note after a short while.

The black ninja at least seemed to know how to hold himself, though he didn’t seem to have any interest in being a good subject. He’d make a decent model for brand work, but he’d be worthless in any artistic projects.

The girl was a brat. She refused to be a subject. It was a non-starter.

It was the red ninja that made her stop breathing. Then she boiled over in rage.

He was…He was perfect. He was gorgeous. He had an effortless look with just enough edge to make you want to know more. He was stunning, and the framing was the worst she’d ever seen!

They focused on the complete wrong place, and the lighting was just….oh it burned her. Here was this boy being the perfect subject, all the stars aligned, and the photographer ruined it!

She searched him up, she had to know what he looked like when he was given the attention he deserved.

Kai Smith.

She found his social media and started to scroll through. He posted his own pictures and he had no training in photography, but at least he wasn’t ruining anything. She poured over each selfie. His eyes burned with mischief and passion, his face had beautiful angles no matter which way he turned, and he seemed to love being observed. He was preforming. Giving pieces of himself for others to see. Eleanor continues to scroll and fantasized about capturing those pieces and propping them up correctly. She could make something magical out of him. His expressions told stories, he wore his emotions like jewels and Eleanor had to know more.

She spent the next week obsessing over everything she could learn about Kai Smith, her new muse. And she found something she hated even more than boring subjects, seeing someone mishandle a beautiful subject like Kai.

They all were too focused on Lloyd, who looked uncomfortable half the time he was on camera.

Nya wasn’t always an awful subject; she seemed a lot more willing to be captured if her brother was there with her.

She was right about Cole. He had the training, but no passion for it.

Jay was an attention hog and she found herself annoyed with him. Too overpowering, he didn’t leave the artist any room to work.

Zane was everything she thought he was. No surprises there.

But Kai…

The pictures where he was angry were the best. He had such a raw emotion. He let everyone see how he felt and let the image have the power of what he felt. He let his soul be seen.

She learned all she could about him.

He had a tragic backstory. Something with teeth, no wonder he had a touch of a wounded look. He had no mother to shape the world for him. This interested Eleanor even more. Kai seemed to have filtered the world for his little sister, and seemingly Lloyd too, but he seemed to lack anyone that could reshape his world as they saw fit.

He was wayward child.

The thought made Eleanor smile. Kai had no mother to compete with. There was no woman she’d have to fight with to take control of his world. He was what she had wanted so desperately. A beautiful and interesting subject she could control.

Oh, how she’d love to have him.

[negasonicimagines]

Do You Want To

requests: “Can I request one where reader is DP's daughter and their personalities are very similar. He recently said she has to start going to Xavier's because of her ability to create portals, but doesn't want to attend. Ellie is asked to be her guide and help her get situated. After seeing ellie she does some classic Wilson flirting. ‘Dad, I want her to sit on my face.’” + “Okay okay so Ellie imagine where reader Ellie and a bunch of other Xavier's students are at a party (reader and Ellie are not dating here) and have to play never have I ever and reader says that she's never gotten a hickey and then later Ellie catches up with her and asks if she wants her to give her one? And it leads to like a HEAVY makeout”

notes: F/B: Favorite Band. Jubilee appears as she does in the movies, and the others appear as they do in X-Men Evolution. Also, this fic makes some assumptions about you! If they don’t fit, okay, but please suspend your disbelief.I also did some experimenting with style, I’ve read a lot of @starman-thorsus-canos-jock​‘s fics lately and I love the style so I tried to let it influence me!!

warnings: underage drinking, borderline smut but dubious consent considering you’re both the same level of drunk! Sober, clear consent is important, even if the characters in this story don’t have a negative experience.

Open house at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters is always an interesting experience for Ellie. An increasing number of fresh faces every year, finding out what idiots (and tolerable people) she’ll be sharing classes with, and, the most unsettling of all: if she’ll be having a roommate.

But one face - or, rather, mask - that she notices isn’t fresh. It’s annoyingly rotten.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Deadpool? Perving on teenage girls, seriously?” She asks, gesturing to you. “I expected at least better than that.”

“Well, I’m no Ivanka, so I guess I’ll be heading back to my old schoo-”

Ellie gawks while he grabs the collar of your F/B tee shirt, pulling you back to your seat. You’re so… So...

“So, you… You have a daughter..?” Who looks like… Like she does?

“I didn’t always look like a moldy avocado, you know!” He protests. Your lip curls into what’s best described as a sweet smirk. “She makes portals and hates her mom’s new husband. I’m sure you two will get on real well.”

“Yeah,” you agree, eyeing the girl. “Y/N.”

“Ellie,” Ellie introduces herself, feeling her face heat up a little bit with the way you’re looking at her, unashamed of your interest. “Well, I’ve got to go get my schedule…”

“Go with her,” Wade tells you, and you fix him with a skeptical glare. “Please,” he adds. “Such a stickler for manners.”

“I don’t let men order me around,” you correct, and Ellie’s knees are weak.

“I’m very proud,” Wade half-jokes. “Go on, I’ll be here when you get back. I promise not to flirt with any of your teachers.”

“Thank you,” you respond with a bitter chuckle. The cheap shot at your mother that he probably didn’t mean much by was a nice touch. You follow Ellie to a slowly-shrinking crowd, and wait with her. You observe her, and she fidgets under your gaze. No one’s really showed this kind of interest in her before, especially so unabashed.

“Are you… Are you going to say anything, or are you just gonna keep staring at me?” She finally works up the nerve to ask.

“I told you my name, and that I don’t let men order me around. What more do you really need to know?”

Ellie never understood how your dad’s flirting ever worked on women when seeing it in practice on Piotr and Logan, but you seem to pull off the shameless, blunt interest like how she already wouldn’t mind you pulling off-

“Miss Phimister, good to see you’re already acquainted with your roommate this year. Miss Wilson, it’s a pleasure to see you again. Here are your schedules,” Charles Xavier himself says, handing you both your schedules. “You wouldn’t mind helping your new friend get settled in, would you, Eleanor?”

Ellie agrees to help you, and the two of you walk away. It’s not the awful flirting, Ellie realizes, but the hotness of the person saying the words: you.

“Roommates, huh? Whoever made out schedules must be a fucking psychic. A literal fucking psychic,” you flirt as the two of you walk away, and she can barely handle keeping a neutral expression, much less the scowl she normally wears. “Trying to be aloof will only make me want you more… In case you can’t tell, I have daddy issues. And mommy issues. I’m the full package, and willing to wear whatever kind of package you want.”

“Is that so?” Ellie tests the waters, and you blink at her for a few moments.

“Uh… Yeah,” you decide to answer, and she snickers.

“Not as smooth as you’d like to think, huh?”

“I’m just surprised you spoke, Negasonic Teenage Perks of Being a Wallflower,” you retort.

“Nice one, did your dad come up with it?”

“You’ve got bite! That’s good, now if you wouldn’t mind biting my neck..?”

“I-”

“Hey! Hey! New girl!” Ellie recognizes the sound of the boy a year younger than her zooming towards you both before she recognizes his voice. Pietro. “Party tonight, bring a friend, don’t, whatever, it’s in the woods, you’ll know it when you see it!”

He zooms off just as quickly, and you raise a brow.

“Is it actually a party, or his he just skeevy?” you ask.

“It is.”

“Hm, it would be a good idea to make some friends I don’t find irresistible,” you say it like it’s absentmindedly thinking out loud, tapping your lip, but she catches your eyes cutting up to her, looking for a reaction. “But… If I don’t know anyone, how fun would that be?”

“I’ll go with you,” Ellie’s mouth decides for her, but, thankfully, it doesn’t come out too quickly. “I know where it is, they have a huge bonfire in the clearing near the watering hole to celebrate everyone returning to school.”

“I see… Well, it does sound fun. Will there be alcohol?”

“Yeah, it su-”

“Oh, then we’re definitely going,” you decide, and Ellie both dreads and looks forward to later tonight.

~

After a short trek in the woods, Ellie and you find yourselves at the party.

“Ellie! Good to see you!” Bobby calls out, recognizing her from GSA. “You and the new girl should come over and play Never Have I Ever with us!”

“That sounds great!” you answer for her, heading over. Ellie follows you, because you’re the only reason she’s here, and the two of you sit on a log with Kitty, Anna, and Jubilee, with Bobby standing. At least they’re people she doesn’t hate.

He goes over the rules, and the six of you get started.

“Never have I ever… Kissed a girl,” Bobby says. You, Kitty, and Anna each take a shot, each lowering a finger. “Now you, Jubilee.”

“Never have I ever… Cheated on a test.”

Ellie takes a shot, cringing at the taste and lowering a finger. Based on the not-circle circle that you all are in, Kitty goes next, then Anna, then you, then Ellie, and so on.

“Never have I ever… Received a hickey,” Kitty says. Bobby is the only one to take a shot, and Ellie looks to you with surprise.

“Never have I ever… Fallen in love at first sight,” Anna discloses. You take a shot, winking at Ellie, who is either flushed due to alcohol - it’d honestly be adorable if she was a lightweight, you think - or what you basically just declared to everyone.

“Never have I ever… Tried to cut my own hair,” you decide, and everyone but you takes a shot and lowers a finger. You knew Ellie probably had, but the others surprised you.

“Never have I ever…” Ellie finds herself drawing out the r, having realized this is a good tool to get to know you without dropping her aloof facade. “Played strip poker.”

You and Anna each take a shot. So far, the score is as follows: Bobby - 9,  Jubilee - 9, Kitty - 8, Anna - 7, You - 7, and Ellie - 8. You’re starting to feel the effects of the alcohol, though so far it’s really just a giggly lightness and slightly-lowered inhibitions, not that you had many of those in the first place. You can feel yourself on the way to becoming a little more drunk, though.

“Never have I ever,” Bobby begins the next round. “Been to a strip club.”

You take a shot, and your not-circle circle of maybe-friends gasps.

“Y/N’s dad’s wife works at one,” Ellie clarifies for you with a roll of the eyes.

“Why can’t you just let them think that I’m cool?” you whine, leaning on her just a little bit. She scoffs, pretending she doesn’t enjoy the attention from you.

“Never have I ever… Cursed in front of my academic adviser,” Jubilee says. Both Anna and Ellie take a shot.

“Never have I ever…” Kitty starts, and it’s clear she’s not sure what to say. She hums, looking over the group before her eyes land on you and Ellie. She delivers you an almost imperceptible wink. “Got in a fight with someone because I didn’t like them. Not self-defense or helping someone else or X-Men stuff, just straight-up not liking them.”

You and Ellie both drink to that.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you people are trying to get me drunk,” you giggle, definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol after five out of your ten allotted shots.

“I’m there with you,” Anna replies, snickering as well. “Never have I ever-“ she giggles. “Had sex.”

No one takes a shot, all looking at each other - well, Ellie’s just looking at you, kind of but not entirely surprised - before you decide on your declaration.

“Never have I ever…” You giggle some more, a long one that you can’t stifle no matter how much your lungs beg. You look to Ellie for inspiration. “Shaved my head!”

Ellie and Bobby take their shots.

“Never have I ever… Been the first to lose in Never Have I Ever,” Ellie decides.

You and Anna drink, which makes sense, looking at your scores.

The score is now: Bobby - 7, Jubilee - 9, Kitty - 7, Anna - 5, You - 4, and Ellie has 5.

“Since the game is already starting to be long, maybe we should just go until Y/N loses and decide the winner based on that,” Jubilee suggests.

“Who says I’ll lose?” You pout.

“You have the least amount of points, Y/N,” Ellie says. She can take her alcohol pretty well, surprisingly enough to her, while you’re an adorable - No, wait, fuck, I didn’t mean that - giggling mess.

“I do? Is that hot to you or should I start lying?” You ask, and it’s the same blunt interest as before. Ellie chuckles, realizing that perhaps the reason you’re a laughing fool is because you’re already totally unreserved, whereas she has walls up constantly that the alcohol has to break down first. She smiles at you.

“What do you think?” Ellie asks you, and it comes out more sultry than she thought she could ever sound. You squeak, blushing even harder than whatever’s in these plastic shot glasses is making you.

“Bobby! Your turn!” You blurt.

“Never have I ever… Had a crush on the person to the right of me.”

You and Anna take shots.

“That’s me,” you quietly tell her, thinking she got mixed up.

“I know,” Anna whispers back with a smirk, and jealousy pools in Ellie’s chest. It wasn’t hard to make her jealous, and it didn’t help that her emotions were heightened.

“Never have I ever…” Jubilee begins. “Had a crush on the person to the left of me.”

You eye Anna before making the decision to take a shot. Ellie takes her shot quickly, a little embarrassed at being caught. The jealousy inside her boils, now.

“Hey, what happened to having a crush on me?” Ellie asks - sounding more defensive than anything - before she can stop herself.

“Oh, trust me, Hothead, I call you Hothead because you’re hot and you're angry. I told you: daddy issues, mommy issues.”

“This is the first time you’ve called me Hothead.”

“Out loud,” you correct her in a tone that’s best described as ditzy, and she scoffs.

“Never have I ever,” Kitty loudly starts, drawing everyone’s attention. “Done a striptease. Doesn’t have to mean you got naked, just that you took off your clothes for someone else’s benefit.”

You take a shot.

“Jesus, Y/N, you need to write a book,” Bobby says.

“And start giving me advice!” Jubilee, still in first place, exclaims.

“Never have I ever… Kissed someone at the top of a Ferris wheel,” Anna declares. Kitty and Bobby each take a shot.

“Never have I ever…” You giggle, remembering many of these people have roommates. “Masturbated with someone else in the same room.”

All of them take a shot, and you cackle drunkenly.

“Never have I ever…” Ellie has a cunning smirk, knowing exactly how to end the game. “Had my dad be Deadpool.”

“Oh, come on,” you whine, taking your last shot. “Oof.”

“Let’s see everyone’s fingers!” Bobby cheers. He has 5, Jubilee has 8, Kitty has 5, Anna has 3, You have none, and Ellie has 3.

“Go Jubilee!” You cheer, and the rest of the players echo it, as well as a few of your random partying classmates, scattered throughout the clearing.

You try to stand up, but stumble, knees giving out almost instantly. Ellie steadies you, also not the most structurally sound but slightly less physically encumbered by her drunkenness.

“I think that’s enough for us,” she suggests. “Wanna go back to our room?”

“Oh, hell yeah, I thought you’d never ask,” you flirt, and she snorts. “Wait, wait, I can portal us back to the school, just gotta visualize it. Okay, there’s that one.” You wrap her in a tight hug before the two of you fall through the ground, landing on the paved walkway.

Ellie hurls into the hydrangea bushes, making you feel a bit nauseous, but you only gag.

“Water,” you slur. “We need water.”

Ellie nods, and the two of you stumble in, giggling a little bit and trying to be quiet but definitely not being as quiet as you think you are.

You two enter the kitchen, and - to your surprise - your father is in there, with a shiny man you realize is his beloved Colossus.

“Dad, what’re you doing here?” You stumble over your words but straighten your posture, trying to seem not drunk off your ass.

“Same thing you’re doing, flirting with Mr. Rasputin,” Ellie explains for him, opening the fridge and getting out two water bottles.

“I’m not flirting with Mr. Rasputin, weirdo, I’m flirting with you,” you correct her before you loudly whisper to Wade, holding a hand up to the side of your face like that’ll disguise your words: “I want her to sit on my face.”

“Did not need to know that,” Wade tells you at the same volume, blinking - and reevaluating the example he was setting for you, like Piotr had been asking him to do before you came in - before sighing.

“I got the water…” Ellie weakly informs you.

“Yeah!” You enthusiastically respond, and the two of you leave Wade and Piotr to whatever their conversation was. You two slowly make your way up the stairs, clutching each other and the railings.

The trek is eventually over, and the two of you sip on your water, you leaning against one of the four posts of the bunk bed.

“I’m so hot,” you complain, taking off your shirt - arching off the post in a way that surely wouldn’t be that suggestive to Ellie’s sober mind but Drunk Ellie is ready to jump your bones - without really thinking about it.

“Yeah,” Ellie agrees, and you notice her blush at the sight of you.

“So, you’ve never kissed a girl… Do you want to?” You ask her.

“Of course I want to,” she scoffs, before realizing what you’re asking: Not if she wants to in general, but if she wants to kiss you. “Definitely. And you’ve never gotten a hickey, right? Do you want to?”

“Of course I want to,” you echo, taking one more drink of water before fumbling with the cap and putting it on the ground. You press your lips to Ellie’s, and her hands mold themselves to your bare waist before sliding up your back as the two of you kiss, lips moving in sync.

“Wow,” she breathes after pulling away, placing a hot, open-mouthed kiss on the space between your neck and shoulder, just above your collarbone.

