#either way congratulations everyone found their way back to each other and only one bro knows that for sure

[todayisafridaynight]

found family for the arakawas aint even metaphorical shits Literal

[tooweirdforyou]

How ASL Bros React To Getting Married To You

A/N : well, I reallyyy want to write a nice long fic but like.. life man. I’m on spring break and have work all week and with my sleep problems 😭 just enjoy this please c:

Summary : what the asl brothers wedding would be like.

-

Luffy

“Woah! You look awesome, [Name]!”

So cheery and wholesome.

Zoro is his best man, ( much to Sanji’s dismay )

EVERYONE is there, every single person he’s ever met is there so it’s crowded and you basically had it outside, in Foosha Village, though he wanted it to be on the ship.

All of the girls Luffy’s met is responsible for your appearance, they all helped you on your big day.

Some of the marines were invited, of course.

Luffy’s best mans/groom mans ( idk) ( other than Zoro ) consists of Sabo, Ace, Sanji, Usopp, Franky, Brook, Law, Shanks and Koby.

Your bridesmaids consist of Nami, Robin ( maid of honor ), Perona, Tashigi, Vivi and Makino. ( shirahoshi and others didn’t have too much room to stand by you because of the guests so they just sat in their respective seats.)

Before it officially started, there was a lot of tension so separation in seats were needed. Big Mom’s crew is sitting on the left back, Marines in the front right, Law’s, Kid’s and Shanks and other pirates are put in the right back, and everyone else Luffy knows is in the front right.

Few are still in shock because of the fact that LUFFY is getting married before them.

A lot of yelling and laughter from everyone is around but as soon as the classic music is playing in the background, everyone shuts up and turns to face the back, where you’re walking with Garp.

Old man Garp is the one taking you, and even he is full of tears from the fact that his own grandson is getting married.

“You take care of my dumb ole’ grandson, you hear? If he ever becomes too much of an annoyance, just knock him a few times in the head.”

And when you finally reach him, everyone is quiet and has the proudest smiles on their faces. Their Luffy is all grown up.

His bright, radiating grin is plastered and he is pretty overwhelmed but right now, you’re distracted by his handsome look in his suit.

Of course, he has shorts instead of long dress pants but he still looked handsome regardless.

Vows are said, rings are given and you smile at Luffy as the minister ( Sengoku ) questions your commitment.

“Do you, [ Name LastName ] take this complete fool, Monkey D. Luffy, as your everlasting husband and, future pirate king?”

Chuckles are heard, and you couldn’t suppress a giggle either. “I do.”

“I see. I wish you luck on this journey. Luffy, you may now kiss the bride.”

Claps are heard around as Luffy grins. “About time!” He cheers and pulls you by your hands, quickly smashing your lips together in a kiss.

“Congrats, Luffy!”

“Not bad, Straw Hat.”

“Where’s the beer? Time to party!”

“Alright, Luffy! Woo!”

Music is quick to break out as everyone is celebrating and cheering.

You and Luffy already cut the cake, ( it took you a lot of force to make Luffy not shove his face in the cake and just CUT IT. )

The giant cake made by Sanji and the Big Mom family, was shared for everyone and there was still plenty left.

And it was just a fun time with everyone. You even threw your bouquet(?) behind you already and it seems the next to be wed was Tama!

Clearly some of the women weren’t too happy to see the little grow becoming married before them but it was a nice laugh.

The night goes on and it’s getting late. Guests are leaving after wishing the two of you well and you two head in for your suite that Nami booked as her present.

“It feels normal. I thought this was some big special thing, why is it such a big deal again?” Luffy questions, forgetting what the girls had told him the several nights before about weddings.

You smile gently and set the last wrapped gift to the side with the others, taking a glance at the shimmering ring on your left hand.

“Because,” you spin around and face your husband, reaching over and taking off his straw hat that he kept on.

“It swears our connection and commitment to each other. Why do you think Shanks married Makino, despite their long distance relationship?”

Luffy offers his gentle smile, seemingly more relaxed at the mention of the two of the most important people in his life, out of many.

“Because they love each other?” He guesses calmly, tilting his head and you nod, giggling at his black hair that swayed.

