#and if you suggest my ocs we are gunna hold hands so hard

[skeletood]

ey, send some drawing suggestions to that pretty little ask box right dere

[seanfalco]

Famous Last Words | Valdryn

Fandom: The Witcher Punk!AU (past) Pairing: Valdo Marx x OC [ Aevryn Swift ] Word Count: 2683 Rating: T a/n: I really wasn’t planning on posting any of this series, and yet here we are.  Perhaps someone will be interested. :3  I just have a lot of Valdryn feels and there’s a lot of backstory to play with.  So this is basically the story of how Aevryn and Jaskier became friends and her and Valdo’s tempestuous journey to where they are now.  Summary: A story of star crossed lovers, doomed from the start. It’s no secret that Valdo Marx has been in love with his best friend Aevryn since they were children.  He’s gotten everything he’s ever wanted in life handed to him, except for her -- for her he’ll have to work, but for her he would do anything.  However, when fame goes to his head he loses sight of what’s important and a series of mistakes leads him down an irredeemable path.  This is the story of how Valdo loses her.

[ Part I | Part II | Part III ]

———

Part I - I Can't Do Everything But I'd Do Anything For You

Julian Pankratz, otherwise known to his classmates as Jaskier.

Aevryn twisted in her seat to glance at her assigned partner for their latest group project; their teacher having just finished divying the class up into pairs.  She knew the cute bright eyed musician from class, but she’d never really talked to him outside of that much.  He seemed like a cool enough guy, she just usually didn’t hang out with anyone outside of Valdo’s circle, and even that was hard enough lately with how jealous her boyfriend had been, she thought with a twist of her lips.

Taking a deep breath she forced those thoughts to the back of her head for a later time.  She had a group project to focus on after all. 

The rest of the period was reserved for project discussion and as Aevryn gathered her things to move to the desk next to Jaskier’s she caught sight of Valdo in the back trying to get her attention and stopped, tilting her head and wrinkling her nose in consternation as she tried to puzzle out what the fuck he was trying to communicate with his hand signals and exaggerated facial expressions.  Jaskier cleared his throat from his desk in front of where she stood and she gave a start, dismissing her friend with an exasperated wave of her hand before sitting.

“Sorry, I uh --” Aev chuckled awkwardly, tucking her hair behind her ear as she glanced down at the desk, feeling her face flush slightly in embarrassment.  “So, about that assignment hey?” she segued abruptly, not sure what else to say.

Jaskier snorted, flashing a grin.  “Smooth, very smooth.”

“Hey what can I say, I’m the queen of smooth,” Aev joked, laughing in earnest now, thankful that her new partner had a sense of humour.

As they began to brainstorm ideas for the assignment she discovered not only was Jaskier a musician as well, but he was funny and also really easy to talk to -- a bit awkward at times, but who was she to judge?  The queen of smooth, indeed.  And despite the many tangents they ended up getting lost in, they soon had a solid idea for their presentation.

“This is gunna be so great,” Aevryn murmured, chewing her lip as she began making notes, flipping through her text book, unaware that Jaskier was studying her intently from the corner of his eye.

Feeling eyes on him in turn, Jaskier shifted in his seat to find Valdo Marx glaring at him from across the room.  The dark haired youth narrowed his eyes as their gazes locked, bottle green piercing his bright blue as Valdo made an exaggerated ‘I’m watching you’ gesture.

Jaskier frowned, brows furrowing before pointedly ignoring Valdo and turning his attention back to Aevryn.

“Sooooo…” he mused after a moment, drawing the word out as though torn between curiosity and the fear of overstepping a boundary; unsure how his question might be received.

“Hmm?” Aev hummed in response, not looking up from her notebook as she continued to write.

“Uhhh, just wondering what the deal is between you and Valdo Marx,” he ventured carefully.

“What do you mean?” Aevryn asked, shooting Jaskier a confused and somewhat guarded look.  She assumed that everyone knew they were best friends.

Wilting slightly under the intensity of her gaze, he held up his hands defensively.  “Just… I’ve noticed you hang out with him a lot.  I thought you might be dating or something,” he added offhandedly.

