#but i feel like the reason why the convo was even brought up was slightly missed

[matsuera]

cringe in tags (long one)

[brooooswriting]

BOOM BROKO

IM BACK WITH ANOTHER IDEA FOR U

So I'm thinking Sam x Reader who is selectively mute <and a lil scared of her>(don't attack me people I just like the trope)

Yes , anyway at first she thought R was Suspicious, abut then she found out That R was Selectively mute when she pulled out a Pad to write an answer.

But then R talked to Sam 😯 and She was very happy ya know FLOOF because we need it

(if you don't feel comfortable doing this, then don't :) Lu <3 )

Might be quiet

Sam Carpenter x reader

Sam was suspicious of everyone, it was nothing new. So nobody was surprised when she was also suspicious of you, somebody new to the group. Especially because you were two years older than Tara, who had brought you into the group after meeting you at college. Something about that was already off for her, why would you hand out with people two years younger than you? And by the amount of times you and T hung out it seemed like you were only hanging out with her.

But what really made her suspicious was the fact that you never talked. Well, to be honest, Sam wasn’t one to strike up a convo either but ever since Tara brought you home three weeks ago she hasn’t heard you say a damn word, it was weird and nobody could convince her otherwise. Not saying anything would make it even harder for them to figure it out if you were ghostface.

“Tara, there’s something wrong with her. She’s totally 100% suspicious” Sam said as you left, hugging Tara but again, no words were spoken. Not even a goodbye, which wasn’t just suspicious to Sam but also rude.

“She’s not Sam. Just leave her alone about it please. She’s not suspicious or weird, she has her reasons” the younger carpenter disappeared before Sam could ask any questions. She knew about your selective muteness from the beginning, it was her first day and she didn’t know where to go so she asked you. When you pulled out pen and paper she thought you were mute but after meeting her a couple of times you could explain your condition to her.

After being at Tara’s for the first time you refused to go there again as Sam scared the living shit out of you. It was like that for rather long, even if seen in public she’d just stare you down which scared you even more. But after seeing her interact with her younger sister a couple of times, you realized that she was only overprotective of her. It made her a bit less scary. So you came to the apartment again, more often than you would have thought.

One day, Tara invited you over. But due to a terrible miscalculation of everything on Tara’s side you arrived before her, meaning that Sam opened the door for her. You gave her an awkward wave. “Y/n, hi. Tara said she’d be here soon” Sam said stepping to the side, slightly rolling her eyes when you didn’t talk. You stood even more awkwardly in the room, unsure of where to go until Sam pointed to the dinner table. When you said down without saying anything Sam finally snapped.

“Jeez, do you ever say anything? Do you know how weird it is to never say Anything?! And also quiet rude, I mean like, say hello and bye. My goodness” Sam nearly screamed making you cower and give her a sad smile which made her roll her eyes, this time very obvious. “How did Tara even meet you?!” She continued starring into your soul.

You looked away awkwardly, your eyes landing on your backpack. You held up a finger, signaling her to wait while you fished some things out of your bag. Sam looked at the paper and the pen curiously as you started to write in neat handwriting.

‘We met on campus, she didn’t know where to go so she asked me. Had to write down the directions’

Sam looked at you and then at the paper, trying to piece together the puzzle. “So you had to write down the way?” She asked and you nodded.

“You didn’t talk to her?” She continued, you shook your head this time.

“But you do talk to her now when you’re alone?” She mumbled unsure, but your nod reassured her.

“You’re not always mute right?” You nodded again giving her a small smile.

“But sometimes you are?” The older sister seemed to be happy that she finally figured it out, giving you a rather big smile which made you smile too.

There was a moment of silence which was broken by Tara entering the apartment. “Y/n” she called out, causing you to jump up and hug her, happy to be with someone who gave you comfort. “You good?” She asked and you nodded, smiling slightly as it reminded you of your interaction with Sam who was now gone.

When you noticed that you finally mustered up the courage to speak. “How was your day?” You asked as Tara pulled you into her room, but your thoughts they were only on the older carpenter.

The next time you saw Sam was on campus, she was picking Tara up who stayed at your dorm for the day to study with you. You offered that she could sleep here but her sister didn’t allow it, to scared of something happening to her so she picked her up herself. The brunette was 20 minutes earlier than she was supposed to be, you didn’t think that it was gonna be her at the door but Anika. She was around you constantly, another person you could talk to but who often would talk most of the time so you didn’t have to. She was comforting and knew everything about you.

You opened the door with freshly washed hair and in joggers and a sports bra, while Tara went to have a shower as it was a hot day. The way you looked in a simple fit like that was the only thing you could focus on. “Hey, sorry I’m earlier than I thought I’d be” she said as she finally stopped staring at you, your face beet red.

A small smile signaled her that it was fine before you opened the door further and stretched your arm to the side inviting her in. Out of politeness and maybe a bit of curiosity she came inside, looking at the posters and the pictures you had in your room and then looking forwards the bathroom where she heard your shower running.

‘Tara’s showering. How are you? How was your day?” You wrote on a small whiteboard, showing it to her with a smile. There was something about that smile that made Sam all giddy, so she sat on the end of you bed and started talking to you, explaining how shitty her boss is and how she can’t wait for him to retire before asking about your day.

‘Your sister is amazing but if she forces me to watch babadook again I’m gonna need a new friend. We are watching that damn movie after every study session’ Sam grinned at you as you huffed pointing to your open laptop, the credits of the movie on hold.

“She makes me watch that too. I gave up on trying to fight it, I’m pretty sure I can memorize it by now” she told you just as Tara came out of the bathroom in one of your shirts. She felt Ill at ease knowing that her sister got to wear your cloths.

“What are you already doing here?” Tara asked as she dried her hair with a towel, Sam only shaking her head at the rude tone.

“I’m happy to see you too, no. Really no problem, I love picking you up after work” Sam said, her voice filled with sarcasm Making you chuckle a bit. Her head turned to you, that was the first sound she had heard from you except maybe a sigh or a grunt. It was one of the best sounds she had ever heard.

It went on like that for a while, Sam would talk to you, you’d write on something. You’d have normal conversation, sometimes even a bit deeper ones but she never got to the point where you talked to her. She believed that she noticed times where you tried but couldn’t. Honestly, ever since she knew why you weren’t speaking she found it cute. Sure, it was sad too, but the shyness was kinda cute to her.

“Hey y/n” Sam said as she let you into the apartment, Tara was again to late. Or rather, you were too early but you wanted some alone time with Sam. You waved at her and stepped into the room, nodding your head toward the couch. By now Sam had gotten a hang of understanding you even without words so she sat down on the couch, close enough for your legs to touch.

It was a habit you to created, instead of talking you guys would have physical contact. Your legs were touching or your shoulders brushing, sometimes her hand would rest half on top of yours or on your knee. There was this weird connection between you two lately but Sam decided to wait to make a move until you could talk to her. It just felt right to her. Her arms was stretched behind you on the couch.

You took a deep breath before opening your mouth. “W-we should go on a date” you mumbled out barely loud enough for Sam to understand but she did, a smile forming on her face. But now it was her time to be unable to speak, a nod being the first thing coming from her before she finally caught herself again.

“Yeah we should. Oh my god, you talked to me” she had the biggest smile on her face as she turned to look at you. Your cheeks coated in a slight pink. Your voice was the loveliest thing she had ever heard.

“Is it okay if I hug you?” You nodded out of Habit before taking a deep breath again.

“Yes, please” you said. This time your voice was louder. She pulled you into her arms, hugging you tight while pressing a kiss to the side of your face. She still couldn’t believe you had talked.

“I’m so happy” she grinned out as she pulled away, the smiles on your face matching as you looked at each other. This time her arms wrapped around your shoulder pulling you a bit closer, you happily leaning against her.

At least until Tara came causing you to pull away from Sam and sit at your normal distance. She looked at you confused while her sister walked over to the two of you. “Hey guys” she said as she sat down on the arm chair. Sam greeted her back while you nodded at her, confusing Sam. “Wanna watch a movie?” The younger carpenter continued, both of you nodding.

After the movie you decided to go back to your dorm, waving goodbye to Sam after giving Tara a hug. You walked down the stairs in thoughts only to be interrupted by someone running down the stair, it was Sam with a trash bag in hand.

“I needed an excuse to follow you” she started as she followed your gaze to the trash in her hand. “Did you change your mind about this? Because everything changed as soon as T came in” she asked staring at the ground, scared that you did in fact change your mind.

Your mouth opened and closed like a fish, panic started to take over as your hands shook a bit and your eyes avoided sams. You heard the trash bag fell before you saw Sam take a step closer and engulfing you in a careful hug. “Shhh, take your time. It’s okay either way, if it was just a panic reaction it’s okay. Now take your time, or I can give you my phone and you can type it out” she held you so loose that you always had the opportunity to pull away but at the same time strong enough to give you comfort. Your arms wrapped around her neck, your face against her chest.

After a short bit you finally gathered the courage to talk again. “I didn’t change my mind, I just panicked when I heard T. I’m sorry but I promise you I want this” you told her leaning up to press a kiss to her cheek.

“It’s okay, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t feel pressured to go out with me” she smiled at your form in her arms before continuing. “Is it okay if I kiss you?” You nodded, not wanting to waste any time by speaking. She grinned and leaned down to press a soft kiss to your lips, you were chasing hers as she pulled away.

“You know, I practiced asking you out a lot with Anika” you told her before leaning up to kiss her again. Her eyes stayed close as you pulled away as she wanted to bask in the feeling a little longer, but when she opened her eyes you were already out of the front door.

God, she couldn’t wait to hear your voice again.

What are we thinking about part two? Or maybe a series out of this?

[satcrvz]

R U MINE?

in which you get stood up, but suguru is always there to comfort you

f!reader x suguru geto wc: 1.1k not proofread

im sure everyone realizes that i use songs for my titles. i'm v #unoriginal :3

10:23 PM

cold, wet, and definitely exhausted, you trudged through the rain-soaked streets, your mood matching the dreary weather above. It was supposed to be a simple date, but you found yourself standing alone.

you had made an attempt to call shoko, who had set you up with the guy in the first place, but you were met with the voicemail tone almost instantly. her phone must be dead.

you found yourself texting geto instead, seeing if he could come and get you.

you

suguru, can you come get me?

suguru :p

what, he made you pay for the food?

you

no… i got stood up if you must know :/ please come? i’m cold

as you wait for his response, your attention is drawn to the sound of an approaching vehicle. turning your head towards the street, you see the headlights of a car emerging through the darkness, casting a warm glow on the rain-slicked pavement.

“sorry” you blurt out before he even gets the chance to question you. he turns to look at you with a slightly confused look on his face, “you're good, you don’t have to be sorry for anything” you nod, and the two of you ride in silence for the next 3 minutes.

geto breaks the silence, “oh shit, i didn’t even ask you where i'm dropping you off.” angling your head towards him, you inform him you’re pretty close to his house, and you’d rather be there.

after you step through the door of his house, you immediately start pacing around the room vomiting up words, most of it being; "he's such an asshole," "he didn’t even try to tell anyone he couldn’t make it!” geto had always been good at listening, especially during your rants.

it goes on for about 6 more seconds before he stops you, "you should go change clothes. you should’ve brought an umbrella". this earns an eyeroll and a snarky comment from you, "well suguru, i didn't plan on being rained on. clearly i have no clothes"

"don't act like a stranger yn, go shower and just grab some of my clothes from the drawer" you give him a nod, and make your way down the hall to his room while taking off your heels. you shut the door behind yourself and look through the bottom drawer which was full of his shirts that you occasionally like to borrow, and about 2 pairs of shorts you left from when you slept over.

— ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ —

you walked out the bathroom into getos room, and decide to try and call shoko again. to your surprise, she picked up.

the two of you exchanged words, you letting her know what happened, and her apologizing profusely. somewhere along that convo, you reached the topic of geto.

“well, i think he’s into you”

"please don’t make me delusional right now, i seriously doubt it."

"i’m usually spot on with this type of thing! don’t doubt me. i’ve seen how he looks at you"

is she forgetting the reason why you wanted to go on that date? it was more of a free your mind of geto thing, but obviously that turned into the complete opposite. after about 2 more minutes of talking, you say your gooodbyes and make your way back to the living room.

you plopped next to him on the couch. he'd been on his phone previously, but picked up the remote as soon as you came. the two of you scan movies as he goes through them, when he randomly pauses,

“y’know, you’re really pretty. i don’t see how you got stood up” oh? oh. was he messing with you? you kept your eyes focused on the preview, fighting back a smile, “..thanks. i’m confused too, it seemed like he was genuinely into me”

"is insidious okay?"

“do you want me to have nightmares?”

“you’ll be fine”

you felt far from fine. all that ran through your mind was the feeling of his knee against yours, the sudden closeness overwhelming you. you nudged his leg, "close 'em slut"

as the smirk spreads across your face, geto arches an eyebrow, amusement flickering in his eyes. "what was that, yn?" he teases, a playful glint in his gaze. you laugh while shaking your head "nothing," you continue, "just watching the movie"

god must've not been on your side in that moment. a figure runs by in the movie scaring both you, and the character.

"if you're scared, you can move closer" he teases, "i don't bite"

you get nervous at the idea, but quickly straighten yourself out, "if it makes you feel better, fine." you quickly add on that you're doing it because he suggested it, not out of fear.

as the movie went on, you found yourself glancing at him when he wasn't looking. you take into account how his eyes follow whatever's on screen, and the way his lips curve into a smile whenever you slightly jump.

later, the movie comes to an end, but the two of you make no attempt to move from the couch. the room is just filled with comfortable silence and the soft sound of the air conditioning.

his voice cuts through the silence, his tone gentle and low, "y'know, despite you being stood up and rained on," he chuckles a bit, "i'm really glad you ended up with me tonight."

you hum and acknowledge his words "me too," you say while drawing circles on the back of his hand.

"there's something i wanted to tell you, but i never found the right time to, and i didn't really know how" your heart skips a beat at his words. "and what would that be?" curiosity was eating you up.

"i really care about you, more than i could probably say in words," your movements of tracing shapes stopped. however, he continued, "i enjoy spending time with you and. . ." there's a short pause that felt like forever, "can i kiss you?" he whispers. you don't hesitate to nod, anticipation coursing through you.

as his lips meet yours in a gentle kiss, you realize that despite the unexpected twists and turns of the night, you wouldn't have wanted it to end any other way.

— ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ —

you

girl i love you. getting stood up was the best thing thats ever happened to me

pookie bae

very odd sentence composure. what does that mean 😭

you

nothing..... just know it involves suguru

pookie bae

WHAT? are you guys dating now?????

pookie bae

girl respond i need details!!! this is a milestone!

[msookyspooky]

I nearly threw my phone in excitement when I saw the newest Update to TT! I grinned like an idiot when I saw it 😂.

The entire conversation with Stu and it is so incredibly in character for him and Billy. How Billy storms out of the house (even though it's still raining???) and is injured but still keeps his back straight and marches out to save his own ego, smh.

And Stu, despite his clear issues with empathy, is incredibly observant and he knows and understand *why* y/n is upset; and he actively admits that he needs y/n in his own life as y/n needs him-but she doesn't need him or Billy as much as they need her. It's a strange thing this bond all three of them share, there is so much history between them-mostly bad, tbh-but it connects them in a way where they have to trust each other (actually kinda brings to mind the convo Lillard's character Tim in 'The Curve' has with his roommate).

And of course Stu is still Stu where he does tell the truth and isn't fully lying, but is warping it slightly to benefit himself ("He offered a hopeful smirk that wavered when he saw you wouldn't spare him a glance.")

And the fact that Stu actually says 'I'm sorry' is really huge for someone like him. And he lets himself be vulnerable when he talks about how he felt when he really thought y/n was dead. And great for y/n that she tells Stu what's what, but Stu is still surprised when y/n says not seeing him or Billy again is probably for the best. When the two of them talk about how the various GF murders and continuous legacy of GF has affected their lives and y/n thinking in a messed up way, it brought Randy, Dewey, and Gale into her life for better or for worse.

And Stu gave her his number just in case!😭🥺

CHERRI! Cherri is the goodest dog and the poor baby hurt her paw trying to get to y/n! And good for Cherri for coming to bark angrily at Stu, Cherri knows people. And is Stu feeling bad/hurt that Cherri doesn't trust him anymore? I mean, it's a good reason why the dog doesn't trust you, Stu. (I keep forgetting that there was a framed photo of a dog in Stu's house, I think in his parents' bedroom???).

Stu just talking with Cherri was a really light moment, a good break after the convo Stu and y/n had.

(I know Scream 4 takes place like, 10 years later, but I want Cherri to live forever.)

And then the conversation b/t Billy and y/n! And Billy of course being the one who's so aggressive and denying his feelings, and his default is aggression when he doesn't want to confront his own feelings. And y/n not falling for his usual bs and telling him what's what even when he doesn't want to hear it. Billy doubles down and telling y/n that if anyone is going to kill her that it’s going to be him, and Y/n is an absolute badass telling Billy that she has a plot ready for him in the backyard if he ever comes after her or her loved ones.

How drained y/n suddenly is that 20 min before all three of them were talking and now the two of them are gone. Stu leaves behind that note with the heart 😭. And the y/n is crying while holding Cherri and saying she hates them both, and there’s such a bond between all three of them because of everything that’s happened. 

Billy crying in the car and Stu being an asshole about it is so in-character I-😂. And blame each other when it's both their faults. 🙄 Stu trying to get Billy to admit that he cares about y/n and Billy defaults to aggression and his misogynistic ass being all, “She's nothing but a two faced, weak ass, nagging female that needs knocked down a few pegs."🙄

How Stu gets very upset at what Billy is saying (""Don’t say that shit about her man. Not right now. Not to me.”), and makes Billy confront his feelings and unsurprisingly it explodes when Billy does acknowledge how he feels, how the past 3 years have been, and how he felt zero purpose in life anymore when he thought y/n had been killed. How Stu is like ‘Finally!’ when Billy does admit it, and Stu was right because now they can finally both come to terms with things.

Stu threatening Billy that he'll kill him if he goes after y/n🥺.

And Billy and Stu somehow manage to still be dorks as they smack at each other’s *wounds* in the car, and they will eventually go their separate ways-but we know they’ll be back for Scream 4.

I SCREECHED when I got to Dewey’s part and he had photographic evidence!!! It is one hell of a cliffhanger and Dewey wants to be respectful of y’n’s personal life (especially after everything that happened) but at the end he keeps wondering what y/n is hiding from Randy and him. How that Dennis guy looks so much like Stu Macher, and he wonders who that other dark haired man was. 

I am looking forward to what you have planned for the fourth installment in the series! TT has been an excellent read and I honestly can’t believe that it’s finished! Thank you for writing it!😊

OMGOSH THANK YOU I LOVE LONG REVIEWS LIKE THIS!!!🥺😭💘💘💘

Yes to everything and I'm so so glad it felt in character!!! I know the slow burn is slow but I intended for them to be together in 3 but after everything; it feels like a deserve and ooc of them after everything that's happened while 10 years to sit and mull over everything between them and a new Ghostface threat + now Dewey having evidence that they're alive. Because let's face it; Stu is NOT going to let YN die and Billy isn't either (I hAvE tO kiLl yOU oNlY- Okay sir whatever helps u sleep at night 🙄🤚)

Cherri is alive she may be old af and just a scrungly, smelly, blind and deaf old lady but she will be our old lady one more installment at least 🥺

[ghostfishk]

a little list i’ve gained over the past few weeks of things he does that are a little 🤔 but could be totally normal i just may not have enough cishet male friends

- [x] the highlighter. the fact that no words were exchanged. he just walked over, put it on my 3tier, looked at me, and walked away

- [x] R: i love how everytime i see you, you have more random accessories // him: DID YOU SEE HIS AWESOME GREEN HIGHLIGHTER

- [x] saying my name a lot. in that TONE. like a very dramatized “annoyance”(exhaustion??) + yelling my name the one day

- [x] apologizing for random things (me being called up for register or into orders, specifically when we’re talking about something.)

- [x] leading me, not like physically but if i’m ever unsure he’ll yell something like “cmon K let’s go”

- [x] the knee crack. and the way he smiled and his face was all red. but like, if it’s anything like how my face works it’s litterally just red. for no reason.

- [x] copying my little wave i do

- [x] we make eye contact like everytime one of us walks by eachother, mine is more being aware

- [x] the possible look/smirk but i have no proof of it because idk im crazy lmao

- [x] the hotwheel he gave me, cuz he couldn’t get it to stay on top of the lockers cuz they’re slanted. (i put it in a different coworkers locker)

- [x] us walking to our cars after closing. he was parked next to me and just kept making it go off, and then make the alarm go off. (i accidentally mistook his car for mine cuz i was tired and autopilotimg mid convo with someone else)

- [x] “HAVE AN AMAZING LUNCH K”/loud walkies calling me out specifically (he infact does this with everyone i just think it’s really cute)

———————————————————————

- [x] i walked by him and we made eye contact and i looked away and did like a raised eyebrows, and when i looked back he was just kinda looking down and smiling.

- [x] waited at the end of the aisle i was back in, didn’t say anything was just standing there until i noticed him. all smiling, i drop the wreath im fighting out of the shelf, and walk over, and ask what’s up. he pauses for a second and then gets back into his ramblings from earlier.

- [x] “HI K ” (i didn’t even see him) and then just looking really happy, and smiling when i walked up to talk to him for a sec before clocking in

- [x] complaining specifically to me, he does it a lot, even in passing, it feels like he makes an effort to complain about stuff near me. ———————————————————————

WE WERE ONCE AGAIN WORKING TOGETHER. i do not know why, im slightly afraid that it’s the leaders calling me slow, but i was also order backup, and he was main register backup so i think they’re just gonna stack us togeather so that no matter what 80% of the time atleast one of us will be in the section

- [ ] we took our 15’s at the same time, and like actually talked. mostly me giving him crap about leaving early (8pm), and actually having stuff to do outside of work. (“i mean not really, all i do is work and school”[no partner 👀]) and then he talked about some school stuff, his availability “opens up” so he leaves at 10 instead of 8 for winter break. we talk about some other things

- [ ] when we first walked into our 15’s he was going to sit in his normal spot in the back corner but stopped when he saw me sitting in my spot and moved a few tables closer so we could actually talk

- [ ] when we got off break he went back to toys to work out returns, while i finished a u-boat i brought out of backroom pulls. he comes around the corner and all i see is a very exaggerated :O before i turn around to put stuff away. we talked some more, mostly about new people and how they suck, he talked about how he thinks he should’ve gotten fired when he first started cuz he sucked, but his parents knew the HR person, so he was kept. i almost said something about “well im happy you stayed” but chickened out because :/:/

- [ ] i finished my uboat and go back to the back, at like 7:55 he comes to the back with a cart that he has to backstock, and as soon as he sees me he goes “K i’m so sorry i couldn’t get to any of the pulls” to which i jokingly give him crap about it, and crap about how dare he leave at 8, and how dare he not do midnights with the rest of us, because it’s so fun. it hits 8, and he leaves the backroom, and walkies out that he’s leaving for the day.

