#but a smaller part hoped they were true and maybe he’d be invited to join in

[bbbbbbbbatman]

Clark would never admit this but when he found out Batman’s identity there was a small part of him that was disappointed that his fantasy threesome would never happen

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Sweethearts

Troy Bolton x Reader

Words: 4327

Summary: Following the efforts of a smaller, eviler version of Sharpay, the reader doubts her abilities and her relationship. Troy must restore her faith in herself in time for the perfect Valentine’s day dance. 

Notes: Can I Have This Dance is literally my favorite scene from the whole series so I had to use it for this. Highly recommend listening to it before reading to get the feel.  Let me know what you think! I’m so sorry it's so long, but I really loved getting into the romance. I’m pretty proud of this one, so just a little extra love would be very appreciated.  (There’s also a 17 Again reference in here, if you catch it) Also, I couldn’t decide which gif I liked more, so I had to use both!

-

You couldn’t help the slight squeak of fear in your voice as the group of girls walked towards you. 

“Hi Sharpay.” You greeted anxiously. She flipped her impossibly shiny blonde hair over her shoulder. She really was terrifying when she wanted to be. 

“I heard that you might be signing up to perform in the Sweetheart’s Showcase.” She raised an accusing brow. 

“Oh, um, yeah.” You stammered. “I was thinking about doing a duet with-”

“Blah blah blah, I know that. What are you wearing?” Her glare intensified, as did your confusion.”

“I-I don’t-” “Just make sure it isn’t pink, okay?” Sharpay ordered and her little pack nodded in agreement. “Pink is my color.”

“O-okay.” Was all you managed to say. She and her posse strutted off, but Madison gave you a lingering stare. You gulped. Sharpay may be the leader, but Madison was the shark of the group. Once she smelled blood, she would not be stopped. And ever since you’d started dating the basketball captain…

“Guess who?” A pair of hands covered your eyes. Maybe it was from his time spent on the roof, but Troy always smelled like fresh summer air. 

“Hmmm… Mrs. Darbus?” You giggled. Troy’s arms wrapped around your middle and lifted you off the ground, making you laugh more. He swung you around before setting you back and spinning you so you were facing him. 

“Ha ha.” He snarked, eyes sparkling in a particularly suspicious way. “What did ‘Her Majesty’ want?” You shrugged.

“She told me I couldn’t wear pink for the show case because it���s ‘her color’.” You laughed. “I wouldn’t dare try to outshine the Princess of Pink.”

“Yeah… about the showcase…” Troy looked at the floor. You felt your heart drop a little.

“You want to back out, don’t you?” You sighed sadly. “I mean, I get it. Performing in front of everybody freaks me out too-”

“Woah woah woah.” Troy laughed, that sparkle shining brighter. “I was just hoping that you would wear this.” He dangled a chain in front of you. The necklace was a stunning heart-shaped charm made with little red gems.

“Troy.” You gasped, a smile stretching from ear to ear. “It’s beautiful.” 

“I figured you’d be stressed out over the showcase and the paper so I thought you’d like a little early Valentine.” He shrugged and you pressed a sweet kiss to his cheek before turning around so he could put it on you. His fingers grazed your skin as he draped the chain around your neck.

“I wish I had something for you.” You whined, draping your arms around his neck as his arms fell to your waist. 

“Just promise me a Valentine’s Day kiss and that is all I need.” He grinned and pulled you closer for a kiss. 

It was quite a shock to the status quo when you and Troy started dating. The shy editor of the school newspaper and the star player of the basketball team made an interesting pair. But when Mrs. Darbus paired the two of you together to paint set in detention, something just… happened. You opened up around Troy more than you could with anyone. You helped him realize that there was more to him than basketball when you got him to sing with you at your vocal recital last year. Somehow the two of you just worked. 

“I hate to interrupt,” Taylor scoffed. “But the yearbook won’t edit itself.” You gave your best friend a look and Taylor smirked. 

“Sorry Troy.” Gabriella laughed, grabbing your hand and dragging you down the hall. “We’ll see you at lunch!” The three of you rushed down the hall and Troy went to go find Chad.

“Ugh, he is so dreamy.” Libby, one of Sharpay’s sophomore groupies, sighed. Madison made a sound of disgust. 

“And yet somehow he got stuck with that.” She watched you vanish into the journalism classroom and closed her locker. “Shouldn’t the Crowned Prince of East High be with someone a little more, I don’t know, worthy of his attention?” 

“Who, like Sharpay?” Libby asked, applying another coat of lip gloss. Madison smirked. 

“Yeah.” She turned her head to the jersey-clad boy retreating down the hall. “Like Sharpay.”

-

“So can I have this dance?”

“Can I have this dance?”

Your eyes were locked together as the room erupted with applause. You were in Troy’s arms before you had the chance to move. 

“You guys, that was amazing!” Gabriella squealed with excitement. 

“I couldn’t imagine anyone better to sing it.” Kelsi smiled, tucking the music into her folder. Even Taylor was impressed.

“I still think you two should give it a shot.” Troy nodded towards Taylor and Chad. You laughed into his shoulder as excuses tumbled out of their mouths. 

“Let’s go, I think my mom is making some nachos.” You laced your fingers through his and told everyone you’d see them tomorrow. After practice rehearsals were exhausting for Troy, but he knew how happy it made you. Besides singing with you was the perfect way to relax after a long day of practice of running and shooting hoops. Plus, your mom made killer nachos. 

His truck sputtered to a start and he winced. You giggled and earned a playful glare. At least it started this time. Sometimes, the two of you were stranded in the school parking lot until Troy could get his truck to start. You never minded. With minimal bumps and jolts, Troy was able to get to your house. 

“I think the song is really coming together.” You said as the two of you made your way to the front door. “Ryan said he’d love to choreograph something for us.” 

“How sweet.” Your door opened and Madison gave you a seemingly innocent smile. You stopped so suddenly Troy almost walked right into you. 

“Maddie.” You tried to seem pleasantly surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“Didn’t your mom tell you?” She laughed and pulled you inside- rather forcefully you might add. “My mom and her are in the same book club! She invited us to join you guys for dinner.” She looked over your shoulder and a little menacing glint appeared in her eyes. “Oh, hi Troy.”

“Hey.” He greeted uncomfortably, following you inside. 

“I hope you don’t mind the extra company tonight.” Your mother beamed. “Julie was saying how excited Madison has been to work with you two for the musical and I thought it’d be fun for you kids to get to know each other.”

“That sounds great, Mr.s Y/L/N.” Troy put on that charming smile of his and pulled your chair out for you. Madison stood for a moment, as if she was expecting him to do the same for her. Being a gentleman, he moved her chair back before taking a seat. 

“So you guys were talking about your number for the Sweetheart’s Showcase?” Maddie asked, eyeing Troy in a less than subtle way. He glanced at you with the same slightly scared look he had when he had to sing with Sharpay at the resort. 

“Uh, yeah. Ryan said he had some choreography in mind.” Even after over a year of dating, sometimes the way he looked at you still gave you butterflies. “I mean, I think just singing would be fine-”

“You guys have to dance.” Maddie blurted. She flipped her hair over her shoulder- just like Sharpay, but like, pettier. “What I mean is, it would be so romantic, don’t you think?” 

“I agree.” Your mom said excitedly. You shot a look. 

“I’m sure what Ryan has planned will be great.” You concluded, hoping to drop the subject. You didn’t really want to discuss your super romantic duet in front of Madison. 

Dinner passed painfully. The only thing keeping you from screaming out in frustration was Troy’s silly antics. From funny faces to pretending his chips were fighter planes, he distracted you from Madison’s subtly back-handed comments. The adults mistook them for compliments, but you knew exactly what she meant. 

“Wow, I am totally beat.” Maddie exclaimed just as the parents started to go out to the porch, like adults do. 

“Oh, I guess we’ll call it a night.” Her mom frowned. 

“You stay and have fun, mom.” She smiled sweetly. “Troy can give me a ride. Right, Troy?”

“Um,”

“Great!” She practically skipped  to the front door. 

“You really are too good to be true, Mr. Bolton.” Her mother gushed before stepping out onto the back porch with your parents. 

“I’ll walk you out.” You said, not really sure if you were irritated, confused, or a little impressed. 

“You’re coming to the game tomorrow night, right?” Troy asked as you made your way down the front steps. Madison was already in the front seat, checking her reflection in the mirror. You shrugged. 

“Actually I was thinking about catching a movie.” His shoulders sagged with disappointment. You shook your head. “Of course I’ll be there!” You exclaimed with a laugh. Troy put his hands on your cheeks and leaned in for a goodnight kiss. 

“Oh Troy!” Madison called from the truck and the two of you pulled a part. “I should be getting home. I’m totally-” She yawned dramatically, “exhausted.” Troy sighed, settling for a light kiss on your cheek. “Goodnight.”

“Night.” He reluctantly ran to his truck and you went back inside. Before the door closed, you couldn’t help but smirk as you listened to the sputtering sound of his truck refusing to start.

-

The sound of the crowd was a driving force on it’s own. Troy raced across the court, keeping his eyes locked on his teammate. Chad passed him the ball and he made the shot, that satisfying swish of the net drowned out by the cheers. After a tiring week of practice and rehearsals, his body was pumping with adrenaline. 

“Go Troy!” He picked your voice out over the chorus of cheers. He found you at the edge of the bleachers towards the top and flashed you a smile before taking off again. Gabriella helped you hold up your #14 sign and Kelsi came back from concessions with the popcorn. You and Kelsi weren’t usually ones for sports, but ever since you’d started coming to games you’ve all had a blast. The buzzer sounded. 

“That ends the third quarter here at Wildcat Stadium,” The announcer’s voice boomed. “Hornets 40, Wildcats 58.” 

The fans hollered and you caught Troy’s eye again, giving him a grin that lit up the gym. He pressed his lips to his fingers and pretended to toss the air-kiss like a basketball. You pretended to catch it, accidentally stepping in the strap of the purse behind you.

There was a wave of gasps from the crowd and both teams stopped to see what the commotion was. Troy looked up to see a horrified Gabriella and an empty space where you had been standing. 

“Y/N!” He yelled, running across the court to where a group of people had gathered, including the school nurse. 

“Give her some space! Back up!”

“Let me through! That’s my girlfriend!” Troy pushed his way to the font. You were on the floor, but you were sitting up, trying to catch your breath. 

“Is she okay?” Gabriella yelled down at him. Behind her, Maddison tossed her purse over her shoulder and vanished into the crowd. 

“I think I'm okay,” You groaned. “Just got the wind knocked out of me.” You tried to stand, but cried out when a sharp pain shot up your let.” 

“Take it easy,” Troy soothed, kneeling at your side. 

“Where does it hurt?” The nurse asked. 

“My ankle.” You moved your leg so she could examine it. 

“Looks like it might be sprained.” She sighed. “Let’s get you to my office and take a closer look, okay?” 

Troy put your arm over his shoulder and helped you stand. The nurse took your other arm and gave Troy a reassuring smile. 

“I can take it from here. You go win this game, Mr. Bolton.” 

“But-”

“I’ll be fine, Troy.” You kissed his cheek. “Go get em Wildcat.” The nurse helped you limp out of the gym and Gabriella and Kelso followed close behind. 

Sharpay watched the whole scene from the very top of the stands, eyes narrowed with suspicion. She had seen Maddison pull her bag away just when Y/N fell and it definitely was not a coincidence. The little pirana was playing a dangerous game and Sharpay was not about to let her win. 

-

The show case was just a night away and your ankle still ached whenever you stepped on it, even after a week. You tried not to let it show when Ryan was teaching you the steps, but they hardly let you practice at all. Taylor was furious you were still going through with it. Mrs. Darbus was at least more than willing to let you rehearse during homeroom. 

“And, one two three, one two three,” Ryan tried not to sound irritated when Troy took another wrong step. 

“Sorry.” He grimaced. Ryan just took a deep breath. 

“Just start from ‘wherever we go next’.” He instructed and you tried to remember the steps. “And one two three and lift-” Troy lifted you up and spun the way Ryan showed him. When he set you back down, you stepped wrong. 

“Ow!” You cried, stumbling backwards into the piano. 

“That’s it. You can’t do this anymore.” Taylor said sternly. “You’re going to hurt yourself even more and then you won’t be able to dance at all.” 

“I can do this. It already feels better.” You insisted and she scowled. Troy took your hands in his, the sweetness in those perfect blue eyes just making you feel even more guilty. 

“We can figure something else out.” He felt awful for even pushing you this far. Tomorrow was Valentine’s day and you’d barely had a quiet moment, let alone long enough to destress. “How about we just call it a day? We can go to a movie tonight and just hang out. Just you and me.” You shook your head. 

“I can get this. I just need a second.” You felt ridiculous storming out with crutches, but it was what you had. Troy moved to follow, but Gabriella shook her head. 

“Just give her a minute.” 

You didn’t notice the troop of girls following you to your locker and you were too frustrated to care. You could get this right. Troy had worked too hard with after practice rehearsals and countless hours going over the music with you for you to mess all of it up now. Sometimes you couldn’t help but think he was too good for you. 

You opened your locker and watched dozens of paper Valentine’s float to the floor. At first, you thought this was a sweet gesture from your boyfriend. Then you actually read them. Talentless Freak. Get off the stage. East High’s Resident Loser. 

“Looks like Y/N has an admirer.” Madison sneered and her group of underclassmen terrors erupted with cackles, drawing more people out of Darbus’ room. You set your crutches to the side and picked up one note in particular. Troy’s Tragic Charity Case.

Your heart dropped and the laughing just got louder. You couldn’t even run. You had to stand there and listen, looking at the cruel smirk on Madison’s face as the words echoed in your head over and over again. Charity Case. 

“Y/N- oh my god,” Gabriella exclaimed, looking at the mess of fake Valentines. “Let’s get out of here. Taylor.” 

“I’ll drive you home.” Taylor picked up your crutches and the two practically guarded you as you made your way down the hall. 

By the time Troy got out into the hallway, most of the girls were gone, leaving only the notes scattered across the floor. He didn’t find you until you were already at Taylor’s car. 

“Wait!” He yelled before you closed the door. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going home.” You sighed, brushing away a fallen tear. “Everyone is right. I can’t do this. Even if my ankle was fine, I couldn’t pull off something like this.” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“I’m sure you can find a better partner, Troy. There are girls that would kill to perform with you.” Or sprain a few ankles. 

“Kelsi wrote that song for us.” If he kept looking at you like that, you’d break completely. 

“I’m sorry Troy.” You shut the door and Taylor drove off. Gabriella put a comforting hand on your shoulder. You couldn’t bear to look back. 

“It appears that I’ve lost three students.” Mrs. Darbus sighed, waiting for him back at the doors. “Care to explain?” Troy ran his fingers through his hair. 

“She’s not going to perform and I can’t do it without her.” He couldn’t imagine singing something so personal, so full of emotion, with anyone but the girl that he loved. Mr.s Darbus just gave him a knowing smile. 

“I suggest talking to her, Mr. Bolton. Show her the truth.” He opened his mouth, but she stopped him with a wave of her hand. “You’ll know what to do.” Her expression changed. “Now, I'm afraid that there’s quite a mess in the hallway I must take care of. As well as a few girls to track down.” She bowed her head and went inside. 

Troy’s head was spinning. He needed to fix this. After a few ideas came to mind, he pulled out his phone. Mrs. Darbus was right. He knew what to do. Hopefully. 

-

A light knock on the door pulled you from your sanctuary of blankets. Your mom slowly opened your bedroom door with a small smile. When she heard what happened, she had no problem calling you out for the rest of the day. 

“Why don’t you come down for some dinner, sweetie?”

“I’m not really hungry.” You pulled a loose string from your quilt.

“I really think you should come downstairs.” Her smile grew suspiciously and she left the door open a crack.

Eventually, your curiosity got the better of you and you tossed your blankets aside. The lights in the kitchen were off and the doors to the patio were open. You stepped outside and gasped. The twinkling lights looked like stars and little notes hung from the trees. In the middle of it all stood Troy and a candle lit dinner, complete with a bouquet of chocolate covered strawberries. 

“Glad you could make it.” Troy beamed, motioning for you to sit down. You did and he passed you a basket of breadsticks. “Don’t worry, my mom helped me cook.”

“Troy, this is…” You couldn't even find the right words. You started to read some of the notes. Deserves a standing ovation. Her recital rocked the house. She’s the best friend I could ask for. 

“When I saw what those girls wrote, I wanted to show you what East High really thinks of you.” Troy explained, placing a hand on top of yours. “Sharpay even wrote one.” You both laughed when you read it. She’s one of the few people I can bare sharing the stage with. You blew out a breath. 

“The thing is, I can handle being called talentless and all of that.” You took the folded piece of paper out of your pocket. “This one just… I don’t know.” Troy gently took it from you , his hand tightening around your as he scanned those four awful words. At first, he didn’t get it. You had changed him in all the best possible ways. You made him want to be himself. You inspired him not to be scared of what everyone thought. So how could someone say you were just a charity case?

“You-” He took a deep breath, still wrapping his head around it. “You don’t actually believe this, do you?” You shrugged. 

“I mean… sometimes, I guess.” You tore off a piece of bread and rolled it between your fingers. “When it’s just the two of us, I feel like nothing else matters. But when I see you out there on the court, I can’t help but wonder… why me?”

Troy almost looked hurt. He started gathering little heart shaped pieces of paper from the tree and walked around the table. You stood as he put the notes in your hand, reading aloud as he handed each to you. 

“September 17th, 2006. The day that we met. When we got stuck painting sets, you were one of the only people to talk to me about something that wasn’t basketball. You made me feel like a regular guy.

“October 31, 2007. The night I convinced you to come with me to Chad’s Halloween party. I was a pirate and you were Elizabeth Bennet. That was the first time that you really opened up and were able to be yourself around people who weren’t just me and Gabriella.” His eyes locked with yours. “Look at the back of your necklace.”

You flipped the heart charm around and read the date engraved in the silver. 

“January 3rd, 2007.” You felt tears building. “My recietal.”

“Being on that stage with you made me see a whole different side of both of us. Our voices fit together like we weren’t meant to sing with anybody else.” He brushed a hair out of your face. “It was the moment that I realised I was in love with you.”

“I love you too, Troy.” You cried, closing the space between the two of you. He was right. It felt like you weren’t meant to kiss anyone else. When you pulled away, you were both grinning. “Do you think we can still perform? It’ll be difficult but I still want to sing.” He just grinned bigger and kissed your forehead. 

“Ryan and I already have a plan. You just have to come to rehearsal tomorrow morning.” You nodded and the two of you sat back down to finish dinner. 

-

You couldn’t remember the last time you were this nervous. You and Troy were learning and rehearsing with the system all day and the number would hopefully be unforgettable. But there was so much that could go wrong and you were absolutely terrified. You nearly jumped out of your skin when Sharpay appeared behind you. 

“You don’t have to worry about Madison. She has enough detention to keep her from anymore plotting. And I had no problem reminding her who was in charge of any and all sabotages.” She smirked, eyes scanning your outfit. “Good choice.” And that was probably the closest thing to approval from Sharpay Evans that you would ever get. 

Ryan came to make sure everything was secure and connected, reminding you when you needed to stand and be ready. He assured you everything would be fine. 

“Looks like you’re on.” He gave you an encouraging thumbs up. You took a deep breath and used your crutches to walk across the stage. The audience murmured as you sat on the swing that hung from the ceiling. The lights were bright enough that you couldn’t see Troy stage. You gripped the necklace around your neck for courage. There was no backing out now. 

“Take my hand. Take a breath. Hold me close and take one step.” As you sang, Troy slowly made his way onto the stage. His smile made your nerves disappear. “Keep your eyes locked on mine and let the music be your guide.” With every word, Troy walked closer to the swing. His eyes asked if you were ready. You gave him a small nod and he swept you up in his arms as you both sang the chorus. 

“It’s like catching lightning, the chances of finding someone like you.” The choreography was a stunning mix of lifts and spinning in Troy’s arms, your feet never even touching the floor. “It’s one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do.”

Troy lifted you up one more time and set you down gently before beginning the next verse. 

“Take my hand, I’ll take the lead. And every turn, will be safe with me.” He twirled you slightly and you fell back for him to catch you, kicking your leg out so your skirt flared. “Don’t be afraid, afraid to fall.” His strong arms wrapped around you and he swung you around. “You know I’ll catch you through it all.” He let go as you were pulled up into the air. The audience gasped. You had forgotten they were there. “And you can’t keep us apart.”

“Even a thousand miles can’t keep us apart.” He almost forgot the words as the light practically made your white dress glow against your skin. Your necklace sparkled. As cliche as it sounded, you looked like an angel. 

His wires lifted him up to meet you. 

“Cause my heart is where you are.” And so the floating waltz began. “It’s like catching lightning, the chances of finding someone like you. It’s on in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do.” You felt like you were dancing on clouds. Troy couldn’t stop beaming. 

“And with every step together, we just keep on getting better.”

For the bridge, the wires had you circling each other on opposite sides of the stage, slowly getting closer. 

“Oh, no mountain’s too high and no ocean’s too wide. Cause together or not, our dance won’t stop. Let it rain, let it pour, what we have is worth fighting for.” You finally came back together. “You know I believe that we were meant to be.” With Troy holding you, you leaned back into another tumbling spin in the air. 

The final chorus slowly brought you down to the floor, you sitting back down on the swing. 

“So can I have this dance?” Troy stood in front of you, bowing to kiss your hand as if he was really asking. 

“Can I have this dance?”

-

General Tag: @rae-gar-targaryen; @takemepedropascal; @childhood-imagination;  @mylovegoesto;

[sad-sweet-cowboah]

A Tail for Two

Summary: You often seek solace in the form of the most unusual of company. So one day after you find out your father pawned you off to marry some rich man’s son, you release your woes to one of your closest friends. Thinking you had no way out, you never expected your life to take a complete 180.

Warnings: Very mild and brief mention of n.udity, otherwise this is some adventure and fluff.

Word Count: 6k exactly

A/N: Second prize for my giveaway for @nuvoleincielo​! I apologize for this one taking so long - I had trouble figuring out what to do plot wise for this. I also didn’t want to surpass 5k words, but it happened anyway and I’m pleased with how this turned out. Enjoy!

Damp sand sifted with your footsteps, a trail soon washed away from the gentle lapping waves of Flat Iron Lake. A steel toned mist settled heavy amongst the surface, giving no leeway to dry land. The bleak atmosphere obscured the sinking sun. It was early evening, and soon you’d be engulfed in total darkness.

Yet you didn’t care. The tears flowing from your eyes didn’t allow much for sight anyway. Running aimlessly across the shore, you didn’t stop until your lungs burned for air, struggling to breathe properly from the exertion and crying combined. Slowing down to a walk, you breathed in the humid air and finding no physical relief.

You cast your gaze at your surroundings for the first time, though spotting hardly anything in this dense fog. The shore stretched before you, reaching into the endless depths of the lake. The calm waters lapped around the soles of your boots, dampening the leather.

Water always calmed you in the darkest of times. Staring into the murky depths instilled a sense of serenity, an escape from this cruel world, even temporarily. Swallowing the painful lump in your throat, you bent down to sit on the sand. It was cold, except you couldn’t care less. It felt soothing.

Wrapping your arms around your knees, you allowed your vision to focus on the turbid waters in front of you. Fish darted beneath the surface, occasionally jumping up to catch a bug. Oh how it must be so simple to live like a fish, not having to conform to society and just relying on basic instinct.

Even without much light, their scales held a certain iridescence to them. On a sunny day they glittered like freshly polished jewels, inviting you in for a swim amongst them.

A flash of movement caught your eye, a glance of color amongst the opaque green, brown and silver. A much larger object swimming amongst the smaller schools of fish. You heard the water surface break, and something splashed. You squinted your eyes to see a figure amongst the dim. Who was swimming in this weather, while the air was this chilly?

The figure drew closer to you, and your muscles tensed. You weren’t sure what to expect, until a familiar face appeared through the thick curtain of mist. A face you hadn’t seen in a while.

“A-Arthur?”

The being known as Arthur rose halfway from the surface, exposing his drenched, naked torso. Strings of lake weed adorned his neck and upper arms, some strung with clam shells. Beneath the water lurked a shimmering presence, the lazy treading of his beautiful thick tail.

Sailors often told the cautionary tale of these creatures, though many people put it off as hogwash and silly dreams. Once as a young girl you dreamed about mythical creatures, and what it would be like to meet them. You supposed that wish would never come true.

Arthur was a merman you met some years ago, after an argument with your father had driven you to seek solace in this very lake. You’d come across a lonely dock that you sat upon, letting your tears fall into the waters below. Somehow your crying had been heard across the lake, attracting the most unusual of company.

From countless tales, you knew merfolk would generally avoid humans, unless they were seeking blood. However Arthur was a different sort, his curiosity plain as he spoke with you. Somehow it was easy to converse with this stranger, openly admitting your woes. He couldn’t offer a solution, though you found yourself comfortable to unload to someone who wouldn’t judge.

You hadn’t expected to call that same merman your friend. After that night you ventured out again in hopes to see him and to convince yourself it wasn’t a vivid dream. At first unsuccessful, he appeared just as you gave in, and thus kindling your friendship with him. Often sneaking out at night to call upon his company, away from the eyes of the curious.

Though as these past few years went by, you’d see him less and less. At no fault of either of yours, he had his life to live and so did yours. He didn’t tell you much about his life beneath the waves, other than he traveled frequently. Though his accent was heavy, indicating he must’ve settled somewhere ages ago.

Now the merman before you smiled in recognition. “It’s been quite a while,” He mused.

You nodded in response. “Yes, over a year since we last spoke,” You responded, though your voice thick from crying. You sniffed in attempts to sound clearer.

“Seems something’s troublin’ you again,” he rumbled, swimming even closer. “I heard you.”

A small smile tugged at your lips. Taking a shuddering breath, you spoke again. “My father… he’s trying to force me to marry this man. I didn’t want any part of it.”

Arthur frowned at this news. “Why is that?”

“Some stupid debt he has to settle,” you explained while shaking your head in disgust. “He drank his savings away and took a loan from a rich businessman. Well when it came time to pay, he had nothing to give, except me.”

Arthur’s thick brows furrowed in concern, the frown deepening. “That don’t seem right, what kinda father would give up his daughter over a debt?”

“Mine,” you grumbled, glaring down at the sandy ground. “We had an argument, a bad one. I couldn’t change his mind.”

The merman let out a sigh, shaking his own head. “Not even my people do that, no one would be happy.”

“Unfortunately it’s common up here on the surface,” you continued, toeing at a shell half-buried in the sand. “Women aren’t respected.”

“So I’ve seen,” Arthur mused. “Humans are a strange breed, pawnin’ off their young over money, yet they call us monsters.”

A bitter smile crossed your lips. “Well, your kind also eat sailors, or so I’ve heard,” as you spoke, a darkness crossed his eyes. “Ah, I’m sorry.”

A smile of his own appeared on his face, though rueful. “S’okay, I can’t blame you. Those stories are as old as time.”

You’ve since learned that tales like that were more hogwash. Sure, Arthur did imply that perhaps other mer-tribes would hunt down humans, but far and few in between if normal hunts were unsuccessful. Merfolk would prefer to stay away from humans, as their curiosity would cause more harm than good in sparking hunts of their own to bring one or more back for money and show.

Though out of the multiple times you’ve met Arthur, by some miracle you were able to avoid the company of others. Usually you two were in your own little world until other obligations called either one of you back home. Sometimes you wished you could join him, hoping one day your legs would mesh into a beautiful tail and you’d swim after him, letting him bring you to his home far beneath the surface.

Dreams would remain dreams. Hell, if God himself would grant you the impossible, you’d leave with him right then and there.

“Couldn’t you run away?” Arthur asked, breaking your train of thought.

You blinked in surprise, wondering if he somehow could read your mind. If that were the case, would he have heard your thoughts from times previous? Your face flushed at the mere consideration, and you were glad it was slowly getting darker. “I couldn’t survive on my own,” you finally answered. “Mama always told me it weren’t proper for a lady to be outside.”

This seemed to confuse Arthur, as he cocked an eyebrow in bewilderment. “That don’t seem right at all, how are you s’posed to learn anything?”

“I learn how to be a wife. To cook and clean, how to make my future husband happy,” you sighed heavily. “Guess I’ll be good for one thing.”

“Don’t talk like that, maybe there’s hope for you,” Arthur said quietly.