“Ellie…” you sigh, nibbling at your own tongue to prevent too much of a reaction and clutching at her shoulders. She continues to suck at your neck, sinking her teeth in and delighting in the way you tremble.

This continues, and you fidget quite a bit, finding that you want more after this and hoping she feels the same way.

Ellie eventually pulls away, admiring her handiwork and sliding a thumb over the dark red mark before looking to you for approval.Your bra strap slips down, and she fixes it, rather tenderly for someone with limited coordination.

She gets more than approval just by looking at your face, and kisses you once more, tangling her fingers in your hair haphazardly. Your grip slips from her shoulders to her shoulder blades and you dig into her back.

“Fuck,” Ellie says against your lips.

“Not yet,” you retort, pulling away. She feels her face heat up, and notices that both of you seem to be a bit more sober after the water and the… Other things. “But we could get pretty damn cozy on whichever bunk you want.”

Ellie nods.

“Top or bottom?” you ask her.

“Top, I would’ve thought it was obvious,” she scoffs, and you go to climb.

“Oh,” Ellie realizes, so used to you being overt that she thought she was answering a different question before. “Bottom bunk. I top.”

“Oh,” you repeat, mouth drying. You remove your foot from the ladder, removing your shoes afterward and sliding onto the bed. Ellie straddles you before capturing your lips with her own, steadily gaining a certain confidence in her abilities - and her instincts - that allows her to roughly pin your wrists down without thinking too hard on it. She continues to kiss you, enjoying the way you writhe beneath her, muffling already-quiet moans, but eventually she decides to move on to giving you another hickey.

Ellie mouths at your neck and your chin tips up to give her more access. She can’t help but grin, licking a stripe up your neck and going up higher, but on your left side this time, suckling and tonguing at the sensitive flesh just under your jaw.

“Gonna be hard to cover up,” you observe with bated breath, and Ellie adores the way your body feels against her.

“Good,” she snarls, surprising even herself, and you whimper. She can feel you rubbing your thighs together underneath her, and she nips at the new hickey. You cry out in surprise, in pleasurable pain and Ellie snickers - of course she does, you knew she’d tear you apart like this the moment you laid your hungry eyes on her - before removing her hands from your reddened wrists, straightening her posture so that she’s practically sitting on top of your mound, and placing a hand on each breast and admiring the fabric of your bra.

You can hear your heart pounding in your ears and Ellie arches a brow at you, waiting for an answer to the unspoken question

“Mhm,” you hum, and she smiles, squeezing experimentally at first and only watching the way you squirm beneath her. You fidget in a twisty way, desperate for more touch, and she lets out a moan - surprising even herself - and sinks her teeth into her bottom lip. “Don’t,” you request shyly, and she doesn’t stop herself from making noises as she massages your breasts at a more consistent pace while you rock yourself up into her, letting her grind down on your mound.

“That’s- Fuck, that’s nice,” Ellie tells you. “But we should stop.” You immediately still.

“Since you said so, definitely, but why?” you ask the girl, who’s still on top of you.

“Because I really want to, with you, but I wanna do things right. We’re both tired, we’re both still buzzed...” Ellie explains, sounding much more exhausted after she  lays next to you. “Wanna take you to a scary movie, because you’ll either love it or hold me. Kiss you quick on the cheek after, and then you’ll kiss me on the lips because outside of this room you’re more forward. Walk you home and sneak in past curfew using a portal, have a late dinner of junk food.”

“You sound like you’re in love with me,” you half-joke.

“I’m gonna be,” Ellie sleepily tells you, slinging an arm over you in one last act of bravery before the two of you fall asleep.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

An Explanation of Why Louis and Violet are Both Terrific Love Interests [3/5]

+Why both romantic routes are not only amazing but better than other games I’ve personally played in the past.

+Why some people are idiots and get off on picking stupid fights.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

[a new frontier and forced romances]

You have to romance me otherwise the plot makes no sense also I’ll throw a tantrum like a small child.

Do I even need to explain this one?

It’s Kate. 

I’m talking about Kate.

The romance with her is forced and I don’t like it. 

I hate to be blunt because I’m sure there are people out there who like Kate and like the relationship between her and Javier, and I don’t want to step on any toes and say your ship is invalid because it’s not. 

However, as someone who didn’t romance Kate the first three times I played the game for a number of reasons, I hated how the game constantly forced her on you while giving the illusion that it’s a choice. 

Because that’s the issue: Illusion of choice. 

No matter what you do, Javier has romantic chemistry with Kate [apparently] as told by everyone Javi talks to. Tripp mentions it, Eleanor mentions it, Clementine mentions it, and even David says something about how Kate only sees Javi now. 

You can literally be an asshole to Kate and turn her down every single chance you get, and she’ll still come to you like “Hey, we’re a thing, right? Things have been pretty intense with us in the past so we should totally give this a shot, yeah? Fuck David, let’s be together!” 

This would make sense for her say if you returned her affections whenever possible, but it makes her look clingy and in denial if you repeatedly turn her down. 

When it comes to whether or not you want to pursue that relationship with her, you have two choices: Say you feel the same way and have to story make sense, or say no and not only will she pout like a small child, but suddenly so many things don’t fucking work. 

You turn her down and David still freaks the fuck out because Kate’s all “I can’t believe I loved either of you!” and takes Gabe away which leads to the final choice which leads to the ending. 

If the story wanted to be forceful with Kate, then y’know what? Fine, but go all the way with it. None of this illusion of choice shit, just tell us that Kate and Javier are a couple now and give us the choice of what kind of boyfriend we want to be. Don’t say “Here’s Kate, you can smooch her if you want” and then proceed to have everyone and their mother tell me to smooch her even though I don’t want to. 

Also, did you know that Javier Garcia is a bisexual protagonist, as well? 

Yes, it’s true! It’s never mentioned or shown outside of ONE flirtatious dialogue choice with Jesus in the last ten minutes of the game, but it’s true!

I honestly don’t know why they didn’t either give us a choice between two love interests or decide to keep the focus off romance in general. Instead, we got Kate and a mess of a plot when you don’t pick the “correct” choices.

Give me a REAL love interest! One that I can get behind!

...Wait, of course!

Hey, don’t you look at me like that! It could work!

Francine’s dead, therefore Conrad’s single! And so what if he held Gabe at gunpoint and threatened to shoot Javi in the face?? All couples have their fights, c’mon! 

...Alright, fine, but I’m putting a pin in such a potential ship and saving it for later.

ANYWAY, we were talking about Kate. 

Compare Kate to Louis and Violet. 

You don’t have to romance either of them and if you don’t, it doesn’t fuck over the plot. 

If you don’t romance Louis, he doesn’t turn into mister pouty pants and slap Lilly and confess to loving Clem during a dangerous situation which results in an even more dangerous situation because he’s butthurt. 

If you don’t romance Violet, the plot suddenly doesn’t make sense because the game was steering you to make the “correct” choices that give you the “correct” ending and now everyone’s confused because they assumed you were smoochin’.

No, you can just be friends with them and it’s fine! Sure, you miss out on the cute date scenes, but y’know what? You miss out on stuff if you DO romance them, too! 

You get different dialogue and scenes that work with the story you’re creating! Just because you didn’t smooch them, doesn’t mean they suddenly don’t have any interest or care in you! It’s just platonic!

If the writers took a page out of ANF’s book, then we would’ve had a mess with Louis and Violet. They would’ve forced Louis on you and then let you have one line of flirty dialogue with Violet! Or everyone would be constantly telling you how much chemistry you and Violet have despite you rejecting her every chance you get! 

In conclusion: Louis and Violet are important characters, but you are not pressured into having a relationship with them if you don’t want to. You can friendzone them and they will still love you. 

[king’s quest and likable but inconsequential love interests]

Romance me or her, it doesn’t really matter we look identical when we’re old and our children suspiciously look the same regardless so just pick one

King’s Quest is a game that came out in 2015. It’s an episodic reboot to the classic games of the same name and follows the life story of King Graham told by himself to his granddaughter, Gwendalyn. 

I love this game. It made me cry and I loved every minute of it. Graham is one of my favorite protagonists that I’ve ever played, and this game has something wonderful about it, aside from purple badgers and Whisper: Romance. 

Surprising, I know. 

In Chapter 3 of this game, King Graham decides that he’s ready to meet the love of his life, so he turns to his magic mirror, which shows him a tower that holds his future bride. Ecstatic about this, Graham travels to this tower and climbs in to meet the love of his life. 

He’s then greeted with these two. 

These lovely ladies are Vee and Neese, and they will be your potential love interests for the evening. 

Vee is the more serious of the two, taking a liking to puzzles and archery, but she also has a knack for puns. 

Neese is the sillier of the two, loving music and animals, while also having excitable outbursts. 

These two are likable in their own different ways, and both get the same amount of screen time throughout the episode, it all just depends on which one you prefer more and who you think Graham has more chemistry with. 

That being said, it doesn’t really matter who you pick. Nothing drastic changes in the story if you pick Neese over Vee or vise versa. 

The story happens the same way: Graham marries the one you pick, their son gets kidnapped by Manny, they grow older with their daughter, their son comes back, they go on vacation, and it turns out the one you didn’t marry is now Icebella and dies at the end of Chapter 4. 

Really, the only difference is the color palettes they wear and dialogue options to signify which one you chose. 

I mean, pick Vee or Neese, but they’ll both reveal that their real name is Valanice and your children look the same regardless. 

So, why is this a problem? Well, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially when you consider that Vee and Neese are actually based off of Valanice from the original games, hence why they’re both named after her. And they’re both incredibly likable, so that’s not the issue, either.

For me, when I learned that it really didn’t matter all that much who I picked, it made the choice feel less impactful. In Chapter 3, they’re clearly two different characters with their own personalities, and while they’re similar to their CH3 counterparts in future episodes, they mush together despite the small differences. 

Thinking back to the two times I’ve finished King’s Quest, I can’t even tell them apart. I know that I prefer Vee for Graham in Chapter 3, but other than that, it’s inconsequential, it really doesn’t matter as much as some of your other choices throughout the game. 

When it comes to TWDG, it matters and makes a big difference depending on if you pick Louis or Violet and HOW you pick them. 

You can romance and save them, or you can romance and betray them, or you can do everything right and devote yourself to them only to decide you don’t trust AJ in the end. Each route plays out differently and has obvious, drastic, and memorable consequences.

You romance Louis then save Violet? Well, now your boyfriend doesn’t have a tongue anymore leaving him completely traumatized for life. You now have to live with that for the rest of your life. 

You romance Violet but then decide not to trust AJ? You now have to watch your girlfriend get eaten alive by a herd of walkers because she stayed behind to save Tenn’s life. 

You play your cards right and romance, save, and keep Louis/Violet alive until the end? You get to be happy and in love with them at the cost of your friend’s tongue/eyes and Tenn’s life. 

Do you see what I mean?

Yes, if you marry Vee, then Neese dies. That’s impactful but not nearly to the degree that a choice like this is presented in TFS. 

In conclusion: Vee and Neese are likable but inconsequential. Louis and Violet are lovable, memorable, impactful, and they change the outcome of the story drastically. 

Continued in Part 4

[jebentnietalleen]

half the lies you tell are true (i’m gonna find a piece of you) chapter 3

It’s a good thing that Eliott is busy with work and school, because it helps keep his mind off of the fact that he is going to have to pretend to be Lucas’ boyfriend. As soon as Eliott came home that evening after their call, he texted Lucas with some questions. He wanted to know if they were going to tell any of their friends anything, mostly because he really wanted to ask for advice but didn’t want to ruin the plan by telling Sofiane and Idriss everything if Lucas didn’t agree to that. He hates keeping secrets, especially from his roommates. They talked about it for a bit and came to the agreement to not tell anybody, since it they would only be pretending for one evening anyway.

He can’t keep his mouth shut entirely, though, so a few hours before he has to meet Lucas’ mom, he tells Idriss he’s got a date and that he’s nervous.

‘Ahw, buddy! You have no reason to be nervous, I am sure you’re going to slay. You are looking sharp as hell.’

Idriss gives him the once over, nodding approvingly. He changed his outfit so many times, finally settling for black jeans and a green turtleneck.

‘Thanks, but I am practically sweating. Maybe the turtleneck wasn’t the smartest idea.’

He tugs at the collar, glancing in the mirror.

‘No, no, no! The turtleneck looks amazing! No changing your outfit again, Eli, come on.’

Idriss manhandles him out of his bedroom and into the living room, insisting on making him a cup of tea to calm his nerves. In actuality, he wanted to give Eliott something stronger, but he had declined. He couldn’t risk getting tipsy and making a fool of himself in front of Lucas’ mom.

The tea calms his nerves, but not enough to make him relax completely. Lucas texts him, saying that he’ll swing by to pick him up and that he’ll wait for him in his car so that Idriss won’t see him. On the one hand, he is grateful for the fact that he won’t have to show up at his mom’s place alone, on the other hand, he wasn’t expecting to see Lucas so soon.

He drains his tea and thinks he catches Idriss watching him more carefully, but if Idriss realizes something is wrong, he doesn’t mention it.

When Lucas lets him know that he’s outside, he swiftly dries his palms on his jeans and throws on a coat and scarf. He grabs the bottle of wine that he decided to bring with him last minute as a gift to Lucas’ mom. Idriss pulls him into a quick hug and whispers: ‘You’ve got this, dude.’

He hopes he is right.

-

It’s funny, in a way: when he gets into the car and sees Lucas, his nerves immediately quiet down. What is it about this boy that’s so soothing yet heart stopping at the same time?

Lucas smiles at him and mouths a quiet ‘thank you’, sending shivers down his spine.

‘What’s that?’ Lucas glances at the bottle that Eliott has clutched between his arms.

‘Oh, just some wine, for you mom.’

‘You didn’t have to bring anything, Eliott.’ Lucas sounds incredulous.

‘What, and come empty handed? What kind of boyfriend would I be if I did that.’

Lucas grins and shakes his head, but turns his eyes back on the road.

The ride over to Lucas’ mom is quiet, but the music Lucas puts on is quite soothing, and he thinks that Lucas probably chose it on purpose. It’s a mix of classical music with some more indie stuff in between. He reminds himself to ask the name of the playlist later.

When they arrive, Lucas shuts off the engine, and looks at him.

‘We’re here. Ready?’

Eliott scoffs, ‘Ready to meet my fake boyfriend’s mom? Sure, as ready as I’ll ever be. Do you have any… I don’t know – last minute pointers?’

Lucas’ face softens at that, ‘Eliott, please don’t worry, it will be fine. I’m sure she’ll love you. You don’t have to pretend to be someone else, just… be yourself, only, uhm, a version of yourself that happens to be in love with me.’

Eliott could swear he sees a blush creep onto Lucas’ cheeks. He will have to remember that for later, because of… reasons.

Lucas looks a bit embarrassed by it, ducks his head as he heads out of the car and towards the building. Eliott trails behind him as Lucas opens up the door and lets him inside. He is feeling less secure about all of this by the second.

Unfortunately for him, he has a huge tell: whenever he’s nervous, he bites his nails.

‘Stop that, there’s not going to be any nail left if you keep that up.’ Lucas swats away his hand and takes his other hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly.

The look in Lucas’ eyes goes from pleased because Eliott’s no longer biting his nails to curiously giving Eliott the once over. His eyes feel like they are burning their way down his body.

‘What’s wrong?’

There’s a second in which both of them stay quiet, before Lucas speaks up softly.

‘Nothing, you just. Look good.’

Eliott send a mental thank-you-note to his past self and to Idriss, for sticking with this outfit, and runs his eyes over Lucas for good measure.

‘Thanks, you do, too.’

Lucas is wearing a maroon red button-down shirt and beige dress pants. It’s a nice look.

‘Thank you, I know,’ he grins at Eliott and raises his eyebrows challengingly, ‘Here we go.’

-

In the next 45 minutes, Eliott finds out that Lucas used to have spiky short hair when he was a kid, that he did not like to get his picture taken and looks grumpy in 80% of them, and that his mom, Eleanore, loves him a lot. They look so much alike, in a way, Lucas and his mom. They both have sharp facial features, and beautiful eyes, but most of all, they have the same mannerisms. When Eliott hands her the bottle of wine, she looks pleasantly in awe, and it reminds him of Lucas so much. It’s oddly comforting.

Although he has been loving all the tidbits he is learning about Lucas, and the way Lucas continually rolls his eyes whenever Eleanore shares another detail, it’s been hard to keep his focus. This mostly stems from the fact that during all of this, Lucas hasn’t let go of his hand, and he doesn’t know what to think about that.

They are standing around the kitchen island, waiting for the oven to ping whilst drinking some prosecco, and they’re still holding hands. It should be weird, is the thing. This is not something they normally do, after all, but it’s not strange at all. The feeling of Lucas’ fingers tangled with his own grounds him, and he is extremely grateful for that.

