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lumosandnoxwriting · 4 years ago

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Everyday, for the rest of forever - Fred Weasley

Title: Everyday, for the rest of forever Pairing: Fred x fem!reader, Fred x Angelina Johnson Summary: Reader watches as the person she loves falls in love with someone else A/N: This is a song fic based on the song Heather by Conan Gray and I highly recommend listening to it while you read!! I got carried away with the ending but I’m not even sorry.

Tags: @bohemianspacebabe @litteralywedonttalkaboutitk

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I still remember third of December Me in your sweater, you said it looked better On me, than it did you, only if you knew How much I liked you

“How’re you feeling?” Hermione asks quietly as she takes a seat on the edge of Y/N’s bed. She had kept the dorm up half the night with her coughing, so Hermione is pretty sure she knows the answer.

“Like shit,” Y/N answers as she rolls over in bed to look at her friend. Her throat feels raw and her voice is gravelly. Despite the fact that Y/N can feel the heat radiating off her cheeks and she’s laying under a pile of blankets she shivers as a cold chill runs down her spine.

Hermione frowns, and reaches out to touch Y/N’s forehead. “You’ve still got a fever. You sure you don’t want to go to Madam Pomfrey? She can whip up a Pepperup Potion and have you feeling better in a few minutes.”

Y/N nods, waving away the worried look Hermione gives her. “You know that always makes me feel even worse. It’s just a little cold, I’m sure I’ll be fine by tomorrow.”

“If you’re sure.” Hermione stands up, pausing as she reaches for her coat. “Do you want me to stay with you? I don’t mind, there will be other Hogsmeade trips.”

Y/N shakes her head with a laugh, gesturing towards the door of their dorm room. They both can hear Ron and Harry causing some kind of commotion with Seamus and Dean down in the common room despite the fact that the thick wooden door is closed. “I’ll be fine. Those two idiots need you more than me. Someone needs to keep them in check.”

Hermione laughs too, finally pulling on her coat. “You’re not wrong about that. I’ll see you at dinner, yeah?”

“As long as you’ve got a chocolate frog for me, I’ll be there.”

Y/N lays in her bed, tossing and turning, desperately trying to fall asleep. Every time she feels herself start to drift off she either gets hit with a coughing fit or a cold chill. Muttering to herself she forces herself out of bed and trudges towards the common room with her favorite blanket, hoping the raging fire will do a better job of keeping her warm.

The common room is empty when she arrives, and she suspects it will be for the next few hours as most of her housemates are down at Hogsmeade. Y/N settles down on her favorite couch, tucking her knees to her chest and wrapping her blanket around her. She sits there in silence watching the flames when someone comes up behind her.

“No Hogsmeade for you either, eh? You set a stink bomb off in Snape’s office too?” Fred asks with a laugh as he jumps over the back of the couch and settles down next to Y/N.

Y/N’s breath catches in her throat and she hopes that her fever masks the blush that creeps up on her cheeks. She sneaks a quick glance at Fred, taking in his tousled hair and comfy sweater, before turning her attention back to the fire. Fred has been the object of her daydreams for as long as she can remember, his fiery hair and mischievous eyes never failing to cause her stomach to erupt in a flutter of butterflies.

She knows it’s wrong, to fancy the older brother of one of her best mates, but she can’t help it. Whenever she tries to push Fred from her mind he always seems to come back, her feelings for him only more intense. Fred is absolutely captivating, and she can’t help but fall a little more in love with him each time they have some kind of interaction.

“Not quite, I’m afraid,” she says with a giggle, unable to contain how giddy he makes her feel. “I’ve not been feeling well the past few days.”

Y/N watches as Fred takes in her appearance, and she curses herself for not at least trying to look cute. She knows her hair is tied up in a messy pile on top of her head, her cheeks are flushed from the fever and her eyes are glistening with tears from all of the coughing. Another shiver runs down Y/N’s spine, partially from her illness, but mostly from the butterflies Fred’s intense gaze gives her.

“Cold?” Fred asks softly, his hands reaching for the hem of his sweater as Y/N nods. He’s wearing one of his infamous Weasley sweaters, a bright orange F on the chest. Y/N has always wondered what it would feel like to wear Fred’s sweater, how intoxicating it would smell, so she can’t believe her eyes as Fred pulls it over his head and reaches out to give it to her.

Y/N can’t even think straight, let alone reach out and grab the garment from him. Her eyes are trained on the thin gray t-shirt he’s wearing, the outline of his muscles clearly visible now. She’s wondering what it would feel like to grip his built shoulders, what being wrapped in his strong arms might feel like when Fred scooches towards her.

“Here love, arms up,” Fred whispers, unwrapping the blanket draped around Y/N’s shoulders. He’s so close that she can feel his breath on her cheeks and her skin is tingling from his touch.

It would be so easy, Y/N thinks to herself as she lifts her arms up for him. It would be so easy to just lean up a little and kiss him. Her face gets even hotter at the thought of kissing Fred and she has to look away to keep herself from doing it. Y/N can feel Fred slip the sweater over her arms and down over her body. She tucks her arms back into herself, basking in the warmth that the plush knit gives her.

Fred tucks Y/N’s blanket back around her shoulders before he moves away slightly. Their arms are still touching, and Y/N takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. But all that does is make her giddier, as all she can smell is Fred.

“So, a stink bomb, eh?” Y/N asks with a small laugh once she’s calmed herself down a few minutes later.

Fred gives Y/N a wicked grin before he excitedly launches into the story. Y/N is laughing in minutes, her sickness not even on her mind anymore. Fred is the only thing she can think about, he’s the center of her universe and everything else around her is just background noise. She’s so entranced by his story and the way his eyes glint with mischief that she doesn’t notice they aren’t alone anymore until George is leaning over the back of the sofa and sticking his head in between them.

“Sorry to interrupt, Y/N but I need to steal my dear brother from you. We’ve got some business with Mr. Filch to deal with,” George says with a wink, clearly indicating that he and his brother are up to no good as per usual.

Fred’s mischievous grin reappears. “It’s all set up then, excellent.” He stands up, and Y/N immediately misses the feeling of his body next to hers. “It was lovely chatting with you, Y/N but I must be off now. I hope you feel better.”

Y/N watches as Fred follows his twin towards the portrait hole, only remembering that she’s still wearing his sweater as they go to leave. “Fred, wait!” When Fred turns back to look at her a blush forms across her cheeks. “You forgot your sweater.” Y/N goes to take it off, but Fred puts his hand up to stop her.

“Nah, keep it. I reckon it looks better on you anyway.” Fred shoots her a wink before he’s disappearing through the portrait hole after George.

Y/N falls back against the couch, her eyelids heavy. She’s asleep within seconds, a smile on her face and thoughts of Fred running through her mind.

but I watch your eyes As she walks by She's got you mesmerized

“You seem to be feeling much better,” Hermione says in lieu of a greeting when Y/N takes a seat next to her at the Gryffindor table for dinner.

Y/N nods, a dreamy smile on her face. How could she not be feeling better after the afternoon she had spent with Fred? After her short nap in the common room, still wrapped up in Fred’s sweater she had decided to pull herself together. She had changed out of her pajamas and tucked Fred’s sweater under her pillow, wanting to keep it to herself for just a bit longer. She managed to make her hair presentable just in time to meet Hermione, Ron and Harry at dinner.

“Did you finally go and see Madam Pomfrey?” Harry asks as they all start to pile food on their plates.

“No, just managed to finally get some good sleep,” Y/N responds, trying to be nonchalant. She allows herself to sneak a glance at Fred, who’s sitting a bit further down the table with George and Lee. They’re all laughing at something Fred has said, and Y/N can’t help but let a tiny smile form on her lips.

“That’s excellent. We’ll be able to work on our charms essay tonight then,” Hermione says, smiling to herself.

Ron shoves a fork full of food in his mouth as he rolls his eyes at Hermione. “Only you would be excited about doing homework on a Saturday.” At least that’s what Y/N thinks he says, his words are muffled from all the food he’s trying to talk around.

Harry laughs at Ron’s antics as Hermione scolds him for speaking with his mouth full, giving Y/N a chance to sneak another look at Fred. Her heart stops beating in her chest when it seems that he’s already gazing at her. But then she notices that he’s not looking at her, just in her direction. She gazes over her shoulder and a frown immediately forms on her face as she notices that Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet have just entered the Great Hall and are heading towards the other end of the table.

Y/N turns her attention back to Fred, watching as he follows Angelina’s every move. His focus is on Angelina completely, despite the fact that both George and Lee are trying to get his attention. Fred smiles at Angelina as she walks by, and her heart breaks when a pink blush forms on his cheeks after she waves at him.

Fred watches her until her and Alicia sit down, his attention finally back on his friends. Y/N tears her eyes away as Fred smiles dopily at George and Lee, not even seeming to care that they’re teasing him.

“You alright, Y/N?” Hermione asks, noticing her unusual silence.

Y/N tries to blink away her tears, praying none of her friends notice. “I’m starting to feel a bit ill again. I think I’ll go and see Madam Pomfrey after all.”

Without another word Y/N gets up and leaves the Great Hall, making a beeline for the Hospital Wing as the tears stream down her face.

Why would you ever kiss me? I'm not even half as pretty

Despite the fact that Madam Pomfrey had in fact been able to cure Y/N’s illness with a Pepperup Potion in under 30 seconds, she had allowed her to spend the night in the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey had claimed it was for observation purposes only, but the wink she sent to Y/N as she bid her goodnight made Y/N sure that the older woman knew she needed some time by herself.

After a night of fitful sleep, her dreams full of images of Fred and Angelina together, Y/N sneaks back up to the common room. Thankfully, it’s early enough that the common room is completely empty as she heads up to her dorm room. She pushes the door to her dorm open quietly, not trying to wake the others.

“Are you alright? We were worried when you never made it back to the common room.” Hermione asks when Y/N is barely through the door. Hermione has always been an early riser, Y/N should have figured she’d already be awake.

Y/N puts her finger over her lips and motions towards the other side of the room, not wanting Hermione to wake up their dorm mates. She barely wants to tell Hermione, her best friend, about her heart break, let alone Lavender and Parvati. The whole school will know by lunch if they find out.

She motions for Hermione to follow her and leads them both into the bathroom attached to their room. Y/N waits until the door is shut completely before she turns to Hermione. “There, no need to get the whole school involved in my business.”

“What in the world is going on with you? And why was Fred Weasley’s sweater under your pillow?” A blush spreads across Y/N’s cheeks before she’s hit with a pang of fear. Her eyes must widen, because Hermione continues a moment later. “Don’t worry I shoved it under your bed before Lavender and Parvati came in.”

Y/N puts her head in her hands. “Thank god.” She takes a deep breath before she looks up at Hermione, the other girl’s gaze is intense, and it makes Y/N feel even worse. “Well to answer your first question yes, I am fine. I wanted to be alone last night so Madam Pomfrey let me stay the night in the Hospital Wing.”

“Well that’s good I suppose. But why did you want to be alone? And that still doesn’t answer the whole Fred thing.”

Y/N rolls her eyes. She loves Hermione, she really does, but she tends to push her buttons sometimes. “Yesterday after everyone went to Hogsmeade I couldn’t sleep so I went down to the common room. Fred sat with me, saw that I was cold, and he let me wear his sweater.” Y/N can feel her cheeks heating up and she looks down to avoid Hermione’s gaze.

Hermione squeals, jumping up and down excitedly. Y/N had trusted Hermione with her secret crush on Fred over the summer, since they would be staying at The Burrow with the Weasley’s before the Quidditch World Cup, and Hermione would have no doubt figured it out on her own. When Y/N doesn’t share Hermione’s excitement she stops jumping and gives Y/N a worried look.

“Something happened, then? During dinner I presume. That’s why you wanted to be alone?”

Y/N nods, trying to blink away the tears that had suddenly formed in her eyes. It’s no wonder Fred doesn’t like me, with all this crying, she thinks to herself. I’m just his little brother’s stupid friend, nothing more. She lets a few tears fall before looking up to Hermione.

“I looked over at him while we were eating, and he was watching Angelina Johnson’s every move. He even blushed when she waved at him, he was bloody entranced by her.” Y/N pauses, and when Hermione doesn’t say anything she keeps rambling, needing to fill the silence. “And why wouldn’t he be? She’s easily the prettiest girl in their year, maybe even in the whole school. And she’s an amazing quidditch player. She’s strong willed and she doesn’t take shit from anyone.”

Y/N trails off and shuffles over to the nearest sink. She puts a hand on either side of the basin and leans forward, studying herself in the mirror. “And me? I’m just Ron’s friend. Ron’s plain old friend. I’m not even half as pretty as Angelina. It was stupid of me to think I ever had a chance with Fred.”

Y/N doesn’t hear Hermione move, so it comes as a surprise when she feels arms wrap around her middle as Hermione pulls her into a hug. “Don’t you dare say that about yourself,” Hermione scolds lightly. “You are smart, and beautiful and funny and kind. Any guy in this school would be lucky to have you as their girlfriend. So. So, to hell with Fred Weasley if he doesn’t like you back. He doesn’t deserve someone like you.”

Y/N manages to smile at Hermione’s words, her spirit picking up a little bit. “I’m never gonna be able to look at him again ‘mione. He was being so nice to me. I thought something was gonna happen between us. I was gonna kiss him! Can you imagine if I had? I’d be dead from embarrassment.” Why would he want to kiss me when he can kiss Angelina instead?

“Well yes, that would have been pretty embarrassing. But you didn’t do it, so that’s one good thing to focus on.” Hermione pulls away from Y/N and heads towards the door. “Now hurry up and get ready, I’m starving.”

Watch as she stands with her holding your hand Put your arm 'round her shoulder,

All anyone had been talking about for weeks was the Yule Ball. Anywhere Y/N went she could hear people talking about it, whether it was a group of girls talking excitedly about their dresses, or people talking about who they hoped to go with, she couldn’t escape it.

She was probably the only person in the school not looking forward to it. Not after she had watched Fred ask Angelina to go with him in front of the whole common room. His smile had lit up the entire room when she said yes. Y/N had stalked off to bed afterwards, tears filling her eyes as she wished it had been her. It had only been two weeks since Fred broke her heart and no matter how hard she tried to forget him she found herself falling more in love with him.

Y/N didn’t even plan on going, not wanting to sit there alone while the boy she couldn’t help but love danced with someone else. But Harry was a Triwizard Champion and he was just as lousy with romantic endeavors as she was, so Y/N had agreed to be his date. At least if she was going to sit there doing nothing she’d have Harry to keep her company.

“Blimey, Y/N. You look fit,” Ron says in surprise as Y/N joins him and Harry in front of the Great Hall.

She punches him in the arm as a blush forms on her cheeks. Her dress is a soft purple color and hangs off her shoulders, exposing her delicate collarbones. The bodice hugs her torso and flares out into a flowing skirt. She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear as she waits for someone to say something to break the awkward tension.

“He’s right, Y/N. You look beautiful,” Harry adds a moment later.

Thankfully Professor McGonagall starts ushering students into the Great Hall so the Champions can enter and officially start the Ball. Ron has just left with Parvati Patel when Hermione comes down the stairs behind them, giving them a small wave before taking Viktor Krum’s arm.

“Guess we should join them,” Y/N mumbles, taking the arm that Harry offers her.

As they enter the Great Hall behind the rest of the champions Y/N can’t help but search the crowd, trying to find Fred. She finds him quite easily, thanks to his ginger hair and the fact that he and Angelina are standing quite close to the door. She only lets her eyes linger on them for a moment, but it’s long enough for her to notice that their hands are intertwined.

She bites her lip, willing the lump that has formed in her throat to go away. When they reach the dance floor and the music begins Y/N grasps Harry’s shoulders tightly as they start to dance, hoping that he twirls her hard enough to force the thoughts of Fred out of her head.

“So, you just dazzle the entire school with your wonderful dance moves and then hover by the refreshments for the rest of the night?” George asks Y/N with a grin.

After she and Harry had finished their uncoordinated dance they removed themselves from the dance floor. Y/N had sat at a table with Ron and Harry for a bit, but their miserable attitudes got to be too much for her, so she decided to grab a drink. Her sudden need for a refreshment had nothing to do with the fact that she had a perfect view of Fred and Angelina dancing.

“Dazzle? I don’t know if that’s the particular word to describe whatever Harry and I ended up doing on that dancefloor,” Y/N says with a laugh.

George shrugs his shoulders and grabs a drink as he comes to stand next to Y/N. “It’s more coordinated than whatever the hell is going on over there.” George gestures towards a group of Durmstrang boys, who are doing some combination of jumping and arm thrashing that looks more like someone drowning in a lake than dancing.

Y/N laughs again, shoving George’s shoulder lightly. “Potter may be a champion or whatever but he’s a lousy date. This is the most fun I’ve had all night.” She pauses, looking up at George. “What about you? Where’s your date?”

George shrugs nonchalantly, taking a long sip of his drink. “Decided to be bold, come by myself.” When Y/N gives him a questioning look he continues. “The girl I wanted to go with got asked by someone else and I really couldn’t be bothered to find another date.”

Y/N hums in understanding, giving George a nod. “Yeah, that’s how I ended up with my winner of a date.”

George says something else to her, but all her focus is on Fred and Angelina. They’ve finally stopped dancing and are heading right towards where Y/N and George are standing. The grip she has on her cup tightens as Fred puts his arm around Angelina’s shoulders, pulling her close to his side. I would give anything to be Angelina, Y/N thinks to herself as Angelina’s arms wind around Fred’s middle. They pass by George and Y/N without even sparing them a glance and leave the Great Hall.

