#but i’m on a family vacation i can’t get to my computer

[touchlikethesun]

james as psyche, he offers himself up to save the town

regulus as eros, monster/god/son under the thumb of his mother 

same set up as the myth, lovely mansion in the clouds, invisible servants, regulus only comes at night and orders james not to look at him because he wants/needs to keep his identity a secret 

walburga (aphrodite) wants to wipe out the town because her son (Sirius) left olympus to live among the mortals (James and Remus). Reg has been trying to stop her but can’t protect against all the abductions, cuts a deal with her to stop terrorising the town in exchange for james’s life, but says he’ll handle it himself - fully intends to, but reg has been watching james with his brother and upon finally meeting him, he just can’t bring himself to - and so begins the secret relationship, james can’t know who reg is, but they talk all night reg talks about his family and his brother (not mentioning names ofc) and james talks about his family and the pressures he’s under

eventually effie and fleamont are allowed to visit, they trust that james is happy but they’re suspicious about the identity of this being the whole village has believed to be a monster for generations. 

so late at night, james does get a candle, and looks at regulus sleeping and immediately recognises him as sirius’s brother. in his surprise he spills wax, and the story plays out again as the myth, with regulus fleeing, james undergoing walburga’s trials and eventually being granted godhood to live with regulus.

this is what i have so far.

and if i said eros and psyche jegulus au, with reg as eros and james as psyche… what then?

[lqvesoph]

She’s WHOSE daughter??? || LN4

lando norris x webber!reader

summary: Quali day in Melbourne also means some secrets are being spilled…

part 1 | part 2 | part 4 | part 5

masterlist | taglist

Part 3

The flight to Melbourne was only about three hours. Three hours that Daniel spent sleeping while Lando and you talked about god and the world.

He told you a lot about his family, his parents and siblings and his two little nieces. Your heart swelled a little at the pictures of him holding the two girls on vacation last summer.

You glanced over at Daniel and then turned your gaze to the British boy next to you.

"So, I was thinking-"

"So, about today morning-"

The two of you started at the same time, chuckling and looking down. "You go first", you quickly said, wanting to hear what Lando had to say first.

"About this morning, I… I really like you. I feel like I know you, which is pretty strange considering the fact we haven’t known each other that long. But I wanna get to know you more because… I really like you", he spoke, shyly glancing at you, only to find you smiling at him.

"I would love that, Lando", you smiled, reaching to grab his hand and interwind your fingers. "Can we please keep it low when people are around though? Because I really need to tell Oscar first before he finds out from stupid gossip pages and I don’t think his home race is the place to tell him that I’m dating his teammate", you chuckled at the last sentence.

Lando nodded in understanding and pulled your hand up to his lips, kissing your knuckles lightly. "That’s totally fine by me", he smiled, dropping your interlaced hands back into your lap.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"What on earth are you doing here??", your best friend called when he spotted you lingering in the back of the Mclaren garage. He quickly signaled his engineer that he’d be back shortly before walking over to you.

"You’re not even wearing any sort of Red Bull colour", Oscar stated after he looked you over once, mustering the white summer dress and lack of Red Bull hat.

"C’mon, I can’t go ‘round parading Red Bull as an Australian at the Australian Grand Prix, especially not when my best friend who’s also Australian drives for a different team", you chuckled, your eyes finding Lando’s for a second who still stood in front of the computer, looking at data along with his engineer. He sent you one of his adorable little smiles before shifting his attention back to work.

"I think this is honestly the first time you’ve ever stood inside here for more than 5 seconds and without me forcing you", Oscar chuckled.

Before Oscar could drag you to his side of the garage, Lando showed up behind him, a wide grin on his face.

"And who do we have here, Red Bull’s princess in papaya", he smirked. Your smile immediately brightening at the sound of his voice. "Well we’re not as far as me actually being IN papaya, I’m colour neutral today", you replied, making Lando raise his eyebrows before pulling his Mclaren hat off and pushing it down on your hair in a quick motion.

"Heyy!", you protested with a giggle and tried to slap his arm away. "That looks way better, wouldn’t you say Oscar?", the brit laughed and turned to his teammate, whose invisible question mark was getting bigger and bigger.

Thankfully his race engineer called him back before he could pose any of his million questions. But that didn’t mean that he didn’t still keep his eyes on the two of you, catching the gentle squeeze Lando gave your hand, that held on longer than necessary.

📍Melbourne, Australia

tagged: landonorris, oscarpiastri, danielricciardo, ybsf

yn.adams: Feels great to be back in Australia and especially at Albert Park!! Quali up next🏎️

comments:

landonorris: Loads of papaya right here🧡

> landonorris: Even a papaya sunset🤭

> fan: How did he convert her over to McLaren???

> fan: That d must me hella good if she’s willing to change teams…

oscarpiastri: How am I only posted once???

> fan: Oscar asking the important questions!!

> fan: Fr tho how did she post Lando 3x??

danielricciardo: I’m sorry, is that papaya I see there??

kellypiquet: You look absolutely gorgeous!!

> yn.adams: Luv uuuu

ybsf: THE BEACH PICTURE!!

liked by landonorris

fan: That’s a lot of papaya for you, miss🤨

fan: Posting Lando 3x in one post…

fan: Daniel with the truck LMAOOO

fan: Not a single photo from the Red Bull/RB garange🫣

> fan: Lando be turning her into a Mclaren fan

load more comments…

*~**~*

Your heart swelled with pride when you saw Lando jump up to P4 on the leader board, your smile just slightly getting bigger. You clapped your hands a few times, celebrating Max’s pole with the other crew members but secretly also Lando’s good starting position for the race tomorrow.

You quietly hushed out of the garage to walk down the paddock to Mclaren, waiting for Lando to arrive.

"Heyy!", he called with a laugh. You giggled and opened your arms for him. His curls were slightly damp from the sweat but you pushed your fingers through them anyway as his arms wrapped around your waist.

"I’m proud of you!", you muttered for only him to hear and felt him smile and squeezed your hip. "Thank you", he smiled and pulled back.

"You wanna come inside?", Lando then asked, nodding towards the papaya hospitality. You hesitated for a second but nodded and resisted the urge to grab the driver’s hand.

He smiled for a few pictures and waved at fans before opening the door for you.

"Lando, debrief is at 6", Jon reminded Lando before said boy grabbed your hand and dragged you towards his driver room.

He pushed the door shut behind you and unzipped his orange race suit, the black fireproof coming to show.

"These are so hot", you muttered, letting your intrusive thoughts take over as you trailed your fingers along his chest. Lando chuckled and pulled you closer by the waist. "You wanna take ‘em off?", he joked teasingly but the glint in his eyes told you he really wouldn’t mind if you did.

You chuckled and pulled his lips on yours, his tongue finding its way into your mouth shortly after. Lando pushed you back until the back of your knees hit the couch and he let you down on his carefully, all while letting his hands roam up and down your body.

You whined when he sucked the gentle skin on your neck, his hand coming to rest on the back of your thigh. You put your hands on either side of his face and pulled him back up so your lips could touch again.

"Lando, have you seen- oh wow, that’s why you didn’t come to congratulate me!"

The door opened, making you push Lando away from you and scrambling up to sit straight on the couch.

Oscar stood in the doorway, putting his hands on his hips. "Respect, mate. I didn’t think you’d be brave enough", he said, turning his gaze to Lando.

You squeezed your eyes shut, praying that your best friend would keep his mouth shut.

"Huh?", Lando asked, a confused expression gracing his face. "Just because Mark has always been against his daughter dating drivers, I mean I tried when I first met her but respect mate", Oscar kept talking, now crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Mark?", Lando questioned, his confusion growing as the seconds passed. You silently begged Oscar to finally quit talking but he didn’t catch on.

"Mark, her dad? Mark Webber", Oscar explained, now confused as well.

"Your dad is Mark Webber?", Lando called, turning his head to you.

Just then your phone chimed with a new message.

dad: What’s going on with you and Lando?

taglist

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[rafeandonlyrafe]

i am a rich man

words: 1k

warnings: misogyny, brief mention of violence, reader is a kook

a/n: im on vacation starting tomorrow monday 1/22-friday so i will not be posting any new fics for this week!

“have you decided what car you want baby?” rafe asks, pressing a kiss to your cheek as you scroll through the dealerships website.

“i’ve narrowed it down to two.” you tilt your phone towards rafe, letting him look at one car before navigating to the other tab to show him.

“why don’t you test drive both and decide after that? and if you like both, just buy both.” rafe shrugs. it was weird for him at first being with someone who had even more money than his family, but now he’s grown used to it, liking knowing you can support yourself if needed, even though rafe likes to buy most things for you.

“good point.” you hum. “i’d have to park one on the driveway though, my dad is only giving me one spot in the garage.” you pout. your dad has a mild obsession with sports cars, and therefore three of the four spots in the garage were already taken.

“lets not worry about it now, figure it out after you see them in person.” rafe says, and you nod, getting up off the couch to head to the dealership, glad that rafe agreed to drive you and test the cars with you, mainly because you didn’t want to spend the day without him.

it’s a long drive to the nearest dealership that had cars in your price range, but you don’t mind as you sing along to your favorite songs playing through rafes trucks speakers, always letting you be the dj even if he can’t stand some of the girly pop songs that you play.

“almost there.” rafe reaches over, squeezing your thigh as the dealership finally comes into view.

“thank god.” you groan. “my butt is starting to go numb.” “don’t talk about your butt when we are about to be in public.” rafe warns, glancing over at you as you giggle.

“sorry baby.” you say, in a voice that tells rafe that you’re not at all sorry.

“let me drop you off at the front, i’ll park the car then join you inside.” rafe says upon pulling in and realizing that there are no close parking spots, and he doesn’t want to make you walk outside for longer than he has to.

“mmkay, thanks baby.” you lean over and press a kiss to his cheek, always extra appreciative and lovey on rafe when he does sweet things for you, even if its just something little.

you hop out of the truck, heading inside the main showroom of the dealership.

“hello, ma’am!” a sales associate instantly hurries over to you. “i’m john, did you have an appointment?” “no, but i’ve checked out your inventory online and i know what i’d like to test drive today.” you say with a fake smile right back, already not liking the condescending attitude that john is giving off.

“alright, well lets take a seat at my desk and you can tell me your budget.” john walks you over to his cubicle, and before he can begin talking you’re joined by rafe.

“this is my boyfriend, he’s helping me pick out a car today.” you say as he sits down next to you, reaching over and looping your fingers through his, already eyeing up john as he tries to size him up.

“hello, sir.” john smiles. “so what is your budget?” he addresses the question at rafe, making your eyebrows scrunch together.

“well,” you answer, making johns gaze flick quickly to you, “budget isn’t an issue. i know what two cars i would like to look at.”

“okay, if you just want to tell me the models i will pull them up.” john turns the computer screen so you all can see as you tell him the two cars that peaked your interest the most.

“and i assume you will be financing?” he hums. you glance at rafe, shocked that he would have the audacity to assume anything.

“no.” rafe answers for you. “in full.” “okay, that makes sense that you will be paying, sir.” john says, nonchalantly as if he didn’t just imply that you wouldn’t be able to afford the car.

“as said before, i will be the one purchasing the car, so while my boyfriend is here to help me, i am your customer.” you clear up, hand squeezing rafes as you try to hold back your anger, knowing you can get just as fired up as him.

“sorry, just don’t see many young women being able to buy cars like these outright.” he says before quickly switching the subject, going through some of the specs of the vehicles. “and the cost on that one is $94,000.”

“wait a minute.” you rub your forehead, getting tired of this mans bullshit. “while i said money was no issue, that doesn’t mean that i’m going to let you get away with scamming me. that car is worth no more than 75.” “well, ma’am, there are various-” “no.” you shake your head. “i have done my research on these vehicles and i know that ever 75 is on the high end.” “let me double check my figures.” john swallows nervously, turning the screen so only he can see it as you send a look at rafe, seeing he’s struggling just as much as you not to reach across the desk and smack the misogynistic sales associate across the face.

“my apologies, i must have accidentally selected an additional maintenance package. it is $74,000.” john says.

“that sounds much more reasonable, but i will not be purchasing a car from someone who tries to scam me out of my money just because they think i’m a dumb girl. get me a different sales associate, now.” you command.

john scurries away from the desk, the stark opposite of the cockiness air that he had when you first arrived.

“jesus, you’re hot when you’re scary.” rafe says, looking you up and down as you smirk at your boyfriend, knowing while you’re usually sickly sweet, when a man irks you wrong, it brings out your full wrath.

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[hauntedbythefanficsofmypast]

Universe Hopping and Reunion Trip Planning

Masterlist

Past, Present, and that of Space

Danny turned his camera off before turning back to the portal he just stepped through. Fry, Leela, Bender, and the Professor stood on the other side of the portal looking around his dimension.

“This definitely isn’t the weirdest thing we’ve done and seen but it's on the list.” Fry said as he leaned forward looking around Danny’s room. “Dude sick ceiling!” Danny laughed, smiling at the red head before nodding.

“I know right! Thanks for helping with my video you guys! It’s gonna be crazy popular. Once I am twenty-one I will definitely drop in to have a night in the space clubs with you all!” Fry laughed, nodding and he pulled his head back through the portal.

“Hell ya! We’ll plan the best night out for you right Bender!” Bender waved his hand after opening a beer and starting to chug it.

“Ya, ya whatever as long as we’re drinking I don’t care.” Danny snorted, rolling his eyes before looking at Leela who just smirked at him.

“Remember what I said, and please don’t share it with them.”Danny said, reaching out and shaking her hand. “They’ll use it willy-nilly, you’ll use it when needed.” Leela nodded as she returned the hand shake.

“Trust me, they won’t know anything. It was nice meeting you Danny, feel free to stop by anytime.” Danny nodded with a grin before they all stepped back waving to each other as Dani closed the portal.

“I’m going to have so much editing to do.” Danny groaned, causing his friends to laugh at him.

“You act like you didn’t fall in love with videography and editing. Sure it will be tedious but at least it isn’t a meeting with the Observants."

Val said, patting his back and Danny couldn’t help but nod. “Now I’m going to go take a shower. I still feel like I’m covered in that Slurm drink Bender poured on me.” Wes laughed before he punched Danny shoulder as Val walked past.

“Come on Danny, I’ll edit the first video you edit the second. Don’t worry I’ve studied how you edit, no one will know the difference. Besides with my curse I’d just have to tell people I had edited it and no one would believe I did.” Danny snorted, shaking his head as he followed Wes up to his room.

“Take the bed Wes.” Danny said place the USB with the first video on it before moving to grab his laptop.

“Danny I can't just take the bed from you I’ll sit in your chair you take…the bed.” Wes slowed his sentence as he turned around to see Danny floating in the air, legs crossed and leaning back slightly. “Oh, I’ll take the bed.” Danny snorted rolling his eyes as Wes set himself up on his bed.

“Alright so Jack and Maddie are Danny's parents, that means Bruce has a connection to them.” Tim said confidently before taking a few bites of his dinner in front of him. “It’s been a long time now but I think we can swing something especially with these coordinates to Amity Park. I was able to hack into the computer of Alicia Burgess and confirm through a few emails that they live in Amity Park.” Bruce nodded as he glanced around the table at his family as he thought on how to go about this.

“The question is how to go about it, I can’t just walk about and say I wanted a reunion. I didn’t even graduate with them.” Tim snorted softly, rolling his eyes as if Bruce was asking a stupid question.

Which in Tim’s eyes he was.

“Of course not, it’ll be you and Harley reaching out. Harely insisted on reaching out and finding two of her old college buddies wanting to have a reunion given their twentieth college reunion passed and neither they nor Harley went. As a celebration of having her sanity nearly fully back she decided she wanted to find them and decided you were going along with her.” Tim smirked, setting his fork down as he leaned back in his seat. “Of course, we couldn’t just let our adoptive dad go off on his own. Brucie would get into a lot of trouble left alone with just Harley. So of course I’ve decided to take my vacation time now and go with, and Jason is currently on his ‘summer break’ since he attends college during the summer. Cass is visiting so she’ll come to enjoy a part of her vacation with us and of course Harley’s fiance Ivy will be coming to meet these old friends!” Everyone looked at Tim as they thought over his plan and Dick was the first to speak up.

“I’m gonna have to be Batman again aren’t I?” Tim nodded, causing him to groan and earn an amused look from Bruce.

“Don’t worry Chum, I won’t leave you with the cowl for long I promise. Or you could go and I could pretend to be Nightwing.”