“And I love you.” You whisper, leaning closer and felt Luffy’s arms enveloping you in a tight hug, his face nuzzling into your neck.

“I love you, [Name].”

And he leans back, connecting his lips on yours.

-

Ace

“Oh..wow..”

Oh boy, did the Whitebeard crew go BIG.

I have a feeling that Ace would want something a little normal or smaller perhaps, just inviting his personal friends and family, and maybe a few people he met along the way of his journey.

He’s a friendly, outgoing person but for a personal occasion, it’s best to stick with the people you’re closest to.

But he wasn’t complaining when he saw the large äss party, feast and the important people in his life showing up.

Sabo, Luffy and his crew, Shanks, Makino, all of his brothers, members of his old crew, Garp, he was thrilled to see everyone!

The wedding was held on Whitebeard’s ship, of course. It wasn’t too fancy or grand but still pretty large and the ship was right in the middle of the sea.

Ace is all dressed up handsomely in his suit, with the help of Marco, Vista and Izo. His hair isn’t too messy and just styled neatly.

You were dressed beautifully in your gown/suit, with the help of the nurses, Nami, Robin and Izo.

There was a bit of trouble with seating but naturally, many people stood up anyways and were quite busy throwing confetti and other things at you, even if it was a wedding.

Whitebeard is taking you down the aisle, it’s a little bit difficult but he still did, and you can bet he’s excited to have a daughter/son that will help watch over Ace’s dumbass self.

“Rough him up real good, take good care of my stupid son. And call me Pops!”

When Ace sees you walking down, he’ll admit, he’s teary. He’s actually found love, someone like him.. and he’s about to be married to you, the most amazing, attractive, and sweetest person he’s met.

You look so amazing in your outfit, he’s in tears. He’s so lucky.. Marco has a hand on his shoulder and patting his back. “Congratulations, Ace. You deserve this.”

Wiping his tears with his finger, he nods and exhales, holding the widest, warmest smile he could muster.

He was going to love you and protect you all of his damn life, that’s for sure.

The minister is actually Vista! Ace’s best man is Marco and his groomsmans all include Thatch, Luffy, Jozu, Izo, and Haruta!

“Do you, [Name Lastname] take this young kid as your loyal, lawful and everlasting husband?”

“Really?” Ace pouts at Vista’s joke and chuckles are heard, even yours.

“I do, Vista. I’ll make sure he grows.” You giggle as Ace sighs in exasperation.

“Very well. I now pronounce you husband and wife, Ace, kiss your damn bride already.”

“My pleasure.” Ace grins and he’s quick in pulling your wrist towards him, and spinning you into a dipping motion before connecting your lips together in a kiss.

Whistles and catcalls are heard as loud cheers and applause are made.

“Go Ace!”

“Alright, Fire Fist!”

“Better not lose her, Ace!”

Ace rolls his eyes at the comments from his brothers and pulls you back up with a smile. He’s a little glad he didn’t fall asleep midway because of his narcolepsy.

Party immediately breaks out, Sanji aids Thatch in the kitchen to bring out everything and it’s a long night of dancing, boozing and more.

Ace is just off with the guys, having fun and celebrating while you are off with the women, talking about experiences and such.

And when Ace finally finds you and pulls you two away to his room for some alone time, he pulls you close.

“Well, Mrs. Fire Fist, what do you want to do first?~”

His arms are around your waist as he secures you towards him, a cheeky smile on display on his face.

“Not sure, what did you have in mind?” Playing coy, you shrug and tilt your head, turning away from his face which he pouts and uses his hand to force his back to him.

Pecking your lips, Ace smiles again and leads you to his bed. “I have an idea, if you’re up to it?” He wiggles his brows, making you laugh.

He jumps onto the bed, pulling you with him so you were on top. “Well?”

“Oh! Cuddles, I get it! Sure, I’m tired anyways.”

Ace groans at you, heaving a sigh and he whines. “Come on, [Naaamee]!”

You just giggle and sit up, repositioning yourself on his lap and straddled him. “Fine, fine. You’re lucky it’s our special day today.” You hum.

“Oh? So you don’t want to do this after today is over?” Ace muses, smirking a bit since he knew the answer.

You puff your cheeks out at the thought of not having sex with Ace anymore, but you weren’t going to back down. “..Nope!”