- [ ] i had to pee, so i go into the employee bathroom in the back, and turn off my walkie, because l litterally my biggest fear is accidentally holding the walkie button while im in the bathroom. when i turn it off hes asking about some lanyard in the break in room, another coworkers, doesn’t involve me.

- [ ] appearently, i missed him walkieing “HAPPY BIRTHDAY K” before he left.

- [ ] it’s not my birthday. my birthday is in june. ME AND HIM HAD A CONVERSATION A FEW DAYS AGO BECUSSE HE SAID IT TO ME AND i took it litterally and was just like “my birthdays in june but go off” BUT I DIDNNT HEAR THIS ONE

- [ ] so E texts me, im confused, she explains it.

- [ ] apprarently everyone said it, and i just ?? missed it?? and like part of me is so happy i did cuz i think id die on the spot but ALSO HOW DARE HE?? i think hes already caught on to the whole, i get embarrassed easily thing.

- [ ] when my favorite manager H left, she walkied out and then added “happy birthday K” to which i finally got to say “it’s not my birthday but okay ;)”, followed a little later by a different coworker, N, walking by me in the back and saying happy birthday

- [ ] how. dare. he.

- [ ] it’s on sight thrusday

12/3/24

[brummiereader]

@peakyswritings...

Why must you torment me, Reb 😭😩?! These two are driving me crazy, gahhh!!

I knew it, I bloody knew it! I just knew things would go to shit again the next day 😭. I completely understand the reason why she rejected Tommy, but girl...think about your own happiness, please 😩. Agnese, as far as we know, isn't in love with Tommy. But Nina is, urghh the angst 💔.

"Her eyes trailed over Tommy’s face, tracing the regular line of his jaw, the small scar under his chin, the outline of his slightly parted lips, the curve of his nose, mesmerised by the way his long lashes brushed his freckled cheeks" he's so dreamy, sleeping like a baby. I hope he has a tiny little snore that goes with this mesmerising portrayal of him resting. I always love how you touch on the smaller details of someones appearance. You do it often with Nina, when Tommy's gazing at her. It just makes me melt 😍.

"Normally the options were two: a shotgun wedding or an honour killing, but in her case the choice was even more limited" this statement is horrifying. I didn't know honour killings happened in Italy. But I'm relieved to know that this won't be Nina's fate, unless her uncle takes it upon himself to "clean" the families name of her existent. I've always been scared for Nina because of Stefano, I never thought I should be scared for her because of her family 😬.

No, the truth couldn’t come out. What had happened the previous night must never get past the walls of Tommy’s room. Even if it meant losing him forever. Can't she just run away with him to Birmingham, and let everyone else deal with their mess 😩? Like it was mentioned in later parts...Tommy only does things that suit him. And because of Nina and the feelings he now has for her, he could easily sweep her away from it all and deal with the consequences in perfect Tommy fashion later on, right 😁😂??

Maria knows, or at least, partially knows what's got her daughter acting out of sort. It was honestly refreshing to see her open up so freely to her about her own arranged marriage and the hopes she has for her daughter. She's been such a stern character throughout, that like Nina, I thought that she was only looking out for her families interests and duty to her husband's way of life first. Their fragile relationship, is so intriguing to me and for a moment I thought things were looking better, until she started talking about a boy from Florence. Urghh meddling mothers, it never ends 😩. But I think deep down, she just wants Nina to escape that world by any means. Except the only thing is, Ninas heart belongs to someone else 😭.

Arghhhhhh 😩! The scene between Tommy and Nina bot only had me on the edge of my seat, but simultaneously ripping my hair out. Guys, come on 😤!!

She's stubborn, and with his famous stubborness, they're a match made in heaven. Only thing is, that stubbornness they seem to spur each other on with, keeps getting in the way of everything!

“We made a mistake,” Nina finished his sentence for him, trying to keep her voice steady despite the lump in her throat. “I made a mistake.” the worst part about all of this is, she doesn't want to be saying these things to him. She doesn't want to hurt him, but she has to 💔. I wonder if Tommy truly realises the shit storm that will come their way if she was to say yes to him? He's alone in Italy with no backup. He can't just go storming up to her asking her to marry him 🤦🏼‍♀️, he would have brought holy hell down on himself and her is she would have agreed. As much as Nina's stubborness kills me, she at least had a little brains during this convo. I just wish they wouldn't go from 1 to 100, and instead, talk things out before their emotions over take everything.

When she brought herself to look in his direction again, he was knocking on Agnese’s door. Agnese hun, take one for the team. You know something's up with them two. You saw it at the dinner. Please put us and them out our misery and bring this to an end 🙏🏼! I can only hope that this will happen, or Tommy putting an end to it. Because right now, he's acting on his hurt emotions.

I'm so scared for the next chapter 🙈. These two have been through so much already, that I have hard time believing that I've only read ten chapters of their story! Can't wait for more, Reb ❤️!

Heart, Body and Soul || Tommy Shelby x OC

PART X

Summary: mistakes were made the previous night, and Tommy and Nina are forced to come to terms with what the consequences of their actions will be.

Warnings: time-typical misogyny, talks of arranged marriage, talks of forced marriage, mentions of killing, mentions of violence, mentions of sex, angst, small age-gap (Tommy’s 30, Nina is in her early 20s). This is set between season 1 and 2. English is not my first language.

Important information for context: the honour killing and the shotgun wedding at the time in Italy were recognised by the Penal Code and were only abolished in 1981.

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SERIES MASTERLIST

Gif credits

Dividers credits

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.

It took Nina less than a minute to realise that she had woken up in a bed that wasn’t hers, in a room that wasn’t hers, beside someone she wasn’t supposed to be lying with. Memories from the previous night flooded back to her mind in a powerful wave. The passionate but gentle touches, the reassuring words, the adoring glances of that man that had bursted into her life to sweep her off her feet and make her question everything, all in the name of something more intense than anything she had ever felt.

Her eyes trailed over Tommy’s face, tracing the regular line of his jaw, the small scar under his chin, the outline of his slightly parted lips, the curve of his nose, mesmerised by the way his long lashes brushed his freckled cheeks. There was no hint of the stern, cold facade he put on every single day. He looked relaxed. Peaceful, even. Once again, she found herself drawn to that beauty, a beauty that seemed carved from marble by God himself.

Shit.

Careful not to wake him, she got up to collect the stained bedsheet she had tossed on the floor the previous night, wondering how she’d manage to wash it without arousing the suspicions of her mother. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door just enough to make sure no one was in the hallway, half-convinced that her mother or her father would appear from nowhere and find out the disgrace she had brought upon the family.

Just fucking do it, she scolded herself.

After one last moment of hesitation, she walked out the room, closing the door behind her ever so slowly before sprinting towards her bedroom. As soon as she was in the safety of those four walls, she breathed out a sigh full of frustration, nervously dropping the items she was holding to the floor.

What the fuck had she done?

Her gaze was caught by the bloodstain on the bedsheet, red, vibrant. She kicked it in a corner of the room, unable to think under the accusatory looks it seemed to send her. What would she do now? Pretend nothing had happened, again? She couldn’t. She knew she couldn’t. How was she supposed to act normal around him, now that they had truly crossed the line? How was she supposed to even look Agnese in the eyes? She had betrayed her. She had betrayed her whole family. Not only had she ruined herself, she had ruined herself with her cousin’s future husband. A future husband who hadn’t even proposed yet because of her. Not to mention that she wasn’t just ruining a marriage, but she was ruining the only chance they had at peace for her own selfishness.

The scariest thing was that wasn’t even the worst part. If the thing were to come out, she’d be irremediably deemed as a whore. It wasn’t her reputation she was worried about, it was the consequences her family would face. The consequences she would face. She had tarnished the Ferrante name, and only her blood could wash that stain away.

Normally the options were two: a shotgun wedding or an honour killing, but in her case the choice was even more limited. Because while her father might consider marrying her off to Tommy, uncle Mario would never accept the offence. And everyone in the family would vote against the alliance with the Shelbys. She knew her father and brothers would never actually kill her. They would get angry, maybe even beat her, lock her in the family home for the rest of her days, but never that. They would’ve learned to live with the shame. But she had uncles, and aunts, and cousins who would want to clean their name.

No, the truth couldn’t come out. What had happened the previous night must never get past the walls of Tommy’s room. Even if it meant losing him forever.

That morning, Maria Ferrante was rather surprised to find out her daughter had woken up feeling particularly cooperative and decided to wash and change everybody’s bedsheets of her own free will. She was now hanging them out in the sun, under her incredulous stare.

“Even your brothers’?”

“Yeah, for when they’re back.”

That was new. Nina had always stubbornly refused to even set foot in Salvatore’s and Pietro’s rooms, adamant that it was their responsibility to keep their stuff clean. Maria figured that, just like her, she didn’t like it when her father sent them away on business, and that her worry had taken the shape of rare gestures of fondness. Or maybe she was just keeping herself occupied, as she always did when something troubled her.

The first assumption wasn’t too far away from the truth. Sure, Nina had her own interests behind that sudden prodigality, but getting their rooms ready for their return made her feel like they would, with no doubt, come back. Like nothing would go wrong.

“That cake I found in the kitchen,” her mother inquired again, and Nina had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes at her unrelenting interrogation. “Where did it come from?”

“I made it last night. Couldn’t sleep.”

A few seconds of silence followed, and it made her hope her mother was done with the questions. She had never been a good liar, not with the people who knew her well. Her face was an open book on which the truth stood out, black ink on pristine white paper.

“Nina,” Maria’s stern voice cut the air. “I know what’s going on.”

The blood froze in her veins. She thought she had been careful. She was sure no one had seen sneaking in or out Tommy’s room, all hell would’ve broken loose otherwise. There was no way she really knew. She swallowed, sending her a glance, completely unable to say anything.

Her mother’s face twisted in a sour expression, and her knowing eyes pierced right through her. “Stefano.”

Nina had to hold back a sigh of relief. She secured a pillowcase on the line, able to breath again now that she knew her secret was still safe. However, that name alone was enough to deepen the frown on her face, the mere sound of it making her skin crawl.

“You’re worried cause your father wants to give you to him.”

Give you to him. That sentence made her wrinkle her nose. She had always disliked that expression. Give you to him as if you’re a possession to be handed from one owner to another. Give you to him as if you’re a bargaining chip. Give you to him because you belong to me and you’re mine to give.

“I wanted that too,” Maria continued. “I thought he was good, but now I see. These men,” she lowered her tone, as if to tell her something meant for no one’s ears but hers. “They’re all the same. They’re cursed.”

It would’ve been an understatement to say that her words had taken Nina aback. That woman so defined by her role as a wife and a mother had now a look, an anger in her eyes she had never witnessed, that clashed with the meek acceptance she wore on her face every day. “Do better. Marry someone good. Someone honest, with an honest work. Leave this life behind while you’re still in time. I didn’t have that choice,” she shook her head, her features hardening under the weight of a pain that had been suppressed for too long. “I was poor, my family was starving, and when your father came to speak to my father I couldn’t choose. Your father has been good to me, and I grew to love him. But he is who he is and does what he does, and it’s not something easy to live with.”

Nina opened her mouth to speak, but closed it right away. Nothing she could possibly say after that was even remotely worth saying. All of a sudden, she regretted all the times she had cruelly told her she’d rather kill herself than end up like her.

Her eyes widened when her mother grabbed one of her hands and held it between both of hers, her calloused fingers a reminder of the years she had spent working to bring money to her parents. Maria Ferrante never spared herself when it came to show affection to her sons, but with her it was different. Nina had always believed it depended on the fact that she was not the daughter she would have wanted, or on the countless fights they had, or even on some kind of resentment she didn’t know how to justify. But the naturalness with which she brought her hand to her cheek to tenderly caress it carried a motherly love that left her speechless, and almost made her feel uncomfortable.

“Listen to me, find a good man. Or your father will choose for you and you’ll never get out of here. You will be cursed, and if you have sons, they will be as well, just like your brothers.”

Nina took a step back, the rage that had been simmering inside her ever since she was little threatening to rise to the surface and spill out. As a child, she had often imagined that feeling she couldn’t name as a stream of lava that would rise and rise until there was no room for it to grow anymore and it would overflow, implacable, ruthless, destroying everything it found in its path. Even now that she was older, even now that she had learned to recognise her anger, it still felt the same.

“I have a friend from church, who has a son. He lives in Florence now, but he’s here for the summer. I can arrange something-”

“Mum…” she interrupted her, not even listening at that point. But her mother went on, talking fast, as if she no longer had control over what she was saying.

“I can arrange something, and you can leave this life behind. You can come visit, from time to time. On holidays.”

“No one ever leaves this life, you should know it,” she murmured, trying hard to keep her calm. It was clear her mother wasn’t thinking straight, in her desperate attempt to spare her from the same destiny as her. Unaware that she was accidentally pushing her in a very similar direction.

As though that simple statement had managed to bring her back to her senses, Maria blinked, her expression changing.

“I won’t drag anyone else into this mess. And sure as hell I won’t marry a man just to escape another,” Nina said firmly. She wasn’t going to let Spinietta influence her decisions more than she had already did. She wasn’t going to let the fear make her stray away from her morals, her beliefs. She wasn’t going to lose herself.

Back to her composed demeanour, her mother straightened her shoulders, her voice hardening. “You’ll end up marrying Stefano this way. You know it.”

She was aware her mother was implicitly telling her that her father had made up his mind, and that she wouldn’t be able to help her. Yet, she wasn’t scared. Because she’d fight tooth and nail against it. They could drag her to the altar, take the vows out of her mouth by force, it wouldn’t matter. She would raise hell before she let them succeed. She would burn down the church and everybody in it, including herself. She’d die before she surrendered to a life that wanted her bent, broken, obedient.

“It shouldn’t be like this,” she said through gritted teeth.

“But this is what it’s like. It’s time for you to accept it.”

Bad news was received that day. Antonio Ferrante had written from England, saying that two of Sabini’s men had been caught trying to blow up his restaurant. In the letter, he specified that after a civil conversation about the motives of that unjustified attack, the two had walked away in cement shoes. A coded way to say they had been interrogated and then sent sleeping at the bottom of some river.

It was the first open act of war, and the family was worried it wouldn’t be the last. The strength they had demonstrated by thwarting Sabini’s plan and killing his men would buy them some time, but it wouldn’t be enough in the long run. That was why Tommy found himself sitting in Vincenzo’s office, trying to maintain his imperturbable facade as the Italian stood behind his desk in all his height, with a grave expression on his face. Tommy felt like he was studying him, searching for a sign of weakness that he could use against him, that he could use to make him cave. He recognised that look, cause it was the same one he wore whenever he needed to assert his power.

“I called you, Mr Shelby,” Vincenzo started, turning to grab a bottle of whiskey from a cabinet. “To remind you of your end of the deal.”

Tommy cleared his throat, sitting straight in his chair. “I intend to propose-”

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Ferrante cut him off, brushing away the matter with a gesture of his hand. He took his time to pour the brown liquid in two glasses, before sliding one across the wooden surface in front of him and beckoning him to drink. Tommy gladly did as he said, the familiar taste of alcohol feeling necessary to face a conversation he wasn’t sure where would lead.

“You promised us men, in our war against Sabini.”

“And men you’ll have,” Tommy assured, switching to the tone he reserved for business. “As soon as I receive the compensation for the warehouse you blew up.”

That had been the result of strenuous negotiations, and to achieve it, not only had he given up on any kind of reparation for the two pubs under the Blinders’ protection the Italians had destroyed along with the warehouse, but he also had to offer some of his best soldiers. However, the war against Sabini was also in his interest, and the power and money he would gain were worth compromising.

With a single, satisfied nod, Vincenzo took a seat in his leather chair. “I am a man of my word, Mr Shelby. You’ll have your compensation,” he guaranteed, grabbing his whiskey. He swirled the drink in his glass, pondering his next words. “That being said, my brother has expressed his concerns to me…”

Here we fucking go.

“His concerns about your lack of a proposal.”

Tommy raised his eyebrows, bringing the liquor to his mouth to stall as his brain formulated an answer. “I still have two days, haven’t I?”

The shadow of a grin grew on the Italian’s face. “And you intend to wait until the very last one,” he pointed at him. “To keep us on edge,” he added, lowering his voice, the grin seeming to become less amused and vaguely threatening. Tommy’s shoulders tensed, but he didn’t falter, nor did he break his stare, for the faintest hint of vacillation would make him as exposed as a prey in front of a beast that could smell fear.

But then Ferrante cracked a smile, his tone lightening. “Or to enjoy what is left of your time as a free man before being handcuffed.”

Tommy let out a forced chuckle, tilting his head in agreement. For once, he couldn’t think of anything to say. What could he say? ‘Speaking of enjoying my time, I fucked your daughter yesterday night’? He would have his head right there and then.

He was in deep shit, and until he found a way to dig himself out, he needed to keep up the act. For himself, for Nina. He couldn’t make any decision without speaking to her first.

“I heard you’re a man of your word as well,” Vincenzo spoke again, snapping him out of his thoughts. “So I told him he has nothing to worry about. Don’t make me regret it.”

Although the last sentence held a clear warning, the Italian spoke calmly, as though he was asking him a favour, rather than admonishing him. He talked and acted like a man who didn’t need to make threats, who knew his word was law and no one would dare go against his wishes. Tommy knew that feeling all too well, he had gotten a taste of it during the past year, and it hadn’t taken long for him to get used to it, and to want more. But in that moment, in that place, he was on his own. Sure, his reputation preceded him, and it protected him to some extent, but he was outnumbered and at a disadvantage. So he had no choice but to comply. To take a step back in order to be a step ahead in the future.

“I won’t.”

“Good,” Ferrante leaned back in his seat, more relaxed now that the important stuff had been cleared out. “Cause Agnese is the apple of his eye,” he added, taking a cigar out of the pocket of his jacket. “His only wish is to see her happy.”

Things were far more complicated than Tommy had anticipated, and despite all his efforts to come up with a plan that would cause the least damage, he couldn’t imagine one scenario in which things didn’t go wrong. He could only take risks.

“Ah, daughters have their own special way of giving you a headache,” Ferrante murmured, waving the cigar. “If you have one, you’ll understand. You may go now, Mr Shelby.”

Clearing his throat, Tommy left the office, his mind endlessly mulling over the matter. He had his hands tied, and that feeling alone was enough for him to fume. No, he wasn’t going to have his hand forced, and he wasn’t going to let anyone scare him into a decision.

A newfound determination made its way inside of him. He was Thomas Shelby, for fuck’s sake. He didn’t need to ask anyone for permission. He took whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. He made the rules. He held the power. Those people needed him just as much as he needed them, if not more, otherwise he would be six feet under already. He wouldn’t make a choice that would suit everyone, he would make the choice that suited him. Him and the woman who was now carved in heart.

Because Nina would suffer the consequences of their actions as much as him, if not more. He had taken liberties with her, and although he had no regrets, he couldn’t pretend he didn’t have a responsibility toward her.

But it wasn’t just duty. He wasn’t going to make that choice because he felt guilty, or responsible, or because it was the right thing to do. He was going to make that choice because he thought they could make it work. He knew her, and she knew him. She had awakened feelings in him he thought would stay asleep for the rest of his days, she had made him believe that even he could have a chance at happiness. She didn’t look at him like he was a lost cause, or a devil, or broken beyond repair, she looked at him like there was something beautiful in him only her eyes saw. And if those eyes had found even a fragment of something worth saving, that meant that he wasn’t utterly unredeemable, that there was still an amount of good, no matter how small, that had survived the bad.

As soon as he walked into his room, he opened the drawer of his bedside table. The small velvet box was sitting there, next to the gun he had carefully kept hidden since his arrival. He knew what he had to do.

The weather had turned grey. The afternoon sun had been covered by dark clouds, and the air already smelled like rain. Nina had rushed out to take the laundry inside, hoping the storm that was approaching wouldn’t cause the efforts of a whole morning to go to waste. When she had finally come out of hiding - hiding was definitely the right word - she had quite literally ran into Tommy, almost knocking him over in the process, before scurrying away like a thief. And now there she was, still deeply embarrassed by her graceless flight, hurriedly putting the clean bedsheets in a basket.

She had been openly ignoring him all day. Or rather, avoiding him. She hadn’t shown up for breakfast, nor lunch, and she sought refuge in the closest room every time she heard him approaching. She wasn’t proud of that childish reaction, but she genuinely didn’t know how to act. The intensity of her feelings scared her. She was afraid that they would get in the way when the time to push him away came, that she’d yield to him again the moment her gaze met his.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

That deep voice made her hasty movements come to a stop. Her heart raced in her chest as she heard Tommy’s steps coming closer, until he was mere inches away from her.

“Here I am,” she mumbled, not sparing him a glance as she resumed folding the laundry in the basket.

“We need to talk.”

“Be quick, they can’t see us.”

Those words burned on her tongue as she spat them out. It hurt her to treat him like that, when what she actually wanted was to have him close to her again. But did she have any other choice? Indulging in those feelings had only caused trouble. She had to let him forget about her just like she needed to forget about him.

Tommy didn’t seem fazed by her hostility. He put a hand on her shoulder, gently guiding her to turn around. The contact roused the memory of his warm fingers trailing over her skin, and a shiver ran down her spine. His eyes searched her face, and there was a tenderness in them, a fondness that left her completely disarmed.

A lightning split the sky, followed by a crack of thunder, and the first drops of rain began to fall, bringing Nina back to reality.

“There’s not much to talk about,” she blurted out, abruptly taking a step back. “What happened yesterday can’t happen again.”

Tommy’s eyebrows knitted as she hastened to collect the rest of the laundry. He reached out to her, but she swiftly escaped his grasp, taking another sheet off the line. “Nina…” he tried again, but the more he got close, the more she slipped away from him. He rubbed his eyes, inhaling deeply. His patience was wearing thin at that point. He clenched his jaw, willing to make one last attempt to get her attention nicely. “Nina.”

Still nothing.

Fed up with that behaviour, he testily collected the rest of the laundry himself and threw it in a mess in the basket under her astonished stare. “Will you listen to me now?”

Surprisingly, there was no anger in his expression, nor annoyance, but there was still a hint of sternness that made her eventually give in. She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for him to speak.

Tommy shifted his weight from one foot to the other, Nina’s piercing gaze feeling like a knife cutting through him, unraveling and exposing the deepest parts of him. “What happened last night…” he trailed off, realising there were so many things he wanted to tell her that he didn’t even know where to start. “I overstepped, we-”

“We made a mistake,” Nina finished his sentence for him, trying to keep her voice steady despite the lump in her throat. “I made a mistake.”

She shouldn’t have opened up to him. She shouldn’t have gone to his room. She shouldn’t have kissed him. She shouldn’t have led him on when she knew nothing could ever happen between them. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she blinked them away, she didn’t want to let him see how much she was hurting herself as well, for she could sense that if he got even a glimpse of her real feelings for him, he wouldn’t give up. A futile attempt.