Aevryn blinked at him a moment before huffing a laugh.  “What, nooo.  We’re just… just really good friends.”  She paused, trying to decide how much to tell him.  “I’m uhm, dating René from the other class, actually,” she explained, her eyes flicking away.

“Oh,” Jaskier exclaimed, unsure what else to say.  “I uh, I see.”

“Why?  Were you gunna ask me out or something?” she asked, leering at him comically, the grin on her lips full of mischief.

“No!” Jaskier yelped, quickly composing himself.  “No,” he repeated, somewhat calmer.  “I was just gunna ask for your number, purely for school project related purposes, you know.”

“Uh huh, suuuuure.”  Aevryn gave him a knowing look before snorting a laugh.  “I’m just kidding.  Yeah, give me your phone and I’ll put my number in.  Maybe if you’re not busy after school we can get a head start on this thing,” she suggested, holding out her hand expectantly as the bell rang.

Sliding his Sidekick open Jaskier handed it over as the room was filled with the shuffle of chairs scraping back and the muted murmur of students collecting their things.  As Aevryn began typing her contact info in Valdo sauntered over, backpack slung over his shoulder, stopping behind her and peering over her shoulder at Jaskier’s phone in her hand, his expression clearly unimpressed.

Jaskier eyed the other boy warily, his lip curling in disdain at the cocky grin that suddenly stole across Valdo’s face.  

Everyone knew Valdo Marx was a spoiled rich prick who got everything he wanted without having to work very hard for it.  ‘Well, maybe not everything he wanted,’ Jaskier thought smugly as he watched Valdo eye Aevryn.

“No,” Aev said curtly before Valdo even opened his mouth, his dark eyebrows raising in mock surprise.

“I didn’t even say anything,” he exclaimed, an impish light dancing in his green eyes.

“No, but I know you,” she replied, glancing up at him, fondness tinging her grin despite her sharp words.  “I’m not telling you our project idea only for you to steal it and pretend like we’re the ones copying you.”

Aevryn turned her amused grin on Jaskier as she slid his phone closed and handed it back to him.  “Don’t let him bully it out of you either.”

Unable to bite back the smirk that tugged at his lips Jaskier nodded, pocketing his phone.  “Don’t worry, I won’t.”  His gaze flicked to Valdo, who was clearly unamused at the turn of events, though as soon as Aevryn turned back to him, he was all smug confidence once more.

“Okay, okay, let’s go get some lunch, I’m fucking starving,” Valdo exclaimed, attempting to usher Aev out of the classroom.

Rolling her eyes her smile turned apologetic.  “I’ll text you later okay?  We can figure out when to meet up to work on this thing.”

Out in the hall Valdo let out a loud groan, clearly fishing for Aevryn’s attention as they left Jaskier behind. 

“Yes?” she asked, fighting back a grin as she glanced at her friend, his dark messy curls bouncing as he walked. 

“He asked you out didn’t he?” Valdo asked, disgust just barely concealed in his voice.

“What?  No!”  Aev exclaimed, bumping her shoulder against Valdo’s arm.  “We’re just meeting up for project stuff.”

“Yeah, uh huh, okay,” Valdo continued skeptically.  “Maybe he did and you just didn’t realize it.”

“Are you implying something?”  Aevryn asked, frowning dangerously as she tried to keep up with his long strides.  “Like that I’m dense or something?”

“No,” Valdo answered quickly, “I would never.  It’s just —I don’t trust that two-bit musician wanna-be.  It was obvious he was trying to charm you.”

Aev snorted in amusement.  “Oh, like you do all the time?  You know what he asked me?”

“Huh?”

“He thought we were dating,” she replied, gesturing between the two of them.  “Isn’t that wild?”

Valdo’s face fell for a moment, his posture stiffening slightly.  “Oh.  Yeah, wild.”  

Aevryn glanced at him, her stomach dropping strangely at the sudden shift in his tone, perhaps barely imperceptible to anyone else, but to her it spoke volumes.

“Would it be so weird if we dated?” Valdo’s voice dropped and Aevryn opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, René threw his arm around her shoulder, catching her by surprise.

