#but in the end decided on the other one bc you could hear the ‘honk honk’

[personinthepalace]

@incendiaglacies an alternative Rip Hunter edit

[kylie-writes-stuff]

“wife”

pairing: corpse husband x reader (female)

words: 1,714

requested?: no (send some in tho pls :) )

plot/summary: felix invites his friend, y/n, to play among us when they need an extra player. her and corpse get along well

authors note: so this isnt that good and i know a lot of corpse fics use a similar plot. i just wanted to try to write for corpse. hopefully things i write for him in the future are better. let me know what you think tho! also i really wanted reader to be best friends with karl bc i love him sm. uh every swiggly line is like a small time skip. this was written late at night btw and i didnt take much time to go over it

⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒

You sat up from laying down when you heard your phone ring. You looked at the caller ID.

Felix.

"What's up Felix?" You ask with a small yawn.

"Aww, how sweet," You hear in the background.

You giggle and ask, "Is that Sean? Hi Sean!"

"Yeah, we're playing Among Us and need an extra player. You down?" Felix explained.

"Sure, just give me a few minutes. See you soon, whore"

"Bitc-" You hang up before he can finish.

You got up and turned off your TV, going to get ready. 

⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒

You quickly tweet out that you're going live and say something on your insta story as well. You start your stream and slowly watch people flood in.

"Hey everyone! How are you guys doing?" You wave and smile, reading the chat.

"Everyone doing good, awesome! And i'm sorry to anyone having a bad day. I hope i can brighten it a bit!"

"Okay, sorry i didn't give you a further notice. I didn't even know i was gonna stream. Felix invited me to play Among Us so... here we are!"

You quickly join the discord and pull up the game, putting a cover over where the code goes.

"Hello?" You ask as you join the call. A chorus of greetings came your way.

"(Y/n)?"

"Karl!" You smile brightly.

Karl Jacobs was a good friend of yours. You would play on the Dream SMP sometimes. When you would, it would mostly be you being stupid with Karl and Alex, also known as Quackity. You were even a well know citizen of El Rapids.

"LET'S GOOOOO!" He yelled, making you laugh.

"Hey (Y/n), do you know everyone here?" Sean asks you.

"Um," You quickly scan through the names, "no, i don't think so."

You recognized names but you only personally knew Felix, Sean, Karl, and Ethan.

"Oh my god! Your voice is so cute!" Pokimane exclaims.

You giggle softly, "Thank you Poki!"

You're voice wasn't high pitched or anything like that, you just always spoke very softly and calmly. You were also a bit quiet.

Felix introduces you to those that you didn't know.

"There's one more person we're waiting for," He says.

While everyone waits, you and Karl run around each other's little characters and make jokes between yourselves. You mute yourself to read donations every once in a while.

You hear the discord chime, signaling that someone joined the call.

"WAIT CORPSE! DON'T SPEAK YET!" Felix yelled. "We have a new player. This is my friend (Y/n), say hi to her"

"Hello (Y/n)," Corpse said. You were taken aback by how deep his voice was but you didn't show it.

"Hi Corpse! Nice to meet you!" You said happily.

"Okay, how is she not freaking out?" Bretman said, making everyone laugh.

"Uh, (Y/n), do you mind letting me have black? It's cool if not.." Corpse asked gently.

"O-oh sure, no problem." You were usually black with the pink flamingo hat, but you ran over to the little computer and changed your color.

"Simp," Ethan mumbled, knowing you never switch from black.

"Thank you," He said, then the game started.

The word “Imposter” appeared on your screen in red, yours and Corpse's characters underneath.

As the game started, you thought no one could hear you so you spoke to your chat. "His voice was so deep, what the fuck? Holy shit that was hot, i'm gonna-"

"(Y/n)," Rae laughed, "You know we're playing proximity chat, right."

You blushed as you realized and said "Ha, anyways..." and ran to start faking tasks.

You ended up in electrical with Karl. "(Y/n)! My good friend, my buddy, you would never kill me right? Haha..." He said.

"Of course not, Karl! My good friend, my buddy. Why, I'm not even imposter," I said as i quickly dipped into the vent and back out, making him laugh.

I decided to show him because I knew Karl wouldn't say anything, and it's funny.

"Oh that's good then. Are you sure you're not imposter?"

"Mhm, pretty sure," You said, going back in. As you came out, Sykkuno walked in and froze.

"Uh, (Y/n)?"

"Fuck... Karl run! Go!" You said, Karl starting to leave. You walked closer and quickly killed Sykkuno then vented to security.

"That was close..." You told your chat.

You saw Corpse as you made your way around the map and walked into navigation.

"Hey, Corpse, how ya doing?"

"Ah you know, good. Just being crewmate and all."

You stifled a laugh, "Oh yeah I feel that, buddy."

"Yeah because there's no way that i'm imposter. No way i could be faking tasks and there's no possible way you could be the other imposter" He said quickly.

"For sure. Hypothetically speaking, though, if you were imposter, how many people would you have killed by now?"

"I would say probably around two."

"Interesting," You said right before a body was reported. It was Sykkuno's. Felix and Rae were also dead.

"WHAT!" Corpse yelled.

"Where was the body at?" Sean laughed.

"Uh I found it in electrical," Bretman said.

"I'm pretty sure Karl was in there earlier."

You calmly said, "It's not Karl, I was with him for most of the round."

"How do we know the two of you aren't imposters?" Sean asked.

"I was alone with him, he would have taken the chance to kill me."

"No, he's your best friend."

"He's also ruthless,"

"TRUE! SO TRUE!" Karl yelled.

"So skip?" Corpse asked.

Everyone agreed and the voting was skipped.

The next round, I spent with Ethan. He was pretending to be mad at me because Sean said Karl was my best friend.

"What happened to Blue Boi Buddies, huh?!" He exclaimed.

"Neither of our hair is even blue anymore!" You argued back.

You were in reactor with him when Corpse and Poki walked in. He hit the lights and you took it as a sign to double kill. He killed Poki, you killed Ethan, and the two of you made your way to electrical to help fix lights.

You and Corpse went the opposite direction of reactor after the lights were fixed, Karl going with you.

Poki's body was reported. That double kill only left you, Corpse, Sean, Karl and Bretman. You only needed two more kills.

"I still think it's Karl and (Y/n)," Sean said quickly.

"I was with (Y/n) the whole time," Corpse said, "In fact, I think it's you."

"That does make sense. Why so quick to accuse others, Sean?" You ask.

"It's not me!" He yelled.

"I actually agree with Corpse and (Y/n)," Bretman said.

"I was with you!"

We all voted for Sean, him voting for Karl. Sean was ejected.

When you load into spawn, you wait for the kill cool down and kill Bretman, saving Karl.

"Victory" appeared on your screen.

"God damn it!" Sean yelled.

"Good job, (Y/n)," Corpse said lowly.

You smiled, a slight blush on your cheeks, "You too Corpse."

"Their voices go together and they're a fuckin dream team? What have i done...," Felix sighed.

⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒

A few more games went by. Most of them you and Corpse spent together, whether you were both crewmates or if one of you was imposter.

You really enjoyed his company and you actually got along with him pretty well.

⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒

"(Y/n), before we get serious, I have one question to ask you." Corpse said as both of your characters stopped.

"What's that?" You giggled.

"Do you know Bingus?"

"Bingus? As in, our lord and savior, Bingus?"

You could hear the smile in his voice, "It's settled, you're my wife now."

This made both of you laugh and your chat go crazy.

⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒

Eventually, people had to start leaving. You said your goodbyes to everyone and left the discord call and the game.

You set stream to where it was just your face cam.

"Guys, what should we do now?"

You saw some people asking what time it was for you.

"It's 3 AM right now... I’m not tired though.” You had been streaming for a few hours; You never even noticed how late it got.

People in chat were yelling at you to go to sleep, making you chuckle.

“How about we do a quick QnA, then at 3:30 I go to bed. Deal?”

You watched as the chat filled with questions. They obviously seemed to like the idea.

“‘Who is your best friend? Karl or Ethan?’ Neither, Alex Quackity. Next question.” You answered quickly.

You laughed, “I’d like to clarify that that’s a joke, i love all my friends equally.”

You answered more questions. Some were from new viewers asking basic questions, some were about future streams and videos. 

“‘How do you feel about people shipping you and Corpse?’“ People are already shipping us?” You laughed, “I’ve said before that I’m okay with shipping, as long as the other person is too. I think it’s funny.”

You continued to read chat. “Wait, we’re trending?”

You checked Twitter and “#(your and corpse’s ship name)” was trending in the US.

You laughed as you scrolled through the tag, “Oh this is so funny.”

“Fanart already?! You guys are so talented!”

You read chat, looking for more questions. You saw people telling you that it’s 3:30.

“Okay fine, a deal’s a deal. I hope you all have, or had, a great day and I’ll see you guys later. Depending on what time it is for you, you should also get some sleep. Stay hydrated, love you!” You ended stream.

⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒⌒

You scrolled through Twitter as you laid in bed, liking fanart and dumb memes. Also replying to a few of your friends’ tweets.

karl :) @/KarlJacobs_

@/(your username) what the honk ?

*clip of you saying Quackity was your best friend*           

You liked the tweet and replied, “karl no,,, look away,,,”

You continued scrolling, feeling your eyes get droopy. Your eyes fell closed but quickly opened when your phone vibrated. It was a DM. 

From Corpse.

You two had followed each other earlier.

Corpse: hey (y/n), just wanted to say you’re really cool and i’d love to play again with you soon 

You smiled, a light blush spreading across your cheeks, and replied.

You: i’d love to, corpse

Corpse: ok, see you soon ‘wife’

You: back at ya, ‘husband”

Corpse: :)

You: :)

[f33itan]

Hello! Could I get some one shots of the trouble trio (phinks,shalnark,feitan)getting caught checking out their s/o? Of that too much than just one of feitan! Thaaanks. ✨

THIS ^^^^ I LOVE THIS

I made the reader a female, sorry about that. If you wanted it to be different PLEASE let me know so I can tweak it!!

I accidentally deleted Fei’s oneshot at first because my fucking laptop doesn’t allow me to save drafts from requests 😭 I tried to rewrite it bc I was proud anyways

*also ps u don’t have to have big badonkers for this, just enough that you can see a little bit there*

Trouble Trio getting caught Checking Out their s/o!

Feitan Portor

It was early in the morning when you two woke up. After many promises, considerations, and LOTS of begging and convincing, you managed to get Feitan to go to the beach with you.

The night before you had packed everything you guys would need: Sunscreen, towels, food and snacks, shade, chairs, everything. Now you were changing into your bathing suit as was he, facing each others backs respectfully. Once you were finished you grabbed some last minute things and started to pack everything into the car. You both got everything and started driving.

Now the beach was about an hour and a half away so you both agreed to stop by a drive thru and get some quick breakfast. After doing so you continued down the road.

For the most part you avoided traffic, since it was early in the morning, but after nearing the beach it seemed as though the freeway was decently packed. This didn’t bother you since it wasn’t that bad, but Feitan was getting quite irritated.

“Are we, almost there?” You could practically see the venom spat out from his tone, not directed at you but to the ‘nuisances’ blocking the road.

“Yes Fei we’re almost there.”

“These people, are annoying. Drive.”

“Feitan we could crash into somebody if we did that, then we would ESPECIALLY not go to the beach!” Feitan grumbled something and slumped in his seat, as you turned on the radio and changed it to your favorite station. You began to hum the song and bop your head to the beat of the music, this eventually turning into a light dance whilst in the driver’s seat. After a couple of minutes you heard a ‘Click!’ come from Feitan’s side.

“Fei, what did you just do??” He didn’t respond to this, though he showed you his phone. On it was a photo of you dancing and smiling.

“FEITAN PORTOR DELETE THAT NOW”

“Nope 🖤” 

“Sone of a.. SHIIITT!!” You stepped on the gas pedal as the honks of people behind you registered in your head. The traffic had been moving this whole time and Feitan didn’t even bother to tell you! All the while you could hear him cracking up in his seat.

By the time you arrived at the beach, unloaded your things from the car, found a spot in the sand and unpacked everything, it was about 11 AM. All that was left to do was undress down to your swimwear, apply sunscreen and head in the water. Undress down to your swimwear... Feitan didn’t like this.

Does she have to do this in front of all of these people?

What if people start checking her out?

What the fuck?

Nevertheless you began to pull up your shirt. You weren’t wearing anything too revealing, just a simple (f/c) one piece that fit well around your body, showing a slight bit of cleavage. Pulling down your shorts as well, you felt a pair of eyes on you. Very familiar eyes..

“FEITAN ARE YOU CHECKING ME OUT?”

“N- no” You could see the blush on his face from the couple feet away you were from him. You picked up your clothes and hurled them at his face as hard as you could, which to your surprise he didn’t dodge.

“Pervy Feitan pervy Feitan pervy Feitan”

“I’M NOT, A PERVERT.”

“Mhm, sure you aren-” You felt him pick you up and begin to speed walk towards the water, I’m sure you could guess what happened next.

Shalnark Ryusei

You and Shalnark had been planning this for a while. A fun couple’s night out with a fancy dinner, movies and cuddling on the couch. You and your partner were finishing up getting dressed as you heard a weird honk from outside.

“Alright princess let’s go!”

“Huh? Wait-” You couldn’t really object since Shal picked you up bridal style and began walking out the door towards a.. limo?

“Shalbaby, you didn’t have to do thiiss.” You chuckled and looked at your blushing boyfriend.

“Of course I did! I’m always off on missions and don’t get to see you too often!! I have to make it up to you somehow!” You heard the driver scoff at your guys’ gushy talk, and in the blink of an eye Shalnark shot a pin in his neck and told him to drive to your first destination, to which he obliged at will. 

Once the two of you arrived you had an amazing 3 coursed meal, each dish even better than the last. Chit-chatting the whole time, it felt as though you grew even closer to your boyfriend. Not by being at an amazing restaurant and not by doing amazing things with him, but because you WERE with him. Talking and laughing together, sharing sad and fun memories, every time you were with him you felt that you couldn’t fall for him again, but here you were, head over heels. Shalnark payed for the dinner and you both thanked the waitress. Walking back to the limo you guys sat and talked some more while heading to the best movie theater in town. 

Even after the movie, it appeared Shal had some more things in town, and with this you ended up going to an ice cream parlor, arcade, and finally stopping by the troupe’s current hideout to say hi. Heading back home you practically collapsed from all of the fun you two had.

Barley being able to walk back to your guys’ room, you changed into some lazy pajamas and Shal changed into his. As you were pulling down your comfy shirt you felt two muscular arms wrap around your waist and fell onto the bed.

“SHALL I WAS CHANGING!!” You both started giggling like children as you flipped yourself over and gave him a kiss on his cheek. You could tell his eyes were wandering though, and soon you realized he was staring at your chest. You grabbed a pillow from behind you and pushed down on his face with it, hearing a startled Shalnark yelp from beneath.

“That’s what you get for being a perv-” *POMPH* He pulled the pillow off of his face and smacked you with it, resulting in a full blown pillow fight with you two passing out on the couch. 

Phinks Magcub

You were feeling like a bit of a tease today so you decided to dress in some rather revealing clothes. A skirt shorter than the average, some thigh highs and a crop top, all to get a reaction out of your boyfriend. 

Phinks was sitting in the living room snacking and watching some tv as he thought you were still asleep. It was about 10 in the morning so you decided to waltz into the kitchen and make breakfast. 

“Hey bab... babe?” He couldn’t finish his sentence as his eyes looked you up and down. Drool was practically falling out of his mouth but you pretended to not notice, still making breakfast.

“Morning baby! How’d you sleep?” Phinks shook his head back into reality.

“G- good, you?”

“I slept pretty well, thanks for asking.” Swinging your hips while plating the food almost pushed Phinks over the edge as his face now looked as red as a tomato.

“Is it feeling a bit warm to you? I’m going to go turn on the AC heh..” You ran in front of your boyfriend and jumped onto him like a koala. At this rate he might as well be a cartoon character because he was fuming. He didn’t have the strength to speak out any words, and all you did was laugh.

“I know you were staring at me earlier~”

“H- HUhH? What would make you think that? I was just watching tv!”

“Then why are your hands on my ass right now?”

Phinks flat out passed out, right there, onto the floor.

[writingblackpink]

Electrify Me

genre: fluffy

word count: 1.2k

pairing: rosé x reader

can I request Rosé fluff (even though you just did one. lol I'm sorry). where when fem reader kisses, whether it'd be the first or 40000th time they've kissed, it never fails to make their heart swell, become lightheaded from the kiss, like it takes ALOT of effort to just pull away bc she’s that addicted 

A/N: this took a completely different turn than what I thought I was going to write. Anyway, I wrote this pretty quick, but I hope it’s what you were looking for. Thanks for the request! As always, let me know what you think! My ask is always open :) There’s also minimal dialogue so sorry about that.

-

Kissing Rosé was like...what it felt like watching fireworks on the Fourth of July. Yes, kissing her was like fireworks in itself, but you could also feel your chest reverberating with the thrumming of each explosion every time your lips touched hers. 

It was like a cold sip of water on the hottest day of the year, like finding the last pair of shoes at the store that were exactly your size, like watching a rainstorm from your front porch on a spring day, like finding a signed copy of an album by your favorite artist. 

Kissing Rosé was every good thing that you could ever think of. As soon as your lips touched hers, you were brought back to your childhood, laughing and playing without a care in the world. She made you feel like that again, every time. 

And it’s crazy to say you were addicted, you’ve only been on a handful of dates after all, but there was something about that first one that made you want to keep coming back for more. 

You met her through a dating app (very with the times, you know) but after teasing from your friends and encouraging words and “we’ll even help you with the profile, please just try it out for us!” you decided you had nothing to lose. Literally nothing. 

You’d been single for so long you couldn’t even remember what it felt like to be in a relationship. You had fallen into a sad routine of waking up, feeding the cats, going to work, working out, coming home, going to bed and doing it all over again the next day. Your friends always joked that you were the grandma of the group, and you ironically leaned into that role.

You swiped around on these profiles for what seemed like months, making small talk with random people you really had no interest in, before you came across her profile. She was beautiful, you had thought at the time, but your expectations were pretty low considering every other failed conversation. 

Luckily, this time it went a bit differently. You and Rosé had more in common than you thought, listening to the same types of music, binge watching the same tv shows, liking the same types of food. Everything just felt right. Everything felt good. That’s why you didn’t even hesitate when she asked you out to dinner. Not at first anyway. 

Sitting in your car in the restaurant’s parking lot, your nerves went haywire. What if she didn’t like you? What if you didn’t like her? What if conversation went stale? What if she was actually there to kidnap you? So many what-ifs were running through your mind when your phone dinged with a message. Seeing it was from Rosé you opened it quickly, noting that you were still five minutes early. 

I got us a table towards the back on the left side. Let me know when you get here. 

Not wanting to seem too eager, you waited the five minutes to collect yourself and entered the restaurant on time. 

The date went way better than you had expected. Both of you talked about anything and everything, and would have kept talking well into the night if the waitress hadn’t come by to let you know the restaurant was closing soon. Rosé insisted on walking you to your car, saying she wanted to make sure you got there safely even though her car was just a few spots down from yours. When you got there, she wasn’t quick to say goodbye. Instead, you both stood in the parking lot talking for you didn’t even know how long but the next thing you knew the parking lot was empty. 

A silence stilted between the two of you for a moment and you couldn’t help but let your eyes drift toward her lips. Her soft, pillowy, pink lips. You wondered what they would feel like against your own, but your thoughts were cut off when Rosé clearly noticed your staring and cleared her throat, causing your eyes to shoot back up to meet hers. 

“I better get going.” She drawled, but you noticed she took a step towards you instead of towards her own car. 

“Yeah, me too. It’s getting late and I have an early morning.” You said and you barely noticed yourself moving forward as well, almost attracted to each other like magnets. 

Before you knew it, Rosé was close enough that you could feel her breath on your lips as she brought a hand to rest at your cheek. 

“Can I kiss you?” she whispered into the sliver of space between you, and as soon as you nodded, she slowly continued forward, connecting your lips and eliminating the space. In that moment, you felt something electric move through every nerve ending in your body. You felt like you were lit on fire, your heart beating so loudly you thought she might hear it. She pulled away, muttering a goodbye and that she’d call you soon and headed to her car, but you just nodded, silently agreeing while feeling drunk off of her kiss. You stood, dizzy and with your fingers pressed to your lips until she drove by with a honk and a wave, knocking you sober and making you realize you were now alone in the parking lot. You didn’t know what had just happened, but you knew you wanted more. 

Since then, you’ve shared many kisses across many dates, and every time felt better than the last. 

And here you are now, Rosé walking you home after another great date, hands locked and swaying with every step. The air was cooler this time of year, but the warmth from her hand was helping to keep you warm. She walked you up to your doorstep, giving you a hug and peck before pulling away. 

“I had a really nice time Y/N. I’ll call you when I get home, ok?” 

You smiled and nodded, but you couldn’t help but want more. Something about Rosé ignited the most powerful fire you’ve ever felt in yourself, and you kept wanting more. You needed more. 

“Wait, Rosé!” You called after her, descending the steps and meeting her where she was on the sidewalk, placing your hand on the back of her neck and pulling her in for a long, deep, slow kiss. Those same sparks running through your body that you felt during your first kiss. At that moment, everything just felt right. Everything felt good. You pulled away only to tilt your head and meet her on the opposite side, noses brushing and eyelashes fluttering. Pulling away slowly, you noted how Rosé moved to chase your lips. You chuckled, realizing you weren’t the only one dizzy off of one kiss even after all of the kisses you had shared. Her eyelids fluttered open and you stood there for a moment, your hand still resting at the back of her neck, just taking in everything that she was. 

“Do you maybe want to come inside?” You asked nervously. You wanted Rosé any way you could get her and you weren’t even sure what that meant, but you knew you didn’t want her to leave right now. 

“Yeah,” she let out a little above a whisper, clearly still affected by the kiss, “yeah, I’d like that a lot actually.” She finished and you took her hand, leading her up the stairs and into your apartment, sparks flying at every point your bodies touched.

[thelostguardianau]

The Lost Guardian- Chapter Eight

“Heed the Silenced”

(Authors note: aha.. yknow I should probably stop making promises for this fic. Months later, w/ a chapter that doesn’t have Thomas in it, three different outlines down and i’m really just at the mercy of this fic at this point xD considering midway through writing this chapter I had to cut and rewrite an entire scene i’d spent a month on bc I’d decided that Dee had a chance at redemtion that added an actual direction and a tangable end goal to this story. So. Yeah. And!! A loud Thank You!! to @bumblebeekitten for helping me bounce ideas back & forth for this au and being my beta for this chapter!!)