Tommy’s gaze softened at the sight. “Hey,” he whispered, delicately squeezing her arm. “Look at me.”

She didn’t. She couldn’t bear that look full of affection. It almost caused her to break down. The drizzle was intensifying, and she could only hope that if her tears betrayed her, he’d mistook them for raindrops.

He grabbed her chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting her face up to look at him. “We can make it right,” he said reassuringly.

“What do you mean?” she frowned.

Tommy hesitated for a moment, a nervousness equivalent to the one he had felt the previous night awakening in him. His hands started to shake, his heart to hammer in his chest. That was a point of no return which would either seal or break the bond that had formed so naturally between them. A bond he dreaded to lose. A bond he’d never have with anyone else.

Nina’s eyes widened as he took a velvet box out of his pocket, the realisation of what he was about to do crashing down on her.

“No,” she quickly took his hands in hers, keeping him from opening the box. “No,” she repeated, more softly.

“I know it’s a jump in the void,” he said, his hand going to cradle the nape of her neck. “I know. But we can make it work. You and me.”

“Tommy…” she shook her head. He was making it so difficult.

“I want you by my side. I don’t want a wife, I want a partner. Nina, I…” he paused, words getting caught in his throat. “I care about you.”

She squeezed her eyelids shut, pain spreading through her whole being at his revelation. She wanted to bring him close, to feel the warmth of his body against hers, to let herself be enveloped by the sense of safety his strong arms brought. Instead, she forced herself to pull his hand away from her, her fingers briefly tightening around it before letting it go.

“I don’t.”

Tommy looked at her as if she had just stabbed him. Hurt flashed across his face, causing a pang of guilt to hit her in the stomach. God, she felt like she could throw up.

“You’re lying,” he accused her in a hoarse voice.

“I’m not.”

“Liar.”

“Stop it.”

Why couldn’t he just leave? Why was he forcing her to inflict all that pain on him? Tommy was the last person she ever wanted to hurt, and in doing so she was hurting herself twice. By being the cause of his sorrow and by giving him up.

His body stiffened, and the heartbreak in his features disappeared to leave space for the coldness he constantly shielded himself with. “Say it. Say you feel nothing for me.” It sounded like an order, but Nina didn’t miss the crack in his voice. “Say it’s all in my head.”

Her mouth went dry, but she didn’t avert her gaze this time. “It’s all in your head.”

She felt empty. That one last lie had taken all the energy out of her, and left her with a feeling of numbness that made her lose all sense of herself.

Tommy nodded to himself, taking a step back. He wasn’t looking at her anymore. “You’re right. This was a mistake.”

With another clap of thunder, the sky broke open and the rain came pouring down. Nina rubbed her own arms in a soothing motion, watching as the lightning spread in the distance, drawing lines of light that flared and vanished into the grey above.

“You should go, Mr Shelby,” she murmured.

A muscle twitched in Tommy’s jaw, and for an instant he looked on the verge of saying something. Then he stormed off.

Nina let out a shaky breath, and the tears she had held back suddenly began to stream down her face. She covered her mouth to stifle a sob, the ache in her chest threatening to tear her apart from the inside. She shut her eyes tight, unable to watch his frame getting smaller and smaller as he walked away from her.

When she brought herself to look in his direction again, he was knocking on Agnese’s door.

Heart, Body and Sould tag list

@zablife @queenofshinigamis @raincoffeeandfandoms / @justrainandcoffee @call-sign-shark

@kmc1989 @babayaga67 @kmhappybunny240 @diorrfairy @mariaelizabeth21-blog1

@gaslysainz @brummiereader @loverhymeswith @fairypitou @prettywhenicry4

@mysticalbouquetwolf-posts @woofgocows @girlwith-thepearlearring @goblinjnr @outlanderuniverse

@citylights31 @neonpurplestars89-blog @outlanderuniverse @red-riding-wood @evita-shelby

@look-at-the-soul @gathania93 @wonderlanddreamer

General tag list: @iamngoclinh08 @lilywinchesterlove @fandom-puff @capitanostella @caelys

@lucillethings @peakyxtommy @queenofkings1212 @lyarr24 @kmc1989

@call-sign-shark @jomarch-wannabe @ce1iat @red-riding-wood @optimisticsandwichgladiator

Tommy Shelby tag list: @50svibes

[isaacapatow]

* * #SUPERMARKET & #WALKIE-TALKIES CONVO WITH @ginnypark

Ginny Park Here. I've got a reward for your honesty and eggplant expertise. [tosses him Ermano's walkie-talkie] Ermano left this behind earlier. Maybe you can leverage its return against him or something.

ike -catches the walkie, then waggles it at her- You're a shit-stirrer. You can't fool me.

Ginny Park Whaaat? Shit-starter how? I have no idea what you're talking about. How else is he gonna get his walkie back? [grins] Maybe you'll be his heeeero.

ike -snorts at her speculation- I have met some hard-asses in my time but never anybody who even APPROACHED the levels of stoneface that guy has. I could come back to town with a sitrep that meets military standards and he'd still side-eye me like I was wearing a fuckin' clown nose to deliver it.

Ginny Park Maybe he’s just not one for stats. Could be a softie for a walkie-talkie. You never know. The clown nose might be a good idea! You’re, uh, Izzy. And Ermano’s… [she pauses thoughtfully then smiles again] Chuckles. Or… Smiley. Bozo. He’d really like that one. Hey, wait, gimme that, I wanna poll people on which names they prefer — [she grabs for the walkie talkie again]

ike -harrumphing- I don't think he's a softie for any… -trails off, blinking once she says 'Izzy'. eyes narrowing slightly, jaw tight, keeping the walkie out of her reach- Who told you to say that? Izzy. Why'd you choose that fucking name out of everything.

Ginny Park Whoa. [takes a step back, turning her head to look at him sidelong] What do you mean, who told me? It’s a pretty simple nickname. Your name’s Isaac, right? It’s like: Virginia is Ginny. Isaac is… that.

… Why would someone have told me to say that, Ike? Who called you that?

ike -still staring at her warily, like he might bolt if things go a direction he doesn't like- Izzy … Izzy was Ember's mom. That was her name, Isabella. I'm the only one she let call her that, though. She's -- she's fucking dead now, Ember said. -a little more viciously- Ike. Ike is what's the nickname for Isaac. You're just being a bitch.

Ginny Park Hey. Let’s back the hell off with the ‘bitch’ stuff, got it? I didn’t know. How could I have known? I brought Ember some food. I didn’t get her whole life story. [more gently, after a beat] I didn’t know. I’m sorry. Ike, then. Ike the clown. Doesn’t have as good of a ring to it, but that’s alright. We can still market it.

[a contemplative pause] Kat. That’s what I called my wife. She hated it at first. [in a mock-up of her wife’s accent] Ekaterina, she said, is a good name. But I told her five syllables was too much to expect from me, given how tongue-tied she made me. So it was Kat.

ike -keeps on watching her narrow-eyed, without responding to her trying to soften the mood, until she mentions her wife- She was, what … is that Russian? Sounds like a ballerina name. -grunts a little, a de-escalating sound- It's hard to think of you doe-eyed over somebody like that. You seem like you'd. I dunno. Think you were above that sort of soppy shit. Not for Kat, though, huh.

Ginny Park Yeah, Russian. Press correspondent. That’s how we met. [laughs, albeit tight, a tendon ticking in her throat] I thought that, too. That I was kind of an exception. But you should’ve seen her. You’d get it, if you had. I cried so hard when I tried to propose that she told me to ‘please get up, you know I’m going to say yes.’

[twirls her bracelet a few times, looking away] That’s all to say that you’re not the only one here who’s felt a loss like that. So I wouldn’t mess with you about that. Not me. … You think of Isabella often?

ike -visibly softening more- Some fairy tale. Your Kat managed to tame the fearsome beast. -exhales gustily when she draws a line between them- Look. I didn't need to jump down your throat about it, I just -- it caught me off-guard and I'm kinda rubbed fuckin' raw over all that shit right now. You got way more reason to feel a loss than I do, considering I was only with Izzy for five years. For maybe five years. And marriage was never even on the table. -shrugs a shoulder- I think of her every so often. If there was a one, she was gonna be it.

Ginny Park I don’t know that I was ever fearsome. Just stubborn. [she pokes at his arm with the eggplant, an attempt to diffuse] I get it. I can’t imagine processing what you’re processing right now. And we don’t have to compare apples and oranges here. Loss is loss. We all know it. And ‘the one’ is no small thing. [looks down at the bracelet again for another beat, clearly distracted, before looking up at Ike with new conviction] Next time you go out, I want to go with you. [the unspoken: to search for Henry] Kat would kick my ass if she knew I was just sitting around while our son was out there. And I’d deserve it.

ike -he nods, mutely; he knows all this, but it's another thing hearing it from someone else- Yeah. Shit sucks all over. -eyes her curiously at her request, then says slowly:- Ohhh-kay. I'll work up a milk run for us. Don't argue, there's an actual place I wanna check out. We don't need all our raids to be straight-up subsistence, not with Redwood on its feet. You and me can afford to do something that neither life nor death hinges on. Them's my terms.

Ginny Park I’ll take whatever terms I can get. Thanks, Ike. I should go, but… I’ll be by your place later, alright? To bring you some of this. [she waves the eggplant then turns to go]

===

Ginny Park Come in, Ike. Ginny calling Ike.

ike Ike here. What's shaking?

Ginny Park Heard word that you saw a hoard from Lookout C the other night. Is that true?

ike Affirmative. What, you got eyes on 'em? Where are you?

Ginny Park Oh, no. No, nothing like that. … … … Did you get a good look at any of them?

ike Gin. [deep sigh] Don't.

Ginny Park It was kids, though? You're sure it was all kids?

ike It was all kids. But they were in hospital gowns. Like a whole peds ward got bit in one visit to the buffet.

Ginny Park …It could've been, though. Fairmont Medical's not far from here, right? He could've gotten scared after… and… Did you, um… put any of them down?

ike Even if he got scared, would he put on a hospital gown? Assign himself one of those id bracelets?

Ginny Park Do we know when Fairmont went down? It could've still been operating… I mean, I know most of the hospitals went to shit immediately, but…

ike Ginny. You're not making sense.

Ginny Park You didn't answer my question.

ike I'm not gonna answer your question because your entire line of thinking is fuckin' batshit! Get a god damn grip on yourself!

Ginny Park Fuck you. Batshit? Look who's talking. When your kid just walked right in here? Please. My grip's just fine. Thought you might spare me the walk, but if you won't do anything, I'll go look for myself.

ike Fuck yourself. You think going out there on some wild goose chase based on something I'm TELLING you is not plausible is gonna help anyone? You or Henry or ANYONE? What the shit did you even ask me for if you're not gonna listen?

Ginny Park It's not a goose chase! It's my son! I just – [sudden disconnection as her voice breaks… a moment before she comes back on] I need to see. I'll look from the tower. That's all. I just… need to see. I need to know.

ike They've moved on, Ginny. Past my Eyries. It would take an actual trek out to catch up with them and it's not worth it.

Ginny Park … Oh. I didn't realize. … Okay. … We're still on for the, um, milk run?

ike Maybe if you didn't try to use my fucking daughter against me.

Ginny Park That's fair. I'm… sorry. That was wrong. Call me jealous.

ike What in God's name is there about me to be jealous for?

Ginny Park You've got her. Messy and scary as I'm sure it is right now, at least you've got time with her. And certainty about where she is. If nothing else.

ike I didn't want any of that. You're not jealous of me for anything that's to do with me, you're just thinking about yourself. Sack up and admit that, at least.

Ginny Park You're telling me you don't want your kid in your life?

ike Ta-daaa.

Ginny Park Jesus, Ike…

ike Come on. This isn't a shock to you.

Ginny Park It is. But maybe you're right. Maybe I'm just thinking by my standards. And clearly we've got very different ones. Tell me that you haven't told her that.

ike [low chuckling] Theeeeere we go. Back to the moral rankings that everyone's more comfortable with. And no, I haven't said that to her. It's not the kind of thing you append to a welcome-to-Redwood card.

Ginny Park Well, at least you wrote her a card.

ike Ha-haaaaa! Hey, you should take your act on the road!

Ginny Park Ba dum tss. Speaking of out on the road… I'm free, over the next few days. If you still want to go on a run. If not… let me know.

ike Yeah, we're still going. I'm going anyhow so you might as well come with. I killed three of them.

Ginny Park … Okay. Thank you. I'm going to… I've got to go check. If he's any of those three. I know that he's probably not. But… I've gotta check. If I'm late to the council meeting, that's where I'm at. Ginny out.

[bonny-kookoo]

Kind like you (JJK x Reader) 💜🔞☁️

Pairing: Jeon Jungkook x Reader

Genre: fluff/romance, smut, angst, comfort, friends to lovers

Warnings: kinda dense Jungkook, JK being a brat, slight Tsundere JK, Koo struggling to sort his shit, kind reader, Crush!Reader, soft smut, praising, groping, kissing, pool sex, aftercare, heart to heart convos, they talk about toys lol,

Summary: Jungkook dearly wants to be kind like you. He wants to be so sweet, and gentle, and soft like you’re with him all the time; yet all he does is tease and pick on you, it seems.

Jungkook isn’t kind.

He likes to portray himself as such, whenever it’s needed, but he’s unable to quite make this characteristic a part of himself truly. It’s not like he’s a bad person, not at all; he’s helpful, caring, and well mannered. But he’s mean, he finds it funny when he gets onto someone else’s nerves. It’s like playing a game for him; and he loves winning. He’s good at it; it’s natural for him.

Then there’s you. You’re even more awkward with strangers than he is (which says a lot), but you’re everything he wants to be. You’re so soft spoken, always seeming to know what exactly to say in any situation. You’re kind, always thinking about everyone around you before you think about yourself, typically asking everyone else’s opinion first before you make up your own. You don’t like it when people fight, you never get possessive over things like he does. It’s even the tiniest things to him that make you seem so goddamn angelic; like that one time he whined about the fact that you got the last pack of butter cookies, immediately taking one for yourself to stuff between those soft looking lips, before shyly giving him the rest of the pack- still almost full. He had taken them without thanking you. He thinks about these moments a lot. He wants to treat you like Jimin does whenever you two interact. He’s so sweet with you, easily complimenting you and making you blush with his words, always playfully holding you close without ever making you uncomfortable. It’s weird to Jungkook how much that pisses him off the most. Whenever he’s alone in a room with you, you look uncomfortable- but when it’s Jimin, or Taehyung, you seem at ease. You joke around, and hug them like it’s second nature, while at the same time, you can’t look him into his eyes at any point of time.

He hates it.

He’s talked to Yoongi about it, after he’s seen you leave his studio one day. He knows you sing, he’s heard your voice, has saved every single cover song you’ve made on his phone to listen to them whenever he needs to just shut off his mind and think about nothing. He wants to do a duet with him, yet he knows he won’t be able to ever publish it because of his position in the industry. It frustrates him, yet he would be happy just singing with you for fun- he doesn’t need to publish it, he doesn’t need anyone else’s opinion on it; but he can’t ask you, it doesn’t matter how hard he tries. He can’t get the words out, even teased you for your voice before.

“You sound like a kid!”

He wants to take it back so desperately, but now, weeks after that comment, it would be weird wouldn’t it? It would just make him look like the fool he knows he is. So now he’s sitting in Yoongis studio, listening to your voice by second hand of you will, having been too unsure to come inside while you were recording. He didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. “She sounds great, no? Really like the slight tilts she has here..” Yoongi murmurs, placing the visual pointer of his mouse on the spot he’s talking about. He’s right, and Jungkook wants to say that, but he simply shrugs. “You don’t like it?” He asks, and Jungkook again, simply lifts his shoulders.

“Not my style, I guess.”

But Yoongi sees past that attitude as he raises his eyebrow questioningly. “Since when? You sing the same kind of songs all the time too.” He says, and Jungkook just chews on the inside of his lip. “You feeling competition?” Yoongi teasingly asks, and Jungkook scoffs.

“I’ve been trained for years, she’s a simple YouTuber. There’s no reason for me to feel competitive.”

But Yoongi suddenly laughs, burying his face in his hand as he stops the song. “Do you have a crush on her or something? You’re acting weird as hell Jungkook.” He says, and looks at Jungkook, who seems like he doesn’t react- only the tips of his ears grow red, as Yoongi laughs again, breathlessly as usual. “Oh my god you do! Little Jungkookie’s got the hots, I can’t believe it!” He barks out, and Jungkook whines.

“I don’t!” He says. “I absolutely don’t. She’s way too shy, and she’s so girly and all..” he complains, but Yoongi continues to smile. “What?”

“Nothing, nothing. Topic change then.” He says, and Jungkook nods. “Why were you and Taehyung fighting yesterday? Heard you’ve got him quite bad with a pillow.” He asks, and Jungkook groans.

“You said we’re changing the topic!” He says loudly, and Yoongi seems to have the time of his life.

“I am! How should I know the fight was about her?” He asks, and Jungkook kicks his legs with frustration.

“It wasn’t!” He said, and Yoongi raises his eyebrow, resting his head on his hand.

“Why are you getting so defensive then?” He asks.

“Because he shouldn’t send her a topless picture of him like that.” He says.

“I thought it wasn’t about her?” He chuckles.

“Fuck you.” Jungkook retorts, and it’s where Yoongi draws the line.

“Hey hey, calm down yeah? Didn’t mean to poke too much.” He says, and Jungkook nods, apologizing under his breath. “I thought you didn’t like her?” He asks, and Jungkook shrugs again.

“Never said that. But she’s so awkward around me.” He says, now a bit more defeated.

“Ever tried being nice to her?” Yoongi asks, while he continues working on the track to take some pressure off the maknae.

“I don’t know..!” He whines and throws his head back. “In my mind it’s so easy; go up to her, say hello, maybe tell her she looks nice, done!” He exclaims. “And then I say hello and screw it up by making a joke on her account and boom, congrats, fucked it up again.” Jungkook sighes, and The rapper doesn’t say something for a moment until he responds.

“You’re just not like that, I guess.” He explains to the younger one. “But you could try to tone it down a bit. Some of the things you say are actually quite mean.” He scolds gently, and Jungkook nods.

“I don’t know how to do that though.” He says.

“Wrap your compliments up in you remarks.”

“How?” The younger one asks.

“Well, you can’t say she looks nice, right?” The older one asks, and Jungkook nods. “But you always call her shortie.” Again, a nod. “Tell her she looks like a doll.”

“But isn’t that mean too?” He asks, and Yoongi snaps his fingers.

“It’s one of those comments that makes you think. Is it an insult? A compliment? You don’t have to go all in. Tease her in a way that can be taken positively as well. She’s smart enough to get innuendos like that.” He explains, and Jungkook seems to understand as he nods.

Maybe he’ll try that next time.

The next time you’re visiting them, Jungkook is as ready as he’ll ever be to make things count. As you take off your shoes, and hang up your red jacket, he snickers, as he walks by. “What’s up red riding hood?” He says, and he can hear Jimin chuckle from the couch as you follow him into the living room. “She looks like a Disney character with that bag and the jacket.” He says teasingly, and to his own surprise, he can see the edges of your lips move upwards into a shy smile, because he remembers vividly how you'd once told Jimin how much you liked the old classic disney films instead of the new ones.

It’s working, and it’s making him feel daring. Jimin retorts something along the lines of if he’s the wolf in that case and if he would eat her, and he finds his head suddenly on your shoulder, gently reaching over your now seated form on the couch to steal a dumpling from Jimin as he speaks.

“Nah, I’d only eat the ugly ones.” And this time, you’re actually giggling.

It makes his skin tingle.

And the night goes on like that, his typical picking covered in icing sugar, as he watches you become restless on your spot on the couch across from him. He grows addicted to the view, of that sight of your teeth digging into your lip as you grow giddy under his hidden compliments, and Jimin seems to catch up on it pretty quickly. He watches in fascination, as Jungkook keeps his eyes on you, and Jungkook himself feels a pull on his heart when he states that he's slightly (very) upset that you're leaving so early, even though it's almost one in the morning and he typically never even so much as waves you goodbye whenever you leave.

He doesn't mind the slight bullying from his hyungs after he'd waved after your leaving form before you dissappear from his sight.

Jungkook isn't kind.

He likes to portray himself as such, whenever it’s needed, but he’s unable to quite make this characteristic a part of himself truly. It’s not like he’s a bad person, not at all; it's just that he can't help himself when it comes to you. He's quite the sadist really, always bathing in the slight pout and amusing anger radiating off of you whenever he does something to rile you up. It's just like now; even though he knows you hate it, he loves to take advantage of the difference in height between the two of you. He laughes while holding his bowl of cereal while you struggle on the very tips of your toes in the kitchen, trying to reach the pack of sweet breakfast treats that he had placed way higher than necessary.

But it's when you climb onto the counter that several things happen.

First, it's the unintended panty-shot he gets, his pupils practically zooming in on the soft pink fabric on display for his greedy self, making him feel like a schoolboy that just sneaked a glimpse of a naughty magazine his friend had brought into class. It makes his mind fill with images of you, oh-so sweetly laying underneath his form as he pulls the cotton fabric to the side, ready and wanting as you patiently wait for him to connect your souls and bodies in the most intimate of ways.

The other thing however wipes away those images, as his doe eyes widen. It's the realization that you're wearing pink fuzzy socks, on a marbled kitchen counter, the danger of slipping as high as it can be. He knows you're clumsy, knows you're always attracting trouble wherever you go, and it's the small moment of your knee bending, your foot a breath too far off the counter, as you suddenly loose balance. He practically throws his almost empty bowl on the kitchen table before he reaches you, luckily managing to make you fall ontop of him than the cold kitchen tiles below.

At first, it's awfully quiet- there is no one here other than him and you after all. Then, the pain hits him, drumming like the beat of his favorite song, making him drop his head on the floor with a groan. You immediately move at that, getting off of him as you look for anthing that could be the cause. It's when he holds his hand, red seeping through between his fingers that you move. Grabbing kitchen towels for first aid, you help him as best as you can, as he watches you, pain already not so bad anymore as he looks at your delicate hands working on his larger ones with so much care.

He's ready to use it to his fun, yet he stops himself when he sees the tears on our cheeks. "Why're you crying?" He asks, and you suddenly sob more loudly, sniffling as you continue to try and clean his scrape on the back of his palm with running water. He shuts the water off, his hand not even bleeding that much anyways anymore, as he holds your shoulders, body folding over a bit to properly look at you. "Hey hey, why're you crying? I'm hurt here!" He chuckles, but it doesn't seem to do much good- as you just continue.

He suddenly grows more gentle, the hug a bit awkward at first, the close proximity weird for you both, but once he starts to softly rock you both from side to side, his unhurt hand running over your back before he sloppily wipes your tears off of your face- intentionally messily to make you giggle and push his hands off. "You're such a crybaby!" He laughs, as you hold his hand in yours, looking at it again.

"Does it hurt?" You ask, looking up at him, and he swallows hardly as he suddenly grows uneasy with the closeness of you two.