She hears George mutter something about how they’re probably going to go make out somewhere, but the sound of her heart breaking even further is too loud in her ears for her to be sure. She hears herself bid goodnight to George before she’s turning on her heal and making a mad dash back to her dorm.

Y/N manages to keep her tears inside until she’s curled up in bed, her arms hugging Fred’s sweater tightly to her chest.

But how could I hate her? She's such an angel But then again, kinda wish she were dead

In the days following the Yule Ball Y/N does her best to keep to herself. She heads to meals early, so she’s already eaten by the time the rest of the school heads to the Great Hall. Since it’s still the Christmas holidays the Gryffindor common room is always packed full of students, so she spends most of her time in the library and doesn’t head back until late at night when most of her house is already asleep.

She knows her friends are worried about her and she misses spending time with them, but she can’t bring herself to. Wherever Ron, Harry and Hermione are it’s likely that Fred and George will be lurking around somewhere, and she’s not ready to face Fred yet. She feels like such an idiot, she had let her daydreams get the better of her. After that day in the common room she thought that something would happen between her and Fred, but as she falls asleep every night she can’t help but think that it was all in her head.

So, Y/N sits in the library everyday with only Madam Pince to keep her company, her schoolbooks spread out in front of her but not much work being done. She always means to get work done, but she can’t help but let her mind wander to Fred. As much as it hurts her to, she can’t stop thinking about him. It doesn’t help that she still has his sweater tucked under her pillow. It still smells like him, and as she drifts to sleep at night she likes to pretend he’s right there next to her.

“Hey, Y/N. How’s it going?”

Y/N can feel the blood run out of her face as she looks up at the person who pulled her from her thoughts of Fred and is met with Angelina Johnson. Her grip on her quill tightens as a blush spreads across her cheeks. Y/N smiles at Angelina, trying to seem normal.

“It’s going alright. Just working on a potions essay Snape set for the break,” she answers casually. She watches Angelina’s eyes flick towards the parchment in front of her, which is completely empty. “Or trying to at least,” Y/N adds quickly, trying to think of a reason as to why her sheet is blank. “Potions isn’t really my best class.”

While it’s not a lie, Y/N still feels bad. She had already planned out her entire essay, she was just too busy thinking about Fred and Angelina breaking up to actually write it all down. But what was she supposed to say? I was too busy thinking about you dying so I could have your boyfriend to do my homework.

“Snape is such a prick. He gave us an essay as well. I could help you, if you want. Potions isn’t my best class either, but I bet with both of our intelligence combined we could knock it out in no time,” she offers with a warm smile.

Y/N feels like she is going to throw up. Angelina is being so nice to her, and Y/N doesn’t deserve it. She’s spent the past few weeks hating Angelina’s guts, wishing that Fred would break her heart just as he had broken hers. But, it’s not Angelina’s fault that Fred had hurt her. It’s not like Angelina stole her boyfriend or something, she has no idea that Y/N likes Fred. Not even Fred knows.

Y/N nods, moving some of her stuff so Angelina can sit down. “That would be great, thanks.”

As they work together quietly, Y/N feels worse and worse about her thoughts over these past few weeks. Angelina isn’t the evil witch she’d made her out to be in her head. She’s actually an angel and she feels intense regret for kind of wishing she was dead. She’s in the middle of copying something down when Angelina nudges her.

“What did you think of the ball? It looked like you were having fun with George.” Angelina’s tone seems casual, but Y/N can tell she isn’t just asking her a random question.

Y/N shrugs her shoulders, deciding to play into whatever game Angelina was baiting her into. “It was alright. And yeah, I guess I had fun with George, we only talked for a few minutes before I decided to leave.”

Angelina doesn’t do a great job at hiding her surprise. “Oh, really? I heard from um, someone, that you guys spent most of the night together.”

Y/N gives Angelina a look. “Really? That’s odd. I danced with Harry once and then sat with him and Ron for a bit. I went and got a drink, talked to George for a bit and then went back up to my room.”

“Oh. So, you don’t like George? Like more than a friend?” Angelina asks, again, failing at sounding casual.

Y/N shakes her head. “God no. I mean he’s a great bloke but there’s someone else that I like. More than a friend.” Y/N mentally slaps herself, wondering why in the world she felt the need to tell Angelina that.

Luckily the older girl doesn’t question her further, she just murmurs out a quiet, “Interesting,” before she turns her attention back to Y/N’s potions essay.

You gave her your sweater It's just polyester But you like her better

After Angelina’s odd behavior in the library, Y/N had decided it was time to start hanging out with her friends again. Not only was she hoping to avoid another weird conversation, she truly had missed them. And her timing seemed perfect, as the second task was quickly approaching, and Harry needed all the help he could get.

Helping Harry is a nice distraction, but she can’t help but let her eyes wander in Fred’s direction every once in a while. She still feels so strongly for him, and Y/N doubts that is going to change anytime soon. Especially since it seems Fred and George are always hovering by them. As Y/N and the rest pour over books in the common room they’re always only a few seats away, and Y/N is sure she catches a glimpse of their red hair in the library a few times as her and Harry study the titles to find more books to bring to Ron and Hermione.

Y/N is so exhausted from helping Harry, that she doesn’t notice that neither Ron or Hermione are with them on the day of the second task until her and Harry are heading towards the black lake. Part of her is worried for her friends, the other is filled with panic. She had planned on sitting with Ron and Hermione as far away from Fred, George and Angelina as possible.

When they finally reach the platform in the middle of the lake, Y/N wishes Harry good luck and starts to search the crowd, hoping to find a group of familiar faces to join. Before she even has the chance to try and join Neville, Dean and Seamus she feels someone grab her arm.

“Come sit with us,” George says, already guiding her up the stairs. Y/N doesn’t need a crystal ball to know that the ‘us’ he is referring to is Fred, Lee and Angelina. She follows behind him all the way up to the top platform, trying to think of how to sneak away. But of course, Fred and George had managed to get the best spots on the platform, so there’s no hope that she’ll be able to shrink away, not with all the people around.

“Look who I found!” George shouts as they reach the others, everyone turning to look at them. Y/N blushes as Fred smiles at her, her eyes dropping to the ground. She can feel Lee pat her on the shoulder, and she decides to stand in between him and George. Except when she finally takes her eyes off the ground and looks up, George is nowhere to be found, instead Fred is looking down at her.

Her cheeks heat up and she immediately looks out at the lake so that she doesn’t get lost in his eyes. Y/N had been trying to get over Fred, the last thing she needs is to fall even more in love with him. At least you’ll have the task to focus on she thinks wistfully, letting herself glance at Fred, butterflies erupting in her stomach when she notices that he’s still looking at her.

“So, who do you think is gonna win? It’s gotta be Harry, right? I mean you’ve been spending so much time with him, he’s gotta be the best prepared,” Fred says with a grin. But as Y/N allows herself to look at him closely she can tell that he’s tense.

Before she can stutter out a reply Dumbledore is announcing the rules of the task and Filch is setting off the cannon, officially starting the task. Everyone starts to cheer as the champions dive into the water, but after they’ve all disappeared under the water they start to die down. The water is pitch black, and they all seem to disappear into the lake’s depths within a few seconds.

“I guess we’re just supposed to stand here and wait? I guess?” Angelina says from Fred’s other side. Y/N frowns at her proximity to Fred and focuses her attention back on the lake.

“You alright?” Fred asks, leaning down to whisper in Y/N’s ear.

Goosebumps pop up on her skin where his breath touches and her face turns crimson red. She just nods, not entirely trusting her voice. She can feel Fred’s eyes on her, and it takes everything in her power not to return his gaze. Y/N knows that if she were to look at him now she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from lunging forward and kissing him in front of the entire school, his girlfriend included.

Luckily Lee says something that grabs Fred’s attention and she can take a deep breath.

By the time Cedric reappears from the water with Cho Chang by his side, Y/N is absolutely freezing. They’re 45 minutes into the task, and so far only Fleur and Cedric have come back. While their spot has the best view, it’s so high in the air that the wind is bitter, and Y/N is shivering despite the fact that she’s wearing her heaviest jacket.

Luckily Krum reappears with Hermione next to him only a few minutes later, and the energy in the crowd ramps up. Everyone is cheering loudly again, and Y/N is too busy watching for Harry to notice how close Fred is to her.

Harry manages to appear from the water a few minutes after the time has run out, both Ron and a little blonde girl, who Y/N guesses is Fleur’s sister, by his side. The cheers only increase in volume as Dumbledore announces that Harry will get second place on account of his bravery.

Y/N feels as if she is on cloud nine. Not only had she just spent the last hour standing so close to Fred that their arms brushed against each other, but Harry had managed to do excellent in the task. Unfortunately, all that euphoria disappears as they start to head back down to the boats.

“Boy am I glad that’s over. It’s absolutely freezing out here. Good thing I had your sweater to keep me warm, Freddie,” Angelina says, her voice dripping with sweetness.

Y/N can feel her knees quiver as she glances at Angelina and the big fat letter F in the middle of the jumper she’s wearing. Tears start to form in the corners of her eyes, and she starts shoving through the crowd, trying to get as far away from Fred as possible.

The one thing she had held on to through all of this was Fred’s sweater. Y/N slept with it in her arms every night, it made her feel special. Fred may have chosen Angelina, but he had given her his sweater. It was her only glimmer of hope that someday something may happen between her and the boy who held her heart. But now, it meant nothing.

Y/N can hear Fred calling her name as she runs away, but she continues to push forward through the crowd. She’s making her way down the second set of stairs when she feels a hand wrap around her wrist.

“Y/N wait. Look at me,” Fred begs, tugging her close to him. Y/N turns around to look at Fred, who is standing on the stair above her, a desperate look on his face. Tears have started to stream down her face, and she bats away Fred’s hand when he tries to wipe them away. “What’s wrong? Talk to me, please.” His grip on her wrist tightens.

“You gave her your sweater,” she practically shouts at him, her voice full of misery. Y/N is sure that everyone around them is staring, but she can’t seem to care. She’s been in pain for weeks and it’s all coming out now.

Fred’s eyebrows knit together in confusion. “It’s just a sweater.”

Y/N sniffles, as more tears start to stream down her face. Just a sweater.

“So that’s all it was when you gave me your sweater? That day in the common room? Just a sweater,” she mocks. Fred opens his mouth to respond, but Y/N cuts him off. “You said it looked better on me. I thought you were flirting with me. I thought you liked me.”

Y/N feels like she’s going to pass out, Fred is standing there in front of her not saying anything. She starts to wipe the tears away as Angelina, George and Lee start to come down the stairs behind them.

“It clearly doesn’t matter what I think. Or what I want. You like her better,” she whimpers, gesturing towards Angelina. Before Fred even has a chance to react she’s running away again, down the stairs and back towards the boats. She takes a seat next to Neville in one of the boats and tucks her knees into her chest, trying to ignore everyone’s stares as Fred calls out her name.

Wish I were Heather

“I figured I would find you here,” Fred says softly from behind her.

Y/N bites her lip, quickly trying to wipe away her tears. After the absolute fiasco that had gone down between her and Fred all she wanted was to be alone. So instead of heading to the common room she wandered up to the astronomy tower. She’s not sure how long she’s been out here, but her hands are nearly numb from the cold and the sun has started to set.

When she doesn’t say anything, Fred comes up behind her and drapes a blanket over her shoulders before standing next to her. He leans his back up against the railing so he can look down at her face.

“Talk to me, please,” he begs.

His voice sends shivers down Y/N’s spine and it’s taking all of her willpower not to inch closer to him. She doesn’t say anything but allows herself to look up at him. Her cheeks heat up when she realizes that he’s already staring at her and she stops herself from looking away. He looks worried and hurt, and as much as Y/N thinks he deserves it for hurting her, she can’t help but feel guilty.

Fred reaches a hand up to cup her cheek and she melts into his touch. Her stomach is in knots and she feels lightheaded. As much as she hates to admit it, Fred Weasley still owns her whole heart. Even if his belongs to another girl.

When Y/N doesn’t pull away he starts to slowly stroke her cheek. “What are you thinking about?”

“Honestly?” she responds, wincing when her voice cracks. When Fred nods she continues. “I’m thinking about how much I wish I was Angelina.” When Fred doesn’t say anything, she continues. “I’m thinking about how much I wish you would look at me like you do her. I’m thinking about how much I wish you would have asked me to the Yule Ball. I’m thinking about how it would have felt as you twirled me in your arms. I’m thinking how it would have felt to kiss you. I’m thinking about how it would feel to be loved by you.”

Y/N hadn’t noticed that she was crying again until Fred’s thumb quickly wiped away her tears. She’s in disbelief that she just said all of those things to Fred. Her chest feels lighter now that she isn’t harboring such a huge secret, but a pit of despair has started to form in her stomach.

“Why are you thinking all of those things,” Fred asks, looking deep into Y/N’s eyes.

Y/N sighs in exasperation. She takes a deep breath, trying to find the courage to admit the things she’s felt for as long as she can remember. “I’m thinking all of those things because I’m in love with you, Fred Weasley. Even if you aren’t in love with me.”

Fred doesn’t respond. Instead he closes the gap between them and presses their lips together in a heated kiss. Y/N is frozen in place as her eyes flutter shut. Fred Weasley is kissing me. Oh my god Fred Weasley is kissing me, is the only thought running through her head. And as much as she wants to kiss him back, she can’t.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Y/N whispers, pulling away from Fred’s mouth, her eyes still shut. She desperately wants to look at him, but she can’t. “You have a girlfriend, Fred. And no matter what I feel for you, Angelina is a nice girl and I can’t do that to her. And you shouldn’t do that to her either.”

Fred chuckles as the hand he isn’t using to cup Y/N’s cheek comes up to grip her waist. She finally looks at him, confusion all over her face.

“Angelina Johnson isn’t my girlfriend,” he says casually, as if that is a sufficient enough explanation for everything that’s happened over the past few months. He leans forward to connect their lips again, but Y/N pushes his chest back slightly.

“I’m going to need more than that, Fred. Because I’ve spent the last three months dying inside as I watched you fall in love with her. So, you can’t just come up here and kiss me like none of that ever happened,” she explains, her words tinted with anger. Despite the anger that’s bubbling in her stomach, she can’t help but lean into his embrace.

“You looked so beautiful, that day in the common room,” he starts, a pink blush appearing on his cheeks. “You were sitting there, all alone wrapped up in your blanket. The fire was reflecting off of your face, it looked like you were glowing.” Fred pauses so he can tuck a piece of hair behind Y/N’s ear.

“I was only supposed to run up to our dorm to grab something George and I needed for our prank on Filch,” he continues a moment later, his eyes staring deeply into Y/N’s. “But I couldn’t help myself. That was the first time you had been alone all school year and I needed to be close to you. It was so hard not to pull you into my chest and comfort you when you said you were sick. That’s why I gave you my sweater. So, I could be close to you without being close to you. If that makes sense.”

Y/N chuckles and she can feel how red her cheeks are from Fred’s words alone. She’s sure that if she opens her mouth to speak the swarm of butterflies in her stomach will fly out, so she places the hand that had been on Fred’s chest on his neck, letting her fingers tangle in his long hair. She tugs the strands lightly encouraging him to continue with his story.

“And I noticed, how you stared at me when I took it off. I honestly thought you were going to start drooling,” Fred teases with a chuckle as Y/N’s blush deepens even further. “And then when I got closer to you to put the sweater on for you I thought that you were going to kiss me and so when you looked away I thought it was all just in my head.”

Y/N frowns as she mentally curses herself out. I should have just kissed him. Would have saved so much god damn time.

Fred leans forward and presses a kiss to her forehead before he continues. “But the way you looked at me, when I was talking about the stink bomb I knew you felt something for me. I just needed to figure out a way to get you to admit it. That’s why I let you keep the sweater too. I was hoping I could catch you wearing it again. Partially because it would have been helpful in getting you to admit you liked me, but mostly because it doeslook better on you. You look beautiful in everything you wear but seeing you in my sweater,” Fred pauses as he lets out a groan, his grip on Y/N’s waist tightening.

“How does Angelina fit into all of this, then? Because when I saw you look at her a few hours later, I could have sworn that you were in love with her,” Y/N says, her voice shaking. She’s still confused, and doesn’t want to get her hopes up, but everything that Fred is saying is making her heart swoon.

“Well after George and I set off a firework show in Filch’s office we were running away and quite literally ran into Angelina and Alicia who were coming back from Hogsmeade. I know Angelina has had a crush on George since like, first year, so we devised a plan that was beneficial to the both of us. George would finally stop being thick and notice Angelina and you would admit your feelings for me.”

Y/N’s eyes widen, and she raises her hand to smack him in the chest, but he manages to grab it in time. Fred interlaces their fingers and brings her hand up to his mouth, peppering it with soft kisses. “Let me finish explaining, please. You can be mad at me all you want after but just let me get it all out.” He continues to pepper her hand with soft kisses until he can feel Y/N relax in his embrace. He brings their hands down to their sides but keeps them interlaced.

“In the Great Hall that night Angelina and Alicia waited in the corridor until they saw you come in and sit down. I kept making George and Lee laugh, I knew that would get you to look over at us, I’d seen you do it before.” Fred rubs her cheek with his thumb as her blush comes back, Y/N often looked over at Fred during meals but had thought she was sneaky enough to get away with it.