Character Info & Art:

Patton | Logan | Roman | Virgil | Remy | Deceit | ??? | ???

Chapter Seven | Chapter Nine

Fandom: Thomas Sanders Sides

Pairings: Eventual Polyamsanders (LAMPR/CALMR-a.k.a LAMP/CALM + Remy ‘Sleep’ Sanders)

Warnings: THIS CHAPTER IS KINDA DIALOG HEAVY!(sorry) Currently depicted as morally grey Deceit(subject to change in future chapters), though the side of Deceit from his first appearance doesnt make an appearance in this chapter and it is explained why, mentions of past betrayal and dark descriptions of bodily concepts, curses, limitations, and changes only really explained as possible through the lore of this au. Deceit speaks in riddles because he has to, ominous warnings. Virgil still isn’t okay mentally. Mentions of indifference to death, lack of selfworth or self preservation. (Let me know if I need to add anything!)

[[MORE]]

Brown eyes flutter open at the chilly breeze of a fan, and the ravenette’s mind comes to realize that he’s been moved from resting on his stomach to laying on his back. Groggy from his much too short nap, it takes a few moments to realize there are no warm bodies near him or under him, no breathing or chatter of familiar voices to sooth him.

The room, he realizes, is empty.

The room itself is, in fact, not Remy’s bedroom at all.

Shooting straight up, Virgil’s first clear thought is that he’s back at home. At his apartment, this time in his hoodie yet still roughed up from his latest ‘adventure’. The scene is eerily familiar, and yet he knows this time that work is not where he needs to be. It’s already daylight and his mind now knows this familiar scene, he should feel alone. Yet, this time he can hear the sound of honking cars and people, his loud neighbor from upstairs stomping around.

It doesn’t make sense as he walks to his window and peers out to see vague cars and people, he can’t even seem to make out any individual faces. It’s grey and raining outside, but there is no pattering sound against the foggy window. ‘What’s happening?’ Virgil wonders.

“Life seemed so simple a week ago, even months ago, did it not..?” A familiar voice drifts from behind him. Ice cold fear shoots down the ravenette’s spine as he recognizes the voice.

“I can hardly believe you were able to leave it, your routine. It was your everything, back when you came to terms with what you had left. Am I wrong, Virgil?” Whirling around to face the voice, Virgil finds the terrifying ex-Guardian sitting on his couch looking quite at home, if a little sheepish.

“What do you care?” He spat back, stepping back against his window.

“I am only looking out for you, you know. I have been protecting you all your life. Of all people I think I would know what is best for you, don't you think? We are connected after all, you and I.” The man sighed, making a surrendering motion with his hands.

“Why would I trust you?! You tried to kill me yesterday!” Virgil growled. “Why--h-how are you even here!?”

“False, my dear Virgil. I tried to warn you. Sure,” The guardian rolled his hand as he spoke, “I am forced to have a round-about way of speaking my truths, it is just part of my consequences it seems. But how else was I going to get you to listen to me after the others fed you lies about me? I do sincerely apologize for my other half being rough, though. I cannot quite.. Control.. Him.” The guardian tilted his bowler hat down to guiltily hide his eyes, regret briefly twisting his expression.

Finally the Guardian stood, dusting himself off as if his immaculate attire had acquired dust from just existing in his apartment. “I needed my physical body to reach yours and make our soul connection strong again, so that my soul could reach yours. However.. The pain I caused you was far from my intention. I am deeply regretful that it came down to.. That awful encounter.

“To answer your question though, Virgil, I am here because I created ‘here’. A realm made to form this illusion of being home, sweet home, just on the corner of the little street you had come to live on for the past year. It is all my doing. Where you stand is simply an illusion only you and I can access, a manipulation of your dreams and memories. The only place where the real me can talk to you mostly unhindered.” The guardian gestured to his surroundings.

“It takes only one person to flip your life on it’s head, a matter of hours to make the decision of a lifetime, and a matter of days to have completely changed your life’s direction,” He turned to Virgil, and looked him straight in the eyes, feeling distant and lost.

“And only a matter of years to succumb to the depression of the lonely consequences..”

Virgil blinked at that. The sad, longing tone had him thrown for a loop; it almost felt like the Guardian wasn't even quite talking to Virgil. “I-What..? I.. I don’t understand.”

The Guardian shook his head, snapping out of it and refocusing himself. "Nevermind that. It is time I talked to you for real, if you will have me?" The Guardian held out a hand politely, though there was no real expectation for Virgil to take it.

After a pause, Virgil gave a slight nod, still suspicious of the other's intent. The Guardian returned the nod, and his hand fell to his side.

“I am limited to the time that you rest and for now I will not be able to explain myself thoroughly, so, I ask you to understand that I do not expect you to trust me when I am done. I honestly do not expect you to ever trust me. With the mistakes I have made, I firmly believe I would not deserve it.”

Virgil blinked in surprise, not having expected his captor to admit to his faults straight off the bat.

“Okay.. Well, we’re here, might as well hear your side of the story. So.. Shoot.” Virgil said lightly, distrust and suspicion still evident in his tone and stance.

“I would assume at this point you are well aware of how the story you have been told paints me as the villain, a mastermind seeking power, immortality, and revenge? At least, that is what I am led to believe is still the story, it has been many years since I have heard the tale first hand… And... Well. Would that not be so lovely?” Virgil made a face, eyes narrowing in confusion.

“I am serious. Life would be so much easier if it was all black and white, true or false, good and bad, would it not? If those who meant well knew everything and those malicious few could not corrupt anything?” The Guardian frowned a bit, frustrated with his words that couldn’t seem to cooperate with him.

“Would it not be lovely if I could talk to you without fighting to keep from turning every honest thought into a question or theoretical statement just to let it be said? That my words could hold a meaning not forcibly disguised in the forms of fables and riddles?” The Guardian looked down lamely, his words tapering off in agitation. For a moment, Virgil waited as the Guardian was silent, contemplative. Then, the next moment the Guardian’s face scrunched up in sadness and his words were soft as he placed a hand over his golden wrist markings.

“My story is complicated, and twisted with shades of grey. One could say what I did was an attempt to keep you safe, another could say that what I did was outlandish and impulsive, and stupid. But no one will be able to tell you that what I did went according to the plan I had... at first. No one will tell you that my intention was to save you, to keep your fate safe. No one will tell you that my plan was ruined. Because there is no longer anyone who remembers what happened that night except for me,”

The Guardian’s eyes flicked up to meet the ravenette’s, a hurt look passing over his face as he continued. His steady voice now just barely trembled with uncertainty as he continued.

“No one but me and the soul who wants so desperately for everyone to forget. The soul who ripped my own in two to bury the secret, and ruin you and I both.”

“My final warning is this: Beware of the man who carries the world on his shoulders unflinchingly, he will be watching you closely. You have immunity to his power thanks to our connection, you might use this knowledge well to find the truth that lies in plain sight. However, your fate lies in the decisions you chose to make with this knowledge, I can only warn you of what might come.” The Guardian nodded solemnly, choosing to finish his cryptic warning there.

Virgil stood there, reeling with the information. Sure, he definitely wasn’t completely convinced he could trust this cryptic stranger, Guardian? Foe? Friend? Virgil wasn’t really sure what to call him anymore. But damn, his life was already so fucking crazy, this was all just fucking crazy! He could just be dreaming for all he knew.

But… Deep inside, he was hoping he wasn’t.

This was, well. This wasn’t what he’d been expecting to hear when facing the man whose, er, body? Had originally tried to strangle him? Now he’d heard his sob story and, well, Virgil wasn’t that easy to fool, but he’d also been told that it wasn’t expected that he’d trust the guy even in the end and he didn’t really want to.

He’d been on the path to death for so long, and then just two days ago everything had changed. So much was happening, it was frankly exhausting. What the fuck was he, some book protagonist? Couldn’t he get a little time to think about all this before he went crazy?

Still, something under all his incredulity begged to hear the guardian out. He vaguely wondered how Stockholm Syndrome worked before he gave in a little. What difference did a little more crazy make in his life at this point?

“Fine, I’ll heed your warning, or whatever the fuck. But only if you can tell me what you mean when you said that this guy ripped your, uh, soul? In two.” Virgil huffed, partially relaxing. It was odd how comforting he found it to be, floating in this weird feeling imaginary world, where he could interact with objects that weren’t real. It felt like he was really standing in his home, and yet it was just built from memory.

The guardian’s solemn expression formed into a grim smile, eyes distant once more before nodding. “I will do the best that my words will allow.” Virgil nodded, and waited for the now very familiar stranger to gather his words and take a breath. Then he began, his markings lightly flashing gold.

“You find yourself whole one day, as you have always been. To be whole of body, whole of mind, both human and guardian in nature. To have conscious thought and control over your whole physical being and soul..

“You find that yourself and others of the winged variety are capable of separating your soul from your being, though only the most Elite can do it well. You find out the family you made would soon be in danger. You then find yourself lost and alone when you once had a home to call your own.

“You find yourself knowing a truth, a perilous truth. Your home is in shambles now that you are gone, yet they do not know it. This truth is at fault, but the blame is not fully your own in a world built on lies.

“The source of truth tucks itself into blankets of grey, drawing itself further from discovery with each passing day. Now only you know the truth. The source of the truth finds you, it seeks to hide you too.

“You find yourself split one day, as you have never been before. Forced apart from the body, trapped within the mind. Guardian in nature, to have conscious thought and your dying soul trapped within, a false mind piloting the puppeteered confines of a broken body with a blind goal.”

“You find you cannot control what you used to, you are a prisoner to a body that is no longer your own, mostly unconscious to the world around it. Crazed by the false emotions that fuel it.”

“The you that used to be is no longer, and has not been for over a hundred years. The world that knew you knows not of what you’ve become. Knows not of the shackles that bind you.

“The you that used to be is no longer, and will never be again.” The Guardian finished, hesitant yellow eyes meeting Virgil’s carefully. Phantom goosebumps trail down Virgil's arms as the final sentence strikes a cord in him.

Virgil found he really wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, the rawness in the other’s tone spoke volumes of the sore spot they’d reached.

“Your body rests, but your mind also needs time to process today. I shall see you when you next rest, though only if you wish to seek me. Rest well knowing that you will not be scooped from your safety once more, as I hope I’m never to do so again. And...” The guardian paused, considering their next words very carefully.

“I know it is selfish to ask... but, I hope and wish that Thomas is alright, after all this time... Do take care of him, would you?”

Virgil paused and stared, finding only concern and longing in the guardian’s expression. And, well, fuck. What a way to pull at a guy’s heartstrings.

“Er, yes. Yeah. I’ll try my best.” Virgil gave his signature mock salute, the Guardian tipping his hat in return.

“Trying is all I could ever ask of you, Virgil. Rest well, you will need it.” And with that final sentence, the world around Virgil gently grew dark, and he sunk into the comforting arms of sleep.

Despite it all, Virgil still found his mind vaguely conscious. Sluggish at best, but awake nonetheless.

He figured it was likely some lingering effect from the Guardian’s dream realm, but didn’t dwell on it. His life had way too much else going on to be debating the side effects gained from Guardian powers.

First, he’d been pretty damn convinced two days ago that he was going to be a goner by the end of the month. Completely resigned to die believing that his very existence was scorned by the world he’d been unwillingly born into.

Then Patton had stumbled onto his shitty apartment’s roof, found him in all of his resigned and depressed glory, and changed his life forever.

They’d mostly skipped the whole ‘Human nature is a series of life, death, and rebirth’ spiel that guardians were known to give in these situations because... Well, It wasn’t like they’d really had time to address it before the truth about his soul had come out. That he wasn’t exactly human to begin with.

Virgil didn’t think that Guardians had ever had a situation like his before. There wasn’t a protocol for comforting a kidnapped guardian soul. It’d never been a possibility before!

So it wasn’t surprising then, that Virgil didn’t have any better of a time processing it.

His whole life, all that he’d known to be true, all that he’d believed in? Everything had been uprooted and turned on its head. He’d apparently been living a life that was not supposed to be.

Perhaps for the first time in two days, Virgil realized that the thought of his death at the end of the month had not been consistently worming into his brain. It had once been something he could never seem to stop thinking about.

The death indicated by his soul timer was now perhaps the farthest thing from his mind.

Perhaps the strangest thing so far was that he wasn’t alone anymore. He’d possibly had more physical contact with other people in the short two(three?) days since this adventure started then he’d had in the past 16 years.

And wasn’t it just the cherry on top that he’d also gotten nearly choked out by the very guardian accused of kidnapping his soul in the first place? And now he was considering trusting the damn guy.

Virgil hollowly wondered why he even cared.

Why did he care about staying alive now when he’s spent his whole life believing he never would? Up until two days ago, that belief had still been true. But now? Avoiding death was the goal, Logan had stated as much.

Really, would Virgil lose anything by trusting the banished guardian? Even if the guardian was trying to trick Virgil and got him killed, what difference would it make? That’d always been the goal before. What did he, Virgil, really have to lose?

If it happened that Virgil lived past his twentieth birthday, if he became a guardian like he was supposed to be in the first place. Would he want that? Did he want that?

He wasn’t sure. Didn’t know if he ever had been.

His life had been built on resignation to the inevitable. Nothing seemed to motivate him towards liking or hating that possibility. He was just that.

Indifferent.

And wasn’t that just the greatest revelation of the night? Finding out that you’re indifferent to living or dying.

Once this was all over, if Virgil lived that long, he would make a note to see a therapist. He knew very well that this kind of mindset was unhealthy to keep. It just couldn’t be helped that the nineteen years he’d lived with this particular affliction couldn’t be fixed by a few extra hugs and comforting words.

Even if he didn’t like the fact that death sounded like the more peaceful option.

His thoughts paused, mentally sighing at the downward spiral he’d caught himself in. It was tiring, and going nowhere.

‘For now,’ he decided, ‘I’m just going to see how this plays out. The Guardian said that none of the others remember the truth, or whatever. So, It’s a ‘he said-they said’ situation right now...’

‘I’ll have to keep an eye out for the guy that he warned me about, then. Who knows if he's as dangerous as The Guardian made him out to be. It’s hard to tell with the weird way he has to talk..’

Virgil paused again, a realization striking him. If he could have groaned, he would have. Not once had he been given or even remembered to ask for the name of said Guardian. What was he supposed to call the rogue Guardian now? He couldn’t just keep calling him The Guardian!

Amidst the disbelief of such a slip up, a foreign yet familiar feeling prodded questioningly at his conscious mind. Adding confusion into the mix of emotions, he returned the feeling with a questioning thought of his own.

He briefly heard the Guardian’s whispy voice once more, now acting with permission.

“You may call me Janus”

Then all at once, Virgil woke up.

.

.

.

Chapter Nine

[johnismyreason]

Hell on Earth (one) // KOH!TomHolland x Human!Reader

Summary: Tom, Prince of Hell and only heir to the throne, is sent to Earth by his parents as a punishment. He ends up in an odd city full of the worst humans, except one, who, despite not knowing who he truly is, decides to help him.

I have this idea since this summer and I was way too lazy and busy to put it down. This is going to be a series so if you want to be tagged for next chapters, you can send it in the ask box, and also tell me what you thought of it ! I really hope you’ll enjoy it my loves :) 

oh ! also this is my thousandth post ! Thank you so much for following me and enjoying my work, it means the world to me ! 

Warnings: sort of panick attack, cursing, bad English bc I’m French and other mistakes.

/////////////////////////////////////

“Wait... What do you mean I’m banned ?” Tom huffed, not believing what he just heard. 

His voice resonated in the gigantic throne room where his parents, the King and Queen of Hell were sat, holding hands. The room was cold, just like every other room in this castle, even though outside the weather was hot, dry, almost stifling. 

“Tom, we asked you multiple time to take your responsibilities as the future King of Hell, and instead you kept partying, having fun, hanging out with the wrong people.” explained his father “You’re not a child anymore” Tom’s heart was beating so fast making his breath was heavy. 

The young prince was known for his love for partying, being carefree and for never taking his responsibilities. Tom was the sole heir to the throne, so he knew he wouldn’t be in competition with anyone else. However he saw that as an opportunity to do whatever he wanted, more than a heavy burden to save the honour of his family. 

He looked at his father and his mother alternately, trying to process. Tom finally stoped his sight on his mother who was as disappointed as his father. Normally, she always takes his defence, try to smooth the King’s fury, but not this time. 

“Mother...” whispered Tom full of despair, looking for help, but she only looked down, hiding her sad eyes. “Father, you can’t ban me forever ! Who’s going to be the next King ?” 

“I’m not banning you forever, my son” the King rose from his throne and walked slowly towards Tom. “I know Hell must have a King or Queen no matter what. I am banning you until the moment you are responsible, respectable and grown enough to become King.” 

“That makes no sense !” Tom exclaimed flying his hands up and looking at the ceiling. “I am responsible, respectable and grown ! I am the result of the education you taught me my whole life and-”

“You don’t speak to me like that, Thomas !” cut the King when Tom started raising his voice. “You are in no position to say anything.” Tom pinched his lips to stop him from yelling again and breathed with his nostrils. His father was now right in front of him, standing tall. “You leave immediately.” 

“Immediately ?! But... But where to ? How am I gonna live ?” 

“Earth” simply responded the King. Tom puffed the breath he didn’t he was holding, his arms getting heavier. 

“Earth ?” he repeated. His father nodded his head. “Dad...” the king flinched hearing this name. It wasn’t forbidden just... unusual. “I can’t go to Earth.” Tom’s eyes are dangerously filling with tears but he knows that letting them fall won’t change anything. “Please give me another chance, I’ll do anything-”

“You will do as I said. You will go to Earth. End of discussion.” The King turned his back to Tom and walked back to his throne next to his wife who was now slightly crying. Tom ran to his mother, fell on his knees and took her hands in his, begging her to do something. 

“Mother please, don’t let me go, I promise I will behave, I’ll be the King you’re waiting for, you’re wanting me to be. P-please...” Tom was no longer holding his tears back. The Queen withdrew her hands sharply from Tom's grasp. 

“Tom, you will go to Earth as the King ordered. You will be able to come back when you are ready to take his place.” The Queen of Hell stood up and forced Tom to do the same. They faced for a few seconds trying to speak without words. The Queen was disappointed, angry and sad to see that her son was not the young King she hoped for to see, but instead was this childish, selfish and reckless prince only interested in loosing himself in every creature and drugs he could find at parties. His mother embraced him, holding him as close as she can before he leaves. After all, he’s still her only child.

“Don’t ever disappoint me like that, Tom” she whispered in his ear. Tom shivered in her arms, felling guilty to cause her this much pain. “Find a reason to be wise. This is Hell, a kingdom. Not anarchy. I will miss you my love” she sobbed and Tom buried his face in the crook of her neck, like he used to when his heart was aching as a child. 

“Mom, please don’t let me go...” his whimpers muffled in his mother’s hair. She pulled back and took Tom’s face in her hands to look at him one last time. 

“Find her” she softly smiled. Tom looked confused at the Queen, before feeling an odd warmth in his chest. 

Looking down at it, he saw a red light consuming him rapidly spreading across his body. He stepped back and hit his chest trying to take this light off of him. He knew what it meant. He saw multiple times people getting banned from Hell. Traitors, fallen demons, even his uncle. The light was taking his whole body, there was nothing Tom could have done to stop it. He raised his frightened eyes to his parents who looked at him without any emotion, when he vanished in a flash of light dust. 

///////////////////////////////

Tom doesn’t really know how he ended up in a refrigerator but as soon as he felt the cold on his skin he bursted out of it, earning little surprised screams and confused looks from the people in the grocery store. Tom looked around before heading out running. He stopped in the middle of the road when he heard a car honking at him and stoping right before him. 

“Get out of here asshole !” screamed the driver. Tom, whom was really not accustomed to be talked like that, stretched out his hand to use his power to torture the man. But, nothing happened. 

“My powers...” he mumbled. 

“What the hell are you doing, you fucking freak ?! I said get out of here !” and almost without warning, the driver hit the gas, giving Tom just the time to push himself on the side. 

He ran to the boardwalk and started walking fast, his head turning in all directions to find an issue to this nightmare. He heard people complaining about him and his weird behaviour but he couldn’t care less. He was alone, on Earth and literally powerless. He’s used to people being around him but they were always at his mercy. The noise, the heat, he knew all about it, but what he was experiencing right now was really not as delightful as the screams of sinners begging for the torture to stop. That was music to his ear. Not this mess that sounded like the worst carnival ever. He kept walking without knowing where to, his heart beating so fast and hard against his chest. Dripping in sweat, his muscles tensed, all your senses on alert, Tom thought he was going to die. 

“Sir ?!” a sweet but worried voice took him out of his invading thoughts. It seemed like the young lady owning this chanting voice was trying to call him a few times already. “Sir, do you hear me ? Are you okay ?” she was holding his shoulders to steady him. Tom’s eyes stared at her and all of her features. She was strangely reassuring and familiar, and she gave off a light that normally would have scared him away. She kept holding his gaze until she had an answer from Tom. 

“U-uh y-yeah, yeah...” Tom stuttered. “I’m fine”

“You really don’t seem fine” she questioned, her hands still on his shoulders but her grip loosened, since Tom calmed down a little. 

“I’m just... lost” he replied. 

“Oh. Do you leave around ?” 

“Not really, no.” Tom chuckled. 

“Then, how did you end up here ?” she frowned and let her hands fall to her side, and Tom immediately missed the protecting weight of her delicate hands on his body. 

“I-I... don’t know ?” 

“You don’t know ? But- oooh, I get it” she nodded her hand side to side with a cheeky smile “partied too much uh ?” the lady chuckled. 

“Is that so obvious ?” Tom jumped on the opportunity to escape from the irrational yet real reason on why he looked like an lost elephant in the middle of the Antarctic. 

“Well... yeah.” she chuckled shrugging her shoulders. Her laugh made Tom reaching another level of calm and let himself smile back at her. “Can I help you in any way ?”

Tom couldn’t believe it. He’s been on Earth for twenty minutes and already seen the worst of it and humans, even though he lived where all the worst people end up in the after life. But she, with soft words and light hands, has managed to lower the level of absolute nightmare to bearable. 

“Um...” Tom thought of how he could tell her that he didn’t know anyone, didn’t have a place to live and couldn’t tell her where he was coming from. “No, I’m gonna be alright” he shrugged, scrunching his nose. 

“Are you sure ?” she asked surprised. “You looked pretty panicked and disoriented just a few seconds ago, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you”. Tom’s heart skipped a bit. She didn’t know him and yet she worried about him. If only she knew who he was, she would never care about me so much, thought Tom. 