You shook your head slowly, your vision blurred once again with a fresh bout of tears. They fell freely, soaking into the already dampened earth. “Unless someone could whisk me away, there’s no hope.”

---

That night, you succumbed to a restless slumber. Your subconscious seemed to be on a loop, playing the same tumultuous argument between you and your father. The warped face of your future husband loomed from the depths of your mind, standing before you with a smirk. Then, you there next to him, staring at yourself in a mirror. A wedding dress bound to your figure, nervous hands clutching a wilting bouquet while your spouse held an iron grip on your waist.

The waking world served no enlightenment. A few days have passed by with no offer of escape. One mid-morning, your father sent you out into town for groceries (and alcohol), a chore he’d usually do himself if he wasn’t already waist deep in inebriation.

Iron-clad hooves tapped against the worn cobblestone street of Blackwater. Dark clouds overcast the sky, and the smell of rain hung heavy in the air, deterring most other citizens. You were nearly alone in the street, aside from the occasional wagon passing you by. You weren’t in a hurry regardless of the impending storm, your mind too wrapped up in your own thoughts to shift focus on nature.

Within the next week, you were to be wed. You’d met your future husband only a handful of times prior to the agreement – he was a few years older than you, outwardly handsome though seemed to have an affinity for gambling. Coming from wealth, money was merely a secondary thought for him. He’d flirt with you, flash a charming smile and run his clean fingers against his neat hair, slicked back with pomade.

Any other eligible woman would be keen to marry such a charming man. Those who congratulated you were ignorant of the true reason, and you didn’t have the heart to remedy that. You supposed the truth would show itself sooner or later, especially since your father’s poor financial decisions were somewhat of a known issue.

Drawing closer to the general store, you slid from the saddle just as the first few drops of rain began to fall. They felt unseasonably cold, which only indicated a miserable ride home. You sighed and hitched the horse before hurrying onto the sidewalk and pushing open the glass door of the general store. You were greeted by the smell of coffee beans and dried goods, shortly followed by a verbal welcome of the shopkeeper. You nodded to him in response and turned your attention to the shelves.

Out of the corner of your eye, another patron partially caught your attention. He was on the opposite end of the shop, back facing you as he perused the shelves. He was tall and broad-framed, with long sandy hair flowing like water to just above shoulder height.

Something about him seemed familiar. Perhaps you’ve come across him before in town? It wasn’t smart to dwell however, and you didn’t want to get caught staring. You instead turned your attention back to the tiers of canned fruit.

After a few minutes of picking through the shelves, you paid for a crate worth of goods and stepped out just in time for the drizzle to turn into a steady rain. You peered over at your horse, the old stallion shaking his head as if to rid of the droplets falling into his ears. You approached him, placing the crate on the ground to transfer everything to the saddle bags.

Behind you, the door opened again. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see the man from earlier. He was too out of view to see him clearly, and it would be too impolite to look over.

Within a few minutes the groceries were tucked into the saddlebags, thankfully transferred over without becoming too wet. You wiped away a layer of precipitation from the saddle and mounted, casually throwing a glance the man’s way. He was leaning up against the building, his head turned away from you. He had no coat nor hat on, nothing to shield him from the ever hastening downpour. You shook your head and steered your horse the opposite way down the street.

Later that day, the rain failed to lighten which confined you indoors for a few hours. However, it was nearly time for the animals to be fed their dinner. Wrapping yourself in a thick shawl, you stepped outside of your back door and hurried toward the run down barn on the far end of the yard. The horse nickered in response from his small pasture, knowing exactly your destination. Chickens pecking restlessly at the ground ruffled their feathers and scattered away from your footsteps, only to follow you just a few feet behind.

Stepping through the threshold, the surrounding dampness increased the musty, stale hay and bird dropping aroma trapped in the old wooden walls. Your nose wrinkled as you approached an opened bale of hay, first grabbing a few flakes and making your way back to the pasture. Stepping into the shallow mud and focusing over to the horse, you noticed his back was turned – his attention on a person petting his neck.

It wasn’t a strange sight to see, as you lived right next to the road and the ever so friendly old stallion would attract children and urban tourists for some affection and treats. You didn’t mind; they weren’t hurting him and he was happy regardless.

You could only partly see the visitor, and with a prick of surprise you recognized him, somewhat. You sidestepped for a better view, thus confirming your suspicion. It was the man from the store. Your movement caught his attention and his head turned toward you.

Wait…

You frowned and furrowed your brow. This man seemed too familiar. A face you’d only associate with certain times, surrounded by murky water.

No, that wasn’t possible.

A small smile formed on the man’s lips, a very familiar smile you’d seen countless times when greeted by a friend.

Truly this couldn’t be reality.

“Arthur?”

The smile widened and he gave a small, single nod. “Hey, Y/N.”

Your body seemed to be rooted in its place. Aside from your slacked jaw of shock, your muscles seemed to be frozen. How could the merman you’d come to know stand in front of you, on dry land? You must be dreaming, perhaps you fell off your horse and hit your head somehow –

“You alright?” he asked, breaking through your mental attempts to make any sense of this.

A million words flitted through your mind though none were able to pass your lips. Finally after ten seconds of silence, your mouth moved to utter a singular, “How?”

Arthur gripped the fence and hopped over with such ease it almost seemed like he floated, crossing the pasture to come closer to you. Your breath hitched, watching him move so fluidly as if he walked his entire life. This simply didn’t make a lick of sense. He stopped just before you, mere feet from your placement. Your eyes refused to leave him, wide and unblinking despite the rain softly splattering your cheeks.

“I’ll tell ya later,” he dropped his voice to a murmur. “Right now, I want you to get ready.”

“Ready?” you repeated, your throat choking on the word. “Ready for what?”

“What we talked ‘bout the other day,” he reminded you.

You blinked in confusion, your mind still attempting to process the sight before you. With a short moment you recounted the conversation, explaining to him about your arranged marriage, how you can’t run away, and how you wished –

Oh.

“Arthur, you can’t just show up and take me away!” you hissed under your breath.

Confusion settled on his handsome face. “Why not? You said you wished for someone to do just that.”

“I wasn’t being serious!” you exclaimed, throwing your arms in the air and turning around, running your palm across your damp face. It was a wishful thought, yes, though you’d come to terms with this marriage knowing you had no other options. Perhaps you were dreaming after all, your subconscious mind attempting to reach for your deeper desires to further harp your emotions.

“Wasn’t you, though?” Arthur said quietly. A gentle hand reached to rest on your shoulder, a small action that caused you to flinch. “I saw how miserable you are, you couldn’t have jus’ changed your mind in the span of a few days.”

You pursed your lips, head tilting to give him a sidelong glance. “I didn’t change my mind, I just accepted my fate.” You sighed.

A frown crossed his lips. “Why?”

“What else have I got?” you said with a shrug. “I’ve told you before, I don’t have the skills to live outside of…this,” you raised your arm and gestured to the small house before you. “I could never – ”

“Why do ya think I’m here?” he interrupted. “You wouldn’t be alone.”

His words halted your next response. Turning to face him again, you narrowed your eyes at him, a frown of your own forming. “And where would we go? Are you gonna take me to the lake? I don’t have a fin, you know.”

His shoulders shuddered with a deep chuckle. He shook his head and grinned lopsidedly in amusement. “I know, Y/N. We ain’t goin’ to the lake, I’ll tell ya that much.”

This only further befuddled you, and more questions arose in suspicion. “So where the fuck – and why do you have – ”

“I ask you to trust me here,” he spoke again, his voice soft and even. “If you come with me, I’ll answer any question you have.”

You simply stared at him, a small part of your brain still attempting to make any sense of this. You have to wake up if this was a true dream, mentally willing yourself to open your eyes. “I must be asleep,” you grumbled to yourself, shaking your head.

“You ain’t.”

Your eyes met his, seeing his ever so patient gaze. What other explanation would you have other than a trick of your own mind? Maybe you’d fallen off your horse and hit your head on the ground. Holding your hands out in front of you, your fingers flexed and curled. Everything seemed the same.

His own hands appeared in your field of view, taking yours rather gently. Wet from the rain but warm and calloused, your skin tingled where he touched. It wasn’t the first time you’d had physical contact with him, though you were used to the sheen of lake water covering his skin accompanied with a texture that reminded you of the surface of a fish. Even though he was damp, his skin was dry. “I know it’s strange, Y/N. I ain’t lyin’ to ya here, I will take you elsewhere if you really want. And I know you want that,” he stated plainly. “But if that ain’t true, then I will go back to the lake.”

You’d fallen silent then. The logical process would be to turn away, to tell him that he was wasting his time and go back to his home. However, the tiny part of your brain you’d tried to suppress throughout this ordeal was screaming. Clawing its way from the mental rocks of which it was buried beneath. Yearning for that chance to live as your own woman.

And possibly living with Arthur?

Your chest expanded with a deep breath, shutting your eyes as drops of water fell from your lashes. He promised he’d tell you the questions burning in the back of your throat as long as you’d come with him, and what reason did you have to not trust him? He wasn’t a stranger, had always been nice to you, never gave you any indication you’d be in danger while in his presence.

It still however was a huge risk. What if your father or fiancé came after you? What if either of you ran into danger? What if you would be turned into a mermaid in some way?

“Listen,” you nearly jumped when his voice sounded closer, opening your eyes to see he leaned in. “I don’t got much time out here, I’ll be back by midnight. You can give me your answer then.”

Before you could say anything, he hopped over the fence once again, leaving you gaping after him.

---

As the cloudy day transitioned into night, you relentlessly mulled over what you’d just witnessed. Arthur the merman walking and speaking to you, offering a way out. After multiple pinches and other obscure ways to convince yourself it was a dream, turns out this was very much reality. Afterward, you weighed your options over and over. You weren’t the first to be forced into marriage and certainly wouldn’t be the last. Concurrently, you wouldn’t be the first to flee from an unpleasant lifestyle. Marriage would mean financial security and a fixed, mundane duty. Running away would unlock a door to a world full of secrets and adventure, though can be proven dangerous.

You could be safe for potentially the rest of your life, yet bound by societal laws and left to be only dreaming of what your life could have been.

Your father’s lumbering sounded from the floor below, accompanied by a sharp bang every once in a while. Since your mother died, he was never seen without an amber bottle in his hand. He was simply a mere shell of what he used to be, no longer the man you grew up with. Perhaps this arrangement was his way of caring, assuring you’d never come across any trouble.

But you were tired of bargaining with yourself, trying to make sense of this decision other than the most obvious. He was a stranger to you now, as he has been for years. Should you continue to subject yourself to his wishes, to be miserable until the day you die?

No, not anymore.

When the sounds downstairs finally quietly, you began to pack your essentials. You kept an eye on the time, grabbing a few days’ worth of clothing and a few coveted trinkets: some jewelry and a photo of your mother, along with whichever else you could fit into the old leather sack. When you’d finished, the time was 11:30.

Arthur showed up on the stroke of midnight exactly. You’d spotted him in your backyard again, keeping to the shadows of the barn. You snuck downstairs as quietly as you could, giving a sidelong glance to your father, who was passed out at the kitchen table with an empty bottle dangling from his hand. Silently, you bid him a goodbye as a bittersweet wave overcame you, blinking away a hint of tears. Maybe you will see him again someday, if he were to ever sober up.

Passing through the back door and closing it as carefully as you could, your heart pounded loudly. Arthur’s dark figure became clearer as your eyesight adjusted, along with an unfamiliar horse on the opposite side of the fence. You met him halfway. He eyed the sack slung over your shoulder, and a small smile appeared on his face.

“Seems like you’ve made your decision,” he stated.

Nodding enthusiastically, you replied, “Yes. It took me a while to figure it out, but yes. I’ll go with you, I’m trusting you.”

Arthur nodded quietly, his eyes leaving you to sweep across the landscape before turning his attention back to you. “I found a place we can stay for a while over in New Austin, ‘less you got somewhere else in mind.”

This piqued your interest. You weren’t too far from the state border, although it would take a substantial amount of time to reach it. There was no way Arthur had gone there within the time slot he allotted, unless he’d been on the surface previously.

More and more questions grew in the back of your mind, though you had to staunch your curiosity. You couldn’t dawdle for long, in case some night owls nearby grew curious of your conversation. “Then let’s go,” you finally said, glancing at the horse you assumed was Arthur’s ride. However you paused, turning your attention toward the stallion resting in the pasture.

Arthur followed your gaze. “Somethin’ wrong?”

You looked at him again. “Is it alright if we take him with us? I don’t wanna leave him behind.”

Without hesitation, Arthur nodded. “Sure, you won’t hear me complainin’.”

---

The clear full moon cast a silver hue along the tan landscape of Great Plains, illuminating the paths perfectly. The two horses loped quietly along the rolling hills. Arthur assured there was no rush, and so you had to quell your anxious excitement.

However, this didn’t stop the questions. As soon as you’d exited the outskirts of Blackwater, the first question was, “How are you here on land?”

He explained that merfolk had the ability to grow legs, though not many of them truly took advantage of it due to the fear of humans. It’d been at least a century since any notion of them stepping onto dry land, with Arthur being the exception, only he kept it a secret.

“So…how often do you come onto land?” you asked next.

“Been on n’ off since I was a boy,” he answered. “Truth is, my mother used to do the same. Loved humans, came to shore often. She met my father that way, he was human.”

This news surprised you. Who knew that merfolk and humans could have children together? And if that was possible, how many others out there were like Arthur?

“I spent a lot o’ time on land, lot o’ time in the water. Learned how to live as both, but my father was killed when I was young, so I took to the waters, until my mother passed.”

“I’m…so sorry,” you said automatically, your heart falling to your stomach.

To your surprise, Arthur chuckled. A small, humorless laugh. “Never understood why humans say that, they ain’t the cause of a particular tragedy, so why apologize?”

You couldn’t really answer that question yourself. It was ingrained into your mind that you never had any further consideration. It was an odd thing to say, really. You shook your head as if to clear those thoughts, wanting to focus on him again. “Where do you prefer living?”

You could see his broad shoulders shrug. “Can’t really say, I enjoy both since I can live jus’ fine on both. Don’t take too much to adapt since I’m already familiar.”

“So…what does that mean for me?”

He turned his head toward you.

“Are you going to live on land with me for the rest of your life, or are you gonna leave at some point?” you reiterated.

Arthur slowed up his horse, falling in step with yours. “I’ll be around for as long as ya want me,” he answered seriously. “But I couldn’t leave knowin’ you had no options.”

Those words tugged at your heartstrings. Arthur had been your friend for years, perhaps your only true friend. He left the waters for you, with no second consideration for himself. A small smile tugged at your lips.

---

Within a few hours you’d reached your destination: a small shack on the edge of the San Luis River with a dock. At the bottom of a cliff and surrounded by scrubby brush, it was enough to deter any unwanted company. Even though the shack was fully furnished, Arthur mentioned it had been abandoned for a little while now. He would swim here with the intention of cleaning it up for you, assuming you’d go along with his idea. It was cozy; one small bed in the corner and a furnace on the opposite end. Only fit for one person. Arthur insisted he was just fine sleeping in the water when you mentioned there was no room for both of you.

The first few days were a strange adjustment. You’d never been on your own, at least like this. You were used to preparing hot meals for yourself and your father with purchased goods. Arthur provided the food, bringing in fish or venison for either of you to cook. He didn’t wander too far from you in concern to leave you vulnerable, and you weren’t keen to wander out into the wilderness. Some nights you definitely heard the howl of a wolf or the snarl of a cougar in the distance.

After the first week passed, you were almost accommodated to this new life. Arthur offered to teach you how to hunt and fish, both in and out of the water. He was already swimming around one morning whilst waiting as you approached the glistening surface from the docks, his beautiful tail gleaming in the rising sun.

But what surprise you had when he made it to shore completely, naked as a newborn baby. You hadn’t seen him transform officially yet, and he seemed to lack modesty when he asked you why you were suddenly flustered in his presence. He was certainly nice to look at, even though you had to quickly shoo him inside to get dressed, for your own sake.

Within a month, Arthur turned you into a wilderness expert. Soon hunting for the dinner table, learning to track and cover, you were no longer nervous to step past those surrounding shrubs. You kept busy by picking herbs and catching game to sell to passing merchants, though avoiding coming too close to West Elizabeth.

One evening, you’d come home from hunting to find Arthur sitting on the end of the dock. Only half-dressed, lacking a shirt. His damp hair indicated he’d been in the water recently. You curiously approached him, wondering if something was on his mind.

At the creak of the boards, he turned and smiled at you. “Hey.”

“Hey,” you responded, taking a seat next to him. “What’re you up to?”

“Ah, just thinkin’,” he responded, casting his gaze across the river as the last of the sun’s rays shone across the surface.

You tilted your head. “Of?”

“Lot o’ things, these past few weeks,” he said lowly.

“Why’s that?”

“Well,” he slowly turned his head to look at you. “You were sayin’ that you didn’t know how to live like this, now you do.”

You nodded in agreement. Many times he’s expressed how proud he was for you to learn a new skill, and you were proud of yourself to adapt so quickly. “Thanks to you, Arthur. If I’d attempted this on my own, I’d probably be dead within a week, or somehow found and dragged back home.”

“It won’t come to that anyway, least from how far you’ve progressed,” Arthur pointed out.

Smiling at him, you said, “I’ll be forever grateful for taking me away.”

He half-smiled at you. “I’m grateful you agreed,” he replied, his eyes suddenly falling to the structure beneath you. “I jus’ hope that…” he murmured so quietly you had to strain to hear.

“What?”

He sighed deeply. “It’s silly, but I hope you still want me ‘round. You’re more than capable of livin’ on your own now, you don’t need me.”

You blinked in surprise from his confession. “Why wouldn’t I, Arthur? You’re my friend, you’ve done so much for me already. Why would I just toss you away like that?”

“You don’t need me,” he repeated. “You can go on n’ do whatever you want with your life now, ain’t fair to stay here n’ –“

“Arthur,” you interrupted so sharply he stared at you. “I…I don’t need you, I but I want you here. You gave me this opportunity, and now I’m choosing to do this. Do you know how much you mean to me?”

He didn’t answer, only giving you a look of faint surprise. You stared back evenly, your words still fresh. You and Arthur had gotten so close since arriving here, having opened up in new ways toward one another.

Perhaps even closer than friends.

Those lingering glances, those quick moments of affection, a light touch here and there. The weight of his words when he bid you farewell for the day. Little moments that would make your heart soar. A new emotion arising within you every time you woke up to see him.

What you said next flowed from your mouth without hesitation. “I…I think I love you, Arthur.”

It surprised you how easy you admitted it. His blue eyes widened in his own shock, his lips parting as if to say something. Instead his mouth sat slack, eliciting no sound. You waited for a reaction, a change, a word, something.

A full moment passed and nothing, your heart dropped. Have you misinterpreted his signals? Maybe they meant something else to the other half of his world. Either way, you started to feel foolish. You took a shuddering breath and looked away, beginning to move. “I’m sorry, I’ll just – ”

A calloused hand grasped yours at an instant. An automatic flinch suddenly swept away when Arthur’s other hand cupped your chin, a firm yet tender hold to keep you in place. You turned your head back to him, observing the soft smile on his lips, and the gentle hooded gaze he gave you.

You relaxed in his touch, allowing your body to shift closer to him. The hand that held yours wrapped around your waist, tugging you closer and meeting no resistance. He leaned toward you, placing his lips upon yours.

Kissing him seemed natural. Your previous suitor was forceful and hard against you, but Arthur, as large and solid as he was, melded to you. Your hands reached for him, tangling in his damp hair, wrapping around his thick neck. He moaned slightly against your mouth, a low sound rumbling within his chest. Finally, he pulled away from you, the smile still remaining.

Fire licked at your cheeks, your mind in a haze as your smile mirrored his. You almost couldn’t believe it happened. No singular phrase passed your tongue as you mentally scrambled for your next words. “I…” you finally uttered, unsure how to continue.

He chuckled, smoothing his thumb across the ridge of your upper lip. “I think I love you too, sweetheart.”

Your smile only widened, the heat brushing against your face only increasing. This was a first for you, a rush of excitement and a whirlwind of emotion overtaking you. “Well, what now?” you bashfully asked.

Arthur glanced out at the water with a look of contemplation. Only a short moment passed before he stood up, and held his hand out. “Wanna go for a swim?”

You blinked, not expecting this response. But you took his hand anyway, allowing him to help you to your feet. “Now, here?”

“Only us out here, ‘sides, I wanna show ya how beautiful it is from my eyes…” he said, quickly shedding his pants. With nothing else on, he dove into the water with a graceful arc. Even in the dying light you watched as the skin of his legs slowly began to shimmer and mesh together into his tail beneath the disturbed waters. He surfaced just seconds later, peering up at you expectantly. “It’s nice n’ warm in here, you’ll like it.”

You were hesitant and admittedly a little nervous as you hadn’t swam in years. “Um, I don’t have a swimsuit…” you weakly pointed out.

“Neither do I,” the paper thin edges of his fin appeared, splashing playfully. “That don’t matter.”

You opened your mouth to argue, except you knew he was right. No one was around to see you, and you would be submerged if some random boat decided to pass by. Besides, you were itching to see how Arthur viewed the world, or at least his world. “Alright, you convinced me.”

It wasn’t too long before you too were bare, though Arthur was kind enough to not stare. Peering down at your reflection, you took a deep breath and plunged in.

[hex6rcist]

I would like to second your sentiment about the confession bit for Kenpachi's fluff alphabet needing it's own fic~ it's so cute 💞💞💞 Consider it requested in whatever capacity you'd like to write it! The thought of Ukitake and Shunsui helping him parse out his feelings is so delightful!

Wow this was super fun to write but it got pretty long so I threw in a read more. I hope you like it! I used fem pronouns because I noticed that's your preference. I hope that's okay.

Kenpachi Love Confession

She was feisty that one. It was exactly why she’d caught his eye. It was rare to find firecrackers like y/n in the 2nd division. Sui-Feng expected her inferiors to be the pinnacle of grace and restraint. That’s what brought her around to the 11th so frequently. For a short amount of time Kenpachi had considered trying to snake her away from the 2nd and bring her under his command. However he scrapped the idea. He wanted something more than a captain/subordinate dynamic. It would feel a bit creepy to him his he got her to join his division and then tried to pursue her. So he let himself be happy with her just hanging around for training sessions.

Watching y/n take down his men was a thrill to him. But it couldn’t compare to the feeling of when they went toe to toe. She fought like she was dancing, lithe and graceful, no doubt due to her training under Sui-Feng. It was in staggering opposition to his own brash fighting style. She’d cavort out of the way of his blade with a gleeful laugh that lit his skin on fire. She always threw him off his game just a little. Kenpachi was pretty sure she’d landed more hits on him than any of his men ever had. Every little graze she left on his body he’d admire later. Firm, large fingers would trace over the feint scar as he laid in bed. Sometimes he’d find his eyes drifting shut and in a brief moment he’d imagine it was y/n’s fingers insteaed. Kenpachi’s eyes snapped open and he stared up at the ceiling. He was hit pretty hard and he knew it. The feared Kenpachi Zaraki fawning over a beautiful girl. It was almost laughable. He had to do something about this.

He spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, trying to figure out how the hell he was going to pull this off. He’s not a big romantic gestures kind of guy. But would y/n even want that? Would she even want him? Sure he was muscular and tough but was he... Attractive? Kenpachi had never even considered the thought. His life in the Rukongai was harsh, leaving was no time for courting or romance. as embarrassing as it was he was kind of inexperienced in this matter. That’s when he finally got an idea. Though he’d really have to swallow his pride on this one. This was how he found himself sitting on Shunsui Kyoraku’s veranda next to Jushiro Ukitake.

The two men sipped on their tea while Kenpachi looked down at his with mild distaste. He still took small samples from his cup as to not be rude. He had learned some manners after all and he was here for help. Jushrio’s smile was genuine and soft, he was pleasantly surprised by Kenpachi’s request for advice. Shunsui however had a big shit eating grin. “So y/n huh?” He chuckled softly. “She is something.” Jushiro odded in agreement, “A lovely young lady.” “Very lovely.” Shunsui swooned playfully. Kenpachi was beginning to worry he might of made a mistake, but before he can back out Jushiro fixed him with a serious look. “We’re more than happy to help you out in this matter and we’re glad you came to us for advice.” “You know I think This is a conversation that calls for sake.” Shunsui stood up and moved to retrieve a bottle. Finally one of them was speaking his language. Kepachi set his tea aside. “So Kenpachi, did you have any ideas on how to approach y/n with your feelings?” The large man pinched the bridge of his nose. _‘Don’t be rude. They’re trying to help.’ _“Can’t say I do. I’m not even sure how she’d react. I’m not the most,” he cleared his throat “eligible guy around.” Shunsui returned with 2 cups of sake and some more tea for Jushiro. “Nonsense, don’t be hard on yourself. Y/n Isn’t the average lady who’d be intimidated by you. She’s tough and already comfortable around you. I don’t think you have to worry about intimidating her.” He handed a cup to Kenpachi and he gladly accepted it, drinking deeply. “I guess that’s true...” Jushiro held up a finger, signaling that he’d thought of an idea. “The Sakura Festival is coming up next week, perhaps you can invite y/n to come with you. It’s a relaxed event so you won’t feel uncomfortable and y/n won’t think anything of you asking her to go because everyone attends.” Shunsui hummed mulling over his friend’s suggestion. “That might be a little too, uh, what’s the word...” “Flowery.” Kenpachi interjected. The 1st Division captain nodded in agreement. “Yeah, flowery.” A small silence fell amongst the men as they pondered other options. “Well what do you and y/n usually do in the time you spent together?” Shunsui inquired. “Fight. Drink. Talk.” The men nodded. “Talk about what exactly?” Jushiro chimed in. “Stuff...” The elder captains sighed in unison. He wasn’t making this easy was he? Kenpachi took another long drink to gather up the nerve to elaborate. He really wasn’t too good with this whole sharing his feelings thing. But if he wanted to pursue a relationship he had to get used to it. “We swap stories... Some about her time in academy or my time in Rukongai**.” **They were finally getting somewhere. “Well then maybe that’s what you should do then.” The Sotaicho smiled at Kenpachi. “It might not be the most romantic thing in the world but it would be the most genuine.” He held up his cup of sake. “A nice drink and when  you’re sharing stories just tell her how you feel.” Jushiro nodded in agreement a smile blooming on his face as well. It sounded simple enough. Kenpachi downed the rest of his drink in a single gulp. “Just tell her huh? Yeah. I can do that.”

The next day when Kenpachi woke up late into the afternoon and his head was pounding. He’d stayed at Shusui’s well into the night going drink for drink with him. He ran a large hand down his face before dressing and emerging from his quarters. He could already hear a ruckus going on in the direction of the training grounds. Walking out onto the engawa he saw y/n was already here. She was covers in a thin sheen of sweat, her shihakusho clung to her body and her jewel like eyes shoe with glee as her opponent fell. She gestured for him to be removed from her sight before her predatory gaze latched onto the 11th Division’s groggy captain. With the crook of her finger he was summoned before her to fight. The hairs on his neck were already standing on end. He really was a slave to her beck and call and he had a suspicion that she maybe knew.

Dusk had come before either of them knew it. They often lost track of time while locked in combat. Too caught up in the thrill of it all. By now the cool wind had dried the sweat on their skin leaving them cold and uncomfortable. Most of the division gave up on getting their training in and went about business as usual. Y/n and Kenpachi’s Zanpakuto were locked together in a stalemate. Their eyes burned into each other. Finally he used the last of his strength to push and y/n fell. She laughed giddily and stared up at the darkened sky, trying to catch her breath. The captain entered her line of sight and offered a hand to pull her to her feet. She gladly accepted and bowed to the winner who in turn bowed back. “You know you’re better than most of my men right?” She let out a loud laugh. “I’ve noticed.”

The two had settled on the engawa side by side. Kenpachi had brought out a bottle of sake to share. Y/n was leaning back on her banged up elbows, one knee bent and the other hanging lazily off the edge of the platform. Even caked in dirt and blood she was beautiful. Scratch that it was when she was the most beautiful. He handed her off a choko full of alcohol and she drank from it greedily. His eyes lingered on her neck, watching as she swallowed. He licked his lips and tore his gaze away. The night was moving far faster then Kenpachi would have liked. His Division was slowly falling quiet and soon it felt like they were the only two still up in the whole Seireitei. At some point she’d gotten cold and inched closer to his side. He could feel her warmth through his clothing and he was sure she could feel his as well. They talked, and laughed, and drank like they would any other night. Only Kenpachi knew this one would be different.  