The look in Valdo’s eyes before he glanced away wrenched at something deep inside her and she fought the urge to shrug René off.

“Hey babe, how was class?” her boyfriend asked, falling into step with them, effectively pushing between her and Valdo, who scowled and looked away, pulling his phone out.

“Uhm, not bad,” Aevryn answered, glancing across René to get a glimpse of Valdo, seemingly ignoring their conversation.  “We’re uh, doing a group project, so I’m probably gunna meet up with my partner after school for a bit to work on it.”

She hoped he wouldn’t ask who her partner was so she wouldn’t have to either make up something to avoid a fight or tell him the truth and endure his jealous suspicion.  Unfortunately her hopes were dashed.

“Who are you working with?” René asked slowly, his arm around her shoulder tensing.

“Uh…” Aev faltered.  If she lied and he found out, that would be bad.  But if she told him it was Jaskier, that would also potentially be bad.  René’s jealous streak became infinitely worse when someone good looking was involved and Jaskier definitely fit the bill, even if she wasn’t interested in him like that.

“It’s me.  I’m her partner,” Valdo said suddenly, sliding his phone shut and pocketing it before glancing at René, silently daring him to say anything.  “Right, Aev?”

“Uhm yeah, that’s right,” she mumbled, breathing a sigh of relief.

René eyed Valdo skeptically, but didn’t say anything further though it was obvious he wanted to.  

Sitting down at their usual table and plunking her tray down Aevryn pulled out her phone, making sure René was distracted as she slid open her keyboard.

Hey V.  Thanks.  I owe you one. 

Across the table Valdo’s phone chimed and Aev watched as he read her message, his expression strangely unreadable -- his usual cocksure grin missing.  He typed for a moment before biting his lip and deleting it and typing something else.  However as he hit send and closed his phone his smile was back.

Yeah I know.  I’m the best.  x

Rolling her eyes Aevryn picked up her fork, sharing an amused grin with her friend before digging in, feeling somewhat normal, though she idly wondered what it was that Valdo had originally typed.

—

“Do you think we could find a lute somewhere?”  Aevryn asked, the scratch of her pen pausing as she looked up at Jaskier.

“Hmm… mayyybe?”

“Hmm,” Aev mused, her nose scrunching up in thought.  “If not, I suppose we could use a regular guitar, and we’ll have my violin, but it would be so cool to have the whole historical accuracy thing going for us, especially with the costumes I wanna use.”

“We could check ebay,” Jaskier suggested, spinning in Aevryn’s computer chair to face the keyboard, typing in the url.

Getting up off her bed Aev moved closer, joining him in front of the monitor, leaning over his shoulder.  Noticing how close she was Jaskier swallowed, quickly averting his eyes back to the screen.

“Hey, this one’s not too expensive,” Aevryn said, pointing at one of the items on the screen with the end of her pen, completely oblivious to Jaskier’s momentary discomfort.  “If I get it, do you think you could play it for our presentation?”  Sea green eyes swung to Jaskier excitedly.

“Of course,” he replied, a cheeky grin spreading across his face.  “I can play anything.”

“Oh, I sincerely doubt that.”

Valdo’s drawl at the door had Jaskier jumping, glaring at the smug youth leaning casually against the doorframe, his sharp green eyes taking them both in.

“Oh shut up, Valdo,” Aevryn called, barely glancing away from the screen as she leaned past Jaskier to grab the mouse.  “And be nice.”

“Oh, but I am being nice.”

Jaskier watched Valdo push off the door and cross the room, throwing himself down atop Aevryn’s bed and sprawling his lanky body out; propping up on his elbow to idly flip through her notebook.

“Uh Aev, is this… a normal occurrence?”  Jaskier asked, his voice pitched low for her ears alone.

“What?” she asked, following Jaskier’s gaze toward Valdo lounging on her bed.  “Oh.  Yeah, he’s basically here more than his own house.  Our families are old friends, and they live next door, so…” she trailed off with a half shrug.

