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threadofdestiny · 4 years ago

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Magnolia (Bakugou x F!Reader)

Feudal Japan AU

Shogun!Bakugou x Midoriya’s sister!reader

Summery: Her mother, lady Midoriya Inko, had once told her that the gods had predestined a path for every single person. All she had to do was follow the path and trust that it would lead her to happiness. But how could (Y/N) find happiness in a political formed marriage with her brother’s rival, a man known for being brutal and cold hearted?

Warnings: sexual content in later chapters / period-typical-sexism / strong language / violence / Drama / Angst / Fluff / Slow Burn/ political marriage / Reader is Izuku's sister / period-typical-discriptions like vague mentions of longer hair to form typical hairstyles or specific wardrobe / Bakugou is not good at feelings / Bakugou is a mean, explosive boi / third-person perspektive

Wattpad

AO3

If someone wants to be tagged, just let me know :)

Taglist: @bakugous-mamas, @bnhastories, @brittkimm, @ ellieitstimetosleep, @belladonna-the-aphrodisiac

Chapter 1, Chapter 4, Chapter 6

Chapter 5

Crumbling down

"You can't be serious, Kacchan...This is going way to fast! I am sure that we could make him keep quiet until we are past the traditional engagement period! If not, I could send her to some of my relatives until the rumors had died down. Away from the capital. Away from society."

"Damn Deku! Are you really that fucking starry-eyed to take a chance like that? Your sister was attacked a mere few hours after you were publicly declared as the heir to the throne! As if she would be safe anywhere else than with you or me."

"P-Perhaps no one realized what happened on the festival. Even if, such a swift action will only make people more suspicious, maybe even casting you in a bad light! In the worst case they'll think you've laid hands on her before your wedding."

"What do I care about that? Let them think that I couldn't keep my hands off of her long enough. In their eyes, I'm already the bad guy anyway. It's better than having followers of Shindo trying to spread lies and people to start questioning the hell out of you in response. When they are going to question her reputation, they are going to question yours as well!"

"Like that's even remotely better, when they are going to question yours!"

"Are you deaf, you dumbass? It does not fucking matter! They should fear me anyway!", the shogun interrupted his interlocutor in a sharp voice before continuing his explanation a bit more quietly but just as urgently after he paused for a second to take a breath:"He could lay a claim on her, forcing you to concede, if you want to prevent a scandal. You'd be forced to break off the engagement between her and me to give her to Shindo at worst. Do you really want to give that slimy liar the power he would automatically receive as the brother-in-law of the next emperor?", Bakugou growled dangerously agitated behind the closed doors of Izuku's study.

All the servants of the household had to retire earlier that night by Lady Midoriya's instructions in order to put the illusion of privacy to their noble masters minds. The now dead silence in the halls of the mansion was only broken by the dull sounds of the quarreling men which sounds penetrated through the thin walls, giving the lonely almost creepy mood a dramatic atmosphere. The banging of shattering porcelain and the vigorous shouts of the men, startled the two lady's who were standing in the hallway all alone by themselves. Sobbing, (Y/N) pressed her head against her quivering mother's shoulder, flinching every single time when either one of the men exchanged too harsh words with one another. Both ladies listened to the heated argument between the furious shogun and the equal upset head of their family, not daring to interrupt them in any way. With trembling fingers, the young girl clawed at the fabric of Lady Midoriya's kimono, hiccuping every few seconds due to the endless tears that streamed down her face. Her mother tried to calm her down by gently stroking over her now loose hair, but the resounding sounds of the quarrel, made her flinch over and over again.

"I'm so sorry... I-I'm so so sorry!", (Y/N) repeated desperately against her mother's neck, who tried to soothe her daughter, by rocking her back and forth like a child that cried out of the loss of its most precious toy. "Shh, you're not to blame. Everything will be fine!", she whispered into (Y/N)'s hair as she hugged her tighter against her soft, motherly chest, hoping to shoo her daughters inner fears away. Clanking and rumbling sounds came from the study as Bakugou began to shout again:"Do you think I feel like tying a damn, troublesome woman to my leg right now? I've got more important things to do than to deal with your family's shit, but we don't have a fucking choice, because all the other ways this could turn out are even shittier!", Bakugou's aggressive voice echoed through the walls, like the roaring of thousand thunderstorms as he loudly stomped around the closed room like a rampant bull. Wincing, (Y/N) dug her face deeper into her mother's shoulder as she heard him talking about her like she was a nuisance. The young girl clutched at Lady Midoriya, like she was the only thing that prevented her from drowning in her own sorrows. As if the woman was the only one that could save her from the path she would have to take after that life changing night.

How could she have been so careless? What had she done to deserve that fate? By a single moment of not thinking straight, her entire world had turned upside down once again. Only to boost her unstoppable fate to the immeasurable. With each passing second her control over the situation had slipped away, like grains of sand incessantly trickling between her fingers. She had conjured up a disaster that had fueled his dislike against her and her family and had managed to become a burden for her brother and her fiancé in a mere few hours. How should she survive such a start to her predetermined future and turn it around for the better?

"Kacchan, please! It was not my sister's fault that she was attacked. If anything, it was my fault. I should have taken better care of her. I should have anticipated that people would try to use her to get to me.", Izuku replied in anguish. Even through the barrier, (Y/N) could hear her brother's voice breaking as he blamed himself. He, too, was on the verge of tears. She heard it loud and clear. Her compassionate brother blamed himself, though he could do even less about Shindo's act than she could. If she had just stayed with him, or asked him to accompany her, none of this would have had to happen.

It had taken an eternity until both men had calmed down enough that their voices could no longer be heard through the thin walls. Another eternity had passed until, all at once, heavy footsteps sounded near the door before it was pushed open with a loud thud, revealing the illuminated study. Wincing, mother and daughter pulled apart as the looming shogun appeared in the doorway. His vermilion eyes scanned the hallway until they finally landed on his quivering fiance. When he caught sight of her teary eyes, his grim expression softened minimally, while he beckoned her over with a gesture of his right hand:"Come here, girl. There are some things we need to discuss!"

Nodding obediently, (Y/N) followed her future husband into the room where her brother was standing by the window, looking dejectedly through the cold glass. The darkness swallowed up the details of the garden behind and plunged everything into barely discernible shadows. The dimmed light of the individual candles, gleaned on the glassy surface and reflected Izuku's lamenting face. Without hesitation, the young girl knelt down on the soft tatami mats before stretching out her hands in front of her in a pleading pose, asking for forgiveness. Her forehead almost touched the ground as she quietly raised her thin voice: "My actions has brought grave repercussions upon our family. No matter what the consequences will be, I will endure them without hesitation!", the youngest Midoriya announced with a trembling voice, before she heard her brother draw in his breath sharply. "By the gods, (Y/N)! You can't help what happened tonight! I should kneel before you and beg for forgiveness!", exclaimed Izuku after turning to his sister, trembling resentfully. With brisk steps, he had run up to the youngest Midoriya to hastily pull her up by her upper arm, pressing her against him in a firm hug. Bakugou was silent as he watched the spectacle for a few moments with an unmoved face, before shortly after he cleared his throat to draw the sibling's attention:"We don't have time for this sentimental nonsense!", the blond shogun growled softly as he turned his gaze exclusively on his fiance's quivering frame, to address her directly:"It doesn't matter at all who is to blame for this fuss. As you had said, we're in a predicament now. So either way, you're not going to avoid having to endure the consequences.", he added as he busily began pacing the room with long strides. Izuku broke away from his sister, nodding sadly, as he placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. "Bakugou is right.", the newly appointed heir confirmed as he briefly pressed his fingers against his sister's collarbone, looking her straight in the eyes. Nodding, the young girl bit her lower lip as she waited for the consequences to be revealed.

An uneasy feeling spread through the area of her stomach as she gazed with teary eyes from her brother to her grimly looking betrothed, just to look back to Izuku, when he spoke up again: "I am sorry, sister, but we do not have time to wait for the proper engagement period to be over. To counteract certain rumors we will have to hold the wedding at the end of this week. That means you'll be leaving together with Bakugou in a few days to accompany him to his lands!", Izuku explained softly as he sadly averted his eyes.

A shiver ran down (Y/N)'s spine as her brother uttered the words she had secretly feared to hear. She hadn't even noticed that she had been holding her breath with pent-up tension, but she couldn't explain otherwise where the slight dizziness came from after she finally exhaled thin air out of her aching lungs. Nodding dejectedly, the youngest Midoriya clutched the thin fabric of her robe before letting her gaze drift to the side to look ultimately at her future husband's face. When her glassy eyes collided with Bakugou's vermilion ones, her breath caught within her throat for a brief moment. All of a sudden, it felt as if the youngest Midoriya's heart had burst out of her chest with all its might. It raced in unison with her thoughts as she slowly became aware of the full extent of her situation, clenching achingly, as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

Gone was the time to prepare herself for her inevitable future. Gone were the future opportunities to get to know Bakugou before their wedding. Gone was the vast amount of time she previously had left with her family, suddenly vanishing into thin air. All at once the memories she could have collected with them before her departure were torn away from her because of one single moment. One single mistake. One single power hungry man. In a mere few days she would belong to Bakugou Katsuki. She would have to ultimately leave her home to go with a man she had met only twice. Never in her life had she left her family for more than a few hours at once.

Forcing herself to come to her senses, (Y/N) ripped herself out of her depressing thoughts, shaking her head absently, before she averted her gaze away from the Shogun's captivating expression. She nodded again, accepting her fate, as she swallowed hard. "I-I see!", she murmured relentingly, as she turned her saddened gaze back to her older brother, who's eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

"Good, then we can now move on to the short term planning. We don't have much time to prepare, since I can't postpone the journey.", declared Bakugou bluntly, without trying to sugarcoat the situation as he sat down at the table and picked up a quill and some sheets of paper. With a faltering breath, (Y/N) listened to her future husband's words, after she and her brother had joined him at the table. Izuku sighed heavily as he briefly reached for his sister's hand to give it a firm squeeze before responding to his guest's statement: "...That would mean we barely have time to organize a proper ceremony!", he remarked gloomily as he briefly glanced in (Y/N)'s direction. Bakugou, however, just shrugged disinterested, before replying nonchalantly: "I don't mind. I'm not interested in throwing a huge celebration and having my feet kissed by some lickspittles, anyway.", the shogun grumbled, before he suddenly paused, turning his eyes towards his fiance. (Y/N) took a moment to realize that Bakugou was looking at her questioningly. He hadn't said it, but it seemed surprisingly like he was waiting for her opinion. The young girl blinked a few times before she dared to speak up: "A-ah.. a small ceremony sounds pleasant, I guess. P-Perhaps only with our closest confidants. It would be quite... private.", she breathed uncertainly, though truthfully, while she tilted her head to the side in thanks. When Bakugou nodded in satisfaction, the youngest Midoriya relaxed a tiny bit, watching how her betrothed began to write down some notes on the blank paper. The scratching of the quill on the paper echoed unnaturally loud in the otherwise silent room, before Izuku cleared his throat to share his own thoughts as well.

"We already handled most of the details in the previous contract. However, I have decided that I would like to send my sisters personal maid with her, so that she has someone around her who is not a stranger to her...", Izuku began slowly, before hesitating for a moment. He watched as the blond man included his request in the supplemental contract before the heir began again: "A-As for the dowry..." "I'm still not interested in the dowry, Deku. Save it for your sister, or do something else with it.", the Shogun interrupted brusquely, surprising (Y/N) who listened in astonishment. Her dowry was extremely high. She had never thought anyone would let that much money slip away, but Bakugou brushed it aside as if they were talking about some pocket money. Izuku caught himself, clearing his throat before nodding in defeat:"Very well, then, as it is customary from the bride's family, we will at least cover the cost of the wedding ceremony. I'm sure we can get the temple master to organize a mass in short notice when we offer a larger donation.", he murmured as he also reached for his own quill to write down a few sentences in the process. It took some time for Bakugou and her brother to finally agree on all the last minute changes, but in the end they both signed the amended contracts, finalizing the youngest Midoriya's short-term change of fortune.

Finally, Bakugou clicked his tongue as he rolled up his copy of the contract. Rain pattered against the pitch-black window, which successfully warded off the cold of the looming night. Red eyes gazed scrutinizingly in the flickering candlelight over the masses of scrolls and books which rested on the shelves against the walls, while the shogun let his rolled-up document disappear into the inside of his traditional robe.

"We are getting married this Saturday and will leave early the next morning. Use the rest of your time to prepare yourself.", the Shogun spoke as he turned his attention to his fiance. After receiving a sad nod from (Y/N), he slowly rose from his seated position. Izuku did the same to escort his future brother-in-law out of their home, but before Bakugou started to move, the blond man silently bent down once more to place a small box on the tabletop in front of the young girl.

"I would have actually given it to you before I left, but now that you're coming along, you get your second engagement gift now!", the blond shogun grumbled dismissively as he turned his face away with the corners of his mouth pulled down. Astonished, (Y/N) glanced up at Bakugou, before she accepted the gift as she slowly reached for the small box.

When she opened it, she caught sight of an ornately designed fan. The intricate woodwork of the dark handle was set with gleaming auspicious-looking copper-colored gems, while the silken fabric shone in a velvety black. Gulping, the young girl carefully lifted the gift out of its box so that she could open the fan with equal care. On the dark background, forest green and blazing orange lines formed a carefully drawn stylized dragon, which was surrounded by its own brightly burning fire. In its sharp claws it clasped a white flower, protected from the flames that surrounded the majestic beast. The motif seemed almost bizarre to her. As if the monster would want to crush the fragile flower in its paws, while at the same time it almost seemed as if it wanted to guard it. Its sharp eyes flashed dangerously up at her and reminded her in a strange way of the man who had given her this gift. A shiver ran down (Y/N)'s spine, but she tried to pull herself together in front of her fiance. Never in her entire life had she seen anything so fierce looking on such a delicate object. Holding her breath for a short moment, (Y/N) gazed at the precious craftsmanship before looking up again to try to smile gratefully at the Shogun. "It is beautiful, your grace. Thank you!", she breathed truthfully. Bakugou nodded briefly in response before turning away from her. (Y/N) could hear the two men moving away from her as she looked back down at her engagement gift. Her fingers carefully traced the fine lines of the sublime dragon as she took a shaky breath, asking herself if her fiance associated her with the delicate flower just as she had associated him with the mythical creature which gloomily looked up to her.

"Knock, knock!", sounded the gentle voice of Lady Midoriya, who cautiously entered her daughters chambers some time after the shogun had left their estate. Startled, (Y/N) spun around from her position at her small table, but smiled sadly as she caught her mother heading towards her with a tea tray in her arms. Her young daughter had been sitting alone for what felt like an eternity, unable to fall asleep after that dreadful night. "I thought a soothing tea would be just the right thing right now.", she murmured in a put-upon cheerful tone as she carefully set down her favorite tea set.

"Thank you, mother!", murmured (Y/N) as she rose slightly from her kneeling position to reach for the warm pot in trained expert fashion, to pour her mother and herself a soothing cup of warm herbal tea. Silence enveloped them as they both let their gaze drift aimlessly around the room after (Y/N) had leaned back again. Sighing, the older lady ran her fingers through her green hair, untied from it's usually elegant knot, before finally turning to her daughter and smiling lovingly at her. Seeing her grown-up girl dejectedly trying to suppress the quivering of her lips, Lady Inko raised her hand to place it reassuringly on (Y/N)'s shoulder. "Don't worry, my little one! It'll be alright!", she whispered comfortingly as she patted her daughter's arm.

Hoping to take away some of her mother's worries, (Y/N) tried again to put on a small smile, but she failed miserably. Taking a deep shaky breath, the young girl tried to sort out her thoughts, before she dared to speak her mind: "What do you think about the Shogun?", she finally asked uncertainly, reaching for her cup of tea to occupy her fidgeting fingers. Rain pattered against the cool window, which was covered by velvet curtains to block out the darkness of the night. A few candles illuminated the comfortably furnished room in dim light, wrapping it in a soft blanket of warm shades. Humming silently to herself, Lady Inko lifted her gaze toward the ceiling as she pondered over her daughter's question.

"Well... The Shogun is an excellent match.", her mother replied after a moment. "Despite his reputation?", (Y/N) quietly probed further after taking a sip of the warm liquid. Lady Inko nodded after a moment's consideration before looking at her daughter again. "You know, your father and I are old acquaintances of Lord and Lady Bakugou. The young Shogun's father, worked side by side with your father in the Emperor's court. And Lady Bakugou is from the same province as me. I have known Mitsuki since childhood. We lost touch after she moved to the countryside with her husband, but I know that she is a good person just like her husband. They wouldn't be able to raise a cruel man. It's a pity that the two of them can't attend the ceremony, but by the time they would have arrived in the capital, you would have left long ago.", her mother began, smiling bittersweetly. Seeing that she had (Y/N)'s full attention, Lady Inko continued her descriptions with mild amusement:"Probably the shogun got his brusque trait from his mother. You should know that Mitsuki was incredibly fierce even back when we both were still unmarried. I remember that she never minced her words, no matter who was in front of her."

The youngest Midoriya's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at her mother in disbelief:"But it's not looked upon favorably when a woman simply speaks out what she thinks." Giggling, Lady Midoriya nodded in agreement. "You're right, but just because the noble society determines what's proper and what's not, doesn't mean there aren't people out there who think differently. Besides, not every man prefers a silent woman, you know? And hardly anyone shows his true face in public. I think there's more to the Shogun than the cold-blooded warrior everyone thinks he is, and I know you feel the same way."

Thoughtfully, (Y/N) let her mother's words sink in while she fixed her gaze on the liquid contents of her cup. On the moving surface, she could see a distorted vision of her own face, but instead of looking at it, she tried to imagine the man she and her mother were talking about.

In less than a week she would have to leave her entire life behind to follow Bakugou. The thought frightened her, no matter how much she tried to give herself courage throughout, but her mother was right. She truly believed that there was more to the Shogun than what met the eye. He was temperamental and aloof, and yet he had proven that he intended to protect her in spite of it all. He had told her in the gardens that he would not agree to marry a woman who let herself be trampled upon and had encouraged her to speak for herself.

But... Was it perhaps naive of her to interpret more into a person she only met twice?

#bakugou x reader #bakugou #bakugou x female reader #my hero academia

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13-reasons-ideas · 4 years ago

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Marry Me - Monty’s Perspective

A/N: Here it is. I’m so sorry this took so long to put out. I was having a really hard time getting into the right headspace to write this. I hope you guys like it! I recommend listening to Thomas Rhett’s Marry Me when you read this. As usual, feedback is appreciated and much love! -Em

Ellie was coming back into town for her engagement party this weekend. I was the first person she called when Evan proposed. She damn near gave me a heart attack when I answered, and she was scream-crying.

Flashback

I was watching the Chargers game when Ellie called. “Hey Elliebear.”

“Heaskedmetomarryhim.” She screeched on the other line. I had no idea what she said. It sounded like she was crying. And that I would be deaf in one ear. I pulled the phone away from my head until she stopped freaking out.

“What was that?”

“Evan proposed.” What?

“Oh?”

“And I said yes. I’m getting married Montgomery.” Oh.

“That’s great Ellie. Congratulations. I’m happy for you.” I cleared my throat, trying to get rid of the pit that was forming.

“Thank you. I wanted you to be the first one to know, so I just wanted to call you quick. I can hear the game in the background, and we have more people to call so I’ll let you go now.”

“Okay, tell Evan I said hi and congratulations.”

“I will. Bye Monty.”

“Bye Ellie.” I hung up and sat back on the couch. She’s getting married.

End flashback

I was on break at work when I got a text from Ellie.

Hey you. I just got into town with Evan for the weekend. Are you free tonight?

I texted her back a few minutes later, yeah I’m free. What’s up?

She replied right away. Drinks or coffee? Just you and me. My parents are going over some details for tomorrow with Evan that they don’t want me around for.

Sure. Meet you at Monet’s at six?

I’ll save you a seat. Usual order?

You know I don’t change things Elliebear.

I stopped at home to change after work into something more comfortable. I grabbed a clean pair of jeans and a random t-shirt before grabbing an old flannel and running out the door, so I wasn’t late.Ellie barely beat me to the café. It wasn’t surprising really, since she was always the early one.

“Hey, what can I get you this evening?” the barista asked her.

“Can I get a-”

“She’ll get a skinny vanilla bean latte with only one pump of vanilla, a dash of cinnamon, and extra foam in a for here cup. I’ll get a regular black coffee. And she’ll also have the chicken and spinach sandwich.” I said behind her. The barista looked at her, unsure if she should ring it in or not. Ellie nodded and turned around to face me. Before I had a chance to say anything, she jumped into my arms for a hug.

“Hey Elliebear.” I grunted.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

Our orders were finished quickly as it was surprisingly slow for a Friday night. Luckily, that meant our table was free. We sat down and conversation flowed easily. It was almost like we had never been apart.

“The ring is nice. It suits you. Bigger than I thought you would like but it’s nice.”

“It is nice, yeah. That reminds me, Evan said he’s looking forward to meeting you tomorrow.”

“So am I. See who finally caught your interest.”

“I was interested in other people before Evan.” She told me, scandalously. Sure, you did El. I didn’t let myself think about the possibility of her liking me that way when we were younger.

“Ellie. That guy from drama class doesn’t count. And neither does your chemistry partner.”

“I was not interested in Adam. And Zach was my chemistry partner. I can assure you I was not into him.”

“Please, enlighten me as to these people you were interested in before Evan.”

“There was,” she paused. “Dylan from sophomore English was cute. Ian. Couple other guys in high school. Peter from my first year anthropology class was… very attractive, and smart.”

“One guy aside from Evan? University of Georgia is a big school. There’s no way you only had eyes for two people.”

“I was busy. I practically lived in the library when I wasn’t in class or my dorm. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Is there a girl I should be hearing about? Or should have heard about?”

“Nah. Nothing important or anything to write home about. I was busy.” I wouldn’t call what I did, dating. The point wasn’t to find someone to bring home. Who I wanted to bring home was over 900 miles away.

“Oh please Monty, you played ball at OSU. You honestly expect me to believe there was no girl in your life?”

“No, no. There were girls. Just nothing really serious.”

“Uh, huh.” She replied, sarcastically. We reached for our cups at the same time and our hands brushed. I was immediately transported back to the day of homecoming in senior year.

Flashback

“Remember students. The homecoming game is tonight at 6:30. You’ll want to be there early as our Liberty Tigers take on the Hildebrandt Mustangs if you want good seats. It’s sure to be a nail biter.” Principal Bolan’s voice boomed from the intercom during the morning announcements.

“Don’t know why he’s hyping it up to be a nail biter.” Scott laughed.