“Don’t worry I got it” the curly boy responded nicely. 

“Ok... well, if you need anything, I work at the bakery down the street, at Patty’s. Don’t hesitate to come visit me.” She smiled so brightly, the light in her shone stronger, calling Tom to embrace it. 

“Thank you, this is very... nice.” Nice ? What is nice ? Tom only knew pettiness in his kingdom. 

“You’re welcome ! And don’t worry, this city looks like Hell but it’s really not that bad” she giggled. The prince rose his brows and smiled slightly at her warning. Tell me about Hell. “Well, um... bye.” she waved a little at him – and he held back the urging desire to take it in his to place a delicate kiss on it – and walked passed him, turning her head back for a final look.  

Tom sighed heavily thinking that nobody will help him anymore and that he had to find a place to sleep at least for tonight. He wandered the whole day around the city of... London ? At least that’s what he heard from other people. Why this place, though ? Who chose it for him ? Is it his father ? His mother ? A random counsellor ? The fallen prince had no answer but approximately a thousand questions. 

The sun was setting down, illuminating the London’s sky with a bright pink and purple light. People were either going home or going out to party. I could use a party, thought Tom. But he shook this idea out of his brain. He was on Earth for this exact reason. I could use a bed, actually. Without noticing it, Tom went back to the square he met... Satan, I don’t even know her name ! He thought of going to that bakery and ask her for help. Maybe she knows where he can sleep tonight. Maybe she can invite him to her place. Maybe... maybe he should not bother her with his problems. Ugh ! Tom grunted in despair and cursed his parents for the deep shit he’s in. His head turned around when he heard giggles and high heels tapping the pavement. A group of girlfriends was heading to a bar to celebrate someone’s birthday. They were pretty. Tom’s feet took the lead, and walked him towards the same bar, where music – awful music he thought – was blasting. He hesitated to go inside and then thought a drink wouldn't hurt him. He has already drunk far worse than the poor human drinks. One glass, that's all. And Tom walked into the bar, his heart racing with excitement.

///////////////////////////////////

That was one drink too much. When Tom slowly emerged from his sleep, his head was banging like crazy. He squeezed his eyes open, blinded by light coming directly on his face, his hand before his sight. He then only realised where he was. Laid on a bed, his head resting on a soft pillow, under a warm blanket... naked... next to a girl, naked too... oh, actually two girls. Tom rose out from the bed. With a pillow to cover him, the party boy looked for his clothes that were spread on the floor, and put them back. That looks too familiar. He then tried to proceed to get out of the bedroom but tripped on one of the girl’s high heels.

“Damn it !” he grunted, waking up... Stacey ? 

“Uhmm Tom ? What are you doing ?” she mumbled coming out of her dreams. 

“I... go. Bye.” He opened the door and motioned out. 

“Wait ! When are we meeting again ?” she asked dropping herself with the blanket, leaving her friend fully naked. “We had a lot of fun last night” she walked closer to him, lingering a finger on his chest and biting her lip. She’s pretty. 

“Never.” He took her wrist out of his chest and said “Look, Stacey-”

“Chloe” she corrected shooting him with her eyes. 

“Shit, I knew it.” he said between his teeth. “Look, Chloe, we had fun, yes, but uhh, you see, we won’t do it again.” 

“Why ?” she looked disappointed 

“You’re not my best shot in bed. ‘Didn’t blow my mind. So, yeah... Bye !” and just like that, Tom steeped out of the appartement under a rain of insults from the now very angry girl. It always made him laugh. Playing with girls, taking what he wants from them and never apologise. 

But now what ? Back to the starting point, Tom was a wandering soul in London. His head was killing him from all of the alcohol he had. It shouldn’t be hurting him this much. Human’s beverages were poor and weak. He never understood why alcoholic sinners were so addicted to this. It’s not even good ! His feet were dragging him through the wakening city and he felt his stomach growled. 

“How the hell did I end up here again ?” Tom mumbled scratching his scalp. He was back on the square his life saver left him yesterday. It’s maybe a sign, thought Tom. A sign ? What sign ? Tom didn’t have much more time to think before his stomach screamed for food. “Guess I don’t have any other choice” he sighed and began to walk towards the bakery. 

When he arrived, the prince of Hell, discovered a bright colour painted shop, with a few tables and a window full of pastries, sandwiches and cakes. His mouth watering at the sight, he could have smashed the window and eaten it all. 

“You ? Hi !” said a melodic voice. Tom snapped his head up to look at you. What an angel.

“Hi... You remember me ?” asked Tom 

“I do, yeah ! Um, how are you doing ?” you smiled 

“Perfect !” responded enthusiastically Tom, his hands behind his back. 

“Yeah ?”

“No, I lied.” he admitted immediately, taking you by surprise. You blinked a few times not knowing what to say. “I’m in deep shit actually” 

“Umm, wow, ok... so how can I help you ?”

“First, can I know your name ?”

You shook your head lightly realizing that indeed, you never told each other’s names “Oh yeah, I’m Y/N. You ?”

“My name’s Tom, prin- just Tom” he cut himself from using the old and vanished way of presenting himself.

“Ok, just Tom,” you giggled trying to relax, “what’s next ?”

“Next, could you offer me something to eat and drink and seat with me so I can expose you my, uhh, situation”. That was bold of him to ask you to give you food when you were still strangers to each other.

But you didn’t hesitate “Sure ! What would you like ?” You demanded with the biggest smile. How is it possible to be so nice ?

“The tuna sandwich please ?” What ? I don’t even like tuna ! It’s because of that smile...

“Great ! Have a seat and I’ll join you right away” you both nodded at each other and Tom chose a table that was the farrest from the counter. While waiting for you, he fought of how he could tell you that he’s actually the Prince of Hell, whom was banned by his parents to teach him a lesson, and didn’t know why he ended up here, in London, but however he still needs a place to live for a few days, or weeks, or month... or years. Tom let out a deep breath and played with his fingers.

This is gonna be easy. Right ?

_______________________________________________________________________

TAGLIST: @theamuz @shayminisshiny @lovewolfspirit @mybabyboytony @justamessandahalf @kenzieee000 @maybemona​ @bailey8211 @smallheathgangsters @skymoonandstardust​ @fangirlfree @geesquariid @tcf1​ @mycomealongpond11 @osterfieldnholland​ @seutarose @sailingintothenight​ @peterbparkerth @hollanddolanfangirl

[frywen-bumbles]

The Way to a Man's Heart Goes Through His... Cat? Ch2

Days 6-7: Jaskier gets some unexpected messages and looks after house plants

AO3

Master of Music.

Jaskier loves the sound of it.

What he doesn't love is the half-empty document staring at him from his laptop screen.

'Historical Facts, Recent Myths, Current Connections: The Witchers in Historical and Contemporary Music'

He has all of his research material on hand. He has read through it. Several times. But writing the actual research down isn't happening.

Gods above how much he wishes he could just compose new songs and throw his brain out of the window. He doesn't even believe in any gods but if praying will help writing to happen he's willing to try.

Roach sits on top of the bookshelf, in one of her favourite places to... stare at him. And judge. Or maybe Jaskier feels like the cat is judging him. She hasn't warmed up to him during the first week at all, all she does is stare at him whatever he does but doesn't let him close enough to touch yet alone to brush.

"You know, Roachie if you won't let me touch you soon your owner will have to shave you naked when he returns."

Roach doesn't answer.

Of course, she won't answer. He must be going bonkers. Maybe a walk will help. He doesn't hold high hopes, everything is going shite anyway, what good could one walk do?

He snaps a quick silly selfie of himself and Roach and sends it to Roach's owner, like every day. It doesn't take long for the mark to turn blue to note the message has been seen. No answer, but at this point, Jaskier is not surprised. There has been no answer in the previous days, why break the tradition now? Some people just aren't made for small talk and Jaskier isn't going to force it. Not that he'd want to see the man. No, that would be ridiculous.

He gets lost in his thoughts, trying to figure out how to put together his thesis in some sort of coherent way as he walks to the nearby park. His phone buzzes in his pocket for a new message. He digs it out, not giving it much thought expecting to see a message from Essi or Pricilla. What he sees makes him almost drop his phone in his shock.

Cat dad answered? And with a photo?

A honk makes him realise he's standing in the middle of the road like an idiot and he crosses to the other side to reach the park. Only it feels like he doesn't need to have a walk anymore, this is more excitement than he's had in the entire week.

He opens the message.

A selfie with a blonde girl and a man stare back at him. He feels like his heart will stop.

"Essi?" Jaskier has to talk to someone. He knows he shouldn't, he promised absolute confidentiality. But he will burst if he doesn't talk about this to someone. He will absolutely without a doubt die.

"What is it, Buttercup?" Essi drawls like she has all the time in the world.

"Cat dad it insanely hot!"

"Whaaat? He texted back?"

"Yes! He's off the wall hot? I can't deal with this! How am I supposed to just sit working on his desk knowing what the man looks like? He will haunt my dreams, Essi!"

"Well, spill the tea! What does he look like?"

"You know I can't tell you, just know he's the hottest dude I have ever seen, okay? I can't deal with this. How am I supposed to write academic bullshite when his picture sits on my phone and I could just... look at it whenever I want to?

"Jaskier, for fucks sake. Your thesis is already a year late. You have been promised a place in the doctoral programme. If you keep sitting on your arse with this, instead of being the brightest student at the Uni, you will fail, understand? Get your shite together and stop falling in love with every person you happen to see."

"But, Essiiii... He's really hot!"

"I know, darling. Just keep it in your pants until you've finished with your thesis. Then I give you my permission to go chase the hot cat daddy."

"Melitele forbid, Essi, you're no fun. I wasn't going to chase him! I don't even know where he is. I just can't get over the hotness, okay?"

"Mm hmm, I know you too well. Get back to work or do I need to remind you why you took up pet sitting?"

"No. I'm sorry. I'll take a small walk and then get right back to writing, I promise."

Jaskier does not get back to writing.

He stares at the picture in his phone trying to figure out how a gorgeous man like that could have such an impersonal home. The man has his hair tied back in a messy bun, revealing an undercut which tells the milky white locks are natural. Jaskier didn't know he had a thing for blonds, but he sure as hell does now.

The girl's young, maybe around ten years old, Jaskier isn't sure. Kids aren't exactly his forte, all of his friends are still firmly stuck in their studies instead of having families of their own.

The picture had been taken by the girl, the grin wide on her face suggesting taking it had been her idea. But the soft smile the man has as he looks at the girl is melting Jaskier's heart.

If only someone would look at him like that he could die happy.

A crash from upstairs startles him enough to put down his phone and look at the time. Jaskier tries and fails not to fall into despair. He has wasted another day, not a single word written and how he wishes he could just throw up all of his ideas into coherent text but it is not happening.

He closes his laptop. It's no use. Going like this he'll never graduate.

Roach stares at him from the door, covered in dust and... definitely more dust.

"I'm a mess, aren't I, Roachie?"

Roach doesn't answer. Instead, she screams and runs downstairs, expecting him to follow like a good servant. His phone buzzes for a new message and Jaskier taps it open.

<Water the plants. Remember to brush the cactus.>

Remember to what the what now? He stares at the message, trying (and failing) to ignore the image above it.

"What the fuck?" he mutters to himself as he makes his way downstairs to stare at the house plants he has given no thought at all up to this point. On the windowsill in the kitchen is a lone cactus, right next to where Roach likes to sit and look to the yard. A cactus completely covered in cat hair and Roach is happy to provide how that particular thing happened. She jumps next to the plant and rubs her head against it, leaving even more hair on the spines.

"Brush the cactus. Okay then..."

<How do I brush a cactus?>

<What the fuck Jask?>

Jaskier snaps a picture of the cactus and sends it to the group chat with Essi and Pricilla.

<How do I get rid of the hair???>

He gets no response. ... appears on the screen several times before crying laughing emojis fill the screen.

<Thanks a bunch -.- >

He goes to dig through the cabinet where he found cat things and discovers a comb.

"That'll have to do," he sighs and gets to combing the cactus, careful not to harm it. In the end, the cactus comes unharmed from the endeavour but unfortunately, Jaskier doesn't. His palm is adorned with spines he spends a good five minutes plucking out with tweezers.

<If i die bc of a cactus related infection I'm blaming you>

<omg what did you do>

<Squeezed a ball of hair in my hand but it was filled with spines from the cactus>

<lmao>

<lmao???? I'm suffering and you're laughing??? Essi, Pris is being horrible>

<it is only what you deserve>

<OMG rude!>

<kissy face emoji>

Jaskier looks up from his phone when he hears water splashing. He doesn't even want to know what toy the cat has decided to drown now but if he doesn't hurry the whole kitchen will be filled with water.

Roach is happily playing with a toy mouse dunking it in her water bowl and tossing it around, spreading water everywhere.

"Roach, please? Could you just... not do that?" Jaskier begs as he fishes the mouse out of the water bowl and puts it to dry in a cabinet. "This may come as a surprise to you but I do not enjoy mopping the floors after you." He complains as he dutifully takes kitchen towels and dries the kitchen. At least it's better than the time Roach tucked the entire kitchen rug in the water bowl while he was out.

"You are a menace," Jaskier tells Roach after he has cleaned up everything. Roach meows.

Jaskier feels like he has barely fallen asleep when he wakes up. At first, he doesn't understand what woke him, but another yowl has him wide awake. What has him jumping out of the bed and run is the sound of pumping, like someone was trying to unclog a toilet.

"Roach you bastard, where are you? Please don't throw up on a carpet!!" Jaskier tries to find the cat based on the noise, stumbling in the dark. To his horror, the noise is coming from the second floor, where he was absolutely forbidden to go.

"Roaaaaach...!" he whines and makes his way up the stairs.

The view that awaits him when he flips the light on is totally unexpected. It is so unexpected Jaskier has to pinch himself to believe he's actually standing in a real room.

It is, and really the only way to describe it is every little girl's dream room. The room spans the entire second floor, ceiling low on the sides showing it was renovated from an attic, pinks, purples and blues adorning the furnishing.

And right on the middle of the white rug is the vomit.

"Fuck."

Jaskier collects the rug and carries it in the bathroom and spends an ungodly amount of time washing it, hoping against all the odds, the stain would leave.

It doesn't.

Come morning and Jaskier is sure it's all been a weird dream. Unfortunately for him, the stained rug awaits him in the bathroom when he goes to brush his teeth and he groans in frustration.

Roach meows at the closed door and scratches it until he lets her in so she can stare at him. Jaskier sighs and snaps a quick selfie, hair mussed and toothbrush still in his mouth and sends it. No need to prolong it, now he can hopefully focus on writing.

He's drinking his third cup of tea when his phone buzzes for a new message.

<Roach's hair is as messy as yours>

Jaskier stares at the message, sent from an unknown number.

<Who is this?>

<Youre looking after daddys cat>

<You're the girl! From the picture!> <I'm Julian but you can call me Jaskier> <Wait you shouldn't text strange men does your dad know you've texted me?>

<You're not strange you just told me your name> <I'm bored daddy went out with grandpa and im left with uncle> <Hes no fun> <I'm Fiona>

<Hello Fiona, it's nice to meet you>

Jaskier doesn't know what else he's supposed to say. How does one talk with children? Just like normal people? Right?

Wait!

Jaskier comes to a sudden realisation; now he has the perfect opportunity to ask cheat codes for Roach to get the cat to, well maybe not like him but to tolerate him.

<How do I brush Roach? She doesn't let me near her>

The screen fills with laughing emojis earning a sigh from Jaskier. No help then.

<Give her cheese> <Shes crazy about it but only gets it after shes brushed>

Of course, why hasn't he thought to give the cat cheese? Maybe because it doesn't make any sense. Who gives cat cheese when there are perfectly good cat treats available?

Nothing else about this makes any sense either and since writing isn't happening nor is Fiona texting anything else he makes his way to the fridge and digs out a block of cheese and cuts a piece.

Roach runs at him screaming. She thrills and screams and rubs herself against the drawer where all of her brushes are.

Roach doesn't purr when he combs through her fur, but feeding her bits of cheese every time she gets too annoyed helps and like a miracle Jaskier manages to brush a cat-sized pile of loose fur to show for his efforts. He gives Roach the last piece when he has finished and tries to pet her, but she sprints away from him with an annoyed meow.

Maybe Roach doesn't hate him as much as he thought after all.

[logical-little-lies]

Making Out, Flirting, and The Beginnings of A Four-Way Bond- Little Vlogs (Chapter Five)

a/n: after like a month of not updating I finally wrote another part to this. Yay!!! also I forgot who wanted to be added to the taglist so if you asked feel free to yell at me in my inbox later bc I didn’t add anyone new. sorry!

--

chapter summary: The four head out together for their first romantic outing, all four of them. How does it go? Romantic affection is spread between them, and they have a ton of fun. This date marks the start of them becoming a poly couple.

--

"Virgil, I promise, you look great," Roman assured his boyfriend, who kept retucking his short sleeved black and purple shirt.

"I don't even know how to skate!" Virgil groaned, adjusting the band of his high-waisted ripped jeans, fluffing his hair with his hand.

"I do, and so does Patton. I'm sure we can help you and Logan figure it out," Roman put the tiniest bit of lipgloss on his lips, holding out the tube to Virgil as an offering.

"Nah, no thanks. Not feeling like makeup today, but you look great," Virgil moved to kiss Roman's cheek.

"Thank you," Roman smirked, turning his head and pecking Virgil's lips softly. Virgil snaked his arms around Roman's neck, making the kiss deeper. Roman went with it for a moment before pulling away. "I have to redo my lipgloss!" he whined.

"But I got to makeout with you, it's a win-lose situation but I think we're both happy," he winked playfully, and Roman, in just as much of a playful manner, scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, you suck," he snatched the tube of makeup from the counter and reapplied it. Virgil gathered the makeup and hygienic products that were scattered and began to put them in their places.

"Of course I do," Virgil took the tube from Roman a few seconds later, putting it in the makeup tub. Virgil set the makeup tub on the counter, looking at his phone.

"Are they here?" Roman asked. Virgil looked at him.

"You're acting like a high school cheerleader who got a date with the school quarterback," Virgil scoffed, facing his phone screen away from him.

"Oh shut up, you're excited too. You know it," Roman teased,checking his pocket to make sure he had his phone.

Virgil didn't respond, ducking out of the bathroom and walking through the apartment. Roman made sure he had everything, taking a deep breath before exiting the bathroom and meeting Virgil at the door. "Ready?" Virgil held out his hand.

Roman intertwined their fingers, "As I'll ever be."

--

Patton and Logan looked all sorts of gorgeous. On two different ends of the spectrum. Patton was gorgeous in a you're-so-beautiful type way, with his sweater and mom-jeans. Logan was gorgeous in a how-are-you-so-fucking-hot way.

It was pretty dark, and there was a slight breeze.

Logan wore a loose plain black t-shirt, tucked into dark jeans. they all wore tucked in shirts and jeans, just different combinations. "Hey, Ro! And Virge!" Patton greeted Virgil with a hug first, looking shyly at Roman's slightly muscular arms.

Roman realize what he wanted, holding out his arms. "You're welcome to hug me." he clarified with a chuckle. Logan urged Patton forward. Virgil noticed how Patton melted into his embrace, but his focus quickly shifted into how Logan's freckles seemed to stand out even more under this dark lighting.

"Admiring me, Virgil?" Logan snapped him out of his daze, calling out his staring and causing Virgil to go red.

"Uh-um...maybe?"

"Yeah, you were. Think I'm hot, or something?" Logan continued to joke, Virgil looked up at him as he got closer.

"Oh, surely not. I'm here for Patton and Patton exclusively," he raised his eyebrow, as if challenging him.

"I swear to god, if you two start marking out before the date even STARTS, I give up." Roman rolled his eyes with a groan.

"What would you do if we did? We could kiss right now, I'm up for that," Virgil looked up at Logan again, who seemed to be silently agreeing.

"I'd uh....kiss Patton!" Roman decided.

"Let's get in the car first," Patton opened the back door, sliding to sit behind the drivers seat. Logan laughed at the interaction between them, getting in the drivers seat.

"I call shotgun!" Roman spoke first, but Virgil stopped him from getting in the car.

"No, I want to!" he whined. They continued to argue before Logan honked his horn.

"You guys really like me that much? You're willing to go as far as fighting over who gets to sit next to me?" he looked at them in a mockingly stern way, as if disappointed. "Virgil, you sit in front. Only because you were the first one to try and be flirty tonight."

Virgil stuck out his tongue , Roman rolling his eyes and climbing into the back without another word. "You really wanted to sit next to Logan, does it really suck that much that you got stuck with me?" Patton seemed to be pouting a bit, talking in a quiet voice to Roman.

"No, no! I did want to sit next to Logan, but you're great too. Just as cute, and sweet," he smiled, reassuring him. Patton smiled, buckling his seat belt.

"Mkay," he mumbled, going silent. The car started up, and Virgil and Logan start their own conversation up front. Patton looked out the window.

Was Roman really going to do this? It seemed like it would be something sweet to do in this moment. It would be so cute!

Roman hesitated, but while Patton was facing away, he leaned over, and kissed his cheek softly. "Really, you're adorable." he assured, Patton giving a more genuine smile, which was now tainted by a blush.

They got to the diner in no time. Roman and Patton ordered almost identical meals, which was surprising because none of them had really talked about what they were getting before hand. Virgil sat next to Logan on their side of the booth, with Patton and Roman on the other. They held up a lighthearted, slightly flirty conversation throughout their meal.

Everyone was happy, this felt right. This felt more like fate then when the separate two couples got together. It was like the four of them were meant to be.

Roman was mentally gushing over how adorable Patton was, while Virgil was distracted by Logan's arm around his shoulder. "Logieee," Patton whined with a pout, "Can we please get milkshakes for dessert?"

Logan seemed to be thinking. "I suppose so." he gave a smirk, knowing that the next thing he'd hear would be Patton's cheer. Virgil seemed happy about this too. They ordered milkshakes when the waiter came by to collect their empty plates.

Virgil mindlessly leaned his head against Logan's shoulder, looking up at him when he realized what he did. "Well, hello there," Logan chuckled softly, signifying that this affectionate action was okay. Virgil smiled back up at him.

None of the four even knew how so much time had passed so quickly, but it felt like only a few minutes later, they were lacing up their skates and preparing to enter the skate floor. Patton was ready, holding out his hand to Virgil.

"You don't know how to skate, right? I don't want you to fall," he said innocently. Virgil intertwined their fingers.

"I don't know, Pat. Seems like you just wanna hold my hand," Virgil waited for Patton to step onto the skate floor.