“Y/n, I’ve been meaning to talk to you.” Clear eyes turned to look up at the captain but he couldn’t meet her gaze. “What have we been doing?.” He shook his head, eyes fixed in the sky above them. “About something specific.”  It was time to rip the bandaid off. He knew the worst she could say was no, but it was going to sting more than the slice of her blade. “I’ve been thinking a lot about you.” He peeked over to see her cheeks had flushed a light pink. He figured that had to be a good sign. Right? They finally locked eyes. “And what do you think of me?” She leaned in involuntarily. Here goes nothing. “That I like you... A lot.” He wanted to punch himself. Kenpachi felt like a child with a schoolyard crush saying it like that. He really should have- His train of thought was derailed by a quiet chuckle. Y/n got up on her knees and leaned into him. “I like you too.” A little smirk crossed her lips. She was going to say more but her words were cut off. A large hand had found the back of her head and pulled y/n into a deep kiss that made her head spin. Her hands clutched onto the front of his haori and his hands slowly found their way down to her hips, pulling the smaller girl into his lap. His kiss was full of passion and longing that she’d never known before. It made her let out a tiny moan. The sound shot a bolt of lightning though his whole body. When they parted they were both gasping for air. She licked her lips and smirked softly. “A lot.”  

[missypawz]

@matriyoshkas

First date

*~♡~*

Okay, shit, this day came faster than he'd expected, when he originally asked Petra if she wanted to go somewhere one time, he supposed he had loads of time to prepare himself, but it was already the evening that they had arranged to go. Levi sighed, a anxious frown plastered onto his face as he looked into the mirror. What had he been thinking?

Of course he'd wanted this, he wanted it a lot - actually, but that just made his nerves worse, despite him still having the stoic, unable to read expression on his face.

The captain took a deep breath, composing himself, before leaving his small room and walking out of the warmth from headquarters and into the cold evening air to meet Petra.

When he saw her he swallowed hard, unable to take his eyes off her, she was so beautiful.

She wore a red skirt, dark, opaque tights, a white blouse and a black jacket, the outfit was accompanied by a tartan, crimson coloured scarf that matched her skirt - Levi most likely didn't realise how long she'd stressed out over the outfit.

"Hi." She said, taking him out of his trance after a minute or so.

Levi cleared his throat and walked over to her. "Hey, you look..Nice."

To most people he sounded like he couldn't be bothered or was just saying it, but Petra knew he was trying his best with this, it was something he wasn't experienced in.

"Thank you, you ..well look very handsome." She smiled, her cheeks flushed a little, a mix of embarrassment and the cold.

Petra hesitated for a moment before quickly holding onto his arm, looking at his expression to see if he wanted her to get off. It was new, but he didn't mind it, he didn't say anything and let her hold on while she chatted, on the way to the small restaurant he had booked.

They soon arrived, and Petra admired the brightly colored Christmas lights that were hung up in the restaurant window. She always loved this time of year, everywhere looked beautiful and festive. Levi on the other hand, he was on the fence - he didn't hate it, he liked parts of it, but not other bits.

"We should decorate headquarters for Christmas.." The red head muttered as they walked into the cosy restaurant that was equally as decorated on the inside, there were Christmas lights strung up all over the room, a beautiful Christmas tree in the corner and small decorations situated on each table.

A waiter came over to them as they entered, he asked for the name and then showed them to their table, the one that was near the fire, making it warm and comfortable.

Levi thanked the man and sat down at the table.

"Is this okay?"

"What do you mean? Of course it's okay, it's lovely in here."

"Right..tell me if you want to leave or something." He replied, unsure if her words were true or if she was bored out of her mind here, although her face seemed to show that she was having a good time, He really didn't want to mess this up.

The pair ordered their food and it arrived quickly, they both thanked the waiters and began eating, in the middle, Petra made small talk, making the meal much easier than he originally expected.

She spoke about how the week had been, aswell as asking how his had been, unsure of the amount of work he had to do and how busy he usually was. This small break was probably nice for him.

"This is really good! How did you find this place?" She asked, eyes widening at how good the meal tasted.

"I found it while walking through town grabbing some things, I suppose it's easy to miss, but it stood out to me, had a nice look about it."

"Well I'm glad you found it...I hope we can come back again one day." Her voice trailed off at the end, almost waiting for a reply, seeing if he also wanted that.

"So do I." He nodded in agreement.

"You do? That's great-"

When they finished with their food, Petra looked hesitantly at the desserts that were on show.

"Go ahead." Levi said, handing her the menu.

She smiled and took the menu, looking through it before finally deciding on a chocolate cake, one that looked rather sickly at that.

"Are you gonna get one?" She asked.

"No, you can have one though."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded in confirmation as the waiter came over and she told the man what she wanted.

When it arrived she still ended up giving some to Levi anyway, despite his persistent refusing. "Good right?"

"It's good, but it's yours."

"You're stubborn." She replied, taking another bite of cake.

While eating, every so often she offered him some, even asking the waiter for another fork which he eventually gave in to and joined her, it had been a large slice after all and he couldn't deny that it tasted nice. It was something he hadn't had in a very long time, the meals at headquarters were often things like bread, soup, potatoes, not a lot else, he also didn't see the need to go and buy any more food down in the town.

They finished off with the dessert and Levi thumbled getting some money out of his pocket when the waiter came out.

"Hey we can split it or something-"

"No, I invited you here didn't I?"

"Well yes but that doesn't mean you have to pay." She frowned, knowing her pleads will fall on deaf ears.

"We said there will be a next time, just wait and I'll let you."

She sighed but quickly smiled again. "Fine, thank you, Levi."

He hummed and gave the waiter the money before getting the change and getting up.

"It's gone to fast." Petra said, throwing her scarf back on.

"Who said it has to be over yet? We still have time."

A grin crept onto her face and she nodded eagerly, grabbing Levi's worn and calloused hand with her own smaller one.

"I'm just doing this because.. it'll be cold, body heat, you know?"

An amused look flashed on Levi's face as they headed out the door back into the bitter winter air.

The pair walked down the cold street, admiring the Christmas decorations that littered the houses, making the entire place light up and look like something out of a fairytale.

"Levi? Do you like Christmas?"

"In a way..it's nice, there's a few things I miss about Christmas from when I was younger though - it isn't quite the same now."

"No? I hope you have a good Christmas this year, I'll try my best to make it fun."

"I already know you're going to dress the place up all fancy and shit."

"How did you know? Especially our meeting room, that will be extremely festive." She smiled wider, looking at Levi who was watching how excited she was getting over the festive holiday that was coming soon.

"Oh! And I'm going to buy everyone presents, everyone needs a gift after all."

"Don't spend too much."

"I probably will..I need to get something good for you after all." She thought to herself about what to buy Levi, most likely something to do with tea, maybe some tea leaves and a new teacup, or even some rare tea leaves if she could find them.

....

"Petra, aren't you going home on Christmas day?"

"Well..we'll see, are you?" She asked.

"No." Oh, maybe she shouldn't have asked. For a minute she forgot about his past in the underground. She doubted he had any family above ground, or even any that were still alive.

"You could always come with me, my dad would love to meet you, just.. don't listen to anything weird he says-"

"You wouldn't mind if I did? I don't want to get in the way of the little time you and your Father get.

"It wouldn't be a problem at all, just think about it." She tightened the hold on his hand a little before shivering and looking up at the now dark night sky.

"Huh? Look!" She grinned excitedly as little white drops of snow began to fall down, landing on their faces and clothes. Levi looked up, his expression was one of awe looking at the snow, something that he hadn't seen much of in his life time, as about half of his life was spent underground. "It's beautiful." She squeezed his hand, watching a smile tug at his lips.

What a sight to behold.

"Hey, Petra?" He turned his head back to face her.

"Hm?'

He tilted her head towards him and looked into her golden coloured eyes before giving her a quick soft kiss on the lips as the snow began falling heavier. Petra's eyes widened but she quickly smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. When he pulled away she kissed his cheek and burried her head against the crook of his neck.

"Thank you." She muttered, still smiling widely, not seeing the smile that was gracing Levi's face in the dark night.

"Come on then - we should head back, it's getting heavier and as nice as the snow is I don't want you to get sick and be unable to train tommorow." He said, still letting her stay put despite his words.

"Yeah, you're probably right, thank you again for this, it's been the best."

....

*~♡~*

____________________________________________

My apologies that this took me so long to write, but I really hope you like it! 💕

[monomonomagines]

If its not too much trouble, could I ask for the monster AU with the sdr2 guys? I love monsters and I love the monster AU you did for v3

Howdy, Anon! I hope you don’t mind, but Mod Kokichi and I tend to get very excited with our Monster AU so we ended up having to split these into three parts this time thanks to the inclusion of Izuru. Now that my short explanation is out of the way, I hope that you’ll enjoy part one, and thanks so much for enjoying our V3 Monster AU. I plan to post the next parts tomorrow if possible so I hope that you’ll look forward to them. 

Part 1 (Part 2 here) (Part 3 here)

Twogami (shapeshifter)

You were on an evening stroll through the neighborhood when it happened.

With nothing but the marmalade light slowly fading in the distance and sound of birds chirping in the distance to keep you company.

That serenity seemed like it would last for ages that is until an inhuman screech pierced your ears.

Within an instant, you lost that peaceful moment and in another you're legs were carrying you towards that sound before you could think to do otherwise.

Now out of breath and confused by your own lack of forethought you ended up laying your eyes on a strange shadowy figure with a nasty bite wound on its leg.

It didn't seem dangerous or that it would attack you though as it lay there with sad eyes looking at you. If anything, you felt bad for the guy so you took him home with you carrying the shadowy form, feeling it's warm and weirdly fuzzy form.

Soon enough you were home though with your new "friend" in tow. Now was the time to get him some medical attention though.

You quickly grabbed some supplies and got to work. Then by the time you were done, you sent him off on his way.

It was at least a week ago since your encounter but you still wondered at times how he or it was doing. It was hard to tell really if a shapeshifter had a gender in its truest form but even then there was no use worrying about it.

Today you had to focus. There was a charity ball being held by none other than the Togami family and as your family was the one that catered the event and you being the only one with free time, you were sent to act as a representative.

Pushing open the doors you take a deep breath as you enter immediately noticing the Byakuya Togami going absolutely ham on the food your family provided.

You wouldn't have guessed he was such a big eater but even then you shouldn't stare probably. You take your eyes off of him rather embarrassed by your own lack of manners when he called out to you.

"You're S/o are you not? I must thank you and your family for most humbly procuring all this food for us. It's sure to make our event a great one."

His eyes seemed to be looking you over rather analytically yet his words were gentle as he continued.

"I know you're not accustomed to dances such as this with your status most likely but I was hoping that you would join me for the first dance tonight."

Wait, he was asking you!? Despite any protests you gave he admonished you with equal amounts of passion, insisting that he, the Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny was to dance with you and there was no convincing him otherwise.

What you didn't expect was to even be close enough to Byakuya to interact with him but by the end of the night, you were both already planning on going out together again.

It had been like some fairy tale meeting, the way you two met was special and the relationship that quickly bloomed between you two was just as much.

That's why as months went by you decided you wanted to take things further. You ended up buying yourselves matching rings, they weren't similar to wedding rings but they were their own unspoken promise that you two were each other.

You were excited to propose the idea to him as he arrived for another one of your rendezvous but at the sight of the ring, he seemed nervous.

"Of course...I-I'd love to accept, it's nothing...just hand it over."

Despite his unnatural and obviously suspicious reaction you carefully drop the ring into his larger hand only to see him become a familiar shadowy figure before your very eyes. The rings, the gold in them must have turned him into his true form!

"I'm sorry....I'm not the real Byakuya Togami, S/o." he speaks up before you can react looking at you sadly as he admits. "I just wanted to be someone you could like and everyone seemed to like that Togami fellow so I tricked you. I know that it's unforgivable though, for me to think that we could continue like that forever so, I'll leave if that's what you please."

He seemed so genuine and yet it was hard to formulate a response. What he did was wrong, you knew it but he meant so well and you couldn't turn him away then.

Telling him to wait, Togami or Twogami turns to you perplexed by your response. Confused or not though, you reached down to pick up his smaller, plump, shadowy body.

"S/o I...thank you."

Teruteru (Incubus)

When Teruteru applied to join you in the kitchen at your family dinner you didn't think anything much of him at first.

Sometimes he'd make perverted passes at you or tease a bit but overall he was kind and a reliable coworker. You both would spend many days and nights in that kitchen just chatting as you cooked and cleaned after a hard day of work.

However, as you both continued to close your shop together you couldn't help but find him alluring in some way.

Alluring and yet there was something odd about him. Teruteru always seemed to have some new girlfriend or boyfriend to spend time with after work whenever you tried to invite him out.

Maybe his flirting meant nothing after all but even then it felt so real that trying to convince yourself it wasn't was even more painful.

You were tempted, his flirtations were sweet as honey but what if you'd regret indulging in your own sweet temptations. He could be some player or heartbreaker for all you know after all.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of your head though you decided you had enough of being lead on by the fellow chef.

You waited until it was just you two and the remains of your labor left in the kitchen.

Per usual, he started with his usual small talk when you hushed him up with all the questions that tormented you day and night. Did he like you, did he hate you, was he messing with you, and most of all why? If it wasn't anything then why, why bother!?

He was shocked to say the less and thrown off guard for sure as he leaned onto a counter covered by flour in a moment of clumsiness to steel himself.

"I...I do have a reason for my flirtin' n' all but I just...yah need to promise y'all won't fire me if I spill the beans!"

Huh? So first he admits to lying something but then what's with the sudden accent too!? As much as you wanted to laugh at his nervous mistake of coating most of his sleeves in flour, you decided to urge him to go on.

"Well, I do like yah a whole lot but...but I'm also a...I'm an Incubus." He admits, showing off his normally hidden demonic form as though to emphasize his point.

"I want to be with yah really, but I don't wanna take anythin' from yah because of these dang powers a mine."

Sucking in a shaky breath you make your way towards him, disregarding his warnings against getting close and pulling his short frame to your own. You didn't care if he was an Incubus, even if you couldn't have his body you wanted his heart far more and would do anything for it.

"Oh S/o, how could'ja take in a guy like me?"

Nekomaru (Stone Golem)

You were taking a hike on a trail through the mountains. Your plans were to make it to the top in order to look out at the beautiful scenery before your eyes but those plans surely changed when you noticed a weird statue standing at your goal point.

It wasn't too odd for a statue to be somewhere like a mountain top your supposed but something about it made you feel unnerved.

Maybe it was because of how the statue looked as though it were mid-scream or maybe because of how eerily alive it felt. However, around you, it didn't move what so ever, the only other point of interest now the large piece missing from the side of the statue.

At this point, it felt a bit awkward being up there with this thing silently screaming at you forever so you decided to focus on searching for the piece you noticed missing and sure enough it wasn't far.

Picking it up in your hands wasn't too difficult despite the obvious weight to it and with trembling hands, you were easily able to place it in it's allotted slot.

That was when that silent scream of his turned into a roar, loud enough for you to feel it shake you as his large arms came to wrap around you, pulling you into an embrace.

"GAHAHAHA! I'M FREEEEEE!" he yells out, once loud enough for anyone nearby to hear him a second time.

Now setting you down he smiles at you, finally addressing you this time. "Thanks for saving me, I knew someone would have to find me eventually!"

He gives another hearty laugh at your own confused expression, not even bothering to give you time to process what's going on as he speaks up once again.

"I guess that means that I owe you now but don't you worry. I always pay back my debts," he scratches around his nose, adding, "Though all I can offer is to protect you from now on. Tell you what, I'll be like your bodyguard even!"

Despite you opening your mouth he only continues to go on, taking this proposition far more seriously than you thought he would.

"With me around NO ONE will touch you for I am NEKOMARU NIDAI!" he cheers, picking you up again despite your protests.

"No way am I letting you walk! It's my job to protect you so just tell me which way to go!"

Despite his kindness, he really was far too insistent, but even then you could tell you weren't getting out of this so you relented, eventually arriving home in his arms.

It's been about a month since that day that Nekomaru came to live with you. With the two of you growing closer each day it wasn't surprising for you to have developed feelings for the kind golem, but you did worry about what would happen when you'd confess.

Would he leave if he didn't feel the same? Despite your fears, you wanted to face him and to lay all of your feelings bare for him to see.

You two were planning to revisit the path that you met at and so you planned to then, bursting into your confession as soon as you arrived.

You hadn't meant to be so hasty but with Nekomaru it's hard not to be, you wanted to just rip the bandage off and be over with. You were prepared for the consequences of your actions but you didn't suffer at all like you might've guessed.

No, the only suffering you were enduring was from the lack of air when Nekomaru wrapped his arms around you again just like he did when you met.

"I was wondering when you'd say it! I love you too, S/o!"

Wait he knew? As soon as you questioned him though all he did was laugh as usual.

"GAHAHAHA! I thought you knew I did too already. I mean we lived together after all!"

What!?

[camptony]

Memories Ignite || SEBTONY

Tony hummed under his breath while his fingers strummed with ease over the chords of his guitar, trying to make sure it was perfectly tuned. Not that playing at that bar was exactly doing it at the Madison Square Garden, but to him a much smaller crowd meant they would be able to hear whatever tiny mistake he would make, and he didn't want that. Especially not that night. The night when Sebastian was suppose to come to hear him play. 

Not that he was absolutely sure the other would show up. There was no commitment to it, only a few spoken words. But he felt it was only fair to invite him, since he had been polite enough to invite him to his art show gallery. He would had been lying if he said the fact of seeing Sebastian again was making him tickle in the pit of his stomach, but he chugged it all down to the simple fact that they hadn't really talked all that much since they met again recently, and he definitely didn't want to suck, not that night. 

“Tony! You're up in five, man!" a voice told him from the other side of the door of his small dressing room, and that snapped him back up. "Coming" he simply replied and took the chance to give himself a final check in the mirror. Light brown pants, a pastel tones floral shirt completed with a dark blue vest on top, and black boots. Casual. He ran his fingers through his hair. always messy as it was, then he threw his guitar behind his back and walked out of the dressing room.

Sebastian walked into the bar, hands in his pockets as he looked around. He wasn't normally an awkward person - a bar by himself wasn't exactly out of the ordinary. Normally he'd easily strike up a conversation with a cute guy, offer to buy them a drink and see where the night took them... well, he used to, at least. He was sure he'd still be able to do it with ease, he knew he was charming in all the right ways, he simply had no interest in it any more. So now he stood, unsure what to do with himself. 

He supposed a drink was still easy so he took himself up to the bar and ordered the house beer, sitting down at a table with two chairs which had a good view of the stage he assumed Tony would be performing on. He was early but the bar had some nice vibes going. It was neither too loud nor too quiet and it was an easy atmosphere to just blend into the scenery as he waited. 

When Tony walked out onto the stage area, Sebastian swallowed. Why did he always look so good. In five years he certainly hadn't got any less attractive... if anything, he was somehow more attractive. Part of him felt guilty for thinking that. He had a boyfriend, after all but it wasn't wrong to appreciate the physical attractiveness of other people, right? Besides, Ritchie and him had only been together for just over six months so maybe... maybe he just hadn't fully settled into that idea yet. Something like that.

@rockcreeksmythe

A light round of applause welcomed Tony onto the stage, and he smiled and waved at what part of the crowd he could see with the spotlight focused on him like it was. "Hey, everyone. So glad you could join us tonight. I hope you all get to enjoy it." He tried to make it if he could spot Sebastian amonsgt the sitting people at the tables but there was little he could actually see, so there wasn't much for him to do but to focus on his set. And he did just that. As his friend played the initial chords on the piano, he closed his eyes and let his fingers strum over the strings of his guitar, the tune of a light folk tune soon echoing around the room. His first piece would be an instrumental one, the second and onward he had planned to sing, of course if the crowd agreed with him doing that.

Sebastian had heard Tony play the guitar before of course, five years ago while they sat beside the lake at moonlight. Sebastian had been sketching and Tony playing the guitar. But still, he hardly remembered what it had sounded like, the memories from the camp fond but distant. So sitting here, listening and being reminded of the other man's skills on the guitar was a welcome throwback. He applauded loudly, along with the crowd, at the end of the first piece but he hadn't been quite as prepared for Tony to sing. He knew he was going to - the other had invited him with the promise of hearing him sing. But back at camp, it had just been the sounds of the guitar breaking the otherwise silent night but now, of course, Tony had to one up that and be a great singer too. Of course.

Truth be told, Tony always found himself in his happy place whenever he got the chance to sing. He nejoyed playing the guitar, he loved his little store and was happy with his life in general, but there was something about singing that did it for him. And having the chance to show the audience that fact that night made him extra happy, especially knowing Sebastian was out there, sitting in the crowd, listening. There was a slight warm th in the back of his stomah when he thought of that, of him being there. Even if there was the small chance that he wasn't which would had been completely normal. He was sure the man hadhis hands full with his art exhibits, and of course, with his boyfriend. 

As his set came to an end and the lights fully went back up, he immediately spotted Sebastian sitting by the bar and his face light up. After taking a couple of bows he jumped off the stage and walked up to where the other was. "Hey! You actually made it" he said, still unable to wipe the smile off his face. "I didn't think you- I mean.. I know you're busy, so thanks." He hopped on the stool next to Sebastian and signaled the waiter. "Give whatever he's having and serve him another one. So... What'd you think?"

Sebastian couldn't help but return the grin on Tony's face, it almost feeling infectious. "Of course - I said I would and I wanted to see you sing." He was about to protest when Tony ordered him another drink but stopped himself. It's not like he wanted to leave any time soon, so another beer was a perfect excuse. "You're really good," he said, downing the last of the beer he had been nursing before Tony had finished so he could be ready for the next one. "Though," he looked over at Tony with a laugh and winked at him, "something tells me you already know how good you are. You should record something... sell it at your shop."

Tony raised his bottle. "Thanks, man" he said, then chuckled. "I suppose I did at some point, otherwise I wouldn't risk public shame, you know." He laughed heartedly, then shrugged. "Nah... I'm not really interested in that, man. I'm happy just playing whenever I can, and people come to hear me, and then move on with their day, and with mine." He looked at the stage and shook his head. "I'm happy with the way my life is right now. Although who knows, right? Never say never, and all that..." He looked back at him and smiled. "I thought your boyfriend was coming too."

"Uhh," Sebastian shrugged, looking down at the bottle in his hands, "to be honest, I didn't even tell him I was coming." He looked up at the other man, "he had a show tonight - he's in a musical, I can't remember if I ever said - so he wouldn't have been able to come anyway." And that was the truth. Ritchie worked most evenings and it wasn't like they always told each other where they were going. They'd only been dating six months and Sebastian wasn't sure how serious it was - he liked Ritchie, sure, but he wasn't rushing to move in with other man, or move their relationship forward. "Is it weird I came alone?"

Tony's smile went bigger. "Ah... Sneaking up, aren't we?" he said with a chuckle, then shook his head. "Sorry, couldn't help it." He took another swing at his beer and nodded as he put it down. "Yeah, well.. If he got busy what else could you do about it, right?" He tilted his head. "It's not weird, unless you make it weird" he said, then leaned a bit closer. "Besides, I  kinda like the idea of finally having your full attention." He shrugged, then also looked down. "I mean, we met again after all these years, and I feel we haven't really had the time to.. you know, reconnect and all that. There has always been... something." He bit his lip down a bit as he looked up at him to see his reaction.

Sebastian looked at Tony, surprised the other man actually said it. He couldn't exactly deny Tony's words because he knew they both knew it was true. They'd only known each other for two weeks, five years ago, and yet there had been something then and there was still something now. Sebastian had enjoyed his fair share of one night stands, hook ups and friends with benefits over the years but they'd always just been fun. There had never felt like anything more. And Ritchie was only his second actual boyfriend in the past five years since he had seen Tony, the other only lasting for about eight months. And still... he was drawn to Tony. "Honestly, Tony," he finally said with a sigh - not one of annoyance, but one of admittance almost, "if I hadn't been in the middle of the biggest exhibition of my career, you would have had my full attention the other night." The fact that both of their partners had been there the other night went unsaid because it didn't change the statement. Ritchie had been his date and yet Tony... Tony was the one he had wished he could have seen more of that night. "So I'm glad it's just us too."

Tony's face lit up with a huge smile. "Are you kidding me? That was your big night, man. You had to have your head in the game, or things would've gone south." He licked his lips slightly. "But... it's nice to think that would had been an option. I mean, I wouldn't have minded it at all-" He swallowed hard when he felt that tug in his stomach, that weird pull that was starting to make him hot under the collar. Only later he would thought about it and say he hadn't felt that way... in five years. "Yeah... I'm glad too" he said at first, then one of the group who had just performed with him called him up to pick his guitar, that they needed the stage for the next act. "Shit, hang on. Be right back-" he said as he stood up, then turned around and looked at him, a hint of a smile in his eyes. "If you want you can come and see my dressing room. You know, see how a wannabe musician dressing room looks like." He chuckled, then made a motion with his head.

Sebastian nodded, downing his beer in one swift movement. "Nothing wannabe about it," he said, standing up to follow Tony - first to the stage so the other man could collect his guitar, "they always say if you make art you're an artist and you make music so," he shrugged, "you're a musician." He waited while Tony took his guitar from the stage, following him down the hallway near the stage, which no doubt lead to the dressing room. As they entered the dressing room, the three members from the band that were playing next were just finishing up, one of them clapping Tony on the shoulder on their way out, "nice set, man. Good song choices." As they were filtering out of the room, Sebastian looked around, "so this is where the before stage magic happens?"

Tony looked at him with a raise brow. "Oh, I'm nowhere near that artistic vein of yours, man. But thanks for saying that." He grabbed his guitar and led the way through a long, sort of narrow hallway that took them to the back side of the club, where a series of doors were. He pushed the door open to one of those and greeted the group of people there as they were on his way out to perform. "Thanks, man" he told the one who had praised his choice of songs, then he closed the door and made a geture with his hand. "Yeah, this is it. The magic is shared, as you can see, not much room really to be, but cool enough for me to chill, before and after a gig." He took his jacket off, the white tank he was wearing underneath it marking the curves on his chest from his tight it was. He leaned against the desk and looked at him. "So? What'd you think?"

Sebastian's eyes flitted down when Tony removed his jacket, and then he groaned, shaking his head, "what do I think? I think you should be fucking illegal, Tony... I swear to god, this," he gestured at the other man, "isn't fair." He leaned back against the desk just next to Tony, brushing his arm slightly as he did. "You were good. Really. Honestly, it's stupid, we barely know each other and yet..." he turned to look at him, "you owning a record shop, performing in popular local bars and making all the girls swoon is almost exactly how I pictured you."

Tony felt a soft warmth climbing up his neck when he told him that, the way he was looking at him also giving tickles on the back of his stomach. In a single second his mind flew back to those days, five years ago, and the feeling was exactly the same. "I feel like I should apologize for that, but- nah" he said with a soft chuckle. He looked at him and smiled. "Hm... I didn't know you thought that way about me back then- To be honest, I kinda felt jealous about all those handsome French boys you would be swooning with your gorgeous self and inspriring art. It made me wish we had taken advantge of our time at the camp more than we actually did."

Sebastian snorted, "French boys? Please, I make the boys and girls swoon... I just disappoint the girls when they find out I'm gay. And to be fair, we probably would have been caught and very sensationally kicked out if we had screwed around more... we weren't exactly anywhere hard to find. We were just lucky it was a thunderstorm." He remembered the night well... far too well, really. He didn't like to dwell on one night stands or hook-ups, for they were fleeting and gone in a moment (as he wanted them to be) but with Tony he had never managed to quite shake the memory of that night. Though he supposed he hadn't really tried either. He turned his head to the side, realising now how close they were, especially with Tony looking at him. And then it was almost like it happened both in super speed and slow motion and honestly, he wasn't sure which one of them moved in first but he didn't matter. Because all of a sudden the gap between them had closed, their lips crashing against one another. Sebastian moved so he was in front of Tony, standing in between his lips, but had no other sensible thoughts going through his mind.

Tony chuckled. "I just mean because you went back to France at some point after that there would be some swooning. And yes, all those poor girls' heart you left broken on your way..." He laughed softly and ran his fingers through his hair, his teeth gnawing on his lower lip.  "Yeah... A thunderstorm" he said, and they were lucky indeed it swallowed all the sounds they made inside that shower room. And the way it felt when Sebastian was inside of him was something he had never felt again, although if he had been honest he hadn't been with another guy since Sebastian. Only girls, until he met Cleopatra and that was it. There was a sudden moment when there was silence, and the sound of their breathing could be heard inside the walls of that small room. How it happened, who initiated it neither knew then, but within a second their bodies were pressed together again, their lips taking claim of one another again with the same hunger. 