“NO!” Dick stood up pointing a finger at Bruce with fake over dramatic tears in his eyes. “I had to deal with continuous social media on Nightwing letting himself go the last time you went out as me! Never again!” The table burst into laughter as Bruce covered his face groaning.

“Really Richard?”

“Yes really! You had my criminals crying and thanking the lord when they realized I was actually Nightwing! People were going around saying how happy they were that Twink-wing was back! They were calling me TWINK-WING!!! You’re going on the trip or so help me Bruce, so help me I’ll go over the edge.” Bruce coughed not making eye contact with Dick as he looked at Tim.

“I look forward to our small trip Timmy, thanks for coming along with us.” Tim snorted, nodding as he started eating again. Jason looked around the table at everyone as Dick sat down taking some calling breaths.

“Sooo anyone but me gonna acknowledge it?” He smirked, crossing his arms and leaning back staring at Tim, who tensed eyes narrowing as he looked at Jason. “Okay, okay, I’ll say it. Tammy here is only coming along to see his internet crush.” In seconds Tim was over the table attempting to strangle Jason who grinned, grabbing and tossing him across the room towards the door. He was out of his seat in seconds and a slightly playful fight broke out between the two that had everyone but Bruce and Alfred cheering on either Jason or Tim.

“This will be an eventful trip.” Bruce said as he continued eating, ignoring the fight happening. Alfred said nothing as he watched the two, he could recognize it as a bonding fight over an actual one. So instead of getting on their case he simply watched.

“Phones?”

“Check.”

“Chargers?”

“Check.”

“Toothbrush, toothpaste, and hairbrush?”

“Check, check, and check, honestly Master Bruce are you doubting my ability to sufficiently pack for a two week trip for you all.”

“What no Alfred I'm not I just-”

“He's just paranoid because he is leaving Gotham for longer than a weekend trip and is too hands on to calm down. Resulting in him micromanaging everyone.”

“Ah Richard, do me a favor, take your father off my hands so I may finish my job.” Dick laughed walking into the room grabbing Bruce’s arm.

“Now that I can do without a problem!! Come on B!” Bruce sighed letting Dick lead him out of his room and down to the library. “Stop worrying Alfred will have everything you need. You just need to make sure you have your belt on you.”

“I always have my belt on me.” He grumbled earning an amused look from Dick. “Do you have yours?”

“Of course I do! Do I look like Steph?” Seconds later a book hit him as Steph’s head popped over the edge of the bird nest Bruce had built for him. 

A small smile crossed his face as he looked up at the nest while Steph and Dick bantered back and forth playfully. Looking down from the nest and to Dick, Bruce felt as if he closed his eyes he could remember his little Robin. The boy who insisted to have the nest built so he had somewhere high up to rest and wait for Bruce to get home. He used it anytime he got hurt and put on bed rest, and the rest of his birds followed. It was the first change he had made to Wayne manor, apart from having Alfred remove all of his parents' pictures after their passing. Though those went up soon after Dick joined him, when Dick said the walls were bare Bruce jumped to show off the pictures. He hadn’t realized how much he missed them until then, and the family of three made it a day putting them all up together. Now his family had grown to twelve and their pictures had been added around. Surrounding his parents' photos as if to show off his kids to them.

He blinked when Dick punched his arm slightly gaining his attention. “Caught in memories old man.” He playfully pointed a finger in Bruce’s face, a twinkle in his eye that made Bruce smile softer. “You know you make me feel old when you do that! I’m still young, still beautiful.” He dramatically held his hand to his chest as he said the last sentence. Bruce couldn’t even hold in his laughter after hearing that come from his eldest. 

“Honestly Chum, let an old man remember his little angry filled nine year old who demanded a nest in the library so that he could wait for me to get home when on bed rest.” Dick snorted, looking away with a bashful smile.

“Ya that nest worked out pretty well, it's the perfect meet up spot.” He chuckled, punching Bruce’s shoulder before making his way up to the nest. “Come on B, relax with everyone before you leave.”

“I’m coming Chum.”

[0sincerelyella]

Can you write a ANDREI IOSIVAS fic just cuddling with him or something

My Girl - Andrei iosivas

Summary: Andrei is new to the nfl, just fresh out of college and just having his NFL debut recently, his birthday turns out to be his greatest day in his personal life and his career ever.

A/n: YES YES A MILLION TIMES YES

girl everytime i go to write this HE DOES SMTH AMAZING

babe got his FIRST CAREER TOUCHDOWN WOOOO happy birthday yosh!

y/n, regrettably has not been able to make it to a single bengals game this season. Her long term boyfriend, andre iosivas, was a rookie in the nfl, but y/n herself was finishing up nursing school and she’s just been to busy.

with andreis bitrthday being today, his only wish, which he never voiced to y/n (knowing her busy schedule, he hated being a bother because of his own silly wants), was for y/n to make it to his game.

he met y/n in hawaii while she was on vacation with her family. he worked up the courage to ask the beautiful girl for her number and she thankfully said yes. they did long distance for awhile until both decided to go to princeton. the first time they saw eachother was the most magical moment.

when andrei woke up this morning, y/n had her books and papers spread all across the kitchen table with her head in her hands. she wore her hair in a messy bun, one of andreis hoodies hugging her body as she frustratingly typed on her computer. “how long have you been up beautiful?”

he wraps his arms around her neck as he stands behind her. “four” she said yawning, which wasn’t a total lie.

andrei sighed, kissing her cheek. “i’m sorry love, your gonna ace this exam though” he promised, smiling at his lover. little did he know, y/n took her exam a week ago, getting permission to take it early. “i’m sorry i can’t come to your game today drei” she said, standing up to hug him. “happy birthday though” she whispered, making sure he knew she didn’t forget. he giggled, holding her hips. “thank you sweetheart” he kissed her forehead and spun her around “and don’t worry about the game, you study your butt off and i’ll help you study tomorrow. you’ve got this my sweet girl”

andrei got himself ready and left as y/n held the door open and watched him leave. she said her byes and shut the door. y/n then ran to the kitchen and cleaned up her props, throwing them in the closet. she took off andreis hoodie to reveal the fresh iosivas jersey that was underneath. she quickly got ready with excitement in her eyes. the first game of the season that she can see, sadly, is the sixth one. the bengals have not been doing to hot recently, but y/ns support never waivers

she could not wait to see the smile on andreis face as she drove to the stadium. she practically ran into the stadium to sit down. she sat directly in the front, leaning down and cheering as she watched the game.

when she saw joe scrambling to find a person to throw the ball to, that’s when she saw andrei. she yelled so happily as the ball was thrown down the field and turned into andreis first career touchdown. y/n screamed at the top of her lungs as she jumped up and down. happier than anything.

she watched as her face appeared on the jumbo tron. she also watched as in the excitement, andrei looks towards the jumbo tron and his whole face changes. his neck snaps towards the seats as he searches for her. and once their eyes met he ran as fast as he could. “happy birthday!” she screamed, his smile was the greatest gift even if it wasn’t y/ns birthday.

“You suck!” he giggled, handing her the game ball. “your kidding!” “gotta go love!” andrei ran back to the field and y/n couldn’t be happier.

after the game, y/n waited patiently as andrei sprinted at out the locker room in a record breaking 20 minutes. and as he saw y/n standing with a gift and the game ball in hand he tackled her into the biggest hug she’s ever received. “i love you a thousand times over” he whispered, swaying back and forth. “best birthday ever” he added, kissing her passionately.

after the kiss, y/n handed him the gift. “y/n, you are gift enough” he said, still standing in the middle of the facility not knowing which reporters are watching and recording their every move but andrei didn’t even think twice, his excitement was too overwhelming to care who watched.

y/n shook her head and watched as he ripped apart the packaging and opened a glass incased orange and yellow hibiscus flower. the flower was wilted, and the glass read the date of their meeting. “i got it incased in glass a year after we met when we were still long distance and i was waiting for the right moment to give it to you” she waited six years to give him this gift.

“you waited six years?”

“i wanted it to have value. eventually i had forgotten, and the other day while i was coming up with this plan i had found it, and figured this birthday was a better time than any to gift you this gift” andrei had tears in his eyes

this gift, the flower, was the flower he gave her the day they met. hand picked, and handed straight to her along with a request for her number.

his first career touchdown, his girl finishing her test early and cutting all school work for the next two days just to be with him, and the best gift he could ever receive. it created his dream.

andrei quickly drove the two home, practically running inside with his girl in his arms. “my girl,” he breaths, laying her on the couch and jumping on top of her. he burrows his face into her shoulder and lays there “this is the only thing i’ll be doing for the next two days” he speaks into her neck and just lays there

“my girl” he breaths again, “being married to you will be the greatest thing in the world” y/n holds her birthday boy in her arms. “my beautiful beautiful girl”

[ariesqueencobra]

what we used to be | Xlll

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Summary: You're in love with a boy but then the rose-tinted lenses fall off and suddenly you're not so sure about anything.

Warnings: swearing, kissing, bullying, mentions of violence

Word Count: 2.1k

A/N: We've now entered Hawk's red hair era...

Thank you to those who already reblog and comment, I see you and I love you all for it!

I don't consent to this work being copied, translated or reposted.

You met Eli at the tattoo parlor after brunch with your parents and grandmother. It was a pleasant meal, your grandma being happy to see more of her first grandchild now that you were on summer vacation. 

Now that familial duties were out of the way, you could spend the rest of the day with your boyfriend and friends. 

Eli was laid out on the table, updating the color of the hawk’s hair to match his new hue. 

You liked the red he chose this time around. It was bolder, fiercer, and badass. You watched as he got up, thanking Rico as you stood up, walking over to him.

That’s when you noticed the new tattoo. “Lavenders?” Your heart swelled, placing your hand on his chest and tracing around the fresh ink.

“Since they’re your favorite,” he smirked, taking his shirt from you. “Snuck one of your drawings the other day, Rico was able to trace it,” he added.

You smiled before leaning in to kiss him, something he welcomed. You pulled away, licking your lips as he wrapped his arm loosely around your neck. Making your way towards the entrance, he stopped, calling out to Chris and Mitch.

“Hey, asshole twins, grab my bag,” Eli ordered.

You snickered as you walked out, loving the confidence he carried.

~

Later in the day, the entire dojo was hanging out at a restaurant in the mall. You were sitting with the girls, Eli was somewhere, and Miguel was working really hard on his computer.

“So, you and Hawk have been making heart eyes during the last few classes. What’s up with that?” Aisha asked, a teasing smile on her face.

“Wait, you’re just noticing that?” Tory laughed.

Their comments made your face heat up but you answered anyway. “We kinda said “I love you” a couple of weeks ago” you beamed.

“Woah, that means it’s serious,” Aisha’s eyes widened. 

“Look at that, young love,” Tory smirked, laughing with Aisha.

You grinned just as Eli walked past your table, he smirked at you, sending you a wink. To which the two girls teased you about. 

“He also got a tattoo of my drawing with my name,” you bit down on your lip to hide your smile.

“That means he’s totally whipped,” Tory explained. “Getting something so permanent?” She huffed.

“It’s insane, right?” You hummed, unable to hide your smile.

“You think?” Aisha raised a brow. 

You all laughed just as your food arrived. Beginning to eat, you noticed Eli was nowhere to be found but you ignored it when Aisha and Tory started talking about Sam LaRusso and what went down at the country club the other day.

“I still can’t believe she did that,” you shook your head after being told she accused Tory of stealing her mom’s wallet. “So what if you swiped a few bottles and some silverware, a place like that is not gonna miss it,” you scoffed.

“Exactly my point,” Tory said before glancing at Miguel.

You and Aisha sent each other a knowing look before she stood up and walked over to his table. 

“I’m probably gonna head out, do you need a ride home?” Aisha asked.

“Nah, Eli’s taking me back to the dojo, I left my bike there,” you said. 

You said bye to her, deciding to go on your phone and text your boyfriend. 

It wasn’t a lot longer that Tory and Miguel were leaving, something about her showing him how to get over Sam.

Now alone in the restaurant, you grabbed your bag, making your way out in hopes of spotting Eli. You barely walked into the mall before you knocked into him.

“Where’d you- what happened?” You quickly noticed the black eye, hands reaching up to cup his face. Your heart picks up at the thought that he got into a fight. 

He pushed your hands away and you frowned at that. “Let’s just go to the dojo,” he brushed past you, jaw clenched, eyes cold and forward. 

You were worried, only able to follow him as you made it to his car. Even inside, he didn’t tell you. 

“What happened?” You repeated. “You’re scaring me, Eli,” you gulped, glancing back out into the road.

“I’ll explain later, I just,” his fists clenched the steering wheel. 

You let out a shaky breath, nervous that he was driving while clearly under duress. Thankfully, the drive to the dojo wasn’t far and you were able to arrive just as the sun had set, the night sky settling above you.

“We fought Miyagi-Do and we lost,” he huffed, turning off the ignition and sitting back in defeat.

“Why would you fight Miyagi-Do?” You furrowed your brows. “Did they do something?”

His jaw ticked, exhaling. “Yeah, they did,” he looked over at you. “Demitri left a bad review about Cobra Kai like the pussy he is, we found him in the mall so we taught him a lesson,” he smirked. “Such a fucking traitor for joining Miyagi-Do after all the credit he took from Cobra Kai,” he scoffed.

You looked down, feeling guilty as you were aware that Demitri did join Miyagi-Do but then his words processed. “What do you mean taught him a lesson?” 

“I told him to take the review down or I’d take him down,” he shrugged like it was the most obvious thing to do. “Thought we were gonna win even when LaRusso and Keene showed up, but,” he huffed, not finishing his thought. 

You paused.

“You would hurt Demetri?” Your heart fell, realization dawning.

“That’s what you’re worried about?” He spat, annoyance laced in his voice.

You shook your head, stepping out of the car. 

“What the hell is your problem?” He walked over to you, grabbing onto your wrist and pulling you to face him.

You pulled away from his grasp. “You think a bad review warrants cornering your best friend at the mall?” You scoffed, raising your hands. 

“He asked for it when he joined Miyagi-Do!” He screamed. 

“Why does that matter?” You shouted back. 

“Because he’s a fucking nerd! He always will be!” 

You frowned, taking a step back. It broke your heart to see him believe that was a terrible thing, you tried so hard but you couldn’t defend it. “And being a nerd warrants being bullied?” You asked, tears welling in your eyes.

His fists clenched at his sides.

“Because it’s one thing to beat on assholes like Kyler, but Demitri?” You winced. “If you can turn on him, then who’s to say what you’d do to me?” You asked. 

His gaze softened and he reached for you. “You know I’d never hurt you,” he glanced down, anger returning when you avoided his touch. 

“You did when you hurt Demitri,” you stated. “I think we should take a break,” you wiped a stray tear, taking a few steps back. 

“Y/N, you’re crazy,” he stopped you by grabbing your wrist. “Are you really about to do this?” He realized, voice changing back to an icy cold. 

“Get your hand off me,” you gritted, ripping away from his grasp. “You’re not the Eli I remember falling in love with,” you said. 

“What happened to you saying you’ll love all of me?” He inhaled.

“I guess you managed to show me a side of you I don’t love,” you pressed your lips together. 

“No,” he shook his head. “We’re not ending things, not over him,” he gritted before pulling his shirt over his head. “Do you know what this means?” He pointed at the tattoo he got for you. 

“I do,” you nodded. “Clearly, you don’t because if you did, you wouldn’t have hurt Demitri,” you shuffled on your feet, backing away. “Goodbye, Hawk,” you swallowed before walking towards your bike.

He called after you, but you didn’t turn back. Instead, you biked home, tears streaming down your cheeks and your chest aching with a broken heart.

~

You cried all the way home and you tried your best to hide your tears when you entered your house but your mom was sitting in the living room when you entered.

“Eli and I broke up,” you didn’t try to hide it before falling into the comforting arms of your mom. 

“What happened?” She cradled you, rubbing your back soothingly. “I’m so sorry, honey,” she kissed the top of your head. 

“He hurt Demitri,” you sobbed, voice muffled by her shirt. “He attacked him at the mall and he didn’t care!” You looked up, tears streaming down your face uncontrollably. “I didn’t think he’d change this much, it hurts!” You clutched your chest, doubling over as another wave of sobs wracked through you.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” she cooed. “He was your first love, it’s normal to hurt. But you did the right thing,” she said. “If you felt it in your gut that you needed to end things, then that’s all that matters.” 

You were glad your father wasn’t home because you could only imagine how he’d say he was right about him. Probably saying “I told you so”.

But right now it was just you and your mom. 

The next morning, you made it to the dojo, nervousness filling you knowing you’d see Eli again.

“Are you okay?” Aisha asked, she and Tory were standing in front of you, worry on their faces. “What’s wrong?”

