#did tom say something to the crowd or did he do a little bow at them

[lock-my-feelings-in-a-jar]

[bonny-kookoo]

Yoongi: My Darling True

In which opposites attract.

Tags/Warnings: Cat Hybrid!Yoongi, Mouse Hybrid!Reader, Guitarist/Rockstar!Yoongi, Food Blogger!Reader, Opposites attract, Pastel!Reader x Goth!Yoongi, Fluff, Established Relationship, smut but it's only implied

Length: short

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"Hey Tom, your little Jerry is here!" Jungkook teases from the side of the stage, walking closer with you right behind the drummer.

Yoongi himself rolls his eyes at the mockery- however, he quickly becomes soft once you walk up to him to give him a hug, well aware he doesn't like too much PDA. He's always somehow soft for you, even admits it in front of cameras, doesn't see any problem with it.

Although the comments do get old after a while, especially those concerning your hybrid kind and choice of aesthetic.

"I've put your migraine tablets backstage, and some food too." You tell him, and he nods, before he raises one of his brows, tilting your head upwards. "Oh! That's just from the necklace, it got caught in my sweater when I put it on this morning." You reassure him when he inspects the little Bandaid placed over the cut from this morning. He clicks his tongue.

"Don't wear that stupid necklace anymore then." He scolds, while the soundcheck is still in full force around him. "You wanna stay back and wait?" He asks as he adjusts the wires of his in-ear piece. "You should rest a little from all the flying." He suggests.

"Nah, I'm alright." You shake your head, before looking back towards the stage entrance when a callout to Yoongi is made. "Go, I don't wanna keep you away from work now. I'll be in the crowd tonight!" You laugh, but he doesn't seem particularly excited about that.

"You know I hate that." He shakes his head. "I'll talk to the management about a VIP lounge spot."

"But Yoongi~! I can't see you up there!" You complain, making him look at you with his hands crossed.

"You couldn't see me if you stood right at the side of the stage, mousey." He argues. "I don't want you getting hurt. You're either in VIP up there-" He points towards where the viewing point is, "-or you'll stay backstage and watch from the screen." He finalizes.

You pout, and suddenly, Jungkook's laugh rings out from behind you. "Oh~! She's doing the stare!" He jokingly announces with his microphone, making you turn around and smack his chest- something the drummer didn't see coming apparently, as he flinches back from the impact before he runs off laughing together with the rest of the band.

"Do not even try that." Yoongi says however to you and it's clear that he's not going to bow. "Your safety is more important." He tells you, and at that, you nod, albeit a bit disappointed. "Come on now, don't look like that." He tries, tapping the bottom of your chin.

"But I want to see you perform." You complain.

"You see me perform every night in bed though? Got a front row seat-" The guitarist flirts, and you instantly stomp your leg in frustration.

"Yoongi!" You scold.

"True, last time it was on the-" But he doesn't go further than that as you put a hand over his mouth, making him laugh. "Alright alright. But come on, you know what happened last time you were in the crowd."

"Our eyes met and you invited me backstage and you took me on a date and we lived together happily ever after?" You ask, swaying a bit on the spot back and forth, feigning innocence.

"You broke your fucking thighbone because people didn't see you and it wasn't a date it was literally just fast-food in my hotel room because I was terrified you'd sue the shit out of me and my band." He scolds, a more serious look on his face.

"Alright, okay." You mumble more or less. Much to your surprise however, your head is suddenly tilted upwards before a small kiss is placed onto your lips.

"Don't pout. Now go, and send me a text later!" He calls after you when you already dash off away from him, with red cheeks and a happy grin.

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"What are you - when did you even buy all that?" Yoongi chuckles from the bed where he's still laying barely clothed, watching you choose some of the numerous bags of snacks you bought. He can't help but feel his heart soften at the sight of you only in a shirt of his and panties - something about you looking so real and without any makeup or anything feeling oddly domestic to him. "You know, you could've ditched the shirt."

"Yoongi~!" You complain embarrassed, a scolding look on your face. "What if room service knocks or something?" You complain, and he laughs.

"I doubt that they're gonna knock at 3 AM, mousey." He says, arms raised above his head.

"Still!" You shake your head, arms now filled with snacks. "That's.. I don't know." You simply say, taking the remote to zap through the channels of the hotel TV for a movie to watch.

"We literally fucked like ten minutes ago-" he starts, making you suddenly gasp.

"Lalalala- Dont say that out loud what if they hear?!" You whine, and by now his stomach is hurting from laughter.

"Sweetheart if they listen in on us they already know from the way you-" your hand finds his mouth, keeping it shut until he licks the inside of your palm.

"Ew!" You complain with your own giggles now, wiping your hand on his bare tummy.

"What 'Ew'? You weren't saying that when I-" He grins at your playfully angry stare. "Alright alright, I'll stop." He says, instead pulling you close to him as you both lay on the bed together. "I love you." He suddenly tells you, kissing your neck.

"Oooh, listen to those bold words!" You tease, but you're unable to resist his charm. "I love you too, Catboy." You say, making him roll his eyes.

"Oh now you're really getting it!" He playfully growls, manhandling you over to attack you.

All in good nature though.

He'd never hurt his favorite princess.

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Yoongi isn't easy.

He's not a simple man to figure out, goes from quiet to loud in the blink of an eye sometimes. When he's alone with you he's bright and bold, even energetic and culhildish at times, while with the band and on stage he becomes more calm and collected. You've learned by now that it's not a mask he puts on. It's simply the way he is.

He can be gloomy and negative. Won't let anything cheer him up because he just wants and needs to be upset for a bit. It's odd, but you've realized by being together with him that sometimes, being sad and angry is okay. Crying for no reason is fine. Being grumpy and just not wanting to do anything is fine.

In the past, you'd apologize a lot for the simplest things. Accidentally forgetting stuff, misunderstanding his words, or even just arguing over nothing. These days, you don't do it as often.

At the same time, yoongi changed too. He's more careful, more gentle in handling you. He used to misunderstand a lot of your actions, thought you were thinking he couldn't take care of himself when in reality, you were simply trying to share the joy you found in your work with him like he did with you.

And with that, really just came an even deeper feeling than love. Understanding.

Sometimes, you both stay quiet for an entire day. You don't talk at all, and that's fine, because between you and him, it doesn't need words. The world might see you both as odd, as mismatched or as something that could fall apart any minute-

But you both know you're each other's perfect fit.

Opposites attract, after all.

[antclan-blogs]

MOON 26

Chaffinchbounce retires. Sunleopard is named the new deputy of Antclan. Glademoss dislocated a joint.

This moon’s story under the cut!

“Slightstar, may I please speak with you?” Chaffinchbounce asked quietly, standing at the entrance to the leader’s den. The deputy shuffled his paws, seeming nervous.

“Of course.” Slightstar nodded, getting to her paws and stretching gracefully. Chaffinchbounce padded slowly into the den and sat down.

“I’m getting old.” He began with a breath. “I don’t think that I can manage the duties of being a warrior as well as I used to.”

Slightstar nodded, sensing where this may be going. “I see…” She mused.

“I wish to formally retire to the elders den.” Chaffinchbounce blurted out. Every word was a struggle—he loved being a warrior so much.

Slightstar gave her deputy a warm look. “That’s ok, Chaffinchbounce. You’ve served your clan better than any cat. You deserve a rest.”

Chaffinchbounce nodded in agreement. “I suppose you’ll have to pick a new deputy, then.” He mewed after a moment of silence, sounding a little wistful.

Slightstar let out a small purr. “Don’t worry. I have a cat in mind, though I’m not sure any could fill your pawprints.”

Later that day, Slightstar stood atop the high rock and looked down on her gathering clan. Chaffinchbounce stood in front of the crowd, shuffling his paws.

“I’ve called this clan meeting to celebrate the long and brilliant warriorship of my dear friend and trusted deputy, Chaffinchbounce. The time has come for him to retire.” Slightstar announced.

Not many cats looked surprised at this news; Chaffinchbounce was the oldest cat in the clan, and his retirement had been expected ever since the birth of his litter.

“Chaffinchbounce, is it your wish to give up the name of a warrior, and a deputy, and retire?” Slightstar asked, gazing down at the old grey tom.

Chaffinchbounce nodded. “It is.” He sighed, sounding saddened but certain.

“Very well. Chaffinchbounce, we welcome you as an elder, and Starclan honours your many moons of faithful service.” Slightstar declared, and the clan began to gather around the newly retired tom, chanting his name.

After the noise had died down, Slightstar was still sitting upon the rock—the meeting was not yet over.

“As you all know, Chaffinchbounce was the deputy of Antclan. Now that he has retired, I must pick a new one.” The leader told the cats below her.

“However, I will not take long to decide.” Slightstar continued. “There is a particular cat that I have had my eye on for some time. Sunleopard, please step forward.”

The ginger she-cat let out an audible gasp as all heads swivelled to face her. Practically trembling with joy and shock, Sunleopard moved to the front of the crowd.

“I seem to remember a headstrong young apprentice declaring to her clanmates that some day, she would lead Antclan. Today, Sunleopard is one step closer.” Slightstar announced, looking down on the she-cat with warmth and pride in her gaze.

“I say these words before Starclan, so that our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. Sunleopard will be the new deputy of Antclan.” Slightstar recited, looking to the stars as she spoke.

The clan erupted into cheers and congratulations as Sunleopard bowed her head respectfully and staggered back in utter shock.

Slightstar leaped down from the rock, trotting over to her new deputy to touch noses with her. “Congratulations, Sunleopard. I can only hope that one day, I will watch from Starclan as you lead these cats proudly.” She murmured.

“T-thank you, Slightstar. This was so unexpected.” Sunleopard stuttered, still reeling from the surprise of being named deputy.

Though there was deep joy in her expression, something else lurked there too. Something like…guilt. Did Sunleopard have something to hide?

live laugh love chaffinchbounce

also sunleopard is being so cryptic i wonder what she’s hiding, hmm wish i knew

oh wait i do 😘

[waitimcomingtoo]

The Morning After

Pairing: Tom Holland x reader

Synopsis: no one knows you’re dating until the boys walk in on you and Tom after your first time

Requested by @iwantacertainlondonboy

Masterlist

“I’m starving.” Harry whined. “Why didn’t anyone make anything?”

“Because you divs used all the dishes and didn’t clean them.” Harrison shot back as his tummy growled.

“Well who was supposed to go grocery shopping?” Sam snapped. “You. Now, all we have is hummus and barbecue sauce.”

“The barbecue is starting to look real good.” Tuwaine mumbled.

“Let’s get Tom and Y/n and go get brunch or something.” Harrison suggested.

“They’re sleeping.” Harry whined again. “Why don’t we just go without them?”

“Because if we go without them, Tom won’t pick up the tab.” Harrison said as he tapped the side of his head.

“Smart thinking.” Sam agreed. “I’ll get Y/n.”

Sam got off the couch and made his way to your bedroom. He took a deep breath before knocking on your slightly open door.

“Y/n?” He asked softly as he pushed the door open. He tip toed into your room and gently shook the pile of blankets on your bed.

“We were all going to get some breakfast.” Ge continued in a soft tone. “Do you want to come?”

When you didn’t answer, he frowned and shook the blankets again.

“Y/n?” He asked. “Are you awake?”

Sam furrowed his eyebrows and pulled your blankets down. He saw that you weren’t in the bed and retreated back to the living room.

“She’s not in her bed guys.” Sam announced when he got back to the boys. “Did she get up already?”

“I haven’t seen her.” Tuwaine shrugged.

“Did you check on Tom?” Harrison asked.

“I was just about to.” Sam answered.

“Should we all run in there and scream?” Harry said while rubbing his hands together.

“Why would we do that?” Harrison asked.

“To piss him off.” Harry said like it was obvious.

“Yeah.” Harrison nodded in agreement. “Okay.”

The rest of the boys got up but Tuwaine stopped them before they could go through with the plan.

“We can’t do that.” Tuwaine shook his head.

“Why not?” Harry asked.

“We need him to pay.” Tuwaine reminded them.

“He’s right.” Harrison said. “I’ll go in there and wake him up.”

Harrison went ahead of the group and went into Tom’s room. When he opened the door, he saw you asleep in Tom’s bed. Even with Tom’s arms wrapped around you, it was apparent that neither of you were wearing clothes. Harrison caught sight of the splatter of hickeys covering your neck and his eyes widened. He quietly backed out of the room and went back to the boys.

“Is he awake?” Harry asked him.

“Um, see for yourself.” Harrison gestured to the door. Harry gave him a strange look before going into Tom’s room. He saw exactly what Harrison saw, also catching sight of your discarded clothes on the floor. He quickly shut the door and ran back to Harrison.

“Dude.” He said as he pointed to Tom’s room.

“I know.” Harrison nodded. Harry thought about what might have happened between the two of you and his eyes bulged.

“Dude!” He whispered harshly.

“I know!” Harrison matched his tone. “What’s going on in there?”

“What are you guys talking about?” Tuwaine asked them. They both silently pointed to Tom’s door in response. Tuwaine went into the room and came back shortly with a shocked expression.

“Dudes.” He said softly.

“We know.” Harry and Harrison said in unison.

“What’s wrong?” Sam asked. “Is he awake?”

“Uh, I wouldn’t go in there.” Harry stopped Sam before he could go into Tom’s room.

“Is he sick?” Sam wondered.

“Let’s just say, uh, the British are coming.” Harry answered.

“What?”

“I think they already came.” Harrison mumbled under his breath.

“What? What are you talking about?” Sam looked between the boys in confusion. No one wanted to be the one to tell him, so they all stepped aside and gestured to Tom’s door. Sam gave them a look before opening Tom’s door. He immediately tripped on Tom’s boxers by the door. His eyes went up the trail of clothes leading up to the bed, where he saw you and his brother tangled together. Tom stirred a little in his sleep and kissed your shoulder, making you smile in your sleep. Sam felt all the color drain from his face and before he knew it, he was screaming.

“AHHH.” He screamed, instantly waking you and Tom up. You both shot up in bed and screamed back.

“AHHHH.” You and Tom screamed in surprise.

“AHHHHH.” Sam screamed back and smacked his hands over his eyes. The rest of the boys rushed into the room when he heard the commotion.

“Whats all the screaming about?” Harry asked before his eyes fell on you.

“Woah, tiddies.” He chuckled as he pointed a finger at you. Tom quickly covered you with his hands and glared at Harry.

“Everyone out now!” Tom commanded. “We - we’re doing laundry!”

“I’m seeing an alarming lack of clothes for people doing laundry.” Harry snickered. Sam looked at him in horror for making light of the situation.

“Get out!” Tom said again. The boys scrambled to the door, knocking and tripping over each other as they went.

“Sorry!” Harry called as he shut the door behind him. You and Tom caught your breath once silence settled back into the room. You looked at each other in a panic as your heart rates returned to a steady rhythm.

“Do you think they saw us?” Tom asked you after a beat of silence. You looked at him for a long time as flashes of all the screaming played back in your mind.

“Yes, I think they saw us.” You replied.

“Oh no.” Tom groaned. “They’re gonna know.”

“Maybe not.” You shrugged helplessly. “Maybe they think we were just doing karate or something.”

“Darling, I don’t think they’re gonna think we were doing karate.” Tom chuckled as he brushed his thumb over your series of hickeys. You laughed as well as you took his hand off your shoulder and kissed the back of it.

Elsewhere, the boys were trying to process what they just witnessed in the living room.

“What just happened?” Harrison asked the group.

“They were just sleeping.” Sam said quickly. “They probably fell asleep watching a movie or something.”

“Naked though?” Tuwaine raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t think they were naked.” Sam’s eyes darted around as he lied.

“No. They were.” Harrison concurred. “I definitely saw some peen.”

“I saw boobs, so,” Harry shrugged. “I’m happy.”

“What do you think they were doing in there?” Tuwaine wondered.

“Definitely not laundry.” Harry muttered.

“Hm. Let’s think. What were two adults doing naked in a bed together?” Harrison asked sarcastically.

“Karate?” Sam suggested weakly. The rest of the boys looked at him, their silence deafening.

Back in Tom’s room, you tried to come up with a plan.

“What should we do?” You asked him. “Is it safe to go out there?”

“Let’s give them a minute to process it. I don’t want to get asked a million questions right now. I just want to stay here with you.” Tom said and he picked up your hand to hold it.

“I wanna stay here too.” You mumbled. With all the commotion of waking up, you had momentarily forgotten that you had sex for the first time last night. You leaned in to kiss him to thank him for a magical night. He immediately kissed you back, putting his hands on your face face to keep you close.

“I’m glad we did it. I’m less glad about being woken up by screams, but I’m glad it happened.” Tom chuckled as he stroked your cheek with his thumb.

“Me too.” You smiled softly. “I was really nervous, but now I’m just happy.”

“You were nervous?” Tom asked curiously.

“Yeah.” You said sheepishly. “I had no experience. I was scared I wouldn’t be any good.”

“Well, you were perfect.” He told you as he kissed your knuckles. “I’ve always thought you were perfect.”

You smiled and cupped his face to kiss him again. You kissed him multiple times before moving to press kissed all over his face.

“I’m so happy.” You beamed. “I’ve never been this happy.”

“Me either, darling.” He matched your grin. “I love you.”

You kissed him again and pulled him into a hug.

“I love you more.”

In the living room, the boys were standing around, impatiently waiting for you and Tom.

“Why haven’t they come out yet?” Sam whined as he paced around the room.

“Round two, perhaps?” Harry joked, giving Harrison a nudge.

“You seriously think they hooked up?” Harrison asked him. “That’s kinda bold for them.”

“Is it? You know how close they are.” Tuwaine shrugged. “Tom must have seduced her and lead her to his bed chambers.”

“Under our roof?” Sam gasped. “With us in the house? Those whores.”

“I mean, I personally saw this coming.” Harry raised his hand. “It was only a matter of time.”

Everyone else nodded, which caught Sam’s attention.

“You guys saw this coming?” He asked sadly.

“Yeah. It was pretty obvious they liked each other. And with all of us living together, some hanky panky is bound to happen.” Tuwaine explained. Sam stopped pacing and looked down at the ground.

“I just didn’t think she liked him back.” He mumbled.

“Maybe she doesn’t.” Harrison suggested. “Maybe she just wanted to get off and he was there.”

“I was there too.” Sam shrugged. “We all were.”

“Yeah, but, she picked him.” Harry stated. “Can’t blame her. I’d shag a superhero too if given the chance.”

“Have none of you ever heard the word “sex” before or…” Tuwaine said under his breath.

“Wait, shhh.” Harrison hushed the crowd “They’re coming.”

Tom sheepishly padded into the room, fully dressed now. His hair was sticking up in every single direction, worse then his usual bed head. His pajama shirt did little to hide the love bites on his jawline, and absolutely nothing could hide the grin on his face.

“Hello everyone.” He said, bowing a little to the crowd.

“Good morning.” Harrison smirked. “How’d you sleep?”

“Or did you not get much?” Harry quipped. Tom shot him another look and dropped his smile.

“I slept fine.” He rolled his eyes. “What did you guys see?”

“More of you than I ever wanted to.” Harry began. “But as much of her as I wanted.”

“Don’t be a div.” Tom smacked the back of his brothers head.

“You’re the div.” Harry insisted. “Who doesn’t lock the door?”

“It’s not our fault. We didn’t know it was gonna happen.” Tom replied.

“What did happen?” Sam asked wearily. Tom looked around at the group and saw everyone leaning in to find out more. He wanted to keep the sweetness of your relationship to himself for a little longer, but he knew was was caught.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but we had sex last night.” Tom said slowly. The group fell silent, then erupted into applause.

“All right.” Harrison cheered and shook Toms shoulders.

“It’s about time.” Harry clapped him on the back as well.

“Was it good?” Tuwaine inquired.

“Did she peg you?” Harry asked.

“Where is she now?” Sam spoke above the crowd.

“She’s bloody embarrassed after you all woke us up screaming.” Tom said with annoyance. “She didn’t want to come down.”

Everyone nodded, understanding where you were coming from.

Tom looked around the room before muttering, “Also, she can’t walk.”

Excited murders came from Harry, Harrison, and Tuwaine while Sam groaned.

“Oh my God.” Sam gagged. “I’m gonna be sick.”

Not wanting to hear anymore, he left the room and went to sulk in his own bedroom.

“Whats his problem?” Tom asked once his brother had left.

“Not sure.” Harry shrugged. “The rest of you are happy for you though. I don’t think any of us thought you had the balls to go for it.”

“Well I do.” Tom folded his arms. “Y/n can vouch for me.”

No one liked that joke as much as Tom did, and it showed in everyone’s faces. The room fell silent as Tom stood there, proud of what he had said.

“Don’t be gross, man.” Tuwaine mumbled.

Suddenly, you walked into the room wearing Toms shirt from the night before. You had sleep shorts sticking out under the shirt, barely hiding the hickies littered on your thighs. Tom caught sight of them and flushed, adverting his eyes to calm himself down.

“Good morning.” You said quietly. You stood next to Tom and wrapped your arm around his, feeling particularly clingy this morning.