He grabbed the lapels of Sebastian's jacket and pulled him closer, his tongue parting the man's lips and sinking in, sucking all that sweet taste that only then he realized he had actually missed. He hooked his leg around the other waist and pushed himself up to sit on the counter, their moans and groans muffling the sound of the door opening behind them.

Sebastian groaned, his body pushed closer to Tony when the other man hooked his leg around him. His hands found their way to Tony's body, one hand sliding beneath the thin fabric of the (should be illegal) tank top and he was nearly lost in the moment. That was - of course - until he heard a thud and then a quiet "fuck" which startled both men out of their haze. He turned and saw one of the members from the band from earlier looking apologetic, "sorry. I was trying not to interrupt... uhh. Just forgot my water. Our set goes for 30 minutes but until then... please continue." He winked at them and then ducked out the room as quick as he had arrived. Sebastian turned to Tony (and oh god he looked about as wrecked as Sebastian felt), the interruption making what they had just been doing sink in, "I should... I should go."

Tony groaned when he felt Sebastian's groin pressed between his legs, and his own body was responding to that eagerly, when all the sudden the voice at Sebastian's back made both men startle, and they pulled away from one another in a hurry. He simply raised a hand at the man who was leaving the room, all while trying to catch his breath back. His face was flustered, and his hair a mop of mess. He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair, then sighed and made a slight nod with his head. "Yeah, I- I'm sorry about that..." he said quietly.

Sebastian shook his head, "don't be... it's not ... it wasn't just you, Tony. I'm sorry too. I-" He paused. He what? Found it hard to control himself around the other man? Felt this pull to him that he had never quite felt before which was ridiculous in itself. That wasn't how life or attraction worked, was it? He had never felt like he didn't have control over it before. Or was it that he didn't want to leave? That part was true, at least. "I'll see you around," he said, almost reluctantly and finally stepped back from the way their bodies had been pressed together. He stood there for another few beats before relenting and walking towards the door. He turned back to Tony, his hand on the door handle, "you were really good tonight. Thanks for inviting me." He gave him a small smile before ducking out of the room, needing to get out of the bar before he changed his mind and made good use of that 30 minutes they may have had.

Tony looked up and right into Sebastian's eyes, that brief moment of hesitation making his heart do a small flip inside his chest. What was that? But just as soon as it came, it was gone, and Sebastian was stepping back. One steps. Then two. The distance between them seemed to him a lot bigger than it actually was. "Don't go..." almost fell off his lips, but he knew he shouldn't do that. Plus, it was now obvious Sebastian wanted to leave as well. "Sure. No problem" was what came out instead in response to the other's words, then he took a deep breath after the door was closed behind him and turned around to look at his own reflection in the mirror. "What the hell are you doing...?"

END SCENE.

[rightsockjin]

Meet Cute

Summary: Jimin is at a wedding alone. This doesn’t bother him. He’s got the best friends he could ask for, a booming career and a family. He was set. But as one of his best friends danced with his new wife, Jimin couldn’t help but wish he had someone special too. That’s where you come in with a mouth full of sass.

Warnings: A little angsty.

Length:1,591

Rating: K

~Admin OperaNickle

It was beautiful. The bridesmaids were dressed in maroon and the groom’s men in dark navy blue. Accents of gold littered the large room that the bride and groom had rented out and bundles of Buckeye Bells, Earl Grey roses and Baby’s Breath sat at the center of each table on top of beautiful crème colored table cloths. Around the circumference were elegant gold plates with delicate creme china on top, rimed with a fine gold line. Goblets of crystalline glass that reflected the golden light from the lanterns that hung from every corner stood at attention in different states of fullness with varying liquids.

       Jimin’s was empty once again after he’d refilled his glass with wine from the open bar, this being the third time that night and that was before the bride and groom had even made their entrance as newlyweds at the event place. Jimin knew he should probably slow down. If the looks that his friends were giving him were any indication, he really should stop, but he was the only one at this damned party alone in his whole friend group so screw their judgment.

       That’s right. Taehyung, Yoongi, Jin, Hoseok, Namjoon (who’s wedding he was currently attending-plot twist! Jungkook was right. Namjoon was the first to marry) and Jungkook were present alongside a partner. It was only him, Jimin, that was somehow still single. Somehow still alone. Somehow going stag.

       Was he bothered by it, one might ask. No. Of course not. He was Park Jimin. International super star. Millionaire. Dancer, singer. He was coveted by many a lady and many a man. He had his pick of whomever he wanted. At least…that’s what he would say, and has said on the multiple occasions that he’s been asked by his friends, parents, and fans about his relationship status. He’d say he was in no hurry. He had a full life ahead of him and he always had his original soul mate-Tae.

What else could he possibly want?

       In reality, it did bother Jimin to some extent. He couldn’t help but wonder if there was something he was missing. Something he wasn’t understanding about love and relationships the way that his peers did. But he never let himself dwell on it. Instead, he focused on being happy for his friends and bettering himself in every way he thought possible. The problem was that he had been doing that for so long that it was getting boring.

       When was it his time?

       The chatter in the room suddenly subsided. The laughter of happy family members who were fortunate enough to be invited to this wedding (because N/W/N had insisted on having a Korean wedding and a wedding of her own culture and the Korean wedding had happened in Korea) were shushed as the lights dimmed. It was replaced by the excited mumbles of friends. The rumble of what he assumed was music was building subtly in the background. He could feel it in his chest and a gargle of butterflies clambered around his stomach.

       He was happy for his hyungnim. Not to mention that he genuinely liked Namjoon’s girlfriend-now wife. It wasn’t a surprise to him or to any of the Bangtan members, who were sitting all at the same table,their girlfriends and fiancee’s sitting next to them, to see that tears had sprung to his eyes. It was expected in fact.

       The DJ held a mic up to his lip and asked for a round of applause in English for the newlywed couple. Then the doors opened and just like in the ceremony before, it was like the room lit up with the happiness that radiated from Namjoon and N/W/N. She looked beautiful in a nature themed dress that made her look like she was wrapped in flowers and vines. Her hair tumbled down her bare back -- he’d relieved it of the messy bun she’d had earlier. Her bouquet of flowers was held tightly in her left hand. The roses made from books and letters that were important to the couple caught his eyes once again. She was a creative one, that N/W/N. Her other hand was held firmly in the enormous hand of his leader. He could only see a third of Namjoon’s wife’s fingers but he could clearly see  the wedding band on Namjoon’s. Something he knew Namjoon would probably never, for the rest of his life, take off.

       Namjoon looked handsome as well, Jimin thought, checking out his friend. N/W/N had drawn the line at him wearing a white suit because she deemed it to be tacky, which Jimin completely disagreed with, but now that he saw the tux that he had eventually settled on, he had to admit that he looked striking. His maroon tie was gone, leaving his creme, flower embroidered, button up free. The collar stood tall against his neck and a button undone. His navy suit jacket was closed tightly, a thick belt of fabric sat low on his hips accentuating his wide shoulders. As Jimin looked down, he noticed that Namjoon’s Italian dress shoes were replaced with what looked like maroon high-tops. If he wasn’t mistaken, N/W/N had them on under her dress as well.

       Tears streamed down Jimin’s cheeks as one of their old songs blasted through the venue. Jimin knew that it was leading up to their first dance and tried to force the tears to stop. He and Hoseok had worked way too hard on the choreography for him to miss the execution.

       It was difficult, and while N/W/N wasn’t a professional performer like him and his group, she had kept up with Namjoon and he had hopes that it would go well. In the end he was worried for no reason. The first dance went off without a hitch, switching from multiple fast paced songs and ultimately ending in a slow fox trot. It was then that couples began to join the newlyweds. Hoseok was the first to get up with his girlfriend who smiled from ear to ear. They both loved to dance and Jimin wouldn’t be surprised If they had practiced just for this. Next was Yoongi and his fiancee. It was his Fiancee that had gently pulled at his suit and Yoongi, being the true softy he was, stood up and let her lead him onto the dance floor. Slowly, the couples trickled off until Jimin sat alone. He sighed and slumped in his chair.

       He had half a mind to ask someone, anyone to dance. Just for this song. Jimin wasn’t shy but as he watched the people swaying on the dance floor and caught a glimpse of Namjoon and his wife, it didn’t feel right.

       He grabbed his empty cup and sipped on the small puddle of wine that had stayed behind , tilting it up to his plush lips. There was a subtle buzz in his body. The alcohol tasted familiar and comforting. Just as he was about to stand up to get another glass full, he felt a pair of eyes trained on him.

       Carefully, he put his glass down and glanced around at the empty tables. It took him all of three seconds to connect eyes with a girl two tables away. She was wearing a stunning light blue dress and her hair was pulled up and away from her face in an elegant twist. In the darkness of the room, Jimin couldn’t see her very well but there was a soft beauty to her being that seemed to draw him in. He realized quite quickly that she seemed pretty sad as she looked between him, her table and the dance floor. She seemed to be in the same situation as him.

       Maybe it was the wedding or maybe It was the fact that he was well on his way to tipsy, but Jimin decided he’d ask her to dance. It was just one dance right?

       He stood abruptly and determinedly walked over to the single woman. On her part, she watched him with a mixture of what looked like fear and surprise. Jimin smiled at her, trying to ease her worry. She returned it in a much smaller scale but Jimin considered that a win.

       Finally, he was before her, looking down as she stared up at him. She had bright eyes and long lashes. There was a soft rouging on the apples of her cheeks and a sparkle on her nose.

       Jimin was momentarily taken aback. It might have been a good thirty seconds before he realized he was rudely staring. He cleared his throat and carefully leaned in. The woman didn’t move, instead she leaned in so Jimin didn’t have to yell over the music which had now shifted to another slow dance.

       “I couldn’t help but notice that you’re alone,” he started then quickly continued, “I was wondering if you wanted to dance?”

       The woman blinked up at him, looking him up and down a couple of times. Sizing him up. Jimin felt a bead of sweat form on his temple. Something about her made him feel nervous. Like it didn’t matter that he was Park Jimin. It didn’t matter that he was world famous, or that he had money. Jimin felt small in a way that he hadn’t in years. Like he’d been in the cosmos for a long time and he’d finally touch down on earth once again. Gravity pulling him down. He was small. One person. Just him.

       “That depends,” she answered, crossing her arms, “are you going to step on my toes?”

[horansqueen]

You & Me : chapter 12

A Niall Horan fanfiction ; rated MA

Sequel to AM CONVERSATIONS

CHAPTER 1 || CHAPTER 2 || CHAPTER 3 || CHAPTER 4 || CHAPTER 5 || CHAPTER 6 || CHAPTER 7 || CHAPTER 8 || CHAPTER 9 || CHAPTER 10 || CHAPTER 11

NOTES:

-one chapter is her pov, the next is his. -4.9k -im sorry, i never proofread, i hate it. -there WILL be smut. but not only smut. -this is a romance, comedy, smut story. -for the summary, check my MASTERLIST.

- notes: i hope it sorta hit a bit? does it sting? it had to happen sorry! i cant wait to write the next chapter 😭

if you want to be on the list of blogs i notify when this is updated, just message me :)

requests! : i didnt add the “never have i ever” suggestions that i used but THANK YOU if you sent some, i used a few! also, i had other requests and ideas from people and i may use them a bit later, in a future chapter. actually i know when ill use them lol youll see :)

Chapter 12 : Her chapter

OLIVIA

"Shit, I don't know what to wear!" I exclaimed to myself as i put clothes in front of me, standing next to to mirror. "Horrible."

I threw the shirt away, aiming for the bed but it fell next to it and I didn't even send it a glance as I took an other one.placing it on my chest and tilting my head at my reflection. I glanced up when I saw Louis walk by and stop immediately, holding himself on the door frame with a smirk.

"Put a skirt on." he let out, making me raise my eyebrows. "It'll be easier for him to fuck you against the wall."

My eyes got smaller and I reached out for my tissue box before throwing it his way. He moved right on time and it hit the wall in a thug, making him laugh.

"Don't be so violent!" he smirked, walking in my room and leaning on the wall. "I'm just saying out loud what you think about late at night, if you know what I mean."

I turned to him, opening my eyes wide and shaking my head. I couldn't believe Louis was talking about me masturbating to the thought of my ex boyfriend like it was nothing.

"Oh my god, shut up!" I let out with a chuckle. "You're so annoying!"

"Look, I woke up and he was getting out of your room." Louis pointed out. "He spent the night with you. In your bed. Wearing nothing but BOXERS!"

"We just slept." I argued with a shrug, trying not to show him that the thought of Niall almost naked in bed with me was actually doing something to me. "I was sick, remember?"

"Yea, you were 'sick'" he repeated, pronouncing the last word louder and adding fake quotation marks with his fingers.

"I was! A few of your sushis weren't good, Lou." I explained, throwing an other shirt away and grabbing a new pair of jeans. "You know it's true, I heard you vomit in the middle of the night, too."

"That's not the point." he explained, getting suddenly a lot more serious than he normally is. "Olivia, you should break up with Dylan." I stopped dead in my track and even stopped breathing. My heart, though, was beating extremely hard against my rib cage and it's all I could hear. "Did you even think about him recently? He's not here and you don't even seem to miss him, especially not when Niall is around."

I did think about Dylan, though, but I didn't talk about my thoughts, mostly because I felt fucking guilty about almost everything that came to my mind. I felt like shit towards my boyfriend but I didn't have the guts to tell him that I was getting closer and closer to Niall. I didn't know how to tell him that spending time with Niall had been some sort of relief in my life, that being able to be around Niall again was making me generally happier, that when I was near him, I felt more alive. There was no good way to tell that to the man you were about to marry, not without hurting him.

"I love Dylan and I miss him, you know that damn well, Louis." I argued, feeling tears coming to my eyes. "But Niall is... Niall is Niall. Niall is the love of my life."

Louis uncrossed his arms and walked closer as I closed my eyes. I didn't want to look at him. I didn't want to face reality at all. I wanted to spend time with Niall and pretend I would be able to resist him the next time he'd try to kiss me. I wanted to pretend that I was going totally okay with watching Niall and Heidi get married and have kids at some point in the future while i'd do the same with Dylan. I wanted to believe I didn't have to break an incredible man’s heart because of my own disgusting selfishness... that everything was fine and that what was happening between Niall and I was perfectly normal.

"I know he is." Louis said gently, placing his hands on my upper arms from behind. "I see you two interact and it's so obvious, Olivia. The way you two connect it's... it's probably terrifying for Dylan and Heidi, you know?"

I opened my eyes and sniffed before swallowing the lump in my throat. I was not going to cry. There was no fucking way I was going to cry now and ruin my make up. We didn't connect, and we wouldn't connect on that night, I was going to make sure of it.

"Don't worry, I'll be okay. I'll prove to you and everyone else that Niall and I are only friends, you'll see."

I was mostly trying to convince myself of that but I just reached out to my wardrobe and grabbed a skirt, like Louis had proposed. I was going to have fun tonight and nothing else.

"Liv, don't be like that."

I turned to Louis and shook my head slightly.

"I'm not losing Dylan, okay? I can't. Do you know what are the chances for me to find an other man like him? Kind, sweet, smart, funny and who truly loves me? I've risked my relationship enough, don't you think?"

"So last night, when Niall joined you in your bed, you didn't feel anything?" he asked a bit harshly, raising his eyebrows at me. "I saw him take care of you when you were puking your guts out, you know?"

"You don't base a romantic relationship on lust, Louis. You should know that." I shook my head, searching my drawers for a shirt. "Niall always took care of me, since we were kids. It's nothing new. And it means nothing."

Louis stayed there, motionless and quiet as I picked my clothes and when he realized I wouldn't look at him again, he sighed.

"We're leaving in 10 minutes." he turned around and walked to the door as I swallowed my tears again. "And Liv? I love you. I want what's best for you. My opinion is just that, an opinion but... I don't think you'll ever be happy if you're not with Niall. I don't think he'll ever be happy without you either."

                                                       ---

The bar was crowded but we reached a quiet spot on the second floor, in the back of the room. Everyone was arrived and I couldn't stop glancing at Niall, who ended up sitting next to me. Now that he was close, all the bullshit I had told Louis earlier didn't seem so important anymore. Nothing ever seemed more important than Niall, and it was a problem.

Louis came back with a pitcher and sat on the other side of me with Eleanor while Harry, Liam and Julie sat on the other side of the table. I didn't know where Harry's girlfriend was, or if he even was with her anymore. We had told each other we would remain friends but things change and we drifted apart. I sighed low, a bit nostalgic of that friendship before we all started drinking. I was getting drunk and from the way Niall's eyes sparkled, I felt like he was getting there, too. Or maybe it was just that I was so drunk I was starting to imagine things.

I could feel the skin of his arm brush against mine and I cleared my throat, trying to stop thinking about it before turning around to send him a smile.

"So where's your girlfriend?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Oh she'll be here soon."

I didn't expect this answer and raised my eyebrows as my lips parted. I didn't want to see her, and it was not only because we didn't get along. Most of all, I didn't want to see her all over Niall the way she had been when they invited us for dinner. Why was I so ready to prove everyone that I was able to resist my ex boyfriend but as soon as he was near, I couldn't handle myself?

"Okay, let's play a game!" Liam said, tapping the table a few times with his palm. "Truth or Dare?"

"No no, 'never have I ever'!" Louis argued, making me raise my nose up in a grimace.

These games never ended well, at least most of the time, except that one time where I decided to just kiss Harry, but a few minutes later, Niall had kissed a girl too and that was not a good ending, at least not to me.

"Okay, I found questions online!" Eleanor let out with a chuckle. "If you've done it, you take a sip, and no one lies!"

"Yea, I'll call you out if I see one of you lie!" Louis agreed, making my heart skip a beat.

I was screwed.

"Never have I ever... drunk-dialed an ex!"

I held my breath and started nibbling on my bottom lip. So many times, I had wanted to call Niall when I was drunk but every time, Louis was there to snatch the phone out of my hands. I glanced when I saw Niall drink and I wondered who he had tried to call. I had never received a phone call or a text message from him after we broke up, so I knew it was not me, and somehow, it made me jealous. He missed an ex so much that he called her... did that mean he never really missed me?

"Never have I ever... stolen someone's food!"

"Louis! You drink!" I let out, my eyebrows raised. "You always eat all my fucking left-overs!"

"What? Nah."

"He does!" Eleanor agreed with me with a chuckle, hitting him gently with her elbow.

He groaned but finally took a long sip of his beer, making me smile more.

"Okay, never have I ever... called a partner the wrong name during sex!"

I chuckled but felt my heart jump in my chest when I noticed Niall taking a long sip of his drink. We all looked at him and started laughing and he simply shrugged.

"I was drunk, I didn't know the girl's name!" he argued, laughing too.

I let my eyes roam on his face, wondering who exactly was that girl and if she had been someone he had sex with after he left me but I didn't dare to ask.

"Never have I ever.... lied to a law enforcement officer."

I laughed when I saw Louis drink and Liam started laughing, his eyebrows raised.

"Wait what? What was the lie?" he asked curiously, leaning slightly against the table.

"He lied to get out of a ticket." I replied, rolling my eyes.

"Why? Because he was going too slow?"

Everyone started laughing and Louis grimaced before flipping Liam off, making everyone laugh even more. I leaned closer to Louis and kissed his cheek gently before he wiped my kiss vigorously from his skin.

"Traitor!" he whispered as I chuckled, blowing him an other kiss.

"Never have I ever... sent nudes."

Without thinking, my eyes found Harry immediately and his did too. We stared at each other for a few seconds before our lips curled. I grabbed my drink and took a sip as he did the same, just like Julie, Liam and Louis.

"Did you send nudes to your boyfriend or your ex boyfriend, Olivia?"

I sent a mean glance at Louis and he smirked, making me know he was getting back at me for the last question.

"One time, Harry, Niall and I played 'truth or dare' and Harry asked me if I had ever taken nudes. I guess we continued that conversation a bit later and.. shared.. selfies..."

Louis' eyes got bigger and he pressed his lips together, knowing he had made things a bit awkward but finding it funny anyway. I glanced at Niall, noticing he was staring at me, and finally cleared my throat, asking El for the next question.

"Never have I ever.... hooked up with someone of the same sex or gender."

My eyes once again found Harry. I knew we were pretty much the only one who didn't want to label ourselves around the table and I brought my drink closer to him. He smiled and clinked his glass against mine before we both took a sip.

"You guys have no idea what you're missing." he let out after swallowing, making us laugh.

"Oh my god, Liv, you're gonna love this one. Never have I ever had food poisoning."

I laughed and took a sip, pushing the side of my body against Louis'. He groaned and took a sip and when I turned around, I noticed Niall frowned. I moved closer, holding my breath to make sure I wouldn't smell his incredible scent, and smiled a bit.

"Last night, Louis got sick because of his sushis, too."

I saw an emotion pass on Niall's face and his lips finally curled before he chuckled. Was that relief? I nibbled on my bottom lip when I remembered what he had asked me in the middle of the night and the right corner of my lips raised. I didn't know why he didn't want me to be pregnant with Dylan's baby but I liked it.

"Never have I ever been the subject of a rumor that wasn’t true." Eleanor read with a big smile. "Oh god, I think we can all drink!"

We all laughed and ended up finishing our glasses, handing each other the pitchers to fill them back again. I almost choked on the sip I was taking when Heidi arrived and she quickly sat next to Niall, making something stir in my stomach. I closed my eyes tight when she kissed him and I felt Louis' hand on my arm.

"It's okay to be hurt, love." he whispered. "If it matters, she's got nothing on you. She's also doing that to get to you."

I breathed in and out slowly before opening my eyes again. I noticed Heidi looking at me and sending me a sly smile that really bothered me.

"I'll get shots!"

Harry left with Liam and the whole time they were gone, I played with my fingers nervously. I felt like the whole evening was ruined because of her but I couldn't let that get to me, right? As soon as the guys put the shots in the middle of the table, I grabbed one and swallowed it quickly, followed by Louis.

"Wait, guys! This is for the game!" Harry explained. "And it's a surprise, you don't know what you drink!"

That's when I noticed the huge amount of shots on the table and raised my eyebrows just as Eleanor read the next question.

"Never have I ever... caught someone masturbating."

I held my breath and my eyes got bigger. I didn't want to turn to Niall but it was stronger than me. He was already looking at me and he chuckled.

"One time, when I was 13, Liv caught me masturbating. She just walked in my room without knocking!"

I smiled and pressed my lips together but my smile faltered when I realized he had no idea that I had caught him masturbating last time I actually slept at his place. The sight of him jerking off flashed in my mind and I gripped my glass tighter until I heard his voice again.

"Oh and remember at the lodge?" he asked with a smirk. "I came back in the room the first day we got there and-”

"Nooo! Shut up!"

I moved closer to him, trying to press my hand over his mouth but he dodged me and ended up just holding my wrist as he finished his sentence.

"And I caught Olivia masturbating in the dark, in our room!"

"Oh my god I hate you." I groaned, leaning my forehead on the table as I heard laughter. "That was a secret!"

"Was it though?" Niall asked, his lips dangerously close to my ear.

I held my breath and waited a few seconds to look up, noticing Louis had given a shot to Niall and was now handing me one. I drank it quickly, turning the glass around and putting it on the table. Tequila, ouch.

"Never have I ever... tried anal sex."

Once again, I closed my eyes and groaned, bringing one of my hands on my face as Niall laughed next to me. I was really going to get drunk. I reached for two shots and handed one to Niall who just chuckled and drank it fast. I did it took and raised my nose up. Sambuca. I hated that.

"Wow, who the hell are you?" Louis asked, raising his eyebrows while looking at me. "Little wild thing. Can't believe you let him!"

It was not my first time trying anal but I decided not to mention it. The truth was, when I was dating Niall, I would have done anything for him. There was no limit, as long as he stayed with me and was happy, it was all that mattered to me. I suddenly felt the urge to kiss him and held my breath as I stared at him. My heart was hitting so hard against my rib cage I thought it was just going to escape. Literally. It was ridiculous. I was not ready to do anything for anyone anymore, except myself. That's how things should be.

"Never have I ever... hooked up with an ex’s friend."

Once again, I knew I had to drink. Not everyone in the room knew that I had slept with Louis and I thought maybe it would be better if I didn't drink at all but the worst would be if I hesitated. If I just drank, they could believe it was an other ex than Niall but if I didn't seem sure, they'd know I was not at ease and it would be suspicious. I rolled my eyes, realizing I was going a bit too far in my thoughts and just grabbed an other shot, swallowing it quickly. I felt Louis' hand squeeze my thigh and my lips curled slightly. He knew and it was enough for me.

"Never have I ever... tried to make an ex jealous."

I sighed and took an other shot, shaking my head.

"We need to find questions that won't force me to get so drunk I won't be able to walk in half an hour!" I argued with a chuckle, watching as Niall grabbed a shot too.

I was starting to hate this game, if only for the fact that all I did was drink and check if Niall would drink too and if he did, I'd just spend a few minutes wondering who it was about and what exactly it meant. I glanced at Heidi, thinking she should probably drink but didn't and I rolled my eyes.

I never really had tried to make Niall jealous but I had hoped for it. I was not getting married to make him regret leaving me, but when I noticed his reaction when he found out and stormed out of the cafe, I couldn't pretend it didn't do anything to me. It did. I liked it. It gave me hope. Hope for what? I was not sure.

"Never have I ever... second-guessed a relationship."

I was getting pissed at myself for letting all his simple gestures and actions get to me. I loved him, I loved him so fucking bad it was driving me insane, but there was no way I was going back to being the 'no-back-bone-and-fucking-blind' girl I used to be when we were dating. I didn't want that. I reached for a shot and placed it in front of Niall a bit roughly, spilling a few drops of what I believed was rum, or at least, it smelled like it.

"Do you need only one?"

Somehow, everyone stopped talking and although I should feel guilty, I really couldn't. I was past the tipsy stage and a few memories were coming back to my mind. I also didn't enjoy Heidi's presence and the way she was so close to him. Niall looked down and licked his lips, waiting a few seconds before drinking the shot and pushing the glass away. Eleanor cleared her throat and I just shook my head with a sigh.

"Uhm, never have I ever cheated on a partner."

I closed my eyes again but this time for a complete different reason. I thought about the first time Niall touched me. I could almost still feel his fingertips brush on my skin before he had pushed them inside me. I can't remember being this excited ever in my whole life. This time, I didn't have to say anything. Niall just reached out to grab a shot and swallowed it.

"Not on Liv, right?"

Niall turned to Louis and shook his head.

"No. With her." My eyes moved to Heidi's hand who gripped Niall's arm tighter sinking her nails in his skin. I couldn't help but think she did that when they fucked, too.  "It was back when I was with Maya."

I noticed Harry was looking at me with a frown and I just shook my head slightly, answering his silent question. He nodded and his lips curled a bit as I answered his smile. No, I had no cheated on Harry. I wouldn't have done that, not even for Niall... right?

"It was... unplanned." Niall added, making me press my lips together.

The memory was so vivid, probably due to the alcohol and mixed with the proximity of Niall's body, that I had to get up and go to the bathroom. As I got up, I realized how drunk I was and tried to walk straight. I didn't like to show I was drunk and I was not sure why but when I got out of the bathroom, Louis was leaning against the wall, waiting for me.

"El and I are leaving, we've got a brunch in her family tomorrow morning, so I'll sleep at her place." he explained with a frown. "Are you okay? We can give you a ride home if you want."

"No, thank you." I shook my head. "I'll just take a cab."

"No, no cab by yourself. One of those fuckers will bring you home when you'll be ready. I'll make sure of it. And if anything happens, you call me."

I nodded and he pulled me into a hug, making me close my eyes. I wanted to tell him that I missed him, and that I missed having sex with him, but it was a lie. What I actually missed was to be close to someone, and I sort of felt like I was losing him, somehow. Soon, we were not going to live together anymore and I had no idea if I was okay with that.

"Sorry for that game, although it went better than you thought, right?"

I chuckled and pulled away before nodding. He sent me a wink and told me goodnight and I watched him leave before sighing and walking back to the table with difficulty. Liam and Julie were getting up too and I frowned, tilting my head when I got closer.

"Are you guys leaving too?"

"Yea, we're both a bit tired." Julie explained.