"No, it's just a scratch." He says, suddenly cleaning up the kitchen table where he spilled some of his leftover cereal and milk- simply using it as something to distract himself to calm down. "Why were you even climbing there at all? That's dangerous as hell." He said. "You could've just asked me to get it for you." He ends, and its the most truthful thing he's ever said to you.

Because that's where his deepest intentions with you were hiding. He's so used to being the youngest, of getting away with so much and getting babied by everyone around him, staff or his members, that he craves to take care of someone instead for once. He wants you to ask him for help. He wants you to hide behind his back when you're terrified of Taehuyungs tickle-attacks, he wants you to loose to him when playing video games, just so he can pull you onto his lap, his hands over yours on the controller to show you how its done. He wants you to proudly tell him of any achievement you manage to make no matter how small, just to gain his praise.

He needs you to need him.

Because whenever he's with you, he knows that those compliments and that pure amazement on your face is not because you want something in return, it's simply what it is. You make him feel so appreciated, so desired, so wanted for himself and not for his outside qualities. Because at the same time he loves how passionate you get whenever you notice that you know something better than him- how excited you get when you explain something to namjoon or to Hobi. He want's you to teach him things too, he want's to know what you can do, what you're better at, not because he want's to get better than you, but because he knows you're so much smarter in so many things than he is.

It's your voice that gets him out of his internal terror.

"Oh.. I didn't want to bother you though." You meekly say, and he wants to groan at this, to throw a fit, to be frustrated with you because that's exactly what you never ever do; you could never bother him to the point where he would refuse to help. No, he wants you to bother him. "I-what?" You say, and he suddenly turns around abruptly.

"What?" He asks, terrified if what he thinks just happened really did.

"You said 'But I want you to bother me'..?" You ask, and he wants to slap himself.

"I- I mean, I meant it in like, you can bother me, it doesn't matter much, you know?" He scrambles out, drying his hands after washing his bowl and leaving it in the sink. He suddenly grows uneasy with you in the room, yet he stills at your next words as if frozen in time.

"Oh.. I-" You start, before you step closer. "Thank you then, Jungkookie. I appreciate it." But its not only that, it's the tiny sentence you say and the action that follows that simply fries his mind. "You're not so bad after all." And you place a small kiss against his cheek.

You kiss his cheek.

Your soft lips touched his skin.

And he stands there for a while longer, not knowing what to do.

Jungkook isn't kind.

But over the course of days where you start to grow more and more comfortable, more daring, and more used to understand his language, he slowly mutates into an overgrown puppy.

He demands your attention, loves the way you blush under his teasing, and craves the way you squirm around whenever he's close to you. He's almost certain he's got a chance with you, making his own creativity thrive under your spell. He takes more photos than ever before, starts to be even more active (after you'd accidentally let it slip that you actually like how strong he is and that it makes you feel safe), and all in all simply falls for you.

But its all gone to waste at a certain dinner with his hyungs, that his food suddenly tastes stale, and his appetite is gone. "I want to confess to her, you know? I think I really got a chance." Jimin says, and Yoongi glances at Jungkook, concerned for the youngest since he knows his secret crush. "I mean she even gets along with the brat here!" He playfully says, playfully hitting Jungkooks shoulder lightly, but he doesn't seem an innocent gesture in it. No, Jungkook is riled up, and suddenly stands at the table, taking his cutlery and dishes to discard them in the sink. "Jungkook?" Jimin asks, confused, but Yoongi shakes his head with a sigh after the youngest simply retreated into his room for an early night.

"Jimin, I don't think that's a good idea." Yoongi says, and Namjoon seems confused. "I don't intend to be rude, but your interest changes weekly. Now it's her, the next week its someone else. Jungkook however-" He calmly explains, ignoring the slightly offended look of the dancer across from him. "You know him. He's never shown interest before- in anyone." Jimin slowly seems to understand, as Taehyung nods at it. "He really likes her. Think about it. Once you take that step, there's no going back. There's no 'lets stay friends if we break up' because that's just awkward. There's no second chance for Jungkook."

Jimin slowly nods, suddenly without much taste for his food as well. "I didn't know, honestly."

"It was kind of hard to see not gonna lie." Hoseok chimes in, putting his chopsticks down as he swallows the last bite of food. "He's all over her recently." He explains, and everyone nods.

This wasn't just a simple crush for him.

This was full blown love.

Jungkook isn't kind.

But he also can't say no to you.

He wants to be mad, he really tried to as well. But it's just- he sees your smile and hears your voice, and he's all in your hands, ready and willing to your very command. That's how he finds himself at your tiny apartment, helping you to put up some of your latest paintings on your walls- because initially you'd asked if he or his hyungs had a ladder in his dorm, but after you'd told him you'd use it to climb up to hang some paintings, he'd instead told you he'd help you instead, just to make sure you wouldn't fall and have an accident or something.

He want's to be mad, because he knows Jimin must've made his move at this point.

You seem so at ease, so happy, your steps so light and almost jumpy he wants to cry internally at how cute you are, for someone that isn't him.

"Ah, yes, that's perfect!" You say, and he slowly steps down from your chair he'd burrowed to boost his height a little, your hands weakly trying to steady him while he finally reaches the floor again. "I've made some cold stew yesterday, do you wanna stay and eat a little?" You ask, and he wants to nod, but doesn't.

"I don't wanna intrude or something." He says, grimply smiling as he brings the chair back into the kitchen area where it came from. He hates how deflated you suddenly look, how almost sad you simply nod as you trail after him like a lost pet, something many would find bothering, yet he loved it. He loved how you were always around him like a little shadow, as if to silently stay close to him. "So, you and uhm.. Jimin?" He asks suddenly, unable to keep the words inside.You blink, once, twice, before tilting your head in question. "He.. hasn't talked to you?" He asked, and you shook your head.

"No, what would he want to talk about with me?" You ask, and a very terrifying thought comes into his mind, like a tiny devil on his shoulder whispering in his ear. He hasn't made his move yet, so if he plays his cards right, he could still steal you from him quick and swift. You'd be his, he knows you're too kind to say no if he confessed, and Jimin would stand no chance. But just like the tiny devil, a tiny angel was there as well. Who was he to interfere with someone else's romantic life? He knew Jimin liked you enough to ask you out, and even though his hyung was never one to stay long, it would be an absolute dick move of him to ruin his chances.

But he loved you.

"Oh, you mean about you and me!" You suddenly said, and Jungkook almost choked on his saliva. "He said something about you liking me, and uh, that I should confess to you even though I know you're not interested in me like that- I'm sorry if he said something weird, it's just a weird crush, I'll get over it-" But he short-circuits, and blurts out what comes to his mind before he can think about it.

"Don't!" He says, a little too loud, and your eyes grow wide. "Don't.. get over it. I-" He's suddenly confused, overwhelmed, and has no idea how to handle this sudden turn of events properly. Should he kiss you now like in the movies or something? But he should also ask if he should, otherwise its without consent, but it would kind of ruin the moment, and oh god why do his hands suddenly get sweaty, thats so gross-

It's the shy and delicate touch to the very tips of his fingers, hand splaid out on the kitchen table that you're touching with yours, cheeks red and eyes down, and he suddenly thinks, 'fuck those movies', as he leans in and kisses you, slowly, just to make sure you're okay with it.

You're so okay with it.

He grows hungry at the movement of your lips, brows furrowing as he lets himself ride this wave of pure euphoria, holding your cheeks so lightly that you barely feel his touch at all. You snake your arms around his head as you tug him down a bit more, and his neck aches, so he simply reaches for your behind to help you up on the kitchen table for better leverage. "You're-" He starts between kisses, and can't help his smile. "-mine." He ends, and you nod with excitement, just as high on happiness as he is. "Can I, like-" He starts, almost frustrated with how he can't stop his lips from chasing yours even if he's the one talking. "-Touch you?" He finally gets out, and again, you nod, even if the tips of your ears grow a bit red at the suggestive question. His hands suddenly wander, over your shoulders down your sides, before they find your thighs. He loves the softness of them, his fingers on your knees as he opens your legs so he can get even closer to you. As if on instinct, your socked feet pull him towards you, and he chuckles at that, finally slipping his tongue between your lips as you push a hand into his dark hair, making him groan. He cups the sides of your breasts at first, delicately feeling them, before he squeezes gently, getting a proper idea of their plushness under his fingers.

He loves them already.

"I don't-" He starts, and is breathless just as you are as he places his kisses on the side of your neck. "I don't wanna fuck you on the kitchen table baby." He finally gets out, and you mewl at that. "Hm?" He asks, but you shake your head, too shy to say anything to that. He suddenly reaches for your behind, lifting you against his chest as he walks around with you, making you and himself laugh as he opens the wrong door before he finally finds your bedroom- cozy and cold due to the open window you always leave so that you can sleep better at night. You sigh at the cool feeling of the sheets underneath your hot body, and he grins down at you as he can't feel anything but pure ecstasy. Suddenly, he laughs, and groans lodly against your chest as he lets his forehead rest against it.

"What?" You ask between a laugh, and he begins to whine.

"I don't have a condom, fuck." He drawls out, and he really feels like an idiot. He's a fully grown man, he should have shit like that with him at all times, especially when he knows he's gonna visit his crush- but its so sudden, so unprepared, that he simply didn't think this would ever happen. He's deflated, painfully hard, and frustrated with himself, as you speak up again.

"Uhm, theres an orange handbag in the bathroom, its like, next to the shower. I think I still have one in there."You say, and he looks up questioningly. "It was a joke-present from a friend, please don't ask." You say, growing shy again as he simply chuckles, before getting up and searching for the bag you mentioned. It's safe to say that he doesn't only find the condom, but also a still fully packaged vibrator toy, in the same bag. His interest is definetely woken, but he decides against using it to tease you this time.

He'd get his chance soon.

But in that moment, as he climbs ontop of the bed again, it's all about you and him- its not about mindblowing sex or unusual experiences. He just wants to be inside you, close to you, he wants to claim you in ways that only lovers can. He's surprised, when he takes off his shirt, that you suddenly hold your arms high.

You're absolutely adorable in his eyes.

He chuckles as he helps you out of your sweater, kissing your nose, your cheeks, your lips, as he unhooks your bra to finally get a skin to skin feel of your breasts. He loves it even more like this, warm and soft under his palms, and you mewl in enjoyment as he continues his antics. He doesn't even notice when you'd discarded your shorts and underwear, his pants gone in a flash as his inked fingers reach between your legs to sloppily prepare you for him.

He knows he's a bit more on the.. bigger side, to say the least, a grower more than a shower, and it used to make him nervous in a weird kind of way. You're so delicate, so sweet, that he doesn't want to hurt you, and hes slow and steady as he finally enters you after putting on his protection. But you take it, you're such a champ, and pull him towards you by his neck as he moves slowly.

He picks up his pace at your demand, lost in euphoria as he lets himself go, lets himself enjoy as his mind is filled with your voice, your sounds, your scent, your everything. This is what he wanted, this is where he wants to stay for the rest of time. Not nescessarly buried withing you (although that's not a bad sound he thinks), but in your embrace, within your presence. He want's to stay at your side forever, keep you close to him so no one can hurt you, not even yourself.

He comes with a whine, an arch of his back, and his fingers on your pearl, desperate to get you over the edge as well.

It works.

And he's happy, exhausted, and absolutely in love as he falls down the mattress at your side.

"I always thought it would be weird." You said after you'd both taken a shower and cleaned up properly. He'd texted his hyungs, telling them with obnoxious emoticons that he's spending the night with his girlfriend, and Jimin plus Yoongi had reacted with a vomiting emoji.

Yet they were happy.

"What would be weird?" Jungkook asks, his hand running up and down your arm as you laid next to him, snuggled up onto his body.

"You know, having sex." You said, and it takes a moment before he suddenly snaps his head to you.

"Wait, that was your first time?!" He exclaimed, utterly shocked at it as he'd been convinced you weren't a virgin. You have had boyfriends before, he knew that, hell, he'd seen them too, and considering you were pretty close agewise he couldn't imagine. He feels bad about it, if he'd known, he would've made it more special, hell he would've asked you more times if you were okay with him taking something so precious from you. Now you could never get it back and he'd fucked it up.

"I mean, kind of?" You explained, suddenly hiding your face. "I mean, I've done, like, stuff with men before.. and I also used a.. you know, 'thing', but like, never the real.." You tried to come up with different names for the things you wanted to say, yet you simply ceased to talk.

Jungkook chuckled. "You used what? A dildo? Like, a fake dick?" He said, and you hit his chest with a whine, utterly mortified by his way of talking. "Come on I saw that vibrator in your bag there, but I never though you were a virgin!" He said, and you whined again.

"Technically I wasn't!"

He scoffed playfully. "Baby your first time was with a toy considering what you just told me, that STILL means you were a virgin!" He argued, and you groaned, trying to get out of his grasp now. "Come on, at least tell me if my dick was better than that rubber-cock?" He asked, and laughed full on at the way you hid your face behind your hands with a yell. "Don't hurt my ego, say it!" He laughs, and tickles your sides.

"Yeah yeah okay, your dick was better stop!" You laugh, and he grins, suddenly pulling you close to him as he hides his face in your hair.

"Oh baby-" He sighes out. "I love you so much."

"And I hate you." You mumble, before he playfully bites your ear.

"Jungkook no, they could see-!" Yet he doesn't let up, uncaring. The hotel they were staying at had a strict privacy policy- at this point his agency could ruin

them with a snap of their fingers just because they leaked a single strand of his hair. He wasn't concerned at all, as he continued to bite and kiss at your neck,

unable to keep his hands to himself as he grows hard.

He loves the high he gets from being in danger of getting caught.

Its silly, in a way, but it feels like a rush of some sorts. It's like he's a teenager again, sneaking in candy even though he's on a diet just to feel bratty, and its not

much different now, even though the scale is another. This was actually dangerous, but since no one else was staying at the hotel, and his hyungs had all gone

to bed, he refused to give in.

He wanted you, and he would take you.

Jungkook never liked sharing, nor giving away what was his when he himself didn't openly give it away. What was his, was his, there was no room for

discussion, even though he'd become a bit more understanding nowadays. Yet he would never let anyone see you like this, so vulnerable and wanting for him,

ready to become his slave to quench his thirst for you at anytime. You loved him just as much as he loved you, and this exchange of feelings always got him

riled up to the point of desperation.

Just like now, as he helps you stay afloat with his forearms underneath your own arms, kissing you silly while he pushes his thigh upwards underwater, feeling

you rut agains it like an animal in heat. He loved how you got whenever he pushed your buttons right, loved the sight, the sound, the entire situation. It ruined

porn for him in a way, modern erotica in no way reaching the level of satisfactory aesthetic that the sight of you could bring him. He'd taken pictures and videos

of you in nude positions and explicit situations to keep him entertained whenever he was far away, because whatever he found online of strangers couldn't bring

him a release worth working for anymore.

So it was utterly welcomed by him, when you had surprisingly told him that you had arranged to share the hotel room with him, and that you were tagging along for two weeks of his tour. Of course, his happiness was mostly simple enjoyment that you were there at his side, that you would sleep right next to him, yet it also was of a more carnal side of himself. And now, while his blood was still hot like lava inside his veins, adrenalin still high from his last concert, he was desperate to let go, end this day in a way he never thought he properly could.

He sloppily pushed the barrier between himself and your core to the side underwater, pulling his length out of his swimtrunks as well, uncaring on making it romantic. He knew he didn't need to always go overboard, he was clingy and touchy enough that you always felt appreciated and loved, even if he was impatient like that. He groaned out, mixed with a chuckle as he suddenly realized what he was doing, dipping his head down into the crook of your neck to bite and leave open mouthed kisses, rhythm just as steady and on-point as onstage just hours ago.

He came quicker than he'd liked, tattooed hand gently pushing you over the edge as well. you whined as he helped you out the pool, utterly mortified but still happy at the way he simply picked you up bridal style, carrying you out and back into your room, ready for a good nights' sleep.

The best he had ever gotten while on tour.

(c)Bonny-Kookoo. All rights reserved. Thank you for reading.

[sassyduckqueen]

The Take Down- ML Prompt 1

@worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry​  asked:

Hey! You asked for prompts so I was wondering if maybe you wanted to do some Alya redemption? I really like Alya despite her occasional terrible choices 😅

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So here’s what I’ve done for this prompt. I may have gotten a little carried away and it became a full blown take down Lila thing but hopefully you’ll enjoy it :D

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"Look, girl, I get it. Lila has some amazing stories but that doesn't mean you have to feel threatened by her," Alya sighed as she sat at her computer. She was on video chat to Marinette and was trying to convince her how amazing Lila really was. Everyone else could see it but Marinette just couldn't and Alya just couldn't understand why. Lila was one of the kindest people she had ever met. She constantly complimented her friends, telling them how good they looked. She worked with multiple charities and was willing to help out her friends. She was even willing to give Marinette multiple chances, despite the fact that Marinette seemed to hate her. "If you just gave her a chance, you'd would find that she's just like you,"

 "She is nothing like me, Alya," Marinette gasped. "I'm not a liar for one thing!"

 "Marinette, Lila is not a liar and we've talked about this," She sighed, rolling her eyes. "You can't just accuse her without proof. I know you want to blame her for your expulsion but she didn't do it. My money is on Chloe,"

 "And where's your proof that she is telling the truth?!" Marinette growled, clearly annoyed. "And if Chloe wanted me expelled, she just threaten to call her father. Not try and frame me,"

 "Can you be certain?" Alya asked, frowning. "And I know Lila is telling the truth,"

 "Oh so you have proof then?" Marinette asked, crossing her arms. Alya frowned as she didn't but why would Lila lie to her? What could she possible achieve with lies? "Well?"

 "Well what?" Alya asked, frowning.

 "Do you have proof?" Marinette asked again. "Have you got hold of Ladybug and asked her do you know Lila Rossi? Or did you find Jagged Stone and asked him about his so called cat?! Hm?"

 "Well... no but I know-"

 "If you're that bothered about it, why don't you find proof that I'm wrong?" Marinette growled, making Alya frown. "After all, you always say a good reporter checks her facts!"

 "Marinette, come on. I know that," Alya sighed but Marinette looked pissed.

 "Then why am I the one to get proof?! You're the reporter!" She growled, making Alya frown again. Marinette looked to the side and picked up her phone as it vibrated. Her eyes lit up slightly as she looked at it before she turned back to Alya. "I have to go and Alya, stop trying to force me to be friends with Lila. If you want to be friends with her then that's your choice but I want nothing to do with her and nothing you can say or do will change my mind. Good night,"

 "Marinette, wait!" Alya gasped but she hung up, shutting down the video chat. Alya sighed and got up, heading into the kitchen to get a drink. She grabbed a cup from the cupboard and filled it up with water before taking a drink.

 If you don't have the proof then it's not the truth... Marinette's words were running through her head. She frowned to herself as she thought about the words. Marinette had also mentioned that a good reporter checked their facts. Another thing she had said. Alya frowned even more. Even though she didn't want to admit it, Marinette was right to a certain degree. Alya didn't believe that Lila was a liar but Marinette did. An idea popped into her head. She owned it to Lila to prove that she wasn't a liar. Taking her phone from her pocket, she opened her messages to Marinette.

 LilMissWifi: Hey, I know you said you had to go but I had an idea. Why don't we both get proof about Lila? I'll gather proof that she isn't a liar and you gather proof that she is?

 DesignQueen: Why should I gather proof that she's a liar? I'm not the one who's insisting that I give her a chance, despite the fact that every time I say something, she spins it make me look a bad person. 

 LilMissWifi: Oh come on, Mari. If you don't have the proof then it isn't the truth. You don't have proof that Lila is a liar...

 DesignQueen: And you don't have proof that she isn't! And I know she's a liar since she admitted it when she threatened me in the bathroom!!

 Alya's eyes widen as she read it but it suddenly disappeared.

 DesignQueen deleted a message.

 DesignQueen: Stop trying to make her my friend. I told you I don't want to be friends with her

 LilMissWifi: What do you mean she threatened you in the bathroom?!

 DesignQueen: ..... you saw that before I deleted it....

 LilMissWifi: Yes! Now explain!

 DesignQueen: What's the point? You won't believe me anyway and you'll just demand proof..

 LilMissWifi: Mari! You have to tell me!!

 DesignQueen has logged off

 Alya sighed and tried to call Marinette but it went straight to voicemail. She sighed again before dialing Lila's number. It rang a few times before someone answered.

 "Hey, girl," Alya stated but it wasn't in her usual tone.

 "Alya, I'm so sorry but I'm really busy right now. I have a video chat with Prince Ali in five minutes-"

 "Oh that's ok. I just want to ask you something," She muttered.

 "Oh?"

 "I'm not sure how to say this but Marinette mentioned that you threatened her in the bathroom..." Alya muttered, frowning. Lila remained silent for a few seconds. "Lila?"

 "I'm sorry Alya but she's lying," Lila gasped. Alya frowned as it sounded like she was crying. "M-Marinette... she was the one who threatened me!"

 "What?" Alya gasped in shock. Marinette was not the type to threaten someone but Lila wasn't a liar. There was no reason as to why she would. "When?"

 "A c-couple of d-days ago..." She sniffed, making Alya frowned. "D-During our free period on Tuesday..."

 "Why didn't you tell me?!"

 "S-She's your friend," She sobbed. "I didn't want to come between you two by telling you that she was bullying me..."

 "Bullying you?!"

 "Y-yes... she's been sending me horrible texts for ages and then she threatened me in the bathroom! She said she was going to take my friends away from me if I didn't stay from Adrien!" She cried, making Alya frown. "She's just so jealous that Adrien likes me and not her!!"

 "Lila, if that's true, you need to go to Mr Damocles-"

 "What do you mean if that's true?!" Lila gasped, clearly upset. "Y-You don't believe me?"

 "Of course, I do..." She muttered, frowning. Did she? "It's just..."

 "M-Marinette is your friend... of course, you wouldn't believe me over her... I can't believe her threat is coming true..." She sniffed, making Alya frown even more.

 "Lila, that's not the case-"

 "I'm so-sorry, Alya. I have to go... The video call is about to start and I don't want to talk about this anymore," Lila cried but suddenly hanging up. Alya frowned deeply as she heard silence. She put her phone down and frowned deeply. She didn't know what to think right now. Marinette didn't seem like the type to bully. After all, she knew what it was like to be bullied. Chloe had bullied her for years and Marinette didn't even stand up to her until she met Alya and when it came to jealous... well, Marinette was known to be affected by it but everytime she realized her mistake and came back to reality but Lila wouldn't lie and Marinette did seem to hate her but would she really go as far to threat to take away Lila's friends and bully her? Alya wasn't sure anymore. Lila was such a sweet girl so it made no sense for her to make up stuff about Marinette but it also made no sense for Marinette to bully Lila since she was just as sweet. But if Marinette was bullying Lila... well, Alya couldn't just sit there and do nothing. What if this turned Lila into an akuma? She had already been one and Alya knew how stressful it was. She didn't want to see her friend become Volpina again but she also didn't want to see Marinette become an akuma. What if Marinette wasn't bullying Lila and it was all a massive misunderstanding? Yes, that had to be it. After all, neither girl were capable of been mean. Marinette was probably just stressed out. After all, she did take on a lot by herself so it might be that she is just lashing out. She had snapped at Alya a few times. Yes, that had to be it. Marinette was simply lashing out due to stress and Lila had gone caught in the crossfire. There was no way Marinette was a bully after all. This was just one big misunderstand. She nodded in conclusion but something bugged her. Why would Marinette mention that Lila had threatened her in the bathroom then just the delete the message? Also Lila didn't seem to be one to keep things to herself so why didn't she mention that Marinette had threatened? Well, that could be explained easily. She was clearly frightened. She frowned and sighed to herself. She didn't know what to think.