“There she is.” Harrison clapped. “The girl of the hour.”

“How are you, beautiful?” Harry asked you. “Do you need anything? Water? Breakfast?”

“Plan B?” Harrison said in the same cheery tone.

“Shut up.” Tom snapped.

“Actually, I could use some water.” You laughed softly.

“I’ll get it!” Harry and Harrison said in unison as the ran to the kitchen. You could hear them fighting over a water bottle in the kitchen and looked to Tom for answers.

“Whats up with them?” You wondered.

“They saw your tits.” Tuwaine said timidly. “You could hit them with your car and they’d be okay with it.”

“Interesting.” You chuckled.

“Not interesting. Unacceptable.” Tom grumbled with jealously. “And I will definitely be hitting them with my car.”

“Don’t.” You rubbed his arm soothingly. “Let’s just have a nice day. No vehicular man slaughter.”

“Okay.” Tom smiled at you and kissed your forehead. At that moment, Harry and Harrison ran back into the room with water bottles in hand.

“Here you go.” Harry said as he presented you with a water bottle.

“Mines better.” Harrison smacked the bottle out of Harry’s hand and held his out. “It’s colder.”

You laughed and took Harrison’s water bottle with a grateful smile.

“Thank you.” You said before taking a long sip. You didn’t realize how dry your mouth was until you got some water.

“Do you need any?” You asked Tom, and he nodded.

“Yeah. Thanks, love.” He said before opening his mouth. You poured some water in, smiling as it ran down the love bites on his neck.

“Ew.” Harry scrunched up his nose when he saw this. You used the hem of your shirt to wipe Toms face free of water. He smiled gratefully before leaning down to kiss you.

“So, are you guys together or what?” Harry wondered. “Because if you just wanted to sleep with a Holland brother, might I suggest m-“

“Shut up.” Tom cut him off. “We’re together. We’ve been together for a few weeks now.”

“Really?” Tuwaine asked. “How come you didn’t tell us?”

“We were planning on telling you guys soon.” You said. “Just not like this.”

“None of us could have planned for this.” Tuwaine agreed.

“I’m happy for you guys though.” Harrison piped up. “I think you make a good couple.”

“Thank you.” Tom smiled proudly as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders.

“Just, you know, lock the door next time.” He continued.

“Trust me.” You sighed and patted Toms chest. “We will.”

You looked around suddenly and noticed one of your housemates was missing.

“Where’s Sam?” You wondered.

“Probably crying in the other room.” Harrison chuckled.

“Crying?” Tom furrowed his eyebrows. “Why?”

Harry and Harrison exchanged a look, neither wanted to be the one who broke the news.

“You should probably go talk to him.” Harry said. Tom looked at you curiously before nodding.

“I’ll be right back.” He told the group before leaving the room.

Tom found Sam in his bedroom, blankly staring at the wall. He shut the door behind him, making Sam jump a little.

“Mate, what’s going on with you? Is everything okay?” Tom asked. Sam looked at him for minute before looking down at his hands.

“I can’t believe you slept with Y/n.” He mumbled.

“Why?” Tom wondered. “You guys tease us all the time about how close we are. I thought you’d all see this coming.”

“I didn’t. I didn’t think you two would ever actually do something.” Sam sighed. “What even was last night? Was it a one night stand or…”

“Well, we’ve kinda been dating.” Tom said slowly. “Not for very long, though. We both agreed we wanted to be more than friends and I don’t know. Things just kinda happened from there.”

“Why didn’t you tell any of us?” Sam asked. “We live together, for Christ’s sake.”

“Because, I don’t know.” Tom shrugged. “I didn’t want anyone to know yet. It was just our little secret. Haven’t you ever had a secret?”

Sam opened his mouth and quickly shut it, feeling the irony of Tom’s question hit him. He didn’t want to lie to his brother, so he let out a sigh.

“I like her.” He said, barely audible but Tom heard.

“What?”

“That’s my secret. I like her.” Sam looked up. “I’ve liked her ever since we met. And now you…you ruined it.”

“What?” Tom repeated. “I didn’t ruin anything.”

“My older brother slept with the girl I liked.” Sam said fully. “That kinda ruins things for me, mate.”

“I slept with my girlfriend.” Tom corrected. “And it was a big deal for us, so don’t rain all over it.”

“It’s a big deal for me too.” Sam insisted. “I really liked her.”

Tom was about to raise his voice, but decided against it. He knew better than anyone that you could not help who you fell in love with. He knew that if he was in Sam’s shoes, he’d be just as upset.

“Look, I’m sorry your feelings are hurt.” Tom said as he sat down next to Sam. “I didn’t know you liked her. But you never said anything about it. How was I supposed to know?”

“Would it have changed anything if you did know?” Sam asked quietly. Tom though about it for a moment before he gave his reply.

“Honestly, no.” Tom answered. “I love her. Nothing would’ve changed my mind.”

Sam stayed silent, not happy with this answer.

“Would anything have changed your mind?” Tom asked. “Would you have stopped liking her if you knew I did as well?”

“No.” Sam realized. “I guess I wouldn’t.”

“So do you understand now?” Tom hoped. “I didn’t do this to hurt you. I love her. This was always about her.”

“I guess.” Sam huffed. “It still sucks for me, though.”

“Yeah.” Tom chuckled. “It does. But you still get to be her friend. And she still loves you. Just, you know, like a brother.”

“I wish it was different.” He mumbled. “I’ll get over it. But for now, I really wish it was different.”

Tom looked at his brother and sighed. He knew this wasn’t the kind of problem he could fix. Tom definitely wasn’t the person Sam wanted to be around right now. He patted his brothers shoulder and left the room, going to find you for help.

A few hours later, you spotted Sam sitting alone on the couch. He was staring at the wall, seemingly a little out of it.

“Hey, Sam.” You smiled at him as you took a seat next to him. He broke out of his trance to look at you, giving you a weak smile back.

“Hi.” Sam said timidly.

“What’s going on?” You asked as you pushed his shoulder playfully.

“Tom told you?” Sam knew right away.

“Yeah.” You gave him a sad smile. “He told me.”

Sam stayed quiet, feeling his cheeks flush with embarrassment. You noticed this and put a cold hand on his face.

“You know I love you, right?” You said softly. “So much, Sammy.”

Sam nodded and looked down at his clasped hands.

“But not like that?” He asked wearily. You folded your lips in and nodded a little.

“But not like that.” You repeated. He looked up, but not at you. You put your hands on top of his and gave them a gentle squeeze.

“I’m sorry.” You whispered.

“It’s not your fault.” He said. “We can’t help what we don’t feel.”

“I guess not.” You agreed. Sam nodded again, not trusting his voice enough to speak.

“For what it’s worth, you’ve always been my favorite brother.” You told him honestly. He finally looked at you and smiled a little.

“I won’t tell Harry.” He told you, assuming he meant favorite of the twins.

“Or Tom or Paddy.” You added. “It’ll be our little secret. Can you keep a secret?”

Your words caused Sam to think of all the times he wanted to tell you he liked you, but didn’t. He briefly wondered if things would be different had you known.

“Yeah.” He smiled sadly. “I can.”

Tag List 🏷

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[minor-solemnity]

Curiosity pt.6

“Are you implying that I’m not good enough to blackmail?” Which well, that maybe isn’t what you should be annoyed by.

A month passes. You don’t talk in class, just keep your head bowed low, eyes fixed firmly on the ground. You ignore Tom in the hallways and in the lessons you share. You suppose that you should probably revert to calling him Riddle, but referring to a man you’ve had sex with by their last name, even in the comfort of your own head, makes you feel dirty.  

He tries to talk to you twice. He doesn’t try a third time.

You don’t tell Marie or Stephanie what’s transpired between you and Tom and eventually, they stop asking. You’re content to let them believe that whatever courtship or relationship they thought had been budding between the two of you had died. It’s easier to pretend that you’re just sad that you’ve missed your chance with Hogwarts’ most sought after bachelor. The truth is so much more complicated. 

The last of the bitter Scottish winter gives way into Spring and with it comes blue skies, crisp winds, and luscious greenery. Stephanie’s attention is fixed firmly on the final quidditch matches of the school year and Marie begins her yearly fretting over exams. You’re left in blessed peace to ruminate on and stew in your own misery. 

It’s far too early on a Saturday for you to be up, but the Great Hall is always empty until at least nine on the weekends and you’ve taken to avoiding large crowds lest you accidentally run into him. As expected, you’re alone save for the ghosts this morning. You’re stirring honey into your tea when a shadow falls over you. You don’t look up. The shadow coughs politely. You glower at your tea. The shadow sighs and there are footsteps and the sound of someone taking a seat opposite you. When you finally look up, Tom is watching you intently. Merlin, it’s so frustratingly easy to get distracted looking at him. The first thing you notice (and you hate that you do) is that he looks somewhat tense. His expression is a mask of polite indifference and his hands rest casually on the table in front of him but there is a tautness to his posture, as though he’s steeling himself for a fight. 

You think that that should please you. At one point, it definitely would have done, but right now you’re still too raw from the events of a month ago to feel anything other than resigned fatigue at his appearance. “You’ve been ignoring me.” He says, and though his tone is placid you can detect a hint of something hard lacing his consonants. 

“What good observational skills you have. Though that’s hardly a surprise, seeing as I’ve been on the receiving end of your interest for months at this point.” The anger at your own stupidity and his manipulation rears its head once more and you’re somewhat taken aback by how much venom has crept into your voice.

“Perhaps, if you’d let me explain-” 

“No.” You cut him off, gathering your things and shoving them into your bag with more force than is strictly necessary. “No, I will not let you explain. I think you made yourself perfectly clear the last time. You have what you want, your curiosity is sated. You have your own blackmail material on me, should you ever feel the need to use it, and all it took was-” You can’t finish the sentence. All it took was a little flattery and his clever tongue touching and playing with you until you’d… Really, it had taken nothing at all. “I don’t know what else you could possibly need to explain to me. I understand what I am to you and what this entire thing was about. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you just leave me alone.” You don’t hang around to see understanding dawn on Tom’s face, nor do you hang around to see resolve settle firmly on his shoulders.

Fifteen minutes later you’re sat with your arms wrapped tightly around your knees underneath a yew tree by the lake, your bag thrown haphazardly a few feet away. You stare at the lake and determinedly blink back the tears that are threatening to spill down your cheeks. A horrible mix of embarrassment and anger is bubbling in your stomach and your hands shake as you reach down and tug blindly at strands of grass as if they are what your ire is directed at. Merlin, you’ve been stupid. Incredibly, horrendously stupid. You’d known that Riddle was bad news. You hadn’t trusted him from the moment he’d smiled down at you that evening in the dining hall. Almost every meeting between the both of you since had been a constant push and pull, neither of you willing to back down or give way… And now…

Now he has the information that he wanted and the game is up. You’ve lost. And all because somewhere along the line you had forgotten exactly why it was that he’d been interested in you in the first place. You’d let your imagination get the best of you and for a moment you’d let yourself believe that it wasn’t about Mr Larkins anymore. That he was there because of you. Just you and not the secrets that you had tried so hard to keep.

Merlin, what was he going to do with you now that he knew. Blackmailing a teacher (and you have to admit to yourself now that that was exactly what you had been doing) was a serious offence. Enough to get you expelled for sure. Muggles went to prison for blackmail, didn’t they? Would you be sent the Wizengamot? Or would Tom just hold it over your head for eternity? Surely not. He had no use for you now, after all; you can’t keep kidding yourself that he liked or wanted you. You can’t keep kidding yourself that that was part of why this was so painful. 

Beyond the fear you feel for your future, rejection is a bitter pill lodged in the back of your throat. 

“You might appreciate it if I left you alone, but I’d appreciate it if you stopped running away from me.” Tom’s voice is conversational, cheerful almost. You let out a strangled scream of annoyance. He hums a soft little laugh in response. He settles himself down beside you, long legs stretching out in from him, crossed over at the ankle. You notice he’s holding the folder. “You honestly think I’d blackmail you?” He asks, still in that conversational toned and you feel your hackles rise.

“Are you implying that I’m not good enough to blackmail?” Which well, that maybe isn’t what you should be annoyed by.

“You seem intent on misunderstanding everything I have to say, I see.” He says and, at last, something approaching annoyance enters his voice. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see that he’s frowning slightly. As in the Great Hall, his posture suggests he’s at ease, he’s taken his tie off and the top two buttons of his shirt are undone. But something is lurking beneath his relaxed exterior that suggests he’s nervous. “I have no intention of blackmailing you. At first, perhaps, but not any longer. And…” You drop the pretence of not looking at him entirely and turn full to face him. He doesn’t look at you and you get the impression that whatever he’s trying to say does not come easily. “I apologise if that’s the impression I gave you.”

Your eyes widen in surprise at the apology, which whilst stilted, appears genuine. Then, almost immediately after narrow in suspicion and indignation. “What other impression could you possibly have given me? Apart from, maybe, toying with me for your own amusement.” You ask acidly.

His jaw clenches and you notice dimly that he’s making hardly any effort to hide his emotions. He’s almost an open book. Which is… strange. You’re reminded of all the times that Tom’s treatment of you has left you feeling confused. Confused because he doesn’t act the same way around you as he does with the rest of your peers. He’ll put on a facade of politeness, sometimes, but it usually unravels within minutes. You’ve watched him charm and flatter the worst of your professors, that small careful smile never faltering until they’re putty in his hands.

He’s tried to intimidate, taunt, and seduce you but he’s never tried to charm you. The realisation hits you harder than you’d like. But so what that Tom doesn’t seem to think you’re worth the effort? Does it matter that he drops his perfect little persona around you? Yes, the quiet, treacherously hopeful voice in your mind whispers, yes it matters. Of course, it matters.

“That we were having fun, perhaps?” He says at last and he looks pained just saying it. As though telling you that some part of him had enjoyed your company and had assumed that you enjoyed his is physically uncomfortable to admit. Maybe it is. “That I believed you and I had some level of understanding regarding our relationship?” 

You ask incredulously, “Has this been your way of flirting with me, Tom?” At the sound of his name on your lips, he turns to face you and you can practically see him come undone. His throat constricts around a swallow and you can’t stop yourself from tracing the column of his neck to where his collarbones, surprisingly delicate and sharp protrude from the collar of his open shirt with your eyes. He follows your gaze intently. “You never tried to charm me.” You murmur, finally bring your gaze to meet his.

“I’ve only ever been honest with you,” He replies, his voice equally soft. An admission that his persona is mostly a lie, used to trick and manipulate everyone else. Maybe that should put you off, make you turn away from him for good. It doesn’t. “You can’t blame me for wanting to know you when the few things I did know were so interesting. You can’t blame me for liking you more when I found out the rest.” It’s strange, knowing that the parts of you that usually stop people from liking or trusting you are what draws him to you. Then again, maybe it isn’t strange at all. You’re remarkably similar in so many ways, after all. “I thought, perhaps, that you regretted it.” Regretted me, is what he means. Is what he won’t say. Is what you hear nonetheless. 

You’ll need to talk more later; you need to know what he intends to do with the knowledge of your blackmailing schemes but later. Right now… You lick your lower lip and you don’t miss the way he tracks the movement. “I don’t. Regret it.” He nods once, a short decisive shake of his head. You’ve made up your mind. “You should kiss me now.” And he does. He shifts and suddenly you’re being dragged to his side, one large hand curving around your waist and another cupping your jaw, his fingers tangling in your hair. 

You feel like maybe, you’ve just won the best kind of game there is.

(part 1) (part 2) (part 3) (part 4) (part 5) (part 6)

[peachbear88]

Tale as Old as Time (Pt 2)

A/N: Part 2! We're getting there people!

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

The metal gates swing open with a rusty whine.

Your eyes snap open and you grab your chamber pot, and club the figure over the head.

"Ow!" The figure exclaims, falling over.

You brandish the pot as menacingly as possible, given the awkward angle.

"Who are you?" You demand, your voice cracking. He rubs the growing lump on his head.

"You hit hard madmoiselle," He responds, ignoring your question. Another set of footsteps, heavier ones echo off the stone tower. You gulp, as the figure arrives to reveal a skinny but tall man wearing what appears to be a gold pendant.

"Don't scare the poor girl Pietro. In fact, you shouldn't even be letting the prisoner out!" The man chided. The blond boy (supposedly) named Pietro laughed, ruffling his hair. He zooms over to where the man is, leaving a faint blue mist behind him.

"What's wrong doc? Scared what'll happen when my sister finds out?" He teases and the doctor shoves him away, wrapping his floating red cloak tighter around him.

"Oh shut up." Pietro turns back to you.

"So. You're the new prisoner." He looks you up and down. You drop the pot and it hits the floor with a loud clang, making him flinch.

"Yep, that's me. Come to kill me at last?" You question, raising your arms as if to embrace death. He bursts into laughter, slapping the tall man on the shoulder.

"Oh man! Strange, did you hear that? She thinks we're going to kill her!" He keeps laughing while the man named Strange rolls his eyes, muttering something about stupid kids.

"So... You're not going to kill me?" You inquire hopefully. Pietro's laughter dies off as he wipes tears from his eyes.

"Kill you? When you could be the one to break the curse? I think not." He shakes his head as if you were the foolish one before thrusting his hand out. "After you."

You walk down the stairs hesitantly, the bright walls of the hallways a stark contrast to your dim cell.

After a few moments, you can't take it anymore, your curiosity getting the best of you.

"What was that you said about a curse?" Pietro instantly pales, shoving you rather forcefully along the hallway.

"Did I say curse? I meant uh-" He stutters, his eyes frantically scanning the area for an excuse. "I mean purse!" He waves the bag in front of your face. "Break the purse!"

You stare at him.

"Break the purse." You repeat skeptically. Strange pushes you along, seemingly in a hurry.

"Oh look! We've arrived at our destination." He pushes the grand golden doors open and your jaw drops. A beautiful, extravagant bedroom lays behind the doors, the ceiling arching up and curving into a golden dome.

"Wow..." You gasp, twirling around in the room.

"Mistress wanted you to have the finest." Strange replies, bowing low. You snort.

"That girl from earlier?" You look him up and down. "No offence but you look more like you should be her master." He opens his mouth to reply but Pietro cuts him off, shoving him out of the room.

"Well, we'll let you get settled! We hope you'll join us for dinner!" With one last shove, the two disappear from the doorway, leaving you to your own devices.

The moment the door slams shut behind them, you scan the room, your eyes landing on the silken sheets adorning the mattress. You make quick work of it, tearing it into long, thin strips.

"Okay. I can work with this."

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

A small knock sounds out and you frantically shove the long strip of cloth away.

"Come in!" You call out and a menacing looking woman comes in, followed by a boy around the age of 15, wearing a red and blue costume with what appears to be a spider on it. You gape at the odd duo.

"Is that... A spider?" You murmur and the boy bounds into action, sticking his arm out for you to shake.

"Hi! My name's Peter. Peter Parker." You smile at his bubbly demeanor.

"Y/N." The woman's eyes never leave you, examining you. You shrink under her gaze.

"Right! This is Ms Natasha Romanoff. She may look really scary but she's actually a massive softie." Peter whispers confidentially and Natasha smacks him on the head. You laugh at their familial dynamic.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sweetie," She curtseys and you smile. "Please ignore this dumb child." She gestures to Peter.

"Hey!" He exclaims indignantly. You giggle.

"Well, we came to welcome you to our humble abode. Cup of tea?" She proffers and you smile, accepting it. The scent is heavenly, the right amount of sweetness and bitterness. "I find that a perfect cup of tea is just what we all need when it gets rough."

You smile weakly.

"Thank you. Why are you being so nice to me?" Natasha sighs, watching Peter swing around your room, little webs coming from his wrists.

"Well dear, we're all prisoners here as well. Might as well make the best of it." She shrugs and ushers Peter out of the room, leaving you deep in thought.

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

Steve sighs, his feet in Sam's lap, warming his frozen fingers by the fire. The noise of the pub does little to raise his spirits.

"How could she possibly reject me? The most handsome man in the village!" He sighs again while Sam massages his feet. Sam throws the feet off his lap.

"Gosh it disturbs me to see you Steve,"

"Looking so down in the dumps."

"Every guy here'd love to me you Steve!"

"Even when taking your lumps." He cries, massaging Steve's ears.

"There's no man in town as admired as you,"

"You're everyone's favorite guy."

"Everyone's awed and inspired by you,"

"And it's not very hard to see why."

He drops a few coins into the bar musicians hand.

"No one's slick as Rogers,"

"No one's quick as Rogers,"

"No one's neck's as incredibly thick as Rogers!' He exclaims, twisting the neck of a rather large man rather violently, a large crack echoing around the pub.

"For there's no man in town half as manly."

"Perfect, a pure paragon!" The fair girls pipe up from behind Sam. He hops onto the bar, sitting in between 3 very drunk men.

"You can ask any Tom, Dick or Stanley,"

"And they'll tell you whose team they'd prefer to be on..." He slaps them on the back of their heads, giving them a pointed stare until they catch on.

"Who plays..."