“When she walked by I was staring at her but I was thinking about you. I was thinking about your laugh, and the way you scrunch your nose when you’re annoyed. I was thinking about the little wrinkle you get in between your eyebrows when you get frustrated at your coursework. I was thinking about your smile and how beautiful you looked when I caught you dancing with Ginny and Hermione in your pajamas last summer.”

Y/N groans at the memory, causing Fred to laugh. Hermione had brought a muggle radio with her to the burrow, and they were up late one night, just goofing off and dancing around Ginny’s room together. They had accidentally left the door cracked, and Fred and George had burst into Ginny’s room to see what all the noise was. Y/N had been wearing nothing but a t-shirt and a pair of shorts that were two sizes too small and her cheeks had burned bright red as Fred had looked her up and down.

“I can’t believe you remember that. I was so embarrassed. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole,” she grumbles, the anger she had just felt completely washing away. Y/N lets herself fall into Fred’s chest, her arms wrapping around his middle and her face pressing into his neck. Fred laughs and finally let’s go of her hand so he can wrap one arm around her waist fully, his other reaching up to stroke her hair.

“Of course, I remember that. That’s the moment I fell in love with you. You looked so carefree, dancing around with your friends, with my little sister. It was like you belonged there,” Fred whispers the last part, pressing a kiss to the top of Y/N’s head. It was no secret that the Weasley boys all had soft spots for their younger sister and seeing Y/N get along so well with Ginny made Fred fall even harder for her.

“You are such a sap Fred Weasley,” Y/N teases lightly. Her heart feels like it might beat out of her chest. “Go on then, continue telling me about your master grand plan or whatever.”

Fred chuckles. “When George, Lee and I got back to the common room that night I figured you’d be there waiting to talk to me or something. But you weren’t. And when I saw you at Breakfast the next day you didn’t even look at me. I could tell George was falling into our trap, but you had gotten so distant I wasn’t sure what was going on in your head.”

Y/N can feel herself getting angry again, but she takes a deep breath, letting Fred’s scent calm her down. She had promised to hear Fred out before she got angry at him and she plans to keep that promise.

“I hadn’t planned on asking Angelina to the Yule Ball, but when George didn’t ask her she told me to. She said it was a surefire way for us to get what we both wanted. And so, I did. I did it while you were there, thinking that maybe you’d stand up and tell Angelina to fuck off or something. But you got all quiet and stormed off instead.” Fred pauses, squeezing Y/N tighter against his chest.

“I wanted to follow you so badly,” he continues a moment later, and Y/N can hear the regret in his voice. “But I had made a promise to Angelina. I figured you would go alone, and that the mess I had gotten in would fix itself at the dance. And then Ron told us that you were going with Harry. You looked so beautiful, Y/N. I was so jealous of Harry, that he got to touch you,” Fred stops himself, jealousy building up in his throat just from the thought of Y/N being with someone else.

He presses his face to the top of her head, taking a deep breath. Sensing his tension, Y/N presses a kiss to his neck. “And then I saw you standing with George and I nearly lost my mind, that’s why Angelina and I left. You were being so, playful with him like you usually were with me. I thought maybe instead of pushing you to admit how you feel for me I had pushed you into the arms of someone else.”

“is that why Angelina came up to me in the library? She was trying to sus out what I was feeling?” She asks, so many things finally making sense.

Fred hums, and Y/N shivers as the rumble vibrates through her whole body. Fred squeezes her tighter. “George had somehow figured out what we were up to and decided to turn the table. The next day at breakfast all he could talk about was you, and how much fun he had with you after we left. I figured he was just trying to get a reaction out of me, but the thought of you wanting someone else hurt so much. So, I sent Angelina off to do some recon.”

“Then why continue playing your stupid little game? I told Angelina that I wasn’t into George,” Y/N questions, pulling her head away from Fred’s warmth so she can look him in the eyes. He returns her gaze, and it still causes her to blush, despite the fact that she’s been cuddled into him for at least 20 minutes. The sun has nearly set, and the golden rays reflecting off of Fred’s hair make him look like an Angel. She allows her gaze to drop to his lips for a moment, wishing that they were on hers once again.

“Yes, but you told her that you liked someone else, more than a friend,” Fred reminds her, a smirk forming on his lips. “And then you started hanging out with your friends again and you were spending so much time with Harry.”

“You thought I liked Harry?” Y/N asks in surprise, cutting Fred off. When he nods she laughs, unable to stop herself. “I don’t mean to laugh at you love. Well actually I do but, I can’t believe that you thought I was into Harry.”

Fred frowns at her, the hand that had been stroking her hair coming to cup her cheek once again. “And why wouldn’t you fancy Harry? He’s a top-class bloke I’ll have you know,” Fred teases with a chuckle. “And I was feeling insecure,” he admits sheepishly.

Y/N instantly feels bad for laughing and presses a kiss to Fred’s cheek as a way of apologizing. Fred and the word insecure have never once crossed her mind at the same time. Fred was always the life of the party, confident in himself and his actions. He liked being the center of attention and was always trying to get more eyes on him.

Knowing that he’s standing here with her barring his soul to her fills Y/N with warmth. Fred Weasley never let anyone see this side of him and yet here he is, laying it all out for her. While Fred’s actions may have been questionable to her, they came from such a place of pure sincerity that she can’t be mad at him. If anything, it makes her love him more, if that’s even possible.

“So, what was your plan today, hm? How was Angelina wearing your sweater going to push us together?”

“I’m getting there, don’t you worry,” Fred teases. “Actually, I’ll have you know that today’s plan was all George’s idea, so if my actions today lead you to never want to talk to me again just know that it’s George you should be mad at, not me.”

Y/N rolls her eyes but doesn’t say anything. She presses her face back into Fred’s neck, encouraging him to continue.

“By this point George had been fully briefed on the situation, since he finally got the nerve to just ask Angelina out. Took him long enough if you ask me.” Fred pauses when Y/N laughs into his neck. “Hey, I don’t want to hear it from you. I was in far too deep to just ask you out, alright?” Y/N squeezes Fred’s middle, causing him to smile. “Anyway, he knew about the whole sweater thing. So, he suggested that Angelina wear the sweater mum sent for me this Christmas. Thinking it would send you into a jealous rage.”

“That was obviously a mistake,” Fred admits sheepishly. “But anyway. George waited by the boats for you to arrive with Harry, so he could make sure that you came and stood with us. When you didn’t notice the sweater right away I figured the plan was over. But then Angelina managed to sneak in a mention and well this is where I definitely need to apologize to you.”

“I thought I was special,” Y/N murmurs into Fred’s neck. “I knew, or at least thought I knew, that you were in love with Angelina. But I was the one you gave your sweater too. I was the one that got to cuddle it close every night. It gave me one sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe someday you’d be laying in bed cuddling me instead.”

When Fred doesn’t say anything, Y/N continues. “But then she was wearing your sweater and I wanted to throw up. My last shred of hope that you would ever love me was destroyed, and I just needed to get away from you.” Her voice cracks as a fresh set of tears flow down her face. Y/N pulls away from Fred so she can look him in the eyes and more tears cascade down her face when she sees the pain in his.

“I am so sorry, Y/N.” Fred lets go of her so his hands can come up and brush away her tears. “When you were standing there on the stairs you looked so broken and knowing I made you feel like that. I couldn’t say anything, I couldn’t find the right words. And then you were gone, and I wanted to fling myself into the lake.”

Fred’s arms wrap around her waist again and Y/N lets herself cuddle close to him. Her own arms wrap around his neck and she starts to play with his hair. They just stand there, looking at each other for a few moments, both of them unsure what to say next.

“Say something, please,” Fred begs when the silence gets to be too much. “Anything. Even if you tell me to fuck off and never talk to you again. Just, say something.”

Y/N smiles up at him. “Kiss me.”

“Come again?” Fred asks, afraid that his ears are playing tricks on him.

“Kiss me,” Y/N breathes, her face slowly inching closer to Fred’s.

Fred doesn’t need to hear it again. The second the words have left Y/N’s mouth he’s closing the gap between them and their lips meet in a heated kiss. Except this time Y/N isn’t frozen in place. She moves her mouth in time with his and presses herself closer to Fred, needing to feel his body against hers.

Y/N’s knees quiver as he deepens their kiss and her whole body feels like it’s on fire. This is everything she has ever wanted, and she almost can’t believe it’s actually happening.

“I love you,” Fred says softly when their kiss breaks, both of them needing to catch their breath. “I love you so much and I am such an idiot and I am so sorry for hurting you.” Fred cups her cheeks so that he can gaze into Y/N’s eyes. Both of their cheeks are flushed, and Y/N doesn’t think she could look away from the loving look Fred is giving her even if she wanted to. “I don’t deserve your love and I’ll do anything it takes for you to be mine. I’ll apologize to you every day for the rest of forever if I have to.”

Y/N presses their foreheads together as she kisses Fred briefly. “Every day? For the rest of forever? That’s a pretty long time,” she teases with a laugh.

Fred chuckles, kissing her softly. “Now that I’ve got you I’m never letting you go.”

They stand there together in silence for a few moments, basking in the warmth their love has created around them. They’re both smiling at each other, and Y/N is sure that she’d float away if Fred wasn’t holding her so tightly.

“Can you just promise me one thing?” Y/N asks quietly, twirling a piece of Fred’s hair around her finger.

“Anything, my love.” Fred squeezes her even tighter, his lips brushing against hers.

“Promise me that I’ll be the only girl you ever give another one of your sweaters too,” Y/N says quietly, trying to seem playful. But Fred can sense the hint of seriousness behind her words.

“I promise, every day for the rest of forever,” he chuckles.

Y/N kisses him hard, trying to convey every ounce of love she has for Fred through this one kiss. Every day for the rest of forever may seem like a long time, but after spending so long without Fred, it doesn’t seem like enough.

#fred weasley #Fred Weasley imagine #Fred Weasley fic #Fred Weasley x reader #harry potter #Harry Potter imagine #fw #golden

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wickedpact · 4 years ago

Note

Crim pls do a J/N fic rec post at some point in the future I trust you more than I trust myself looking rouge through AO3

im kinda eh abt the concept of fic recs myself just bc the whole 'Different Strokes For Different Folks' thing (idk how many times someone i liked in a fandom made a fic rec list and i ended up not liking anything they posted). plus i have weirdly specific tastes and i.. .. honestly havent read a ton of joenicky fic! (i have a FAT to-read list) but ive been asked this a couple times now so i will slap together a couple joenicky fics i like (not comprehensive, i only spent like 15 minutes making this. also not in any particular order.)

Kiss Each Other Clean by moodlighting

i like this whole fic, but the last 6 or so paragraphs in particular SEND ME TO SPACE, i love cuddling. also [joe voice] nickel neekee

what you seek is seeking you by bankrobbery

i actually recced this one once before. idk its cute i just Like It. (also nicky pretending not to know english bc a customer is pissing him off is Very Funny and i love it)

with every inch of my heart by smilebackwards

i like this one a lot, i think nickys pov should Always be this tender. i dont like miscommunication trope much, (esp with joenicky) but i do like this fic-- the miscommunication in question is far-fetched but its joenicky so of course it is. just enjoy the Angst™

i love michelangelo seeing nicky all dirty and bloody after a fight and being like 'DAMN this bitch is fine' (same). (AND the fact that nicky only agrees to travel with him in the name of wasting the pope's money lmao). the fact that joe and nicky broke up But They Still Snuggle. nile knowing like 2 things about joe and nicky's breakup & pretty much immediately taking nicky's side. joe looking at the creation of adam and bein like 'EH'.

nicky carrying around his little joe drawing? nicky carrying around a spare toothbrush for booker? nicky telling little children stories about a princess locked in a coffin under the sea? ('perhaps someday, if an iron coffin is caught in a net or washed up onto the shore, they’ll remember the princess, a victim and not a monster' EXCUSE ME)

(also 'I have drawn you a thousand times since we parted. I sculpted your likeness, just so that I could pretend to cup your cheek. You are so much warmer than marble, hayati.' R O M A N C E)

Pas Un Ange by inlovewithnight

there are a lot of fics i love in a way thats like 'this fic is fun but it doesnt feel like something that would happen in the Actual Canon' (which is fine!) but this one Does feel like it could happen in The Actual Canon which is cool

this fic also has probably my favorite depiction of nicky's relationship with god/religion in any fic ive read ('[nicky's] peace had come only after walking away from faith as a competition of intensity in favor of faith as a steady compass that he followed like the beat of his heart in his chest.'). i love the whole Drama played out by the background characters and how they all have their own ideas and motivations & nicky is just kind of resigned to being caught in the middle of it.

(also love how near the beginning joe's like 'the Right thing to do in the situation would be stay at this river and help these people.... ... ....... ... .... ... anyways see ya guys later gotta go find nicky'.)

also joe chatting up a pig and the five minutes later chatting up some goats was so cute. & nicky trying to tell the baby's mother how to save it!!!! </3 AND THEY ARGUE ABOUT CHARITY on the way home (not before joe injects a comment abt nickys ass into regular conversation bc Romance™) its a bit of a sad fic tho, that poor baby 🥺

Intercession by PrincessDesire

can i interest you in some Swamp Man Nicky in this trying time?

someone recced this fic to me and i dont remember who. but note that the major character death tag is not, in fact, for a major character but for a background one. neither joe or nicky perma!die in this. also normally i dont like fics where joe or nicky are bi bc Thats Not Canon Babey but i do like this one, i love joe's relationship with Grace and how nicky's perception of that relationship gets flipped on its head halfway thru the fic. i also love joe's Weariness Of Immortality, like when joe talks about how 'youthful' nicky makes him feel. his pov just kind of Feels like an old man and i like it

theres a smut scene in this fic which im personally not big on smut scenes but theres this bit where joe tries to figure out condoms and its very cute. also 'You have many kinds of magic, Nicky. All your spells have worked.' ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°).

also i just like how WHIPPED joe is from like the first 3 seconds he sees nicky. theres one bit where nicky's like 'ill come visit you!' and joe's like 'when🥺' and nicky's like 'as soon as you like!' and joes like 'now?????🥺🥺🥺 literally come home with me???' incredible.

also the Magic System was cool. i also love how nicky just Accidentally made himself immortal. what a man. also i like this line 'it would never occur to [nicky] to attend any service that wasn’t going to have a direct outcome. Grace takes comfort from it, so maybe that’s the only outcome needed.' idk its so sweet

edit: also i cant believe i forgot the iconic line 'Yusuf is a man of two minds, one large and underutilized, the other small and underutilized.' absolutely iconic & relatable

#Anonymous

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haveaclock · 2 years ago

Text

I'm making new shit for Robin and I don't care 💅

• Antonio + Robin(PLATONICALLY BITCHES) = Long lost family

• She is very good at hair

• People already made a nickname for her, Robinhood? Okay wtf

• That accent bout to come out when she maddd

• Sleepy Always (But it's not the same with Jean-Paul's sleepiness, Jean-Paul got it worse)

• It's hard not to slurp drinks for her, ITS A FUCKING PROBLEM

• She mainly runs ACME's covers

• Nah bro scold Zack she scold you

• She's the favorite family member, always.

• She got a niece, well with time ( No I'm not telling you about her niece, All I can say is that it's umm, Jeantonio-ized, no Jean-Paul isn't a woman, AND ONLY ONE CHILD , NO ONE ELSE, ILL TELL YOU LATER, NO WAIT NEVERRR)

• She that one aunt that pull up with at least a fucking truck load of things

• Chill asf Fuck 😧

• She got like 12 investment accounts, that's how she got the money. Although, She still can't afford stuff because of STONK GOING DOWN, but overall she does really well.

• Therapist

• Chief's second favorite (Zack took it away)

• No but make her made your gonna be slapped with swears in Swahili, and if you speak it ..... Oh no your done. And she won't give you Therapy

Okay all done

Wait I need to make a tag

Uhh

|Robin| {HAC}

Eh close a enough

HAC : haveaClock

#carmen sandeigo netflix #cs fanfic #fanmade #|Robin| {HAC}#eh

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youngbeezer · 4 years ago

Note

number 5 for the tiktok thing with jon toews?

Referenced Post

Prompt-- 5. Running into each other's arms after not seeing them for awhile (w Jonathan Toews)

A/N: Here's another blurb from the 14 oddly romantic things blurb set. I only have one more after this, so this series(?) is coming to an end. I have enjoyed writing all of these sm! Welcome back captain serious!!!

Thank you for requesting, hope you like it :)

Word Count: 1345 (these have been so long lately idk whats going on)

Warning(s): mentions of his illness(?), but other than that i dont think any!

join my taglist :)

The sound of my phone’s ringtone awakens me from my deep slumber. It takes me a few moments to come to my senses and to rub the sleep out of my eyes, and once I am able to recognize my surroundings, I realize that I am once again waking up to a cold and empty apartment. It’s been the same feeling for almost the past four months.

Like usual, after last year’s NHL season ended, Jonathan and I went back to Winnipeg to spend our summers there in his hometown with family and friends. But this time, when I went back to Chicago for work in mid September, Jon did not come back with me.

During December, he started to experience these symptoms that left him feeling drained and lethargic. So, after seeing multiple doctors, Jon thought it was best to stay back at home to try and better understand his condition and get his health back on track.

Unfortunately, my job as a teacher was still in Chicago and needed me back right away, thus preventing me from staying in Winnipeg with Jonathan during this difficult time for him. It was definitely hard on our relationship being so far from each other, especially since Jon was sick and I couldn’t be there for him. But, we talked everyday and we both are very comfortable in where we are in our relationship, so we made it work.