“We are playing Hildebrandt. We could literally not show up and still win.” I joked. “Have any of you seen Ellie? She’s usually here to force me to English by now.”

“Nah man.” Scott replied.

“Need lover girl to make sure you do what you’re supposed to?” Bryce teased.

“Fuck off. It’s not like that with us.” Unfortunately.

“Sure it’s not Monty. I refuse to believe you never hit it.”

“Don’t talk about her like that.” I threatened, lowly. Don’t push it man. Bryce shut up at my tone. “I’m going to go try and find her. I’ll see you guys at lunch.”

She was arranging her books when I found her at her locker. She was trailed by Clay and Alex. I pulled her into my arms and lifted off the ground. “Montgomery, put me down!” she laughed.

“Never.” I laughed, evilly.

“I have to grab my chem book. And go to chemistry.”

“I’ve got it.” Zach said as he grabbed her book, “you carrying her to class today?”

“Nah, I thought about it but since I had to come find her this morning, I figure she can make it there on her own.”

“I was running late. My alarm didn’t go off when it was supposed to.”

“Excuses, excuses.” I replied, putting her down and shaking my head.

“I’ll see you guys later? Zach and I are running late.”

“Sure. Justin said if I don’t go to the game tonight, he’d tell mom and dad about Ani. And I don’t want to deal with that.”

“Someone has to keep Clay company, so I have to go too.” Alex said, pushing clay lightly.

“Great. I’ll see you then. See you at lunch Monty.”

I sat through just about the driest English class of my life, counting the minutes on my watch. Math was no better. We were reviewing for a test that almost the whole

class failed. Somehow that was our fault for not studying enough. I let out a sigh of relief when the lunch bell rang.

The table was already mostly full when Ellie came and sat next to me. “Ellie, think you could pray for us to not lose this game tonight?” Bryce sniggered from the end of the table.

“Hey, quit being a dick.” I stated. Bryce responded by chucking a grape at me. I threw it back at him. I knew how important her faith was to her. Some things just weren’t okay to be joked about or questioned. When it came to Ellie, faith was one of them.

“It’s fine Monty. Not like he hasn’t done it before.” I know he has. I don’t like it. “It’s going to take a lot more than God to help you win if you don’t learn to throw better than that in the next six hours. But sure.” I watched her from the corner of my eye as she smirked to herself before beginning. I’d seen her pray for real before. This wasn’t that. “Lord, please help the guys win tonight. Give them the ability to not trip over themselves when they make plays. And God, please show Bryce how to make the ball go where it’s supposed to and not hit some poor kid in the head again. Maybe, just maybe, then he will get laid tonight and we all know that’s really why he asked me to pray.” She smirked at Bryce. I choked on my juice. She probably isn’t wrong. Was pretty funny when that kid got hit though.

“You need to quit hanging out with Monty, he’s rubbing off on you too much. And I was serious.”

“I know. I’ll do it for real after lunch. You can sit with me if you want.” She was true to her word. I was late for Geography because I was watching her sit in an empty alcove praying. Bryce didn’t sit with her.

The locker room was abuzz with excitement. It was the homecoming game. Not to mention our season opener. If we wanted to start the season off right, we had to win. Sure, we joked around about Hildebrandt being an easy team to beat-they came in second to last in the league last year-but there was still a chance they would pull off a miracle. Especially if Bryce threw like he did at lunch. “Yo Monty, is Ellie coming to Monet’s tonight?”

“She said she would. Not that she’ll give you the time of day.” I waved off Matt’s question. She’s not interested. Trust me. Find someone else to have your eyes on. Several ‘oooo’s were voiced around us.

“How do you know?”

“Just do, man.”

“I could treat her real nice. She’d beg me for more.” Are you fucking kidding me?

“Oh shit.” Someone muttered, seriously. I didn’t really hear who it was. The sound of my blood rushing in my ears was too loud. Coach Kerba wasn’t in the room. He was talking to Banes about plays. No one in here will snitch. Not when it’s about Ellie.

I immediately turned towards him and cornered him against his locker. The rest of the team stood silently, watching us. I got real close to his face so only he would hear me. “You even think about her like that again and I will bury you so deep they’ll need ground penetrating radar to find you. Not that they’d recognize you if anyone found your body. If you so much as brush against her too hard in the halls, I’ll break your jaw. You understand Carraway?”

“Y-yeah. I got you. Never said a word.” He breathed in response. I had scared the living shit out of him. Good. I stepped away from him and after a few beats the incident was forgotten and the mood was light again.

The game wasn’t that exciting. Had it not been homecoming, most people probably wouldn’t have shown up. As expected, it was in our favour most of the first half. Ellie waved at me between plays. She was practically beaming. During the second half Hildebrandt seemed to find their groove and the game was at least interesting to play. It wasn’t the nail biter Principal Bolan had promised this morning. Everyone knew that regardless of how we played, we would end up winning. The game ended and the team and the crowd were excited. Matt and Garrison were so excited by the win, they tripped over their own feet and faceplanted on the sidelines. The excitement died down for a moment until they shot up and went on celebrating.

I waited for Ellie outside the locker room, as per our tradition. “Good game.” She called.

“Of course, it was. I was on the field.” I smirked.

“Modest as ever I see.”

“Do you expect anything else at this point Elliebear?” “Not really. But I can hope, maybe one day.”

“Maybe, but not likely.”

“Oh hey, while I’m thinking about it, Clay asked me to keep an eye on Justin tonight.”

“Is everything okay?” My brow furrowed.

“I think so. Clay said something about him having issues adjusting and stuff. Do you think you can play nice with him for a while?”

“I suppose, since he is your friend, I can try and be nice for a while. But not all night. I want some Ellie time.” Only because it’s you asking.

“And you’ll get your Ellie time. After you make nice with Justin.”

I sighed, making it seem like a hassle just to get a rise out of her. I was about to respond when Bryce called us, “are you two going to stand there and chit chat all night or are we going to celebrate?”

“We’re coming. Give us a minute asshole.” I called back to him. Bryce didn’t respond.

I turned around so I could give her a piggyback out to the car. “Hop on”. Once she felt secure, I walked us out to the parking lot. I pretended to not pay attention when she stole my baseball hat. She couldn’t see the way my smirk turned into a smile when she did.

“That’s my hat El.”

“I know. I happen to like it though, so I’m wearing it.”

“I’m not getting it back tonight, am I?”

“Nope. It is now mine. Might even write my name in it.”

“You do that Ellie. I won’t care when I steal it back who’s name it has in it.” Already has my name in it. Yours would just complete it.

“Fine. Then I’ll readjust it.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, I would.”

I set her down at her car. “No, you wouldn’t.” I called her bluff. You’re too sweet to do it. Or you’d fix it right away if you did. She rolled her eyes at me.

“Whatever. I’ll see you at Monet’s in a few with your precious hat.” I waited until she got in her car and drove off, before starting my own engine and following her.

Ellie beat me to Monet’s as usual. I nodded at and stopped to chat with some of my teammates when I came in. Matt nodded awkwardly at me as I passed. I glared in return. My coffee was set across from her when I got to our table. “I see you told the truth. Can I have it back now?”

“No. I think it looks quite fetching on me, if I do say so myself.”

“Fetching?”

“Yes. Do you disagree?”

“No, I think it looks good on you.” Not that anything would look bad on you. Suits her. She’s wearing my shirt.

“That’s what I thought.”

We chatted quietly before Justin showed up. “Hey guys.” He waved.

“Justin! You made it.” She exclaimed, too excitedly. Making him think you were forced to babysit him by being overly happy isn’t going to help Elliebear. I shot her a tone it down look. Justin smiled uncomfortably as she offered up her seat. “Make room.”

“Can do sweetheart.” I flirted, patting the chair next to me. The smile and blush she tried to mask didn’t go unnoticed.

“Thanks for the coffee Ellie.” Justin said, taking a sip.

“No problem.” The three of us chatted idly for a while. I was on my best behaviour with Justin and even laughed a few times at couple things he said. There was no mention of what he witnessed in the locker room.

My hand found Ellie’s under the table and I grasped it carefully. I had to make it look like I hadn’t done it intentionally. I could see the pink flare of her cheeks and my lip twitched upwards.

“Hey Justin, come over here and look at this.” Charlie called. He was looking at something on Garrisons’ phone. Justin left us to go investigate. I caught the quick glance at our hands, even if Ellie didn’t. Thank you, Foley.

“And then there were two.” I muttered, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Then there were two.” She repeated.

“That shirt looks good on you. It’s pretty familiar too.”

“Oh, yeah. There may be a reason for that.” She seemed nervous.

“Need to go talk to Mike?”

“Not if you don’t have a problem with it. I think he would agree it was simply borrowing, rather than stealing. No need to involve Jesus.”

“I am. So now you’ve got my shirt and my hat. Anything else you intend on taking of mine?” I slowly inched closer to her. We have never gone here. But there’s no way she doesn’t feel this pull.

“Possibly. Depends what else you’re willing to offer.” She said, coyly. My fingers itched to brush the hair from her face. She beat me to it.

“I think there’s a thing or two I could offer you Ellie.” I replied, leaning in a little more. What am I doing? What if she doesn’t feel the same way. Am I about to ruin our friendship? Do I even care? Before I could kiss her, fucking Bryce Walker beckoned from across the room. Son of a bitch. You couldn’t wait two god damn seconds, could you? This better be important.

I stopped just short of kissing her. “What?” I answered, curtly.

“My place, half an hour.” He called back. That is what was so important you had to interrupt this moment? That could have waited. Fucker. I nodded in response and turned back to Ellie, hoping the moment wasn’t gone. I knew it was though. I sighed internally. She was smiling at me, but it didn’t reach her eyes like it normally did. She’s upset. I didn’t know what to say to try and salvage our moment. Instead, I watched her take a sip of her latte and check her watch.

“Shoot. Is that really the time? I have plans with my mom in the morning. I should get going.” I’ll take bullshit for 200, Alex. She never was a good liar.

“Oh, okay. Are we still on for waffles Sunday afternoon?” I tried to hide my disappointment.

“Yeah. Be at my place around one? I need to talk to Pastor Mike about a few things after service.”

“I’ll be there. Text me when you get home.”

“I will.” She hurried out of the café so fast, someone might think there was a fire.

I threw my head back in my chair and ran my hands down my face. Bryce and Matt were watching me when I looked out at the room again. I mimicked Ellie’s actions and took my half empty cup to the counter. “You couldn’t have waited one minute, could you Walker?” I grumbled as I passed him.

“Sorry dude.” He called after me. “My place-.”

“Half an hour. Yeah. I got that.” I shook my head as I left the café.

End flashback

I turned to watch her take a sip of her latte. She still savoured the taste and licked her bottom lip the same way. “What about the blonde girl you told me about briefly?”

Blonde girl… Lip piercing? No. Was a red head. The sorority girl? That was the brunette with the Adderall. Blonde… oh! Chirpy. “Sara?”

“Yeah.”

“She was nice. Very peppy and chipper though.”

“Ah yes. Need to keep up that stoic exterior. Can’t have someone too chipper, lest people think you have a soul or something.” You always thought I did.

“Exactly.” I laughed. He took a long sip from his cooled coffee. “Can you imagine if I brought her home?”

“Well, knowing your mother, I would probably be attending your engagement party tomorrow instead of the other way around.”

“Oh probably.”

“How is your mom doing, by the way?” “She’s doing okay. After dad died, she was pretty out of it for a few months. She’s gotten better with time though. Really started to come into her own and forge her own path.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“Not going to ask how I’m doing Ellie?”

“No. I know how you’re doing.”

“Oh really?”

“Montgomery. I am your best friend. Your dad was never a parent. DNA doesn’t make someone your family. You’re doing the same as you did the day you left and vowed to never speak to him again.”

Her easy explanation surprised me. “Sometimes I forget how well you know me.”

“I know. That’s why I have to remind you all the time.”

“Yeah, yeah. How did Evan react to Scott on the way from the airport?”

“I’m not totally sure. I don’t think he realized how things worked at Liberty and exactly what you and I being friends meant. Scott told him about the treehouse.” Oh God.

“Oh no. Ellie. I need to look the guy in the eye tomorrow.”

“I know you do. Don’t worry. He didn’t seem upset or anything. I think he found it amusing actually.”

“Did he tell him anything else?”

“About you?”

“Yeah.”

“No, mentioned how you guys fucked up and didn’t study for midterms and I singlehandedly kept you all on the team. And how Matt and Garrison managed to keep themselves above their feet until after homecoming senior year.”

“Of course, he did.”

“Don’t worry. Evan will like you.”

“How do you know?” Why do I care? Because you love her you dolt.

“Because I like you. And even though you think you are, you really aren’t a bad guy.” We talked for about another hour or so, just catching up, before we decided to call it a night.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Three o’clock sharp.”

“Good.” She squeezed me tightly. When we pulled apart, I looked down and saw she was wearing my shirt. She kept it all these years.

“Is that my shirt?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I thought I lost that years ago.”

“You never asked for it back. We agreed that I technically borrowed it, remember?”

“Yeah, but I also thought you would have given it back by now.”

“I mean, I can give it back to you tomorrow if you want it.” She offered.

“No, no. You keep it. You seem comfortable in it.” She smiled and hugged me again before leaving.

No matter how much I tried to talk myself into cancelling at the last minute or just not showing up to the party, I couldn’t do it. As much as I wanted to let her finally think that I was an ass, I couldn’t. I couldn’t hurt her like that. So, I manned up and went to Ellie’s engagement party. I showed up right at three, as promised. “Hey you.” She beamed. Her whole face lit up when she saw me.

“Hey Elliebear.” I said as I hugged her. Evan stood to the side, giving us a moment. He looked so uncomfortable with our interaction. Maybe he noticed how much brighter her face got when she saw me. She pulled away first and turned towards her fiancé.

“Evan, this is Monty. Monty, this is Evan.” She motioned between us. I shook his hand awkwardly.

“So, you found the way to Ellie’s heart, huh?”

“Yeah. She is something special. I thank God every day that she decided to give me a chance.”

“Don’t I know it?” I replied, trying to hide the wistfulness and ignore the pang of jealously in my chest.

Jill called her over for something and she pointed Scott out to me. Trying to avoid a pissing match El? “Coming Mom. Scott is over there by the cupcakes. Try to keep him from eating himself to a sugar high?”

I laughed, “can do Ellie. It was nice meeting you Evan. Congratulations.”

“You too Monty. Enjoy the party.” He doesn’t like me.

“Hey Scotty.”

“I didn’t think you’d show up. Justin and I had a bet going. I owe him fifty bucks.”

“Well, you know. It’s Ellie.” I grabbed a cupcake from the stand and took a bite. Not bad. I see why she wants me to monitor Scott.

“That’s why I didn’t think you’d come.”

“You came.” Justin said, patting me on the back in lieu of greeting.

“Yup. Where’s Sasha?”

“Girl talk with Ellie and Jess and some other girls.”

“Riveting. What choice did I have? My options were come, watch her with Evan, and hate every second of it for an hour or two, or, not come and have her hate me for the rest of our lives.”

“I guess. Are you going to go to the wedding?” Justin asked.

“See if Evan lets her invite me first. He doesn’t seem too impressed so far. Thanks for that by the way Scott.”

“I’m sure he’ll warm up to you.”

“If you’re invited? Which you will be, because you’re her best friend.”

“Then what kind of best friend would I be, if I didn’t go to her wedding? I’d just hate myself for a few more hours then. That’s better than a lifetime of her hating me.”

“Fair. Look, if you want to leave, just say the word. We can go back to my place and drink.” Scott offered.

“Thanks. I need to stick it out. It’s Ellie.” The rest of the party was fine. I talked to Jill and Rob for a while. I even talked to Evan for a bit. It was awkward but we didn’t fight each other. If he suspected anything about my feelings for her, he didn’t say anything. I left that evening, wondering if he noticed Ellie looking for me and not him all afternoon and letting my brain go somewhere it hadn’t gone in years. At least, not willingly gone in years.

I held out some sick hope that maybe, just maybe, the engagement wouldn’t last. I knew it was wrong of me, but I couldn’t help it. This was the girl that I had been in love with since the eighth grade. That’s when she stopped being like one of the guys. When she became something more. Even though I knew it wasn’t an attainable thing, even back then, there was always this little spark of hope. She was the reason I didn’t really date in college. She was the reason no girl was worth bringing home to meet my mom. They were all compared to her. They would always be compared to her. I always hoped that she felt the same way about me as I felt about her. That hope vanished when I checked my mail after work that Wednesday. The fancy envelope and familiar script were enough of a giveaway. I didn’t need to open the card to know what it was. The invitation. I sighed as I went in the house and opened the card. I merely skimmed for the important dates and time. I knew in that moment that I had finally lost her. I also knew that I would go anyway as I signed, sealed, and mailed the RSVP that night. I had to go. It’s Ellie.

The day had finally arrived. I had been dreading this day for the better part of a year. It was the morning of Ellie’s wedding. I woke up, forced myself to get out of bed, made coffee, and showered. I stared at the black suit hanging on my bedroom door for fifteen minutes. Arguing with myself about if I was really going to do this was getting me nowhere closer to a decision. If I go, I’ll hate myself. If I don’t go, she’ll hate me. If I go, I’m losing her. If I don’t go, I’m losing her. If I go, then I’ll get to see her. If I don’t go, I won’t see her. If I go, I’ll have to hold my feelings in forever. If I don’t go, I’ll have to hold my feelings in forever. Finally, I came to a decision. I wasn’t willing to risk losing her because I couldn’t show up for her. If I wasn’t going to be able to be with her, at least I could still be in her life. Maybe. But I’d cross that bridge when I got to it. I put the suit on and fixed my hair. Then I went to the liquor cabinet and filled a flask with whiskey. I couldn’t drink it in church because if Ellie found out, she would kill me, Ten Commandments be damned.

I arrived at the church forty-five minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to start. I took a sip from the flask in my pocket on the city sidewalk. Spotting Bryce, I walked over to him. “Hey.”

“Hey man, how’s it going?”

“It’s going, you?”

“Same old, same old.” We chatted mindlessly for a few minutes until Justin showed up with Clay and Sasha. I’m shocked we haven’t gotten a happy announcement from them yet. She looks thrilled.

“Justin, Clay. Hey Sasha.” The trio greeted me, and Clay took Sasha inside. He seemed to pick up on the displeasure radiating off of her.

“Holding up okay?” Justin asked.

“Sure.”

“He’s at his best friend’s wedding.”

“I know. Just trying to be nice Bryce.” Zach showed up and broke some of the tension brewing between Bryce and Justin. Never thought I’d be happy to see Zach freaking Dempsey.

“So, I heard from one of the groomsmen that she looks beautiful.”

“Of course, she does. It’s Ellie. And it’s her wedding day.” I said. Scott found us milling in the back of the chapel and came over. He didn’t bother greeting us.

“Have you talked to her?” he asked.

“No. I wanted to give her space. In case I decided not to come.”

“Oh. You could go talk to her now.”

“And say what Scott?”

“Tell her.”

“Tell her what? It’s her wedding.”

“I know that.” I looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to our little group. They weren’t.

“Tell her what exactly Scott? How do you propose I go about telling her that I think she’s making a mistake and that I’ve been in love with her since we were thirteen? I’m not going to do that. Not today. Not ever. I’m not messing this up for her.” I whisper-yelled.

“He has a point Scott.” Zach pointed out.

“If I say something, I’ll lose her forever. So, to avoid losing my best friend, I’m going to sit here, watch her marry the man she loves, and wish her the best. And then I will go home, get very drunk, and sleep the hangover off for the next two days.”

Scott raised his hands in defeat. “Okay. I get your point. I’m not going to push you into doing something you don’t want to do.” Even though I made a good little speech, the closer we got to the ceremony, the more uncomfortable I became. I couldn’t stop the thoughts of wanting to do exactly what Scott suggested. I wanted nothing more than to go find her and tell her how I felt. But then I looked around the room and saw all of these people waiting excitedly to see Ellie and Evan get married and live happily ever after. I wasn’t going to be the reason that didn’t happen. But the closer we got to ceremony time, the closer I also got to losing my resolve to sit here and watch this happen. I couldn’t watch her marry someone else.

“I can’t do this.” I said suddenly.

“What?” Zach asked.

“I can’t watch her marry him. I can’t sit here and watch them get married. I can’t give her up like this.”

“What are you doing Monty?” Scott asked. I stood up from my seat.

“Tell Ellie that I’m sorry.” With nothing more to say, I turned around and walked out of the church. My friends didn’t try to follow me, too stunned to process what was happening. I got in my car and drove. I wasn’t sure where I was driving until I pulled into the lot.

I opened the door to the quaint café and saw that our table was available. Though, I suppose now it was more my table than our table. I lost her today. There was no way I was getting her back after what I did. I slipped my jacket off and hung it over a chair to save the spot, before going to the counter and ordering.

“Can I get a tall bourbon neat. Make it a double.” Monet’s had been licensed a few years ago.

“Sure thing. Rough day?” The barista asked.

“You have no idea.” I shook my head and took the drink she set in front of me. Back at what was now only my table, I pulled out my phone and scrolled though some old photos. A lot of them were of Ellie. She used to like to steal my phone and leave me with some selfies to surprise me when I opened the app. I scrolled through the seemingly endless stream of photos and ordered another bourbon when I finished the first one. My trip down memory lane was interrupted when I got a text from Bryce.

I need you to tell me where you are.

Why?

Because I do. Now tell me where you are.

Why?

Montgomery. You want to tell me where you are.

Fine. If you must know. I’m at Monet’s. Now why do you need to know?

I’m sorry about homecoming night. I hope this can make it up to you at least a little. I stared at the screen in confusion. Shaking my head, I put my phone down and went back to sipping the amber liquor. What the hell is he talking about? Fucking Bryce. I didn’t look up when I heard the bell chime above the door. Nor did I look up when I heard the click of high heels against the wood floors.

“Is this seat taken?” I heard a familiar voice, softly.

I looked up at her then, my eyes widening in surprise. What is she doing here? She is supposed to be getting married to Evan. What does this mean? Why is she here?

“I couldn’t do it if you weren’t there. You’re my best friend Monty.”

I scoffed quietly before replying, “it’s not taken, no. Sit if you want,” and taking another drink from my glass, not looking at her for fear of letting my guard down again, only to be crushed again.

“Hey,” she started, reaching for my hand. I looked at her hand and paused before letting her take it, “I mean it. I couldn’t marry him.”

“Why not?”

She was quiet for a moment. Noticing I had about fingers width of bourbon left in my glass, she grabbed it, downing the rest of it.

“Hey. I was drinking that.” I protested.