"Darts like Rogers!'

"Who breaks..."

"Hearts like Rogers!"

"Who's much more than the sum of his parts like Rogers!"

Steve warms up to the attention, flashing a debonair smile at everyone.

"As a specimen, yes, I'm intimidating!"

"My what a guy, that Rogers!" The people cry, raising their mugs and splatters beer everywhere.

"I needed encouragement,"

"Thank you, Sam." He exclaims, slapping Sam on the shoulders.

"Well there's no one as easy to bolster as you!" He wraps Steve in a tight embrace for a bit too long.

"Too much?"

"Yep." They disentangle their limbs from each other.

"No one the fights like Rogers,"

"Douses lights like Rogers." To emphasize their point, Steve licks both his hands and slaps them onto the candles, extinguishing them with a satisfying hiss.

"In a wrestling match, nobody bites like Rogers!" Sam pulls his shirt up to reveal a deep bite on his abdomen. A few people squeal.

"When I hunt, I sneak up with my quiver,"

"And beasts of the field say a prayer."

"First I carefully aim for the liver,"

"Then I shoot from behind."

"Is that fair?" Sam pipes up.

"I don't care."

"No one hits like Rogers,"

"Matches wits like Rogers,"

"In a spitting match, nobody spits like Rogers!"

"I'm especially good at expectorating!" He throws his head back and hocks up a good chunk of spit which lands in the pot Sam is holding.

"Ten points for Rogers!"

"When I was a lad, I ate four dozen eggs,"

"Every morning to help me get large." He grabs nearby woman by the waist and lifts her onto his right arm. The fair girls swoon.

"And now that I'm grown, I eat five dozen eggs,"

"So I'm roughly the size of a barge!" He slowly grabs Sam and lifts him onto his left arm, making the crowd gasp.

Steve drops them both and jumps onto the long table, tap dancing with the two other ladies. Sam grabs decorative swords and tosses them to a few men while Steve keeps dancing. They jump onto the table, brandishing their swords menacingly. The ladies jump out of the way as Steve draws his own sword. He clubs one over the head, spinning around and pretends to stab another dramatically. With a large flourish, he raises the sword to mimic the mural of himself on the wall behind him.

"Who has brains like Rogers?"

"Entertains like Rogers?" Sam belts out but Steve pushes him aside.

"Who can make up these endless refrains like Rogers?" Steve bellows, raising his arms.

"I use antlers in all of my decorating."

"Say it again!"

"Who's a man among men?"

"Who's the super success?"

"Don't you know? Can't you guess?"

"Ask his fans and his five hangers-on."

"There's just one guy in town,"

"Who's got all of it down..."

"And his name's S-T- Uh... I believe it's a D after?" Sam begins tentatively as Steve glares at him. "It just occurred to me that I'm illiterate, and I've never actually had to spell it out loud before..."

"Steve Rogers!"

The crowd bursts into a final round of applause, settling down as they dive deep into the hazy fumes of alcohol again.

"Ah, thank you Sam! I don't know what I'd do without you." Steve exclaims, plopping back down into his cushioned armchair. "How is it no woman has picked you up yet?"

"Well, I've been told I'm clingy but I don't really get it." Sam mutters obliviously, his arms draped around Steve's shoulders. Steve nods awkwardly.

A loud bang echoes into the pub and Tony comes rushing in, disheveled.

"You must help me! She's got Y/N! Please, you must help!" He cries, falling to his knees. Steve stays back while Sam rushes forwards.

"Tony, calm yourself. Who's got Y/N?" He asks soothingly.

When Tony looks back up, fear shines through his glassy eyes.

"The witch."

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

Taglist: @username23345 @musicinourlips @gingerbreadcookieforlife @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @ima-gi--na-tion @nicole-rayleigh-hot @olsensnpm @peabrain112 @yeetus-thyself

[write-r-die]

Prisoner - Part 17

March 1067, Norman Conquest of England 

Masterlist

A/N: Drama!!

gif from demivampirew

For the first time in a long time, Thomasin felt safe.

Henry made her promise never to remove the pendant he gave her. It seemed terribly important to him, though Thomasin didn’t know why. Still, she agreed without question.

Henry never did shout at her. He didn’t like being angry, especially with someone he loved. Instead, he sat his wife down like a child and looked very deeply into her grey eyes while simply telling her she would never disobey him again, nor would she disagree with him in public. She was welcome to shout and scream and call him all sorts of names when they were alone together, but their situation was precarious. They had to present a united front so no one – just Lawrence, really – would think to pit them against each other.

Lawrence, though, seemed the same as ever. Maybe even scarier. He always had that awful grin on his face. He never got red; that’s what really worried both Henry and Tom. He was too calm, too self-assured. He planned out what he would do to them; now they were stuck in fear until he decided to act. It had only been a week since the wedding, and there was no telling how long Lawrence would wait. But he wasn’t a patient man.

Henry didn’t let Thomasin see his fear over Lawrence’s retribution. Since the wedding, she’d become all soft and willing. He thought she showed something akin to vulnerability. When they were alone, she would sit on his lap or press herself right against his side. They needed to be touching when they went to sleep, either with Henry spooning against her back or Thomasin lounging across his chest. She demanded his attention and affection. Henry obliged her, even going beyond. He’d kiss her in public when he thought no one was looking. She didn’t even mind.

He met her vulnerability with steady confidence. He’d sworn to look after her more times than he could count, and now that she was finally allowing it, he didn’t want to show any weakness. That was what husbands did for their wives – they remained strong and sure.

Henry asked a baron sailing back to Normandy to deliver the message to his family that he was wed; he was quite sure his mother would cry upon hearing the news.

“Should we send someone to tell your family?” he asked that night as he and Tom lay in the dark together. He was pressed tightly against Thomasin’s back. She used one of his arms as a pillow, and his free hand roamed over her body.

“I haven’t got a family,” Thomasin replied.

Henry nuzzled her rosy gold hair. “Yes, you do.” He kissed the back of her neck and sighed into her hair. “And you’ll never be rid of me.”

**

When the king finally summoned Henry, it wasn’t to chastise him. If he did mean to shout at Henry, it was low on his list of things to do. Henry found himself in something of a war council among other barons and knights of high praise.

“It is time to execute the Saxons,” William announced. “I’ve kept them alive for too long. It will embolden other rebels to attack if they believe I won’t kill them.”

“The rebels are all but gone,” a middle-aged baron said. “Even that young baron from the north has disappeared.” He looked at Henry from the corner of his eye; everyone knew he was referring to Hammond.

“Permanent imprisonment is not much better than death,” another put in. 

“All the same,” said the king. “The surviving Saxon prisoners will be put to death by hanging this afternoon. I expect you all to bear witness.”

“What about our wives?” a knight asked. Henry was grateful someone other than him asked the question. “Should they attend?”

William shook his head. “Tis no sight for a woman’s eyes.” He took a deep breath before declaring, “It is warm enough now to travel. We will hunt down the other rebels. If we cannot capture or kill them, we will at least run them out of England and keep them in exile for the rest of their lives.”

The men started shuffling out, murmuring to each other about the Saxon threat. Henry lagged behind the crowd, too lost in his thoughts to keep a fast pace. He was so distracted that he didn’t even notice when Lawrence sidled up beside him.

Lawrence made a sound like a sigh. “I do hope poor Tom won’t be too broken up over Cerdic’s execution.”

Henry felt like he had the wind knocked out of him. How did he find out about Thomasin’s relationship with Cerdic? How much did he know about it? What execution? Was that why the barons and knights were gathering?

But the true source of his fury was the fact that Lawrence had referred to his wife as Tom.

Lawrence looked at Henry from the corner of his eye. “Are you broken up, dear Henry?”

He turned his gaze to the other man, a savage look in his eyes. “You will never speak my wife’s name again. Do you understand me?”

Lawrence bowed his head in mock apology before moving along.

Henry paused in a nook in the corridor and ran his hand over his face. Damn.

Coming to England was like stepping in dog shit that one could never quite wipe away. Meeting Thomasin was like stepping in dog shit. One bad thing followed another like a cloying stink with that poor girl.

No, Henry realized. Thomasin meeting him when the troubles started.

***

Thomasin was grateful that Henry had been able to spend both his days and his nights with her. She knew it could not last forever, but she was sad all the same when he was called away, no doubt to discuss matters of war.

Now she would have to spend her days embroidering with other ladies or pursuing some other womanly hobby. She was never terribly good at that, though. At one point, her governess simply gave up trying to make Thomasin a proper lady. Her father let her have free reign of the estate so long as someone was always nearby and she returned to the keep by dark.

She imagined having a similar arrangement with Henry, but they first needed an estate of their own. Everyone assumed the king would give them the estate Thomasin grew up in, but she secretly hoped he would not. It would be haunted, at least for her, and she was sure she would never feel comfortable there. It wasn’t her home anymore. Just another conquered fortress.

The couple spoke a little of returning to Normandy so Tom could meet Henry’s family and there were some vague mentions of estates near his brothers that might be suitable for their needs, but they hadn’t had a real conversation about it.  What they wanted didn’t matter; William would likely keep Henry in England to fight his endless war against Thomasin’s way of life. Maybe they would be dismissed in a few years when things were calmer.

She would have to figure out how to spend her days. Her only true friend at court was Elaine, but the healer was often busy during the day. Thomasin accompanied her on a meeting with an elderly baroness with a horrifying rash; she would never do so again. 

She was returning from a brisk walk when she nearly crashed into her husband and his friends on their way out.

“Henry!” Thomasin bounced forward and grabbed onto his hand. She waited for him to kiss her while Charlie and Roger were pretending not to look. She knew something was wrong when he didn’t. “Are you well?”

Henry’s expression was as hard as it had been the day Thomasin tried to escape from him. She resisted the urge to step back. “Thomasin, go back to our rooms. Wait for me there.”

His clear agitation alarmed her; she spoke as calmly as she could. “Is something amiss?”

“Do as I say. I’ll be along soon.” He turned to Kal. “You go with her.”

Something must be truly wrong if Henry was willing to part with his shadow, even for an hour or two. Thomasin’s eyes flickered to Charlie for some hint of what was happening, but his expression was as stony as ever. Roger hadn’t stopped when Thomasin intercepted them so she could not look to him for clues.

She glanced at Henry one more time. He didn’t look all right. She wanted an explanation here and now, but she remembered her promise not to disobey him in public. Staying and demanding something from him would certainly count as disobedience. “Of course,” Thomasin said, forcing a mild tone of voice. She gave a shallow curtsey. 

She was chattering to Kal as they walked up a tight staircase when she heard a ruckus outside. There were no windows in the stairwell, only thin slats from which archers inside the castle could shoot at enemy soldiers in case of an attack, but they would do. 

Thomasin rocked up on her tiptoes to peer through one of them. There was a large cluster of men spread out across the field. They stood in clumps of three or four, talking among themselves as a handful of servants erected some makeshift structure she couldn’t quite make out. Perhaps if she had something to stand on, she would be able to see more clearly . . .

Kal made a grumbling sound. 

“I don’t mean to ignore you, Kal,” Thomasin said. “I just want to see what’s going on.” 

She never thought it unusual for one to speak to one’s pets, and Henry regularly held complex conversations with the bear, so she wasn’t embarrassed to talk to him in public as other women might be.

Thomasin pushed up a little further and caught a glimpse of fresh scaffolding, then of a handful of shackled men making their way over to it. The Saxon prisoners were finally being executed, then. Thomasin couldn’t blame Henry for not telling her. He was only trying to protect her.

She was about to turn away when she glimpsed a familiar silhouette and an even more familiar red beard. She squinted into the fading light as the hangman put a rope around the Saxon’s thick neck. 

She hated that neck. She once joked to Justina that she’d like to strangle him, but his neck was as sturdy as a thick branch on a tree. She’d only tire herself out trying to kill him.

Cerdic.

Thomasin was so shocked and upset that she pushed away from the window too hard and fell backwards; Kal softened her fall somewhat.

For a moment she couldn’t move or even draw in a lungful of air. Kal was breathing in right in her face, but she didn’t care. She felt removed from somehow, as if she weren’t truly in her body.

Cerdic was a ridiculous oaf, but she’d known him all her life. She’d cared for him not as a lover or brother or even a friend, but in the way a woman was expected to care for her husband-to-be. And he was all that was left of her life before.

It was easier when she thought he was dead, that he’d died in the fray along with most of the other Saxon men. She’d grieved him in her own strange way and put his memory behind her, but now everything swelled up again and tightened her throat. 

This was the last straw. She was strong but she wasn't made of ice. There was only so much someone could endure before they broke.

And Thomasin truly did break.

She ran to her rooms barely holding back tears. Her throat was sore with the effort of holding in sobs and her hands were shaking so hard that she almost couldn’t open the latch on the door to the antechamber. 

She barely made it through the antechamber and into the bedroom before she fell apart. She slammed the bedroom door before Kal could follow and fell forward on her hands and knees into the rushes scattered on the floor; she couldn’t hold herself together a moment longer, not even long enough to reach the bed. She began to weep so hard that she could barely breathe. She made choked, ugly sobbing sounds she couldn’t control that shook her shoulders as snot and tears ran down her face.

Kal whined and scratched at the door, desperate to comfort his mother.

Thomasin kicked the door hard enough to shake the hinges. “Go away!” she shrieked. Her throat was already raw.

She was too tired to move anymore, even to get into bed. She fell to her side and curled in on herself, shivering like a dog left outside in a storm, still whimpering and gasping for breath. 

***

Henry stood with Charlie and Roger as they waited for the executions to begin.

“You look unwell,” Henry remarked to his brother-by-law.

Roger heaved a sigh. “It’s always said when something beautiful dies.” 

“What, the men?” Charlie asked.

Roger turned to face his friends. “Their lives. Their spirits.” Their physical forms, too, of course. 

“That’s the nature of conquest,” Charlie said. “The old ways must end for the new ones to begin. If people cannot accept change . . .” He shrugged.

“I do not like the end part. You must feel some grief on behalf of Thomasin, Henry,” Roger said. “I cannot imagine. . .” he trailed off.

“I didn’t tell her,” Henry said. 

“She’ll find out,” Charlie said neutrally. He still didn’t like Thomasin by any stretch of the imagination, but he was coming to accept her. “Assuming she hasn’t already.”

Henry knew that, knew it would be better to tell her himself. He just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“I know,” he said. 

***

Cerdic had no last words – or if he did, Henry didn’t hear them. 

The men were strung up all at once, the nooses looped around their necks and the wooden bench kicked out from under them. A crueler king might have removed their heads one by one to heighten their fear, but William just wanted the business done with. He’d likely cut their heads off afterwards to mount on spikes near the city gates, though.

Henry left the first moment he could. Thomasin was probably fuming quietly in their room, probably repeatedly stabbing herself in the finger as she furiously embroidered something or other.  He hoped so. 

Charlie was right: Thomasin had probably found out about the executions somehow. He prayed that she didn’t know Cerdic was among the dead. He wasn’t sure what reaction to expect.

He tried to enter the antechamber quietly, but the room was deathly silent; every small sound he made seemed to echo. The first thing he saw was Kal stretched out in front of the door that led to the bedroom, his chin resting on top of his paws. He looked downright pensive.

“Kal.”

The dog leapt to attention as Henry knelt to scratch his ear.

“Good boy,” Henry murmured.

Kal whined, trying to communicate that something was wrong with Thomasin. He’d been guarding her as best as he could, but she wouldn’t let him into the bedroom.

Henry scratched Kal one more time before steeling himself. He opened the bedroom door. His wife lay on her side on the floor, still sniffling and hiccupping from weeping.

“Tom?” he knelt on the ground beside her. 

She moved her head the slightest bit to look up at him with bloodshot eyes. “You knew that Cerdic was here. That he was alive.” She was too exhausted to inject an accusatory tone into her raspy voice.

Henry took a deep breath. A lock of her rosy golden hair had gotten free of its braid; he gently tucked it behind her ear. “Yes.”

Her chin quivered as her eyes filled with tears. She shut them and turned away. “It was easier when . . .”

“I know.”

Her chin still moved. “I wish William had never come to England,” she said, voice high and tight. “I wish I’d never laid eyes on a Norman.”

Henry took a deep breath. “Tom, you can’t blame every Norm –”

“Yes I can!” She shouted, jumping to her feet. Henry stood, too. On the other side of the door, Kal whimpered. “It’s your fault! You came here and you took what wasn't yours and you killed the men and raped the women. My country is dead!” Her voice cracked. “I have nothing left! You took everything from me!”

Henry’s voice was low but strong. “You have me.”

“I don’t want you!” she shouted. Her words cut Henry like the blade of a knife. “You or your bastard king and your merciless countrymen! I wish I’d never met you! I – I –” 

I want to go home. 

“Enough, Tom,” said Henry. “You’ll give yourself a fit.” Thomasin reached for the back of her neck; Henry caught her hands in his and stopped her before she even touched the necklace’s clasp. “Don’t,” he said softly. 

Thomasin shoved away from him so hard she nearly fell backwards. Henry, who had the build of a stone wall, hardly budged. That made her so furious that she slapped him – tried to, anyway. Henry caught her wrist in his hand and used it to tug her close. 

“Let go!” she shouted. “Henry, let me go!”

But he held her to his chest and would not unlock his grip. She kept shoving and hitting him until he finally released her – only to capture her again.

Somehow, she was suddenly lying back on the bed, her wrists firmly locked in Henry’s grasp as he pinned them above her head. He hovered over her on his knees, locking her legs between his strong thighs to make sure she didn’t try to kick him in her anger.

“Thomasin, enough!” he shouted.

Exhausted, she finally gave up the fight. She sank limp against the bed and started to weep. 

She’d never cried in front of him before, Henry thought. He wasn’t even sure if she cried when she was wounded on the road. There were tears in her eyes on their wedding night and the day she tried to escape from him in the forest, but he didn’t think they ever spilled over.

He couldn’t stand to watch but he couldn’t look away. Thomasin needed him now. She was in mourning – for her father, her former betrothed, her relationships with her siblings, her country. She was mourning her own life, too, and what it might have been if William had never come.

“I hate you,” Thomasin whimpered through her tears.

“No, you don’t.” Her husband’s voice was tired but kind as he released her wrists and climbed off of her.

Her eyes were already shut; her outburst at Henry and fit of emotion after seeing Cerdic hanged drained her of all energy and she was on the very edge of sleep. “I hate you, Henry,” she insisted weakly. 

Henry knew she wasn’t sincere, that she was just speaking out of anger, but the words still stung him all the same.

It wouldn’t hurt him at all if she’d just say out loud that she loved him. He only needed to hear it once. None of her accusations or insults would bother him if he knew beyond a doubt that she loved him even half as much as he loved her. With those words, he’d be invincible.

But she didn’t say it. Maybe she never would. She loved him, Henry was sure of it, but she was too proud to admit it.

Tom’s tears had slowed and turned from sobs to sniffles to deep, loud breathing.

Henry stayed beside her in bed, both of them still fully dressed, and soon drifted off. She turned to him in her sleep, unconsciously taking her rightful place in his arms and against his chest. Henry didn’t wake; his body knew instinctively to put his arms around her.

[mc-lukanette]

The rock star life wasn't what Luka thought it'd be, though he supposed he could attribute it to his father constantly talking it up and raising his standards so high that nothing could've competed with them. It wasn't that he hated going on tours or playing for crowds, but there was definitely something wrong that he couldn't put into words.

Juleka at least seemed sympathetic to his concerns once he'd gotten back from his recent tour, and he chuckled when she threw him some money to solve the problem, insisting that he eat his sorrows away for now and worry about details later. They'd both planned to visit their mother to celebrate his return, so it was only appropriate that he be in higher spirits for it.

Rose was happy to give him the address of what was - according to her - "the best bakery in Paris," with Juleka non-subtly implying that the money she'd given wasn't only for him. Thoroughly amused, he complied, leaving to follow the directions to said bakery with his phone.

He felt lucky to have not run into any fans on the way there, hoping that the same would go for the way back. The last thing he wanted was to have his boxes of baked goods accidentally knocked over and ruined.

As he saw the bakery in the distance, he was surprised when he noticed that it had been right next to his and Juleka's old school. He distinctly remembered there being a bakery, but the name Rose had given him hadn't rung any bells. He checked his phone out of curiosity and confirmed that the name had been changed since his sister had been in the school, replacing the "Tom & Sabine" with "Dupain-Cheng."

With that mystery solved, he headed for the front door and opened it up, smiling at the chime of the bell that announced his entrance. There weren't any other customers around, leaving the lone worker to look over and notice him: a woman, probably around Juleka's age, dressed a little nicer than he'd expect and seeming to be in the middle of making something.

At the sight of him, she gasped and covered her mouth. "Y-you're—Luka Couffaine?!"

He flinched, expecting a fangirl moment, but instead, the girl blushed in embarrassment and ran away from him. She went over to a nearby towel, cleaning her hands of flour, then put the towel back and checked over her clothes.

"Sorry," she whined, glancing up at her hair and fussing over it. "I wasn't expecting any customers for a while."