‘Eliott, Lucas tells me that you’re studying Visual Arts. That’s amazing! You must be very creative.’

Suddenly he starts to regret the fact that he hasn’t asked Lucas what he has told his mom about him, what she knows.

‘I do, yes, I love it. I don’t know if I would call myself very creative, honestly, but I enjoy what I do and that’s important to me.’

Lucas turns around to face him.

‘Don’t sell yourself short, Eliott, you are very creative, and talented,’ he turns to his mom, ‘He actually kickstarted a short, animated movie back in high school. It was amazing.’

‘Really? Wow, that’s so great! I would love to see it, someday.’

Eleanore sounds so delighted, it breaks his heart a little, knowing that there won’t be a ‘someday’ after tonight.

He glances over at Lucas, who is already looking at him. Before he can answer, Lucas beats him to it.

‘I’m sure that can be arranged.’

It’s hard to tell what’s going through Lucas’ mind right now, but he guesses that they have no other choice but to pretend a future is in the cards.

An alarm goes off, and Eleanore gets busy, shooing them over to the living room.

‘Go sit, boys. Dinner is ready!’

When they sit down at the table, Lucas lets go of his hand, and he tries not to be too disappointed by that.

-

As it turns out, Eleanore is a fantastic cook, even though she claims she just ‘threw something together’. The dish contains white fish, tomatoes and eggplant, with baked potatoes on the side. It’s delicious.

They talk about all sorts of things. Eleanore asks them how they met. They agreed to keep as close to the truth as possible, which means that Eliott tells her that he changed high schools when he was 18 and met Lucas then. After that, she wants to know when they decided to start dating.

Before he can say anything, Lucas answers this one, telling her that he always had a crush on Eliott, and that he had confessed his feelings one night when they were drunk at a party that Basile threw.

That party actually happened, and it’s true, they were pretty drunk. Eliott thinks back on that party and wonders why Lucas chose to incorporate that night of all nights in their fake-dating story.

‘I just told him that I think he’s one of the best people I know, and that I really liked him, and I guess he was on the same page as me, and yeah, the rest is history.’

He tries to catch his eye, but Lucas keeps looking at his mom, who is cooing over their romantic encounter, if you could call it that. The funny thing is, they did actually have a conversation just like that one that night, the only difference was that it didn’t result in them moving on beyond friendship.

If he didn’t know any better, he would say that Lucas looks… shy, right now. Like he’s a bit embarrassed that he chose that story.

It pulls on his heartstrings, and he instinctively nudges Lucas’ thigh with his own. It takes a moment before he can feel Lucas lean into the touch gratefully.

‘You must be stoked to go on vacation with the whole family, Eleanore.’

As far as subject changes go, it might not be the most subtle one, but it’s all he can think of right now.

‘Yes, absolutely, it’s been so long since we’ve done something like this. I think that Lucas must have been 8 or 9 the last time. Did Lucas tell you the occasion?’

He tries – and fails – to hide his surprise. Frankly he has just assumed that there wasn’t any special occasion.

‘No, mom, I didn’t bore him with the details, but since you’ve mentioned it… it’s my aunt and uncles 25th wedding anniversary. They are pretty well off, that’s why it’s all expenses paid.’

When Lucas looks up at him, he seems to feel guilty about keeping that piece of information from him until now.

‘It’s very kind of them, and honestly I have been looking forward to it all year. I know Lucas has, too, right dear?’

Lucas shrugs and smiles at his mom, a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

‘Yeah, I guess. I mean, I could really use the rest. It’s been a… hectic year. A full week in the sun can’t come soon enough.’

Eliott tries to concentrate on the conversations that follow and just enjoy his meal, but every once in a while, his eyes are drawn towards Lucas, and he can’t shake the feeling that there’s something going on with him that he isn’t voicing.

-

It’s too bad that Eleanore isn’t his real mother-in-law, because she’s an absolute sweetheart, and makes him feel so welcome in just a few hours. So much so, that when they leave for the evening, he feels a pang of regret that it’s over already.

They hug at the front door, and it feels nice.

‘It was a pleasure meeting you, Eliott.’

‘Likewise.’

The urge to give Lucas and his mom some privacy in their goodbye’s comes over him then, and he walks outside to have a quick smoke.

It takes some willpower not to try and overhear what they are saying. A part of him is dying to know what Eleanore really thinks of him, but he knows that it doesn’t even matter anyway.

Despite his efforts, he senses that the tone of Lucas’ goodbye isn’t as happy as he thought it would be.

When Lucas finally emerges from the house and asks if he’s ready to go, Eliott follows him to the car.

‘That went okay, right?’

He can’t help but feel a bit nervous. Lucas looks up.

‘Of course, it went perfectly. I know I have already said this a lot, but… thank you, again.’

‘It was nothing, really. I had fun. Your mom’s the best.’

Lucas smiles and sighs at the same time.

‘She is, isn’t she.’

When he glances over at him, Lucas is biting his lip.

‘Is something wrong, Lucas? If I did or said anything out of line, just tell me –‘

‘What? No, of course you didn’t. I was just… thinking. When we said goodbye, my mom started to say that she was so glad I had you in my life, and that she knew that everybody is dying to meet you… I don’t know, I just think that I should cancel that vacation to be honest.’

‘Are you kidding me? You deserve that vacation. Why would you cancel it?’

‘Because, I thought I would be fine with just saying we broke up, but I can already predict that there will be a pity party in my name if I go with that. And that sounds more exhausting to me right now than having no vacation at all.’

‘That sounds stupid. You need to rest, Lucas.’

A thought comes to him, one that he feels equally excited as scared about.

‘Listen… you said it’s all expenses paid, right? Would that also be the case for your plus one?’

Lucas nods, although his face tells him that he’s not sure where Eliott is going with this.

‘Okay, great. I have a proposition, and before you say no, hear me out. We can try and keep this whole fake dating thing up for a bit. I can come with you on your holiday. It wouldn’t be to do you a favor, or, well, not only to do you a favor. In case you don’t know, I am not exactly swimming in money right now, so a vacation that I don’t have to pay for myself? That’s pretty much a gift right out of heaven, if you ask me.

‘Look, you don’t have to give an answer right away, but at least tell me you will think about this before you make any rash decisions.’

Lucas is looking at him in disbelieve and with narrowed eyes, but his eyes soften as he realizes that Eliott is being serious.

‘Fine… I will think about it.’

Eliott doesn’t sleep that night.

[cakesunflower]

Moiety [Bodyguard!Calum] One Shot

Moiety--One of two equal parts.

Summary: Princess Rhea doesn’t want a bodyguard, but when Calum Hood shows up to be her personal security detail, she doesn’t have much of a choice. Especially in matters of the heart.

this....is legit 19k+ words of,,,,,stuff. it’s princess!oc x bodyguard!calum. this is lowkey inspired by Princess Eleanor and Jasper Frost from the tv show The Royals. if you know, you know. hope y’all enjoy. happy reading, folks!

She hadn’t been back for even a week and she already felt as though her freedom was being taken from her. Rhea supposed she shouldn’t be too surprised; she was fortunate enough that her parents let her go off to America by herself in the first place without much, if any, security. But upon returning to Agron, it was difficult for Rhea to even step off of palace grounds without being flanked by guards, making it difficult for her to even visit old friends without a car full of middle aged security guards.

Within just two days of her return, Rhea managed to sneak out of the palace without being detected. She felt like she was a teenager again, rather than a twenty-two year old woman, using the secret passageways and tunnels under her home she had memorized to go to a party or a pub, wanting nothing more than to spend time with friends she had missed while being away for her studies in the United States.

Much to her chagrin, she had only been at the party for about two hours when the royal security guards entered with a powerful wave, looking for the princess who had managed to escape without detection and was the reason of the king’s frustrated mood. Rhea wasn’t one who got embarrassed, having grown up with the confidence of a princess, not at all hindered by the hesitant and frightened looks the partygoers were sending her way as she glared at the head guard. Mr. Barrow was throwing her an exasperated look of her own as she walked past him, knowing the guards would follow her.

“You’re not a child anymore, your Highness,” Mr. Barrow sighed once they got into the car, with Rhea crossing her arms over her chest and pressing herself against the door, mimicking the very petulant child Mr. Barrow was telling her she wasn’t. “Surely now you can understand why it’s important for you to have constant protection.”

“Protection from what?” Rhea demanded with a huff of her own, throwing him a helpless look as the car began moving. “I was perfectly fine in America for four years. If something were to happen, wouldn’t it have by now?”

Mr. Barrow pursed his lips. “Your identity was a strictly kept secret when you were being flown overseas. Besides, Agron is a small country, nonexistent to many, but that does not mean the royal family is not valuable. The King and Queen want you to be safe, your Highness. It was a wonder they didn’t send a portion of our army to watch over you in America.”

Rhea rolled her blue eyes. “That’s a bit dramatic.” Though, she knew entirely, that it wasn’t. Even now that she’s graduated and returned home, Rhea often finds herself in disbelief that her parents let her go so far by herself in the first place. They were always protective, always kept an eye on her and her older brother, Roland. It had taken a lot of begging from Rhea, and some persuasive help from her brother, to finally get their parents to agree.

And, if Rhea was being completely honest, she felt as though she understood why she was being flanked by guards now too. She’d been away for four years, only returning for Christmas, and each time her parents found it difficult to send her back, often suggesting for her to finish her studies in Agron. Now that she was back, it seemed as though they were catching up on keeping her safe in ways they couldn’t when she’d been gone. And while she found herself annoyed because of it, Rhea knew it was because she’d grown used to the independence she had in America. Honestly, she was grateful her parents let her go in the first place; grateful that they respected her desires of getting the best education she could and let her be something more than just the Princess of Agron.

Still, sending practically the entire royal security team after her was a bit overbearing.

A week following her return, Rhea was called to her father’s study after breakfast, smiling at the few maids cleaning the grand living room as she walked through it, following after her dad’s advisor, Mr. Gladwell. “Did he say what this is about?” Rhea asked the older man.

He let out a short, knowing chuckle. “Best if his Majesty explains it himself,” Mr. Gladwell responded, opening the doors to the study and stepping aside to let Rhea walk in.

The first person she noticed was her father, of course, sitting behind the large oak desk decorated with his computer, paperwork, books, trinkets and all sorts of things he could place there. Then she noticed two figures in front of his desk, their backs to her, but Rhea instantly recognized Mr. Burrow as the one on the left. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the one on the right, dressed in the usual black suit that all palace guards wore, taller than Mr. Burrow with broad shoulders and black hair that was seemingly slicked back. His hands were also held behind his back, Rhea’s eyes catching sight of some silver decorating his fingers, and she raised her eyebrows in intrigue as she walked further into the room and towards the desk.

Her father caught sight of her. “Oh, Rhea, come here, love.” He held his arm out to her, signaling for her to come stand by his side, as she walked around the stranger and towards her dad, though she was unable to not look at the unknown man in the room.

And when she did, oh, fuck.

The guy was gorgeous—there was no other way to describe him. He looked clean cut with slicked hair and a sharp jaw, and crisp in his suit and tie, the jacket accentuating his broad shoulders, hugging him nicely. A stoic, serious expression had made home on his handsome face, dark brown eyes focused under thick brows and full lips flat and expressionless. Rhea wasn’t oblivious to the air of confidence and attentiveness surrounding him, looking like he could punch out a guy and not even blink while doing it. Definitely an intimidating aura to him that Rhea didn’t sense in the other security guards—if that’s what he was.

“Rhea, this is Calum Hood,” her father introduced, gesturing to the man who couldn’t be a couple of years older than her. Rhea’s eyes met his at the introduction, feeling a hitch in her throat as her blue clashed with his dark brown. “Mr. Barrow says he’s the best on the palace security team, so we’ve assigned him to be your detail.”

Rhea damn near choked on her breath. What? They were going to assign him—this distractingly handsome, stupidly gorgeous man—to be her personal detail? Was her father punishing her?

“I know you haven’t been a fan of the many guards surrounding you every time you step out—” Her father was speaking again, but Rhea was having trouble focusing because her mind was reeling. She would much rather a middle aged man being her detail than Calum; how was she expected to breathe if someone like him was by her side all the damn time? “—So I’d been talking to Mr. Barrow to see who the best man would be to keep my best girl safe, and this young man is more than qualified for the job. Wouldn’t you say so, Mr. Hood?”

She couldn’t really form words, wasn’t entirely sure what to say. Rhea felt ridiculous, really, for being speechless at this news, for being so utterly taken aback at the sight of her new bodyguard. Honestly—she was sure her father was playing some sort of cruel joke on her.

And then he spoke up, in response to her father’s question with a deep and raspy voice enough to entice goosebumps, and Rhea’s eyes were on Calum’s face as he returned her gaze, expression unreadable as he gave her a single accepting nod. “It’s my pleasure to serve you, your Highness.”

Oh, yes. Rhea most definitely felt her stomach clench tightly at his words.

                                                        *****

It took Rhea a day to accept that she had a new, hot security detail. Truthfully, she spent the entire day inside the palace in her room, which meant she didn’t need to be around Calum. While she appreciated her father’s decision to give her just one qualified detail over an entire fucking force—why did he have to choose one who looked like that? Rhea sounded desperate and pleading in her own head but, man, he was gorgeous.

The following night, Rhea actually had to leave the palace. It was one of her good friend’s birthday and, unsurprisingly, everyone wanted to go to a club to celebrate, which Rhea was more than ready to do so, now that she knew she wouldn’t be ambushed by guards every which way. But it wasn’t until she was walking down the palace steps, clad in a black spaghetti strapped jumpsuit that showed off the skin on her back and the valley of her breasts due to the deep V-cut, that she stupidly remembered about the man who would be accompanying her.

For all her royalty and princess-like grace, Rhea almost tripped on the steps when she caught sight of Calum, standing in front of the backseat door of the limo, hands held together in front of him. He was in the standard suit, of course, polished shoes and silver rings glinting under the palace lights, watching her walk down with an intense gaze that sent shivers down her spine. His posture was straight and attentive, expression frustratingly stoic as she finally reached the car.

“Good evenin’, your Highness,” Calum greeted evenly, fighting the urge to let his gaze wander any lower than her eyes, despite feeling the desire to do so. It wasn’t professional, wasn’t something he could let happen, or even think about. He was here to protect the princess, not let his mind delve into inappropriate thoughts at the mere sight of her. No matter how gorgeous she was with hair that was almost black and bright blue eyes that could rival an ocean.

Rhea offered a friendly smile, oblivious to Calum that she was resisting her own wandering eyes. “Calum,” she returned, waiting as he reached behind him to open the door for the car.

Calum shut the door once she slid in, letting out a breath and walking around the car, undoing the button on his jacket as he got in on the other side, shutting the door and settling against the leather as the driver began heading off palace grounds. It was silent in the car, both of them sitting on either end of the seat by the doors, a kind of light tension in the air neither was sure where it was emitting from, but neither oblivious to how the car held a pleasant mixed scent of her perfume and his cologne.

Rhea tried to busy herself for a few moments, scrolling through her social media—being a princess wasn’t going to stop her from tweeting or posting on Instagram—but ultimately grew bored as she locked her phone and put it on her lap. She stared at the device for a couple of seconds before chancing a glance to her right. Calum was staring out the tinted window, earpiece in, sharp jaw set and right arm propped on the windowsill of the car.

It wasn’t awkward, just. . . Silent. Rhea knew what awkwardness felt like, and this wasn’t it; this seemed like Calum was purposefully avoiding looking her way, vehemently staring out the window. She raised her eyebrows, curious, before deciding to break the silence. “So, bodyguard,” her smooth voice broke the silence, instantly catching Calum’s attention as he looked her way, the subtlest lift in his eyebrows. Rhea shifted, crossing one leg over her knee, leaning in his direction ever so slightly. “Tell me about yourself.” She smiled charmingly. “I like to get to know the lives of men who’re working to protect mine.”

Calum eyed her, fighting the tightness in his throat. He knew the princess was pretty; had seen pictures and videos of her before they’d ever met. But actually being in her presence, in her royal state of grace, looking stunning and sexy in clothing no princess years ago would ever be allowed to wear, Calum found himself near speechless at the sight of Princess Rhea. Her bright eyes stood out against her sun kissed skin, long black hair yet another stark contrast—she was fucking ethereal. Nothing less than what anyone would expect of a princess.

“There’s not much know about me,” he found himself responded, voice gruff as his fingers tapped against the windowsill. “Served in Agron’s army since I was eighteen, was discharged at twenty-one, and since was offered a job at the palace’s security team by Mr. Barrow.”