 "What's wrong with you?" Nora's voice brought her out of her thoughts, making her face her. "You look... torn..."

 "I just found out that Marinette might be a bully..." She muttered, frowning but to her surprise, Nora laughed. "Nora, it isn't funny,"

 "I'm sorry... it's just... Marinette a bully? Really?" She laughed, wiping her eyes. "That girl couldn't hurt a fly. She's way too much of a goodie goodie to do so,"

 "Well, according to Lila, Marinette has been sending her nasty texts for ages, bullying her and threatened her in the bathroom," She replied but she couldn't be feel weird when she said it out loud. Marinette and bully were just two words that didn't go in the same sentence. It just felt wrong to say it. Nora frowned at her little sister's expression.

 "Have you seen the texts?" 

 "No... this is the first time Lila mentioned them,"

 "Ok what was the convo that lead to her telling you?"

 "Well, I phoned her because Marinette sent me a message then deleted it and I wanted answers," She muttered, frowning. 

 "What message?"

 "Well, I was trying to convince her that Lila isn't a liar and that we should both gather proof so we could prove our points," She muttered, frowning. "She ended up saying that she knew Lila was lying because she admitted it when she threatened her in the bathroom. Literally, a few seconds later she deleted it and sent a different message but I had seen it and tried to get her to talk about it. I tried to phone her but it went to voice mail so I phoned Lila and asked her if she had threatened Marinette. Lila then told me that Marinette was lying and Marinette had been the one to threaten her. Lila mentioned the texts as well but it's just not like Marinette. I didn't even know she had Lila's number. I asked Lila when it happened and she told me it happened during our free period on Tuesday and I asked why she didn't tell me. She said she thought I wouldn't believe her because Marinette is my friend and she didn't want to go between us by telling me she's a bully..."

 "This girl only mentioned that Marinette had threatened her after you asked her about her threatening Marinette?" Nora asked, getting a nod of Alya. "Well, that seems odd. Are you sure this Lila girl isn't lying about Marinette?"

 "No, Lila wouldn't lie," Alya stated firmly before frowning. "But Marinette has been saying she's a liar for months. She's even convinced that Lila was the one who got her expelled but she hasn't got any proof that Lila was behind that or that she was even lying. I've tried to get her to give Lila a chance but she just won't have it. She keeps on insisting that she's a liar, despite that she has no proof that she is,"

 "Do you have proof that she isn't?" Nora asked her, making her look at her with surprise. "You say that Marinette has no proof that this Lila girl is a liar but do you have any proof that she is telling the truth?"

 "Well, no... but... Lila wouldn't lie..." Alya muttered, frowning.

 "And would Marinette?"

 "No, of course not!" Alya gasped. "Marinette hates liars but I just don't get why she hates Lila. Lila isn't a liar... what do I do?"

 "Well, right now, it's Lila's word against Marinette's and you can't do much without proof," Nora mumbled, giving Alya an idea.

 "Then I'll get proof! I can prove to Marinette that Lila isn't a liar and help Marinette and her mend the bridge since I think this is one big misunderstanding!" She gasped. "I bet that Lila simply bumped into Marinette in the bathroom and Marinette snapped at her. And since Marinette doesn't want to be friends with Lila, she probably told her so through text and that's what Lila means! And while I'm at it, I'll find who framed Marinette! If I can prove it wasn't Lila then Marinette will see how nice she really is,"

 "I'm not sure that is going to work," Nora muttered. Marinette might not be a bully but she was stubborn and then there was the possibility that Lila wasn't telling the truth. However, her words fell on deaf ears.

 ~Next Day at School~

 "Oh, it's so nice that you want to defend me but it's really not necessary," Lila gasped, making Alya frown a little. She had told her plan to prove to Marinette that Lila isn't the liar she thinks she is. "While I would love to be Marinette's friend, she just doesn't want to be mine. I understand why though. I'm so close to Adrien and so successful in my chosen areas that she is just jealous,"

 "Which I don't get," Alya admitted, making Lila frown. "Well, it's not like Marinette isn't unsuccessful. She is Jagged Stone's personal designer, Mr Agreste personally chose her design for Adrien to wear, she was offered an apprenticeship with the Audrey Bourgeois, her great uncle is a famous chef and she almost got the role of Ladybug in Clara Nightingale's music video! Oh and her parents' business is famous!! I just don't get why she would be jealous of you and if it was the Adrien thing, why isn't she like that with Chloe and Kagami? It's a known fact that both of them have a crush on him and are super close to him,"

 "Well, I didn't want to mention anything but Marinette stole my designs..." Lila frowned, making Alya look at her with shock. "It's part of her way of bullying me,"

 "Lila, there's no way Marinette would ever steal anyone's work," Alya stated, frowning. Her frown deepened as Lila began to cry. "Are you sure it was her? Did you see her? Have you got proof like the original drawings?"

 "I knew you wouldn't believe me," She sniffed. "Just like you didn't believe me about her threatening me!!"

 Alya went to say something but Lila rushed off, crying. Nino frowned as he came over and sat down.

 "Hey, is Lila ok?" He asked, getting Alya to look at him.

 "I don't know..." She muttered, frowning as Mylene and Ivan joined them. "She said that Marinette had threatened her in the bathroom, that she's been bullying her and that Marinette stole Lila's designs but I didn't even know Lila was into fashion design and when I asked her if she was certain it was Marinette and if she had proof, like if she had seen her and had the original drawings, she just said she knew I wouldn't believe her and rushed out..."

 "Maybe you should go check on her," Nino suggested, frowning. Alya nodded and got up before heading towards the bathroom. She was expecting to hear Lila in tears and sobbing her heart out but to her surprise, she heard talking.

 "Oh, Miss Bustier, it's awful!! Marinette's been threatening me for months and now she's trying to take away my friends!! She's turned Alya on me and I fear she'll target everyone else next..." Lila cried, making Alya frown. Had Miss Bustier found her? She waited for the teacher's reply but it didn't come. Instead, Lila stopped crying and giggled to herself. "Of course, she'll buy that. Dumb teacher... Alya will be much harder to convince... hmm... she wanted proof right? Well, I can easily get her proof that Marinette has been sending me terrible texts. Yes, that will work but I better make sure she doesn't try to prove to that goody two shoes that I'm not a liar,"

 Alya covered her mouth as she listened. Lila had no idea that she was there so of course, she was showing her true colors and the worst thing, Marinette had been right. She felt awful and betrayed. Marinette had tried to warn her but she refused to listen. How could she had been so stupid and trusting? She gasped and quickly hid behind one of the lockers as Lila began to leave the bathroom. Even the way she walked was different when she thought she was alone. Gone was the weak, fragile girl and in her place was a bold, confident bitch. The sound of fluttering got Alya's attention as an akuma forced it's way into the locker room. No doubt it was here for her because of the betrayal she felt but hell be damned was she going to give into Hawkmoth. It fluttered closer to her but she focused on positive thoughts. Yes, she had been a fool and had been betrayed and had hurt her friend but she could fix it. She had hope because she knew the truth now and this wasn't a bad thing. It was a good thing. The butterfly fluttered away and went to look for a new victim so Alya glanced around to find a way to contain it as Lila reached the door. However, Lila stopped in her track as she saw the butterfly. Alya thought she was afraid of it until she saw the girl's expression. It wasn't one of fear but one of excitement. A dark smile appeared on Lila's face as she looked at it.

 "Perfect," She muttered, causing Alya took out her phone and began to film as she reached for the akuma, much to Alya's horror. She placed it in one of her bracelets and stood still. Alya held her breathe as she filmed. "Hello again, Hawkmoth,"

 The color drained out of Alya's face as she recorded Lila talking to Hawkmoth as if he was an old friend. She thanked her sense that she filmed this as she realized if she tried to tell anyone, no one would believe her. Lila laughed as she was covered in the classic smoke and transformed into Volpina before she left the classroom. Alya shakily switched the camera to herself.

 "I just saw Lila Rossi willingly take one of Hawkmoth's akumas, greet him like an old friend and transform into Volpina," She stated the date and the time as well and ended the stream before rushing out of the room. Ladybug and Chat Noir were already on the scene so she began to film the fight.

 ~After the Fight~

 "Lila?" Alya called for her as the Italian girl got her things from her locker at the end of the day. The fight had been done quickly so there was no need to retreat home straight. The teachers had asked Lila if she wanted to go home. They offered to call her mother but she had chose not to, stating her mother was busy at work. Alya wondered how much of that true but still, Alya consisted herself a fair person and believed in chances. Lila turned to her and gave her usual smile, only now Alya could see how fake it was.

 "Oh, Alya. I hope I didn't hurt when I was akumatized," She gasped, fake tears in her eyes. "I don't remember what I did,"

 "You didn't hurt me," Alya muttered as she hadn't. "Um... could I have a word with you though?"

 "Of course," Lila smiled as the last of the students left. She continued to pack her bag. "Shall we walk home together?"

 "Oh... it won't take that long," Alya muttered, making Lila frown. "Lila, I know that you lied and I want you to come clear to the class and apolygize to Marinette,"

 "Alya, I don't understand," She gasped, fake tears in her eyes again. "W-Why are you accusing me of lying?"

 "Lila, I know you're lying," She stated, making Lila frown again.

 "Is that what Marinette has told you? She has it out of me. She is bullying me and-"

 "Enough! I know you were lying because I came to check on you during lunch! I heard you practicing talking to Miss Bustier and how you were going to get me 'proof'! I can't believe you would even consider faking texts just to make me turn on Marinette! And worst of all, Lila, I saw you take the akuma willingly!"

 She half expected Lila to make up some excuse or trying and bargain with her but instead, Lila smirked.

 "Who's going to believe you hm?" She asked, crossing her arms. Alya looked at her with surprise. "No one believed Marinette including you so what makes you think they'll believe you over me? I'm Lila Rossi, the kindest, sweetest girl in the school. I volunteer at lots of charities and have disabilities. It's my word against yours, Cesaire and they'll take mine every time,"

 "But you're lying!" Alya gasped, making Lila giggle.

 "Alya, I only tell people what they want to hear," She stated. "It's not my fault that they're dumb enough to believe. After all, you did. Did you really think I knew or even liked Ladybug?"

 Alya looked shocked at Lila's confession.

 "Of course, I don't but you believed me anyway because it was what you wanted to hear, even when your good friend Marinette tried to tell you otherwise," She laughed. "You see people can't resist when they hear what they like to hear,"

 "I'm going to expose you!" Alya gasped but Lila laughed as if it was the funniest thing she had ever heard.

 "You do that and I'll turn everyone against you, just like I did with Marinette," She smirked, making Alya gasp before she suddenly grabbed her arm. "I like you, Alya. Having you around is useful so I'll give you one more chance. You're either with me or against me but mark my words, if you're against me, I will make sure you end up alone and everyone will hate you,"

 She smirked evilly at Alya, who wasn't sure what to do.

 "I hope you make the right choice, Alya," She stated, turning on her heel before putting on her sweet persona. "Ciao, Alya. See you soon,"

 With that, she waved and left, leaving Alya shaking. Marinette had been right all along. With a horrified expression, she realized that Lila had threatened Marinette and that she had never wanted to be Marinette's friend. The truth was Lila hated Marinette, which was why Marinette was acting the way she was. It all made sense now. Alya went from been horrified to righteously outraged. Not only had Lila threatened Marinette but she was also using her friends. Suddenly, those 'compliments' didn't seem like compliments at all. In fact, they were insults disguised as compliments and she didn't even work for any charities. Alya frowned as she had an awful feeling of where the class donations had really gone. No one why Marinette refused to put to. And all the 'chances' Lila had given Marinette. Of course, they weren't real and if they were ones that involved Alya and the rest of the gang... well, before she knew, it looked like Lila would just mention something innocent and Marinette would get wound up about it but now she knew, she realized Lila had sabotaged her attempts every time. Alya shakily took out her phone as she walked out, bringing up Marinette's number. She dialed it but it went straight to voice mail. Panic ran through her mind. Was she too late? Would Marinette forgive her?

 "Mari, it's Alya. Please call me back. We need to talk about Lila so when you get a chance to call me, please do. It's important," She stated, leaving the voicemail message before walking home. Once she got in, she went straight to her room and pulled up the video on her phone. This was her trump card but if she was going to expose Lila, she had to get more then just this. This only proved that she willingly took an akuma but knowing Lila, she would make a sob story out of it. Maybe even try to claim it was fake. No, Alya needed to be clever about this and she also needed to let Ladybug know about it. She jumped as her phone began to ring and saw it was Marinette. She answered it and placed it to her ear. "Marinette-"

 "I will say this one more time, Alya," Marinette gasped, sounding annoyed. "I do not want to be Lila's friends so drop it!"

 "That's not why I called..."

 "You said it was about Lila and I told you I don't want to be friends with her," Marinette replied, making Alya frown. "So what am I suppose to think? And if it's not about Lila, why say it is?"

 "It is about Lila but not for my usual reasons," Alya gasped before sighing. "Marinette.... you were right. Lila is a liar,"

 Silence....

 "Marinette?" Alya gasped, frowning. Again, she didn't answer. "Marinette?!"

 "Hey, Alya right?" A guy's voice answered. She frowned as she recognized it. "Can Marinette phone you back in a few minutes? She needs a moment or two,"

 "Uh... sure but who are you?" She asked but he hung up. She blinked. Who the hell was that? Why did Marinette need a moment or two? She frowned but her phone vibrated again. She looked at it and saw it was Marinette. She answered it. "Marinette?"

 "Yeah... uh sorry about that, Alya. You kind of shocked me," She muttered, making Alya frown. "Did you really say I was right?"

 "Yeah..." She muttered, looking down before taking a breathe. "I am so sorry, Marinette. I know now that Lila is a liar but I shouldn't have pressed you either. God, I have been an awful friend,"

 "Alya,"

 "You must hate me so much but I don't blame you-"

 "Alya..."

 "I was awful. I believed Lila and tried to get you to be friends with her! Even when you tried to warn me, I demanded you get proof that she was lying! But I'm suppose to be the reporter! I should have fact checked! Oh, god! She really did frame you!!"

 "Alya!!" Marinette shouted, making the reporter go quiet. She blinked as Marinette took a deep breathe.

 "C-Can you forgive me?"

 "I... I can, Alya but it will take time," Marinette stated, getting a good of the girl even if she couldn't see. "I get why you believed her. Sure, it hurt that you didn't believe me but I do understand why you believed her,"

 "Really?" Alya gasped, surprised.

 "Yeah," Marinette confirmed. "For one, I never told you the full story about how I knew that she was lying or that she had threatened me. Plus with how our class is and the way Paris is, her stories didn't seem so outlandish and if I didn't know for certain, I would have believed her too,"

 "How did you know?" Alya asked, making Marinette sigh. "I remember you telling me and Nino that you saw her talking to Adrien but you didn't actually say how you knew,"

 "If you have to know, I saw Ladybug calling Lila out on her lies," Marinette sighed. "But I'm more interested in how you found out..."

 Alya sighed and then told Marinette everything. From last night's conversation to Lila threatening her after school and everything in between. Marinette listened to everything. 

 "She really is a monster and I can't believe I fell for her lies," Alya sighed, shaking her head. "And I don't know what to do. I can't just sit back and let her continue, especially now I know that she's a liar and willingly took an akuma but knowing how she is, she'll spin it and make it look like she had no choice but to be akumatized..."

 "Alya, you're a reporter right?" The guy's voice returned, making Alya frown. She forget he was there. "So collect evidence against her,"

 "And how do I do that, whoever you are?"Alya replied but both the guy and Marinette giggled.

 "Alya, it's Luka," Marinette stated. That explained why he seemed familiar but since when had Marinette start to hang out with Luka. "Also we can do it together. We need to meet up, write down her lies and expose them. This can be a way to work on our friendship and screw what Adrien said,"

 "Adrien?" Alya questioned, confused.

 "Oh right. You don't know," Marinette answered. "Adrien knows that Lila is lying but advised me to take the high road. He said it didn't matter if she was lying as we both knew she was and her lies weren't hurting anyone,"

 "He what?!" Alya gasped, angered then she realized that Marinette did actually stop calling Lila out of her lies. Until recently that was. "You followed his advice, didn't you?"

 "For a little while, yes but Luka helped me realize that he was wrong," Marinette replied. "As for the video you mentioned of Lila taking an akuma willingly, you should try and inform Ladybug. I'm sure she'll answer if you put out an emergency post on your blog,"

 "That's a great idea, Marinette," Alya gasped, smiling before frowning. "But what about exposing her?"

 "Well, it's Saturday tomorrow so let's meet up and make a plan," Marinette suggested. "Luka can join us as well,"

 "Sure," Alya agreed, feeling a lot better. Lila would not win this time. "So tomorrow outside the bakery at 12pm?"

 "Sure, we'll see you then," Marinette agreed before hanging up. Alya instantly put down her phone and logged onto her blog. She posted a quick blog, calling for Ladybug and stating that her blog was going to be under a review. Once that was posted, she went to the Lila interviews. She added a warning at the beginning, stating that these were nothing but lies and at the time of them been posted, she had believed it was truth, along with an apology. She knew Lila would try and deny that she had said anything and may even try to claim that it was planned. She played it and began to write down every lie in the interview. She was knocked out her thoughts as someone knocked on her window. She walked over and opened it, letting Ladybug in and to her surprise, Viperion joined her.

 "We got your message," Ladybug stated as Alya stared at the two heroes in awe. "Alya?"

 "Sorry... it's just... Ladybug and Viperion!!" She grinned before shaking her head. She grabbed her phone and held it up. "Firstly, thank you for coming so quickly and secondly, I think you really need to see this,"

 With that, she played the video. The two heroes frowned as they watched it. Alya felt sick watching it again before the two heroes frowned when it finished.

 "Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Alya," Viperion stated as Ladybug nodded in agreement.

 "I've known for a while that Miss Rossi is a liar and that she teamed up with an akuma to take me down but I've had no solid proof until now. Can you send me the video?" Ladybug asked, taking out her yoyo. Alya sent it to it. "I will have to get in touch with the police and see what they can do but this should be enough proof that Miss Rossi is dangerous-"

 "Not so fast, Ladybug," Alya gasped, making the heroes look at her. Viperion rose an eyebrow at her. "Lila is very clever and I know she'll spin this to look like she's the victim. Not just that but this only proves that she willingly took an akuma. She could easily claim that Hawkmoth threatened her beforehand and people will believe her..."

 "She has a point, Bug," Viperion pointed out, making the spotted heroine nod before he looked at her. "I take it you have an idea,"

 "My whole class think she's a sweet heart and that my friend Marinette is jealous of her. Lila tried to claim that Marinette had been bullying her to me and I'm not sure who else she has told. The class needs to know that Lila isn't who she said she is. She threatened and framed Marinette and she's threatened me.; I tried to give her a chance to do the right thing and she basically laughed in my face and then threatened me," Alya admitted. "The thing is if she lied about been your friend and Marinette... then what else has she lied about?"

 "A good point..." Ladybug agreed. "I can't hold this from the police for long but if you were to expose her then she would probably be akumatized again... it would be best if we were there..."

 "She will probably try and go for an akuma too. More proof that she is working with Hawkmoth," Viperion agreed before looking at Alya. "How quickly do you think you can get evidence? The sooner we get her in custody, the better,"

 "Well, I think I can get a good amount through the weekend," She stated, getting a nod of the superheroes. The two went to leave the room but Alya gently grabbed Ladybug's arm. Ladybug turned and faced, frowning a little as Alya let go of her arm and looked down, playing with her hands. "I'm sorry, Ladybug... I should have checked with you if that interview was correct and never had posted it... god, I'm such a fool. I hope you can forgive me,"

 "Alya, I accept the apology, Alya but it will take time to earn back my trust," She stated, getting a nod of the reporter. "But you are starting to and I should have come to you to explain that Lila was lying so I hope in turn you can accept my apology,"

 "Ladybug!!" Alya gasped, tears in her eyes. "Of course! You're not the one at fault! I'm the fool an-"

 "And I should have come to you as soon as that aired but I didn't," Ladybug sighed before smiling. "But we can both work on been better. Come on, Viper. We better leave Alya to it,"

 "R-Right," Viperion nodded but Alya could see the look in his eyes as he watched her. It was one of pure love, devotion and respect. A look that she had never seen in Cat Noir's eyes. The look in his eyes wasn't bad but seeing how Viperion looked at Ladybug, Alya realized the way Cat looked at her was one of lust and wanting, not love and devotion. Viperion smiled and waved at Alya before following Ladybug out the window. Alya walked over to the window and closed it before logging back onto her laptop and began to work on collecting evidence. 

 ~Next Day~

 "So what have you got so far?" Marinette asked as she slipped her drink. Alya, however, was looking around, confused as to why they were sat in the restaurant area of the Grand Paris hotel. Marinette wouldn't be seen dead in here right? And surely, Chloe would have come down by now and demanded they leave. "Alya?"

 "Oh right...  well, it was a lot harder then I realized but I managed to drag up some of her past," Alya muttered, taking out a file and handing to Marinette, who opened it. "It's not pretty,"

 Marinette's eyes widen as she read over it before handing it to Luka. His eyes flicked across the page, frowning as he took in the information. Alya bit her lip as she watched his reaction. When she had come across it, she felt worst then before. 

 "Luka?" Marinette asked, gently as he closed the file and slid it back to Alya. He looked calm but then she noticed his hand shaking. She may not know him as well as Marinette did but she did know he normally had steady hands. She looked up into his eyes and noticed they were burning with rage but he was doing his best to control it. An akuma would not help the situation. Marinette gently placed her hand over his. "You ok?"

 "Yeah... I just..." He muttered, frowning. "We need to take her down permanently and I think we're gonna need a lot more then just us three,"

 "I'll text Chloe," Marinette muttered, taking out her phone. Alya blinked. Since when was Marinette friends with Chloe. Clearly, she had missed a lot.

 "I was able to get in contact with Ladybug last night," Alya mumbled. "She has the video of Lila taking the akuma and I think they want to take her down on Monday. She also admitted that she didn't know Lila,"

 She suddenly snapped her fingers and frown.

 "Alya?" Marinette asked, putting down her phone.