So far, Jon does not know much on when he will be back in Chicago, and right now it is starting to seem like the next time I’ll be able to see him is when the school year is over and I am able to go back to his hometown.

I am brought out of my jumbled thoughts when my ringtone goes off once more signaling I have a text notification. I reach over to my bedside table to retrieve my phone off of the charger.

‘Good morning, beautiful.’

‘Hope you have a great day, say hi to all your kids for me.’

‘Love and miss you.’

I let out a sigh and go to wipe off the few tears that I feel running down my cheeks. Coming up on that four month mark has been extra hard lately. I miss waking up to his lazy morning kisses along my back. I miss the way we move in perfect harmony when we are doing our morning routines in the bathroom. I miss his goodbye kiss he gives me every day before going to practice. I miss everything about him. I also feel like such a bad girlfriend not being able to be there in support and to take care of him when he has been dealing with such a scary and unknown illness.

I wipe off the few remaining tears lingering on my cheeks and go to text back my boyfriend.

‘Love and miss you too! I’ll call you on my lunch break xx.’

I go to get ready for my day since I have to be at the school by 8:00 AM and it is already nearing 7:15. I take a quick shower and quickly blow dry my hair. I make a quick pitstop to check my phone and find another message from Jon.

‘Sorry baby, I think I have a doctor’s appointment during your lunch break.’

‘I’ll talk to you later, love you.’

I frown a little at his message. First, I worry that he has another doctor’s appointment-- since last time I heard, he was getting better; and I also frown at the idea of having to wait all day until I can hear his voice.

Today’s gonna be a long day…

(...)

Today was a long day.

First, I forgot to bring in the worksheets I printed out last night for my lesson plan so I had to switch everything around. Then, one of my students scraped their knee during recess so I had to take care of them and bring them to the nurse’s office, thus making me miss out on my lunch break (where I wouldn’t have been able to even talk to Jon anyway). And now, I am putting bandages on the back of my heels where my wedges gave me blisters. For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to look cute today instead of being practical since I walk around and stand all day long.

My students were just dismissed, so I am currently just organizing everything that I’ll need to have ready for tomorrow. Once I finish up, I gather all my belongings and start making my way out of the classroom. I make sure to say good night to my favorite security guard before trekking to the parking lot.

When I make it out of the school building, I immediately go to take off my wedges. As I look back up in search of my car, I stop dead in my tracks.

Standing in front of my car, with my favorite flowers in his hand, is Jonathan.

Everything that was once in my hands has now clattered to the ground as my hands instinctively move to cover my mouth in both shock and excitement. Tears start to gather in my eyes as Jonathan gives me a huge smile.

Once the initial shock wears off and I realize it is actually my Jonathan standing right before me in person, I let out a little squeal and start jogging over to him. He sets the flowers on the hood of my car as I get closer and opens his arms to welcome my body.

He stumbles back a little when I jump into his arms, but he quickly recovers with a breathy laugh and by tightening his arms even more around my torso. As his arms wrapped around me, tears flowed freely.

“Oh my god. You’re really here.” I cried out, clinging onto him in fear that this was all a dream and he would soon disappear.

“I’m here baby. I’m right here.” He soothed into my ear, running his fingers through my hair.

At this point I felt like I was just uncontrollably sobbing. All the pain and loneliness of being apart, and the stress of not fully knowing how he was feeling and doing-- all of it is over now.

“Hey, y/n-- baby, please stop crying.” He shushed into my ear, trying to calm me down.

“I missed you so much.” I hiccup out. I pull away a little from his embrace to instead cup my hands around his neck to get a good look at him. “You look so good.”

Before I can ramble even more, Jonathan leans in and kisses me. Our bodies pressed together and our lips molded as though we were never apart. His lips were softer than I remember and tasted sweet against my own. I could feel his breath tickle beneath my nose as my left hand moved from his neck to his head to card my fingers through his hair.

It eventually started to grow sloppy as both of us could not contain our smiles any longer. I let out a little giggle when our teeth clack once more which prompts us to break apart from each other-- but not before Jonathan gives my nose one last peck.

“I love you so much.” I breathed out.

“I love you too.” He beamed back. “Let’s go pick up all your stuff in the middle of the road, eh.”

I look back at my belongings, totally forgetting that I dropped everything when I first saw Jonathan. We both make our way over there and gather all my stuff up before making our way back to my car.

Jonathan’s hands card through mine, giving it a little squeeze before mumbling out,

“It’s good to be back home.”

I smile but raise my eyebrows just a little up at him and ask, “I’m glad you are too, but isn’t Winnipeg technically you’re home?”

He gives me one last little peck before murmuring against my lips,

“Wherever you are is my home.”

Taglist; @heatherawoowoo @barzysandmarnersbitch @joelsfarabees @hockeyplayerstories @barzy-xoxo

tagging a few mutuals as well,,,,

@lovereadinghockeyy @carepriceisgoodathockey @prettyboyjackhughes @2manytabsopen @frederikanderson @bb-nhlqueen7 @cherrybarzy @jamiesdrysdales @luukasreichel @gigissports @cherrylita

#jonathan toews #chicago blackhawks #jonathan toews imagine #jonathan toews blurb #nhl #hockey #nhl imagine #nhl blurb #nhl fic #hockey imagine #hockey blurb #hockey fic #my writing #hope you liked it :)#14 oddly romantic things blurb set

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guiltysecretpasttime · 4 years ago

Text

Grey Eyes

This is in response to a prompt I received:

camryn-bria I have a Linzin headcanon that there is a secret (airbending) child. Could you write a one-shot of Tenzin finding out Lin is pregnant after breaking up with her.

I’ll probably put in a better summary, tags or notes later on. But hope you enjoy this 😊

(So I had too much fun (maybe) with this and it ended up being a two-parter rather than a one-shot, hope this is okay)

Lin/Tenzin pre-canon fanfic | 1 of 2

Legend of Korra

---

Despite what the public thought, Chief Toph Beifong was not a heartless person.

While truly a strong woman, it did not mean she did not have emotions. Family and friends played a huge role in occupying a space in her heart.

Family.

It was precisely because of family why she was pacing in front of the doctor’s examination room.

Toph closed her eyes in worry.

Of her two daughters, Lin was the one most like her.

Her youngest daughter, Suyin, at her current state, probably was who her own mother wanted her to be.

Initially scoffed at and at the brink of being of being disrespected, Toph Beifong later on was reputed to be one of the toughest police chiefs that the region has even had.

She had welcomed her daughter during her second year as a police chief of Republic City. The father, unfortunately, passed.

Lin’s father was Toph’s fellow detective. Toph had just given birth to her and was out of the force when Kanto responded to a call. He was hit and he died.

Since then, Toph promised herself that it would simply not do to miss time at work.

The first few months of raising Lin were particularly difficult. She had then elected to live near her married friends, Aang and Katara.

Toph took it hard – spent time away from Lin for the next months and sent her to Air Temple Island. She eventually got back to her senses, realizing her daughter needed her and had reached back to take care of Lin.

Lin always wanted to be like her mother and the father she barely met. Suyin, on the other hand, well, that was another story.

“Mom.”

Toph’s reverie was interrupted by the soft voice of her eldest child.

“Oh, Lin.”

In Lin’s hand was an ultrasound photo of a child, Lin took her mother’s hand and read out to her the notes on the photo.

Indeed, Lin was the child most like her mother.

---

What was he doing here? He has some nerve.

“Aunt Toph?

She tried to ignore the tall bald man in her office.

“Aunt Toph?”

Persistent little bugger, eh?

“That’s Chief Beifong to you.” She felt him squirm and fidget. “The citizens desk is on the other floor. Or have you gotten lost?”

“I, uh, no. I actually wanted to see Lin.”

“Captain Beifong, you mean.”

She felt him flinch. Good.

“I -.”

“Don’t you worry your bald head about it, Master Tenzin.” Aspersion dripping with every word. “Captain Beifong is away on suspension. She won’t be bothering you any time soon.”

“But – no! I didn’t come here to complain or file charges.” Toph could here the shock at Tenzin’s voice. “You didn’t have to – she didn’t need to be suspended!”

Chief Beifong ignored him. “Captain Beifong caused destruction to property – Air Temple Island’s reconstruction will be done soonest – and basically threatened you, a government official. She would have received worse.”

“But -.”

“Is there anything else, Councilman?”

“Uhm, no. I’ll just drop by Lin’s.”

“She not there,” Toph felt the airbender pause at her door. “She’s suspended until further notice; and she been sent away from Republic City.”

---

At least that was what the press was informed, to explain away the disappearance of a prominent person

But internally, with the higher ups in the Republic City Police Department, they knew differently. They were told that she was out undercover and they better not try to make contact – or there will be consequences.

Toph was proud of her daughter’s strategy. She had been an absentee mother in the past years. She wanted to make up for it by supporting Lin’s decisions.

Even if it meant no contact with her in the next months.

---

Lin found herself in a remote Earth Kingdom town which used to be a Fire Nation colony. She had come to this place years ago in a recon mission and had known that there were a good mix of nations, making it easy to blend in.

Her current mission was not anything dangerous – just another reconnaissance mission to look into whether there was some truth to the formation of a new organization similar to the New Ozai Society, who would seek to undermine the United Republic.

As someone fresh out of her 20s, Lin thought she was (or she should be) fit enough for the job at the local bar. Thankfully, she was able to convince the barkeep to hire her even after telling him of her predicament (she wondered if maybe the man really just needed help so badly). She also figured it was a good place to get in with the locals and, well, the local gossip.

Lin opted to keep her first name (common as it was anyway), rented a small apartment unit walking distance from the city center, and now, had landed a job (that hopefully placed her in a good spot to fulfill her mission) which paid adequate wages.

She felt she was prepared to start anew – a new job, a new mission, and a baby on the way.

---

Tenzin huffed as he consulted his map.

He had gone to Gaoling, to the Beifong ancestral home (that was were Suyin was sent there before anyway. But Lin wasn’t there.

He even went out of his way and chanced a visit to Zaofu.

Su was surprised to see him and, no, she has not seen or talked to her sister in years.

Instead, the airbender got a slap for his efforts (“You idiot! You broke my sister’s heart!” “You weren’t even talking to her! You don’t know what’s with her.” “I knew enough to know that she loves you!”).

He tossed the map aside. He was stumped; he didn’t know where else to look for Lin.

He did not even notice his mother, watching from the doorway of his study, looking at him with concern.

---

“Hey, get away from him!”

“Eh! And what’re you gunn’ do ‘bout that lady?”

“I’ll show you!”

“What the -!”

“Scram!”

“Alright, we’re going – we’re going!”

The earthbender turned to the young man on the ground (maybe late teens or early twenties in age, she guessed) who was of Water Tribe ethnicity. “Hey kid, are you okay?”

“I’m fine – didn’t need your help.” The man grumbled, standing up and dusting himself.

“Right.” The woman stated, obviously not believing it as she had just walked across the scene of several benders pulling up by his collar, whether they were mugging him or not, she did not wait to find out before launching some rocks from the road at the thieves. “Of course, you didn’t need help. You had it all in control, didn’t you?” She deadpanned.

The man rolled his eyes. “A truth seer, aren’t you?”

She crossed her arms. “Maybe.”

“No – I don’t think so.” The water tribe man shook his head. “Thanks though.”

The earthbender extended to shake his hand.

“Lin.”

He clasped it with his own.

“Noatak.”

----

Months passed and Tenzin had not lost hope in finding Lin, but he had to admit that the hope was fast dwindling.

Twice Chief Beifong had said that Captain Beifong’s whereabouts were none of his business and that she will put his sorry ass in jail if he pried once more.

Neither Chief Beifong or anyone from his family shared any input to the media as to his relationship status. The disappearance of Lin Beifong and the sudden reconstruction of some of the pavilions at Air Temple Island made up much of the chatter and gossip though.

His cheerless disposition just about confirmed everything anyway.

---

Meanwhile, in the Earth Kingdom, Lin finally gathered enough courage to send out a letter to Tenzin. She had used a post office’s box from two towns away to ensure that he would not be led directly to her should he decide to respond.

After contemplating on the matter for the past months, and after finally admitting to herself, she decided to give Tenzin the option to be a father to their child.

It was the least she could do. She did not want her (their) child to grow up without a father if he was willing to be there. She knew, she grew up with, the alternative to that.

We may no longer be together, but it does not change the fact that this child is yours as well. I’m giving you this chance – to either declare this child as your own or to simply ignore and disregard this. I am fully capable of raising this child as my own so I am open to giving you an out.

Well then, so the proverbial ball was in the airbender’s court.

Gently, placing a hand on her now visible pregnant belly, Lin knew the waiting game has started.

---

In an ill-conceived attempt to raise his spirits, the Air Acolytes of Air Temple Island saw it fit to host a birthday celebration for him. His mother had given it a go signal as she was also at her wits’ end to help bolster his mood. Even the passing of her husband (his father) did not seem to have dragged him down this way.

What Katara did not know, however, was that the press had somewhat managed to get in with the festivities as well.

The papers for the next few days ran a feature on the last airbender’s birthday celebration. They also printed a picture of him with just about any single female he talked to during the party.

This was followed by a steady stream of letters and messages poured into Air Temple Island as well as into Tenzin’s office at city hall.

The first few letters, Tenzin had deigned to read.

But after the seventeenth letter, the airbender, with a furious blush on his skin, went to the kitchen where his mother was calmly instructing an acolyte for tonight’s dinner.

“Mother!”

Katara dismissed the acolyte before turning to her son. “What is it?” She held out her hand to take one of the letters that Tenzin was waving at her.

The waterbender briefly went through the letter. It appeared that –

“They have been sending me propositions!” Tenzin exasperatedly explained, showing the envelopes with addresses coming from different parts of the world. “Ever since the broadsheets and tabloids have been putting in these features about me being single.” He continued to pace in the kitchen while Katara went through the other letters. The content was fairly similar – a Fire Nation noble offering his daughter in marriage, an Air Acoylte from the Eastern Temple sharing her daughter’s knowledge of all things Air Nomad culture, an Earth Kingdom merchant living in the upper ring boasting of his niece… “I’m not interested in any of these, Mother. I just – I just -.” He took a deep breath. “I need to find Lin. It’s only been Lin.”

Katara could believe that.

“I know – Mother, if letters come to the island for me, please send it to my office. I’ll have my secretary handle them.”

And with that, Tenzin swept away, leaving Katara to only wonder and hope that whatever he thought of would truly help him out.

---

I see.

So he has made his choice.

Lin gripped tightly the letter she received in response to the one she had sent.

She tried but there was nothing she owed him now.

The earthbender then tossed the letter into her drawer, to be hidden from prying eyes, to try and forget its existence.

Thank you for your interest but I already have a life partner.

I would like to request for your respect in this avenue and refrain from sending any more letters in this similar vein.

Respectfully yours,

Tenzin

---

Noatak knocked on the door one more time.

Lin was nearing her due date and the barkeep had place a notice for a reliever, a substitute while Lin was out.

The Water Tribe man took the opportunity – he had been juggling different jobs in town anyway so what’s one more?

Lin had been showing the ropes to him the past few days and was always ever so prompt so that they have enough time before opening.

This was why he stood at her front door now. The earthbender failed to show up at their regular time and so he worried.

“Lin? Are you there?”

There was no answer.

Something felt very wrong.

He looked to the left and looked to the right. No one was around and so putting his entire weight on it, he hit his shoulder against the door several times until it gave way.

“LIN!”

To his shock and horror, the pregnant lady slumped unconscious at her living room, blood surrounding her at the floor.

Noatak hurried to her, feeling her pulse and closing his eyes.

He had been hiding a secret for so long, no one knew in this new life he had been living. As far as they knew, he was a non-bender – no one had paused to ask, except this woman who had asked him and had graciously not pried further when he said he did not want to talk about his past. He knew she was trying to start a new life, but he wasn’t sure why. She respected him enough as well to leave him to his privacy.

That day when the muggers had almost done him in, he thought that would have been the end of it, revenge be damned. To his surprise, someone did intervene for him.

Enough reminiscing for now though, because now, this woman needed him.

Taking a deep breath, Noatak reached forward his arms, allowing him to feel the push and pull from the two lives in front of him, not in the way his father wanted him to but to save these lives.

---

Tenzin was absentmindedly tapping his pen on today’s agenda in the council meeting.

The monotony of his responsibilities to the city barely weighed on him now.

It was the same old routine at the council.

His interest was peaked when the doors opened and a man, who he recognized as Chief Beifong’s trusted secretary, hurried over to the Chief of Police’s side, whispering quickly.

Toph Beifong suddenly stood up, muttering her excuses to the rest of the attendees of the council meeting and left (something about an urgent matter regarding one of her subordinates’ mission?).

---

“Chief, it would appear that the Captain has now given birth to a daughter.”

“What! I need to get to her.”

“Unfortunately, protocols still state that no contact be made -.”

“But I’m her mother.”

“Please, Chief Beifong, Captain Beifong explicitly indicated that in her report as well. Everything is okay and not to let you go to her as it would impact her cover.”

Nonetheless, this did not stop Toph Beifong from instructing her secretary to send off a large box of baby things to a remote town in the Earth Kingdom.

---

The last airbender quickly made his way out of the restaurant where that farce of a stilted family dinner (that his mother insisted on) was still on-going.

It had been uncomfortable enough when Chief Beifong arrived, nary a word towards him but quite civil with his mother and their visitors. At some point during the meal, the Fire Lord started to pass around photographs of his teenaged grandson and even Chief Beifong was obliged to share photos of her own grandchildren.

Tenzin tried to ignore the longing gaze his mother had on the photographs.