Rhea quirked an eyebrow. “Honorable or dishonorable?”

Calum’s jaw clenched, eyes narrowing ever so slightly—he couldn’t full on scowl at the princess—while controlling his hard tone as he responded, “Honorable.”

She easily picked up on the bite in his tone, not expecting him to not be offended at her question. “Just making sure,” she breezily assured. Calum looked straight ahead then, the muscle in his jaw jumping, and Rhea didn’t want him to be annoyed with her just yet. “What, that’s it? I didn’t ask for your resume, bodyguard. Tell me something more.”

He raised his eyebrows, though a frown was on his lips, as he retorted, “’M here to be your bodyguard, your Highness, not your friend. Your inquiries aren’t going to get you anywhere.”

His words had Rhea gaping at him in surprise, eyebrows shooting up and lips parting in disbelief and, truthfully, a bit of offense. All she was trying to do was get to know him, so he wasn’t just some stranger following her around everywhere, to bring herself a level of comfort that he was someone she knew and could count on. Her old detail, back when she was a teenager, was a man in his mid-thirties named Quentin Jennings, and he had been like an uncle to her. Kind, caring, and not at all stoic as the younger man sitting next to her. Definitely not as cold.

For a moment, Rhea wished she could have Mr. Jennings back.

Rhea clenched her jaw, her expression forming into one of an affronted glare, leaning back against the door with her arms crossed over her chest. It wasn’t even her princess pride that was wounded—it was basic human feelings of being so blatantly brushed aside. Her tone was just as cold as Calum’s as she snapped briskly, “Forgive me for wanting to find a place of trust with the very man who carries my life in his hands.”

She turned to face the window. The club couldn’t arrive fast enough.

                                                     *****

Calum knew, from the second Rhea snapped at him, that he, to some extent, hurt the princess’s feelings. The worst part was that he didn’t even think about it—the words had just slipped from his mouth before he could stop them, verbally rejecting her obvious extension of friendship and trust when that’s the very thing a bodyguard should have established with their charge. Because he knew, from experience and from what he was told, that if you pissed off your charge, chances are they would try and make your job that much harder.

Princess Rhea seemed adamant on doing just that.

The club they were currently in was one of the most popular, exclusive ones, which was unsurprising. There were three levels, the ground floor being the dance floor and bar, while the second and third were lounge areas with couches and seats—though the second level had another bar of its own . The lighting was dim, flashes of blues, reds, purples and yellows blinding as they flickered with the beat of the deafening music. Calum stayed with the princess to the best of his abilities, managing to stick close to her as she bounced from friend to friend, going back and forth from the bar to the dance floor as he stood an appropriate distance away, never letting his eyes wander from her.

He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, aware that he stood out shockingly, yet not caring the slightest bit. His tall stature demanded attention, which he didn’t return, as people walked around him even in their drunken stumble to avoid bumping into the imposing, serious faced man.

But it wasn’t until a group of people walked directly past him, obstructing his view, and Calum was quick to move when he realized that. Unfortunately, he didn’t expect the princess to be as slippery, clenching his teeth tightly as she disappeared from his view amidst the dancing crowd of bodies.

“Fuck’s sake,” Calum muttered darkly, walking ahead and right into the crowd, uncaring of the bodies he bumped into or were moving against him to the rhythm of the music. His sharp, observant eyes looked around, the bass of the music pounding in his ears, as he looked every which way for where she could’ve gone.

He was not about to lose the princess in a club because of her spiteful actions, knowing full well she’d realized she was obstructed from her view and decided to take off. Hands clenched into fists, Calum could feel his nails digging into his palms, lifting his gaze to see if he could catch sight of her.

There.

She was a blur of a figure, but Calum was able to get a glimpse of her disappearing up to the second floor, and he immediately took off. His strides were quick and purposeful, using his hands to push aside people in his way, ignoring the few grunts of annoyance they threw back in response that were drowned by the music. Calum went upstairs, two steps at a time, before reaching the second level and looking around.

There were still people dancing around, drinking, but most were lounging on the available seating. Calum narrowed his eyes in search of her, feeling the aggravation heat up his blood. She was being childish, running from him like that, knowing he was only around for her protection. Calum didn’t have patience for that. She may be her Royal Highness, but that didn’t give her the right to evade something for her own good and act like a petulant child just because her feelings were hurt.

He found her easily, sitting on one of the plush couches with her profile to him, laughing at whatever the hell the people around her were saying as she sipped from a glass. Unable to help himself or loosen the tightness of his jaw, Calum stalked over, walking right behind the couch. Bracing his hands on top of it, he leaned down, lips dangerous close to the ears of someone he probably wasn’t even worthy of whispering to, feeling her tense up at his presence as he ignored the few looks being sent their way.

“I’ll ask you not to do that again, Princess. For your own safety.”

His voice was low, silent over the thundering music, yet calm and controlled, and Rhea heard him loud and clear, his warm breath pleasantly fanning against her skin, enough to create goosebumps. She could feel some of her friends’ eyes on them, most of the girls intrigued by the new hot bodyguard, but Rhea kept her lips pursed and gaze on her nearly finished margarita. Her stomach churned at the way he spoke—almost threatening, a manner of speaking that no other security guard dared talk to her in.

And even though this was their first time with him actually detailing her, Rhea could already tell Calum Hood was definitely not like the other guards she’s been around.

Still, she wasn’t going to let him rattle her. So she stood up while finishing off her drink, turning around to face Calum, who now stood straight behind the couch with his dark eyes on her blue. He looked wonderful with the colors of the club splashing across his skin, jaw once again set and eyes screaming no-nonsense stoicism.

Rhea leaned towards him, the couch separating them, and raised her eyebrows. “You’re my bodyguard, not my babysitter,” she spoke pointedly, not missing the way his eyebrows twitched into a frown. “You do not tell me what to do.”

Not bothering to wait for a response or reaction, Rhea turned and began walking, heading straight towards the bar located on this floor. Of course, Calum’s eyes followed her every move, not even acknowledging the eyes of her friends he could feel on him, watching as she settled on a stool and easily flagged down the bartender. Her status granted her whatever she wanted within seconds.

The bar wasn’t too far from where he stood, could see her perfectly. She sat sideways on the stool, flashing her brilliant smile at the bartender once her margarita was in her hand, one leg cross over the other as she sipped elegantly through the thin black straw. There were people all around her, her presence attraction attention wherever she went, and Calum shifted a bit closer around the couch in case his view got obstructed. He watched her surroundings, watched the people approaching her and talking to her and making her laugh.

He ignored the twist he felt in his chest at the sight of her smile, marking it up as just another pretty face. And he just watched.

They were at the club for hours and though she tried, Rhea couldn’t escape from Calum’s gaze a second time. The more alcohol she downed, the more focused Calum got, as if he hadn’t already been before. He stayed close by, an ever present shadow that he knew was beginning to bother Rhea by how many times she tried to duck away from him. But he always caught up with her.

It was around three in the morning when her friends were deciding to call it a night, drunkenly hugging one another before departing. When the last of her friends left, Calum took a step closer towards the princess. “Come on, your Highness, we should get goin’ as well.”

“Hold on,” Rhea drawled, holding one finger up while her other hand wrapped around a glass. “After this one,” she added before beginning to sip it.

Calum pursed his lips, buttoning his suit jacket as he raised a dubious, tired eyebrow. He wasn’t too sleepy, but the continuous music had been pounding in his head and he wanted to get the princess back to the palace so he could greet his mattress. “Haven’t you had enough to drink?”

Rhea frowned, head bowing drunkenly as she glanced at him. Just by the sluggish expressions on her face Calum could tell she was drunk, along with how many drinks he’d seen her consume throughout the night. The princess was definitely going to be hungover in the morning. “Didn’t I tell you to stop telling me what to do?” she shot back, scoffing before going back to sipping her drink.

Calum rolled his eyes, standing a few stools away from her against the bar, leaning on his left elbow to face her as he flagged down the bartender. “Just doin’ my job,” he told her flatly before asking for a glass of whiskey. He knew his tolerance, knew a glass wouldn’t have any hindering effects on him.

The club was a bit more peaceful now since it was closing soon. There were people still lingering about, waiting for friends or just really waiting for the place to close before they could leave. He heard Rhea snort. “Which is what? Protect me from getting drunk?” She raised her glass at him, smiling sweetly. “Too late for that, bodyguard.”

Fortunately, they finished their drinks soon enough, and Calum stood up from his stool just as Rhea stood up from hers, and he quickly faced her when she let out a noticeable, startled gasp before stumbling towards Calum.

He frowned, one hand automatically wrapping around her waist as she nearly drunkenly tripped on her heels, her hand bracing herself against the bar. “What?” Calum asked, looking down at her in alarm. His alertness only increased when he saw the incredulous, disgusted expression on her face, eyes wide and startled under furrowing eyebrows and lips parted while tilted into a frown. “What happened?”

Rhea let out a sharp breath, straightening herself as she blinked, trying to get her hazy thoughts together before turning her head towards Calum. He ducked her head towards her, ear right by her mouth as he heard her shakily whisper, “That guy just—just fucking groped me.”

Calum pulled his head away from her, shooting her an incredulous, pissed off look of his own as Rhea pursed her lips, and through her drunken haze Calum could see the discomfort and disgust marring her features. Her words ignited a fire in his veins, fueled by his blood, as his eyes darted to the man that had been sitting on the stool on the other side of Rhea, innocently sipping on his beer.

Withdrawing his arm from around Rhea, Calum’s jaw tightened as he stepped up to the guy, blood pumping. “Oi!” Calum sounded, voice rough and loud, causing the guy to actually jump, even startling the bartender. The guy paled at the sight of Calum’s narrow eyed, tight scowl, trying to scramble to his feet but Calum’s hand shot out, ring clad fingers gripping the older man’s jaw roughly as he pulled him to his feet. “You got a problem keepin’ your hands to yourself?”

Rhea watched, stunned and frozen in place, clutching her bag to her as the scene unfolded. She felt her skin crawl at the thought and feel of being touched without her consent, heart pounding as she watched Calum so easily hold the guy in place just with his hand. There was a look of fear in the guy’s eyes, and while she couldn’t see Calum’s face, except for the tense rigidness of his back and shoulders, she figured he probably looked terrifying.

“I’m—I’m sorry, lad. Didn’t know she was your girl,” the guy stammered back, eyes wide and pleading to be let go.

Rhea noticed him wince, realized it was because Calum tightened the grip of his fingers against his jaw, flinching herself slightly. “She’s not my girl—she’s the fuckin’ princess, you twat,” Calum growled out. If possible, the guy’s eyes widened even more, the terror on his face intensifying at the revelation of who he touched inappropriately, his eyes briefly flickering over to where Rhea stood. He clamped her lips together, hoping to let a glare wash over her face, as her teeth pressed together. Calum roughly pulled the guy’s gaze back to him. “Hey, don’t look at her,” he snapped, voice gruff and low and dangerous. “You don’t fuckin’ touch a woman unless she wants you to, right? And you most certainly don’t touch the fuckin’ princess unless you want your fingers broken.”

“It won’t happen again,” the guy stammered out in broken breaths, looking and sounding frightened beyond belief. He was staring, wide eyed, at Calum, paralyzed by the bodyguard’s severe gaze and unable to look away. “I-I’m sorry.”

Calum’s movements were swift, his hand going from the guy’s jaw to the back of his neck, moving the stranger in front of his body and forcing him into a bowing position with his grip on him. They were now facing Rhea, Calum standing behind him, looking completely at ease despite the aggravation radiating off of him, and Rhea watched, with slightly widened eyes, as Calum told the guy, “I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”

The man tried raising his head, but Calum’s grip kept him bowed. “I’m—I sincerely apologize, your Highness,” he stuttered, his gaze on her heel clad feet, unable to look any further because of his position. “Please forgive me.”

Rhea was a bit stunned at the situation; she’d seen some bodyguards have to deal with rowdy people, seen them pull guns on those who had something against her or her family. She’d been gone for four years; there’d been times back in America when she was hit on or touched when she’d go out with friends, but there were no bodyguards to come to her defense instantly. The scene in front of her was both shocking and, in a way, relieving.

She refused to think about how fucking hot Calum looked, handling this gross man in front of her.

She didn’t want to give this guy another second of her attention, instead looking at Calum, meeting his gaze as she crossed her arms over her chest and asked in a tone she hoped was steady, “I’d like to get home now.”

Calum gave her a nod, shooting one last scowl at the man before roughly pushing him away. He stumbled, nearly crashing into a couch, and neither of them spared him another look as Calum guided Rhea down the stairs and towards the exit. They were silent, even through the small crowd of paparazzi that had formed outside, flashing their cameras at Rhea. She used one hand to shield her eyes, surprised she wasn’t tripping on her feet, her drunk suddenly making her feel sluggish and lazy.

She felt Calum’s hand on the small of her back, felt his touch burn her skin through her clothing, and she swallowed through her dry throat as he used his other arm to keep people at bay as they reached the car and he got her inside quickly. Just the brief encounter with the camera flashes had Rhea squeezing her eyes shut, hoping to fight off the headache she knew was coming, especially in relation to how much she drank. Was it possible for her not to even feel drunk, though, despite how much she drank, because of what just occurred inside the club?

All she could think of was Calum and the way he handled that man.

Rhea leaned her head against the headrest, staring up at the ceiling of the car as the driver pulled away from the club, letting out a breath. She then rolled her head to the right, looking at Calum, taking in the curve of his jaw and the fullness of his lips and the long sweep of his eyelashes. “Thank you,” she finally said, her small voice breaking the quiet of the car.

Calum looked at her, brown eyes meeting blue, and Rhea wasn’t sure if she was imagining it but she saw the subtlest shift in his expression, his features softening just a bit. “Like I said—just doin’ my job,” he told her, his voice a lot less intense than it was before. He then gave a nod. “But you’re welcome.”

She found herself offering him a smile, despite her previous annoyance with him throughout the night, despite her immature attempts of trying to hide from him. He had rubbed her the wrong way, come off as kind of as an authoritative jerk, but he definitely stepped up when she needed him to. Maybe he wasn’t so bad. Maybe she could trust him.

                                                          *****

“I’m surprised you haven’t jumped him yet.”

Rhea let out a scoff, shooting her friend Mercedes an affronted yet amused look. “I’ve got more self-control than that, Mer.”

Mercedes raised her eyebrows, green eyes sparkling mischievously. “Do you?” she countered with a smirk.

The princess pursed her lips, though they quirked up in a smile as she kept in the laugh threatening to escape, hiding it in the champaign she was sipping on. Her eyes wandered towards the subject of their conversation, stationed by one of the entryways in his usual pose of straight back and hands in front of him, another bodyguard standing with him at the entrance. His watchful eyes observed the banquet hall, full of guests for the Queen, Rhea’s mother’s, birthday. A grand affair, the palace full of people, bringing out the entire royal security team for the celebration.

Calum looked handsome, as usual, and Rhea couldn’t help but consider Mercedes’s words. It’s been over a month since he’d been assigned to her and Rhea wasn’t going to lie—she was surprised herself that she’s lasted so long. Every time she caught sight of him, every time he was in her presence, Rhea could feel her stomach tighten and flutter and heart pick up its pace. It wasn’t just his looks, though; it was him. The air that surrounded him—confident, strong, authoritative, not at all someone who's bad side one would want to get on.

Things between the two of them weren’t all that different since that night at the club. He was still stoic, focused on work, and the two of them sometimes clawed at each other’s throats because he wasn’t the conversation type and Rhea still wanted to know more about him. She wasn’t used to not getting what she wanted. Definitely a princess privilege, one she often took advantage of—one Calum didn’t feed into.

His eyes would wander over to her more than they should, keeping his jaw clenched every time he heard her laugh, his grip on his own hands tightening as she posed for pictures with friends and family, looked away when her eyes would find his. He’d take a breath, lift his chin, and keep his usual blank expression as he made sure everything was going smoothly. But her eyes—he always found himself wanting to give into them.

Calum was sure Rhea knew exactly what she was doing, every time those blue eyes landed on him, watching him with a seemingly innocent expression with clear undertones of unspoken intentions. She looked at him the way he looked at her when no one was looking, sinful thoughts swirling in his mind that no bodyguard should have for his charge—much less a royal.

“The princess is leaving the banquet hall,” Mr. Barrow’s voice came in through the earpiece, and Calum’s eyes immediately went to where he had seen her last. She wasn’t there, but Calum caught sight of her heading towards the other entranceway and, as though she felt his gaze, Rhea’s eyes met his. And despite the distance between them, upon their eyes locking, Calum saw the smirk curling at her lips. “Hood, keep your eye on her.”