 "I should have got it on film," She muttered, causing both of them to frown.

 "Well, I'll get Ladybug to drop by again tonight," Marinette stated, making Alya look at her in surprise. "Alya, I was able to get her to give you that interview remember?"

 "Good point," Alya nodded as Chloe and Sabrina walked into the restaurant. They looked around before spotting them and walked over. Alya felt weird as she and Chloe weren't friends but Marinette jumped up and greeted her. To her surprise, Chloe greeted her back and even smiled before the two girls sat down. Marinette returned to her seat as Chloe blinked and looked at Alya.

 "Marinette?" She asked, concern in her voice.

 "Alya knows and has apologized," She stated, getting a nod of Chloe. Alya, however, was still shocked of Chloe been nice. "We're planning to expose Lila and Alya found some really interesting information that you might be interested in reading,"

 Marinette nodded at Alya who cautiously slid the file over to Chloe and Sabrina. Chloe read through it and narrowed her eyes before handing it to Sabrina, who cupped her mouth in shock as she read it.

 "Oh my god," She gasped, closing the file and pushing it back to Alya. Chloe looked at Alya with a hard to read expression.

 "You found this?" She asked. Alya nodded. "And you checked to see if it was real?"

 "I tracked down everything I could and even contacted some of the people involved. The comments you read were them telling me the story. They were more then happy to tell me when I told them that Lila was up to her usual tricks," Alya confirmed. "I also checked the sites it was reported on were legit sources. Trust me, I've learnt my lesson regarding fact checking,"

 "Good," Chloe stated before smiling. "Welcome to the Marinette protection squad. Now Kagami is working on changing Adrien's mind but I'll tell her to speed it up since we are taking her down on Monday. Now because I am amazing and hated Rossi for a long time, I have obviously dug up dirt on her and was able to get in contact with certain celebrities who she claimed to know. I have their statements but told them to resist suing her for now. However, if we are all in agreement, I will get in contact with them and have them informed of our plan and tell them to have their lawyers ready with the papers to sue her on Monday as well as video evidence of them not knowing her. Sound good?"

 "That sounds great, Chloe," Marinette smiled. "I'll get Ladybug to drop by yours tonight, Alya and you can film her stating that Lila is not her friend,"

 "Yep," She mumbled before looking at Luka, who seemed to be the only person who didn't have a job. "What are you going to do?"

 "I'm the emotional support musician," He deadpanned, causing everyone to laugh including himself. "Also I have talked to Penny and Jagged about Lila. I messaged this morning and Penny is more then happy to help us take down the liar and Jagged been Jagged insisted on coming to the school to personally deliver... as he put... the rock and roll justice that the little liar creature deserves. Mum also wants to join in as Juleka has been affected by Lila's lies. I don't know if anyone else but Marinette knows but my sister is now in therapy again, thanks to Lila. Jules has always had problems with her weight and how she views it and Lila convinced her that if she wanted to be a model, she needed to weight and gave her "tips" on how to do that. Thanks to her, Jules is back to been anorexic and was briefly hospitalized for it,"

 "Is that why she wasn't in school for a week?"

 "Mum gave her a week off. She was only in hospital for a couple of days but we agreed to give her some time before returning her to the school and we got her one of the best therapists that specializes in anorexia and other eating disorder, thanks to Jagged," Luka sighed, making Chloe and Alya frown. "I'm pretty certain that's why he wants to come to the school as well. Oh and we've been talking to our lawyers. We're suing her for Personal Injury,"

 "You got good lawyers?" Chloe asked, getting a nod of Luka.

 "Jagged provided his, who will also be suing her on behalf of Jagged and Marinette too," Luka explained, making Alya raise an eyebrow. "Problem?"

 "Oh, not at all," She gasped, holding up her hands in defense. Luka relaxed his shoulders a little. "I was just wondering how you knew Jagged so well and why he was willing to give your family his lawyers but if you don't want to tell me, I get it,"

 "He's my father," Luka stated, shocking Alya.

 "He's your what?!" She gasped, completely shocked. Marinette giggled slightly as she had a similar reaction. "Is he Juleka's dad as well?"

 "Oh no," He stated, rubbing his neck a little. "Technically, I'm Juleka's half brother as we have different fathers but that doesn't matter to me and Jagged has basically adopted her as his own anyway,"

 "Wait... are your mum and Jagged... back together?" Alya asked, eyeing him up.

 "Oh, god no!" Luka gasped, shaking his head. "No, they're just friends and Jagged is trying to be a 'better' father to me and decided that my sister is basically his honary daughter like how Marinette is his honorary niece,"

 "Well..." Alya mumbled, nodding before looking at everyone. "It's great that we have Jagged on our side then and I really hope Juleka will be ok,"

 "She's getting there," Luka nodded before returning back to the business at hand. "But with all of this information, we have and the new bits Alya has brought to us,"

 "Plus the video of her working with Hawkmoth," Marinette added.

 "And all of the celebrities testimony that they don't know her," Chloe nodded before clicking her fingers. "Oh while I remember. Sabrina!"

 "I got access to her mother's number and had a lovely chat with her," Sabrina declared, taking out her phone. "I simply asked her about any possibly disabilities, illnesses or allergens Lila has as I do with all the parents when Chloe is planning to throw a party as we want to make sure our guests are safe and we are prepared for anything, giving that Chloe is the mayor's daughter who runs the best hotel in Paris. We don't want a terrible incidence such as someone been unable to come due to a disability. As it turns out, Mrs Rossi confirmed that Lila didn't have any. No tinnitus, no arthritis in her wrists, no known allergic reactions. She is as fit as a fiddle. I also asked questions regarding akumas again for the mayor's and Chloe's safety and asked Mrs Rossi if Lila was known to have an akuma form or triggers. According to her, Lila has never been akumatized and I quote 'if those incompetent heroes were able to deal with akumas better then you wouldn't have to ask these questions, Lila's school would have been opened sooner and Paris would be safe'. I asked to explain farther as I had to be certain what she meant and she explained that our school had been closed for the three months Lila told our class, and I'm guessing Mr Damocles, that she was in the kingdom of Achu,"

 "Did you tell Mrs Rossi the truth?" Marinette asked, concerned but Sabrina shook her head.

 "I simply thanked her for giving me the information I needed," Sabrina smiled, getting a nod of approval from Chloe.

 "It's a shame we don't have a recording of it," Alya sighed but Sabrina laughed.

 "Of course, I have a recording of it and it can be used in a legal court as I had Mrs Rossi's permission to record in case anyone tried to blame the mayor for something," She stated, impressing everyone. "I double checked with Dad to make sure,"

 "Good work, Sabrina," Marinette grinned, making the smaller girl smile.

 "Me and Chloe also got Mr Damocles update the information for Mrs Rossi at the school," Sabrina explained, getting a nod of approval from Alya.

 "With all this evidence, there's no way Lila can get away with this," Alya gasped but Luka was frowning.

 "But she could still blame Marinette or you for it," He muttered, making everyone frown. "We need one more bit,"

 "Go on," Chloe stated.

 "Well, this is going to be really hard for everyone to swallow, especially since Lila has convinced everyone that she is innocent and Marinette has been tormenting her," He stated, making everyone frown. "Well, if we had proof that it's the other way around then it would be the final nail in the coffin so to speak,"

 "We need CCTV," Alya muttered, making everyone look at her. "From the day Marinette was expelled. There's cameras everywhere, apart from the toilets for obvious reason but there are ones in the locker rooms, pointing towards the lockers. There are blind spots if you know where they are but not when it comes to the lockers as they were installed to prevent thieves, meaning that Lila was probably caught on camera putting her necklace in Marinette's locker,"

 "It would also show if she really was pushed," Sabrina stated, getting a nod of everyone. "But how do we get it?"

 "We can't," Marinette sighed, looking down. Everyone sighed as well but Alya had an idea and snapped her fingers.

 "But Ladybug can!" She gasped, making everyone look at her. "She can use the fact that there was a mass akuma attack that day as reason to look at the CCTV. I can suggest it to her tonight,"

 "Alya, that's brilliant!" Marinette gasped, making the reporter smile.

 ~Monday aka Take Down Lila Day~

 "I'm nervous," Marinette muttered as she walked with Alya and Chloe. She had managed to secure the CCTV footage and gave it to Luka, who would be making an appearance as Viperion. She had also given Chloe the bee miraculous as a back up to buy her time to transform. They were all certain that Lila was going to be akumatized or at least try to be. Jagged was already on his way with Penny and his lawyer and Sabrina's father was also on his way. He had an interesting conversation with Viperion and Ladybug early that morning about Miss Rossi and had been shown the video. Mrs Rossi was also on her way to the school and she should be arriving round about the same time as Roger. Marinette nodded to Alya and Chloe who had gotten up and walked over to Miss Bustier.

 "Miss Bustier, we have something extremely important to share with the class," Alya stated, making the teacher frown. Everyone was there and it was all ready.

 "I'm sorry, girls but could this wait til later?" Miss Bustier frowned. "I have to teach my lesson. Please take a seat,"

 "I don't think my daddy will like that," Chloe stated, making Miss Bustier frown.

 "But I really have to do my lesson," She gasped but Chloe ignored her and pressed the call button as Marinette's phone vibrated. She looked at it.

 FangtasicJazzman: I'm here with Roger and Mrs Rossi. We've just grabbed Mr Damocles and heading to your class. Get ready for trouble and not the good kind

 Marinette looked up for her phone as Miss Bustier tried to convince Chloe to hang up and did a slight nod, signalling to Alya that it's about to begin. A few seconds later, the door opened and Viperion walked in, followed by Officer Roger, Mr Damocles and Mrs Rossi. Lila gasped and stood up in surprise as she saw her mother.

 "Mama, what are you doing here?" She gasped, surprised. The woman walked over to her.

 "I was invited to the school," She stated, rising an eyebrow as Viperion walked over to Alya and handed her a memory stick. She nodded in return. "Apparently, this young hero has something that he needs to share with the police, myself and the school, which is concerning,"

 "Extremely," Viperion agreed. "Miss Bustier, I suggest you allow Miss Cesaire to talk to your class,"

 "Um of course," She mumbled as Alya placed the memory stick that Viperion gave her into the computer and put a second one in the port below it before grabbing the remote and pressing the button. She brought up the video of Lila accepting the akuma and played it, shocking the class. Of course, Lila started to cry and sob in terror as the class looked at her.

 "I'm s-so sorry but I didn't have a choice," She sniffed, trying to get the snake hero on her side. "H-He threatened my mama, saying he would hurt her if I didn't accept his akuma,"

 "We thought you might try that," Viperion stated, surprising everyone with his harsh tone. 

 "You heard, Lila!" Kim gasped, standing up. "She's the victim here!"

 "Mr Chiến Lê, Lila Rossi is a known liar," Viperion stated, making everyone gasp. "And a danger to everyone in Paris

 "Mr Viperion, as much as I respect you as a superhero, you can't go accusing students of been a liar and a danger,"

 "Yes, my bambina would never hurt a soul," Mrs Rossi argued, hugging her daughter to her. Viperion didn't miss the wicked smirk the girl shot him when she thought no one else was listening.

 "Then it's a good job we have proof, isn't it?" He stated, amused by the color that drained out of her face. "Miss Rossi has actively been threatening two of the students in this class, sexually harassed another, placed another student's life in danger, has committed truancy and fraud. She has been lying about pretty much everything she has said since she came here. She does not know Ladybug, Prince Ali, Clara Nightingale or Jagged Stone. She has never been to the kingdom of Achu and the school was never closed any longer then one day during akuma attacks, she has been akumatized four times. Once as Chameleon, thrice as Volpina, she framed a fellow student which resulted in their expulsion, humiliation and a mass akuma attack so yes, I do consider her a threat and yes, I have proof of all of this. Miss Cesaire, can you play the videos please?"

 "Of course, Viperion," She nodded before bringing up the multiple videos and statements that Chloe had provided. All of them were of the celebrities denying any knowledge of Lila Rossi. He smirked as the Ladyblog one came on.

 "Thank you so much for agreeing to this Ladybug,"

 "No problem, Alya," She smiled. "I'm glad we can finally address this issue but before we do, I'd like to apologize. I should have addressed it sooner,"

 "I shouldn't have believed it either,"

 "We're both in the wrong," Ladybug sighed before looking directing at the camera. "My name is Ladybug and I'm here today to put an end to a rumor that has been told about me. According to one Lila Rossi, I am her best friend and we are like this,"

 She held up her fingers to the camera.

 "Well, I hate to break it to you but we're not like this," She stated. "Actually, Lila and I have never been friends and the first time I met her was because she lied about me to a boy. I just happened to be passing and heard her stating that she was my best friend, that I saved her life and that she was the descendant of the fox hero. Admittedly, I could handled the situation better but I came to her and called her out on her lies, declaring that we were never friends. She was akumatized into Volpina that day and yes that was my fault. I tried to apologize to her but she refused to forgive me and allowed her anger to fester. She went on to be akumatized three more times. The rest why I state this is because I stayed quiet for too long and I suspect that she might try and say that the reason why I'm denying our "friendship" is to protect her but I will state this here and now. I have never known Lila Rossi in or out of the mask. I am not stating this to protect her because until that day, I had no idea she even existed and I would also like to add that she hates me with a passion. To the point where she tricked Chat Noir into thinking she was hurt, leaving me with the akuma Oni-Chan who she had convinced to try and kill me,"

 Everyone gasped at that as the video came to a stop. Lila began to cry again.

 "O-Oni-Chan threatened me," She gasped, making Viperion and Alya roll their eyes as someone knocked on the classroom door. Viperion answered it and let Jagged in. Lila's eyes widen in surprise as he shook the hero's hand and was followed by two women. One she recognized as Penny but she had no idea who the other was. Viperion turned to them.

 "Mr Stone, do you know this girl?" He asked as she instantly went back to the tears, hoping to make the rockstar feel bad for her.

 "Never seen her in my life,"

 "I should hope not," Mrs Rossi stated, glaring at him.

 "So you never wrote a song about her and she never saved your cat?"

 "Why are you targeting me?" She wailed but Jagged shook his head and explained that he never had a cat in his life as he was loyal to fang and that the only women he wrote about was Ladybug, his ex girlfriend and Penny. "Why?!"

 "Mr Viperion, is this necessary?" Mr Damocles asked, looking around nervously. "Lila is sick-"

 "About that," Alya stated, getting everyone's attention. "We have proof that she lied about that too,"

 With that, she played the phone call between Mrs Rossi and Sabrina. Lila blinked at surprise as the faces of her peers and teachers started to become angry. She knew she had to win them back so she did what she did best.

 "M-Marinette is behind this!!" She gasped, pointing at her. "S-She's using this poor superhero and Alya to get revenge for me telling the truth about her bullying me. She's trying to break me! All of this is a frame up!!"

 However, no one said anything as Alya had put on the most shocking bit of evidence. The multiple news articles that stated about a student who had killed themselves after been bullied by Lila. They had been through the same thing as Marinette and in the end couldn't handle it. Lila turned around and gasped.

 "T-That wasn't my fault!!" She gasped, looking at everyone. "She didn't kill herself because of me! She was a bully too!! Just like Marinette! She threatened me in the bathroom, stating that she would take away all of my friends!! And now she's gotten a hero in on it!"

 Mrs Rossi went to say something but stopped the moment Alya played the CCTV. It showed Lila planting the answer sheet in Marinette's bag, breaking into her locker and planting the necklace and finally walking down the stairs and pretending to have been pushed. Lila's face paled as she watched. The teachers and the class looked at her.

 "I'd like to add that Lila threatened me in the locker room when I tried to give her a chance to come clean and apologize to Marinette," Alya stated. Lila went to argue but Alya played the footage of that. "She also admitted that she had threatened Marinette but that we don't have video proof off,"

 "Y-You can't use any of that anyway!!" Lila gasped. "You don't have my permission to be on camera and you don't have my mama's permission to use that voice recording!!"

 "Actually, we can and we will," Viperion stated as the unknown woman walked up to her.

 "Lila Rossi, you have been served," She stated, placing the papers in her mother's hands. 

 "Also you are under-arrest for multiple charges of harassment, Truancy, personal endangerment, defamation, stalking and working with a known terrorist-" Officer Roger stated as her mother read through the papers, covering her mouth as she did. However, an akuma fluttered into the room and Lila made a dive for it. Her eyes were widen in glee and her hand was reached out but before she could do anything, Viperion's lyre slammed against her head, knocking her out cold and Chloe trapped the akuma in a jar, which she handed to Viperion. Mrs Rossi stared in horror as Officer Roger lifted the girl up and brought her outside. Viperion turned to Mrs Rossi.

 "I highly recommend you get a good lawyer, Mrs Rossi," He stated, making her frown. "I'm sure there will be a lot more papers then just that,"

 "Viperion is right," Adrien stated, looking at the woman coldly as a gentleman in a suit came in.

 "Mrs Rossi I assume?" He asked. She nodded and he handed her more papers. "These are the termination papers for Miss Rossi' contract and these are the papers on behalf of r Adrien Agreste. Your daughter is been sued for sexual harassment, physical harassment and stalking. This is the paperwork for the restraining order. The terms of it are included and I highly recommend your daughter follows them. We will see you in court,"

 With that, he turned on his heel and faced Miss Bustier. He handed her and Mr Damocles some papers as well.

 "You are both been sued for negligence," He stated, nodding to her before turning to Jagged's lawyer. "I would recommend your clients suing these two for negligence as well,"

 "Yes, we're already on that," She stated, shaking his hand. Mrs Rossi ran out of the class and everyone else left. Marinette couldn't help but smile as the class began to ask for her forgiveness. Life was good and Lila was finally gone. She shot a smile towards Alya and Chloe before asking to be excused. Miss Bustier just nodded and Marinette walked out. Once out of shot, she transformed and found Viperion waiting for her. She purified the butterfly and smiled for the first time in ages.

 "Well, that went better then I was expecting,"

[fightxxmexxshiggy]

🥟📎 awww you're too sweet!!!!! I'm glad you like my ideas so much even though they just ramble on and on.

But, as long as you're enjoying, I'll add on cause I'm slightly overflowing with them at the moment (adhd brains. 0 or 100. Very very little I between.)

So imagine how helpless Kiri Bakugo would feel while their partner is pregnant and then when they go into labor. Like, over all there isn't that much they can do. Yes throught everything they can help her stay comfy and what not but got how they wish they could just take on some of the bad stuff.

And lord help them if they start googling different labor complications. Like no matter how unlikely, the stats say they are the guys are gonna high key Low key be terrified. They learned not to tell you after you turned into a sobbing mess when they brought up one and you made them have the of it's between me or the baby convo (how that went is up to you). Like they may be terrified but they don't wanna relive that night.

Then I see two hilarious labor scenarios. granted there are infinite. But I'll pluck out these two.

A) You go into labor relatively normally. Get to the hospital get settled, or at least as settled as you can when you're gonna have a person come out of you. The guys are on edge. Like the hospital had to send in their strictest, toughest old guard nurse to put the fear of god into them so they'd stop acting like chickens with their heads cut off. I personally headcanon it as a labor with no epidural for personal reasons but like reader insert man. Regardless of pain meds or not, Kiri is gonna say you're super manly™️. He'll even harden his hand so you don't have to worry about breaking (not that you would frankly care at this point) but it's handy 😏. And then you get to pushing a both pro heros who have seen plenty of blood and gore nearly faint. Still can't decide who/how they decide which oen gets to cut the cord but I feel like it's the one time Bakugo knows better than to make it a competition, cause he and Kiri just wanna keep watching you smile down at the (kinda gross covered in goo) beautiful, perfect infant on your chest. Time passes, the three of you are left alone to bond. Eventually you begin to nod and off and Kiri says he's gonna take the baby to the waiting room to meet the squad/families. While neither guy likes being separated from either you or the baby this is once again where two husband's comes in handy cause at least both mom and baby are protected. Que some time later you perk back up, Bakugo is in a chair his head on the hospital bed alseep. You get his attention

"Katsuki, where's the baby?"

"With Kiri, remember?"

"yea, but he's been gone a long time. I think. ...." You can't be certain. After the day you've had time means very little to you at the moment. So Bakugou (reluctantly) leaves you to go find shitty hair. (Now this next bit is straight from a reddit thread but it was so damn cute and sounded just like Kiri!) So turns out, the Bakusquad and families left a bit ago, saying they'd be back when you were feeling better. But Kiri is a Proud Dad™️ so he just had to show off his baby. So he has just been walking around the hospital, being like 'look at my kid! My wife made her! They're both amazing! My wife made a person! Ignoring that you didn't quite make it on your own but you did the lions share of the work so let's not nit pick. Bakugou wants to be made at him but between the lack of sleep, and feeling the same fucking way and just being too emotionally constipated to say it to anyone besides his partners he just sighs.

"Shitty hair, you're worrying Y/N. Bring the baby back."

And they wander back and you're a nice happy little family. And sitting there holding your baby, a guy on either side of the hospital bed is bliss.

"can we have another one?"

Both you and Bakugou turn to the red head, and a brief silence falls over you three. Bakugou is getting ready to tell him off, like the baby is less than 6hrs old, don't get ahead of yourself dumbass.

But you speak first "yea. I'd like that a lot."

And that is how your first two kids (and probably the majority) were born a little less than a year apart. I just love the headcanon that Kiri wants a school of baby sharks. Like, however many you'll give him he'll have (Bakugou may have an Upper limit). At least those prohero dollars mean money isn't an issue. I also just love love love Kiri as a girl dad! He does tea parties, lets them paint his nails, learns to braid their hair and dances with them where they stand on his feet! Bakugou will also do all of these things but some of them may take a set of puppy dog eyes to get him to do. Also I know it seems misplaced but I don't wanna forget to put it in here. Itd be hilarious if when you struggle to find maternity clothes you like, one way or another Red Riot and Ground Zero both suddenly launch maternity merch lines!!!!!! And not just stuff with their logos/names like cute shit. Maybe you get to help design it.

B) this should be quicker. So imagine, youre at home. The guys have started paternity leave because youre 38wks. The ask why your face is scrunching up every once in awhile. You say and think it's braxton hicks contractions. You take a nap. Turns out. It's the real deal. You wake you guys up, they go into panic mode. You head towards the door (or even make it to the elevator for full comedic effect) before saying you gotta go back to the apartment, the baby is coming to fast. The guys freak out at first once they're in the apartment again. But they get ahold of a concierge doctor or something (pro hero money man) and between the doctor coaching them and you telling them they better hold it together, it all goes off smoothly and you go to the hospital to get check out and basically ends the same as above.

The baby chaos just made me cackle like a dang evil witch

[toomanyfandoms02]

The Journal // George Weasley x Reader

I LOVED THIS REQUEST FROM @rainy-day-gracie OMGGGG it was SO fun to write.

Don't forget that request are open and dialogue prompts are on my page!

Summary - Reader loses her diary and has to go on a search for it.

Word Count - 1.75k

Prompts - "When did you take that!" ~~ "I hid it."

Where was it?

WHERE WAS IT?