“Umm,” you scratched the back of your neck. “I ended things with Eli,” you breathed out, voice weighing heavy. 

“Shit, what happened?” Tory rubbed your arm reassuringly. 

You took a deep breath in but the bells signaled an arrival, you stopped when Eli and Miguel walked through. You made eye contact with him but when the girls saw who it was, they blocked you from his line of sight. 

Thankful, you took your place on the mat before class began.

You spent the rest of the class sparring with each other, practicing your techniques. You finished off with Tory, you scored more in the end but it was a close match. Now, you kneeled next to her, the class watching Eli and Miguel fight.

Miguel scored a point, hitting Eli in the stomach. Sensei ordered them to go again until the bells of the door jangled, signaling an arrival. 

Mr. LaRusso came storming in, pissed off, searching for Sensei you assumed.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Sensei asked. 

“Like you don’t know,” Mr. LaRusso sneered.

“Take your shoes off the mat. You’re disrespecting my dojo,” Sensei stalked over.

That pissed Mr. LaRusso even more. “You’re seriously gonna talk to me about disrespecting dojos after what you just did to mine?” He came face to face with Sensei, hurt and aggravation spread on his face.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything to your dojo.” 

You watched as Eli and Miguel walked out of the way, but a look on Eli’s face gave you suspicion. 

“Just like you didn’t slug one of my employees, hug?” Mr. LaRusso said. 

You furrowed your brows.

“You know, part of me felt bad for you at one point, but you make it so easy to remember who the bad guy is in all of this,” he snickered. “You call yourself a sensei, you don’t even know what a sensei is. A sensei mentors, a sensei elevates. He doesn’t teach destruction and disrespect!” He shouted. 

Sensei narrowed his gaze. “I already said I don’t know what you’re talking about, LaRusso,” he stepped closer. “And I know you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about either.”

“Yeah, well I know you don’t- you don’t earn the Medal of Honor by stealing it,” Mr. LaRusso got choked up. 

You frowned, wondering what had happened.

“Let me tell you something about your sensei,” Mr. LaRusso began, taking a step back. 

Your attention was drawn back to him. 

“He may know how to fight, but he doesn't know what it takes to truly win at life,” he said. “If you want to get out before it’s too late, now’s your chance.”

“You think you can come here and poach my students?” Sensei spat. 

“And what are you gonna do about it? You know I’m not gonna strike first,” he smiled, almost enticing Sensei. 

Sensei came face-to-face, almost like he was going to strike first but he took a step back.

“I’m gonna be a bigger man,” Sensei said, shocking you.

“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” Mr. LaRusso said before walking out. 

A beat passed and you saw as Chris gathered his things.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Sensei asked. 

He didn’t respond until Mitch called after him, saying, “I never liked it here.”

You sympathized but the more students that began filing out, the louder your gut was screaming to follow. You stared at the mat for a second until you did. Tory tried to stop you but you sent her a look. 

“Woah, Miss L/N?” Sensei called after you.

“I joined Cobra Kai to fight assholes, not become one,” you said before you grabbed your bag, walking out, leaving the place where all your problems started.

[redheadspark]

Barry Keoghan March Prompt 2 please and thank you 💙

A/N - Aww this is adorable! I made this nice and short and cute for you to read, I hope you like it! Thanks for requesting!

Hold

Summary - Barry loves holding your hand

Warning - Just fluff :)

“Alright, how does your month look for our holiday?” 

“Looks, good. The awards season is done and I have a solid month open before my next project,”

“Perfect!  And….done, we’re officially going on holiday,”

Barry chuckled as you slammed the Laptop shut in relief, he reached over to lace your fingers together from across the tiny coffee table between the pair of you.  The rest of the shop was mostly deserted, except for a few patrons who were working on their own computers or reading. With the pattering of rain and the sun attempting to push through the storm clouds that were rolling by, you and Barry wanted to hide out in a coffee shop and have some one-on-one time together.  It was one of your favorite coffee shops, you found a spot tucked away from the windows and out of the public eye since Barry was not being recognized out and about.  He loved his stardom, he truly did, but he also loved having time away from set or paparazzi could be your boyfriend.

One of his favorite things to do with you was hold your hand.

Sure it seemed like it was such a simple thing to do, but he loved having your hand in his.  Anytime he could, he would hold your hand and keep it tucked tight.  Walking together shoulder to shoulder, watching a movie together cuddled on the couch, even falling asleep together when he would cuddle you close in his embrace.  Something about having your hand in his, it felt like Ana char for him with how fast things were moving in his life.

“Where are we goin’?” He asked you as you took a long sip from your latte.

“Not going to tell you,” You hummed as an answer, seeing him cock up an eyebrow at you, “As someone who has connections to travel agents, this holiday is going to be amazing for us.  Just be prepared to dress for warmth,”

“Ah, so I need my speedo?” He joked, and you giggled as he grinned from ear to ear.

“You would want to bring your speedo when we go under the sun,” You teased, “But you can’t get a sunburn or else your publicist will kill me,”

“Eh, she won’t do a thing to you,” Barry reassured you as he scooted over to be right next to you, wrapping a spare arm around your shoulders to tuck you in a bit closer next to him.  Your hands were still connected on top of the table, his thumb stroking your skin back and forth along our hand as he spoke again, “She’s a great publicist, but wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“I know, that’s why I like her: she's kind but she keeps you in check when you’re away,” You explained, Barry kissing the top of your head.

“You make it seem like I’m a bad boy,” he commented, though he saw you smile as he poked your side, “You think I am, don’t ya?”

“Never said that,” You replied with a laugh as he poked your side again. Barry loved this banter between the pair of you, ever since you met two years ago thanks to a mutual friend who introduced the pair of you at a wrap party from one of his independent films.  Barry instantly liked you, from how you laughed at one of the corny pickup lines another bloke tried on you, to how you were asking him plenty of questions about acting and what method he liked the best.  He could tell you genuinely liked him as a person, not as an actor or a movie star.  He asked you for your number, and you two have been a pair since then.

He was an actor who thrived and craved privacy, especially when it came to his personal life.  He wanted to have his relationship with you as private as possible, not wanting to have public dates or extravagant vacations.  In fact, he was the opposite, wanting to find little tucked-away restaurants to eat at or small getaways with no prying eyes.  He saw now that acting life can tear families and relationships apart, and the one main thing he never wished for was to have his life with you tainted and ruined.  But you never cared, not when you had your own life to deal with and your workload keeping you busy most days.

Still, little by little, you were known as his girlfriend.  Barry taking you to a couple of premiers, dropping your name at interviews and talk shows, even walking with you side by side with the paparazzi catching the image at the right moment.  He could see that you were no wallflower when it came to being in the spotlight from time to time.  Sometimes the gossip columns and tabloids did get to you once or twice, but you were they were lies and not even close to the truth.  

Barry loved having your hand in his when times were tough or when he was too stressed, It brought him inner peace and tranquility.  If he could, he would hold your hand all the time and never let you go.  Sure it seemed possessive, but he didn’t care. Barry cared about you and how you moved him from the inside out.  Even seeing pictures of the two of you holding hands out in public, at a premiere or a party would always put butterflies in his stomach and make his heart swell.  

He never felt like this with any other girlfriend, not for a long time.  

“So, this warm holiday, am I going to be seeing you in a gorgeous swimsuit?” He asked you in a coy tone.

“Maybe, along with some of my favorite books to read and plenty of sunshine for the pair of us to share together,” You explained, “And it’s going to be at least 5 days too, so pack plenty of clothes…or not.”

“Hey!” He snorted, the pair of you laughing at the light antics between you two in your booth. He looked down at your joined hands, feeling the warmth of your palm against his own and your soft hands against his calloused fingers.  He knew he wanted to hold your hand forever and beyond that as well.  

Inwardly, he was glad that you planned this holiday out for the pair of you to enjoy.  He had other plans that he was going to make with you, given the small ring box that he stored away in his dresser drawer back at his flat.  He dreamed of placing a tiny diamond on your finger, for some time actually. 

But you planning the holiday made it just a pinch sweeter.

The End

Spring Prompt Session

[phantom-dc]

Dad Hood - part 15

‘So you need a spell? What kind, mate? I’m in a rush, so let’s get this over with.’

Constantine was annoyed. He hated dealing with Batman. The guy was a control freak, and magic doesn’t work by his rules. Constantine always felt like he had to over-explain everything just to keep the man from messing with things he really shouldn’t. Not only that, Zatanna had put a spell on him, either as a prank or as a way to help him quit. All his cigarette’s kept turning into lollipops. God, he needed a smoke.

‘We need a spell to find out where a child came from. So far we have found nothing, which is why we called you.’

Batman was annoyed. He hated dealing with Constantine. The wizard always acted like he was a toddler with a fork and an outlet. B was certain if he studied magic like Constantine he would figure it out, but he was too busy keeping Gotham safe for that.

‘Alright, let’s get this over with. At least we’ll be square afterwards. Where’s the little bugger?’

Constantine looked around. He saw Red Hood sitting at a table next to a little boy. Cute little kid, black hair and blue eyes. No wonder Batsy was so keen to help. But there was a strange energy around them…

‘The child is Red Hood’s son. We need to find out where he lived before he came to Gotham.’

Ah, so that’s why the kid felt like Death. Red Hood reeked of it and being his kid it’s no wonder the kid also felt like that. Sitting next to the kid, Constantine took out a cigarette out of habit, but it morphed into a lollipop in his hands. Cursing a bit, Constantine started setting up a simple spell. That should narrow down where the kid lived down to the city. Batsy can figure out the rest.

‘Mr. Con-man? Can I trade for your lollipop?’

Constantine blinked. Did the kid really called him Con-man? Seeing Red Hood smirk, John decided that the kid probably just couldn’t pronounce Constantine yet. Seeing the kid hold a juice-box, and not liking lollipops either way, John accepted.

‘Sure kid, deal. Now, this sigil should go here, and then this one-’

Suddenly John felt a warmth in his chest. He knew that warmth, but why now? Looking around, he saw the kid, enjoying the pop and still keeping his juice. Batman asked him what’s wrong.

‘…Nothing mate. I’m almost done. Just need to put this last sigil here and… done. Hey kid, could you put your hand right here for a moment?’

When Danny put his hand on the spell, the light formed into an Earth. A bright spot appeared in Illinois. Searching that spot on the Bat-computer, Tim found a place called Amity Park.

‘Ah, bollocks.’

‘Something wrong, Constantine?’

‘Ah, no. Nothing wrong, Batsy. I just need to go. I’ve got a… previous arrangement. I’ll see myself out!’

Constantine magicked himself back to his House of Mystery. He got a bottle of scotch and collapsed on the couch. Of course the kid was form Amity Park. Where else had Batsy gotten a kid that traded Constantine’s Soul contracts for Goddamn candy? How'd the kid even get those?

Back in the Batcave Bruce was confused. Why had Constantine fled? Danny didn’t do anything? He hoped that they would find their answers in Amity Park.

The next day, the family was taking a private plane. Bruce thought it would be best if the group went as civilians. The city wasn’t very suited to grapples and such, though they did have their suits in a hidden compartment in the plane. You can never be too sure, after all. Besides, the Waynes were in need of a vacation. That’s what rich people did after all. Danny was looking through the window, trying to see if he recognized anything yet.

‘Hey Danny, have you ever flown before?’

‘Of course, Uncle Dick! I fly all the time!’

At this, Danny floated up to the ceiling. Jason quickly grabbed him and put Danny on his lap. Can’t have him phasing outside.

‘Dick meant in a plane, kiddo. We know you can fly on your own. Have you ever flown in a plane before?’

‘Yeah! I did once with my mom! But the pilot jumped out of the plane and left me and mom to crash! He was dead too!’

Hoping to distract from that worrying statement, Duke asked Danny if he liked living in Amity, or if he didn’t remember.

‘I’m starting too. I do like it! It used to be really difficult, but not anymore! Now that everybody know that I’m dead, I don’t have to do my homework as much, and my parents don’t hunt me anymore, and my bullies don’t hit me either! But don’t tell anyone! It’s a secret, we don’t want the government to come and cut me open. So don’t tell the Guys in White, please!’

Bruce wrote down a memo to investigate these ‘guys in white’. Before he could ask Danny a bit more about it, the seatbelt lights came on. They had arrived in Amity Park.

First - Previous - Next - AO3

[imagines4thefandoms]

Killing for Love

Mystic Falls, Virginia, is a small town. Home to 5 thousand mystical creatures such as vampires, witches, werewolves, and 2 humans: me and Matt Donovan. One of said vampires happens to be my loving boyfriend. Sure, he has killed people, but I love him and he is sometimes very cute.

That was what came from the 2 hours of effort you put into your history paper. The assignment was to write about the history of your hometown. Easy. Finding the actual motivation to thread out the vampire history and the human history. Hard. You were sitting in the common room of your dorm room at Whitmore College trying to fight the urge to bang your head into your computer. Either to end it all or to knock some ideas out of your head. 

“How’s the paper coming, love,” you heard your boyfriend ask as he sat down next to you and placed a nice hot cup of tea in front of you. 

“It's going,” you mumbled after resting your head on his shoulders. 

Enzo looked over at your computer and let out a small chuckle. “I'm sometimes cute,” he asked bending his neck so he can see part of your face. 

“Yes, like right now, the mocking-not cute,” you scorned him as you turned your head to bite his shoulder. 

“ow, darling. Put the teeth away. I'm sorry for the mocking but I don’t think this paper will get you the A you want,” he said rubbing circles on your back. “I might get you a nice little vacation with a very snug jacket and slightly bouncy padded walls.” 

You tried to turn and bite him again but he put his palm on your forehead and held you at arm's length as you snapped your teeth like a piranha. Once you stopped trying to bite him he pulled you into a hug and brought his mouth to your ear. “Darling, we both know I’m the biter in this relationship,” he teased as he gently nipped your ear. “Now how about we get your mind off the terrible paper.”

You were going to bite him again but he held his finger up as a warning. “I'm telling you, love. You bite me again I bite you.” He looked over your body before meeting your eyes again, “and Im starving”

You didn’t know if he meant literally like he wanted to BITE you or if he was hungry in a sexual sense. And honestly either way you trusted Enzo completely. If he really needed to, you would let him drain you of a pint or two but he always refused. He first said he didn’t want to hurt you, then your skin was too perfect to puncture then he joked about how one doesn’t eat where he fucks. 

Before you could argue that the paper was due at the end of the week, he closed your computer and put it in your bag. “Enzo I can’t,” you started to say before he stood up and picked you up to toss you over his shoulder. “Don’t forget my bag,” you sighed accepting your fate and falling limp as he carried you through the dorm building to your room. 

When he got to your room you pulled your dorm room key off your wrist and held it out for him to take. Your roommate was a little startled by the sight of your boyfriend carrying you like a sack of potatoes but went back to her work when Enzo informed her of his plans to help her relax. “Carry on, will she be back for dinner,” she asked without looking up from her textbooks. 

“Nope, you will see her in the morning,” he replied slapping your ass and walking back out of the room after placing your bag on your bed. 

“I can walk you know,” you told him as you playfully slapped his ass. 

“I thought you enjoyed the view, I know I am,” he said placing a kiss on your hip. 

“I'll stab you,” you threaten. 

“You’re as violent as a bunny. I recall you crying about a spider and asking me to kill it but then crying when I tried to kill it.”

“Its family was waiting for it. He just got lost and scared me.”

He let out a chuckle at how sweet and innocent and pure you were. Enzo never went a day without thanking the gods about you coming into his life even though he knew he will never deserve someone as good as you. 

As he was carrying you to his car, you happened to pass Alaric. He stopped in his tracks and just gave you a small smile. “How’s that research coming,” he asked you when you raised your head to look at your occult professor. 

“It's coming, she requires a bit more in-depth research,” Enzo said with a slightly deeper voice trying to get the double innuendo across. 

Understanding what he was meaning, Alaric shook his head and continued to wherever he was heading. You once again slapped your boyfriend over the awkward interaction. Not only was Alaric your professor he was a good friend and while it shouldn’t have been awkward to say such things in front of a friend, it was seeing how said friend was also your history teacher in high school. 

“I hate you.”

“You are a terrible liar, love.”

When you finally reached his car Enzo opened the door and buckled you into the passenger seat before getting behind the wheel. He took his phone out of his pocket and put on your favorite playlist before he started the car. He was driving away from both the campus and Mystic Falls so your curiosity was peaked. 

“Where exactly are we going,” you asked grabbing his hand from the wheel and holding it. 

“It's a surprise,” he said quickly looking at you and smiling at your look of annoyance. 