She took a breath, then strutted over to the counter with the fake demeanor of a businesswoman. Placing her hands delicately on the counter's surface, she flashed him a shy smile, blushing as she asked, "Um... how may I help you?"

Oh, she was cute. That was Luka's entire train of thought, and he hadn't been able to catch it before his mind had already put it forth for him to both acknowledge and agree with.

"Ah—" He cleared his throat, only now realizing that he'd never asked Juleka what she wanted to eat.

"Do you need a drink?" the woman questioned, looking at him worriedly.

"Oh, no. Thank you though," he replied with a dismissive wave. "That was—I need to ask my sister what she wants."

"No problem!" She giggled. "It's not like you're holding up the line."

Really cute.

He tossed her a smile, then fished out his phone and quickly texted Juleka, asking her what he should be ordering. He knew he could've called her, but he preferred having something written to hand off instead of having to be the middle man between the Juleka on the phone and the woman in front of him.

Setting his phone down on the counter, where he'd see it once Juleka texted him back, he then turned his gaze back up. "So, you know me?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm actually a huge fan, and I have all of your albums," she replied. "Buuuuut, I've dealt with a lot of... over-enthusiastic people in my life, so I know what it's like. I'd hate to make you uncomfortable." A beat of silence passed, and she playfully added, "Plus, I'm on the clock."

He chuckled, half-wondering if she was actually different outside of work. "And... is this place yours? I saw that the name changed."

"Sort of." She shrugged. "It's a family business. My papa is Tom Dupain, my maman is Sabine Cheng, and I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

He was glad she'd told him her name, thankful that he didn't have to non-subtly try to ask for her name now. Marinette.

She continued, "My parents went away on vacation, so I'm in charge." Puffing out her chest with pride, she assured, "I'm proving that I can handle everything myself."

Luka broke out into a huge grin, thoroughly charmed. "I'm sure you can. You definitely have the energy for it."

He tried to hide his amusement at seeing her try not to blush and turn shy from the compliment. She clearly wore her heart on her sleeve and couldn't hide anything if her life depended on it.

He'd never heard a song like hers before.

"S-so!" she deflected in a way she probably thought was skillful. "If you don't mind me asking, how was your tour?"

"Mm?" He was briefly caught off-guard, not expecting to have to talk about himself, though he supposed he should've, given that she was apparently a fan of his. "Oh, it was fine."

She tilted her head, suddenly concerned. "It was only fine?"

Oops. Luka hoped it didn't show on his face that he knew he'd slipped up. He didn't doubt - based on the small amount of time he'd known her - that Marinette would've listened to his worries, but he didn't want her to fret over his career when she was a fan of his.

Thinking quickly, he replied, "Well, I'm just glad to be back home. My family's here."

She nodded in understanding, not seeming to fully believe him - perceptive little thing - but accepting anyway. "That makes sense. I'd never be able to leave my parents for that long. I'd miss them too much!"

He chuckled. She seemed like the kind of person to overthink about people like that. "Yeah. My sister practically threw me onto the plane for my first tour." He grinned. "We still shared a room back then and I think she was desperate for privacy with her girlfriend."

Marinette covered her mouth, trying to hide a sweet giggle that he discreetly stored away in his memory.

"Still," she began, her gaze softening along with her voice. Luka detected a distinct change in atmosphere as she continued, "I don't think it's good if you miss them too much on tour. I think your fans would understand if you kept your them shorter." She smiled reassuringly. "I know I would, so please don't overdo it."

He blinked, staring at her with surprise. It was almost funny to him how he'd hoped not to run into any fans on the way there, yet here he was now, glad to have this particular fan to talk to.

She was sweet. She was cute. She seemed to genuinely care about him, and he was—

His phone chimed with a familiar tone, and Luka figured that it might've been for the best that he wasn't able to finish that thought, already hearing his dad's rambles about fans and attachment and keeping them at a stage's distance.

He picked up his phone, offering Marinette a quick "thank you" for her kind words before opening up his conversation with Juleka.

He blanked at the message she sent.

Hey, here's the list (by the way, say "hi" to the baker while you're there; not suggesting anything but she's cute and totally your type since you're both really lame):

Luka had too many questions all at once. Had his sister sent him there just to try and get him a date? Would she have sent him to the Dupain-Cheng bakery otherwise? Was Rose in on it too?

Did he really have a type?

Luka glanced briefly up at Marinette, who seemed wholly oblivious to his internal conflict. Trying not to just stand there stupidly, he copied the list Juleka sent and put it into a memo app on his phone, not wanting to risk Marinette seeing the rest of the message.

He took a quick look around the display cases and added something for himself to the list, then set his phone back on the counter and slid it over to Marinette. She leaned over, taking a look at the list, then gave him an acknowledging smile and went off to fill the order.

He waited to make sure that she had everything on the list memorized, then picked his phone back up and navigated to the camera app, now all too aware of what Juleka's smug reaction would be when he got back with the absolute dumbest look on his face.

"Luka?" Marinette called after an indistinguishable amount of time. He met her gaze and she added hurriedly, "I-I hope I wasn't interrupting anything, but here's your order."

She slid the boxes across the counter, having put them in a bag for easy carrying. He placed her payment on the counter and smiled at her, assuring, "You didn't interrupt anything. Thank you."

He didn't notice how warm his voice had sounded until after the words were already out, and by then it was already too late to change it. Slipping his hand through the bag's handles, he lifted it up and kept his phone held in his other hand.

"Oh!" Marinette gasped. "Let me get the door for you!"

"You don't have to—"

"It's okay! Your hands are full!"

He wouldn't define them as "full," but she was already rushing to make to the door before he did. He didn't miss how she opened it like a boyfriend would for their girlfriend, even adding a bow just for flair.

The bell chiming seemed to be emphasizing her voice rather than his exit.

"Please come again!" she recited like it was something she told everyone. She paused, then blushed and stood straight, any professionalism gone as she stammered, "I-I'm sorry, is that weird to say since I'm your fan? I didn't mean to, but—well, do come back, but only if you want! So—"

"I do," he cut in, much to her apparent surprise. He maintained eye contact on the way out, adding fondly, "See you later, Marinette?"

"A-ah... see you!"

He immediately had to look away to prevent her from seeing the way he grinned at the squeak in her voice. He heard the bakery door close behind him and held his phone back up to his face. Glad that there weren't many people in the immediate area, he spent probably five minutes trying to make faces at his camera.

Eventually, he had to give up hope that Juleka wouldn't tease him, because the smile wouldn't leave his face no matter how hard he tried.

That didn't mean he wasn't going to visit the bakery tomorrow though, of course.

[itspufflehuff]

Partners - Tom Holland Imagine

Inspired by @waitimcomingtoo you should definitely check their page I love their writing so much it’s amazing!

Summary: You and Tom have been dancing with each other since you were five and he was six. Now eighteen years later is there any possibility for something more?

MATERLIST // TAGLIST

Part two

Word Count: 3,746

~~~~

It all started on the ice. You were out on the frozen lake behind your house, you'd seen the older kids skating out there before. It looked so lovely and fun you wanted to try it out yourself. None of your parents knew how to skate but they were supportive of your newfound interest. They bought you a pair of ice skates and took you out to the lake. They stood by watching and cheering you on to boost your confidence, but you kept falling. It frustrated you more and more that you couldn't get the hang of it.

You fell once more but instead of getting up you sat there and cried. You felt defeated until he showed up. With ease he skated over to you holding his hand out, "I remember when I first learned to skate. I fell a lot my legs hurt. Let me teach you." You looked up to see the little boy in front of you smiling warmly.

He held onto your hand making sure you wouldn't fall, every time it looked like you might he was quick to grab you. "Let's meet again tomorrow at two and I'll help you again." He said kindly when your parents called out for you to go home. You nodded eagerly with a huge smile plastered on your face. He helped you back to the edge of the pond making sure to not let go of your hand. "My name is Y/N," You said before leaving. "I'm Tom." He smiled back.

From that day on you met, three times a week until you got the hang of skating alone.

"I'm gonna let go." He said with worry. You were nervous but excited. You could feel your heart thumping throughout your body. With a shaky "Ok" he slowly let go of your hand. You began gliding through the lake all on your own. In the back, you could hear your and Toms parents cheering with excitement as you skated around the lake with no help and no falls. You raced back to Tom with the biggest smile on your face. Coming to a halt you embraced him in a hug, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" You shouted at him.

That was the happiest day of your life. You and Tom continued meeting both on and off the ice. You never realized he lived in the house right next to yours. Although you did go to different schools, as you attended an all-girls school.

Once the ice melted, Tom told you about the dance lessons he was taking. You rushed home and begged your parents to let you join Toms class. When they heard Tom's name they were quick to agree. Your parents loved Tom, even if he was a boy. He was such a great friend to you and they wanted to help keep him in your life.

You and Tom continued to take dance classes together, and when the lake froze over you would go out and skate together. Now as dancers and skaters you and Tom would often make up your own routines on the ice like the figure skaters you loved to watch. In class, dance instructors saw the chemistry you and your best friend had. They would partner you two up for everything, and neither of you complained. You loved dancing together and soon you moved onto competitions outside of your dance group.

One day Tom excitedly ran to your house after school, "Britain's Got Talent is hosting auditions in our town, we have to go!" With much begging from both of you to each other's parents, you were allowed to audition. You were 15 at the time, Tom was 16. You both did a contemporary dance to Ed Sheeran's I See Fire.

~~

"I'm Tom."

"And I'm Y/N" Finally you and Tom were out on stage in front of the judges. You had been so nervous you could feel your stomach turning as your palms sweat. You held onto Tom's hand all day as it helped calm your nerves. Of course, he was nervous too but he didn't want you to fee off his anxiety so he remained calm for the both of you. The both of you sat backstage doing interviews and occasionally stretching to keep yourselves loose. When you two were called up for your five-minute warning you stood at the wings of the stage holding onto each other. When you were each handed a microphone you wished each other luck and just like he does before every dance Tom placed a soft kiss on your forehead. When you were ushered out onto stage you let go of each other and held onto your microphones imagining it was the others hand.

"Hello, nice to meet you both. What will you be doing for us today?"

You looked to Tom as if you were asking him to answer, "We'll be doing a contemporary dance to I See Fire."

The audience cheered as the judges smiled, "Ok and how long have you two been dancing?"

Backstage you and Tom discussed this, you would each take turns speaking so if he went first then it was your turn, "For about eight years now, Tom was eight and I was seven."

"And how do you two know each other? Siblings?"

You and Tom laughed at the question, "No we're the best of friends. We've known each other for ten years."

"Ok, well show us what you got, good luck."

You and Tom took your positions facing away from each other waiting for the music to begin. As soon as it did it was like you two went into another world first you started off dancing separately then you jumped into the air. Tom caught you holding onto your waist as he spun you two around. Gently he put you down as you to began dancing together. It wasn't a love song but your bodies moved in synch. You weren't scared when he had to catch you or lift you up.

Once the song ended Tom grabbed both of your mics and ran back to you. The both of you were so nervous as everyone clapped and cheered. You held onto Tom's arm awaiting to hear what the judges had to say.

"WOW! You two were amazing!" The first judge spoke.

You and Tom looked at each other in excitement. He pulled his arm out of your grasp and wrapped it around your shoulders instead, you then put your arms around his torso hugging him.

The second judge spoke, "I think you two have some bright futures ahead of you." The crowd cheered, "I mean you dance so beautifully. It's obvious you love what you do and you trust each other so much."

"I agree, " the last judge spoke, "You two have so much chemistry on stage. I mean look at you!" Once again everyone cheered. "I want to see that chemistry more in your dances instead of your backs turned to each other, ok?"

~~~~

And so that's what you gave them. You and Tom started doing more romantic songs and everyone loved it. You made it to the top three, unfortunately, you both won second place. However, your careers didn't end there. With all of the attention you two got from being on the show you were featured on many more shows and were even invited back as a mid-show entertainment.

You and Tom entered multiple competitions typically winning one of the top three spots. Your families were so proud of you both. Now you two were the most popular dances, almost as famous as Julianne and Derek Hough.

You loved being able to work with your best friend every day.

~~~~

"Y/N where is my bowtie!" Tom called out. His head was basically lost inside his costume trunk. You were sitting in front of the mirror putting the finishing touches on your makeup.

You rolled your eyes in amusement as you looked down at the vanity, "Tom maybe if you pulled your head out of that trunk you'd remember you took it out ages ago so this wouldn't happen."

He walked over to you grabbing the tie, "Psh I knew it was here. I'm just trying to keep you sharp."

"Sure you are." You laughed as you got up. He held the tie out for you to take. This was how it went before every performance. You and Tom shared a dressing room, you've known each other for almost twenty years and you were adults now, you weren't afraid to change in front of each other. He never got the hang of tying his bow tie, or that's what he let you believe, so whenever he needed to wear one for his costume you helped him put it on.

"There," you said putting your hands down, "You really should learn how to put this on by yourself Tom."

"Yeah but you do it so perfectly," he kissed the top of your head and turned to grab his shoes. Again you rolled your eyes at him but smiled, "Ready?" He looked up at you and smiled, "Ready."

"And now, Y/N and Tom Holland dancing to Teeth!" The interviewer called out. You and Tom stood center stage as the camera panned over to you.  

You started facing each other, your faces were supposed to be serious but Tom being his usual self tried to make you break as he wiggled his eyebrows and blew you a kiss. You squinted at him as you very slowly shook your head at him. As the music started you two circled each other as you'd done in rehearsal every day the past week.

When the singer began Tom reached out for your hand leading you two into a foxtrot.

'Can't look away, can't look away'

Tom turned his head to both sides of him and you brought him back to look into your eyes.

'Push me away, push me away'

You pushed Tom and he jumped back as you walked away.

'Begged me to stay, begged me to stay'

He jumped up in front of you getting down on one knee as if begging you not to go.

You picked him back up and began dancing together again.

'Don't know if I'm gonna make it out alive'

You two quickly pulled back from each other never looking away.

'Fight so dirty but your love so sweet'

You pretended to punch him from where you were as Tom was "blocking" it. He ran over to you twirling you so that your back was turned to him.

'Talk so pretty but your heart got teeth'

You swayed together as he pretended to whisper into your ear. You turned swiftly pretending to sink your teeth into his neck.

'Late night devil put your hands on me and never, never, never, ever let go'

He pulled away from you as you circled him, your hands trailing over his chest, back, and around to his abdomen. You jumped away from each other as the song went back to 'fight so dirty'

Instead of doing the same thing as before you did a flip back as Tom made his way back to you, he put his hand on your shoulder. You ducked under it as you turned to him. He grabbed onto your waist as you two did another foxtrot quickly to the music.

Once the song ended you and Tom ran to each other. He grabbed you by the waist and lifted you up to him holding you tight as he twirled you. That's how it was after every performance. You two loved dancing together and had so much energy after you had to take it out somehow. You waved to the audience as you walked to the couch hand in hand.  

You let go of each other's hands to shake the interviewer's hand.

"Wow! You two are incredible! How do you do that? It must get tiring?" Graham Norton asked.

Tom looked to you smiling, "It's a lot of hard work and super tiring but it's worth it to be able to dance with this one every day."

"I bet. The chemistry radiating between you is amazing! So you two have been doing this for what eighteen years?" Norton asked.

"Well yes and no. We started out ice skating but once the ice melted we had nothing else to do, then Tom started dancing and of course, as my skating partner I had to be his dance partner. So we've been dancing for sixteen years now." You explained with a big smile on your face.

"Have you two ever thought about doing anything outside of dancing? Or outside of the two of you?"

You and Tom looked at him like he suggested committing a heinous crime.

"No."

"God no."

You spoke at the same time causing the audience to laugh.

"We come as a package deal, I never dance without Tom or with anyone else. There's no one I could trust more than him to toss me in the air and catch me." You giggled.

"And what about with relationships? Do you come as a packaged deal then?"

"Of course! Tom is my best friend. He's sticking with me no matter what a guy says."

Tom let out an 'aww' as he put his arm around you and pulled you close to him so he could place a kiss on your head.

~~~~

The interview flew by. On the car ride home, Tom couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "What's so funny?" You asked.

"Nothing, it's just, remember when we were younger you were always so terrified to answer questions? Now you're a pro and take over."

You gasped, "I do not!"

"Oh yes, you do!" He fought back with a laugh.

A blush crept up onto his face as you realized he was right. Noticing this he reached for your hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, "It's ok, no need to be embarrassed it's a good thing."

When he parked in front of your house you sat in the car for a second longer, "Wanna come in and have a movie night?"

He sighed as he looked over at you, "I would love to but I've actually got a date tonight."

You looked at him confused, "When were you planning on telling me?" You were never the jealous type but you always told each other things it was weird for you to find out he had a date right before he had the date. You usually knew moment plans for a date were made.

"Umm, never?" He slowly admitted.

"What?!" You looked at him in shock.

"I just wasn't expecting much to come from this so I only asked her out because she kept hinting at it when we met." He defended himself.

"I want you to call me with details." You squinted at him then left.

You watched as his car drove off. Letting out a puff of air you turned ready to enter your home.

~~~~

While Tom was out on his date you decided to watch some movies alone waiting for his call. Every time your phone rang you anxiously looked hoping it was Tom. None of them were. He finally called you the next afternoon three hours before you two were meant to attend an album release party together.

"Y/N?"

"Tom! So nice of you to finally call." You huffed.

"Sorry, I uh- I got caught up. Listen I won't be able to make it to the party tonight do you mind covering for me?" you heard giggling in the back.

"Tom- what? Why not?"

"I've got to go, thanks Y/N!" He shouted then hung up quickly.

~~~~

That night at the party you told anyone who would ask that time sprained his ankle last night and was at home resting. You didn't stay for long. Tom was usually there to keep you company but without him, you couldn't seem to have fun you left the party just before ten in the night saying you had rehearsal early in the morning.

You checked your phone when you got home to see if Tom might have texted or called, he didn't. For the next few months, he became very distant. You found out the girl he didn't expect much from was more than either of you expected. They went out all the time and when you met her she was very cold towards you.

Even your manager noticed Tom's change in behavior. She started booking you two for fewer events seeing as how it was starting to affect your dancing. His mind seemed to be somewhere else all the time. Then one day he came to your house looking sad and guilty, "Tom." He stood there shocked. He hardly ever came to your house anymore.

"Hey, Y/N." You were still standing in front of the door when he cleared his throat, "Um can I come in?"

Quickly you moved to the side opening the door, "Of course, come on in." He made his way to your couch taking a seat. He noticed your laptop was on the coffee table, taking a closer look he saw what you were watching. It was a video compilation of your days on Britains Got Talent. A small smile crept on his face as he felt his stomach do tiny flips. Then he remembered why he came and his heart dropped. You took a seat next to him quickly closing your laptop hoping he hadn't seen what was there. The truth was you missed him so much your heart hurt.

He turned to you grabbing your hands, "Y/N, I came over here to tell you that I'm done."

You sat there confused, "What? I don't understand?"

He looked down trying to hold back the tears, "What I'm saying is, I'm done dancing. I can't do this anymore. At least not with you. We cant be friends anymore." He finally blurted out.

You pulled your hands away from him, "What?" How could he say something like this? Then it hit you, "This is because of her isn't it?" You'd never even bothered to learn her name. You just hoped he would finally see she wasn't right for him.

"No, she has nothing to do with it." He stumbled over his words.

"Then why?"

His mouth hung open then shut. He didn't know what to say. Of course it was because of her.

"You're really going to choose this girl who you only met over me your best friend since we were kids?" Once again he stood silent. "Dammit, Tom do you know how many guys I had to break up with because they weren't comfortable with our relationship?"

"I know but-"

"But what? What happened to us being a packaged deal?" You began to raise your voice.

"I never said that, that was all you." He instantly regretted saying that.

You got up and made your way to the door, "Leave. You can figure this out with our manager. Just- just get out of my house." Your voice was low almost like a whisper.