"Okay, maybe I do?" he challenged, pulling the emo boy onto the skating rink before another word could be spoken.

"Hmm,so they're being all cutesy together," Roman joked, tying his skate laces into a bow.

"I expected such. The combination of those two are cuddly, cutesy, and adorable." Logan stood up, holding onto the booth seats as support.

"How would you describe the combination of us?" Roman got up too, making sure the man was stable.

"Um...confident, flirtatious, and hot?" he settled on those three words. Roman took his hand.

"Sounds accurate enough to me," he nodded, puling him towards the skating rink.

A two hour skating session was enough to hold all the following: Virgil and Logan falling about fifteen times combined during the first thirty minutes alone (aka, they're bad at skating), Roman beating Logan in the arcade games,and Virgil and Patton sharing a large pop from the food counter (which in turn, made Patton very energetic).

((SUGGESTIVE/ IMPLIED SMUT WARNING))

"Logan and Roman went to the bathroom together fifteen minutes ago, and I'm kinda concerned," Virgil looked at Patton with a suggestive look.

"Vee! I'm sure it's fine, they wouldn't do that...in a public restroom." Patton looked horrified at the thought.

"Are you sure about that?" Virgil raised his eyebrow, taking a sip of their shared pop before handing it to Patton.

Logan and Roman may not of been doing what Virgil implied, but a makeout session definitely took place. What could they say? No one used to bathroom and they had it to themselves. They're gay and overly romantic, something was bound to happen.

Logan and Roman returned their skates already, and Patton and Virgil were waiting for them in the backseats of the car. When the two men finally came out of the building, they were quick to cross the parking lot and climb into the car.

"Sorry for the hold up....uh, we were-" Roman tried to come up with an excuse as he sat in the passenger seat.

"Kissing? Fucking? Making out?" Virgil offered.

"First off, language," Logan gave him a stern look that made Virgil wanna pout and say sorry, "Second off, the last option one applies."

Patton's eyes widened, but then he gave a mock offended look. "So you two make out in the skating rink bathroom, and all I got was a measly kiss on the cheek from Roman? This is not fair." he huffed.

"Don't worry, I didn't get any kisses from none of y'all." Virgil matched Patton's pouty face. Roman and Logan listened to their pouting and complaining.

"Poor babies," Roman teased, looking back at the two of them, who gave semi-identical playful glares.

"Well, I guess we have to make it up to them somehow," Logan sighed dramatically, and Roman gave him a knowing look. They had discussed sleepover plans while leaving the skating rink.

"Mhm, you're right. Does a weekend-long sleepover work as an apology for not kissing you two?" Roman asked, the two boys in the back expressing excitement within seconds.

"Yes, but I still expect kisses from you guys," Patton accommodated.

"Maybe you'll get them?" Logan started the car. The four playfully argued until they reached Patton's house. Roman opened Patton's door, holding out a hand to help him out of his seat.

"Oh, thank you Roman!" Patton took his hand, somewhat shocked when Roman pulled him up into a firm, but soft kiss. "Now that makes up for it." he spoke softly when he pulled away. Virgil seemed jealous, climbing out of his side of the car. Roman and Patton walked toward the door, and Logan was the last to get out.

Logan took Virgil's hand in his silently, and they all entered the house. "You alright?" he asked Virgil, knowing exactly why he was upset. Patton led Roman up the stairs, leaving Virgil and Logan to take off their shoes by the door. Virgil let go of his hand and moved to take his shoes off, shrugging. Logan took his shoes off quickly.

Virgil knew he was being petty and jealous for no reason, and that if he really wanted it, he could just ask for affection from any of the three and they'd probably comply. Is it really terrible that he wanted someone else to make a move first? his thought were interrupted.

Suddenly, Logan's arm was snaked around Virgil's waist, and their faces were not that far apart. They locked eyes, and Virgil was eager to fill the gap, standing on his toes to do so.

"Better?" Logan questioned, causing Virgil to smile widely.

"Yep!" he piped, chuckling a bit. "Let's go upstairs and find something to do with the others, I'm kinda sleepy."

Logan hummed, leading Virgil up the stairs.

It wasn't until after a few more dates like this one that the four of them would officialize that they were all boyfriends now, but they would celebrate their anniversary on this day each year.

Patton ended up wrapped up in Roman's arms, and Virgil cuddled up next to Logan. They woke up in a cuddly mess the next morning, but at least they slept well.

The four of them would soon begin to adapt to their new relationship, a close, affectionate, and caring four-way bond that would never be broken. The journey of reaching that point in their relationship began with this night, the night of their first date.

A/N: kissing? flirting? adorableness all ‘round? ab-so-lute-ly! hope you enjoyed it!

Tag list: @stimmingsides @smollilsanderssides @novacloudcat @analogical-agere @fairyhuman2000 @aphandgflover@softastarlight @littlesapphygem @softflowerinmyheart @virgietheprincess @babeyalstar @b3an-spr0ut @babeyvoid @lgbtqiaemo @because-were-fam-ily @lonelysoul43

[peeterparkr]

limits of desire⤳t.h.||11

chapter 11: choose the menu

story summary: you met Tom a night he was trying to sleep with you, it didn’t work and you became best of friends. Wedding bells might be ringing for when you both realize what you really feel.

summary: the one with the London Eye and the fish and chips. 

pairing: fuckboy!tom holland x best friend!reader

warnings: swearing, angsty, fluffy, i didn’t proof read lmao, mentions of cheating (?)

word count: 6.3k

previous chapter next chapter series masterlist wanna be tagged?

I’m so sorry this took so long, Finals happened and I had no time bc between the finals and mental breakdowns I couldn’t write, then I finished and had to sleep for a thousand hours. But here it is! I hope you like it, as usual, leave comments, reblog and tlel me what you thinl 

The last day with Tom. In London. Just thinking about it gave her chills. She didn't look forward to the last hours of the next day. In just a few weeks she would be married. As soon as the year began, she would be the lady married to Miguel. So impressive this was to hear. 

It was not possible, no.

She would stop seeing him forever. She had to say goodbye, right? 

And how could she make such great decisions? and y/n couldn't stop thinking about what Lizzie had said. Take the last chance with him. She wouldn't have to see him later. Except at the wedding, of course. 

Although doing any nonsense could mean risking him as the maid of honor. Although for that case, she would have Lizzie as a spare maid of honour. 

But she could get something out of this. However, and she wondered, did she want to see Tom at her wedding? Was it really someone she needed to see there? 

She was afraid. That was clear. Very afraid. She believed that she would find herself at the altar, and if she dared to turn around and see Tom, everything would go awful.

Wondering if she would ever get another chance. Because it all came to that. 

But y/n … she was being foolish. She had never been the one who wanted a great wedding. Actually, all that nonsense she was planning, she didn’t like. She liked love in words. That's why she read it, wrote it. But, nothing like the wedding she was planning. 

For y/n, love was not the messages she received at 7 in the morning from Miguel waking her up telling her that he loved her, for her, love was that Tom knew that she knew the dialogues of the first season of Friends or that if anybody caressed her nose she would fall asleep quickly. 

Tom knew things about y/n that nobody else knew. Clearly. All Tom didn't know was that she was madly in love with him. But of course, that was a secret to keep. 

But she was also in love with Miguel. 

But she didn't have to think about that. 

Tom had been quiet from the moment she told him that the next day was her last day in London. How should he react? Y/N was sure she didn't want to know. 

They had decided to walk, Tom was still silent. It was getting dark while they looked around. Tom had his hands in his pockets and was completely distracted. And y/n was still thinking to herself. She could not let him go. She couldn't make her last day in London go with a Tom who didn't want to talk. 

It was usual, she thought, his reaction. Tom always became a  little withdrawn when he didn't like something. But what else could she do? Stay to be the shadow that watches him hook up with yet another girl? 

That didn't mean she couldn’t take advantage. 

"Don't you love it?" asked y/n. 

Tom blinked fast and cleared his throat. "What?" 

"London," she replied. "Especially in this time of the year, the Christmas lights." 

"Ah, yes." 

"With the lights, the sounds ... God, I'm going to miss this." 

Tom looked at her, before stopping her. "Don't go." 

"How can I not go, Tom?" She giggled. "I'm going to get married." 

Tom sighed. "Yes, that’s ... true but ... It's London, you know? You love London.” 

“But I also love adventure, ”she reminded him. "And this sounds like one, don't you think?" 

"I suppose." 

She turned around as she saw hanging Christmas lights and the lights of the stores and pubs illuminating her. The honking cars, and the smell of fish and chips coming out of the pub they were passing by. People with their coats, not so warm coats. A couple kissing under a sign that had a rose. Y/N smiled to herself. 

"It's amazing." She grinned, Tom took her hand, and she didn't take it away. She felt a tear fall as she turned to see the buildings, the people, listening to the music that was still coming out of that pub. "I'm going to miss it.” 

"London is going to miss you," he said. "But no one as much as I’ll miss you," he said as he pulled her to a hug. She laughed as she hugged him back, putting a hand on his chest. 

"Stay," Tom said again. 

"Tom ..."

"Why not?" 

"I'm getting married, Tom, besides, nothing stops me here," she said. “Everything… everything points to the fact that I have to go.” 

Tom looked at her sadly, while taking Y/n's hand, still in his chest. “I need you to stay. Can't… can't he move here?” 

“No, no, ”She ignored his gaze. Feeling how it could melt her. Tom was playing with her again, like that night at the wedding, but she didn't want to stop this time. Because she knew that as soon as Monday arrived, she would get on a plane and never return to this. “It's not the same, you know? He has his career, a job… He's a doctor, I..., and I, well, I don't… I can look for a job there. ” 

“But what about your dreams? ” 

“ Sometimes you have to let go for love, ”she sentenced. 

"Yes ... I guess...But...yeah." Tom released her hand.

Y/N kept walking, watching the night. "I need to ... Tell me you love me and I'll stay." 

Tom frowned. "What?" He had stopped dead. 

"No ... I mean that ... London,” she cleared her throat. “I need London to tell me it loves me, yeah that it loves me, I don't know," she laughed nervously. "It's just ... I'm scared, very scared, I won't see this anymore and ..." 

"Hey, hey, you can always come ... You know?" He swallowed. "And ... I ... London, yes London loves you ..." 

"Yes, but ... I dunno," she sighed. "If I stayed, everything would be very complicated, you can't..." 

Tom took her hands. "I ..." 

Y/N looked him in the eyes, while he shook his head. "No ... No, let's not think about that, okay?" 

Tom evaded her gaze. He was shaking, she didn't know why, but they went on their way. 

She looked up. "It's the details, you know?" She said while she was looking at the houses, the shops, the people. “Everything that makes London, well… London.” 

“What are you going to miss most?” 

She smiled at him. "I'm going to miss you the most." 

Tom took her hand again, and she didn't know why he didn't want to take it away. Maybes he knew that he wanted to do something silly and that's why she was encouraging him to do it. 

“Of course.” 

“No, but… I guess that, the details, the things that people want to come here for, you know? Everything that makes London a dream, from Buckingham palace, or West End, I don't know, the pleasure of having a beer in any corner, or being able to walk in very narrow alleys, the fact that always seems like everyone is in a hurry and that In the end, everyone wants a moment to ... Pause, as if everyone wanted ... A moment only to stop and laugh. That feeling that everything is happening but at the same time you can find a place where everything is calm ... Listening to someone insulting me while they ask for money or that we can find stores of everything, old or new...The details...that, that is what I will miss. ” 

Tom just looked at her while she talked. Y/N knew she didn't want to leave London, she did love Mexico, but London ... London meant everything to her. A bit. Not really. But it did bring memories. Especially with Tom. That was the problem. 

Tom.

“It'll be our last day together, then?” 

“Yeah, and we won't see each other until the wedding,” she admitted. 

Tom sighed “Right… The wedding.” 

“Then off to our lives, and we'll see what the future holds,” she gulped. 

Tom looked at her. “Maybe it'll bring us back together.” 

“I hope.” But she didn't. She needed a cleanse. 

"So tomorrow's our last day to do whatever we want?" Tom asked. 

"I ... I guess, but, enough about that," she said. “What will we do tomorrow? It's my last day… ” 

Tom bit his lip. "You'll see." 

-

So she didn't go straight to sleep that night. This time she went to her mother and grandmother at the hotel. 

"Ma, you know it ... I have to go," said Y/N. "I have to check too many wedding things, besides, I want to spend more time with Miguel ... And I'll see you in a few days, besides ... I don't know, I don't feel like my place is in London." 

"Are you sure?" Her mother asked. “It was always your dream, that's why you moved here to study..” 

“It's a new chapter in my life, dreams change.” 

“Your heart doesn't,” her mother reminded her. "We can't fool the heart, y/n." 

"I've been fooling it  for a while now, mum." 

Her mother sighed. "Are you sure you want to do this?" 

"Miguel loves me, mum," she said. "And he is willing to love me as he should." 

"And you love him?" She asked. 

Y/N approached the window, looking at the lights offered by the city, watching the movement, the cars, the people. Everything that made London, London. 

"Yes, I love him," she stated. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to miss London, but I have to let go." 

"Let go London?" Her mother pushed. "Or whom?" 

"I'm stuck in a moment, mum," she reminded her. "I can't spend my whole life waiting for something that won't happen." 

Her mom looked at her. "Isn't it something ... Rushed?" 

"Maybe," admitted y/n. "Maybe ... But, I've always been ... I've always been someone who plans, makes lists, has everything perfect, I was always that, the perfect girl, and I never did anything ... Impulsive, always living by the book, " she said. "And this ... It feels good, I'm sure of this." 

And she wasn't, but she didn't want her mother to judge her. Because she knew this was wrong but if she didn't? What? 

Her heart had healed and she didn't need someone to break it again. Less the same person who is always breaking it. 

“I just want you to be happy,” her mother insisted. “I don't want you to make any mistakes.” 

“I won't mum, and I am happy… And I'll be happy.” 

Not so far from there, Tom was having a different but similar breakdown. He had wanted to kiss y/n few thousand times that night but he hadn't. Tom was an idiot. 

“I've never felt like this before,” Tom admitted as he poured down a shot of tequila for both him and Haz, Haz was sitting across him. "So hopeless." 

"Did you tell her?"

“No, Haz, I couldn't… I felt like the moment was not right,” Tom sighed. “I don't know, I think I had to let her talk, and she said… I don't know, that her place was not here and that nothing stopped her anymore, besides, she is getting married, man, I can't just make her stay if she marries Miguel ” 

“ Let me remind you that we don't want that wedding to happen, ”Haz said. “Isn't that the point?” 

“Problem is… I see her very determined, when, I dunno… When she tried on that lingerie, I don't know, she just thought about Miguel, and when she dropped the bomb that she would leave on Monday,” Tom closed his eyes. "I just know ... That ... It's true, she wants to leave, for some reason I feel like she wants to get away from me." 

"Do you think so?" 

"I've hurt her too much," said Tom. “I think I've always known, and besides you know more than anyone.” 

“Yes, well… Yes, she has swallowed some tears, but… It was because she believed that you did not love her, how about now?” 

“She said you have to let go if you love someone, ”Tom said. “Maybe I love her so much that I have to let her go, let her fulfill her dream.” 

"And is Miguel her dream?" 

"Her dream is to escape from me," Tom said. 

"Don't give up, she hasn't said 'I do' yet," Haz reminded him. 

"Right," Tom sighed. "I don't want to go to the wedding."

"Why did you agree to be her maid of honour?" 

"Being with her, I guess, making her happy, yes ... Figure out some way to get her off of him," Tom rubbed his face . “But, there is no time left.” 

“There is still time.” 

“I don't know, maybe I was all wrong, maybe he is better for her than me, he's so, he's tall, he's perfect,” Tom put the blank eyes. “And he managed to tell her what he felt in a short time.” 

“Nobody's perfect,” Haz reminded him. "Well, maybe this tequila." 

Tom groaned. “Huh, a gift from Miguel, he made it, his dad has a distillery.” 

Haz scoffed. 

"I can't go," Tom continued. “I can't watch her marry him, I've lost her already… She's moving to Mexico.” 

“Bullshit.” 

“If you love something, you have to let it free,” Tom declared as he downed his shot. 

“Said by a pussy and used by pussies ever since,” Haz stated. 

Tom rolled his eyes. "Not really," Tom shrugged. "Let's see, La La Land, they both let each other go." 

"Pussies." 

"Casablanca, Bogie puts her on the plane," Tom continued. 

"Pussy." 

"Bogie's a pussy?" Tom frowned. 

“Big pussy,” Haz admitted taking down another shot. “Tom… I just need you to realize how stupid you are.” 

“Thanks?” 

“Yes, you are stupid but I need you to realize it now,” Haz said. “You've got to fight for her now, not tomorrow, not next week, now. You're both tailor-made for each other, don't let it be too late. ” 

And he wouldn't.

-

Tom had arrived at 7 am sharp in the morning, at the hotel, where he had anxiously knocked at y/n's hotel’s room door. She opened it while yawning. 

“What is this?” She laughed, as he gave her a bouquet of flowers. She yawned. “It's so early, Tom.” 

“I ordered breakfast, too, should be here any minute now,” He kissed her cheek as he walked in. “It's your last day in London,” he reminded her. “I don't want you sleeping it out, so get ready and get some comfortable shoes, we're walking today.” 

“What?” She yawned, as she sat down on her bed. “Mmmh… It's too early,” she stated before plopping down on the bed, curling up to her sheets. 

Tom smirked as he looked down at the curtains. “C'mon, y / n.” 

“No,” she snuggled to her pillow. 

"Y/N." 

She just groaned. 

“Rise and shine!” He yelled before opening up the curtains, letting… the bright and white foggy light come through. Tom chuckled, as he had expected more sun. 

Y / N watched him, flipped him off and threw a pillow over her head. 

"C'mon, love," he sat beside her and started moving her. 

"No." 

"Please, I have a whole day planned out," he insisted, lifting the pillow. “We have a sharp schedule.” 

Y / N looked at him, she sat up, placed a long kiss on his cheek, giving Tom butterflies and then walked to pick up her clothes. 

Tom watched her as she had stepped into the bathroom. Tom gulped down every single sentiment of fear and anxiety that was invading his body. He rubbed his face as he heard the water of the shower falling down. He started to walk around the room, as he saw the engagement ring on the nightstand. He picked it up and stared at it, wishing it was the one he had chosen, wishing it was him whom she was going to get married to. 

But he had a feeling that not only him was well aware that today could be his last chance.But he couldn't blow it off, it had to be perfect, because otherwise, it would be too late. And still ... It wouldn't. Because he was willing to fight until the last minute. 

Not so long after he heard the knock of the door, he placed the ring back on the nightstand and walked over to the door, he smelled the food as he paid off the for the room service. He laughed to himself, y/n was going to hate him. 

He placed the two plates on the table as he then received the cups of tea. It was just a matter of waiting. Y / N then had walked out drying her hair off with the towel, already clothed as she was smelling the food. 

“Is it…?” She closed her eyes as her thoughts were confirmed. "Oh my god, you're an idiot," she laughed as she walked to the table, where a smirking Tom received her. 

"I had to," he told her. 

"No, you didn't." 

Tom laughed. “C'mon, a traditional English breakfast for your last day in London, seems like the right thing, don't you think?” 

Y / N rolled her eyes. "I ... well." 

"I know you love it, please," Tom pulled the chair for her. “Sit down, m'lady.” 

Y / N laughed as she nudged him. “You're the worst.” 

“I know, here's your English breakfast tea, too,” he giggled evilly. She just rolled her eyes. 

"So," she took a bite. “What's your plan for the day?” 

Tom shrugged. "You'll see." 

"Tom ..." 

"Hey, I know you like to plan ahead," he chuckled. “But today, let me take control of it, okay?” 

“Couldn't we have our normal Sunday?” She insisted. 

Tom shook his head. "No, you ... you need to say goodbye to all you love," he gulped. “And I want you to see London in the eyes of the girl who came here when she was 5 and fell in love with the place.” 

Y / N smiled and reached for his hand. Tom grinned as they kept eating. They held hands the whole time. Tom didn't know what she was onto, but he was not complaining. 

She had not put on her ring. 

It was only 8:30 am and they had already gone out. Y / N was jokingly complaining about how early it was and Tom kept laughing. 

“Where are we going?” She asked again. 

"First, we'll go to a market, I know you love to go to markets and I know it's the first place your dad brought you when you first came to London," Tom told her while he was parking. He saw how y/n’s eyes had changed, a smile appeared on her face. 

And he had taken her to a market, where they had passed through different stores, a man selling books, others selling smoothies, others selling necklaces. Fruits, clothes, alcohol. Selling everything. They saw t-shirts that said: 'I love London' and the most clichés souvenirs. They walked, laughed, and held hands, even flirted. Some fans had seen Tom and asked for photos, but he was very discreet. 

They took pictures and tried everything, anything that screamed London! They would be there. They were beginning to see the details of those who had spoken, such as the way people looked out the windows or people who didn’t see their way because they were on their cell phone. 

At 10 am, Tom said it was time to leave. Y/N wanted to keep walking, but Tom insisted. 

"Please," y/n laughed, taking him by the arm. 

"I told you the itinerary is tight," Tom said as he approached the car. “You'll like it.” 

“Fine, I trust you.”

“Besides, I don't trust London traffic, less on a Sunday,” he laughed. 

They got back into his car, and he pointed out small London details. They drove past their favourite bakery and they drove past Y/N's old college apartment. As they were getting near to their destination y/n realized where he was taking her. 

“Are you serious?” 

“We are just taking a picture there,” Tom laughed. “It's your…” 

“Last day in London, yes, but I don't have to do this, I'm no tourist,” 

“Let's celebrate our history, darling,” Tom laughed. “C'mon, people are going to ask you all about these places, you need to have updated pics with it.” 

Y / N laughed, as they were approaching the Big Ben. “You know, wouldn't it be silly to take a picture near it… They won't even see it,” she pointed out. 

"Oh, you'll have your far picture later, silly," Tom chuckled. “I've thought everything out.” 

They got there, took some silly pictures. 

“It's… 10:30, great, we still have time, but we have to run, there'll be a lot of people,” Tom rushed as he took her by her hand and started walking. 

"Time for what?" She laughed. "Tom, this is so crazy!"

Tom grinned. “I know.” 

And they walked through the crowds, not letting the other go. And she'd chuckle at the tourists with their not so original pictures and then Tom forced her to copy their pictures, pictures where she couldn't hold down her excitement and happiness. Their smiles were growing bigger and bigger each time they'd take a picture, laughing as they tried to make their most clichés poses. 

