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0nlythrowharrybeaux · 1 year ago

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Wonderful World - Part 20**

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! Thank you for your patience it's been a very wild few weeks for me. But thankfully everything is back to normal:) I hope you guys enjoy this one, it's getting close to the end here!

Wonderful World masterlist

Warnings: Potentially angsty themes: racially insensitive remarks, discrimination, mentions of conflicts regarding coming out. Smutty themes: fingering, oral (male and female receiving), multiple orgasms, size kink, unprotected sex, coming inside.

WC: 15.6K

Celeste had been quite overwhelmed the last couple weeks. With the end of the semester, winter concert, and the musical all happening right after the other she was very busy. Diana also had a rather busy end of the semester. One of her fellow faculty members got COVID and was out of commission for the rest of the semester. Since Diana had the lighter class load after teaching the most over the summer, she had been contracted for extra hours to take over those classes for the last 2 weeks. This meant that Celeste and Ben were spending most of their time between Harry and Grace. Like tonight, this professor had one evening class and it was their final, so Diana had to stay until the final student turned in their exam. It had also been Celeste’s final dress rehearsal for the musical, so she wasn’t free until 6pm, which worked out great with Harry’s schedule. it was nearing 8pm when the last person was submitting their test to her.

“Here you are, professor.”

“Perfect, have a great break!” She smiled with enthusiasm and the young man smiled and returned her pleasantry before hurrying out of the class.

She quickly texted Harry that she was just going to drop the exams off in her office and head out. Harry informed her that he was cooking spinach and chicken risotto for dinner and that Celeste was almost done with her homework. With a rumble in her tummy for what Harry was cooking she was quick about her last tasks and was soon on the way to his place.

When she arrived at Harry’s and rang the doorbell, Celeste was quick to open the door up. Immediately, the delicious scent of Harry’s cooking wafted out towards her.

“Wow, smells amazing!” Diana smiled as she took another deep breath as Celeste hugged her tight.

“I know right!” She agreed and Diana kissed her cheek quickly.

“Did you finish your paper?”

“Yeah, Harry reviewed it too. Said it was really good.”

“Oh great!”

“Mhmmm.” Celeste hummed happily snd guided her over to the kitchen.

“Hey, Di!” Harry greeted with a bright smile, “Hope you brought your appetite with you.” He said happily and she smiled upon seeing the little clip holding his longer strands of hair secured and out of his face. He was wearing an apron and had a towel draped over his shoulder.

“Oh, I sure did.” She assured and he chuckled, “It smells amazing.”

“Thank you.” He hummed happily as he turned back to the stove.

“Do you need help with anything?”

“Maybe just get the parmesan out of the fridge?”

“Oh sure.”

“Can I grate it though?” Celeste asked and they both said “yes” simultaneously which caused them all to chuckle.

Diana washed her hands first and then went to grab the cheese and get it out of it’s packaging before locating the grater and getting a chunk of it in there as Harry finished up the risotto. In about ten minutes Celeste was hurriedly clearing the table of her school stuff and then feeding Misty as Diana putt down their placemats and utensils while Harry served up the food and Celeste went around and added everyone’s desired grated parmesan. Soon enough they were all sitting down with steaming hot plates of the spinach risotto and gorgeously grilled filets of chicken breast resting beside that.

“Alright, dig in!” Harry announced and with that everyone started to eat. Harry liked to do this thing where they talked about the low and high points of their days, he mentally did it on his own just to practice gratitude, but it was nice to do it with others. So when he learned that Diana and Celeste generally talked about their days over dinner anyway (Celeste said that it was mostly her talking though) it was easy to introduce that into it the first time they had a meal together. And now it had been about hours dinners together in the last two weeks and well they all liked this format most because it gave everyone a chance to share. Celeste had mentioned to Harry that she loved it because it made it feel like they were their own little family. After they had each made a good dent in their meal she was first to bring up the topic.

“Okay, so highs and lows! I can go first!” She said and both Harry and Diana nodded and gave her their attention. “Mmmm, the low was that I heard some of the background girls saying something about me before rehearsal…” she mumbled, “But the high was that dress rehearsal was perfect so it didn’t bug me anymore.” She said excitedly.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Harry asked her with concern before Diana could even jump in and Celeste nodded.

“Yeah, it was just stupid gossip…nothing like before.” She assured them both, “I swear.” She insisted and Harry and Diana glanced at each other before she smiled at them.

“Alright, but just know if you need to, you can tell us anything, yeah?” Harry asked and Celeste nodded with a smile, “Good. Di, do you wanna go next?” He asked and she nodded.

“Sure. So my low is that I didn’t finish grading my exams before having to sit through some presentations this afternoon so I’ll have double grading tomorrow.” She said and Harry grimaced a bit, “Yeah, I have a big class and so does Gladys so it’s gonna be a big task.” She sighed, “Anyway, my high is this meal. It’s literally perfect, I love risotto! Thank you so much for this Harry, I needed this tonight.” She smiled at him and he went a little pink in the cheeks.

“Of course.” He responded quietly.

“You next.” Celeste said to him and he cleared his throat.

“Yeah…ummm, the low was that apparently the insurance company I’m trying to be a provider for “lost my application” or something like that. So just another set back in that department.” He explained, “And my high is also this dinner. It’s nice to get to spend time with you guys and not be alone. Especially after having a less than ideal day.” He explained and Celeste was beaming from ear to ear.

“I really enjoy this too. It’s nice to be able to process through our days with each other.” Diana added and this made Celeste’s smile even bigger.

“Me too. We should try to do this at least once a week! A little family dinner!” She suggested and Diana smiled at her.

“I would certainly make time for that.” Harry chimed in.

“Can we, mom?” Celeste asked with puppy-dog eyes.

“Yeah, I’d like that too.” She smiled at her and then at Harry.

“Perfect, we’ll figure it out for next year, yeah?” Harry asked Celeste and she nodded eagerly. “Oh ummm, also I was thinking, maybe after the musical we can have a little wrap party for Celeste here?” Harry said and Celeste gasped.

“Yes! Yes, please!” She begged and Diana chuckled.

“Here? Are you sure?” Diana asked Harry and he nodded.

“Yeah. We can cater in from that Italian place we went to after her spring concert? Invite her friends, the hot tub is out there, it’s not going to be too cold Thursday. And ummm, we grown ups can ummm, just have some down time?” He suggested.

“Yeah, we can talk about it in a bit. See how much I can help with and contribute.” She said and Harry nodded.

“Yes!” Celeste cheered, “Can I tell my friends tomorrow?”

“Yeah, of course.” Harry smiled and with that Celeste was on a high for the rest of the night. After they had a bit of ice cream for dessert Celeste moved over to the living room to study a bit for her Geometry exam the following day. Diana and Harry cleaned up a bit and it so nice to have this little taste of domesticity.

“OK, so for this wrap party…how many people should I expect?” Harry asked as Diana washed the dishes and handed them over for him to dry.

“Ummm, it’ll be five with us three, Grace and Henry. Her three main people. I would say Ruben and his girlfriend. Maybe Ben’s parents and also Vincent. I think we should invite Geri’s mom and Ozzy’s mom just in case. Also Ozzy has a little sister, so if the mom comes so will she.” Diana explained.

“OK, so we can plan for like 20/25 people.” Harrys said.

“Yeah, sounds good. Thank you for that, I hadn’t even thought of that. I’ve been a little overwhelmed the last few weeks.” Diana explained, “Let me know how much I ought to contribute so that I can get that to you right away.” She said glancing to him.

“Actually, Damian and I have it covered. He feels awful about not being able to fly back for the show so he recruited me to help him out with this.” Harry said and Diana sighed and turned to him with a knowing glance.

Damian wasn’t on vacation for Christmas until the 19th, that was when he flew back from New York and he would be staying with them until the 13th of January. He always went above and beyond when he missed things for Celeste. Usually he plotted with her, after all, she was his sister and Celeste was her kid so she was ultimately responsible for her expenses. Harry had always been very generous with them, especially over the last few weeks that she’d been caught off guard with all these new tasks. In her eyes, he had done more than enough for her and Celeste with that, so him pitching in to throw Celeste this little wrap party felt like too much.

“Harry, I have to help in some way.”

“You will, you can help me by…hmmm…” he said pensively and she chuckled.

“You guys already have everything ready don’t you?” She asked and he grinned and shrugged.

“We got excited…” he explained and she smiled, “She’s lucky to have you guys. Thank you.”

“Of course, love.” He smiled.

“Ummm, are you heading out for Christmas?”

“Actually my parents are coming out here this year.”

“Well would you guys want to have Christmas dinner with us?” She asked and his eyebrows arched up in excitement.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I mean, I think it goes without saying that…that we love having you around. Just these last few weeks have been so wonderful and like…I mean, you know I appreciate it, but Celeste does too. A lot. And ummm, I think Christmas without you wouldn’t feel right.” She smiled.

“It’s so nice to hear you say that. I was thinking the same thing.” He confessed with a smile. “Wanted to see how we could manage to do something over the holidays. I talked to them about you and Celeste quite a bit, so I know they’d be really pleased to meet you.” He said a bit bashfully and she tried to hide her excited smile, but couldn’t help it.

“Well, I’d be delighted to meet them as well. I know Celeste will too. Have your parents been to Disneyland?” She asked and he shook his head.

“Probably not since I was a child and we went to the one in Paris. As great as it sounds, it’s the worst one.” He said and she hummed.

“That’s surprising…Well, I haven’t used my tickets discount this semester so I still have it. We can go do that? Doesn’t have to be all day. Maybe in the afternoon/evening so they can see the fireworks and the parade?”

“My mum does love fireworks…” he said and she smiled.

“Great! I can buy them tomorrow if you know what dates would work? When are they flying in? Can choose a day bit further down so they’re not too exhausted. How long are they staying?”

“They’re gonna be coming from a conference in Seattle on the 21st, so right after Damian.” He shared, “I can call them tomorrow morning and figure out if they would prefer to do it before or after Christmas and let you know?”

“Yeah, perfect.” Diana agreed.

“Also, it’s not lost on me that we’re due for a date. I was hoping I could steal you away this Saturday afternoon to go see The Nutcracker?” He asked and her eyebrows arched up, “I’ve always wanted to go see it.”

“Oh my god, me too! Yes! Yes, let’s do it!” She agreed quickly.

“Do you think we should bring Celeste and Ben?” He asked her.

“As much as I love my child, I’d like to have some time with you, just us.” She said. “Yeah, alright.” He agreed with a smile.

“I’m sure they’ll have some sort of plan now that they’re on break from school.” She said and he nodded.

“I like him…Ben.” Harry said as she handed him the last plate and she smiled.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. He’s so polite and kind and thoughtful.” He said and Diana nodded, “I see how he talks to Celeste and how he treats her as well. He’s far more mature than I was at his age to be honest.” He chuckled and Diana smiled.

“So seal of approval?”

“Definitely. Ruben too, they’re great kids.”

“Yeah, their parents did an excellent job.” Diana smiled and he nodded.

“Mom!” Celeste suddenly rushed into the kitchen making them both turn to her quickly.

“What is it?” She asked her right away.

“My calculator stopped working, we need to get a new one for the test tomorrow!” Celeste said with a bit of panic.

“Bring it here, you might just need new batteries.” Harry said to her and she smiled and hurried off to get it. She was back in moments and Harry looked at the little screws on the edges and smiled. “Perfect, I knew I didn’t buy that tiny screwdriver kit for nothing.” He said with a grin and Celeste smiled as well, “I have a container of batteries in the right compartment of the sideboard with the TV on it. Hopefully I have some that fit.” He said and Diana nodded and Celeste followed her while he went off to look for the screwdriver set. She located the container quickly and brought it back to the kitchen with Celeste in tow.

“Ummm, Harry and I were discussing some plans for Christmas. His parents are coming to town so I’ve invited them over for dinner-”

“Oh my god, yes! Yes, that’d be so cool!” She grinned excitedly and Diana chuckled.

“Great, just running it by you. Also, I think we might do a Disney trip with them, they’ve never been. Do you think Ben would want to join?”

“He can’t, they’re going up to Mammoth for Christmas and won’t be back until New Year’s eve. I was invited but I don’t know about skiing or snowboarding…I don’t know how and I heard you can get hurt really badly.”

“Yeah, that’s true-”

“How can you get hurt badly?” Harry asked as he came in with his glasses on his face and a little black pouch in his hand.

“Doing snow sports.” Diana said and he nodded.

“Oh, I knew a kid in school who went snowboarding on holiday with his family, like they always did, and in order to avoid an accident he ended up crashing into a tree trunk! He quite literally broke his entire face. Fractured skull, nose, jaw…he had to get implants because he lost basically all his front teeth and even had to have his nose rebuilt.” He said as he opened up the little pouch.

“Well good thing I declined the invite. I don’t want to break my face…” Celeste said lowly and Diana glanced to Harry as he looked up to her and then to Celeste.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, sorry. It was on a more advanced run, so for people who are doing this regularly or professionally-”

“Like Ben!” Celeste added with a tone of concern and he offered a bashful smile.

“You don’t have to worry, I’m sure he’ll be fine. That accident was a fluke.”

“All accidents are! That’s why they’re accidents.” She pointed out and he sighed.

“Sorry. But his dad is a firefighter and EMT and his mom a nurse, so I’m sure they’ll ensure he’s being as safe as possible.” He reassured her and she sighed.

“Yeah, I hope so.” She mumbled.

“We got on this topic because I was asking if I should count Ben for our family Disney trip.” Diana explained and Harry smiled a bit as he was grabbing the little screwdriver and then Diana glanced over to Celeste who was smirking. “What?” She questioned them both.

“Nothing…I’m excited to meet your parents, Harry. Are they as nice as you are?”

“Definitely.” He agreed with a smile and Celeste grinned.

“Mom, we’ll need to do some Mexican and English traditions so that we can learn about each other’s cultures!” She said as Harry screwed open the back of the calculator.

“Well, Mexicans celebrate on the 24th, that’s why we always do everything the night before. Traditionally there’s a piñata for the kids and then we open gifts at midnight. My family never really was too religious, but religious families will go to the midnight mass or to some mass the following day. And then it’s the recalentado.”

“What’s that?”, “What does that mean?” Harry and Celeste asked at the same time and she smiled.

“So literally translated it means “the reheat”. So we have the leftovers from our Christmas dinner, technically Christmas Eve dinner I guess…and uh, we’re just with the family for the day and then go home and that’s it. Each family might have their own little things, but in my family it was just that. I mean, if anything your uncle and I can make some traditional food, just a bit for everyone to try? Maybe we can get a couple little fire works, we did that too. I’m sure your uncle would love that…”

“Please! And tamales! I never get tamales!” Celeste said and Diana chuckled.

“You try making them then. Such a hassle…” Diana said to her and she and Harry chuckled.

“I can help!”

“Oh, you will. I mean, it won’t be so bad considering there won’t be many of us. But there are superstitions about it, like you can’t be angry while making them or the dough won’t fluff up right. They also say no men in the kitchen because the tamales will surely burn because the men are too distracting.”

“Because we’re too handsome?” Harry asked with a grin as he got the backing off of the calculator. Celeste chuckled.

“Actually it has more to do with men being too needy I think.” Diana grinned and Celeste chuckled again.

“Yeah, our kind does tend to excel at weaponized incompetence, doesn’t it?” He chuckled as he turned over the calculator and dumped out the batteries.

“What’s that?” Celeste asked with some confusion.

And well, Harry then launched into this entire spiel about what weaponized incompetence is and how to identify it all while he searched around for a corresponding battery for Celeste’s calculator. She was nodding along, completely captivated by what he was explaining to her, occasionally looking up from the task at hand.

Watching Harry be able to joke about but then turn it into a teaching moment really made Diana love him all the more. He was so gentle as he explained things to Celeste. He was patient and answered all of her questions, like she did. She knew it would get harder and harder to be patient and work up to telling Celeste about how she felt about him. Sure, right now she was in favor, but if she told her that they loved each other she would realize that this had started long before she instigated anything between them and that worried her just a bit.

It was around 10:30 when they’d gotten to their house and Celeste had followed Diana to the kitchen. Diana liked to have tea before bed, it helped her relax.

“Want some, mamita?”

“Please! Want to get good rest for the test tomorrow.” She said and Diana smiled and nodded.

“OK, I’ll bring it up to you, yeah?”

“Yeah, thank you. I’m going to shower quickly.” She said and hurried up the stairs. Diana looked in the fridge to see if she could pack anything for her and Celeste’s lunch tomorrow, but considering she hadn’t been cooking a lot this week there wasn’t much. With that she made their teas and was heading up to Celeste’s room. She went and set down her own mug and mag before heading back to Celeste’s room and knocking a few times.

“Come in!” Celeste called back.

Diana opened the door slowly and then made her way over to Celeste’s bed. She was getting settled in when Diana set the mug down on her bedside table.

“Feeling good about your test tomorrow?”

“Yeah, especially now that the calculator is fixed.” She said. “Ummm, mom earlier when you were telling us about Disney you referred to it as our family Disney trip. That’s why Harry and I were smiling at each other.” She explained and Diana felt her cheeks warming up with a blush.

“Oh…well, it is our family. I mean, us and uncle Damian-”

“And Harry.” Celeste added and Diana smiled.

“Yeah, he’s…basically part of the family now.” She said and Celeste’s smile widened. “Are you nervous to meet his parents?”

“Why would I be nervous?” Diana asked. She was, she was so nervous!

“Because it’s nerve-racking! I’m nervous!” She confessed and Diana smiled.

“Don’t be, mamita. They’re going to love you.” Diana assured.

“I hope so.” She said and Diana hummed.“Ummm mom, tomorrow night, can you help me straighten my hair for the musical?” She asked and Diana looked at her with confusion.

“You don’t want to wear it curly?” She asked and Celeste sighed.

“That’s what…that’s what I heard the girls gossiping about in the costume room. Obviously, the other girl that got the call back is…she’s not…she looks the part, I guess.” Celeste sighed and Diana frowned as she heard Celeste say this. “And she was telling her friends that Dorothy isn’t black so that she hoped I at least did something to flatten my ugly hair for the real performance.” She shared with a frown and hurt in her eyes. Diana felt her own eyes welling up because it hurt to hear this. But this wasn’t a time for her to break down, she needed to focus on Celeste and to be there for her as she struggled with this racially discriminatory commentary that had been intended to hurt her feelings.

“Listen mamita, first off, Dorothy Gale is a fictional character. She is however we imagine her to be. But more importantly, Dorothy is more than just a little white girl, she represents anyone who has ever felt like they’ve lost their way. She’s courageous, strong, good-hearted, compassionate, and so determined! Much like someone else I know.” Diana smiled and Celeste did as well, “And if your teacher wanted to cast based on looks then that other girl would’ve gotten the part. But she didn’t, you did. I’m sure your teacher saw a lot of Dorothy in you and that made you the best choice to portray her. It’s not about how you look, it’s about the way you connect to the role.” She explained and Celeste exhaled and nodded as she tried to just listen to what her mom was saying, “Now, if you really want me to help you straighten your hair for the show because it’ll be easier of more comforbtale for you, I will. But I think that you portraying Dorothy exactly as you are would be the best move. Dorothy wouldn’t change for anyone and she certainly wouldn’t be discouraged by a couple of jealous and gossipy girls.” Diana said and Celeste bit her lip and sighed.

“You’re right. I don’t want to, I just…thought that maybe if I did people would focus more on the acting instead of the fact that I’m not…white.” She said and Diana nodded in understanding and reached for her hand.

“I get that. I’m sorry that people think that way and that it’s made you doubt yourself. And look, I know I’m your mom and in a way I feel a lot of your pain and concern and anxieties, but I will never truly understand the things you will go through as a mixed race woman and that pains me so much. But I promise you that I will always be here to share that load with you, that I will listen to you, and remind you of just how incredibly powerful you are. And you have so many people who love you and see that and who wouldn’t have you any other way.”

“Thank you, mom.” She hummed with welled up eyes.

“Oh, come here.” Diana sighed and Celeste crawled out of her sheet to hug around Diana tightly, “You’re going to be phenomenal. I love you so much, sweetheart.”

“I love you too.” Celeste responded happily. They just hugged for a few more seconds before they both pulled back. “Thank you.”

“Of course, mamita. Now, get some rest, okay? Big day tomorrow.” She said softly and Celeste nodded.

“G’night, mom.”

“Night, cariño.” Diana responded softly.

*********

Celeste’s musical debut was tonight and it coincided with Diana’s final presentations for her class. She would be making it in time, but she did want to get showered and changed for it. So Grace had picked Celeste up from school and got her home so that she could shower quickly before heading right back to school. Her call time was 4:15pm and the musical would start at 5:30, so they needed to move quickly. Diana had even honked at grace as she waited at the light to get out of their neighborhood and called out a “break a leg!” to an excited Celeste who had basically crawled over Grace’s lap to peer out the window and greet her. Harry had offered to pick Diana up so she was just confirming that he would be arriving at 5pm like planned before she got in the shower; they wanted to get there early to get good seats.

Diana was excited and nervous for Celeste. Obviously, she’d do a great job, but she couldn’t help but be a little concerned, especially after what Celeste had mentioned to her about those girls earlier in the week. It was just a high school play, but when school is your whole life something like that feels like the end of the world and obviously, this girl was still upset at not being cast in the leading role. She hadn’t realized the time until her phone started ringing beside her and she saw Harry’s name on her screen.

“Hey!”

“Hi, I’m outside. I texted since I’m a little early so if you’re not ready-”

“Oh no, I’m ready.” She responded, “Sorry, didn’t see your messages. I’ll be out right now.” She said and hung up. She had been waiting in the kitchen so she hurried out and locked up before making it out of the gate and into the front seat of Harry’s car. “Hi.” She smiled at him and he smiled back.

“Hi, you look very pretty, as usual.” He complimented before turning back to the steering wheel.

“You too.” She responded and they both chuckled as he took off.

“Sorry.” She said and he chuckled again and he reached for her hand and she let him take it. It didn’t take long for Harry to feel her leg bouncing up and down nervously.

“Are you nervous for Celeste or are you doing a surprise performance I don’t know about?” He asked her and she chuckled.

“I’m just a bit nervous for her.”

“She’s going to be great!”

“I know she will be but…the other day after we came back from yours, you know how she mentioned that she had heard some girls talking badly about her over dinner?”

“Yeah.” He confirmed already feeling some dread for whatever would come next.

“She…she asked me to straighten her hair for tonight because the girl who didn’t get the role of Dorothy said something about her hair being ugly because she wasn’t white.” She shared and Harry frowned as he turned to her briefly.

“What the fuck?”

“Yeah, she was sad about it and felt that if she didn’t straighten it for the performance that it would take away from the play because all people would focus on was the fact that she wasn’t white like Dorothy was in the film.”

“Did she?”

“No, I talked to her about Dorothy’s character and strength and how obviously her teacher saw more of Dorothy in her than in the other girl. If it had been about looks rather than talent and ability then he would’ve just cast this other girl instead. She seemed fine about it after that, but ummm…I’m not. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but what if this other girl tries to do something t-to ruin her moment? Like in Carrie! I mean, she worked so hard!”

“I see your point, but baby, it’s going to be fine. I think if this girl wanted the role that bad she would’ve done something to sabotage Celeste a long time ago. But if it’s going to give you peace of mind I can talk to the teacher when we get there, yeah? Mention it to him and just remind him of how she had been bullied last year so that he takes it seriously, he can have a look around the stage, yeah?”

“OK, yes. Please. Thank you.” Diana smiled at him and he nodded.

“Of course.”

“Did Celeste give you your ticket?”

“Wait. I needed a ticket?” He asked her and Diana’s eyes widened and then he chuckled and she scoffed, “I have my ticket. Right in here.” He said and slipped it out of the breast pocket of his jacket while they were at a stop light.

“You’re the worst.” She mumbled and he smiled.

“You need to relax a bit, love.”

“I am trying…I really am.” She mumbled.

“We got balcony seats right?” He asked and she nodded, “Good, told Damian I’d record Over the Rainbow for him.” Harry said and she smiled.

“That’s sweet of you.”

“I know.” He smiled and she chuckled.

They arrived a little after 5pm and Harry grabbed a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the backseat before they headed inside. There were three other people in the line to buy tickets. Thankfully, they had already bought Grace and Henry’s tickets beforehand with Celeste. One of the students was designated for repurchased tickets and once he returned the stub to them assured them that the usher at the steps would guide them to their reserved seats.

“So you’re Celeste’s parents?” The girl ushering asked them when she saw their ticket stubs.