Keeping track of the royals during palace events was always an intense duty, just as much as it was when they were out and about. It was a big home, with many people, and while the security measures on palace grounds were intense, nothing was perfect, so the guards in charge of specific royals rarely ever left their sides.

Rhea’s smirk widened when she saw Calum say something into the mouthpiece before clicking the button off and making his way towards her, and she continued walking. Calum followed after her, exiting the buzzing banquet hall and stepping out into the long, quieter corridors of the palace. She was about twenty feet ahead of him and he could easily catch up, but kept at his pace, allowing himself a brief moment to admire the sway of her hips and the way the navy blue satin dress clung to her body, the slit sensually showing off her left leg.

They were in the wing of the house where her bedroom was located, one that Calum never really entered. He always waited outside or in the doorway, never stepping through the threshold because Calum had this paranoid belief if he did, he wouldn’t want to fucking leave.

When she reached her door and opened it, Calum commented, “Party’s the other way, Princess.”

Rhea looked at him, a subtle raise in her brows, one hand on the doorknob, her charming smile once again on her red lips. “Real party’s in here, bodyguard.”

His pace slowed down at her words, picking up on the unapologetically suggestive tone of her voice, and Rhea smiled sweetly before entering the room, and Calum let out a sharp breath as he flickered his gaze to the ceiling. Over a month into this job and the princess was not making things any easier for him. Harder, if anything. In every sense of the word.

The amount of times he yearned to touch her in more ways than just a guiding hand on her back burned his veins, forcing himself to ignore those feelings and focus on the damn job.

He didn’t go into the room, instead opting to stand by the door with his back to the wall and arms crossed over his chest. His jaw clenched, trying not to think of the woman on the other side of the door, how fine she looked in that expensive dress and how pretty her red lips looked. A princess in every sense of the word.

The door opened and from his peripheral Calum saw Rhea poke her head out, long hair swaying as she tilted her head at him. “Not even going to keep me company, bodyguard?” she hummed innocently

Calum kept his gaze on the gold trimmed wall opposite of him. “Not my job.”

Rhea let out a breathy laugh, not at all turned away by his brisk response like she normally was. Honestly, maybe she was some kind of masochist, but Calum’s indifference only egged her on, only made her attracted to him even more. Made her want to loosen up the firm, broody man. “You work for me, remember?” she reminded, lips curling when she saw the muscle in his jaw jump. She pointed to herself. “Princess say—” She then pointed at him, smiling. “Bodyguard do.”

This time he looked at her, eyes narrowing at demand in her sugar coated tone, feeling his muscles tense. She had the habit of pointing out their positions, how she was, technically, his boss as a member of the royal family. Calum knew it was because she liked riling him up, tried to get some kind of reaction out of him, and he never gave in. he continued doing his job, sticking to accompanying her when she went out with friends at night and did her princess duties of visiting the charities and shelters she enjoyed giving her time to.

In the past month, he’s seen her drink the night away and watched her hold and love on sick babies and animals in pet shelters, and it stirred something in his chest each time. There were two sides of the princess, both equally as intriguing, and Calum found himself in awe of her. She was. . . Something.

He followed her into the room, reaching behind him to shut the double doors, watching as Rhea sat on the edge of her bed and took a drag out of her dab pen. Calum had come to learn the princess preferred that over proper joints, giving up on those after she bought the pen in her sophomore year of university.

Calum’s eyes were on her, feet moving without much thought as he watched her lean back on the bed, bracing herself with her left hand, one leg crossing over the other as the slit exposed smooth skin Calum felt his fingers itching to touch. She looked ravenous, hair falling down her back and showing off her neck and collarbones, pretty lips wrapped around the end of the pen before she let out a curl of smoke after holding it in for a bit.

He stopped in front of her, looking down at her seated figure, as she held the pen out to him. “’M on duty.”

Rhea let out an airy scoff with a roll of her eyes, still holding the pen up. “Every security personnel is on duty. A hit or two isn’t going to bring on the end of the world, Calum.”

He preferred when she called him bodyguard. The sound of his name falling past her lips in her voice had too much of a reaction emitting from him, more than one would deem normal. His dark eyes were on her, watching the encouraging smile on her face as she wiggled the pen around enticingly, and Calum was put in a battle of wills. He had built a tolerance to weed, having smoked his fair share enough that it took him more than a few hits to get high, but doing so on the job was grounds for getting fired.

Sure, he knew he wouldn’t get too, or at all, high but it would still be a pretty big risk. If any of the other guards, especially Mr. Barrow, even suspected he wasn’t at all sober then he could be in some serious shit. The smart, rational thing to do would be to reject Rhea’s offer and seat himself on the couch as she indulged herself. It was the logical, safer choice.

But he’d rejected Rhea and the feelings she effortlessly invoked in him for a month too long. And the way she looked, stunning and smiling and looking like the opposite of a logical and safe choice, Calum felt himself giving in.

Rhea grinned when he took the pen from her, holding it between ring clad fingers and watching as his cheeks hollowed slightly, showing off his jaw and cheekbones as he took the drag. “Lookin’ to get me fired, Princess?” he breathed out a moment later, still looking down at her, still not moving away.

“You won’t get fired,” she told him with a roll of her eyes, taking the pen from him. Her smile was alluring, inviting. “Won’t let it happen. A princess’s promise.”

Calum snorted, the smallest of smirks on his lips as she brought the pen between her lips once more. The sarcasm was clear in his voice as he said, “I’m honored.”

“You should be,” Rhea scoffed. The room, while the size of a small apartment, was slowly starting to hold the faint scent of weed, particularly where the two of them were. “I don’t make those just for anyone—especially not for rude, moody bodyguards.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Rude?”

Rhea shot him a disbelieving look. “Yes, rude. Every time I try to make conversation with you about you, you blow me off. And you’re a dick about it.”

Calum wanted to laugh in amusement. He was well aware of the princess’s desires of wanting to get to know him, and he was careful on not indulging her. At first it was because he wanted to keep things professional—just a charge and her bodyguard. In his mind, it would keep things the way they were supposed to be between them, wouldn’t bring anything to a personal level, but as Calum thought about it, he figured that was already out the window with just how the two of them looked at each other. There was nothing professional about that.

“Alright,” he finally sighed, plucking the little gadget from her fingers and taking a hit. He was a few in and, as expected, didn’t feel much. “What do you want to know?”

Her eyebrows shot up, surprised that he was giving in, eyes lighting up in delight that he was finally willing to open up in anyway. Eyes giving him a once over, Rhea not for the first time took in the broad shoulders and crisp shirt and the slicked back hair and, wow, he looked good. But she forced herself to focus, eyes dropping to his ring decorated hands, before something clicked and she nodded to them. “Those tattoos. What do they mean?”

She’d seen them, obviously, three letters inked on both of his hands that she always wondered what they stood for. Calum raised his eyebrows, not entirely expecting that, as he glanced down at his hands, as if realizing he had tattoos on them. “They’re initials,” he answered after a moment. “My mum and dad’s.”

His answer had Rhea’s heart melting, her expression softening because that was fucking adorable. The big bad bodyguard had his parents’ initials tattooed on him? That revelation was unexpected and kind of just made her attracted to him all the more. Rhea took a breath, straightening her back as she leaned back a bit and kept her over adoring reaction at bay and instead mused, “Family man. That’s really sweet.”

Calum gave a one shouldered shrug, gaze dropping to the exposed skin of her leg, an action that didn’t go unnoticed by her. Just like she didn’t not notice the way he watched her throughout the night. “’M a sweet guy, believe it or not.”

That made Rhea let out a laugh, slowly feeling the buzz of her high creep in. “I don’t believe it, no offense,” she responded. There was a warmth that was spreading through her, and Rhea wasn’t sure if it was because of the high or because of the man in front of her, but she didn’t question it. She stood up, her eyes never leaving his dark ones, her heels giving her a bit of height but still not enough to be eye level with the handsome man. But she took a step towards him, the distance between them limited, as he stayed in place and kept her gaze. Rhea leaned towards him, her hand coming up to play and grasp at his tie, giving it the slightest tug. Calum’s jaw clenched, especially when her voice dropped to an enticing murmur. “Because sweet guys don’t look at princesses the way you look at me.”

She felt smug satisfaction course through her veins when she noticed the way his throat worked at her words, seeing the small crack in his usual stoicism. He kept his lips pursed, full and looking so ready to be kissed. Rhea would be lying if she said their proximity wasn’t having an effect on her, just like she’d be lying if she said every time he touched her just for the simple matter of guiding her through a crowd didn’t burn her skin.

Calum lifted his chin, Rhea mirroring the movement with a lip parted smirk, her hand still gripping his tie. “Don’t make it sound like you don’t enjoy it.”

Her grin widened, heart thumping. “I’d enjoy it even more if you forgot the idea of look and don’t touch.”

She’d been pushing him for the past month, but had never been this obvious about what she wanted—him. He could feel his pants tightening with every word she uttered, with every inch of distance she closed, with the alluring look in her eyes that could probably start and end wars. She was taking control of the power she had over him he had tried to keep out of her reach, power he tried to keep himself from giving into. But, fuck, not anymore.

His left hand shot up and grasped the back of her head, tilting it back to get her to keep eye contact, hearing the small gasp that escaped her at the action. There was a fire burning in the pit of Calum’s stomach at the sight of the excitement and desire lighting up her eyes, not even sparing a second as his lips came down on hers.

There was nothing slow about them; not in Rhea’s reaction in kissing him back or the way both of their grips tightened on the other—in how Rhea used his tie to keep him close and his grip on her head tightened as his tongue met hers in urgent, needy strokes. Her body felt like it was on fire from just his kiss, and Calum could feel every drop of blood in his veins as every sense of his was heightened by the princess’s touch.

Calum threw caution in the wind, pushing away the fact that this was the princess, that he most definitely shouldn’t be doing this. But her touch was enticing, her kiss intoxicating, and Calum groaned into her mouth as he felt her untuck his button down from his pants and deftly begin to undo the buttons.

Their movements were quick, urgent, as she slid the jacket and shirt off his shoulders in one go, right after undoing his tie and tossing it to the floor while also ridding of the gun sling—that she was more careful of disposing. But before she could even reach for his pants, Calum broke their elongated kiss and used his grip on her hips to push her onto the bed. For a moment, he allowed himself to admire her kiss swollen lips, which were a bit smudged in red lipstick that he knew was probably decorating his mouth too, and he couldn’t help but think how fucking delicious she looked, staring up at him with wide, eager eyes that took in the tattoos decorating his skin. Her eyes flickered over them all and Calum knew eventually he’d be expected to answer questions about them, and he found himself ready to give her the answers.

But for now, he dropped to his knees as she remained laying, only propped up by one elbow, gasping when his hands found her hips and he roughly pulled her to the edge of the bed. Calum’s right hand trailed up her leg, exposed thanks to the slit on her dress, fingers feathering over her skin until he reached the waistband of her underwear, hidden just underneath the dress.

Calum wished there was time to admire her, to worship every inch of her royal skin, but there was a party going on in the palace and people were sure to miss the presence of their princess. And as much as he wanted her to be just his princess for as long as possible, he knew he didn’t have that luxury tonight, knew she’d have to go back out soon.

So he practically tore her underwear off, smirking at the protesting yelp that passed her lips as well as the lace panty that matched her dress. Calum shushed her, ignoring the narrowing of her blue eyes, as he pulled up her dress, and Rhea was quick to sit up just enough to expertly undo the zipper before pulling it over her head, dropping it on the bed as Calum admired the sight of her in the navy blue bra that left little to the imagination. His breath hitched, cock twitching in the confines of his pants, as she took off that, too, showing off breasts he yearned to get his mouth on, but he’d give into that another time.

Time was limited, but he still demanded just a little taste.

Arms wrapping around her thighs, Calum pulled the princess all the way towards him before delving his tongue to her waiting entrance, no foreplay for the foreplay. He would love to take it slow, to indulge in every second and in her for as long as possible, but they couldn’t tonight.

Rhea gasped at the sensation of his warm tongue giving attention to her core, head tilting back as her hands found home in his hair. Her fingers tangled in the soft strands, tugging at them, earning a groan of approval from the bodyguard, the sounds he was making vibrating throughout Rhea’s body. His right arm went across her hips, keeping her still as his tongue sinfully slid between her folds, her taste making him dizzy and the feel of his tongue between her walls driving her absolutely mad, along with his left hand trailing up and ring clad fingers gripping her breast, fingers teasing the perky nipple.

Her breath was picking up, sensual, appreciative whimpers escaping the princess that only egged Calum on, thumb flexing to rub on her clit to send even more waves of pleasures through her writhing body. He felt her fingers push back his hair, took the opportunity to flicker his gaze up and lock his eyes with hers just as he took her clit between his lips, a smirk curling when Rhea let out the most gorgeous sound and squeezed her eyes shut while throwing her head back, completely at his mercy as her hips ground against his mouth, desperately wanting more.

She was about to fall off the edge, knew her high was about to reach its peak, and Calum gave her clit one last kiss before completely pulling away, denying her the release she was so fucking close to. Rhea’s chest fell with the heavy breath she released, face flushed a pretty pink as she found the energy to lift her head to glare at him. “What the fu—”

He shut her up with his lips on hers, and she returned the eager kiss as he worked his pants off blindly, pulling out a condom from his wallet, their bare chests pressed together. The relief he felt to rid his cock from its confines wouldn’t be matched until it was buried in her, he knew, and as he rolled the condom on Calum mumbled gruffly against Rhea’s lips, “Want you to cum around me, Princess.”

Rhea’s arms looped under his, nails digging into his shoulders right when he sank into her. The room was filled with the sounds they made and the scent of weed, and Rhea was sure Calum could give her a better high than any drug as she felt him fill up every inch of her, gasping against his mouth as his lips dragged against hers. Calum right hand placed itself against the mattress next to her head, keeping himself up, his other arm folded between them as his ring clad fingers found her throat as he began fucking into her, the bite of his rings something Rhea didn’t know she needed but hoped would leave some kind of marks. Maybe he should’ve taken her from behind, rough and fast, but he wanted to see her face; wanted to watch every pleasurable expression her features made and watch the sounds escape from her pretty lips.

Each drag of his cock, each ridge she could feel against her walls, had Rhea gasping for breath as Calum’s teeth took her lower lip hostage, hips slamming into hers as the sound of skin slapping against skin joined the room, the sounds she was making only edging him on more. She looked dizzy with desire, eyes closing and eyebrows arching at every thrust and movement she felt inside.

“Feel so good around me, Princess,” Calum rasped, reveling in the way her nails dug into his skin, hoping she’d leaven crescent shapes in her wake. He dragged his lips up her jaw, never relenting in his thrusts, drunk on how snug she felt around him. His lips sucked a spot on her neck, apparently being the exact area that had her letting out a moan of approval, the feel of his lips and teeth and scruff against her skin inviting. “Fit for a fuckin’ king.”

Rhea’s hand went to the back of his head, once again tangling her fingers in his hair, legs around his waist as he pounded into her. She could feel her orgasm building quickly, especially from being denied before, her heart thundering and skin alight on a fire she didn’t want to put out. “All for you,” she gasped out, nails dragging across his scalp while the others dug into his shoulder. “Oh, fuck, Calum, ’m close.”

“Me too, doll,” he groaned, feeling the tight knot ready to release, pressing his forehead against hers as he said, “Let go for me, yeah? Let go, princess.”

She saw stars behind her eyes, holding Calum close as she felt her body give into him and everything he was evoking in her, and his moans joined hers as he sounded them against her when he felt her release, himself following soon after with stuttering hips and a deep groan that sent shivers down Rhea’s heated body. Calum closed his eyes, burying his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent as he rode out his high, overwhelmed with a tight chest as his stubble sensually scratched her skin and her arms remained wrapped around him.

Fuck the party. She wanted to stay like this for as long as they could.

                                                          *****

Waking up to the sound of a belt buckling, Rhea blinked open her eyes, only to close them briefly as she stretched with a soft whine and turn onto her other side, eyes opening to catch sight of Calum standing by the bed, in his pants and unbuttoned shirt. His eyes met hers as he finished fixing the belt, a small smile quirking at the corners of his lips. Even with her just waking up, she was still the prettiest sight he could ever be lucky enough to witness.

“What time is it?” she hummed sleepily, the room still a bit dark, telling her the sun hadn’t risen all the way yet.

“Nearly five,” Calum answered, voice thick and heavy from just waking up. His hair was still in a bed head mess, curly atop his head—a style Rhea had voiced her appreciation on a number of times. She groaned at the early hour, burying her face in his pillow, adoring how it smelt like him. “I’ve got to meet with Barrow before the start of the day.”

Rhea huffed, pressing the blanket to her bare chest as she sat up, bringing it up to her neck because it was chilly in her room. Calum’s body had provided optimal warmth throughout the night and she yearned for him to join her back on the bed. “Can’t stay for just a few more minutes?”