He didn't get up from his spot on the couch. He felt frozen but you spoke once more and the sound of your voice broke his heart, "Please, just go." So he did.

~~~~

A few weeks and many canceled events later you and Tom appeared on a dance show as their special guests, "It is with a heavy heart I announce, for their last performance together, Y/N L/N and Tom Holland"                      

Normally your dances together would include some sort of physical touch, whether it be you grabbing onto him, him throwing you in the air, or some sort of step dance but this time there wasn't any of that. You remained separate throughout the whole song performing the same movements in sync except towards the end your movements began to differ from one other.

By the end of the dance, you heard cheers and hollers from the audience. You never looked at Tom once, not backstage when you were getting ready, not when you made your way to the dance floor, and certainly not now when the dance was over. You kept your head looking straight at the crowd in front of you as tears filled your eyes with a bittersweet smile. With one hand over your heart, you waved to the audience then walked off stage with your head hanging down.

The whole time Tom was looking at you. He felt his chest tighten when you began to walk off without even glancing his way. He had to keep reminding himself this was his doing. He was the one who pushed you away, yet it still hurt to know you wouldn't give him one last hug like you usually did after every performance.

He tried to rush after you but when he got backstage there were too many people walking around for him to find you. Luckily you both were sharing a dressing room so he ran there hoping he'd be able to find you there but to his disappointment, he was met with an empty room. It looked as if you grabbed all your belongings and ran out of there.

The truth was you didn't want to see him because you knew that if you did it would make him leaving so much harder. The last time you spoke to him was that night in your home. Lucky for you Tom had canceled any event you two were supposed to be at together. This made not seeing him so much easier. Of course, you had to face him at rehearsal but it was your idea to do the dance separately. Not only would it be easier on your heart but it was a perfect representation of how you two were drifting apart. The last obstacle was the actual performance, which proved to be easier than you expected. In the dressing room, Tom didn't try to make much conversation so you kept your head down. When the dance was over you had a strong urge to turn and hug him but you stood your ground and ran out of the room as quick as you could. The second you entered the dressing room you began to break down. Not wanting Tom to see you like that you took your bag and ran to your car as quick as you could.

[2manyfandoms2count]

I love you (not) - Chapter 6

Aaaand we're back on the main fic! I am very proud to announce that I managed to fit an AU in here without it being weird (I think). It was really fun to write! Feel free to ask me more about that universe if you feel like it :) Hope you enjoy!

@marichatmay

First | Previous | AO3 | Next

---

Chapter 6: In which we change worlds but it makes sense, I promise

“Princess!”

Marinette stirred in her sleep as she heard the call and the distinct sound of curtains opening. She felt the morning’s soft light warm her face and sighed contently.

“Princess Marinette, you need to wake up! Today’s the day!” The feminine voice called again, closer, this time.

Her eyes flew open and she sat up, feeling her heartbeat quicken with excitement.

“Oh Tikki, you won’t believe how well I slept!” She jumped out of her canopy bed, her white nightdress flowing in her wake as she rushed towards her handmaiden, who stared out of the window. “I really thought I wouldn’t sleep a wink, but really, the herbal tea you gave me worked wonders!"

“I’m glad to hear it! It worked well on Chat Noir, too, apparently. I ran into Plagg, his squire, in the kitchen earlier.”

“Good,” Marinette sighed with relief.

“Come on, now, we need to get you ready!” Tikki took her hand and led her to her dressing table. “How are you feeling about your engagement day?” She asked as she started brushing the princess’ hair.

“Very good. I’m very happy about the outcome of yesterday’s rounds - I know I’m not supposed to have favourites within the contestants but…” Marinette paused, hesitating to say anymore. It wasn’t a matter of trust (she’d known Tikki long enough that the two had become close friends, despite the rank difference); she was just unwilling to criticise the way things were too soon.

“You have every right to be, your Highness. The Joust of Valour explores your suitors’ ability to protect you, but there’s more to marriage than just that. It’s good that you feel comfortable with the two final contestants.” Her handmaiden smiled warmly, starting to braid her hair. “If I may, does your Highness have a soft spot for one contestant in particular? I could pass the message to the relevant people, maybe it would give him some extra luck for today…”

“I don’t, Tikki,” the young lady said firmly. It wasn’t a lie; she’d asked herself who she’d rather see emerge victorious of the tournament as she fell asleep the previous night, but she hadn’t reached a solid conclusion. It was better this way, really. Whatever the outcome, she wouldn’t be disappointed. “Anyway, you said Chat Noir was doing well?...”

Tikki repressed a smile, and told her what she knew.

---

Marinette proudly walked up to her place in the stands, her arm linked to her father’s.

For once, she would be the one sitting front and center of the Royal Balcony, relegating her parents, the King and Queen of the Croissant Kingdom, to the back of the stall with their guest. Neither King Tom or Queen Sabine seemed to mind, though; both were beaming as they waved to the crowd that had travelled for the event. Their cheers lifted the princess’ spirits so much that even the stern figure of King Gabriel of the Butterfly Kingdom failed to make her mood waver. Maybe this was what growing up felt like.

“Mesdames et Messieurs!” The voice of the announcer boomed over the ambient noise. “Welcome to the final round of the Joust of Valour! The joust will soon commence. Sparring for the heart of our beloved Princess Marinette, having victoriously arisen from all their duels, are Prince Adrien from the Butterfly Kingdom, and our local Knight Chat Noir!”

The crowd roared as the two men came forward, leading their horses.

Prince Adrien’s silver armour glistened in the sunlight, and so did his smile as his gaze met hers. Her heart skipped a beat. Her crush on him, which she’d developed during one of their first encounters as children, really hadn’t faded much over the years, despite what her friend, the Duchess Alya, had told her.

On the other hand, Chat Noir’s appearance was a lot starker. His whole armour was black, matte, the whole hint of colour being his forest green spear. There was something radiant about him, though, in the way his tousled blond hair danced in the breeze, in the way his green eyes sparkled with laughter and mischief as he approached the stands, that drew her to him. He’d been at her side for years, valiantly working with her when she’d been taken hostage by one of the Papillon’s sbires. They’d brilliantly defeated him, earning him his knighthood at the age of only fifteen, and a place in her personal guard. Despite her father’s warnings that Marinette shouldn’t meddle with the Papillon’s affairs, Chat Noir still managed to get her involved. They were a team.

“I hope I’ll be up to the challenge, dearest Marinette,” Adrien squeezed the hand she presented to him; she squeezed it back and smiled as she watched him head towards his noble steed.

“My Lady Princess,” Chat Noir bowed reverently before her, “please accept this rose as a token of my affection.” He pulled a pink rose out of seemingly thin air and presented it to her. The crowd gasped delightedly. Then, delicately taking her hand, he pressed a kiss to the back of it with a wink; Marinette felt herself blush.

“Thank you, Chat Noir,” she barely managed to enunciate.

He bowed again, and went to ready himself.

Marinette looked at the rose, and noticed there was a piece of paper wrapped around the stem, maintained by a thorn. She made the most of everybody’s attention on the contestants to unravel it.

My dearest Lady Princess,

I’m sorry.

Love you always, CN

“Princess Marinette will now announce the beginning of the joust!” The announcer declared, startling her as she tried to understand what Chat Noir had meant by his message. She rapidly shoved it in her pocket and stood up uneasily, hoping all the eyes trained on her wouldn’t detect her fluster.

“Best of luck, gentlemen! May the best man win!”

The two horses set off towards each other, spurred on by their riders. The contestants’ spears crashed against each other’s shield, unsettling them a little. Both knights trotted to the end of the track and prepared to set off again.

The crowd oohed and aahed during the next rounds, both men barely wavering at the other’s assaults. Marinette held her breath each time, anxiously awaiting the outcome, only to let out a relieved sigh when neither fell.

Then, as the two men were about to set off again for the thirteenth time, Marinette saw Chat Noir’s helmet turn briefly towards her, and she felt her stomach drop. She didn’t need to see his face to know what was about to happen. The rose slipped out from her fingers as she realised what the note had meant.

As the knight and the prince came up to each other at full speed, Prince Adrien’s jousting spear collided violently with Chat Noir’s chest, and the latter fell to the ground with a deafening clank .

The crowd erupted in clamour as Adrien started to tour the track at a low trot, a victorious smile on his lips. Finally reaching the royal stand, he elegantly jumped off and extended a hand towards her.

“I’m truly honoured to be your future husband, your Royal Highness.”

He kissed her hand before guiding her out of the stand and helped her up to ride his horse with him. She smiled the whole time, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Those were looking for Chat Noir.

---

In the middle of the boisterous banquet, Marinette felt like she couldn’t breathe anymore. She had to get out of the hall, before her plastered smile broke, and she exposed her true feelings.

She excused herself, reassuring Prince Adrien that it must have been her prolonged time in the sun and her unusual mead consumption, and made her way to her quarters.

There, she rapidly grabbed a cloak from her trunk and sneaked out, head hung low until she’d exited the castle’s gates.

She started running. Her legs carried her as her mind raced, as her tear-ducts gave way to her tears.

She hadn’t thought the joust’s outcome would mean so much to her. She thought she’d be happy, whatever happened on the track. But as much as she’d dreamed of this match… It just didn’t feel right.

She tripped and fell to her knees, out of breath, and recognised her surroundings. The clearing had been where Chat and her had been taken hostage, and where Chat took her to practise fencing when he knew no one was looking.

A rustling sound startled her and she put her hands up defensively, although she didn’t feel like getting up.

“Hi, Princess,” Chat Noir emerged from the trees, carrying a bag. “I couldn’t find you in your room, but I figured you’d be here.”

“You had no right to sacrifice yourself like that,” she sobbed, her hands dropping to her knees.

“You know you’ll be much happier with Prince Adrien, Princess.” He smiled sadly. “You two are meant to be - you’d already be betrothed to him, were it not for the Kingdom’s Joust of Valour.”

“You don’t know what would make me happier,” she angrily wiped the tears from her eyes.

“You know I’d do anything for you, my Marinette.” He rushed to her side and cupped her cheek.

“Then run away with me.” She looked straight into his eyes.

“Why?” He whispered, his face inching closer to hers.

“Because Prince Adrien might have my hand…” She started, her breath hitching as she computed their proximity. “... But you have my heart.” Her eyes fluttered shut as she closed the distance between them and…

BIP-BIP-BIP-BIP

Marinette woke up with a start as her alarm clock started blaring. Her heart raced in her chest at the already fleeting memory of her dream. She caught her disappointment at not having witnessed the outcome, and covered her face with her hands. She felt like she was burning up.

She was so confused. The dream had been so out of place. So unexpected. What did it mean? She didn’t love Chat Noir! And she definitely didn’t want to run away with him. How absurd.

She only had a week to hold out for, she thought as she got dressed. It wouldn’t come soon enough.

She didn't know if her heart would survive another trick of her brain.

[thelittlesttimelord]

The Littlest Timelord: The New Doctor Chapter 9

TITLE: The Littlest Timelord: The New Doctor Chapter 9 PAIRING: No Pairing RATING: T CHAPTER: 9/? SUMMARY: With the Doctor newly regenerated, he and Elise must now navigate their new relationship. The Doctor is an old man and Elise is a headstrong young woman. She is no longer the scared little girl the Doctor saved all those years ago. Will Clara be able to keep them from killing each other?

“In the contest for the golden arrow, after ten rounds, the battle is betwixt our Lord Sheriff and the stranger known as Tom the Tinker!”

Robin stepped forward and the crowd cheered.

“Take your places!”

“Shall we make the contest a little more interesting, my Lord? The targets seem a little close. What say you? Another twenty paces?” Robin asked the Sheriff.

“Why not?”

The target was moved further back and the Sheriff fired a black arrow from his bow. It hit the bullseye.

“Now, Tinker. Let us see thy true face,” the Sheriff said.

Robin’s white arrow split the Sheriff’s.

“Ye Gads! He has split the arrow! Truly, he is the finest archer in all England. Come forward, Tinker. And claim your prize!”

Before Robin could grab the golden arrow, a multicolored feather split Robin’s.

Elise rolled her eyes, although she was rather impressed.

“He still loves showing off, doesn’t he?” Clara asked.

“I'm the Doctor. My skills as a bowman speak for themselves. I claim my reward.”

The herald knelt and the Doctor took the golden arrow. “A mere bauble.” He tossed it to the side. “I want something else.”

“Name it,” the Sheriff said.

“Enlightenment.”

Robin split the Doctor’s arrow with another one of his. The Doctor fired an arrow that ricocheted off the armor of a guard and split Robin’s. Robin fired an arrow without looking and split the Doctor’s arrow.

There was something stirring in the back of Elise’s brain. This situation was familiar to her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She knew the memory was there, but her brain wouldn’t let her access it.

“This is getting silly,” the Doctor grouched and pointed his sonic screwdriver at the target.

It went up in a fiery explosion.

“Fascinating. Seize him!” the Sheriff ordered.

Three knights drew their swords, while Clara grabbed what looked like a spear and tried to swing, but it was obviously too heavy for the small brunette.

“What are you doing? Put that down!” the Doctor told her.

“I'm fine. I take Year Seven for after school Tae Kwon Do.”

Robin ran over to their small group. “Don't worry, fair lady. I'll save you.”

It took a moment for Elise to realize he was talking to her. “Hold on! I don't need saving!”

“Your honor is safe then.”

“My honor?”

Clara hit Elise lightly on the arm. “He’s flirting with you!”

“By implying I can’t take care of myself? I’m a Timelord.”

“Well he doesn’t know that!”

Robin whipped off his hat and everyone cheered. “For I am Robin. Robin Hood!” Robin sliced off one of the knight’s arm, but instead of blood spurting from the wound, it sparked.

The Doctor ran over and picked the arm up. “Robot.”

The knight’s visor opened to reveal a metal face.

“Now we're getting somewhere.”

“Take them. Kill the rest. Kill them all!” the Sheriff ordered.

The robot knights fired energy bolts from their forehead.

“He surrenders!” the Doctor yelled.

“What?” Robin asked.

The Doctor knocked Robin’s sword from his hand.

“You miserable cur. I had them on the run. Flee, lads, flee! Live to fight another day!” Robin yelled to his Merry Men.

“To the dungeons with all of them,” the Sheriff said.

The knights grabbed them.

“What are you up to?” Clara asked.

“Quickest way to find out anybody's plans, get yourself captured,” the Doctor told her.

Elise scoffed. “We always end up captured.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They were taken to the castle dungeons.

Again, this situation felt too familiar to Elise, but the memory wouldn’t come to her.

The four of them were chained to posts in the room.

Clara and Elise were chained to one together.

“Splendid. Enchained,” Robin complained.

“Yep,” Clara said.

“Trussed up like turkey-cocks. Thanks to your friend.”

“Shut it, Hoodie. I saved your life,” the Doctor snapped.

“I had the situation well in hand.”

“Long-haired ninny versus robot killer knights? I know where I'd put my money.”

“If you had not betrayed me, I would have been triumphant.”

“You would have been a little puff of smoke and ashes.”

“Oh, ha!”

“You'd have been floating around in tiny little laughing bits in people's goblets.”

“Balderdash. Ha!”

“Oh, right, here we go. It's laughing time.”

“Well, you amuse me, grey old man.”

“Guard! He's laughing again! You can't keep me locked up with a laughing person.”

“Oh, I find that, I find that quite funny. Do you know, I feel another laugh coming on. A-ha-ha-ha!”

“Guards, I cannot remain in this cell. Execute me now.”

“If you two keep it up, I’ll execute you both!” Elise yelled at them, but the two men ignored her.

“You heard him. Execute the old fool.”

“No, hang on. Execute him.”

“I do not fear death, so execute away.”

“Execute him. I'd like to see if his head keeps laughing when you chop it off!”

“Oh, Robin Hood always laughs in the face of death.”

“Yes, rolling around the floor laughing, I would pay good money to see that.”

They both started yelling for the guard.

“Will you two, shut up!” Clara yelled, “Do either of you understand, in any way at all, that there isn't actually a guard out there?”

“Oh,” the Doctor said.

“I did, in fact,” Robin insisted.

“No, you didn't.”

“I said, shut up,” Clara snapped, “The Doctor and Robin Hood locked up in a cellar. Is this seriously the best that you can do? You're determined to starve to death in here squabbling.”

“Well, I'll tell you one thing. I'd last a lot longer than this desiccated man-crone,” Robin said.

The Doctor snorted in amusement. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Well, you know what? I think you'll find I have a certain genetic advantage.”

Clara yanked on the chain attached to his wrist.

“It is not a competition about who can die slower,” she told them.

“It would definitely be me, though, wouldn't it?”

“There was supposed to be a plan. Do either of you two have a plan?”

“Yeah, of course I have a plan.”

“I too have a plan,” Robin said.

“Okay. Robin, you first,” Clara told him.

“Why him?” the Doctor asked.

“Doctor, shut up. Robin, your plan.”

“I am biding my time.”

“Thank you, Prince of Thieves. Last of the Time Lords?”

“Yes, I have a plan,” the Doctor said.

“Can you explain your plan without using the word sonic screwdriver? Because you might have forgotten the Sheriff of Nottingham has taken your sonic screwdriver, just saying. It's always the screwdriver. Elise, you got anything?”

Elise sighed. “No. There’s nowhere to put my screwdriver in this dress.”

“You used to have a holster for it,” the Doctor said.

Elise’s eyes widened. “I what?”

The Doctor shook his head. “Never mind. Let's hear Robin's plan first.”

“Oh, for God's sake,” Clara groaned.

The door opened.

“See? There was a guard. There was guard listening the whole time, I knew it. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” Robin said.

The guard was a man with no teeth, only rotten stumps. “The Sheriff himself commanded me to listen, to find out which of you is the true ringleader.”

“Ah, so he can do the interrogating. Very wise,” the Doctor said.

“Excellent. He will get nothing from me,” Robin insisted.

“No, no, no, no. no. He will get nothing from me, because interrogation, that's where I always turn the tables. You see, that's my plan.”

“Just hurry up and take me to him.”

“No, no, chop-chop, come on.”

The guard unlocked Clara’s chains.

“Seriously?” Clara asked.

“Come on,” the guard said, pulling her along.

“Take your hands off her!” Elise yelled, “Oi! I’m talking to you!”

“No,” the Doctor breathed.

“What are you doing?” Robin asked.

“Don't be ridiculous!”

The door slammed shut.

“If something happens to her, I will never forgive you,” Elise told her father.

“Clara will be fine.”

Elise laughed.

“What?” the Doctor asked her.

“Nothing. Nothing. It’s just…reminds me of the Pandorica is all.”

“The first time you spoke. ‘Course I’d heard you speak before…”

“Before what?”

“Nothing.”

“I’ve got an idea,” Robin said, “I need you to moan.”

“I'm sorry?” the Doctor asked.

“Beat your breast. Moan. Groan as though twenty devils possessed your guts.”

“What for?”

“So as to attract the attention of that gargoyle-faced guard.”

“It's your plan. You moan.”

“No, no. No, it won't work.”

“Why?”

“Oh, because you're clearly more advanced in years and you have a sickly aspect to you.”

“I have a what?”

“You're as pale as milk. It's the way with Scots. They're strangers to vegetables.”

“Oi!” Elise snapped. She would not stand by and let him insult the heritage of the woman who influenced this regeneration in both herself and her father.

“I'm not moaning. You moan,” the Doctor told him.

“Fine. If you want something doing...” Robin moaned loudly. “Can I rely upon you to do the rest?”

“Yes, yes, I know the drill.”

“What is this din?” the guard asked.

“No business of yours, cur.”

“Speak up. I can't hear you,” the Doctor muttered at Robin.

“What ails him?” the guard asked.

“None of your business.”

The guard entered the cell. “I said, what ails him?”

“Well, if you must know, he's having a nervous breakdown.”

“A what?”

“He's like this whenever he's in any kind of danger. He just can't seem to cope. He gets so afraid. He goes into a kind of fit. I honestly believe that he may die of sheer fright, like some tiny, shivering little mouse. Oh, God, I think he's soiled himself.” “Let him die. It will save us the trouble of executing him.”

“And what will happen to the reward?”

“Reward?”

“Oh, God, I shouldn't have said that.”

“Tell me!”

“He carries a vital message. The Prince has promised a bounty.”

“A big one?”

“An enormous one.”

Robin mumbled something.

“What’s that? Say again?” the guard asked. He leaned in towards Robin.

“Come closer. Your breath stinks like a serpent, has anyone ever told you that?” Robin head-butted the guard, knocking him out. “Soiled myself?” Robin asked the Doctor.

“Did you? That's getting into character. Okay, keys.”

The two of them started fighting over who was going to get the keys.

“I'll get them.”

“No, no. I'll get them.”

“I'll get them. I'll get them.”

“I'm fine, no, no worries. I've got them!”

“I've got them! I'll get…”

They ended up kicking the keys down a drain.

Elise groaned and slammed her head into the post. At this rate, they were never getting out.

“Well, there is a bright side,” the Doctor said.

“Which is?” Robin asked.

“Clara didn't see that.”

[mischievoushiddleston]

Christmas Hotel Room

Request: @lostinabook9

Words: 2254

Masterlist here!

Plot: It's the reader's first Christmas without their mother and sister (both deceased) and the reader decides to stay in a hotel to get away from it all. Where they later meet Tom Hiddleston and spend it together.