“I couldn’t marry Evan because he wasn’t you. And you weren’t there to say anything by the time I walked down the aisle. You were just going to give me away and live the rest of our lives wondering what if.” She told me while she stared into the bottom of the now empty glass.

“You- really?” Wait, how did she know I was there? “How did you know…?”

“Zach told me.” Of course, he did. I sighed internally.

“I know I wasn’t there Ellie. I just. I couldn’t sit there in that church and watch you marry him. And I knew I was and would be too much of a coward to stand up and say something when I saw you standing up there with him. I had to let you be happy.” I told her, trying to make her understand that I couldn’t be the reason she spent her life unhappy.

“Don’t you get it Montgomery? I wouldn’t have been happy. Not really. Or at least not for long. Not with Evan.”

“So why did you agree to marry him?”

“Because I thought it would be easier? My friends liked him, my family liked him, I liked him. I just thought that it would be easier to ignore my feelings. I could marry him, officially move to Atlanta, come home a couple of times a year, have a couple of kids. It all seemed easier than admitting to myself that I was in love with my best friend and if I really, truly wanted to be happy, I would need to be with him instead. And that admitting that would change everything. But I’ve learned over the past year that easy doesn’t always mean happy. And sometimes what we think is easy in the short term, isn’t always easy in the long term.”

Easier. Sure. She finally admitted it. She’s in love with me. I chuckled lowly, “took you long enough.”

She furrowed her brow at me, “what is that supposed to mean? I just confessed my love for you, and that’s all you have to say?”

“Yeah. It took you long enough to come to that conclusion. You were what? Half-way through the ceremony before you put a stop to it?” I asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of my tone.

“Not exactly. I knew a while ago. I spent the whole morning shaking and waiting for you to come and tell me that I was making a mistake. When you didn’t come, I thought… that you either didn’t feel the same way, or that you were going to do the kind thing for once and not say anything, but I thought at least you would be there. When I saw that you weren’t, I knew I couldn’t marry him. Even if it was the easy choice.” When I didn’t say anything she added, “you picked a great time to do the kind thing.”

“Yeah, well. You knew it would happen sometime. You owe me another shot by the way.” I muttered.

“Oh please. There was barely a fingers width in your glass.” she told me, sighing dramatically.

I looked at her through my eyelashes, “they won’t serve you that small an amount.” she rolled her eyes and stood up to go order me another shot. Before I could chicken out again, I surprised her when I grabbed her wrist to stop her, before pulling her down into my lap, she fell rather gracefully given the fit of her dress and kissing her deeply. I pulled away first and turned to look out the window. Our friends had gotten out of the car and were clapping and high fiving each other.

“How about that shot now?” I smirked.

#montgomery de la cruz #monty de la Cruz fanfic #monty imagine #monty x reader #montgomery de la cruz x oc #montgomery de la cruz imagine #montgomery de la cruz x reader #monty de la cruz #Marry Me #Thomas Rhett #one shot #original character #zach dempsey #Bryce Walker #Justin Foley

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vagrantblvrd · 3 years ago

Text

Modern day spy/assassin AU where former singer/musician/~artiste works in a cozy little coffee shop neatly sandwiched between a bookstore and, idk, a flower shop.

Expected to be one of the hottest new stars coming out of Oxenfurt if it hadn’t been for that scandal with fellow band member and rumored lover Valdo Marx over alleged song theft and so on. Followed by a messy break up - band and personal - and a drawn out legal battle that drained what money Valdo hadn’t stolen from him.

(And a year or so after all that Jaskier doesn’t like to think about too much before he got his feet back under him and a friend mentioned this coffee shop she frequented, and anyway, he’s doing much better now and also somehow ends up owning it himself when its previous owner retires and sells the business to him for like, five bucks, because the power of friendship or something, idk.)

One day on his way home he stumbles over someone half dead in an alley and is like oh, oh, no because the last thing he needs is another scandal attached to his name?

Like.

He’s kept his nose clean for just over six month now, has been playing around with new melodies and bought a new notebook for lyrics and whatnot. Looked into playing at some local places, not really wanting to be a megastar or whatever these days, but he loves music and performing in a little bar somewhere would be nice, you know?

ANYWAY.

Turns out the guy isn’t actually dead, thank goodness but might as well be? Has this medallion around his neck, a cat? Which, okay, whatever he’s seen stranger and he’s getting his phone out to call an ambulance or whatever, crouched next to the guy.

Memory from the CPR course he took in college surfaces in his mind - the instructor was hot and even if Jaskier never got the guy’s number he learned valuable life skills. (And also met Shani and that proved better than getting the guy’s number because she’s one of his best friends and also incredible and anyway.)

Reaches out to check for a pulse, which is when the guy grabs his wrist - surprisingly strong grip for someone who looks like he lost a fight with a freight train - and hsi eyes snap open and they are...extremely striking and not at all normal - cat eyes, to go with the cat medallion and hahaha, oh shit, this is bad, bad news, isn’t it?

The guy tries to threaten him, which. Not as effective when the growl he’s trying for just sounds sad and pathetic, and anyway, there’s something...not fear, no, in his eyes, that has Jaskier forgetting to put the call through for an ambulance.

It’s very close to fear though. Worry? Concern? Something that Jaskier relates to in some incredibly fucked up way.

(The way he felt when Valdo Marx fucked him over and everything he’d built fell apart around him, and anyway, yes.)

He doesn’t even know why, he does, or why he ends up hauling the guy up to his apartment and patches him up best he can with wwhat he has on hand.

Will probably end up being murdered by the guy the moment he’s on his feet, but eh, that’s a problem for future Jaskier, really.)

Anyway, Aiden - because of course it’s Aiden - is super suspicious of Jaskier and his everything and there is indeed a moment where he pins Jaskier to a wall with a kitchen knife - it was an apartment-warming gift from Shani and Essi and Jaskier’s more worried about it being damaged than Aiden slitting his throat, which just confuses Aiden?

Because what even is Jaskier and his priorities???

But he doesn’t kill Jaskier and the knife gets put back and aside from that little bump in their relationship they actually become friends after that.

Jaskier takes to referring to Aiden as a stray cat whenever one of his friends or whoever asks why he buys more groceries or hurries home after work instead of sticking around to gossip a bit the way he usually does.

Aiden thinks it’s hilarious as opposed to insulting, which is great seeing as how Jaskier’s pretty sure the man’s a hitman or assassin or other similar career?

(Might be the way he mentions past jobs and his dark sense of humor and also the time he could have killed Jaskier if he felt he was a threat? So, yes.)

And Aiden, okay.

Got burned or something to leave him half dead in an alley for just anyone to stumble over and since Jaskier hasn’t made any fuss about him moving out decides he might as well stay where he is for the time being, you know?

He goes and gets a job...somewhere to help with rent and so on. Offers Jaskier enough hints to make it sound like he’s out murderizing people right and left the moment he’s out of the apartment, but then Jaskier sees him helping Triss bring in deliveries out behind the flower shop so he knows Aiden’s been fucking with him on that front and is like, dude, not funny.

(Aiden begs to disagree, but whatever.)

And then!

A month or so after Aiden’s back on his feet Jaskier runs into one of the owners of the bookshop next door?

New management and so on, and oh no, he’s exceedingly hot.

White hair and gold eyes and, sure, he’s not the most talkative guy around? But Jaskier’s cracked tougher nuts or some other way of phrasing it that doesn’t sound like a euphemism.

Also, also, there’s another painfully attractive man working there who is incredibly sweet and has a menace of a goat that they have instead of a bookstore cat?

Which.

Seems like a bad idea since Jaskier often hears about how Lil Bleater nibbles on the books if someone isn’t watching her and anyway, it means he gets to listen to Eskel lament about her latest misadventures while Geralt stands there and tries not to let on how amused he is by both the bookstoer goat and her owner and Jaskier is like shit, because Geralt and Eskel are so, so hot and he’s only human and Aiden, Aiden, do not laugh at his pain, you utter bastard of a man.

ANYWAY.

Shenanigans in which Geralt and Eskel think Jaskier has this insufferable bastard of a former stray cat at home and Jaskier piiiiines like a sad bastard while Aiden laughs and laughs and laughs.

(It should be pointed out that not once in all the time Aiden started working for Triss - and Geralt, Eskel, and Lambert - who Jaskier has heard all about but not yet met - have seen one another even though they spend most of the working day a few hundred feet apart, because Plot Reasons.)

And then!

Some shenanigans in which Geralt or Eskel - who are totally spies who are using their cozy little bookshop as a cover - get tangled up in trouble and Jaskier stumbles on them with this incredible sense of deja vu.

He drags them into the coffee shop to patch them up, and he forgets to lock the front door, which is convenient because then Aiden wanders in hoping for a free coffee?

(Power of ~friendship, and also roommates, and yes.)

Jaskier is kind of covered in blood - Geralt and Eskel’s - and Aiden is immediately in Assassin!Mode because he’s fond of Jaskier, right, owes him his life and such.

But also, Geralt and Eskel who have also had their oh, oh no he’s hot moment when it comes to Jaskier are likewise fond of him - and working up the nerve to ask him for a date, but that’s neither here nor there - go into Spy!Mode and there’s an honestly kind of terrifying, kind of sad stand-off.

Jaskier is in Adrenaline!Mode because fuck his life, of course Geralt and Eskel can’t just be incredibly hot bookstore owners and is like “If you fuck up my coffee shop I will not be happy, and also please consider my delicate sensibilities,”

Which manages to stop whatever fight was about to break out and he essentially does the Chris Pratt with the raptors thing, only with a couple of spies and his assassin roommate.

Pretends the three of them aren’t throwing menacing looks at one another as he patches Geralt and Eskel up and then is like “Well, that was fun!” because no, no it was not, and his heart is going to burst with all the tension and whatnot in the air. and hahaha, this is fine.

Which of course is when Lambert comes stomping through the front door and there is even more Drama and Angst because his ~forbidden relationship with Assassin!Aiden and heartbreak when it was assumed he’d been killed by his agency a few months back, but wait, he’s still alive???

And idk, just a lot of ridiculous spy movie cliche nonsense in which Jaskier is reluctantly dragged into things because he saved Aiden’s life that one time, and is piiiiining for Geralt and Eskel and of course he gets taken hostage and they have to band together to save him but shenanigans and ~plot twists and so on.

(And then when it seems all is lost Triss and her utterly terrifying girlfriend Yennefer actually save the day because they, too, are spies and Jaskier would honestly like to know if he’s the only normal person he knows or what, because really, what are the odds???)

Whenever the death-defying events and such are over Jaskier does, actually, go on a date with Geralt and Eskel and some smooching happens.

(Technically not their first, because that happened after they saved Jaskier’s life in that oh thank god none of us died moment after all the danger and excitement, but none of them mind, because smooches.)

Lambert and Aiden make fun of the three of them, but gently because they, too, are prime targets for mockery as they also decide to try a proper relationship and not just stolen moments here and there, and anyway, anyway

A year or so down the road Jaskier gets tired of coming home to find the two in compromising situations and is like, why, though, which conveniently happens around the time Geralt and Eskel approach him about moving in with them somewhere and he’s like, well, if he must, like he’s not thrilled about it because he’s kind of gone on the two of them, you know?

So they get this place big enough for the three of them and Lil Bleater and Aiden and Lambert get his old place and it all works out?

Sure, sure, there are a few close moments where Geralt and Eskel’s work puts Jaskier in danger, and that time whoever tried to kill Aiden targets Jaskier and so on?

But he’s like, eh, it happens, because obviously it does.

Which means Geralt and Eskel take it upon themselves to teach him to defend himself - and half the time it ends in smooches and sexytimes because hand-to-hand and being pinned to mats and adjusting his stance while learning how to use firearms and such, you know?

But also Aiden and Lambert teaching Jaskier knives and explosives - “I’m sorry, but one of these things is not like the others,” in regard to Lambert and his explosives, but it’s a ~bonding moment, so whatever.

(Also, also, that time Jaskier was able to defuse a bomb in some highly improbable and ridiculous bit of shenanigans with spy nonsense and Lambert being a smug prick about it for forever afterwards.)

And then Jaskier finds out Geralt has this incredible kid with Yennefer and what the hell is his life that all these people know each other and he doesn’t find out about it until ages afterwards, but anyway.

Ciri is awesome and after her Vesemir comes to meet the guy two of his sons are in love with, and Coen shows up along with other assorted characters I’ve forgotten and anyway, yes???

(Also, also, Yennefer happens to find out about Valdo Marx and she straightens out that mess quietly and efficiently in such a way that Jaskier doesn’t realize it until long after the fact and is like hm, because he didn’t think she particularly liked him, but apparently he was wrong? Which leads to brunch dates with her and Triss and gossiping about the other idiots in their lives and discussing Jaskier giving Ciri music lessons and anyway, yes.)

#witcher nonsense #geraskel #geralt/eskel/jaskier #aiden/lambert #technically not a fic #vagrant fic #stray cat au #¯\_(ツ)_/¯#long post #the witcher

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orsuliya · 4 years ago

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Song Huaien is a good boy!

Book spoilers did me dirty. That’s a fact. Ever since I peeked at the last chapters of the novel, I’ve been convinced that Song Huaien was going to go rogue sooner or later. And so I looked upon him as one does upon a ticking bomb, watching him closely for any signs of rot and obvious mwahahahaing.

And that… might have been wrong of me. It’s not like The Rebel Princess ever treated any character’s novel journey as sacrosanct (see: Su Jin’er, Wanru, even Zitan). So what gives? Well, just look at the ever-precious Liu Duanduan. Wouldn’t you want to steel your heart in advance…?

And then the supremely astute @dangermousie came along and made me reconsider what could be done in the scant remaining number of episodes in order to deliver a satisfying ending. I trust The Rebel Princess, so it will be a satisfying ending, 12 cut episodes notwithstanding, and I’m choosing to ignore any contrary opinions! So what could be done? Well, getting rid of Song Huaien’s rebellion and conflict with Xiao Qi seems to be one of the most viable solutions, whether by design or by leaving it on the cutting-room floor. Okay, I’m sold, I thought at once, jumping without thinking as I’m wont to do. But does the drama itself support that?

Why, yes, I believe it does!

What are the actual visible signs of Song Huaien’s potential villainy? There’s the corruption/negligence thing, a pronounced liking for finer things in life and an unrequited love for Awu. That’s it.

The corruption scandal, if it can even be called such, what with Potato suppressing any further investigation attempts, is the biggest strike against Song Huaien. It’s clear that he’s somehow embroiled into unsavoury dealings, but the extent of his guilt is never shown. While I don’t fully believe his story about the birthday gifts being delivered during his absence and accepted without his express permission and/or knowledge, there is also nothing to suggest he’s been explicitly on Xie payroll, secret documents non-withstanding. The record book alone is no proof of guilt – why, the Xie might have simply noted that gifts of certain value had been given and received, not in exchange for a specific service, but rather as a start of a beautiful relationship. You get the drill. I believe if there was a solid proof of Song Huaien doing explicit harm to his own in exchange for Xie money, Xiao Qi’s reaction would have been much harsher.

As it stands, Song Huaien’s guilt is a matter of conjecture. There’s the birthday gift, which Xiao Qi cottons onto really quickly, which confirms that it may have been noted in the Xie secret books. There’s the fact that he may or may not have known about it and may or may not have chosen to keep it. I’d say he did know, if only after the fact, and that he originally meant to keep it. There’s also the damning fact that Song Huaien was the man taking care of logistics from the Ningshuo side. And he did his job really poorly, since multiple deliveries of substandard grain and clothing somehow made it through. But was it out of maliciousness? Was there ever a conscious decision on his part to let things slip? Not necessarily. It looks bad, sure. But let’s not forget that dealing with the capital sharks may be a first for Song Huaien, regardless of his previous experience as a procurement officer. Whatever his experience, it was either at the very end of the supply chain or it was mainly related to supplies coming from the area closest to Ningshuo. The former wouldn’t have prepared him for his present duties. And as for the latter, I think that the Ningshuo province has its own rules and ways, which are in no way comparable to the shark pond that the capital undoubtedly is. What’s more, Huaien really seems to buy into the illustrious capital life; it would not surprise me if he delegated a few things that should not be delegated simply because he was busy taking it all in!

So, intentional crime or crime of negligence? I’d be inclined to vote for negligence. It just fits what we know about Song Huaien up to that point, it fits his current circumstances and it makes Xiao Qi’s reaction quite reasonable.

The second strike against Huaien’s integrity is his love for the finer things in life. But then, is it really such a damning thing? Many of the Ningshuo soldiers must have experienced the same thing upon their arrival into the capital. Here they are, heroes and patriots all, having spent their whole life either on various battlefields or in decidedly non-luxurious circumstances. Why, they must be quite happy if they get enough to eat, which they do only because they have an honest general who cares about them very much. Other armies are not as lucky! And then they are shown all those useless noble scions, some of whom might nominally be officers despite barely knowing how to hold a sword (and even those swords would be ceremonial ones, so mostly useless). I don’t know about you, but I’d be bitter. Some of Xiao Qi’s closest clearly are, although he tends to shut that down very quickly. Also, covetousness is not a crime as long as Song Huaien is not actively taking bribes or jockeying for profit. And there is no proof of that. His manor and his title are both given to him without him ever asking for them. If he appreciates that… well, that is also not a crime and he doesn’t even gloat openly! As it later turns out, he took both as his due, believing that his talents were seen and duly appreciated outside the Ningshuo army.

Sooo… Nothing out of ordinary on that count. And seeing that at one point Song Huaien offers to use his savings to repair the ailing military budget – whether from guilt or from sense of duty – speaks to his advantage.

Now, let’s take a look at his unrequited love for Awu. I mean, is it any wonder he falls for her? I am half in love with her myself, so I totally get it! What matters is what he does with this love. Quite surprisingly, there is no attempt at coming between her and Xiao Qi. Why, Song Huaien actively tries to help their marriage by convincing Awu to return home from the temple. No hesitation there! And while he might realize he’s actually in love very late in the story (by this point it’s obvious to everybody), the realization itself changes very little. He gets very determined to go through with marrying Yuxiu, that’s it. Still no attempts to make a move on Awu. Even that flower he brought back from the Imperial Mausoleum was not an overly romantic gesture – she asked and he did as she asked in order to make her happy, nothing more. There’s also a genuine attempt to get over her. He goes to Yuxiu on their wedding night and despite the initial haziness on the matter, he seems to know quite well she’s not Awu and does his best. Although that bro slap in the morning… Let’s believe he did his best there too, the poor awkward thing. He gives her an actual hug when he comes back from Jiangnan! Progress!

What finally buried the theory that Song Huaien might rebel in order to take Awu away from Xiao Qi was his convo with Wang Su in episode 55. I was so afraid (just as I was afraid on his wedding night) that he might do something stupid. Like asking for Awu’s hand or betraying his romantic intentions towards her. But no. While Song Huaien tells Wang Su that he wants/needs to find Awu, there’s no romantic intent there, only duty towards Xiao Qi’s wife and respect towards a woman who has earned it many times over. If there is anything else, I just can’t see it! Why, during this whole conversation Song Huaien is more broken up about Xiao Qi than about Awu!

Whether Song Huaien manages to get over his love or not, there is no sign he was ever going to do anything about it, not while Xiao Qi lived and perhaps not even now that he’s supposed to be dead. Moreover, he made every possible effort to suppress his emotions out of sheer guilt and feeling of brotherhood towards Xiao Qi. Marrying Yuxiu might have been a bad, bad choice (although I still hope for the best), but it was a choice made for the best of reasons.

So that’s it, right? Well, wrong. Even with all of the above there was still a possibility for him to go the villain route. Except… he actually seems to be redeeming himself in leaps and bounds. Once away from the capital, Song Huaien seems to throw off the capital’s thrall and becomes the best version of himself. Jumping into stormy waters in clear disregard of any danger? Working tirelessly towards a common goal and for the good of the people? That’s pure Ningshuo stock, no moral rot in sight! Now, why would the narrative have him getting back to his old self only to make him regress again?

There’s also no real reason for him to ever go against Xiao Qi. If that was going to happen, I’d have expected at least some signs of bitterness and jealousy to have shown up by now. And yet there’s nothing, at least not towards Xiao Qi. Who, might I add, really does his best to mitigate any potential bitterness in the bud. Just look at the way they resolve the corruption scandal! And I’m not talking about Xiao Qi burning (or not burning?) the incriminating page. What got my attention is what their conversations over the matter boil to. Which is: Listen, brother, I get that you’ve been having some issues, but get your shit together. And please, take care of yourself. I don’t want you to get in trouble, so please remember that there are people watching your every step. No overt accusations, no anger in sight, maybe the slightest bit of sternness, but heavily undercut with roughly expressed care. And it’s the same with their confrontation over Awu. I know what’s going on with you and my wife, but I 100% get it, mate, so take a moment and decide how to proceed from here. Even if Song Huaien was actively seeking a reason to hold a grudge, it would take a truly rotten seed to find one. And a rotten seed Song Huaien is not.

Now, let’s wrap it up by going over Wang Su’s suborning of Song Huaien in episode 55. It’s really something special, as well as the main reason I’m choosing to reject any possibility of SHE/XQ showdown.

Wang Su waylays Song Huaien on his way out of camp. Song Huaien is clearly very emotional at this moment and not really inclined to stop for anybody. Why, I think that he was fully prepared to go through Wang Su if needed. It is also quite probable that his decision to leave for the capital was made on the spot, once he heard about what happened to Xiao Qi, Awu and his comrades. Yet he stops and listens, if only because Wang Su – Awu’s brother and Xiao Qi’s brother-in-law - should be his natural ally in his quest to clear Xiao Qi’s name. As he proclaims to be by announcing his willingness to join Song Huaien on his journey to the capital.

Wang Su (or rather Daddy Wang possessing Wang Su’s body) takes full advantage of Song Huaien’s state. First he breaks out a prop, Awu’s favourite wine. It does not work as well as it could have and I’d say that at this point Song Huaien remains quite astute as to Wang Su’s weird behaviour. His first outburst shows he’s got little patience for games. Awu is your sister and Xiao Qi your brother in law, he reminds Wang Su, who seems very controlled for a man with much more obvious ties to this whole situation than Song Huaien. Wang Su skips around the issue by taking out his ace card, the Empress Dowager’s order. Predictably, it takes Song Huaien off-balance and incites a sense of debt, if not gratitude. An excellent opening from the shapeshifting Daddy Wang! Then Wang Su makes an attempt at aiming Song Huaien at the Empress Dowager… and it doesn’t work. Song Huaien doesn’t care about his own life half as much as he cares about Xiao Qi. Cue a mournful soliloquy! There is no way a man this broken about his brother’s death is going to try to kill said brother in the 13 episodes remaining (less, in fact, since they will not meet until 59 or 60 at the earliest). There would be no build-up! The only way I can see this happening is if Xiao Qi went against Song Huaien first and in a deeply personal way. Which we know he would never, so...