He met the eyes of his brother, who coincidentally was stationed this week near Republic City, who in turn shrugged back at him.

Yeah, that’s not happening. Unless someone comes forward to speak up about the fruits of Bumi having sown his wild oats, their mother would need to wait a little longer to have her own grandchild.

“And who might this be?” His mother brought up a photo of a baby.

“Did Su have another child?” Fire Lord Zuko peered at the small plastic booklet that Toph had fished from her uniform’s pocket.

“Eh?” Toph reached out to get it back, fingers running through the little indentions at the edge, helping her identify the labels on the photos.

Tenzin did not miss the quick panic that showed on the metalbender’s face before it was back to her inscrutable expression.

“It’s an old photo of one of her boys.” She promptly placed the booklet of photos back into her pocket. “I must have taken it by accident.”

As the rest went about their meal, Tenzin could not help but revert to the photograph of the baby. The baby appeared to be a couple of months old and…there was something that was niggling the back of his head about the child.

Conversation went to work, the new policies in the United Forces, the statue of Fire Lord Zuko in Republic City… They were all pleasantries that Tenzin did not want to talk about.

As soon as it was acceptable, he had excused himself from dinner, citing an urgent deliverable from city hall. No one tried to stop him and everyone took it at face value. He had, after all, buried himself into work in the past months in between trying to look for Lin. The airbender simply did not believe anymore that she was merely suspended from the Force after being absent for more than a year now.

Tenzin thought that Suyin Beifong, by now, would have an idea as to her sister’s whereabouts. Recalling their last interaction, however, he rubbed his cheek gingerly in recollection, he felt he needed to soften her up first.

Coming from that awkward dinner conversation, he had an idea.

Her children!

And that was how the airbender found himself at the nearest open store that catered to mothers that carried items (food, clothes, furniture, you name it) for their children.

Tenzin had a vague recollection on how old Su’s children were. He was unsure, though, as to what do kids at those age need or want. He figured that the store’s clerk would know and headed to the store’s counter, waiting until the clerk finished assisting two ladies in selecting the best bassinet that the store offers.

The airbender leaned on the glass counter, tapping absentmindedly as he was wont to do when waiting --- when he saw a brown box just behind the counter hidden from view of the common customer (it just so happened he was tall and nosy enough to see it). There was a small sticky note that caught his attention:

Monthly order of Chief Beifong.

Why on earth would Aunt Toph have a monthly order at this place when her own children have long since grown up?

Tenzin twisted his neck to peer at the label of the box, to check the address, thinking that maybe it was headed to Zaofu for Suyin and her kids.

To his confusion, it was to a place within the Earth Kingdom.

Tenzin froze.

What if…it was to another daughter and grandchild?

The photograph!

He now realized what bothered him – the baby in the photo was relatively fair-skinned and he was sure both of Su and Baatar’s children were tanned. Su was also not pregnant back when he last saw her so it could not have been a new Zaofu Beifong baby.

Toph Beifong would be hard-pressed to care about children or babies unless they were related to her.

This left Tenzin with only one plausible explanation.

The airbender then left the store, hurriedly making plans to get to the Earth Kingdom by the next day.

----

And there she was – as radiant as the last time he saw her (never mind that it was in the middle of the unleashing of her powerful fury upon his childhood home).

With a pang, Tenzin saw Lin Beifong carrying a baby, accompanied by a tall (and very young, Tenzin thought unpleasantly) man who appeared to be of Water Tribe descent. The two were engrossed in conversation that they missed the airbender who had been staring after them.

Tenzin had arrived at the town square and was about to head to the address he had committed to memory when he saw Lin. He was about to approach her when the Water Tribe man intercepted her. The airbender noted the familiarity with which the two interacted (it felt like the air was being squeezed out of his lungs). The man offered to take what Tenzin assumed to be a baby bag and Lin had easily acquiesced.

He surreptitiously followed Lin, unsure where they were going but not wanting to take the risk of losing sight of the earthbender he had been searching for quite some time now.

As he watched every exchange of the two, Tenzin could not help but feel at a loss. He had tried to think of every possible scenario, of what he would say, what he would do once he found Lin.

But none of the scenarios he imagined prepared him for the reality.

He never did imagine finding Lin as a mother.

He never did imagine finding Lin with a partner.

And she looked – content.

Tenzin felt a pit form at the bottom of his stomach. Could he – should he – possibly ruin this with his appearance?

Call him selfish but…he’ll try just one last time. If there was an inkling, of the slightest chance of a future with Lin --- he’ll gamble it.

For himself. For Lin.

---

“Jinora, sweetheart, be a good girl for Noatak first, please? Mama needs to work for a bit.”

The eight-month-old child burrowed herself further into her mother’s arms but nodded nonetheless. “Good girl.” Lin gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead as the younger man hoisted the child, anchoring her to his hip.

Lin had gone back to work on a part-time basis, but more on the management side of the bar (accounting, menu planning, etc) rather than being actually behind the counter, serving the customers like before. The barkeep was pleased with Noatak’s performance during Lin’s maternity leave that he had decided to hire him full-time.

They would usually come to the bar before opening hours, Lin to check on the previous night’s accounting and Noatak with preparing with the rest of the crew.

Lin was scheduled to start with the local bookstore soon on her off-days from the bar.

Today, it was accounting morning at the bar. She would usually be able to have an hour or two of continuous work while the crew would take turns looking after her daughter if she were awake. If not, Jinora would be placed on her sling and Lin could still comfortably work.

Getting out several folders and her writing implements, Lin pulled out a chair near the window, preferring the natural light while working.

She managed to work for around ten minutes when a shadow fell on her work; before she could even raise her head to address who or what was blocking her light, she turned her head to the inner part of the bar as she heard her name being called.

“Liiiin!”

---

When he saw the Water Tribe man leave Lin with the child, Tenzin saw his chance.

He took some time to deliberate though; he observed her quietly, soaking in his view of the woman he had let go (and would be claiming back, if she would have him).

He took a bracing breath and entered the bar.

“Lin!”

Lin would look up at him. “Tenzin! What are you doing here?”

He would kneel – “I’m so sorry Lin, I know you have a child, I’ll love her like she were my own – I promise to treat you better than Mr Water Tribe there. Please Lin Beifong please – I regret letting you go, if you’ll have me, I’ll want to spend the rest of my life proving my devotion to you. Please- Lin please.”

Then Lin would get up, maybe give him a slap harder than what Su gave him then give him a hug before making him work for it.

Before he could even say a single word to put his imagined scenario into action, another voice (that he was starting to dislike) rang out.

“Liiiin!”

“Yes, Noatak?” Lin stood up quickly to address the young man, who was carrying a giggling baby at arm’s length. “What is it? How is Jinora?”

Tenzin felt his heart skip a beat, that Lin named her daughter one of the names he wanted for their daughter… well, he was not sure how he felt about it. Maybe he will explore it a little bit more when he was alone but for now…

“I know I helped bring her into this world –,”

Tenzin blinked at the sudden hurt he felt at his chest at this.

“But please, Lin – take your evil spawn away from me.” Noatak thrusted the still giggling child dramatically back at her mother, half kidding and half exasperated. “You know how much time it takes me each more to fix my hair. Then this little girl here,” He tickles her side and Jinora squeals with laughter. “Decides to blow a gust of air to my face – imagine that!”

The airbender heard this and froze.

“I know you said this brat (“My daughter isn’t a brat!”) is part-Water Tribe,” He gestured to his now unkempt hair. “But I don’t think this is a sign of respecting her culture?”

“My daughter is acting fine.” Jinora kicked her chubby legs as though to prove a point, disturbing the dust on the floor. “And we did discuss this – no training until she’s older. I want her to have a normal childhood.”

“Ok then,” Noatak waved his hand and nodded, obviously agreeing. “Anyway, I’m in charge of family meal today so I better start prepping.” With one last tickle at the baby’s side, he left and headed to the kitchen.

Lin shook her head and called after him “I’ll pack up and get back to the books later!” It would seem her daughter was in a mood today.

Speaking of meals…

Jinora had been tugging at her chest. “Feeding time is it?”

Tenzin watched Lin smile softly at the baby, a smile he saw rarely, a smile that he only saw between the dark of the night and daybreak, in between sleep and wakefulness as they laid in bed together.

He cleared his throat to remove a lump that was forming, a signal of impending tears.

Lin had forgotten about the newcomer as she angled the baby go position her for feeding when she heard someone clear their throat.

“I’m sorry, how can I help –,” Her eyes met familiar grey ones. “You.”

---

There was a lot to take in.

The Earth Kingdom.

Lin.

The Water Tribe man (Noatak, he spat.)

Lin.

The baby.

The airbending baby.

Jinora.

There was no doubt on whose child Lin was carrying.

Tenzin pushed forward at the surprised earthbender to take them (her and their daughter!) into his arms.

----

Note: This is part one of two --- ooor we could end it there? 🤷🏼‍♀️ Let me know!

(how do you tag people anyway?? @camryn-bria

---

2 of 2 here.

#linzin #linzin fanfic #lin beifong #tenzin #legend of korra #lok fanfic #prompt #camryn-bria #toccatina's fanfics #toccatina completed

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misskikuwrites · 4 years ago

Text

Piece by Piece (2/2)

Bederia Week 2021: Day 4- First Argument/make up

Bede/Gloria (dressedinpinkshipping)

Tags: fluff, hangovers, mutual pining

Words: 7,533

@bede-x-gloria

Gloria woke up feeling as though she'd been flattened by a stampede of Dubwool. Her head throbbed. Her throat was dry and raw, and the light streaming through the gap in her curtains seared her eyes as if she was staring straight into the sun. She rolled over, turning her back to the window, and groaned hoarsely. She squeezed her eyes shut. Buried her face in her pillow as a wave of nausea sloshed in her stomach. She felt ill. Whatever sickness she'd picked up last night, it had quickly taken hold.

Great, another reason for me to hate the Gala, Gloria thought, and swallowed thickly. Pain lanced her throat as she did. She moaned into her pillow when another wave of nausea hit her, stronger this time. Her throat tightened. She curled into herself with a faint whimper.

I don't want to be sick, I don't want to vomit, I don't-

Another surge of nausea, rising higher up her throat. Gloria let out a sharp puff of air through her teeth, trying to keep the nausea at bay, to fight it down, to stop herself from retching. Pain drummed behind her eyes with every beat of her heart. She remained curled in a tight ball when her bedroom door clicked open and soft footfalls approached her bed.

"Not feeling so good, huh?" Gloria's mother's voice sounded too loud in her ears. The bed depressed next to her. "I've brought you some water and some painkillers if you're feeling up to taking them."

Gloria cracked an eye open at her mother. She had to blink away tears that formed beneath the onslaught of painful light. Her mother smiled kindly at her, holding a plastic cup in one hand and a pack of painkillers in the other.

"Don't worry, Hop told me what happened." Gloria's mother placed the cup and the medication on Gloria's bedside table, and gently touched her daughter's shoulder. "Hangovers are never pleasant, but to experience one at your age, when you'd been given alcohol without your knowledge… oh, hun." She smiled sadly. "I'm so sorry you're going through this."

Gloria blinked at her mother, her eyes slowly widening. A cold cloak of dread settled over her shoulders as pieces of last night came back to her. Fragments of colour, of faces and names that were now a blur, the bubbly sensation of sparkling wine on her tongue. Elliott. The boredom in his eyes, the way he'd shrugged when Bede had confronted him. Nausea crawled high up her throat. She tasted bile.

"Fuck," Gloria hissed through her teeth. She squeezed her eyes shut to stop the prickling of tears that threatened to fall. "He gave me alcohol."

She hadn't picked up a virus. She hadn't caught something from someone at the Gala last night, from dancing and mingling with people for hours. Gloria had a hangover.

A shuddery breath escaped between her lips as they wobbled, and Gloria clenched her jaw in indignation. A different kind of pain thrummed through her chest, through her veins, blending with a surge of nausea. How could he do that to me?! She'd trusted Elliott. Lowered her guard around his sweet, understanding smile, and he'd taken advantage of her. Used her for his own entertainment. Her throat burned with ire, with the fury she wished to spew at him for doing such a thing to her. No longer did she shrink at how naive she'd been to trust him. No, it wasn't her fault. Elliott had plied her with alcohol, had woven his lies, in a way that left her unsuspecting. If not her, he would have done it to someone else. She at least had gotten home safely.

Gloria sat up with a groan, wincing as her head throbbed from the movement. She grabbed the cup of water off her bedside table and gulped down a mouthful before popping the painkillers into her hand and taking them with the rest of the water. Her mother took the cup off her and stood.

"I'll bring you some more water," she said. "If you're feeling up to it, you should come and have some breakfast. You haven't eaten since you left for the Gala last night."

Gloria sank against the head of her bed with a sigh. "What time is it?"

"Just after ten."

That explained the heavy gnawing in her stomach.

"Hop's here too," her mother continued, "he stayed overnight to make sure you were okay."

"Mm…" Gloria closed her eyes. Her headache made it difficult to think, memories of last night lying faint and out of reach. Breakfast sounded delightful, but she wasn't sure if her stomach would cope with anything more than the water and pills she'd taken, and didn't want to risk bringing them up. Exhaustion weighed heavily in her bones. Slowly, she sank beneath her blankets as her mother went to leave the room.

"Go ahead and sleep," Gloria's mother said. "I think you deserve to take it easy today after all that."

Gloria grunted in response, already burying her face in her pillow, longing for sleep to take hold. It wasn't long before she began to drift off again, strange memories of Bede filling her mind. Faint light illuminated the blush on his face. Her fingers cupping his cheek, dusting her thumb across his flushed skin. Bede tentatively resting his hand over hers. His eyes widening in shock. He was close, so close, and the look on his face-

Sleep took hold before she could wonder why he'd looked at her like that.

A few hours later, Gloria groggily stumbled from her room. She shuffled into the kitchen, driven by the ache in her stomach, and stopped to stare at Hop where he sat at the dining table.

"Morning, Glo," he said cheerfully, before catching himself. "Wait, I mean 'afternoon.'"

She glanced at the clock on the wall and winced. It was already past one o'clock.

"I really slept that long?" Gloria asked. She shook her head in disbelief, instantly regretting the motion as her head pulsed with pain. She swallowed a groan and dug out a box of cereal from the pantry, pouring herself a late breakfast.

"We figured it'd be better to let you sleep it off," Hop said. "Feeling any better now?"

"Eh."

She no longer felt like she was going to heave her stomach out through her throat, but the dull throbbing of her head remained. Everything was too bright, too loud. Gloria flopped into the chair opposite Hop, and slowly munched away at her cereal.

"Where's mum?" she asked.

Hop watched her with a curious look on his face. "At work. She only took the morning off so she could look after you, but you seem to be doing alright now."

"I just wish this headache would go away," Gloria huffed. "Guess it hasn't been long enough for me to take another dose, huh? I should've slept in more."

"You can have more pills in an hour," Hop said. "Until then, you've just got to suffer. Sorry!"

Gloria snorted. "Wow, thanks for the sympathy." Sarcasm rolled off her tongue in between mouthfuls of cereal. She rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't help noticing that he was still giving her a strange look. As though he was waiting for something. "What?"

Hop stiffened and his expression froze in place. "I didn't say anything."

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

He glanced away. "It's, uh, nothing, really. But you should probably check your phone."

"My phone? Why?" Gloria frowned at him. He was avoiding her gaze, shifting awkwardly on the chair. Uncomfortable, uneasy. Something had happened. "What did you do?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Me? I didn't do anything!" Hop balked.

She glared at him suspiciously for a moment longer before standing and marching into her room to retrieve her phone. She snatched it off her bedside table and clicked the screen to life. There were a few unread messages waiting for her. Gloria read through them as she stalked back to her half-eaten breakfast; one from Sonia, another from Marnie, both filled with concern and asking how she was. Leon had typed out an apologetic message, saying that he'd heard the rumours about Elliott and wished he'd cautioned her about them last night. The sincerity - and guilt - in Leon's text made Gloria smile softly as she slid back into her chair and returned to munching at her breakfast. Hop still had an expectant look on his face, sitting on the edge of his chair. He looked away quickly when she glanced up at him.

It was like he was anticipating something. Gloria frowned, and turned back to the messages she hadn't read yet. There were three unread texts from Bede, one of which he'd sent a week ago when she'd bolted halfway through him teaching her to dance. He'd sent the message in reply to the excuse she'd given him that something had come up and she was busy. Gloria hadn't been able to gather the strength to read his text. She'd left it unread for a week. In fact, she'd kept her phone off for the first few days, dreading a phone call from Bede. Gloria felt her stomach twist in trepidation now as it had a week ago. She felt Hop's eyes on her. Felt the thorns of fear dig into her heart as its grip tightened around her again. She wished to shove her phone aside, to ask Hop point-blank why he was looking at her like that, to leave Bede's messages unread for as long as she could.

But she couldn't. Gloria took a deep breath, quiet and subtle enough that Hop wouldn't notice her fear, and checked the messages from Bede. Immediately, her fears from a week ago were dispelled. The text Bede had sent in reply wasn't accusatory at all, wasn't suspicious or gruff. He'd accepted her excuse, and hoped that everything was okay. At the end of his short message, he'd reminded her that she could always ask him for help. That was it. Gloria stared at the message in disbelief as the weight of her fear dropped from her shoulders. She'd been so worked up over nothing. It was almost laughable- almost. Her gaze drifted automatically to the two remaining messages Bede had sent, both from last night, and her blood ran cold. It was the third and final text that froze Gloria to her core.