After 2 years of dating, he knew you hated surprises because in Mystic Falls they ended with someone dying, but he loved seeing the look of pure joy on your face whenever he surprised you with things. Your brain was finally relaxing from your intense study session. You were softly singing and you were absent-mindedly writing “Mrs. St John” over and over on Enzo’s hand which was resting on your thigh. The action brought a smile to his face cause he had that name running through his mind over and over again too. He adored you and if he knew you were ready he would ask you to marry him right now.

Suddenly a car rear-ended you guys. It was a small fender bender so no one was hurt but this look of anger came across Enzo’s face. He didn’t care about his car hell if it was just him in the vehicle he would wave the guy off and call it a day. But you were sitting in his passenger seat rubbing your neck cause the seat belt dug into it. 

“Are you okay,” he asked grinding his teeth and trying to control his vampire face. 

“Babe I’m fine,” you promised but he wasn’t looking at you his eyes zoned in on the motion of your hand rubbing your neck trying to soothe the sting. “Please take a breath Enzo, I’m fine. The redness will go away. Listen to my heart.”

You could hear the other driver getting out of his vehicle and could hear him say he was sorry. Grabbing his hand, you placed it over your heart and held his face so he was looking into your eyes. “Don’t kill him. It was an accident. I’m ok.”

There was a knock on the window. You held him til you saw the anger fade away. He placed a small kiss on the redness on your neck then turned to the other driver. 

“Man I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. I was on the phone with my wife and she was rambling on about what we needed from the store. Shit are you guys okay,” he asked as soon as Enzo stepped out of the car. 

“We are fine mate, be more careful next time,” Enzo said trying to compel him. 

In his mind all his plans to help you relax flew out the window. Now all he wanted to do is to triple-check you were okay and just hold you. 

“Yeah, I’ll be more careful next time. I’ve already called the police,” the guy said walking back to his car to check the damage. 

Enzo walked to the back of his vehicle. There was a small dent nothing major. He looked up and saw that you were staring at him. He knew you were keeping an eye on him so he wouldn’t kill the other guy. Enzo gave her a small smile and mimed an ‘x’ over his heart and held his right hand up. He heard her laugh and she turned forward trusting him. 

He was going to tell the other driver he could just leave and the police were not needed when something sharp pricked his neck. The other driver injected him with vervain. Enzo quickly passed out and collapsed onto the truck on the car than on the ground. You quickly turned toward the sound and saw only the other driver holding a syringe in his hand. 

“What are you doing,” you called out as you got out of the vehicle. 

Before you could get closer to your boyfriend a cloth covered the lower half of your face and a strong-smelling chemical filled your lungs before you passed out. 

You woke up to the sound of Enzo calling out your name. He was on his knees and had chains around his neck and both wrist. The chains were connecting him to the brick wall behind him. Instinctively, you tried to get up but there were ropes trying you to a wooden chair. 

“Are you hurt,” Enzo asked baring his fangs at the thought of these men touching you let alone hurting you. 

“My head hurts,” you said goggly. You tried to move your arms again but whoever tied those knots was a very good boy scout when they were younger. 

“I know I promise, love, but I'm going to rip out all of their throats for hurting you,” he said trying to rip the chains off the wall but failing. The vervain was still in his system. 

Before you could reply two men walked into the room. One was the guy from the accident but you couldn’t see the other one. The guy from the accident was throwing water on Enzo but based on the fact that he was groaning in pain it was more likely vervain. 

“Stop leaving him alone,” you cried once again trying to get out of your restraints. 

“Calm down sweety, once he is gone you will be safe,” the other guy said. 

You stilled when you hear that voice. The voice you have known all your life. The voice that read you bedtime stories and told you it would be ok whenever you cried. You turned your head and saw your father standing behind you. 

“Daddy,” you asked as tears fell from your eyes. 

“I'm so sorry sweety. If I have know you were with him I would have waited til he was alone. But now you can see what Enzo is,” he said kneeling in front of you and untying your wrist. 

“Please don’t do this dad,” you cried as you rubbed your wrist. 

“Enzo is a vampire. He has killed people. He will kill you,” your father announced as he helped you up out of the chair. 

You looked past Enzo who didn’t retort to what your father just said. He didn’t need to. You knew his mind, body, and soul. He knew he didn’t need to give your father the satisfaction of his reply. But he did see the hurt in your eyes. You knew this was going to end one way. With someone dying. 

“Leave, love. I’ll keep my promise,” Enzo said when your tears started falling harder. 

You took a step towards Enzo but your father’s hand gripped your upper arm. Enzo thrashed at the sight. It wasn’t a tight grip but it was the fact that he was trying to stop her from going to him that angered him. 

“Don’t,” your father warned you. 

You pulled your arm from his grasp and fell on your knees before Enzo. He rested his head against yours and kept whispering “I’m sorry”.

“He would never hurt me, dad. He’s a good man,” you said looking back at him. 

A look of confusion appeared on your father's face over the fact you were not shocked or scared about his news of what Enzo was. He collapsed in the chair and just stared at the two of you. 

“my own daughter. Friends with vampires,” he said in disbelief. 

“Just let him go. He won’t retaliate,” you tried to reason with your father. He was a good man. He never hurt anyone. 

“They are liars. You can’t be sure of that.”

“He will cause he loves me. And I love him. And if you hurt him I won’t forgive you.”

Your father got up and you thought he was going to let Enzo go but he instructed the “accident” guy to take you to the back room. 

“Don’t you fucking hurt her,” Enzo yelled as you were being dragged out of the room. 

“Im ok. I’ll get Damon,” you whispered knowing Enzo could hear you. 

You were brought to a small room with a dining room table and 3 chairs. There was an old tv on the counter by a sink and a metal framing of a bed in the corner. It looked like any movie bad guy’s safe house. 

“Why are you with the bloodsuckers,” the guy asked you. 

“The biting is very useful in bed,” you replied hoping to get him to leave but all you got and a look of disgust and disappointment. 

“You’re a disappointment to your father. Sleeping with a vampire.”

“What do you expect? I read twilight growing up. And I wasn’t team Jacob.”

There was no reaction to your comment but when Enzo’s screams filled the air the guy had a look of enjoyment like his favorite song just came on. You tried to run to him but the guy forcefully pushed you back in your seat. 

“It's ok. You are going to be ok. I’ll help you,” you said staring down your new capture. 

“I don’t need your help,” the guy replied thinking you were talking to him. 

Enzo’s screams filled the air again but then they quickly stopped. Dread filled your bones. Then your father walked in. 

“Keep her here, til I get back,” he said not even looking at you. 

“Daddy stop hurting him,” you warned him making a fist like you were about to punch your father. 

“You see I’m doing the right thing when the compulsion is gone.”

“Im not under Enzo’s compulsion. He has never forced me to do anything I haven’t wanted to. I love him will all my heart and If you kill him you will lose me forever,” you yelled trying to get out of the room. 

“Sit down,” your father yelled slightly scaring you. “When I get back you are grounded.”

“I'm a grown woman, you can’t ground me.”

“Watch me.”

Your father left and the guy watching you had a Hugh smile on his face. He was watching some game on the little tv but you tried to tune it out. You didn’t hear a car so where ever your father was taking Enzo it wasn’t far. You thought you could knock out this guy then your father and you and Enzo can just run away. Leave Virginia, leave America. 

Your capture was enamored with the game that he didn’t notice you grab the broken piece of wood off the floor. After a while, he did notice that you were too quiet. As soon as he turned to look at you, you smacked him upside the head with the piece of wood. You ran out of the room and into the woods before he fell to the ground. 

You kept whispering Enzo’s name hoping he would somehow tell you where he was. You just kept running and running til you hear the guy you just assaulted yell your name. You had made it a good couple of yards til he tackled you to the ground and pinned you. 

“You little bitch, just cause your daddy is my boss doesn’t mean I’m going to let that slide,” he said picking up your shoulders and slamming you to the ground. 

He was about to do it again when someone tackled him off you. The guy let out a scream and you heard the sound of his throat being ripped out. Dots filled your vision but then you saw Enzo. He fed you his blood so you could heal. And he helped you off the ground. 

“Are you okay,” you both asked at the same time. 

“I'm not the human, love,” he smiled as he brushed your hair behind your ear. 

You wanted to melt into his touch but remember what was going on. Your capture was lying not 3 feet away from you and a lot of blood covered his neck.

“Is he….,” you asked not being able to tear your eyes away. 

“No, he should be but no,” he replied grabbing your face and kissing you. 

Enzo let out a groan of pain and he fell to his knees. Behind him stood your father with a gun. You yelled out and tried to help him up but before you could your father pushed you away from him. 

“Damn it, you are going to let my daughter go,” your father yelled pointing his gun at Enzo. 

“Stop it. He can’t compel me. I wear vervain,” you yelled. “I've worn vervain every day since freshman year in high school.”

Your father stopped and turned to you. You were lying on the ground and he towered over you with this murderous gaze. “Enzo can’t compel me. No one can. I love him. I will always love him. Please don’t do this.”

“My own daughter,” he spat in disgust. “A vampire killed my father and you over there spreading your legs for one like a whore.”

“Daddy,” you cried at his words. You weren’t super close to your father but he never raised his voice to you and certainly never said such nasty things to you. 

He ignored your plea and turned back to Enzo who was still weak from the vervain and the wooden bullets in him. Also based on the look of his shirt he was been bled as well. There was nothing you could do to save him. All he wanted to do was hold you in his arms once last time. Enzo know he was going to die. It wasn’t on his list of things to do today but he would rather die than you hate him for killing your father right in front of you. 

“I love you. You are going to be okay,” he said closing his eyes and waiting for the inevitable. 

You felt around the ground for anything that you could use to stop your father. A rock, a stick. Hell a flower to shove in his face to disorient him. You had just about given up hope when your hand came across something sharp. Your attacker dropped his knife when Enzo pulled him off you. 

“Dad, please put the gun down. I won’t ask again,” you warned with a little trimmer in your voice as you held the knife out. “I will hurt you if I have to.”

Enzo opened his eyes to see his sweet innocent girlfriend holding a knife to her father. There was a look in your eyes that told him that you would stab him. Enzo used the last of his strength to knock your father off his balance before he completely collapsed to the ground. You ran over to him and tried to wake him but Enzo had passed out. With little to no blood in his system, he might die before your father could shoot him. So you did the one thing Enzo swore he would never do. You gave him your blood. You took the knife and cut a small line on your wrist and held it against his mouth til he started to open his eyes. 

“No, love,” Enzo said after 3 seconds. He knew he needed more blood but he didn’t trust himself to stop, even though he did have a ton of self-control.

“Enzo, you need more please,” you cried trying to bring your wrist back to his mouth. 

“No, I have blood bags. Just give me a minute, love. I still have a surprise for you,” Enzo said placing a small kiss over the cut as if he was trying to kiss it away. 

“You are not going anywhere,” your father said standing up. He stood over you and Enzo. The gun was pointed directed at his heart. It was one second but that’s all it took. 

Your hand gripped the knife tighter and you lunged toward your father. The next thing you knew you were kneeling next to him as he was bleeding out. 

“Oh god daddy, I’m sorry. You wouldn’t leave him alone,” you cried trying to press down on his abdomen to stop the bleeding. “Enzo please I need your blood.” 

Enzo slowly but surely made his way over to you. He didn’t have much blood in his system but he would happily give every drop so you wouldn’t have to live with the guilt of having blood on your hands.

“No. I won’t become one of them,” your father said pushing Enzo’s arm away. 

“No daddy, it’s just a little. It will be out of your system by the end of the day,” you tried to convince him but he was adamant about no vampire blood to heal him. 

“I didn’t mean to daddy. I'm sorry. Please don’t leave me,” you said pressing harder but the blood just kept flowing. “I'll call 911.” 

You tried to grab your phone out of your back pocket but it wasn’t there. The other guy must have taken it while you were passed out. “It's not here. I’ll run back to the cabin.”

“Darling, I’m so sorry,” Enzo said trying to stand up. 

You turned to him then your father who wasn’t moving. “No,” you screamed collapsing to the ground. Enzo tried to put his arms around you to comfort you but you jerked from his touch and curled up into a ball in the middle of the forest. 

Enzo gathered all the strength he had to search your father's body and the other guy who was passed out and he found a phone. He hid it from you not wanting you to see that thinking you might reel further into this breakdown seeing it. He called Damon and told him what had happened and asked for his help to take care of the body. 

He sat against a tree close to you but far enough to give you the space you needed and waited for Damon. You didn’t come back to reality til you heard Damon, Stefan, and Caroline’s voices. Caroling helped you off the ground and helped clean your father’s blood off your hands. Damon tossed Enzo a few blood bags and commented on how there are two perfectly good blood bags here which earned him a slap from Stefan who had covered your father's body and compelled the other guy to forget everything. Everyone was talking about what had happened but your eyes never left the blood sheet that covered what used to be your father. 

The next thing you knew you were back in Enzo’s car. This time there was no music. No smiles. No excitement/dread over the surprise. There was just silence. You sat unconsciously leaning away from Enzo rubbing your hands like there was still blood on them, like in Macbeth. Enzo stopped the car in front of a beautiful 2 story home. There were about 2 acres of land in each direction of the house. You could see a diving board for a pool behind the house. 

“Whose house is this,” you asked. 

Enzo’s heart ached. Your voice was scratchy and weak but he finally hear your voice. You didn’t realize that you hadn’t said a word to anyone in the past hour. “Ours. It was a surprise. I figured you wouldn’t want to be bombarded with a ton of questions from your roommate just yet,” he said getting out of the car. He was going to open your door but you had already gotten out and walked towards the front door. 

Enzo was right behind you. He leaned over and unlocked the door. You stepped inside and looked around the living room. 

“It's in your name. I can leave you alone if you want,” he said standing at the doorway. He pushed his selfish need to hold you and make sure you were okay out of the way. He was being truthful. If you told him that you wanted to be alone he would. 

“I don’t…,” you said holding on to the wall as your started to fall. “I killed him.”

Enzo tried you run in and catch you but since your name was on the lease he couldn’t come in til you invited him. So he had to just stand there, helplessly. 

“Please let me in,” Enzo begged to grip the door frame. 

You sat there on the ground crying into your knees for five minutes. Once the tears stopped coming you looked up and saw the pain on your boyfriend's face. You knew it wasn’t his fault. But a small part of you resented him. The reason unknown. Maybe if he drank more of your blood he could have gotten you guys out of there and your father would still be alive. And that part of you didn’t want to see him. But the rest of you just wanted to fall into his arms and wait for everything to get better. 

“Enzo please come in,” you said with a raspy voice from your screaming and crying. He quickly ran to your side and just held you. And this time you were leaning into him. 

“I'm so sorry,” he said kissing the top of your head. “I would give anything to take away your pain. To make it where that never happened.”

“I hate that I killed him. But I also don’t regret it,” you said looking up at him. “Does that make me a terrible person?”

“Compared to me, love, you are still an innocent bunny.”

“Why wasn’t I good enough,” you cried again. Tear steadily fell down your face and stained Enzo’s shirt.

“What are you talking about,” he asked slowly raising your face so he can look you in the eyes. 

“I wasn’t good enough for him. He didn’t love me enough to not kill you and then he didn’t love me enough to take your blood. He didn’t love me.”

“Shh, it's going to be okay. And he did love you. He was just set in his vampire-hating ways,” he said trying to console you. “He adored you. He told me. He thought he was protecting you from me and yourself. And even though he put you through this pain I respect him for that. If he could have shown me proof of how I would hurt you in the future. I would have let him kill me, I would have killed myself. Because you are the most important person to me.”

“But he….,” you started to say. 

“He didn’t listen 'cause he thought what he was doing was the only way to protect you. He loved you enough to kill for you. As would i. You are more than enough. You are perfect,” he said picking you up to carry you upstairs to the master bedroom. 

He sat you on the bed and went to grab some clothes out of the dresser. 

“How are your clothes already here,” you asked when he brought you one of his shirts and a pair of his boxers to change into. 

“Your clothes are here too. Well, the ones you left at home when you went to college. And I bought you some more. Everything you ever need is already here. This place is ready to move into,” he said from the closet as he changed into basically the same thing you were wearing. “But that doesn’t matter right now. We are going to go to bed and I’m never letting go of you,”

“Is that a threat or a promise,” you asked getting under the covers. 

He slid in behind you and pulled your flat against his chest. His left arm was under your head and his right arm held you close to him. “Both. I'm going to be here to help you through this and long after, love. You are never getting rid of me.” 