“Yeah.” Diana smiled as she guided them up the stairs. This made Harry’s heart flip a bajillion times a minute because he did feel like her parent. He had no idea if Diana just didn’t want to bore this child by explaining that he wasn’t or if she actually did feel that he was her parent in some way, but either way it made him so happy.

“She killed it in rehearsals! She’s going to be so good!” The girl said and they both smiled and thanked her quietly as they. Made their way into the auditorium, “I think you guys will be really proud of her.” She said sweetly as she guided them back down to th eedge of the balcony. “These two are you seats. You can only save one seat per person, so up to two seats for you guys if you’re expecting anyone else.” She informed.

“Perfect, thank you.” Diana smiled and then the girl headed off. “Ok, here’s my coat and my bag to save the seats for Henry and Grace.” She said handing the things over to Harry who set them down in the tow empty seats beside him.

“Do you still want me to go find the teacher?”

“If you wouldn’t mind. Just for my peace of mind. His name is Mr. Hadley.”

“Of course. I’ll be back soon.” He said as he swiped his thumb over her cheek and then hurried up the stairs and out of the auditorium before going back down to the hallway. He asked the girl ushering if he could speak to Mr. Hadley and she nodded and guided him back stage through the band room. Everything had been moved aside to allow room for little vanity areas. Just the last couple students were getting their make up done. She guided him through to this empty hallway that served as the path from the band room to backstage.

“Wait here, I’ll go find him.” She smiled and hurried off. As he waited around silently he could hear people warming up their voices further down the large hall and he tried to pick out Celeste’s voice from the group, but it wasn’t an easy task. Just moments later Mr. Hadley was walking briskly behind the girl and she offered Harry a smiled before hurrying back out to her post.

“Hello, I’m Ken Hadley, the drama teacher. Mallory said you’re Celeste’s dad?” He asked as he extended his hand.

“Yeah, sort of.” He chuckled, “Ummm, I just wanted to come talk to you because her mum mentioned something to me that Celeste shared had happened earlier in the week that’s causing her some concern.” Harry said and his brows furrowed, “I don’t know if you’re aware that Celeste was bullied very badly last year?”

“Yeah, I did hear about that. Did someone do something to her?” He asked immediately.

“It appears that one of the girls is upset that she won the role of Dorothy and Celeste heard her making some racist remarks. Things about her hair and how she’s not white so she shouldn’t have gotten that part.” Ken frowned upon hearing this, “She just shared this with her a few days ago and so now her mum is a bit worried, given her history with bullying that one of the girls might try to retaliate in some way or try and set her up. I know that it might seem like a stretch but given the way they humiliated her on social media last year-”

“No, she has every right to feel concerned. I think I know who that might be and I will certainly speak to her about what she said before we start, but we can do a walk through of the stage if that would make you feel more comfortable? Most of our backdrops are one dimensional so those are fine ummm…we can look through her props as well, just to ensure there are no prank items or anything.”

“Yeah, of course. Thank you so much for understanding.” Harry said and Ken nodded and had him follow him down the stage. The stage hands were already busy finalizing the set up for the opening scene. And he had them look through all the levers and turned on the stage lights so they could look up at the scaffolding. There was a gate to get up there to change any bulbs on the lights, but it was locked and only the head custodian had the key. They looked in her props and everything was in order. “Well thank you again so much for being willing to give me a walk through, Ken.”

“It’s not a problem. I was bullied a lot through high school for being a thespian and I don’t think my parents or teachers did nearly enough to make me feel safe. I don’t want anyone else to ever feel like I don’t take their comfort and safety seriously.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. But it’s a relief to know that there are people as caring as you in the school system. These kids need it, so thank you.” Harry said and he smiled and nodded. Just then, a few girls walked by and Ken’s eyes were averted away from Harry’s.

“Makenzie, Ella, and Trinity hold on for a sec!” He called after them and they stopped right before they made it back the stage. “I’m gonna talk to them about what it is they were saying. Do you need someone to show you out?”

“It’s alright. Just through there, right?” He pointed to the band room door and Ken nodded. “Thank you again, Ken. Pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.” He smiled before hurrying off and guiding the girls somewhere a bit more private from all the kids helping out with set up. Harry was just about to turn around to head out when he heard Celeste.

“Harry?” She called in question and he turned down to face the long hallway and saw her coming forward in full costume. She had her hair styled in the traditional double braids and the checkered white and blue dress as well and he smiled wide.

“Whoa! Look at you! You look great.” He smiled with pride and she chuckled a bit nervously.

“Thank you.” She hummed, “What’re you doing back here?”

“Your mom wanted me to talk to Mr. Hadley about what those girls said about you. She was worried they might try and get back at you or do something to try and embarrass you tonight.” He said and she sighed.

“Yeah, I was…a bit concerned too. Especially since I decided not to straighten my hair like they were saying.” She explained.

“Well, he looked through the entire stage with me and we checked all your props and everything is looking perfect.” He reassured her and she let out a big sigh.

“Oh, thank you. That makes me feel better.” She said with a relieved smile.

“I’m glad.” Harry hummed and then his smile dropped, “I’m so sorry you had to hear that. I will always have your back and stand up for you when you need me too. And not just for this kind of thing, for whatever you need.” He assured her.

“I know you will.” She said softly.

“Good.” He smiled, “I love you, petal.”

“I love you too.” She said and hugged him tighter and he chuckled as he hugged her back.

“You’re going to be wonderful. I know your mum is a lot less competitive than me and would never say this, but I’m not her, so I will encourage you go out there and kill it. Show ‘em why you got the part, petal. Rub it in their faces a bit, yeah?” He said and she chuckled and nodded.

“I will do it for you.” She assured.

“Nuh-uh. Not for me. Not for your mom. Do it for yourself. Make yourself proud of what you’ve accomplished.” He said with a final squeeze around her shoulders before pulling back from their hug, “Just know that your mum and I are proud of you regardless.”

“Thank you.” She smiled wide at him.

“Of course.” He assured her.

“Did you guys actually get the balcony seats like I requested?” She asked and Harry nodded.

“Yep, front and center. We were able to save spots for Grace and Henry as well so we’ll all be up there. Is Ben’s family coming?”

“Yeah, just his dad and Vincent though. His mom had to work, but they should all be up there too with Ruben and Heather.”

“Great. So you know where to look.” He said and she smiled and nodded, “Alright petal, let me get out of your hair.” He said and she smiled.

“Ummm, tell my mom thanks as well, please?”

“Yeah, love. Break a leg!” He exclaimed happily before he made his way back to the band room with a final wave. On his way up he heard Henry and turned to see him submitting his tickets to the student at the table outside of the theater so he went over to them and greeted them happily before taking them up and to their seats.

“Hey guys!” Diana greeted them happily when she saw them all coming in, it was starting to fill up with just 15 minutes before the start. “We saved you some seats.” She said and Grace thanked her as she sat down beside her and then Harry took a seat to Diana’s right. “Were you able to talk to her teacher?”

“Yeah, he was really sweet. He checked the stage and props she’ll be using and I even saw him pull the girls that were saying those things to the side. She’s going to be just fine, OK? I promise.”

“OK, thank you so much.” She said quietly as her hand reached for his.

“Of course, love.” He assured her.

“I even saw her in her full costume. She looks great!”

“Yeah?” Diana asked quietly and Harry nodded with a big smile. “Oh god, thank you. Really, thank you so much for checking in with her. I feel so much better.”

“Good, love. I think she needed the reassurance too.” He smiled and squeezed her hand.

“Hey guys!” They heard and turned to see Josh, Vince, Ben, Ruben and Heather all coming down to the row behind them. They also had a bouquet of flowers and a little gift bag with them which was such a sweet gesture. Diana thanked them all for coming and hugged them and properly introduced everyone to each other. They were all chatting as the auditorium filled up more and more until it was just jumbled up conversations until the house lights started to flick on and off, signaling that the show was about to start.

Diana was absolutely elated when the lights came down, she was nearly trembling in her seat when the curtain started coming up and moments later there she was, her gorgeous girl. She turned to Harry who was also smiling wide at her before they both glanced back to the stage. And boy, was Celeste killing it! She was doing a phenomenal job and had even adopted a kind of Southern accent that Diana had no idea she could even do! And when she sang! God, she was covered in goosebumps. She even heard a few people sniffling around her and the roars of applause that she received when she finished “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was beyond anything that she would have imagined. Yes, she sounded amazing and she knew she’d do well, but being on the stage just brought something else out of her. She even got a standing ovation after it.

And when the production was over and the cast did their bows she got another ovation. Diana could basically feel the joy radiating off of her from up on the balcony as Harry whistled loudly for her and she, Grace, and Henry shouted at the top of their lungs. Celeste shielded her eyes a bit from the stage light to get a glimpse of them and even waved at them all briefly before doing the final round of bows before they walked off stage. Soon after the house lights came on and Josh grabbed Y/N’s shoulders and she whipped around.

“She was unbelievable!” He praise and she smiled wide.

“Better than when we rehearsed even!” Diana chuckled.

“I cried.” Vincent said and she chuckled.

Soon after Diana introduced everyone properly and Josh even shot her a look after she introduced Harry. They’d waved at each other before when Harry had given Celeste and Ben a lift, but this was their first proper introduction. They were chatting a bit before Grace took Harry’s keys and her and Henry headed off to pick up the food and get everything set up while the rest of them waited for Celeste to come out. They were just chatting for a few minutes when Mr. Hadley came up and invited them backstage to get a few photos with Celeste before she got out of her costume.

“Hi!” Celeste gasped with joy when Mr. Hadley announced himself. She first hugged her mom and Harry, who handed over the flowers as they fawned over her. Then, Ben came over and said hello with a timid kiss to her lips, he had Ozzy and Geri on FaceTime since they had sat somewhere else. Josh, Vincent, Ruben, and Heather also greeted her with zeal.

“Alright, let’s do photos!” Harry said excitedly and soon they were heading over to the stage with the lovely Kansas inspired backdrop and they had several photos taken before they let Celeste get changed out of her costume.

Once again, both Diana and Harry thanked Mr. Hadley once again and then headed out into the hallway to wait. Josh offered to get some wine for the grown ups and so they headed off to the store and Ben hung back to ride with Diana, Harry, and Celeste. Geri and Ozzy soon joined with Geri’s mom, Carla, and she introduced Harry to her and they chatted until Celeste came out.

“Can we follow you?” Carla asked Diana who nodded.

“Yeah, of course!” We parked right by administration, so we’ll wait by the gate.

“Wonderful, thank you.” Carla smiled and guided Geri and Ozzy away to their car.

Diana turned to Harry with a smile as she saw Celeste and Ben get ahead and Ben put his arm around Celeste’s shoulders as she was carrying her bouquets of flowers. Several people stopped her to congratulate her on her way out which made her feel a bit bashful, but Diana and Harry felt nothing but pride coursing their veins at her accomplishment.

***********

Celeste was practically vibrating with excitement and adrenaline even on the car ride home. Ben was telling her that Vincent cried when she did over the rainbow and that made her giggle a bit. She was really hungry and eager to get started on her little wrap party. She had also invited Mr. Hadley, but he had some plans, but she would be sure to bring him some dessert the following day. She was really just mining her business, taking in her surroundings when they stopped at a light. That’s when she saw Harry glance to her mom, but when she looked over at her, she was already looking at him. This entire time she’d been trying to encourage his crush on her mom. She wasn’t blind, he’d seen him get flustered over her a few times, after all, her mom was gorgeous person inside and out. But now it seemed that maybe this crush was actually being reciprocated. She felt herself get even more excited and turned to Ben.

“Hey ummm, random question…” she whispered to him and he nodded, urging her to go on, “During the play, were my parents holding hands or…like looking at each other like they are now?” She asked him.

“Your parents?” He whispered back with a grin and she rolled her eyes.

“You know what I mean, my mom and Harry!” She urged his response.

“Ummm…I don’t know. Why? Are you still trying to set them up?”

“Yes, yes I am. I mean, look at the way they look at each other next time. They at the very least like each other!” She said and Ben smiled as he glanced over at them briefly.

“What if they’re already dating in secret?” He asked and she glanced over at them again.

“No, they’re both far too obvious.” She said and then started to giggle and Ben laughed along a bit.

“Hey, what’re you two gossiping about back there. Don’t think we can’t hear your little whispers!” Harry said with a grin as his eyes met Celeste’s through the rearview mirror and she went all pink in the face.

“Nothing!” She giggled and then turned to Ben who was shaking his head at her mischief.

Celeste had really just romanticized the idea of having a little family with Harry. He had really come through for them over the last several months and she knew that her mom saw this as well. She knew that it was hard for her mom to take those steps in her romantic life, she was scared, but she just hoped that she could see what she had right in front of her. Harry truly felt like the parent she’d been missing. He just got her on a level so close to her mom and he meshed so well with them together. He also got along with her uncle, who tended to be very protective over them. So if anyone could bypass him then surely they were a good fit! She just wanted so badly for her mom to come around.

When they got to Harry’s, Celeste was nearly teary-eyed over the whole scene with her friends and people she loved and cared for. She was over the moon with how proud and encouraging everyone was to her. She ate with her friends and soon they were heading off into the hot tub. Yes, it was a bit cold out, but hence the hot tub. It was roomy enough for all of them and so they spent a large part of their time out there chatting about their plans for winter break.

**********

“Harry is a hottie.” Josh said to Diana with a grin as he came into the kitchen to pour himself another glass of wine as she was. She smiled and nodded.

“That he is…”

“I really like him. I mean, not only did he look after my kid, but he very clearly cares about yours and that’s not all that easy to find.”

“I know…I think Celeste is trying to set us up.”

“Oh, is she?”

“Yeah.” Diana chuckled, “He asked me on a date on Saturday to go see the Nutcracker ballet?”

“Oh, how nice!”

“If you’re not working would you mind taking Celeste for the afternoon?”

“Of course!”

“Thank you. I believe the show starts at 3pm, so we might head out around 1:30 to have a quick bite and then go see the ballet. I’ll let you know tomorrow if we’re planning on dinner as well.”

“Sounds good. I can have her out of the house by noon.” He said and she laughed a bit. “It’s really rare to find someone who connect with you and your child the way Harry has to you guys. I mean, I’m so lucky that Vince has also connected with my sons. It took a bit for them to also see him as a father figure, but he was so consistent and patient with them.”

“I can imagine it was hard…was coming out harder for you with the kids?”

“Yes and no…” he sighed, “Yes because I never planned on actually having a relationship like the one I have with Vince. I was planning on just staying around playing pretend with Elena until she inevitably found someone else to be with or my father passed. I know that without his influence my mom would come around. I guess I just never expected to have everything I wanted.” He explained. “It wasn’t until I met Vince that I actually…regretted what Elena and I did to some extent. Like of course I love my sons and I love being a father, but at the time I thought that if I hadn’t been so desperate to keep up appearances with my family then maybe I would have the ability to just go off and have a relationship they way I wanted, you know? Like I felt if I pursued anything with Vince I would have to…abandon my family.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. Almost like, you were torn; like you felt you had to choose your kids or Vince.” She said and he nodded.

“Exactly. I felt like I couldn’t be myself because Elena and I were playing house and I would disappoint them because we had committed to trying to have a family together. Elena knew I was into men but we agreed that we wouldn’t see anyone else once we had Ruben.”

“How did you meet Vince?” She asked.

“On the job.” He smiled, “It was a car accident. My crew and him and his partner were the first responders. I don’t know, when we started talking when we had gotten the parties involved on their way to the hospital there was just this…look we shared. We just started out as friends, we both recognized that we weren’t straight and bonded over the fact that we were still on career paths that could be discriminatory towards us internally. Like now the people at my station know about me. But I guess for him it wasn’t just his family that he had to hide things from, it was at work too. Only his partner knows about him and she’s a woman, LAPD is still evolving a bit.” He explained.

“That’s so tough.”

“It is, but you know, we started to fall for each other through that friendship and he made me feel so happy and I didn’t want to choose. So then I approached it from a father’s perspective. Like if one my sons were also dealing with something like this, what would be the best thing for them? So I told Elena that I had met someone and had fallen in love. And after many conversations with Elena and with her getting to know Vince for a while, I decided that I would come out to my sons. I wanted to be honest with them and built trust with them, they were like 8 and 9 at the time, so they had been used to Elena and I. Getting used to Vince was definitely a bit of an uphill battle, but here we are now. And I know it can be hard to talk about this with Celeste, but this thing with Harry, that’s your opportunity to build trust with Celeste.” He said and she nodded.

“You’re right. I mean, I invited his family over for Christmas dinner, they’re coming from England. And we’ll be going to Disneyland as well. So ummm…I don’t know, do I tell her after this date or after the holidays? That’s the bit to figure out.”

“I say talk to Harry so that you can both sit down and come up with a plan together. You deserve to be happy and I’m sure Celeste will be thrilled with this based on what Ben has told me.” He smiled and she nodded.

“Yeah, I think that’d be a great topic of discussion this Saturday.”

“Yeah, talk about your future together.” He smiled.

“Thank you. You’ve been such a wonderful friend, Josh.”

“As have you.” He smiled at her. They soon returned to the dining room and Y/N sat down between Grace and Harry.

“Alright?” Harry asked her with a hand over her knee and she smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, baby. Josh is gonna pick up Celeste around noon on Saturday, that way we can have lunch and then get to the theater.”

“Perfect.” He smiled.

The rest of the time went by quickly and soon everyone was helping clean up as the kids dried off and got changed back into their clothes. They were all saying their goodbye’s and of course, Ben’s family were last to leave as the two loved up teens said their farewell.

“Thanks so much for coming by Josh and Vince, it really means so much that you guys came by.”

“Of course, we wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Vince smiled as he hugged Diana goodbye and soon she, Harry, and Celeste were waving goodbye from his doorstep as they drove off.

“Do you need help with anything else before we head out?”

“Just take a bit of leftovers for lunch?” Harry said and Celeste smiled.

“I definitely will.” She assured and Harry chuckled and helped pack up some stuff for her before they headed off to their own place.

Celeste was pretty exhausted after the day she had and she still had the jazz combo winter concert the following evening, so Diana was really insistent upon her getting ready for bed as soon as they got in. She made her a cup of tea and took it up to her before she headed up to her own bedroom for the night.

“Can I come in?” Diana called through the door and Celeste called out her permission before Diana came in.

“Brought your tea.” She said and set it down on the coaster on her bedside table.

“Thank you.” She hummed.

“Did you have fun?”

“So much…all day was pretty great. Thank you guys for the party.”

“That was all Harry and your uncle.” Diana informed and Celeste smiled.

“That’s sweet of them…”

“Super sweet.” Diana agreed with a smile, “Ummm, I wanted to talk to you about something real quick.”

“OK.” Celeste hummed.

“So on Saturday Josh is gonna come get you to spend them day with them and Ben because I ummm, I have a-a date.” She said and Celeste’s lips turned up in a grin.

“Oh my god! Wow with who?”

“That’s private.” Diana said quickly and Celeste sighed.

“Moooom…” she whined.

“I just…it’s not what I want to keep it a secret from you. I just think I should discuss this with them first before I talk to you about it. That’s all.”

“Have you been dating this person for a while?”

“No.”

“Have you liked this person for a while?”

“Yeah, I have.”

“OK how long?” She asked and Diana just gave her a knowing look and Celeste sighed, “Mmmm…do I know them?”

“Can you stop!?” Diana laughed and Celeste rolled her eyes.

“Fine…” Celeste huffed. “So where are you going?”

“To see the Nutcracker.”

“Without me?!”

“Last time I checked you’re creeped out by the rat king.” Diana said.

“I still like the music! Tchaikovsky’s awesome.”

“OK, we can go next year then.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” Diana confirmed and Celeste smiled.

“Well, have fun.” Celeste said as Diana stood from the corner of her bed, “…I guess.” She mumbled quietly after.

“You guess?” Diana questioned as she shot Celeste a glance.

“Yeah. I’m not fully approving of this until I know who it is.” Celeste decided.

Diana now knew full well that Celeste wanted her to date Harry, but she just wasn’t saying it. She appreciated that she wasn’t trying to force anything and meddle in her personal business. But in this case, Diana was like ten steps ahead and maybe she wanted to just mess with her a bit until they both told her that they wanted to be together. She knows it would make Celeste feel like they got the hint after her many subtle remarks, so she’d give her that satisfaction.

“And why is that?” Diana asked her. Wanting to know why she was withholding her approval.

“Because maybe you can do better.” Celeste reasoned.

“Mmm, I don’t think so.” Diana smiled. When she said this Celeste looked a little worried.

“Are you positive about that?”

“Definitely.” Diana smiled.

“Well what if I don’t like them?”

“I’m confident you will.”

“As much as I like Henry? Or…maybe even Harry?” She asked. And there it was…Diana chuckled. “Because you know, it’d be hard to get me to like someone as much as I like Harry. Like I’d go as far as saying it’s nearly impossible.” She said.

“I am well aware.” She smiled, “And speaking of, Harry’s going to pick us up for your concert tomorrow as well. We all agreed over dinner to go out with you kids.”

“Who’s all?”

“Josh and Vince, Elena will be joining too. Geri’s parents and Ozzy’s as well.”

“Where are we going?”

“Some BBQ place that Geri’s mom knows the owner of. They have a party room or something that we can use.”

“OK cool. Grace told me she has her holiday party so she and Henry can’t come.”

“Yeah, I know.” Diana frowned, “But I’m glad they got to see you in the play!”

“Right.” Celeste smiled.

“Alright kiddo, I’ll let you get some rest. Love you.”

“Night, mom! Love you.” Celeste said happily as Diana offered a smile before heading out of her bedroom.

************

The next few days had been pretty great. Diana really focused on grading as much as possible in order to be as stress free as possible during her winter break starting on Saturday, with her date with Harry. She had been able to complete mostly everything on her work agenda and just needed to finish grading the exams for the class she was subbing for. But grades weren’t officially due until the 19th, so she felt good about that being her only remaining task for the semester. But on Saturday she woke up feeling sick to her stomach, she was so nervous and anxious that it genuinely made her feel ill.

She wasn’t anxious for her date with Harry, she was more anxious about the conversation about when they wanted to tell Celeste that they were pursuing more? Obviously, she would have no problem with it, but she didn’t want to jump the gun. Especially with his parents coming for the holidays, she didn’t want to make it more than it was because sure, there was love between them, but there was more required to make a relationship work than just love. They were still needing to work through all the stages of a relationship, they couldn’t just jump into the deep end. All of her anxiety was building up and she felt that she might have an anxiety attack until she opened her front door for Harry and was met with his kind eyes and beautiful smile. He was holding an interesting little box and he smiled.

“I ummm, brought you some chocolates. These super fancy kinds that apparently are the best in LA.” He said and she smiled.

“Thank you.”

“Also, you look beautiful.”

“As do you.” She responded, her cheeks still warm from his compliment. “I was about to have nervous breakdown.” She confessed, “But that’s gone now.”

“Chocolate has that effect on people.” He joked and she giggled.

“Let me set this down and we can go.”

“Perfect.” He agreed and she was back in just a few moments. She locked up and their arms locked as they walked over to his car and in moments they were taking off.

“So how about I treat you to lunch since you’re treating me to everything else.” She suggested as they drove off.

“If you really want to.” He smiled as he reached for her hand and she let their fingers intertwine.

“I really do. We can get pho! It’s chilly out.”

“Yeah, perfect.” He agreed and soon she was directing him to a place near to the theater where they would see the ballet.

Soon enough they were being seated and looking over the menus, trying yo decide what kind of soups they would get. Diana was getting a bit antsy though; she just wanted to talk to Harry about their plan to share their interest in each other with Celeste. So as soon as the waiter had assured them their food would be out shortly Diana decided to bite the bullet.

“Ummm, Harry.”

“Yeah, love?”

“So as you know, Celeste is…rooting for us to be together. Which is great!” She said and he nodded, “But ummm…she’s getting really curious about who I want to date and I guess I’m just wondering when we could talk to her about us?” She said and he smiled, “I mean, I know that even though our feelings are deep we still have to learn to be a couple and make time for that, you know?”

“Right.” He agreed.

“So I just don’t know if it’s a good idea to share it with her immediately or if we should wait a bit more? What do you think?”

“I mean, she is quite obnoxious with knowing isn’t she?” Harry smiled and Diana giggled and nodded.

“So annoying, you have no idea…” she rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Like obviously, I want her to know so that she stops insinuating things and throwing hints, you know?” Diana nodded in agreement, “But I mean, if she knows, do you think she’ll just back off a bit and let us figure it out? Or will she be too excited and try to push things to move along.”