They said their goodbyes to everyone and I ended up sitting next to Harry and in front of Niall. I watched as Heidi talked in his ear with a smirk and I glanced down to watch her arm disappear, realizing she probably had her hand on his thigh, or even somewhere else. I looked away and swallowed at the intense feeling of jealousy invading me.

"Oh, Olivia, I know you'll be alone tonight, would you rather sleep home?"

I frowned at Heidi, a bit surprised about her proposition and licked my lips, trying to find a reason why she would actually want me to be with both of them at his place. To show me he belonged to her, perhaps? To keep on being all over him in front of me?

"No it's okay, she can come home." Harry just said, getting up and grabbing his phone. "I'm alone tonight, too."

"It's cool, Harry. She'll sleep at mine." Niall quickly replied, getting up to. "Plus, it's closer."

They looked at each other and Harry finally sighed before bending down and whispering to me.

"Are you okay with that?" I just nodded and he did the same. "Okay, darling."

Heidi drove us back home since she had barely drank and I noticed Niall kept glancing at me in the mirror but I didn't acknowledge him. I knew he was a bit mad at me for some of the things I had said and if I wanted to be honest, I really thought I was over all of that, but the thought of him breaking my heart and not being sure of the relationship we had made something burn inside me... I was not mad. I was still hurt. I probably always would be.

Niall let me borrow a pair of his sweatpants and a shirt and none of us really talked at all. We just went to bed and before I knew it, I was laying on my back, under the covers, in the dark, just staring at the ceiling. Normally, I would have a conversation with Niall until we'd both fall asleep but that night, it was impossible. He was going to cuddle her all night, and not me. The thought made me swallow hard and I tried to keep my tears in. I was intoxicated and just closing my eyes made me dizzy.

That's when I heard it. It made my heart jump so hard in my chest I was near throwing up. A moan. Just a low moan disturbing the silence of the night and then, an other one. I got up slowly, my heart beating harder, making my whole body throb and when I opened the door, I held my breath. I stepped out of the room and It was clear, now. A bunch of moans reached my ears and I leaned my back against the wall, shutting my eyes tight.

"Oh, fuck, Niall!"

I felt tears invade my eyes and I let myself slide on the wall until my ass hit the floor. I heard noise, like the annoying sounds of a mattress moving, and I brought my hand to my mouth, trying to keep in the sobs that wanted to escape. This is exactly why Heidi wanted me to sleep at their place but the one I really blamed was Niall. How could he do that to me? Wasn't breaking my heart once enough? What the hell was he thinking?

I was sitting down alone in the hall, now as sober as possible in these circumstances, listening to my ex boyfriend, the man I was in love with, having sex with his girlfriend. It was so pathetic I didn't even take the time to wipe the tears that fell on my cheeks, I just accepted my fate, motionless, like it was something I actually deserved. I tried to think about my boyfriend, filming a movie in an other country, but it couldn't distract me from the noises coming from his room. All these images of Heidi riding him as he touched her and told her how much he loved her invaded my brain and I felt suddenly nauseous. It made me realize one thing. It was not so much that they had sex, that really bothered me, although it did hurt me to some extent. What was really hard to accept was that he may have feelings for her, stronger feelings than he had for me. I also couldn't really believe he cared so little about me that he'd literally do it while I was in the same house, in the room literally next to mine.

I cried more, feeling like this moment would never fucking end. It's only when I heard his voice for the first time that something inside me seemed to click. He had groaned and I hated it. It was a low and simple grunt but it made me want to literally die on the spot. I don't know where I found the strength but I quickly got up, walked back to the guest room and grabbed my purse before rushing to the front door and stepping out of the house into the dark night. The door closed roughly behind me and I realized they may have heard. I quickly left and ran across the street, my shoes hitting the ground being the only sound around. It was only when I was totally out of breath that I decided to call a cab. I just wanted to erase that whole evening from my mind. I just wanted to erase all my feelings and be happy again but I couldn't lie to myself. The only time I was truly happy was when I was with Niall... and that was over. There was no hope left inside me.

[iamtheblondestblonde]

Slides and Serendipity

Part 6 (4.2k)

Masterlist

AN: Back to back updates what is going on and also happy reading. I hope everyone is doing okay during quarantine

Warnings: pretty sure there’s some language in there but who is even surprised anymore

I was really excited to finally see Mia again because she was this amazingly sweet girl. She’d moved to New York in pursuit of her career as a graphics designer after graduating and then contact had fizzled out not soon after.

That was the sad part about graduating. It was impossible to keep up with everyone because after years of spending so much time together everyone was starting their own lives. We all got caught up in our own things and I lost touch with many great people from college. I always told myself I’d reach out when things would quiet down but at this point it would mostly be awkward.

I arrived a little early at the restaurant and asked for a table where I could watch the door so I could wave Mia over. She arrived not soon after, a bright smile on her face as soon as she spotted me. She looked good, still perfectly styled and her make up on point. She’d lost her baby face like most of us by now and her look was more sophisticated but overall I’d have recognized her anywhere.

“How is it possible that you’re even hotter now than you were three years ago?”, she greeted me with a laugh and I joined her, standing up to hug her tightly. She was taller than me, even with the heeled booties I wore, her model height had always had her towering over everyone else in our girl gang during college.

“You’re one to talk, I’m pretty sure your boobs make every porn star jealous at this point.”

“Don’t even get me started on these babies, my back is killing me to the point that I’m actually considering a reduction. I’d rather have your boobs, big enough to turn heads but not to the point where they’re constantly fighting gravity.” She winked at me and gave me a playful once over, an approving look on her face.

“God I’ve missed you. Now we only need Lisa to complete the Holy European Trinity so we can wreak havoc over this city”, I sighed and she agreed before sitting back down. With Mia’s cute Irish accent and Lisa’s passionate Italian heritage we’d turned quite a few heads during our time in college but we’d all been very picky with our choices.

“Perhaps it’s good that she’s still in Denver, Dallas can’t handle all three of us.”

We ordered our drinks and then quickly decided on sharing one of the menus the restaurant offered for couples. She was about to show me something on her phone when I did a double take at her background picture.

“Holy shit you have a son?!”, I exclaimed, looking at the picture of a toddler in her arms. It had to be her son, the resemblance was uncanny even if he didn’t share her red locks.

“Yeah this is Elias, he just turned two. I totally forgot that we stopped talking right before I found out that I was pregnant”, she said sheepishly and I couldn’t believe it. Here I was, 25 and enjoying the single life while one of my closest friends from college had started a family. I couldn’t spot a wedding ring on her finger though and while I usually wouldn’t dare ask this question in most cases, Mia and I had shared far more personal details before.

“Who’s the dad, the guy you met at the supermarket?” I was pretty sure that she mentioned liking this guy but I could be wrong, it had been a while after all.

“No not him, some guy I met before him but he doesn’t even know that I got pregnant after hooking up. Supermarket guy fled as soon as I told him that I was three months pregnant and that it wasn’t his. It’s been Elias and I ever since but now I moved back so my parents could watch their grandchild grow up, they always complained about not seeing him enough.”

“He’s too cute, such a stud already because he gets his looks from you. I really want to meet the little guy, I’ll be the best auntie ever since he doesn’t have any real ones. And if you ever need a babysitter I’d love to watch him”, I said excitedly. I loved kids but wasn’t ready to have any on my own, besides the fact that I also didn’t have a baby daddy in sight either. Mia was an only child so I’d decided that it was now my responsibility to spoil her kid.

“He’s with my parents right now but I’ll come visit with him sometime next week if you want.”

I agreed of course and then she told me all about him until our food arrived. Elias sounded hilarious and I already loved him without ever having met him. I waited until after we finished eating to talk to her about what I really wanted.

“I don’t know if Lisa told you anything yet, but I’m starting my own business and I really want you to work with me. I want you to be in charge of the graphics and we can get started as soon as I find someone else to help me with the coding because I have so many requests lined up I can’t do them all by myself.”

“Yeah she hinted at something like that. What kind of stuff would you want me to do and where would we work?”, she asked and I knew that I had her.

“At first I was planning on renting an office somewhere downtown but then I realized that that would be wasted time and money. I have a big house now so I turned one of the big rooms into an office with a conference table and everything. The table is set to be delivered tomorrow and then we’re ready to move in. The designs are really up to you, of course there are requests but you know best so I won’t meddle in any of that.”

She asked me how we’d do it payment wise but I knew that unless I’d really screw her over in that department, which I would never do, she’d agree.

“Okay I’ll do it. And I might also have someone to help you with the programming part. His name is Jason and he works with me right now. He’s really good and also knows a thing or two about marketing if you ever want to fly solo again and if that doesn’t convince you already, his wife Madelyn rivals your cooking skills so there’s always going to be amazing lunch to go around.”

I’d been convinced that she’d agree, yet I couldn’t help the feeling of relief coursing through me right now. I’d tried to convince Lisa to move with me but she didn’t want to leave her family in Denver behind and I understood that. Now I’d have Mia by my side at least.

I’d moved to Texas to be closer to the Bumble headquarters, finally feeling ready to step up again but ultimately liking Dallas better than Austin. Most of the meetings could be done via Skype and for everything else I’d just have to bear the drive down.

“Do you think this Jason will go for my offer?”, I asked unsure, Mia was my friend so perhaps she was more inclined to leave her safe office job for a startup business but I didn’t know this guy.

“Of course, especially with what you’re offering to pay. He wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with the Olivia Haller either, you’re famous in our circles. Plus he’s probably sick of following orders too, I know I am at least.”

Tonight couldn’t have gone any better and I was so happy. Mia decided to call this Jason on the spot and I talked to him for a bit before inviting him over to the office at the beginning of next week. I trusted Mia’s judge of character but I still wanted to see if he really was a good fit because I really wanted this to work.

She had to leave a while later to pick up Elias and we agreed that she’d be there for the meeting with Jason so I would see her in a few days again. I hugged her tightly as we said our goodbyes, happy to be reunited with an old friend.

Tyler texted me on Saturday morning to see if I wanted to hand out with him tonight, but I told him that I’d already made plans with the girls to go out.

Tyler: See I told you that my friends like you better than me already. They’ve never asked me to go out with them

Me: Maybe they’re afraid that you’ll hit on them

Tyler: Very funny but probably also true

I laughed at his response because at least he was honest with himself, something that I really liked. He knew he’d fucked up before and wasn’t shy about admitting his mistakes.

Katie had told me to dress up for the club we’d be going to and I picked out a satin wrap-style dress that I’d loved in the store but never had the chance to wear since. The material was so soft and flowy that I couldn’t stop my hands from running over it. I even took the time to do my make up properly, gluing on fake lashes and applying bold red lipstick, a color that I’d come to love over the past few years.

I looked hot and after I sent a pic in the group chat Lisa told me to get some tonight so I could get sleeping with Tyler out of my head. I told her that I’d think about it but I already knew that I probably wouldn’t do it because I’d never been a fan of one night stands. I also didn’t want to pursue a hookup in front of Katie and the other girls, that would be a little weird after all.

After thanking my Uber driver I got out and spotted the girls immediately. I recognized Katie, Dominika and Alandra but there were three other girls I hadn’t met before.

“Liv I want you to meet Anna, Fanny and Taylor. Girls this is Liv, the one that has Tyler going absolutely crazy”, Katie introduced everyone and I had to laugh at the last part because I knew that she couldn’t be telling the truth.

Tyler was so chill with me lately I couldn’t imagine him ever losing his head over anyone, especially me. The only apparent lapse in his judgement had been at the party but ever since he’d only been friendly with perhaps a touch of affectionate.

The cold breeze that hit our exposed legs quickly made all of us walk inside, where we were immediately greeted by thumping music and bodies writhing to the beat.

“Drinks first?”, someone shouted and we all nodded, slowly making our way over to the bar. Even with my heels on I was still smaller than most and I was nearly hit in the face by elbows more than once. I didn’t mind masses of people per se, but I didn’t like the feeling of people closing in on me to the point of me feeling like Jon Snow at the end of season six.

The bar was crowded and I knew that there was no point of me being the one up front ordering. Usually I flirted with the bartenders to get my drinks faster but there were so many tall guys that no barkeeper would even be able to see me throwing a smile at him.

Dominika soon turned around with two glasses of Tequila for everyone and we quickly downed them. We ordered some more drinks and then set out to find a booth so we could relax for a bit before we’d make our way to the dance floor. I’d ordered a beer instead because I knew that the small opening of the bottle made it harder to slip something in when dancing, something I had to learn the hard way. Unless I knew that I could leave my drink and that it would be watched I always stuck with beer and shots.

Tonight seemed to be our night because just as we walked over another group of girls abandoned their booth to go dance and we quickly slid in, spreading around the table. I tried my best to ignore the disgusting sticky surface in front of me and joined the conversation on which type of heels was best suited to go clubbing.

Eventually I got up to order more rounds of shots for us, this time determined that the barkeeper would notice me. I found a free spot next to a big guy and waved over to the barkeeper, giving him my brightest smile. My plan worked as he immediately came over, abandoning a group of guys to my left.

“Two rounds of tequila for seven please”, I yelled over the loud music and he winked at me with a flirty smile.

“Add that to my tab Jake”, the tall guy on my left said as the barkeeper asked for my credit card. I quickly hid the black piece of plastic back in my tiny purse and looked up at the guy for the first time. He was decently handsome but I didn’t like the way he smiled at me though, as if offering to pay for the drinks was the single greatest thing to have ever been achieved by mankind.

I wouldn’t turn down free shots though so I gave him a coy smile and thanked him before grabbing the tray and making my way back, years of waitressing paying off.

“Courtesy of a dude at the bar so bottoms up everyone”, I said and they all cheered.

“Only you would get a guy to spend well over 50 bucks on your drinks without saying a single word to him before”, Alandra laughed after I told everyone how we snagged those free drinks. I just shrugged and winked at her which made everyone laugh.

Everyone was starting to feel buzzed enough to hit the dance floor and I was glad to have finished off my beer a while ago, nothing stopping me from dancing now. We had a great time, swaying our hips to the beat with our arms thrown around each other and the others took multiple videos of everyone dancing for their stories. We asked a girl to take pictures of us to commemorate the evening and I posted one where all of us looked super hot, tagging the girls after everyone was now following me.

Of course the male population had to ruin the amazing time I was having as a pair of hands grabbed my hips from behind. I immediately slapped them off and turned around to give whoever had the audacity an ear full, sighing as I realized that it was the guy from the bar earlier.

“You never properly thanked me”, he said, probably trying to sound sexy but failing miserably because he was creeping the hell out of me.

“I already said thank you back at the bar”, I responded coldly, not wanting to put up with this shit when I’d been having so much fun up until now.

“I spent so much money on you and you can’t even be nice to me?!”, he exclaimed and I could tell that he was pissed. He’d balled his hands to fists and taken a step closer to me, I really hoped that he wouldn’t get violent.

“No one asked you to do that, that’s all on you buddy. I don’t owe you anything and I’ve been nothing but polite up until now but if you don’t leave us alone right this second I will make sure that you’re kicked out of this club for good”, I threatened, switching my posture to a more intimidating stance and already calculating in my head how much I’d need to bribe some bouncers to get what I wanted. It was still a little shocking what money could achieve. He seemed to realize that he better not mess with me because he backed up and left with a huff and a dirty glance back.

I turned around to the girls, all of them staring at me in shock.

“What?”, I asked, subconsciously reaching up to fix my hair as if that were the reason they were looking at me like that.

“The way you stood up to him, despite being like half his size. Girl I love you already”, Anna said and I laughed at her comment but I couldn’t stop the blush from spreading on my cheeks.

“I need more alcohol after this and this time I’m actually buying”, I said, needing this night to get back on track. I managed the trip without any incidents this time, returning not soon after with a full tray of shots.

As a German I wasn’t a lightweight by any means, the American night out our pregame but even I could feel the buzz of the alcohol by now. We continued drinking and dancing until our feet screamed at us to take a break.

Back in a different booth I checked my phone to see that Tyler had texted me a while ago. I was surprised to see that he was still up as it had gotten pretty late.

Tyler: Looks like you’re having all the fun without me :(

He’d attached a screenshot of Fanny’s Instagram story where you could see me practically grinding on Dominika.

Me: Don’t worry we can still have lots of fun if you want

I couldn’t help it, alcohol made me horny and my alcohol clouded brain had forgotten to put my don’t-hook-up-with-Tyler-filter on.

Tyler: Sounds promising

Tyler: Do you want me to come pick you up?

I had to read the message twice, not really sure if he really meant it the way I thought he did.

Me: To have fun?

Tyler: Fuck no I didn’t mean for this to come out that way I swear

Tyler: I just don’t want you to have to catch a ride alone this late and I know that none of the girls live close to us

My alcohol clouded brain had now proceeded to make heart eyes at Tyler’s sweet gesture.

Me: Look at you being cute and shit but I don’t want to keep you up

Tyler: Don’t worry about it just text me when you’re ready to go

I looked at the girls, noticing that most of them looked just as exhausted as I felt at this point. We had been in here for hours and I knew that we would probably head out soon so I texted Tyler to leave now. By the time he’d get here we would probably be outside already.

“Do you want me to call an Uber for you too?”, Taylor asked me a bit later and I shook my head no, telling them that Tyler would pick me up.

“Wow that’s really sweet and unusual of him, you really got him good.” Katie’s comment had me lost in my thoughts until we were outside again. It had cooled off even more now and I was glad that we didn’t have to wait long.

Tyler pulled up to the curb almost at the same time as the Ubers and we all hugged goodbye, promising to go out again soon. I opened the door to the G wagon and smiled happily at Tyler, my judgement still a little woozy from too much tequila.

“As much as I’m enjoying my view right now you should probably put on the jacket that’s on the backseat, you must be freezing”, he said, probably noticing my slight shivering in the short dress. I nodded thankfully and tried to reach back but the damn car was so big that I practically had to climb on top of the middle console to finally get my hands on the piece of clothing.

This way I’d basically pushed my ass in Tyler’s face but I didn’t realize my mistake until I turned back and saw him look at me with a wild expression on his face. I tried to act as if I didn’t notice what had happened and after shaking his head to snap out of it he shifted to drive and pulled away from the club.

He asked me if I’d had fun and I giggled before telling him that he sounded like my parent right now, at which point he pulled a face. I could swear that I heard him mutter something like ‘fucking parentzoned’ under his breath but perhaps the alcohol was making me hear things.

He told me about how he had spent his evening skyping with his sisters and I loved that family man aspect about him. One could only dream of being as close as the Seguins.

Once in a while he’d quietly sing along to the songs playing over the speakers and I slowly found myself growing more tired by the second. It was really all his fault with his comfortable car seats and his stupidly soothing voice.

By the time he pulled into my driveway I was so close to falling asleep that I didn’t want to open my eyes anymore. Tyler laughed at me but then he surprisingly got out and walked around the car before picking me up and carrying me bridal style towards the front door.

“Tell me your code”, he said and I was more than happy to supply him with the numbers if that meant that he’d carry me for a while longer. Yogi greeted us excitedly and I told Tyler to let him out before I demanded he take me upstairs. I could feel his chest shaking with laughter but he didn’t complain, instead gripping me tighter so he could move around better.

“I still need to take off my make up”, I stopped him before he could lay me down on my bed, finally opening my eyes to look up at Tyler.

“Alright I’ll set you down on the bathroom counter and then leave so you can work your magic.” He smiled his adorable smile at me but I wasn’t quite ready for him to leave yet.

“I need your help with the dress though, I tied it really well so it wouldn’t come loose and I don’t know if I can get it off by myself now”, I pouted at him, hoping that he’d agree to take my dress of for me again. Just like the last time I was fully capable of doing it myself but I wanted to tease him for a little bit before he left.

From my angle I could watch Tyler visibly gulp but he still agreed before gently setting me down in the bathroom. Reluctantly I let go of his neck and turned to the side so he could access the part where I’d tied the fabric of the dress together.

His big beautiful hands were now struggling with the knots and his nose was scrunched up in concentration. I’d never seen anyone look so hot and cute at the same time.

He finally managed to get the last part and as soon as he let the strings go the flowy nature of the dress made it slip down my body, exposing my underwear. I’d expected something like this to happen and it may have been one of the reasons why I’d asked him to help me.

Despite having told Lisa that I wouldn’t hook up with anyone I’d picked out a matching lace set for tonight just in case and I could see that it took everything out of Tyler to avert his eyes. Not before looking me up and down though. I let the dress fall down the rest of the way and reached for my robe by the door, catching Tyler checking me out as soon as I turned my back on him in the mirror.

“Thanks for coming to pick me up, you really didn’t have to”, I said as we walked down the stairs again. I needed to let Yogi in again and I also wanted to escort him to the door.

“I didn’t mind, really it’s nothing”, he shrugged and I smiled, knowing that it definitely wasn’t nothing.

“Well in my books I owe you one now, so if you ever need me to pick you up or anything really, just let me know.” I tried to get my point across, already knowing that he’d probably never drunk call me in the middle of the night to ask for a ride.

“I’ll try to remember but I’ll let you catch some sleep now. If you want to you can come over for breakfast tomorrow, we didn’t get to hang out today after all”

I wished he wouldn’t leave and instead climb into bed with me but I knew that there was no way. Instead I settled for a kiss on his cheek and a hug.

“Of course I’ll come, I might need some grilled cheese after all. Goodnight Ty.”

“Goodnight Liv, see you in a few hours.”

[leonthecardboardunicorn]

The Ruined King, Chapter 10

Pairing: Felix x Liz

Summary: Hawkeye is once again moving through Gedonelune, and it looks like their aim is on the heart of the Dragonkin Ruins. It looks like we’ll need the help of the three Reciters to solve this mystery!

Previous: Chapter 9

First: Chapter 1

Caesar sighed as we settled down in the train. "Once again, we're coming to a beautiful resort on a mission. Why can't we ever come here for fun?”

"We used to come here all the time when we were younger," Alfonse said. "Klaus and Albert used to chase each other around the pool."

"I know!" Zeus proclaimed. “I'll tell you what, when the summer comes again, I'll take all of you to the resort for fun!" He looked at the three Reciters. "That includes the three of you!"

"Huh? You're inviting us?"

"Of course! You're part of the family now, aren't you?"

“That reminds me, I brought cookies for everyone!" I had made sure to make a lot for the trip. "Here, there's enough for everyone." As I passed out the little bags of cookies, I noticed Willem giving Felix a strange look, nudging him.

"I.. made cookies for the trip as well." Felix took out a small bag. "I asked Willem to help me make them. Someone told me it was a good way to bond."

Zeus didn't even hesitate, immediately holding out his hand. “Let me try!”

"Don't take all of them!" Caesar protested.

“I'd like to try one, Felix.” Felix handed me a cookie, and I took a bite. “This is delicious!”

"Thank you." The others quickly scrambled to take cookies for themselves; there was just enough for everyone. I even noticed Felix take a smaller one and giving it to Shu. "Wow, these are amazing!"

"..Thank you." Even if he didn't say it, I could tell he was happy.

By the time that we arrived at the gates of Veda, it was getting dark outside.

"What brings you here? We don't usually get so many guests at once."

'Will they notice Felix or Willem?' But the guards didn't even spare them a second glance, since they were in their casual outfits.

“We've been asked to investigate the mines of Veda,” Hugo said, handing a note to the guards. Luckily, when we explained the situation to Shezarade, she'd given us permission.

The guard scanned the note and handed it back. “Enjoy your stay."

We brushed past the gates, Felix letting out a sigh of relief.

"It's getting dark out," he said. "We should go to our rooms for now and then reconvene in the.." He stopped in his tracks, his expression turning cold. Willem and Lacan followed his gaze, their expressions growing stern. He stopped, hiding in the shadows of a pillar.

"What's going on..?" I looked over, and a once familiar man chatting with the guards.

"Liz," Felix said, "the last time I saw that man, it was when he sealed me away."

Oh.

'Schmidt.' The Wizard of Old. The last time I had been here, he had helped us. The last time I had been here, Felix had been our enemy. How times had changed since then.

"We should find another around," Willem said; Felix quickly pulled me away.

'I hope this doesn't cause any trouble..'

When I left the room that night, I found Felix waiting, gazing up at the sky.

"Couldn't sleep?"

I shook my head. "I thought I'd go for a stroll along the water.” My mind had been running wild with thoughts of how the visit would go. “Care to join me?"

As we walked, the water seemed to glow in the moonlight. And I heard familiar laughter ringing  from the direction of the pools.

Walking over, we saw Willem and Lacan splashing in the pools together, Willem kicking water at Lacan.

"Ah, this feels so refreshing!" Lacan said. "Doesn't it remind you of the springs in the castle?"

"Huh? I don't think we ever saw those," I said as I came over.

"There was a lot more to the castle than what you saw," Felix said, taking a seat on the edge of the pool. "I think that you would have liked them. There were all sorts of magical creatures that would swim in the water with us.”

I couldn't help but laugh. "That sounds like so much fun!"

"At least until Willem would come along and drag us from the water," Lacan said with a laugh.

"I wasn't that bad! Besides, you would have stayed in all day and gotten terrible sunburns if I hadn't."

"Light is my element! I would have been fine. Felix, on the other hand.." Felix splashed water in his face for that one.

"Maybe someday, we can.." Felix had a wistful look on his face, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. He shook his head.

I wanted to ask, but I had a feel this was something he'd tell me when he was ready. So for now, I sat next to him, dipping my feet in the water. “You said there were lots of magical creatures in the waters?” He nodded. “Will you tell me about them?”

It felt like we talked for hours. But, when I got back to my room, I saw a familiar face waiting outside my door.

"Schmidt! What are you doing here?"

His smile was sugary sweet. "I wanted to come by and pay a visit, when I heard you were staying here. But when I saw you with that man.." His eyes darkened. "I never thought I'd see the day Felix would turn your heart."

"Schmidt," I raised my chin as I faced him, "is it true that you were the one who sealed them away?" I remembered he had said something about them using his magic.

"My brethren and I did what we had to do," he said smoothly, that sickeningly sweet smile never leaving his lips. "They created terrible monsters, monsters that would have brought this world to ruin if we hadn't stopped them."

"They told me about the war." The words came pouring out of me before I could stop them. "They told me about everything that happened to them, about everything that you took from them..!"

His gaze flickered. "I just want to watch out for you. I'd hate to see you get hurt by them, like they did before."

'Why can't I speak?' There was so much I wanted to say, so much I wanted to scream at him, but the words wouldn't come when I faced him.

"Things are different now," I managed to get out. "Felix and Willem.. They are our friends now. Felix saved my life!"

"A Dragonkin never changes, my dear. But it appears you have.”

He left me alone, but I found that I had a lot to think about that night, wishing that I could find the words to defend the ones I treasured.

We set out early the next morning. But I couldn't shake the strange feeling even as we approached the waterfall that had once served as Felix's base.

'Why do I get the feeling that someone is watching us?'

"This should be the quickest way to the last ruin," Felix said.

"How are we supposed to get through there?" Caesar asked. "Just walk through the water?"

"Well, this is a disappointing sight. To see that so many would fall to the Dragonkin.." My blood ran cold as I heard the familiar voice. I spun around to see Schmidt stepping out of the shadows, followed by people I didn't know.

'Don't tell me..' A chill ran down my spine. 'Are those the other Wizards of Old?'

"You followed us all the way here?!"

“Something needed to be done,” Schmidt said, walking over. Felix, Willem, and Lacan bristled behind me. “I couldn't stand back and let you hurt all these innocent people.”

“I won't let you hurt them!” I screamed, grabbing my wand.

"My dear, why are you still defending them? Are you forgetting about the trouble that they caused here before? You have seen the darkness in their hearts."

"And whose fault was that?!" I roared. "You are the one who took everything from them! That darkness was formed by the pain that you brought to them!"

With every word, I could feel something rising in me; the water churned behind me, lashing at us. I could hear their voices crying out, but all I could see was the man in front of me, the man stepping back in fear.

"This power..!"

"How long did they reach out to you? How long did they  try to help you even when you hurt them? Until you were done, until you left them in the dark to rot! The only one here with a heart of darkness is you!"

Felix grabbed my hand. "We need to go," he said. I turned, and my heart almost stopped at the churning waves. "Let's go!"

"After them!"

We ran into the water- until the voices disappeared beyond the lashing waves.

"What was that?"

I let out a gasping breath as we stepped into the cavern, the raging waves closing behind us.

"The Goddess Crystal must have been resonating with Liz's emotions and affecting the waterfall," Willem said. "It should make it more difficult for Schmidt and his guards to come after us for a while."