Knowing the truth, Ace chuckles and begins to grind upwards into you.

“Alright, I guess I better make this a special memory to remember.”

-

Sabo

“You look incredible, [Name]..”

The most average, normal one. It’s traditional, smaller than most would be, and it’s for personal guests only.

So close members of the revolutionary army, his brothers, Garp and Makino were the only ones invited. If Luffy wanted, he could bring his crew but that’s it!

It’s traditional, so it was held inside a chapel, of course. It wasn’t anything special, everything was set up already and prepared for a small group so it was great.

Sabo is in a dashing, handsome suit like Ace was, but somehow has a much more charming, princely appearance. He helped himself in the appearance, with smallest help of Inazuma.

Your dress too! Somehow it’s more Royal appearing and your veil resembles a crown in a way. Koala and Iva helped you out in this!

Sabo’s best man is actually Ace! The strongest brotherly bond overpowered the thought of having Kuma, Iva or Luffy as a best man, but fortunately, they didn’t seem to mind, since they were groomsmans anyways. Iva being both bridesmaid and groomsman.

Ace was pretty teary and honored, and felt so excited.

The one who takes you down the aisle is Dragon. He’s a little awkward about it at first but he is quite proud of Sabo, even if he doesn’t openly show it.

“Take good care of him, alright?”

“I will.” You assure, thanking him when you finally reach the point of Sabo’s side.

The whole time, Sabo is staring at you in awe, feeling speechless. How did he manage to get someone as beautiful and wholehearted as you?

He can’t contain his wide grin and excitement, his hands just a hint clammy from the nervousness of possible rejection. But he knew you loved him. Because he loves you.

“Someone looks handsome.” You whisper in a giggle and Sabo chuckles. “Not compared to the beauty you have right now.” He winks.

The minister is actually Kuma, of course. Kuma was the obvious choice. Kuma took the position with gratitude.

“[Name Lastname]. Do you take Chief of Staff Sabo, as your lawful, loyal and everlasting husband?”

“I do.”

“Congratulations. I now pronounce you husband and wife, Sabo, please do the honor of kissing your bride.”

Sabo is the most natural approach, taking a step forward and cupping your cheeks in his hands and pulling you forward, for a kiss.

Cheers and applause are made and heard, and Luffy, being the brother he is, pulls out a loud confetti popper and pulls it, it shooting it out everywhere like fireworks.

“Congratulations, you two!”

“Alright, time to get drinking!”

“Better not let this get in the way of your missions..”

“Luffy, how’d you even get that?!” Sabo widens his eyes and he laughs. “Franky made it for me! He said it’ll be super, for the wedding!”

“Geez..”

You can’t help the laugh that escapes your lips and Sabo finds himself laughing alongside you and the whole place is soon filled with laughter and cheer.

It’s a small family party but it was still pretty chaotic regardless, and Sabo makes sure to take you outside for some fresh air when it becomes nighttime.

“Hey, feeling okay?”

Taking a seat on the bench nearly, Sabo sits beside you and you nod, immediately leaning into his shoulder.

“It’s overwhelming, I guess..” the warm smile that spreads your lips is contagious as he does the same when he sees it. “But,”

You take a look at your ring finger, that held the beautiful silver ring and diamond. “I couldn’t be happier with today. I’m married to the love of my life.”

Sabo smiles gently and closed his eyes, leaning against the backrest and let the moonlight light against his face.

“I am, as well. I couldn’t be any luckier to be married to you now..” taking your hand in his, he intertwines your fingers and brings your hand up to kiss.

He kisses your ring finger specifically and hums.

“Thank you.. for being with me.. I love you, [Name].”

“Of course. Thank you for being with me. I love you, Sabo.”

-

-

A/N : well! This was sweet~ I feel bad for Luffy’s part because it’s not the greatest. :/ but I hope you enjoyed! :D

[charlies-gillespie]

private relationship | charlie gillespie (part 1)

PART TWO

paring: fem!reader x charlie gillespie

summary: reader and Charlie have been in a very private relationship. none of their fans know that they’re together, until a slip up at a very public event changes everything for the pair

requested: no

length: long

rating: PG (borderline PG-13 tho for some nsfw jokes)

warnings: a dirty joke or two, a few sexual innuendos throughout, drinking

!! MY GIF - give creds if used !!

authors note: “mon amour” means “my love” in french. it’ll probably be used a lot throughout the imagine

another author’s note: would y’all want a part two, but with smut?