Even though there was no space between the two of you, you tried to get closer. Because you knew he was going to be there. Even though you were still spiraling from what you just did you knew as long as you had Enzo, you were going to be ok.

[shuxiii]

Everyday pt.15

Hanni Pham x reader pt1, pt2, pt3, pt4, pt5, pt6, pt7, pt8, pt9, pt10, pt11, pt12, pt13, pt14, pt16

a/n 5 more to go, credits to ''every day'' by David levithan

Day 6022

My plan is to wake up early—around six—and email Hanni.

But my plan is foiled when I’m shaken awake a little before five.

''Jini, it’s time to get up.”

It’s my mother—Jini’s mother—and unlike with Dana’s mother, there’s only apology in her voice.

I figure it’s time for swim practice, or something else I have to do before school. But when I get out of bed, my foot hits a suitcase.

I hear my mom in the other room, waking up my sisters.

“It’s time to go to Hawaii!” she says cheerily.

Hawaii.

I access and find that, yes, we are leaving for Hawaii this morning. Jini’s older sister is getting married there. And Jini’s family has decided to take a weeklong vacation.

Only for me it won’t be a week. Because in order to get back, I’d have to wake up in the body of a nineteen-year-old who was heading home to Maryland that day. It could take weeks. Months.

It might never happen.

“The car’s coming in forty-five minutes!” Jini’s dad calls up.

Under no circumstances can I go.

Jini’s wardrobe consists mostly of T-shirts for heavy metal bands. I throw one on, as well as jeans.

“You’re just asking Homeland Security to give you a full cavity search,” one of my sisters says as I pass her in the hall.

I am still trying to figure out what to do.

Jini doesn’t have her license, and I don’t think it would help for me to steal one of her parents’ cars. Her older sister’s wedding isn’t until Friday, so at least I’m not jeopardizing her attendance there. But who am I kidding? Even if the wedding were this evening, I wouldn’t get on that plane.

I know I am going to get Jini in a huge amount of trouble. I apologize to her profusely as I write my note and leave it on the kitchen table.

I can’t go today. I am so sorry. I will be back later tonight. Go without me. I’ll get there somehow by Thursday.

While everyone else is upstairs, I walk out the back door.

I could call a cab, but I’m afraid her parents will call the local cab companies to see if they’ve picked up any metalhead teens lately. I am at least two hours away from Hanni. I take the nearest bus I can find, and ask the driver the best way to get to her town. He laughs and says, “By car.” I tell him that’s not an option, and in return he tells me I’ll probably have to head to Baltimore and then back out again.

It takes about seven hours.

School isn’t out yet when I get there, having walked about a mile from the center of town. Again, nobody stops me, even though I’m an intimidating, jet-black-haired, sweating girl in a Metallica T-shirt storming up the steps.

I try to remember Hanni’s schedule from when I was inside her head, and have a vague recollection that this period is gym. I check the gymnasium and find it empty. The natural next stop is the fields, which are behind the school. When I walk out, I find a softball game in action. Hanni is at third base.

She sees me out of the corner of her eye. I wave. It’s unclear whether she recognizes me as me or not. I feel too out in the open, too much in the line of the gym teacher’s sight. So I retreat back to the school, by the door. Just another slacker, taking a smokeless smoke break.

Hanni walks over to one of the teachers and says something. The teacher looks sympathetic, and puts another student on third base. Hanni starts heading toward the school. I step back inside, and wait for her in the empty gym.

“Hey,” I say once she steps inside.

“Where the hell were you?” she replies.

I’ve never seen her this angry before. It’s the kind of anger that comes when you feel betrayed by not just a single person, but the universe.

“I was locked in my room,” I tell her. “It was awful. There wasn’t even a computer.”

“I waited for you,” she tells me. “I got up. Made the bed. Had some breakfast. And then I waited. The reception on my phone went on and off, so I figured that had to be it. I started reading old issues of Field & Stream, because that’s the only reading material up there. Then I heard footsteps. I was so excited. When I heard someone at the door, I ran to it.

“Well, it wasn’t you. It was this eighty-year-old guy. And he had this dead deer with him. I don’t know who was more surprised. I just screamed when I saw him. And he nearly had a heart attack. I wasn’t naked, but I was close. I was so ashamed of myself. He wasn’t even sweet about it. He said I was trespassing. I told him Artie was my uncle, but he wasn’t believing me. I think the only thing that saved me was that Artie and I have the same last name. I was there in my underwear, showing this guy my ID. There was blood on his hands. And he said there were other guys coming. He’d just assumed my car was one of theirs.

“The problem was—I still thought you were coming. So I couldn’t leave. I put on my clothes, and had to sit there as they came and gutted that poor deer. I waited there after they left. I waited there until dark. The cabin smelled like blood, Yn. But I stayed there. And you never came.”

I tell her about Dana. Then I tell her about Jini, and running out of her house.

It’s something. But it’s not enough.

“How are we supposed to do this?” she asks me. “How?”

I want there to be an answer. I want to have an answer.

“Come here,” I say. And I hold her close, because that’s the only answer I have.

We stand like that for a minute, each not knowing what comes next. When the door to the gym opens, we pull away from each other. But we’re too late. I figure it’s one of the gym teachers, or another girl from class. But it’s not even that door. It’s the door from the school side, and it’s Minji who’s walked through.

“What the hell?” she says. “What. The. Hell?”

Hanni tries to explain. “Minji—” she begins. But she cuts her off.

“Yeeun texted me to say you weren’t feeling well. So I was going to see if you were okay. Well, I guess you’re real okay. Don’t let me interrupt.”

“Stop it,” Hanni says.

“Stop what, you bitch?” she asks. She’s on us now.

“Minji,” I say.

She turns to me. “You’re not even allowed to speak, bro.”

I’m about to say something else, but she’s already punching me. Her fist crashes right against the bridge of my nose. I’m knocked down to the ground.

Hanni screams and moves to help me up. Minji pulls at her arm.

“I always knew you were a bitch,” Minji says.

“Stop it!” Hanni cries out.

Minji lets go of her and comes back over to me. She starts kicking my body.

“This your new girlfriend?” Minji yells. “You love her?”

“I don’t love her!” Hanni yells back. “But I don’t love you, either.”

The next time she kicks, I grab her leg and pull her down. She crashes onto the gym floor. I think this will stop her, but she jabs her boot out again and gets me in the chin. My teeth rattle.

At this point, some whistle must blow outside, because within thirty seconds, girls from softball are streaming into the gym. When they see the carnage, they cluck and gasp. One girl runs over to Hanni to make sure she’s okay.

Minji gets up and kicks me again, just so everyone can see it. It barely grazes me, and I use the momentum of dodging the blow to stand up. I want to hit her, hurt her, but I honestly don’t know how.

Plus, I have to leave. It will be easy enough to discover that I don’t go to this school. And even though I’m the clear loser of this fight, they can still call the police on me for trespassing and brawling in the first place.

I teeter over to Hanni. Her friend makes a move to shield her from me, but Hanni gestures her off.

“I have to go,” I tell her. “Meet me at the Starbucks where we first met. When you can.”

I feel a hand on my shoulder. Minji, pulling me around. she won’t hit me with my back turned.

I know I should face her. Hit her if I can. But instead I duck out of her grip and run. She’s not going to follow me. She will bask instead in the victory of seeing me run.

It is not my intention to leave Hanni crying, but that is exactly what I do.

I make my way back to the bus stop, then use a nearby phone booth to call a cab. Nearly fifty dollars later, I am at the Starbucks. If before I was an intimidating, jet-black-haired, sweating girl in a Metallica T-shirt, now I am an intimidating, jet-black-haired, sweating girl in a Metallica T-shirt who’s beaten, bruised, and bleeding. I order a venti black coffee and leave twenty dollars in the tip jar. Now they’ll let me stay as long as I want, no matter how scary I look.

I clean myself up some in the bathroom. Then I sit down and wait.

And wait.

And wait.

She doesn’t arrive until a little after six.

She doesn’t apologize. She doesn’t explain why it took her so long. She doesn’t even come to my table right away. She stops at the counter and gets a coffee first.

“I really need this,” she says as she sits down. I know she’s talking about the coffee, not anything else.

I’m on my fourth coffee and second scone.

“Thank you for coming,” I tell her. It sounds too formal.

“I thought about not coming,” she says. “But I didn’t seriously consider it.” She looks at my face, my bruises. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Remind me—what’s your name today?”

“Jini.”

She looks me over again. “Poor Jini.”

“This is not how I imagine her thought the day would go.”

“That makes two of us.”

I feel we’re each standing a good hundred feet from the real subject. I have to move us closer.

“Is it over now? With the two of you?”

“Yes. So I guess you got what you wanted.”

“That’s an awful way to put it,” I say. “Don’t you want it, too?”

“Yes. But not like that. Not in front of everybody like that.”

I reach up to touch her face, but she flinches. I lower my hand.

“You’re free of her,” I tell her.

She shakes her head. I’ve said yet another thing wrong.

“I forget how little you know about these things,” she says. “I forget how inexperienced you are. I’m not free of her, Yn. Just because you break up with someone, it doesn’t mean you’re free of her. I’m still attached to Minji in a hundred different ways. We’re just not dating anymore. It’s going to take me years to be free of her.”

But at least you’ve started, I want to say. At least you’ve cut that one attachment. I remain silent, though. This might be what she knows, but it’s not what she wants to hear.

“Should I have gone to Hawaii?” I ask.

She softens to me then. It’s such an absurd question, but she knows what I mean.

“No, you shouldn’t have. I want you here.”

“With you?”

“With me. When you can be.”

I want to promise more than that, but I know I can’t.

We both stay there, on our tightrope. Not looking down, but not moving, either.

We use her phone to check the local flights to Hawaii, and when we’re sure there’s no way Jini’s family can get her on a plane, Hanni drives me home.

“Tell me more about the girl you were yesterday,” she asks. So I do. And when I’m done, and a sadness fills the car, I decide to tell her about other days, other lives. Happier. I share with her memories of being sung to sleep, memories of meeting elephants at zoos and circuses, memories of first kisses and near first kisses in rec-room closets and at Boy Scout sleepovers and scary movies. It’s my way of telling her that even though I haven’t experienced so many things, I have managed to have a life.

We get closer and closer to Jini’s house.

“I want to see you tomorrow,” I say.

“I want to see you, too,” she says. “But I think we both know it’s not just a matter of want.”

“I’ll hope it, then,” I tell her.

“And I’ll hope it, too.”

I want to kiss her good night, not goodbye. But when we get there, she makes no move to kiss me. I don’t want to push it and make the first move. And I don’t want to ask her, for fear that she’ll say no.

So we leave with me thanking her for the ride, and so much else going unspoken.

I don’t go straight into the house. I walk around to run out the clock more. It’s ten o’clock when I am at the front door. I access Jini to find out where the spare key is kept, but by the time I’ve found it, the door has opened and Jini’s father is there.

At first he doesn’t say a word. I stand there in the lamplight, and he stares.

“I want to beat the crap out of you,” he says, “but it looks like someone else got there first.”

My mother and sisters have been sent ahead to Hawaii. My father has stayed back for me.

In order to apologize, I have to give him some kind of explanation. I come up with one that’s as pathetic as I feel—there was a concert I had to go to, and there was just no way to tell him ahead of time. I feel awful messing up Jini’s life to such a degree, and this awfulness must come through as I speak, because Jini’s father is much less hostile than he has every right to be. I’m in no way off the hook: the change fee for the tickets will be coming out of my allowance for the next year, and when we’re in Hawaii, I may be grounded from doing anything that isn’t wedding-related. I will be getting guilt for this for the rest of my life. The only saving grace is that there were tickets available for the next day.

That night I create a memory of the best concert Jini will ever go to. It is the only thing I can think to give her to make any of it worth it.

[strang3lov3]

12. ideas of a perfect date

16. favorite movie

20. height

99. have you ever met somebody who seemed unreal?

had to hit you back on that last one :)) 🖤, cum-a-calla

Hey you!! 🥰💜 I wrote you a novel. Oops.

12. If we’re talking date date, then antiquing and getting lunch together. Or tattoos, my fiancé and I love to get tattooed together. It’s nice to hold someone’s hand when getting blasted. But I truly like to just be alone at home. I like to get takeout and watch TV while snuggling my fiancé, we usually watch Always Sunny or whatever show we’re in the middle of. Getting high and then fuckin ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ eat a buncha ice cream and pass out while watching YouTube. We watch a lot of Binging with Babish and Matty Matheson.

16. I can’t pick just one. That’s insane. And actually, I actually this in a previous ask but this is perfect because I forgot some. So here’s what I said before: Scream, Juno, Se7en, Late Night With The Devil, Stepbrothers, School of Rock, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Goonies, Promising Young Woman, When Harry Met Sally, both Knives Out movies

And I’d like to add Legally Blonde, The Silence of the Lambs, The Menu, Prospect, Crazy Stupid Love, Mrs. Doubtfire, A Man Called Otto, Ratatouille.

20. I’m 5’8!

99. In honor of his 75th birthday today, I’m gonna say my grandpa. He’s a devout catholic and a bit of a doomsday prepper whose biggest fear is the Great Depression and ending up in hell. Like he’s got this basement pantry stacked with canned goods that expired in like 2007, this is very important to him. When I was 11 he told me to make this Christmas a good one cause it was the last one I was ever gonna get. Depression’s gonna hit and you’re gonna have nothing, but don’t worry, Lil. Papa will take care of you with his garden and his rain barrel. This scared the bejesus out of me, btw. Worse than when he’d lock me in his basement and make ghost noises.

And he fixates on death. Every time I see him, he talks about his imminent death. Always talking about what to do when he and my grandmother croak, or to not put him in a home and instead push him down the stairs when it’s his time. But make sure to take his gold teeth before the nurses get to it.

He’s on some sort of watchlist because he gets checked for bomb residue on his hands every time he goes through TSA. Every time. My dad fixes his computers and he thinks it’s because he tries to email Putin??? Not friendly emails, I believe he’s threatening him. But still. His other arch nemesis is Bezos.

But he has a heart of gold like no other. He went on vacation recently and his biggest concern was the family of raccoons he found in a dumpster. But he’s “not an animal person”. Riiiight. He once picked me and my siblings up in his van and told us he received a mission from god - god had spoken to him and told him there was a severe lack of junk food in our house. So he bought us a bunch of candy and chips and pop and other junk to spite my mom on her health food kick lol. And when I see him now, he makes me drive him to the gas station so he can fill my gas tank. He cooks for an army and always sends me home with leftovers that could last weeks. He’s a woodworker and he made me a music box with the lullaby he’d sing me when I was a baby and he won’t share the name of it with anyone but me 😌

He’s very special to me. I love him dearly and I’ll miss him when he’s gone!

[augusteight2018]

Dear Kim Seon-Ho,

This morning, I wasn’t feeling well but decided to go to work anyway because I don’t have sick days. I did my best to pace myself and did the bare minimum just to make it through the whole day that seems to have somehow slowed down. At one point, I was so grateful to have made it to 2pm but then realized it was only 12:10 on the wall clock. IT came to “fix” my computer and it made me wonder if it was a gift from God. It took them a very long time and then I wonder if it was God actually telling me to just go home. Eventually, I did go home early and part of my body felt more sick for using my vacation time to be sick and leaving work early that isn’t 1 or 2 minutes.

The bus I wanted to take was so late. I was forced to go with plan B. On my route, I saw line of trucks as I’ve been seeing for a few days. The excitement grew inside of me but with traffic, I had to keep moving and was forced to accept that I might miss out on seeing a making of a movie. Where I ended up had more crowd and I’m thinking, it can’t be….

But it was, you. I quickly took out my phone to snap a picture of you. Thank you God, I said inside my head. How did my finally giving into being sick and missing the bus, have brought me within feet of this gorgeous actor? I don’t know, and I didn’t care. I was just so so happy. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been re playing Hometown Cha Cha Cha and pointing out to my family, “that guy, he’s the one who is in our city, right now!”

There’s a Briget Jones Diary scene where she envisions herself getting married to her crush. It’s super creepy and if others do this with me, I would be so uncomfortable. However, I do this to almost every crushes I have since grade school. It’s twisted, the hypocrisy is irritating, I know.

When I first saw you, Kim Seon-Ho, I took my picture. I felt fortunate that you were looking in my direction and smiling. There was a crowd around you and I knew I wouldn’t get close, for several reasons: I didn’t have the energy, I wasn’t feeling well and you’re not even going to notice me.

I have an appearance of below average. Yet, part of my delulu was that you would tell your staff to go and get my contact information. But the other part of me quickly slapped the delulu out by reminding myself how I look like an actual homeless person.