“Sorry, princess,” he responded regretfully, and, God, him calling her by her title shouldn’t sound as hot as it did. Buttoning the rest of his shirt up, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her pouting lips, smirking lazily when he pulled away and she tried to follow his lips with closed eyes. “Duty calls.”

The pout returned to her lips, shoulders dropping as she looked up at him with those pretty blue eyes. “Your duty is to look after me.”

Calum chuckled fondly, tucking his shirt in before reaching for his tie on the floor. “Only when you’re vulnerable and need the protection.”

“I’m naked in my bed. That’s pretty vulnerable, isn’t it?”

He rolled his eyes, though the grin remained on his face as he picked up his gun sling before pulling out the weapon from the bedside drawer, holstering it and pulling on his suit jacket. Calum then grasped Rhea’s chin with his fingers, tipping her face up as he dipped down to kiss her once more. “Go back to sleep, angel. I’ll see you in a few hours, yeah?”

She smiled, soft and beautiful and breathtaking. “I look forward to it.”

He was gone a few minutes later after putting on his socks and shoes and fixing his hair as best he could. But Rhea couldn’t fall back asleep, instead laying in the center of her bed as she stared up at the ceiling, biting down on her lower lip to keep herself from grinning too widely.

It was a constant feeling now, one of flutters in her stomach and her heart racing and skin warming and cheeks hurting from smiling, when it came to Calum. Over two weeks ago did they first sleep together at the night of her mother’s birthday, and now him sleeping in her bed wasn’t unusual. After that night, things had drastically changed between them for the better.

For one, Calum was more open to her. That night, after the party was over, he snuck back into her room once again, the two of them immediately falling into her bed together, though that time they had taken their time. Pleasured each other leisurely, passionately, like they couldn’t before. And then they laid in bed, and Rhea asked about one of his tattoos, and he explained the meaning behind it. And then she fell asleep with his arm around her and woke up the next morning with him still in her bed, and she felt an overwhelming surge of something for him.

Of course, their discretions didn’t stop there. They found many places in the palace to steal kisses and orgasms, ranging from the wine cellar to the palace library. They were either quick and rough or slow and passionate, and Rhea thoroughly enjoyed both endeavors. At the same time, Rhea got to know Calum more; he talked about his family, his friends, his life. She got to know mundane details about him as well as memories he held dear, and she divulged into her own childhood as he asked more about her, too.

And they fell. Quick and fast and dizzyingly so, but neither were upset about. Neither fought it. It felt good. It felt right. Never had she felt such a connection, a balance, with anyone else, and never had anyone looked at her or made her feel alive like Calum did.

Every time he kissed her, held her, looked at her—Rhea knew he felt the same way.

It wasn’t until noon did Rhea see Calum again, when she was exiting the palace’s doors and heading down the steps to her waiting car so they could make a trip to a soup kitchen. Unlike when they first met, Calum flashed her a charming, boyish grin as she descended the steps, and Rhea admired that his initial stoicism and blank expressions were gone, for the most part. He was still ever focused on his duties, especially when they weren’t in the safe grounds of the palace, but ever since they got together, he made it a point to offer her a gorgeous smile, a bit of a reminder to both of them that he wasn’t just her bodyguard anymore.

“Afternoon, princess,” Calum greeted smoothly once she reached him. “Have a good night’s sleep?”

Rhea smirked at the amusement lighting up his brown eyes. “You know I did.”

He chuckled, smile turning cocky as he reached behind him to open the door. Just as Rhea was about to get in, however, a voice halted her movements. “Forgive me, your Highness.” She paused, left hand on top of the door, as she looked over to see Mr. Barrow coming down the steps, another security personnel following behind him. Both Calum and Rhea looked at the head of security in question as he continued, “But I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask Mr. Hood to stay back. There’s some important matters I must discuss with him.”

Rhea frowned, not liking or used to leaving the palace without Calum at her side. While initially she hadn’t been a fan of his presence, now Rhea looked forward to it every time she had to go somewhere. For a time, she got to be alone with him. “Can’t it wait until we get back?”

Mr. Barrow shot her an apologetic look. “I’m afraid not,” he responded before gesturing to the bodyguard next to him. “Mr. Irwin will accompany you for today.”

Rhea looked at the other man, familiar in face and name, who shot her a polite, professional smile that hinted at dimples. Then her gaze shifted to her usual detail, who was frowning at the change, the muscle in his jaw ever so subtly jumping. She wondered what he was thinking, wanted to ask if he was okay, but there was no time. She couldn’t be late, and as much as she wanted Calum to go with her, Rhea hoped whatever Mr. Barrow needed to talk to him about would be resolved quickly so whenever her next outing was, her favorite bodyguard would be at her side.

“Alright,” Rhea sighed, knowing there wasn’t much she could do about it if it was important. She offered Calum a small smile when he looked at her, catching the look in his dark eyes that told her he didn’t want to let her go without him. He had told her once that he found himself genuinely being worried for her safety, wanting to protect her from any potential threat that may be directed her way, and Rhea had felt her heart open up to him in a way it hadn’t for anyone. It made everything feel fast, like they were rushing, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Not when it felt so perfect. “See you later, bodyguard.”

He offered a nod, giving the smallest of smiles as she got in the car and Ashton walked around to get in the other side. Rhea watched as Calum shut the door behind her, the car pulling away too soon as she sat against the seat, frowning at her lap. She glanced at Ashton, asking him, “Do you happen to know what Barrow wants to talk to Calum about?”

Ashton looked at her before an apologetic expression flashed across his face. “No, your Highness, I don’t. But I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”

Except, for the life of her, that’s all Rhea did. They arrived to the soup kitchen and while she walked and talked with the director, all Rhea could think of was Calum. There was a moment where she wondered if what Mr. Barrow had to talk to Calum was about the two of them, that if somehow Mr. Barrow found out. But there wasn’t some rule that Calum couldn’t be with Rhea; sure, it was frowned upon, given his job and her title, but it wasn’t law. The prince and princess were free to be with whoever they wanted, their parents not ones for marrying their children off to the next available suitor. Calum had made a comment, their first night together, about being fired for being with her. But Rhea highly doubted that would happen. Calum shouldn’t be punished for being with her, and if it came to it, she refused to let it happen.

Maybe she was being paranoid. Hopefully.

But it wasn’t until she arrived back to the palace, a few hours later, and received a text from Calum to meet him in the tunnels under the palace. Her heels clicked against the cement floor, squinting slightly against the dim light until she caught sight of his figure leaning against the wall, a familiar glow of the end of a cigarette as he took a drag of it.

“Hey,” she greeted with a smile, coming to a stop in front of him. But then her smile diminished at the sight of his expression, saw the way his jaw remained tight as he blew out a cloud of smoke, head tilted back and throat working a bit. His expression was blank, and Rhea didn’t like seeing that face on him unless they were in public and he was completely focused on his duties. “Calum,” she frowned, taking a step towards him. “What’s wrong?”

“Barrow knows.” Rhea blinked, surprised by his words despite her own suspicions earlier. Calum straightened his head, the sole of his right foot propped against the wall, cigarette between his finger. “And while I’m not relieved of my duties to the palace, I am relieved of my duties as your personal detail. Some bullshit about conflict of interest.”

That made her let out a sharp, incredulous breath, eyes widened under drawn together eyebrows as indignation flooded her veins. While she could be glad that Calum wasn’t completely fired, Rhea found her cheeks flooding with aggrieved warmth that he would no longer be her bodyguard, that she’d be assigned someone else when the only person she wanted guiding her through crowds and pushing away rowdy people was the man in front of her. She knew, when she first came back home from America she wanted her freedom that came with no bodyguards, and it was hard to believe that was only a month or so ago because now she only wanted a certain bodyguard around her at all times. Times fucking changed fast.

“Conflict of interest?” Rhea repeated disbelievingly, looking bewildered. “If anything, us being together gives you the same interests as just being my bodyguard.” She was pissed, not ready to accept the change Mr. Barrow so gracefully threw at them. With a shake of her head, Rhea said, “I’ll go talk to him right now.”

“Don’t, princess,” Calum sighed, dropping the nub of his cigarette and snuffing it out with his shoe, pushing himself off the wall and standing at his full towering height. “He was mindful enough to keep it to himself and not inform the king. And I know beheading is a thing of the past but I truly think your father would make an exception for me if he knew the truth.”

Rhea didn’t like what she was hearing. She took a step back, frowning, and crossed her arms over her chest as she shrugged challengingly. “So, what? You’re okay with Barrow assigning another detail to me?”

He shot her a look, hard and pointed. “Of course not—”

She cut off his growl. “Then why won’t you let me fight this? You know I’ve got the power to set things right.”

Calum clenched his jaw, getting frustrated in consequence to Rhea’s own rising temper. “If the King were to find out—”

Her anger was reaching its peak. “So fucking what?” Rhea exclaimed, glaring at him in impatient question as her voice echoed in the empty tunnels. “He’s not gonna bloody execute you for being with me, Calum. It won’t be a big deal.”

Calum didn’t get why she didn’t get it, clenching his hands into fists at his side. “Yes, it will,” he insisted through clenched teeth, gruff voice a near growl. “I fuckin’ doubt the King would approve of his only daughter fucking some bodyguard.”

His words silenced Rhea, and he saw the flash of hurt that swept across her face, making him immediately regret what he said. He saw her press her lips together, saw the fierceness in her glare melt away into disappointment, which was so much worse, as her throat worked to keep whatever emotions she was feeling at bay. Oh, shit, he fucked up. He knew he did right in that moment.

“So what is it, Calum?” she asked then, the anger in her voice being replaced by a tentative quiet, eyeing him with a kind of sadness in her blue eyes that made his heart hurt. “Are you afraid of what my father—whose own mother was nothing but a barmaid before she became queen—would think of you, or that what we have is nothing but some meaningless fucking that wasn’t worth defending?”

Calum’s chest deflated, though the tightness remained because this was going down the wrong road so fast, so uncontrollably, and he had no idea how to stop it. Not with how Rhea was looking at him, like it was too late for him to put on the brakes. Like they were accepting their fate to crash. And he felt like shit, felt his throat drying and stomach twisting painfully because he knew his words hurt her and gave her the impression that he didn’t care enough, but that wasn’t the fucking case. He was just—

Confused? Afraid? He didn’t fucking know. Everything happened so quick, he never gave himself a moment to think about it all, only how much he liked Rhea. How much he adored her smile and laugh and the conversations they had and her touch and just everything about her. So why was he making things so difficult?

When he didn’t answer, Rhea let out a final breath as she looked away from him, blinking as she willed back the sudden tears burning her eyes. She wouldn’t cry, not in front of him, despite the stinging pain taking over her body as she wondered if this was a bitter end to something beautiful before it could even properly start.

“Right, well,” she cleared her throat after sniffling, and Calum’s heart broke at the shake in her voice, knowing he was the cause of it. He wanted to reach out and hold her, kiss her and tell her he was sorry, but Rhea was already taking steps away from him, and he feared that he already put an end to things. Fucking fuck, he was an idiot. Her blue eyes briefly met his brown ones, and he saw the hurt and disappointment, a million times worse than seeing anger. “Enjoy your new duties, Calum.”

And then she left, leaving him feeling just as empty as these dark tunnels.

Calum threw his head back, eyes shutting as he felt the pain of the bricks against his cranium, uncaring because he deserved it, jaw clenching tight enough to crack his teeth. How ironically cruel was it that he broke the heart he was meant to protect?

                                                          *****

He was her bodyguard for over a month, they’d been together for a little over two weeks, separated for nearly three, and it shouldn’t feel as agonizing as it did. But it fucking did. And Rhea just wanted it to stop. This kind of pain shouldn’t accompany the loss of something that didn’t even last that long, yet Rhea felt as though her heart was being crushed and lungs were losing air. Because she knew that while she and Calum hadn’t been together long, it had been good. In that short amount of time, things had changed between them; she saw him smile more, they got to know each other more, and he so quickly made his way into her heart.

And now with him being given ground security duty, she only ever saw him if she ventured out to the palace gardens.

She wasn’t sure what excuse Mr. Barrow had given her parents about her change of security—her new detail was Ashton, who she liked enough because he was personable—but it seemed to quell them. Something about using Calum’s skills of surveillance and assuring them Ashton also excelled at what he did to promote that their daughter was safe in his company. Rhea wanted to call Mr. Barrow on his bullshit, berate him for interfering in her life and the man she wanted. But Calum hadn’t let her fight this either, so was it truly worth it?

Rhea thought it was. It was disheartening that Calum didn’t.

Keeping her gaze ahead, Rhea was fighting her willpower tooth and nail to keep herself from shifting her stare just a few inches to her left, where Calum stood, the closest they’ve been in weeks. But it was an all hands on deck situation, with the royal family in the less privileged part of their city, where there lived more opposers than supporters of the monarchy. But it seemed as though those loyal to the crown had shown up mostly, cheers and love being thrown all around towards Rhea and her family the moment they arrived.

The crown had donated much of its time and funds to open up a new shelter for those without homes, just a first step in the direction of making this side of town a bit better. There were more plans to open up schools and orphanages around as well, wanting to help get people off the streets as much as they could, and Rhea knew there were many that were grateful. But since this part of town wasn’t the most agreeable and the entire family was out to commemorate the opening of the shelter, almost the entirety of the royal security team was out with them, which meant Calum was there, too. Specifically, standing just five feet to her left.

He stood with that ever present hard look on his face, utterly unapproachable and intimidating with broad shoulders squared and hands in front of him, intently watching the crowd gathered for the family standing in front of the newly built shelter. Rhea’s father was saying something, thanking the people and the country for the support, talking about how important it was to help their fellow people. She couldn’t entirely focus, not with Calum right there.

She wondered if he missed her the way she missed him, or if she was just being ridiculous for the intense feelings that struck her out of nowhere. Honestly, how had she fallen for him so fast? That was a first, and of course her heart was broken before anything could fully come from it.

Rhea was pulled out of her thoughts when the crowd started clapping and her parents and brother shifted to face the building, and Rhea blinked and followed suit when she realized it was time for her father to cut the ribbon. She moved robotically, mirroring their movements as they stepped over to the ribbon as the photographers for TV, magazines and newspapers kept their cameras on them.

The next few moments were a blur. Her father cut the ribbon with the appointed director of the shelter while Rhea watched along with her mother and brother, clapping and painting on that charming princess smile to hide the fact that she wasn’t at all mentally present during this occasion as they posed for the pictures. People were cheering, photographs were being taken, and soon enough the family was supposed to move to go inside the building.

But then everything went to hell.

“Burn down with the monarchy!”

Rhea heard the words and she heard the shot that ran following them, the sound of thunder cracking without the rawness of a storm, freezing her heart and blood and shaking her to her very core. The sounds of people screaming in panic didn’t even register in Rhea’s mind following the ear-splitting bang because she was on the ground, the air knocking out of her lungs as the concrete came in contact with her back, her eyes squeezing shut in anxious terror as she felt the weight of something—someone—cover her body.  

The pounding of her heart took over the sound of everyone yelling, panicking, throat dry in nerves and stomach twisting in nauseous fear. Rhea didn’t dare open her eyes, wasn’t ready to see any aftermath of the gunshot that sounded through the air, was paralyzed in fear of the thought of it hitting her parents or brother because while she was numb in dread, she knew she hadn’t been hit. But that didn’t mean her body wasn’t shaking over what just happened, that she wasn’t in a state of shock and terror and disbelief that someone just shot a gun at her and her family.

“You’re okay.” Rhea felt herself still at the sound of the familiar voice, body freezing and breath hitching at the low rasp that was whispering reassuringly in her ear over the commotion of their surroundings. “You’re alright, princess. Look at me, angel—you’re okay.”

Rhea’s breathing was heavy, her mind screaming at her not to open her eyes in fear of seeing someone hurt, but Calum’s voice was soothing, familiar, and encouraging. So she swallowed the thick lump in her throat, slowly blinked her eyes open and turned her head from the position of her cheek against the ground, her fearful blue eyes meeting a pair of warm, reassuring brown ones.

It made sense that her nose was intoxicated by his familiar scent as Calum’s body was covering hers, having been the one who protectively tackled her to the ground as soon as the shooter yelled out. He was hovering above her, their heavy breaths mingling, working to calm down both of their racing hearts, and Rhea felt a flood of relief calm her down at the sight of him—at the prospect of him protecting her. Their noses were touching, both frozen in the shock of events, and Rhea’s hands were moving at their own accord as her right one shakily reached up and cupped his cheek, as if she was in a state of disbelief that he was right there. His dark eyes were wide as he stared at her, relief that she was okay but a fiery worry that was raging within the irises. He saved her.