When you're feeling better, please call me. We need to talk.

Dread crashed over Gloria. Like she'd been caught by a towering wave, the air stole from her lungs. She couldn't breathe. Her head was underwater. Her mind churned. It left her winded as though she'd been dumped by that very wave, toyed with and spat out on the hard sand.

We need to talk.

She felt cold. The spoon slid from her hand and sloshed into her cereal, her fingers going numb. She was going numb. Her heart thumped painfully loud in her ears, and she slowly lifted her gaze from the words on her screen to look at Hop.

"What did you do?" Gloria asked. She forced the words out through the fear constricting her throat. "You told him?"

Hop blinked at her. His uncomfortable unease shattered into an expression of indignation. "What? No! Of course not!" He bristled, huffing at her. "Why would you even think that?"

"Bede wants me to call him," she said, studying Hop closely. Still unconvinced. "He said… he wants to talk."

There it was- Hop stiffened as if he expected her to say that. He knew.

"See! You know something!" Gloria jabbed an accusatory finger at Hop. "What did you tell him?!"

"I didn't say anything!" Hop protested. "Didn't need to - not that I would've anyway - with you making it obvious like that."

"Like what?" She frowned. "What are you talking about?"

What did she do? Her mind spun, wracking her memory of last night for whatever it was Hop was insinuating. Had she given her feelings away without realising it?

"Glo, I saw it. There's no point pretending you don't know what happened," Hop said. He shifted uncomfortably, looking away from her.

Gloria's stomach swirled anxiously. "Saw what?" She thought back to that moment on the balcony with Bede. Her memory was fuzzy, clouded with intoxication, the very words she'd said to him were muffled as though she were trying to listen to someone speaking through a thick pane of glass.

Hop glanced at her incredulously. "You seriously don't know?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be asking you!" Gloria said, huffing in exasperation. "What are you talking about?"

He opened his mouth to speak, before pausing. Hop studied her for a moment, a few seconds passing as his expression turned from frustration to surprise and then the unease returned. He looked away.

"Gloria, how much of last night do you remember?" Hop asked, quieter than before.

"All of it," she said confidently. Hop turned back to her and Gloria's heart flopped. Suddenly, she doubted herself. The look on his face, the fact that he'd asked that question in the first place, sent a prickle of fear down her spine.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Hop asked.

"I…" She struggled to find her voice. "I remember coming home…" The memory was a blur of nausea and tears. "I think- I think mum helped me out of my dress and got my makeup off…?" The more she thought about it, the fuzzier her memory was.

"And before that?" Hop looked as nervous as she felt. "At the Gala?"

Gloria pursed her lips in thought. "Um… I remember getting into a Sky Taxi somewhere? Marnie was there too, I think?"

Hop nodded slowly. "Anything else?"

"I remember Elliott," Gloria huffed. "That asshole. He came out onto the balcony with another drink. That's when Bede confronted him and…" she trailed off as her expression soured, lips curling in distaste. "He admitted to giving me alcohol on purpose. For his own amusement. The whole thing was such a shock, I started crying. Bede, he brought out this lacy handkerchief from Arceus-knows-where and helped me clean up my makeup."

Gloria breathed a faint, sheepish laugh at the memory. "I must've looked like such a mess."

Hop nodded slowly. "What about after that?"

Gloria frowned. "I already told you. We got out of the Gala and went home."

Hop went quiet. He chewed the inside of his cheek awkwardly, again shifting on his chair, and his nervous mannerisms sent a trickle of panic down Gloria's spine. She was missing something. Something big.

"Hop, what happened?" she asked. Her chest felt tight. Too tight. It was difficult to breathe. She felt dizzy. Hop refused to look at her. Her cereal, having turned into an unappetizing soggy slop, sat half-eaten in front of her. She stared at it as the pounding of her heart clouded her mind, her fingers clenched in the fabric of her pyjama shorts.

"Hop," Gloria asked again, "what happened?"

What did I do?

Hop's answer sounded far away. Like he was talking to her in a dream.

No, not a dream.

A nightmare.

"You kissed him."

Gloria couldn't breathe. "Haha, very funny Hop." She wasn't smiling. Neither was He.

"It… wasn't a joke."

It didn't make sense. Hop didn't make sense.

"What…?" She looked up from her cereal. "What do you mean it's not a joke? I didn't-"

Dread. She felt dread.

"I- there's no way I'd-" Gloria couldn't say it. "I wouldn't do that."

But she couldn't remember. Her memory, no matter how hard she tried, remained dark.

"I saw you kiss him," Hop said, looking away. He winced as he said it, knowing the pain his words inflicted on Gloria. The dagger he drove deeper into her heart.

"Are- Are you sure it was me? Not someone else?" The world was growing fainter around her. Words spilled from her lips in confusion, in desperation. Out of fear. "How do you know that I- that I did it and not… not Bede? Maybe he was the one who-" again, she couldn't say it. Caught on her tongue, she couldn't give that word a voice.

Hop grimaced. "No, it was definitely you who kissed Bede. You, uh, had your hand around the back of his head and… pulled him towards you."

Gloria's heart stopped dead. Shadows danced in the corner of her vision, creeping across her eyes. Her lungs burned, and only then did she realise that she'd been holding her breath. The world tilted beneath her. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. No words, no voice. Not the terror she felt crushing her heart.

"I'm sorry, Glo." Hop sounded far away. "I really am."

She shook her head slowly in disbelief. Eyes wide and unseeing, nothing made sense. She didn't see Hop move, hadn't noticed it, until he was right beside her, touching her shoulder gently. She let out a breath, a silent gasp.

"What… what do I do…?" Gloria asked. The words barely made a sound on her lips. If Hop hadn't been at her side, he wouldn't have heard her. Waves of heat built behind her eyes, blurring her vision with tears as panic took hold once again.

"What do you want to do?" Hop asked.

She closed her eyes as tears began to fall.

Nothing. She wanted to do nothing. She wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear. Forget everything that happened. Forget that she-

She'd kissed Bede. Somehow, under the influence of alcohol, all her inhibitions had been swept away. All her fear had been reduced to dust. Somehow, her feelings for Bede had broken through.

A sob escaped Gloria's lips as she crumbled. Beneath the weight of her fear, she cried. Even though she couldn't remember it happening, she couldn't remember kissing Bede, she wished she could forget.

She wanted to forget it all.

"He knows," Gloria said in a broken whisper. She stole a breath, opening her eyes and rubbing away the tears on her cheeks. "There's no way he doesn't. Not after I… did that to him."

Hop gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "You don't know that for sure! You were drunk, remember? Bede might just think you kissed him on impulse!"

"Which is probably what happened," Gloria huffed. Then it hit her. "Oh, Arceus. What if I told him that I- that I like him…?"

Even saying that much made her wince. Admitting her feelings out loud left a vile taste in her mouth, and the very thought that she might have told Bede how she felt while drunk sent a ripple of terror through her body. The gap in her memory threatened to swallow her whole.

"Hey, don't think about the worst case scenario," Hop said, "and look, even if you did tell him, you've got an excuse! You were drunk."

"You don't turn into a completely different person when drunk, Hop." She shrugged off his attempt to reassure her. "It's bad enough that I… kissed him. But if I told him how I felt as well… no amount of excuses or backtracking will save me now."

Gloria exhaled heavily, deflating in her chair as if all her strength, all her willpower, had fled her body with her sigh. Her insides were twisted and jumbled, chest uncomfortably crawling with nerves.

"What am I supposed to do…?" she asked. There was no way forward for her, no way out of this. She was trapped.

"Call him," Hop said with a shrug. Gloria balked at him with an unappreciative stare. "You're gonna have to face Bede sooner or later," he reminded her. "May as well get it over and done with."

Gloria turned away from him. Hop was right, but that didn't help the rolling waves of nausea in the pit of her stomach, nor the dread hanging above her head like a guillotine ready to drop. She reached for her phone and paused.

She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to face Bede or her mistakes. How could she, when she despised the person that love - mixed with alcohol - turned her into? Gloria clenched her jaw and picked up her phone, focusing on the bead of disgust that burned in her stomach and the pain it caused. Love was vile. It corrupted. It fueled jealousy, fed delusions, made her see things that weren't there. Made her question herself- and her friendships.

And it left her vulnerable.

There was no point in waiting any longer. Gloria dialed Bede's number without another thought. She straightened in her chair, ignoring the surprise on Hop's face as he took a seat beside her, and listened to the ringing. Despite her determination to get this over and done with, nerves sparked to life in her chest. Her heart pounded. She jumped when a click sounded, and a sudden rush of warmth flooded her veins as Bede spoke into her ear.

"Hey, Gloria." His smooth voice washed over her, and for a moment, she forgot how to speak. "You got home in one piece, I assume? How are you feeling?"

Like her heart was in her throat.

"Not- Not too bad," Gloria said, "I slept most of it off, just got a mild headache now." She breathed a sheepish laugh as her mind spun, and tried to swallow the giddy feeling building inside her. A simple phone call was all it took for her walls to crumble, for her feelings to take over, for her to fluster at the sound of his voice.

Love. It turned her into someone she didn't recognise.

And that made her sick.

"Y-You said you wanted to talk?" she asked, trying to shove aside the flustered, love-struck side of herself, and felt the disgust still burning a hole through her stomach once again. The sharp sensation of pain flooded her mind with clarity. Heaviness returned to her gut. Regret, mixed with fear. A reminder of what she had done to him.

"I did," Bede said after a pause. "Although, I would rather we spoke in person. Are you busy right now?"

Gloria swallowed. She felt cold. Her nerves froze in place, trepidation seizing her heart.

Somehow, she remembered to answer him, remembered how to speak. "No, I'm free."

"Good. I'll come by soon, then."

Gloria closed her eyes, accepting her fate. Steeling herself to fight back tears. "Okay," she said. "I'll… see you soon."

"Bye, Gloria."

She hated - and loved - the way he said her name.

Gloria hung up without saying anything more. Hop watched her expectantly as she placed her phone on the table, and her heart sank into the pit of her stomach.

"He'll be here soon," she said. The dramatic shift in her emotions, from giddiness at Bede's voice to the hollow ache in her heart that she felt now, sapped the strength from her bones.

Hop kept watching her, his eyes searching her face. The concern in his eyes made her heart clench.

"I'll be fine," she said, though she didn't believe it. She stood from her chair, getting up to dump the rest of her soggy cereal into the sink. Her appetite was long gone.

"I know," Hop said quietly. "But you always say that."

Gloria felt his eyes on her back, knew the painful expression he wore. She breathed in slowly, before turning to face him with a smile. Hop's concern was so genuine, so heartfelt, that it threatened to shatter the mask she'd built to protect herself.

"I'll be fine," she said again. Firmer this time.

Hop's expression didn't change, and Gloria left him there as she retreated into her room, in part to change out of her pyjamas, but also because she couldn't bear to lie any further to Hop when he looked at her like that.

Minutes passed like hours. When Gloria spied movement on the street outside, she shot to her feet, yanking open the front door before Bede could knock. Nerves twisted inside her gut as she forced herself to smile. Keenly aware that Hop was watching her.

"Hey, Bede!" Gloria said, slipping out the door around his side, tugging the door closed behind her. "Why don't we go for a walk?"

She didn't give him much of a choice in the matter as she strode down the garden path and onto the street. Driven by nerves, her heart pounded in her chest like she'd sprinted to Wedgehurst and back. She wanted to run. To bolt again. Relationships, feelings, dealing with emotions like these was like trying to juggle handfuls of jelly. Scrambling to keep it from sliding through her fingers.

Gloria flashed Bede a smile, as bright as she could muster, as he stepped down the path towards her. This wasn't a battle she could fight, not a foe she could conquer with her Pokemon. She was on her own.

"You appear to have a lot of energy for someone with a hangover," Bede said, lifting an eyebrow at her.

His voice made her heart skip. "You should've seen me earlier," Gloria said. She hid the tension in her body behind her smile, behind her laughter. "I felt like I'd been barrelled over by a Wooloo!"

She started down the street, away from her house and the Slumbering Weald. Bede fell into step with her, and she stared straight ahead, not even daring to glance at him. The space between them felt infinitesimal. She sped up slightly, shoving her hands into the pockets of her shorts so there was no chance their hands would accidentally brush, and Bede remained at her side, matching her pace.

"There's a nice spot down here by the lake," Gloria said. She turned abruptly and marched through the knee-high grass. Skwovet scattered into the trees, Rookidee fluttering away into the clear skies above. A Chewtle turned slowly as she passed it, mouth hanging open. If Bede wanted to talk about the very thing she dreaded, she wanted to be away from the public, away from Wedgehurst, away from Hop. The building tension inside her chest left the threat of tears in her eyes, and she swallowed thickly. She clenched her jaw, blinking hard. She couldn't cry now. Not when nothing had happened yet. But she felt like she was hanging by a thread. A split second, a single word away, from falling.

Bede caught up to her as she headed down a dirt path that wove away from Sonia's house, leading towards the lake. By the waters edge stood a single wooden bench, facing out across the shimmering surface of the lake. Wind rustled through the thick grass, a myriad of Pokemon calls filling the silence. Gloria swept towards the bench and plonked herself down on it unceremoniously. She sat - deliberately - as close to the edge of the bench as she could, leaving the majority of it empty. For this conversation, she wanted as much space between her and Bede as possible. Enough space for her to breathe, to think.

Whether Bede noticed how she'd seated herself or not, he gave no indication. He sat what would have normally been a comfortable distance away, and Gloria fought down the urge to stiffen at his proximity. Although it was only Bede with her, she felt like a thousand eyes were watching her every movement. Watching the way she breathed, shallow and tense. Noticing the tension in her posture. She couldn't hide here, not from Bede. When he turned to face her, her expression froze. He looked away.

And Gloria could no longer breathe. Words caught on her tongue, lodged in her throat. Her heart cantered away in her chest, faster and faster as seconds of silence ticked by. Her lips parted, but nothing came out. No sound, no air, as if an invisible vice had tightened around her throat.

"Elliott has been dealt with," Bede said, finally breaking the hold that the silence had on Gloria. "So you needn't worry about him any longer."

Elliott? Her gut churned at the mention of his name. She found herself straightening, confusion and curiosity drawing her gaze to Bede.

"What do you mean?" Gloria asked. "What happened?"

Bede, thankfully, kept looking out across the lake. "Ms Opal is acquainted with his father," he said, "and called in a few favours. From what I've heard, he's been stripped of multiple privileges, including his position at his father's company, and will be sent to his uncle's estate in Kalos for the foreseeable future."

Gloria blinked for a moment, stunned. "You mean he's…?"

"Gone." Bede nodded. "He'll be too preoccupied with mopping up his own scandal to cause any more with you. His father and Ms Opal made sure of that."

The tension Gloria had been holding in her chest fled all at once, and she sank into the bench in disbelief.

"I… thank you," she managed to say. It took a few seconds for Gloria to collect herself enough to speak properly. "You didn't have to do that for me… Ms Opal, too. I-I don't know what to say."

"'Thank you' suffices," Bede said, looking at her with a satisfied smile.

Her heart skittered. "Thank you," she said breathlessly. Their eyes met and Hop's voice echoed in her mind.

"You kissed him."

Panic returned. Gloria's heart lurched high up into her throat, her blood running cold. She cut her gaze away from Bede as crushing fear pressed down on her shoulders, on her lungs. The silence between them was deafening.

"Gloria, I wanted to-"

"I'm sorry!" The words stole from Gloria's throat on the back of a sob. Vision blurring with tears. "Hop- Hop told me what happened," she continued, fingers pressing against her lips to stop them from trembling, to stop her from sobbing again. "He told me what- what I did. To you." Her eyes closed in shame. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she took a deep, shaky breath. Fear was crushing her heart. "I'm so sorry," she said as a whisper. Faint and broken. "I was drunk and… and I don't even remember it. I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."

Gloria shuddered as she exhaled, feeling that pieces of her soul had broken away and fled with her breath.

"Please-" It caught on her tongue. "I just… don't want you to hate me…"

Bede straightened. "Why would I hate you?"

"Because I kissed you, Bede!" She turned to him, vision blurring with tears, facing her fears. "I forced myself on to you when you were just- just trying to help me, and… I did something so despicable to you…"

Again, she turned away. Closed her eyes and let the tears fall.

"I don't hate you for that," Bede said quietly. "Although I must admit I am a tad… confused."

Gloria swept the tears from her eyes with the backs of her hands, her breath hot in her throat, and looked at him. Bede stared at his hands in his lap, fingers woven together. His brow was furrowed ever-so-slightly in thought.

"Why did you kiss me?" he asked. His voice, as soft as the wind caressing his platinum blond curls, left Gloria numb.

She opened her mouth, finding she had no voice. She swallowed. Looked away. "I-I was drunk and I… don't actually remember k-kissing you, so… I don't know."

The gap in her memory of that night tightened the hold that fear had on her, like a string of razor wire wrapped around her heart. Piercing her flesh with every breath. It hurt to speak.

"You told me once that you'd only kiss someone you had feelings for," Bede continued, "and yet, last night you kissed-"

"-Don't." She saw nothing. Felt nothing.

Nothing but fear.

"Please." It was a plea. A desperate cry that escaped the hollow of her throat. "Please don't- don't say that. Don't ask me that. I can't-"

Tears. She felt them on her cheeks. Felt Bede's eyes on her.