Wang Su makes a brave attempt at corralling Song Huaien’s grief and turning it to anger, for all that he may say that anger will not help anyone; it doesn’t work and self-blame enters the picture. If only I was with him leads to a startling realization: all those honors and the brand new posting were just a ploy. Now, this realization could lead to two different results. Song Huaien could plausibly become bitter towards Xiao Qi – because of whose very existence his own talents weren’t truly recognized and he himself became a pawn. But there’s nothing to suggest that’s true. It’s more likely for Song Huaien to turn his bitterness over his wounded pride towards the Empress Dowager in particular and scheming nobles in general. Which is what I think he does. There is also a possibility of guilt: he bought into this whole noble life fairytale… and this is what partially facilitated him being turned into a pawn. It may be just wishful thinking, but I expect that in the future Song Huaien will be more wary of unexpected meat pies falling from the sky, however tasty they may be.

Just a moment later Wang Su offers him a meat pie. He’s going to help him take revenge! And Song Huaien swallows it whole – at least for now. This is where a truly interesting thing happens. Song Huaien, a general in his own right, a true hero and a man who’s been acting as Wang Su’s equal while in Jiangnan… folds and takes to a subordinate position like a duck to the water. Tell me what to do, he seems to be screaming with his eyes. And when Wang Su starts to use the word we, there’s a palpable sense of relief in Song Huaien’s whole demeanor. What’s more, he’s not reacting to the idea that he still needs to jump through some hoops in order to become a Wang minion. I’m not sure you’re ready to become my ally, lies Wang Su, knowing very well Song Huaien’s is already in his palm. Where’s the ambition? Where’s the slightest sign that this man may be capable of going for the throne for his own sake and against his brother? I don’t see it!

The Wang family is used to needing to pay their allies in hard coin (or titles, or favours), that much is clear, because that’s what Wang Su tries next. The title of a count is too lowly, he says and then dangles a princely one in front of his victim. If Song Huaien was really as hungry for honours and wealth as some of us were expecting him to be, he’d be all over that. But he’s not. He gives it due consideration, but, if anything, this proposition seems to bring him back to reality. There are no free meat pies to be had and he’s just remembered that. But since this is the best – and likely the only – proposition/offer of help he’s going to get, he seals the deal anyway.

There’s still some reluctance, though. Why, Song Huaien needs to rationalize this decision by reminding himself that Wang Su saved his life and that there’s revenge to be taken since he’s alive (as Xiao Qi is not). Not very eager to take part in a coup, is he? And then he actually makes getting justice for Xiao Qi a condition of this alliance! Finding Awu is the second one, but as I’ve already said, there seems to be no romantic intentions there.

And that’s it, the deal is done. So now, can anybody tell me how is this Song Huaien supposed to go against Xiao Qi? He’s more likely to go for a hug once he sees him alive!

There is no reasonable way to leave in Song Huaien’s conflict with Xiao Qi. There’s just no time and no real build-up to that! The only way to have him go rogue is to have a timeskip with Song Huaien doing a 180 in the meantime. And somehow I just can’t see it happening. But I guess we’ll have to see about that!

#SONG HUAIEN IS A GOOD BOY #it's not just because his hair looks nice I swear #I'm not that shallow or am I #the rebel princess #monarch industry #rebel princess meta #this is kinda long

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utterlyinevitable · 4 years ago

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innnnn honor of the shit show going down in America today, why don’t you write a headcanon of MC and Ethans love story if MC/Ethan was president. Kinda like the make believe fic but just The president part shskwkke-loads of love, Ayla🥰

But... didn’t I already write this? 😂

I outlined the fic bit for context and if you wanna see how the story ends I’ve marked it in bold! this is long i didn’t edit, sorry for any mistakes!

A Presidential Love Story

They met at a gala in Boston.

Ethan was receiving an award for outstanding work in the community and MC was a political figure there networking before hoping to run for office.

Her and her PA introduced themselves to everyone they could in the short three hour window. One individual that would not accept an introductory pitch was Ethan Ramsey.

In her skin tight green dress, MC sauntered over to him bruiting in the corner.

Everything about this mystery woman had Ethan intrigued; he was a man after all.

She grabbed two flutes of champagne off a passing waiter’s tray, her sights set on charming the man senseless.

“You look like you could use a refill.” Ethan sighed, rubbing his forehead, “I could use something stronger.” “What’s your poison?” “It’s not on hand, I’ve already inquired.”

They spent their time together bonding over liquor and their reasons for being at the event. MC danced around the subject of being politically involved until she sussed him out fully.

They bonded over his cynical view and her drive to help every one. Both of them selfless in their own ways.

They became friends. Close friends. But with politics and her being a badass female figure, they could not date openly.

Ethan had a thing for strong, challenging, whirlwind women.

MC makes it to office and hires Ethan as an advisor.

He pushed back and adamantly refused.

That was until she gave him his own task force and vowed to keep her cabinet full of the most knowledgeable and least politically minded people she knew.

How could he pass on being part of this legacy?

They spend time together in and out of the office. Lots of late nights consulting on Ethan’s task force.

One night, they let time slip away from them in the West Wing. So MC invited him back to her apartment for late-night pancakes and finish what they were working on.

The two had breakfast at 1am and fell asleep adjacent on the L-shaped couch.

Ever since that night, they found her quarters preferable to the composed showrooms of the White House. Within these walls they could simply be two people.

Ethan had been staying over every so often, with and without intentions. After a while, he was given clearance to come and go as he pleased, the Secret Service sworn to protect their secret.

Six months after that first night, Ethan conclusively forced his ethical thoughts aside and kissed her unprompted in the middle of her chef’s kitchen as they debated the perfect amount of time needed for delectable golden dollars.

MC had the weight of the nation on her shoulders and was thankful for the distraction Ethan provided.

No one spoke of the affair. Some members of staff even found their flirtations endearing. Other’s enjoyed the inevitable drama that would befall the unwed pair, watching them balance power and a country. Everyone pretended not to hear their moans and musing through the ancient wooden doors.

Extended Story

As MC’s term proceeded, she was increasingly busy. Doing state visits around the world for weeks and months at a time. Understandably, Ethan couldn’t join.

They were able to keep up their late-night antics into her second year of presidency.

But once Ethan’s imitative went into action they lost all precedent to continue seeing one another as often.

The first single-woman president couldn’t have her term scandalized by an affair story. As far as the American public was concerned, MC was married to the country and could find no greater love than the US of A.

The last time they woke up in one another’s arms wasn’t intended to be the last time.

It was the morning after the White House Christmas Gala.

MC’s Press Secretary stormed into her apartment in a huff.

Someone had seen MC and Ethan leave together and rumors were circulating. She was going to squash the rumors and the two of them had to end whatever they were doing.

Her press secretary’s exact chide was: “Be like every other lonely middle aged woman and get yourself a vibrator.”

Both Ethan and MC’s eyes went wide.

This was never about just sex between them.

They’d always had sexual tension, but even more respect and adoration for one another eclipsing the carnal desire.

They were given an hour before Ethan was to be covertly escorted off the premises.

Ethan changed into a new set of clothes he kept at her place, and began packing things into a duffle the secretary left for him.

MC wrapped herself in her robe and watched her heart break right in front of her.

“What do you want to do?” “There’s nothing we can do, MC. They’ll use any sort of scandal to try and impeach you. You’re doing too much good to be tarnished that way.” “So...” “We knew what this was when we started.” “And what’s that?” “Complicated.”

She sat there toying with the idea of of keeping both Ethan and her position. She ran over every possible scenario as quickly as she could. She wanted to tell him to stay, she needed him. She’d never felt peace until she was wrapped in his arms.

Ethan compartmentalized the situation. Throwing it in the farthest box he could find. He knew he could never have her completely. He ran through every single way this could end after he kissed her that first time. Every single scenario ended in tragedy.

Ethan didn’t care. He wanted her in anyway he could.

And now is was time to amicably end.

There was no other choice.

They saw one another at events and meetings about his task force, but they very seldom spoke about other things. It was politics as usual.

But there was nothing usual about the professional way they regarded one another.

The years blended together and turned into a second term.

Ethan’s health care initiative took off and every single American had access to free public health care.

MC had done so much good for the country in terms of public housing, healthcare, student debts and income gaps.

During the years, MC remained celabat and Ethan remained devoted to his work.

It was almost poetic when they bumped into one another at the Easter Dinner her last year in office. Literally. MC walked backwards into Ethan who stood at the side of the bar.

Ethan had just about been successful in forgetting the way her skin felt warm against him and the way her body seamlessly molded to his. How she was simultaneously his undoing and his saving.

All of that came rushing back in full force when he caught her from falling over her two left feet.

“Thank you - Oh, Ethan. Hi.” “Madame President.”

Their eyes locked and it was all over. The pleasurable electricity taking over, both succumbing to the pent up desire.

Her hand found his and he led her to the dance floor.

Ethan and MC began to see one another again. Though they were smarter than to retire to her apartments, they kept under the cover of professionalism. A tender kiss or two could be shared behind closed doors. They wouldn’t take anything farther than that, not with a few months left of term.

Her very last Christmas Gala was upon them. They spent it close by and subtly matching outfits - he did it just to make her smile.

That evening, MC made it a point to be the last two in attendance. When everyone who did not work for her Administration had retired for the evening, Ethan and MC wandered to the biggest window.

They looked out onto the snowing grass and cloudless sky with twinkling stars. Their hands brushing. It was the most privacy they had out in the open in weeks.

MC complained about her heels digging into her feet and not being able to walk for a few days.

“Take them off. Who’s going to condemn you for it?” “Besides you?”

Ethan chuckled and offered his shoulder to lean on.

They bent down at the same time.

“I got it,” Ethan held his hand up to stop her, prompting her to hold onto his shoulder and revel in the feeling of a free foot. “Oh my god, I love you.”

MC was too lost in the freeing sensation to recognize her words. It took a couple of seconds of them standing there still before she realized.

When she looked down, Ethan’s azure orbs were on her, a playful glimmer in his irises.

“I -” she stuttered. Not really sure how to recover from this one.

No political training taught her how to keep from telling her all-but-boyfriend she loved him.

“I love you too.”

MC was stunned to silence. A jovial smirk adorned Ethan’s features.

While she composed herself, he tapped her other leg to free her foot.

Ethan stood up and suddenly MC was 5 inches shorter - just tall enough to rest her head against his shoulder.

One of his hands grabbed hers and the other held onto her shoes as they walked in comfortable silence to her apartment.

She broke the silence: “Really?” “Really.” “Since when?” “Since always.” “Hm. Me too.”

He tenderly kissed her goodnight just outside her apartment door and handed her her shoes. “Goodnight, MC.” “Goodnight, Ethan.”

He leaned in one last time to place a delicate kiss to her cheek. His final words lingering against the shell of her ear: “I love you.”

She said it back and kissed him again. They pulled away reluctantly, but happily. They only had one month left until she was out of office.

The day MC left the White House for good was one of the happiest days of her life.

She did her country proud. She made a difference in the lives of every American. Her Mission was accomplished. There was nothing but positive things in her future.

And now she was moving to Rhode Island into a secluded home overlooking the water. The perfect place for her to retire this chapter of her life.

Pulling up to the house, MC spotted her love standing on the stoop with a smile and arms wide open.

She was finally home.

#ethan ramsey #ethan x mc #ethan ramsey x mc #open heart #open heart hc #open heart headcanons #open heart au #hc #Anonymous #asked

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ladyanput · 5 years ago

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Seeing Green Ch.12

The days leading up to the gala, Marinette shut herself up in her room, making the excuses of her wanting to put the finishing touches on her dress. But that was a lie, everyone could see it by the haunted look in her eyes, but what could they do? Every time they tried, she’d merely give them a bright smile and usher them away with reassuring words, and she’d shut the door right in their face.

But Damian wasn’t about to give up just yet. He opened the door and stepped into the room, holding a tray carrying a delicate tea set. He stared at Marinette, who had knelt beside a mannequin sporting a stunning pink gown, not turning towards the sound of the door opening or the footsteps approaching her.

“I thought you’d like to have a break and have some tea with me.” Damian smiled down at her, the girl who had stolen his heart, not that he’d tell her just yet. No, not after what she’s been through, she didn’t need another man declaring his love when she clearly wasn’t ready for it. But when he saw her smile, he felt his heart flutter and he found himself grinning back. “Your favourite too.”

“Thank you, Damian, I think I could use the tea.” Marinette beamed and got to her feet, the two of them heading to the small table by the large windows, both quick to settle in their chairs with a cup of steaming tea.

“You’ve really been shut in your room, Angel, for two days straight. That can’t be healthy.” He commented as he watched her add a fair bit of sugar to her tea before taking a long, greedy gulp. He smiled at the sight and let out a soft chuckle. “I can’t have you starving in there, afterall.”

“The Justice League was nice. I’m glad that they’re going to try and send people in to help us find Hawkmoth.” Marinette averted her gaze as she added even more sugar to her tea, her hands trembled ever so slightly as she did. “I mean, I’ve been after him for years, but I’m sure with experts on the case that we’ll find him in no time.”

“Angel-”

“I hope Lila won’t cause a scene tonight, it was really nice of your father to still let my class attend.”

“Angel, what-”

“Oh, have I shown you Evangeline’s dress? I kinda decided to add some features to make it more Red Hood inspired. It didn’t take long to do, since I had the dress done.”

“Marinette, please!”

At Damian’s shout, Marinette’s mouth snapped shut and she lowered her gaze. Damian winced, feeling like the biggest asshole on earth.

“Marinette, something is bothering you.” He reached out and took her free hand, giving it a tender squeeze. He set down his cup and knelt before her, taking her hand in both of hers. “Angel, you can tell me.”

“Damian, I’m a failure.” Marinette’s voice was soft, shaky. She bowed her head, her face quickly being hidden by her veil of pitch black hair and her shoulders shook. “I don’t deserve to be the Guardian, I’m failing the world, I’m failing the Kwami, I’m just a failure.”

“Wait, where did this come from?”

“I couldn’t save him! I let my partner down, I let him get corrupted, I let him become like that and I did nothing to stop it! No he’s in jail and his life is ruined and I did nothing to stop it!”

Damian watched as Marinette put her head in her hands and began to let out loud, heart wrenching sobs. She had just screwed up everything; the boy she had loved had become corrupt and she had failed to save him, she had lost many of her friends to a liar and it took many of them three years for them to see the truth. And she was supposed to be Ladybug, the savior of Paris, yet for three years and she was still no closer to defeating Hawkmoth, no, she had to go as far as to burden other heroes to help her. And now with Fu gone, she was the Guardian of the Miraculous, she had to take care of the Kwami, make sure they were safe, make sure that she gave the Miraculous out to the right people. But she had certainly failed at that, with Alya, with Nino, and with Chloé.

The stresses that had been piling on since she was fourteen finally felt as if they were crushing her and the dam broke. Damian held her close as she fell apart, soon being reduced to a whimpering, sobbing mess.

"Why couldn't I keep Alya with me? I couldn't protect Master Fu, I just kept screwing up and hurting my friends, I was such a stalker to Adrien, I just-" Whatever else she was going to say got lost in her sobs.

Damian wanted to say something. To go about assuring her and making sure she knew she was well loved, that she had done nothing wrong.

He let her cry, but kept silent. He wasn't the person to say those things to her; he had only known her for less than a week.

Yet less than a week goes by and he is already in love with her.

…

Damian came downstairs a few hours later, seeing his family and Marinette's teammates seated around the living room, looking rather grim.

"She's fine. She's resting now." Damian spoke up, drawing all attention to him. He had no doubt they had all been talking about Marinette just moments ago. "She… She had herself a good long cry."

“I’m not surprised, with what Dupain-Cheng has had to put up with since we were still in middle school.” Chloé muttered darkly, snuggled in between her girlfriend and boyfriend, the three of them firmly gripping hands. Their Kwami were seated on the table, talking amongst themselves as they had done since after the talk with the League. Chloé gave a look to Kagami, then booped her lightly on the nose. "I told you this was gonna happen sooner than later."

"But Marinette is so strong, she certainly wouldn't crumble so suddenly." Kagami frowned as Damian took a seat as well, holding her girlfriend closer now.

"Perhaps Chat Noir's betrayal was the straw that broke the camel's back." Luka suggested as he lazily ran his fingers through Kagami's short hair, making her smile, though it was a bit strained.

"Surely things weren't that bad. I mean, you guys had to deal with only one villain." Dick spoke up, and all the Parisian heroes stared at him.

Very poor choice of words, Dick.

"Excuse me, you've only known Marinette for what, five days or so? And miss 'I instantly got protective of Marinette as soon as I met her'" Chloé pointed toward Eva. "Has only known her for about six months, as creepy as that sounds. No offense."

"None taken." Eva held up a hand, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"But I've known her longer than anyone here. Before we were fourteen, she was a spineless little doormat. When we first met, she was this little goody two shoes who had a lot of friends. But once I started targeting her, because I was really jealous of her, I targeted her friends. Nino, Kim, all of her friends distanced themselves from her because they did not want to be bullied. So she was my personal punching bag until we got to middle school. She met Alya, she became Ladybug and she grew that much needed backbone. But she was still a doormat.

"She'd make cakes for everyone's birthday every year. She'd bring in treats just to be nice, she planned parties, she made decorations, she could make her friends dresses and other pieces of clothing for free. And Lila came and turned everyone against her again. Another bully and everyone's loyalty was as flimsy as tissue paper. She was a shiny new toy who promised tales of grand adventure and connections to powerful people. Surely you Waynes understand how a lot of people just want to be your friend just for your money and power."

The Waynes all exchanged glances. They certainly did know that feeling, and from what they saw of Miss Bustier's class, a lot of them seemed happy with the shiny, promising Lila until they suddenly learned the truth.

"Yeah, so Marinette stayed a doormat to everyone in the class. Even to this day, she organised this big, massive trip to Gotham for them and they haven't thanked her once, from what I can guess.

"When my Daddy was arrested last year and my Mother left us to get away from the scandal, Marinette didn't let the past stop her from helping me. She didn't hold a grudge. When I was kicked out of The Grand Paris, lost my money and my power, the class ganged up on me. Revenge for the years of hell I put them through, though I deserved every second of it…"

"No, you didn't. No one deserves to be doused in paint. No one deserves to have her entire wardrobe cut up, when she doesn't have money to buy any more." Luka cut in, hugging Chloé tight as he kissed her temple. Chloé wiped away a year and sniffled.

"A-anyway, Marinette and her family took me in. I hated her, I never stood up for her, I did nothing. I didn't care about her, I never did anything nice for her, yet here she was, offering me a place to stay when no one else would. I was a brat, but she and her family helped me to become better."

Chloé was quiet for a few minutes after her rant, wiping away more tears that came.

"What I'm trying to say is a lot of stuff has built up. A lot of responsibility on her shoulders. She was fourteen when she and Adrien became heroes. Still kids, we still are kids. She's not even twenty and she's the Guardian of the Miraculous." Chloé shook her head, meeting Dick's gaze. "So next time you decide to say shit like that, think twice."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Dick swallowed the lump in his throat and he looked down. "I shouldn't have said that."

"She needs a night of fun." Eva spoke up, drawing attention to herself, though she looked rather sullen. "She just needs a night where she can be the fairytale princess, alright? A lot of us have already let her down, myself included with that meltdown I had and my powers kinda going out of wack."

"Were you the reason people were reporting in a small area was being affected by Scarecrow's fear toxin?" Cass sat up sharply, eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, sorry. I've gotten myself under control now, I promise. Anyway, do you think we can give her the best night of her life at the gala?"

"I don't see a problem with that." Bruce spoke up, giving his own smile as he watched everyone. "I mean, after everything that’s happened, I think one drama free night could be good for everyone.”

“There’s still an issue. We need a new Black Cat.” Tikki spoke up, flying up from the table and giving everyone there a stern look. “The Ladybug is active, she needs the Black Cat to maintain the balance. If not, there could be dire consequences.”

“But who the heck could take the ring?” Luka sat up, frowning as he sat the Kwami on the table exchanging looks. “You’ve all said yourselves that it is a lot of power to handle. The power of destruction isn’t an easy one to control.”

“I want him to take it.” Plagg pointed, drawing all eyes to where he was pointing; Damian Wayne. “I can see your soul, kid, I see you have more destruction and death in your life than most. I see you love and care for Tikki’s chosen better than Adrien ever could, so I choose you to be my Chosen.”

“What? Wait, no, shouldn’t we wait for Marinette’s say on this?” Damian frowned and crossed his arms as he glared down at the small cat Kwami. “I mean, she is the Guardian, isn’t she? And the Black Cat is supposed to be her partner, so she should certainly get a say in this. We can’t just go making decisions behind her back.”

He didn’t miss the wide grin on Plagg’s face.

“You, kid, are definitely a good choice. I like you already. Now, do you guys have any carembert around here?”

…

Marinette bit her lower lip as Chloé pinned up her hair, leaving a few stray curls to frame her pretty face.

“Thank you for doing my hair, Chloé. I’d be lost without you.” Mari whispered softly, blushing brilliantly as she stared at herself in the mirror. She felt so… Pretty. Almost like a princess. Her dark hair was pinned back and up, showing off her delicate face and neck, which would complement the pale pink dress she had made herself for this gala. It was a lovely dress, a strapless evening gown that hugged her body until the hips, then flowed out with the beautiful fabric. It was her finest work yet. “I was afraid I’d burn my hair with a curling iron or something.”

“Oh puh-lease, I would kill you if you tried to use a curling iron again, especially with what happened last time.” Chloé snorted and turned Marinette around, beginning with her friend’s make-up. She carefully coloured the lips pink, and got to work with the rest of the make-up. “You should be grateful I decided to stay in Gotham after our talk with the League, I could be at home with Luka and Kagami watching our favourite movie.”

“So sorry to inconvenience you, your highness.” Marinette playfully mocked, before the two burst into soft fits of giggles. She turned and hugged Chloé tightly, the two staying like that for a few minutes. "I wish you were coming tonight, it would be nice to have friends there."

"Well, I don't really want to run into Bustier and the others." Chloé made a face as she pulled back, then gently shrugged as she smiled. "Besides, you have Miss Evangeline, though she'll probably be glued to her hunk all evening. Is there something about Gotham that lets you guys find love?"

"It's not love. Just a fun fling while we're in Gotham." Evangeline stepped into the room and Marinette hummed in appreciation at the sight of her.

The black halter style evening gown hugged the older woman's rather large curves, the keyhole on the neckline having been altered to be more bat shaped by a cheeky Marinette. And when the young designer included a short dark brown jacket and red pumps, Eva had looked ready to smack Marinette upside the head when she commented on how now Eva could go to the gala as a fancy Red Hood, since she was so smitten with him.