Strong arms pulled me against a chest, and I instinctively knew it was Felix. My heart raced in his embrace. "Thank you, Liz, for defending me."

"Of course, I meant every word of it." I felt him press his face against my shoulder.

"Coming from you.."

"I know that your heart has changed. Because now you're.." The words caught in my throat. I couldn't just blurt out how I felt about him. "I.. I don't intend to let Schmidt hurt you. Or any of you." Willem and Lacan gave me grateful looks.

"We're not going to stand by and let them hurt you either!" Zeus roared. The others nodded.

"You're our friends now," Lucious said. "We don't let anyone hurt our friends." The others let out a cheer of agreement.

"Thank you."

Willem stood up a little straighter. "We should keep going," he said firmly. "We still don't know if Hawkeye is in this cave. Or if Schmidt is going to send anyone else after us."

As we stepped through the cavern, we came to the chamber full of water, though the tubes were now empty.

"This place still gives me the creeps.." Zeus muttered, avoiding the tanks of water.

"Everyone, get away from the doors. I'll spread miasma behind us; that ought to throw anyone off our trail for a little while."

We all took a good few steps away from the door, but, even still, my eyes watered at the miasma. 'His power is so strong!'

“There, we should be safe for a while. Now all that's left is to head into the ruin.” Felix snapped his fingers, changing back into his normal clothes; Willem followed suit.

And a thought occurred to me as I studied the cloning tubes. I remembered facing the clones before- so perfect, I couldn't tell which ones were real and which one were fake.

“Felix, you.. made the shadows that went into the clones, didn't you?” I remembered how he had been able to recall them easily.

“I did.”

“Do you think you could recreate those? Does the machine still work?”

Felix hesitantly glanced at them. “I think it should be able to work.” He paused for a moment. “..What are you planning?”

We had no idea how many members of Hawkeye were still out there, if they were following us, or where they may be. They would use tricks and schemes to get past us. But perhaps this would be a way to settle the score.

The others looked at me curiously. "What are you thinking?"

I smiled. "I think.. it's time we played a trick on Hawkeye."

Caesar: Why do I get the feeling that we're going to be the ones who get cloned..

Alfonse: I'm sure that this is going to be fine. Liz has a plan for what to do, doesn't she?

Caesar: I hope so. I mean, I'll do it, if it's what it takes to stop Hawkeye. As long as those clones don't linger around too much.

Alfonse: Let's hope..

Caesar: Next time, Into the Dark.

[rosepetals-flyingbirds]

Þorrablót.

Þorrablót: Ancient Viking tradition -which bears its name because of Þorri, a month of the old Icelandic calendar- was originally a feast of sacrifice involving the blood of oxen and goats. Contemporary celebrations involve many Nordic eating and drinking, including smoked sheep’s head, chopped lamb’s testicles and rotting shark. In smaller cities, visitors are usually invited to join the residents.

Pairing: Modern Ivar x Reader.

Warning: Smut.

Word Count: 4.3K

Gif’s credit: @therealcalicali​

“Hvitserk no!” Aslaug patted her hungry son’s hand out of the cookies that were above the counter.

Shaking his hand trying to get rid of the sting of the slap Hvitserk pouted. “Come on, mother. It will take hours for dinner.”

Marta -the family’s maid- laughed and grabbed a cupcake handing to him. “Go help your brother and maybe the hours will pass faster.” She stated with a smile and Hvitserk shrugged, a cupcake was better than nothing.

Walking to the living room he spotted his brother setting the decorations.  “And done.” Siggurd inhaled, relaxing his arms as the final decorations were placed perfectly around the place.

Ragnar grinned brilliantly at Siggurd and Ubbe as they climbed down from their step-stool. “Better than the last year!” He patted them both on the shoulders. “This is the best part of the holiday, I just wanted for Ivar don’t be an ass and help us.”

Ubbe chuckled, and darted his eyes to the stairs that led to his younger brother's old room. “He’s too occupied complaining about life to come down.”

“If he had half as much holiday spirit as he used to have he’d be here for sure.” Siggurd stated before darting his eyes to Hvitserk and his full mouth. “What is that?”

“Nothing?!”

Realizing what it was Siggurd placed his hands on his hips. “Mother let you eat while we have to wait until dinner?!”

Swallowing Hvitserk tried his best to look innocent. “No.”

Ubbe smirked at the answer were clearly was a lie and watched as his brothers gave him each other a look.

Ragnar shrugged and got back to Ivar’s topic. “Ivar would be a lot happier if he knew Y/N just called your mother to say she will come.”

Hvitserk breathed, stroking his hands. “Don’t tell me I’m the one who has to go up and tell him that Þorrablót is done.”

“Why?” Siggurd answered.

“Ivar always gets tense when we talk about Y/N, you know he still has a crush on her.” Hvitserk guessed. “Or he’ll simply leave.”

Ubbe snorted. “I will tell him.”

Watching Ubbe leave Hvitserk and Siggurd looked at Ragnar who smiled and clapped his hands before looking at the decorated rooms searching for any mistake.

Ivar didn’t hear his brother entering the room, his earphones popping as he watched an Inglorious Bastard for the hundred time on his Dell notebook.

Ubbe had to slap his little brother’s leg to win his attention, jumping Ivar almost fell off the bed in fright. “Shit! What do you want, Ubbe?”

“Prevent you from being shocked at dinner.“

Pausing his movie Ivar darted his eyes over Ubbe’s face trying to figure it out something. "What do you mean with that?”

“Y/N’s coming.”

Ivar’s heart must’ve jumped as his eyes widened. “Y/N? The Y/N?“ He hasn’t seen you in what seemed years, as the Ragnarsons moved off Aslaug’s house to start their lives and you moved from your parent’s as well he hasn’t seen you in person in a year or so, of course, social media kept him aware of your appearance but you weren’t the annoying girl across the street anymore. Nor the girl that he had his first time with.

“Yes, Y/N Y/L/N. Mother called her a few weeks ago and invited her to celebrate it with us, since when she was younger she always found it fascinating.” Ubbe stared at how Ivar’s mood had changed already.

Ivar smiled at that, how you had almost puked when Ragnar ate minced testicles of sheep for the first time -a traditional plate of the holiday-.

Ivar rubbed his face before letting one hand on his cheek staring at the paused movie on his screen. “Shit… I have to get dressed!” Getting on his feet he opened the drawers where he placed some clothes he had bought to stay the week. Ubbe laughed, truly mesmerized at the scene. "Fuck you, Ubbe.”

“Well, I will let you doll up for her-” Receiving a shoe being thrown at his face Ubbe could laugh but the burning feeling was heavier. “Okay okay, I will stop.”

Ivar’s heart was hammering. You were going to be there tonight, at the dining table, with his family, like you did when you were 8 years old while staring at Hvitserk eating rotting shark.

You were going to sleep at the house -since your parents had moved-. Ivar swiftly started to enjoy the holiday again.

He succeeded to find a good outfit, he stared at his glasses and wondered in placing them or not, you would think he looks smarter with them? Or he looked better without them?

                               …

At 8 PM he was ready and in the living room with his brothers and uncle, his hands were sweating and he rolled his eyes when he realized Siggurd and Hvitserk were gazing at him with a conspiratorial speculation. “Stop!”

Smiling Siggurd let a sigh. “Ah the love, you know brother… if even you are capable to feel it, I know everything is possible.” Siggurd joked.

Hvitserk laughed nodding. “Let just hope she doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

“What?!”

Siggurd shrugged, his brother’s desperation not going unnoticed. “You know, she is pretty, she is hot and really really nice, what makes you think she is single?”

Ivar widened his eyes and stared at the fireplace, why he hasn’t thought about it beforehand?

Ragnar chuckled and found amusing how Ivar was concerned. “Stop torturing him, when she comes here we can make a small talk and ask.”

The fact was that Ivar was only hanging around so that he could jump on you as soon as you stepped through the door and cover you in one of his massive -rare- bear embraces. Ivar hardly even spoke a hello to anyone else except it was his relatives.

                                …

Finally reaching the house that brought you so many memories you let a sigh. The house was the prettiest one in the neighborhood, it didn’t fail to give all the Ragnarsons a solo bedroom.

The instant you walked through that door, holding a bag with a few pieces of clothes inside, you hugged Helga who always said how much you made part of the big family. “It is so good to see you! Floki looks who is here!” Calling over her husband the people in the living room didn’t wink before looking at you, Ivar’s heart hammered and he wanted to rip it off!

Politely hugging the people you grow up considering your uncles and aunts you saw Ivar over there sat in the couch, his eyes piercing over your form.

He truly looked great.

After hugging Ragnar and then Siggurd, Ivar came near and opened his arms. Giggling you hugged him with all your strength, how solid and real he was under your embrace made your heart flutter.

Ivar scooped you up, his arms clenching around you urgently as he crushed his body to yours. You snickered squeezing him back just as intensely, moving only to give his cheek a welcome kiss.

“I missed you.” Ivar sighed, his orbs traveling over your features and body. You haven’t changed much, maybe you look a bit more mature, even more sensuous than he remembered. You held yourself with more confidence and your smile was as pretty as he memorized it.

“And here I thought you would ignore me the whole night.” You fooled, Ivar wasn’t the easiest person to be around, you were fearing he would ignore you and just speak to make remarks as for how you haven’t talked with him in ages… gladly it wasn’t the case. “I’m glad you didn’t forget me.”

A sudden nervousness reached you as he got a genuine glance at you.

Ivar swung his head breaking his intense stare. “I did, but Ubbe made a powerpoint presentation of pictures of you and your genealogy tree so.” You both explode into giggling, Aslaug winking at you across the room.

After a small talk Ivar grabbed your bag and told that he would place in the guest’s room, you thanked him and sat on the couch between Ubbe and Siggurd talking with your old friends.

Walking upstairs he heard the guests talking and laughing, and for the first time, he wasn’t bothered by it.

The dinner happened and as always your eyes gazed at the traditional food in wonder, you couldn’t possibly try that.

Hvitserk prepared a few drinks he learned in his restaurant, so many fancy drinks but delicious nonetheless.

Ragnar had suggested you try his own Special Þorrablót mixture which he didn’t tell you what was in it, but Ubbe swore it was safe.

It was a mesmerizing holiday, even more at how in peace everyone was with each other.

More food and more drinks came and everyone was laughing, and enjoying their time.

Your chair was beside Ivar’s who had a hand resting in your thigh the whole time. “I’m really happy you came.” He said near your ear. Ivar had been touching you all night.

Since the chairs were so near it was bound to happen, but how he handed you the dishes or drinks always making sure to maintain eye contact was making you all hot inside.

“Me too.” You responded, laying a hand atop his. “I missed you.”

“Y/N do you want another drink?” Floki asked cutting your and Ivar’s gaze.

“Hmm, no, thank you. I think I had enough for a night.”

“Beginner.” Scoffing lightly Floki winked making you smile. Maybe you should just marry Ivar already to be part of his family.

‘Wait, what? Definitely not more drinks for me.’ The line of thought was cut when Hvitserk threw a piece of bread at you.

“Why took you so long to come back?”

Grabbing the bread ready to throw at him you glanced at Aslaug who didn’t seem to like the idea of a food fight over her expensive dinner, letting the bread in your plate you shrugged. “Basically work, and besides you now live on the other side of the city.”

“But we could have hang out sooner, Siggurd lives near my place and it would be really nice.”

You nodded, the boys were really important to you, but adulthood didn’t fail to put distance on friendships. “That is true, maybe we a change that right? I have tickets for the new Jurrasic Park movie, we could go.”

“Sure, it will be awesome.”

Ivar didn’t like the interaction with his brothers. You should be the one asking him to go to the movies with you, not his brothers. Biting his lower lip, his hand slightly tightening encompassing your skin.

Ivar could just picture ravishing you in the table in front of his brothers.

“(…) go too.” Breaking his angry gaze at his brothers he looked at you, asking what you had said as you laughed at how in trance he was. “I said you can go too, I have four tickets anyway. Sorry, Ubbe!” You glanced at the man who pouted but nodded.

Ivar thought for a moment, maybe it would be nice… but his brothers would be there… and he hates going in the movies with Hvitserk! His brother seemed like he couldn’t stop chewing for a mere scene, it didn’t matter if it was popcorn, cotton candy or the most annoying one: M&M’s! “No thank you.”

Your smile fell at that, there was the moody Ivar you remember.

The situation was clear at the table and Ragnar patted his hands together catching everyone’s attention, Ivar’s hand slipping from your thigh. “Okay! Floki you told Helga about the fishing trip we talked about?”

Floki closed his eyes and looked at Helga with a small distant frown. “Not yet.”

Widening her eyes Helga gave her husband a threatening look. “Fishing? Floki you just got out of a cold! You can’t go!”

Aslaug drank her wine and decided the dinner had finished. “Well, let’s go stay in the living room. As the subjects had died down here already…”

Marta came to take the dishes and you got on your feet to help, rolling your eyes at how the boys didn’t even move you waved your hand calling their attention. “Come on, you guys just ate, get your asses up to help.”

Snorting they did so, Hvitserk grabbing the glasses, Siggurd the plates and Ivar the bows. “Ubbe just because you’re the older one doesn’t mean you can just sit there.”

Rolling his eyes he nodded and started to help too.

“I always told how of a good influence she is on them,” Ragnar said smiling and Aslaug nodded.

Indeed, a great influence.

Helping to place the leftovers in the fridge you brushed your arm’s on Ivar’s, his frowned face slowly becoming happier again.

                                …

The family sat in the spacious living room, and told stories about their ancestors and what they did on the holiday.

Always so fascinating.

The subjects went south and quickly Floki and Ragnar were sharing their adventures and craziness situations while teenagers.

Ivar was sitting beside you again, maybe it was the drinks he had because he was as touchy as he was in the table, but of course, now everyone saw how his hand was touching you and how possessive he looked grasping at you each time someone focused their gazes at your direction.

Your smile was ample, enthusiasm boiling in your veins feeling his hands and how of a good time you were having.

Ragnar got on his feet with a grin. “I think we should go settle the fireworks!” He announced and you looked at Ivar in wonder, they never used it before.

“Fireworks?”

Rolling her eyes Aslaug nodded, you didn’t miss the dangerous gaze she threw at Ubbe -who agreed with his father’s idea-.“Yes, Ragnar had the brilliant idea of it.”

You bit your lower lip, the firework is a pretty sight! But it was really loud and it hurt the poor animals’ ears. “Don’t worry Y/N, I know how you hate those things because how it scares the animals, but all the animals around are safe and sound inside their houses with their owners so they won’t get much scared nor run in the street.”

Shrugging you nodded, isn’t like you could change their minds anyway. “Okay then.”

Everyone left to see the fireworks but you a let a forced yawn. “Thank you guys for everything but the flight was complicated and I’m really tired.”

“No problem. Good night, darling.” Hugging you Aslaug left and you gave your goodbyes to each one of them.

Ivar didn’t move, and enjoying the opportunity of privacy his lips quickly found yours.

“Can you show me my room?” Softly saying against his lips Ivar’s great perception caught your meaning.

Walking upstairs holding hands you could feel your skin burning in anticipation.

Recognizing the bedroom he tucked you in you let a smile, his old bedroom. The place where you two had your first-time years ago, it was a great day, the family had traveled and Ivar stood at home saying he didn’t want to go see his other relatives, as always Aslaug made her youngest son’s desire and he stood alone. Which began to you visiting to watch a  few movies, as your own parents had night shifts you slept there, at first it wasn’t your intention to have sex… but things happened and it was actually good -especially for the first time-.

Hearing the door being closed and locked you looked around. “Why do I have a feeling that one is not the room Aslaug prepared for my staying?”

Shrugging Ivar seemed really okay with your new settlement. “That one is comfier, besides…” Reaching your hand he pulled your body near his, embracing you tightly and roaming his hand on your hair. “That one has a natural body heater.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.” Kissing you, Ivar’s hands traveled your form, you didn’t lose time to unbutton his shirt. The fireworks started and not even the loud sound broke your moment.

The touches intensified promptly as he laid you down on his bed. His touches were definitely firmer than the last -and first- time. “You are so beautiful, even more than before.” Smiling at his words, his lips trailed down your neck. “How is that possible?” Looking at you with a smile you giggled, your hand in his hair taking the hair tie off.

He had such soft hair, it wasn’t fair!

“Well, I might not have the Rganarson’s genes but…!” You shrugged gaining a laugh, if you weren’t caressing his hair while his crotch was near yours he would fell a ping of jealousy at how you mentioned his brothers -and father- but he let it go and kissed you.

Tugging off your pants he kneeled down in the bed to take it off of your legs. Not missing to take your boots off and trailing kisses on both legs on his way up to your mouth.

Wandering your hand on his opened on button shirt you took it off of his shoulders and smiled at how more strong he seemed.

Squeezing his bicep you moaned at his mouth and rolled so he was on his back as you straddled him. Taking the hem of your shirt you stood in your bra and panty above him. Your breasts might look fuller than before since he couldn’t take his eyes off of them.

You let your hands roam on his chest, his pants becoming tighter in each second on his erection. You moaned at the mere sight of him, you have had a crush in the fucker ever since you could remember.

A few voices started outside, apparently, Hvisterk didn’t manage to put the fireworks to work.

Giggling at their bickering Ivar didn’t want to lose time, grabbing your hips on his strong hands he rolled you and hovered over you. Getting rid of his pants you took your bra off.

On his boxes he attacked your lips again, now just a single line of fabric separating you two. Your hands scratched his sides slightly winning a moan, taking the waistband of his underwear you rolled it down and used your feet to push it off his legs.

His cock sprung up. Just as you remembered… long, thick, and leaking with precum. “I really missed you!”

Ivar gave you a cocky grin, his large hands pumping himself a few times. Slapping his hand away you quickly took the action, winning a few whimpers befalling from his mouth.

What a sound.

Gaining his knowledge back he stroked you through your panties, a few seconds passed until he pushed you back and with a rough grasp he clutched your thighs and pushed you to the edge, bending before you among a dangerous look in his eye.

Combing his fingers on your sides, his mouth trailing up the inside of your thighs. Firm fingers pinned into the line of your panties, tearing it down gently.

The moment you were naked he let out a quiet moan, sliding his fingers on your soaked folds. “So wet.” He purred, kissing your thighs as two of his fingers moved up and down. You moaned at the touch, it was enough to make you a whimpering mess.

Licking up your slit he chuckled. “I will never forget how beautiful you looked when you came on my face those years ago.”

You tried to answer but it was quickly forgotten the moment he slid two digits in. Ivar misused no time moving gently on, his fingers brushing your g-spot with each firm stroke. His lips shortly supplemented them, engulfing on your bud till you were glancing at stars.

“Stop.” You stated winning a confused look. “I- Ivar I need you.” He didn’t stop, your hand gripping his shoulders. “I need you inside me right now.” But the man was determined. “I swear I’ll take it myself if you don’t stop.”

The prior word made him chuckle. “I rather like to see you take the control,” Trying to get up he pushed you down. “The next time.” He added and his lips found yours in a feverish kiss.

His events stopped and he got on his feet, before you could ask what happened you saw him opening his wallet and taking a condom.

While he placed it you ran your hands over his chest, your foot tracing up and down on his calf.

Ivar ran your folds with his tip, moving it up and down. When he grew tired of his torturing tease he pushed inside you making your back curve. Ivar held his hand to the base of your back, supporting.

Wrapping your legs around his waist, you two moaned. The loud fireworks finally working outside.

“As good as I remember.” He moaned.

You nodded even so unconsciously before whimpering. “So good, baby you can m-move.” Leaning his hips back and then crashing into you. “Oh, fu-uuck.”

You moaned out, pushing closer to him meeting his thrusts. He left a tender kiss to your cheek, a mute ask if you were good. Nodding, you pulled his neck and kissed him with all the strength you could possibly find.

When you couldn’t reasonably focus on kissing you threw your head back to the pillow and Ivar left sloppy kisses and bites on your neck.

Minutes passed and you were glad the people were outside hearing only the loud thuds of fireworks rather than your and Ivar’s moans.

He was taking you closer and closer to the edge with each pleasurable and painful thrust, Ivar’s hips slamming into yours so hard you were sure you would be brushed later on, good thing it was cold and you could use a scarf on the next day around the family.

“So fucking good. Fuck, Y/N!” He succeeded to say. Your answer was a clench of your walls and a deep scratch on his back. “Come onto my cock baby, let me feel you clench around me.” He stimulated.

Crying out you let go of his back to prevent blood from being drawn and held his neck with one hand while he grabbed the other interlocking your fingers. One of Ivar’s hands was gripping the headboard for support and you came with him following near behind.

Feeling kisses being placed up your neck you opened your eyes -which you didn’t even recall closing-, 90% of his weight was on you, but yet it was a comforting feeling. A safe one, even.

Combing your fingers on his hair you smiled at the thought of coming to his family’s house for the holiday. “You know… I always loved Þorrablót.” You confessed.

Felling his lips move into a smile he leaned back to look at you, his fingers stroking your cheek. "Yeah, it isn’t that bad.”

Hearing the cease of the loud shots you two heard the main door opening and closing with a bang. “You will never do it again, we stood like 40 minutes in the cold.” Aslaug complained.

“Isn’t my fault Hvitserk bought the wrong matches.” Ragnar defended.

“There are no wrong matches you just don’t know how to fire them.” Hvitserk answered with a loud scoff and you smiled at that.

Laughing at the discussion you realized Ivar wasn’t the most temperamental Ragnarson.

                                …

♥

[drawlfoy]

Faux Diplomacy p.2

pairing: draco x mugglebornslytherinilvernmornyfem!reader (a mouthful i’m so sorry)

request: nah i’ve always always wanted to write this

warnings: draco malfoy being a class A dickwad, swearing

summary: reader is an ilvermorny student who was given an opportunity to travel abroad and spend a year at Hogwarts. At first she’s thrilled, but things start to get weird--why is everyone on the trip muggleborn? why were they all put into slytherin, no questions asked? and what is that draco malfoy kid doing? takes place during 6th year so peak angst

a/n: i apologize for the fact that i’m clearly favoring this story over Sound of....Magic? but it’s mostly because i’m writing what i know and i don’t know how to adult lol. also i hope you’re enjoying the slowburn! we might hate draco a little bit but i swear i’ll mend it soon!

music recs: i have a writing playlist specifically for this fic that i might share one day

word count: 2,240

The door was hard under Y/N’s fist, something that she should’ve guessed but the fact of which still managed to surprise her. Maybe she was more intoxicated than she originally assumed.

She knocked four times, slowly but loudly enough for anyone awake to hear her. The last thing she wanted to deal with was an angry racist. 

Three seconds passed by, each little mississippi begging her to run the other way before the door opened. She prayed that he was gone or at least deep in sleep. There was no telling what he’d do if he saw her. He couldn’t kill her, at least, but there were hundreds of other things that could happen to her if he was evil enough.

Her worst fear came true as the door flung open, revealing a very disgruntled and very pissed Draco. His pale hair was tousled with some pieces hanging in front of his forehead, breaking Y/N’s conception of his perfectly kept hair.

“What on earth do you want?” He hissed, his eyes burning with an intense emotion that Y/N couldn’t quite put a finger on. 

Y/N suddenly felt very silly standing outside his room with an outfit to rival Cher from Clueless as she took in his slightly rumpled silk suit. He was doing whatever important job he seemed so focused on while she was trying to get him to come out and join a party he was so clearly avoiding.

“Um,” she began rather lamely.

“Um,” Draco repeated back in a nasal voice clearly meant to mock her accent.

“Pansy uh..she wanted you to come out. It was a stupid game of truth or dare and she slipped Veritaserum into my drink so I can’t lie and say I did it when I didn’t-”

“You do realize that’s complete bullshit, right?” Draco interrupted. “The Veritaserum? Do you seriously believe that Snape would let us get out hands on that? First years fall for that every year. First time I’ve seen anyone over 12 believe it, though.”

Y/N’s cheeks grew hot as she realized he was probably completely right. Now that she actually thought about it, she couldn’t guess how Pansy could get her hands on something that dangerous much less spike drinks with it. 

“Oh. I guess that makes sense.”

Draco nodded with an “uh, yeah” look in his eyes and made his way to slam the door in his face when a glimmer caught her eye.

In her inebriated state, she told him point-blank, “Cool necklace. Who’s it for?”

Draco froze as he turned to look at his bed, the same one that had a very ornate necklace laying on it. He slowly turned back to Y/N with a terrifying expression on his face. 

Uh oh.

He grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and dragged her inside his room, slamming the door shut behind her and shoving her against the wall.

“What the fuck dude-”

“What’s your allegiance?” he hissed, stepping in her eyeline so she couldn’t see the necklace anymore. Their proximity was uncomfortably close. Y/N could smell peppermint on his breath, no doubt remnants of a cup of tea he’d had earlier.

“My allegiance.....sheesh, I don’t know, I don’t know where I fall on the political spectrum, but I am really frustrated with the Senate for impeding any type of impeachment proceed-”

“No, you bloody idiot!” He cut in again. “I mean in the wizarding world. Not.. whatever the fuck you’re going on about.”

“Oh, you mean like... the issue with Death Eaters and everything? I dunno, I haven’t read enough about British politics to know but it’s so ridiculous, y’know? Like, someday all of them are gonna wake up and realize they’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid and that they’re never gonna get rewarded the way the think. It’s really sad, they’re basically in a cult.”

Draco stared at her with wide eyes and a defensive expression on his face. He was still gripping both of her wrists in one hand, pinning them above Y/N’s head and making it impossible for her to weasel out of his grasp.

“I mean, pretty general stuff. American wizarding media is always like, ‘look at these idiots thinking that they’re gonna restore blood purity, aren’t they crazy? BLESS the fact that we left in 1776’ and whatnot. I don’t know, we all kind of chuckle at it and make memes about the fact that there’s even people out there that still buy into that shi...”

Y/N’s eyes managed to catch a quidditch uniform hung up on the bedpost with the name MALFOY printed across the back in silver letters. Suddenly it all made sense--she had just read about his father being incarcerated for being a Death Eater. She trailed off when the realization set in.

Oh no. 

“You know, with that thought, I think I’m just gonna go back to the party...I normally don’t get this political. Forget I said anything. Please!”

Draco’s face was the definition of fury. Now that Y/N knew he was Lucius Malfoy’s son, she had no clue what he could be capable of. She briefly wondered if he would kill her before immediately casting the thought aside.

That’d be absurd she reminded herself. He’s still just a teenager, just like you. He’s not gonna kill you.

He took a few moments to glare down at her before opening the door and pushing her out.

“You’re never speaking of this to anyone,” he snapped. “Go back to your party and fall for more of the pranks we like to pull on 11 year olds. Just don’t ever come back here. I mean it. Don’t ever.”

With that, Draco slammed the door in her face. Y/N stood in front of it for a few seconds as she regained her bearings. What had just happened? She was very tired, she realized suddenly. 

She was just turning around and walking away when his door cracked open just an inch. 

“Are you deaf? I said, go!”

Y/N turned to send Draco a dirty look before walking away for real. 

♥♥♥♥

Professor McGonagall was a complete sweetheart and the embodiment of what an empowered witch ought to be, but she had messed up one crucial point when it came to just how dining space would be available for the Slytherin table.

With all the new students, there was rarely a portion of the table empty enough to sit alone or even with a respectable amount of space between oneself and another person. 

Y/N suffered the consequences of this the most out of her classmates considering the fact that she was always late. By the time that she got to the Dining Hall for any meal, there was only one part of the table that was consistently open--spots next to Draco and his goons.

The rest of the house was wise enough to know to avoid them and did so well, but Y/N was not so lucky. Nearly every day she was forced to squeeze in next to either Draco, Pansy, or Blaise and was subject to listening to whatever drabble they wanted to discuss each day.

However annoyed she was, she couldn’t help but notice some interesting changes. As the fall days grew shorter, Draco’s appetite seemed to grow smaller. At one point, Y/N was taking portions nearly twice the size of his, and she was a rather light eater to begin with. She heard his irritatingly posh accent less and less, and slowly meals turned into conversations between Blaise and Pansy while Draco stared off into space. 

One of these days, Blaise turned to look Y/N straight in the eye, startling her enough to near drop her fork. They never looked at her.

“So,” he began awkwardly. “I hear that you played Quidditch as a seeker while you were at Ilvermorny.”

“Yeah, and what about it?” 

Y/N was not about to take any shit.

“Well, you see,” Blaise told her, a sincere look in his eyes, “Draco here is our seeker, and he’s a little busy, so he won’t be joining us this season.”

“Tragic.”