Y / N throws her backpack on the king-size bed and turns around with a slight smile on her lips, it was her first Christmas without her mother and sister. But as sad as it was, she knew that both of them would have loved this hotel room. For her sister it would have been a possibility to plunder the minibar, it Y / N it was a possibility to escape everyday life once since the death of her mother and sister without making up excuses why she could not come to a family celebration of an acquaintance. Not that she didn't feel like all the invitations, she knew why she had received the invitations, out of pity and Y / N didn't want to anymore, she just wanted to forget everything.That was exactly why she was in the hotel room of one of the sexiest hotels in the middle of New York on the evening before Christmas. When Y / N looked out the big window. People scurried back and forth under the window to do their last Christmas shopping instead of just enjoying the festive season together. But it was clear to Y / N that you only recognize what you had when it is no longer there. Y / N took a deep breath and looked back at her backpack on the bed. There was a floor-to-ceiling decorated Christmas tree in the hotel lobby, Y / N remembers. The hotel guests could put Christmas presents there for other guests and Y / N had to admit, they were admittedly curious who put presents under the tree and for whom. Since she had planned why nothing better,When ordering room service and watching a few Christmas movies, Y / N decided she was just as good at snooping around and maybe even finding out which star had booked this hotel. Her smartphone left Y / N on her dessert so it could charge before she left her hotel room. The hallway that led to the rooms was festively decorated and even the doors had their own door wreath. Y / N took the elevator to get from the 18th floor to the first floor. In the lobby people crowded to check in and get their room keys, Y / N suspects that some of the people wanted to check out as soon as possible to get a flight home. At home. Exactly a year ago she was sitting on a sofa at the same time and watching a movie with her mother and sister,that they'd probably seen a million times. Y / N shakes her head, she wasn't here to think about it, she was here to get away from it all. She walked through the large hotel lobby and passed the waiting people and mumbled excuses. She ran straight to the Christmas tree when she saw it. Y / N took the time to admire the dozen of Christmas baubles and decorations before looking over her shoulder and picking up one of the presents. The sign that was on the gift said: For my daughter Lilith Monroe. It was wrapped in pink wrapping paper and had little crowns on it; it was probably for a child. Y / N put it back down carefully when she noticed a small book-shaped present wrapped in blue velvet paper.Her curiosity was piqued and Y / N picked it up, on the little sign that dangled from the gift was a name she had read all too often: Tom Hiddleston.

"Hehehe.", It suddenly sounds behind her. Y / N turns around, confirming their suspicions. It was none other than the uniquely Thomas William Hiddleston. His eyes lifted from the gift to look straight into her eyes. The grin on his lips made her heart beat faster.

“It looks like I'm no longer anonymous in this hotel. But I should thank Ben for sending me a present in this hotel, otherwise I wouldn't be facing you now. "

" I ... um it ... I'm terribly sorry. Nobody will find out from me, Mr. Hiddleston. ”Y / N stutters to himself.

"Well, I'm not sorry, besides, Mr. Hiddleston is my father, you can call me Tom and on the other hand, you know my name, I would also like to know the name that is yours.", Y / N swallows, never Y / N would have thought in a dream that she would stand here with Tom Hiddleston on the evening before Christmas.

“Y / L / N, Y / NY / L / N,” Y / N replies, unconsciously clutching the gift tighter.

"May I?"

"Huh?"

"The gift. May I have it? ”Explains Tom and sticks out his hand. Y / N gives Tom the present, Tom took it and lingers on her hand a little longer. A warm chill ran Y / N down her spine. Tom examined it and she took that for her cue to turn around and just quietly leave. Y / N was the whole situation embarrassing enough why. Why couldn't she just be like all normal people? And on top of that, she had to meet her idol in this hotel ...

"Y / N?" Asks Tom, confused, when he notices that Y / N tried to quietly disappear. Y / N looked over her shoulder at Tom, who had reached her in less than two large strides.

"Yes? Have I forgotten anything? ”Y / N asks shyly.

“Yes and no.”, Y / N raised an eyebrow in confusion, “I would like to ask you if you would maybe go out to eat something with me? I would be honored. ", Tom reaches out his hand and placed the other on his chest as he bows slightly.

“How should I turn down such a charming invitation? Especially before Christmas? ", Says Y / N and put her hand in his," Do you already have a plan where we are going? "

" Mhm, but it remains a secret "

" A tip? "Asks Y / N, but Tom just shakes his head jokingly.

When she got back to the hotel room, Y / N turned to him after opening the door.

"Many thanks. Tonight was wonderful. "

"You're welcome, love, but there is no need to thank me." He smiled and broke her heart to melt.

"Well, I thank you anyway," Y / N said and wanted to kiss Tom on the cheek, but at the last moment he turned his head and kissed Y / N gently on her lips. He pulled her gently and wrapped his arms around her waist. His tongue brushed her lower lip and Y / N opened her mouth for Tom, their tongues carefully meeting. She wrapped her arms around his neck and the kiss deepened, their tongues meeting violently now. When they kissed, it got hot. Y / N moaned into the kiss and Tom's grip tightened, pulling her close. She moaned and he backed her into her room. Then his hand began to slide under the back of her shirt and pressed firmly but gently against Y / N's skin. But suddenly Tom broke the kiss.

"We don't have to do anything you don't want, darling."

Her cheeks got hot and she bit her lip. "Well, I ... I didn't say I didn't want to." Y / N said slowly.

“Are you sure my love?” Tom asks again. Her heart was pounding. Y / N was more than sure.

"Yes." Says Y / N. He walked over to her, put her face in his hands and his thumb ran over her lower lip.

"Just kiss me, Tom," she whispered and put her arms around his neck. Their lips met in a heated kiss. Y / N groans again and Tom groaned softly. Then his hands went under her thighs and he lifted her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. She gasped for air in her kiss. Tom carried her to the bed and laid her gently on it, as if afraid of breaking her.

He climbed up Y / N and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. Tom gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before pressing her face with gentle kisses and walking down to the nape of her neck. He kissed the weak spot just below her ear and Y / N let out another small breath. His hands went to her shoulders and he pulled the straps of her dress down and kissed her shoulder blades as soon as he did. Then he put his hand on the back of her dress, unzipped it, and helped her untwist it before dropping the dress on the floor next to the bed.

Y / N pulled his face to hers and kissed him. He put a gentle kiss on her forehead and then kissed Y / N's neck again, sucking in one spot and she moaned and arched her hips up to his. Tom groaned and pressed her hips to the bed and held her tight as he kissed her collarbone. Y / N pushed his jacket off his shoulders and he tossed it to the ground. She moved her hips again, desperate for contact, but he held her hips firmly in place. He whimpered and saw the slightest grin on Tom's face. Y / N raised her hands to his shirt and began to undo the buttons as quickly as possible. She pulled his shirt out of his pants, undid the buttons, and pushed it off his shoulders. A moment later it was thrown to the ground.Tom's hand went around and with a quick movement of his fingers loosened the fastener on her bra and pushed it off. His mouth went to her breasts to kiss her gently before putting a nipple in his mouth. She let out a scream and ran a hand through his hair. Y / N closed her eyes as he moved to her other chest and just enjoyed the feeling.

Her head fell back into her pillow as he kissed Y / N's belly and the line of her panties and licked a line just above her panties and she moved under him. He held her tight as he slowly pulled her panties over her legs. He looked at her as he breathed gently on her wet Fotzr and Y / N moaned again and pulled his head closer to her. He started licking her and a kind of strangling scream came from her lips. This was unlike anything she had ever felt before and she was losing control.

"Tom." Y / N groaned and tangled her hands in his hair. "Tom, please?" She gasps.

He looked up at Y / N and then got up to remove the rest of his clothes. A moment later he climbed back on her.

"Are you ready, my dear?" He asked, his thumb stroking her cheek.

"Yes," she whispered and kissed him again. Tom leaned his forehead against hers and stared Y / N in the eye as he slowly entered her. Y / N clung to his shoulders and tried to adjust to him inside her. She leans her forehead on his shoulder. He put an arm around her waist, pulled her closer and kissed her shoulder gently. His hands dug lightly on her hips.

"Tom. Please faster. ”, She breathes and kissed his jaw. He groaned and picked up his speed a bit and she moved her hips to meet his with every thrust. He moved his hand between her and rubbed his thumb over her clit. She whimpered and wrapped her legs around his waist. Soon he was thrusting faster into Y / N and her screams of joy filled the room. Y / N felt something emerge within her unlike anything she had ever felt before. Tom kisses her again desperately as the thrusts got faster and sloppier. Her nails dug into his shoulders and she let her head fall back as her orgasm engulfed her and called his name. Another push and Tom pulled her close, trembling as he groaned her name on her shoulder.

He laid his head on her chest as Y / N caught her breath from beneath him. He kissed her shoulder lightly and turned them over so that she was lying on top of him. Y / N kisses his chest and snuggles up to him as he put his arm around her waist and his other arm pulled the sheet over half of their entwined bodies.

Tom turned to her and tucked the hair behind her ear. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

She grins. “I'm a lot more than just fine,” she says. He laughed softly and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Good," he said, kissing her forehead gently. "What are your plans for Christmas?" He asked, taking her face in his hands.

“I have no plans, I just want to get away from it all. “She said and pulled herself up on top of him and kissed him again. He rolled over Y / N and grinned mischievously, kissed her passionately again and she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her chest against his. Tom groaned and put his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

“Exactly what I was up to. What do you think if we escape everyday life together? ”

“ You mean spending Christmas together? ”Asks Y / N.

"If you like-" Y / N interrupted Tom with a passionate kiss.

"It would be wonderful"

Tom pressed his lips to hers and put his arm around her and pulled her against his body. It looked like this night was going to get even better ...

[calitraditionalism]

Arc Three: Chapter One

(AO3 counterpart here.)

Everything was quiet. Even the rain, heavy as it was, seemed to mute itself, tiptoeing to the ground instead of boldly splashing as it had moments before. The makeshift den, a rare dry spot in the thick hedge, did not rustle its leaves as raindrops hit them. The thunder paused to listen in as Redheart, Greyleaf and Mistface stood in a triangle, equally in power, equally cornered.

“You’d better sit down,” Redheart said. “We have a lot to explain to you.”

Mistface did not sit down, but, after a long moment, he slowly and warily nodded once. “Go on, then.”

Redheart took in a slow breath and shut her eyes. When she opened them again, they were dull with weariness. “StarClan as we know it – as we think we know it – is a lie. And it’s a very successful lie that’s been going on since before the Union. It’s why I’m trying to get everyone away from the Territory.”

Something in Mistface’s mind clawed at anywhere in his thoughts it could reach, like a trapped mouse violently scrambling for freedom as a hawk approached it. “…What kinda lie?”

Greyleaf and Redheart looked at each other, wordlessly exchanging some thought. Greyleaf turned back to his brother, ears back. “A kind of lie that I don’t think you’re going to believe. StarCla-“

“Mistface!”

All three cats jumped. The rest of the world came rushing back – the rain drummed the earth again, thunder rolled overhead, and someone was rustling the hedge’s branches and leaves. Mistface turned around to be greeted with a slightly battered Laurelclaw. His white fur had patches of mud all over it, especially on his feet and belly, and he was squinting one eye a little like he’d scratched it on a branch.

“You found her,” he said. “Good. Listen, we have a serious problem. One of the patrollers is out here, and…”

He trailed off, looking back from where he’d come and shuffling his front feet nervously.

Redheart took a few steps forward, still weary, but unafraid. “What’s going on?”

Laurelclaw turned to her, mouth twitching. “Um. Someone got hurt.”

Mistface was a heartbeat from responding that they had just left the Clast settlement in the middle of a battle, and of course someone was going to be hurt, but Laurelclaw’s anxious expression silenced him. There was more to it than this.

Greyleaf suddenly jolted to life and hurried past Mistface, almost bumping into him. “How bad is it? Where are they?”

Laurelclaw didn’t answer. He just backed up through the hedge, giving the other three space to follow him. Mistface waited until Redheart and Greyleaf went after Laurelclaw before ending the train, just in case Redheart decided to run at the last moment.

They struggled through the thick brush before emerging into the open, where a golden tom was waiting for them. He was soaked through and his fur stuck in clumps of wet hair, but his back-fur managed to bristle just fine as he glared at Redheart and Greyleaf.

“I hope you’re happy,” he growled.

“I’m not.” Redheart took a step forward, clearing herself of the small party. “What happened?”

The tom’s claws dug into the mud and his tail lashed. “That fight you started got one of my friends killed.”

Mistface expected Redheart and Greyleaf to be upset and shocked. He did not expect them both to freeze in complete horror and drop their mouths open, eyes wide enough to pop out of their sockets.

“I don’t care if I have to fight all four of you,” the tom said. “You’re coming back with me whether you-“

Redheart shoved past him and broke into a sprint, Greyleaf close behind her. The tom’s anger was momentarily displaced by confusion, but he shook it off and followed the pair. Mistface and Laurelclaw took up the rear, all cats running as fast as they could.

They reached the Clast settlement, it felt, far too slowly for their speed. The yowls and screeches of battle had ceased entirely, leaving the rain and hisses of pain to occupy the tense air. Clusters of cats spotted the stone ground, some cleaning their wounds, others talking to each other worriedly under their breath. Everyone paused what they were doing to watch Redheart lead the four toms in and skid to a stop, sending ripples through the puddle she halted in.

Redheart looked around wildly. “Where’s-“

“Over here,” someone said glumly.

Mistface turned to the source of the voice. It was a large grey molly with a heavily scarred nose, bowing her head over a black cat stretched out on the stone. A red-and-white tom that Mistface remembered was called Brightblaze was pacing behind her, looking terrified.

“I didn’t mean to,” he was saying. “I really didn’t. I’m sorry, I-“

Redheart shouted wordlessly, making everyone flinch, and charged over to the body. Greyleaf stumbled to a halt beside her and began sniffing and nudging the head, almost hyperventilating.

“What have you done?!”  Redheart screamed at Brightblaze.

Brightblaze cowered, trembling. “I- it was an accident, I swear-“

Greyleaf drew a paw over the cat’s head, bristling. “Trauma-“ He sharply looked up at Brightblaze. “What did you do to her?”

A patched molly stepped forward and said quietly, “I saw it. She tackled him and he jumped backwards into a house’s wall. She hit her head and just…slumped.”

There was a strangled cry of alarm. Mistface turned to his right to see Darkpelt and Beetlefoot coming around the corner. They had been instructed to keep away from the fight, but Redheart’s return must have alerted them.

Beetlefoot looked furious, his paws slightly spread out like he was about to attack. “That’s Striderfoot!”

“Dead cat?” Darkpelt asked, and thank the stars above that she did not sound casual and snarky like she usually did.

“One of the Fleet!” Beetlefoot started forward, teeth bared, but Mistface lifted a paw, pads outward, and he stopped.

Someone whimpered behind him. He twisted his head back to see the familiar calico apprentice, Littlepaw, huddled beside her pseudo-mentor, Flyfang. Flyfang was scratched up, but she looked ready to fight again, and she stood protecting Littlepaw from the view of the body.

Laurelclaw approached them and sniffed Littlepaw over, murmuring, “Are you okay?”

Littlepaw nodded unsteadily and shivered.

Mistface faced frontwards again and watched his brother. Greyleaf had steadied his breath a little, but he was still in the midst of panic. He kept shaking Striderfoot’s shoulder and turning his head so his ear was at her mouth, searching for an exhale.

Redheart was not quite shaking with rage, but her aura emanated it enough to make everyone draw back. She had her head low as she glared at Brightblaze, and her sentence was ground out through her teeth. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done to her?”

“I-“ Brightblaze swallowed thickly. “I killed her, and I’m sorry, but it was an accident-“

“You just sent her soul to StarClan!” Redheart straightened up, looming over the patched tom, hair all over her body sticking straight out. “You doomed her!”

“I…” Brightblaze faltered, still afraid but now confused. “How is…?”

Greyleaf looked up from Striderfoot and turned a furious eye on Brightblaze as well. “You don’t understand. None of you understand. That is the last place you want her to go.”

“So she got to you, too!”

Everyone’s gaze went to a small white molly – the Clast’s seer, Snowshine - pushing her way out of a clump of cats. She was less pretty than before, with her fur sagging with rain and mud, but she was still radiating outrage.

“I knew it!” she shouted. “You’ve been trying to turn everyone away from StarClan this whole time!”

Redheart met Snowshine’s stare with narrowed eyes. Her voice was steady, though not quite as calm as she probably wanted it to be. “I have. And you should have been, too.”

Snowshine made a noise like an outraged cough. Around them, cats who weren’t already watching the commotion lifted their heads and trailed off their sentences. The rain pounded away, diluting the thin blood already washing out in puddles, the only sound in the clearing.

Greyleaf’s ears were pinned to his head as his wide eyes roamed over the scattered crowd. He inhaled slowly, wobblingly, and turned his gaze to Redheart. “Now or never.”

Redheart didn’t look at him, but she nodded and slowly went around the body of Striderfoot and Greyleaf, walking until she was in the center of the clearing and easy to see. She didn’t need to make sure cats were looking at her; everyone was, and with increasing confusion and tension.

“The reason I’ve tried to take cats with me out of the Territory,” she said, “is that what we’ve been told is StarClan is nothing more than a monster. It’s been lying to us this entire time so that we stay here thinking we’re safe and have a pleasant life and afterlife ahead of us. The truth is that it aims to take us, one by one, and-“

A cry of outrage rang through the camp, coming from all sides. Cats jumped to their feet and exchanged dumbfounded stares before shouting at Redheart.

“Are you kidding?!”

“You’ve gone insane!”

“What are you talking about?! You’re not making sense!”

Redheart closed her mouth and shut her eyes, head lowered, as the shock and incredulity pummeled her words down. Greyleaf immediately stood up and went to her side, glaring balefully at everyone around them.

“You think she’s stupid enough to make this up out of nowhere?!” he barked. “She’s telling the truth!”

“Greyleaf!” Snowshine’s voice cut through the onslaught and the rest of the cats’ cries stuttered and trailed off. “How can you support this? You’re supposed to be sensible!”

Greyleaf’s back started arching and he bared his teeth at Snowshine. “Because I’ve seen it too!”

This caused the lowering volume to almost completely mute itself. Everyone looked at each other, baffled and a little troubled. Mistface felt himself almost completely freeze over as he stared at his brother. He managed to slide his eyes to the right and see Beetlefoot’s scowl twist in alarm and Darkpelt’s blind eyes narrow with focus.

Redheart lifted her head again and spoke as she slowly began to walk out of the center of camp. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, but… if you want to know more…” Her tired eyes pierced through the growing dark, seeming to land on every cat at once. “If you want to know the truth, I suggest you follow me.”

Greyleaf cast a glare around, daring anyone to argue back, before catching up to Redheart, tail switching.

Mistface heard paws splashing through the water and turned to discover Darkpelt following them.

“You’re goin’?” he asked, unable to make his voice go beyond a whisper.

“We have a job to do,” Darkpelt said simply, “and I intend to see it through. I know you’re not staying.”

“I’m not,” Mistface agreed. He stepped in beside Darkpelt, silently guiding her after Redheart and Greyleaf.

Behind them, Flyfang hissed, “What are you doing?”

To Mistface’s surprise, Littlepaw hissed back, “I had a dream the other night, and it was wrong. I need answers.”

“Well, you’re not going alone,” Flyfang said firmly, and wet pawsteps were behind Mistface and Darkpelt.

“Someone stop them!” Snowshine shrieked. “You! Catch Redheart, at least!”

Laurelclaw was the one to respond sheepishly. “I- sorry, but I have to go with my crew. Beetlefoot?”

Beetlefoot’s words were delayed and strained. “If I must. We can arrest her on the way.”

Mistface looked back to see a spluttering Snowshine, claws scraping at the ground and her tail lashing. She whirled to the patrollers, who were all huddled around Striderfoot. “Someone do something!”

None of the patrollers responded. No one did, in fact. The cats backed away a little to let Redheart and the rest through.

“You-“ Snowshine spluttered before shouting at Redheart, “You wait until the leaders hear about this! Someone will catch you!”

Redheart paused and calmly turned her head just enough to meet Snowshine’s eyes. “Good luck to them.”

With that, she continued walking. Mistface didn’t bother checking Snowshine’s reaction. Instead, he and the seven other cats silently stepped into the growing night, the eyes of the Clast and their visitors on their backs.

[joaquinwhorres]

Pity Dance (Lee Jordan x OC)

An admittedly brief one-shot of Lee Jordan and Nora Randolph’s first real meeting. May end up being expanded and turned into a chapter of a series or existing the way it is.

It felt like her insides were collapsing. 

It felt less like an implosion and more like a burning building, the fire eating away at the support beams one by one until there was nothing but a charred, empty husk left.

She was supposed to have been prepared for this. She found out Cedric was taking Cho over a week ago. That should have been plenty of time to evict all of those stupid little thoughts and hopes and feelings that had made themselves right at home in her.

Then again...her eyes slid over to Cedric who was smiling happily and warmly down at Cho Chang. Nothing could have prepared her for that look. 