They finally arrived at the destination Tom had planned for, it was going to be the Changing of the Guard right in front of Buckingham's palace. Y / N couldn't stop laughing as they merged through the crowds, mostly made up of tourists with big 'I love London' t-shirts, just like the hoodies they had bought. It was silly. Very silly, but they were having fun. 

They watched the guards and then took silly pictures again. It was just perfect. 

By 12, they were hungry so they stopped for a snack. Of course, Tom had suggested bloody fish and chips because he insisted that even if she didn't eat them because she claimed she didn't like it, she would miss them. 

"I won't," she declared. 

"Y / N, please," Tom laughed. “I bet you'll call me one day, all drunk in the middle of the night, knowing you shouldn't call because you'll…” He cleared his throat. “You'll be a married woman craving some bloody fish and chips.” 

“I'll miss the beer,” she admitted. “But I can get beer there, so we're good.” 

Tom shook his head. "But you'll also miss me." 

She sighed. “You're right in that.” 

“And the fish and chips.” Tom smiled as he popped a chip into his mouth. "You'll miss this." 

She sighed. “Fine, I will.” 

I have grinned. "Now ..." 

"We're going to the Tower, aren't we?" She guessed and Tom nodded. “How did you know?” 

“What?” Tom smiled, innocently. 

“We're doing exactly the same thing I did with my brother and father when I was 5,” she chuckled. “Even back then it was crazy.” 

“I talked to your mother,” he admitted. “Last night.” 

“Ah, you did?” She gulped. 

"Yeah, told her I wanted to make all of this special," he told her. “You're my best friend, y/n, I only want the best for you.” 

And she only smiled. 

But it brought them back to the old times, even if they did nothing near this, they were back to whom they were, long before their feelings were an impediment to have a great conversation. They were back to the laughs and the silly jokes, to the old jokes and their routines. Creating memories, without knowing. Having fun. 

They kept exploring London as two people who're going for the first time, like two lovers on a Honeymoon. From the London Tower to Trafalgar Square. They even made a quick tour of the British Museum. 

They stopped to shop for a few things, to eat a few snacks and to take pictures everywhere. 

The night was falling down, and they seemed to be getting closer and closer, with the excuse that the weather was getting colder, but with the deep intention to be holding the other. They'd often find each other like that in the old times. But this time, it felt different. And Tom wasn't sure why, but he had noticed her. And he knew her, and she had been flirting, and maybe Tom had finally gone completely mad but he was sure that there was something in the air. They way they were speaking, the way they were looking at each other, the way she was whispering everything to him and the way her head would fall to his shoulder every time it could. How their hands would come back together or how their cheeks kept blushing. 

Any moment. Any moment could be the perfect moment, yet Tom couldn't manage to say it. Because he didn't want to ruin anything. 

But he couldn't help but notice it. Y / N was not acting at all like she had the day before, nor had she mentioned Miguel or the fact that she was leaving. It was as if both were trying to forget it and try to make as many memories as they could before they could leave. Tom had tried to ignore it, but he couldn't, it would be present from time to time. But he was trying, somehow, even if this was another lame attempt to try and get her back, it wasn't but another thing to treasure, because there was still that huge possibility that she'd still leave tomorrow no matter what happened today . Would he tell her he was in love with her? 

Just as they arrived at one of their last Destinations, Tom was shaking. Deciding whether or not he should tell her. He had booked something special at Coca Cola's London Eye, a place where tourists were going to be, especially now. But Tom had booked a private capsule and couldn't help but feel nervous. 

“I've actually never been to the London Eye,” she admitted. "Never ... Never thought I had to." 

"C'mon, really?" Tom laughed. 

"Really," she chuckled as she rubbed her arms, hinting she was cold. Tom wrapped an arm around her as they were going to skip the 4d cinema.

“Thought your dad took you here,” Tom pointed out. 

She chuckled. "We ... We were going to, but I fell asleep," she laughed. "So we ... we didn't." 

Tom smiled. "It's beautiful, you're gonna love it," he declared. “Perfect way to say goodbye.” 

“I thought we still had more stuff to do,” she chuckled. 

"Yeah, we do ... But, you know," Tom gulped. “I hope this isn't too cheesy, it was the only package available, alright?” 

And Tom knew y / n hadn't expected it. But Tom, as cheesy as it sounds, had booked the Cupid private capsule. 

They were received by the host, who had definitely recognized Tom but tried to play it cool. They were served their glasses of champagne and y / n chuckled. 

“I never thought my London Eye experience would be this luxurious,” she laughed. 

“What, did you want to wait hours and then be stranded with a whole lot of people?” Tom asked. 

Y / N shrugged. "Maybe, the real experience," she winked. “I'm kidding… This is… This is amazing.” 

“Only the best for you,” Tom said. 

Y / N looked at the host who was low-key freaking out by Tom. She approached Tom and laughed. "I'm gonna miss this." 

Tom laughed. "What? Getting luxurious stuff? ” 

“ No, idiot, though, ”she raised her eyebrows with a smug smirk. "No, I'm kidding, no, no-" 

"Feeling like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman?" Tom laughed. 

She rolled her eyes. "No," she sipped from her champagne. "That I know Tom Holland." 

Tom frowned. “Leaving doesn't mean you won't know me.” 

“No, I know, but… It's weird, you know?” She looked up at him. “Like…” She turned around as they were finally going up one step. “People freaking out because of you, all day people were taking pictures of us, or freaking out and fangirling and… Everyone sees that part of you, you know? The big movie Star. ” 

Tom listened. 

“And… for some others, mostly my college friends,” she rolled her eyes. “You were… you were this asshole or womanizer.” 

Tom cleared his throat. “Not anymore.” 

“You are to them,” she reminded him. “But to me… You… You are Tom. I know you, you know? ” 

Tom bit his lip. "Yeah, I ... I guess you do." 

"I mean, maybe I'm just ... Priding myself on it." 

Tom grinned. “And you should.”

“And I should.” 

But before they could continue talking, and / n stopped looking at him and finally turned around to see the city, and it took her breath away, with the lights and the stars and everything that was putting out a show for them. It was as if the city was bright only for them, as if they had to be there, together, enjoying the moment. Because this would remain in their memories forever. 

Tom just wrapped an arm around her and didn't say anything. She needed to see London, she needed to see that she was meant to stay. 

When they finished, they stayed at the lounge for a bit but decided to go to the car, y/n was still holding his hand. 

“Tom?” She called for him as they were walking to the car. 

"Yeah?" Tom looked at her. The city lights were reflecting on her like an angels glow. 

“Thank you,” she said before stopping him, placing her hand on his chest. Tom gulped as he stared at the hand. 

“No worries.” 

“No, really, for everything, from… The day at the bridal shop, to… to the bridal shower, and today, really, today, I'm sure this is the best day of my life,” she gulped as she stared at him. 

“I love you, y/n,” and he had said it. And he meant it and he hoped she had understood because the words had come out so easily yet it was too terrifying to say them again. 

Before she could do anything else, she kissed him. Because that's what they had both been wanting to do all day long, all these years. And their kiss was sweet and soft and strong and intense and everything you can imagine from a first kiss, with flames and sparks and everything around, with all the cliché they say, with fireworks and music playing. Feeling like every time their lips touched again it was a new story that they both wanted to read. Like a poem, those which y/n loves to read. The kiss was everything and better than they had imagined. 

And she separated first, but he reconnected his lips with hers, as if he was telling her everything he felt with the kiss, all that flame he felt inside, and as if with that kiss, he was apologizing for not having done it before. And he tasted it as if it were the most delicious dessert he had ever tasted. Without knowing it, he had lifted her off the ground while her hand caressed his face. 

She pulled away again, and smiled, letting her head lean against his head. Tom felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. And a part of him knew, he was sure, she wouldn't leave London. 

And it all made sense, why she hadn't taken her ring and why she'd let him take her hand all day, or why she had kept flirting, or why she would whisper to his ear. It had all led to this. 

"Let's go to my place," he had said, because he wanted to spend every second with her. She laughed to herself as she looked down. 

Tom thought she looked a little sad, but then she pecked his lips again, assuring him that everything was fine, that was what Tom understood, anyway. 

Tom kept kissing Y / N's hand all the way. While she kept smiling. Tom was quiet. But it didn't mean things were wrong. 

They got home, Tom had texted Haz to leave the building and let them be alone. As soon as Tom opened the door, y/n had thrown herself back into his arms, connecting their lips. 

She pushed him against the wall while kissing him hungrily. Tom pulled away as he chuckled. 

"C'mon, no, we've .. We've got time, let's ..." 

Because even though he was dying to kiss every beauty spot on her body, he knew what to expect, he had to do Things right. He took her in his arms and laughed. 

But she kept kissing him, tracing from his chin to his neck, Tom followed the game, because he wasn't dumb. He had waited too long to taste her lips, and he wouldn’t waste his time. And Tom kept tasting her lips, they reminded him of all the good times, like when they had given him the role of Spiderman, it wasn't even better. It was nectar that he did not want to stop tasting, his hands kept tracing her silhouette. 

Little by little, their coats were bothering them. They ended up on the couch, where Tom dropped her gently while kissing her bristly skin, slowly but hungrily. He was outlining her body with his thumb as he stared at her. His index were brushing her, making y/n tickle. 

“Y / N-- I--” Before Tom could say anything y / n was moulding her lips with his. 

“Not now,” she said before pushing him back, her now on top. Tom felt as he was getting flustered, he blushed as he felt her smirk. Tom had never seen her like this. She just kept kissing him, each time more and fierier. 

But then, she suddenly stopped. 

Tom opened his eyes abruptly to see her, as she sat on his lap, defeated. Y / N just closed her eyes as she shook her head. 

"This is wrong," she whispered. 

"No, no, it ... it isn't," Tom said. “y/n, I...I've wanted this for a long time,” he admitted. 

Y/N just cupped his face as tears were streaming down her face. “I...I know,” she gulped. “But I'm...I'm still an engaged woman,” she sobbed. “I…” She stood up. “What am I doing?”

Tom gulped. “I… It's okay, this can be slow, I understand,” Tom watched her. 

“No, no, I…I should leave,” she said as she looked for her shoes and coat. 

Tom followed her. “Y/N,” he looked her in the eyes. “Tell me this isn't what you've wanted all this time.” 

Her eyes were shaking as she, defeatedly, looked down. Tom lifted her chin and then kissed her again. And she gave in. 

Nothing else happened, really. It was a combination of them cuddling and kissing, and kissing again. Tom didn't try anything, and when y/n would start more intense, Tom would calm her. Knowing that he wanted to do things right. This wasn't a one night stand, this wasn't like all those women he'd been with before. This was the love of his life, and he was finally having the privilege of tasting her lips. 

And they had ended up with hoodies and curled up on the couch, with a blanket over them, at the hours passed and passed. And suddenly, it was the am, and they had had conversations at dawn before, but this seemed different. 

They didn't address their feelings, it would be condescending to. But they talked about their dreams and how she missed her dad and brother, how she wished they'd be there for her right now. 

“I don't know what to do,” she admitted. 

“You don't have to do anything,” Tom told her. 

She sighed. “This means losing someone very important,” she declared. 

“I know, but… It's better like this, tomorrow this won't matter,” Tom whispered. 

And she cried again. And eventually, Tom had gently caressed her nose until she fell asleep. And Tom did, too. Because for the first time, he was holding her as something more. 

Big was his surprise when he had seen he woke up without any warm body on top of him. He looked for her around the house but y/n was nowhere to be found. He called her and it sent him straight to voicemail. No answer. 

He knew he had to give her time. But for him, even though there was no rush, he didn't want to take things slow. He had to continue kissing her and loving her. 

But he needed to call her, they needed to talk. 

He gave it until the afternoon when Haz arrived. He told him everything that had happened and Haz had cheered him. Haz said he understood, too, why y/n wasn't answering, he calmed him down, saying that she'd probably need time to think. 

But they were already celebrating, he had stopped it. But he called her again, and it went straight to voicemail, yet again. He decided to call her mother, knowing it would be a little inappropriate but he wanted to know that she was fine. 

“Hi, Anna!” Tom greeted her. 

“Hi…” 

“Hey, uh…” 

“Oh, wait, thanks for yesterday, Tom, it was the best thing you could do for y/n,” her mother said over the phone. 

Had she already told her mother? That was good news. 

“Oh, right, right, I uh… had a great day,” Tom said with the biggest and dumbest smile on his face. “Is… y/n with you? She's not answering her phone and I need to talk to her,” Tom gulped. 

“Oh, dear, she just boarded the plane like an hour ago, I thought you'd come by to say goodbye!” Anna said. 

“She… she boarded the...What?” Tom couldn't understand what he was hearing. 

“Yes, she already left! So we will see her in a few days! But there's still a lot of things to do for the wedding before we go, so we should-” 

“She's… she's still getting married?” Tom asked. 

Anna laughed. “Of course, Tom, ah you're always such a charmer, aren't you? Well, yes, she's---” 

But Tom couldn't continue listening to her. He couldn't believe it. 

Y/N was still going to get married. 

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[id-rather-be-an-outsider]

Sunflower Dreams | pt I

Aaron Davis (Spiderverse) x Reader

word count: 1757 (or about that, I made some tweaks after I copy pasted it here so uh.... rough guestimate?)

summary: when young and educated y/n’s given the opportunity of a lifetime, she plans accordingly. her life is finally starting to be perfect, until suddenly, it’s not anymore. her friendly neighborhood bachelor, Aaron Davis, helps her pick up the pieces, as she unknowingly makes him see that there’s more to life than being a villain.

a/n: I decided to write this story bc Aaron Davis gets no love, which is crazy to me, and because I had a little idea cooking up in my head that I thought would be a good story. I took a lot of inspiration for the protagonist from my own life, but you’re only gonna hear slivers of it for now. I have no idea how many chapters this is gonna be, but like. I hope someone enjoys this, bc I know I will enjoy writing it. also. I wrote this story from my perspective, so when I imagine the reader, I envision her as kinda ambiguous in the ethnic department (I’m mixed but white-presenting), but she can be whatever ya’ll want her to be. lightskin, darkskin, anything. okay. Imma let ya’ll read now haha jk I also gotta say, HELL YEA I USED TREVANTE RHODES AS MY PERSONAL FANCAST FOR AARON DAVIS, THAT MAN IS FWOINE AIN’T NOBODY FINNA TELL ME ANY DIFFERENT FUCK OUTTA HERE

    I didn’t make a big deal about moving to New York to pursue my Masters. Already had my Bachelors in Business Administration with a minor in Fine Arts, just got my Bachelors in Education, and now I was ready to chase after my Masters. It only made sense to take the opportunity. How often are you gonna be offered a full ride in exchange for opening your own business in Brooklyn upon graduation, with the funding necessary to do so? Once it took off, I’d return to Tacoma and pay the city my gratitude for making me who I was.

     As I was saying, it was a quiet departure. Thank God I’m a minimalist, otherwise I would’ve had a LOT more items to bring with me. My boyfriend and I packed all my belongings and made the trek across the US after saying goodbye to my family and friends. He was driving. We held hands all the way there. Sometimes speaking, sometimes not.

     When we got to my new home, I already had a parcel of mail waiting for me from my university. After we took up the first load, we sat down on my empty floor and opened it. It welcomed me home and had a map, coffee shops and fun places circled for me to go visit. It was sweet.

     By noon we had everything in my unit thanks to a friendly neighbor named Aaron Davis and his nephew, a funny kiddo named Miles who reminded me of why I came to New York in the first place, and by the evening we had everything unpacked. We walked to a Starbucks and had coffee and sandwiches, now sitting on my bed with our stomachs full. The window was open, the faint beeps and honks of traffic coming from far below.

     We curled up into each other. “I fucking hate this,” I said. “It’s not fair.”

     “I know. I do too. And you know I would stay here with you if I could, but I’m still having no luck finding a job here.”

     “Fuck finding a job, I’ll be the breadwinner of the family,” I laughed, even though I was serious. He knew I was.

     “I can’t burden you like that financially. I promise, as soon as I land an interview, you’re gonna be the first to know. And as soon as I get hired, I’m showing up on your doorstep.” He kissed my forehead. “I don’t say it near enough, but I love you, and I’m so proud of you.”

     “I love you too. And thank you. It’s like, my entire life is falling perfectly into place, all but- well- except for you.”

     “We’ll get there, I promise. For now, just finesse every man or woman here who will buy you dinner, and try to have fun.” He rubbed my back, continuing, “You’ve never dated anyone but me, so... take it as your opportunity to learn about what you like, and once we’re together again, we can find a way to fit any new and quirky tastes you find you have into the relationship. But-“ His hand moved down quick and slapped my ass, squeezing it and illiciting an ‘ow’ of protest from me- “This is still mine, so no fucking, or else I’ll be doing more beating than just beating that pussy up.”

     I laughed and said, “You fuckin’ freak.”

     “Yea, but you like that shit.” He said confidently.

     “Shut the fuck up, why you gotta be so loud about what we do when the window’s open?” I gave him a light punch, then whispered in his ear, “But aye, like, I won’t deny it.”

     “Good, because that would’ve been real awkward after I’ve been in them guts for four years straight.” Then he lowered his voice. “Speaking of which, I’m trynna be in them once more tonight and tomorrow morning.”

     “I dOn’T hAvE aS HiGh Of A sEx dRiVe As YoU!” I mocked him in my best Spongebob voice. “Always lyin for why?”

     He pulled me on top of him and kissed me, his way of telling me to shut up nicely. “Shhhh, I’m just trynna make the most of the time we have left before I have to go back to Tacoma.”

     “But you don’t have to go,” I said, “You can stay here-“

     He cut me off with a series of kisses, “I already-“ “-bought-“ “-the tickets-“ “-so I actually do kinda have to.” He wrapped his arms around me, petting my hair. He always said I had the softest curls he’d ever touched.

     “I just wish you could stay,” I whispered. “We’ve already made it through so much, each of us on our own and then together, I just-“ I cut myself off. The tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill over. “-I just-“

     “Baby, say it. If your overthinker brain is gonna torture you with this, I wanna hear it so I can put those thoughts to rest.”

     “I just keep thinking that something’s gonna happen to you and I’m gonna lose you. The very idea of that terrifies me, and makes me want to weep-“ I go cross eyed as I watch a tear fall from my eye and trail down my nose- “-because I don’t know how to live without you. And I mean that in a couple ways.”

     “Well... I’m not leaving you forever. I’m coming back here as soon as possible, I’m gonna talk to you on Discord every chance I get, I’m gonna call you every day,  and I’m gonna go to sleep every night dreaming that I’m here with you. For all we know, I could be coming back here in less than a month.” He tilted my chin up to look in my eyes. “Even if I’m not physically present, I’m always gonna be here. You’re never alone.”

     “I love you.”

     “I love you too.”

     In the morning, we slept in late and cuddled until he absolutely had to get up. We both hopped in the shower and he put on his airport clothes while I pulled on a pale, lemon yellow sweatsuit with a white gold chain to match. Gotta let these hoes know, I outdress them even on my bummy days.

     The ride to the airport was a back and forth between us kissing at red lights and screaming out different lyrics from XXXTentacion, Post Malone, JUICE WRLD and whoever the hell else we felt like listening to as we drove, much like we did since the beginning of our relationship.

     When we got there, we took our time saying goodbye since he didn’t have to stress too much about baggage check. We said we loved each other, once I couldn’t see him anymore I called him and we talked while I drove back to my new home and he waited for his flight, and then he was called to board so we got off the phone, but not before he promised me that he would call me as soon as he landed.

     When I got home, I stopped by the mailbox to see if I had anymore mail and simultaneously checked my Instagram, seeing a flurry of notifications. Suddenly, his mom called me.

     “Hi mom, what’s up? Are you okay?” I said as I scrolled through my Instagram, trying to make sense of all the digital confusion.

     She sniffled.

     “Mom, what happened?”

     “Check the news, babygirl... have you not seen it yet?”

     “Uh, no, I haven’t, but I’ll check it out right now,” I said, putting her on speakerphone.

     She started sobbing, saying “I’m so sorry, baby, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have called you like this, but I wanted to be the one to tell you.”

     And that’s when I saw my worst fears in a news article:

NYC - Sea Bound Plane Crashes, No Survivors

A horrific accident has happened today, and experts are still struggling to find out how - a plane headed to Seattle malfunctioned mid-flight, claiming the lives of everyone on board. Many of the victims have already been identified by their families, not by looks, but by the identification on their bodies at the time of the incident. Below this article are photos of the bodies. If you think you can identify one of them, contact...

     I couldn’t finish reading. I scrolled and saw the bodies, all of them mangled and torn apart, almost unrecognizable as humans. Hearing his mom say ‘he’s dead’ over and over again as I stared at the pictures made me lose my stomach.

     Up came all of my breakfast, and whatever Starbucks I hadn’t yet digested from the night before.

     “Mama, I love you, but I have to call you back later-“ a pause as I threw up again. “I’m physically sick. I’m so sorry,” I sobbed the last sentence, and after hearing a teary goodbye from the other end, hung up. I’d dropped my mail the first time and only now noticed that it was covered in my mess. I didn’t care. I started crying, which was a mistake, because it only made me throw up more, this time nothing but bile.

     “Hey, are you okay?” I whipped around, facing Aaron Davis, the friendly man from the day before.

     “I- I’m sick.” I said, and immediately burst into tears. “Please help me.” Those three words rarely ever left my mouth, but even I know when I can’t do something on my own. He put his keys in his pocket and reached out to me.

     Mere minutes later, I was in my unit, crouched over the toilet, heaving. Aaron had guided me there, holding my hair out of my face as I continued to puke. He called management and told them what happened, and he told me they were already cleaning it up.

     “Listen... I know it’s not my place to say anything, seeing as I’m just your neighbor, but...” He rubbed the back of his neck as he was crouched beside me. “I overheard the phone call. And I overheard the conversation you had with your boyfriend last night. He loved you.”

     “I know he did.” I said, because it was true.

     “I just... look, if you need anything, I’m here. I know you‘re hurting a lot right now, and I know you may want nothing but for everyone to leave you alone, especially the new dude who isn’t minding his business, but if you need anything, I’m here. And Imma check up on you. You’re not alone. You’re never alone.”

     I laughed, but it held no real warmth. “He said that last part to me yesterday night.”

     “He was right. And still is.”

[marvelmando]

tempest [p.parker x o.c.] - three

notes: it seems like you guys are starting to like the story! i admit, the beginning is pretty slow and the plotline is obviously predictable, but i really enjoy writing this nonetheless. that being said, i’m starting a taglist, so if you’d like to be added, reply or send me a message/ask!