“And you were good, right? Like, really good? I saw your record. It was impressive.”

“Thanks. I didn’t suck.”

A tiny smile cracked on Pansy’s face. Had Y/N actually amused her?

“Okay, enough of the niceties,” she cut in. “Blaise wants you to play for us. Please?”

She batted her eyelashes in a way that Y/N prayed was ironic. 

“Well, I suppose,” Y/N answered. “What’s in it for me?”

“For starters,” Blaise told her, “Instant status. People like you if you play Quidditch.”

“So I’ve heard. Is that why Draco dropped out? People didn’t like him enough anymore?”

“You shut up,” Draco grumbled, refusing to look her in the eye.

“So you’re in?”

“Yeah, whatever. I’m dropping out the second either of you mess with me, though.”

Blaise grinned and Pansy kicked his foot under the table. Y/N immediately felt like she was witnessing something that she was not supposed to see.

“Get a room, you two,” Draco reprimanded them, rolling his eyes as he pushed his food around on his plate. 

♥♥♥♥

Y/N’s first Quidditch match came and went. The Slytherin team creamed the Hufflepuffs so badly that Y/N probably didn’t need to do any work at all, but regardless, she still caught the snitch. 

In Slytherin fashion, her team decided to throw a giant party in the common room. Everyone was permitted a plus one, which was ridiculous since Y/N wasn’t friends with anyone from any other houses. She jokingly extended the invite to Bella in a very dramatic gesture with roses and everything, and her best friend just as dramatically accepted, leaping into Y/N’s arms and requesting that she be carried away.

It was the biggest scene the dining hall had witnessed all year, enough so that when the news of Katie Bell being cursed and nearly killed broke, it took the dining hall a few moments to calm down. 

Everyone stared as Dumbledore addressed the student body.

“Students.” He cleared his throat wearily. “If you are not already aware, one of your fellow scholars has been cursed, presumably by a necklace that was gifted to her. Please do practice caution as you accept gifts going into the holiday season. These are dark times indeed.”

Nervous chatter filled the room back up with noise but did not distract Y/N from her pondering.

A cursed...necklace? Where had she heard that before?

♥♥♥♥

Y/N was never a perfect student, but she did enjoy potions and especially appreciated Slughorn’s teachings, so much so in fact that she was invited to join the Slug Club after a few weeks of classes.

Blaise was also there, and the two often sat together and joked about the overenthusiastic Gryffindors and the unresolved sexual tension between Harry and Ginny. It was hardly a secret that the two were into each other, but it seemed that the only people who weren’t aware of it were Ginny and Harry themselves.

“Pray for Dean, Y/N,” Blaise would often whisper to her as they observed the two flirt awkwardly with each other. 

The budding friendship between them was odd, but very platonic. Y/N knew he had no trouble excusing prejudice considering the fact that he put up with Draco’s nonsense, but he seemed to see some flaws in the practice.

The most shocking part of their newfound connection happened to be what Blaise confided in her about Draco. 

“He’s hardly sleeping anymore,” he told her one cold winter day. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He’s lost weight and he’s not talking to me. Have you heard anything?”

“No,” Y/N had told him. “Draco doesn’t particularly like me.”

♥♥♥♥

After a particularly energetic Quidditch party in December, Y/N exited the common room and decided she wanted to take a walk about the castle to clear her head.

The snow fell softly outside the window, flurrying about and blanketing the ground in a gentle pristine white. She climbed the stairs of a random tower slowly, savoring the brisk air and relishing the silence that came along with it. 

Y/N wasn’t the least bit afraid of getting reprimanded for curfew--she deserved a break, and she was nearly an adult, for Christ’s sake. There was less underage drinking outside than there was inside her current common room, so she could always pull that argument.

She prayed that the top of the tower would be one with an open side so she could be closer to the snowstorm, and as she climbed  higher, her desires seemed to be more likely. The breeze was becoming chillier by the second.

Reaching the top of the staircase, she was overjoyed to see a railing overlooking the campus. Y/N jogged up to the barrier, leaning over the edge and taking solace in the freezing air and the cold snowflakes coating her hair. 

“What’s it with you and your insistence on interrupting my alone time?”

Y/N turned to see Draco Malfoy curled up in the corner of the tower. His hair was slightly mussed from the wind and his suit crinkled from sitting down, and as Y/N drew closer to him, she came to the most shocking revelation.

His silver eyes were pools of salty liquid, rimmed red at the edges and puffier than she had ever seen them before. His cheeks were shining with dampness, doing nothing to hide the dark bags under his eyes.

Draco was crying. 

final a/n: i swear a new update will come soon! i’m sorry that it seems like i might be rushing it. i promise im gonna slow it down a little and focus on the *subtle* fluff

[affectionatehannibal]

the haunting of bill denbrough

prologue

George Denbrough had been dead five long years the night he woke his brother Bill up at one in the morning.

For just a moment, in the split second it took for Bill’s eyes to adjust to the darkness and remind his brain exactly where he was, Bill was thirteen again and Georgie was alive. Around that time of their lives, Georgie had woken Bill up quite often in the middle of the night, searching for somewhere safe from whatever lay waiting for him in the dark and someone brave and strong, someone like Bill, to protect him from it. Bill would make a scene- they were getting too old to sleep together, really- but they both knew sooner or later Bill would roll his eyes a final time and pull aside the covers, making room for Georgie to join him.

The Georgie that stood beside Bill’s bed now looked scared enough for this scenario to be true. His eyes, heavy with fear and wet with tears he seemed to be desperately trying to keep from spilling out, were wide against his pale skin. Bill had seen this look many times; it was the face of a child who has fallen off their bike unexpectedly and, by skinning their knee, suddenly realized that they are not invincible. Overall, Georgie’s expression was a familiar one. But there was something else in his face too, something that woke Bill up completely and increased the tempo of his heartbeat by a couple dozen beats.

Fear.  

Not any type of fear- not the kind that used to bring Georgie running to Bill’s room in the middle of the night, nor the kind that prompted Bill to check under his bed every now and then before bed, just to make sure nothing was hiding there. The fear in Georgie’s eyes was the kind that made a heavy nest in your stomach and stayed there forever, or as long as you had left to feel things, anyway. It was powerful enough to break your mind into tiny pieces. Bill had seen this fear reflected on the faces of his friends many times during the summer they’d delved deep into Derry’s sewer system. And he saw it written plainly across Georgie’s face now.

continue on ao3

Georgie’s eyes, wide and troubled, were filled with it. It was as though, if Bill looked really hard, he might see Georgie’s last memories reflected there. His last memories, ones of clowns and sewers and a brother who’d pretended to be sicker than he really was so he wouldn’t have to spend a second longer with his annoying, god-awful little sibling.

Bill shot up, heart pounding painfully in his chest. Reality took hold and screamed dead dead dead your fault into his ears. The real Georgie was miles below where Bill sat now, probably already rotted down to the bone, surrounded by the other dead children of Derry. Georgie was dead. This could be a dream, a hallucination, the aftereffects of the really shitty weed he’d shared with Beverly the day before, but it could not really be Georgie. And yet, some hopeful part of Bill’s heart begged for it to be real, one more chance to hold his brother. He frantically rubbed whatever sleep was left from his eyes, sure Georgie would be gone when he looked again with fresh eyes.

But Georgie stayed put, looking as frightened and pitiful as before.

God, Bill thought. I’d almost forgotten what he looked like.

And it really did look like Georgie, whatever stood beside Bill’s bed in a yellow raincoat and muddied jeans. He looked much smaller, much more fragile, than he had seemed to Bill in life, but, other than that, everything was the same. His eyes were deep and trusting, the same warm brown they’d been the day he’d died. His hair was light and mussed, almost like he’d forgotten to brush it. His mouth was turned downwards, like he was on the verge of crying. Georgie’s face, familiar and sad and trusting, pulled at the walls around Bill’s heart and threatened to overwhelm him with grief and guilt.

“Jesus,” he choked, vision blurry. He hadn’t cried in a very long time, and it was as though his tear ducts were trying to make up for lost time by producing as many tears as they possibly could. They made quick tracks down his cheeks, rolling off his face and onto his sheets. He wiped them away as best he could and reached towards his bedside table, careful not to touch whatever stood there borrowing his brother’s face, and turned on the lamp. He winced once as the lamp flooded the room with warmth and light, and once more when he saw Georgie’s face, no longer half-hidden by darkness. The light shone on the dark circles around his eyes, showed how sunken and bruised his features really were. His skin was a sickly, unhealthy color that reminded Bill of cigarette smoke and crummy gas station bathrooms.

“Oh,  jesus,” Bill’s voice was strangled, and he fought to keep sudden, panicked sobs from tearing their way out of his throat. “Georgie?”

The thing that might be Georgie slowly lifted a hand towards Bill in response, palm upwards as though asking for something.

“Holy-” Bill choked. He scrambled backwards, fighting to untangle himself from his sheets and blankets. He fell gracelessly off the bed, hitting his tailbone painfully on the hardwood floor.

Georgie was dead. Long, long dead. Whatever this was wasn’t here to crawl into Bill’s bed and complain that Bill’s feet were too cold, or be shushed by their parents for laughing too loudly so late at night. It was here to hurt, to taunt. To remind Bill of something that was, hopefully, as dead as Georgie.

Bill fumbled in the semi-darkness for the baseball bat he kept under his bed, hands exploring the dusty darkness frantically. After a few long moments he pulled it out and stood quickly, pointing it forcefully in the thing’s direction.

“We-we killed you,” Bill demanded, as though saying it was enough to make it true. It had been so long since he’d seen It in anything other than his nightmares; and now, looking at Georgie, he wondered for a quick moment why they’d been so scared of It all those years ago. Whatever stood by Bill’s bed did not ooze hate and evil and otherness like It did in his dreams. This thing was sad and lonely and afraid, but not evil. Still, what else could it be, if not It? “Y-y-y-y-you’re duh-duh-duh-duh-, we k-k-killed you!”

Georgie blinked slowly in reply.

“You’re s-s-s-supposed to buh-buh-be d-d-dead,” Bill coughed. He wiped away the snot that had started dripping and bubbling from his nose.

He heard his parents stir in the next room over at the same time his phone started ringing. His parents weren’t a problem; they wouldn’t come in to check on him if they woke up, and even if they did they wouldn’t be able to see whatever was standing by his ball. The phone call, on the other hand, managed to pry his attention away from whatever was impersonating his dead brother so perfectly. There were only six people in the world who might call him this late at night, and nothing would keep him from answering. 

---

Just a few blocks away, Richie Tozier was busy losing a match of Mario Tennis Aces.

It would have been embarrassing if anyone had been there to see it, but he was, thankfully, very much alone. He sat on the edge of his bed, wearing only a ratty pair of boxers and an extra-large t-shirt he’d found hidden in the back of Ben’s closet. The blue glow emanating from his TV screen was beginning to hurt his eyes; he took a quick swig of Mountain Dew to combat the discomfort.

Nighttime had never been kind to Richie; he blamed his current losing streak on that fact. Along with bad luck in digital tennis matches, nighttime brought sleep, and sleep brought nightmares. Amongst the Losers, nightmares were nothing new. It seemed that they were the price you paid to battle a demonic clown and escape unscathed. Overall, it was much easier to stay awake as late as possible and risk falling asleep in AP Bio for the umpteenth time than revisit his one and only trip through Derry’s sewer system every fucking time he closed his eyes.

He was just getting ready to give his remote control a quick good luck kiss before the next round began when a sudden, rapid banging on his window almost made him soil the only clean pair of boxers he had left.

“Holy shit,” Richie gasped. The contents of his stomach threatened to make a panicked appearance; Richie quickly choked them back down. The source of the noise knocked again, impatiently. Richie sighed, but a slow, easy smile made its way across his face. He leaned across his bed, stretching to open the window. He watched Stanley Uris crawl through it and smiled some more as Stan dusted himself off. “Gimme some warning next time, will ya? I almost shit my pants.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Stan mumbled. His shoulders, tense with something- Richie guessed anxiety- slowly relaxed the longer he stood in Richie’s room. Stan bent down to unit his shoes and take off his socks, placing them neatly against the wall. Richie watched him work in silence. It made his heart do summersaults in his chest to see Stan the way he was now- flushed from the bike ride over, hair tangled by sleep and wind, soft and warm in his flannel pajama pants and cotton t-shirt.

Stan said nothing when he was done, just stood quietly, solemnly considering the boy sitting before him. Richie gave him a moment to get whatever he needed from the silence between them and Stan soaked it up, slowly unclenching his jaw and shaking out the nerves that had settled in his fists.

Eventually, Stan sighed, slow and grateful, and Richie decided it was alright to speak. “What’s crackin’, baby doll?”

Stan grimaced. “Bad dream.”

“Same one?”

“Always the same.”

Richie hummed his displeasure and opened his arms, inviting Stanley to fill the space between them. Stan made his way towards them gratefully, crawling into Richie’s lap and leaning his head against Richie’s chest. Richie ran a hand through Stan’s hair, soft and gentle. “Wanna talk about it?”

“Maybe next time.”

Richie hummed again. Stan always said that, and so far they had never talked about it. “Want some Mountain Dew?”

Stan rolled his eyes, even though Richie couldn’t see his face. “No, thanks. But I’d take something stronger if you had it.”

Richie grinned and gave the top of Stan’s head a quick kiss. “I think I might have somethin’ like that,” he leaned across the bed, careful to keep Stan safely balanced in his lap, to grab his phone. “Let’s get Big Bill over here, while we’re at it.”

“No,” Stan snatched the phone from Richie’s hands and held it close to his chest. Sleep wasn’t something any of them could take lightly, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to steal a single second of it from Bill. “Don’t wake him up.”

“Come on, you know he hates missing out on stuff. He can always sleep once he gets here if he wants to.”

Their eyes locked and Richie grew suddenly seriously; a battle had begun. Stan figured they were too old to keep using staring contests to settle disputes. Richie said they were too old to let sacred traditions die so flippantly. In the end, they usually served Stan’s interests anyway; he could hold a glare with the best of ‘em. A few long moments passed; the air thick with concentration. And then Richie did what he usually did when he knew he couldn’t win- cheated.

Stan furiously blinked Richie’s sudden stream of warm, wet air out of his eyes. “I hate you,” he glared, hiding a grin, and held out the phone.

Richie laughed a happy, victorious laugh and gave Stan another kiss, this one on his forehead. Perhaps his nighttime losing streak was over at last; if this night was going anyway like he thought it was, he was going to get lucky two times over.

Pretty much everything about the three of them was built on luck. Luck, and a whole lot of hard fucking work. There were no guidebooks on how to date two of your best friends at once, no polyamorous trailblazers to show them the way. There was nothing, no one to tell them how to do this wonderful, lovely thing between the three of them. It was messy and hard sometimes, but god if it wasn’t good. All things considered, Richie thought they were doing pretty well for themselves.

He smiled softly and wildly into Stanley’s hair as he dialed Bill’s number.

---

Bill used the bat to keep at least three feet between him and Georgie as he walked slowly to the other side of the bed, towards the bedside table where his phone sat.

He struggled to pick it up, hands shaking, and cursed quietly when he almost hung up accidentally. “Huh-huh-ello?”

“Billy boy!” Richie sang, too excited to notice that Bill’s stutter, which normally took a siesta whenever he was talking to someone he loved, had returned full force. “Get your ass over here; we’re having an impromptu fiesta, just me, you, and-.”

“Ruh-ruh-ruh-ruh-Richie.” Bill interrupted. His body filled with relief at the sound of Richie’s voice, so much so that the bat almost slipped out of his hand. Here was someone who could understand, who might be able to help. He held his phone tight against his ear, as if doing so would transport him closer to Richie, away from whatever nightmare he was stuck in now.

Richie said something quick to someone that wasn’t Bill, his voice muffled and far-away. He sounded worried when he turned his attention back to Bill, like it had finally hit him that something wasn’t quite right. “Yeah, Bill, it’s me. What’s wrong?”

“I-I-I,” he stammered, eyes locked on his dead brother. “I-I th-th-th-think Guh-Guh-Georgie i-i-is in m-m-muuhhh-my r-r-room.”

“Fuck, Bill, I can hardly understand a word you’re saying. Did you-did you say something about Georgie?”

Bill flinched, like someone had just made as if to slap him. He hadn’t heard anyone say that name aloud in years. “H-h-h-h-h-h-hhhhh-,” he took a frantic breath, as if that would dislodge the word stuck in his throat. “Fuck, R-Richie, G-g-g-Georgie’s in m-my fucking ruh-uh-room.”

Richie said something else to whoever was in the room with him. They seemed to argue for a short moment which seemed impossibly long to Bill. “Hey, Bill? Don’t move. We’re on our way.”

The line went dead.

---

“Why did you hang up?” Stan spat, trying for the fifteenth time to reach Bill again. “He’s not picking up the phone.”

Despite being walking distance away from Bill’s house, they’d quickly decided to borrow (steal was a better word, as Richie was banned from driving it) Richie’s mother’s car. It whined loudly as Richie forced it faster and faster through the darkened streets toward Bill’s house.

“Chillax, Stanley,” Richie spat back, voice much less poisonous than Stan’s had been, obviously not chillaxing himself. He leaned forward in his seat, knuckles white around the wheel, as if worrying would help them get there faster. “Big Bill knows how to take care of himself. Whatever’s goin’ on, he’ll be alright.”

Stan shot a quick look of incredulous disbelief in Richie’s direction. It was the kind of look he usually saved for those students of Derry High with less common sense than a bucket of dying paint. It screamed: Are you an idiot? Stan himself screamed nothing and simply tried Bill’s number again.

No answer.

Richie urged the speedometer forward.

---

Already a few streets away, Bill Denbrough was busy ignoring the fact that he’d been told to stay put.

He’d made up his mind even before Richie had finished talking that he had to leave, to put as much distance between himself and whatever was in his room as possible. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand the look of fear and desperation on Georgie’s face, even if it wasn’t really Georgie he was looking at.

Georgie had followed as he’d stumbled out of the room, and Bill could see him now, standing in solemn silence at the end of their driveway. The absolute silence scared Bill more than anything else. In life, Georgie had been anything but silent. Contemplative, sometimes. But never quiet. Bill almost wished the thing that looked like Georgie would call after him, tell him to stop, something. But Georgie did nothing but watch him and Silver wobble unsteadily for a moment, his frightened gaze following Bill’s form as he made his way down the street.

Bill’s legs and arms knew where they were going before Bill did. Silver took them quickly to their destination, and Bill hopped off the seat before the bike had any time to slow down. He tripped over one of the wheels and fell to the concrete, Silver landing on top of him. He grunted in pain, loose gravel digging its way into the sides of his bare arms.

Bill looked up; he was on eye level with the sewer drain Georgie had spent his last moments crouched before. It did not mock or taunt or scream haha! I killed your brother! like Bill expected it to. It just sat, inconspicuously, like most sewer drains tended to do.

He pushed Silver off of him and scrambled forward. He braced himself against the concrete, poking his head into the sewer as far as the laws of mass and physical space would allow.

---

Stan and Richie were more surprised than they should have been to find Bill’s room empty.

Stan poked around the room methodically, looking for any evidence of what had happened, anything to clue them in on what was going on. Richie swallowed the shitty Sherlock Holmes joke working its way up his throat and fidgeted nervously in the doorway.

Stan picked up Bill’s phone, which sat on the bed, and frowned at it. “I don’t think he’s here.”

“I dunno, have you checked the bathroom? Maybe he’s taking a shit.”

Stan ignored him. “Where would he have gone? His truck’s still in the driveway.”

Bill’s truck was always in the driveway. He only ever used one thing to get where he wanted to go. Stan and Richie remembered this fact simultaneously.

“Oh, shit,” Riche groaned. “I’ll bet he’s halfway across the state by now.”

“No,” Stan shook his head. “He’d want to go somewhere. You said he saw Georgie, yes? What places do you think of when you think about Georgie?”

Simultaneously, Richie and Stan remembered something else. Remembered the last, rainy day George Denbrough had lived to see and the last place he had visited before his death.

They ran back to the car.

The overwhelming smell of rotting trash and stagnant water coming from the sewer drain made Bill want to gag. He turned his head to the side and took a quick whiff of fresh air before turning back to towards the opening.

“Wah-wah-wah-aht d-d-do y-you wuh-uh-want?” Bill shouted. “T-tell me!”

The drain did not grace his hurt and anger with an answer. Somewhere down the street, someone turned on a porch light.

Bill strained to see inside the sewer. He was so focused on making sense of the darkness he found there that he almost didn’t notice the light tug on his sweatshirt. His heart stopped dead in its track and he scrambled upwards to face his death, sure Pennywise himself had crawled from his hiding place to wipe the last of the Denbrough children off the face of the Earth. Instead of finding a killer clown, there stood the thing that looked like Georgie.

Georgie’s face was on fire with panic and fear. Blood streamed from beneath his right jacket-sleeve and down his hand, making soft splattering sounds on the asphalt. Bill’s heart ached, seeing Georgie’s face the way he was sure it must have been before It had killed him. He fell onto his knees and pulled the Georgie thing to him. Georgie felt as real as he looked- solid and firm. He even smelled a little like Georgie had too, like outdoors and the candles their mother liked to light on rainy days. Bill broke then, and sobbed painfully into Georgie’s small, cold chest. Georgie let himself be cried on and did not protest as Bill tightened his grip. He did nothing at all except look down at Bill’s head mournfully and continue drip drip dripping blood.

And this was how Stan and Richie happened upon the final third of their threesome, clutching onto nothing and sobbing endless, heart wrenching sobs.

And so began the haunting of Bill Denbrough.

[numberfivefinn]

who: @numberfivefinn, @nycswallflower and jake puckerman (with bri).

what: marley invites finn to a concert for back-up because her ex jake is going to be there and she’s worried he’ll make a scene.

where: a smaller concert venue

when: sunday august 23rd

triggers: violence

FINN was pretty happy with the fact that Marley was slowly becoming a part of the friend group. There was definitely still some tension between him and Rachel, and with everyone being so close to the both of them, he found it sort of hard to balance being fully himself and being mindful of his new dynamic with Rachel and how it affected everyone else. Having Marley around sort of forced everyone to behave more, or maybe that was just the impression Finn sat with. When Marley asked him to join her at this gig for work, he was probably more stoked than he realized. Besides their little conversation at Kurt and Sam's anniversary party, they hadn't spent so much one-on-one time, and this was after all their first time doing something without the rest of the group around. Because Finn only lived one block away from Marley's--which really was Rachel's--place, he shot her a text message once he got out of the parking garage, asking her to come out to the front entrance of their apartment building.

MARLEY had been so grateful for a new group of friends. Ever since Jake and she had broken up, Kurt, Sam and their crazy bunch of friends had really been a god send. Living with Rachel and talking to Jesse had been great but she was happy to be spending some one on one time with Finn. He had been so kind to her at the party and she knew he was going through a rough time, though he hadn’t said as much, but she knew it had to be hard. It was hard enough for her to be going through a breakup and hers was nowhere near as tragic as what she assumed 6 years would do. She was just grateful to have Finn helping her tonight with Jake. She smiled when she saw the text and told him she was coming down. She headed out, sliding her black leather heeled boots on as she went and headed out the parking garage. When she saw Finn she smiled and waved, walking over to him. “You are an absolute wonder...you are amazing...super even...”she rambled, her fingers going to smooth her little black leather dress as she did. “I owe you”

FINN sat in the driver's seat, awaiting his company. He caught a glimpse of the entrance door opening and saw Marley step out and she was... stunning. He immediately stepped out of the car to greet her, waving back as she walked closer. "No worries, the pleasure is all mine. You look amazing," he grinned, letting himself take a breath before going to the other side to open the door for her. "After you."

“Thank you,” MARLEY said with a blush as she looked down at her outfit. Kurt has helped her pick this dress from the Vogue closet as part of her working ensemble. She wore it a lot to different parties and events but somehow hearing Finn saying it looked nice made it that much more special to her. She smiled and gave a goofy curtsy before getting in the car, smacking herself in the forehead as he walked around. Only she could be so stupid

"You certainly clean up a lot nicer than I do," FINN chuckled as he sat in the car, looking down at his button down shirt and plain jeans. At least he made a tiny effort with his hair. "Where was this place again?"

MARLEY chuckled and shook her head. “I think you look great,” she said with a sincere smile at him. She gave him the address and then put her phone away. “Thank you so much for doing this”

FINN began driving, turning on the radio but keeping it low so they could talk in a comfortable volume. "I'm not doing too much besides work these days, so it's pretty nice to do something different for a change. So thanks for inviting me," he said sincerely. "So, wanna tell me about this Jake dude?"

“Do you enjoy working?” MARLEY asked. She wasn’t sure if he was a person who would enjoy the people aspect of his job or not. “I’ll start inviting you to all of these” she teased though it would be nice to go with someone. Jake had only gone a few times and it hadn’t worked well at all. “What do you want to know?” She asked chewing on her lip.

"It's alright," FINN said with a shrug. "It's a huge step from football, that's for sure. But I've been there a few months now and it's starting to feel kinda normal. Even when people who recognize me still come up to me asking about my injury and stuff." He thought people would slowly forget about his past with time, anyway. "That'd be awesome. I used to do a lot more of these things in my spare time, but I've been pretty lucky with being handed free entrance to a lot of stuff like that. Obviously doesn't happen that often anymore." He wasn't sure what to ask, really. It wasn't like he wanted to bring up some bad memories or anything hurtful that caused the break-up. He sure knew how it felt to talk about your ex when it was still fresh. "I don't know. Why did you break up?"

“I get that...” MARLEY said with a contemplative nod. “It’s got to be hard to deal with that. Do you want to be there or is something else calling?” She asked laughing at the free entrances. “I’m still not used to it. I’m not used to having the velvet rope passing kind of access”. She looked out the window and blushed before looking back at him. “He wanted the relationship to go further than I did”

"It's cool staying there for now while I figure things out, I guess. I don't think I wanna be a salesman for the rest of my life or even the rest of this year, but I'm trying to figure out how to bring sports back into my life in a way that fulfils me and makes me happy. I'm not super inspired right now, so I'm hoping it'll come with time," FINN admitted. "I was treated that way for seven years and I still never got used to it. But now that my life's a little different, I do kinda miss it. You gonna give me velvet rope passing kind of access to your shows in the future?" He took a moment to process what Marley said, not entirely sure what to make of the vague statement. "Like, marriage?"

“Have you ever thought about being a sports broadcaster?” She asked curiously. “Cause isn’t that what a lot of ex players do?” MARLEY wasn’t sure if that would be something he’d enjoy but it would at least be sports adjacent. “I’ll give you all the velvet ropes you want. It’ll be nice to have fun with it” she laughed and shrugged. “I don’t know if that was in his thoughts but not that...he wanted to run the bases...”

"That's something to consider, yeah. It's on my list, but I'm not super passionate about it. Believe it or not, I don't actually pay attention to a lot of sports besides football. And to be honest, I didn't pay a lot of attention to football either besides the team we were going up against or the NFL." FINN had to laugh a little at his own confession, but it was unfortunately true. He was a huge football fan growing up, but once he played it himself, the focus remained on only playing it. "That sounds... something I'm very up for." He couldn't help but grin, though he was sure Marley had way more of a pure mind than he had. "Oh. Gotcha. And you weren't ready for that?"

MARLEY laughed and nodded. “I mean that makes a lot of sense.  I just figured it was a good option because you’d definitely make me tune into sports” she blushed and looked out the window. “I’m glad you’re up for it. It’ll be nice to have someone to bounce things off of” she blushed even brighter and looked down. “It’s not that I don’t want to. Or wouldn’t want to with the right person but I never...I think I probably should have left the relationship long before now”

"That's good to know," FINN noted with a smirk. "Anytime. It's nice to be around you too. You're pretty cool." Whoever Jake was, he was most certainly missing out by losing someone like her. "I get that. Sometimes someone isn't just good or right for you. It sounds like it was a really good decision leaving that relationship. You deserve someone who treats you like you're the most important person in their lives."

MARLEY smiled at him. “I appreciate that...honestly I do” she brushed her hand through her long locks and bit her lip. “I think I maybe always knew...that he and I weren’t right...but I thought it was me you know?”

"It's hard to listen to your heart sometimes. I thought things between me and Rachel were fine until she brought up all of our problems and it took me some time to realize that she was right about all of it. And now that I think about it, I think I always knew. I was just scared of facing it." Pulling up to a parking space by the club, FINN stopped the car, facing Marley. "Here we are. You ready? I got your back, whatever the cost. If you see him and feel the need to tell him I'm your boyfriend, I'm cool with that."