"My work at its finest." Marinette stood and made her way over to her own dress, Chloé quickly helping her put it on. She felt a bit nervous how she had made her own neckline a bit daring, but she had quickly convinced herself that she wasn't a little girl anymore. She was almost an adult, she had no time for pigtails and childish things.

Adrien's face flashed in her mind and it took everything in Marinette not to flinch. Instead she slid on her pale pink kitty heels and brushed her hands to smooth the slim skirt with an overlay of pale pink sheer fabric, decorated with dark pink flowers.

"Do you think Damian will like it?" Marinette gave a small twirl, instantly seeking to distract herself. "I mean, it's really… Pink."

"The guy is obviously smitten, he'd be an idiot to not have his jaw on the floor when he sees you." Chloé rolled her eyes once again, crossing her arms. "Or is yours just a fling too?"

"Oh, um…" Marinette felt herself blush as she grabbed her pale pink wrap shawl, toying with it gently. "Well, it's not a fling. It's not love, but I think it's going to be. I just don't want to rush into things again."

"You haven't. Don't worry, sugar cookie." Eva went and hugged Marinette tightly, holding her close. "But let's not worry about that. For now, let's worry about having a fun night tonight, rubbing elbows with the upper crust of Gotham."

With a smile, Chloé took them both by the arm and guided them downstairs to the main hall of the mansion, where their dates were waiting.

When Damian looked up and saw Marinette, he felt the breath leave his lungs. She was stunning, not surprising to him, but she seemed to glow, almost. She really was an angel…

"You certainly clean up good." Marinette smiled as she tucked her hand into his offered arm, then blushed when her mother began taking pictures. "Do you think I can do this? I don't want to embarrass anyone."

"You'll do just fine." Damian kissed her temple softly as he guided her out to the limo, his family and their dates following close behind.

"You look absolutely stunning tonight, Marinette. I am sure you will be the belle of the ball." Kor'i piped up happily once the limo got moving, snuggled into Dick's side.

"I think that honour might go to Selena." Marinette put in quickly, no sure if her face could get any redder from embarrassment. "I mean, you look gorgeous."

Selena let out a laugh and the women in the vehicle began to praise each other on their outfits, all the while Marinette stared out the window, feeling a sense of uneasiness in her stomach.

…

"Wow…" Marinette whispered in awe as soon as they stepped into the main ballroom. It was certainly a scene of splendor and high society, all obviously ignoring the day to day lives they live in Gotham. A place where you can forget the murderous villains looming outside your door.

"Mari, look at you! You look awesome!" Nino parted from the crowd, looking so odd in a trim dark suit, with no ball cap in sight. Marinette had to admit, he made quite the handsome looking gentleman. "Far out, dudette."

"You look rather handsome, Nino. You almost look like a man of high society. Your slang gives you away though.” Mari smiled, though it was a bit tight at the corners. She then blinked in surprise when Nino held out a hand.

“Can we dance?” Nino motioned his head over to the dance floor, where many couples already were. “I want to talk to you.”

“Of course, Nino..”

Marinette was guided to the dancefloor, not seeing the frowning faces of Eva and Damian. They could easily see the girl’s key trait in action; she forgave far too easily and quickly.

“What did you want to talk about?” Marinette gazed up at her friend as the two of them began to dance, though it was a bit more awkward than most due to their lack of experience.

“I know I apologized already for Alya and everything… But I don’t think I properly apologized for myself. I deserted you, Mari, a girl who’s like a sister to me. I left you hanging and I never once looked back and that was wrong of me.”

“Listen, Nino, it’s okay, I forgi-” Marinette began, but was quickly cut off by Nino giving a firm shake of his head.

“No, I don’t deserve that. I haven’t done anything to redeem myself yet. I’m not following the herd anymore. From now on I’m gonna stick by your side.” Nino grinned down at her, then gave her a playful wink. “Should be easier since I broke up with Alya.”

“I beg your pardon, you did what?!”

…

Lila scowled as she glanced around the ballroom, her grip tightening on her flute of champagne. None of the cute rich guys were even looking her way and she was dressed to the nines. The tight bronze dress she wore hugged her body tightly, the neckline plunging low, almost to her navel, leaving her non existent cleavage on full display. She even had her signature hairstyle in that perfectly framed her pretty face.

It was all Marinette’s fault, Lila knew that for a fact. If that stupid bitch had stayed at the hotel the first day, then Lila would have had all attention on her and would have won the heart of Damian Wayne as soon as he had seen her. Marinette and now that creep Eva always ruined everything for Lila, but it was easy to turn the class against them. Even Mis Bustier, who could see through Lila’s lies, scolded the two on causing conflict.

She should be out amongst the rich and fabulous, being basked in glory and praise, but from her vantage point, she could see Marinette enter the room on the youngest Wayne’s arm and all attention being drawn to the young Parisian girl. Lila wanted to go over there and rip the girl’s tacky dress to shreds, because now Lila was stuck just standing with her class, who had no idea how to behave at a formal event. Everyone avoided them like the plague, and Alya having her phone out and trying to get interviews certainly wasn’t helping matters!

“Alya, put that away! You’re only embarrassing yourself!” Lila snapped, taking a long drink of her champagne as Alya once again stepped up to a famous person and sought out an interview. “”Besides, no one here will give you an interview thanks to Marinette. I heard she made the Waynes tell everyone to keep away from you because you are a tabloid journalist or something.”

“She did what?!” Alya spun around sharply, her mouth agape. “How could she do that?! I mean, first she stole Damian from you, she got Adrien locked up, and now this?!”

“I know, isn’t she horrible?” Lila teared up and wiped away her tears, her entourage instantly rushing to her side to try and soothe her. The rest of the class simply rolled their eyes and continued to enjoy themselves. This was a fancy party, afterall, and Miss Bustier was off flirting with some rich guy to even keep an eye on them.

Lila watched from the corner of her eye as Evangeline danced with one of the Waynes, Jason if she remembered correctly. They seemed enraptured with each other, bodies pressed tightly together as they slow danced and whispered into the other’s ear. It made Lila want to vomit. But then she watched as Jason excused himself and left the room. Nino excused himself from Marinette and left as well, probably to head to the bathroom. But green eyes narrowed as she watched Eva leave through the same door a few minutes later, a slowly grin spreading across Lila’s face.

Perhaps this evening wouldn’t be such a waste afterall. Even since Alya’s pathetic show of being dumped, she was even more easy to manipulate. So when Lila showed Alya a picture of Eva and Nino talking in the dining hall, Lila having made sure the angle and posture looked intimate, and she had tearfully told Alya that Eva was probably the reason Nino had dumped her.

It was never hard to get Alya worked up.

Around a few minutes later, when Jason entered the room, disheveled, Eva close behind, Lila tapped Alya's shoulder and motioned over to Eva just as Nino exited the hallway after her.

"Look at her. Are those hickies on her neck?" Lila hissed in an infuriated tone, but smiled when she felt Alya's body tense under hers. "I mean, I know she's a creep, but to fuck him here of all places? She really does deserve to rot in a cell."

…

Marinette beamed as Damian dipped her backwards, feeling almost breathless from all of the dancing she had been doing with him. It was almost two hours into this thing and her feet were beginning to work.

"Can we get something to drink?" Marinette whispered into Damian's ear once he helped her straighten, then leaned into him as they made their way over to the refreshments table, where Eva and Jason were conversing with Selena and Bruce.

"You two kittens seem to be having fun." Selena smiled as she handed both of them a glass of champagne. "Marinette, everyone's been asking about your dress, they're trying to figure out who the designer is."

"It's an MDC original." Marinette smiled as she went to take a sip, but was stopped by Damian, who sent a glare to Selena.

"She's only eighteen, she can't drink alcohol. She's underaged." He said in such a stern tone, it took everything in Marinette not to snort. He sounded so adult for someone who was nineteen.

"Damian, how could you, seducing someone who's still a child, barely out of high school?" Selena gave a dramatic gasp as she pressed a hand to her chest, as if she were about to faint. "How could you? Why, I'm sure Satan himself would be ashamed."

"Enough out of you!" Damian felt his cheeks redden in embarrassment at Selena's theatrics. Though he did give Marinette a side glance as he watched her set down her flute of champagne and got herself one full of juice. Though she seemed unbothered by the whole conversation.

"Now, let's not get rowdy. Sugar cookie here has drunk alcohol before, the legal drinking age in France is eighteen afterall." Eva put in, wrapping a supportive arm around Marinette's shoulders. "As long as no one gets drunk and sloppy, we should be fine."

"Thank you, Eva, for helping Nino." Marinette murmured into the TA's ear, causing a look of surprise to cross the young woman's face. "Miss Bustier isn't the best person to go to for advice. She would have told him to try and fix things and stick with her."

"Where is that blundering idiot anyway?" Eva muttered as she saw the French class, but no Bustier in sight. She groaned and massaged her temples as she realized the idiot had left a group of rambunctious teenagers unsupervised. This would not go well.

"I might have to duck away for a bit. If those kids get drunk, this party might get rowdy." Eva patted Jason's arm gently, then broke away from the Waynes, beginning to head towards the class. But being splashed in the face with champagne stopped her in her tracks.

"Alya!" Marinette snapped as she instantly rushed to Eva's side, the entire room having gone silent. Eva stood there, dumbstruy, her make up running thanks to the champagne, while Alya sneered at the older woman.

"That's what ya get, you bitdch... Did you honestly fink you could get away wif it?" Alya's words were slurred, her cheeks rosy as she clumsily set her hands on her hips. "I have the proofs."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Eva hissed, her face flushed red from embarrassment as Marinette grabbed some napkins a waiter brought and began dabbing up the alcohol. Alya sneered and pointed a shaky finger at Eva, stumbling on her feet as she tried to take a threatening step forward.

"Lila shaw you two. Apparently you snuck.out the other day, to fuck. The day before Marinette trickeded Adrien, you were gone all afternoon." Alya slurred, then reached out, slapping the woman across the face before Marinette could stop her. "I know you were a fucking pedophile. Lila was right, you are a creep. Why else are you so close with Marinette? I bet you fuck her too."

Bruce motioned towards the nearby security guards, but Eva merely held up a hand, her purple eyes glaring deep into Alya's.

"I became her friend because I knew she needed one. Because I knew your loyalty was so fickle that you turned your back on her years ago. She barely knew me, but the first thing she did for me was make me a scarf with my favourite flowers on it because I was homesick. I was stuck with a class that took a liar's words at face value because she offered them pretty stories and fake opportunities. Marinette didn't make things easy for you, playing along with everything, so you decided to drop her. Yes, I'm her TA, but I am also her friend. A better friend than you, Ladybug certainly agrees."

"You shut your whore face, you don't even know Ladybug! Lila says she hated your guts!" Alya made another move for her, but Jason firmly gripped Alya's wrist, stopping the girl in her tracks. "Let me go, you creep! She's cheating on you with a high schooler!"

"Funny, the time you gave that scenario to her, Miss Rossi." Jason's hard eyes flickered to the girl in question, his look so deadly that it made her shiver. "Because it is impossible. You see, she was with me the entire time, tied to her hotel bed and calling me Daddy."

Marinette let out an embarrassment squeak while Eva turned crimson and softly cursed Jason's entire existence.

Lila scowled and strode right up to Jason, tears soon flooding her eyes as she began her theatrics.

"Did Marinette get to you too? Oh no, how many times has she spread her legs to ruin my life? First she steals Damian away from me, now she turns all of you into her personal attack dogs? And here I thought Eva was the whore!"

"Caline!" Eva turned and snapped at the woman across the room, who looked flabbergasted. "For gods' sake, get your class under control and stop humping Dick's leg. He's married, you twit!"

Caline went crimson and hurried over, setting a hand on Alya's and Lila's shoulders, trying to pull the girls away, but Alya shoved her teacher away and got right in Marinette's face.

"I've had enough of you! You ruin everything, Marinette! I tried, but you lost everything for a reason! You failed with Adrien because you are pathetic and spineless, so you decide to get him arrested. Lila was in a happy relationship with Damian, but you were jealous she won us this trip so you decided to steal him and take ownership of this entire thing! You're a pathetic leech, and an enabler. I bet you watched as your whore fucked Nino, I bet!"

"That's enough Alya!" Nino stormed forward, and more shouting began.

There was such chaos; angry words being thrown around, hands reaching out to scratch and claw, security rushing in to assist.

No one even noticed the little black butterfly that flew over their heads.

Marinette watched as security began to drag the drunken Alya away, while Miss Bustier tried to convince them to let her go, that it was all some misunderstanding. Lila began wailing, trying to put as much attention as she could on herself. Even Nino was shouting, but it was all lost in the noise. Marinette rushed to Damian's side and tightly gripped his band, until a shriek pierced the air.

"Jason!"

Everyone looked over, and every French person in the room let out a scream of terror.

For framing Jason's handsome face was the outline of a purple butterfly. Marinette instantly rushed over, kneeling next to Eva, who was screaming for Jason to fight it, to break whatever had been akumatized, anything!

And they both watched helplessly as Jason was engulfed in purple.

Taglist: @realrandomposts @interobanginyourmom @ladybug-182 @ladylb @zalladane @mochinek0 @persephonebutkore @urbanpineapplefarmer @vixen-uchiha @angelofmusickaterinapetrova @thewheezingbubbledragon @northernbluetongue @violatiger8 @thequestionablyhuman @ginamarie1512 @maude-zarella @2sunchild2 @saphiraazure2708 @ayuchan07 @virgil-is-a-cutie @thepeacetea @miraculous786 @enchanted-nerd @zebrabaker

#Seeing Green #maribat #alya salt #lila salt #daminette #dc x mlb #maridami

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ladyandtheghost · 5 years ago

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How “The Dany-Show” ruined GoT at the core: 3-point system

1. Sansa vs. Cersei:

How is it possible that we had a million reunions - many of them involving secondary characters for fluff and fan service with zero impact on the plot - but these two women who had so much drama, so much unresolved business, never saw each other again? This is where you would have found the good story to tell and a major plot strand to resolve: the conflict between the Starks and the Lannisters. This is what started it all, this is where it should have ended. This is the story they should have focused on.

So why didn’t they?

Because Game of Thrones was already dead and gone and the series had become The Dany-Show and nothing but The Dany-Show.

Every character, every story arc, everything had to be directed towards Dragon Barbie and her drama. So of course there was no time or space for anything that was not related to the The Dany-Show. Basically a black hole that sucked all the great storylines and characters into its dark void.

Massive loose plot strands like the Stark-Lannister showdown were left to rot, because it was far more important to show off that CGI budget for gratuitous dragon shots and inane conversations between secondary character including sex jokes on the main.

There was literally more screen time allotted to the dragons than to Cersei...

After four seasons of Sansa and Cersei constantly referring to each other and the day they would meet again (willingly or not), it’s scandalous that they shoved so many characters back together for pointless reunions that were more or less blatant fan service (Bronn and the Lannister boys, really?!) but the big conflict, the personal drama that was playing out between Sansa and Cersei - that had actually taken on political dimensions now - did not even get a single scene?

Wrong choice.

I mean can you even imagine how Lena and Sophie would have acted the shit out of their reunion, because I can and it makes me furious that we were robbed of it. When two characters have so much unfinished business, so much foreshadowing and so much history that still isn’t resolved, the least you can expect is to give them at least a half-assed resolution - but we did not even get that, because it had nothing to do with The Dany-Show. Because all the characters have to only think about Dany and relate to Dany and if there is to be a conflict between female characters, it has to involve Dany and no one else.

Poor Lena deserved better than to be reduced to playing a two-dimensional shadow of Cersei Lannister who was little more than a prompt giver to The Euron Greyjoy Side-Show (because sex jokes!)

Also Bonus fuck-up: the prophecy of the YMBQ? Cersei died in the arms of Jaime, if anything Dany’s attack had given her back the one person/thing she cares about. So how exactly did Dany rob her of “all you hold dear” when Dany’s attack caused Jaime to literally drop Brienne like a hot potato, declare his undying love for Cersei and run back into her arms for his final moment?

Before that, Sansa had already “taken” Jaime into her services together with Brienne. He’d actually switched sides to serve “another queen” (just not Dany) and at least this prophecy made sense for two seconds but of course the YMBQ had to be Dany because it’s The Dany Show, whether it makes sense or not...

They just didn’t care anymore, did they?

2. Little...who?:

So we have half a dozen characters rolling up to Winterfell who knew Littlefinger and his dirty business, and Arya, Sansa and Bran are about to go:

Only for some reason: NO ONE asks.

There is not a single reference to the fact that the Stark kids found out that Littlefinger is the mastermind behind 90% of everything that has happened since S1 and that he was executed for this. It’s like it never happened and he never existed and neither did all the important plot points before S8.

Did Jon ever find out that Littlefinger betrayed Ned and conspired with the Lannisters to bring down the Starks?

Did Tyrion ever find out that Littlefinger framed him at the Purple Wedding?

Did Varys ever find out that his nemesis was outsmarted and defeated by three teenagers?

Nope. Nope. And nope.

Ain’t we all?

A character who’s been hailed as MVP by a huge part of the fandom because he knew how to network and play the game™ that is advertised in the title like no other, isn’t even mentioned again. One of the most popular theories re: S8 was (ridiculous as I found it myself) “Littlefinger isn’t dead” because many people felt he was still important to the story and there was also a lot of unfinished business with other characters he was connected to...Jon, Varys, Tyrion, Cersei, Sansa...

Instead, Littlefinger himself, his death and every plot point he was ever involved in was simply erased - because Littlefinger and his relation to these characters had nothing to do with, i.e. did not contribute to...you guessed it...The Dany-Show and therefore POUF, he never existed...

3. R+L = who gives a f***

But you know, these are minor grievances compared to the fact that Jon’s character was not only dumbled down and turned into a complicit in genocide...

Jon’s parentage story arc - you know, THE big revelation and PLOT TWIST - was turned into a side note, a five-minute mini drama that was more about how this will affect poor little Dany and her feelings.

They gave us scenes of Dany waxing on about how Jon’s being the one true king stresses her out because she wants the throne and what she expects him to do about it - but they ROBBED us of the moment Jon tells the Stark siblings that he is not truly their brother, but their cousin.

Because who cares about how Jon feels about this and his “siblings” coming to terms with the fact that:

their father Ned Stark had kept Jon a secret from everyone

that he had not fathered a bastard and betrayed their mother

but saved the one true heir, at cost of his honour,

they lived with the Targaryen crown prince and raised him under everyone’s nose...

No, no, the important thing is how Dany feels about it all and how it affects her.

After the huge build-up, the theories, the overt foreshadowing, even more infuriating - after throwing poor Elia and her children under the bus and making Jon legitimate...

After literally EVERYTHING in this series leading up to the moment when everyone would know who Jon Snow truly is...it had no effect on the story whatsoever, besides contributing to Dany finally revealing the full extent of her insanity (which was only a matter of time anyways)

Heir to the Iron Throne? Targaryen Prince? Rhaegar’s son? PTWP?

The point is: Drama for poor little Dany because her nephew doesn’t want to fuck her anymore is the actual heir.

You can’t even say that it led to her advisors finding out and betraying her because that is something they should have done ages ago, at the latest when she burned the Tarlys. It gave them a legitimate alternative option, yes, but it was not the first time they thought she needs to go...

At least R+L=J served one good purpose: it rubbed Dany’s nose in it that she is not special at all. She is NOT the last Targ, nor the “princess that was promised” - and it was never her destiny to rule, she was only ever the “aunt” of the prince.

Sadly, this is again ALL about Dany and her feelings and how everyone else reacts to her in light of the news that Jon is Aegon.

So R+L=J is not even about Jon in the end, it’s just another element of The Dany-Show. And once Dany is gone, it’s like R+L=J also got erased (just like Littlefinger and the Stark-Lannister-conflict)

...because let’s just send the Head of House Targaryen and last of his line beyond the wall again just because the murderous army of the mad tyrant, whom he heroically freed us from, demands it...and of course we have to wrap up the last five minutes of this shitty episode.

Conclusion:

D&D just REALLY didn’t care anymore once The Dany-Show was over and it’s painfully obvious to see. The good news is that all of these plot points that got erased/dumbled down/ignored^^ are things that are important to GRRM, which gives me hope for the last books at least...

#game of thrones #sansa stark #jon snow #anti-daenerys #anti-dany stans #anti-d&d #cersei lannister

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backtothestart02 · 4 years ago

Text

Hazy - 8/? | westallen fanfiction

A/N: And the drama continues...

Commissioned by @andie1223

...

Chapter 8 -

While Linda embarked on her apparent genius mission to free Barry from the hospital walls – or at the very least keeping him from confessing any sort of atrocity that could end him in serious trouble if he was wrong – Barry took some time to dwell on his situation, the lighter aspect of it at least, mainly Linda.

He was grateful for how giving she was being in this particular matter. It was different in this timeline because she didn’t have feelings for him. He didn’t feel like he was betraying her by actively pursuing Iris at the same time he was “with” her. She wanted Scott, which amused him to no end but also made him unspeakably happy because that meant the editor would never have a chance with Iris. Not even one date. He was sure Scott was bitter about that.

Linda was so easy. And in the best way. She wasn’t complicated. She didn’t overthink. She accepted people as they were. And she loved herself shamelessly, yet not in a way that was selfish. She was fun and pretty and everything you could ask for in a girlfriend. But, and this was always it for him, she wasn’t Iris.

Things had never been so complicated with Iris. Not even in his original timeline. Barry felt like he was in a soap opera that wouldn’t end. At every turn there was more drama, some that was sparked by him and some that wasn’t. He didn’t know how to make it stop, and he was growing weary of trying. It exhausted him.

All he knew was that he wanted Iris any way he could get her. If that meant pursuing an affair, so be it. If he was stuck in this timeline indefinitely, he wasn’t going to live the rest of his ordinary Flash-less life without her as his romantic partner. It just wasn’t happening.

Convincing her to divorce Eddie was a huge hurtle that would take a long time to overcome, but as long as he could capture her for stolen moments, that would be enough for now.

Iris was extremely loyal though. He knew now the fantasy that had unraveled before him while he stood in her doorway would never have been a reality. Not yet at least. Her restraint was too high, and she was too far in denial to believe she could have feelings for someone that wasn’t her husband.

It had been hard enough to convince her she had feelings for him when Eddie was just her boyfriend, but now as her husband… He had ultimate control. Barry wondered how far that went.

“Knock, knock,” a deep voice sounded as the being belonging to the voice walked in and shut the door behind him.

Barry felt chilled to the bone as he locked eyes with the blonde, blue-eyed detective at the center of his thoughts. He couldn’t even summon the courage to say his name. He just stared, waiting for whatever horror Eddie would bring down on him.