When it came right down to it, she shouldn't have come; it was entirely isolating being here alone. She knew her friends would have stayed at the table to keep her company if she hadn't insisted they go out and dance. And she didn't regret turning down the few boys who had asked her, because her reasoning was sound even if a hollow loneliness was the natural result of her actions. She just couldn't get her mind off of Cedric and the crushing feeling of rejection; she wasn't a good Yule Ball guest. 

Nora wondered how long was long enough before she could go back to the dorm and take off this stupid dress and these dumb charms and crawl into bed so the day was over. 

"Enjoying the ball?" Nora blinked, zoning back into her surroundings, as she looked for the owner of the voice. Lee Jordan was walking up to her, smiling. 

It took a monumental effort, but she was able to force a brilliant smile onto her face. "It's beautiful in here." 

Lee's face scrunched up as he eyed her in mock suspicion. "That's not a real answer." 

Her jaw dropped lightly, the smile vanishing and genuine shock taking its place. She was usually the one catching people for dodging questions. This had to be what Wren felt like. No wonder she was always so tetchy about it.

Lee had his eyebrows raised at her and a good natured if not a little smug smile on. 

She shook her head to clear it and looked out past his shoulder as her friends danced with joy clear on their faces, Grace spinning from Tom's outstretched hand.

"I've had better evenings," Nora admitted. 

"Well," Lee said, inclining his head towards her. "the night's still young, and I think we can turn it around."

"It would take a pretty strong force to turn this night around," the comment slipped from her before she was able to rephrase it into something a bit more positive. But Lee didn't seem put off by it. If anything, he seemed more interested.

"I have been called a force of nature before. Not sure it was a compliment, but I like to think of it as one," Lee said, offering out his hand. "Come dance."

Nora looked at his outstretched hand and considered it. Dancing was far more enjoyable than moping, but did she really want to enjoy herself. "How do you know I'm not just waiting on my date?" 

"If you're waiting for your date with that look on your face, he's not really worth waiting on," Lee pointed out, nodding with his head towards the dancing crowd. Despite the fact that she didn't know precisely what "that look on her face" was, it was a very convincing point. 

Nora took his hand, and Lee grinned, tugging her behind him. "Where's your date, by the way?" Nora called to him, and Lee looked back over his shoulder at.

"Alicia? She's uh with some Durmstrang stiff. She's a sucker for muscles," he winked, conspiratorially. The two made their way to a clear space of dance floor, where out of the corner of her eye Nora caught a familiar sight. 

"You're sure Alicia's dancing with a Durmstrang boy?" she asked, tilting her head to see over Lee's shoulder. "And she's not standing by the desserts with Wren, looking over at us?" 

"Must have been a short dance," Lee shrugged.

"You're a terrible liar," Nora narrowed her eyes at him.

"To be fair, I'm not really trying." 

Nora laughed at this--her first laugh all night--and it felt like some of the ash and rubble inside her blew away. 

Lee was an incredible dance partner. He whipped around the floor with alarming speed if not grace. There were several sweeping bows, none of them timed right to the music, and once when he'd spun her out from him, he'd accidentally lost grip on her hand sending her stumbling. Still, even if he wasn't particularly good at dancing, it was more fun than anything else she'd done tonight. Her face hurt from smiling.

"This is why Alicia sent you over to me isn't it?" Nora asked, resettling her hand onto Lee's shoulder and sliding her palm back into his open hand. "I thought it was out of pity, but it was really just self-preservation, wasn't it?"

"I'd say it's about 99% self-preservation, and 1% there is such a thing as having too much fun." 

Nora snorted, as Lee started dancing again, and she remained careful to try to slow down his pace. 

"Why would she be pitying you, anyway?" Lee asked, and Nora's attention was drawn to his face. He looked openly curious. Not prying, not like he already knew but wanted her to admit it, just...curious.

Still, this wasn't the kind of thing you opened up about during a pity dance with a friend of a friend. Conversations were supposed to be light, funny, something you could refer back to later as an inside joke even. She had spoken to Lee Jordan all of three times throughout her years at Hogwarts, and one of them was this very moment; she wasn't bringing up Cedric.

"I came without a date."

Lee stopped suddenly, and Nora stumbled, her gravity thrown off balance. Luckily she was still holding onto Lee and able to keep herself upright.

"Are you telling me that nobody asked you?" 

"No, I got asked," Nora shook her head, exhaling a small laugh at Lee's incredulous reaction. "Just not by anybody I'd want to go with."

This seemed a decent enough answer for Lee as he started dancing again. "Well, he's missing out."

"What?" Nora's voice was high, and the look she gave him was nowhere near genuine confusion--more shock. She'd been very careful to avoid admitting to anything, but if the knowing look he was giving her was any indication, she'd tilted her hand. 

"Knew it," he said, a shit-eating grin overtaking his face as Nora's mouth hung agape for the second time that night. 

"I--you--"

"I'm a very clever wizard," Lee said, still smiling

"Yeah," Nora agreed, still staring at him in minor awe at how easily she'd been tricked. 

This time Lee was the one with the surprised look. "Did you just agree with me that I'm very clever?" Nora nodded dumbly, and he let out a laugh, shaking his head. "Nora Randolph, I like you." 

"And I have mostly positive feelings for you too," Nora said as Lee let out a great laugh. And then stepped on her foot.

[brindlestorm]

My Truth or Yours?

CH1 | CH2 | CH3 | CH4 | CH5 | CH6

“-and your mentor shall be Lionheart.” A fluffy gray kitten rushed forward to touch noses with the larger golden tom, garnering a few laughs from the crowd. “Graypaw! Graypaw!” The clan cheered. Tigerclaw’s paw’s itched as he called out the new apprentice’s name with the rest of the clan. He had been dropping hints to Redtail that they should try and retake Sunningrocks soon, he was counting on Redtail saying no so that when he went to ask Bluestar, he would be more convincing. Not that his reasons were unfounded, he had a bone to pick with Riverclan. Two prey with one swipe, deal with Riverclan for murdering Thistleclaw and dealing with Redtail for being a traitor. As the clearing emptied, cats going about their days, Tigerclaw hurried to follow Bluestar into her den, muttering an apology to Lionheart for ignoring his request to pair up their apprentices for the day. Graypaw and Ravenpaw could get to know each other later, Tigerclaw had more important things to do. “Did you have something to say, Tigerclaw? Or do you plan on just standing there?” Tigerclaw gave his pelt a shake and sat down, “My apologies, I was thinking.” “About what? You don’t usually show up unannounced to share your everyday thoughts with me” Bluestar purred in amusement. “We need to reclaim Sunning Rocks, and soon.” Tigerclaw replied seriously. Bluestar sighed, “I know Tigerclaw, but newleaf is late this year. The prey pile is barely stocked most days and I just don’t think our warriors are ready for that, and after so much death already... I don’t think it’s worth the risk.” Tigerclaw almost hissed, “Not worth the risk! Bluestar, you have to-” “When newleaf sets in and Thunderclan has had a quarter-moon of full bellies, then we can reconsider extending our territory.” “But Bluestar, this isn’t just about territory! A half moon ago, I found Thistleclaw dead in the jaws of the Riverclan leader, they will see us as spineless cowards if we don’t retaliate over that!”

Bluestar fell silent, her gaze darkening. Tigerclaw wondered what she was thinking about when she abruptly stood up. “Tigerclaw, you are dismissed. I need to speak with Redtail, if you see him-” “I’m right here, Bluestar.” “Were you listening to our conversation?” “No, I was going to let you know that our hunting patrols have had good hunting today, the kill-pile is almost fully stocked.” Redtail assured her. “Good, in that case, Tigerclaw you may go. I’m sure Ravenpaw would appreciate some training with his mentor.” Tigerclaw nodded and got to his paws, tuning out Redtail as he immediately began arguing against attacking Riverclan. Just as he was about to hop down the rocks, he heard Bluestar say something that gave him hope. “Tigerclaw has made some good points, but I haven’t decided yet. I’m going to consult Starclan tomorrow.” “Will you be taking any of the apprentices? They’re all at the right age and far enough along in their training.” “... No. Relations with the other clans are testy enough as it is, I’ll be going alone this time.” “It would be ill-advised to go without a guard, but I suppose you know best. May Starclan light your path.” Tigerclaw nimbly hopped down the slope before they realized he was still listening and went to see if Ravenpaw had decided to make himself useful and clear out the elder’s bedding. When he finished with that, if he started at all, it wouldn’t hurt to go over some more battle moves, and maybe he’d take Dustpaw along as well. It was just a little past sunrise, Whitestorm had offered to take Sandpaw and Dustpaw hunting, only to receive a swat to the ears from Spottedleaf over taking dusty brown apprentice. Never before had Tigerclaw seen Spottedleaf so adamant over something as trivial as hunting. Well, I suppose that’s exactly the problem, Tigerclaw mused to himself. During leafbare, hunting was anything but trivial. But he knew better than to disobey a medicine cat’s orders. Ravenpaw was not in the elder’s den as Tigerclaw had hoped, instead he found Dustpaw showing Graypaw how to properly roll up the dirty bedding to be tossed out of the den. And it wasn’t going well.

“Like this?” Graypaw squealed as he pummeled the moss into the ground, successfully flattening the moss back into the bracken.

“I- no, Graypaw. Graypaw stop please, you’re just... Graypaw stop!” Dustpaw yowled as the moss went from being stuck to the ground to flying through the air. 

Dappletail and Rosetail were snickering to themselves as Halftail and Smallear tried to get the old bedding out of their fur.Tigerclaw ducked as another scrap of bedding went flying straight towards his face. 

“Graypaw, perhaps you should listen to your denmate when he’s trying to show you how to do something. Clean up this mess and do what Dustpaw tells you to do, properly this time.”

“Yes Tigerclaw,” Graypaw mewed, bowing his head in shame.

Soon, the mess was cleaned up and rolled out of the den. Dustpaw sighed as the last of the dirty bedding was disposed of behind the dirt-place, “Lionheart’s going to have a tough time with him, I hope Redtail never pairs us up for training!”

“Well it’s a good thing Redtail is busy right now. I was going to find Ravenpaw to do some battle training, would you like to join us?”

“I’d love to, but Ravenpaw ran off to the medicine den right after the meeting. Maybe he has a bellyache or something.”

“Or something,” Tigerclaw sighed. “Get yourself something to eat while I go find Ravenpaw.”

Dustpaw brightened at the thought of being allowed to eat early and scurried out of the den, Tigerclaw turned to follow as he heard Graypaw call out.“Hey, wait a heartbeat! Dustpaw you haven’t shown me how to make a nest, what am I supposed to do now?”

Tigerclaw chuckled, “I suppose you’ll have to ask your mentor. I’m sure Lionheart will show you the best places to gather moss if you ask him now.”

While the gray kitten rushed to join Lionheart at the gorse tunnel, Tigerclaw made his way to the medicine den.

“Borage, chervil, rosemary, anything else?”

“Umm... Maybe lavender? And mint? I know you’ve gone through a lot of those given... everything that’s happened lately.”

“You’re right though, it doesn’t hurt to stock up. I’d also like to see if we can find any burnet. Grab those leaf-wraps and we’ll find Tigerclaw, I’ll let him know I need you for herb-gathering this morning.”

“You can have him until  sunhigh,” Tigerclaw rumbled as he stepped into the den. “I’ll have Dustpaw brush up on his stalking techniques until then.”

Ravenpaw jumped, fur bristling in alarm while Spottedleaf just purred in gratitude as she brushed past him.

“Remember, sunhigh in the sandy clearing. Don’t be late Ravenpaw.” Tigerclaw said.

Ravenpaw nodded earnestly, “I’ll be there!”

“Ravenpaw, come on! We don’t have all day!” Spottedleaf called from the camp entrance.

Tigerclaw nosed his apprentice onwards, “You heard her, quicker you get this done the quicker you’ll be able to join Dustpaw and I for training.”

Ravenpaw sped off behind Spottedleaf just as Dustpaw finished licking his lips from his morning meal. “I’m ready to go Tigerclaw! Where’s Ravenpaw off to?”

“Spottedleaf asked for his help gathering herbs, he’ll be joining us at sunhigh.” Tigerclaw sighed.

Dustpaw scoffed, “Why is he always with Spottedleaf? Does he want to be a medicine cat or something?”

Tigerclaw gently batted at Dustpaw’s ears, “Spottedleaf could have asked any apprentice to help her today, would you rather it be you? There’s still time to catch up if you’d like.”

Dustpaw’s eyes went wide, “No way! I’d rather train, what are going to do today?”

Tigerclaw headed for the entrance, Dustpaw hurrying along at his heels. 

“Stalking techniques, you’ve grown enough that Spottedleaf can’t keep you from hunting anymore. Time to brush up on those skills of yours.”

___________________________________________________

Two days passed by in a breeze, Tigerclaw oversaw Sandpaw’s hunting assessment that she should have taken with her denmates a moon ago while Redtail and Lionheart showed Graypaw the borders with Dustpaw, much to the older apprentice’s dismay.

Spottedleaf decided to borrow Ravenpaw the next day as well for herb gathering, Tigerclaw begrudgingly allowed it, remembering his promise to Ravenpaw all those moons ago. If his apprentice was determined to follow the path of a medicine cat, Tigerclaw wouldn’t stand in his way.

Redtail had taken Ravenpaw night hunting, as he had also promised to meet Bluestar at Four Trees for her return journey from the Moonstone.

The leader and deputy stumbled into camp just before moonhigh, Redtail carrying a small squirrel, Tigerclaw nodded to them as they passed him on guard duty.

“Tigerclaw, good to see you still awake. Go ahead and wake up Willowpelt and have her replace you. Get some sleep, I want you ready for the sunhigh patrol.” Redtail said, briefly leaving his tail on Tigerclaw’s shoulder.

Tigerclaw nodded and stood up, stretching his muscles and shaking his fur out, “I’ll help Ravenpaw carry in his catches, then I’ll head to sleep.”

Redtail shook his head, voice barely concealing his nervousness when he replied to Tigerclaw. “That won’t be necessary, Ravenpaw is just behind us with his other catches. He did well for hunting at night during leafbare, Bluestar and I will share this squirrel while we discuss her visit to the Moonstone.”

As the duo left him at his post to talk about Bluestar’s trip, Ravenpaw made his way into camp carrying only a vole and a sparrow to show for his efforts.

Tigerclaw was too tired to comment on what little his apprentice managed to catch and let him pass without a word. But as Ravenpaw passed his mentor, Tigerclaw caught a whiff of the heavy scent of ferns, as if he had rolled in a patch recently.

Curious, Tigerclaw opened his jaws to try and taste the scent better, but to his dismay, the senior warrior found the unmistakable scent of marshes and pines on his apprentice’s pelt.

Exactly what he had noticed on Redtail as he passed by with Bluestar.

Redtail had been no surprise, given his recent activities. But why Ravenpaw? Had he gotten too close to the border again? Why had Redtail even taken such an interest in Ravenpaw recently?

Tigerclaw shook his head, he had no reason to doubt Ravenpaw’s loyalty to his clan. Maybe Redtail had been meeting with Shadowclan again and Ravenpaw decided to follow him, he’d ask about it in the morning.

As Tigerclaw made his way to the warrior’s den, he caught the tail-end of Redtail and Bluestar’s conversation.

“So, did Starclan share the wisdom that you sought?”

“Yes and no, I cannot tell you what exactly  we spoke of but I can say this. I found exactly what I thought I would and dealt with it accordingly. We’ll be taking back Sunningrocks tomorrow after sunhigh.”

“Very well Bluestar, I trust you and Starclan’s judgement. Goodnight.”

Gleefully, Tigerclaw hurried into his den, prodding Willowpelt awake so that she could take his place as guard.

Don’t worry Thistleclaw, Tigerclaw thought to himself. You will be avenged, may your spirit rest easy among the stars tonight.

___________________________________________________

“Thistleclaw, these aren’t Starclan’s hunting grounds. Why are you here?” Tigerclaw asked.

Tigerclaw’s dreams took him to a familiar place, though he didn’t expect to find Thistleclaw here. The Place of No Stars was where those who irrefutably broke the code were sentenced. Many of its inhabitants hoped to redeem themselves by training their more vulnerable living clanmates in their dreams, and told their stories to keep the living from following in their pawsteps.

Tigerclaw was one of those cats, he had been so angry for so long when his father chose to become a kittypet rather than continuing to lead his clan. Mapleshade came to him in a dream, sympathetic and kind, her story was a gruesome one, but Tigerclaw decided that she was truly strong for the decisions she had to make.

He had heard her story before, but from Thunderclan’s elders instead. The elder’s version of the story depicted her as some lying she-cat who cruelly mocked her dead mate’s memory by having kits with his murderer, who then proceeded to kill that tom’s sister and her medicine cat before dying to the claws of a Riverclan apprentice. She was also rumored to have purposefully drowned her own kits upon her exile, using that as an excuse for her killing-spree.

Mapleshade’s story was different, her side was that she had never loved that Thunderclan tom but saw him as a good friend, her mate (who he learned was called Appledusk) hadn’t meant to kill him or the apprentice and was incredibly remorseful for what he did.

Personally, he thought it was Ravenwing’s fault (the medicine cat at the time) for all that followed. If he hadn't told the clan of those kit’s half-clan heritage, Mapleshade wouldn’t have been so driven to get them across the river.

Her exile was a quick one, Mapleshade confessed that she feared that if she had been caught by a Thunderclan patrol still on their territory because she was trying to get to the Twoleg Bridge with three young kits, they would have killed them all.  To her, she had to cross the river as soon as possible to give her kits a chance at life. It was nothing short of bad luck that things happened the way they did.

If Ravenwing hadn’t told the clan, the kits may not have died and been raised as loyal Thunderclan warriors, never knowing they were any different from their clanmates.

If Frecklewish had acted and tried to save the kits instead of assuming the Riverclan patrol would intervene, the kits may have been accepted into Riverclan, with or without their mother. But at least they would have been safe.

Mapleshade did not try to defend herself for the murder of those two queens, or attempted in Reedshine’s case, the molly who Appledusk took as a mate to save his own pelt after meeting with Mapleshade. And even though killing a medicine cat was considered one of the worst offences to the warrior code, Mapleshade couldn’t bring herself to feel guilty for that. And Tigerclaw didn’t blame her.

Mapleshade would eventually fade away in the Dark Forest, no matter how long she repented if she could not feel the guilt for killing Ravenwing, Starclan would never let her into their hunting grounds. Though they were at least kind enough to allow her to see her kits at the border. A small mercy if there ever was one.

But it wasn’t Mapleshade who stood before him tonight, it was Thistleclaw.

“I used to be in Starclan,” Thistleclaw rasped. 

“I was at peace, sitting with my mother, father, and dear sister when she came along and ruined it.” Thistleclaw spat.

“She?” Tigerclaw echoed, confused.

“Bluestar,” The spiky-furred warrior growled. “Bluestar came and questioned Starclan about why I was there, then she had the nerve to chase me out!”

“I don’t understand, I know you two never got along but-”

“It was more than that, Tigerclaw. She was always jealous of me, for loving her sister when she couldn’t, for being more respected than her when she moped around the camp while I actually did something.”

“Grief can make-”

“Grief should never stand in the way of a warrior providing for their clan, I taught you that. The only reason Sunstar chose her over me was because she shared his soft-hearted ideals.”

“Why can’t you just go back? If Starclan granted you access the first time then surely you’d be able to cross the border now?”

“It would seem that Bluestar managed to convince Starclan otherwise, I can longer find the border, not even to see my mate.”

Tigerclaw winced, it was when he spoke of Snowfur that led to Thistleclaw’s death.

“I know that look, it’s not your fault.” Thistleclaw said gruffly, “I’ll give Bluestar this though, she was always crafty. She preferred peace to fighting and has never been afraid of using dirty tactics to get there, she must have learned that from Pinestar.”

Tigerclaw growled softly at the mention of his father, everyone always said he was wise and deserved respect, but all Tigerclaw saw was a coward who ran from his problems, and would sooner let another cat die than put himself in harm’s way.

“I don’t understand though,” he protested. “Bluestar went to Starclan after I demanded she avenge you. Why would she consult Starclan to drive you out, but avenge you tomorrow?”

“Like I said, she’s crafty.” Thistleclaw replied shortly. “She hates me, always has. She wanted to ensure I’d never find peace before attacking Riverclan to save face.”

“Otherwise she risks Riverclan taking more of our territory,” Tigerclaw finished. “I just...”

“Nevermind that, what’s done is done. I learned something while I was in Starclan though, I don’t know all the details but there’s something you need to know.”

“What is it? Is there danger coming?” Tigerclaw asked. His mind was spinning, it was bad enough that his leader was so... So petty that she would drive a loyal warrior from his resting place, but now there was more potential danger? Didn’t Thunderclan have enough problems thanks to Redtail?

“Fire is coming Tigerclaw, an all-consuming blaze that will destroy-”

___________________________________________________

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!” Came the piercing voice from beyond his dreams.

Tigerclaw’s head shot up, still blinking the sleep out of his eyes as the other warriors filed out of the den.

“What’s going on?” he asked Whitestorm as the white warrior brushed past him.

“Bluestar’s called a meeting, not sure why.” Whitestorm grumbled.

Tigerclaw sighed and stood up, squinting at the dawn light that hit his eyes as he left the den. Bluestar stood on the Highrock, patiently waiting for the clan to assemble in the clearing. Redtail sat beneath the rock, looking remarkably well-rested for someone who had been up half the night like Tigerclaw was.

The apprentices’ den shook as the four young cats rushed out for the meeting, Graypaw was the only one who looked energetic enough to be there. The others were stifling yawns and leaning against each other so they wouldn’t fall asleep on their paws.

“As some of you may know, I went to consult Starclan yesterday seeking their wisdom. I have received their blessing to carry out an attack on Riverclan to reclaim Sunningrocks!”