“Definitely the second…I’m surprised she hasn’t been as meddlesome as she typically is.” Diana smiled, “But ummm…like with your family coming over and stuff, I also don’t want to pretend that I don’t love and care for you in the way that I do.” She explained.

“Yeah, I was thinking about that too…maybe we just need to be really firm with Celeste and set some boundaries while we figure out our relationship.”

“Mmm yeah. Just let her know that as much as she might happy about it, it’s our relationship and we need space to figure that out.” Diana said and he nodded, “Like for example, PDA-”

“I don’t know that I’m comfortable with PDA.” He said and she nodded quickly.

“Yeah. Like how we are now is fine. A hug, a kiss on the cheek to say hello and goodbye.”

“Yeah, exactly.” He concurred.

“OK good…I know this will sound awfully judgy but I’ve seen how…like Kourtney Kardashian and Travis like…fully make out and grope in front of their kids with reckless abandon and its’ just so…disgusting?” She said and he laughed, “Like, love that people find their person and whatnot but there are social boundaries to respect for other people’s comfort as well and maybe that’s just me being a prude? But in my mind it’s like, how could I tell my child anything about their behavior when I’m behaving like that in front of everyone?”

“Oh, I fully agree. Lead by example! And well, it can also be traumatizing to kids if they’re exposed to too much. I know she’s older and knows more things, but also she’s seen you being single for most of her life, so I’m sure even just the bare minimum will be something for her to get used to. So please don’t feel the need to up the ante on my account. I won’t be offended if we just stick to how things are for now.” He assured her and she nodded.

“OK, thank you.” She said with relief.

“So you…watch the Kardashian show?” He asked with a grin and she shrugged.

“Why deny it?” She smiled and he chuckled.

“Hey, s’nothing to be ashamed of. I use Henry’s Hulu account just for that! I’m watching it religiously on Sundays.” He confessed and she giggled.

“Seriously?”

“Oh yeah! We can do it together if you want so that I’m not shouting at my TV all alone when things get heated.” He smiled and she giggled.

“OK, yeah we can plan a little watching party sometime.” She agreed and he nodded. “Another minor concern I have is that Celeste may already views us as a family unit and would expect a fast transition into more.”

“Mmm, yeah.” Harry said, “I can see that happening if she gets overexcited about it.”

“Yeah, like I don’t want major changes or living arrangements to change unless we get married, you know? Like…what if things don’t work out like we want, it would be so weird for all of us if we made a move like that too fast.” She explained and he nodded.

“I couldn’t agree more. I also wouldn’t feel comfortable staying at yours overnight and stuff if we share our relationship with her. I would want complete privacy until we reach a point like marriage where we are ready to have a shared space.”

“Yes. I fully agree.” She smiled and he did as well.

“So basically, we want a very normal escalation in our relationship and we want it as private as possible.”

“Correct.” Diana confirmed.

“I’m so glad we’re on the same page.” He sighed in relief and she smiled.

“Seems like we always kind of are.” She said and he nodded.

“Ummm, also just to revisit an old topic…If we end up getting married, kids…” he said and she sighed.

“I still don’t want another.” She said and he sighed in relief again.

“Okay, great.” He chuckled, “I mean, I have given it some thought because of us and Celeste but I just think their age gap would be way too big and like honestly, I don’t think I’d ever want to deal with a baby.” He said sincerely and Diana laughed.

“Yeah, you really don’t…babies are…too much in every sense of the word. Thankfully, Celeste developed skills very rapidly because she was mostly around adults growing up, but as soon as she started getting out of the baby phase I was so excited.”

“You didn’t get even a little sad?”

“Definitely not. It was a lot easier when I knew what she needed from me instead of just guessing which cry meant what.” She explained with a smile, “Obviously she was far more active as a toddler, but not in a way that was draining like when she was a baby. I think the sadness and nostalgia has been hitting a lot more now as she grows into her own, independent person. It's a bit sad because she’s not my little girl any more, but it’s also really nice to see how far she’s come.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.” Harry smiled. “I don’t think I’m missing out if I don’t have my own biological child. I like your child as my own, so we’re good in that capacity. Just ummm, just letting you know in case my parents bring it up or something. I know they’re a bit keen on me having a change of heart, but it’s not going to happen.”

“Well we’re definitely on the same page with that.” She assured him. “I know that hiding things is never a good thing, but I am a bit worried that things might go wrong if we…share this. I don’t want anything to go wrong. I love you and I…want you in my life for as long as possible.” She shared and Harry’s hand reached out for hers and took it.

“I love you too and I’m scared too. I’m not even going to lie about that.” He said with a nervous smile, “But I trust you with my heart and with my feelings and I know that we’ll do right by each other all the time. I know it’s going to be a bit tricky at first, but we’ll get through it together, yeah?”

“Yeah.” She smiled.

***********

The ballet had been absolutely breathtaking. Both of them had been on the edge of their seats as they watched the dancers the whole time. They were still quite full from their big bowls of pho, so as they strolled to Harry’s car, hand in hand.

“That was so worth it.”

“I agree! Thank you so much for inviting me to this Harry.”

“Course, love.” He smiled. He opened up her door and let her get settled in before he got in as well.

“I should’ve put Celeste in ballet…so cool.” She said and he smiled.

“I mean her musicianship is also so cool.”

“That’s true, she’s really good at that as well.” Diana said and Harry nodded.

“Honestly, she should consider taking private lessons when she goes to college. Could do session work for record labels and stuff.”

“Ooh, you’re right…she has mentioned it with college before. One of the counselors at her summer camp is a music major.” Diana recalled.

“I know that I’m not technically her father, but when we get to that stage of things I would love to come with you guys on like tours and things like that.”

“Oh of course! You and Damian.” Diana smiled.

“OK, so what’s our next move?” He asked her, “I was planning for dinner, but are you hungry at all yet?”

“Not at all.” She giggled and he chuckled.

“OK, same. I don’t know why the pho bowls are so big even when we got the smalls.” He said and she sighed.

“Yeah, it’s always like that though. Ummm, we could go back home to mine or yours? Grace was gonna pick up Celeste from Josh’s. I may have…packed her an overnight bag just in case.” Diana said and Harry glanced at her with a suggestive look.

“Professor Beltran…” he teased her and she felt her face going all hot as she giggled and shook her head bashfully.

“Oh hush…s’not like you weren’t hoping for it.” She said and he chuckled and leaned over the console and grabbed her jaw with one hand as he guided his lips over her own.

Their kiss started out slow, lethargic almost, drenched with the longing for each other they’d been repressing. Soon that energy of affection and relief turned completely salacious. Their mouths moved together with urgency, their teeth collided occasionally while they’d go in to bite and suck at each other’s lips.

“Mmm… I’ve…missed you…so much.” She hummed and he smiled into their kiss.

“Me too, baby.”

“Should we go to yours?” She asked and he nodded. “Let’s go then.” She said and they pulled apart to get home.

Diana had been thinking about the physical aspect of her relationship with Harry for a while now. He had absolutely blown her mind before and she needed that again. She needed him in ways she hadn’t needed someone in a long time. She was itching to feel him, skin to skin. The drive to his place couldn’t go by any faster, even if they’d been going 100 miles an hour. She felt hot all over and so impatient. Her hand tightening around his made him smiled.

“S’alright baby, we’ll be there soon.”

“Not soon enough.” She mumbled and he smiled.

Harry felt the same way. He obviously loved and cared for her very much, but he was a man with needs. Just as she was a woman with needs. And while Harry had recently indulged in hookups within the last year, she really hadn’t apart from the fooling around they had done. He wanted to exceed her expectations like he had the last time she was in his bed. He was fully committed to her and he wanted to show that to her physically as well.

They soon made it to his house and the moment the front door closed behind her he was pushing her up against it by her hips as they kissed hungrily. He was helping her slip her coat off while she got out of her heels. He chuckled as suddenly the height difference between them suddenly became too great.

“Sorry.” She giggled as she tiptoed to reach his lips better once again, but he was instead scooping her under the bum with his big, strong arms and holding her up level to his face again.

“Better?” He asked and she nodded.

Diana gently wrapped her legs around his hips to hold on better. One of her arms was looped around his neck and the other she held his jaw with before leaning into another kiss. This one was slower and deeper, shifting the mood from urgent to indulgent. There was still urgency but they weren’t going to just jump into it. There was still a sense of urgency, but it was being channeled very differently. They wanted to cherish the time they had right now, to draw it out and take advantage of it. So when Harry was dropping them both into his bed he kissed her as he blindly helped her undress. His kisses started to migrate down her body, giving attention to all of her sensitive spots, making her wriggle and gasp and giggle from the feeling his mouth imparted on the way until he was at the seam of her underwear.

“Can I get these off?” He asked.

“Yes, please.” She consented without hesitation and he was quick to remove the thin fabric from her body and shoved it into his pocket before dragging his fingers down her thighs and splaying them open for him to get between her legs. Diana was nearly trembling with anticipation, “Please, Har- mmm, fuck!” She gasped as his mouth latched over her center in a sloppy kiss and then he got to work. His tongue was working tirelessly on her clit, making her orgasm build steadily as his fingers worked their way into her tight little hole. She was moaning and doing her best to hold still as the combination of the two made her brain start to go all fuzzy and he vision to blur.

Harry’s moan of delight and his whispered words of appreciation and encouragement gave her all the more pleasure. It was allowing her to just feel everything he was doing to her all the better. He started pushing in a bit deeper until she gasped as his finger tips opened her up enough to get right against her spot. Her skin had broken out in goosebumps and her breath had hitched. Harry stopped for a second and she assumed he was going to check on her, but truly, he was just giving her a moment before he started rubbing and swirling his fingers into it. She moaned out a joyous sound and couldn’t even help it as she writhed beneath him an dug her fingers into his curls. Harry groaned against her as he started to gently suck at her clit until she was tense and trembling beneath him.

“I’m- oh baby, m’gonna come!” She mewled right before she started to fall apart. Diana’s vision went white and her back arched at this perfectly glorious feelings of warmth that was rippling through her body. She was moaning out with each wave that would form at the depths of her core and travel down to the tips of her toes, causing them to curl as she tried to not wriggle too much beneath him.

But that first orgasm was the hurdle to get over, after that it was easy for Harry to give her a few more orgasms this way. She was trembling and overstimulated, practically incoherent as he coaxed another orgasm out of her with his fingers up against her g-spot. She was panting shakily. She was an absolute sticky mess; her arousal and cum had completely drenched his fingers and the sounds were so sinful every time he’d plunge his fingers inside. Harry was obsessed with swallowing down her greedy pleads for him to keep going.

“Yeah, baby? Gonna give me another one?” He asked her and she nodded and whined pitifully before her eyes fluttered shut and he felt her walls contracting around his fingers. “There you go…Fuck, you’re making such a big mess.” He hummed as she started to twitch from the oversensitivity. Her hand flew down to his and wrapped around his wrist and he grinned at the feeling of her nails digging into his skin. It was too much for her now. He took the hint and stopped rubbing into her spot and moved his thumb off of her clit. He just left his fingers lodged up inside though, he didn’t want her to feel empty yet.

“Are you alright?” He sniggered and she sighed.

“I think so…still- ummm, I’m still seeing spots.” She confessed quietly.

“Five orgasms’ll do that to you.” He chuckled and she groaned.

“Five?” She sighed and he chuckled and leaned down to kiss her lips.

“Mhmm.” He confirmed, “I may have gotten a little carried away.” He admitted a bit bashfully.

“I think I can forgive you for this one.” Diana said tiredly and he chuckled. “But now s’your turn so-”

“If I wore you out too much we don’t have to.” He assured her and she smiled.

“You did wear me out, but that’ll just make me last a bit longer so…you’re in for a ride.” She whispered and he chuckled.

“Figuratively or literally?” He asked her and Diana bit her lip.

“Ummm, whichever you prefer.” She responded timidly. “I could get on top. I’m…way out of practice but ummm, if we start out like that I can…learn how you like it.” She reasoned and he swore his entire stomach flipped with excitement. She wanted to learn how he liked it because they were on their way to being a couple. For real this time.

“Yeah, but only if you’re not too tired for it.” He assured her once more and she smiled.

“M’not. Let’s just ummm, get you undressed.” She said timidly and he nodded and gave her one more peck to her lips before he knelt up to get started. “I’ll do it.” She said and he smiled as she rolled out of his bed to get this task underway.

Diana had him stand as she reached up and undid the buttons of his shirt. His hands were on her hips, fingers sinking into her suppled skin as her lips trailed down his jaw and neck…then his chest and tummy… then she was kissing down his abs as her fingers reached his belt. She knelt and glanced up at him and he nodded his approval for her to continue. And with his consent she was quick to unfasten it before sliding her hands up his thighs, palming over his erection that tucked against his left thigh. She kissed down his happy trail and reared back to put her focus on his button and zipper. Her fingers were quick in their task and soon enough, Harry’s eager hands were helping her get his pants down along with his briefs. And sure, she was overcome with this wave of anxiety once more, but she pushed it aside and grabbed his erection in the palm of her soft, warm hand.

She glanced up at him and Harry’s eyebrows were knitted together as he watched her stroking his cock at a leisurely pace. He was quite big and he watched her considering getting him in her mouth.

“You can get me in your mouth, love.”

“Yeah?” She asked and he nodded eagerly. With that she had him sit on the bed and she walked the short distance over on her knees before getting him back in her hand. She gave a few strokes before dipping down and then she pulled back up. “Ummm, I’m very…out of practice in this s-so if you want to guide me how y-you prefer it then-”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll tell you, yeah?” She nodded, “Sure you want to do this?”

“So badly.” She smiled and he chuckled and thumbed over her cheek before she dipped down.

She gave the length of him one full lick from base to tip before licking around his tip. And after a moment of that she just placed his tip into her mouth and sucked. The tension in his thighs and the soft groan that left his mouth were enough to tell her she was doing something he liked. She sunk down, feeling confident to take more and that’s when Harry grabbed her hair and it made her mind go fuzzy so she sunk down further and gagged when he hit the back of her mouth.

“Fuck…” he sighed and pulled her up a bit, “Baby, you might get greedy and want to take more and more, but you don’t have t’take it all, love.” He said and she glanced up at him and he just about melted to see her tearful eyes, “I’m quite big, yeah?” He asked and she hummed in agreement, and her walls fluttered around absolutely nothing just from hearing him say how big he was. “So I know s’gonna take some getting used to.” He assured her, “Only go as far as is comfortable for you right now, s’still feels so good for me. Love that hot little mouth so much already and how you rub your tongue under the tip…fuck, just like that.” He smiled before biting on his lip, “That’s good, baby.” He encouraged her.

He loved the feeling of pleasure bubbling up inside of his tummy and spreading through his body. He could’t believe how quickly he was getting ready to burst. Sure this wasn’t extraordinarily super human head, but it was from the person he loved, and not only that, but her first in a while and he loved knowing that she wanted this with him, that’s what got him off.

“You can stroke what doesn’t fit with your hand…yeah, like that. Fuck, that’s-that’s absolutely perfect, baby. You can even suck a little harder if you want m’not made of glass.” He assured her and she gave a harder suck and the moan that left his throat had her covered in goosebumps, “Oh shit…shit that’s so fucking good, Di.” He whined as he pulled her up and down by her hair, setting a pace that would have him on the edge in no time. He had been quite dry over the last several months, so he knew that if he came it’d be a big one that just proved hard to recover from and he didn’t want to stop her, but he just needed to let her know.

“Baby, m’so close…i-if you want to have sex I shouldn’t come yet, s’ been a while and I don’t think I’ll-oh fuck, wanna last for you f’you want to tonight.” He said and she gently pulled off. Her eyes met his and she smiled.

“I still want to.” She assured him and he smiled.

“Sure?”

“Very sure.” She assured him and he helped her up.

“Let me get a condom-”

“Did you reverse your vasectomy?” She asked with a giggle and he shook his head.

“No, but ummm, just in case y’don’t want me to like…actually finish inside.”

“Is it crazy if I want you to?” She asked and he bit his lip and shook his head.

“I don’t think so.” He said, “But then again, I’m a little biased.” He chuckled and she smiled.

“Well if you want to and I want to then…s’fine I suppose.” She shrugged and he smiled.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She confirmed.

With that he scooped her up from the edge of the bed and dropped her at the top half of it before he straddled her lap and kissed her deeply. His hands felt at the curves of her body, groping at her breasts, tweaking her nipples, feeling her build…Harry was obsessed with every inch of her.

Diana felt the same about him. She loved the feel of his muscular and lean body up against her own. His skin was so warm and soft to the touch. His back muscles were so pronounced, she couldn’t stop feeling them under her fingers as his cock slipped between her folds, getting drenched up in her arousal for him. She did want to be on top, so when she pushed against his shoulder he got the hint and wrapped his arm around her waist before turning them over without a hitch. Her hands smoothed down from his shoulders to his pecs, they were big and sturdy, she loved the tickles from the smattering of hair he had against them. She had a weakness for body hair. She ground into him and gasped when his tip nudged against her clit, still so sensitive from before. But she was aching for it, she was hurting to feel all full of him.

“Can I?” She asked and he nodded.

“Yeah, whenever you’re ready.” He said and she bit her lip as she pressed herself to sit up.

She asked Harry to sit up as well and soon he was propped up against his headboard stroking himself a couple times as Diana just made the decision to bite the bullet. She wanted this with him. In the depths of her heart she knew that he was the person she’d been waiting for all along. There was no need to be scared of what this meant for them, she wasn’t just giving her body to some random. This was Harry, the man she loved, the man who loved her back and who had waited for her. Who had been so patient and understanding. The person who hurt for her the way she’d been hurting for him. Fate had allowed everything to fall into a perfect place where they could finally be what they were meant to be. With that in mind she guided her body over his own perfectly and started to lower herself over him. She could feel his thick tip crowning into her entrance and she just wanted it to give way so badly. So she directed more of her weight downwards until the tight ring of muscles gave way and stretched around his girth. They both moaned in unison at the feeling of their bodies connecting in that way. They’d both been craving it for so long and it was finally happening.

“Fuck baby, you feel so good!” She gasped as he thrusted up against her and she started to grind down into his lap.

“You too, love. Fuck, feels. So. good…” He grunted as he kissed at her neck. She hugged around his head, letting him nestle his face against her neck as he tightened his hold around her waist, keeping her body flush to his. “Fuck, you’re doing everything right, keep grinding like that, feels so fucking nice.” He praised, his toes already starting to curl.

Diana was reeling from the pressure inside of her, he was up against that spot he’d completely ravaged earlier and it was making her skin covered in goosebumps. Over and over, with each grind she was feeling his tip kissing that deep part of her that was making her tummy swell with flutters and for her breathing to quicken. She couldn’t even speak, just moan his name and slur curses when he’d drive up into her hard. She was trying to last for him, but when he snuck a hand between them to rub at her clit, her unraveling began. Her moves over him were getting erratic, but he corrected and guided her pace as they continued building their orgasms together.

“Getting close, yeah?” He panted and she nodded and gasped as he stilled deep inside, “Can feel it…fuck, I feel you squeezing so hard. You’re gonna make me come…fuck, gonna get such a big fucking load, baby.” He huffed and she moaned in anticipation.

“Please Harry, please. I want it so bad!” She pleaded, adding a slight bounce to her movements. Her ears were starting to ring and her vision going blurry as she knocked her head back, gasping for air.

“Fuck baby, just-just a few more seconds…m’right there…” he gritted out and finally he was right up at the edge with her, “Oh fuck, I’m gonna come. Come with me, Di. Please baby, come with me.” He panted desperately.

She just gasped and her breathing hitched as she reached the peak and then suddenly the most salacious moan left her mouth as she started to come undone. It was an explosion of tingles and euphoria that was making her brain malfunction. She was trembling as he held her down against him, she could feel his cock throbbing, spilling his seed into her, making a mess of them both. He was moaning against her throat, panting against her sweaty skin, holding her as if she was his only tether to reality. It was perfect. They went through their highs together, speechless and completely satisfied. And moments later they were coming down through it together. Their bodies were trembling, their emotions were heightened, their minds a puddle of mush. But despite all of those things, the one thing that they could fully trust was their gut. And Diana’s gut told her that this was it.

“I love you so much.” She whispered as she kissed the side of Harry’s head.

“I love you, Di.” Harry mumbled against the column of her throat at the exact same time. They were quiet for a beat before they both giggled and pulled back to look at each other. When Harry looked into her tearful eyes he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. He hadn’t ever loved like this before.

“I promise you, we’re going to have a long and wonderful life together, Diana.” He said and she smiled. “I know it’s hard for you to let people in, so thank you for letting me in. I complete you and you complete me, love.” He said and she nodded and sniffled. “Couldn’t possibly go on without my other half, could I?” He asked and she sputtered on a cry and kissed his lips.

“S’gonna be so good.” She mumbled against his lips and he smiled and kissed her once more.

“It is.” He said with conviction.

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demigodsanswer · 2 months ago

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(An AU of an AU -- how Annabeth's life could have gone differently if there were just a few changes)

In the middle of September, Annabeth missed pas de deux class .

Percy and Annabeth had danced together for the first three weeks of the year, practicing until her weight and balance were completely familiar to him.

Annabeth was the best one in their class without a doubt. During the final workshop performance at the end of last term, she’d been cast as the Russian Girl in Serenade. She’d done such an amazing job that everyone thought she might be pulled into the company at fifteen. But Chiron had asked her to come back this year.

And Percy was glad he did. He finally got to dance with her. She was so strong, and so smart; she really helped Percy improve his partnering work.

Before dancing with her, Percy thought she was as serious as she was pretty, which is to say … very. But Percy was sure he could make her laugh.

He spotted Pride and Prejudice in her dance bag.

“English class?” He asked, pointing to it. “Or just for fun?”

“English class, but I know the story. My dad showed me the BBC version when I was little, and it was my favorite,” she said, her eyes wide and sparkling, the same way they looked when she danced.

“You’re a bit old fashioned, then?” Percy asked.

She shrugged. “Maybe a little, but besides the ballet and the Jane Austin, not really. I like having basic human rights, and stuff.”

“My last girlfriend left me because she said I was too old fashioned,” Annabeth raised an eyebrow. Percy said the next part of his joke with a phooey British accent, somewhere between Lady Diana and Burt from Mary Poppins. “But I bet you one shilling she returns by nightfall.”

Annabeth blurted out a laugh that got some heads to turn their way. She covered her mouth with her hands, but kept giggling behind them.

“Oh, I don’t know what was worse, the joke or your accent,” she said.

“Made you laugh, though,” Percy said with a smug smile.

“Where did you hear that joke?” She asked.

“My step-dad. He and my mom just had a baby, so, as step-son I’ve become his unwilling dad joke test subject,” Percy explained. “Got to find the good ones before she can form memories.”

Annabeth gave him a look of obviously faux-annoyance. “Well, and now you’ve gone and roped me into it.”

“Sorry,” Percy said, “is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”

Annabeth thought for a minute and then said, “Just tell your stepdad that the old fashioned joke is very funny.”

“Oh, don’t encourage him,” Percy said. Annabeth laughed again, and Percy realized he’d do just about anything to keep making her laugh.

That had been two weeks ago. He’d made her laugh maybe half a dozen times since then, no thanks to Paul’s other dad jokes. He was pretty sure they were actually friends.

Still, he tried to push any thoughts of a crush on her out of his mind; he didn’t have time for that, and she’d never be interested in him.

But he couldn’t help but look forward to every pas class.

“Percy, you’ll be with Rachel today,” the teacher told him. Rachel walked over to him.

“Where’s Annabeth?” He asked after class.

"She crunched her foot during petit allegro this morning," Rachel said.

"She's out?" Percy asked.

"Probably. Something tore. You could hear it across the room."

Percy shivered at the thought. He hoped she was okay.

The next day, Annabeth was sitting at the back of the class, her foot in a boot. Being injured didn't give you an excuse to miss class. You still needed to sit there and watch. Percy had a minor foot injury last year that kept him out for three weeks. It had been hell. And he could see it on Annabeth's face: she wasn't happy.

After class, Percy snuck to the back of the room.

"Hey," he said to her, picking up her bag as she maneuvered her crutches, "how are you doing?"

She shrugged. "Tore some ligaments," was her only answer. They headed out the door, her bag over Percy’s shoulder as they headed to her next class.

"How long do they think ..." Percy started.

"Over a month at least,” he could hear the sadness in her voice, “but they don't think it needs surgery," she said.

"That's good!" He said, trying to make his voice sound cheery so she might look on the bright side with him.