Jaskier nodded slowly, frowning to himself.  He was beginning to understand.  He liked Aevryn -- she was witty, smart, and genuine, but if he was gunna be friends with her he was gunna have to put up with Valdo Marx as well.  

Sighing, he picked up his phone to check the time.  “Hey Aevryn, it’s getting late.  I should probably head home for dinner.”

“Oh.  Okay,” the disappointment in her tone was audible, but she quickly hid it.  “I mean, you’re more than welcome to stay for dinner here, if you want.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Valdo interjected from the bed, but Aev ignored him.

“I get it though, we can’t really do much more today anyway.  Lemme walk you out, Jask,” she offered, following Jaskier out of the room.

“Bye bye Pankratz,” Valdo called smugly after them, not bothering to get up.  “Good riddance,” he muttered under his breath as soon as they were out of the room.

It took every shred of self control he had not to growl in annoyance as Jaskier walked next to Aevryn.

“I’m uh… sorry about him,” Aev mumbled as they walked down the staircase.  “He’s kind of…”

“A dick?”  Jaskier supplied without thinking, mentally kicking himself as soon as he’d spoken.

Aevryn stopped at the bottom of the steps and shrugged.  “Yeah, he is.”

He knew it wasn’t his place, but Jaskier couldn’t keep it in any longer.  “So, why are you friends with him?” he demanded, half expecting her to get angry, defensive, snap at him maybe, but she didn’t, she just looked thoughtful.

“Because… you don’t know him like I do,” she said softly.  “Because we grew up together.  He’s always just… been there for me.”  A sad smile tugged at her lips.  “There’s more to him than everyone else sees.”

Jaskier looked down at his hands, not sure how he should feel about that, but he didn’t want to upset Aevryn further.  “I’m sorry, that really wasn’t my place…”

“It’s okay,” she assured him quickly.  “I just hope that this doesn’t mean we can’t be friends too?”

Jaskier flashed her a grin.  “Of course we can be friends.”

“Oh good,” Aev breathed, relief flooding her as she held open the door.  “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

At the top of the staircase Valdo quickly slunk back to Aevryn’s room, rearranging himself on her bed before she returned.  He wasn’t exactly pleased with how friendly she was getting with Jaskier -- the fellow hadn’t really ever appeared on his radar before, but now he’d have to start paying attention.  It was what Aev had said about him though that buoyed his spirits, making the rest seem rather trivial at the moment.

He was special to her.  

“Ahhhh blessed peace.  The intruder is gone.  Finally,” he sighed dramatically, flopping onto his back amongst her pillows as Aev returned.  When she didn’t speak however he cracked an eye and peered at her as she sat on the edge of the bed next to him.

“Aev?”  he asked, shifting to see her better.

She was so close.  How easy it would be to pull her into his arms in that moment and hold her.  How many times had he imagined that.  Imagined brushing her hair from her cheek and kissing her…

How --

“Y’know, you don’t have to be a dick to everyone right?”

Aevryn’s soft words stopped his daydreams in their tracks and he lifted his head, his dark curls shifting against her pillow, a frown tugging at his lips.

“Yeah, and?” he asked.  Why did it matter, as long as he was nice to her?

Aev sighed and shook her head, running her hands through her hair before turning to face him, her expression back to normal, a grin tugging at her lips.  “I’m just saying, it wouldn’t kill you, you know.”

The knots that had begun to tie in his stomach disappeared and Valdo flopped back down, smirking impishly.  “It just might though.”

[crimsonadri-fanfiction]

My Demons (Chapter 11)

Fandom: Naruto (Anime)

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, FLUFF

Pairing: Gaara x OC

Rated: T

(First) (Previous)

We lose faith in things unseen, Unsure of what to believe, Just dying to be loved when love's right in front of us. We give up on our hopes and dreams, and let doubt take everything. The door will open when we realize we don't hold the key.

No Ordinary Love - Memphis May Fire

A week before Rin’s eleventh birthday, Gaara walked towards her house with a cardboard box. He knocked on her door and her mom answered. He nodded to her silently but politely and she smiled before letting him in.