Eddie’s eyes traced over Barry’s injured figure before meeting his eyes again.

“You look like shit.”

Barry swallowed. Eddie’s eyes narrowed.

“I know what you’re thinking. That it was me who did this to you. That I was in such a rage over seeing you and Iris together at the gala that I beat the crap out of you until you wound up in the hospital.”

Eddie took a seat on the far side of the room.

“Well?” Barry finally mustered. “Didn’t you?”

“I’ve thought about it a time or two, I’ll give you that. Beating you up until you’re near paralyzed, teaching you a lesson to never come near Iris again.”

“Nothing happened.”

“I know that too. Iris told me. At first I thought she’d called you to take her since I wasn’t…available.”

“You’re a shit husband, Eddie.”

Eddie’s hands clenched at his sides.

“Iris is devoted to you, and yet still you treat her as if she’s cheating. All she wants is to openly be friends with me again. Is that so much to ask?”

“Do you regret kissing her at our wedding reception?”

Barry hesitated. “That feels like a lifetime ago, Eddie.”

“You didn’t answer the question.”

Barry debated between lying to his face to save his relationship with Iris and saying the God’s honest truth just so he could breathe again. The truth was he didn’t remember kissing Iris at the reception, because he hadn’t been in this timeline for that. The memory for it hadn’t even surfaced for him. Not yet at least, which gave him a small ray of hope. Maybe there was still time to get back to where he belonged.

“I shouldn’t have waited so long,” he said at last. That was a truth he could always say wholeheartedly.

“Why you little-” He rose up from his seat and strode across the room.

“What I mean is…before she met you,” he was quick to say, not wanting to get pummeled some more. “I’ve been in love with her since I met her. I had plenty of time to tell her, and I didn’t. I should’ve told her before.”

Eddie’s brows furrowed, apparently not knowing how to take that.

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t, because she’s my wife now, not yours.”

Yeah, I know. Not my fiancée either, he thought glumly. But his eyes were wide open, not daring to look away from the madman unraveling before him.

“She was never anything but my best friend,” Barry said.

“And now she’s not even that,” Eddie said. “Got it?”

Barry’s brows narrowed.

“You’re not just hurting me by keeping us apart. You’re hurting her too.”

“She’ll get over it.”

“After a year? Come on, Eddie. We’ve known each other since we were 10!”

“This is not why I came down here.”

Barry shook his head in disbelief.

“Then why did you?”

Eddie wrapped his hand around one of the metal bars on the bed.

“To make sure you don’t blame this incident on me. I’m not losing my job over you. I’m not losing Iris over a false confession.”

“Who else could’ve done it?” Barry spat. “You punched me, Eddie. Multiple times. I blacked out. When I came to I was in the hospital.”

“That’s not because of me. I didn’t even know you blacked out. When I left you, you were still groaning on the floor. I figured you’d get up after a few minutes and go home. Besides, I had to deal with Iris.”

“And how exactly did you ‘deal with’ Iris, Eddie?” Barry’s brows narrowed. He had to fight from digging his nails into the bedsheet.

“I don’t like what you’re implying.”

“Then set me straight. Tell me you didn’t hit her.”

Eddie’s eyes widened in horror. He took a step back.

“I would never.”

“The Eddie I thought I knew wouldn’t throw more than one punch, and yet you threw several.”

“Barry, I swear to God, I didn’t come back later and beat the living daylights out of you. Iris snuck down after we’d gone to bed to see if you were gone, and when she found you barely breathing, I was the one who called 9-1-1. If I wanted you dead, I would’ve buried the evidence, not left you…half-alive just outside our loft.”

Barry hated it, but he found himself believing Eddie.

“So, who did it then?”

Before Eddie could answer, the doctor strode in, Linda quick at his heels, trying to flirt but failing to thwart the doctor from his mission.

“Barry! You’re up!” The doctor smiled proudly. “You should keep a watch on your girlfriend here. She’s trying to sweep me off my feet!”

Linda laughed nervously.

“I’m sure she was just being nice.” Barry sent her a look.

“Wait. Girlfriend?” Eddie looked between Barry and Linda. “I thought-”

“Are you ready to tell me what you remember, if anything?” The doctor interrupted.

Before Barry could answer, Iris and Joe barged through the door.

“Eddie!” said a scandalized Iris.

“Barry!” said a relieved Joe, who then glared at his daughter. “I told you he couldn’t always be sleeping, Iris.”

Iris swallowed hard.

“Barry?” The doctor asked again.

“Uh…yes, I’m ready.”

“Great. Go ahead then.” He pulled out his no pad and clicked his pen so he could write. “For the record.”

Barry looked around the room at all the expectant faces.

“If you guys wouldn’t mind?”

For a moment, none of them moved, and then with one big sweep from Joe they started to exit the room.

“Linda,” Barry called out to her. She turned around. “Can you stay?”

Joe seemed somewhat wounded by his preference, but Iris tugged her dad with her.

“Yes, of course,” Linda said, coming over to his side and taking a seat to hold his hand. “I’m nothing if not a supportive girlfriend.”

The last thing Barry saw out of the corner of his eye was Iris watching with curiosity as he lifted Linda’s hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.

…

Once everyone else was gone and the door shut, the doctor looked at Barry expectantly.

“Well, son, what do you remember, if anything?”

“I remember…”

Linda squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back, but he didn’t catch her gaze and completely missed her intention.

“Doctor,” she interrupted. “How important is it for Barry to remember something?”

“Well, very if you’d like the attacker caught and charges brought against him.”

Barry sent her a look, which she ignored.

“And how often does that happen even with the right information?”

“Linda.”

“What, Barry? I’m a reporter. Let me do my job.”

The doctor was clearly amused.

“I take back what I said earlier, Barry. This one is clearly a keeper.”

Barry smiled despite himself. Linda beamed.

“The truth of the matter is, dear, I have to put something down to send over and add to the police report or the police themselves will come in and ask.”

“Do they really make that a top priority though?” Linda interjected again.

“Linda!”

The doctor waited for the mini-squabble to subside before continuing.

“Your girlfriend is right, Barry. The chances of this being at the top of the list are slim. In fact, the only way it would make it to the top I’d say is if you were accusing one of their own.”

Linda’s eyes widened, and she shot that gaze right at Barry.

“Are you?” the doctor asked.

“No,” Barry said instinctively. “I thought…no.” He shook his head.

“What did you think, son?”

“Tell him, Barry,” Linda urged.

“I was jumped,” he said. “I remember that.” The doctor started taking notes.

“Do you know by who?”

Barry shook his head, and Linda held in a silent sigh of relief. He could feel that through the loosening of her grip on him.

“They sounded like someone I know, but I…I just can’t place it now. I’m sorry.”

“So you’re saying you didn’t see who it was, you only heard them?”

Barry nodded. “Yes.”

“What else do you remember? Anything? Where were you at the time? Outside the West-Thawne residence, correct?”

Barry tensed, and Linda smoothed her hand over his, so he’d relax.

“Yes,” he made himself say.

“And why were you there?”

“To drop Iris off.”

“That’s Mrs. West-Thawne?”

Barry told himself to breathe silently.

“Yes.”

“The two of you are close?”

“We grew up together.” He paused, then decided to expound upon recent details. “We bumped into each other at a gala, and I didn’t want her walking home alone, so I offered to escort her and she agreed.”

“Sounds like you’re a good guy to have around, Barry. If not for your presence, the attacker might’ve gone after Iris.”

The idea of Eddie treating Iris the way he’d treated him made Barry feel sick to his stomach.

“I’m very glad she’s okay.”

“Does her husband like you?”

“Excuse me,” Linda butt in. “How is that relevant?”

“Just a question,” the doctor explained innocently, then turned to Barry.

“We tolerate each other,” Barry said. “He’s very…possessive of his wife.”

The doctor eyed him carefully.

“You say the voice was familiar to you, but you can’t pinpoint exactly who it was.”

Barry nodded, avoiding eye contact now.

“That’s right.”

“Anything else?” Linda was quick to ask. “I think we’ve established Barry does and does not know, and he does not know who attacked him.”

The doctor’s lips thinned in a humorless smile.

“You are quite right, dear. And persistent.”

Linda smiled proudly right back at him.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“As you should.”

With the tension in the room rising, Barry was eager to dissipate it. The last thing he needed was a full-out brawl between Linda and his doctor.

“Of course it is up to you in the end if you want to file any charges,” he said, looking at Barry.

Barry forced an acknowledging smile.

“I just know I would…in case it happens again.”

Barry’s eyes widened, and Linda’s jaw dropped.

“Are you threatening him?!” Linda asked, outraged. She stood up.

The doctor held up his hands defensively.

“Not in the slightest. Sometimes attackers come back to-”

“Finish the job?”

They all turned to see Iris in the doorway.

“Iris.” Barry frowned. “What are you-”

“Mrs. West-Thawne, your friend here requested your absence during his-”

“Interrogation?”

He sighed. “I was hardly interrogatin-”

“Yeah, more like threatened,” Linda muttered.

Iris’ eyes went wide. “What?!”

The doctor waited a few beats then said, “I’ve overstayed my welcome.” He looked at Barry. “I’ll be in tomorrow morning to check in on you. Hopefully we can get you in some protective wear and home soon. The nurses will probably stop by every couple hours.”

“That sounds good. Thank you, doctor.”

The doctor nodded his appreciation, then exited the room, not so much as chancing a glance at the two women on either side of Barry who were glaring at him.

“You have a terrible doctor.” Iris continued to glare.

“You’re telling me,” Linda practically growled.

“He’s just doing his job,” Barry offered pathetically.

“Thank you for being here for him,” Iris told Linda. “I really appreciate it.”

“Well, someone had to be,” Linda practically barked, and Barry felt the tension go through the roof.

“What’s that supposed to me-” Iris started, but Barry cut her off.

“Iris, could you get Joe for me? I’d like to see him now that I’ve finished talking with the doctor.”

Iris bristled. “Well, yes, of course. But…about that-”

“Please?” He cut her off again. This time there was a hint of snark in his voice.

With Linda in his corner, he felt more secure.

Iris swallowed.

“Yes. Yes, of course. I’ll go get him.”

She turned to leave, then stopped at the door.

“I’ll come visit you tomorrow, Barry.”

If Eddie lets you, he almost said aloud, but he kept his mouth shut.

“No need,” Linda spoke up for him. “The doctor said he should be getting out tomorrow. He’ll probably need all the rest he can get.”

“R-Right. Well… I’ll get my dad.”

She turned away, and Barry heard the hitch. She was near tears if not already crying. He glared at Linda after Iris left.

“What?” she demanded. “She deserved it.”

“She did not deserve to cry.”

“It means she’s feeling guilty, and she should. If she’s determined to visit you other than to find out what you told the doctor, I’ll be surprised. Just…relax. Your number one priority doesn’t always have to be Iris. Especially with the way she’s been treating you recently.”

“It’s Eddie that’s the problem, not-”

“And yet you protected him.”

“I protected Iris.”

“Wait a minute, you don’t think he’s hurting her, do you?”

“I don’t know. He told me he didn’t come back later to beat me up, and Iris doesn’t have a scratch on her, but-”

“You have a bad feeling.”

He shrugged helplessly.

“Are your feelings usually right?”

Barry looked down before meeting her gaze again.

“Lately they’ve been all over the place.”

Relief colored her face.

“Then let’s hope this is one of those times where you’re wrong.”

She squeezed his hand.

“I’m sure the only thing escalating in that household is their voices. Let me go get you some water. I’ll hand it to Joe when he’s on his way in.”

Barry nodded hesitantly.

“Okay. Thanks, Linda.”

“What are fake girlfriends for?” She chuckled, and he felt his mood lighten.

It didn’t last. The door closed, and he was plunged into his dark thoughts again.

Eddie wouldn’t hurt Iris… Would he?

...

*will be posted on AO3 and FFnet when beta’d.

#westallen #fanfiction #westallen fanfiction #backtothestart02 fanfiction #hazy #chapter 8 #dark hints

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shoutosteakettle · 4 years ago

Text

black laced panties • shouto todoroki

⤷ genre: angst

⤷ word count: 1777

⤷ warnings: cheating, mentions of drunk sex, maybe ooc shouto, the use of the word ‘whore’, also an excessive use of the word fuck

⤷ a/n: alrighty!! if the title for this fic looks familiar it’s because i’ve actually posted this fic before,, but back when i posted this fic the first time i wasn’t really happy with it, so i decided to go back and work at it,,, if you look hard enough on my page you might find the original version of this fic and if that happens i’m truly sorry, but i think that it’s crazy how you cann see how much i’ve grown as a writer in five months,, it hasn’t been that long but at the same time it has and i just feel like we’re moving in hyperspeed omg,, okay that’s it for my rambling, i hope you guys enjoy >:)

☆彡

It wasn’t the feeling of the warm sun on your face that stirred you from your sleep or the earth-shatteringly loud snoring in your ears. No, it was the warm weight of someone else in bed with you, something you had not felt in weeks thanks to your boyfriend’s hero job that kept him from home most nights, but the large arm around your waist suggested something different. You laid in the bed, basking the bliss of the moment, enjoying the overwhelming smell of cinnamon with vague hints of smoke.

“G’ morning Princess,” the greeting drew you from your thoughts. The nickname was familiar, though not one of Shouto’s go tos, but the voice– the voice was not one you heard every day. It took you a minute to recognize it, but when you did, you swore you felt your heart drop into your ass. “Katsu?”

“Mmmm,” Katsuki groaned, his voice laced with sleep and his nose pressing deeper into your hair. With that confirmation, you removed his arm from your body, then yourself from his bed, nothing but Katsuki’s thin bed sheet and an equally thin bra shielding you from prying eyes.

“What the hell, Bakugou! What am I doing here?!”

“Stop with all the fucking yelling. It’s too early in the morning for you to make my ears bleed,” he yelled back at you.

“Why am I here, in your bed,” you hissed at the blonde. “And why am I naked.”

“Cut it with the fucken innocent act. You’re the one who showed up at my doorstep last night, drunk off your ass and talking about how lonely you were,” Katsuki [], the details helping your brain begin to shift through the fog, trying it’s best to decipher between memories and dreams.

“Shit. How could you let this happen again, Katsuki? I told you last time that was the last time,” you sighed, “On top of that, you know I’m with Shouto.”

There was silence for a moment, not that you could hear anything aside from the blood rushing in your ears while you tried your best to come up with a suitable lie about where you were to tell your boyfriend. “I didn’t know you were still with him,” Katsuki mumbled, almost an apology. Reaching over on his side of the bed, he picked up a t-shirt and threw it to you. “Find the rest of your clothes and get out.”

“What the hell do you think I’m doing,” you hissed, turning around to throw your shirt over your head, doing your best to ignore Katsuki’s presence completely.

“You don’t get to be fucking angry with me. This is your fault,” he reminded you. “And now you’ve dragged me into whatever drama you have going on with your boyfriend, the same one you told me you ended things with.”

“Well, I wasn’t the one who thought it was okay to take advantage of a drunk woman, so get off your fucking high horse. And where are my fucking underwear,” this was the last thing that you needed right now; there was no need for the universe to rub it in your face as hard as it was.

“Fuck it,” you said, abandoning your search for the missing panties pulling your jeans from off the carpet and over your bare legs, the feeling of the scratchy denim shaking any remaining bits of sleep from your system. “Don’t say anything about this to anyone.”

“Didn’t plan on it. Your keys are on the coffee table, don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” Katsuki called out, watching you smooth out your shirt as you made your way out of his bedroom.

“Fuck,” he groaned to himself, laying back down on his bed and pulling his blankets up to his chest. Katsuki laid his head down on the silk of his pillowcase, placing his hand on the underside, feeling his fingertips brush against the soft cotton of your panties.

ミ☆

“Y/n?” Shouto called out when he heard you open the door to your shared apartment. You took off your shoes and slid on your slippers before walking over to the living room. When you came within a foot of your boyfriend, he reached out and took your hands in his.

“I know I’ve been a bit distant lately, and I apologize. I would never want to make you feel like a second priority. I took a couple of vacation days, and I would love nothing more than to spend them with you,” he smiled, nodding toward the television, which had your favorite movie on stand-by.

The guilt building in your stomach increased tenfold, spilling onto your tongue, tasting bitter. You sent Shouto a small smile before letting go of his hands and making your way to your bedroom. “Just let me hop in the shower real quick,” you chirped, thinking that your scandal had ended before it ever really started.

“Where were you this morning,” Shouto asked, noticing the way you flinched at his question, and you were sure he could see the cold sweat glistening on your forehead- unless he suddenly was blind in both eyes.

“Ochako and Zu’s,” you lied, “I was feeling a little lonely last night, so I called, and they said it was cool if I third wheeled on their date.

“Right… I’ll pop some popcorn while you’re in the shower,” Shouto said, changing the subject but watching skeptically as your body relaxed at his less interrogational words.

☆彡

“Back with the mail already…” your voice trailed off when you saw what he was holding in his hand.

“Hey, Y/n,” Shouto began, reading from the note in his hand not occupied by back panties– your missing panties, “I meant to send these to you a while back, but you’re getting them now, deal with it. Katsuki Bakugou.”

Shouto looked up from the evidence of your obvious betrayal that he help in his hands, his glossy eyes meeting yours. The tears that fell from your eyes fell for a completely different reason than the one fallen from Shouto’s. You were scared. He was hurt. “I only asked you once because I trusted you, but one more time. Where were you the morning you came home late?”

“Shou, this isn’t what it looks like–”

“You spent the night with Katsuki, doing and saying all the things you promised to me. You kissed him. You slept in his bed. You fucked him. And then did the same with me,” he groaned, and you watched as he physically shuddered. “Why? Was I not good enough for you, or are you just that much of a whore?”

The words he spat burned like acid on your soul. You knew there was no excuse for what you had done and that you had hurt him, and all those things made it so much harder for you to defend yourself. “I was lonely, Shou. I was barely seeing you. I- I thought you had forgotten me,” you cried, being painfully honest while trying to save whatever was left you your relationship.

“Is that why you did this, to get in a quick fuck while I was out risking my life to protect my city- to protect you,” he asked, his anger blocking out anything that didn’t support his case. Finally, he let go of your underwear and the note that accompanied it, and you watched as they fell to the table beneath him. Shouto pushed himself off the table he was leaning on and made his way to the coat rack by your front door. You watched, unable to form words, or do anything other than cry as he put on his jacket and opened the front door.

“I’m going out. I want you and your stuff out of my apartment by the time I get back,” was the last thing he said before turning around and leaving your home, slamming the door behind him. Shouto would be a liar if he said he didn’t want to go back and remind you of all the reasons you loved him, the reasons why you picked him, but he couldn’t get past the fact that you didn’t wait for him.

ミ☆

“Fuck off, Katsuki,” you giggled at his joke as he passed by you to get the couch.

“You’re starting to sound more and more like me every day,” Katsuki smirked, keeping his eyes focused on the mail he was shuffling through. “When are you getting your own place anyway? It’s getting pretty annoying having to see your face every day.”

“I’m seeing some apartments later today, so I’ll be out of your hair soon enough. Though I can’t promise that you won’t miss me,” you teased, pushing at Katsuki’s chest and waiting for him to laugh with you.

“This is for you,” he said, leaning over from his seat on the sofa to hand you a smaller sized black bubble envelope.

“Who is it from,” you asked. No one ever sent you mail, for the same reason no one ever called, your best friend broke up with you and took all the important people in your life with him.

“Icy Hot,” Katsuki answered.

“Oh,” you tried your best to ignore the feeling of Katsuki’s eyes boring into you as he watched you open the envelope. You reached inside to pull out a pair of black laced panties with a note attached that read, “You forgot this.”

☆彡: Extra Scene

Shouto picked up his phone, scrolling through his contacts, coming to the last number on the short list of people in his phone. He pressed the name and waited as the phone rang in his ear. Once, then twice, and then a third time. “Hey, Shouto. Is something wrong,” the voice on the other side asked, his voice groggy with sleep.

“Hey, Midoriya. Have you seen Y/n? She’s not home, and it’s late. I’m a little worried,” Shouto groaned, bringing his hand up to rub at his temples, trying his best not to let his darker thoughts get the best of him.

“No, I spent the night with Ochako. Let me get my coat. I can help you look for her,” Izuku said, sitting up in his bed and pulling his blanket from over his legs.

“No. No, it’s fine, I’ll wait a little longer to see if she shows up,” Shouto sighed, hanging up his phone and cutting off Izuku’s ‘Goodbye.’ With another stressed sigh, Shouto threw himself back on the bed, taking one last look at the candles he had lit, the rose petals he had laid out, and listening to the quiet music playing in the background before dozing off.

#shouto x reader #todoroki x reader #shouto todoroki x reader #todoroki shouto #Writing?

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oh-theres-a-woman · 5 years ago

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Flowers in a Peaked Cap; Part Two

A/N: Surprise another update this week! I’ve been surprised at the amount I’ve been publishing recently, it’s been a nice change. Something to take my mind off things. Hope everyone enjoys this part. Basically setting up for some conflict within the Shelby family because Tillie wants to go off and live her dream. Also, throwing in the potential of a love interest being there or a platonic friendship. You’ll have to let me know what you want to see!!