“I’m sorry. Going through a breakup is hard enough but you had to do in the public eye and that’s even worse” she said with a shake of her head. She bit her lip and looked over at the clubs red doors and the long line of people waiting to get in. Was Jake and his new girlfriend there already? Would she get lucky enough to not see them? MARLEY smiled at Finn and squeezed his hand. “Thank you...that’s so sweet of you...” she got out of his car fixing her dress before leading him to the entrance. “If it’s not my favorite little reporter,” the doorman said with a grin, giving her a quick hug before looking back at Finn. “He’s with me tonight” she said with a smile before he let them in giving Finn a once over as they went in.

"Yeah, thanks." FINN felt his cheeks get a little warmer as she squeezed his hand, not remembering the last time he blushed for that reason. "Huh," he thought to himself. He walked out of the car, locking it before following Marley into the club, giving the doorman a nod before heading in. "Hey, aren't you--" he heard the doorman say while passing. "Yeah." Giving the doorman a quick smile, he turned around quickly, not feeling like making some small talk with a doorman who apparently recognized him. "Do you see him, Marls?"

MARLEY chuckled at the encounter at the door. Poor Finn really couldn’t get away from it all. She looked around and a let out a soft sigh. “Not yet,” she said turning to him with a smile. “Want to get closer to the stage?”

FINN "Yeah, sure. Do you want me to grab something to drink first?"

MARLEY nodded. “Yea...surprise me!” She called over the loud music, squeezing his arm before pushing towards the front of the stage. It was there that she saw them. Jake and Bri, the girl who had flirted with him relentlessly while they had been together. Jake had compared the two in a fight once. That fight should have been the end, she realized looking back. She locked eyes with Bri who smiled like the cat that got the cream and pulled Jake into a too steamy for public kiss, making even Marley blush bright red.

FINN took a quick glance at the bar to assess if it was crowded or not before heading over. "One... raspberry mojito and one plain soda, thanks." Once he received the drinks, he squeezed himself through the crowd to reach Marley. "Here you go. It seemed like something you'd like," he shrugged, immediately noticing something was wrong. "Are you okay?"

MARLEY took it with a shaky hand and pointed over to the pair. “I found my ex...”

"Oh?" FINN followed her pointing, trying to figure out who it could've possibly be. His eyes landed on a pair making out, and well, it kind of made sense. "Oh... Well. PDA is gross, anyway. Did they see you?"

“She definitely did...” MARLEY murmured. She looked away quickly when the pair came up for air and Jake spotted her.

FINN's eyes widened when he noticed the guy looking over at Marley. "Uhm, do you want me to hold my arm around you?"

MARLEY bit her lip and shrugged. “I don’t know what to do” she admitted. She wasn’t jealous they were together for the normal reasons. She was more than okay being done with Jake. But for him to be so blatantly with the girl he had told her she should be more like stung more than she was prepared for

FINN made the decision to play it cool as he gently put his arm around her, pulling her in for a side hug and switching their bodies around so they were facing away from the other couple and more towards the stage. “You’re gonna be alright, they’re not worth the trouble. Hey, look. The band’s starting.”

MARLEY sighed softly melting into Finn’s protective hold. She gave him a small smile and looked up as the band came onstage. She took her free hand (the one not holding her drink) and squeezed his hand softly, a thank you.

FINN smiled back, feeling good about being able to be present for someone else. It wasn’t often he did this kind of stuff without someone wanting to gain something out of it or having a specific agenda, and it was nice knowing his blooming connection with Marley was real. He kept his arm around the shorter brunette, his hand firm but relaxed on her shoulder throughout the entire first song. It was only when he had to clap and cheer for the band that he let go. “What do you think so far?”

MARLEY couldn’t begin to explain how grateful she was for Finn’s presence. She had never thought she would be nervous to come to a gig, this was her world the one she belonged in and Jake was an interloper who was trying to hurt her. She wouldn’t let him. As the song played on she began to tap her foot to the beat and by the end she was sure she could play the chords on her guitar better than the man playing. “They’re good,” she said smiling up at him. “They’re rough but that might work to their advantage...what do you think?”

FINN nodded in agreement. “They definitely need to work more as a team. They’re barely looking at each other when they’re playing. There’s potential, though.” He ended up enjoying more of the concert than he thought he would, but the company was without a doubt better. As the concert wrapped up and the floor opened up, he looked around for any spots to hang in case Marley wanted to stay for a bit. “I’m gonna go get some more to drink. You want anything? My treat.”

MARLEY enjoyed the music and enjoyed talking with Finn about it even more. She knew her pieces for Vogue would be much better with his conversation swimming in her brain. “I’ll go with you” she said as she saw Jake from the corner of her eye heading towards her, Bri in tow.

“Okay, cool.” FINN walked alongside Marley to the bar, ordering them drinks. “You having a good night?”

“I am...I think that’s your fault” MARLEY said with a laugh. “So what do you play? You know music far too well to just be a listener”

“Sorry not sorry,” FINN laughed along, shrugging goofily. “The drums, actually. I haven’t played in a while, and the past years it’s been just to blow off some steam. I played a lot in high school though. Whenever I wasn’t playing football at least.”

“No way!” MARLEY said with a smile, her eyes wide in excitement. “I’ve always wanted to learn to play the drums! I think it would be fun to smack around and actually make a pleasant sound!”

“I have a drum kit at home, maybe you can come over sometime and I can teach you the basics,” FINN suggested, loving her enthusiasm for the instrument. “You’re a musician so I bet you already got the rhythm down.”

“Really?!” MARLEY asked excitedly. “Oh thank you thank you thank you!” She said giving him a quick hug

FINN was slightly taken aback when Marley jumped in for a hug, but quickly reciprocated it, leaning down into the hug. “No prob. It gives me an excuse to pull out the drum kit again.” He looked up, exchanging a brief look with Marley’s ex. “You doing okay, though? With Jake being here and all.”

MARLEY smiled and nodded before looking over her shoulder at Jake and Bri, who were staring daggers her way. “I’m okay...” she said turning to look at him, her face slightly crestfallen. “It’s hard to explain...I’m not jealous of them and I don’t want him back I just...he knew I’d be here and he brought someone he knew would hurt me”

FINN nodded as he listened to Marley. “Do you know her? The girl he’s with?”

“Yea...” MARLEY said with a soft angry sigh. “That’s Bri...she’s been in love with him for years”

"She has?" FINN raised an eyebrow as he subtly looked at the woman in question. "Was she like, trying to get with him when you were together?"

MARLEY “Yes...she was always offering to take care of his...needs...it drove me crazy because he acted like it was all just a joke...until he didn’t”

"He sucks for that," FINN said in Marley's defense before taking a sip of his soda. "You're way better off without him."

MARLEY looked down and blushed softly before looking back at him. “We got into a fight once and he told me he wished I was more like her...”

"Whoa, that's not okay." FINN might've said something similar to Rachel early in their relationship when he was just learning about the less positive traits of her personality, not knowing how to deal with them. He quickly learned that it was a horrible thing to say to your partner. "I don't know this chick, but I can tell you're a way better person than her. The way she's looking at you with that little evil in her eyes. It's not good. You can at least comfort yourself knowing you're the better person."

MARLEY smiled softly at Finn. “Thanks...I guess I just wish that I hadn’t wasted so much time”

"At least you're out and free now," FINN laughed. "There's only looking up from here."

“True...” MARLEY said with a nod. “And there are definitely better fish in the sea...”

“Also true. Let’s toast to that,” FINN grinned, clinking his glass with hers.

MARLEY clinked her glass to his and laughed.

FINN had barely noticed that more and more people were leaving the venue, really enjoying his time with Marley. “What do you wanna do now? Hang around for a bit?”

“Sure...but didn’t you say you had to go to work early? I’d hate to keep you out too late...” MARLEY murmured though she was having a really good time

FINN shrugged, not minding being up late. It wasn’t often he was up late because he was actually, well, out. “Not that early. My shift starts at 12, so it’s fine. Don’t you have work too?”

MARLEY “Yea but I don’t really have set hours in the office...just deadlines”

“Ohh,” FINN uttered. He was slightly envious of that kind of schedule. Sounded sort of... freeing. “That sounds nice, though. When’s the deadline for this gig?”

MARLEY nodded and lead him over to a table that had just opened up. “Um Wednesday by the latest...but I usually get them out quicker. I go to so many different things so I try to keep up”

“You seem like a person who got that on track,” FINN stated as he walked alongside her. “You enjoy it? Having a schedule like that?”

MARLEY laughed and shrugged. “I guess I enjoy being busy...and I love music so getting to go see new music and getting paid for it is pretty sweet...plus I use all of the things I learn to better my writing...it’s like a win win win for me”

"Getting paid for doing something you love is the best," FINN mused, once relating to that statement. "Are you thinking of becoming a full-time songwriter?"

“That’s always been the goal...I want to sing on the radio...” MARLEY said with an embarrassed blush. Most people told her she couldn’t do it so she wasn’t sure what she was thinking. “She’d have to get over her stage fright first” JAKE said, Bri at his side.

“Don’t be shy about that.” FINN gave her a reassuring smile. “You can t—“ He was nearly startled by the sudden dark voice that definitely did not come out of Marley’s mouth. Her lips weren’t even moving. Once he properly realized what had happened, he saw Jake and Bri in front of them. “Whoa, dude. Way to barge in on our conversation.”

JAKE “Sorry, dude I just wanted to talk to this one over here”

“Anything you wanna say to her, you can say in front of me,” FINN said confidently, although he was growing nervous about what this guy would say or do.(edited)

“Jake...just...” JAKE turned to look at MARLEY and then Finn. “What...you dating a meat head now?” He sneered. “She’s not worth it, trust me I put the years in to learn it”

“Hey man, that’s not cool to say. You have clearly moved on and you need to leave Marley alone. Don’t make a scene just because you want to.” FINN took a careful step forward, inching closer to Jake as if he was entering protective mode.

JAKE “What she do? Give you those big blues of hers and make you think she needed you to protect her? She’s a piranha my dude...she’s emotionally unfit to be an adult or with anyone”

FINN “You really need to back off. You really think you can come here and talk shit about a perfectly fine woman because you’re what? Butthurt because she dumped you? Get a life, man. You have no business going around being an asshole like that.”

JAKE scoffed and looked over at Marley. “You sure know how to pick them. Reminds me of Ryder...a big fucking bitch for you...” MARLEY looked down at her hands and then back at Jake. “Just go...please...”

"You heard her. It's time to leave." FINN was growing more and more furious, his hands tightening up in fists as he fought the urge to punch him square in the face. "Go."

JAKE “When you get bored and realize that you fucked yo Marls, just give me a call...I’m sure it won’t take long with this jolly green giant”

FINN couldn't hold onto his increasing fury anymore, his sight nearly blurred by how hard he had to focus to be the bigger man. But this guy was a grade A jerk and beyond, and he wasn't really thinking about consequences or how it looked like from the outside in the moment. Before he could process it any further, his fist swung directly towards Jake's face, his knuckles banging into his jaw. He saw the other man stumble back, holding onto his face in pain. Once the adrenaline had left his body, he realized what he had just done, uncertain of whether he felt good or just straight up awful about it. He did have it coming, though.

MARLEY gasped out, jumping up and getting between them, back to Jake, hands on Finn’s chest. “Let’s go” she said looking up into his eyes as she pushed him for the exit as Bri tended to Jake.

"Yeah," FINN mumbled, his hand pounding from the pain of having hit someone whose jaw was surprisingly sharp. He struggled moving his hand properly, but assumed it would pass eventually. "I'm sorry-" he started, feeling nervous about Marley's reaction about it all. "I couldn't help it.  He was so awful to you."

MARLEY got Finn out and over to his car. She shook her head and looked up at him. “You’re like Superman huh?”

FINN was thankful he got out before a guard saw him and kicked him out of that place. He unlocked the car and got in, though he waited to put the keys in ignition as he wasn't quite ready to drive. "If I was Superman, I would just gently push his shoulders and he would fly off into the other side of the block," he joked, shaking his head. "Was he like that before you broke up?"(edited)

“Possibly” MARLEY teased with a laugh as she got in and buckled her seat belt looking over at him. “Sometimes...he was protective...or that’s what he said...he didn’t like it when other guys flirted with me or whatever...but it was never quite so...mean as that”

FINN couldn't imagine jealousy taking over so badly that he would stoop so low and treat someone that horribly. Sure, he almost punched a guy who was vividly flirting with Rachel once, but he didn't go through with it. But saying all those things about an ex? It was wild for him to think about. "For the record, none of the things he said about you is true. I know that. And I know Bri seemed like not the greatest person, I kinda felt bad for her that she had to watch her boyfriend or whatever be so obsessed over his ex. Or should I not? I don't know what to feel."

MARLEY laughed softly and shrugged looking down. “I don’t know what to think or feel about it all right now...I didn’t expect him to be here tonight until I saw he was coming. And it wasn’t like he didn’t know I would be there. I...I think I hurt him more than I meant to honestly...and so maybe I am all of those things...maybe I’m not...I’m just glad you were here”

“I’m not convinced you are. I just think he’s butthurt and unable to process your break-up. I’d be upset too if I were him, I guess.” FINN raised his right shoulder into a casual shrug, trying not to think too much about the guy. “I did have a fun time tonight... even if my fist had to suffer for it,” he laughed, the laugh faltering when he felt the throbbing pain occurring whenever he moved his hand.

MARLEY blushed and looked down at her hands. It was sweet of Finn to say though she wasn’t sure how much of it she believed. “I’m so sorry about your fist,” she said reaching over to take it in her hands as she looked at it. “Good news...I don’t think you broke it...”

FINN winced when she took his hand, trying to convince himself it wasn’t bad at all so it wouldn’t be a big deal. “Yeah, don’t think so either. I just need some ice on it.”

“Pull over there,” MARLEY said pointing to a 7-11.

“Good idea,” FINN said with a firm nod, starting up the car and immediately headed for the 7-11 nearby. He pulled over, grabbing his wallet as he walked out of the car and into the store.

MARLEY followed him and went over to the slurpee machine. “What’s your favorite flavor?” She asked with a smile.

FINN couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. It had been forever since he had a slurpee. “Uh, grape?” he answered, not intending to make it sound like a question. “I’m gonna check out the freezer for some ice packs.”

“Here...” MARLEY said grabbing a big cup and filling it before handing it to him. “It’s an ice pack and a snack all at once!” She said with a grin as she grabbed a cup to fill with cherry for herself.

“Thanks,” FINN beamed, accepting the slurpee, laying it gently on his knuckles to relieve some pain. He grabbed an extra ice pack for good measure before heading to the cashier to pay, only waiting for Marley’s slurpee.

MARLEY slid her cased in front of his. “Let me...I owe you” she explained with a smile as she used her hip to bump his teasingly out of the way.

FINN laughed softly as her hip bumped him, stepping to the side as she paid for their stuff. “Okay, I see you,” he grinned, taking his slurpee and ice pack as he headed out. “Thanks, Marls.” He walked towards his car, thinking about how to get the ice pack steadily on his hand. “Do you mind holding onto this?” he asked, holding up his slurpee. “I got some tape in the back, maybe I can tape the ice pack to my hand.”

MARLEY laughed and nodded holding it. When his back was turned she took a sip of it laughing when she realized he could still see her. “Sorry!”

FINN grabbed the tape, attempting to wrap it around his hand with the ice pack on top of his knuckles. “I’m looking right at you,” Finn laughed as he shook his head. “If you wanted grape, you should’ve gotten it.” He finished taping the ice pack, feeling confident that it would hold, though admittedly it was cold as hell. “You ready to head off?”

MARLEY frowned. “I’m sorry...you’re right...” she went and opened his door for him, not wanting him to be inconvenienced at all

FINN noticed her frowning, quickly correcting himself. “Oh no, I was just messing around. You can have as much of mine as you want,” he reassured, nodding a “thanks” to her as he got into the car. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Do you want some of mine?” MARLEY asked as she went around to the other side and got in. “Are you okay to drive?”

“You can keep yours,” FINN said with a half-smile. “I’m good. The roads are pretty straightforward so I can easily drive with my other hand without any issues.” He pulled out of the 7-11 parking lot, heading towards Marley’s place. “Crazy night, huh?”

“Okay...” MARLEY said taking another sip of hers. “Is it bad to say I have known crazier nights?”

“No, not at all,” FINN chuckled. It was definitely not his craziest night either. He took his slurpee for a small sip. “Only if something worse happened.”

“Not worse...”she said shaking her head. “Just different I guess,” MARLEY said with a laugh.

“Despite my iced hand, it was all worth it. And I can’t wait to do it again. Not the punching part, but if I have to, I will,” FINN joked lightheartedly, looking over at Marley quickly to give her a warm smile.

MARLEY blushed and smiled. “Thanks Clark Kent”

"Does this make you Lois?" FINN asked with a sparkle in his eyes, not really thinking too much about the actual association. He pulled up in front of the apartment building, stopping the car temporarily. "We're here. Thanks for inviting me, Marls. It was pretty fun." He looked at the time on the radio, widening his eyes in surprise. "Whoa, where did the time go?"

“I guess it does” MARLEY said with a grin and a confident nod. “Oh god. I should go. Thank you for coming. We’ll do it again soon,” she said leaning over to kiss his cheek before grabbing her slurpee and her bag and sliding out.

"Yeah, see ya," FINN said faintly as she slid out of the car, feeling pretty content about his night despite the short brawl towards the end. He smiled to himself, taking in the moment before driving off because he definitely was going to be late for work the following day.

[warriorsfireandwater]

Chapter Three

“Oakheart is dead!”

Rusty was suddenly awakened by the wail. He blinked, and quickly raised his head. For a moment, he forgot where he was, until everything came flooding back. Thistlestar attacked me, and I ended up here. RiverClan saved me.

Then what he had heard hit him like a stone. Dead? Rusty’s eyes widened with horror. Had Thistlestar murdered Oakheart? These wildcats really are savage!

With a glance, he could see that Mudfur was not in his den. Rusty rose, and blinked as he noticed sticky-white webs stuck to his chest, where he’d been scratched. He sniffed at it, and found it smelled like the herbs in the den. Mudfur must've put there.

Rusty padded from the den, slowly, hoping not to attract attention to himself. It was well past nightfall—moonhigh, perhaps—but many warriors were still awake.

Crookedstar emerged from his den. “What?” he demanded. “Oakheart can't be dead!”

A black-furred tom and pale brown tabby molly were dragging a limp body behind the rest of their small group. Gasps of horror rose from the Clan.

“Who did this?” Crookedstar demanded. “Who?!”

“No one,” Dawnwhisker murmured, head low. “Well, Darkstripe chased him under a rock, and they started fighting… I think they jostled smaller rocks that were supporting it. But Oakheart pushed Darkstripe out, and before he could get out from under it…” She swallowed. “He was crushed by it. That's why it took us so long to get back—we were digging him out.”

A young silver tabby pressed herself to Crookedstar’s side, murmuring quietly in his ear. A sob shook Crookedstar’s body before he ordered, “Bring him to the center of camp. We’ll share tongues and bury him in the morning.”

“Oakheart was Crookedstar’s brother and closest friend.” Mudfur was suddenly at Rusty’s side, and the young tom jumped in surprise. “That molly is Silverstream, Crookedstar’s daughter.”

Rusty felt a wave of sympathy for Crookedstar, and he was surprised to find that he was saddened himself. I never got to thank him for saving my life. He watched as the two cats pulled Oakheart’s body into the center of the clearing and laid him there gently. One by one, cats came forward, pushing their muzzles into Oakheart’s fur and murmuring before turning away. “What are they doing?” he whispered to Mudfur.

“They are mourning,” Mudfur explained, his voice thick with emotion. “It's how we say farewell before Oakheart’s spirit travels to StarClan. After each cat takes their turn, those closest to him will stay the rest of the night beside him, sharing tongues for the last time before he is buried.”

StarClan? Rusty was full of questions, but felt it would be inappropriate to nag Mudfur any more. After a moment, he quietly asked, “Can… can I go up?”

Mudfur glanced at him oddly. “Why ever would you?”

Rusty looked at his paws. Did I say the wrong thing? “I just—I wanted to thank him. If he hadn't stopped Thistlestar, they would've killed me.”

“That's very kind of you,” Mudfur murmured, though he sounded a little surprised. “But I think you should wait until everyone else has gone before you do. They won't take well to it. You're an outsider, and the rest of us have lived with and fought beside him for seasons.”

Rusty nodded. I owe Oakheart thanks, he thought. He died after saving me. He swallowed, stomach twisting. Would he still be alive if I wasn’t there?

He waited patiently as each cat padded forward to say goodbye, and Mudfur left him for a moment to press his muzzle to Oakheart’s side. When he returned, he sat beside Rusty, and did not speak. After each cat had gone, Mudfur nodded to him. “Go on. Don't let them think you are afraid.”

Easier said than done! Rusty gulped and nodded before he stood and padded towards his body. A few cats hissed, but none moved to stop him until he was nearly to Oakheart. The black tom stepped in front of him. “What do you think you're doing?” he hissed.

“I wanted to thank him,” Rusty mumbled, before recalling Mudfur’s words. He raised his head, looking the tom in the eye. “Let me through, please. He saved my life.”

The tom blinked, surprised, but didn't move. “What?”

“Let him pass, Blackclaw,” Crookedstar rasped. He was sitting near Oakheart’s body, Silverstream still at his side.

Blackclaw scowled before stepping away. Rusty padded closer, staring down at the dead tom. Oakheart’s ribcage looked like it had collapsed, and his spine was bent at an odd angle. What a horrible way to die. He crouched low beside Oakheart, as he had seen the others do. After a moment, he realized the camp had fallen silent as each cat stared at him, watching his every move. “Thank you,” he said, softly. “You saved my life. I'm sorry I can't repay that to you.” He touched his nose to Oakheart’s side before quickly backing away.

The accusing glares and angry mutters seemed to fade as Rusty backed away. Maybe I did do the right thing, Rusty thought hopefully. He returned to Mudfur’s side, who gave him an approving nod.

Crookedstar pressed his muzzle to his brother’s pelt for a few long moments. Then, he raised his head, gazing solemnly around his Clan. “Because it is already moonhigh, I must name RiverClan’s deputy immediately.” He paused, and appeared to be thinking. “I say these words before the spirit of Oakheart, and hope that he approves of my choice. Leopardfur will be RiverClan’s next deputy.”

A dappled golden molly blinked and raised her head, before rising and padding forward. Rusty studied her curiously. Deputy? Is that like… the second to the leader? Whatever it was, it sounded important. Leopardfur seemed cool and composed as she padded towards Crookedstar. She then dipped her head. “Thank you,” she said. “I am honored.”

The Clan, despite their grieving, threw back their heads and yowled their congratulations. “Leopardfur! Leopardfur!”

Mudfur raised his head proudly, yowling as loudly as he could. Rusty blinked, but again felt that it may be inappropriate for him to call her name with them. As the cheering died away, Mudfur licked his chest fur, ears red. “That's my daughter,” he purred. “She used to be afraid of water, you know!”

Crookedstar stared down at the body of his brother before looking up again. “There is one more thing I wish to do.” he fixed his gaze upon Rusty, who stiffened. Was Crookedstar going to change his mind and kill him? “Rusty,” he said. “Please come forward.”

Rusty blinked, but rose again and padded towards the tom. “Y-yes?” Oh, please, don't attack me now!

“I would like to invite you to join our clan,” Crookedstar meowed. Instantly, RiverClan was yowling in surprise and protest. He lashed his tail. “Silence! Oakheart saved this kit before he died. Will you disrespect him before he has even been buried?”

Many cats frowned and stared at their paws guiltily. However, even though the Clan fell silent, there were still a few that continued to glare furiously at him.

“Now,” Crookedstar went on. “This kittypet, despite his origins, shows promise. He escaped Thistlestar’s claws and fled through the forest, a great feat for a cat his age that has been raised lazily.” Rusty bristled slightly at the words before he realized there was no malice behind them. Glancing around, he could see a few cats nodding in understanding, though others muttered unhappily. “He then crossed the river with Dawnwhisker—something few outsiders would willingly do.”

Crookedstar looked back to Rusty. “Rusty,” he asked. “Will you accept? You must understand, training will not be easy, especially since you have not had the conditioning our kits have had. You have not swam in the river before today. You've never hunted for your Clanmates or said thanks to StarClan and to the river. If you are a part of RiverClan, you must work to make these all a part of your life. Will you join RiverClan?”

Rusty was silent for a long moment. What do I say? I don't know anything about this life. For a heartbeat, he considered refusing, but he then realized that wasn't what he wanted. If I go home… if I even manage to get home… I'll never be satisfied. He thought of his dreams, the itch in his claws and pull in his paws that led him to the forest in the first place. He didn't want to be fat and lazy like Henry, or foolish like Smudge.

“Though the training will be hard, the rewards are great,” Crookedstar added, when Rusty had not spoken. “You will remain a true tom, unaltered by the Cutter. You will have the loyalty of your Clanmates by your side, should you earn it. You will know true honor and pride as a warrior, if you make it through training.”

“The Cutter?” Rusty echoed.

“You've seen lazy kittypets, no doubt?” Crookedstar asked. “When toms—and mollies, too, I hear—are old enough, humans take them to the Cutter, and they are never the same. The Cutter steals their strength, and they can no longer bear kits, and they lose any drive or motivation. They sit in the sun and care little for anything but eating and sleeping. That is your future if you return to the human’s place. But you are free to do so. Few outsiders would consider this life.”

The vet, Rusty realized. That's when Henry changed! Though he had already made up his mind, he was certain now. I can always go back if it turns out to be terrible, he told himself. “I—”

“This is ridiculous!” a white tom interrupted, growling. “You can't be serious! How do we know his humans won’t come here looking for him? And that stench will alert all the prey of his presence!”

Rusty flinched at the unexpected hostility. The white tom was now standing, sneering at Rusty. “You will just eat twice your share and work half as hard as anyone else! We all know kittypets, Cut or not, they're useless!”

There were murmurs of agreement from a few cats. Rusty looked back at Crookedstar, unsure of himself.

“Others feel this way?” Crookedstar asked, eyes narrowed.

“I do!” Blackclaw spat. “He's been here long enough. Send him off in the morning and let that be the end of it.”

Silverstream touched her tail to her father’s shoulder. “Perhaps we should cast stones,” she suggested.

Before Rusty could ask what that was, Crookedstar shook his head. “There's no use in having everyone find a stone at this time of night. But I suppose a vote is reasonable for a matter like this.” He pushed himself up to sit. “If you think Rusty should be allowed into our Clan, sit by the nursery. If you think he should be escorted from the territory in the morning, sit near the elder’s den.”

Rusty’s nerves only grew as one by one, the cats began to move to opposite sides of camp. Blackclaw and the white tom immediately hurried across the clearing to one of the reed-dens, where they sat, tails twitching irritably. That was clearly the elders’ den. Those cats made their displeasure obvious. Three more cats crossed the clearing together, though much slowly than the others. Rusty’s heart sank as Leopardfur hesitated, then crossed to the elder’s den.

He turned his head to where the other group was gathering. Mudfur and Dawnwhisker were both there, as was Silverstream. A few more cats begin to join them. Rusty looked back and forth between the two—though another cat was joining the dissents, it was clear the nursery side was larger. Finally, the last cat, an elderly molly, sat with the nursery group, and Crookedstar nodded his head slowly.

Rusty puffed out his chest. They actually want me?

“You are welcome to join,” Crookedstar said. “And the majority of the Clan agrees you are fit to be here. Will you take on the life of a warrior apprentice, knowing all I have told you, and knowing the opinion of my Clan?”

Rusty didn't hesitate this time. “I will!” he replied.

“Very well,” Crookedstar meowed. “Then your kittypet life is no more. You are no longer Rusty. From now on, you will be known as Firepaw. Dawnwhisker will be your mentor.”

There were no cheers, not even from among those that had voted for him. But Dawnwhisker gave him a smile and a wink as the cats began to split up, and that was enough for him.

“Tonight you can rest in Mudfur’s den,” Crookedstar went on. “Tomorrow, your training begins.” He spoke to all cats next. “Anyone who wishes to share tongues with Oakheart may stay, but the rest should go to your nests.”

Most cats retreated to the reed-dens. As Firepaw padded back to Mudfur’s den, a few cats who had supported inviting him nodded approvingly.

Firepaw went back into the secluded den, heart racing. If only Smudge could see me now!