MASTERLIST

“Charlie!” you call. Your voice echoes through your apartment. “Can you come here for a second?”

You need help zipping your dress. Charlie was the first to get to your apartment. He’s been waiting for Owen, Madison, Jeremy, Jadah, and Savannah, and Sacha to get here so your group can go to the release party together. It’s a formal event so you had to wear a dress and heels. It wasn’t your first choice, especially the heels part.

Charlie appears in the doorway and says, “Yea- woah.” You see him in your mirror. His eyes are on you. He looks good in his suit that he’s wearing. His jacket and pants are black, his button-up beneath the jacket is white, but he wears a silver tie to compliment the color of your pale pink dress since he can’t match your dress.

A smile forms on your lips and you ask, “Can you come zip up my dress, please?” Charlie nods and walks into your bedroom. You watch him as he slowly zips up your dress.

The dress is a long, baby pink dress with satin fabric. The skirt is a little poofy from the waist down. The top hugs your chest, pushing your breasts up a little bit so they look a little bigger than they actually are. A sparkly silver belt sits on your waist to add some sparkle to the dress. The sleeves are off your shoulders, and there are hidden pockets in the skirt.

Your boyfriend admires you in the mirror. You’re fully dressed now. Your hair is loosely curled and you have a natural makeup look painted on your face. The light color of the dress compliments your tan skin.

“You look stunning, mon amour,” Charlie sighs. “Absolutely stunning.”

You lean your head back a bit, resting it against Charlie’s shoulder. “You clean up very nicely, Charlie,” you say. “I like that you matched me without actually matching me.”

He laughs and says, “I might’ve had Mads and Jadah help me with that little detail. I wanted to match you but it would draw suspicion to us.”

When you and Charlie started dating almost nine months ago, both of you agreed to keep it on the very low. No social media posts unless hanging out in a group setting, no tagging each other in stories if you were alone together, and only going as far as following each other on social media since you’ve worked on the same show together. The fans don’t even know that you’re friends with each other at this point. Only your closest friends that are going with you to the event tonight know that you and Charlie are together.

Kenny Ortega also knows since he’s technically your boss and you’re both co-workers. He also might have found you making out with Charlie after the two of you got carried away when cuddling on Julie’s bed after a few hours of shooting scenes. You couldn’t lie to him after that.

Tonight is a very public event. Pictures will be taken, journalists will be wanting every juicy detail, and fans have been invited to the event so if there’s even a little be of suspicion, it won’t take very long to go public. It’s the release night party for Julie and the Phantoms season two. Everyone’s been invited to watch the first few episodes of the new season.

You feel Charlie kiss your bare shoulder and you giggle softly. “I’m sure everyone will be getting here soon so we should go wait out in the living room,” you tell your boyfriend.

“I wish I was able to touch you tonight,” he says. “It’s your big Netflix debut, Y/N. I wish I was able to hug you and show you how proud I am of you.”

A little sigh leaves your body and you say, “You can hug me. I’m sure a friendly hug won’t hurt, as long as you hug other people too. As for showing me that you’re proud of me, you can do that later when we’re alone.” You send him a playful wink so he gets what you mean.

Charlie’s jaw drops and he blinks at you. “I-you, um,” your boyfriend stammers. “Okay, yeah. I’m going to show you just how proud I am of you later, baby.”

You turn and face Charlie. “I look forward to it, Charlie,” you tell him, leaning up. He smiles and lightly pecks your lips.

Someone knocks on the door and you click out of the room in your silver heels to answer the door. Owen and Jeremy stand at the door. Jer’s wife, Carolynn, stands beside him.

“Hi, Y/N,” Owen greets you. “You look very pretty. I saw Charlie’s car in the parking garage so where is that loser?”

You laugh and say, “Probably still in my bedroom. Go get him. I think I shocked him or something with my words.” Owen pushes past you. Jeremy follows him, leaving you and Carolynn alone.

Carolynn smiles and says, “I love that color on you, Y/N. It suits you.”