"Yeah," she agreed half-heartedly as they hobbled to their next class.

Annabeth was still stuck in her chair a month later. Percy had started texting her a new dad joke every day, and while only 20% made her laugh, 100% of them made her smile. She was worried he’d stop talking to her once they weren’t dancing, but she’d summoned her courage to give him her number once she was injured, hoping that he might text her.

He had, almost right away. Her heart fluttered every time he messaged her, and it almost made her forget about her stupid ankle.

PERCY:

orion's belt is a huge waist of space

get it? like a waist?

ANNABETH

It's not a great joke.

I'll give it three stars

She was doing her best to pay attention in class, but being confined to a chair made her ADHD act up. She could pick up choreography and technique quickly when she was on her feet. But being on her feet was prohibited right now.

And then, Chiron rolled into class and sat next to her. Annabeth's heart raced. He was always around the school, scoping out new apprentices, but she hadn't spent much time with him one-on-one. She tried to be casual, mature, and professional.

"How long have you been out?" He asked her after a minute of silence.

"A month," Annabeth said.

She could see the frustrated disappointment clear on Chiron's face.

"Well you rest up, okay?" He said. That was all he said to her. He sat and watched for a few more minutes, before leaving without another word to her or anyone else..

The next day, word went around that four girls and one boy had been taken into the company for Nutcracker. Annabeth wasn’t one of them.

There was a spot at the top of a stairwell that purported to have roof access, but that door was always locked. So someone could sit at the top of the stairs on the landing by the door to the roof, and cry without anyone ever finding them. It was one of Annabeth's favorite spots.

Annabeth struggled up the stairs, grateful to finally sit down and sob when she reached the top. Chiron wanted to put her in the company, that's why he was interested in her injury. And she missed it. All because of her stupid, stupid ankle.

She heard the door to the stairwell open, and she tried to quiet her crying while whoever it was made their way down the stairs. But the footsteps were coming up. She wiped her eyes, but she knew it was hopeless. If someone found her, there'd be no excuse for what she'd been doing except I was crying my eyes out and throwing a pity party.

A familiar mop of black hair came up the stairs, and Annabeth felt herself relax. Percy was nice, so much nicer than most of the boys she knew. When he said: "Annabeth? Are you alright?" She knew he really cared about the answer. And when she shook her head and started to cry again, he just sat next to her on the stairs and gave her a hug.

When Annabeth was starting to feel all cried out, she pulled back.

"Thanks," she said, "I'm sorry, it's just," she gestured at her ankle.

"That's gotta be tough," he said.

"I think Chiron wanted me for Nutcracker, but I can't do it," she said, tears starting again.

"It's alright," he said, taking her hand. "You're going to have so many Nutcrackers in your life."

"But what if I missed my chance completely?" She asked.

"I doubt it. You're the best dancer here," Percy said.

Annabeth smiled. "Thanks."

"Want to get pizza or something? I'm starving."

Annabeth rarely got to eat pizza. Especially now that she was injured, she shouldn’t eat something so fattening when she couldn’t work it off. But she was pretty sure Percy was asking her out on a date. And so, before she could count calories or anything she just nodded.

"Sure."

Percy bought her a few slices of pizza, and they both reveled in the chance to indulge like regular teenagers. Percy peeled back the paper from his straw, leaving most of the wrapper still on the other end. He put the straw to his mouth and blew, sending the paper sleeve right for Annabeth's face.

It landed in her blonde curls, and she laughed in disbelief. "Oh, it's on," she said, picking up her own straw. She managed to nail Percy right in the eye.

"Alright, uncle, uncle, you win," Percy conceded.

They talked for two hours, long past when their pizza was gone, and long enough for the guy behind the counter to give them the stink eye. Percy just gave it right back.

“Wow, Virginia? How come you don’t have a Southern accent?” Percy asked.

“My dad is from Boston, and Richmond is pretty urban. Most people don’t actually have that classic Southern accent where I’m from,” Annabeth explained. And then, she put on her Southern accent. “But my dance teacher was from Alabama, so I can pretend.” The accent made Percy smile, so she kept it up. “This was how I learned ballet. Tombe pas de bourree, and Roll Tide!” Percy laughed. The French sounded ridiculous in the accent. “I had no idea what steps people were talking about when I got here,” Annabeth joked. It wasn’t true. Mostly.

“It’s better than my British accent,” Percy said.

“Well, that’s a really low bar,” Annabeth said.

“I’ll have to watch that fancy Pride and Prejudice show and take notes,” he said.

“Or count your blessings that you’re in a career where no one has to hear you speak,” she said back.

“Hey!” He protested with a smile. “I’m stealing your crust for that,” he said, reaching towards her plate. She let him take it, but not without a fight.

When they were done, he walked her back to her dorm. "Where's yours?" Annabeth asked.

"Oh, I'm from New York, I live a few blocks away with my family," he said.

"That's nice," she said.

"Is your family still in Virginia?" He asked. Annabeth looked sad again.

"For now. But they're moving to San Francisco over Winter break. They're so busy doing that that I'm not even going home. Kind of hoped I might have Nutcrackers to do, but ..."

"I'm sorry," Percy said, before pulling her into a hug.

Annabeth let her crutches drop to the ground as she wrapped her arms around him. He was warm. When they pulled away, Percy picked up her crutches for her.

"It's okay, I'll just go see Nutcracker one hundred times," she tried to joke, "and will my foot to heal."

"I believe in you," Percy said.

When Percy got home, he asked his mom about inviting a friend for Christmas.

"Would he stay over?" Sally asked.

"She," Percy clarified, "it’s Annabeth."

His mom looked surprised. He was sure he’d talked about Annabeth before. Or maybe that was the surprise, that his crush was coming to Christmas.

"Oh, would she stay over?"

"I don't know. She lives in the dorms. I don't know what kind of rules they have," Percy said, trying to be chill.

"Well, the more the merrier. She's always welcome, just let me know," Sally said. “She’d have to stay on the air mattress in the living room,” Sally added.

“No worries,” Percy said. Sure, he was horny pretty much all the time like any other sixteen year old, but the idea of Annabeth staying in his room made his palms sweat in a bad way.

Percy went back to his room and gave Annabeth a call. All of their text conversations had mostly been dad jokes, so calling her out of the blue was strange.

" Percy?" He heard her voice on the other end. " What's up?"

"Hey, I hope this isn't weird. And you don't need to say yes or anything, but you mentioned staying in New York for Christmas. Would you ... want to spend it with my family? Instead of being stuck in the dorms?" He said.

"... Really?" She sounded hopeful.

"Yeah, my mom said you're totally welcome. You could stay over on Christmas Eve if you're allowed to. Or my step-dad can pick you up. Whatever," he said, trying to sound casual about it.

" Percy that really means so much to me," she sounded like she was going to cry again. " I would love to. "

Percy waited for a "but," but there wasn't one. Percy strutted out into the living room and announced that Annabeth was coming for Christmas.

Pizza might have been a date. But taking her to the MoMA to see Starry Night had definitely been a date. The MoMA was free Friday afternoons, so it was perfect for two sixteen year olds, but Percy had paid for their subway ride, and his mom gave him $40 to buy something warm to eat.

Annabeth was still in her boot, but she was able to actually put weight on her foot now, so she could go around without crutches. Even booted up, she’d kept up with Percy, overtaking him at some points. She pointed out famous paintings and rattled off facts about them. And then she kept going, giving him facts about the building itself, the area, and Rockefeller Center. Percy just listened; his ADHD usually didn’t let him focus for that long, but when Annabeth talked, he wanted to listen.

Her gray eyes went so wide when she saw Starry Night, and Percy wasn’t afraid to push them both through the crowd of tourists to get to the front. She took out her phone -- a fancy iPhone -- and snapped a picture, while Percy took out his phone -- not a Smart Phone -- and took a picture of her.

“Did you take a picture of me?” She asked as they moved out of the way.

“Yeah,” he said sheepishly. “You’re …” really pretty, he almost said. “You look really happy.”

She nodded. “I am,” she promised.

"That was so cool!" She said as they stepped out into the cold New York winter. There was a week left before break. Annabeth's dad had sent her presents to Percy's house, and Sally had even bought her Christmas pajamas to open on Christmas Eve with everyone else so she would match the family.

"Want to go see the tree?" Percy asked.

"The native New Yorker is willing to brave the tourists for me?" Annabeth asked. Percy shrugged; he'd maybe complained about tourists a little too much.

"Yeah," he said, stepping in front of her. "Hop on?"

She followed his lead and jumped on his back. He carried her the whole five minute walk to the tree.

Percy was nervous about something, she could tell. When they got to Rockefeller Center he kept leaning in, then pulling away, grabbing her hand, and then letting it go. Annabeth had a strong suspicion about what he was trying to get the courage to do.

"What's up?" She asked finally. Percy had pulled her to a less crowded spot. It didn't have a great view of the tree, but its rainbow lights were still visible behind him.

Percy ran a hand through his hair, making his dark mop all the messier. Annabeth’s heart raced.

"I ... uh …” he started, trying not to look at her, “brought you over here to kiss you, and --"

Annabeth didn't let him finish before she leaned in and kissed him first. It was mostly just a peck, but she let it linger for a few seconds. She didn’t know what else she was supposed to do. She’d never kissed anyone before. She hoped it had been okay. When she pulled back they were both smiling like fools.

Percy had never kissed anyone before, but he was pretty sure that was perfect.

Annabeth started back at barre after Christmas break. She still had a few weeks of PT and retraining before she would be back in her pointe shoes, but she was determined not to let her chance in the company pass her by again.

Christmas break had been completely perfect, and had included way more kisses from Percy. They were really going out now. She’d taken him to the movies over break, and back at his apartment, he’d made her cookies and hot chocolate. In between ballet classes, they were attached at the hip.

But in class, Annabeth worked with a fierce determination, drinking in every word from her coaches, and trying to prove that she wasn’t going to just give up.

After a few days in class, her ballet masters pulled her aside. Annabeth's heart raced, worried about whatever bad news they were about to give her.

"We want you to know," they started, "at the end of the year, you are going to get your apprenticeship."

Annabeth's eyes went wide, and her heart beat fast the way it did when Percy kissed her. It had to be a dream, she thought. That wasn't how they gave out apprenticeships in her experience. Students were told at the end of the year, usually all at once. Her heart beat faster as they continued. "Don't tell anyone, but Chiron wants you to know that he is taking you. So just ..." the ballet master gestured down towards her foot, "take it easy. Don't hurt yourself."

Annabeth nodded. "Can I tell my dad?" She asked.

The ballet master smiled. "Yes, of course."

Annabeth asked her roommates for some time alone so she could call her dad. They agreed; Annabeth hardly ever called home. They must have thought something terrible had happened.

“ Annie ?” Her dad said. “ Is everything okay? ”

“Yes Daddy,” she promised. And then she choked up. “I --”

“ Is it your boyfriend? Are you okay?”

“It’s not Percy,” she promised. Percy had only ever made her cry from laughing. “I got news from Chiron Bruner today,” she said. “He’s going to give me my apprenticeship,” she said, her smile wide, but her voice low in case her roommates were listening at the door.

“ Really? Annie! That’s wonderful! Are you starting right away?” He asked.

“No, no. They aren’t making it official until the end of the year. He just wanted me to know so that I didn’t hurt my ankle more,” she said.

“ He must really want you in the company, then ,” her dad said.

“I guess so,” she confirmed.

“ You let me know when your first performance is, sweetheart, and I’ll be there,” he promised.

“Are you sure?” She asked. “I know it’s a long way from San Francisco.”

“ Nothing is too far for my favorite girl, ” he said.

“I’m your only girl,” she reminded him.

“Still my favorite, ” he promised. “ I love you Annie. Get some good rest, okay?”

“Love you too, Daddy. I’ll … I’ll call you soon?” She offered. Percy had been encouraging her to reach out to her dad a little more. She’d been trying. Every time they talked, it got a little easier. He only answered the phone with what’s wrong about half the time. And saying “I love you” to him felt more normal than it had in years.

“ I’d love that. Any time, sweetie .”

“Bye.”

“ Bye bye. ”

Annabeth made it two weeks before she told Percy. "You can't tell anyone," she said.

He was hugging her so tight. "I won't, I promise! But once it's official, I'm going to tell everyone in New York."

"Goofball," she said.

"And proud of it!” He let her go, and crawled out onto his fire escape. “My girlfriend is gonna be in the New York City Ballet," he yelled into the air. Annabeth just laughed. So much for waiting until it was official. Not like anyone in New York cared though.

A moment later, his door opened. Sally was there, wide eyed. “What did he say?”

So, she’d told a few more people than she was supposed to. But her secret was as safe with the Jackson-Blofis family as it was with the Chase family, she was sure of it.

When Sally learned Annabeth would have to move out of the SAB dorms and into an apartment of her own, she asked: "Will you have a roommate? Another apprentice girl?"

Annabeth shook her head. "My dad is looking for a studio for me, close to the theater."

"You can't live alone in New York at your age," Sally said.

"I'll be alright," Annabeth promised.

Sally took her hand. "Let me talk to your dad, okay?"

"Sure," Annabeth said, giving Sally his phone number. Annabeth snuck into Percy's room while Sally called her dad. Percy loaded up Mario Kart, she got ready to kick his ass.

Sally was on the phone for a long time, nearly an hour. Finally, there was a knock on Percy's door, a quick come in confirmation, and then Sally was handing Annabeth the phone. Percy paused the game, and she could hear her dad's voice on the other end, still saying things like " I really appreciate it, thank you."

"Hi Daddy," she said.

" Annie ! I talked to Ms. Jackson, she's so nice. She's your boyfriend's mom?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said.

" We agree that you living alone is risky. She's offered to let you stay at her place."

Annabeth looked at Percy, who had his ear close to the phone to hear. "Really?" Annabeth said, excitedly grabbing Percy's knee.

" They are your host family. So you'll have to live there even if you and Percy break up, okay?” Annabeth looked at Percy as if to say like that would happen. “You won't be in your boyfriend's room either. And there will be rules."

"Okay, okay," Annabeth said.

" But I think this is for the best, if you're comfortable with it."

"I am," she promised.

Annabeth's contract didn't start until the Fall, but she moved out of the dorm at the end of the year. She and Percy were doing the SAB summer program together, and in between, they were helping Sally and Paul rearrange the apartment. Annabeth was staying with Estelle, Percy's adorable two-year-old sister, but that meant Percy had to give up his bigger room for Estelle and Annabeth to share. There was a lot of stuff to move.

Fall season was already a dream. Annabeth lived for performing, far preferring long rehearsal days to days in class at SAB. She was in the corps of so many great ballets, and Chiron even had her learning soloist roles as a backup already. Two weeks in and she was giddy.

Her dad had come down for the first week of performances. She had been in the corps of Serenade, one of her favorite ballets, and in the corps of “Emeralds” and “Diamonds” in Jewels. (“Those are some of my favorite ballets,” Percy said, as if Annabeth didn’t know. She was excited to be in them in part because of Percy).

Percy had managed to charm her dad. He was a perfect gentleman, a little goofy, but just enough to make Annabeth laugh without being over the top.

“It was great to meet you Percy,” her dad said, as he left for the night. He’d be flying back in the morning.

“Great to meet you too, Dr. Chase.”

“Keep Annabeth out of trouble,” her dad said.

“I’m doing my best,” Percy promised.

New York City Ballet had a huge repertory, so there was always something new to learn. They were rehearsing Walpurgisnacht now, a ballet with two dozen women and one man.

"Are you one of our new apprentices?" A blonde man asked her one day. He was the lead in Walpurgisnacht, she realized.

"I am," she said. "Annabeth," she held out her hand.

"Luke," he said. After rehearsal, he introduced her to a few people, and gave her his phone number in case she ever needed anything.

When she texted him to make sure he had her number in return, he rested a hand on her shoulder. "You're doing a great job," he said. The leotard she was wearing had spaghetti straps, so his hand was against her bare skin, and his thumb rubbed gentle circles on her collarbone.

Annabeth pulled away, a little warry. "Thanks," she said. "But I should go. I have Stars and Stripes. " Luke gave her a mock salute, and Annabeth took off down the hall. That was odd.

When Annabeth got home, she and Percy did a second shift of ballet. He told her the things she'd missed in class. She'd never made it to the highest level at SAB, where he was now, so there were still things she had to figure out on her own. But he was able to help her. And she told him things she'd learned in company rehearsals. There were so many little details, tips and tricks they didn't get in the classroom.

Annabeth had watched the Walpurgisnacht pas de deux so many times that day that she and Percy were able to piece together the choreography themselves, practicing in the small ballet studio Paul and Sally had made for Percy (and now Annabeth) in the living room.

On the kitchen table, Annabeth's phone kept buzzing.

"Sweetheart," Sally called, "someone really wants your attention."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Ugh, it's just some guy from the company. He keeps trying to talk to me. I told him I have a boyfriend," she said. Percy kissed the side of her head.

"A company guy?" Sally asked. "Another apprentice?"

Annabeth shook her head. "No, he's a principal. He just got promoted."

"A principal, " Sally asked, horror clear in her voice. "What does he want from you?"

"Who knows," Annabeth shrugged.

Sally handed her the phone. "You don't need to show me, but ... could I see what he's sending you?"

Sally seemed genuinely concerned, so Annabeth unlocked the phone and handed it to her. "You should stay away from him," Sally told her.

"Trust me, I'm trying," Annabeth said.

"If he's making you uncomfortable, you should tell Chiron, or one of the ballet masters," Percy suggested.

Annabeth nodded. "That's a good idea."

Sally was typing something. She handed the phone back to Annabeth before she hit send: This is Annabeth's guardian in New York. She is seventeen . Please leave her alone.

Annabeth hit send. Luke didn't bother her any more after that.

An apprentice's first Nutcracker was meant to be 46 shoes of Snow and Flowers. And Annabeth was ready to do that, even though it meant she’d be dancing on her and Percy’s first anniversary.

But, a few weeks into rehearsal, Chase started to show up in Dew Drop and Sugar Plum rehearsal spaces.

"What does that mean?" She asked Charles Beckendorf. He had a few months on her in the company; he was pulled in last Nutcracker season while she was injured. Chiron had rehearsed them as partners in a few things in the Fall. They never did any of them on stage, but she liked him. He was nice, and they were solid dance partners.

"It means you're learning some Principal roles," he said with a smile.

"Oh my god," Annabeth said.

It was one thing to be a back up during the season when plenty of Principals and Soloists were around. Nutcracker was another thing entirely. It was all hands on deck, and dancers dropped like flies.

She didn't need to learn the choreography. She'd watched the PBS recording of Nutcracker so many times in her life she could dance it in her sleep. And Lee Fletcher was a really experienced partner. ("And how old is this one?" Sally asked. "Twenty-nine, but he's gay, and just really nice, I think.")

They hadn't rehearsed it much. Annabeth didn't expect to actually go on, but --

"Annabeth we need you for Sugarplum tomorrow afternoon," Chiron said. She was still in the big Flower skirt, having just bowed after the night's show.

"What?!" Annabeth said.

"Head to costumes first thing tomorrow morning to get situated. You'll have one more rehearsal with Lee, and then go on at two," he said. "You're going to be fine," he promised. She could see his total trust in her written on his face. Annabeth nodded. She had this.

Chiron was able to find four extra tickets for that show, totally comped so the Jackson-Blofis family could be there, even little Estelle. It would be her first Nutcracker. Annabeth was determined to make it a good show for Stella. A girl’s first Nutcracker was a special thing.

Annabeth swore she could hear Percy's cheers the loudest when she stepped out in the pink costume.

"If you forget the steps, just make it up," Lee said, comforting her before she took to the stage. "If you forget them in the pas, make it up, and I'll follow you."

But she hadn't forgotten it. She'd been just about perfect. Every muscle in her body knew exactly what to do without thinking about it. The cheers were loud from the audience after her variation, and when she stepped back into the wings, there were congratulations from the other dancers, the stage hands, and the ballet masters.

Her pas de deux went just about perfect too. Lee was a completely reliable partner. He was good at anticipating her needs, and he knew the ballet inside and out after eleven years of doing it. Even as her lungs burned and her legs ached to get through the coda, Annabeth couldn’t help but smile. Something told her it wouldn’t be her last Sugar Plum or even her last Principal role.

"Amazing, my dear," Chiron said to her when it was over. "Can you bring the costume back downstairs? We need you on for Snow and Flowers tonight." Annabeth smiled and nodded.

She didn't get home until eleven. Paul picked her up from the theater and gave her a big hug. "We're so proud of you. Don't tell anyone, but I got a video of it. I sent it to your dad. He's devastated he couldn't be here."

"I'll call him tomorrow," Annabeth promised. "Thanks Paul."

There was a short, quiet celebration. Sally and Paul promised something bigger once Nutcracker season was actually over. Annabeth just smiled the whole time.

Annabeth was feeling a little brave. She had too much energy to go to sleep, and she’d hardly gotten to see Percy at all this past month. She missed him.

Once everyone was asleep, she snuck out of her room and into Percy's. He was still awake too. She wasn't exactly sure what she was planning. They'd done plenty of stuff before, but never ... but she knew Sally kept condoms in his drawer. And Annabeth had started birth control that Fall to keep her periods light and regular now that she was a professional. The two of them had talked about this step a lot, but they hadn’t planned when it would happen. With their schedules, and sharing a space with his whole family, finding time was basically impossible. She didn’t know why they hadn’t considered just waiting until everyone was asleep.

It didn't last long. But it didn't hurt either. She didn't bleed -- weren't you supposed to bleed? she thought. It felt right . They whispered “I love you,” over and over, until it became a refrain and the words stopped sounding real. When it was over, they were both so tired, especially her, that all they could manage was to fall asleep wrapped up in each other.

Sally caught her leaving his room early the next morning, but she didn't say anything about Annabeth breaking her rules. Sally just rolled her eyes and smiled.

In the Winter, Annabeth and Beckendorf were cast to do the Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene. First cast. Annabeth beamed, even as other company girls gave her the stink eye. But they couldn't deny that her reviews were immaculate.

“You two are the perfect Romeo and Juliet,” he told them when the run was over. “Keep it up, and we might just need to stage a full run,” he said. “You know, I’ve always wanted to choreograph my own version …” and then he wheeled off, leaving Annabeth and Beckendorf to stare at each other and wonder: is he going to choreograph something for us?

In the Spring, Chiron called Percy in for his annual meeting. Percy sat nervously, but Chiron and his ballet masters just gave him some things to work on. They told him his partnering skills had really improved, but still needed some work. Percy didn't tell them he'd improved so much because Annabeth was teaching him choreography at night. They also told him that he could be a little more confident. Use his length more. His jumps were good, but work on hitting fifth when you land. And that was it. No word of auditions or apprenticeships. They asked him to do the Summer course again, but nothing else.

He told Annabeth the conversation beat by beat, still dazed, but she was smiling.

"They didn't tell you to audition anywhere else?" She asked.

"No," he said.

"Did they ask you to do another year at the school?"

"Just the Summer course."

"Percy ..."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

One of these days, he'd learn that his girlfriend was literally never wrong. Four days later, he was one of the group of eight of students, six girls, two boys, to be brought into a studio and told they'd been chosen as apprentices for the New York City Ballet.

As happy as she was for him, Annabeth could help but say "I told you so!" first thing.

#percy jackson and the olympians #percabeth #twice upon a pointe #percy jackson #annabeth chase #Youtube

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stranger-fanfiction-n-things · 10 months ago

Text

CHAPTER 2: THE WEIRDO ON MAPLE STREET

This is an Original Character fanfiction. All Stranger Things characters and content are owned by Netflix and The Duffer Brothers.

a/n: Tommy is an a**hole. Has anyone ever felt like Diana? Where you want to say so much but the words get caught in your throat? Being envious of people who are able to speak their minds so freely. There is a little moment with Jonathan. I can't wait to expand on Diana's relationship with him. Also, the power of persuasion is Nancy Wheeler.

Warnings: Mentions of violence. Bullying. Dustin's charm.

Word Count: 2764

Masterlist

PART I || PART II || PART III

HAWKINS HIGH

“When alpha particles go through gold foil, they become…”

“Unoccupied space.” Nancy and I say.

Nancy, Barb and I walk down the hall doing some last-minute studying before Kaminsky’s test. I feel jittery and nervous even though I know I’m prepared for the test with the amount of studying I did last night. Barb flips through another one of my flash cards.

“A molecule that can—Hey!”

Out of nowhere, Steve snatches the stack out of her hand before she can finish. Tommy H and Carol are close by snickering at Steve who walks ahead of us shuffling through my cards, mixing up the colours.