Taglist: @zodiyack @hesagod-notyet @itsfrancisneptun @amys-small-world @fandom-fucking-shit @hinagiku0 @dylanlover24 @amirahiddleston @smallheathgangsters @a-dorky-book-keeper @writeroutoftime @midnightstarlight02

Parts: [ Prologue ], [ 1 ], [ 3 ]

Word Count: 1495

There was something completely thrilling hearing about stories from the areas outside of Birmingham. Life in the big city of London. It wasn’t something Tillie had ever been really interested in. Yet, the chance of learning about the different atmospheres, from the working class and posh boys that read stories about them. Walter read article like stories about the London gangs and flitted about with the potential of a romance within the smoky haze of the opium dens. His stories were struggle euphoric and erotic to the ear. Some of the utterly vulgar choice of words had Tillie sitting there blushing. The daringness was something that she could most definitely praise once she got passed the first shock of it. His words and the use of them were almost taboo or pornographic as some of the older gents and women would say about. Apparently, Walt, as he liked to be called, was apart of the generation that had more balls and less shame in topics of propriety—as people of his station would say; likely scoffing into their expensive bone china tea cup. Norman fancied the more historical ventures; text that was written and felt like it was centuries old. A thriller in genre, it had everyone leaning in. Without their knowledge. Cigarettes burning down to the filters throughout his telling. Tillie had wondered if Norm had even investigated a publisher for his works. Certainly, there was plenty of people that would love the thriller element in some sort of historical drama. She could picture his rather handsome face printed in the back of a book. Dressed up all smart like he was then and there. Mister Augustine’s tale were something that seemed speak to her in completion. They left her wanting more or lost in that world. Closing her eyes. Tillie could picture the build world and the characters within the realms that were coming to life. His was boarder than the others were a nice mix of baritone. Clapping among the others at the end of Robert’s reading. For the blossoming moment Shelby blue eyes met the perfectly handsome gaze of lush green. It made Tillie think of the fields where she would ride her horse through on the down days. On days where she wanted and would like to escape from it all. Stilled there for a moment like a moth caught by a flame, Robert’s smile that passed on his lips was truly enchanting. He seemed so perfectly in his element; surrounded books. Much like Tillie. However, she liked a large pile of books on a rug under the nicest tree in a valley filled with flowers. It would be her Romani book dream. Joe Gilbert and the other boys then began their stories. Tales that she knew were relative recounts of what they had done in primary school. Made stories about this cruel Peaky Blinder boy bullying them when it was the other way around. It made Tillie Shelby’s knuckles go a bone white as she gripped the spine of her book so tightly. When stories about her came up, she was the scandalously behaving twin that didn’t fit in nowhere, not even with the crowd of her family. It was true; Tillie did not fit in. But Joe Gilbert did not need to say that. Nor did he have to ruin the narrative and slander her very character—right in front of her. Maybe she was against him all along and that’s why even with the character damaging lies in his tale. Tillie could tell he was better off working in the newspaper with stories like that. For all she knew; he was actively working for the Birmingham press. Robert had the sense enough to stop the stories before they became too much. A Shelby like temper brew up behind her icy blue eyes. The awkwardness continued when she stormed out of the shop shortly after the story ended. Cheek reddened and eyes watering at the utterly nasty things they said. Discarded among the ruin of the writer’s club meeting was the lovely book. That she prided herself in slipping every story worth the pages, her brothers saved over to get the leather bound book. Made the old way. So, it was an expensive piece and incredibly sentimental but a single photograph that fell out begin the pages. “Was that really necessary—I watched you this whole time make an effort to make Miss Shelby uncomfortable. You made an utter arse of yourself.” Robert was the one to break the lingering silence. He’d been the observer the whole time. Norm followed with a small nod of his head. Walt—wasn’t quite sure what the issue was. It was all in good writing to make someone feel someone. He didn’t seem to connect neither of the three men had books in their hands or paper to read off that entire time. Scoffing in disgust, Rob collected the book. Careful of other things falling out all over the place. Before stepping out into the streets in the hopes to find the bright upstart—Tillie Shelby. A woman that has a voice that ladies of that time needed. As timid as she maybe in person. Everything written on the pages of that before him; from what she read aloud. Was clean and polished. She was fast, even when dressed in her best clothes. Tillie was light on her feet, as if she were a horse in gallop or cantor. Lush blonde hair flowed over her shoulders. In the heat of the moment—everything had pretty much been forgotten when fleeing the bookstore. Clearly, she would never be worth in or good enough in eyes of the men now more than certainly knew a thing or two about bringing out the worst in her. “Miss Shelby! Wait you forgot your book!” Robert called out down the lane, catching Tillie’s attention when she was about a quarter of the way home. Turning on her heel. Reddened eyes were puffy, and her cheeks flushed. He caught his step rather quickly after, halting a few paces before her. Huffing a little. “Christ you’re fast for how small you are, never seen a lady run so fast before. I think you’d put most men to shame.” Rob chuckled looking down at Tillie before awkwardly stopping his bantering. Noticing the presence of tears in her eyes. Gently a hand outstretched touching the smoothness of cheek, thumb careful to wipe the collecting tears away. “Did their stories really bother you that much?” He whispered looking at her with the truest concern. Before slipping the book back into her hand. “It is hard to hear people speak badly of my brothers; Finn didn’t do half the shit they said. And I am no whore—I have no interest in that sort of thing, most definitely not them.” Tillie’s face contorted with a sign of disgust at the mere mention of her being with any of those boys in such a way. Lowering her head, hands fidgeting awkwardly. She had given her secret away in the end it seemed. In the buy streets of Small Heath—Robert looked around the crowd and glanced back with alarm. He was the perfectly dressed gentleman. Tillie very clearly a girl from the lower working class. A taboo scene, as he lowered his hand from her face. So aware of the eyes held on them. Unknowing that some of them were her brothers that had gone out for business deals and sorting out a few problems throughout Birmingham. “You’re not a whore. You are a slave to your pen, as any writer is.” Robert gestured to the ink cover on her hands, that were only faint stains now. But clearly still apparent to the watchful eye. “Like most of us are. Something those boys are not—because they lack the knowledge on what is considered rumours and gossip, from a gripping and exciting story. Our ideals are not to hurt anyone with what we write, those lot on the other hand—every much have that intention.” He admitted his discoveries through observations of the trio in the bookstore prior. Tucking his own slightly stained hands into his pocket, rather embarrassed that Tillie’s eyes wandering to them. The gentleman stood up a little straighten. Yet, before he could say anymore, an audible cough left someone’s lips. Tillie turned to see her brother Thomas and Arthur looking very plainly at the pair. “What’s this about someone calling you a whore, Tillie?” Thomas said in a cool murderous rumble collecting at the back of his throat. He was focking pissed at that news, glancing to the posh looking lad that clearly was out of sorts in Birmingham for a moment. Holding a cigarette to his lips, running the paper along his lip for a moment so it wouldn’t stick—he glared at Robert Augustine. A questioning look that made the youngest Shelby glower at her second eldest brother.

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cilldaracailin · 4 years ago

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Heaven For Everyone

Merry Christmas Eve!

Hope everyone is having a lovely day and getting ready for Santy to come! Make sure you are all tucked up in your bed or he won’t come down the chimney!

Here is a little early Christmas present for you all!

Suze xxx

"Over the years I have learned that what is important in a dress is the woman who is wearing it."

Taron silently fumed in the conference room in between skype calls. His mood quietly spiralled downhill once he sat in the car with Lyndsey on the way to the hotel where the panel was taking place later on in the morning, using a cornered off area in the conference room for the phone and skype interviews beforehand. She had quickly informed him about some social media scandal that had appeared overnight, calling Robyn out for being a bitch by the girls who had snuck into the pool, saying she was extremely vulgar and rude and the story had spread through the internet quickly. Taron was straight into an interview once he reached the hotel and hadn’t the time to talk to Lyndsey properly or even process what happened, only getting a quick text through to Robyn before he had to put his frustration to the side and concentrate on the questions being asked to him.

It was only twenty minutes later that he finally got to speak to Lyndsey and he was livid as she was able to go into more details about the tweets.

“Surely there is something that can be done about this. It’s a total breech of guest privacy.”

“Taron…”

“They got into the pool for fucks sake Lyndsey!” He roared, pulling his hat off and throwing it to the ground. “The receptionist gave out my private information to her niece who snuck into the hotel and as Robyn stands up for me and herself, those girls just fucking plant disgustingly shit rumours online because they didn’t like they were caught out! I can’t even stay in a fucking hotel now with the woman who saved my life because fucking idiots out there think they can pull shit like this and it is not fucking right Lyndsey!” His voice was loud and very angry, his hands moving with speed as he spoke and he immediately turned to face Lyndsey as he realised he was ranting at the wrong person, his publicist sitting patiently waiting for him to finish venting. “Shit sorry, I am sorry Lyndsey. Sorry.” He repeated. “Sorry.” He said again a bit more quietly.

“I know. I get it and I have already called the hotel to speak to the manager.”

“It’s all over the internet Lyndsey.” Taron sighed heavily sitting back down. “She doesn’t deserve any of this.” Raking his hands through his hair, he then dragged his hands down his face. “It’s such a load of fucking shit.”

Lyndsey reached over to place a hand on Taron’s shoulder. “I know Taron and believe me I didn’t go easy on the hotel. You and Robyn will be checking out of there once Stella is finished and I want you to go back to your flat tonight. I know you had your heart set on the hotel stay for an easy life but not now. You both need the security of your home.” She could feel how his body was completely deflated under her hand. “You and Robyn have nothing to prove to anyone Taron and those girls have spread ugly rumours about you both, and they will be immediately squashed, the actual story of what happened already in the works.”

“She doesn’t need this Lyndsey. Not this weekend. Not right now.”

Lyndsey took Taron in for a hug and hugged him tight. He went from angry to concerned in a matter of seconds and she immediately knew something else was on his mind. “What’s going on Taron?”

“She was already worried but is running on no sleep, she has hurt her hand and spent all Wednesday night in hospital and all she can still think about is me and those girls just snuck into a hotel to try and find me but found Robyn instead and because she was defending me, once again, these girls feel it is right to slate her good nature and just be cruel to someone who gives everything she can to me.”

Lyndsey rubbed Taron’s back in slow soothing circles. His life was always made harder by people who didn’t understand or even care about how their words could hurt and sting and once again he faced another media storm, caused by stupid little girls who knew no better.

“And with the fucking premier tonight, it is all the bloody press are going to ask about.”

“What does Robyn always say to you?” Lyndsey asked into his ear softly. “About the media.”

“To tell the truth.”

“Exactly. I have already been working on the press Taron. It is not your fault that these girls were given information from the hotels receptionist and snuck into the hotel and you know they twisted whatever Robyn said to them.”

“Jesus Lyndsey, they made it sound like she was horrible to them. She doesn’t have a horrible bone in her body.”

“I think her actions have shown the media that Taron.” She felt his weighty sigh against her and the cough that came from deep in his chest. “Please don’t get yourself in a state over this Taron. I am going to sort it all out for you. I already have started.”

Taron’s chest stung a little and it was the first time he had felt the tightness from his cough since Wednesday. He was utterly devastated when Lyndsey told him that the girls who had snuck into the hotel had taken to twitter to insult Robyn and himself too but more so Robyn and he was almost shaking with anger. He had to hold himself together as he had his first interview but his anger quickly subsided and he was hurt and prayed Robyn hadn’t touched her social media or got his message so she was forewarned.

“Take a breath for me.” Lyndsey instructed. “Would you like five minutes to call Robyn?”

After Taron had taken his breath, he shook his head. “Five minutes won’t be long enough. I will text her again to make sure she is ok and then see if she needs a phone call.” He took another long breathe. “I just want one weekend without drama Lyndsey. One weekend where we can just not have anything to worry about.”

Lyndsey’s heart broke a little for Taron. She knew the secret the other one was holding and if they just admitted how they felt to each other, a lot of hurt emotions and worrying could have been avoided.

“You sure Taron?”

“Even if Robyn was feeling a little unsettled by it all, she wouldn’t tell me until later on anyway. She just wouldn’t want to worry me when I am working.”

“She always looks out for you, doesn’t she?”

“Always.” Taron ended the hug with Lyndsey. “I am very happy to head back to mine later on.”

“Good. I could organise for you both to get ready somewhere else Taron.”

“Let’s just leave it Lyndsey. I won’t have the hotel think we are spooked by what happened, that they have driven us away. Robyn is probably sleeping anyway.”

“You said something about her hand?”

“She caught her hand in a metal gate in her work and hurt her hand badly and was in the hospital all Wednesday night. Been a serious struggle for her.”

Lyndsey shook her head. “I see what you mean about having a drama free weekend.”

“Just one Lyndsey. It’s all I ask for.”

“At least when you are in Belfast, you will be closer to each other. Get a few more visits in.”

Taron nodded sadly, his hands going to his face again. His morning had been perfect and with the click of a finger, everything had gone wrong and he was tired of his time with Robyn always being disturbed and interrupted.

“You ready to carry on with the interviews? I am going to prep some answers for you for the panel this afternoon ‘cos I have no doubt a question will be asked.”

“Yeah sure.”

“Text Robyn quickly and I will sign you in for the next one.”

Pulling his phone from his jeans, Taron sent Robyn another text, slightly worried that she hadn’t text him back but made sure she knew her call would be answered by him or Lyndsey if she needed to make one, giving his phone to Lyndsey when he was done, changing his face to as happier a one that he could muster up as the skype interview began.

It was her alarm that woke her up and Robyn was startled as her eyes opened, jumping up a little, groaning as she put weight on her right hand, still cringing as she tried to slide her screen to turn off her alarm. Once she had managed to turn off the cheery tune, she threw herself back into the pillows and sighed. She didn’t even remember falling asleep and she squinted as she looked to her phone, her eyes immediately seeing the four text messages and missed call from Taron. She pulled herself up and unlocked her screen, her eyes scanning the text messages before she called into her voicemail.

‘Hey Robyn. Lyndsey has already released a statement for us and the hotel has made their own statement too and that receptionist has been dealt with accordingly. I figure you are asleep but please don’t be worrying about what was said because we both know it’s a load of bollocks and you have been nothing but my best friend in every way possible. I will see you in a while. I love you.’

Without even thinking about it, Robyn quickly logged into her Twitter app and didn’t even need to search for Taron because her feed was full of tweets and threads from fans discussing what had happened in the hotel and it was a real mixed bag. While some were very much in agreement that she was using Taron, others replied with equally as firm opinions that she had been nothing but a wonderful friend to Taron and she had every right to stand her ground considering the girls had snuck into Taron’s hotel.

A link led her to the statement made by Taron’s management as well as the hotels and it honestly explained the truth of what happened, Taron’s own words being used at how he felt betrayed by the hotel, his privacy breached beyond belief and that Robyn had every right to defend the two of them.

Robyn locked her phone and lay back into the pillows again but opened her phone once more and quickly called Taron. She was met with his voice mail, knowing he had just begun his panel, she left him a message anyway as well as a text. He would get them when he was finished and hopefully her calming words would ease his busy mind. She could only imagine how angry he would have been, how his mood would be tense and completely wound up at the story and what had been a lovely morning of building excited nerves had quickly become edgy and overcome with a setback.

Her head turned as there was a knock at the door and glancing at her watch, it had just gone one. She had spent half an hour trolling through comments and words, her mind in a whirl and her body filled with a mix of emotions that the half an hour had sped by and she was sure it was Taron’s stylist at the door waiting to be let in.

Rolling off the bed, she ran her left hand through her hair, trying to tame it a little. Not being able to dry it straight properly left it with a slight wavey kink and frizz which she detested but it was something she was going to have to deal with until she could hold a hairdryer steadily in her right hand again.

There were four more sharp raps on the door, Robyn opening it on the fourth one and there outside the room, stood Stella dressed in a deep purple pants suit, her hair immaculately curled.

“Jesus Christ do both of you have an aversion to sleeping lately?” Stella asked as she brushed past Robyn and into the bedroom. “And you can leave that open. My team are on their way.”

“Your team?” Robyn questioned opening the door again after she went to close it.

Stella walked back to Robyn and lifted up some of her hair. “My darling, this is a movie premier. Whole different ball game to a party at Elton’s. What is this?”

“My hair?” Robyn asked confused to which Stella puffed.

“I knew I should have come over earlier but would Taron let me? Oh no. Didn’t want to overwhelm you. Didn’t want to scare you away from going. He just doesn’t understand, does he. Easier for a man to get ready.”

Robyn smiled as Stella spoke to herself, her eyes showing a little frustration with Taron’s request which Robyn was very thankful for.

“Did you even sleep? Has Taron slept? Please tell me he had gotten some rest and shaved off that beard.”

Robyn chuckled. “I like the beard. It suits him.”

“Of course you would.” Stella stood back to look at Robyn. “Still as beautiful as ever though. Well stand back dear, let’s not block the doorway.”

Robyn turned her head to look over her shoulder to be met with three more stylists, two women and man, waiting patiently at the door to get into the suite.

“Penelope, Millie and Miles.” Stella introduced the others are they walked past, each one pulling a small suitcase behind them, Miles also carrying two large garment bags very carefully too. “Well let’s get started then. Let me have a look at you.”

Stella walked around Robyn twice, Robyn raising an eye brow her way as she made a third circle. “Show me your hurt hand?” Robyn lifted her right hand and Stella took it carefully. “Taron called me to tell me what happened. Wanted to make sure I knew so I didn’t jostle it too much. He also told me you missed a hair appointment yesterday because you were stuck in the hospital.” Stella saw the surprise in her eyes. “Don’t you worry darling. I have it all under control.” Stella stood in front of Robyn again and ran her hand through the young woman’s long hair. “Highlights?”

“Yeah.” Robyn replied still wondering when Taron was speaking to his stylist.

“I say we lift them a bit. Coming into the summer, it is nice to have a brighter look. Let’s add some layers too.”

“Don’t cut it.” Robyn replied instantly. “Please don’t cut my hair short.”

Stella placed her hands on Robyn’s shoulders. “I won’t. Don’t worry. The length is beautiful. Just a trim to get rid of the ends and then a subtle cut. Nothing extreme at all. I don’t want to change you Robyn. I will only do what you are comfortable with. I understand tonight is so much more than anything you have faced with Taron so I want you to be you and thoroughly comfortable.”

“Thank you Stella.” Robyn felt the relief seep from her. It was exactly what she wanted for the evening.

“So, want to see the dress?” Stella asked, her lips in a full grin. “Taron told me he has been keeping tight lipped about it all. You know nothing.”

“I don’t even know if I believe him when he says it is still green.”

“It’s still green. Come on.”

Stella led Robyn towards the wardrobe where one of her team had hung the garment bag. The zip was still closed and the three stylists stood at the bed, a look of excitement on their faces as they waited for the reveal of the dress.

“Why don’t you take the honour Robyn.” Stella insisted.

Taking a step closer to the bag Robyn used her left hand to hold the zip and drag it down, opening it completely. Her eyes picked up the green colour immediately and it wasn’t just a boring green but a stunning dark green with a shimmer. She slipped her hands in behind the garment bag and tried to get the material out but stopped as her right hand ached and she realised there was a lot of material in the skirt of the dress and with one hand she couldn’t quite pull it out.

“Let me.” Miles, the male stylist came over to help her and eased the dress from the bag, hanging the dress up, taking the garment bag with him.

Robyn stared at the dress, her mouth dropping a little and she turned to Stella. “So, you said you wanted me to be comfortable.” Stella nodded. “Ok, well where is the rest of the dress?” Robyn turned back to the incredibly beautiful dress in front of her. She felt her question was valid as the front sweetheart neckline of the dress dipped down in the back to leave a completely backless feature. She felt Stella come and stand beside her. “I think it is a valid question.”

“I knew you were going to question it. I told Taron you would question it but he insisted.”

“Taron?” Robyn looked to the stylist, her face in a slight frown.

“He wanted something different, something that would just blow everyone away. I told him it was a risk, the backless design, that you preferred more subtle in every way possible but he said to trust him.” Stella took the dress down and held it out closer to Robyn. “The colour is called peacock green. The top of the dress is the same sweetheart style of the burgundy one from January. Decorated with green and clear crystals, they are swirled around in lines and spirals, meeting in a dark green crystal belt around the waist.” Stella turned the dress around. “It is backless Robyn as the front runs around and down the side before meeting with the belt which sits neatly in the middle of the back. Under the belt, there is a beautiful flow of material that may seem like a lot but with the fitted part of the top of the dress, the extra material just adds to the luxury of the dress and when you walk in the dress, it just drifts and moves as you do.” Stella turned the dress around again. “It is lined inside with velvet on top so will be cosy and comfortable and the crystals won’t snag or pull your skin.”

“Stella how does it even stay on?” Robyn questioned as she reached forward to hold the top of the dress in her hands.

“Little silicone gel strips along the inside seam of the dress.”

Robyn looked inside and saw the clear strips, similar to that on the inside of a strapless bra. Fingering over the bodice of the dress, it sparkled in the lights of the room and as she picked up the dress skirt, she could feel her heart racing. She could never pull off such a dress and found herself shaking her head. “Please tell me you have a second option Stella.”

The stylist could see and feel the hesitation coming from Robyn. “Just this one.” She replied. “It is stunning Robyn and perfect for tonight.”

“I can’t wear this.” Robyn replied with clear sadness in her voice. “I could never wear this.”

“And why not?” Stella demanded.

Robyn looked to the dress, then to her own body and then to Stella. “I just can’t.”

Stella handed the dress to Miles and took the two steps closer to Robyn. “Now you listen to me. I don’t know what is going on in that head of yours but stop it. You have already stepped into a beautiful figure-hugging dress twice before and did you read anything bad about how you looked? How the dress fitted? In fact, if I do remember correctly, your dress from Elton’s was complimented many times by numerous fashion magazines.”

“It was?” Robyn asked quietly.

“It was. You are a woman Robyn, with curves in all the right places which men appreciate. Tell me Taron hasn’t taken advantage of it.” She saw Robyn’s face lift in a tiny smile. “Now tell me you hated it. Hated that he cuddled into you and you can’t because you know as much as he loved it, you did too. Trust him and maybe he wants you in this dress for a reason.” Stella wiggled her eyebrows which Robyn laughed at. “He knows how nervous you are, he knows what these events are like and while he is doing everything he can to keep you close and make sure you are comfortable, he also wants to almost show you off, to show the world that you are in his life and fuck anyone who thinks different. You put on this dress and you walk out on that carpet with him and watch the media stop for a second and maybe just a little bit of you just wants to try it on?”

Robyn bit her lip and lifted the dress again. “It is stunning but that backless feature. I can’t pull that off.”

“Honey, don’t forget I have your measurements. I know it will fit and fit you well and stay on.” Robyn looked doubtful. “And you won’t be going braless either. I have that sorted too.” Robyn felt like Stella could read her mind. “Please just try it on. If it is just the backless feature that you don’t like, we can fix it. If you hate the entire dress, I will figure something out but at least just try it on.”

Robyn ran her hands over the dress again. “He helped with the design?” She asked.

“He chose everything to do with the dress with some help. He picked the colour and asked about something that would stand out, something that would make you shine suggesting backless. Also, he said something about a connection with your back. No idea what he meant.”

“I do.” Robyn saw Stella waiting for an explanation. “In Florida, he cleaned the wound on my shoulder and I had to take my t-shirt off so he could do it.”

Stella smiled. “Try it on.” She said handing Robyn the dress.

The material felt soft and silky in her hands and not too heavy either. “I might need some help getting into this.”

Stella smiled widely. “That is what we are here for.”

After finding out that Miles was happily married and living with his husband of five years, Robyn was happy to strip down in the room and with a lot of help slipped into the dress. Stella had initially told her to stay in her black bra but it ruined the effect of the dress so Stella helped Robyn into the bathroom and into the backless bra and then the dress, Robyn at the mercy of the stylist as she ensured the dress fitted her body seamlessly.

“How does it feel?” Stella asked once she stepped away from Robyn. She ran her hands down the sides of the dress, making sure it was sitting comfortably and right with nothing on show that shouldn’t be.