"You're here early." Mrs. Hayashi said. "Rin's still asleep. Though I'm sure she'll jump right up when she sees you." Gaara's face almost went pink but he quickly made his way down the hall to Rin's room. He knocked on her door just in case she was up and changing. When he heard the muffled reply he knew it was safe and opened the door. He bit back a smile at the mess of blue hair sticking out from under the blankets. He walked around and leaned over her before he shook her shoulder gently.

"Five more minutes mom." Rin whined.

"Rin." Gaara said. Rin shot up with a surprised yelp. The sand from his gourd shot out to cover Gaara’s forehead and Rin smacked hers right into it. She rolled off her bed clutching her forehead. Gaara’s eyes widened slightly.

“Ow.” Rin moaned. Gaara put the box he was holding on Rin’s bed before he pulled Rin’s hands away from her forehead to see the damage.

“You’re fine.” He said.

“But it hurts.” Rin whined. “Kiss it better.” Gaara stared at her with wide eyes. Rin pouted and looked up at him with puppy dog eyes. Gaara looked away for a moment and swallowed before quickly pecking her forehead which caused his cheeks to go pink. Rin smiled and his face became redder. Gaara stood and picked up the box he’d brought before he held it out to her. “You got me a present? What for? It’s not my birthday yet.” She blinked. “Is it?” Gaara rolled his eyes.

“Just open it.” he said pushing it into her hands. Rin opened the box and her face immediately lit up as she let out a happy squeak. She quickly put the box down on the bed and wrapped her arms around Gaara’s neck in a hug. She caught him by surprise and he fell back, his sand making a cushion for him to land on, as his arms went around her out of reflex.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Rin said kissing his cheeks multiple times. Gaara was frozen and his face, neck and ears had gone red. The box tipped over as the kitten inside leaned on the edge and meowed. Rin got off of Gaara and picked up the black kitten to cradle it. Gaara remained on the ground with wide eyes. He blinked and slowly looked up at Rin who was gently rocking the kitten that was purring in her arms. He swallowed again and put a hand over his heart. “What should I name her?”

“I-It’s a boy.” Gaara said before clearing his throat wishing she hadn’t heard it crack.

“Hmm… what do you think I should name him?”

“I don’t care.” Gaara said with a shrug as he crossed his arms and legs, still sitting on the floor.

“How about Gaara Jr?” Rin suggested with a giggle. Gaara gave her a look and Rin rolled her eyes. “Well help me think while I change.” She said putting the kitten on the bed. Gaara eyes widened and he turned around. “Are you okay?” she asked. He nodded. She giggled and he glared at the wall. “I don’t know what you’re embarrassed about. We used to take baths together all the time.” Gaara found himself smiling thinking back to the number of times they’d come back to her house covered in sand and dirt or Mrs. Hayashi found them covered in paint or flour. He hated to admit it but he didn’t mind when Mrs. Hayashi was nice to him. Though it was probably because she thought he would hurt her if she didn’t let him see Rin.

“That was before.” Gaara said.

“Before what?” Rin asked.

“Before you hit puberty.” The two turned to Rin’s open door to see Kankurō leaning in the doorway.

“What are you doing here?” Gaara almost growled.

He knows I won’t threaten him in front of Rin but he’s really pushing it, Gaara thought.

“He slept over.” Kenta said coming into view. Rin threw a pillow at them.

“Hey, get out!” She squeaked.

“What he can stay and we can’t?” Kankurō asked gesturing to his brother. Gaara glared at the door and his sand closed it on them.

“Thanks.” Rin said. Gaara nodded. “I forgot he was here.”

“Does he come here often?” Gaara asked glaring at the door. Rin shrugged.

“They’re friends so I would assume so. Kenta never comes over your house, does he?” Gaara shook his head.  “I think Kankurō likes me.” Gaara turned around with wide eyes. His face went red when he saw she was still changing and he turned back.

“What?” he asked. Rin shrugged.

“I dunno. He always teases me and when I told my mom she said that boys tease and pick on the girls they like.”

“I don’t tease or pick on you.” Gaara said shaking his head with a frown.