“Hey!” Nancy calls, rushing after him.

Barb and I follow behind stopping beside Nancy and Steve in the middle of the main hallway. I frown at Tommy H sticking his finger in Barb’s ear. She rolls her shoulders to move his hand away while Carol laughs.

“I think you’ve studied enough, Nance.” He says, looking down at her with a smile. “I’m telling you, you know, you got this. Don’t worry.”

It is clear he went to her house last night to help her study. I watch him shove my flash cards in his back pocket and stick out my hand.

“Can I have my cards back, please?”

Steve glances down at me and pulls the stack from his pocket. He hands them to me, lips curling to a small smile.

“Sorry, I thought they were Nancy’s.”

“Thank you.” I say, taking them back.

I walk to Barb standing beside her, far away from Steve, Tommy H and Carol and begin to reorganize my flash cards.

“Now, on to more important matters,” Steve begins and I give him a look under my bangs which goes unnoticed as he smiles at Nancy. “My dad has left town on a conference and my mom’s gone with him, cause, you know, she doesn’t trust him.”

“Good call,” Tommy jokes. I wrinkle my nose at the comment. Steve ignores him staring at Nancy expectantly.

“So, are you in?”

“In for what?” Nancy asks.

“No parents? Big house?” Carol says, her tone is laced with condescend.

“A party?”

“Ding, ding, ding!”

“It’s Tuesday,” I blurt out.

“It’s Tuesday,” Tommy mocks me. “Oh my God.” Carol and Tommy laugh at me. Steve smiles nudging him.

“Come on. It’ll be lowkey. It’ll just be us.” He emphasizes us to include Barb and I. “What do you say? Are you in or are you out?”

Never in a million years did I think Steve Harrington would invite us to his house much less for a party. I look at Barb. It’s obvious Steve only invited us because he knows Nancy will not go to his house alone. I stifle a groan at the thought of hanging out past school hours with Tommy H and Carol. I would much rather study for Kaminsky’s test again than do that.

“Oh, God. Look,” Carol says interrupting my thoughts.

I turn around and see from across the hall, Jonathan Byers pinning a piece of paper to the bulletin board. A missing persons photo. My stomach is in knots looking at the photo of Will smiling. I haven’t spoken to Jonathan since finding out about Will’s disappearance. I don’t know what to say or how to be there for him. I can’t begin to understand what Jonathan is going through right now. I’ve known Jonathan for nearly as long as Nancy and see him around at school. Our brothers are best friends but I barely talk to him.

“Oh, God, that’s depressing.” Steve mutters.

“Should we say something?” Nancy asks.

“I don’t think he speaks.” Carol replies, chewing obnoxiously on bubble gum. I want to take the piece of gum out of her mouth and throw it at her.

“How much you want to bet he killed him?” Tommy mumbles.

I flinch stepping back on my feet. Barb touches my shoulder looking down at me with concern. I close my eyes again counting down from five and take a deep breath, but I don’t feel any better. If anything, I feel worse. For Tommy to insinuate something so vile is a new low even for him.

“Ignore him, Diana. He’s just being a douchebag.” Barb mutters.

I stand rigid under Barb’s touch, squeezing my eyes together. My stomach clenches from the force of my restraint.

“What’s up with you, Princess?”

I open my eyes, turning my head to Tommy. There’s a playful glint in his eyes that reminds me of a predator stalking its prey. I clench my jaw finding his amusement appalling. He’s challenging me, knowing I won’t say how I really feel. I never do; no matter how many times he taunts and provokes me. I feel Barb drawing circles around my shoulder in efforts to keep me calm.

“Nothing.” I mutter under my breath.

Tommy grins, satisfied with my answer. I shake my head feeling disappointed in myself. His brother, my little brother’s best friend, is missing you insufferable asshole. The least you could be is compassionate. I want to shout at Tommy H, but again I stay silent. Why is it so hard to say how I feel? Why can’t I stand up for myself? I look at Nancy talking to Jonathan. Nancy is always brave and not afraid to take risks. She always speaks her mind and is unapologetic about it. I can’t hold eye contact for too long without wanting to disappear. I have been dancing at The Academy my whole life and I still struggle to make friends.

My chin trembles and I bite my lip to keep from crying. From the corner of my eye, I feel Steve watching me and it takes everything in me to not look at him. Thankfully, the bell rings and I blink several times to push down the tears threatening to fall.

“Are you ready?” she asks.

I lift my chin, forcing myself to smile. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Attention, faculty and students. At 8:00 pm, tonight, there will be an assembly on the football field in support of Will Byers and his family. All are encouraged to attend. Volunteer sign-ups for search parties are still available in the office.

I look over my shoulder at Jonathan. He lingers by the bulletin board staring at the picture of Will. Sensing someone is looking at him, he turns his head meeting my gaze. I bite my lip and wave at him. Jonathan lifts his hand in acknowledgement before walking out the front doors.

WHEELER RESIDENCE

I stare at the white ceiling with my knees bent to my chest. I extend my left leg outward, keeping my right knee bent and begin to draw circles with my knee. I breathe in and out deeply, relaxing my muscles in my hips to feel the stretch. Coming straight home after school is something I will never get used to. I don’t know how Nancy can stand it after having a specific routine all her life. Home. School. Dance. Repeat. I feel restless. By now, I would be finished barre with Madame Petrovna and ready for rehearsal. I close my eyes and switch my leg to repeat the stretch.

“Diana.”

“Hm?”

“I was thinking,” Nancy begins, her bed creaks and I can assume she’s moving closer. “…about the party tonight.”

“Oh, no.” I groan, opening my eyes.

Nancy is perched on her arms, peering down at me from her bed. She bites her lip.

“We should go.”

I release my leg sitting up on my elbows. My long hair unravels from its low bun. “No, no—”

“—You, me, and Barb!”

“Absolutely not.”

Nancy gives me a puppy dog look.

“Why not?”

I sit up, crossing my legs and unwrap my hair tie from my hair. “Because I don’t want to.”

“Why not?” Nancy whines.

“Will is still missing and if he was abducted, the person who took him could still be out there.”

Nancy sits up, rolling her eyes. “Oh, c’mon.”

“I’m serious, Nance.” I say, combing my fingers through my hair. The fact that they still haven’t found Will scares me. “Besides, my parents won’t let me go to a party on a school night.”

“Just tell your parents you’re sleeping over tonight.”

“They’ll know I’m lying! I don’t have any clothes to wear.”

I stand up and walk to her floor-length mirror, observing how I look. It was colder today and I feel extra cozy in my oversized baby blue sweater and matching leggings. My white socks are frilly and soft against my feet. I pull the waist band higher on my torso before fixing my hair. Nancy pushes herself to the edge of her bed watching me.

“Please? I don’t want to go by myself.”

“I’ve never lied to my parents before.”

It’s true. I haven’t. I have a really good relationship with my parents and would never want to betray their trust. I’ve heard stories of other kids getting into bad arguments with their parents, some even got kicked out of their homes. The thought of talking back to my parents was just that. A thought. I can’t imagine doing it. Mom and Dad don’t argue. At least not in front of us. Barb says I’m a goody-two shoes, but I just don’t want to ever disappoint my parents.

“You won’t be lying because when we come back from the party, you can sleepover anyways.”

I give her a look through the mirror. I refuse to lie to my parents to go to Steve Harrington’s house. It was clear he only invited Barb and I because he knows Nancy won’t come without us which puts us in a compromising position.

“Do you have any ChapStick?” I ask, brushing my fingertips against my lips.

Nancy reaches over to her nightstand and opens her drawer. She stands up from her bed and hands me the ChapStick. I pull off the cap and apply some on my lips. Nancy watches me from the mirror with her hands crossed above her chest.

“What?” I say, eying her.

“If Barb comes, will you come then?”

“Sure,” I shrug, rubbing my lips together. I know Barb doesn’t want to go either.

“Fine. I’m calling her right now.”

Nancy sits on her bed with her blue phone on her lap. She quickly punches Barbs number and picks up the receiver. On the third ring, Barb picks up. I stand with my hands on my hips waiting.

“Barb!” Nancy exclaims, looking at me. “I’m trying to convince Diana to go to Steve’s party, but she’ll only go if you go.”

I hear Barbs muffled voice. Nancy deflates.

“Told you.” I mouth. Nancy sticks out her tongue.

“C’mon Barb, please?” Nancy begs. She waits for Barb to respond. “Because I don’t want to go by myself. You’re coming, okay? I want you both there with me.”

I turn back to the mirror to fix my hair again.

“Barb, it’s not rocket science. You just tell your parents you’re gonna stay at my place afterwards.” Nancy says. “No, tell them we’re…studying or actually,” she smiles. “There’s going to be an assembly tonight for Will, tell them you’re going! That’s a better excuse. They won’t be suspicious. Di and I are going to tell our parents about it.”

My jaw drops. This can’t be happening.

“Nancy! Diana! Dinner!” Mrs. Wheeler calls.

“Coming!” Nancy and I reply.

“I’ll see you in an hour, bye.”

I am speechless as Nancy puts down the phone. She grins at me, squealing in excitement.

“I really don’t want to go, Nance.” I whine.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun!” She says, walking to her door.

I highly doubt that. I follow behind Nancy feeling a little betrayed by Barb because now I have to lie to my parents to go to a party. As I enter the hallway, I hear Mike, Dustin and my brother quietly arguing in a circle about what? I don’t know. Upon seeing me, Mike perks up waving frantically.

“Hi, Diana!”

I wave cautiously. “Hi, Mike.”

Lucas spins around, eyes wide in alarm. “What are you doing here?”

“Well hello to you too,” I mumble, wrinkling my nose at his tone.

“I’m sorry. Hi!” he greets. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m hanging out with Nancy…” I squint at him and the boys. They seem weirder than usual. More antsy and fidgety. “What’s up with you guys?”

“Nothing!” Lucas responds quickly. “We’re fine. Just really hungry, right guys?”

Mike and Dustin nod their heads in unison. My frown deepens and I look back at Nancy who rolls her eyes.

“They’re so weird,” she mutters.

Mike and my brother run past us, except Dustin who lingers, with a gummy smile on his face.

“Hi, Diana,” he greets shyly.

“Hi, Dustin.” I smile.

“You look very pretty today.”

“Aw, thank you, Dustin. I like your hat.”

His cheeks turn pink. “Thank you.”

“Please stop hitting on my sister.” Lucas hisses, standing at the top of the stairs. He scowls at Dustin. If looks could kill…

“I’m not hitting on her. I’m complimenting her.”

“Please stop complimenting my sister.”

“I can’t.” Dustin says walking past Nancy and I. “I’m a gentleman.”

“You’re gross is what you are.”

Another day. Another quiet dinner. Mrs. Wheeler made meatloaf, with mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner. I sit across from Nancy beside Mr. Wheeler. He seems to be the only person at the table enjoying his dinner. I feel bad because Mrs. Wheeler always makes good food, but I can’t stop thinking about this stupid party and the fact that I need to call my parents. I smash a green bean with my fork watching green juice ooze out in between the grooves and peer around the table. Mike, Dustin and Lucas have been weird since I saw them upstairs. Usually, they were loud and obnoxious when they’re altogether. They’ve barely said more than three words to each other since dinner started.

“Something wrong with the meatloaf?” Mrs. Wheeler asks.

“Oh, no. I had two bologna sandwiches for lunch.” Dustin answers with a smile. It slowly fades. “I don’t know why.”

“Me too.” Lucas adds, smiling politely.

I squint. Lucas told me upstairs he and the boys were hungry. I glance around the table again at their long faces. Mike looks the most dejected. I sigh inwardly, feeling sorry for the boys. Maybe the disappearance of Will was beginning to weigh down on them.

“It’s delicious, mommy.” Nancy says, though she has barely eaten as well.

“Thank you, sweetie.”

Nancy plays with her mashed potatoes. “So, there’s this special assembly thing tonight for Will at the school field. Barb’s driving.”

“Why am I just hearing about this?”

Here we go.

“I thought you knew.” Nancy says innocently.

Mrs. Wheeler shakes her head. “I told you; I don’t want you out after dark until Will is found.”

I give Nancy a pointed look. I would vocally agree with Mrs. Wheeler if I wasn’t sucked into Nancy’s plan. I still believe it’s not safe for anyone to be outside.

“I know.” Nancy agrees. “I know, but it’ll be super weird if I’m not there. I mean everyone’s going.”

Mrs. Wheeler turns her head. “Are you going, Diana?”

I quickly nod my head. “Yes, Mrs. Wheeler. My parents said I could.” I lie. I hate how easy it feels.

Mrs. Wheeler is quiet for a moment and I am waiting for her to burst out yelling at us for lying to her. Instead, she sighs shaking her head.

“Just be back by 10:00pm.”

Nancy smiles. The little food in my stomach turns to lead, but I force a smile on my face.

“Why don’t you take the boys, too?”

“No!” The boys shout.

“Mmm-mmm,” Lucas hums, shaking his head.

It’s the most life I’ve seen in them all dinner. Nancy and I look at each other and then the boys. My brow arches in suspicion and I watch Mike reach for his glass of milk.

Mrs. Wheeler’s eyes widen in disbelief. “Don’t you think you should be there? For Will?”

All of a sudden, Mike is blowing milk all over himself and Dustin is slamming his fists against the table. Lucas looks like he just saw a ghost. Holly is crying. Nancy is annoyed with Dustin for making Holly cry. Mrs. Wheeler looks taken aback but is too distracted by Holly to ask any questions. I’m trying to wrap my head around what happened and Mr. Wheeler is still in his own world enjoying his dinner.

NEXT -> PART III

#stranger things rewrite #black fem reader #stranger things fic #stranger things #dianasinclair #eddie munson x black!reader #steve harrington x black!reader #sinclair!reader #eddie munson x female reader #steve harrington x fem!reader #eddie munson fanfic #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington x sinclair!reader #eddie munson x sinclair!reader

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darknessawaits28 · 1 month ago

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Escape From Rapture {Bioshock Series} Part 2

Hello my lovies! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend! I wanted to give yall another different story that was requested. It will be based on the Bioshock universe with a little bit of a twist. Here is Part 2, Part 3 will be released soon. Thank you lovies for being patient, and so sorry for taking so long in releasing this next part. Hopefully you enjoy my lovies! Thank you all for your love and support! Stay awesome! :3 :3

The storyline was provided by @tim-ribbert-56, make sure to give them a follow! :3

Storyline:

So I got an interesting multi part story in the bioshock universe set two years before the events of the first bioshock

So set in 1958, the multi part story focuses on a woman called Susan who's been hiding ever sense raptured had fallen its been difficult for her especially trying to avoid splicers she hides in the luxury swimming area where she's been using it has a sort of make shift hide out

One day, she comes across a plasmid that she has never even heard of before the shrink plasmid it allows the user to shrink at will to any size they choose from the size of a doll to the size of a child or mouse. She's a little unsure if she wants to use it as she knows the effect plasmids have on humans, but she hasn't had her food supply, which has been low, and she's very hungry has her stomach growls so reluctantly she jabs the plasmid into herself as her body feels strange at first nothing happens but then she begins to shrink in a spurts as her swimsuit feels until she's the size of a doll buried under her swimsuit

She's amazed that the plasmid even worked and eats the now large food around her she tests to see if she can be returned to normal size, which works but the process takes time as she's now the size of a little sister still she's happy with the results

Over the next few days, she uses her shrinking abilities to her heart content as she uses it to sleep on a large pillow, wear children's clothes, and grow back if she ever has back pain however she notices she's been having nose bleeds which starts to worry her so when she reads the label sayings "warning this product has not been tested yet" which horrifies her as she just realised she inadvertently poisoned herself the label reads "Made by Dr Carol" she then heads off to find this Dr Carol and hopefully find a cure however things will gey very scary and complicated for her

Part 2: Side Tracked

With that completed, Susan walked out of the small garden, looking at the sign beside her that read Honey Alcoves is through here. “Let’s go see Samantha then, hopefully she isn’t hopped up on honey and tries to murder me like Katherine just did.”

“Susan….Susan can you read me?” Diana called through the radio.

“Yeah, yeah, I can read you loud and clear Diana” Susan spoke through her radio once she was able to pull it out of her pouch.

“Great, were you able to give the hypo to Katherine?”

“Yes, she proved to be difficult, but I was able to subdue her and inject her” Susan glanced from around the corner, making sure that there weren’t any splicers or possible surveillance cameras.

“I’m glad, did you send her my way?”

“Yes I did, now I’m approaching Samatha, talk to you soon, over and out” Susan hung up the radio as she slowly entered the honey alcoves, seeing bees buzzing about and honey dripping from the ceilings. “Samatha, Diana sent me to give you the hypo.”

“Diana…..” a horace voice spoke out.

“Samatha, yes, Diana sent me, where are you?”

“B-By the wall….”.

Susan, quickly turning around, headed towards the corner wall, gasping at the sight of Samatha, covered in beeswax, bees, and honey. “What happened to you?”

“My body…c-couldn’t withstand the……amount of Adam that the insect swarm contained…so….I was soon overwhelmed with honey dripping out of my veins….and then….my skin began to turn into beeswax.” “I tried to reach Diana but….I couldn’t…”.

“Wait, so you weren’t hopped up on honey?”

“Well I was before….. because the insect swarm forced me to down countless jars of honey to sustain its power.” “But I didn’t see the horrible side effects that were happening to my body.” “Please…you have to help me.”

“Okay, okay, I…I need to inject this into your body.”

“That’s going to prove difficult, the bees won’t allow you near me….I’m technically a hive for them.”

“So then what do you propose?” Susan questioned as she pulled away from her, not wanting to get any closer to her because those bees sure would pack a punch if she got stung by them.

“There are five levers here, if you can switch them all on, then maybe I can push the bees aside and you’ll be able to inject the hypo into me.” “But be wary, some of those levers are covered in bees, you’re going to have to unfortunately use one of the smoke plasmids in the office.” “The code is 4562.”

“Use a plasmid…but uh….I-” Susan gulped, not wanting to dip her finger in those plasmids. “But what if I run…and-”

“You won’t be able to make it…trust me…there were splicers here trying to do the same…and they all failed…”.

Susan sighed in anguish, nodding to her, and then quickly rushing towards the office, looking around for a safe.

“Oh, there it is,” Susan smiled as she kneeled down and began to input the code. Once the code was imputed, she opened the safe, grabbing the black plasmid that lay within.

“Oh Jesus, I swear if this infects me with some virus or whatever, I’m going to kill Diana” she sighed, grabbing an empty hypo that she carried in her pouch, jabbed it into the top of the plasmid, sucked up enough, pulled it out, and then jabbed the hypo her arm. Suddenly, a loud gasp escaped Susan’s lips as her eyes darkened, the power of the smoke plasmid flowing through her veins.

“Easy Susan…easy” she tried to calm herself down. Once she was able to fully control herself, she stood from the ground, looking at her right hand to see her veins were completely black, the liquid smoke plasmid had fully spread throughout her body.

“Alright, five levers, how hard could that be” Susan cockily said, exiting the office and heading back into the honey alcoves.

“Woah, okay, bees, now…you’re going to let me pass okay” Susan spoke to the angry bees that swarmed the first switch. Without warning, her eyes darkened again, extending out her right hand to fire a cloud of smoke at the bees, instantly calming them. “There you go” she giggled, approaching the switch and flipping it easily, one area of the honey alcoves being engulfed in the calming smoke. “One down, four to go.”

Within minutes, Susan was at the last switch, readying herself to use the smoke plasmid but heard a loud growl.

“What in the world?” She questioned confused like, ignoring the growl and using her smoke plasmid to calm the bees in front of her. With the last pull of the switch, the entire honey alcoves was engulfed in the smoke. Readying herself to head back to Samantha, she felt something sticky dripping onto her.

“What the?” Susan questioned yet again, wiping the sticky honey (hopefully it was honey) that laid upon her shoulder. Another loud growl could be heard echoing along Susan’s ears, enticing her to slowly look up before her.

“Oh dear-” she nearly screamed as she saw a hive splicer slowly awakening due to the tremendous amounts of smoke that filled the air in the honey alcoves.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Susan quickly rushed out of the area where the lever was, tripping and falling onto her side.

The hive splicer roared in anger, its body falling onto the ground with ease, “Come here girly” the creature growled angrily as it readied itself to fight Susan.

“Oh come on, I thought this was going to be easy!” she growled angrily, knowing for a fact that Diana was going to have to repay her ten-fold after she was done finding the last two poisoned individuals.

Susan, ducking behind a corner, reloaded her shotgun, breathing in and out slowly. With quick movements she shot at the hive splicer, and then used her smoke to make a hasty escape. “I’m coming Samatha…just hold on…” she whispered to herself, continuing to run as fast as she could because she did not want to face this enormous creature; because her shotgun barely made a dent into that thing.

“Where did you go girly?” the monster chuckled hungrily, beginning to stomp its way around the honey alcoves in search of Susan.

“You did it!” Samatha said happily when she saw Susan approaching her. “What’s wrong?” she later asked in worry.

“There’s a hive splicer roaming the area, we have to get out of here as quickly as possible because I am not fighting that thing.”

“Alright, well, I’m ready when you are.”

Susan nodded at her, quickly grabbing the syringe from her pouch, moved some of the beeswax that was her skin and found a perfect area to inject the serum. Within seconds, Samantha quickly returned to her normal self. “There you go.”

“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” Samantha nearly cried as she stood from the ground to stretch out her legs.

“Of course, now let’s go…but quietly to not alert that splicer”

Shortly after, they both were out of the honey alcoves safely. “Diana’s that way, can you make it on your own?”

“Yes, thank you again.” “But where will you go?” Samantha questioned curiously.

“Oh, I need to find two more individuals poisoned with Adam and then I can finally return back to Diana.”

“Well I wish you luck and be safe.”

“Thank you Samantha, you as well” Susan nodded, quickly rushing away towards the Devil’s den to find Mark Hambil.

The Devil’s Den, a surprisingly decent area, not entirely full of splicers but left with the memories of loved ones that came here to Rapture full of hopes and dreams .

“Hello?” Susan called, heading inside the lounge area that oddly had a bar. “Hm, maybe he’s in there, gods, I hope he isn’t too far along.” Just beyond her, there was a lone man, sitting at the bar, downing what seems like to be another bottle of whiskey. Gathering all her strength, she approached the man, having a seat on one of the bar stools. “Are you Mark Hambil?”

The man sighed deeply, downing his whiskey like there was no tomorrow. “Who’s asking?”

“I’m Susan, Diana sent me to give you the cure to your Adam poisoning.”

“Heh, Diana…..I haven’t seen that bitch in a while…must’ve thought she had forgotten me.”

“Well she hasn’t, she’s just been incredibly busy with creating those Adam plants that give her the ability to cure people of this poison.” “Here let me just give you the dose and-”

“Will it work?” Mark questioned.

“Yes, it will, I have already given two others this dose and they seem good as new.”

“Please don’t lie to me….I can’t….I can’t continue living like this…” Mark tried to contain his tears as he finished the bottle of whiskey.

“I’m not lying, I assure you, this cure will wo-” Susan instantly went quiet at the sight of Mark when he turned to face her. His face was completely disfigured, his eyes looked sunken in, and his head looked close to baldness.

“I know….I look terrible…..you do not want to see what’s underneath this suit.” “This suit is keeping me alive, my skin is deteriorating as we speak.” “My bones are practically showing.”

Hearing his voice almost break at the thought of his body deteriorating brought a slight tear to her eyes, “I’m so sorry, but let’s fix that right away” she held back the frog in her throat as she grabbed the hypo from her pouch and stood from the barstool. “Where can I inject this?”

“Right here” Mark pointed to the top of his hand that was exposed, thankfully it wasn’t showing bones just yet.

Within seconds, Susan injected the hypo into his skin, filling him with the cure. Slowly pulling away, she waited for the changes to happen, hopefully curing him. Yet, her smile faded when she saw that his face didn’t return back to normal. “What, but, how, it worked for the others…but-”

Mark smiled softly, tears beginning to drip down his cheeks, “I knew my poison was too far along….Diana took too long.”

“No, no, no, don’t lose hope, I can…I-I can call Diana….tell her to make a stronger dose and…it will help you!”

Mark shook his head as he placed his exposed hand onto Susan’s shoulder, trying to reassure her, “Do not worry about me.” “I’ll be okay.” “I….I will finally be able to see my family again.” “I was just hoping that maybe I could live for a little while longer to get out of this city and then die in peace above the surface.” “But it looks like that I will be dying here in Rapture, the underwater city that took everything from me.”