“It’s actually ok.” Robyn admitted. “It won’t fall off Stella, will it?” She asked, her own hands running up and down the side of the dress, feeling the bare skin of her back too.

The stylist smiled softly. “No darling it won’t. Though I think I might need to bring this waist in a little bit.” Stella pinched the belt a little. “An inch, I think. Robyn Quinn, you are wasting away before my eyes.” Robyn smiled a little. “No more, you hear me?” She warned, letting the material go. “I can fix that easily.”

“Stella are you sure it won’t fall off or down?” Robyn placed her hands on the neckline.

“It’s not too low Robyn and it won’t fall or slip or go any lower. It is perfect.”

Robyn had yet to look in the mirror of the bathroom, her eyes avoiding her reflection as soon as Stella re-dressed her. Her stomach was in bits and her heart was thumbing rapidly. Taking a quick breather, she turned to the large mirror above the sink and her eyes opened wide. Taken back by the person staring back at her, she took a step closer to the mirror. Green had always been one of her favourite colours along with blue and the shade was perfect. Not too bright but still obviously green, the crystal details shimmered in the high lighting of the bathroom. The neckline was a little higher than the burgundy dress which she was glad off as there was no lace for extra coverage on her shoulders. She turned a little and tilted her head as she took in the backless design of the dress and immediately her heart began to race and she felt a little heat rise to her cheeks. It wasn’t too low and nestled nicely against the middle of her back and looked secure and well fitted. She could see the belt sitting perfectly in position highlighting her figure before the material fanned out right down to the ground.

“How does he do it?” Robyn turned to Stella. “Every time. It’s perfect. Stella it is so perfect.” Robyn found herself in a hug and she laughed a little. “I love it.” She let Stella go and ran her hands down the dress. “Can I get a sneaky look at his suit?”

Stella laughed. “No.” She answered still laughing. “That is a surprise. Now let’s go back out to the bedroom and I can pop some pins in and alter this dress so it is more than perfect.”

Stella had Robyn stand very still so she could pull and pinch and alter the dress in three different places, either side of the belt and at the back, the dress hugging Robyn effortlessly with the alterations.

“Ok let’s get you out of this dress and then Miles is going to start your hair.”

With the distraction of trying on the dress, Robyn hadn’t the time to think about the media or press but as she showered before she had to get her hair done, Robyn had all the time she needed for her mind to over think the story and the more she thought about it the more she could feel herself getting annoyed. From the moment she was greeted by the receptionist, she knew she didn’t like her and her initial feelings had been right and everything had swirled from there. Social media was such a dangerous platform for people to spread rumours and she was so thankful for Lyndsey’s quick work once again in squashing the story, explaining that it was Taron who was actually the one who had been left hurt over it all. It was definitely going to be an interesting evening on the red-carpet and Robyn could feel the butterflies in her stomach as the time ticked closer. After rubbing her favourite and most expensive body moisturiser in, and wrapping herself up in the one of the hotel’s dressing gowns, Robyn made her way back into the bedroom and sat in the chair ready for her, Miles carefully applying the colour to her hair while Millie painted her finger nails the same shade of green as her dress.

It was a little awkward to try and wash the colour out of her hair using the shower head but Robyn didn’t mind the unconventional hair wash technique and once was seated back in the bedroom, Miles combing her wet hair through, she heard the door in the other side of the suite open with a bang, Taron almost running into the bedroom.

Robyn could see the slight panic in his face, the worry in his eyes and she stood up from the chair, Miles’ comb falling from her hair and she walked to meet him and the two embraced in a hug.

“I am so sorry Robyn.” He breathed into her shoulder.

He was so thankful for the stress-free panel with Colin and Matthew and all of the questions were asked about the movie and the filming process rather than the newest media story and he found himself enjoying the jokes and laughs with the group he sat with and the rest of his skype interviews were a breeze too. It was only as he sat in the car on the way back to the hotel that his fingers twisted nervously and his legs bounced too as he thought through the hurtful and cruel words trailing on the internet about Robyn. He understood the speculations and gossip around him, it just was part of his job but when it was about Robyn, he was less sympathetic and more angry. He had the door of the car open before it pulled to a complete stop outside the hotel and power walked in through the glass doors, ignoring his name being called from reception, heading straight for the stairs, taking them two at time the whole way up the six flights to the third floor. He ran towards the end of the hall and in his rush to get his key from his pocket, dropped it on the floor. He cursed and struggled to pick it up, cursing again. Once he got the door open, he headed straight for the bedroom, and saw Robyn sitting in a chair, dressed in one of the hotels pristine white dressing gowns, one of Stella’s team brushing her hair.

It didn’t take her longer than two seconds to get out of the chair and hug him tight and he felt left hand on the nape of his neck, rubbing little deep circles on his skin.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” She whispered to him. She caught Stella’s eye who was sitting at the table by the window, altering the dress.

“I think it is time for a coffee break.” Stella stood up and motioned to her team. “We’ll be back in a few.”

Once the stylists had left the room, Robyn hugged Taron tighter to her. “Thank you for your texts and calls.”

“I was so worried you would have gotten the notifications from your social media and seen them before I got to talk to you. Robyn I am so sorry for the shit storm.”

“Not your fault Taron and I have already seen the statement Lyndsey sent out.”

“They said such appalling things about you Robyn.”

“And we both know they are shit Taron. Most of the fans are on your side over this whole thing. They are really disgusted at what the girls did, what they did to you.”

Taron took a long deep breath. “Just not what we needed this weekend.”

“Are you really gonna let this shit get in your head Taron? After everything we have been through? After every story that has been wrote about us? This actually turned to our favour when you think about it.” Robyn took her hands away from his back and neck and moved away from his body, placing her hands on his face. “Lyndsey has already sorted it. This is not going to spoil your evening. It is not going to take away from your excitement, my excitement of seeing this movie, of sharing the amazing work you have done and I am not letting stupid immature girls ruin your night or mine or that beautiful dress I cannot wait to wear.”

Taron’s lips pulled into a small smile. “Saw the dress then?”

“Still waiting for a glimpse of your suit.”

“Do you like it?” He asked a little shyly, his eyes deepening in their colour.

“Your suit? I don’t know. Stella won’t show me.”

Although he didn’t want to, Taron laughed and threw her arms around her to hug her against him again. “We will have one drama free weekend. I promise.”

“I don’t know what we would do with ourselves if we had a drama free weekend.” She murmured into his warm shoulder. “How were your interviews?”

“They were good. The panel was actually a good laugh and the questions were about the franchise and the filming process.” He ended the hug with a light squeeze. “You haven’t run away from Stella yet.”

She smiled and shook her head. “Almost.”

“The dress?”

“That dress…” Robyn stalled. “Is beautiful Taron.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, I am sure.”

“Everything else ok?”

She nodded. “Thank you for asking Stella to fix my hair.” She blushed a little.

“It’s the little things, right?”

The door of the suite opened and Stella walked back in carrying a tray of coffees. “I need you in that other room in the next ten minutes.” She said pointing the coffee’s Taron’s way. “You seen a bed at all or a razor?” Both Taron and Robyn laughed a little. “Am I ok to have her sit back in that chair?”

With a nod, Taron leaned in to kiss her cheek. “We are going back to mine tonight.” He explained to her.

“Fine by me.” She agreed.

“Can you pack up your case before you are back in the very capable hands of Stella please? We will bring them with us when we leave to go to the premier and Clive will keep them in his car until we are back at mine later.”

“Sure of course I will. It won’t take me too long.”

“Me neither and if Stella will let me, I am going to do it right now.”

It took Taron less than two minutes to gather his belongings and close his case over, wheeling it to the door between the bedroom and living room. He then went to help Robyn who had taken just as quick to collect most of her things and they left her case next to his.

“All ready to go.” She assured him, taking his hand and giving it a light squeeze. “Means you can have along lie in tomorrow. We don’t have to check out of your flat, do we?”

He was always to thankful for her way with words, for reading his mind and easing his worries in a split second. “No we don’t.”

“Coffee.” Stella walked toward them and handed Taron a cup. “You couldn’t have even tried to get some more sleep?” She placed her hands on his cheeks.

“I spent four days sleeping Stella.” He smiled under her hands.

“This is going too mister.” She ran her fingers along his jaw, making him smile more. “Adds too many years to your face.”

“You sound like my mother.” He chuckled as Stella took her hands from him.

“Robyn you can sit back in that chair, Miles, is going to finish your hair. Taron you can make your way into the other room and take a seat. We have two hours to get you both ready and that is just not enough time for me.”

Giving Robyn a little grin, Taron turned on his heels and walked into the living room of the suite and dropped his body onto the couch, sipping the coffee in his hands. He would never come to understand the inner strength Robyn had, how she always managed to talk him down, use her words to comfort him. Closing his eyes his lay back against the cushions of the couch. He could feel his stomach churning a little with nerves but perhaps his apprehensions about the evening were not as troublesome as they had been.

Stella closed the door between the bedroom and living room and saw the frown on Robyn’s face.

“You think I am going to let him see you or vice versa? Not a chance in hell. You can ring him if you want him.”

“Ring him? He is about ten meters away from me.”

“Ring him.” Stella confirmed. “Now Miles, get that toner in her hair. We are cutting it tight on our time and there is still a lot to do.”

Once the toner was washed out of Robyn’s hair, Miles moved across into the living room to defuzz Taron, Millie now taking over Robyn’s hair. Stella had already discussed with the hairdresser what way she wanted Robyn’s hair styled and once it was dry, Millie got to work on curling sections of Robyn’s newly highlighted hair, pinning each curl up with a clip.

Stella pulled another chair over to sit beside Robyn. “So, make up. I don’t want to go too bold with your look. I am sticking with a very natural look. Something to make your eyes pop even more, adding a tiny bit of shade of green to take in the dress.” Robyn nodded. “You don’t need much anyway, maybe some highlight too.”

“You know more than I do Stella.”

While Robyn’s hair set, Penelope started to prime her skin, getting it ready for Stella’s preferred look. A little foundation just to even her skin out, she set to work on creating a subtle green smokey eye with a dash of black for some depth. A thin line of black winged eyeliner along with two coats of mascara, Penelope added a dash of contouring with some bronzer and a touch of lightness with a highlighter on her cheek bones. Once she had blotted the nude lipstick from Robyn’s lips, she handed her a mirror, smiling at the surprise on her face.

“Perfect.” Penelope said.

Robyn moved her face from side to side, taking in the simple yet effective make up on her face. Everything was so subtle but worked together to enhance her blue eyes and Penelope had even managed to cover the tiredness in her face flawlessly. As she put the mirror down, she saw Stella standing in front of her holding the dress.

“We have an hour left to get you ready and it is just not enough time.” She ushered Robyn into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. “Bet you Taron is laying on the couch asleep right now.”

Robyn chuckled as she opened the tie on the robe. “Possibly.”

As Taron was side-lined to the living room, he had been laying on the couch with his eyes closed, taking a little snooze. The door of the bedroom opened and he turned his head to see the hair stylist walk in with his belt of hair accessories and a little case.

“Come on Taron. You know Stella likes to keep to a schedule.” Miles said to him as he pulled out one of the chairs from the table to the left of the couch.

Taron stood up and walked over and sat in a chair as directed by Miles.

“Do you think she would be pissed if I told you not to do this?” Taron asked Miles after a few minutes as he gently rubbed an exfoliation scrub into his jaw and neck.

Miles laughed. “You want a telling off from Stella?”

“Not at all.” Taron reflected.

Miles didn’t answer but continued to massage the scrub into Taron’s skin, washing it away with a warm wet cloth once done. He felt the tickly bristles from the brush as his face was coated with a generous amount of shaving cream. Taron would happily have shaved himself, but he knew Stella would never let him so sat back and closed his eyes, letting someone else worry about giving him a clean shave.

Once finished, Taron took his time in the shower, in no rush to get ready. He knew there wasn’t as much to his preparation as Robyn’s and he hoped she was ok in the other side of the suite and not overwhelmed by all the attention she was getting. Throwing on a hotel bathrobe, he sat back in the chair for Miles who smoothed some moisturiser onto his jaw and neck before the hairdresser started to style his hair, dragging some gel through the strands, giving it some body and height. With a light fritz of hairspray, Miles smiled at Taron.

“All good to go. Don’t touch the hair or Stella will have something to say.”

With a grin Taron nodded and watched Miles make his way back through the door to the bedroom, being very careful to keep the gap small so Taron couldn’t see in. It was half an hour before he knew they had to leave and Taron opened the bag with his suit on the coffee table and smiled. The velvet jacket matched the colour of Robyn’s dress exactly and the velvet waistcoat added a little extra to his suit. Black slacks and shoes alone with a crisp white shirt and dark green tie, he knew it was easier for him to get dressed for the evening and he hoped Robyn wasn’t feeling any major jitters. Walking over to the couch he picked up his phone and called her.

“This is a terrible time to call me.” Robyn answered his call as she walked out of the bathroom and back into chair to sit.

He chuckled. “I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t tried to escape through a window.”

Robyn looked down to the dress she was finally fitted into as Millie took out her curls. “You think Stella would have let me do that?”

“No but still, are you ok? Do you need a hug?”

“Oh dear God desperately but if you even think to open that door, I will be attending your premier by myself.” Taron laughed. “How are you doing rocketman?”

“Just about to get changed and clean shaven.”

“Stella will be pleased.”

He ran his left hand across his smooth jaw. “My face is cold.”

Robyn chuckled but it was Stella who spoke to him next. “Taron you know I love you but I have twenty minutes before you both need to leave and Penelope is on her way over to you now to try and hide those dark circles.”

Taron looked to his phone as his call was ended and the door opened, Penelope walking through it, closing it behind her.

“Do you want me to tell Stella that you are not dressed yet?”

With a grin, Taron lifted his suit and headed into the bathroom to change quickly. The suit fit him like a glove and he walked back into the room holding his tie, taking a seat back in the chair, Penelope placing a make-up cover around his shoulders to keep his suit clean. It took her five minutes to tone down the dark skin under his eyes, adding a little powder for a shine free face.

“All done.”

“Is Stella finished with Robyn?” He asked as he stood up, throwing his tie around his neck.

“Should be but I wouldn’t go through just yet in case she hasn’t.”

Taron didn’t heed Penelope’s words and walked to the connecting door and opened it, walking right into the bedroom, to be met with Robyn’s back. He could feel the stares coming from Stella as he stood behind Robyn, his eyes wandering down her bare back to where the green crystal studded belt sat on her waist, the flow of material from the skirt of the dress all around her. A light dusting of freckles still decorated her shoulders, even after being home from Florida for so long and her skin was flawless apart from the small scar on her left shoulder. Her hair in fell in a sheet of perfect waves over her right shoulder and the newly blonde colour shone in the lights of the room.

“Taron!” Stella’s voice was stern but the Welshman didn’t hear it as Robyn looked over her shoulder to him.

Stella had insisted on completing the finishing touches on Robyn herself and was just adding a final lipstick coat to her lips, when Taron interrupted them, looking as handsome as always in his perfectly tailored suit but as she looked to his eyes, she could see the honest love and compassion in them and admitted defeat, nodding at Robyn.

Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and when she had looked over her shoulder, she had caught a glimpse of a very dashing looking Taron but lifting the skirt of her dress with her hands, Robyn could turn around and fully take him in. His tie hung around his neck, yet to be made, but his jacket was perfectly matched to her dress, his waistcoat too. Her lips lifted in a half smile and she walked over to him, taking her time in her green heels until she stood in front of him. The green colour of his suit jacket made his eyes stand out and Taron wore the designer three-piece suit with ease and faultlessness. Looking to his face, she supposed Stella and his mam were right when they said a clean face took years off him but Robyn was partial to his scruffier look and she smiled as he watched her look him over.

“Can I?” She asked touching his tie.

“Please.”

She pulled it slowly from around his neck and took a step closer to him so she could lift the collar of his shirt. Placing the tie around his neck. Robyn took her time as she worked a double Windsor knot into his tie knowing that Taron’s dark eyes were watching every move she made.

Taron hoped she couldn’t see his heart beating hard in his chest because he felt that at any moment it was going to burst through his skin. He just wanted to grab her and pull her close, kiss her cheek, her head and her lips, let his hands run up and down the warm skin of her back and it took everything he had not to just do that. She matched his height and she was stunning. He was so nervous about the style of dress, the daring backless design and was so worried Stella would have to change the dress at the last minute but Robyn had stepped into the dress and he found himself biting his lower lip as he looked her up and down. It was everything and more and the fitted top outlined her curves and he could only imagine how the skirt would move as she walked.

Robyn could see his eyes go for a little walk as she tied his tie and if he was allowed to look then she was certainly going to take advantage too and as she pushed the knot of his tie to the top button of his shirt, she pulled lightly on his waistcoat with her right hand, using her left to smooth his tie behind the velvet material, running her hands over his chest once more before fixing his collar.

“All done.” She said taking her hands from him. “You look very much a perfect Kingsman.” She joked.

“Robyn you are a vision of beauty.” His words left his mouth before he could stop himself and while he knew his cheeks blushed, hers matched his too. He cleared his throat and took a little step back. “I mean… I just…. I…” Taron stuttered and was so relieved as Robyn stepped closer to him and gave him a hug.

“Thank you Taron. You look as handsome as ever.” While she ran her hands soothingly up and down his back, Robyn felt him just rest his very tentatively on the bare skin of her back. “Hey you wanted this dress; you need to be prepared to give proper hugs while I am wearing it!” She scolded him.

With a slight nervous chuckle, Taron moved his hands slowly around her back and to her waist, pulling her against him a little tighter. “The dress is perfect. Robyn you look so beautiful. Not that you need a dress to look beautiful but I mean the dress just makes you look even more beautiful than you already are and I know you don’t care about this stuff or need any of this stuff to be…”

As Taron rambled on Robyn’s smiled turned into a grin and she moved away from him a little, taking her hands from his back and placing them on his cheeks, titling his head down to place a soft kiss on his forehead, followed by one on each cheek and then his nose. “Thank you Taron and breathe a little ok?” She rubbed her thumbs over his smooth jaw. “So soft.” She whispered to him. “I miss the beard.”

With a nod under her hands, Taron finally smiled and then laughed a little. “Me too if I am honest. You look lovely.” He whispered to her. “And I like your hair.” He raised his hand to touch her hair but stopped as Stella called out in a shout.

She had been watching the sweet interaction between the two, her lips in a smile as she saw nothing but pure love between the them but as Taron went to touch Robyn’s perfectly styled waves, she wouldn’t have it. She stepped over to them. “Don’t even think about.” She scolded him. “And if you are going to kiss him then you need to bring this with you.” She held up the lipstick tube to Robyn. “No kissing while on the red carpet.” She instructed.

Robyn smiled and took the lipstick. “Sure Stella.” She walked away from Taron and to the bed where a bag which matched her dress had been laid out for her and she popped the lipstick in. She took her phone from it and made her way back towards his stylist. “Would you take a picture for us please?”

“Of course.”

Stella made them pose in various different ways and when she had Robyn turn to face Taron with her back to the camera, her head looking over her shoulder, the two ended the sudden photoshoot.

“We really need to go Stella. The car will be waiting outside for us.”

“Yes yes of course. A movie to promote and all that.”

As Taron made his way back into the living area to get his phone and wallet, Robyn tuned to Stella. “Thank you so much Stella. I can’t say enough about how I have actually enjoyed the makeover. Thank you for listening to me and making sure I was completely comfortable.”

“You are going to make heads turn on that carpet.” Stella gave her a hug. “You two are delightful together. He hasn’t taken his eyes off you.” She winked. “He might be keeping his distance now but believe me, he will be glued to your side in a while.”

Robyn rolled her eyes as Stella let her go. “Thank you Stella.”

“Robyn you have everything you need? Your case ready to go to?” Taron came to stand beside her. “Clive is waiting outside for us.”

“Yep.”

“Stella a pleasure as always.” Taron walked over to his stylist and gave her a firm hug. “Thank you for looking after her.” He kissed her cheek.

“I look forward to our next meeting Robyn. I think we might work with a pants suit the next time.”

Robyn’s face lit up. “Now that I can definitely agree to.”

“I have the most perfect one in mind.”

With another thank you from both of them, Robyn and Taron grabbed their cases and made their way out of the hotel room, leaving Stella and the others to tidy up their gear before they left too.

“I am sorry we have to drag our cases with us.” Taron apologised as they stood waiting for the lift. “It definitely wasn’t in my plan. Lyndsey thought it was the best course of action going back to mine, away from here after the premier.”

“I don’t mind Taron. I think it is actually a good idea to go back to your flat. It means there is no rush on us now tomorrow to get up and go.”

Stepping into the lift, Taron pressed the button for the ground floor. “You ready to be stared at as we walk through reception.” He asked her.

“Might as well start in the way we intend to continue our evening.”

As the lift dinged with their arrival on the ground floor, Robyn went to take her case but Taron already had his hand on it. “I got it.”

She didn’t argue with him and allowed him to take both cases. As the lift doors separated and opened, they were met three people waiting to use the lift, who stepped back to let them pass, Robyn sticking very close to Taron as they walked. They definitely caught the attention of many of the hotel guests as they walked through the tiled lobby and Robyn definitely heard whispers of their names echo through the grand foyer. Before they reached the glass doors of the exit, Taron’s name was called and they stopped and turned to see the manager of the hotel walking their way.

“Mr Egerton, Miss Quinn, could I have a moment of your time please?”

Robyn instantly felt Taron freeze and tense up beside her and she hooked her arm through his. She turned her head toward the manager. “I am so sorry, but we actually don’t have time to stop. We are on an extremely tight time schedule.”

“I understand that but I would just like a minute to apologise to you both. I am appalled by the behaviour of one of our employees and can only apologise again for the trouble her actions have caused you both. If you ever would like to stay here again, please know we will put you up in our finest suite and will cover all the expense.”

Taron was ready to tell the manager exactly what she could do with her offer but Robyn got there before him. “Thank you for your apology.” She began. “But Taron and I will not be returning to your hotel. His own private information was given by one of your trusted employees to their niece who in turn snuck into the hotel in search of Taron to take photographs of him while he used your hotels facilities. Your employee’s niece then took to social media to slander my name as well as Taron’s and put us both through an agonising few hours of worry and stress. I think you can understand our reluctance to stay here again. We will stick to the Premier Inn from now. At least we can go to and fro from there without watching our backs constantly.” With a pull on his arm, Robyn started to walk out of the lobby of the hotel, Taron following her, pulling their cases as he walked.

#Taron Egerton #Taron Egerton Fanfiction #Taron Egerton Fanfic #Taron Fanfic #Love #Friendship #Cuddles #Protection #Loyalty #Trust #Connections #Excitement #Robyn and Taron

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