"I can't…" her voice broke. Gloria shook her head, pressed her palms to her eyes, and blocked it out. She blocked everything out and shut down. Broken gasps escaped through her clenched teeth, each breath making her body shudder with agony. She curled into herself. Dug her elbows into her thighs as she doubled over. A gentle touch on her shoulder made her wince, and Bede took his hand back in an instant.

His touch had burned.

"I'm… sorry." Gloria barely heard Bede speak through the darkness encasing her mind. "I won't say anything more."

The regret in his voice hurt more than anything else. Gloria tried to steel herself, to fight back her tears and push through her fear, as a rush of shame surged through her chest.

She was the one who'd kissed him. She was the one who'd gotten drunk and forced herself on him. Didn't he deserve answers for that?

Gloria pulled her palms off her eyes and sat up straight, blinking up at the sky above in order to dry her tears. She sucked in a breath, then another, forcefully controlling how she exhaled. Slowly, slowly, easing the fear off her heart. Bede sat in silence beside her. Respectfully, he kept his gaze elsewhere as Gloria calmed herself down. When she felt as though she could finally speak, she laughed instead. That made Bede look at her in surprise.

"You know, everyone's always making a fuss about their 'first kiss,' making it out to be this big thing, something important," Gloria said with a rueful smile. "All that build up, and I can't even remember it." She shook her head, laughing quietly. Regret tainting her voice. "Can we just… forget this ever happened?" Gloria turned to look at Bede, trying hard to smile through the pain.

Bede's expression shifted as he met her eyes. There was worry, regret, and something more to the depth of his eyes as he mulled over her words.

"I'm not sure I can forget it that easily," he said.

The smile on Gloria's face threatened to break. She nodded slowly. "Yeah, I… I thought that would be the case…" She looked away from him. "Was that… was that your first…?"

"It was."

Gloria pursed her lips to stop them trembling. "I'm- I'm really sorry…"

"It's not a big deal," he said, shrugging half-heartedly. "It's just a kiss."

Gloria scoffed. "That's easy for you to say, I don't even remember it! It's like I haven't had my first kiss at all." She slumped on the back of the bench with a huff. "It would've been better if I did remember it, since then my first kiss would be over and done with and I wouldn't have to worry about it. I don't even know what it's like to- to kiss someone…"

She trailed off, remembering that she had, in fact, kissed Bede, even though she had no actual recollection of it. She let out a heavy sigh. Of course she'd kiss the one person she'd fallen for in her entire life and be unable to remember it happening.

"It's honestly not all it's cracked up to be," Bede said. "Really, if you think about it, all kissing is, is two people pressing their mouths together. The significance placed on kissing is out of proportion to the act itself."

Gloria curled her lips in frustration at him. "Says the one who can remember it," she huffed. "It's like I haven't had my first kiss at all…"

"But you have," Bede said. "You kissed me."

"W-Well, yeah." She blinked at him, nerves fluttering around her chest at how matter-of-factly he'd said that. "It just… seems a bit unfair that I had my first kiss and can't remember it, so it's like I've still got that importance attached to it."

She wasn't making much sense. She couldn't think straight with Bede's eyes on her, when talking about this. About kissing.

She'd really kissed him. That alone was astounding, it was difficult to believe. But it had happened. Gloria had kissed Bede. She curled a lock of her hair behind her ear as she tried to push those thoughts away, feeling her cheeks begin to burn.

"I kinda feel like I've missed out here," she said to fill the silence. Gloria laughed sheepishly, aiming to lift the awkward air between her and Bede. When she looked at him, her eyes immediately flicked to his lips.

She looked away quickly.

"Do you want to know what it's like?" Bede's voice washed over her like soft ribbons of silk, each word stealing the air from her lungs. "You said you'd rather get your first kiss over and done with…"

Somehow, Gloria managed to peek over at him. The depth of his eyes stirred something inside her. Something warm, something that built in the pit of her stomach and flooded her veins.

"I…" She struggled to remember how to speak. "I mean, since I've technically already had my first kiss, it would be better to, y'know, get it over and done with so I don't have to worry about it anymore. Just- Just so I know what it's like." Gloria cleared her throat. Her eyes kept flicking towards his lips, yet it was harder to hold his gaze when he was looking at her like that. In a way she couldn't describe. "But- well, who knows when that will happen," she continued quickly with an awkward laugh. "Or if it ever will."

"Do you want to?"

Gloria gaped at him. For a moment, she wasn't sure that she heard him correctly.

"Do- Do I want to… what?" she asked. Her voice was quiet. Barely louder than a breath.

Bede seemed closer to her than before. His gaze was captivating, and she couldn't look anywhere else but into his eyes, as though trapped by those deep, alluring violets. Bede seemed immune to whatever hold Gloria was under, searching her eyes for a moment in silence.

"If you'd rather get your first kiss over and done with," Bede said, "I could kiss you."

She felt his words against her lips. Heat consumed every fibre of her body, and she couldn't breathe. Her mouth dropped open, fumbling over her words, scrambling for a way to answer him.

Did she want to-?

"I… but you…?" Her mind was addled. Her lungs felt like they were full of helium, filled to the brim with too much air. Was he really offering to…?

"You've already kissed me," Bede reminded her. His tone was light, and without accusation. Merely staring a fact. "And since you don't remember what it was like, if you want, I can show you. You've had your first kiss- all I'll do is repeat it."

How could she answer him? Gloria had her hands clenched tightly together in her lap, unable to find any words. It didn't feel real. All she could do was nod. Something shifted in Bede's eyes. His gaze softened, deepened, and Gloria startled when he trailed his fingers across her cheek.

"Tell me to stop," Bede said, his voice soft yet lower than before, "if you don't want this."

Gloria found herself nodding again, though she couldn't think straight. She felt his knees brush against hers. His fingers wove into her hair.

"This- This won't change anything between us, right?" she asked quickly. She sounded far away, distant and strangely light.

Bede's answer dusted across her lips. "Not if you don't want it to."

He was close enough that looking into his eyes made her dizzy, noses almost brushing. Their breaths mingled together in the shortening distance between them.

"Close your eyes," Bede said, and she obeyed instinctively. Her eyes fluttered shut the second he kissed her. A quiet gasp died in her throat. Her mind span. She leant into him, against him, as he slowly melded his lips against hers.

And oh, she knew she shouldn't be doing this, she shouldn't be kissing him like this, but the warmth of his kiss took hold of her in an instant, and everything else fell away. Her fear, her regret, nothing else mattered to her in that moment. She forgot to breathe. Forgot her inhibitions. The sensation of Bede's lips gliding over hers was all she could feel. How could he say that kissing didn't live up to the hype when it felt like this? Like she was walking on air, floating, giddy and breathless. Even though she didn't know what she was doing, she followed each and every movement of Bede's lips with her own. She was putty in his hands, melting against his lips. Melting into him. The softest moan spilled from her throat as Bede suddenly broke away from her, leaving her stunned. She blinked in a daze. The world was fuzzy around her. Her lips tingled with a sensation she'd never felt before, warmth pooling low in her gut.

It was like waking from a dream. Bede cleared his throat, turning to face the lake, while Gloria's mind began to slowly work again. Clarity hit her in an instant. Then embarrassment. Like a clap of thunder, it jolted her alert, and she flushed. Her fingers touched her lips, unable to comprehend what had just happened. What they'd just done.

Gloria could still feel Bede's lips against hers, so warm and gentle, featherlight yet firm. He'd kissed her.

Bede had-

Arceus. There was no going back now.

"Was that… sufficient?" Bede asked, needing to say something, anything, to break the heated silence suffocating him. He didn't dare look towards Gloria, knowing fully well that he mirrored the blush that burned across her cheeks.

Gloria jumped at the sound of his voice. "Y-Yes, it- it was," she managed to reply.

"That's… good." He cringed internally at how strained and tight his voice sounded. Gloria appeared stunned, unable to stay focused on anything around them as she glanced from him to the lake, to her hands in her lap, and then off to the path they'd followed to get here.

Bede took a breath and tried to calm the racing thoughts in his mind. He'd kissed her. Somehow, his desires had gotten the best of him and he'd offered to kiss her, and Gloria had agreed to it. He'd kissed Gloria becaused she'd let him.

Gloria, who refused to fall in love, who'd sworn she'd never kiss someone she wasn't dating, had agreed to let him kiss her so she knew what it was like.

It was like Bede's insides had been turned upside down and back to front. He was in disbelief, in shock, wondering again and again if that had really happened. All it took was a single glance towards Gloria, and he had his answer. Their eyes met and her whole body twitched. Her blush doubled in intensity, mouth dropping open, her gaze flicking to his lips for a split second before she deliberately looked elsewhere. Heat trickled down Bede's spine at her reaction.

Arceus. Who knew he'd ever have this affect on her? He could still feel a memory of Gloria's lips against his, and his heart skipped as she, again, touched her fingertips to her lips.

"Gloria," Bede began, and she jolted, spinning to face him.

"Y-Yes?" she squeaked loudly.

Bede fought the giddy smile off his face, smothering the rush of pride he felt at gaining such a delightful reaction from her.

"Nothing needs to change between us," he continued, "like you said. Alright?"

Gloria nodded emphatically. "O-Of course!" Her eyes remained wide, her expression stunned, and it made Bede smile. Warmth towards her blossomed in his chest.

"Now do you see what I mean when I said it would be hard to forget?" he teased.

"Mm…" She pressed her lips together, looking away quickly. Her gaze was distant and forceful, as though she was tossing over something in her mind. He longed to ask her, to delve into whatever it was that had her so torn, but the way she'd fractured before him when he asked why she'd kissed him made him push his questions aside.

The wound of Gloria's that he'd thought had healed into a scar was still raw. It ran deep.

No, Bede was a fool to have assumed otherwise. She was still protecting herself. Building up walls in a desperation Bede had felt himself long ago. Like a wounded Pokemon, cowering at the slightest noise, he knew why she reacted the way she did.

After a moment, Gloria managed to look at him and hold his gaze. He offered up a smile as he stood.

"Shall we head back?" he asked, holding out a hand to her. A gesture of goodwill. Of hope, that things were still the same between them.

Gloria looked at his hand, her eyes widening a fraction, before she took it. The smile she gave him was warm, as though she'd untangled whatever it was she'd been struggling with a few moments earlier. Her hand fit snugly in his, and she gave it a squeeze.

"Let's go," she said.

Bede knew in that instant that, although they'd assured each other the opposite, something had, indeed, changed between them.

#bederia week 2021 #bede #gloria #dressedinpinkshipping #bederia #btyu #my writing

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theobsessor1 · 4 years ago

Text

Shedding the truth

Summary: Deceit should know better, going through with another one of Remus’s ideas. He thought it would have been a one time deal, just something for them that night to experiment with his more reptilian side. But he’s starting to regret it with the growing nest of eggs, and horrible uncertainty of feelings swirling in his chest…he might be in some trouble here.

Pairings: Loceit, Demus, Intrulogical, intruloceit

Warnings: None (let me know if i need to tag anything

Word count: 1,926

previous chapters ch.1, ch.2, ch.3, ch.4 (read on ao3)

(wish to support me buy me a coffee :3)

Chapter 5 of “Say Something” series

Logan has been acting strange and Deceit can’t put his finger on why.

The logical side has made him breakfast on occasion, invited him to his room to read together or even for him to join Remus and the side in activities. Giving compliments and shy words sometimes.

Something must be going on here, the bespectacled side must want something from him. Another night together maybe? Why else would the side be acting so weirdly nice to him?

A trick to get something? Or maybe just to be on his good side since Remus and him have finally confessed to one another.

He’s not sure about the motive but it’s obvious something is going on...Whatever the motive it is...a bit nice having the extra attention.

Knock Knock

Scratch that...it’s annoying.

“Deceit please, you have hardly come out of your room, Remus believes you are ill, Let us in to help you.”

Deceit huffs curling up tighter in his bed under his several layers of blankets, he hasn’t bothered to put on his heat lamp. Every time he turned it on he felt like he was boiling, but without it he’s freezing, a horrible conundrum.

Even with all his fluffiest, softest, warmest blankets he can possibly bundle up and burrow in he’s left with the shivers.

He just wants to be left to sleep, all he needs is that precious sleep. Any illness can be cured with rest, but of course that is if he can get any.

Besides he can’t let anyone come in here. He hasn’t moved the eggs yet, they’re still the nest in the corner of his room. The number is officially up to three eggs now. A deep blue egg patterned like it is made of stones that he laid soon after Logan and him had...we...Getting sick has gotten in the way of moving them.

He can just push through this illness like he does with all the others.

“Deceit I respect your space but I must insist I come in. I made soup. Remus has shown me how to make your favorite.”

The snake side hisses a soft breath in response, coughing a bit, feeling ready to just bite something if this keeps up!

“...I’m coming in whether you like it or not.”

Deceit’s eyes widen. No! Mustn’t see the eggs! He launches himself out of his bed tripping over the many blankets he had entangled himself in. Protect the eggs! Keep them hidden! He face plants on to the ground from his efforts to scramble from the bed, hissing loudly as he hears Logan rise up with Remus, no doubt the duke having been dragged into this mess to help logic break into the room.

“Deceit?! Are you alright?”

The concern in Logan’s voice is clear as day as the side quickly rushes to his aid and helps him sit up from the floor. But all the scaled side can do is squirm and hiss, feral thoughts to keep them from the eggs fueling his wild clumsy movements."Stop! Out! Get out!”

Even with his protests the logical side conjures a handkerchief to try and help Deceit’s bleeding nose staying put. “Hold still, your nose is bleeding, and you’re burning up! You should have let me come look after you. You look awful.” Logan’s brows pinch together as he takes in Deceit’s condition, the side only struggling more adamantly in his hold.

“Oooh! You’ve been hiding goodies from us eh? Easter ain’t even here for seve-eah!”

Remus blinks the room suddenly upside down as he lays against a now cracked wall, staring at the spot he’d just been standing at where Dee now wobbly stood hissing at him with Logan shoved on the floor by the side of the bed.

“DoN’t ToUcH!”

Logan huffs dusting himself off as he gets up from the floor, only to pause spotting what the scaled side was guarding over.

There large and distinctly different colored patterned eggs neatly placed in what seems to be a makeshift nest? Consisting of throw pillows and blankets piled in the corner of the bedroom. “Deceit...What are those?”

Deceit hesitates, wincing at the question as his posture stiffens further. “I...Remus had an Idea since I’m partly a snake and I...they’re mine.”

Logan remains silent, staring at Deceit as he takes in this information.

Remus tries again to get near the nest only to get flung back into the wall with several angry snek sounds from Deceit. Nervous about the two finally seeing the nest and their reactions he starts talking again “Nearly every time I’ve slept with someone I’ve ended up laying one about two weeks later. I-I thought it wouldn’t keep happening.” he makes a distressed sound running a hand down the scaled side of his face as he takes a glance at the eggs then back at Logan “I-I was wrong and I-I was going to talk to Remus, I had told myself to but I just-...” he takes a deep breath watching Logan closely, eyes darting over the logical side’s unmoving face.

He can’t stop himself from talking more, panicked that suddenly all of Logan’s niceness would stop, he’d just gotten used to it! He wouldn’t admit it but he doesn’t want to lose the side. Would Logan abandon them both now? Because of this bizarre occurrence

“The green one is Remus’s, Pink and yellow with the speckles is Emile’s and Remy’s, the traits in the imagination..and...and that last one is yours”

He scans over Logan’s face once more. The side’s eyes follow to each egg he pointed to but nothing more.

“Logan?...”

Logan glances to him. He’s unsure what that expression is.

“Well? Use your words instead of just staring at me like-like I’m some freakshow!” Deceit pleads, he shouldn’t care about what the side has to say about it. It’s his eggs. The side’s don’t need to know of them or have an opinion but...Even so it feels like some hand has a vice grip on his heart, ready to squeeze as he prepares for the worst from Logan.

“Please...say something.”

“...How can I help?”

Deceit blinks, all feeling rushing out of him almost dizzyingly, leaving him wheezing “What?”

“How can I help? One of them is mine correct? That doesn’t really matter even if none of them were my children I’d offer my assistance.” Logan clarifies, eyes sparkling behind his glasses.

Deceit hesitates, squishing down that small lift of hope in his chest. He senses no lie, but still. He can’t stop the anxious doubt clawing at his mind “You mean that?” He’s not sure if it’s these unfamiliar emotions building up in his chest or simply him being ill that makes his legs wobbly.

Logan nods lifting a brow at the scaled side, eyes still gleaming almost...excitedly? As he helps Remus from the floor whispering something to him before he turns to Janus again. “Of course. I am fully capable of helping assist you in carrying for your brood as well as helping with whatever may come out. I am responsible for one and as well as I care about you, it would be rather foolish and shameful of me to expect you to care for them all on your own without some help” He steps closer, putting a hand gently to Deceit’s side and guides him over to the restroom where they can see Remus filling up the tub with warm water.

“First thing that needs to be done though is for you to get better. How long have you been ill like this?”

Deceit sputters looking between the two sides “I-I’m not sure, for a while now I suppose?”

Logan nods with a hum, Remus and him working to strip and help Deceit into the tub before the duke disappears back out the room bouncing off to who knows where.

“A nice soak in the warm water should help, you’ve spoken many times of your hard time retaining heat. I’ve done some research in my past time, warm water and heat lamps are most pro-”

“I already have a heat lamp and tried it, I-It was too much.” Deceit interrupts him almost poutily as he melts in the warm water.

Logan nods, eyes scanning over the snake side “Are your scales normally...flakey? When you are sick?” He conjures up a washcloth to soak in the water before using it to gently dab and rub at Deceit’s scales. The scales start...peeling?