Murmurs rose up from the crowd, some were worried that they weren’t strong enough yet while others, mostly the younger warriors, were flexing their claws in anticipation to see some action.

“I understand your concerns, but remember! You aren’t just fighting for territory, you are fighting to avenge your clanmates who starved in their sicknesses when we couldn’t find enough food! You fight for the queens and their kits to ensure their futures and for the elders who we swore to take care of for the rest of their days!”

Tigerclaw levelled a challenging glare at Bluestar, he knew what she did at the moonstone but that didn’t mean he’d let her stop pretending that this was about Riverclan’s act of war. She met his gaze and nodded to him.

“And just as importantly, we fight to avenge Thistleclaw, who was found dead in the jaws of Crookedstar himself! We took our time recuperating from the harshness of leafbare, but now is the time to strike! For Thunderclan!”

“Thunderclan! Thunderclan!” Came the cheers in the clearing. The other warriors looked to be on board now, eyes shining with grief and determination as they thought of their lost clanmates.

Bluestar nodded to her deputy, “Redtail shall announce the battle patrol, anyone not going must be ready to be sent out as reinforcements. Dismissed!”

With a wave of her tail, Bluestar headed back to her den, content to allow Redtail to finish the preparations. 

“Darkstripe, Runningwind, Mousefur, and Tigerclaw! We’ll be heading out immediately. Whitestorm and Lionheart, you’ll be on standby with the apprentices- Not Graypaw though, he’s too young.”

Graypaw rolled his eyes and huffed, Sandpaw cuffed him around the ears and hissed something at him. The fluffy young apprentice pinned his ears back and went back to his nest, hopefully Lionheart would give him something to do.

Tigerclaw growled softly as he followed Redtail through the gorse tunnel, One thing at a time, he told himself. Riverclan first, then you can deal with the traitor.

___________________________________________________

Tigerclaw stifled a growl as Spottedleaf tended to his wounds, Mousefur was curled up in a nest near the back of the den, as she was the most injured Spottedleaf decided she’d have to stay until she recovered.

Redtail had called for a retreat as soon as the Riverclan reinforcements arrived, Tigerclaw knew that with Mousefur so injured they wouldn’t have been able to send for their own patrols on standby and hold off the oncoming warriors as well.

Be that as it may, even Riverclan had been surprised to win so easily, they were obviously prepared to defend the rocks.

Bluestar even managed to look disappointed, but she attributed it to Thunderclan’s unusually small numbers. Without enough warriors to defend their borders, it made sense that they lost this battle.

“Peace, Tigerclaw,” the old leader sighed. “Perhaps when our apprentices have their warrior ceremonies, we’ll be ready to reclaim our territory.”

Tigerclaw nodded stiffly and shouldered his way out of camp, maybe he could relieve some of this stress by doing some hunting. It would be awhile until sunset, but he needed something to keep his claws busy, which meant no training with Ravenpaw for the time being.

___________________________________________________

The stars were just lighting the sky as he made his way back, carrying a small load of prey for the queens to enjoy. He stopped in the gorse tunnel when he heard voices, Bluestar and Spottedleaf were speaking.

“-Thunderclan has not been beaten in its own territory since I became leader,” She murmured. 

“These are difficult times for our Clan. The season of newleaf is late, and there have been fewer kits. Thunderclan needs more warriors if it is to survive.”

“But the year is only just beginning,” Spottedleaf pointed out calmly. “There will be more kits when greenleaf comes.”

Tigerclaw carefully backed out of the camp entrance, straining to still hear what the two were talking about while remaining undetected.

“Perhaps. But training our young to become warriors takes time. If Thunderclan is to defend its territory, it must have new warriors as soon as possible.”

“Are you asking Starclan for answers?” Came Spottedleaf’s gentle mew.

Tigerclaw glanced up at the stars, for all Spottedleaf knew, Bluestar had already done that.

“It is at times like this we need the words of the ancient warriors to help us. Has Starclan spoken to you?”

“Not for some moons, Bluestar.”

Suddenly, a shooting star blazed through the sky, Tigerclaw’s fur bristled as Thistleclaw’s words rang in his ears.

Fire is coming, an all consuming blaze that will destroy-

“-from Starclan. Fire alone can save our clan.”

Save? Thistleclaw said it would destroy us! Why would his message be different from Spottedleaf’s? Tigerclaw was broken from his inner turmoil when he heard Bluestar stand up and shake out her fur.

“If Starclan has spoken then it must be so. Fire will save our clan.”

The senior warrior stayed still for a long time as he waited for the coast to become clear, Tigerclaw tried to reason out what the prophecy could possibly mean but he came up with nothing.

Groaning as he stretched his now stiff muscles, Tigerclaw decided that this new omen would just have to be another thing on his list to deal with. First he had to focus on taking back Sunningrocks for Thistleclaw, then he’d deal with Redtail.

Who knows? Maybe this fire could help him in his mission, Thunderclan seemed to be getting further and further from the noble clan he once knew it to be.

But as long as he knew the truth, nothing would stop him from bringing peace to his clan.

___________________________________________________

And scene! I wanted to include Redtail’s death scene but this was getting too long as it is, that whole kerfuffle deserves it’s own chapter anyway.

Yes, I know that the ‘Bluestar chasing Thistleclaw out of Starclan’ thing is as canon as Jake being hit by a meteorite, but I decided to include it because of my overall HC for Starclan being that Starclan is stupid and very often wrong.

Plus, as a plot point this helps Tigerclaw cement the idea that Bluestar is a bad leader into his mind for later ;)

[anjuschiffer]

The Host Club’s Busy Week: Who Let the Rich in the Bakery?!

So during the middle of the night (at least it was for me), a group of us in the Maribat Discord server came up with this AU and thus this was born. Wanna thank @ficsforthestars for instigating this AU! I had a blast writing this.

Also, some things to know before you read: Mari goes under the name Marin when she's part of the school and Mari/Marinette outside of school. Adrien and Felix are called Twins since they look identical despite their different personalities and having different surnames.

With that, I hope you enjoy this!

@-@-@-@-@-

AO3

@-@-@-@-@-

“A competition?” The twins asked, Adrien and Felix looking at one another and then back at Damian. 

It was another day at the Host Club, the boys lazing around as Mari was crowded by the clients that were in the club at that moment. 

Today’s event: Tea with Marin (with cakes made by Marin). 

Damian smirked. 

“Marinette’s parents own a bakery, correct?” A series of nods. “Well, it just so happens that they’re very popular despite being a small commoner’s business, which leads to my next point.”

Damian shows them a flyer, Richard and the rest of the boys wondering what it was. 

“A piece of paper.” Tim says after skimming the flyer, going back to resting his head on the club’s pillow stash. “A flyer to be exact.”

“Correct.” Damian puts the flyer back into his case, Felix noticing other photos and templates in the leather file. Templates were marked in red, some notes scattered around the paper. 

What was Damian up to?

“What does this have to do with Marinette and her parent’s bakery?” Richard asked, something in his gut not sitting right. 

“Well, the bakery needs part-time workers or any volunteers that can help them this upcoming week.” Damian pulled out his remote to summon the club’s screen projector, showing some photos of Marinette’s parent’s bakery filled to brim with customers ordering cakes and other pastries, Sabine and Tom wearing panicked faces. 

Many of the orders and pastries were pink and red themed, the boys quickly picking up on the theme: Valentine’s Day. 

“But we also have our Valentine Day’s event coming up.” Jon chirped in, worried about possibly having to cancel their event to volunteer at the bakery. Not that he minded. Maybe he’d get to try some cakes there. 

“Like if we would ever raise a finger to prepare for the event.” Felix reminded the group, everyone nervously chuckling except for Damian. 

“Back to the matter at hands, we’ll be competing to see who can deliver the most pastries for that entire time we are there.”

Damian changes the slide, showing a map of the area around the Dupain-Cheng Bakery. There were dots scattered across the city, a lot circling around the outskirts of the city and around the bakery itself. 

“Sounds fun!” Adrien squeals, Felix placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“Seeing as this is a competition, I’m sure there’s a prize involved.” 

“Nothing gets by you, does it, de Vanily?” Damian wipes out a tiny envelope. 

“What’s it got?” Jon asked, wondering what a small envelope the size of Damian’s hand would contain. 

“A one day baking class with Marinette.” The boys simply looked at each other and blinked, turning back to Damian new with confused faces. 

“We can literally just ask if she-“

“-with just Marinette teaching you in the bakery.” Damian grinned as he watched everyone straighten in their seats, wanting to laugh at the serious expression that morphed onto Grayson, Agreste and de Vanily. “A one-on-on class. Usually it’s take a lot of membership points to even gain a class with her parents, but with their daughter?” Damian chuckled. “You’d have to buy a year’s worth of pastries to gather the amount of points needed to purchase the class session.”

“We’re rich.” Tim bluntly stated, gaining a few agreements. “We can literally buy three year’s worth of-“

“Drake, do they look like a factory to be able to produce that quantity of goods?” Tim mumbled a no. “There you have it.”

“So, who’s in?” All the boys raised their hands. “Let the game begin.”

Marinette felt a shiver go down her spine as she drank some tea with the ladies, turning her head to see the boys arguing with each other. 

A storm was brewing. 

----

“STOP GROWING MUSHROOMS BY THE OVEN SENPAI! YOU’RE GOING TO RUIN THE DOUGH!” Marinette screamed, pulling Dick away from their oven, allowing himself to get dragged out of the kitchen and into the staircase that lead to the apartment. 

Adrien and Felix giggled as they watched their friend get scolded by Marinette, quickly going over to the counter to hand Damian over the money they had gotten from their recent delivery. 

“Did he mess up again?” Felix asked Damian, accepting the water bottle the Wayne had offered. 

“He sure did.” Tim replies, sipping on his coffee. 

“And he was so sure he was going to get it right this time.” Damian grinned. “He ended up getting lost towards the end and had to get our driver to help him, only to be off by a whole number.” 

“Should’ve seen how embarrassed he got when he knocked on the wrong house door and apologized for bothering them.” Tim said, smirking into his  coffee. “Wish I had known about this instant coffee sooner. Don’t have to wait for it to be grounded or anything! Just add water and it’s done!”

“Well thanks to you, we’re a bag short.” Marinette scowled, causing Tim to jump. “I swear I just saw you drink a cup a minute ago.” Mari said, rubbing her temple as she made her way back into the kitchen. 

“It was actually five minutes ago.” Tim mumbled, taking another sip from the coffee before planing it down to help ring the customer at the counter. 

“Wait, just how much has he been drinking?” Adrien said, turning to Damian for answers. 

“For every five cups he pours, one of them ends up for him.” Damian answered, glaring at Tim as he attempted to steal another cup. “This coffee is for the elderly lady over there so you can’t have it.”

“Party pooper.” Tim muttered, watching Damian give Jon a blind eye. 

Said boy was sitting with the elderly lady, chatting away as the two ate some brioche. 

“I thought you guys were here to help, not to be babysitted.” Marinette growled through her teeth, making everyone go back to their respected jobs. 

She knew, she just knew it.

That shiver that rippled down her back that day was this. She was being warned about this disaster. 

When the Club appeared at her door that morning -at four of the morning mind you-, she knew something was up, she knew they were plotting something. 

And today was not the best day to interfere with her life. Today was one of the busiest days of the year, so Mari didn’t need this ball of stress to start the day, knowing there was more stress awaiting for her further on. 

But just as she had finished scolding them and demanded them to go back home, her father decided to walk by, his face brightening upon seeing them. 

He started to cry and hug Marinette and thanking her for getting her classmates to help them out, thanking Marinette for always being so concerned for her parents. 

As Tom welcomed them in, Mari could only watch in complete annoyance as she watched them have their way. 

Oh the work that awaited them, which led to now. 

Felix and Adrien had finished delivering their 49th order while Richard was still on his 23rd. 

While Mari wished she could go and encourage Dick, but she couldn’t, even if she wanted to. 

Her parents had their hands full and she was needed in the back, trusting Damian with the money, counter and managing his monkeys. 

He wasn’t the Club’s manager for no reason after all. 

With a heavy sigh and after slapping her hands on her cheeks, she headed back to the kitchen. 

-----

“Thank you all for helping us today.” Sabine said with a bow, the boys also bowing, though at different times. 

“Marinette’s lucky to have wonderful friends like yourselves.” Tom said, patting his daughter’s head. Marinette gave her father a smile but dropped it when she turned to see the club members, her eyes narrowed. 

“If anything, we’re lucky to have Mari for a friend.” Jon said, running up to Sabine. “Now we know where she gets her kind personality from!”

Thank Jon was the only thing that rang through the member’s mind, thanking the oblivious boy and his sunshine personality. 

Sabine hugged the boy. “I’m just so happy that my little girl is getting along with her classmates and making friends.” She let go of Jon, who wobbled to compose himself. “We were worried she wouldn’t make any, seeing as it’s a very prestigious school the lot of you attend.”

The twins looked at each other before grinning, Mari not liking it one bit. 

“Don’t worry about a thing Mme. Cheng!” Adrien said with a chirp, Felix noticing the cue to continue. 

“The three of us are in the same class and club.” Felix said, smiling at the cooing Sabine gave them. He continued. “We are very close friends, spending a lot of time together, working on club activities and schoolwork.”

“And because we spend so much time together, we’ve practically her favorite duo. We are best friends after all!” Adrien ended with a smile, shaking Felix’s hand behind his back upon noticing how Dick wilted at their right. 

“Oh Mari!” Marinette was smoldered by hugs, the Club enjoying every bit of it. 

-----

“So, who won?” Felix asked, sipping on some Earl Grey. 

The weekend had passed, the Club spending their glorious three days there, getting fed by the Dupain-Cheng’s. 

Jon -in particular- adored Sabine, one of favorite things about her was how comfortable he felt around her. Almost like having a second mother. 

Tim enjoyed simply being in the bakery, to sit in the aroma of freshly made coffee was heavenly. 

The rest simply liked the bakery because of Marinette and the feeling of being home despite only being there for a few days. 

“Yeah! Tell us Damian!” Jon chirped, stuffing his face with some cookies the Dupain-Cheng’s had given him. 

“Well,” Damian pulled out his screen projector again, taking out a pointer. “Seeing as Jon and Tim lost interest in the competition as soon as they set foot in the bakery, that leaves the rest.”

He changed to the next slide, showing four lines on the map along with dots of the same color. 

“Ooo, what are those lines and dots for?” Jon inquired. On the map, there were lines of different colors along with matching dots. 

“These four lines show the route each of us took when delivering the pastries. The dots show the orders that were successfully delivered.” 

At the corner, there was a guide that named which color belonged to who. Damian smirked when he saw Richard cower behind Tim while the twins glanced at each other before Cheshire grins graced their faces. 

Felix tried his hardest to not laugh while Adrien didn’t bother to hide it. Turning around from his place, Adrien laughed at his senpai. 

“Look at yours Richard! Your blue line is all over the city! And you only got 30 dots on the map!”

Richard curled into himself, his face burning with embarrassment. 

It wasn’t his fault that all the streets looked alike!

“Sad to see that you got lost while being a few meters away from the bakery.” Felix added, smiling at his amount of dots on the map: 96. Meanwhile Adrien felt cheated. 

“Why does Felix get 96?! We went the same way! We should’ve gotten the same amount!”

“You only got 69 because you failed to notice Felix sneaking in other orders as he joined you.” Damian filled in, wondering why-

“Wait… how do you have over a 100 orders?” Oh. So the sleep-deprived idiot noticed. “You were inside the bakery the entire time. Did you cheat?!” Tim accused, Damian raising a brow. 

“Me, cheat?” Damian put the projector away. “No my dear brother. I simply found a loophole.” He took out another remote, the boys watching in anticipation. “I simply used drones to deliver the orders, no walking necessary.”

“SO YOU DID CHEAT!” Adrien and Richard yelled, Felix simply frowning. 

“And as I’m the sole winner, I’ll be using the opportunity to gather more photos for Marin’s monthly magazine.” Damian smirked. “It has become a club favorite, even gaining more demand than his Majesty himself.” Damian wanted to laugh upon seeing Richard wilt even more, dragging himself to a corner to mope. 

“I should’ve known.” A voice spoke up, causing everyone to whip their heads to their eavesdropper. 

“Mari.”

“You did all of that just for fun?” She growled, walking up to the boys, her arms crossed over her chest, tapping her foot. “For your entertainment?”

“A bit, yes, however-“ Damian was shortly interrupted by a fuming Marinette. 

“So you did!” Marinette yelled, grabbing Richard’s attention. “I can’t believe you guys!”

“Marinette, we didn’t mean-“ Adrien started, only to see Richard walk up to Marinette and placed his hands on her shoulders. 

“It started as a competition.” Richard said, dropping his hands once he had her attention. “And we shouldn’t have treated something so serious like that as a simple form of entertainment. Sorry.”

Marinette looked at Richard, averted her gaze and turned away from him. 

He had that look again. Glazed baby blue eyes and a thin line for a smile… the chirp in his being gone. 

Letting out a sigh, Marinette turned back to the ashamed group of boys. 

“It’s fine. I’ll look over it this one time.” Marinette turned to Damian. “However, whatever prize you were thinking of giving better not be rewarded as a condition for me turning a blind eye.”

Damian nodded, ripping the envelope from the beginning in half, making the boys scrunch up their faces. 

“We’re sorry Mari. We promise not to do something like this again.” Jon spoke up, making Mari feel guilty for getting angry at the group. Darn him and his baby doe eye strategy. 

“Like I said, it’s alright.” Marinette restated, now wondering how she was going to tell them what she came for.

“Did something happen Mari?” Jon asked innocently, the club fully knowing she was the softest for him. 

The perks of being a young, childish prodigy. 

“Well, my parents wanted to thank you all for helping out at the bakery the other day, so they want you guys to come over next week.”

“Next week?” The boys sang, watching Marinette fidget under their gaze. 

“You see… it’s my birthday next week.” 

Everyone went haywire, Richard quickly picking up Mari and spinning her around, shouting that his little girl was growing up. Damian started to jot something down and made phone calls. Tim simply blinked before muttering something into his phone and falling asleep. 

The twins managed to pull Mari away from Richard to only squish her between the two, throwing one arm each over her shoulder. They talked about how they felt betrayed that Mari kept her birthday a secret and how now they had to go shopping for her gift. 

Something about a house and a new building caused her to break away from them, warning them that they better not do anything of that extreme for her. Ever. 

Jon offered her to buy her his favorite cake from this world-renowned patisserie, which upon hearing their name, Mari paled. 

She knew that person, her parents’ idol and there was no way in hell was she going to allow Jon to buy her something worth thousands of Euros over a simple birthday cake. 

Damn rich kids. 

But seeing them fawn over her like this, to argue and have fun like this… it was like a dream. 

A dream that was her reality and that she was thankful for. 

She was blessed to be surrounded by such loving people. 

She couldn’t wait to tell her parents that they all said yes. 

It’d be a nice day filled with friends at her parent’s bakery, having cake and-

The floor began to rumble, scaring the entire club members and the other people there, a few of the girls screaming for dear life.

The floor parted open, Nino standing on a rising platform, light beams beaming pastel colors and Nino bopping his head as party music blasted from his speakers. His turntables glinted and his mixer sparkled as people began to gather around the uprising studio.

“Who invited that moron of a DJ?” Damian snarled, noticing the twins tense. “It was you two, wasn’t it?”

They looked at each other and then at Damian. “What? He’s cool.”

Everyone watched as Nino lowered the music and whipped out a microphone, grinning madly. 

“Hey dudettes! You’re probably wondering why I’m blasting party music, but get this!” A spotlight came out of nowhere, landing right on top of Marinette, causing her to freeze. “Starting today, we’re going to countdown to Marin’s birthday! Give it up for the soon-to-be-birthday dude!”

All the girls that were present at that moment turned their heads in unison to look at Mari, proceeding to squeal and surround her, asking her why she had hidden her birthday from them.

This was why Mari thought to herself as she was pushed and pulled on from the mob of girls she was surrounded by. She listened as some girls promised to bring her some pricey fabrics, threads, perfumes and other things from high-end brands Mari only wished to glance at and never touch.

This is why she didn’t say anything, but Nino just had to go and say something, didn’t he? Nino and his loose-lipped self.

-----

That following week, up until her birthday, Mari came home with a mountain of gifts, her parents panicking upon seeing the gifts and not knowing what to do. Meanwhile, one thing rang in her mind.

Damn these rich kids. 

After settling on what to do with the gifts, Mari excused herself to her room, her eyes landing on a box on her desk upon setting a foot in her room. 

She picked up the box, noticing how delicately it was wrapped, a pastel pink paper with ladybug print all over it, a single red ribbon at its side with a note underneath.

The note had her name, Marinette using this sign to open it and cry upon seeing the picture. 

In a simply glass frame with a single ladybug in the corner, there was a single picture of the day the stupid idiots went to volunteer at the bakery, everyone smiling at the camera.

Marinette wiped a tear as she placed the frame on her desk, a single phrase in her mind.

Damn these rich idiots… what would I do without them?