But don’t feel bad for delulu because it has a strong spirit. Even now, hours after I left the spot, delulu still thinks that your staff is still trying to find me.

At the time, after snapping the one photo and taking a few moments to grasp the miracle I was witnessing, I started walking home. But then while waiting for the lights, I noticed you started walking too, toward the spot I was originally at when I took my picture. I now had a chance to take a better photo. I took 2. I went ahead and crossed the street and left. This was all in a span of ~3 minutes.

Of course, I’m kicking myself for not staying there longer. I’m kicking myself for not lingering and giving myself a bigger chance at connecting with my crush or even taking better pictures. But I wasn’t feeling well. It wouldn’t have been very nice to spread whatever I had.

However, my delulu still wonder what it would be like to hook up with a celebrity like you. But my no-nonsense-cruel-realistic-me would slam that dream down pretty fast.

Snapping back to reality:

First of all, I hate getting dolled up because I’m lazy and you probably want some perfect looking specimen. I don’t blame you, you’re a celeb, you have to look and act perfect so it would be hard not to have that same standard for your dates.

Secondly, I can barely manage my own single life let alone a regular couple life let alone a dating life with a celeb like you.

But my life is pretty sweet as it is and my worst critic is myself. I cannot imagine having the eyes of the whole world on me and everyone criticizing and hating every single thing about me just because I get to be around you.

I can handle being poor and a nobody but I don’t think I can handle the highs and lows of being with a celeb. Getting dropped might just be so painful to recover from.

Ha! You might just be delighted to not have met me after reading this lengthy letter but I think it’s a fair assessment of what it might be like. So, I will close this letter by thanking the universe and God for giving me that moment where I was a few feet away from you when you are normally across the world, instead. Thank you for taking on this role that got you filming at new locations, I can’t wait to see the final product. I hope you enjoyed your time here and I hope you will come back for more projects.

Sincerely,

Me

Ps. You’re taller than I expected.

[famina]

School (tummy) Rumbles 02

For the 1 year anniversary of Irakus's introduction I made the sequel of his fanfic ! (I don't know if I'll do that for the others. Maybe if I remember XD) Let's see how the little vamp boy is doing ! (Psst...it's not good...)

TRIGGER WARNING for hunger, pain.

================================================

Life has a way of passing you by. Quite a bit of time has passed since you promised your classmate Irakus to help him with his…nutrition problems… But you still haven’t found a solution for him. You haven’t been lazing about tho. You somehow got very busy a little after that incident with friends, family, school work and other things. The next semester has also begun and you are no longer in any classes with the vampire boy which makes the matter seem less urgent. Actually, you haven spoken to Irakus in a long time. For all you know, he already found a way to feed himself.

And now that exams are starting you have absolutely no brain space to think about him. You worked to hard to let all your efforts go to waste now ! Okay, maybe you could’ve worked a little harder during the year but hey ! You can’t change the past ! You’ll just have to work extra hard now !

You have started to hear a few thing about your vampire friend tho, and not good news. Well you did hear one good thing. Apparently he found a friend ! That Timothy Langlais guy in Fine Arts ! You don’t know much about the guy other than he’s a bit weird and seems to have many troubles at home, but he seems nice enough. As for Irakus himself, people say he’s not doing so well. He sleeps a lot during class and he falls unconscious in PE. They also say that he looks sickly but tries to hide it with his usual smile. You conclude that he did not find blood to eat after all. This does worry you. And so, you decide to go see him.

On a free period, you find him in an empty classroom. He seemed to have fallen asleep and no one bothered to wake him up. As you enter you keep your distance. He is still a blood sucking monster who has not eaten in a while.

“I-Irakus ?” You call out to him. His body twitches and he slowly rises his head.

“O-Oh ! (Y/N) ! What a nice surprise. It’s been ages, how have you been ?” He yawns and gives you a sleepy smile.

“I”ve been good….what about you ?”

“M-me ?! Oh….” He seems to ponder the question “I….I should be off to my next class…please excuse me…” He stands up with some difficulty. After a few steps he trips slightly and you rush over to catch him.

“Woh ! Hey ?! Are You okay ?” You are now genuinely worried.

“Yes. Yes. I beg your pardon. I’m simply exhausted by all those school examinations…haha..” He tries to reassure you. But you are not convince and give him a sad look.

“Oh. Please do not look so sadden (Y/N). I am perfectly fine. I assure you…Now, please excuse me..” He stands back up and makes his way out of the classroom leaving you all alone with you thoughts.

You should get to your class too. You don’t have time for this and he said himself that he was fine. You repeat those words in your head as you go on with you day.

Alright ! You are now done with all of your tests ! You only have one paper to hand in and you’re free to celebrate your summer vacation ! You station yourself at the school computer in one of the remote classes to be in peace and start working. You’ve decide to not go home until that work is done and sent, so you write and you write. And you research, and research. And re-read yourself and re-read. Aaaaand DONE ! Wouh ! You send it to you teacher and you breath a sigh of relief. You look at the time, 10:52 PM, you still have a few minutes before school closes for the night so you let your tired eyes shut for a second as you lay your head on the desk. After what feels like a few minutes of blissful slumber you open your eyes. The screen of the computer has gone to sleep, weird ? You shake your mouse to wake it up and then you see the time, 2:34 AM . . . WHAT ?!

How can it be ! Wasn’t it 10PM a minute ago ! You’ve must slept longer than you’ve thought ! And how come the guardian didn’t kick you out ?! Does he not go to all the classes ? What a slacker ! You gather your things and make your way to the exit, when you notice a light in the hallway ? Who could that be ? A janitor. No, wait..it’s 2AM, no janitor should be here. A thief then ?! No…the light is not coming from any place with valuables. It’s coming from… The gyms showers ?

You decide to investigate. With caution, you approach the showers and you now notice that you can also hear running water ! Someone is taking a shower in your school at 2 AM ! What’s going on??? As you are just about to enter the room, the water stops ! And wet foot steps can be heard coming towards you. Unsure if you should scream, run or get ready to attack you stand there as the footsteps get closer and closer and..You scream ! And he screams ! You didn’t not know what you’d find there but you somehow didn’t think it’ll be this !

A drenched Irakus without a single piece of clothing is screaming at you in total chock. He finally gets a towel to put around his waist and start forming sentences.

“W-W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE (Y/N) !!!???” He’s red as cherry.

“I-I-I just…NO ! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE !? AND WHY ARE YOU TAKING A SHOWER !?”

“W-WELL I HAVE TO BATHE LIKE ANYONE ELSE ! DON’T I !??”

You both breath and calm down.

“I-…” Irakus begins “If you’ll excuse me a minute” To those words, he returns to the showers and closes the doors. When he opens them back you see he is in a classy pijama.

“Uuuh..” You look at him with a hundred questions in your eyes.

Embarrassed and unsure, Irakus clears his throat and makes a gesture towards the upper floor. “Could you please follow me, (YN) ?”

You follow him to a remote classroom you’ve never been where the desks have been arranged in a weird way and a few personal items can be found lying around.

“H-Hmmm…W-welcome to my humble abode…haha…ha..” He opens his arms in a comical grand gesture to humor the situation.

“I-Irakus..Are you…living here ?”

“ahahaha…” He tried to laugh away the embarrassment. “It IS my current accommodation b-but it is really not as bad as you’d first think ! I have access to a shower, heating and electricity !”

“Y-yeah but…” You look around at his living quarters, they consist of a single pillow under some desks, a suitcase with a few clothes and items and a motivational poster on the wall where you can read “2006 IS OUR YEAR ! LET’S DO IT !” You can’t help but give a troubled expression. “Why are the desks arranged like that ?” You question.

“Oh ! I was hm…trying to reproduce my coffin…hehe…”

“I…..see….” You don’t really know what to say. Irkaus starts to become nervous.

“S-so…what brought you to school so late (Y/N) ?”

“Uh ! Just a last work I had to send in. And then I think the lack of sleep caught up to me and I feel asleep in the computer room.”

“I see. And could you hand in your work on time ?” He seems genuinely interested.

“Oh ! Yeah ! I did !”

“Ha ! Congratulation (Y/N)!” He gives you a warm sincere smile.

“Ah..thanks Irakus.” You can’t help but smile back. “But it’s VERY late now. I should get go-“ Irakus suddenly fells face first on the ground “H-HAN ?!” You rush towards him to help him out. “H-Hey ! Irakus !? What happen !?”

“I-…I’m very sorry, (Y/N).” He weakly turns his head towards you. “That was…very rude of me…haha..”

Your demeanor becomes grave. “I heard it’s been happening to you in PE class too.”

“Ah…Yes it has…” He avoids your gaze.

“……..Irakus…..please tell me…..” You take a deep breath and let it out “…Did you have anything to eat recently ?!”

The vampire boy is shocked by your words. He puts his head down and you begin to see his frails shoulders tremble. “N…no…” His voice cracks a bit “I did not….not since we’ve spoken…not since an eternity !...”  He is clearly in pain.

“W-Wait…you mean you haven’t had anything since that time you asked in the locker rooms ?!!!” The vampire nods shyly. “BUT THAT WAS MONTHS AGO!!”

“Y-yes…Believe me I am well aware.” He gives you the saddest of smile.

“B-but…How come you’re stomach isn’t growling like before then ?”

“I am unsure…” He looks at his sunken inn tummy. “It has stop rumbling a month or two ago….Although It does not mean I am not in pain right now…haha…” He gently caresses his belly.

You feel terrible for him. “How long….How long has it been since you last ate, Irakus ?”

He stops rubbing his stomachs and looks in the distance “………………A year now….”

Your hearts drop. A year ?! a full YEAR !? 365 days ?!! “H-HOW ARE YOU NOT DEAD !??”

“I told you, didn’t I ? It takes a lot to kill me.” He gives you another sad smile.

It’s true. He isn’t human. You need to remember that. But right now, he looks so helpless. Another question pops into your mind “……Why….why didn’t you tell me..??!”

Irakus stops smiling. “Well….You had already voiced your refusal…I did not…want to bother you further with the matter…..”

You start feeling awful. Sure you didn’t want your blood sucked out of you, but you could’ve help ! Or at least, you could’ve tried to help.

Irakus tenses up and clutches his mid-section as his expression turns to one of extreme pain. You can’t hear his stomach but it’s clear that his hunger has gotten tremendously worst. You ponder a second, but you don’t need to. You’ve made up your mind.

“Okay.”

“Huh ?” The hungry boy looks at you with incomprehension.

“Okay….you can have my blood.”

The eyes of the vampire widens, his lips tremble slightly and so do his hands. “R….r…..really ?!”

You take another deep breath. “Yes. You said you wouldn’t kill me, right ?”

“O-Of course not !! I-I would never ! I-I….” Irakus becomes all twitchy and nervous and excited. He then stops and gives out very sofltly : “……thank you….”

You laugh a bit. “You’re welcome.” You sit down properly and try to get mentally ready. “So.” You begin “How does it….I mean…What should I…??”

“Oh ! Right !” Irakus moves his face inches from yours. “First I shall spellbind you, It will make the process more pleasant.”

“O…..kay…” You are still very unsure. You do know he’s a good guy, but you are kinda putting your life in his hands. He notices your discomfort.

“(Y/N)…Are you really sure ?...It is still time to refuse if you…” Irakus looks to the ground. A second ago he was full of excitement and here he is worrying about your well being. You close your eyes for a second, breath in and open them back up.

“Yes. I am. Go for it”

“Alright.” Irakus red eyes lock onto yours. In an instant, they are all you can see. The world around becomes blurry as you feel yourself getting weak and dreary. But it doesn’t alarm you. In fact you feel…nice…As if nothing in the world can bother you in this moment. You enjoy this feeling of tranquility for a few seconds and suddenly, a sharp pain pierces your neck ! And yet, you’re not frightened. The pain…actually feels good. Like a cold refreshing shock running through out your body. The pain is not long either. Soon you feel a warmth in all inches of your being. And you feel the pulsation of your heart beat throughout your body. Has it always been so loud ? Each pulsation is met with a suction sensation on your neck. The sensation is enthralling, between each beat, you crave it’s return. But slowly, you feel your whole consciousness dim and you fall in a calm trance. After a while, you realize you are lying on the ground. You get back up as you slowly regain your senses.

Irakus is in front of you, breathing heavily. He looks better, a little more…alive ? You touch your neck in the place where you felt the pain. You can only feel two little scabs that seems to already have healed.

“How..ha…wha…”

“I-I healed up the punctuation for you.” The young vampire explains shyly. “I_I….I did not hurt you, did I ?! He asks with worry.

You think back for a second. “No…Well…You did. But it wasn’t…painful ? I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Oh. Well if you are not hurt, that’s all that matters.” He poses and seems tense for a moment. Then he bows he’s head very low. “Thank you so much (Y/N) !! I…I could not bear it any longer !!!”

“O-Oh ! Well, yeah…you’re welcome…So, how are you feeling now ?!”

“I feel amazing ! So full and content !! I have not feel so good in ages !!!” He is visibly ecstatic ! You are happy for him.

“Well I’m glad yo-…Wow…” You tried to walk but felt dizzy for a moment and almost fell down.

“Ah ! (Y/N) ! Oh dear, this most be cause by your blood lost…I am so sorry…Mh…..There’s a vending machine not far ! I’ll go get you something to replenish your strength ! I-I won’t be long ! Please wait here !”

He dashes out of the classroom before you have he time to protest. He seems much more energetic now which reassures you. Irakus comes back with about 10 different kinds of snacks. You laugh and say you only needed one or two. He decides that he’ll keep the resto for a friends of his. You eat some oatmeal cookie and feel a bit better. Your vampire friend next to you is agitated.

“I-I was sure I didn’t take much….I must’ve gotten to greedy..I am so sorry..”

“It’s okay.” You reassure him. “I don’t feel bad or anything, and the cookie helped. I’m sure I’ll be fine.” He smiles. But now that things have settle down, a question pops into your mind.

“So…what are you going to do now ?”

“Huh ??”

“I…don’t think I can do this for your EVERY time your hungry…I think you should really find a solution to not feel so bad all the time.” His features become serious.

“I…..I know….But now that my energy is replenish I’ll have much more brain power to think of a long term solution !!” He seems very optimistic, so you leave it at that for now.

“How long till you’ll get hungry again you think ?”

“Usually it takes about a day or two. But I have become much more accustomed to hunger now. So I believe I would be fine for about 2 weeks.”

“I see. Well...I hope you can find  something before then.”

“I do to ! Haha “

The sun is beginning to rise now. You decide to wait for the first bus of day and Irakus offers you to walk you to the station and see you off. You talk a bit while you wait. You asks him what are his plans for the summer break. Is he going to squat in the school all summer ? He seems to not have given it much thought until now. You conclude that his hunger must’ve overtook all his thoughts for a while now. The bus finally comes and you get to go home to your warm bed at last. As you sit down, you see a vibrant Irakus full of eagerness and gratitude enthusiastically waving his hand to you. What a guy.

[crescentcampbell]

Wouldn't You Like to Know? Ch. 1

One

            “I really think you should reconsider. He’s one of the biggest actors out there. I don’t see why you won’t sell to him.” Penelope sighed. Agatha Danbury was one of the most important literary agents out there, and she really did admire the elder woman for what she had done for her career. But how could she explain her history with Colin Bridgerton?

            “I don’t feel comfortable working with someone that can’t keep their personal life together.” It was an absolute lie. Penelope knew about Colin punching the photographer for spreading lies about his ex-fiancé, Marina Thompson, and Penelope didn’t care.

            “I thought you knew the family?” Agatha said. “Eloise Bridgerton. That journalist from The New York Times. She’s the one that gave you that great book review when you were first starting out.”

            Penelope looked at the computer. Agatha was on vacation somewhere in the Bahamas, but when the offer for the movie rights to her book Wallflower got an offer, Agatha had demanded that they have a Zoom call. Aside from the scandal, Colin Bridgerton was one of the most popular actors out there. He’d had a Netflix mystery series that was super popular, been on the cover of GQ, and wrote a script that had been nominated for an Academy Award.

            “I do know Eloise,” Penelope said, “but my history with the family is complicated. We didn’t part on good terms. I’m lucky if I get a call from Eloise on my birthday, and that depends what mood she’s in.”

            Agatha raised an eyebrow. “This is about the social media account you ran?”

            Penelope bit her lip. Running a gossip account online that targeted the rich and elite at her private boarding school had not been one of her finest moments. In order to distract from her own family scandal of her father being arrested for embezzling, she had started the account to let out steam on everyone else that had something to say about her. But then one of her rumors had gone too far, gotten someone kicked out, and it was someone close to the Bridgerton’s.