“Please….I-I can help” Susan sniffled, more tears dripping down her cheeks, feeling horrible that she couldn’t even save this man’s life that had been suffering longer than her.

“Tell Diana that I’m free, that….I’ll be with my wife and babygirl…” Mark breathed out softly, pulling his hand away from her shoulder, standing from the bar stool, walked over to the booth, and then sat down. His head slowly turned to view the outside city, watching as the fishes swam by him, his eyes feeling heavy with sleep.

Susan approached the booth, sliding into the seat that was in front of him, wanting to be with him in his final moments. “I wish you the best Mark.”

“T-Thank….you…” he breathed heavily, his eyes slowly closing as his body slouched back.

Susan wiped the tears away with her sleeve, looking out at the city, anger slowly building up within her. This city has also taken so much from her. If she had the power, she would bomb it to hell and bury it, so that no one else could suffer the horror that everyone here had endured for so long. Opening up her pouch, she grabbed her radio, calling Diana.

“Hey Diana.”

“Hey Susan, everything alright?”

“No actually, Mark has sadly passed away, the cure that you gave me did nothing to him.”

Silence was heard from the other end of the radio when Diana heard her.

“Nothing to say hmm, you were too late in saving him!” Susan shouted.

“Susan please, do not shout at me as if it was my fault.” “I tried to do as much as I could, it was not my fault that he kept dipping into the plasmids.” “It was his own fault that he couldn’t protect his wife and child from those…” Diana gasped as she realized the words she spoke.

“It wasn’t his fault then, he was using plasmids to save his family and he couldn’t because this city is hell, that’s what!” “I’m done being your puppet Diana, you are going after the last individual.” “When I get back to your lab, you better have found the location of that shrinking plasmid and big daddy suit, or I swear I will make your life a living hell before I leave this city.” Quickly as she could, she hung up the radio, putting it back in her pouch, not wanting to hear her nagging.

In no time, Susan returned to the garden district, a deep sigh escaping her lips as she saw the lab in front of her. “I hope she found it” she whispered to herself, slowly walking towards the sliding doors but gasping when she was pulled back by some force.

“What in the world?” she asked with curiosity as she tried to approach once again but was pulled away.

“No, Diana couldn’t have?” “She wouldn’t.”

“No, she wouldn’t, but I would” A husky voice whispered against her ear, causing Susan to jump back in fear.

“W-Who the hell is there?!”

“I’ve been watching you darling, you are quite the fighter.” “Those splicers aren’t easy to take down, especially one hopped up on plasmids.”

“You’re Jonathan Law, aren’t you?” Susan quickly grabbed her shotgun, readying herself to fight if necessary.

“In the flesh.” “And those toys you have tucked away won’t help you darling, trust me, Diana did the same and failed” Jonathan chuckled deviously.

“Well show your face then and I’m sure that my shotgun can easily hit you” Susan huffed, trying to push her back against a wall to get a 180 scope of the area.

“You can try” he laughed as he made an appearance and made a ball of fire appear in his hand.

“Oh shit!” Susan screamed as she ducked down when the fire hit the wall behind her. With a quick jolt of her head, she looked up, seeing that he was gone. “Diana!” She shouted, rushing towards the lab and entering it.

“Susan, what the hell, why….are you okay?” Diana gasped as she set down her petri dishes and quickly rushed towards her aid.

“No, I’m not okay, Jonathan is out there, throwing fireballs at me!” “I nearly died!”

“Oh that bastard, he’s always the hardest to get.” “Listen, I know you hate my guts right now for what I said through the radio before, but help me take him down, and I promise I will personally show you the things that you want.” “What do you say?”

Susan, glancing back at the doors that led outside, and then back at Diana, nodded. “Fine, but you had better have my back.”

“I always do,” Diana smiled, grabbing her tinkered shotgun and loading it with special shells.

With quick movements, Susan and Diana headed out of the lab, pushing their backs against each other to have a full scope of the area, wanting to see if they saw any bend in the light.

“Do you see anything Susan?”

“Nothing Diana.”

“Oh wow, look at what we have here, the duo of a century” Jonathan laughed, scurrying about around them, making sure that he couldn’t be seen by them.

“There!” Susan shouted, as she shot her shotgun in the general location where she saw the bend of light. “Dammit, this isn’t going to work…unless” she gasped as she realized that she still had the smoke plasmid she got from the honey alcoves. “Diana, put your goggles on, I have an idea.”

Diana quickly pulled on her goggles, wondering what in the world Susan was going to do, hopefully nothing too electrical.

Within seconds, Susan waved her hand, smoke engulfing the entire area they were in.

“Argh, where the hell are you bitches?” Jonathan growled as he made himself visible, trying to see through the wall of smoke that laid before him. “Come now, you are using cheap tactics, confront me head on and I might just spare you-” a loud gasp escaped his lips as he felt something pierce his chest. “Y-You bitch…” he hoarsely breathed out.

“I wonder how you are going to hurt others now Jonathan” Diana chuckled, pulling out the hypo from his chest and then tossing it aside.

Susan panted heavily as she approached the two, chuckling at the sight of Jonathan falling to his knees. “So, he’s going to return to normal?”

“No, the serum that I injected into him will make him docile as a baby.” “He won’t be able to move any part of his body for the time being as I finish experimenting on him.”

Susan chuckled, shaking her head at how twisted Diana was, but ultimately did not question her because this man seriously needed a reality check after all the harm he has done and who knows what else.

“Do you need help in dragging him away?”

“No Susan, you’ve done more than I can bargain for.” “Let me show you what you want.”

“Hey, so you’re just going to leave me here on my knees?” Jonathan growled.

“Yes, and if you’re a good boy, I might be gentle with you when I am injecting my experimental plants inside of you.”

“Shit” Jonathan sighed in anguish, wishing that they would’ve just killed him.

In no time, Susan and Diana were both at a Gatherer’s Garden. “So there is a shrinking plasmid in there, all you have to do is nab it.” “I would be cautious because not many have tested it before.” “The big daddy suit however, is right down that hallway.” “It’s just sitting there in a locker, it has the helmet, suit, boots, and gloves.”

“Wow, Diana, that is amazing, how did you know all this?” Susan said ecstatically

“Well, while you were out curing those individuals, I asked around, and surprisingly they just had these lying around.”

“Thank you Diana, for everything” Susan smiled, pulling her into a hug.

Diana, taken aback by her hug, stood there in disbelief, but ultimately gave in to the warm embrace. “Don’t forget about us when you go up there, okay.”

“I won’t, thank you again Diana.”

Diana pulled away slowly, giving her one last nod before she left to head back to her lab.

As Diana left, Susan approached the Gatherer’s Garden machine, grabbing the shrink potion and taking a long breath in.

“Here goes nothing” she worriedly spoke, grabbing enough of the plasmid and then injecting herself with it. When the plasmid flowed through her veins, she felt strange, almost like her bones were shifting within her.

“Argh” She groaned, gripping onto the machine before she felt her vision becoming blurry.

“I got this…I got this…”. “Let’s try this out” she waved her hand, trying to make herself shrink because nothing happened.

“What the?” “I said shrink!” she nearly shouted, but nothing happened.

“Damn….I knew Diana was acting too nice…now how the hell am I going to get past those rocks” she sighed angrily, walking cautiously away from the machine towards the locker where the suit was.

Without her knowledge, her body had gradually shrunk, making her a foot smaller than before. “Okay, suit, gloves, helmet, shoes…and…wait..” she noticed how she was smaller than usual. “What in the world, I swear I was a foot taller?”

“Well, hopefully by the time I get to the barrier I will have shrunk enough” she shook her head, putting the necessary items in her backpack that Diana had generously given her before she left and headed off to the blocked area where bathysphere was.

#bioshock infinite #bioshock #brigid tenenbaum #bioshock 2 #jack wynand #blasphemous #andrew ryan #would you kindly #video games #gaming #videogame #games #fypシ #short story

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falling-turtle · 11 months ago

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University of Illyria - a university subhood for Veronaville

For centuries, the famed university of Illyria has been heralded as one of the biggest centers of literature and culture. What will it offer to new generations of Sims? As I promised, here it finally is! A university subhood for Veronaville with Sims inspired by Shakespeare's plays so you can enjoy more Shakespeare in your neighborhood!

Features: 5 households with 8 students in total, based on Shakespeare's plays Twelfth Night and All's Well That Ends Well, all complete with relationships, memories, skills, bios and hobby enthusiasm. 3 dorms, 7 residential lots and 8 community lots. Community lots are fully furnished while with residential lots I left lots of opportunities for you to clutter them with your own cc.

The neighborhood name when you download it is UILL so make sure you don't have another university by that name already. The neighborhood is built on the Three Lakes Template so you shouldn't need a camera mod to see all the lots. Because of the way subhoods work in Sims 2, the names of professors, dormies and other NPCs will be randomized when you add the university to your neighborhood. I included a folder with more Shakespeare-sounding names for your NPCs if you want them for more "Shakespeare immersion" but don't want to come up with them yourself. You can use SimPe to change the names.

Mods that you WILL need: 50 new lifetime wants by Lamare Fix subhood selection by Mootilda Lifestyle Build Bundle (the second link in the top post; extracted from Lifestyle Stories by Argon) Bespoke Build Set by Honeywell Sweetening Fruit Nectar Bar Recolors (ALWoodColours only) and pcsims_smb Seasons Kiosk and More MM Recolours (recolors only) by Michelle

Recommended mods:

Veronaville 2.0 by Delijume is what I prefer to play instead of the original Veronaville, so if you want even more Shakespeare than what the original Veronaville + my university gives you, I recommend you check it out! Veronaville 2.0 also includes a university, in the "English" style so I modeled my university more after the "Italian" style so it'd complement Delijume's. I also created the playables so that they wouldn't "clash" with any of those from Veronaville 2.0

Little Stratford by me, a shopping district also created for Veronaville for even more Shakespeare!

DOWNLOAD

Meet the students at the University of Illyria!

Orsino is trying to win the heart of his beloved Olivia, but maybe there is somebody else close by whose heart he already won?

While at university, Olivia is trying to focus on her studies and leave the partying and dating to others. But will Orsino's new roommate change those plans?

Sebastian hasn't talked to his sister Viola in a long time. Will there be a joyful reunion once the siblings see each other again?

After being dumped by her boyfriend, Helen followed him to the university he's enrolled at with one goal: get him back! Her best friend Diana is fully on board with the plan. Will they be successful?

Bertram and Parolles intend to enjoy their college life to the fullest. Will they also manage to mantain their good grades? And is Parolles truly a bad influence on Bertram?

Thank you for checking this out! Side note: I ran into some bugs while testing the neighborhood. I'm pretty sure they are ironed out now and the university is working exactly as intended but please let me know if anything seems amiss.

#sims 2 #sims 2 veronaville #sims 2 custom hood #veronaville #ts2 #ts2 university #sims 2 university #sims2subhood

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xxx-inhibitionless-xxx · 5 months ago

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Chapter 48 : Day Three ( Matt & Alex part 2 )

As they pulled in Matt’s driveway, Alex told Matt, hurry up and I’ll give you a ride to work too.

Thanks man, Matt replied, that’ll be awesome. Aaron usually does, but obviously that’s not going to happen. Okay, hang tight, I’ll be right back, Matt said as he raced in the house to get cleaned up and change as fast as he could. He felt the need to rush, worried that Alex might think less of him if he took too long.

Even though they had all known each other for a short amount of time, just a few days as a matter of fact, Matt still felt a similar kind of bond with Alex as he did with his closest friends Aaron and Brian. A bond he felt he did not want to test the limits of right off the bat by making Alex have to wait for him.

To Matt’s relief Alex was still in the car waiting and talking on the phone when Matt emerged from his house. Holy shit, Alex exclaimed interrupting his own conversation, are you secretly the flash or something. It’s been like ten minutes, how the hell did you get ready so fast ? What did you do, speed wank ?

More like twenty minutes, Matt explained as he got in the car blushing at Alex’s reference to and apparent awareness of the fact that Matt did indeed take care of business as he got ready. I didn’t want you to have to wait too long.

No problem buddy, you didn’t have to rush, Alex assured Matt as he returned to his call, hey, let me let you go, I need to drop a friend off at work and then I’ll be in. Okay, Alex continued talking on the phone, be there in a bit. I have no idea who would ask for me specifically, Alex addressed Matt noticing that he looked like he didn’t have a clue what Alex was referring too as he started to explain, apparently the whole reason I got called in is that someone called in a catering order and asked for me specifically for delivery.

You won’t be late because of me will you, Matt asked, worried that he would be the cause of Alex getting in trouble with this job. No, it’s not until a little later anyway, we’ve got plenty of time, Alex replied trying to ease Matt’s concern. What about you, what time did you have to be to work ?

Just when I get there I guess, Matt answered. When I talked to my mom this morning, she just said that Diana had called and asked if I could work today. When I work Saturday’s it’s usually at 1:30 so I’m guessing then.

Oh, well then, Alex interjected, we’ve got some time if you want to grab some food.

That would be great, Matt exclaimed, I’m starving. Matt’s stomach rumbled at just that moment, indicating that it noticed the mention of food and wanted attention. I don’t think I’ve eaten since before yesterday, Matt responded in amazement as the sudden realization occurred to him.

Well, if you’re up for pizza, Alex elaborated, we can kill two birds with one stone. We can swing by Bruno’s, referring to the pizza joint he delivered for, so I can go get more details on what this gig is all about I got called in for and get you some grub at the same time. Then it’s just a straight shot to get you to work then I’ll drop back by and get ready myself.

Sounds good to me, Matt indicated with a thumbs up gesture, besides, you guys have the best pizza ever.

Once they got to Bruno’s, Alex hooked Matt up with a whole pizza loaded with his favorite toppings as he talked with his boss about the delivery gig he got called in for. His boss told him he didn’t have many details right now so Alex joined Matt for a slice of pizza before they headed out to drop Matt off at work.

As they drove, Alex filled Matt in on what little information he did find out. Apparently, Alex detailed, it’s a couple jobs all in one. It’s like a series of deliveries to a few different places but all the same order. I don’t know, but it’s certainly not the most bizarre delivery I’ve ever had.

Which was what, Matt inquired, come on, you brought it up, now you have to tell me.

Okay, okay, Alex relented, but you have to promise not to tell the others, they don’t know, I’ve never told them.

#enm stripped humiliation #enmstory #enm #forced nudity #cmnm

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rose-of-oz · 1 year ago

Note

your turn!!!!! Tell me fun facts abt one of your ocs please!!!!!

Oh, Leaf, you absolutely did not have to send one back, thank you (😭). I'm gonna talk about one of my DC Comics OCs, Donnie, because I really don't get to talk about him a lot! Thank you again!! <3

Donnie was stolen from the hospital as a baby as part of an experiment by a group of rogue government scientists who wanted to create a living weapon they could use to wreak havoc on any threats. Even before he could walk, he was subjected to tests and half a million needle pricks from syringes full of strange substances, and the cinder brick walls of the facility where he was kept were all he knew for the longest time.

As a result of these experiments, Donnie has enhanced strength, speed, endurance, and senses, even greater than that of an Olympic athlete, as well as being highly trained in almost every form of combat and weapon you could think of.

But he refused to be used as a weapon, and the night before he was supposed to go out on his first "mission," he escaped the clutches of the people who'd made him what he was, hiding in plain sight in downtown Washington, D.C., and working as an IT consultant, just trying to keep his head down and avoid being caught by the scientists searching for their lost experiment.

Eventually, though, after hearing all the reports of Wonder Woman saving people all over D.C. and globally with the Justice League, he can't ignore the call to use his skills for good anymore and takes to Washington's streets as a vigilante called Sentinel - which is how he meets the Amazon who inspired him in the first place and, eventually, falls in love with her.

Due to his enhanced hearing, Donnie can always hear someone's heart speed up when they're lying, and this is a skill he definitely uses in his everyday life, even if he can only ever say he's "just got a sense for it".

He's always eager to try new foods and media he hasn't experienced before, since he didn't get to do much of anything growing up in the facility - so far since getting out, he really likes sci-fi movies and Thai food.

Despite all his fighting skill, he can't so much as do a cartwheel - he was trained for strength and force, not agility.

His first kiss with Diana is one of those classic "Person A is patching up Person B's wounds and scolding them before being so reckless before admitting they can't lose Person B and then they both lean in" kisses, and it's beautiful.

Donnie can't sing worth a lick, but that never stops him from trying to croon along when a song comes on that he really likes.

There's a stray cat that lives in the alleyway behind his apartment that he always leaves food out for. She doesn't technically have a name, but he always calls her Buttercup, after the main character in the first movie he ever watched.

#asks about my ocs #oc: donnie carver

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brandi-underwood · 6 months ago

Text

PARADISE

A One Act Play

By Brandi Underwood

The stage is a glimpse of paradise. Hawaiian beach dock. Waves crashing. Pristine ocean air, pure enough to heal the soul. So at least the pamphlet of the all inclusive resort says. We hear a voice mail response.

DAVID (V.O) Hi, you've reached David. Sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you when I can.

Diana, a middle aged, single ambitious woman, with a body that makes it obvious she has never had kids. Her attitude and way she holds herself also shows that. She enters onto the dock, holding her cellphone up to her ear.

DIANA Hi, umm so yeah… So I don’t really do this kind of thing. Calling or really just being great with anyone. I don’t mean like I’ve never been with anyone in the way everyone thinks…. That’s not what I meant… I’ve been with plenty of men– but what I mean to say was I didn’t even want to go on this stupid retreat. So the reason I was calling was because I wanted to say thank you for yesterday. David… I can’t tell you how much it meant to me…

(DIANA exits. DAVID enters. On the phone during a different moment in time then DIANA, before he ever met her.)

DAVID Carol, what’s going on with Dad?... Yes of course, it’s everywhere on the news now… No, I don't know when the resort is going to end its shelter in place. I think it’s more like a government mandated thing… Did dad get tested when they admitted him into the hospital? (Beat.) Just please let me know as soon as the results get it. How is he?

(DAVID exits. After a moment, DIANA enters. She slips off her sandals and hangs her feet over the edge of the dock. She takes a deep breath taking off the masks around her face. Also metaphorically taking off the mask she wears in front of others. DAVID reenters behind her noticing her. He is wearing a mask. David contemplates approaching her.)

DAVID Would you like some company?

(DIANA jumps out of her skin. DAVID stays a good distance away.)

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to–

DIANA It’s alright…

DAVID Do you mind if I join you?

DIANA Why?

DAVID (confused by the response) Why?

DIANA Yeah…

DAVID Just because… I don’t know… Who responds with “why”?

DIANA I’m just on edge. I came down here to get away.

DAVID I get it… so is it alright if I…?

DIANA You could just sit down. I mean as long as you stay six feet away I guess. Everyone’s freaked out… not that it’s not for good reasons…

DAVID I just wanted to make sure it was alright.

(DAVID sits.)

DIANA I’ll just leave if I don’t feel like the company… That’s what someone would normally do?

DAVID Makes sense…

DIANA Do you know when they are going to let us leave?

DAVID No clue…

DIANA (abrasive) Great. I can’t get any real answers from anyone around here!

DAVID I think everyone is just trying to manage.

DIANA (a bit softer) Right…

(Uncomfortable, DIANA gets up, gathers her things and exits. DAVID takes a deep breath trying to relieve the pressure in his shoulders. The ocean waves clap against the deck. He looks down at his phone seeing he missed a call. He calls back his sister.)

AUTOMATED VOICE MAIL RESPONSE

You’re reached the voicemail of CAROL MEEKS… Please leave a message at the tone.

DAVID Carol, I just saw your message. Call me as soon as you can! What happens now that he’s tested positive?

(He’s getting another call. It’s Carol calling him back. He picks up.)

Hey, I was just leaving you a message. So what did the doctors say about his COPD? I know that makes him a higher risk… Why do you think I’m freaking out so much!

(calming down)

Okay, I’m calm. I’m good. What did the doctors say?

(BEAT.)

How long will he have to be on the ventilator?... Okay, call me back when you can. Bye…

(Lights shift. Day turns to night. DAVID sits out all night and into the next morning. DIANA enters. Seeing DAVID she turns to leave… DAVID notices.)

Sorry if I took over your spot.

DIANA It’s not mine. I just like to come down here… alone…

DAVID Right. Sorry. I’ll leave you in peace…

DIANA (noticing his clothes) Have you been out here all night?

(DAVID turns to go.)

DAVID Have a good one…

DIANA Have you heard anything?

DAVID (annoyed) I still don’t know when we are gonna get to leave–

DIANA Don’t do that.

DAVID Do what?

DIANA Speak like you know I was already gonna complain or bitch about–

DAVID I’m sorry…

(DAVID again turns to leave.)

DIANA Sit with me for a bit?

(DAVID goes back and sits. Hanging his feet off the dock. DIANA and DAVID take off their masks. )

I come down here to find some sense of normalcy. This is the one and only place where if you close your eyes and feel the breeze, it can almost make you forget what’s happening.

DAVID Everywhere else in the resort you’re required to wear a mask, and the lobby is flooded with people trying to find a way to leave. To get back home. To their families…

DIANA I didn’t mean to seem so off putting yesterday.

DAVID It’s fine.

DIANA Everyone says that to me…

DAVID Maybe it’s just a reaction.

DIANA Maybe.

DAVID So… have you enjoyed quarantining in paradise?

DIANA I enjoyed it the two weeks before all this happened. Now everything just feels like it’s on pause. My life. My work. It’s hard to get used to.

DAVID Do you have any family with you?

DIANA No…

DAVID I’m sure they miss you and are worried about you.

DIANA (avoiding) What about you?

DAVID I have family back home.

DIANA You’re not staying here with anyone?

DAVID Nope. Flying solo for this trip—

DIANA Why?

DAVID You certain do love that word!

DIANA Sorry.

DAVID A year ago, I lost someone close to me…

DIANA I’m so sorry…

DAVID It’s okay.

DIANA What a terrible time to mourn the anniversary of someone’s death…

DAVID (confused) The person’s still alive.

DIANA (equally confused) You lost-

DAVID This time last year my fiancé broke off our engagement.

DIANA Oh—

DAVID I took this trip as a kind of a restart. I was finally in a good place mentally, and I wanted to celebrate…

DIANA I’m sorry. I feel like an idiot sometimes. Say the completely inappropriate thing at the most inconvenient time. Most of the time it only happens in non-work situations.

DAVID So what do you do?

DIANA I’m a VP of a big advertising firm in New York.

DAVID Seems like it’s a pretty high pressure job?

DIANA Only if you can’t handle it…

DAVID Does that change the fact it’s high pressure?

DIANA No. It just makes it easier for you to filter it on a day to day basis. It’s like being an Olympic athlete. If you see anyone who reaches their late fifties and is still in the game, they either have found a fluffy position where they can manipulate the game or really don’t have any influence to where their job practically means nothing because they do nothing. It’s all the young VP’s who take on the brunt of the work.

DAVID Do you live in the city?

DIANA I have a place in Soho.

DAVID New York’s a hot bed right now.

DIANA Yeah, it makes me feel like I’m in this even weirder limbo. I want to get back to the city and back to my life, but if and when I get back, it’s just gonna be the same scenario… What do you do?

DAVID I build houses.

DIANA That’s handy… So you’re the rugged type…. Most other contractors I’ve met fit that description…

DAVID Not everyone is the same.

DIANA

To be honest, I’ve never met someone who builds houses for a living. Where you from?

DAVID Missouri.

DIANA Got it. Not the east coast…

DAVID Far from it.

DIANA Yeah—

DAVID Are people different on the east coast?

DIANA It’s like a whole different world. But mostly just a different vibe…

DAVID I’m sure they still build houses on the east coast…

DIANA Of course–

DAVID So what brought you here?

DIANA (avoiding the question) Just felt like it.

DAVID A workaholic like you just randomly takes a vacation?

DIANA I didn’t say I was a workaholic?

DAVID When you mentioned your work it sounded like you’re obsessed with it. Like you would rather be working than being anywhere else.

DIANA There is a difference between devotion and obsession.

(DIANA gets up to leave.)

DAVID I didn’t mean–

DIANA No, but you assumed.

(DIANA exits leaving DAVID alone. DAVID gets up reflecting on the moment and exits. Lights shift. It’s later that night. DIANA enters back wearing a silk robe. She calls Charlie, her boss, on her phone.)

Charlie, I can’t take this anymore. I’ll get on any flight and get back to the city… No… I’ve taken this time away very seriously and have reflected on what I need to in order to become a better leader and person, but now I think I’m ready to come back to the firm… What do you mean?