“Thank you,” you say, shooting her a little smile. You’ve grown close to Carolynn since she’s married to Jeremy and you’ve spent a lot of time hanging out with the guys in a group.

You let Carolynn walk in before closing the door behind her. Faintly, you hear Owen say, “Bro, what’s going on with you? Your face is red.”

Charlie responds with, “I am so having sex tonight, dude.”

Both you and Carolynn laugh in the living room as Carolynn asks, “I don’t want to know what that’s about, do I?”

As you sit, you say, “Charlie said he wishes he could touch me tonight at the party so he could show me how proud he was of me. I told him he can show me how proud he is of me later when we’re alone.”

Carolynn says, “Ah, okay. That makes sense. Congratulations, by the way. Making your big Netflix debut tonight. How’s it feel?”

“I’m excited, but very nervous,” you admit. “The first season did so well and won so many awards that I’m scared that I’m going to come in and ruin the whole show and that people won’t like my character.”

She says, “You play the nice daughter of the villain of the show. Everyone will probably love you when they realize that your character wants to help the Phantoms instead of siding with Caleb. Don’t tell Jer and the guys but I think you have one of the best songs of the season so I think the fans will definitely love that.”

You smile as there is another knock on the door. Charlie, Owen, and Jeremy come into the living room as you answer the door.

Savannah stands in the doorway with Mads, Sacha, and Jadah. “I had to pick up the kiddos,” Sav says. “Ooh, Y/N. You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” you say, smiling. “We’re just waiting for the limo to get here. I think we have a half hour or so before it gets here.”

Kenny is sending a limo to your apartment for the nine of you. When you decided to go as a group so you and Charlie could go together, Kenny pitched in and helped like the wonderful human being he is.

Owen decides to go live with Jeremy on his Instagram account for a few minutes. Carolynn talks with Savannah, Sacha, and Jadah while you find yourself talking with Charlie and Madison.

Mads says, “Kenny is giving us the opportunity to sing on stage together tonight. He told me that we can pick whatever song from either season. He thinks the fans would want to hear Perfect Harmony or Stand Tall since those were massive after season one dropped.”

Charlie nods and says, “Stand Tall would be good since all of us can get in on that number. I can talk to Jeremy and Owen about it when they get off live.”

You smile at the two of them and say, “That’s exciting. The fans will be so excited for this little surprise.”

“We can thank Kenny when it goes really well,” Mads says with a laugh. “He’s always got these great ideas. I don’t know how he comes up with them.”

Both you and Charlie laugh as your phone rings. You answer it, speaking to the limo driver. After a moment, you hang up the phone and announce, “Limo is here. Let’s head on out.”

Everyone gets their things together, Owen gets off Instagram live, and you all head down two floors to pile into the limo.

The drive from your apartment to the Laglyan Complex on North Vine Street is close to forty minutes. It was close to six when you left and it’s almost seven when you arrive to the venue for tonight’s event.

There is a red carpet laid out across the front of the building to the door. There is a lot of press here and a lot of cameras flashing. Cheyenne Jackson and Booboo Stewart are together on the carpet. You spot Kenny with one of the assistant directors.

When the press spots the limo, they begin to mumble to each other as they try to figure out who is in the car. Owen and Jeremy get out first. The press begin to snap pictures of the guys. Madison gets out with Jadah. Carolynn, Sacha, and Savannah. Sacha pairs up with Savannah while Mads, Jadah and Carolynn walk the carpet together until Carolynn finds her way to her husband.

Charlie helps you out of the car. The journalists call Charlie’s name as you close the door behind you. “Go,” you order him. “I’ll be okay. You’re the star of the show.” He smiles and sends you a wink since his back is turned toward the cameras. He walks off and your eyes follow him. Cheyenne walks over.

“Look at you, Y/N,” he says. “You look wonderful.”

You smile and say, “Thank you, Cheyenne. You look nice tonight. I love the suit.” He wears a shirt similar to his Julie and the Phantoms character, Caleb Covington. You play his daughter on the show.