***re-uploading bc i fucked it up

contains: canon-typical violence, some swearing

pairing: peter parker + fem! o.c.

word count: 3.3k

previous chapter next chapter tempest masterlist

MARIN WAS STILL UNFAMILIAR WITH CITY LIFE, BUT SHE KNEW ENOUGH TO BE SURPRISED THAT MAY OWNED A CAR. It was a dinky old sedan, with a distinctly boxy shape and a stale smell to the interior, but it had a working engine and four wheels, and got the three teenagers to the party with (little to) no problem.

“A house party in the suburbs!” May said excitedly as they approached the designated address. Marin marveled at the architecture of Liz’s house; very slick and modern looking, with lines of cars parked on either side of the road for at least four doors down on both ends. Bodies swarmed in and out of the house, reminding Marin of a beehive. “Oh, I remember these. I’m kind of jealous!”

“It’ll be a night to remember,” Ned leaned forward in his seat swooning very obviously at May.

The two laughed, and May shifted in her seat to face Ned better. “Ned, some hats wear men, but you wear that hat.”

Marin had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but Ned seemed to appreciate the compliment on his fedora. He smiled widely, “Yeah, it gives me confidence!”

Marin looked at Peter in the passenger seat in front of her. He hadn’t taken his eyes off the house since they’d pulled up, and she could feel the tension rolling off of him in waves. Before she could ask him what was wrong, he muttered anxiously, “This is a mistake,” his voice high-pitched and slightly panicky. “Hey, let’s just go home.” He told May.

“Oh, Peter,” she tried to comfort him. “I know; I know it’s really hard, trying to fit in with all the changes your body’s going through…” Peter had nodded along until he cringed at the suddenly awkward turn. Marin held back a snicker. “It’s flowering now.”

“Uh-huh,” Peter nodded sarcastically, chuckling out a pressed laugh.

May turned in her seat again to face Marin and Ned. “He’s so stressed out, lately!” She whispered to them, as if Peter couldn’t hear her.

Marin opened her mouth to defend Peter, but Ned interrupted her. “What helps with stress, is going to a party—we should go to the party.”

Probably fed up with his friend and aunt’s antics, Peter relented. “Yeah, let’s do this.” He hurried to unbuckle his seatbelt and scrambled out of the car. “I’m gonna go, I’m gonna go,” he chanted to himself.

“Thanks for the ride, May!” Marin chirped as she shut the door behind her. May smiled back in response.

“Peter!” May called from inside the car before he could close the door. “Have fun, okay? And don’t leave Marin by herself, okay? You and Ned are the only people she knows. Make sure to look after her.”

Peter nodded, looking quickly at Marin, who smiled at May’s concern. “I will.”

“Bye, May!” Ned waved goodbye as she drove away.

The three walked up the path to the house’s main entrance. “Dude, you have the suit, right?” Ned asked. Peter said nothing, only pulling up one of his flannel’s sleeves to reveal the red fabric of his suit. “This is gonna change our lives!”

Marin stayed silent next to Peter. She had no experience in the ways of public high school, but she knew that being an outcast was universal. From what she’d gathered about Peter’s personality and his descriptions on how his classmates treated him, Marin recognized the signs of unpopularity in him fairly easily. What she didn’t understand, was Ned’s desire to change it. Marin also didn’t understand how Peter’s powers and his connection to Spider-Man would prove anything to his peers, but she chalked it up to being a public-school thing. She’d get the hang of it, soon.

Entering the front door of Liz’s house brought an onslaught of new sounds, sights, and especially strong smells, and Marin fought the urge to either gag or cover her ears. The rooms she could see were packed with sweaty, hormone-raging bodies that moved way too close together to be comfortable, yet everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves. Marin gawked at the sight.

Somewhere in the room came a deep voice announcing “DJ Flash!” that caught Marin’s attention. A boy—short and dark-skinned stood behind what Marin assumed to be a DJ booth, working the electronics. Huh, she thought, so that’s Flash. She was expecting someone more… intimidating.

“Okay,” Ned corralled Peter and Marin’s attentions with the beginnings of his action plan. “We’re gonna have Spider-Man swing in, say you guys are tight, and then I get a fist bump or one of those half bro-hugs, and Marin gets—”

“Can’t believe you guys are at this lame party.” Said a new voice; a girl, looking extremely bored while spreading jam on a piece of toast. Ned looked at her funny.

“But you’re here, too.”

The girl narrowed her eyes conspiratorially. “Am I?” She bit into her bread, the toast crunching as she walked away.

Marin looked at Peter, confused. Opening her mouth to ask who the hell that was, Peter was distracted by a feminine voice calling out, “Oh my gosh!”

Marin huffed, watching as Peter’s eyes widened dramatically. “Hey guys,” a girl approached them. “Cool hat, Ned.”

The girl was beautiful—darkened skin like Lucy’s, and with legs for days. Even in casual wear, Marin felt underdressed compared to this goddess of a girl.

“Hi, Liz!” Ned prompted, nudging Peter.

“Hi Liz,” Peter squeaked, causing Marin to glance at him curiously.

Marin remembered Peter telling her earlier that day, after he came home from school, that Liz, the hostess, allegedly had a crush on Spider-Man. And based on the way his eyes softened and his jaw went slack, it would appear that Spider-Man had a crush on her, too. Marin’s eyes narrowed at the new development. Liz suddenly noticed the third party, and addressed her, “I’m sorry, have we met? I’m Liz.”

Taking her outstretched hand to shake, she responded kindly, “I’m Marin. Lovely home!” She winced at the way her voice broke, in an attempt to sound charming.

“Oh, thanks!” Liz smiled. Luckily, to save her from any further embarrassment, the sound of glass breaking caught Liz’s attention. “Oh, I… my parents will kill me if anything’s broken, I gotta—”

“Yeah,” Peter’s voice cracked again.

“It was nice meeting you, Marin!”

“You too,”

“Bye!” Ned waved.

Once alone again, Ned turned to Peter. “Dude, what are you doing? She’s here; Spider it up!”

Peter choked. “No, no, no—I can’t… I cannot do this. Spider-Man is not a party trick, okay? Look, I’m just gonna… be myself.” Peter resolved with a shrug, glancing at Marin for support. She shrugged back.

Ned sighed. “Peter, no one wants that.”

Peter looked offended. “Dude,” he started to walk away and into the crowd, looking hurt.

He stopped in his tracks when an amplified voice called out, “Penis Parker, what’s up?!” Flash played a weird honking sound over the system. “Yo, where’s your pal Spider-Man? Let me guess—in Canada with your imaginary girlfriend?” Marin had no idea what Canada had to do with any of this but she kept silent. She glared at the short DJ as he played the strange sounds again and everyone in the crowd laughed along. “That’s not Spider-Man, that’s just Ned in a red shirt!” It seemed as though he didn’t notice Marin standing next to them.

Peter walked off with a newly determined slope to his brow, leaving Marin and Ned to endure the riled-up crowd while he changed out of his civilian clothes.

Ned suddenly hurried off to follow him—probably to be his lookout—leaving Marin lingering behind. She floated to a relatively empty corner of the room, wrapping her arms around herself.

“How do you know those losers?” A voice startled Marin, and she turned to see that it was that weird bread girl from earlier.

“Peter and Ned?” She asked, unsure. When the girl nodded, Marin said, “I work with Peter at the Stark internship.”

“So that’s actually real? The internship?” Marin nodded. “Huh, I thought he was lying. I’m Michelle, by the way. Michelle Jones.”

“Marin Frost,” she returned, looking carefully at Michelle. She seemed nice enough, but like Peter, she seemed like an outcast. Marin decided that she liked her.

The party was growing increasingly stuffy, and several minutes had passed with no sign of Spider-Man, so Marin excused herself to get some air. She found her way to the front door and took a couple steps out. As she breathed in the cool air, a flash of movement caught her eye, and she looked up to see Spider-Man swinging across the street—in the opposite direction.

“Peter!” She whispered-yelled, but he didn’t seem to hear her. He disappeared behind a neighboring house, so Marin dashed off to follow him. Luckily, the space between the houses wasn’t fenced, so Marin made it to the other side easily. Climbing through a tall row of hedges, Marin saw Spider-Man sprinting across the open golf turf.

“Spider-Man!” She tried again but tripped over a golf ball. Peter had gained some distance as she scrambled to her feet when suddenly, the sprinklers went off.

He audibly grouched to himself, but Marin was grateful for the boost the water gave her as it soaked into her exposed skin. She eventually caught up to Peter, just in time to hear an explosion and see a burst of neon blue light in the near distance.

“Peter!” She pounced on his back, causing him to fall, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Peter rolled on top of her, pulling her arms and pinning them above her head.

“What the hell, Marin!” His voice was shrill but hushed. “What are you doing?!”

“What are you doing?” She countered, wrestling against his grip. He released her but instantly moved to jump onto what looked like a concrete bridge. Marin clambered off of the dirt and back on her feet. “You were supposed to—!”

“Shh!” He hissed at her, crawling along the concrete so he could hang upside down and watch what was going down on the other side. Huffing in frustration, Marin sneaked below him, making sure to stay out of sight.

Three men huddled around a parked van—a weapons deal, Marin assumed—one man reached into the back of the opened trunk. Once he pulled back, Marin got a clear shot of the contents: it was piled to the windows with all sorts of different weaponry, looking very similar to the designs of the weapons from the robbery two nights ago.

“Okay, I got, uh, black hole grenades, Chitauri railguns…” Marin could hear one of the dealers list off.

Chitauri? Images of the battle of New York flashed across her mind as she remembered the newscasters narrate the fight scenes.

Above her, Peter whispered, “Oh, this must be where the ATM robbers got their stuff.”

Marin narrowed her eyes. If these kinds of weapons were being integrated with alien technology, their capabilities would be completely unknown, and the capacity for damage unprecedented. If they fell into the wrong hands—even worse than petty thieves and criminals—who knew what this could mean for the country’s safety.

A loud yodeling ringtone pierced the air, yanking Marin out of her ruminations and alerting their presence to the criminals.

One of the dealers accused the buyer of setting them up and aimed a weapon at him. Without hesitation, Peter hopped down from the bridge, and Marin darted out from behind the bridge. “Hey, don’t shoot!” He yelled.

“C’mon, if you’re gonna shoot at someone, shoot at me!” Marin hurried in front of Spider-Man, throwing her arms up in an attempt to look surrendered. As much as she knew that Peter might be able to recover from a gunshot, he should have remembered that Marin could stop a bullet even before it could hit him.

“Alright,” the dealer shrugged, and as soon as the gun pointed at her, a spark of panic shot through Marin as she realized that she didn’t have her water bottle with her, and therefore had no way to stop the bullet. But Spider-Man was already ahead of her, as he shot out a web and disarmed the dealer before he could pull the trigger. Peter dodged around Marin, charging at the dealers. Suddenly, one of the men reached out of the van with a large weapon in his hand, using it to punch Spider-Man and send him reeling back as electricity crackled around the outline of his body.

“Spider-Man!” Marin shouted, sprinting toward him. The criminals jumped in the van, and as it was pulling away, Peter attached a web to the door of the vehicle, yanking him along. “Oh, come on, man!” She yelled after him, exasperated.

The van sped off, dragging Spider-Man behind. It turned a corner onto a neighboring street and rammed Peter into a trash can. Marin could tell that the boost from the sprinklers was beginning to wear off, and the distance between her and the van grew exponentially. In the distance, Marin noticed a bright magenta light glowing from inside the van, exploding and knocking off one of the doors Peter had a web attached to.

After a minute of chasing them, Marin saw the light grow brighter again, this time hitting Peter and ripping his grip from the web he’d just reattached. Within seconds, the weapon had recharged, and as the van hit a bump in the road, the weapon misfired and blew a hole in the side of the van. The weapon then tumbled out of the dealer’s hands and out of the back of the van, rolling out of sight.

The van dragged Peter into the side of a parked car, a line of trash cans, and a brick mailbox before finally dislodging him from the van. Marin caught up after a couple of seconds, panting.

“Follow my lead; I’m gonna take a shortcut!” Peter shouted to her before quickly taking off to leap over a tall metal gate.

“Oh hell, Parker!” Marin griped, and made to follow once again. This was beginning to become a running theme with them. It should’ve been harder to keep up since she couldn’t see where he was going, but the crashes and shouts from both Peter and the inhabitants of the neighborhood sounded off one-by-one like a trail of audible breadcrumbs.

Marin dodged pedestrians and oncoming cars as she raced through the streets, following mostly by sidewalk and occasionally cutting perpendicularly between houses when it was necessary. She growled in frustration, however, when she realized that Peter was beginning to sound farther and farther away. But then a distant shriek about three blocks down made her pick up her pace again.

As she reached an open road, Marin saw the mutilated van speed down the pavement four blocks ahead of her. Glancing up at the rooftops, Marin watched Spider-Man leap determinedly towards the van, only to be snatched in midair by what looked to be metal talons.

“No!” Marin cried out in horror, as the metal-winged man flew straight upward with Peter’s leg firmly in its grasp.

Marin dashed off, trying to get directly underneath the flying man. Looking up at the darkened night sky, she could only see the bright red of Peter’s suit as he flailed in his captive’s grip and distant pinpoints of a glowing neon green from above him.

Suddenly, a white parachute erupted from the back of Spider-Man’s suit, and Peter was ripped from the man’s grasp. Marin skidded to a stop as she approached the edge of a lake, watching as Peter fell through the air, entangling himself in the parachute as he plummeted towards the earth. Marin threw her arms out, reaching up with the lake water to catch him.

Her arms felt heavy with the force needed to control so much water at once—it flooded her senses, the power much denser than she was normally used to. It seemed to work in at least cushioning the blow, but Marin still flinched as Peter hit the water with a great clap. The sudden impact knocked the water out of Marin’s control, forcing her to her knees.

Not even bothering to stand and instead shutting her eyes to focus her control, Marin raised her trembling arms frantically as she searched the lake for Peter’s body. Just as she’d found him, a splash caught her attention. She automatically sensed a new presence in the water, this one larger and not as warm. Before she could grab onto it, a figure rocketed out of the lake, carrying Peter’s limp body.

As they flew over her head, she recognized the familiar red and gold titanium alloy suit. She dipped her hands into the lake, siphoning off some energy to replace the amount she’d lost, and raced off.

It took her nearly fifteen minutes to track them down to a nearby playground. Peter sat glumly on top of a jungle gym.

“You know, it’s never too early to start thinking about college. I got some pull at MIT.” Iron Man was saying, his suit hovering over the mulch.

“No, I don’t need to go to col—”

“End call.”

“Mr. Stark—!” Peter protested.

“Mr. Stark is no longer connected.” The suit announced in a feminine voice before flying off.

“That’s awesome,” Peter muttered sarcastically, wringing his mask and hopping off of the climbing structure.

“Pete!” Marin called out to him, hurrying over and helping him steady on his feet. Peter grabbed her by the shoulders.

“Oh, thank god you’re okay,” he sounded genuinely concerned, causing Marin’s heart to stutter. “I wasn’t sure if they’d gotten to you too, and—”

“No—I’m all right, Peter.” She flexed her hand on his corded shoulder. “Why are you so hot?” Her eyes widened, a blush crawling up her neck as she hurried to correct herself. “I mean—like, like temperature-wise, not—not hot like—”

Peter breathed out a laugh. “Apparently Mr. Stark added in some suit-warmers.”

“How did he even find us, anyway?”

Peter shrugged. “Trackers.”

Marin raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Though his suit was warming up, it still felt damp under her hand. “Y’know, I could just…” With the hand pressed to the top of his shoulder, Marin reached with her mind and pulled at all of the water still soaking his suit and hair. After a minute of concentration, Marin peeled back her hand, and with it came a stream of lake water. She flicked the water to the ground as Peter patted down his now completely dried suit and hair with an impressed look etched into his features.

“Sick,” he exhaled.

As they were making their way back to Liz’s house, Marin fiddled with Peter’s water-logged phone. Just as she’d finished drawing out all of the water, Peter—now masked again—pointed to something, and jogged over to get a better look.

“Look—this must’ve fallen out of those guys’ van earlier,” he turned the device over with his fingertips.

Marin crouched down next to him, intrigued by the purplish glow emanating from what looked like the device’s energy core. “Whoa,”

Suddenly, Peter’s phone—still in Marin’s hands—buzzed and sounded the yodeling ringtone. It was Ned. Seeing that Peter was still observing the device, Marin accepted the call and held the phone up to her ear.

“Hey, Ned,” she said.

“Marin? Is Peter with you?” Ned shouted over the ruckus in the background. “Where the hell are you guys?!”

“Oh, well I, um…” Marin glanced down at Peter. She didn’t realize that by telling Ned where she was, and what she was doing (chasing bad guys with Spider-Man), she’d now have to tell him about her powers. “It’s hard to explain, but—”

Peter reached for the phone, so Marin handed it to him. “Hey, man. We’re on our way back now, just—”

Marin heard chanting on the other line. She could barely make out the words “penis!” and “Parker!”.

Peter sighed next to her. “We’ll see you tomorrow, then.” He pocketed his phone, and carefully picked up the alien device.

Even with the mask on, Marin could see the stubborn determination set on Peter’s face.

taglist:

@dark-night-sky-99 @pushmeinablackhole

[icyhotexplosionwritings]

Okay, so I actual don’t write angst scenarios (bc I’m a baby and I am way to emotional invested in my own writing orz) and THAT is why this could have been WAY angstier than it is right now and I know out there are literal ANGST MASTERS who probably would have done way better with this request than me, b-but… Even though it is not THAT angsty(some of you guys are probably like, pf, angst? Have you seen angst before, Celine? This is puppies and rainbows compared to some real angst; and I know... I am just rly bad with angst so it is rather... a little drama and then happy end? XD); Though, I was super happy I could write for my owl son Bokuto; I am just bad at refusing a request and I actually quite liked the idea, actually; ugh I hate letting you guys down, sorry anon, but I hope you can still enjoy it a little ;A;

----

No. No please. This couldn’t be happening right now. Looking at the pregnancy test between your fingers you started shaking, trying hard to not start crying. How could this have happened, you were always using a condom, since most of the birth control pills you took affected you negatively.

Reality hit you, it probably broke a few weeks ago, that was the only logical explanation, but this… this was not the right timing. You were only 20 and your boyfriend had a very promising volleyball career he had been working on ever since you knew him.

Right now, you were glad that Bokuto was at a meeting with his team, because you couldn’t help but cry, however you also made a decision, a decision that would be hard, but would save his career, because you didn’t want to be the one ending everything for him.

You knew Bokuto, he would take responsibility, he would be there for you and that is exactly why you wouldn’t tell him, because you wanted him to chase after his dream and not be worried about you and your child.

....

“You’re acting weird, F/N…”, Bokuto’s curious golden eyes were examining you. You jumped a little. “What? No, Kou, you are only imagining things, I guess I am just tired.” You tried your hardest to distract him with something else, talking about how his training was going. It had been two weeks since you found out you were pregnant and slowly you knew it was showing that somebody was growing inside you. You couldn’t run away any longer, today it had to be done. Just hearing how excited your boyfriend was, hooting like a little kid who got a candy he was talking about how he felt spiking the ball, having a professional team behind his back. You only laughed, you liked hearing him this excited and it made everything a little bit easier.

At night, when Koutarou was sleeping soundly beside you, you gave him one last kiss, his cute little snort making your eyes all watery. “I love you, Kou, so much, please forgive me for being selfish.”, whispering you combed through his freshly washed hair, before you carefully removed his arms around you, not waking him up.

You kissed the envelope one last time, a tear dripping down on the paper, before putting it down on the kitchen table so your boyfriend, no, ex-boyfriend, could see it when he would wake up in the morning- thank god not even an apocalypse could wake this man. Wiping away your tears, you took your car keys, since you had packed your suitcase yesterday, knowing that today would be the day, and you hid it inside your trunk, only taking the things that were most precious to you and you needed for a new start.

Looking back one last time you rested your hand on your growing belly, softly stroking it, whispering, “I’m sorry you won’t meet your Daddy, but I’ll make sure to tell you about him, I promise little one.” Turning away, you started your car, leaving your current life behind.

…

The next morning, Bokuto was waking up, but you were not in his arms, which was a very rare occasion. No, rather, your bedside was cold as if you hadn’t even been sleeping here tonight and soon, the worry hit him. You had been acting weird the last couple of days, he could see and feel it, so this worried him. Quickly jumping out of bed he rushed through your apartment, opening every door, calling out your name with his typical boisterous voice. “Where are you, F/N?!”, he bit his bottom lip when he entered the kitchen, searching for you, but you were nowhere to be found.

When he saw the envelope he could feel his stomach turning. This was not true, right? This was just a letter, you were probably just shopping, right? He didn’t have to worry, right? He was this close to falling into one of his depressive states, before even reading the letter, so he tried his best to get it together, as he reached for the envelope, opening it and reading what you had left him.

Dear Koutarou!

I know, when you read this you probably know what is going on but are in denial.

I am sorry, I never thought I would one day have to write a letter like this to you. Kou… I am gone. Please don’t look after me, you won’t find me.

It’s childish, right? I couldn’t even be adult enough to talk about it face to face with you, because I knew you would have tried to stop me and me being weak when it comes to you, I probably would have given it. But Koutarou, I had to make this decision.

I know you probably overthink everything, now. If you did anything wrong, but let me tell you – no. You did nothing wrong, you were always there for me, I had so much fun being with you and I felt loved and I loved you too, Kou, there is no one on this planet I love more than you, please don’t think this was easy for me, but some decisions in life hurt us deeply, this is one of them.

Kou, please don’t think about me too much, concentrate on your career, I want to see you on TV, so don’t ever give up. Be happy again, find someone who can make you truly happy.

In love, F/N

His knees were weak, his legs shaking, gripping the letter tightly some tears made their way down his cheek. “But, F/N… no one can make me happier than you…” and that’s when he broke down on the kitchen floor – sobbing.

Of course Koutarou tried calling you, but you had changed your number and even though you said not to search for you, he tried, he tried to find you, but you were gone, like you said.

….

Months went by and one hot summer afternoon a scream echoed through the hospital room. You had a lovely little baby girl, naming her Natsuki and she had the same sparkling gold eyes as her father, well… to be honest, the only thing she had from you was her cute little nose and the shape of her eyes, everything else was Bokuto – and it hurt. But it also made you happy.

Years went by and you tried dating, but no one ever made you as happy as him, so after four dating fails, you decided to stay single for a while, dedicating all your love to your little Natsuki and whenever her Dad would be seen on TV you made sure to tell her; you wanted her to know and whenever she would ask why Bokuto was not with you two, you just told her, “I’ll tell you when you are older, Natsu, I promise.”