(DIANA steps back and turns away. DAVID steps up now on the phone in a different time and space.)

DAVID I’m hanging on… How’s Dad? Any updates on when he might get taken off the ventilator. Okay… what kind of treatment are they talking about? I’ve heard they are thinking about antibody plasma… is that a similar thing?

(DAVID steps back and turns away. DIANA turns around still on the phone with CHARLIE.)

DIANA What do you mean? I was told when I agreed to the temporary leave that my position was not under threat. That I would still have my job to come back to? So what has changed? (Beat.) What review are you talking about? Did they review what happened without me even being there to defend my case? Charlie, how could you let them do that? You have the power to say no to that sort of review… I don’t care if… you can’t let them do this to me! I’ve given my life to this company, and what am I gonna do now with everything going on!?

(CHARLIE hands up the phone.)

Charlie?! Charlie?

(DIANA takes a moment to realize she just was let go from her job, and with that realization, along with everything else, she begins to cry. She sits at the end of the dock. She sits there for a moment and then DAVID enters.)

DAVID Everything okay?

DIANA Please leave me alone. I don’t want to talk to anyone right now.

DAVID I’ll just sit here then.

DIANA Did you not hear what I said?

DAVID I heard you…

(DIANA and DAVID just sit. DIANA crying subsides. They just stare off looking at the ocean.)

DIANA I wanted to sail across the ocean when I was younger…

DAVID Why didn’t you?

DIANA It was just a crazy dream. I wanted to write a book and I don’t know why I haven’t yet. I wanted to do a lot of things, but they were put on a shelf, in order to pursue a career I thought was worth putting at a higher priority…

DAVID It’s not too late to still make those things happen.

DIANA I’ve wasted the last ten years of my life placing my dreams out of sight and out of mind… I don’t know if anything is worthy of me to even try.

(DAVID notices that something had to trigger this in DIANA.)

Do you think this is all just divine retribution? Like have we done something wrong?

DAVID No.

DIANA How could you be so sure?

DAVID Because fear makes us see things that aren’t really there. It can make us believe lies are the truth.

DIANA So now you’re a philosopher? I thought you built houses for a living…

DAVID Look I can leave if you’re just going to make fun of me–

DIANA I was fired.

DAVID I’m sorry…

DIANA You don’t have to feel sorry for me–

DAVID Why do you do that?

DIANA Do what?

DAVID You take all the emotional responsibility– People can feel for you, and they can help you carry the weight of it. If you would just let them for once!

DIANA I do that to not have to rely on anyone!

DAVID That’s a lonely way to live!

DIANA A month ago there were some things happening in the company that I didn’t believe in and things I could not condone. So I stood up for what was right, and in the process I went to the CEO and confronted him about the issue. I lost my composure for a split second… instead of firing me on the spot, they felt I deserved a chance to cool down. I was one of the top VPs with several high end clients. So they decided to send me away to paradise to calm down and reflect on what I had done. I didn’t want to lose my job. That job was my life. Now I have nothing.

DAVID I’m sure you don’t have nothing. What about family?

DIANA Parents passed away a few years back. No husband, no kids, and only a few ancillary work friends. So yeah… I don’t have anything after my time in paradise ends.

(Beat.)

It’s my birthday tomorrow. I guess it’s a good thing I have nothing because if I had friends or family, not being able to celebrate with them would drive me crazy!

DAVID What are you gonna do now?

DIANA I don’t know. I just thought about how I didn’t even take the time to ask you your name…

DAVID It’s no big deal… These past few days meeting you out on this dock was my way of not thinking about what’s happening.

DIANA My name is Diana.

DAVID David.

(There’s a peaceful understanding between the two of them as they stare out over the water.)

(The next night, DAVID is finishing setting up a candlelight makeshift dinner that he has put together for DIANA’s birthday.)

DIANA (O.S) David?

DAVID Wait. Wait! Before you come any closer. Close your eyes.

DIANA Why?

DAVID Just please.

(DIANA enters with her eyes closed. DAVID guides her to the spot.)

DIANA What is going on? David?

DAVID Okay open your eyes…

DIANA (surprised) What is this?

DAVID I got what I could from the mini bar in my room and the hotel, so we could have a picnic for your birthday.

(DIANA is slightly stunned by the gesture.)

I hope you like beer, it was either that or cranberry juice.

DIANA Beer is fine with me.

DAVID I just wanted to say that is has been a pleasure to have someone to go through all this craziness with. It’s nice to know that some things still are the same.

DIANA And what kind of things are those?

DAVID People still need people.

DIANA How did you pull all this off?

DAVID I was kind of a rebel as a kid?

DIANA You stole all this food?

DAVID I’m just kidding— I just went up and asked… and I bought the beer!

DIANA Oh and here I thought you were some kind of Robinhood type.

DAVID I wasn’t gonna not let you celebrate your birthday.

(DAVID’s phone rings. He ignores it.)

DIANA Do you need to get that?

DAVID It’s okay. It’s an unknown number. I don’t answer numbers I don’t know.

DIANA This has definitely been one of the more interesting birthdays…

DAVID So are you the type of person who doesn’t mind dessert before dinner?

DIANA Of course not!

DAVID In my exploration, I noticed this little cake in the bakery… and you can’t have a birthday without cake… I even found candles.

(DAVID pulls out the wax candles from his pocket. A “3” and a “5”.)

DIANA 35?

DAVID I could only find those two numbers.

DIANA It’s not too far off…

DAVID Really?

(DAVID lights the candle and gives it to DIANA.)

DIANA What should I wish for?

DAVID Whatever you’d like. It’s your wish!

(DIANA smiles. DAVID smiles back. She closes her eyes and blows out the candles. Lights out. In the darkness after the candles get blown out, CAROL leaves a voicemail from that “unknown number”. )

CAROL David, it’s me. The hospital just called me. Um yeah… Dad passed away. I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner. If you could– just call me back… Love you.

END OF PLAY

#theatre #one act plays #creative writing #short play

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cheerfulmelancholies · 1 year ago

Text

Mysterious New Member-Chapter 6

After AJ had finished showing her around the Hub, Diana insisted she be the one to move the Camaro. No one was allowed to touch it. Sherman volunteered to show her where the shop was. Settling into the driver's seat, she followed his directions on where to go. She parked it out of the way, locked the doors and set the alarm, eying him as she did so.

"Sorry, but you guys are really freaking me out with your fixation on my car," she said to his offended expression.

"No hard feelings," he replied, though it was clear there were some.

She frowned. "Well, I guess it's pretty late, huh?" She wasn't feeling tired after everything that had transpired, but she wasn't sure what else there was to do. It was too late to test drive her car and they didn't seem to have much else going on either. She fiddled with the chain of her necklace as Sherman nodded.

"Yeah. Here, I'll show you to your room." He stepped into the elevator and she followed, keeping at arm's length. He eyed her attire of jeans and a hoodie. She must have wanted something a little more comfortable than the Shock Suit for the time being. "Do you have any spare clothes?"

"Not on me, but I can get some from back home tomorrow. I'll be fine in these for one night."

Sherman hummed and they walked to the bedrooms in silence. Gesturing at the door to hers, he said, "Here ya go. You should really try to get some rest while you can; we don't know when a Storm Shock will open."

"Gotcha." She feigned a yawn. "I'll see you in the morning, I guess. Night."

"Goodnight."

She walked inside and shut the door behind her. The room was barren, the only items a bed, wall mirror and dresser. A closet was in the far corner. Nothing personal so far. She was pleased to see the door locked itself. She didn't want anyone barging in on her right now; she had so much to think about. Alien worlds, advanced technology, portals to other dimensions and a war between good and evil? It all sounded like fiction to her. And here she thought he was crazy...

Diana sighed and fell onto the bed, the day catching up to her. She took off her shoes and hoodie, trying to get comfortable enough to sleep. She had a feeling Sherman would be right and she'd really need the energy come morning. She curled up beneath the covers and tried to fend off the restlessness long enough to fall asleep. Her mind kept churning with theories and questions, and she dozed off in turmoil.

She awoke the next morning to silence; no one had come to get her and no alarms were blaring so she took that as a sign of an easy morning. She stretched, joints cracking, and slipped her shoes back on before leaving the room in just her jeans and gray T-shirt. She wandered down the hall until she heard voices and traced them to the kitchen area. She found most of the team there, bickering about something or another, while some of them made breakfast. The only ones missing were Tezz, Sage and Stanford. They fell silent when she entered.

"Morning," Agura said, trying to dissipate the awkward tension. She finished setting the table.

"Hey..." Diana felt unwanted and was debating leaving now so she could go fetch some stuff from home. AJ stopped her before she could.

"Want some pancakes?" he asked, placing a plate stacked with them on the table. "We've got plain, blueberry and chocolate, plus all the syrup you could possibly need."

She gave a small smile, thankful for the interaction. "Sure, I'll have some blueberry." She found a seat and made her plate, trying not to get too defensive about the others' faces. She couldn't blame them for not trusting her; she'd made it abundantly clear she didn't trust them and hadn't given them much cause to believe in her yet. She tried not to take it personally. It wasn't like she had that much faith in them either.

Agura gave them all a look before she sat down, wordlessly scolding them for being so obvious. Vert had just finished telling them not to push Diana away.

"Did you sleep well?" Vert asked between forkfuls of pancake.

Diana shrugged. "I slept okay. With everything that's happened I can't imagine I'll sleep all that calmly anytime soon."

"You'll get used to it," Agura offered.

"Yeah," Spinner said between a mouthful, words having difficulty with the obstacle, "with all the butt we kick it gets old pretty fast." He swallowed. "You'll get with the flow in no time."

She smirked at his childish manners. "I hope you know I barely understood any of that, but it sounded nice, so thanks." She took another bite.

"It sounded like a doofus trying to speak English," Agura said, shooting him a glare. "We've got plenty of food here, Spin, we don't need you to shoot it across the table."

The elder Cortez gulped down another bite with a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

They sat there, eating and talking, and Diana found herself actually having a decent time until one of them asked the dreaded question.

"So," AJ began, not knowing the size of the land mine he was about to set foot on, "what brings you all the way out to our little slice of paradise?"

The others all looked at her, curious smiles in place. Diana set her fork down on her now empty plate and struggled for a response. "I... I don't know, really." She shrugged. "I was just looking for somewhere I could let off a little steam, y'know?"

"Something troubling you back home?" Vert asked, worried she'd neglected her personal life to join and wondering why she would've lied about it.

"No, I mean, yeah. Kind of." She scratched her neck, fingers brushing her chain. "Stuff just got to be a bit much and I wanted to get away, I guess." She cursed herself for sounding unsure. They were watching her, mistrust in their gazes.

"I thought you said you had nothing to worry about."

Diana locked eyes with Vert and hoped she didn't look too suspicious. "It's personal, okay?" she said after several moments. "I just... stuff back home got a little out of hand and I needed time away."

"So you have to go back, right?"

Zoom hadn't said much during breakfast and she was wishing he'd kept quiet. She chewed her lip. "I mean, yeah, eventually. But it's nothing major like you're thinking." Silence fell upon them after that and she found herself having an uncomfortable stare down. These people weren't just some desert lunatics. They were far more dangerous than that and now that she knew what was really going on she found herself almost afraid of them. She swallowed.

"Hey," she began in an attempt to lighten the mood, "y'know, I haven't even sat in my car yet. How about we test out my new ride?" She didn't want to be here anymore, seated at the receiving end of their scrutiny. And Whiplash did look fun, not to mention she could use the practice for when she got sucked into a fight.

Vert pursed his lips but didn't comment on the change in subject. "Yeah, sure. There's a test track out back. C'mon, I'll show you." He stood and motioned for her to follow. The others did as well, save for AJ, who offered to clean up.

A few minutes later saw Diana, Zoom, Vert, the Cortez brothers and Agura outside. The newbie and scout were on the track while the others stayed on the sidelines. Agura for tactical advice, Sherman for maintenance purposes, Vert for supervising and Spinner for 'the show.' The four watched her get ready in Whiplash.

"So, I know I'm new and all but you don't have to go easy one me," she said to Zoom, glad to be out of the stifling environment. She felt right at home behind the wheel. All of the controls were within easy reach and they all made sense to her. She knew where the weapons were. She knew where everything was, somehow. It was an inexplicable feeling she couldn't describe. Her fingers readjusted their grip.

"If you insist," he responded. "Spin, how about a countdown?"

"On your marks," he said with flair, bringing a hand up.

Zoom revved his bike while Diana grinned.

"Get ready..." He paused for dramatic affect. "Go!" He brought his hand down with a chopping motion, watching smoke fly up as the two shot off the line.

"Do you really think this is okay?" Vert asked Agura, trying to keep the Cortez brothers out of the conversation.

"We can't force her to tell us anything, Vert. All we can do is trust her. I know you don't like secrets but, come one, she really doesn't have a reason to tell us about her personal life yet. She barely knows us."

"And we barely know her," he said, frowning.

"Give it time. That's what you said before. You're not gonna second guess yourself, are you?"

"No, I guess that wouldn't be very leadership of me, now would it?" He felt his lips pull up at her reassuring smile.

Diana shifted up another gear as she maintained a comfortable distance from Zoom, hitting the first corner with precision and happy to feel very little body roll. For as wide as the thing was, it was quite maneuverable. She pushed the pedal down farther.

"How you holding up back there?" the scout asked, glancing behind himself.

Diana laughed. "I'm great!" She cut through the inside of the next turn, passenger side wheels brushing the edge of the track, and forced him behind her. "How're you?" She pushed ahead, flinging the car through the turns, testing its limits.

"No way! I refuse to be beaten by a newbie." He twisted the throttle and chased after her.

"She's not half bad," Sherman commented, watching the blue blur dart around each corner.

"Actually," came Agura, "she's a natural." Diana clearly had experience on the track if the way she kept Zoom in her rearview was anything to go by. Every time he tried to make a move, she'd block him or speed up. Whiplash seemed well-adapted for racing as well; the car kept itself planted in the turns and rocketed away in the straights. Given how it was powered by the Tangler's chip, its versatility shouldn't have come as much of a surprise.

Diana watched the scout tuck himself into his bike, no doubt trying to gain a little extra speed. She smiled as they whizzed past the others for the second time. This was so much better than she expected. She couldn't be bothered to wonder how she instinctively knew how to drive the car, she just kept going.

Zoom tried to squeeze by her as they veered left around another corner, wheels hugging the inside line and knee nearly scraping ground. He saw the way she leaned the car closer in an effort to force him back and he yanked the throttle, forced the front up and opened his blades to flip directly over her, helmet skimming the roof. He landed on her right and kept the throttle wide open, intending to take the inside of the next corner and gain some distance. He grit his teeth as they stayed neck and neck, until he began pulling ahead. Just a little more to go, he could do this.

Diana kept the pedal down, ignoring the rapidly approaching corner. She tightened her grip on the wheel and focused on catching back up.

Spinner kept all commentary to himself as the four of them watched the once friendly training exercise turn into an all-or-nothing race. Even Vert was invested. The last corner was right in front of them yet they didn't slow down. He feared Sherman might actually be needed soon.

Diana glanced ahead and cursed, down-shifting as quickly as she could and swinging the car into the turn. She felt the rear pull out and tried to force it back, losing speed in the process.

At the same time as Whiplash, Zoom slammed the brakes and sent the Chopper round the bend, tires shrieking. The double-wheeled design gave him less trouble than Diana and he made it across the line roughly a second sooner than she did.

They stopped several feet down the track, still shaking from the excitement. The others jogged towards them.

"I thought you said you just wanted to practice," Agura said as she reached Whiplash. She watched Diana get out with a bemused expression. The girl looked sheepish.

"Well, now I know how fast not to take a corner," she responded, fiddling with some hair.

Zoom laughed. "I know not to get on your bad side in a race. That was intense."

"Where'd you learn to drive like that?"

Diana looked at Sherman with a grin. "Practice makes perfect. Dad didn't give me that Camaro for nothing, you know. I learned from the best."

"Still, that was amazing. I don't think you'll have too much trouble in the Zones, that's for sure," said the elder Cortez.

Diana chuckled. "Let's hope not," she said with a hint of nervousness. She looked to Vert. He hadn't said a word.

"You'll do fine with us," he said, trying to trust Agura's words. "How about another couple of laps? You need to be comfortable behind the wheel."

Diana nodded. "I could run laps in this thing all day."

They spent a couple of hours out there, Diana doing time trials and combat exercises. Stanford hauled himself on the track too after getting a late breakfast and raced her a few times before they headed back in. Several minutes later saw Sage tell them to suit up and meet her in the Hub to inform them of a new mission.

"I have located a Re-Spawn Chamber," she said when they were all together. "Destroying it would be a devastating blow to Krytus."

"What's a Re-Spawn Chamber?" Diana questioned, feeling a nervous buzz kick in. Despite the lecture she'd received from the Sentient, there were still some things she didn't quite understand.

"It's like a checkpoint for Krytus and his Reds," Spinner explained. "If we blow it up and take one of them out, they won't be able to come back and it'll be one less bad guy to worry about."

"It's also the perfect first mission for you," Vert added, hopping into the Saber. "Get ready. It's you, me, Sherman and Spinner, Zoom and Tezz."

Diana quirked a brow at the name and turned to see the scientist walking over to his vehicle. She'd forgotten he'd even existed.

"You ready for this?" Zoom asked from his bike.

Diana grinned. "I was born ready." She was feeling jittery from the excitement. Now was the time to see firsthand what these Battle Zones were like and prove she could be trusted. She jogged over to Whiplash and followed them out into the desert.

Chapter 7: here

Chapter 5: here

#my writing #hot wheels battle force 5 #bf5 #fanfic #writers on tumblr #creative writing #mysterious new member

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m5ria · 2 years ago

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Chapter 5: The Wild One

Warnings: blood

I tighten the hold on his wrist, fantasizing about cutting it with my bare hand. The son of a bitch tried to sneak behind me and scare me. To dominate. But no, how wrong he was.

He doesn’t even flinch under the pressure. His smile only grows when a buzz becomes more audible. A defective sound.

“Haha! Such filthy words from the mouth of such a fine lady!” he snickers. I recognize that voice. The voice that seems to come through a channel from somewhere far away.

“Such filthy manners from... whatever the hell you are!” I snarl back.

He simply shrugs before evaporating. My hand clenches itself, my claws digging into my palm. Blood comes to the surface.

I turn around to see the smiley demon standing perfectly straight like a statue. This time, I get to see him all. He’s all red. His hair, his ears, his coat, his eyes. The color of Hell. The color of blood.

He snaps his fingers and a staff materializes in his hand. It looks like a microphone with a big eye on it. It is fixed on me.

“Charlie, sweetheart, who’s our newest, most welcomed guest right here?”

“Alastor, this is Diana. She’s going to be staying at the hotel for a while.”

I would have smiled at the third attempt of Charlie to introduce me if it wasn’t for her tone. I glance at her to see worry on her face. She looks at me weirdly, as if I’ve just shown her I can fly to Heaven.

Looking at all of them, I see that only this Alastor guy is cheery. Angel and Vaggie stare at me somewhat between awe and tension. I peek at the dude at the bar, but he looks totally focused on his drinking.

“Ah! Diana,” Alastor somehow tests my name. I wonder if I should have used a fake one after all. “The goddess of moon and hunt. So fitting for your appearance!”

His eyes dance. I try to hide how much distaste I feel. He, as far as I know, is the only one here who knows who was the first bearer of my name. It’s Roman mythology. It should be common knowledge. Regardless, the way he said it makes me feel invaded as if he can read my past life. Know why I am a Diana and not a Thalia, or a Lily, or a Tiana.

“I suppose Hell has its humor,” I shrug.

“Hunt?” Vaggie asks out of the blue.

We all turn to her confused. She looks at me with sudden realization, which baffles me further.

“You’re the wild one,” she speaks out.

I look at the others for clarification, but nobody seems to understand.

“You’ll have to be more explicit,” I declare. “We all are wild here.”

“No,” she breathes out irked. “You’re the Wild One. The demon that nobody knows of, that turns up with dead animals.”

I look at her with different eyes. I didn’t know I gathered a reputation. The Wild One… What a pathetic way of a nickname. And I didn’t know this girl would know about me. I’ve never seen her in my life.

“Ok, Vaggie,” Angel cuts in, clearly bored. “Enough with the know-them-all act.”

She visibly stiffens of madness. She has a quick temper, that’s for sure.

At least, she lost the focus on me. She mumbles between her breath words in an unknown language, her healthy eye sending daggers towards Angel. Still, I don’t think anyone is in any real danger.

That’s not how Charlie thought though, as she goes to Vaggie and puts her hands on her shoulders in a reassuring gesture. I’d guess they’re the closest thing to a friendship here.

“Hohoho, I think Diana here deserves a better welcome than this!” Alastor declares. A round of laughter from his mic accompanies him. I already smell a lot of bullshit, but I keep my face straight.

“Right!” Charlie comes back to us. “I’m so sorry, Diana! Here!”

She makes a black key appear from thin air in front of me. The eye on it blinks at me sweetly.

“Here’s your key to the room. It’s on the top floor, but if you wish to change that, just tell me. And, as for your T-shirt, you can borrow one of mine anytime you want. Just ask me!”

“No, thank you!” I refuse politely. “I’d prefer to buy some clothes now. Explore the surroundings. Getting used to them.”

I give her a reassuring smile. The truth is that I can’t tell them how stupid I lost my few belongings, but I can’t hide the lack of them.

Plus, I need time to ponder on what happened. My new ability; the darkness that surrounded me; the world in shadows. What does it mean? How can I control it? How can I use it?

I glance at Alastor as if he can be a clue as to why I’ve just discovered something new. He’s, however, smiling (no teeth revealed) at Charlie. As if he sympathies with her.

“Alright then,” Charlie smiles at me optimistically. Then, she turns to Angel Dust: “Hey, Angel! Weren’t you going to work right now?”

“I wasn’t,” his eyes are trained on his hellphone. “I still got two hours.”

“Great! Can you show Diana around?”

I half expected a spoiled teenage refusal from him, but he glances at me with sudden energy.

“Sure, Charlie!”

He runs to me and grabs my right bloody hand. My whole body pulled from his grip, but the decisive factor was the slippery blood that let my wrist free. He turns to me only to find his and my hand red.

“Angel!” Charlie shouts, frightened. “What did you do?”

“Nothing, I swear!” he gets defensive. His upper two hands raise in peace while the lower hands try to clean off the blood.

“It’s nothing, Charlie,” I smile, delighted at Angel’s apprehensiveness or disgust. “See?”

With my other hand, I brush the blood from my palm where four marks looking like triangles are the only clue of a bruise.

“It’s healed,” I state.

I peek at Alastor for a second and, as I suspected, there’s a smug grin on his face. I feel a surge of hatred, an impulse of scratching that face and that corrupted smirk. But I am better than that.

“Why so much blood, tho?” Angel asks disgustedly. He managed to grab a napkin. Now, he’s cleaning himself.

I walk to him and offer my other arm like a gentleman. I can play the gentleman. I can play whatever I have to, now that I’ll have to share this space with them. It won’t take too much, too long.

“I’m sorry about that, dear,” I slightly bow. “Shall we?”

For a second, he looks at me perplexed as if I’m a Rubik's cube. Then, he simply shrugs and takes my arm. I am prepared for the occasional touches of skin-to-skin. In fact, I can ignore them. It bothers me when someone touches me without letting me know. Not when I initiated. Not when I agreed.

I turn to look at Alastor. His face would be one of a delighted fellow. But I notice his eyes burning with a deep interest. He’s not what he seems. I’ll have to be careful about him.

Next Chapter

Previous Chapter

Masterlist

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contrivedcoincidences6 · 2 years ago

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mulder and scully 26 for the kiss prompt 👀

Thank you!!!!! Ngl I'm so excited you sent me this you know it's my intention to drag you into my current obsession 🤣 sorry for any errors I forwent a beta for such a short story and wrote it all in like 20 mins.

26. kissing to make sure others know they’re taken

---

Me: God I hate the Diana arc so much Also me: Writing yet another fic about it because I love how intense Scully gets

---

Her first reaction to seeing Diana holding Mulder’s hand was an immense sense of loss and jealousy. She could tell they had some sort of history but she hadn’t had the chance to talk to Mulder since the meeting that morning. The Scully of just a few months ago would have walked away, head bowed, tears in her eyes. But she knew her place in Mulder’s life and by his side.

She’d woken up just that morning with Mulder in her bed, his arms and legs wrapped around her like she was his source of life. It was just three months ago when Mulder had driven her home from the hospital after the incident at Ruskin dam and things changed. He’d been getting ready to leave after making sure she was comfortable but he’d stopped at the door and just stared at her before pulling her into an embrace that morphed into a kiss.