            When Eloise Bridgerton had figured out what she had done, they had nearly stopped being friends. But then they both moved to New York and reconnected. Still, Colin Bridgerton had once been one of her friends too, and the terrible thing she’d posted had been on him. HE had never found out. But only because Eloise had threatened to tell the whole school it was her posting about them if she continued on with the gossip account.

            Penelope had stopped and she and Eloise had barely spoken.

            In college, at Columbia, Penelope had written a book called The Gossip. It had been all about her experience and she had managed to get a literary agent and a book deal. That was the first book Agatha had represented for her. Now, she was twenty-five, and had several books under her belt.

            The most popular of them by far had been a book called Wallflower. It was about being a plus size girl at a prep school, and being friends with one of the richest families in America. Part of the book had included all of her wildest fantasies about Colin Bridgerton. The same actor who was looking to buy it now. And The Bridgerton’s had been the inspiration for the family in the book.

            They owned one of the largest, organic honey operations in the U.S. Bridgerton: Sweet as honey, was their family slogan. Their mother, Violet Bridgerton, had started with the honey business, and went onto become a kind of Martha Stewart type figure in the world of home making. They had Bridgerton baking supplies, Bridgerton cookware, Bridgerton home décor, and Bridgerton cook books.

            When YouTube had come along, Violet had made vlogs that showcased her life with her large family, raising them as a single mother after her husband had died. It had catapulted the family to fame and there wasn’t a single person that didn’t know who they were. They’d also been Penelope’s next-door neighbors, and classmates.

            “It’s about a lot of things,” said Penelope.

            “But they don’t even know that you wrote the book. Eloise certainly didn’t. You wrote The Gossip under a penname.”

            “Yes, and I’m telling you, the minute that Colin Bridgerton finds out it was me that wrote that book, he’ll want nothing to do with the script. Especially since he’s the one that inspired Wallflower.”

            Agatha paused, and raised an eyebrow. She was an older black woman who had the ability to make a whole room pause with the look she was giving Penelope now. She radiated authority with everything she did. Before she’d been a literary agent, she’d spent a few years as a teacher, and Penelope suspected that was where it had come from. “You mean to tell me all of those steamy scenes your heroine imagines herself in are about America’s Favorite Heartthrob?”

            Penelope winced. “Yes, so you can see why it would be really awkward to have him in that movie. It’s everything Teen Penelope imagined doing to him so no, I don’t relish the idea of him making a movie about it and then the world finding out that’s who I was obsessing over. The internet is full of Swifties. They read romance and they’ll find out everything.”

            Agatha snorted. “You aren’t wrong. But I think you need to do this. Does Colin know what you do for a living?”

            Penelope thought about how most of her books had scenes in them that would make her mother blush. “No. Noone back home does. I told everyone that I am my assistant and she’s helping me make money while I’m working on a ‘real book’.” That was an absolute lie. Penelope loved what she wrote, only she didn’t exactly want her family and friends knowing that she used words like ‘cock’ and ‘cum’ in her writing. Especially when her mother had paid for her to have a fancy, Ivy League education.

            “Then, keep on with the lie. Tell him that you’re the assistant. I’m sure he won’t even mind that you’re part of this.”

            Penelope thought of the last time she had seen Colin. It had been the month of prom, and she’d gotten the nerve up to ask him to it. Colin had agreed and she’d been ecstatic but then she had heard him talking with his friends. He said he was only doing it because his mother had asked him to say yes. “You really think that will work?”

            Agatha nodded. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of the rest. Colin won’t even know why he never met Lulu.”

            Penelope made a face. Reuniting with Colin was still the last thing she wanted, but she couldn’t deny that she liked the idea of Wallflowers being made into a movie. “Alright. Tell him yes. Have the paperwork sent over.”

            “Lovely,” said Agatha, “you’re going to make so much fucking money. It will be brilliant.”

            Penelope laughed. “Well, that part I like.”

            “Good girl. I’ll see you soon. Bye for now.”

            “Bye.”

            Penelope ended the Zoom call, and took a deep breath. Her book was going to get made into a movie starring Colin Bridgerton. “Fuck,” she muttered. It was like all of her teen fantasies were coming true.

[onlygenxhere]

You already did the stupid thing, didn’t you? / Peterpatterlina

“You already did the stupid thing, didn’t you?” Julie asked as she walked into the living room.

Reggie and Luke looked up from the laptop and smiled at her.

“Yep,” Reggie said closing the lid with a decisive click. “It’s done and there’s nothing you can do about it but enjoy it.”

“Mi corazones, we talked about this.” She crossed her arms and glared at them both looking way too adorable in their matching Star Wars pajama bottoms. “We don’t have the money to spend on a vacation right now. I realize the band is doing better but we’re all still working full time jobs and we were saving to buy a new van to replace that old clunker Luke bought right after we graduated high school.”

Luke scoffed, “Sky will see us through another year Jules. We need a vacation now.”

She rolled her eyes. “No one needs a vacation.”

Julie watched them warily as they turned to each other and then back to her. They stood in freaky unison coming around the coffee table to her and each taking a hand pulling her crossed arms away from her body reluctantly.

“Sweetie,” Reggie said as they both pulled her gently toward the sofa. “We’ve been working so hard we deserve this.”

“You deserve this Jules,” Luke said as they sat her down between them on the sofa.

“But we can’t af…”

Reggie stopped her with a finger on her lips. “Please hear us out.”

“You can yell at us after you’ve seen the plan.” Luke kissed her on the temple.

Reggie pulled his finger off her lips but held it up silently asking her to stay quiet before continuing. “But I really think you’re going to be as excited as we are once you see what we have planned.”

Julie took a deep breath and nodded trying to keep an open mind as Luke reached for the laptop on the coffee table and handed it to Reggie who opened it up to the itinerary they’d mapped out for their trip.

They talked for nearly ten minutes. Going back and forth between the two of them explaining how much everything cost and how much they had saved on booking this trip with the help of family and friends.

She couldn’t help the smile that started to bloom on her face as they talked about emailing her cousins in Puerto Rico to get the lowest rates possible on a nice beach front hotel and the outings they’d scheduled completely free of charge through those very same relatives and their friends all without her help at all. She knew for a fact some of those cousins didn’t speak a word of English.

She had tears in her eyes when they finally turned away from the computer to see her reaction.

“Oh darlin we didn’t mean to make you cry.” Reggie put the laptop on the coffee table and hugged her into his side tucking her head up under his chin. “We can’t cancel the plane tickets but maybe we can sell them if you’re really this upset.”

She shook her head as the tears escaped down her cheeks. “I’m not sad.” She reached for Luke’s hand as she snuggled into Reggie. “I can’t believe you guys did all this.” She shook her head again as Luke reached over and wiped her tears. “Contacting my family and setting it all up. I couldn’t have planned this better myself.”

“And that’s why we wanted to do this for you boss.” Luke smiled at her and squeezed her hand. “You do almost all the planning and scheduling for us and the band you deserve a break.”

She sniffed and tilted her head up to kiss Reggie on the jaw. “Thank you.” Then she pulled Luke’s hand up to her lips and kissed his knuckles. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Reggie kissed the side of her head. “Sometimes what seems like a stupid and reckless thing on paper is exactly what you need to do.”

She grinned and looked at Luke who was grinning back at her. He looked over her head at Reggie, “Like asking you to join us Reg?”

She felt him chuckle against her back. “I was thinking trying to make it in the music business.” He reached around her and took Luke’s other hand pulling him forward until he took the hint and wrapped his arms around both her and Reggie.

“Asking me to join you was far from stupid.” She felt him lean over and kiss Luke on the side of his head. “I was always a sure thing.”

[lyon-amore]

What if...? Duskwood Chapter 28

Chapter 27 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Macie POV*

 I wake up alone in the room. I don't see Jake either on his computer or in the bathroom. I just hope he'll be careful if he's anywhere in Duskwood. It's still too early.

 I read the chat I had with Lilly last night when Jake was in the shower. The visiting request was for a man named Ted Madruga. Since it was late, I decided not to bother Jake with this new clue. I hadn't done it out of selfishness to want him for me, obviously, just that with everything he's been through these months, I think he needed to take a little break, just that. An ordinary person can't always carry the weight of the whole world on his shoulders and I want him to know that he can't beat himself up so much.    "You just make me worry too much…" I whispered, letting out a sigh.

    I get a notification from the group. Richy had sent a list of things that he was going to need to take home. I still haven't decided what to do. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Macie Hey Richy Richy Hello there 😁 Macie You’re aware that this isn’t gonna be a fun family vacation, right? Richy Of course I’m aware But it feels like a step in the right direction The police investigation appears to be in full throttle We’re taking ourselves out of the line of fire The only way is up for us 🙂 And what are you going to do? Will you come? Because… Well it would be fun if you came 😳 And that we would all be together Macie I don’t know yet I'm thinking about it Richy You should come So you will be safe 😉 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I bite my nail, nervous. I don't want to go but...

 My brain starts to think is it safe to go? And with him? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Macie OK Why not? It will be fun 🙂 Richy Cool! 😆 I hope that I can finally sleep in peace again in that house 😩 😄 Cause I haven’t really been sleeping that well lately 😅 Macie Hopefully we can rest 😊 Has Jessy messaged you at all? I don't want you two to argue Richy Oh, it’ll be fine 😅 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I feel angry with myself talking to him this way, because at the same time I appreciate him. He's not a bad guy but... My stomach turns to think that danger is really close to us. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Macie Richy you can talk to me Richy She quit Macie What? Richy Yes but is all good I bet she didn't mean it Once we all have our normal lives back, I’m sure everything is gonna clear right up 🙂 You know I’ve got the feeling we’ll have overcome everything soon ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "How can you write me this?" I squeeze the phone, hoping not to break it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Macie What makes you think that? Richy 🤔 Mechanic’s intuition 😆

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     If I end up making a mistake, I won't be able to forgive myself. I won't be able to see his face again. Dad... why did you teach me your job?

 We talked a bit more about Dan's car. It seemed that he was a bit upset, but he accepted it. I don't see any reason to tamper with Dan's car, it would be too extreme, because it could have killed him.     "But Amy... She's dead..." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Richy You know I was wondering how everything would have gone if you weren’t with us Macie I’ve asked myself that too You would have never found the man without a face Richy Yeah, probably not ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I notice annoyance in his message. Like in the beginning when he didn't want me to put those fantasies into Jessy's head. The monsters I look for are always going to be real, not fantasy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Macie What if someone is trying to frame Phil? Someone who knew he’d be on Hannah’s telephone list ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I don’t understand these actions. The kidnapper might not have done anything to put all the blame on Phil, which only makes the suspicion even greater.

 Richy takes time to answer…

 After a while, I get a message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Richy I just heard a scream From the forest ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I close my eyes and breathe in. I must continue. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Macie Was it the voice of a man or a woman? Richy Female Hang on, I have to get closer Again! Macie Richy, I’ve got a bad feeling about this 😕 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 After that message, I get a call from him. I accept and instantly hear his voice.    "Hey, ah, well, that wasn't just any random scream, that was someone shout it my name, that for sure." From the tone of his voice, he seems to be walking fast.    "You're sure?” I ask, a little doubtful.    “Yeah, straight from the forest” he says quickly. ”. Wait, I'm going to turn on the camera.”     I put my phone in front of me.

 Richy focuses first on the ground and then on the forest. I tried to take a good look at every detail that was important, but it was just forest and more forest. He sighs, calmer.    "Out quiet now." he tells me, still focusing on the forest.    "Richy, I think it would be better for you to come back." I tell him, starting to feel worried and nervous because I don't understand his attitude.    "What if it was Hannah?" he asks me, looking at me with concern. "What if she needs my help?"    "But taking risks like this is also risky, remember?" I ask, frowning. "We weren't supposed to go into the forest."    "And we don't lose anything by proving it's true or not, either, even if it's just a quick glance," he replies before stopping his walk, looking off into the distance. "I think I see someone."     He starts to run, but he doesn't focus on what he saw.    "Richy?" I'll call him "Richy, tell me what you've seen."     He continues running some more until he stops, refocusing on the forest. I can't see anything.    "Hello?" Richy yells, waiting for an answer "Hello?!"    "Richy, enough nonsense, get out of there!" I yell at him now.    "No! Maybe it's Hannah I've seen!" He answers nervously "Hannah!"     It is then. Something he didn't count on. I hear Richy grumble as he drops the phone, falling to the ground.    "Richy?!" I yelled nervously. I didn't want to go through the same thing as Jessy again.     Right now I can't think. They are my feelings before my reason. I wait for the attacker to make an appearance again, but Richy picks up the phone, focusing.    "RICHY?!" Are you ok?!" I ask when I see his face, it was as if something hurt him.     Richy continues to make sounds of pain. And everything I believed in, it fades away.    "Richy! Tell me something please!" I sit up in bed, sitting up on my knees nervously.     When he opens his mouth to speak, I see blood spurt out of it.

 Blood…

 My weak point…

 I start to get dizzy, but still try to hold myself there for him.    "Rich, please! Hold on!" I scream and cry. I get up and walk around the room as if I wanted to look for him in this place. What do I do?! What can I do?! "Everything will be fine! I promise you!"     Little by little Richy begins to stop moving and I can't do anything else but shout his name and cry for him. He is alone and he has me for support. A support that had been doubting him. From being Hannah's kidnapper… Richy's attacker. When I see that he is no longer moving, I feel my heart race and my legs give out. I fall to the ground.    "Richy! No! No, no, no! Richy!" I yell into my phone, watching how the sky ends up coming into focus.     In the background I can hear the crows, waiting for something. I don't know what, because in my brain it only occupies the image of Richy dying. I cry and cry, watching the Duskwood sky. Grey. Sad.

 The group! I have to warn them! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Macie SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAPPENED TO RICHY! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I receive a call. Cleo. I was waiting for news about the bracelet. I don't answer because of my status and she texts me that Phil left the bracelet at the pawn shop. I'd be glad if it wasn't for the situation I was going through. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Thomas Macie, what happened? Macie RICHY WENT INTO THE FOREST! THERE WAS A LOT OF BLOOD! Cleo Oh no Macie I THINK I'M IN SHOCK RIGHT NOW! Cleo Macie, you need to calm down Macie HOW AM I GOING TO CALM DOWN! I HAVE SEEN IT! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Did Cleo really want me to calm down? After I seen my friend die? After my suspicions towards him made me feel guilty for his death?!

 I try to explain the situation to them, breathing hard. Where the hell is Jake?! Why is he not with me right now?!

 I try to get up, but my legs fail me. It's as if hands had grown out of the ground and were holding me to it, wanting to swallow me for having thought that Richy was behind everything. A punishment for being the worst person in the world.

 Lilly sends me a private message, she was going to call the police. This went beyond research. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Lilly Macie, did Richy go into the forest from the junkyard? Macie Exactly, thhhhat's where he heard the screams He calllled me when he arrived in the forest ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I’m shaking as I write. I cannot think. No... I don't have the head to write. I only have the image of Richy in my head. Dying.

 Although I don't like the idea, I agree that she tells the police to tell them that he was talking to me on the phone. After all, I’m an eyewitness. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Jessy It can’t be true. Richy can’t be dead He was probably just attacked Like I was! Dan Oh shit Jessy I need to go him Macie PLEASE DON’T DO THAT! Jessy I just have to Macie PLEASE! BE REASONABLE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I couldn't risk anyone going into the forets. The kidnapper could still be there! As I read, I start biting my nails. I don't even manage to notice that I ended up biting one of my fingers until I noticed the blood. I don't care. I can't stop thinking about what happened!

 I get none of them to go into the forest and sit on the ground, waiting for Jake.

 Jessy texts me. I haven't stopped crying. I'm even scared. What if the kidnapper has Jake?! It's impossible. But why isn't he here?! Why has he left me alone again!? His stuff is still here, which means he'll be back… right? I try to cheer myself up with the story of Jessy and Richy and the office fish, but this makes it worse. It must hurt her more what happened, since they were much closer. At least she didn't have to see him...