Bokuto himself also tried to go on with his life. Even though it was hard, he knew there was nothing he could have done to prevent this, you made your decision to leave him and he had to accept it. At the beginning he felt a lot of hate towards himself and it affected his performance, however he made sure to not let this chance of being on the national team slip, so he got himself together again, thinking “Watch me, F/N!”

…..

It was pure coincidence. His team came back from China and they all finally deserved a holiday after fighting with everything they had, getting them the silver medal. He was alone when he traveled all the way south to Okinawa-Islands. He needed to just do nothing for once, so this was perfect, however he didn’t think this would happen.

It was the third day after his arrival, he was just walking alongside the road, the beautiful ocean sparkling in the background, when he heard something. It was a laughter he hadn’t heard in over 7 years. Wait, this couldn’t be it, right? Ah, but there it was again and this time, there was also your voice, “Natsu! Don’t run, you’ll trip!”

On the other side of the road, there you were, a grocery bag in your hand, the other covering your mouth a little. “F/N.”, it was not really loud, but it was enough for you to halt for a second and look to the other side and there he was. “Kou…”, the bag of groceries fell out of your hand, your eyes wide, he still looked like before, only a little bit more mature. “Mommy, what is it?”, Natsu grabbed your hand, concern in her golden eyes, before she also looked across the road, curious as to what you were looking at, or better who you were looking at…

Natsuki had seen her father multiple times on TV, giving interviews and playing on the court, so when she saw him, it was crystal clear to her, that this right here, this was her father. Her face lit up and even though she was a very well behaved and raised child, right now she just sprinted full force over the road, without thinking or looking. “DADDY!!!”, screaming, she didn’t see or hear the car coming down the road.

Bokuto couldn’t believe it, there was a little girl by your side calling you mother and she looked… so much like him. So, you were pregnant? You had raised a child all on your own these past 7 years. Why? Why didn’t you say anything, he would have taken responsibility. Shocked, he couldn’t move at all when the little girl screamed, her arms wide open, running towards him, when he suddenly heard a car and as he slowly turned his head, it started honking and a terrible squeaking sound was heard from the friction of the stopping wheels on the road, your scream in the distance, “NATSU?!?!”

Thankfully his legs were reacting way faster than his brain was, because if he would have waited any second longer… He started dashing too, grabbing the little girl under her arms and only centimeters away from hitting the side mirror of the car, he wrapped his arms around her, stumbling to the other side of the road, before completely falling down on his knees, kneeling in front of you know.

You were shocked, your knees were weak and you thought your heart was about to stop beating. Tears were trickling down your cheek, you thought that was it. When the car came to a halt, the driver screamed through the open window, before driving off again, but you couldn’t care any less, right here, right now, your daughter was save and the one who saved her was no other than her father himself.

Bokuto was the first to react, he rose from his position, now standing in front of you, Natsuki clawing at him like her life depended on it, she was clearly shocked too and before anyone could have said something Bokuto was raising his arm and only a second later he also pressed you against his chest. “Kou…” You didn’t want to, but you couldn’t hold back and started sobbing, clawing at his shirt, the other hand holding onto your daughter’s hand, gripping it tightly.

Natsuki looked up, tears streaming down her face, before she reached out to touch Koutarou’s cheek, making him jump a little before turning his head to look at her and even though she was crying, she had the most radiant smile on her lips that he had ever seen. “You are finally here, Daddy…”, before breaking down completely, crying and sobbing, she buried her head into his chest.

Bokuto was almost crying himself, all those years, he never knew about his little family, but now that he held you both in his arms, he knew one thing for sure, “Yeah… and I’m never leaving again, little owl!”, because he would never, ever let you go, not after finally having you in his arms again.

[mss4msu]

We Never Go Out of Style

Summary: You and Steve are in a continual on/off relationship when you finally decide you need to get out of the vicious cycle. That is until he shows back up and convinces you that your relationship never goes out of style.

Pairing: Steve x Reader

Words: 2461

A/N: I wanted to write a fic using the lyrics from T. Swift’s “Style”. The bolded words are the lyrics, and they’re in order based on verse, so hypothetically you should be able to sing along. Also, this used to be a NSFW fic, but I’ve edited it to be clean.

Warnings: There is some angst bc it’s an angsty song. And there is “language”.

Photo Cred: http://alphalewolf.tumblr.com/post/128652676252 @alphalewolf

After a long and exhausting week of work, you decided you needed to blow off some steam. You called up Nat and Wanda and plan to hit the clubs. You spent the past hour dancing and giggling, and were somehow convinced that it would be a good idea to do shots in addition to the drinks you had already ordered. After your 3rd tequila shot you realize that maybe you should’ve just gone home and slept after work. The quality of the dance music was rapidly decreasing, and Nat and Wanda were busy flirting up guys to get them to buy them drinks. There were only so many random dudes you could feign interest in without getting bored. He was the only one on your mind.

“Hey, guys, this has been fun, but I think I’m gonna head home,” you tell them.

“You sure??” Nat asked, turning around from the bar with yet another free drink.

“Yeah, it’s been a long week and I just need to go sleep I think.”

“So it always goes with you. How are you getting home?” Wanda asks.

“I’ll just call an Uber, I’ll be fine! I’m going to run to the bathroom first though.” you respond.

While you knew you should just call an Uber, you also knew you’d rather see him. Although, the chances of him actually answering were slim to none. He was probably still on that mission to God knows where he had left on without telling you. You get into the bathroom and let out a sigh of relief to be able to hear yourself think again. You pull out your phone and check the time: Midnight. You find him in your contacts after a few minutes of searching. You had to stop changing his contact name every time he pissed you off. With each subsequent ring, your heart starts pounding louder and louder.

“Hello?” Your heart skips a beat as you hear his voice. “(Y/N)?”

“Steve,” you whisper. You realize you’re the only one in the bathroom. You clear your throat, cursing that tequila for making you think you should call him over a regular Uber. “Will you come and pick me up? I’m out at that dance club that we went to a few times. You know the one?”

“The one on 53rd? Yeah I remember it. Sure, i’ll be there in 10.”

“Yeah, that’s the one. Thanks,” you reply and punch the red button to hang up harder than you meant to. Why did you do this to yourself? He wasn’t even there yet and you already knew the night was going to end badly. To get your mind off of it as you wait, you decide to dance one last song with Nat and Wanda. Finally you feel the buzz of your phone.

“Alright ladies, that was my last song, my ride is finally here. I’ll see you later!” you see two new guys approach them as you turn to leave. They would be fine without you.

You get outside and see people stumbling around you. You look up and down the street, but see no headlights. You then hear a honk and your heart skips a beat. This was a big mistake, you think as you run over to his car.

“Hey,” you say as you slide into the passenger seat.

“Hey,” Steve replies. You hoped he noticed how damn good you looked. You had probably subconsciously planned to call him tonight, as you were wearing the shirt that best showed off your cleavage. “So you want to go home?” he asked

“Yes, please,” you respond, buckling your seatbelt and slouching into the seat. Your head was pounding from the silence after having spent hours listening to non-stop bass, and your heart was pounding to actually seeing him again.

“As you wish,” he said, turning the car back on.

“You finally got to The Princess Bride on your list?” you asked him. You had specifically requested that he watch it, but he had always put it off whenever you were together. You could never figure out why, as it was an iconic love story and the two of you had been in love once, at least you liked to think you had.

“Yup,” he curtly replied. From his short answer you could tell this was gonna be a long drive, but you noticed that what he lacked in words he made up for in the looks he kept giving you. He can’t keep his wild eyes on the road, you thought, feeling yourself start to blush. You could feel him undressing you at every stop sign and red light. At this point, you decided the night could end in burning flames or paradise.  

You jolt awake to the car coming to a halt and as your eyes fade into view, you see Steve reaching over and unbuckling you.

“Oh!” I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep!” Wow, Steve is finally back and responsive, takes me home, and I can’t even stay awake for it, you began to internally yell at yourself.

“It’ fine (Y/N),” he answered, holding the door open for you. “You know, it’s been a while since I have even heard from you.”

“Well, I haven’t heard from you either,” you start fumbling for the light switch, taking the time when the lights are off to compose yourself.

“I’ve been busy. I haven’t had time for anyone anymore. It’s not easy being Captain America,” he says as he’s taking off his coat.

“Hmm,” maybe that was true, but it was a bullshit excuse. “Yeah, that’s why I quit.” Nat and Wanda had been trying to get you to tell him for ages, but you wanted to keep this little piece of information to yourself until it was convenient to bring it up. The fact that he had had little emotion all night, which is probably what made you fall asleep in the first place, made you finally decide to share.  

“You what!?? Since when?” he asks with shock in his voice and wide eyes. Finally, you got the satisfaction of an emotional reaction.

“I got tired of all the drama, Steve. Saving the world every day takes a lot out of a girl.”

“What drama? Saving the world I get, I say all the time that it’s no easy job. But drama? I don’t know about that...”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Steve. I’ve heard that you’ve been out and about with some other girl. You obviously have time for someone.”

“Some other girl?” he asks and then pauses. Finally he says, “What you’ve heard is true, but I can’t stop thinking about you and I. Things didn’t really end well between us and I got lonely on that last mission, (Y/N). 3 months away from everyone I know and love and care about, and then one random person starts to give me some attention and I felt compelled to give it back. I’m sorry.”

“Steve, this is the biggest bullshit. Things didn’t end well between us because, yet again, Fury gave you an assignment and you just left without telling ANYONE. I swear, right now I should just tell you to leave ‘cause I know exactly where it leads...” but I can’t, you finish in your head. You couldn’t give him that satisfaction right now. You were too angry. “How many times will we let this relationship end and then stupidly decide to start it up again? I hate that I just watch it go round and round each time and never try to change it.”

“(Y/N), I said I’m sorry. I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately and I get that we are in this cycle of on-again off-again and everything you’re thinking, I’ve been there too a few times. I want to make this work though. I’ve had these past three months to really think about everything and I realized all of the mistakes I’ve made, especially when it comes to you and I’m ready to redeem myself. But, if you want me to leave, you got it,” he said with rejection in his voice.

You angrily look him up and down. You were extra pissed that he had that James Dean daydream look going on tonight. You felt your eyes well up with tears. No. You were not going to cry. He was not getting that satisfaction from you. He never understood that tears didn’t always mean sad. Right now you were pissed. You were pissed he’d gotten with another girl and you were pissed that he had cut you out of his life and you were pissed that he still looked so damn good.

“Something in your eye, (Y/N)?” he asked gently.

Shit. You were tired of him making you cry, and you had sworn to never waste your tears on him again.

“Steve, you’ve been gone for 3 months with no communication. No phone calls, no texts, not even a fucking letter. I know you know how to send a letter. That’s the only way you had to communicate ‘back in the day’!” you couldn’t help the sarcasm that came out.

His face fell. You would maybe have felt a little badly about it if you hadn’t been so heated it. Thank you tequila! you thought. You were finally going to get all of this off your chest and he was just going to have to take it.

“You’ve been gone for months and I still can’t forget you! Anytime I go out I got that red lip, classic thing that you like. I still dress like I’m trying to impress you even when you aren’t here. That’s fucking ridiculous. We just live in this fucking cycle of being together and everything going great and then you get some ‘super secret’ assignment and go away for months with no word and then, wouldn’t you know it, you show up again just as I’m ready to move on! I’m so exhausted by it! When we go crashing down, we come back every time and I just can’t take it! Plus, this time there was another woman involved. Like fuck, not only did you not make time for me, you somehow found time for someone else. Fuck you, Steve.” You were finally crying, you just couldn’t help it at this point.

“It’s ‘cause we never go out of style,” he says quietly to you.

“The fuck does that mean? Use modern terms, Steve.”

“I mean, we never go out of style. This relationship is one that will never get old, even when we do.”

“You know what does fucking get old, Steve? You leaving and me never knowing when you’re coming back or where you went, or apparently who you’re with when you’re there. I’m surprised you even answered tonight, let alone actually show up for fucking once.”

“I’m really sorry I’ve treated you this way, (Y/N). I really want to make it up to you.”

You stared him in the eyes and the softness in his made you take a deep breath and think about what he had said. Three apologies? In one night? There was no way that was what had been happening. In your anger you had probably imagined it. These things were never this easy. Any fight you had lasted hours if not days. He always fought you on any mistake you said he made, apparently his never giving up attitude applied not only on the battlefield, but in his romantic life too.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” you say, to which he just shakes his head. You’re so struck with disbelief by his apparent change of heart that you take his silence as time to regain your train of thought. This also gives you a chance to really look at him. Apparently his attitude was not the only thing about him that was different. His hair had grown since last time you’d seen him; you’d never seen it that long. You noticed he also had his hair slicked back. And he was wearing a white t-shirt that you could slightly see through. Fuck, this happened every time too. You’d get pissed, fight, and then remember how fucking hot his body was. The silence between you became more deafening than the music in the club.

He was the first to break the silence. “You’re right, I’ve been absent and it hasn’t been fair to you. I’ve never made the time for you that you deserve and I’ve always put myself first. I’ve really been re-considering my behavior and how I let my job get the best of me, and I got to thinking about how I let myself get the best of me too. You have always been the best part of my life. Everything about you is perfect for me: you are, or were I guess, in the same line of work, you’ve got that good girl faith that a God-fearing man like me looks for, and you look damn fine in a tight little skirt. And you’re right, when we go crashing down, we come back every time. So, let’s stay together this time. I’m telling ya’ gorgeous, I only need one more chance to prove it to you.”

“Why? Why should I think you have or will change? Why would I give you another chance?” you ask him, although hearing him talk about why you were perfect for each other had caused you to feel butterflies in your stomach. It had also caused your underwear to get slightly wet.

“‘Cause we never go out of style,” he repeated.

Your heart was racing. You had been avoiding eye contact during his whole apology, afraid that if you looked at him, you would give in too quickly. Hearing him talk about why he wanted to be with you and having him pledge to not break your heart again, caused you to finally look up. His blue eyes pierced yours and you felt a jolt in your gut.

“Steve, how can I be sure? How can I know you’ll treat me right this time? How can I trust you?” Tears began to sting your eyes

“Because, I love you, (Y/N). I always have and I always will.”

He stepped towards you, putting both his hands on your face, gently wiping the tears from your cheeks. You took a step towards him, feeling the warmth radiating from his chest.

You looked him straight in the eyes, “Always?”

“We never go out of style,” he replied, his fingers tangling in your hair as he put his hands on the back of your head, pulling you in for a kiss.

Tag List:

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[keepseaveyweird]

Seeing one of the boys as part of your daily routine bc LA is truly a small town in the grand scheme of things

I changed it from LA to NYC. Only because I figured it’s more routine in NY than LA, cause like... Idk it makes more sense in my head this way I’m sorry!! I hope you like it though!

“See you tomorrow!” y/n laughed as she parted ways with her friends walking out of her last lecture of the day. The busy streets of New York were loud with sirens and the sounds of taxis honking all around. She waited at the corner for the walking light to indicate it was safe to cross the road alongside a dozen other individuals. Soon, she was on the move and spun around the railing to make her way down to the Canal Street subway station to go back to her apartment.

The time she was let out of class was the perfect time to hitch a subway ride, the stations weren’t crowded and there was breathing room and open seats in every train. Compared to other times of the day, it was truly the only peaceful time in NYC, the only time everything seemed to just slow down a bit.

As y/n descended down the steps to the platform, she saw the usual people she tended to see. Men in suits on the phone, ladies in heels with a big pile of papers in her hand, students reading their book for english class. It was usually the same people, as the city lifestyle forces one into a daily routine, but every now and then, someone would miss work or they’d bring a friend along. But the one constant she never missed and was never different was the boy with curly hair who sat on the second bench to the right. It was never the first or the third or any on the left, but always the second and always on the right. He sat with a journal on his lap as well as a blue pen in his hand, thinking and writing.

As she waited the five minutes it took for the train to make its way back to the station (never anymore or any less), y/n would casually stand behind him and to the side a bit and glance between her phone and the boy on the bench. She couldn’t help but be intrigued by him, the way he would jot down whatever it was he was writing. Or the way every couple minutes he’d look up from the pages and glance around, look back down, and tap the end of his pen to his temple as he thought, only to begin the routine over again. Or when he would write something good down (one could only assume it was good) he’d try and fight the smile that tried to overtake his face, but fail and his toothy grin would expose itself to everyone at the station.

That day, the curly haired boy was extra smiley, and his pen was writing at lightning speed, and y/n couldn’t help but smile anytime he tried his best to fight the shit-eating grin that would overcome him. She couldn’t help but think he was cute, his floppy hair framing his face and his arms slightly flexing with the movements from his wrist. She loved his style, t-shirts slightly oversized along with pants or jeans that were baggier than they probably should be (but he made them look much cooler than anyone else could) and his Jordans, which were definitely new. Every now and then he would have a fanny pack draped across his body, which looked quite weird on other people, but he made it a look and worked it well. His brightly colored beanies sometimes hiding his beautiful curls, but making appearances as they tried to escape the hat but he’d push them back in almost every five seconds.

Soon the train rushed to a halt and the doors opened, letting the few people off, and y/n made her way to her usual spot; a seat towards the back of train and the back of cart. The boy would usually sit across from her as well, and he’d put his journal in his backpack and play on his phone as he played with his nose ring. Truly, y/n and him had the same routine, getting on and off at the same stop at the same time every day, walking three blocks east before parting way at the corner of 63rd and Madison.

As she walked on, she realized a new man who she had never seen had stolen her spot. She looked around, seeing that the usually empty cart was fuller than usual. Feeling off, as her routine was almost never broken, she stood with her hand wrapped around the cool metal pole.

“There’s an empty seat here, if you’d like it.” Someone said from behind her. Y/n spun around to find the cute boy pulling his back pack from it’s honorary seat beside him, a smile on his face.

“Oh, thank you,” y/n smiled as she took her own bag from her back and held it in her lap. The boy went back to listening to whatever music he had on, shuffling through his phone and y/n began to do the same, pulling her airpods from her bag pocket. After opening Spotify and deciding between playlists, she finally pressed shuffle on her throwback one, and hearing the opening notes of Northern Boy by the Academic.

Before she had a chance to put in her other ear bud, the boy lightly tapped her shoulder.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help but see that you were listening to The Academic,” he said, before showing her his phone screen with the same song playing.

“Oh my gosh,” y/n cried, her eyebrows raised with excitement, “you like them too?”

“Oh for sure! They’re one of my favorites,” he told her, before showing her all the songs by them on his playlist, “I’m Jack, by the way,” he smiled reaching his hand out for hers.

“I’m y/n.”

The rest of the subway ride continued as such; them sharing new music, as y/n handed him one of her ear buds to share. Soon they were at their stop, where they walked back up to the sidewalk and continued to talk about music and their life. About how y/n was currently at New York University studying global studies, and Jack was at The New School studying musical performance with an emphasis on voice, and how him and his best friends were thinking of starting a band.

“I think you should do it, you never know what could happen,” she told him as they approached 63rd and Madison, their usual parting place.

“That’s what my friend Zach keeps saying,” Jack laughed, “everyday all we hear is, “why don’t we, what’s the worst that could happen,”” he said, mocking his friend with a smile.

“Well he’s definitely not wrong,” y/n giggled as they reached the corner, “well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. It was great talking to you!” muttered y/n, as she turned to head home.

Before she could take a step, Jack gently turned her around by the shoulder, meeting his beautiful brown eyes, “wait, would there be any chance you could possibly, maybe want to grab a smoothie or coffee or something with me?” He said, a small blush taking over his cheeks, “if not, or if you have things to do I totally understand, it’s just th-”

Y/n interrupted, “I’d love to,” she smiled.

The two made their way to the closest coffee shop, and sitting down with paper cups in their hands at a small table by the window.

The two continued to talk until the sun started to set.

“It’s crazy it took us so long to start talking, I’ve seen you everyday for the last five months,” Jack laughed, taking a sip of his smoothie.

“I know! What were we doing?” chuckled y/n.

“Well to be honest, I kind of always wanted to say something, but I was kind of nervous,” Jack admitted, his eyes glued to the table as he twiddled his thumbs.

Y/n blushed as a grin formed on her face, “why would you be nervous?” She asked, a boost of confidence surging through her, causing her to take his hand into hers. They met eyes from across the small table between them, and the two felt something that couldn’t be explained. They weren’t sure what it was, but they weren’t scared, they were the opposite in fact. In that moment, Jack and y/n had truly never felt more comfortable with anyone, even if they were strangers.

“I’m not sure, you just have this thing about you. You walk around with confidence and it’s intimidating, but sexy and…. I’m sorry,” he began.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” she told him, giving his hand a squeeze, “thank you, for thinking I’m sexy I mean. I think growing up in the city is what taught me the whole ‘walk with confidence thing though. If you don’t you get run over trying to get out of everyone’s way,” she laughed.

“I mean while we’re being honest here, I thought you were really cute as well. I’d watch you a lot just sit there and write in your journal and play with your nose ring.” Y/n’s cheeks grew rosy with her confession.

“Oh really?” He smirked with a smile on his face, “Is that why you’d always stand behind me? So I wouldn’t catch you?”

“Okay maybe..” Y/n dragged on, “what do you write in that journal anyways? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Jack reached into the bag lying by his feet and grabbed the tragedy book, holding it up by his face, “This is my song journal,” he proclaimed.

“Oh, I see,” y/n said, mostly to herself, “so can you sing me something?”

“No,” Jack said, “absolutely not.”

“Why not?”

“Because one, there’s like maybe one good one in here, and two, a lot of them aren’t even done.”

“Oh please, I’m sure that’s not true, you write in there everyday, there’s got to be at least a whole Grammy- winning album in there,” she said, reaching for it. Jack pulled away, putting his hand higher in the air, out of reach.

“Maybe some other time,” he proposed with suggestive eyes.

“Another time? Like as,” y/n started, “in a date?”

Jack’s eyes went wide, worried he had ruined it and suddenly began looking at the table again.

“What? I mean, only if you want it to be,” Jack mumbled as he shrugged and raised his brows.

“Calm down,” she laughed, “I would love to go on a date with you.” y/n said with that giant, adoring, shit eating grin on her face again.  

Jack relaxed once again and his own confidence began to rise, “Great, what about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow sound perfect!”

They both began to get up and walk back to 63rd and Madison where they part ways.

“So?” Jack questioned, “Where should I meet you at?” he joked, laughing as y/n just rolled her eyes.