Now, I didn't like to refer to my personal notes as a diary, I prefer journal. But the point is, it was missing.

Missing from the small compartment under my bed where I had hid it. Not that I expected anyone to take it, but it calmed my anxiety so I did what I could.

The journal looked just like my sketch book, I did this on purpose so that people wouldn't question why I had it out and was writing in it on occasion. They would just think I'm sketching per usual. But I made sure to keep good track of it, because I truly *did* have very personal information in there, like any journal would. So at this point, I'm frantically running around asking my dorm mates if they had seen it. First asking Hermione and Parvarti because they knew of the book. Then asking Ginny Weasley and Sophie Roper.

They had all claimed to have not seen it.

So I rushed down to the common room. Checking the side tables, under the couch, on the fireplace mantle. But it was useless, I *know* I closed it in the compartment 2 days ago. I remember it distinctly because I had written a rather private thing in it that day, and I wanted to stop thinking about how it made me feel.

*Potions, one of my least favorite classes for a few reasons. (Maybe because we had it with the snooty Slytherins or maybe because Severus Snape taught the wretched class, who's to say.) But there was one thing that made the class shine for me despite the things I hated about it.*

*George Weasley.*

*Somehow we had managed to be partners for this potion by random. Much to Snapes disliking. But he had to let it go since the picking was truly random.*

*"Today we will be making the Babbling Beverage, does anyone know what this potion does?" Snape asked in his usual monotone voice. A slytherins hand shot up from the back, explaining that it makes you speak uncontrollable nonsense. George leaned across the table to me.*

*"Guess it wouldn't change much for you then, huh?" He laughed, leaning back into his seat with a shit-eating grin.*

*And that's what sparked me to write in my journal. I felt I had to do it immediately, so I did. I whipped it from my bag and held it in my left hand, not laying it on the table where he could see.*

*"What are you writing?" He asked, trying to peak at it.*

*"I'm drawing you Bimbo!" I laughed but that's not even close to what I was doing.*

**I really thought this was only the stuff you could read about, this feeling. A laugh has never brought louder music to my ears, and that smile, I feel like I've never seen him smile like that. He never fails to bring a shining moment to my day. I hope that I make him feel this way sometimes. The tightness in my chest, the way my heart feels like it's having palpitations because its beating so damn fast. Or the way I think he's just so perfect. I sound like such a teenager gosh.**

*I never used names in the thing just in case someone ever got a hold of it.*

*"Why don't you ever let me see your drawings?" He pouted, grabbing at the book and nearly having a hold of it. I snatched it from him quickly.*

*"Because I'm still learning and I don't like them very much." I lied, holding the book to my chest.*

*"I bet they look fine." He muttered with another pout before going to grab ingredients.*

After I decided there was no use in panicking, I took some deep breaths. I had to get to Potions soon, I could talk to George about this and vent to him about the stress I was under at the moment. I grabbed my Potions book from my side table and headed that way.

To keep me distracted by what I felt like were prying eyes in the corridors, (which no one was probably looking at me, that's paranoia for you) I flipped through my sketch book. I flipped through it all the way to the potions door. But one step in and I had nearly dropped it.

George sat, tipping his chair back with what I was positive was *my* journal. He looked deep in thought, his right index finger dragging down one of the pages to read it. I recovered my sketches and stomped over to him, alerting him of my presence. He stood from the seat, holding the book from my reach.

"When did you take that?!" I tried to express my concern quietly so no one would but in on the convo, my arms crossed over my chest.

"Technically I didn't take it." He replied in a cocky manner. "Sophie got it for me."

"But I hid it! That damn girl, I knew she was being suspicious. Give it back, now Weasley, I'm not playing." I held my hand out for it.

"Not until you tell me who you fancy." My face paled, he had read some of it that little snot. That made me quite scared, I did not want him knowing that.

"George it's just ramblings that I come up with, like short stories."

"These sound pretty realistic to me." For a second there his face seemed hurt, but I will have to look over it considering the situation I'm in currently. He brought it to his eye level, still to where I couldn't reach it, and flipped through pages to find one where I write something lovey. "How about, 'He made me laugh so hard I nearly choked today, how does he do it? Do girls seriously not see the charm in this man? I sure do.'" He flipped more, reaching a sufficient page clearly.

"Or, or this one. 'I like him so much I want to be part of his family. Have you ever liked someone so much you *want* to meet their family. I want to be a Weasley-'"

You've got to be kidding. You've **got** to be kidding.

I must have gotten so caught up with writing it that I just let a name slip. Why would I do that. My hand was clasped over my mouth firmly and George was still holding it eye level, seeming to read it silently. I sat in my seat and put my head on the table so I didn't have to watch anymore.

I figured this would happen this way, it wouldn't be me directly telling him. But I thought I would cry, because the thought if it happening made me cry. But I was actually just scared and embarrassed. Scared of rejection and embarrassed that it happened like this.

I heard the book lay next to me softly on the table and the seat across from me scoot out.

"I'm going to get the ingredients for today." He said quietly. I could see his feet walk away from my view under the table. My head was brought up, grabbing the journal and shoving it into my bag shamefully. He came back with small jars and measuring spoons.

"I didn't mean for her to grab your diary you know." He confessed, not looking me in the eye. "I was trying to get her to grab your sketch book. I wanted to see your sketches. But I'm guessing the books look the same so she grabbed the wrong one. I'm sorry for reading it, that was personal." He was fiddling with his hands, his key sign of nervousness, I could tell he meant his apology.

"Its okay, I would have done the same thing if I had yours." I chuckled, trying to relieve the tension in the air. That brought a smile to his face, finally looking me in the eye.

"So, do you have a crush on Fred?" He asked, his face cringing slightly.

He's kidding right? Surely he's not that dumb. My eyebrows furrowed probably as far as they could.

"What?" Was all I could get out. I could not believe this idiot right now.

"Well I hope it's not Ron, that would be a little weird I think, and surely it's not me."

"Yes it is!" I protested back pressingly.

"Its Ron?!" His face was horrified now.

"No you dimwit! It's you! Merlin are you dumb! Georgie you're all I write about in here nearly, look." I pulled the book out again, flipping to a random page. "I taught him how to braid today, he told me he didn't know how and I told him I was perfect to practice on. He's actually quite good at it, I think he knew how to braid. For a moment there he was just playing with my hair and I thought that I might just blackout, it was a dream." It was from a night in the common room. "Or, more proof. 'The boy was sitting across from me on the couch in front of the fireplace today. It was perfect to draw, or at least try. The sketch is kind if shit but I can tell its him and now it think I'll look at it every day because I loved that moment.'"

George's face looked so happy. It was another one of those smiles that drove me mad, but I guess everything about him drove me mad, didn't it?

"You really feel that way about me?"

"Of course I do. I thought it was obvious. And I'm sorry to spring it on you like this."

"Well I certainly was too much of a wuss to do it myself." He said with a nervous smile.

"You mean, you feel the same way?" There's absolutely no way.

"Well of course." He said, as if it was the most casual and obvious thing in the world. "Do you see me act the way I do around you with anyone else. Braiding anyone else's hair, trying to stay calm and collected and seem cool around anyone else."

"Well that's because we're best friends."

"But is that the case for either of us?" And he was right. We only acted this way around eachother because we were hopelessly pining for one another, without even knowing it. And it was consistently working.

"Well aren't we just the perfect pair." I said with a giggle, pouring ingredients in the cauldron for the first time in 10 minutes.

"Are we a pair now?" He asked with a cheesy smile.

"Is this your way of asking me out Weasley?"

"Maybe."

"Then yes, we *are* a pair."

[kidnappedbycartoons]

Priya and Chelsea as LIs

What if Priya and Chelsea were the LIs instead of Marisol and Elisa? Let’s talk about it. Be warned. This is a long post, so get ready.

Day One to Four: Priya comes in and MC finds her attractive. MC is nice to her, but Priya still couples up with MC’s partner for game reasons and some other reasons she hasn’t realized yet. However, they both still remain friends. Doesn’t matter what MC wears, Priya hypes her up regardless. There are also moments where Priya makes a comment that should have a “No Homo” at the end of it, that leaves MC confused. 

Day Five: Lucas and Henrik come in and, considering Priya is the one you’re closest to on this route, she and MC are sitting on the daybeds. Priya asks MC what she thinks of them and MC can either say something about Lucas, Henrik, sticking with her current partner, or flirting with Priya. If she flirts, Priya will return it and the two will hold each other’s gaze before Bobby comes in with his tea. 

Day Six to Nine: Mainly just them talking and having little moments with each other. Like after the girls have that talk on Day Six after Marisol and Rocco kiss, Priya compliments MC for always being the peacemaker in the group. However, she also mentions that sometimes she wishes MC would be a little selfish sometimes. If MC was with Rocco when he did it, Priya doesn’t hold back on him. Before the recoupling on Day Nine, when the girls are choosing their dates, Priya jokingly asks MC to pick her. Sadly, you won’t be able to just yet.

Day Ten: Priya still participates in Operation Nope, however depending on the MC, her reactions are different. If MC agrees to participate, Priya has a sad face, but continues on. If MC doesn’t, but promises not to tell Hope, Priya says something about how MC is the only girl in the villa that she trusts. If MC disapproves and goes on to tell Hope, Priya is upset, but forgives MC. The rooftop scene with them and Bobby, Priya admits to feeling guilty and like she made a mistake, but gives the MC a small smile as she leaves. Bobby drops a hint that maybe Priya is looking in the wrong direction and gives MC a meaningful look before following Priya. Chelsea comes in, drops the beans, and when she hugs MC, there is a moment where Priya makes a jealous look.

Day Eleven: Chelsea is flirting with MC and we don’t get many Priya moments except for two. One is when MC fixes things with her and Lottie, Priya squeezes MC’s hand before going back. Two is when Jakub is choosing between her and Priya for the dates. If MC chooses to go, Priya is upset and Bobby jokingly says he doesn’t know who to be jealous of while nudging Priya who blushes. If she doesn’t, Priya is hesitant but goes with Jakub anyway.

Day Twelve: MC overhears Priya and Noah’s conversation and is upset about it. I never chose the option where MC told Hope, so I’m not going to talk about that. Regardless, Priya notices MC is off afterwards, but MC doesn’t say anything. After the mudslide or whatever it was, when Priya reveals what Noah said, MC feels slightly jealous and Priya notices this. That night, when Priya and MC are talking in the kitchen, Priya admits that she feels like she doesn’t even want Noah like that anymore and MC can ask her who she wants. Priya looks up at MC and there is a moment before Hope and Noah come barging in.

Day Thirteen: Recoupling happens. Noah goes for Priya or MC. Afterwards, the two talk and Priya says that Noah or Lucas/Henrik are a lucky guy. MC can say the same back to her, but once again, the two are interrupted. Yes, this is frustrating. I know. Anyway. 

Day Fourteen to Seventeen: Casa Amor! Chelsea and MC actually have a lot of moments here. When Chelsea lifts up the daisy chain she made Gary, MC can make a comment that she would hold on whatever Chelsea gave her. Chelsea smiles at her. Or, when Chelsea asks MC for advice on Elijah, MC can flirt with her and she will return it. During the nighttime, the two have a little chat and Chelsea admits that she had a crush on MC when she was watching her on the show. From here, MC can choose to start Chelsea’s route or not. Let’s say MC does. She and Chelsea share a little kiss. Don’t worry. It is here that Priya realizes she has feelings for MC and decides to tell her the night of the video call. From here, MC can choose to return her feelings or not. Let’s say MC does. She and Priya share a little kiss.

Day Seventeen: Let’s say MC sticks. In this situation though, Chelsea doesn’t switch and she sticks as well. During MC convos with both of them, they can talk about things. MC and Priya can talk about Operation Nope, Priya’s feelings, or what Priya was like in high school (Since she made that comment before about feeling like she was back in high school). MC and Chelsea can talk about the recoupling, their feelings, or Chelsea’s past relationships.

Day Eighteen: Priya is up for elimination and MC saves her. Boom. The two get a little handsy with each other that night in the bed. If MC is solely with Chelsea, then she can keep it as a friendship thing with Priya. But I’m just giving both options right now.

Day Nineteen: Priya admits that she has never been with a woman before, or attracted to one, and this can give us a nice moment for them where there are reassurances and everything. That moment where Chelsea admits she’s not with the one she wants to be with. She and MC can chat about it and I would like it if this conversation brought up Chelsea’s ADHD and especially how it has affected her relationships. This can be a moment for there to be reassurances here too. 

Day Twenty: That whole Elisa and Jo thing. Listen. When Elisa comes for Chelsea, MC isn’t just going to sit here and accept that. She has the option to go off on her for that and Lottie makes a comment about “Don’t come for MC’s girl”. Priya would not be here for that and would honestly not care that much. Though she would call Jo out for lying when she could’ve just told the truth.

Day Twenty-One: Girl’s Day is only bearable because MC can be with Chelsea or Priya.

Day Twenty-Two: Instead of Marisol being the popular girl, it’s MC. She now has the option of either to continue on with Priya or couple up with Chelsea. 

Day Twenty-Three to Thirty: Literally just cute little moments between whoever MC is with. In those kinds of diamond scenes, I feel like since Priya hasn’t been with a girl before, she’d be the bottom. But for Chelsea, I don’t know why, I see her being vers. Chelsea’s scenes are more sugar and spice, think Bobby/Henrik vibes. Priya’s are more “I shouldn’t be reading this in public” type, think Lucas/Gary/With a dash of Rahim. For the couples questions on Day 25, Priya would choose cat and, I thought long and hard about this one, kids. Chelsea chooses guinea pig (But it’s more dog than cat) and, even though she didn’t say much, I think based off of the scene in the game, Chelsea would choose a career. Depending on whether or not you stayed with them through and through, or if you jumped between them, you either get first palace or second.

Wedding Episode: You propose to Priya, while Chelsea and you were going to do it at the same time. 

[just-jammin]

Muddled Neutrality

Word Count: 1246

Summary: The delivery of a single letter might give way to someone’s sanity loss, apparently.

(Or: The author is still a dumbass weirdo because they want an excuse for her persona to know whatever the fuck is happening in the side of treason. Hooray, I guess. /s)

To the Angst Side:

Greetings!

I do have some new important (I think) info to report to you guys. It’s about what I like to call the Neutral Factions. Yes, I am calling them that, unless you have a better name for them.

It turns out that there has been another Neutral Faction other than Team Switzerland (is it even called that anymore?). The group’s quite small, seemingly new to the war. When I first saw them, they were talking about how they’re going to… commit war crimes, I suppose?

To be honest here, I think that they have no idea what they’re talking about. I mean, war crimes? Really??? War crimes are pretty much bad as all hell! Unless they mean, like, disrupting the flow of the war/battle and mess everything up so that they can win, so it depends on how they describe war crimes, really.

Ah, shit, I might’ve rambled on paper…

Anyway, that’s all I can report to you for now! If you want me to do something about the War Criminals (again, I am calling them that for now), just hit me up with a letter!

Ok, byeeeee!!!

— Jam

>> —^— <<

As Jam zoomed across the setting sky, she started thoroughly proofreading the letter that she wrote a while ago. It was quite a journey now when they traveled to the Angst Side Headquarters (or whatever they called the usual meetup place, she doesn’t know), since the pond where she settled was located a bit deeper into the woods.

They noticed some muffled laughter from below the trees. When she looked down, three people could be barely seen walking around the forest, seemingly laughing and talking to each other.

Ah, shite, she unfortunately realized. They’re wanderers…

Shaking off the thought that they have to confront those War Criminals someday, she folded up the letter and sped up to finally arrive at the Angst Side’s place. They landed in the driveway, soon marching her way towards the mailbox.

Then she felt a quick, strong breeze about halfway there.

That left her in confusion, so she turned around. She saw a small bluish blur in the sky, with… brown bits in the sky?

A few moments passed by as the blur became smaller, then…

Wait, was that Ave?

To be fair, she hasn’t seen any of the other Angst members (other than Adri) since she left. But for some reason, the thought felt… strange. Suspicious, even. Maybe it’s just a gut feeling, but who knows? Gut feelings are usually right, after all.

Wait, most of the members have a blue color palette.

…

Oh well.

So she slammed the letter into the mailbox and took off towards the trees.

>> —^— <<

Jam kept an eye on Ave from below the canopy, trailing behind them if she was following them on the same level (like a dumbass).

Then she heard the twang of a string nearby, and an angry yelp from her comrade. As she’s losing track of them, she got hit by… is it a rock or a pebble?

She wasn’t expecting more after that…

…except there was much, much more.

“Hoooooly shit, what the he— aCK FUCK!”

She was hit by a barrage of weapons and ammunition, be it stones, bullets, fire, arrows, just anything that can be thrown towards a person.

Jam wasn’t even able to look up while desperately dodging… whatever this is. Her speed increased as she zigzagged across the trees, hoping to dodge and get out of this chaotic shoot-out.

Thankfully, she did, and she looked up to see that Ave wasn’t doing so well either, being a clear target of all of this.

Man, she thought to herself, I sure hope that this isn’t a regular thing from now on.

>> —^— <<

Finally, Jam noticed that Ave was starting to slow down.

What’s weird was that her comrade was nearing a building in what was known as Team Switzerland territory.

Huh? Why would they go ther—

They crashed head-first into one of the windows.

WHAT THE SHIT?!?!?

Bewildered by the… sudden decision they made, she stared with wide eyes at least for more than a few moments. Then she remembered what she’s here for, so she took a look inside and quickly got in to hide behind a counter.

And then, when she thought the coast was clear, she got her pen and paper out, took a peek, and listened carefully.

>> —^— <<

A few minutes of conversation between Ave and Rowan, the goat person, was just enough to reveal her comrade is actually a traitor.

That’s great info! But not so great to take in.

Jam, now clutching her black pen tightly, is seething with rage. Not the one where you lose control and release it almost immediately, but the one where you can push it down inside yourself. It’s more powerful, yet easier to control. At least, according to her.

She wants to calm down, so she started looking around, at things other than the main conversation happening in the room.

The room all of them were in was slightly disorganized, but still clean enough for whatever this room is used for. Judging by the large vats of glowing liquid and scattered vials of varying emptiness or fullness, it’s most likely used for scientific purposes.

She put her focus back on the main action.

“So, what’s the plan? Are we going to destroy Fluff?”

Huh, so their goals haven’t changed. Interesting… right, back to the convo.

“You see, my aim is to unite both sides… under me, of course.”

Hold on… what? Shit, I need a minute—

Shifting her focus onto the vials on the counter she’s hiding in, she read the label on one of them. It’s labeled… ‘Bobcat’?

That’s… strange.

Jam read the label on another vial.

And another.

‘Wild Dog’.

‘Red Deer’.

Then she saw the vat of glowing liquid.

‘WARNING: MUTAGEN’

She did not like where this is going.

And, as if this was gonna get worse, she saw the goat person walking towards her hiding spot. She immediately ducked back in, waiting for a while before Rowan goes away.

She quickly wrote as much as she can remember before she heard some growls and hissing. Jam looked around to find where those sounds came from, only to see a dog-like humanoid with… long dark hair? It was defending another humanoid beastly thing, this time it’s more cat-like, and with red hair.

Both were wearing clothes, and somewhat… aware of the danger in here.

Peeking a bit more out of the counter, she saw Ave’s horrified expression right in front of those creatures. Or, at least, mostly horrified. She can’t seem to pinpoint their exact emotions at the moment, but damn, they’re scared as fuck right now.

She looked past the other side of the counter, seeing Rowan adding the contents of the vial to a test tube filled with the bright orange mutagen.

As soon as they brought out the syringe, she booked it.

Jumping out of the window she entered in, she fired herself up into the sky with all the anger and fear that she could muster at the moment. All she can think about is how everyone’s in danger. Both the Angst and the Fluff Side can’t stand a fucking chance of turning into these… these monsters. And that’s a big motherfucking problem right now.

Yet something broke into her thoughts and worries.

A loud, fear-filled, bloodcurdling shriek.

[keepcalm-and-beyou]

Her

Summary: Running into Pete at a Party was expected with the mutual friends you have. When a simple so called secret is heard how will the night turn out between you two. 

Colson’s place was decently packed with people you know having a good time drinking, smoking, and doing some illegal things to. which uh i didn’t mind that’s for sure. I’v seen faces of friends and people i know, people i don’t fucking know and someone i didn’t know was going to be here. man Colson is an dick he should of told me she would be here. him of all bros knew her being here would be something i’d like to know. I have no clue if she even saw me or cares that i’m here when she is here to, why would she care really not like i’m her ex boyfriend. nope not hers, just her best friends.. and that how i first met her through Ariana. she was one of Ariana’s friends i got along with really well, someone i really liked maybe a little to much. but i was with Ariana and i wasn’t the type to act on the confusing infatuation i seemed to have in my head with her. like fuck come on who wouldn’t of been attracted to her, she was gorgeous, her curves were sexy as hell not the body type i tended to be seen with skinny no ass chicks. she was also smart and funny her laugh was intoxicating and i loved making her laughs with the comedy i attempted. her bright big smile could make any one smile to and her eyes always held a kindness in them to most but they could also hold fire to go with her sassy wits when needed that she used to stick up for her beliefs and the people she cared about. she is a mix of many things and all those things just made me like her more. 

“your a dick” i whisper yell into Colson’s ear where he is standing by a wall drink in hand laughing with a few people by his side. know i wasn’t meaning it to be rude it was like half you are a dick and half joking bro. 

“what did i do man” Colson chuckled looking at my annoyed facial expression. 

“could of warned a bro” is all i said while nodding over to the direction Y/N was standing. seeing her smiling while shes surrounded by people. Colson followed my gaze and nod direction. 

“Oh.. my bad” he chuckled again. 

“uh oh yah your bad dude” i reply sounding annoyed.

“i don’t see the issue man your single now who cares if you wanna get with Y/N” he says slightly louder then i liked. 

“uh still not a good idea the whole best friend thing” i shook my head while speaking

“no it wouldn’t of been a good idea to do anything with her while dating Ariana but now you can and not feel bad about it” Colson tried to reason. and then turned his attention back to people he was near clearly making his words the end of that convo.

 I thought his words over battling with my self to even talk to Y/N or act like she wasn’t here, wasn’t here looking amazing and full of life as she always was. standing against the wall in the common area looking over to her, watching as she embraced a girl friend of hers, them smiling laughing and talking into each others ears. they pulled away slightly from each others faces as it seemed their short conversation was over and i caught her eyes on my slumped figure for probably all of two seconds. and even in that short time i felt panic in my self. was she talking about me? did she magically hear what me and Colson were talking about? oh fuck.. nah its probably nothing. i’m just to stoned i’m being paranoid. 