 I can't calm down... The... Blood... Everything... It's all in my head... I have the image of Richy suffering... I get a group notification, but it only makes it worse. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Jessy They found Richy's cap in the forest I saw them carrying it away in a plastic bag I was covered in blood ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I put my phone down and start to hyperventilate. I put up with Jessy because in the end they didn't kill her. But this? I put my hands to my face, embarrassed. I had accused Richy and now… It's my fault! This is my fault!    "He-Macie?!"     I hadn't heard the door open when Jake entered. He removes my hands from my face and I see him looking at me concerned.    "What happened?!"    "It's my fault!" I yell as I try to break free from the grip of my wrists "It's all my fault! He is dead! Richy is dead!"    "Macie I-"    "Where were you?!" I reproached him, hitting him in the chest "Where were you when everything happened?!"  "I was worried about Jessica" he answers, holding my hands to make me stop ". I thought you'd be calmer if I watched that she was going to be safe around her house, if the kidnapper was there."     I breathe hard and end up burying my face in his body. Non-stop shaking. Jake hugs me and tries to calm me down. I can’t calm down. All I want to do is scream in rage.    "I am sorry about what happened" his voice sounds calm, though broken. I know it hurts him to see me like this, but what do him want me to do? "Do you want to talk?"    "I've tried to be strong!" I begin to say, avoiding looking at him "To not let anything get me down!" I hold him sweatshirt tightly, looking for a little more comfort, all I do is keep blaming myself in my head that I caused this "But I just can't do it anymore, Jake! I can’t anymore! Seeing how much Richy was suffering! But I was the only one he had in that moment!" I clench my hands tighter, I feel like I'm slipping even though I'm sitting down." It was like it was with Jessy, only a hundred times worse!" I end up looking at him, no matter how I was. My mind was blocking him. I couldn't see anything beyond Jake, I only saw Richy "I abandoned him! All I could do was scream! To tell him everything would be okay! "     Jake looks at me and caresses me lovingly, but I feel nothing but pain.    “I am here, Macie” he tells me.    "You weren't here!" I pushed him angrily and hit the ground with my fist "You weren't here hugging me! Not even to look me in the eyes and tell me that everything was going to be fine!" I look at him angrily. With rage. I see that he sits against the wall, in front of me. He doesn't know how to comfort me because he can't. No... He doesn't know what that is after years alone, without contact from people.    "I wish I had been here." he tells me, hurt. "I'm sorry."     What is he sorry? He never cared for Richy. He didn't like him.    "It's our fault, you know?" I say, opening my eyes desperate "Yours and mine" I can notice my voice rising with rage, I almost feel like I'm out of control. "We ignore so many threats, even when Jessy was attacked, we just continued.” He looks away, starting to feel guilty. “We've lost Richy, but aren’t any closer to finding Hannah!" I crawl over to him and grab him by the collar of his sweatshirt. I've never felt like this before "But you’ll just go on saying that we're on the right track" I continue and he dares to look at me ", that we just need to go a little longer" I see Richy's ghost next to him and I end up screaming "But how many friends do you want me to send to their deaths, Jake?! Tell me at least so I'll be ready and stop hurting! Say it to my face!"     He doesn't make any movement, nor does he get upset or angry with me. I need some reaction to what I'm doing, Stop me! I'm out of control and yet he… Why doesn't he react?! Why am I the one who has to be suffering like this?!    “You are angry” he says finally, in that calm voice of his. Now he makes me sick. ”I understand.”    "You’re trying to understand you mean." I clenched my jaw. "Have you ever watched a friend fight for their life?"     I see a small reaction in him to my words. He too tenses. No with me. Something bothers him. He sighs and places his hands in mine. I purse my lips seeing how little he cares.    "There’s nothing I can do but tell you that I am sincerely sorry for your loss" I start to breathe heavily. I don't know why I feel a wave of hatred towards him now, something I didn't think would ever happen ", but we have no other choice but to carry on." I snap at him, picking myself up off the ground and he does the same. ”Giving up is a luxury that we cannot afford right now, considering what is at stake for us.”     I start looking at the ceiling, listening to his words. No… I can't look at him, but I know I have to tell him to his face.    "You mean what's at stake for YOU!" I point at him angrily.     Jake looks at me hurt. Approaching me slowly.

 He grabs my hand and I push it away, but he tries again, to which I let him. He is not going to achieve anything by wanting to have these gestures. I'm fed up. I'm tired. My chest hurts, my soul... I have lost a friend and I have not been able to help him, but to doubt him.    "Macie-"    "Shut up!" I look away, trying to separate myself from him.    "Macie, please listen to me" hIs voice, previously without any emotion, seems to break as he utters those words. I just look at him and see again that broken and tired boy I knew. The one who hid everything to protect everything. "I want to be honest with you.” I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to control my breath. Jake brings his hands to my face, caressing me carefully, as if he's going to break me. "I've thought of stopping everything too, because I worry so much about you that it’s crushing me" now I cry listening to his words, which finally manage to reach my heart. I didn't know how he felt about everything that was happening to me so far. Or I simply ignored him because I thought that everything was fine knowing that he was there. Jake rests his forehead against mine, while I now try to calm down from his confession. "I thought about taking your hand and turning my back on all of this.” I can feel his hands tremble as he says it, but not his voice. He really means it. ". But it would be pointless, our responsibilities would cacth up with us. No matter where we go. "     We are both from two different worlds. I know perfectly. Jake pulls back a bit and I catch a glimpse of his eyes. It almost looks like he's going to cry. I don't want him to cry and not be able to comfort him knowing that I can't right now.    “When you agreed to work with me that day, you took Hannah's destiny into your hands, too. That day, her destiny become your burden, just like it became mine.” I hang my head, hating it all. So if it wasn't for Hannah, we might never have met. It wasn't fair to meet like this. He cups a hand to my chin, tilting my face up so that I look at him. I lick my lips, savoring my tears. "All we can do is not to lose sight of our path, even if path seems ends and insurmountable at times."     I let out a charged air, beginning to calm down. I wasn't the only one who was suffering, it's true. Jake also has his problems, I can't blame him, I can't ask him to cry for someone he hasn't gotten to know like I have. I have to at least accept his support and that he is by my side during this difficult moment.

I nod, struggling a bit. I don't know if it's because of the blind love I have for him or because he's right. I decided to accept to help because it is part of me. I'm always repeating it to myself. Jake never threatened or forced me. He could have perhaps pulled a gun on me or forced me to stay with him while I exhaustively searched Hannah's cloud for clues. My God… I was reproaching him and it's his sister who was kidnapped… How could I have been so stupid? He is also suffering.    "I will." I replied.     Jake smiles at me. Although it's not a happy smile, he seems rather sad. I'm making him suffer enough with my way of acting.    "I have told you once before" he starts to speak and hugs me "and I am even more convinced of it now than I was before" I hold on tightly to his sweatshirt, while he rests his head on mine, he even leaves a kiss on me "we will find Hannah, Macie and Richy too" I nod and little by little I'm calming down.     I try to take a deep breath, letting the heat of his body wrap me up and calm me down completely. 

We stay like that for a while, until Jake lifts my chin and even though he doesn't want to, I know it's important to say.    "Can we continue with our investigation?"     I nod, wiping my face from my tears.    "Yes, there's… There's a lot to discuss" I move away a bit, but he grabs my hand so I don't fall. ". But first I want to ask you a favor."    "Which favor?"    “I want to see Richy's video."    "No. "    "Jake-"    "You're not going to see it, not after how you've been."     He walks away from me, sitting down in the chair. I see that it turns it on the computer and goes directly to delete it.    "No! " I take his hand off the mouse and look at him. "I need to see it." I keep my gaze steady.     He looks away as he rubs his chin, hesitating. A spark has awakened in me. The spark of curiosity. Jake gets up from his chair and motions for him to sit me down.    “Okay” he says finally. "But listen to me carefully" he leans towards me, raising his finger: "The moment you don't feel well, you close it, okay?"    "Okay." I accept his proposal, sitting down in the chair.     Jake stays next to me and I play the video. *Jake POV*

 She's played the video at least four times, even opening the one of Jessica's attack. I see her keep her gaze fixed on the computer, almost without blinking. I look at her hand, she has some blood on her fingers, how come I hadn't noticed before that she was hurting herself?    “Macie, stop.” I take her hand from her, pulling it away from her mouth. “You're hurting yourself…”    "Sorry." she says, stopping to bite her nails.     I look at her face again and something seems strange about her. I don't see her nervous or sad on the contrary. She would even say that she has cracked a very small smile. Maybe she is affecting her too much that she doesn't know how to feel.    "You finish it?" She removes the videos and stands up from the chair, staring at the floor.    "Yeah" she starts to think, and then she looks at me. ". Okay, I'll tell you what happened.” I nod at her and she sits on the bed, placing her hands on her legs. She almost seems like she's a kid telling a mischief “Richy told me he heard screams coming from the forest.” I sit in the chair, listening to her speak. ". I couldn't hear anyone screaming, but he only called me after he had heard it already.” She looks at me, frowning, thinking “How likely do you think it is that was Hannah?"    "Well" I lean back in my chair, scratching my chin, thinking, “thanks to you we know it was a female voice." That wouldn't even have occurred to me, because it could even be the sound of some animal. "because you thought of asking Richy that question, That was very attentive of oyou."    "Yeah, I guess it's just my curiosity," she says with a shrug.    "So the attacker may have used Hannah to lure Richy into the forest." I look at her curiously. "Why would he do that all of a sudden?"    “I don't know yet.     She stays thinking. I feel like she's left alone in this.

 I know I didn't behave properly when she told me about Richy, but I did hate that she suffered because of me. It shouldn't have taken so long to get back. Or at least have left a note or sent a message so as not to worry her. The bad habit of never having had anyone to tell that I was leaving. I don't have to do this anymore, I can't make Macie suffer anymore.    "Let's analyze it together." I move the chair closer to her and taking her hands, I begin to speak. "Since Richy got the sing of the raven, you’ve been expecting an attack on him, isn’t that true?"    "Yes, that's what the legend says." She looks at me and carefully responds to my touch.    "If I remember the legend correctly, the marked people are only brought into to the forest in the night of the new moon."    "Correct," she nods slowly. "According to Jessy it’s only in the first night of the new moon of the year.    "But Richy's attack did not occur in the first night of the new moon of the year" I didn’t understood exactly our perpetrator. He is supposed to be imitating a legend, why not follow it at least do it at night?    "And it wasn't night either" as if Macie read my mind, she says it concentrated. "Which is why Jessy is so sure that Richy can still be found.” At Richy's name, she sighs. I can't tell her that she keeps what she feels, she would end up being like me "Richy wanted to tell me something" She looks at the computer screen, surely remembering the video. She surely must not have paid attention earlier because she would be crying. "It sounded like… An apology.” I stare at her. She seems to have her mind elsewhere. "But I don’t know what for." 

    Her cell phone rings and I go to the computer, waiting to know who is calling. 

  "Hello. My name is Alan Bloomgate, I’m with the Duskwood Police" What? Why is he calling her? Does it have to do with when she called him? "I hope not bothering you, I have few questions for you concerning Hannah Donfort and Amy Bell Lewis."     I hang for her. This would cause problems. Macie looks at me confused.    "I terminated the call" I say fearfully. I don't want to risk her that much. "Sorry Macie, but talking to the police wouldn't be a wise move right now."     She hugs herself, uncomfortable.    "I agree."    "In any case, we have to assume that you're already a suspect..."     I put a hand to my head, overwhelmed by the situation. Little by little, things were getting worse for her.    "I knew that already" she says without much encouragement. "I'm probably more suspicious than the entire group put together.” She looks at me and frowns. It’s not exactly helpful that you ended the call right in the middle of the conversation... "    "I know," I admits. This may make her more suspicious of her avoiding the police "Still, I thught it was the best option in that moment." I see how she starts to look at her cell phone, squeezing it tightly. "In case he calls you again, please do not accept the call" she nods without looking at me. I hope I didn't make it worse. "So… Is there anything else we should discuss concerning the attack on Richy. "     I let her take her time answering. I don't want to put pressure on her and when she feels better, she should tell me.    "Yeah, one more thing…" she looks at me as she brushes her hair out of her face. Opening and closing his mouth wanting to speak "The... The attacker didn't show himself to me this time, why do you think that was?"     She is asking me to say one of my theories?    "Hm..." I tried to think a little about that legend and what happened. Maybe it's the same as with Jessica, right? She herself say that the kidnapper only wanted to scare us "That could have multiple reasons" I answered "Didn't he think it was necessary? Were you maybe only supposed to concentrate on Richy?"     Macie looks at me, but she looks past me.    "No, that’s not really his style." she replies in a flat voice.     I stare at her, waiting for something else.    <<A coin for your thoughts. >>    "Yes, you might be right there," I accept her answer, not wanting to continue with the subject because of her emotional state. "Right, I think we've discussed everything that concerns Richy's attack.” I relaxed a little. It has been quite tense the moment before. I still haven't recovered from seeing her in such bad shape. "I had thought Phil would be the most important of our clues."    "Are you saying it because it is convenient for you to be?" She asks me, arching an eyebrow.    “Let's drop that topic.” I say, wanting to forget about the jealousy. "But considering the current events, I am forced to re-think that idea."    "The police should see that Phil is innocent too, right?" I see that she's hopeful.     Something positive that at least makes her smile a little… Even if it's about Phil...    “If the attack on Richy gives enough evidence for Phil's innocence…” I say unsteadily, “After all, we don't know the charges or any of the circumstances."    “Phil gave the bracelet to the pawnshop…” Macie looks at her phone again, running her thumb over the screen. "Cleo called out to me, but I couldn't pick it up right now because…"    "It's okay, thanks for telling me." I thank her smiling and she smiles back. "Him giving the bracelet to the pawn shop is more proof that he does appear to play a part in all of this."    "You think that's why Hannah wanted to meet up with him?"     Hannah bought the bracelet and Phil had sold it, but why would Phil have the bracelet?    "That's a very good question, Macie," I tried to cheer her up a bit by flattering her. "Maybe she also found out that Phil had given away the bracelet."    "I'm sure the pawnbroker isn’t too big on data protection."     I smile at her knowing that she makes a reference. In addition to the fact that it is not governed by the trust of the seller and the client. I wonder if Phil ever did something to make him say it's him, buy and sell some jewelry for him to pick up?    "Richy was the first one to suspect Phil." Macie's voice doesn't match her expression. She almost looks like another person. As if it bothered her.    "Yes, he had made direct connection between him and the raven on his garage door."     I still remember the commotion that there was, because of that brand, Lilly was afraid of me. I would love to find out who did it for doing that to my sister. Not in a direct way, but it also annoyed me that it happened.

 Macie falls back on the bed. Tired. I get up and sit next to her. I think everything is already discussed.    "So, what now?” She asks me, looking at me.     The light in the room spoiled all her charm. I caress her cheek carefully.    "There's lots to do" I replied, then remembering the messages from Lilly and Macie that I read when she fell asleep and I was finally able to work. ”We have a prison inmate which Hannah wanted to visit. " I begin to count. "We know the identity of the body from Duskwood forest-"    "Amy Bell Lewis." Macie says her name sadly. "Sorry, go on..."     I don't know why but I like that she remember her despite not knowing her. Her anger at knowing that no one remembered her touched me.    "And we even know Jennifer's name… Hm… Let me think."     Macie stops my hand from caressing her, entwining her fingers with mine. I squeeze carefully not to hurt her.    “I think first of all I will check wich of our clues will yield results the most quickly” I say, and she nods. "And then go after that clue."    "That sounds good." She looks at me like she's waiting for an order. I guess I got her used to my errands "Are you keeping me out of everything right purposely?"    "Yes" I smile at her, nodding. ", I want you to rest."    "That's nice of you…" She exhales as if she's feeling heavy.    “What you had to witness…” I say slowly, choosing my words carefully now “You shouldn’t just shrug it off. Right now, we don’t know what else will have to put up with" she nods, settling down a bit and I continue. "But it is important that you face the unknown both rested, and with a clear mind."     Macie smiles at me. A smile that she missed and that Richy's attacker had taken from me. She had returned.    "Thank you for caring about me." she looks at me innocently and I am paralyzed when I see her. If she looks at me like that, it's normal that the first thing I feel is wanting to protect her.     I'm going to get up but Macie stops me, standing up.

 She stares at me and I feel like my heart is going to drop out with that look.    "Thank you…for calming me down." she whispers and I feel her skin warm from her hand.    "You're welcome" I replied, still worried "I promise we'll get this over with soon..."    "Yeah…"      She gives me a little kiss, like the one I gave her when we saw each other again. Damn, if it wasn't for the fact that I promised that I'll be looking for clues…    "Then I'm going to get some rest" she says, crawling on the bed until she lies down ". My head hurts from crying so much..."    "Do you want something for the pain?" I asked, remembering the medicines Ashley gave me.    "Yes please."      I get up for my backpack and take one painkiller out, along with a bottle of water. I hand it over to her and she settles back on the pillow, closing her eyes.

 I'm not going to forgive anyone who made her feel all this suffering that she's been dragging.

Chapter 29