“That’s cause you love me.” Gaara’s eyes widened and he swallowed hard. Rin suddenly hugged him from behind and put her chin on his shoulder. “You’d never let anything hurt me and you’d never hurt me yourself.” Gaara turned his head to look at her and his eyes landed on the scar on her upper arm.

“R-Right.” He said. His voice came out in a whispered. Rin kissed his cheek before she got her things for school.

“How about Kuro?” Gaara gave her a ‘really?’ look. “Shiro?”

“A black cat named White?” he asked. Rin sighed and put her hands on her hips.

“You’re not exactly helping.” she said. “Ai.”

“Love?” Gaara asked. The word felt weird in his mouth.

“Mhm.” Rin hummed. “Cause you gave him to me.” Gaara turned his head away as he felt his cheeks heat up. Rin giggled and leaned down to kiss his kanji, giggling more when his ears went red. “Come on. We gotta get to class.” Rin grabbed Gaara’s hand to pull him up off the floor before letting go. “Come on, Ai.” Rin picked up the kitten and put him on her shoulder. He mewed and rubbed his face against hers making her giggle. Gaara watched her with a slight smile.

“You’ve been quiet all day, are you okay?” Rin asked leaning over to look at Gaara as she walked next to him. Ai rubbed his face against Gaara’s leg with a soft meow. Gaara looked down at the feline before looking at Rin and nodded. “Why aren’t you talking? Does your throat hurt?” Rin reached over and touched his neck gently. He shook his head. Rin frowned. She noticed Kankurō and Temari walking about 20 feet in front of them. “Kankurō!” Rin called. Gaara looked at her confused. Kankurō and Temari stopped and waited for Gaara and Rin to catch up.

“Yo.” Kankurō said with a nod. The two looked a bit nervous but more at easy since Rin was there.

“Gaara won’t talk.” Rin said with a pout. Kankurō tried not to smile. Gaara sent an intense glare at both his siblings. “Do you guys know why?” Rin asked. Kankurō shook his head and Temari shrugged. Rin sighed. “Fine, then I won’t talk either.” Rin said crossing her arms.

“I doubt you’ll last.” Kankurō said. Rin opened her mouth to respond but quickly closed it and shook her head.

“Good luck.” Temari said. Rin nodded in thanks.

“Now we just have to see who lasts longer.” Kankurō said. “My money’s on Gaara.”

“Fine, I think Rin can do it.” Temari said patting Rin’s back.

Gaara watched Rin who sat beside him on the roof. She’d started making him lunches so he had his own to eat. Neither had said a word in almost a week. He missed the sound of her voice and her laugh. She was determined to remain silent as long as he did. She even stopped writing him notes every morning. He couldn’t take it any longer.

“Rin.” He whispered.

“I won!” She squeaked with a smile but soon frowned. “My throat feels funny.” Gaara handed Rin her water bottle. “Thanks.” She said before taking a drink. “So are you gunna start talking now?” Gaara shook his head. Rin sighed and didn’t say anything. They looked at each other in silence for a few moments.

“Fine.” He whispered.

“Why are you whispering?” Rin whispered back. Gaara shrugged. “Nu-uh, there’s a reason.” Gaara shook his head. “Oh! I know! Your voice is doing that thing Kankurō’s did last year!”

“N-O!” Gaara’s hands slapped over his mouth. Rin giggled. “It’s not fu-UNy!” He squeaked. Rin kept giggling.

“So that’s why you weren’t talking!” Gaara rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Were you just gunna not talk until it stopped?” Gaara nodded. “I wonder if your voice will be as deep as Kankurō’s.” Gaara frowned. “I guess we’ll find out.” Rin said with a smile.

“Will you keep talking?” Gaara asked in a whisper.

“Only if you talk when we’re alone.” Rin said. Gaara sighed but nodded. “Pinkie promise?” Rin asked holding up her pinky. A small smile appeared on his face and he hooked his pinkie with hers.

“Pr-O-mis.” He said smiling when Rin started giggling.

Next Chapter

Tagged:

If you wish to be tagged (or to stop being tagged) to know when a chapter is posted let me know via ask/messages/reply.