Her other hand went to grip his right bicep, only for him to flinch ever so slightly as her hand came in contact with the wet, warm fabric of his suit jacket. She frowned, eyes widening when her hand pulled back, only to be stained with a red that had her heart dropping to the pit of her stomach.

“Oh, my God,” Rhea panicked, gaze going from her shaking, red hand to Calum’s face, and she knew he could see the terror once again take over her features, could hear it in her unsteady, frightened voice. “Oh, God, you’re hurt. You—you got shot.”

He could feel the warm blood trickling down his skin under the material of his suit jacket and shirt, but it wasn’t bad. It stung, but it wasn’t head numbingly painful, which told him the injury wasn’t serious. “’S just a flesh wound, princess. Don’t wo—”

“Hood!” Mr. Barrow’s voice shouted over the still rowdy, alarmed crowd. “We need to get the family out of here! Move!”

Before either of them could comprehend what was happening, Calum was being pulled off of Rhea as she was being helped to her feet, and she felt her own panic set in as she was being pulled away from him at the hands of two security guards she didn’t give a second glance to. “No, wait!” she yelled, their hands on her elbows as she tried to pull from their grip, her unnerved gaze going back to Calum, who was being forced to go handle the crowd with the other guards. “No, he’s hurt—let me fucking go!”

She knew she was freaking out, knew her security team was doing what was in her best interest, but her hand was stained with Calum’s blood over a shot that would’ve hit her if it hadn’t been for him and she did not want to fucking leave him. Rhea vaguely remembered him saying it was just a flesh wound, but he was bleeding, and she wouldn’t settle until a doctor or two looked at him. Her panic from someone trying to hurt her and her family had melted when she distantly heard Barrow shouting at a man to hold still, assuming they caught the offender, and was replaced with incessant worry over Calum.

Her thrashing got her nowhere at the hands of the burly security guards, her heart pounding and throat beginning to grow raw from her screams of demands to being let go, which they dutifully ignored until they put her in the back of the car where the rest of her family was before the driver set off.

They drove away from the crowd, the car a tense silence interrupted only by Rhea’s heavy breathing, mind on Calum and if he was okay and how he protected her from a fucking bullet. She didn’t care that it was his job—the last thing she would ever ask for is anyone to jump in front of a gun for her, royalty be fucking damned.

“Rhea,” her mother gasped, drawing her absent attention towards her as she reached forward from where she sat, her hand anxiously grabbing Rhea’s hand. “Why—there’s blood—who’s is this? Are you hurt?”

She heard Roland curse at the sight of her red hand, her father’s expression crumbling into worry as her mother’s eyes began tearing, and Rhea slowly shook her head. “No,” she whispered, throat raw and chest heavy from what the fuck just happened. “No, it’s not—I’m not hurt. This—it’s Calum’s.” Her voice broke. Fuck, she knew he was probably okay, if they were sending him out to the crowd, if he was standing on his own two feet. But his blood was on her hands and they hadn’t spoken for nearly a month and things have gotten so fucking serious, so fucking fast. “I—He said it’s a flesh wound but he jumped in front of me and got hit.”

Rhea was numb. She desperately needed him to feel again.

                                                          *****

The second Rhea heard Calum was in the palace infirmary, she was running down the halls, dodging the maids and advisors and anyone else lingering as she ran like her damn life depended on it. Only an hour, maybe two, had passed since the incident in front of the shelter, but it could’ve lasted a lifetime in Rhea’s mind, desperate and impatient to see Calum, to check if he was okay. Her family most definitely noticed her jitters, her nerves and panic, but didn’t question her yet, not in the state she was in.

It was strange; she wasn’t shaken up about the fact that someone tried to shoot at her and family like she was over the fact that Calum actually did get shot, regardless if it was a flesh wound or whatever.

Part of being in the monarchy, it seemed.

She didn’t care that it was his job, or that he’s probably been shot at before since he was in the army, that this wasn’t new to him. But someone she cared about, despite their recent troubles, being hurt because of her? Rhea was shaken.

Entering the infirmary, she immediately caught sight of Calum sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing just his pants and shoes as the palace doctor, Dr. Heralds, finished wrapping Calum’s right bicep with a white bandage. Dr. Heralds was the one to see Rhea, since Calum’s bare back was to her, muscles rigid and shoulder square, as she tentatively approached them.

“Princess Rhea,” Dr. Heralds greeted, a hint of surprise in his tone at the sight of her. She saw Calum’s head turn slightly, looking at her over his left shoulder as she made her way over. “Come to see one of our heros of the day?”

Before Rhea could say anything, coming to stand by the foot of the bed, Calum spoke up in a modest yet raspy tone, “Irwin was the one who tackled the shooter, doc.”

“Yes, but you’re the one that took a bullet for our princess.” Dr. Heralds finished the wrapping. “Come back every week so I can check for infections, but these antibiotics I’ve given should prevent them already.” Calum nodded, eyeing the bottle of pills on the bedside, as Dr. Heralds gathered the materials. He glanced at Rhea, who still stood by the bed, lips pursed and gaze on Calum, before awkwardly saying, “I’ll leave you two to it.”

“Thank you, Dr. Heralds,” Calum sounded appreciatively.

“You’re welcome,” Dr. Heralds responded before offering the princess a smile. “Your Highness.”

Rhea looked at him to offer a small smile of her own before the doctor left the room, and she swallowed before slowly making her way to where he had stood in front of Calum. He sat, chest and arms in display, right bicep wrapped in a bandage as she eyed it warily, worriedly. Calum caught her stare, unable to detect what kind of tension was hovering in the room, as he said, “I told you, it’s just a graze. Nothin’ to worry about.”

Her gaze flickered to meet his, a dull ache and heaviness in her chest as her expression remained worried with a hint of disbelief. “You still got shot.” Rhea let out a short humorless laugh with a shake of her head. “How is that not something to worry about?”

Calum’s brown eyes were on hers, and Rhea suddenly detected a hint of sadness in them, the kind that made her breath hitch and heart hurt, especially when his lips pulled into a small, self-deprecating smile. “’M not someone worth bein’ worried over, princess. Not when I gave up on us before even giving us a shot because I was a coward.”

Rhea’s heart jumped to her throat, lips parting to take in a breath at his words as her eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. Her heart, like it usually did around Calum, was beginning to pick up its pace. “You took a bullet for me. That’s not something a coward would do,” she said, unsure of what else to say, too overwhelmed to think of much despite going weeks thinking of words to say to Calum, to convince him to give them a chance despite not being one to beg or ask for anything. But for him, she was willing, if it meant them being happy. Because she knew they would be, together. If only they hadn’t been stubborn.

Calum cracked a smile, boyish and handsome. “Had to prove I liked you some way, didn’t I?”

She couldn’t help the incredulous laugh that escaped her, feeling a bit of relief at the lighthearted humor he provided as she pulled her lower lip into her mouth and shook her head. “A bit fucking extreme, don’t you think?” she retorted with a raise of her eyebrows.

He laughed, breathy and throaty and Rhea adored the sight of his smile, warming her heart and melting away her anxieties and worries caused by today’s events. Without letting herself think too much, she stepped forward, placing herself in the spot between his legs as her hands came up to cup his cheeks. Calum’s smile faltered slightly, his scruff tickling her palms, brown eyes clashing with intense blue as she stared down at him.

“Don’t do that again,” she said, her voice quiet and pleading, taking in his familiar pine scent that she missed over the weeks. Calum could see the worry back in her eyes, eyebrows drawn together as her thumbs lightly stroked his cheeks. “You fucking scared me.”

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, their foreheads pressing together as she felt his uninjured left arm wrap around her waist. Their chests were tight with emotions, stemming from what happened in front of the shelter as well as the weeks they’ve been apart, wanting nothing more than to be together. “For everything. I like you too much, angel, to be a coward and get in my own way. ’M not letting that happen again.”

Rhea felt her heart lift giddily in relief, her muscles relaxing at his words that she’s been wanting to hear for weeks. But most of all, she was just glad that he was okay, that he was here in all his stupidly handsome, bodyguard glory. “Better not,” she smiled before slanting her lips over his in a kiss both of them had been desperate for.

Neither of them knew how long they stayed like that, lips pressed together in craved kisses as his arm held her close and her hands stayed on his face, tongues meeting leisurely and pleasurably as they savored one another. Their bodies relaxed in the other’s touch, relief flooding them and calming them down from the storm brewing within them the day things had gone to shit. But it was okay. They were good now, and they were glad for it.

“Pardon me for interrupting.”

Rhea instantly pulled away at the sound of her father’s voice, eyes widening as her hands dropped from Calum’s face and his arm let go of her, the princess taking a step back as she caught sight of her father. The king approached the bed, concealing the look of amusement he was feeling having caught the two, especially at the look of alarm that crossed over the very bodyguard’s face the king knew to be hard faced and stoic. This was quite a chance.

“I was just coming by to make sure one of our saviors was doing well,” the king continued casually, coming to stand next to Rhea as he shot her a knowing look with raised eyebrows. “But it seems as though my daughter has beaten me to it.”

Rhea looked at Calum, who for the life of him couldn’t wipe off the stunned expression from his face, both of them knowing that the king had most definitely caught them making out. Rhea knew Calum was internally panicking, knowing full well this was something he had been worried about from day one, and she desperately hoped none of his fears would come true in this moment. She herself wasn’t exactly sure what they should expect from her father, but she’d be lying if she wasn’t just the slightest bit worried.

“You took a bullet for my daughter, Mr. Hood,” her father spoke up, his expression and tone becoming serious as he briefly eyed Calum’s bandaged arm. “I am grateful and in your debt for that.”

Calum somehow managed to find his tongue—Rhea would be lying if she wasn’t kind of amused at the badass bodyguard’s alarm, but she kept that to herself. “I was just doing my job, your Majesty.”

“Yes, well, you gave Rhea quite a fright, and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why she was in hysterics. That is, until I walked in here.” Rhea’s face flushed at her dad’s words, could see Calum’s gaze dropping as his skin probably lit itself on fire as well. Oh God, here it comes. Rhea wasn’t sure if she was going to like what her father was going to say. “My daughter cares a great deal for you, Mr. Hood. I thank you for choosing to serve the crown and protect my daughter. I will tell Mr. Barrow to reinstate you as Rhea’s personal detail—it’s fair, don’t you think?”

Rhea’s eyes widened, turning her head to look up at her dad, feeling the grin lift the corner of her lips as she asked, “Really? You don’t—it’s alright with you?”

“Of course,” the king chuckled, looking at her in confusion before grinning. “Why wouldn’t it be? Who you choose to be with is up to you, sweetheart. Mr. Hood is a good man whose judgement doesn’t seem to get clouded. As your bodyguard as well as being the man in your life, I think he’d be the perfect detail, don’t you?”

Rhea was about to burst in excitement and relief, face flushed with her chest light and airy and every bit of tension leaving her body. Honestly, she had doubted that her father was going to tell her she couldn’t be with Calum, but she knew it was something he had worried about. So hearing him actually say he was fine with it, that he supported it, brought a kind of relief Rhea didn’t know she needed. And when she looked at Calum, saw the look of disbelief and solace take over his face, she knew that his worries had been quelled.

So when her father left with a shake of Calum’s hand and the dark haired tattooed man offering a, “Thank you, your Majesty”, Rhea grinned as she stepped back in front of Calum, a kind of happiness taking over her that was reminiscent to what she’d felt during those sole two weeks they’d been together. She raised her eyebrows, giddy. “Guess no beheading for you, huh?”

Calum let out a deep, breathy scoff of a laugh as he shook his head at what just happened, running his fingers through his hair before reaching his arm out for her. “Shut up, princess,” he said, before silencing her laugh with another much needed kiss.

                                                      *****

“So, Princess Rhea.” She tried not to roll her eyes at the sound of the familiar voice, looking away from her friends and at Prince Dion of a neighboring country. “Am I correct to assume you’ve attended the ball by yourself?”

“No, you’re not,” she responded, a practiced sweet smile on her face despite the edge in her tone. Honestly, Rhea didn’t have time for Dion’s shit; she never liked him, always thought of him as arrogant and self centered in the ugly kind of way, and hated whenever they had balls at the palace and he attended them. “My boyfriend is on duty.”

Dion’s eyebrows furrowed. “Duty?” With a purse of her lips, Rhea pointed over to where Calum stood by one of the entryways of the ballroom, stoic and focused as usual, looking irrevocably handsome. Rhea couldn’t wait to have him in her bed. Dion looked back at Rhea after catching sight of Calum, a disapproving expression on his face. “The bodyguard? Really?” Rhea’s eyes narrowed at his affronted tone. “I just assumed that was you going through some sort of breakdown before you remembered that royals are your best bet.”

Rhea blinked as her friends let out irritated, annoyed protests, looking away as an incredulous, humored laugh escaped her. Honestly, whatever Dion had to say didn’t affect her in any way, but what he just said was so damn ridiculous that she was unsure if she’d even heard him right, if he was being genuinely serious. Some people were just so. . . Stupid. “No, it’s just me having the best sex of my life with the man I love,” she responded, sweet and true and unapologetic.

Her girl friends giggled and her guy friends let out cheering approvals, and Rhea just shrugged with a smile at Dion’s startled expression. She and Calum have been together for almost six months now, and she wasn’t going to let some privileged, stuck up prince of another country make it sound like what she had with Calum was any less than what she could have with a prince. Her and Calum? A hundred times better, without a doubt.

The night continued and Dion didn’t bother Rhea again, much to her relief, and she found herself enjoying the rest of the ball, dancing with friends and chattering with the guests that attended. It went on for hours, and Rhea wasn’t returning to her room until it was nearly three in the morning—though that was because after every guest left, Rhea and some of her friends went to the gardens to talk and hang out for a bit, her parents retired to go to sleep while her brother was out of the country.

“So what was goin’ on earlier?” Calum questioned as they walked down the empty halls of the palace, arms looped together as they went. “When your friends were shouting at that blonde guy?”

Rhea thought for a moment, wondering what he could be talking about, before remembering Dion and how she told him how better Calum was in one simple sentence. The thought of that brought a smile to her lips, a giggle bubbling past her as Calum glanced down at her with an amused expression. But before she could answer him, they walked past a room that no one ever really went into, the room just there as a kind of memorabilia rather than something to go into, though it was cleaned as often as the other rooms in the palace.

With knowledge of what was inside, Rhea bit her lip before changing their direction, pulling Calum along as she headed towards the door and pushed it open, pulling Calum inside before shutting it and turning on the lights. It was a grand room, with sleek floors and windows high up on the ceilings and deep red curtains, gold trimmings on the wall similar to the rest of the palace. But the center piece of the room was the chair up front on a small stage, tall and red and gold and meant for a king—a genuine, authentic throne that all of the kings before Rhea’s grandfather sat on. Now it was just a piece for viewing, a memorabilia for the times before. Rhea often came in here as a child, she and her brother taking turns to sit on the chair and pretend to be king and queen. She hadn’t been back in here in a while.

“What are we doin’ in here?” Calum questioned with a quirk of his brows, letting Rhea grab his hand and tug him forward, crossing the room as her emerald colored gown flowed around her as they went. The heels of her strappy pumps clicked against the floor, as they approached the stage, walking up the few steps.

Ignoring Calum’s question, Rhea stopped right in front of the chair before turning to face him, the heels giving her only a bit of height so she was in eyeline with his chin. He was just too tall. “My friends were laughing at Dion’s expense,” she told him, answering his question from before as her fingers undid the single button on his jacket before her hands slid up his torso and chest, loving the feel of his body under the material of the shirt. Rhea smiled, mischief lighting up her eyes, as she continued triumphantly, “Because he said some shit about you and I put him in his place.”

Calum wasn’t one who cared much for what other people thought, so he didn’t look too bothered that some prince of another country was saying something about him. It hardly mattered to him, but the look in Rhea’s eyes had him intrigued. “Yeah?” he mused, hand reaching up so his fingers could tuck back a lock of her black hair behind her ear, his head tilting ever so slightly as he admired her pretty face. “What’d he say?”

Rhea rolled her blue eyes. “Not important,” she dismissed before turning them until Calum felt the back of his legs against the grand chair. There was a coy smile on her face, like she had a plan of some sort, and Calum felt his heart pick up and nerves stand up in excitement, the mere look on her face enough to tighten his pants. She was smiling sweetly, innocently. “What’s important is that I assured him that my bodyguard boyfriend is better than some royal dick I’d be bored of in two seconds.”