As they’d laid in her bed later that evening, Mulder held her close and told her he loved her and everything changed. Most nights Scully found herself asking Mulder to come home with her, on evenings when they were exhausted or injured from the day they would sleep huddled together.

The incident with the New Spartans had tested them but afterwards they’d grown even stronger so as Scully entered the room where Mulder and Diana stood talking closely she tamped down her insecurity.

Mulder smiled as she entered the room in a way that made it impossible not to smile back. He drops Diana’s hand casually and takes the folder Scully holds out to him. She can feel Diana’s eyes on them as Scully explains Gibson’s test results and the amazing developments there that could explain Gibson’s gift. After reading over the results and listening Mulder looks up at her in amazement.

“We will need to run more tests, of course, but if these results are correct this could be quantifiable scientific proof of all of our work,” Scully couldn’t keep the excitement from her voice. The way Mulder looked at her made her heart flutter and she suddenly wanted to be alone in their basement office more than anything.

“How do you quantify the spiritual? It can’t be done,” Diana said, breaking the spell.

Scully sized up the woman next to her, a woman who had once been Mulder’s partner in more than just the X Files.

“Nothing happens in contradiction to nature, only in contradiction to what we know of it,” Scully repeats the words she said to Mulder years before as they had stood before his mother’s hospital bed thinking all hope was lost.

Diana’s eyes narrowed but before she could say anything Mulder spoke up, “Scully’s right, this could be the key to everything in the X Files. We need to bring this to Skinner, this is leverage, let’s go.”

In true Mulder fashion he began to gather his things in a rush, ready to move onto the next thing but Diana reached forward to grab his hand.

“Fox, it’s unwise to use this information widely. You don’t want to draw too much attention to the X Files,” she said as she rubbed his hand with her thumb in a way that made Scully feel sick.

Mulder pursed his lips and shook his head. “We need to pursue this lead, it’s the answer to everything we’ve been searching for.”

Gently, Mulder pulled his hand from Diana’s and moved into Scully’s space, handing her back the folder containing the EEG results.

He squeezed her arm and smiled at her. “Ready?”

The admiration in his eyes and the ridiculous need to stake her claim gave Scully courage and she pushed up on her toes to give Mulder a quick, but more than friendly kiss.

Mulder seemed stunned but shot her a goofy grin before throwing his jacket over his arm and heading out the door.

Before leaving the room herself Scully turned to give Diana a long look. “See you back in the city Agent Fowley.”

#the x files fanfic #txf #the x files #msr #dana suclly #fox mulder #diana fowley #the x files the end #txf fanfic #txf prompt

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unluckyhoneybee · 2 years ago

Text

The Handsome Artist. 7. (Daniel Ricciardo)

A nice dinner. Abigail and Daniel have their first date. Or is it the second? Fluff.

MASTERLIST. Moodboards and Playlist.

Previous part: Beers and music.

Note: Abigail's outfit. Also, Charlotte is finally making her first appearance! Kind of.

Warning: hospital; stitches.

"Get dressed nicely. You need to feel good with yourself if you want to have fun. It's a date. You don't have to marry him. Just test the waters, enjoy and then you decide what you want to do next."

That's what Jennifer had told me on our last session. And there I was, dressed on a pretty dress.

I had chosen it carefully from my wardrobe. I had bought it long ago. So long ago. When I was dating Arnie. But he didn't like it. He hated it.

Molly had told me to wear it. "Arnie was a dick. He was a cunt. Like for real. He fucked everything. He hurt you. Just be like Diana. Let this be your revenge dredd"

And here I was, with the soft blue dress hanging nicely around me and feeling pretty. Really pretty.

Daniel hadn't told me where he was taking me. He just said I know a place. So I was nervous, a bit anxious even. It was a weird feeling. I was really really impaciente for the message. I just wanted him to arrive already. And at the same time I was terrified because I didn't want it go wrong. He was so nice that sometimes it seemed unreal.

Bing!

"Shit"

I ran around the house looking for my phone. I found it in the bathroom.

The Handsome Artist: hey, I'm here.

I bit my lip and another message came.

The Handsome Artist: I'm nervous.

I chuckled a bit and ran to grab my bag. I had never gone down those stairs so fast.

When I found him outside, he was looking inside the shop through the glass.

Daniel was looking so good. He was wearing a denim jacket over some t-shirt, tight black jeans and some vans. On his neck, not one but three chains adorned his caramel skin.

"Hey" I said.

He turned to me and both of us smiled. His checks got pink and he stretched his hands nervously, looking at me with a smile and checking my outfit.

I bit my lip and waited for some reaction.

"Hey..." He breathed out. "You look so so pretty"

Oh nice. Niiice. Super nice. Don't laugh like a kid, please.

"T-thank you" I walked a bit closer and clasped my hands together.

"You look so nice two." I took a better look now that I was closer and yes. He was one of the most handsome men I had ever seen. "I like the chains"

Yep. Nervous Abi, didn't had a filter.

"Do you?"

I nodded.

"I'm glad. I carefully chose them for the occasion"

I laughed.

"Good choice."

Daniel took a step closer.

"A hug?"

I laughed nervously when he opened his arms.

Fuck it.

"Of course"

He gave me a tight hug that ended way to soon, leaving me with a tingle on my back where his hands had fallen.

"Let's go. I got my bike with me" He said moving his eyebrows and picking two helmets from the floor.

"Bike? As a motor bike"

He nodded.

I was wearing a dress. A short short dress.

"Are you scared?" Daniel asked worried.

"Um...no. But..." I picked the edge of my dress and moved it a bit. "Not the best outfit, right?"

"Oh Shit! I should have warned you"

"I can go and change." I suggested picking the keys. I didn't want to fuck his plans. I didn't want to start like this.

His hand grabbed mine.

"You look way too pretty. I can't let you do that"

I blushed.

"I won't look." He said. "Plus. We won't go too fast"

I nodded.

"Okay."

Without letting my hand go, he took me to the other side of the corner. There was a huge black bike. Huge. One of those that pass you on the road way too fast.

"Um... Maybe I'm a little scared" I said looking at that thing.

He laughed.

"How can you be scared of the cutest bike in the whole city"

"That's not..."

He pulled a bit more and we passed the big bike and a car.

"Oh"

A mint green vespa with a Ric sticker on the front was parked there.

"Okay, it's the cutest bike in Los Angeles."

He laughed proud of his little vespa.

"Well. What do you say?"

I smiled. It was so cute, so tiny. I wouldn't have imagined he would come to pick me on a vespa.

"Let's go"

"Cheers"

He passed me a helmet and put his on. He secured it under his chin.

"Let me"

He did mine and smiled. I was blushing hard.

"You look cute" He said.

"Shut up..." I whispered turning a bit. I heard his soft laugh.

Daniel sat in the vespa.

"Okay, hands on my shoulders and hop on the back."

I swallowed. I did as he told me, feeling his strong shoulders under my hands. I sat carefully and fixed my dress.

"Okay. Grab into me. Wherever you want but my arms."

"Um. Okay"

Slowly, I slide my hands around his waist. He was strong. Not only his shoulders. I could feel how toned he was, how hard his muscles were and I found myself wondering how they would look like.

The vespa's sound pulled me out of my thoughts. We started moving and I grabbed him tighter.

"Don't worry, Abi. You won't fall" He said turning his face to me.

"Look in front of you, Danny. Eyes on the road."

He laughed.

"I'm good at this. Just enjoy!"

He was driving down in Venice direction, I didn't even know were. The soft sea breeze was relaxing and it brought Danny's perfume to my nose, which was delicious. It felt good to be this close to him.

"Where are we going?"

"I know a place!"

"What place?"

"You will like it!"

I bit my lip and looked over his shoulder. It didn't took us long to arrive, Daniel was gracely avoiding the traffic.

He parked in one of Venice Beach parkings.

He climbed down and gave me a helping hand. I jumped down.

"Welcome to Venice Beach"

I chuckled.

"I live in Santa Monica. I have grown in there"

He rolled his eyes.

"Don't ruin the mood, Abi."

We took the helmets off and he put them on the box.

"Okay, ready?"

"For what?"

"For a nice dinner in the most beautiful place in Venice"

I smiled while my heart beat faster.

"I am"

"Perfect. Follow me then"

We walked around the first streets, loosing the sea view soon. There was a lot of people, usual for a Friday night. There was music and everyone seemed happy. But the crowd got bigger as we walked.

Not wanting to get lost in the middle of this mess, and feeling slightly overwhelmed by the people, I reached foward. Gently and feeling more brave than I'd ever did, I brushed my fingers with his. Daniel took the hint quite fast and opened his hand. His long fingers moved over mine. I looked down at our hands. His fingers were so much longer, his palm wider. Mine looked smaller and my skin was less cared. It was funny how in those books and films the guy always had more worked hands and the girl always had the soft ones. Somehow, tables were turned now.

Maybe he doesn't like them.

But he threaded his fingers with mine and ran his thumb over my skin. It wasn't even the first time we holded hands. My breath got caught in my throat even though.

"You are cute" He said pulling me closer.

He only made me blush with that.

"Pretty"

"Shut up..."

Daniel was cheeky and flirty. He had carisma and a huge personality. He was maybe too much for me.

"Ah here we are." He pulled me out of my thoughts by gently tugging my hand.

"What is this?"

The place was grey. It wasn't really inviting.

"You brought me to a meth lab?"

He laughed hard. So hard. His free hand was on his chest and he had tears on his eyes.

"OH, Abi. Shit. I wasn't expecting that."

It made me laugh to. Laugh and blush like mad. I had made him laugh like that.

"You'll like it. I promise. Don't judge a book by the cover"

I followed him to the inside and the moment we crossed the door I let a gasp out. The restaurant was perfect. There were plants everywhere. Real plants. Tropical plants. The walls were painted in bright colors and everything was so packed with things. Little sculptures, paintings, lots of lamps... The place was truly beautiful.

I was so stunned by the decoration, that I hadn't notice how Daniel had left my hand go and grabbed my waist instead. It made me dizzy. It felt good. Correct.

"I told you" He whispered on my ear and I shivered.

"I-it's perfect."

"Daniel!"

We looked to the side. A man, Pierre I think, was coming to us.

"Hey mate!"

Daniel gave him a side hug, not letting me go.

"She is Abigail" Daniel introduced me with a smile.

I reached my hand to the guy and he gave me a little kiss in the knuckles.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Pierre"

"Nice to meet you too"

When Pierre, who was obviously French, let my hand go, he gave Danny a look and a side smile.

"You have a reservation, I suppose."

"Obviously. I called last week."

"Come with me. I already know which table you have"

Pierre guided us to some metallic stairs. Danny took my hand and helped me so I wouldn't fall.

I was nervous as hell.

Pierre opened a door and I gasped. There was a beautiful terrace in there. It was also full of plants. It was so perfect. The chairs were made of wicker and the tables were wooden. Some things were unmatched but it was beautiful anyway.

Daniel looked down at me.

"Nice?"

"Perfect." I answered smiling like a kid.

Pierre took us to our table, a little separated from the others and almost completely surrounded by plants. You could tell we were close to the sea by the salty breeze and we had a beautiful view of the sunset sky.

"A special one?" I heard Pierre whisper. Probably he didn't want me to hear.

"The special one" Daniel answered in a low voice.

I turned my back to them so they wouldn't see me blush. I was burning, my heart was beating so hard and I felt dizzy.

The special one. What did he even meant? How could he say something like that when we had just met? How could he when I wasn't special?

"Here, the menu. I will come back with your drinks"

I turned.

"Drinks?"

Daniel gave me a weird look as Pierre left.

"Where were you, Abi? I ordered a couple of beers. A mate of my has a brewery and they sell it here."

I blushed.

"It's okay." He shrugged. "The place it's beautiful, isn't it?"

He moved my chair and I sat.

"Thanks. It's perfect. It's like the most beautiful restaurant I've been at."

"I knew it. They did a good job here" He sat in front of me "And thinking about how you are a botanist and plant doctor and all... It was the place"

I smiled.

"People don't think about that usually." I said.

"How could they not? You scream I work between plants."

I chuckled.

"Do I?"

"You do. When you told me? It made sense. I really thougt it was a hobby. You were a plant mum. Turns out that you are a plant doctor. And creator."

He made me laugh.

"Well, yes."

"You have a cool aura."

"OH wow, thank you. So do you"

He smiled.

"What aura do I have?"

I took a deep breath and pinched my lips.

"Well, you are very calming. I don't know how to explain. You are happy, right? You always seem happy. And you are always smiling. That's calming. And really, you are cool. You seem cool. Like this cool tattoo artist from West Hollywood with bunch of friends. And a cool bike"

He had a huge smile on his face.

"Well, thank you. But I'm not really that cool." He shrugged off.

"You are." I insisted with a low voice and looking down at my beer. "You really are. Much cooler than me."

His hand fell in front of me.

"How is that?"

"I only have one- sorry, two friends." I said remembering our conversation on the beach. "I have two friends and live on a plant store."

He sighed and grabbed my hand.

Why was I even getting like this?

"Let me tell you that you are really really cool and to only have two friends means nothing. You are your own person. And I like that. I like your rings and the way you do you hair. And your clothes. And you little card with instructions for Elisa"

Don't cry. Don't cry, please.

"You are really cool. I only date cool people" He winked at me and I laughed. "There are so many different ways of being cool. And I like you way."

Oh fuck. He is awesome. He has to be. How the fuck am I gonna do this?

His fingers moved over mine and let myself reach my other hand to touch the rose. I ran the tip of my finger over the shapes and felt how he was looking at me.

I swallowed and looked up. I met his brown warm eyes.

"I should have a vespa to be that cool." I whispered and he chuckled.

"Well. Yeah, you may buy a vespa, but it won't be as cute as mine"

I laughed.

"That's better" He said pinching the back of my hand.

Fuck, I love holding hands.

I bit my lip.

"I have questions" He said.

I lift my eyebrows.

"Can I answer them?"

"I hope so"

I smiled. Was I ready to open to him? Maybe, maybe not. But I had to try. I had promised to Jennifer to try.

"Right. You live on the shop. The little apartment. How so? How do you get your boss to let you life there?"

I smiled.

"Charlotte is not only my boss. She is also my aunt. Aunt Charlotte. The only family I have"

His lips opened and his grasp on my hand tightened.

"Fuck. I-I didn't..."

"It's okay"

"Is it? I don't want to bring back bad memories"

I sighed.

"I don't remember much about them" I said referring to my parents. "We lost them when I was two"

"I'm sorry"

"Thank you" I took a deep breath. "But it's okay. It has always been us. And I have been the happiest girl. I had the best childhood and I never felt like there was something missing"

Were those tears on his eyes?

"Did you grow at the shop?"

"I did. We didn't live there, though. She has her own house some streets up. It's pretty similar to the shop. Typical building in Santa Monica. Two floors, she has a cool neighbor who lives on the second. She is happy there."

"Is it too much too ask about yours? I'm intrigued"

"Well, it wasn't an apartment on it's origin. It was empty, Charlotte only kept some materials in there. But when I was probably ten or so she got the idea and she came one day like, this will be yours. And we started buying stuff. Everything is second hand or rescued from the trash."

He gasped.

"Really? You built it?"

"I did not build anything, just saved a few pieces from here and there and fixed them." I shrugged it.

"Mate, you started getting your home ready for you at 10. You made your furniture what it is. That's awesome. How can you say you are not cool?"

I chuckled.

"Have you decided what you want?"

We looked up at Pierre like a deer on a road.

"No?"

"We forgot about that little detail" Daniel said.

I blushed and laughed softly.

"Well, in that case, Yuki wants to choose. He sent me here." Pierre said laughing.

"Okay. I trust the little man"

"Nice. We will bring your food soon"

Pierre left and I looked at Daniel before checking the menu.

"Japanese? I thought it was French?"

"Nah, Pierre is just a pretty face to being people. He owns the half of it or something like that. Yuki is the chef. Japanese blood and a too much culinary talent fitted in a meter and a half tall guy"

"Wow."

"He is good. Trust me."

"I do"

He smiled.

I took a sip of my beer and looked at him.

"More questions?"

He smiled.

"What's your favorite plant? You said Argelian Ivy was your favorite Ivy but not your favorite plant"

My pulse went crazy.

"Ferns. I love ferns. I don't care what kind. I love them all"

"Right. Ferns. Noted"

I blushed like mad. He was really interested in me. He was interested in my plants. Oh Danny.

"A-and you?" I asked all shy.

"Me?"

"Why are you here?"

He sighed.

"A bunch of things."

Was that sadness on his eyes?

"You can tell me other day"

"No. It's just... I'm far from home. I left when I was was barely a teen. I went to Europe and started some courses. I worked a part time job in a bar and another in a studio. I was on reception. I never tattooed there. Then I started with piercings, which I hate. It's so... Ugh"

I chuckled.

"Don't laugh, it's weird to make hole in nipples"

"Sorry, sorry"

Pierre brought the first plate and left. It was delicious.

"And where are you from?"

"Perth" He answered proud. "Beautiful west coast"

"Must be beautiful"

"It is. Los Angeles remind me to what I call home. That's why I love this so much"

"Awesome" I swallowed. "Your family..."

"Dad, Mum, Michelle and I. Dad is Italian actually. And I have a nice and a nephew. Isabelle and Isaac."

His eyes lit up with happiness and I melted only a little bit.

"I missed them so much. It's hard. I have been away for so long and it's not easy."

I wanted to get up and hug him.

"I try to visit as much as possible. And they are visiting soon. So..."

I smiled.

"All of them?"

"Yes. All of them."

"That's fantastic."

"It is. They supported me a lot. And I owe them everything. So whenever I can I try to have them over here. They weren't so sure I could make it good. I wanted to go to Europe because this amazing artist I followed were there. I wanted to learn from them"

"Did you?"

He nodded happily.

"I stayed in Italy for a while, then went to England. I met Lewis there. I made awesome friends. Most of them live also here. I got Mike and Blake. My aussies with me here. They are a part from home."

"Are you happy?"

"I am. So happy. Lewis is truly one of the bests. When he told me to leave the studio I was working on and open Ham&Avo with him I knew I had taken the right decision. I miss home, yes. But I have amazing things here too. I can call this home too."

I smiled.

"I'm happy to hear that."

He played with my fingers.

"I have a good life. I live with Mike in a nice house we rent together. I love my job..."

"And you are really good at it"

He looked down at my chest, where the tattoo peeked out of the dress. The he cleared his throat and looked into my eyes again.

"Thank you"

I smiled.

"It's nothing. I'm only saying the truth."

"Oh stop..." He was blushing.

I bit my lip. I liked him way too much and it felt too early. It felt to soon to be like this. How could I go through it all after what happened? How could I have it all after what happened?

"Hey, are you there?"

I blinked fast.

"Yes, sorry" I cleared my throat and drank some beer.

"Are you liking it?"

"So much, the food is amazing" I said with a smile.

"It really is. So... I got 5 stars for our first date?"

I smiled but... I'm taking the lady on a coffee date!

"First?"

He looked confused.

"Wait..."

I blushed.

"The coffee date" We said at the same time.

"Wait, wait, wait. Did you thought it was a date? You wanted it to be a date?" He asked surprised.

"Well, but... You said it was a coffee date but I didn't know if it was a date date. And... I don't know. I'm sorry"

I was so embarrassed.

"Sorry? No, no, no, baby. Don't be. I was just... I don't want to press things. I didn't want to press you."

He said and grabbed my hand.

"So..."

"You wanted it to be a date?" He asked in a low voice.

I just nodded.

"Fuck yes. I wanted too. A pity Charlotte and the rich woman..."

My phone rang. Unknown number.

"Answer, maybe it's important."

"Abigail Hopper?"

"Yes."

"We call from Marina del Rey Hospital. Are you a familiar of Charlotte Hopper?"

I felt a shiver run down my back.

"Y-yes"

"Abi?"

Daniel looked worriedly at me.

"Charlotte Hopper came to the hospital half an hour ago. She had an accident at home."

"W-what?"

"She called the ambulance because she hitted her head. Right now she is on observation and stable, but she has a concussion and has to spend the night here. We need a familiar to come and pick her tomorrow and..."

"Is she okay?"

"Yes. She..."

"Couldn't have you just started with that? Fuck. Um... Can I go now?"

"Yes you can b-"

"Fine"

I finished the call and got up.

"I-I have to leave. Somehow Charlotte had an accident at home and... Fuck she is in the hospital and..."

He got up and grabbed my shoulders.

"It's okay. Let's go."

"N-no don't..."

"Yes"

He took my hand and we both went downstairs.

"Wow guys, was it that bad?"

"Mate, we have an emergency. I'll come back tomorrow to pay and all."

I felt bad. He had prepared this. He was excited. It was our first-second date and it was ruined.

"Danny..." I tried to stop him when we were outside. I wanted to take a taxi, to go alone. He didn't had to come and pick Charlotte to the hospital. It wasn't fair.

He cupped my cheeks and I panted.

"Abi. It's okay. Let's go. How is she? It's too bad?"

"N-no... She is okay but... She is always like this"

"Okay. Let's go. It will be fine." He kissed my forehead and soon we were on the vespa on our way to the hospital.

Once there, he took my hand on his again. When we arrived to the hall, we went to the nurses.

"I come to see Charlotte Hooper. I'm her niece"

The woman checked the computer.

"Yes. She is on observation but will be out soon. She got examined and has a little concussion. Just go to the waiting room there. The doctor will call you"

Danny and I went and sit there. I couldn't stop tapping my foot on the floor.

"Hey"

I felt his fingers on my hair, tucking a curl behind my ear. I looked at him.

"Thank you..." I whispered.

"It's fine. Really. I owe you a dinner though."

"No. I owe you a dinner. It's my aunt who messed our second date"

"After messing the first" He said smiling. I did too.

"Yeah. Maybe the third..."

He chuckled.

"We should invite her to the third"

I rolled my eyes.

His hands grabbed mine, both.

"I had a really good time. Short but good. I loved talking to you"

I swallowed.

"I-I did too"

The room was cold, but the goosebumps on my skin weren't because of it.

"Don't worry about this. The most important thing is that Charlotte is okay. We can go dinner again whenever you want."

I nodded and a little drop fell down my tear. I cleaned it.

"One of this days she will literally scare me to death" I said half laughing.

"She has accidents often?"

"She is way too hyperactive. She is 68 and broke her hip some years ago. How? Trying to change a light bulb from a booth. The doctor told her to be careful. Only 9 months later she decided to ride the bike she hadn't touched since I left kindergarten."

"A messy woman?"

"Yes. The messiest. Once the ambulance guy joked about how he should park close just in case..."

"Oh jeez."

"She will like you. And you will like her. I'm sure. She is a ray of sunshine" I whispered, suddenly becoming aware of what I had said.

He touched my hair.

"If she is just half amazing as you are I'm sure."

I looked down at my hand. Was it too serious?

"Family of Charlotte Hopper?"

"Me"

I got up.

"Fine, good evening. She is fine, but she has to stay the night. Just in case. She has a concussion, it's not bad. She needed stitches though."

I sighed exasperated.

"You can stay the night here."

I nodded.

"Thank you doctor."

"She is asleep. But we will wake her up each 2 hours to check the symptoms"

I nodded. Long night...

"See you, Ms Hopper."

"Thank you, doctor" I repeated.

He left and soon I felt something fall on my shoulders. Danny's jean jacket.

I turned to him.

"Dan..."

"Keep it for tonight. It's bloody freezing here"

"No I..."

"I'm not fighting. Do you have anyone to pick you tomorrow?"

Molly was out of town visiting her family so that meant no.

"We can take a taxi. Or I will go home to pick the truck. It's okay"

"Nope. Text me when you wake up and I will come"

I looked at him in the eyes. It wasn't worthy fighting, right?.

"If you don't do it, I will get suuuper angry." He said smirking. "I can call the Tickle monster. You won't like it. Isabella and Isaac say he is horrible."

I chuckled.

"Okay."

"Fantastic. Have good night."

He leaned and kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes for as long as it lasted.

"Thank you" I whispered.

"It's nothing."

He walked me to the door and left after kissing my cheek. Somehow, I felt like flying. I felt on the clouds. And the fall was so fucking terrifying.

Aaaaaaaah. I love them so so much. You can't imagine besties.

The idea is to get a shorter and lighter chapter next. We will see.

Next part: Bug Eyes.

#Daniel Ricciardo #Dr #Tattoo artist! Au #The Handsome Artist #Fic

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