Deceit shakes his head “No, they should only be flakey when I’m near my shed.”

Logan hums shaking his head fondly “Deceit...You’re sick because you haven’t shed. I-there are several layers of old scales here. I’m surprised you haven’t caused something worse to yourself.”

Deceit furrows his brows “That can’t be right though! It’s been nowhere near my usual shedding days.”

Logan continues to gently use the washcloth to rub the scales, the skin peeling more as he works, removing the sickly yellowy-green to show a more vibrant almost forest green underneath with of course the lighter yellow accent scales. “Well clearly you’ve missed it several times because you are shedding right now...Could it possibly be from laying your eggs? Most snakes shed when gravid.”

Deceit frowns thinking that over.

There is the sound of shifting wind as Remus appears back in the bathroom holding a large bowl and a pile of clothes. “I brought the soup, and I got more comfy clothes.”

“Thank you Remus, will you set those at the bedside table and assist me in here with Deceit’s shed?”

Remus bounces tho careful not to spill the soup “ooh! Is that why he’s such a grumpy gus! It’s shed time! You should have said something sooner ya silly serpent.” he sets down the items and poofs himself out of his own clothes to hop into the tub with Dee. Earning a few grumbled choice words at him from Deceit for taking up so much room but he doesn’t mind, after all the scaled side just gets himself comfortable leaning against him.

The two sides work for some time to remove the old shedding skin until the snake sides scales are gleaming. Once the side is dressed in comfy soft pajamas they guide him back to bed getting him comfily piled into the many blankets.

Logan moves to pull away only to find a hand latched onto his shirt.

“You...don’t leave. I-I..I would like the company.” Deceit confesses looking to the two sides nervously

The logical side can’t help a chuckle “Don’t worry I’m just grabbing the soup.”

Remus climbs onto the bed cuddling up to Deceit’s side. “You want to pick a movie for us to watch double dee?”

Deceit sleepily nods “Brave, I like the message...and magic”

Remus chuckles, nodding and summoning up Logan’s laptop to play the movie on as the scaled side leans against him resting his head against the dukes shoulder just as Logan gets comfortable on his other side.

The two sides take turns to feed him as they watch the movie, his eyes gradually growing heavy as it goes on.

Drowsy with his head full of cotton Deceit nuzzles Remus’s cheek affectionately before doing the same to Logan. His thanks given he burrows further into the pile of blankets letting his eyes finally close and drift off.

Feeling cared for and that his broos is safe, He drifts off into a peaceful slumber, smiling softly to himself.

Maybe it will be alright.

#egg fic #Say Something #writing is hard #logan sanders #deciet sanders #remus sanders #intrulogical #loceit #demus #intruloceit #sander sides #sander sides au

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redisriding · 4 years ago

Text

The Right Swipe - Chapter Four

A Court of Thorns and Roses Modern AU Fanfic

All character’s belong to the wonderful Sarah J Maas.

Tag List: @superspiritfestival @duskandstarlight @perseusannabeth @courtofjurdan @omg-aelin @keshavomit @rainbowcheetah512

“What about this one?”

“No, it still doesn’t look right.”

“How are you both bigger and smaller than me at the same time?”

“All my suits are tailored to me, they’re not the cheap off the rack stuff you buy.”

“You say that like I own more than one suit.”

“Don’t you?”

“Nope. One suit. I wear it weddings and funeral, that’s it.”

“Then why do you need to wear one tonight?”

“Because, Rhys said this place is fancy, as in dress code fancy. They have some stupid rule about wearing jackets.” Cass sighed. He thought it would be easy to borrow something of Az’s to wear tonight for his date with Nesta, they were roughly the same size. Turned out Az was both leaner and slightly taller than he, and when the former got his clothes tailored, they looked stupid on the latter. There was no point asking Rhys, if Az’s jackets didn’t fit Cassian, Rhys’s definitely wouldn’t.

Az cocked his head to one side surveying Cassian. “Why are you bringing her to this place anyway?”

“Because it’s fancy and she’s the kind of girl who you have to bring fancy places.”

“Perhaps, but you’re not fancy—.”

“Thanks?”

“No, hear me out. You have been talking to this girl and you like her, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re getting dinner so you can get to know each other better, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“But this guy,” Azriel gestured to Cassian standing in front of him in an ill-fitting suit, “Is not who you are. You don’t go to fancy restaurants that have dress codes and names of food you can’t pronounce or alcohol you can’t afford. And this girl…Nesta?”

“Nesta.”

“She has been getting to know you over the last week and a half too. She must like you if she’s agreed to go on a date. Do you not think she’s going to realise pretty quickly that a fancy restaurant is not your scene at all.”

Cassian sat down on the end of Azriel’s bed and put his head in his hands. He did not need this right now. He was nervous enough about his date with Nesta he didn’t need his best friend to undermine his plans for the evening with logic.

“I don’t stand a chance with her if I don’t take her somewhere nice. I know she’s been on dates with other guys, I’m sure they’ve brought her to the best places in Velaris. I need to go all out if I want to impress her.”

“Who cares where other guys take her, she’s single and going on a dat with you, so it clearly hasn’t worked out with them.”

“All the more reason to go all out.”

“Be real Cass, you don’t stand a chance with her at all if she thinks that you really are whoever you’re pretending to be tonight. Sooner or later it’s all going to come tumbling down.”

When he looked back on it later Cassian would realise that not only were Azriel’s words true, but they weren’t really intended for Cassian. They were words that he wanted to say to someone else. Someone who had lead him to believe that they were one thing, a thing that Azriel fell in love with, and when that person revealed their truth, his whole world crumbled.

But in the moment, confronted with his own insecurities, Cass didn’t react the way he wished later he had.

“That’s the thing though Az, girls don’t like the real me.”

“Girls like you—.”

“No Az, they don’t! Girls like you, they always have. Mysterious Azriel, he’s so handsome, he’s so smart, he’s so talented,” Cassian was aware that his tone had turned mocking but it was too late for him to roll back on it, “they liked you before you had fame and money, they sure as hell like you more now. If you weren’t so terrified of having your heart broken again then maybe you would see it too.”

He knew he had said the wrong thing the second the words were out of his mouth. Regret flooded Cassian as Az recoiled from him as if he had been dealt a physical blow.

He stood from the foot of his bed where they both sat and headed for the door.

“No, Az, I’m sorry I didn’t mean that…I just—.”

“Good luck on your date tonight Cass,” Azriel said cutting him off. “I hope for your sake you don’t fuck it up.”

Azriel’s words, his wounded expression, bounced around in Cassian’s head an hour later as he stood outside the entrance to the House of Wind.

Okay, that was a lie. He couldn’t standing still. He was pacing up and down the sidewalk, no doubt wearing away the soles of Azriel’s shoe’s he had stuffed his feet into. They were the only thing he wore that fit.

Cassian didn’t think he’d ever been as nervous in his entire life. Then again, he had never been on a proper date before.

He’d had drinks before. When they were in school, he would hound Az into asking one of the girls who hung around the hockey team out for milkshakes, and convince her to bring a friend for Cassian. It always ended the same though, he would gaze longingly at the girl, trying to strike up conversation, while she would have eyes for no-one but Azriel. It was pathetic, and Cassian remembered being awkward, but never nervous. Maybe because Azriel’s presence meant there was no real chance of anything happening. No risk of being rejected by someone he really wanted.

Later he would sometimes ask Emerie for a drink as a prelude to their evening. He liked the company.

But he had never been on a ‘try to find out if we’re compatible enough to spend the rest of our lives together over the course of a dinner’ date before.

And he was terrified.

He desperately wanted to run his hands through his hair, a nervous habit of his. He had tried a couple of times too. Only then to remember that he had gelled his wild mane in place in order to look presentable for tonight.

The doormen eyed him as he paced back and forth, like they knew he didn’t belong there. If there was one thing that Cassian learnt living in the mountains however, was that you should never show weakness. Not to the wild creatures that lived in the forrest, not in the face of the potentially deadly weather, and certainly not in front of the battled hardened locals.

So, he met those stares right back with a menacing one of his own.

His fingers found the soft petals of the rose he held. He had bought it for Nesta from one of those carts that rolled around the city, catching men unawares as they strolled with their ladies. He knew it was an over priced and cheesy but it had felt right.

He might not be the kind of guy who wears suits and eats in fancy places often, but he knew that if he had a girl he would absolutely dote on her. And so a single rose seemed like a good place to start.

It was on what felt like his millionth time passing the restaurant that he saw her. Crossing the road towards him, she emerged from the bustle of pedestrians like Aphrodite from her shell.

Cassian’s world seemed to slow. The nerves that flooded his body became still. The only thing that he was aware of was his breathing and her.

Nesta. Nesta. Nesta.

Something deep inside of him was called to the surface at the sight of her.

She was every bit as stunning if not more than she was in her pictures, brought to life by movement.

Dressed in a simple, yet elegant grey dress, her hair was coiled on top of her head. It was then that he remembered her bio, how apt it was, a queen that he would have to earn.

“Cassian?” She asked, her expression quizzical as she neared him.

“Hi—,” Cassian squeaked. Squeaked! He hadn’t heard his voice that high since his balls had dropped. Loudly clearing this throat, he tried again. “How are you?”

Better.

“Good thanks. How are you?” She came to a stop, looking up at him with deep stormy eyes that cut right to his core.

His head emptied as he gazed down at her. She was so much smaller than him, her head reached the middle of his chest. Her body was soft and curvy; deliciously feminine, but her face…the pictures didn’t do her beauty justice. The depth of her eyes, which she had lined with kohl for dramatic effect. Her high cheek bones. And Cassian didn’t allow his gaze to drop to her lips, which she had painted a deep red. It was sinful.

He was still motionless, gaping like a fish, when she moved. Stepping closer to him and rising up onto her tiptoes, she placed a hand gently on his shoulder to steady herself. A jolt of electricity shot through Cassian, his senses suddenly shocked back into action.

He leaned down to meet her. He went to his left as Nesta went to her right. Instead of bussing cheeks, he ended up colliding with her mouth.

His lips met hers.

It was only a gentle brush.

And only for a second.

But it was fireworks.

Like a star exploded somewhere inside of him.

Cassian’s fists clenched as he tried to restrain himself from grabbing Nesta and pulling her onto him right in the middle of the busy street.

A small laugh came from Nesta as she stepped back. Her cheeks were stained faintly pink.

It only added to her beauty.

Cassian felt his own cheeks heat, and knew that in comparison he resembled a tomato.

He looked down, away from her for a moment, and cringed. The rose was a crumpled mess in his thick palm. He flushed further. He wished he could hide it, or dump it in a bin somewhere, but Nesta had already seen.

“Eh…this is for you,” he thrust the rose awkwardly at her.

Nesta accepted the rose with a wry smile, “You shouldn’t have.”

“I really shouldn’t have,” Cassian sighed, “I’ve already ruined this date and it hasn’t even started properly.”

Nesta didn’t seem to hear. She looked down at the rose, rubbing one of the crushed petals between her finger tips.

Cassian just watched her for a moment, unsure what to say. Maybe he should call the whole thing off now, to save whatever dignity he had left.

But when Nesta looked back up at him, something in her face had changed. “So, shall we go in?”

————

Nesta had to suppress a laugh. The date was going badly. Terribly even. It was categorically, beyond a shadow of a doubt the worst date that she had ever been on.

Cassian was not what Nesta had expected at all. The person sitting across the table from her was not the sexy mountain man from his pictures, whom she had been messaging for the last week and a half.

Another lesson in online dating, she supposed, you really need to meet a person in order to get to know them.

But that was just it. Nesta didn’t think she was getting to know Cassian at all.

Instead, she was on a date with the person Cassian thought she wanted him to be.

She should have guessed when he had first suggested that they get dinner at the House of Wind that it was somewhere he thought she expected to be brought, rather than somewhere he would ever actually go.

Nesta had been to the House of Wind on many occasions, most recently a few days previously when she had met another Swipe date, Eris, here for drinks. A fact that Nesta thought was best not to mention to Cassian.

The House of Wind might be fancy, but it was cliché. The kind of place men brought women to lubricate them - socially, with alcohol - before they brought them home to their bed.

Sure, that was what Eris had done, wasn’t it?

On the many previous occasions that Nesta had been at the House of Wind she had never seen a guy like Cassian there.

The type of guy who, in an attempt to look presentable, used so much gel in his wild hair that it more closely resembled a helmet. Who cobbled together a suit, that clearly neither matched nor belonged to him, in order to meet the dress code.

The type of guy who brought his date a crumpled rose to impress her.

The gesture was so tender that something hard inside Nesta’s chest had cracked at the sight of it.

Thomas had only bought flowers to appease Nesta after an argument. ‘Now let us forget about all that’ he would say to her. Flowers were a sign that he was done arguing and wanted to sweep the matter under the rug, resolved or not.

Nesta glanced at the rose that was lying on the table beside her. She knew, regardless of how this date ended, she was going to bring it home and put it in water. And then, when it eventually died, she was going to press it gently between the pages of a book and keep it forever.

A memory of this night.

That she was deserving of someone who cared about her.

Cassian cared. He cared about impressing her, about making sure she had a good night. He cared so much about what Nesta thought of him that it was stifling any attempt of getting to know him.

And he was nervous.

That much was apparent when he clumsily bungled their greeting.

He still had lipstick on his face from when he’d accidentally kissed her. It had only been the faintest of brushes of their lips, but Nesta’s heart had leapt.

Something had ignited inside of her like a burning fire.

More than it had when Devlin had taken her to his bed the night before. Even with his head between her legs she hadn’t felt that much of thrill.

So Nesta didn’t tell Cassian about the lipstick.

“Everything okay?” She asked, as Cassian looked up from the bill that had been handed to him.

“Eh…yeah. It’s just…” he blanched.

“Yes?”

Whatever he was going to say he decided better of it. “Nothing,” Cassian shook his head, “I just need to make a quick call. I’ll be right back.”

Cassian hurried away from the table, towards the door. Once he was out of view, Nesta leaned across the table and picked up the bill.

Ah.

She figured she hadn’t known he was ordering $100 glasses of whiskey. She probably should have said something, but she didn’t want to emasculate him. Other men she dated would not have reacted well to that.

Beckoning for the waiter, she pulled her credit card from her purse.

The date was truly awful, and yet Nesta found herself utterly endeared.

———--

Across town, squeezed into a tiny little sushi restaurant, Elain laughed. Harder than she had laughed in a very long time.

Maybe it was the foreign feeling of food warming her belly, or the Sake that she had been sipping, but Elain was pretty sure it was the company itself.

“That’s not true!” She giggled at Lucien’s latest punchline.

“I swear it on my life,” he said, his eyes going wide, sincere.

“I still don’t believe you.”

“Scouts honour!”

“I bet you weren’t even in the Scouts.”

Lucien laughed, raising his hands in the air, caught. “Okay, I was not in the Scouts…But that doesn’t make it any less true.”

Elain giggled again. Lucien was not only more handsome in person, but his easy and charming nature had put Elain at ease from the beginning.

“Elain.” Lucien said, his laughter dying.

“Yeah?”

“I think this place is closing.”

“What? Oh!” Elain looked behind her to find the restaurant empty and the staff beginning to clean up. Tucked into a little nook, Elain felt like her and Lucien could have been in a world of their own.

Elain glanced at her phone. There was a text from Feyre in their sister group chat, wishing her and Nesta good luck on her respective dates, but it was the time that had Elain jumping up.

“Oh figglesticks, the time! I must hurry if I want to make the last train.”

Lucien gave her an amused look. “Figglesticks?”

Elain felt herself blush, “Sorry, I’m just used to being with children all day. It’s bad to swear.”

“I think it’s very sweet,” he said with a soft smile, “Let me just pay and I’ll walk you to the train.”

Elain made a move to pull her purse from her bag but Lucien stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm, a shiver went through her. “This is on me,” he said.

“You’re very kind,” she said, blushing again.

It had been a long time since a man had done anything like that for her. In an instant the warm mood of the evening evaporated, fear overtaking her. What if Lucien was only paying because he wanted something from her in return? Was she safe walking with him to the train stations? What if he dragged her down an alleyway and had his way with her? Leaving her cold and crying with no way to get home.

Elain closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. This were the kind of intrusive, anxious thoughts that she had been working to overcome with her therapist.

There was nothing in Lucien’s behaviour tonight to suggest that he was anything other than a nice guy.

“Ready?” He asked, returning from paying for their meal.

“Yes.”

He offered her his arm as they stepped out into the cold autumn night.

“The nights here are beautiful,” he said, gazing up at the clear nights sky.

“Velaris is the best place to go star gazing.”

“Sure looks that way.”

“Have you been here for Starfall?”

“Not yet, I’m looking forward to it.”

“My sister always throws a huge party to celebrate. It is really spectacular.”

“I can only imagine.”

The continued like that, strolling along on the empty streets, looking at the sky, chatting about nothing in particular until they reached the train station.

“So…” Lucien said, coming to a stop, “I had a really great time tonight.”

“Me too!”

“You sound surprised?”

Elain shrugged, “I guess I didn’t really know what to expect.”

“Would you maybe like to do it again sometime?”

“Yes, I would really like that.”

“Good,” Lucien smiled.

He hesitated for a moment, before deciding to lean in.

Elain held her breath, her fingers wrapping around the keys in her pocket. A pathetic weapon, but one that might make the difference if she needed it.

But Lucien simply brushed his lips to her cheek before pulling back. “Safe home, Elain.”

#acotar fanfiction #The right swipe

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