I decided on smoking more weed and a few shots to distract my self. keeping a good distance between me and her and trying real fucking hard to stop glancing her way. Thank fuck for the liquor i been drinking making me enjoy my self and focusing as much as i can on the music and friends around me. a few of us dancing as a Kid Cudi song came on. that’s awesome love this dude. my dancing slowly came to a stop as i stupidly looked her way again but seeing eyes on me as well and a small smile on her lips. there was a split second i felt i was gonna faint at the sight her. her looking at me looking at her looking at me. air escaped my lungs and i coughed awkwardly looking away from her beautiful figure. i seriously wish i could stop looking at her. anytime i see her looking at me i freak the fuck out like why.. why you looking at me for? did i have something on my fucking face? like no oh okay then why??? 

Few more shots later and i’m sitting with Colson on a couch zoning in and out on the conversations around me. then i hear her laugh. if i can hear it she must be close, and i mean to fucking close. i look up to see her standing across from the couch only like three meter sticks away where a big chair is and shes laughing with a douche bag looking guy who’s sitting in the chair. my face crunched up and great now i get to see and hear her and some dude probably flirt. who the hell wouldn’t flirt with her right. 

After witnessing enough giggles from her lips and his hand on her body i had to leave before my bitterness came out full force at that dude. so here i am finding more liquor in the kitchen to drink. i wondered if i was being an idiot. maybe it was simple just talk to her i was freely able to i had no girl holding me back. but i keep thinking would i be an ass to go after her sense i dated her friend.. its not like i’d be the first guy the world has seen with an ex’s friend. 

“You gonna share that bottle or have it all to your self” that voice.. that giggle.. fuck me.. i turned to her my eyes bugged out my head a little surprised shes here talking to me. 

“Uh..Hi” really thats all i can come up with! uh hi yeah sure that doesnt sound like an idiot idk what does. 

“Hi” she giggled. and then silence.. great i made this awkward. of course i did yep that’s me everyone Pete Davidson the awkward dude that makes other awkward with my awkwardness powers. Mr superAwkward! my superhero name. 

“Well you seem awkward” she blurts out like no big deal. her and her bluntness. 

“uh yeah you uh can just call me uh Mr superawkward here to make every situation as awkward as can be. that’s me!” i stupidly use my awkwardness as comedy with her cuz the fuck else should i be saying right now i don’t know shit. 

“awe i miss your humour” she laughed. awe she laughed! yesss i made her laugh!

“I miss you too!” wait that sounded weird to say.. shit hold up let me remove my foot from mouth. why she looking at me like that. one raised eyebrow hand on hip and smirking. 

“oh yeah i bet” her smirk turned into a smile. i cant tell if she is joking or being sarcastic or what that meant. all i could do is take a swig of the bottle of liquor i was still holding and swallow hard in my still awkwardness. 

“there was this little bird that told me you liked me” she says no big deal all nonchalantly stepping closer to me. if i thought my big ass eyes were bugging out before then i was a dumb ass cuz now i look like Jim Carey in the mask. 

“There’s a bird here?” faking seriousness in my sweaty panic. 

“oh yeah flying around hearing things they couldn't help but chirp away telling me” Y/N smiles while talking. that’s good right that smile that’s a good one. she took another step to me, she was close as fuck few inches between us. i licked my bottom lip nervously starring down at her. “so did the little bird lie or is there truth that was told?”.

“uh that bird might have good hearing and no reason to lie most likely” I shake off some nerves by taking another swig of the liquor in my hand. the second it leaves my lips Y/N is taking it into her hand bringing it up to her sweet looking lips taking a delicate sip as she brought the bottle down to her side she slowly moved closer to me, it took me a moment to realise when her lips were on mine. Once i knew what was going on i was more than willingly to apply to what she wanted and i have wanted sense what seems like forever. 

“Glad to know Mr superawkward liked me back” she whispered so sweetly on my lips. I cant believe she liked me all this time to. thank god for being single now and following my desire. Her. 

[certifiedskywalker]

Better Future - Anakin Skywalker

emotionalcal said: hi omg I just found your acc and I’m so happy I did! I can’t wait to read all your Star Wars stuff🪐 I also have a request though!! I’ve been having this dream of just laying on a couch with ani and it’s all super soft and such a cute convo and both reader and ani are wearing their pj’s (like the loose black pants and the tunic that’s open in the front) idk maybe you can make something more of it? much much love 💘

AN: You’re too sweet on me! Thank you for reading!

Being from Naboo, you were used to a certain level of comfort and routine. Travelling across the galaxy with Jedi Knights and Senators had stolen away both of those aspects of your life. Now, you were back home,comfortable and  ready to let your mind wander. You longed to push all thoughts of the war away and roll off in the hills of the countryside. Though, it seemed you could do no such thing; much to your disappointment.

Since arriving, you hadn’t been able to get to sleep. Even with Anakin escorting you back to Naboo, staying with you for the duration of your stay, you could not unwind; perhaps his presence was to blame. Sharing you bed with him did little to lull you to sleep. If you did manage to close your eyes and fade, it was restless or such a small spot of sleep that you woke up more tired than before. No matter what you tried or how badly you wanted to rest, you couldn’t.

That was why you found yourself in the parlor of your home, reclining on the plush sofa and staring out the large, gothic-panel windows into the late night sky. You traced your gaze along the window’s metal frames, reaching each sharp peak in the hopes of tiring your eyes. It was all in vain. Instead, you found yourself thinking about all the shattered windows and ruined homes you had seen on refugee planets suffering under the weight of the Clone War. There was no escaping the reach of the bloodshed, not even in your own home.

“Y/N, what are you doing out here?” You sat up and turned your back to face Anakin. In the moonlight, his chest, exposed by the open front of tunic, shone. You had to swallow the smile that spread along your lips; he looked as if he should be on the cover of a holo-romance novel. The white knight promised to bring hope and peace to some lost soul. “Y/N?”

“I can’t sleep,” you said softly, “or can you not see the bags under my eyes.” Anakin shook his head, nearly obscuring the tender smile on his lips.

“You’re too beautiful for me to notice anything else but your grace,” he stepped over to the couch and leaned down to you. “And your lips.”

He pressed a gentle kiss to your lips, though it lingered in the way everything about Anakin did. Even when he was halfway across the galaxy from you, it was impossible not to think of him. When he pulled away, you expected him to dive back in again, as he often did. Yet, he held back, too tired to press it further. 

“What’s troubling you, love?” Anakin took the open space at your side, turning just so to face you. You frowned, hesitating to tell him. He was already under so much pressure, much more than you despite your position. “Please, Y/N.”

“It’s nothing, Ani, I just...I can’t stop thinking of everything there is yet to do. The war-”

“We’re here to leave it behind, Y/N.” Anakin lifted his hand, brushing his finger tips against your face. “There will be nothing for you to do if you’re exhausted.”

“There is nothing to do either way!” You were standing now, a sudden jolt of energy and anger thrusting you further from sleep. “The Senate is deadlocked! No progress can be made to end this war. Representing Naboo has proved difficult and I feel useless to Padme!”

Anakin stayed silent as you ranted on. You continued on and on, venting your every worry for the future of the galaxy. It was the quietest you had ever seen him. His blue eyes weren’t wide in shock; they were soft, caring, and a tad heavy with sleep. When you saw the tiredness in his face, you cut your tirade short and sighed.

“Sorry, I’ve been-”

“No, no,” Anakin reached out and grabbed your hands. Cool metal held one, warm, living flesh held the other. He had suffered with this war too. Guilt filled your chest and you shook your head. “Y/N, it’s alright.”

“This war has hurt everyone,” you murmured bitterly. You ran your thumb along the joints of Anakin’s robotic hand. “You included, and I can do nothing to stop it.”

“It is not on you to end a war you did not start,” Anakin countered, but you would not see his reason. Unshed tears gathered in your eyes, blinding you.

“But why must you? You put yourself in danger every cycle. The lives of millions, billions even, are subjected to horror and-”

“Y/N, please,” Anakin squeezed your hands, “come here. Lay with me.”

Wordlessly, you let yourself melt into Anakin’s words and embrace. He pulled you gently to his chest as he spread out on the couch. You laid on top of him, your head tucked under his chin, nestled against his bare chest. His strong heartbeat filled your ears. The sound alone was enough to slow your own pound heart; in it’s steadiness, you felt your eyes begin to droop.

Your eyes fell upon the gothic windows once more. Dark night had started to fade into a murky brown-orange. It was early morning now and you still hadn’t slept. A new wave of dread and anger filled you. Just as you were about to succumb to the feeling, Anakin rubbed his warm hand along your back to soothe you. He could sense your mood, no wonder he was so careful now.

“You want to protect everyone,” Anakin murmured, “and that, it can’t be done. You can only protect those in your reach and hope they do the same. We will protect each other.”

You absorbed his words, let them settle in your mind before speaking up. His words relaxed you, reached some part of your soul that needed to hear something to feel some comfort. You found yourself drifting into the warmth of his voice. “When did you become so wise?”

“I guess Obi Wan finally got through to me,” Anakin teased, nudging you with his hand. You smiled, letting your mind wander into happier thoughts for the first time since returning home.

“He is proud of you,” you murmured, “just as I am.”

Anakin pressed his face into your hair and shifted his arms to hold you closer. “Then I must be the luckiest man in the galaxy. Hmm?”

“Perhaps,” you smiled, letting your eyes close completely. 

“Feel better?”

“Yes,” you replied, “much.”

“The future world will be better with a rested you,” Anakin agreed. You wiggled closer to him, although there wasn’t much room left between you. With your cheek pressed against his chest, you felt like some missing piece of you had been found.

“Can you describe it to me?”

“Describe what?”

“The better future.” Anakin let out a soft, slightly stifled chuckle. The sound rose up in his chest and, even in the darkness behind your eyelids, you knew he was smiling.

“No more war,” Anakin began, “and we live here, in peace, like the rest of the galaxy.”

You asked teasingly, “that’s it, huh?”

“Why should I give you the details when you will see it one day?” 

All you did was smile in response. Anakin’s confidence in you and the truth and love in his tone was enough to lull you to some semblance of sleep. Rest, for the first time, became easy. And you dreamt of a world, a galaxy where Anakin held you every night; a galaxy full of peace that the Republic and Jedi brought together. You hoped Anakin was right. You hoped to see it one day.

[parischangedher]

fall into me, my love.

Summary: I rewrote the end of Housekeeping! In my world, Ray never calls, Ziva answers his question, they go to the bar and decide to stop wasting so much time. Closing one chapter and preparing to start anew.

AO3

Word Count: ~2.8K

Prompt: This is based on a post by the lovely @saraluvstiva! It’s a tad different from what you suggested (a little heavier than a casual convo), but it mostly aligns I think. Hope you enjoy!

@saraluvstiva imagined a scenario in which Ray never called, they went to the bar, reminisced about their growth and their relationship--“a sweet little time...both closing their previous chapters (or considering it) and looking to [possibly] the future chapter with each other.”

Hope was a dangerous thing.

There was a reason he never let himself think about her like that. Not seriously, anyway. And not in a very, very, very long time.

“I’m not talking about movies, Tony. I’m talking about you. She cares.”

He had reverted back to the standard old lines, then, and scoffed about how they were partners and teammates who had each other’s backs. Those lines were good. They protected him and their relationship. He told himself for years that anything else between them would be unthinkable. Inappropriate. Comical, even.

Yeah, right.

Her words, simple yet bold, took hold in his mind and wouldn’t let up.

They hit him when he was woefully unequipped to fend them off as he usually did. There was a crack in his armor, in the wall he built around himself to protect the both of them. It had been breaking slowly, really, ever since they brought her back from the dead in Somalia. It almost shattered completely after he was shot a few months ago and faced the prospect of dying without ever telling her. He was more fragile than ever these days, too, since falling out with EJ and painfully watching his partner hurt over another, undeserving man.

And so, when he heard EJ talk about her like that, the possibility of more seeped through the cracks and into his heart. It coaxed his feelings to the surface, fully awakening what he had known yet staunchly denied for years.

He loved her.

Admitting it to himself was one of the hardest things he had ever done. Give him a burning building, a terrorist, a raging gunman, or a bomb on a timer—fine—he could handle that. That was easy—relatively. But love? The old Anthony DiNozzo didn’t do love.

There was just something about her—the complex dichotomies of softness and strength, of love and hurt, of anger and loyalty—that fascinated him, pulling him to her like gravity. She was an enigma that only he seemed to truly understand; and damnit, he wanted to spend the rest of his life unlocking the key to her soul. She made him better, too—pushing him to open up and grow up, never taking his crap, molding him slowly into half the man she actually deserved.

Despite how hard she tried to hide it, he knew she had strong feelings for him too. He could see it in the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn’t paying attention—adoringly and longingly, as if imagining a world in which they could actually be something. He felt it in the way she stole soft and lingering touches, standing closer than necessary on an almost daily basis; and he heard it when she talked to him—sometimes concernedly, sometimes flirtatiously, sometimes even annoyedly, but always with love.

Denying how he felt about her was making less and less sense to him by the minute these days. He was filled with regret for wasted time and, still, fear of damaging their bond. But most of all, he was filled with a deep-seated ache for her. For all of her. And for the first time, the latter was starting to win.

Hearing EJ’s words was the final nail in the coffin, if he was honest with himself. They were validation that it wasn’t all in his head. They gave him hope—and with it, a touch of recklessness, encouraging him to ignore the fear for once and play with the fire that is Ziva David. It had been about seven years, after all. If not now, then when?

“Agent David. Do you really consider me to be…in your life?”

His eyes glistened with a mix of hope, boldness, and vulnerability. He watched her carefully as she processed his verbal challenge, seeing how she’d react—if she’d push them closer to the edge or rein him in.

She tilted her head ever so slightly, taken aback by his question. Instinctually, she opened her mouth to disarm the situation, as they usually did whenever the other got too close to the truth.

The look of adoration in his eyes made her pause, though. Ray’s communication and commitment issues served as a strong contrast to the man in front of her, who listened to and supported her whether or not she asked.

She was tired of waiting seven weeks for a man who claimed to love her, when the one she could not live without was standing right in front of her. She was tired of being treated like an afterthought. She was tired of it all. She was so tired, in fact, that she decided to cut the double entendres and answer him honestly. He deserved that, at the very least.

“I do.”

His smile grew brighter, then, and she couldn’t help but return it. He reached out and softly grazed her arm. It was fleeting, another test. A small thrill ran through her as she wondered what had gotten into him, and she raised her eyebrows in silent question.

“Let’s go get that drink.”

---

“Admit it. You never liked her,” Tony teased as he downed the last of his beer and gestured for another. They sat in a corner booth in a dimly lit bar that neither frequented. On some level, she hoped he chose it exactly for that reason—to make sure they weren’t interrupted by someone they knew, or to mark the beginning of…something. Of them. Maybe.

“Who?” she asked playfully.

“EJ,” he replied, calling her bluff by the look on his face.

“Oh. Her.”

“Yeah, her. You didn’t exactly welcome her with open arms. Quite the opposite, actually.”

“Let’s just say that I am glad she is gone.”

“Why?”

She hesitated briefly, contemplating, before she responded.

“She is not good enough for you.”

“Huh.”

“What?”

“Maybe she was right after all.”

“Right about what?”

Tony smiled a bit nervously and took another sip of his drink as Ziva waited, watching him closely with that look. He could just tell her about the movie aspect of the conversation. It wouldn’t be a lie, really, and it would keep them safely within their bounds. But he was sick of the games, of the walls. Plus, he was a little bit tipsy.

He decided to go for it. Throw it out into the open. Play with the fire.

“When we were at the safe house, she said that you care. About me.”

"Wow, such an astute observation by a brilliant, brilliant woman,” she said, rolling her eyes. Tony chuckled at her brashness, reminiscent of how she was when they first met. But he said nothing, wanting to hear her real response.

“Of course I do, Tony,” she said eventually with a soft smile on her face. “You are my partner.”

“Right,” he said, deflated.

“And sometimes,” she continued breathily, finally feeling the effects of her third drink. “You are even my friend.”

“Wow,” he said, cracking a smile and accepting her amended answer—for now. “I’m honored.”

“You should be.”

He laughed, and she did too.

And, he was.

“We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?”

“We have indeed. It is a miracle, really, given how intimidated you were when we first met.”

“I was not!” he exclaimed, knowing full well that she was right. Not that he’d ever admit it. “If anyone was intimidated, it was you.”

“Tony,” she said amusedly. “I know you.”

“Yeah,” he said, looking deeply into her eyes. “I suppose you do.”

She shot him a genuine smile; a happy and peaceful look graced her features.

“Seriously though, Tony. I think we’ve both grown quite a bit.”

“We most certainly have,” he laughed. “Remember when you secretly tried Air Guitar?”

Her mouth dropped. “How did you know about that?!”

“When you uploaded it later that night, my computer saved a copy.”

“Oh, sure it did. Just like it autonomously saved those bikini photos, yes?”

“Exactly,” he replied, winking at her.

“You also posted your ass on that stupid website.”

“Yeah,” he admitted, cringing at the memory. “But, you rated it.”

“A 2.”

“A 5, if I remember correctly.”

“Only if you shaved.”

They laughed, enjoying their banter. She took another swing of her drink, reflecting on how far they’d come over the years—how close they’d gotten. When she had first arrived at NCIS, she thought he was a womanizing goofball, a hormonal teenager in an adult’s body—albeit, an attractive body. As the years went on, though, he snuck by her well-built defenses and managed to take up residence inside her heart. She still wasn’t quite sure how he did so, as no other man had been able to break into her life like that.

And now? After everything they had been through together, she was tired of pretending. She knew she loved him, and that he knew too. They basically admitted as much back in Africa—him to her face, and her to the journals she kept in her office. They’d been dancing around each other for years, backing away whenever someone got too close. Part of it was, of course, not wanting to jeopardize their partnership.

But truthfully, she knew that was bullshit.

She was scared. She was scared of losing him. Everyone she had ever loved up to this point died, sometimes even in her arms. He was the most important person in the world to her, and the thought of something happening to him because of her was almost too much to bear.

But then, something did happen to him. He almost died. And it had nothing to do with her.

She wasn’t even there to protect him.

That night had shaken her to the core; it forced her to question all the reasons she had been keeping him at arm’s length, never letting him in for more than a few blissful moments. She still tried to distance herself and make it work with Ray; but, she was reminded of her losing battle whenever she saw him looking at her like she was the only thing on Earth that mattered.

The fear of him dying without ever telling him the truth had finally eclipsed her fear of losing him.

She wanted to stop pretending, finally. She suspected he did too, based on their interactions today.

They just couldn't waste any more time.

“I have a question.”

“Shoot,” he answered. “Figuratively, of course.”

She giggled. Actually giggled. God, how he loved that sound.

“Of all the ones we have worked on together, what has been your favorite case?”

“Oh, tough one David,” he grinned.

“Really?”

“Oh yeah,” he said. “We, uh…we make a good team. There have been a lot of good ones.”

“True,” she said, smiling softly.

“If you force my hand, though, I’d have to say Paris. It is a magical place,” he said with a flirtatious lilt in his voice and a knowing smirk.

“I should have guessed,” she replied. “I loved…Paris, too.”

He raised his eyebrows at her comment; she returned the gesture.

“And you?”

She bit her lip, debating whether she should tell him the truth. This was her chance. She was still scared, but she was also a little drunk by now, and hell, she honestly wanted him to know.

She wanted him to know everything.

“Well,” she began with a small smile on her face. “I liked them all. Or, most of them, like you. We make even the toughest cases enjoyable, when we work together.”

He smiled, opening his mouth to respond before she cut him off.

“But, to be perfectly honest with you,” she continued, boldly meeting his eyes. “My favorite was when we were under covers.”

"I think you mean undercover.”

She clucked her tongue playfully and softly touched his hand, drawing small circles and shaking her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

Tony’s eyes widened at her openly flirting with him as she smiled suggestively. He hadn’t seen this side of her, directed at him, in years. His mind was going a mile a minute trying to process it and what it meant for them. If it meant anything at all.

Taking one look at her eyes, though, he knew it meant something. It meant something big. Her eyes always spoke the truth—when it came to him, anyway.

She was pleased with herself. She managed to tell him while still giving him an out, if he wanted. She spoke their coded tongue.

Doing cartwheels in his head, he grinned back at her and boldly turned his hand over to take hold of hers, interlacing their fingers. He couldn’t even remember how long it had been since he wanted to do that.

He saw a flash of fear and surprise cross her eyes before being quickly replaced with something that could only be described as contentment.

“I wonder what it would be like if we did that again sometime. Went undercover, I mean,” he said, testing the waters with insinuations and metaphors just as she did. That was their language. If they were to even begin talking about the possibility of them, they both knew this was the easiest way to do it. At first, anyway.

She opened her mouth but said nothing at first, thinking of the best response. She felt the room’s temperature rise as he reciprocated her subtle advances and pushed her further.

She would not be outdone.

“I’d like that. We would be…good at it, too.”

He raised his eyebrows with a sly smile on his face.

“I don’t think your boyfriend would like that very much.”

“Ray? Oh, he is done. As soon as I talk to him, I am ending it.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

She looked at him more seriously now, with a hint of curiosity.

"He isn’t good enough for you.”

She smiled, touched by his admission.

This was it.

The dance was ending.

---

“You didn’t have to walk me home, Tony. I am fine.”

“I know you are,” he replied. “But, I’m a DiNozzo. We are gentlemen.”

She laughed, sarcastic comment on the tip of her tongue. She held it, though, not wanting to ruin the moment.

He pulled her a little closer, then. Her arm was tucked into his as they walked down the cold sidewalk, street glistening with the light of the stars and the snow flurries that started to fall.

“I had fun tonight.”

“Me too,” he said honestly.

As they approached her apartment, his heart raced faster. With EJ gone, Ray practically a done deal, their earlier conversations and the buzz in their systems, it seemed the perfect time to ask, if he was ever going to do so.

Would it ruin everything?

Or…would it be everything?

What the hell. He loved her.

He wiped his clammy hands on his coat and took the shot.

“I would, uh, like to do it again sometime. If you want. For…for real.”

She stopped walking and turned to face him, a silent question in her eyes.

His own tried desperately to answer.

Yes.

“After you break up with him.”

Understanding flashed across her face, to be quickly replaced with a dash of fear. He could see her wheels turning.

He could feel his own fear rising as he watched her. She saw it, though, and immediately softened her gaze, comforting him.

Placing a hand on his chest, she felt his heart race.

She smiled softly, making her choice. It was time to stop the game.

“I’d like that too.”

“Well then,” he said, letting out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. “It’s a date.”

She leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek, her other hand moving to his neck. His heart beat even faster as her touch lingered on his skin, leaving its mark. Claiming him.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

She held his gaze for a moment, delicately caressing his face before starting the ascent to her door.

“Ziva,” he said loudly.

She turned around to face him, at the top of the stairs now.

“Yes?”

“I’m happy you’re in my life, too.”

She nodded, smiling as she recalled their earlier conversation. It felt like a lifetime ago.

“Good night, Tony. Text me when you get home.”

“I will. Good night.”

She lingered a few moments more, staring into him before stepping inside.

In all of the years they spent working together, that was the first time she asked that of him. It wasn’t at all necessary—they both knew it—but it was loving. Another metaphor.

He could get used to this.