At that, Calum let out a loud laugh, head thrown back as the pretty sound of his raspy, wide grinned laugh echoed throughout the grand, empty room. Rhea mirrored his smile, the sight of his warming her heart as those cute crinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes. “So,” Rhea continued through her own giggles as Calum’s laughter also began dying down, her hands on his chest before giving him a push. Calum quieted down as he collapsed in the chair, hands gripping the gold armrests as he peered up at her with raised eyebrows. She stood, smiling prettily with her hands behind her back, looking far too innocent in comparison to the look in her eyes. “We’re in here so I can thank you for keeping this princess completely satisfied.”

Calum’s throat worked. “Rhea—”

He was cut off, not by Rhea’s words, but by the sight of her dress falling right off her figure. Her hands, which had been behind her back, had expertly undone the zipper and soon the spaghetti straps fell and the green dress was nothing but a puddle around her feet, leaving her standing in nothing but a black, strappy and lace lingerie set that knocked every ounce of air right out of Calum’s lungs.

She heard his breath hitch in his throat, a smug smirk on her lips as she stepped out of the dress, the room cold yet his gaze burning her up, and easily straddled his lap. Calum leaned back against the plush, velvet chair, eyes burning with the kind of desire that was reserved only for her, jaw clenching and hands automatically going to Rhea’s hips as she dipped her head and connected her lips with his. Calum groaned into her mouth as Rhea slipped her tongue against his, reveling in the way his fingers dug into her skin and felt the cold metal of his rings against her as she kissed him.

Her hands went between them, deftly undoing his shirt just to be able to touch his warm skin before dropping to the buckle of his belt and she expertly undid it, their lips still locked as she slid the belt off and heard it clatter to the ground before she began undoing the button and zipper of his jeans. She kissed him for a few more moments, heated and eager, his taste committed to memory, before disconnecting their lips and expertly sliding off his lap, taking his pants and boxers off without little to no trouble.

Rhea was on her knees on the floor, right between his legs, leaning forward as her hands rested on his thighs so she could press another lingering kiss to his soft lips, feeling his left hand cup her cheek. “You don’t have t’do this, doll,” Calum murmured against her lips, letting out a breath at the feel of her nails dragging against the tops of his thighs.

“Yes, I do,” she breathed, not one to give him the chance of talking you out of this.

Not that he needed to be told twice. “Alright, then,” Calum rasped, his hand going from her cheek to the back of her head, fingers tangling through the strands as he let himself lean back against the seat. “’M all yours, princess.”

His hold through her was trying to guide Rhea right to where he wanted that pretty mouth of hers, but Calum loved to tease her, so why not return the favor? She heard him let out a sigh as she began pressing kisses to his thighs, much like he did to her, along with the added sensation of her nails dragging across his skin. Calum’s free hand remained on the armrest, gripping it tightly, his fingers in her hair tightening when her kisses finally found where he needed them to be.

Rhea started with using her tongue to trace a vein along his cock, feeling Calum tense under her touch with a soft, shaky exhale, only to let out a deep, sinful moan when Rhea finally took his cock into her mouth and gave a worshipping suck. His head is tilted back, pretty neck Rhea loved marking up in view, but his gaze was on her as he watched her take as much of him into her mouth as she could, one hand working what she couldn’t fit into her mouth while the other rolled his balls just the way she knew he liked.

Calum was in fucking heaven.

He could feel his heart racing, skin firing up at the sight of Rhea on her knees in front of him, soft hair tangled between his fingers as her mouth worked him over just how he liked. “Fuck,” his hoarse voice sounded, feeling her bob her head along his shaft, her mouth warm and inviting and brilliant. “So pretty with my cock in your mouth, angel. So fucking good to me.”

When Rhea hummed against him, the vibrations of the sound emitting another appreciative groan from Calum, he was sure he was done for in that moment. He watched her with parted lips and shaky breaths, her eyes flickering up to meet his clouded with lust and adoration, and it wasn’t long until he could feel his orgasm building, the woman in front of him capable of pulling him apart in a matter of moments.

And she did as Calum felt the familiar ache of needing to let go, grip on the armrest and her hair tightening even more so, and she didn’t relent. Not until he was spilling into her with a guttural groan of satisfaction and she was drinking him for all his worth. Rhea took everything he had to give, feeling him run down her throat as she savored his familiar taste, pulling herself away from him and looking up at him with smug eyes and a charming smile.

He looked so pretty against the chair, breathing heavy as his collarbone tattoos peaked out from underneath his shirt, necklaces glinting against the light of the room. Calum’s cheeks were flushed, lips parted, and he looked so handsome that Rhea got up and returned to straddling his lap, her lips finding his once more in a kiss he instantly returned. She felt his hands run up her sides, fingers dancing across her skin until he cupped her cheeks, kissing her with bruising intensity she felt her stomach excitedly churn for.

“Fuckin’ amazin’, angel, that’s what you are,” Calum growled against her lips, licking into her mouth and tasting himself on her.

Rhea giggled lightly against his lips, her clothed center grinding down on him and reveling in the groan he released. “Wasn’t even done yet,” she murmured, nipping at his lip. “Done already?”

She would be the death of him, he was sure. “Fuck, no.”

Calum recognized the kind of underwear she had on, seen her wear the type before, and as he kissed her his hands were to her hips and untied the bows on either side, pulling apart the flimsy material with ease and dropping it somewhere on the ground. He could feel how wet she was already, yet both let out accompanying moans of pleasure as he dragged a finger up her slit before slipping it into her entrance, Rhea’s breath stuttering when he added a second finger in.

He works her open for a few moments, thumb brushing against her clit ever so often, and before he can completely bring her to her orgasm, Rhea shifts as her hand reaches to grasp the base of his cock. Having had conversations before, both taking the precautionary measures needed, Rhea doesn’t waste a moment before aligning his tip with her entrance before sinking down on him.

Her action was followed by a deep moan emitting from Calum’s throat, a sound Rhea would never get tired of, while she her lips parted in a breathless gasp once he was buried to the hilt and her hands grasped his shoulders. She gave herself a moment to adjust, never needing anything more than just a moment, and with Calum’s hands on her hips, she began moving, setting a rhythm that worked perfectly for both of them.

Calum once again leaned his head back on the chair, gaze on Rhea as if she was an angel sent from fucking heaven, riding him and sending waves of pleasure burning throughout his body. “Take me so well, baby,” he couldn’t help but praise raspily, admiring the breathless moans escaping her and the flush of her skin, wondering how the fuck he got so lucky with someone as stunning as her. “Like a fuckin’ queen.”

A breathless smile quirked at Rhea’s lips, and as she kept up her rhythm, building up his orgasm once more even when he was still fresh from the one before, Calum reached his hand down and let his thumb find her clit. Rhea let out a sweet, savoring sound as he began rubbing it, other hand squeezing her hip, bringing her close to her own orgasm as the large, empty room was filled with the sounds of their heavy breaths and appreciative groans, no doubt accompanying the smell of sex that would fill the room.

It wasn’t long until Calum’s second orgasm was ripping through him, unsurprising with how fucking good Rhea felt around him, riding him, loving on him the way she was. And he felt explosive, heart pounding and grip on her tightening as he spilled inside her for the second time, and the sensation of him filling her up had Rhea’s own release following soon after.

She relaxed against him as Calum leaned back against the chair, her forehead against his neck as his arms remained around her, their breaths heavy and bodies satisfied, minds blissed as they slowly came down from their highs. Calum tilted his head back, staring up at the high ceilings of the room, lips quirking upwards as he felt Rhea press her own lovingly against his skin. His arms were looped around her as he breathed, “I really fuckin’ love you.”

It wasn’t the first time they said it to each other, but it always felt as exciting and thrilling and wonderful as it had when they first did—which was during a lazy morning in her bed when breakfast had been brought to her room and they were sharing stacks of pancakes. Nothing special was going on, until Calum was spilling the words and meaning them with all his heart, and Rhea nearly spilled the syrup on the bed in response before repeating them right back. Breakfast had long been forgotten after that.

She giggled airily, hand reaching up in between them to play with his necklace. “You’re only saying that ’cause I rode you,” she teased, earning a pinch from him. Rhea’s laughter intensified, nipping at his neck before returning, “I love you, too.”

And, God, she did, with every fiber of her being. Just like she was sure during the very first two weeks they were together—it felt good and right with Calum. Even now, six months later, and her feelings only intensified tenfold. He was her bodyguard, her boyfriend, and, quite honestly, she was sure he was the love of her fucking life.

Shifting her head, Rhea rested her cheek against the end of his shoulder so she could look up at his perfect profile; strong jaw, kissable cheeks and lips, lashes to be jealous of and a nose she adored. Feeling her gaze, Calum turned his head towards her, looking down at her with a raise of his brows and a smirk curling at his lips. “What?”

Rhea smiled. “Blame all the oxytocin and endorphins for this extremely fucking cheesy thing I’m about to say.” His eyebrows arched higher, curious, and Rhea’s face flushed as her finger twirled around one of his necklaces. But then she grinned, teasing yet honest, delivering her line filled with cheesiness and love that it was almost sickening, “You may not be a prince, but you’re definitely my king, baby.”  

Calum’s heart warmed and fucking flew right out of his chest, because while her words were definitely as cheesy as she said, they were also delivered with a sincere honesty that made him fall in love with the gorgeous princess all over again. She was smiling sweetly, adoringly, and not for the first time did Calum thank every god—the entire damn universe, really—for letting him push aside his stupidity and let himself fall in love with this perfect fucking woman, who loved him whether or not he was a royal, and had no qualms in showing or expressing it to him or anyone else.

He kissed her, soft and sweet and slow, pouring every ounce of love he held into the kiss, into her. She may have found her king in him, but Calum was pretty sure she was born to be his queen.

tags: @crownedbyluke @angelbbycal @caelumhood @heavenlyhemminqs @roselukes @captain-what-is-going-on @slimthicccal @kinglycalum @fucking5sos @wrappedaroundcal @calumhampton @irwinkitten @cals-babylons @astroashtonio @softforcal @meetashthere @glitterprincelu @cosmixcalum @gigglyirwin @hoodcentral @old-zeppelin-shirt @romanticalumhood @biwriting @ohhmuke @ghostofch @valentinelrh @youngblood2019 @hotmessmichael @paqueretteash @5secondssofssummer @bitchinbabylon @ghstofcalum @dxmncalum @letsfxckindance @therainydays4 @bbteamlove @helplesshood @calistheloml @babyloncalm @inlovehoodx @calumsmermaid @calteahood @cliffordcntrl @soulmatecashton @babygirlcashton @mysteriouslycali @invisiblexcth @sublimehood @rosecoloredash @calumh-excess @egyptiangoldhood @5saucewho @softboycal @hearts-to-the-sky @biggestslutforcalum @empathycth @thebodaciouscth @poppedpins @nostalgia-luke @cathartichaoss @calistheloml @cal-pal-cuddles @calumthoodsyonce @akacalciumhood @visualm3nte @calumhoodless @2k17muke @asht0ns-world @5sos-stan4lyfe @codycasperky2 @complete-trash-101 @invisiblexcth @calumspeachy 

[filmreviewsco]

The Peanut Butter Falcon Deserves An Oscar Nomination and Here’s Why

I give this film FIVE JARS OF PEANUT BUTTER out of FIVE!

Spoilers ahead...

    You may be asking, what is The Peanut Butter Falcon? For many, this movie slipped right under their noses. A lack of marketing from what I can tell is one of the main reasons this movie has seemed to escape most people’s attention. That and it’s an indie film. So, of course, most people might avoid it believing that it’s going to be a slow-paced, sad film about a bunch of country boys and Dakota Johnson.

   I am writing this review as someone who loves indie films (even the really bad ones). That being said, indie movie haters might actually really enjoy The Peanut Butter Falcon. Right from the get go, this film has a buoyant and hopeful tone. The score opens the film with a rhythm that can’t help but make you feel good. Seriously, look up this score on Spotify or iTunes or wherever you listen to music because its so incredibly joyful and inspiring. Of course, this is an indie film and things could go south very fast. Which is what I held onto as I started off the film.

   The first thing that made this film shine was that even in the midst of a difficult topic such as family death and living in a world that treats those with disorders as ‘others,’ they can manage to keep the conversation light and airy. The dialogue of this film was so genuinely funny without ever once having to make a joke of situations. As funny as the dialogue could be, there were also some incredibly deep moments that I believe everyone could benefit from listening to. 

    Lines such as “Yeah you’re gonna die, it’s just a matter of time,” said by the fisherman/thief Tyler (played by Shia LeBeouf) got a chuckle out of me but also had me thinking on the truth of the statement. His whole meaning to this line and the next part of dialogue is that life is life. It’s going to end at some point so why not live a life full of stories to tell? This whole movie was filled with stories to tell. 

   Another piece of dialogue I truly enjoyed was “I can’t be a hero because I have down syndrome.” Zak, played by Zack Gottsagen, has been kicked down his whole life. From the very start of the movie, he is treated as something other than normal; someone other than the hero. He’s kept in a nursing home despite being only in his twenties because he has no family. Zak isn’t meant to be there, though. He knows this but everyone else treats him as if there’s nothing else they can do. Which is where our whole story begins and ends. It begins with Zak being treated as if he is nothing but a man with down syndrome but, after meeting Tyler and embarking on this journey to meet his wrestling hero the Saltwater Redneck, Zak becomes a man who just happens to have down syndrome. “You’re strong, Zak.” And he is. He’s stronger than everyone not just in physical strength but mental strength as well. 

     When asked why he wants to be the bad guy, Zak replies “because my family left me.” Tyler gives Zak the reminder that there are even some good guys who have been left. Zak having been left alone doesn’t make him the bad guy that he has made himself out to be. In fact, he’s the hero of this tale. He’s the hero of his own journey. 

   The characters are so well thought out. Every single one of them has something to learn from this experience and you find yourself caring about every single one of them. Even the smallest of cameos such as the blind man who baptizes Zak and lets the pair build a raft from the junk in his yard. Tyler, though starting off as a thief and ‘bad guy,’ is one of the only people who treats Zak like a human upon first meeting him. In fact, Tyler is the only one who continues to treat him like the capable young man Zak is. This isn’t something to commend him for, though, as he alludes to. He’s just being a decent human being treating another human being how they should be treated. He’s not someone we should praise but someone we should model ourselves after.

   Eleanor cares deeply for Zak but you learn that, as his caregiver, she may have been giving him too much care. Seeing him as more helpless than he is, on this journey she learns that Zak doesn’t need her to be there twenty-four seven. She doesn’t need to always be worried about Zak because he can handle himself. Eleanor learns how to stop being some sort of nurse and just a person who is taking care of another person when he needs it and only when he needs it.

   Zak... oh Zak. I loved his character so much. First, the fact that the team actually hired an actor with down syndrome is just another thing I loved about this movie. Again, it’s not something that should be rewarded but rather is something that other filmmakers should set as a model for themselves when they have disabled characters in their story. Zak was incredibly touching and funny and he did the damn thing he set out to do! He wanted to meet his favorite wrestler and he did. He met his favorite wrestler, learned from him, and overall he triumphed. He learned how to harness his own strength and learned how to be more confident in himself. Zak learned, above all else, that he’s not just a man with down syndrome. I know I’ve said it before but this is so dang important! It was so important to watch him learn that he’s a human being first. A capable and strong human being who can do anything he sets his mind too. Zak triumphed. 

    I think my favorite thing about this film was the different messages it held. First and foremost, life is about the stories you have to tell. Life is not life unless you are really out there living it. Even if you’re terrified or feel like you are not capable, you have so much life left to live. Why not go out there and create memories? Be brave. Be bold. Be more than what you think you are! 

   There was a second message that I felt was so important. It wasn’t exactly an overarching theme of the movie but it still held a lot of value towards the end of the film. Many movies like to play the ‘don’t meet your heroes’ trope. These movies often make a persons idol seem like a pompous ass or unfeeling or unsuccessful or all of these things rolled into one in order to allow the protagonist to have this growth as a person. What I LOVED about the Peanut Butter Falcon is that when Zak met his hero, the man was truly there for him. He was willing to be the hero that Zak remembered even if he didn’t necessarily live that life anymore. This wrestling star, the Saltwater Redneck, was living a normal day to day life but, when he had a man come to him and say ‘this kid is your biggest fan,’ he didn’t shut the door in their face. He didn’t tell them that he couldn’t be that man again nor did he tell them to leave and never come back. Instead, he went after them after they left on their own accord in full Saltwater Redneck gear and agreed to teach Zak a little bit of what he knew. He made this kids dream come true. He was the hero that Zak always believed him to be. And what I love MOST about this is that he was the hero while also still remaining himself. He told Zak some of the stuff was made up for the films but he also encouraged the kid to fight and own his strength. 

   This film has become one of my favorites. Even if it is just an ‘indie’ film that no one else will watch and the Academy won’t reward with the recognition it deserves for its direction, acting, and cinematography. I loved this movie and I highly recommend it.