[jessethejoyful]

part three bc i’m weak-willed

more of this art school au that is dominating my life tbh 

read it here on ao3

BAZ

Class on Monday is an unexpected balm to my stress, and I’m feeling rather pleased with myself when I walk out. The professor was very complimentary, as they always are, but this felt different. Maybe because I’d felt so unsure about the piece. The colors had felt off, and I told the professor as much, but he told me it conveyed something private and almost intimate about me.

Which is cool, but a little scary. I don’t like to convey too much about myself, not to anyone.

Dev had texted me that morning about getting lunch, and I agreed to meet him in the student union after class, where several fast food restaurants had set up storefronts. I don’t have much interest in the food, but I do get myself a milkshake and let myself enjoy it. Meanwhile, Dev sits down with a tray full of fried food, and I try to ignore how the smell makes my stomach twist. My cousin might also come from money, but he never really acts like it. It’s almost refreshing sometimes.

Almost.

“So you ready for the show?” Dev asks, shoving food in his mouth like a cretin. He even talks with his mouth open. “Aren’t you taking like three pieces this time?”

I grit my teeth, fighting down the swirling stress that threatens at the edge of my mind. The art supply store in town is hosting another huge art sale party. I always attend with one piece, and am out of there before ten o’clock. That much of a crowd, milling around and talking about art - nope. My social anxiety doesn’t allow for it. But Fiona was up my ass this summer to do more (“You could be making a mint off these, Basil! What’re you doing, holing up with these at home, building yourself a nest? Don’t be such a coward!”) and I’d finally given in, if only to get her to shut up. I had three large paintings ready to go, but I still felt the nerves like a hot poker shoved into my side, burning me.

“Of course I’m ready,” I say through my teeth. “It’s in two days. Unlike you, I don’t procrastinate everything until the night before.” Dev grins at me, and he’s got a mouthful of food, and it’s horrific.

“Well, I can’t wait to see them.”

I stare at him, straw halfway to my mouth. “You’re coming? You’ve never come to one of my shows before.”

“Thought you might like some support.”

“What ever gave you that idea?” Dev shrugs and doesn’t say anything, focusing on his disgusting food again. “I… thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome, Basil.”

I head back to my apartment, my classes over for the day and with half a mind to take a nap, even knowing how it’ll ruin me later. Usually, I’d spend the rest of the night in the studio, but the sore ache behind my eyes is getting to be too much. And I’m hungry. I’m regretting not eating lunch, especially since that had been the point of meeting Dev today. My cousin had looked dubiously at my milkshake, but hadn’t commented.

In the end, I decide to go to the bakery down the street. The scone Snow had given me had been wrapped in paper with the store’s name printed repeatedly across it and it had actually been quite good, even when it was lukewarm.

When I step inside the cushy space, I immediately regret it, because there’s Penelope, Simon’s other friend, behind the counter. Another potential girlfriend? Probably not.

If I didn’t know any better, I would think this idiot boy is trying to take over my entire life. But it’s too late for me to step out, she’d called out a welcome when the door chimed, so I step over to the line. I stare hard at the pastries behind the glass without really seeing them.

“Basil!” Penelope greets me, and I’m taken aback by the friendly tone. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen you in here before.”

“I’ve - never come in.” I swallow down any snarky remarks, ready to make nice. “Snow brought me one of your scones the other day, and it was quite good. I wanted to see the source.” She smiles at me, and her chubby cheeks push up her garish turquoise glasses.

“Well, you came at a good time. Just took the cherry scones out of the oven. How many would you like?”

“Ah - just two, I think.” Penelope nods and pushes the glass open, wrapping the two pastries in wax paper before slipping them into a bag and handing it to me. “How much do I -?” She’s shaking her head, and I frown at her.

“Take ‘em. I’m glad we’ve a new convert, and I expect to see you in here more often, alright?” And then she winks at me, inexplicably.

“Yeah… alright. Thanks, Penelope.” She looks pleased, and gives me a small wave as I turn to go. I leave feeling oddly warm, if a bit confused by the kindness I’ve been shown by Simon’s two friends, after the treatment I’ve subjected him to. Maybe they’re all just too nice for their own good.

My keys are in my hands, hovering by my lock, when I have an idea. I go across the hall and knock before I can talk myself out of it, and wait. Snow could easily not be home. But then I hear a thump and a grunt inside, followed by a moment of silence before the lock clicks and the door swings open. Simon is staring at me, brow quirked and glasses on, half of his hair poking up like a rat’s nest.

“Yeah?”

I try not to frown as I dig into the bag and take out one of the scones, holding it out to him. He takes it slowly, looking at the pastry and then back up at me, eyes wide. And then I turn away, quickly unlocking my door and diving inside before Simon can get a word out. I shut myself in and lean back heavily against the door, breathing heavily and closing my eyes.

What was I thinking? What the fuck was that? Simon probably thinks I’m an asshole as well as a fucking weirdo now. Not like it matters.

Safely in my apartment, alone, I kick off my shoes and wander through to the second bedroom of the flat, which I’d converted for my use to a type of studio. But it’s carpeted, so I mostly use it for storage, supplies and paintings. The three I’m planning on selling are carefully leaning against the wall, staring at me.

One of them had sprung from an absolute fit, when I’d woken in the middle of the night with the shakes, drank three mugs of tea, and shoved paint across a canvas until I was happy (or as happy as I get) and went back to bed. The other two were from this summer, when I’d spent two dreadful weeks at home, closed into the studio my father had decked out for me three years ago for my birthday. That was the only good part of going back to the family manor. That, and my little sister, Mordelia. I give her a lot of shit, but I’m quite fond of her.

Those two pieces aren’t within my usual style. One is far more colorful than anything else I ever do, with flowering branches and a fading backdrop. The other was a fluke, some error of my subconscious. It was of a kneeling figure, a dancer, in her final resting position in the bottom corner of the canvas, bathed in dim light but with darkness surrounding the edges. It reflected Snow’s animation, and I hadn’t realized it until I was through. I might have painted over it, but it was beautiful, and I ended up keeping it.

I’m ready to be rid of it. After everything that’s happened, I don’t need any more reminders of Simon Snow. There’s no way he won’t avoid me now, and I try to tell myself it’s for the best.

I should make some tea.

PENNY

I’m exhausted when I get back to the apartment. The evening rush was hellish - we’d run out of filling for the eclairs, and I thought the roof was sure to fall it.

I might have been grateful if it had.

All I want to do is rip off my clothes, take a bath, and go to bed, but instead, Simon greets me at the door like a dejected dog, having another one of his stresses.

“He actually came into the bakery?” he asks, following me as I go into the kitchen to shove a piece of cake I’d stolen in the fridge. “Like, he was actually able to get through the door? I thought vampires had to be invited in.”

I look at him skeptically, furrowing my brows. “Simon - what? How is he a vampire? Aren’t vampires pale? His skin is nearly darker than mine.”

“With a widow’s peak like that, you’d doubt it?”

“He can’t help his hairline, Simon.” I’m too tired for this conversation. I continue to my room to put on my robe for the bath. Simon stays in the living room, but keeps talking to me, elevating his volume.

“Was he rude? Did he shove over the other customers in line? Did you see him put poison in my scone?”

“You ate it, didn’t you? You’re not dead yet. If you were, I’d have some peace right now.”

“It could be slow working!” I come out of my room, comfy in my fluffy yellow robe, and stare at Simon tiredly.

“He was incredibly polite, Simon. He complimented the one you gave him, and thanked me by name when he left. I don’t know what you’re getting so worked up over. He’s not out to kill you.”

“He’s a wanker, Penelope! You said it yourself, he’s endlessly contrary!” Simon leans over the back of the couch, spreading his arms at me wildly. “He’s trying to turn all the people in my life over to his side!”

“Simon, for the love of God.” I close myself in the bathroom and flick the lock loudly for good measure, making sure Simon hears it. I hear him groan, but he doesn’t keep trying to yell at me. I turn my music on loudly and start the bath water, sliding in before it’s finished filling and not minding the heat.

I glare at my nails. They’re caked with both flour and clay. That’s the struggle of being a sculptor - it’s all but ruined my hands and my nail beds. I try to let them soak in the bath, beneath the foaming fizz coming from my bath bomb, but I’m too fidgety. I dry my hands and reach for my phone, typing a quick text to Micah to see what he’s up to. Maybe I can convince him to bring me dinner.

Sure thing, he texts back almost immediately. Curry?

Perfect.

SIMON

This new job has honestly been really good. Even if it did take me a bit to figure out the register. It kept honking at me anytime someone tried to put their card in, and it took me too long to realize it was in the wrong mode.

Anna’s been very sweet, gently reminding me of things I forget when I need it. She blushes whenever I ask her a question and it’s kind of adorable.

It’s Wednesday, and we’re decorating the store for the event this evening, another one of the big local sales. Penny has two pieces she’s putting in, and I’m excited to see the party. I know a few of the other kids from the art school will be there, and I’m intrigued to see what they decide to sell, if I’d seen any of them hanging in the halls at school.

I can’t help but wonder if Baz will be there. Baz. Basil. I haven’t seen him since Monday with the whole scone thing. I figure he’s been holed up in his studio, being a recluse and hissing at sunlight, or whatever. I couldn’t help but take in the dark circles under his eyes the other day.

I don’t imagine he’ll be here - that would mean actually interacting with people. Smiling. Selling. I can’t fathom Baz willingly doing any of those things. The thought makes me snicker.

We’re closing up at seven for an hour, so we can all run home and put on nicer clothes. I end up taking a shower, trying to tame my curls to look a little more presentable, and dress in the smart suit Agatha helped me pick out. It’s sky blue, perfectly fitted, and I push the sleeves up to my elbows so my tattoos are visible. Blank ink wings, my designs, on the insides of both of my forearms. The white button-down underneath is well-fitted also, so if I get hot (which I tend to), I can easily take the jacket off and still look nice.

Penny finishes up about the same time, stepping out of her room and coughing. I look up from my phone and feel my jaw drop. She looks amazing. Her normally frizzy curls have been tamed into a sleek braided crown around her head. She’s wearing a deep green, flower-covered dress with a very vintage feel to it, with a boat neck and a natural waistline, and a pair of shiny heels finish the look.

“Holy shit, Penny,” I say, pushing up from the armchair, “you look - amazing. Seriously.”

“Such a way with words,” Penny says fondly, going to pick up the box holding her sculptures. I intercept, grabbing the box and slipping away.

“Uh-uh, no way you can carry these looking like that. I won’t have anything distracting Micah from how good you look!”

“He’s already my boyfriend, Simon, I don’t have to impress him anymore! Give me my stuff!”

“No way! I won’t drop them, Penn, I swear.” She glares at me, hands on her hips. “Penny. Trust me. I would never, ever let anything happen to these.” She finally relents about the time that there’s a knock on the door, and she goes to let Micah in. He comes into the room, raving about how good Penny looks, and I think he must have had a heads-up on her outfit. His suit complements her dress perfectly, a navy blazer with tan trousers, and a tie the exact green of her dress.

I like Micah, but the guy always makes me feel small. I’m not short, at a hundred and eighty-two centimeters, but Micah has to be nearly two hundred.

“Looking good, Simon,” Micah says, grinning at me with his blinding white teeth. “Working man. Congrats on the new job, dude.” He offers me his massive hand, and I grip it firmly, smirking.

“Thanks, Micah. Penny kind of forced me, but I’m glad she did.”

“I’m convinced she knows what’s best for both of us at this point. I’ve stopped arguing with her.”

“That is false, and you know it!” Penny calls from her room, where she’d left her clutch. “You argue with me constantly! About everything!”

“Only to keep you on your toes, babe!” She comes out of her room, snickering and shaking her head, and Micah stops her to press a kiss to her temple as she passes him.

“Ready then, boys? Simon can’t be late.”

Micah turns to me. “Want me to take her sculptures, man? I don’t mind carrying them.”

I shake my head. “No, no, I’ve got them, don’t worry.” He doesn’t argue, going to take Penny’s arm. I step out the door first, and they follow me out, locking up behind us.

When we get to the store a bit before eight, there’s hardly anyone there apart from the selling artists. Penny told me that people who aren’t selling don’t usually show up until eight-thirty or nine, so I’m not really surprised at how quiet it is. Anna is excited to see Penny, recognizing her from last time, and Penny takes a moment to introduce Anna to Micah. I continue on ahead, taking the sculptures to the spot where Penny wanted to set up, carefully placing the two beautiful sculptures on display before continuing to the back room.

My manager is back there, a big man named Alex, and he tells me my main role tonight is just greeting and talking to people, and making sure that the hors d’oeuvres and wine don’t run out. Which is fantastic, because I’m really good at talking to people.

I return to the main room, dazzled by how posh everyone looks, and approach one of the artists. It’s a boy I recognize from school, and Penny and Micah wander up and fold easily into the conversation. When it gets to eight o’clock, the door swings open, and I look over.

And there’s Baz, standing in the doorway and staring back at me, holding three canvases very carefully, another boy following him in and nearly running into him.

“Oi, Basil, go on, mate,” Simon hears the boy say behind Baz, and it’s like he gets an electric shock. He comes all the way inside and goes to set up, obviously used to the routine. I try not to watch him, but he looks so good in a fitted green and black suit (more posh than the rest of us) that I can’t really help it. I give him a few minutes to set up and get his bearings, before I excuse myself from my conversation and start over.

Baz actually meets me halfway, leaving his companion by his paintings, hidden from my view.

“Er, hi,” I say, trying for a smile, and it’s awkward. “I’d actually been wondering if you were going to be here.”

“I always come to these.” I’m startled, then look around the room for Penny, who could have (and should have) warned me. I find her watching us, looking smug. “But you’ve never been here before.”

“Oh. Well, no. I just started working here last week, and -”

“You work here?” Baz cuts me off, and I take a half step back. “Sorry, just - ehm, congratulations. On the new job. I’m in here all the time.”

“Oh! Thanks.” An uncomfortable pause settles over us, in which Baz adjusts the cuffs of his green blazer, a faint blush on his dark cheeks. “Thanks, by the way. For the other day.” Baz looks confused, so I add, “For the scone?”

A slight nod. “Just returning the favor.”

I figure he must be shit at things like this, but he’s actually working to be friendly. I make up my mind suddenly and offer Baz my hand. He stares at it like he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do with it.

“How about a truce, Basil? It’s clear we can’t avoid each other, you seem to be basically everywhere I go anymore - and you seem like an okay bloke. Maybe not friends, yet. But not all this bickering. What do you think?”

He stares at me, so fucking cool, like he’s just mulling it over, weighing his options. Finally, like a swan lifting its head, he raises his hand and places it in mine. His skin is smooth and surprisingly cold, but his grip is solid. “Alright, then. A truce.”

BAZ

I don’t know what to do with myself now. I didn’t expect Snow to be at this sale, let alone looking so fucking good in that suit. The color perfectly balanced with his skin and his eyes, it was hard to look away. I’m not ready to admit how badly I’ve got it for this stupid boy, when I don’t even know if he’s gay or not.

We parted ways after shaking hands, which had been almost too much, and I returned to Dev.

“Who was that then?” he asks, having watched the whole unfortunate exchange. “Guy turned bright red when he saw you. Nearly matched his hair.” I look sharply at Dev.

“Did he really?”

“Yeah, mate, I figured he was your boyfriend or something. Or maybe that you two were just fucking, I dunno.”

I nearly choke, but pass it off as a scoff. “Don’t be so vulgar, Dev, good lord. That’s Si-, er, Snow. He’s an animator from school.”

“He sure did seem pretty animated.” I can’t deal with this, and I leave Dev again to wander the floor and look at some of the other artists’ works. Penelope is there, standing beside two pieces that really are quite good, with a black boy who nearly dwarfs me.

“Oh, Basil!” Penny calls me over like we’re friends, and maybe we are. I step over. “Baz, this is my boyfriend Micah. Micah, Basilton Pitch. He’s a spectacular painter.”

I shake Micah’s platter-sized hand, surprised by the compliment from Penelope. I didn’t realize she was even aware of my work.

“Baz. Nice to meet you.” American.  A bit of a shock, but I don’t show a reaction. At least this confirms for me that Penelope isn’t Simon’s girlfriend.

“And you.” I clear my throat and step forward to look at the two pieces Penelope is selling, and they really are nice, but I don’t know enough about sculpture to give an educated compliment. “Those are lovely, Penelope. I can tell you put a lot of time and work into both of them.” She beams, and I think maybe I said something right for once. One of them is a smaller bust, with impeccable attention to detail, and I think she might have used Simon as a reference, because the nose and the hair look impressively familiar. The other is a bit more abstract, possibly two people embracing, but the colors are far more aggressive than the neutral grey of the bust.

I continue on, replying with a few quiet words to any greetings, but I keep mostly to myself. I’m painfully aware of Snow bouncing around the room like a hyper mutt, talking to pretty much everyone. I’ll glance at him now and then, because I’m weak, and always seem to catch him turning away, a blush spreading across the back of his neck.

Agatha shows up at some point, and she makes sure to say hi to me (and Dev, who’s awestruck by her), before going over to Penelope and hugging her and the American boyfriend.

I don’t see Snow again for another hour, when he finally wanders over, where Dev left me on my own to try his luck at flirting with Agatha, who clearly has no interest.

Simon smiles at me, shy again, and takes his time looking at the two paintings I have remaining. The flowering one sold almost immediately, to an older woman I didn’t recognize, and who gave me far more than my asking price. When his eyes slide to the dancer, I freeze, remembering where the idea came from. He goes stiff as well, leaning closer to the canvas.

“That’s -” He doesn’t continue, looking at me in alarm.

“I saw your animation reel at the student showcase.” No point in hiding anything now. “The ballerina clip… it was hauntingly beautiful.” He runs his hands through his hair, looking back at my canvas as I continue. “I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I wasn’t really thinking about it when I made this. But I realized when I finished, I’d tried to draw some of the emotion out of yours.”

He’s quiet for a long moment after I finish explaining, and I’m worried he’s going to get mad at me for plagiarizing or something. Instead, the eyes that turn to me are like pools of warm water, flickering under the surface, and I’m instantly drawn in. “Baz, this is - amazing. Really. You somehow captured - everything. All of it.” He looks back at it, and my heart catches.

This is too much of a soft moment for my cold, dead heart. “But the bit after the ballerina - two stick figures having a fight? Really? I was ready to shut the laptop off when that came up and ruined the mood.” He looks up at me, brows furrowed, but the look didn’t sit like anger.

“Two stick figures? What are you talking about? I didn’t put that in my reel.” I narrow my eyes at him, trying to figure out if he’s messing with me.

“Yeah, the clip immediately after the ballerina was two really shit looking stick figures beating the shit out of each other. You don’t remember?”

His eyes widen in sudden realization. “Fuck. Fuck! I hadn’t meant to leave that in! I’d put it in there as a joke when I sent it to Penny - I must have set up the wrong file.” He claps his hand to his forehead, bursting out in sudden laughter. “No wonder you wanted to shut it off! Christ, that’s embarrassing. I can’t believe that shit was playing at the showcase.”

I’m breathless, because watching him laugh is such a fucking gift. A gift from the universe that I don’t deserve. His whole body goes into it, his head going back and his legs tilting. I knew he was an idiot, though. Somehow, this doesn’t surprise me.

“Amazing. I’m almost impressed by your ineptitude, Snow. Such lovely work, and you manage to fuck it up.” He looks at me, ready to fight, but realizes I’m teasing and grins, breathing out a weak laugh.

“That’s me, the inept, lovely idiot,” he chuckles, and I wish I could tell him how much I agree.

[coconut-cluster]

53 / moxiety? -rain anon

53: “It’s lonely here without you.”

Rain, ma dear, I’m really sorry for this, and if it’s not what you expected, I’m fully ready to write another one because I made myself sad here.

tw: implied death, gun mention

“It’s lonely here without you.”

  Virgil stared at the ceiling with eyes that burnt at the slightest breeze, having long ago abandoned the energy it took to blink, and listened to the voice again. The bed was stiff beneath him, creaking with every subtle shift and piercing the silence around him with wooden screams, but he only half-registered them, his mind occupied with the loop at his ear.  

  The message ended - too soon, it was always too soon - so Virgil pulled the phone away just enough to hit Replay before pushing it back in its place.

  “The sun is out today down here,” the voice chirped. It was warped, just a little bit, like the speaker turned away from the phone at odd intervals. “It’s about time! I know how Ro loves the rain, but boy, it gets so dreary! But the sun means- oh!” The voice raised an octave and excited squeals streamed from the speakers on Virgil’s phone. “Here’s one now! Oh, you can’t see- it’s a puppy! It’s a-” The voice got muffled again, but Virgil could just make out, “What kind is he- oh, sorry- is she?” before they continued, “She’s a yorkie-lab mix! I could just steal her!” A laugh, bright and warm and infectious, curled through Virgil’s head. “I’m not stealing your dog, Miss!”

  Virgil used to laugh there.

  “Oh, puppers is gone. Well, that’s okay, I guess she has better pupper things to do, that’s none of my business. Anyhoo,” the voice lilted into sing-song, and by the rhythm of footsteps, Virgil could tell they were skipping. A car honked in the background; Virgil grimaced. “I visited this absolutely adorable cafe- or, it might have been a bistro- what’s the difference? Either way, it was delicious, they had these lil’ crumpet thingies? Really good. I wanna go back and get the recipe, but I can’t seem to find it anywhere!”

  Virgil had a few crumpet recipes doodled in bright blue pen on floral-embellished notecards; they were all crumpled in the trash now. Everything crumpled in the trash.

  “I really like my apartment!” The voice waned, and Virgil could almost see the smile fade on the other end. “It’s nice. Small- uh, cozy! Very cozy. I decorated my bed with all the stuffed animals you’ve given me, V. It looks really nice. Almost feels like home!” A beat of silence, heavy and thick. “Almost.”

  Almost.

  They cleared their throat. “I keep getting sad at night- I know I said only happy thoughts, but, Virge… it’s lonely here without you.”

  Beep.

  Virgil could never decide if he was glad the message ended there. He knew what came next, of course, and he felt, deep down, he deserved to hear it, to feel some semblance of presence in the moment he’d never truly understand. Another part of him knew he couldn’t handle it.

  Drive-by’s weren’t common, not as far as he knew.

  Virgil pulled the phone away, waiting for a reverb that never made its way to his ear, closure that never fully reached his consciousness, relief that never alleviated the churning in his stomach.

  He knew, he knew, he knew- if only he’d known.

  He clicked replay, and waited for Patton’s voice to carry through again.

  “The sun is out today down here...”

general taglist bc i have one of those even tho i forget 24/7:

@romanticsanders

@existentialburden

@a-little-bit-of-ace

@anon-turtle

@kameraishere