Cheyenne holds his arm out for you and you hook your elbow with his. The cameras snap away at you and Cheyenne since the two of you play a father-daughter duo. Booboo comes and joins you and Cheyenne as the ‘Hollywood Ghost Club Crew’, as Booboo dubbed the three of you. The band is getting pictures together. Savannah, Sacha, and Jadah are getting their pictures taken together. Carolynn is getting her pictures done.

The journalists call out questions to the cast. They ask Madi which season was her favorite, which she replies with, “Y’all really going to make me choose? I can’t do that.”

Owen is asked whether or not we’ll get a Willex kiss in the future, which Owen replies with, “We’ll just have to see, won’t we?”

All the journalists laugh. One of them calls out, “Y/N, what was it like joining a show that already had a pretty large fan base and a successful first season?”

“It was nerve wracking at first,” you admit. “But the cast welcomed me with open arms and I’ve made some very, very close friends.” You shoot a smile to the cameras.

A second journalist calls out to everyone, “Are there any secret romances on set that no one knows about?”

Most of the cast, including you and Charlie, laughs. Owen answers with, “Now it wouldn’t be a secret if we told everyone. But no, there aren’t any secret romances. That I know of at least.”

After a few more pictures and questions, we all head inside. The main room as a bunch of tables set up and a little stage with Madi’s piano, Charlie’s guitars, Jeremy’s bass, and Owen’s drums. There are a few fans that were exclusively invited that are scattered around. They start getting excited when they see you walk in with everyone.

You find your table. You’re sitting with Owen, Charlie, Jeremy, Carolynn, Cheyenne, Booboo, and Savannah. This is the “adult” table, you guess. Mads, Jadah, and Sacha sit with Kenny and a few of the younger cast members at another table.

You’re sitting between Charlie and Owen. Someone needs to sit between them or they’ll be at each other all night. That’s your argument if someone is suspicious of you and Charlie.

Suddenly, you feel someone’s fingers lace with yours under the cloth that’s on the table. You glance over at Charlie and he has a little smile on his face as he talks with Jeremy. You turn and say to Owen softly, “Did Charlie really say that he’s having sex tonight?”

Owen laughs a bit and nods. “He thinks he is anyway,” the blond says. “Is he?”

“If he can behave himself then yes,” you say. Owen chuckles.

You feel Charlie squeeze your hand. You know he heard so you smile.

After small conversation with everyone at the table, you get up and get a drink. You walk to the bar, asking for a martini. While you wait, you’re approached by a guy dressed in a nice button-up shirt and dress pants. His hair is in a neat bun behind his head. “Hi,” he says. “I’m Austin.”

“Y/N,” you say.

“I couldn’t notice you came over here alone,” he says.

The bartender gives you your drink and you say, “I just came over to grab a drink. I was going to go back to my table after I grabbed it.”

Austin pulls out his wallet and hands the bartender a twenty dollar bill. “Let me at least pay for it,” he says.

You smile a bit and say, “Thank you. I must be headed back to the table with my friends now. I appreciate the drink, though.”

He blocks your way and you look up at him. “How about a dance in return for the drink?” Austin suggests.

Feeling more and more uncomfortable, you say, “Maybe later. I need to get back to my friends.”

Austin asks, “What’s the rush? It’s not like you have a boyfriend or anything. I follow your social media accounts and you never post a guy.”

You begin to say, “Actually, I-” before Charlie walks up. You let out a soft sigh of relief.

“Everything okay here?” Charlie asks. “You were taking a while to come get a drink so I thought that I’d come check.”

The stranger says, “All good here. I was just offering Y/N a dance here since I paid for her drink.”

Charlie looks down at you and blinks before you say, “I didn’t ask him to pay for it. He took out a twenty and offered.” Austin looks between you and your secret boyfriend.

Then Charlie says, “If you offered yourself then Y/N isn’t obligated to dance with you just because you paid for her drink.”

Austin says, “Well, I’ll just ask again later.” The man walks away and you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding.

Your boyfriend moves and stands in front of you. He asks, “Are you okay?”

You nod and say, “Yeah, thank you. It was just uncomfortable. I didn’t know how to get out of it.”

Charlie reaches up to cup your face in his hands but he stops before he can touch your face. You look up at him before you lean forward, putting your face in Charlie’s hands. Your eyes flutter closed and you smile.

“Y/N,” Charlie says. “People are looking.”

With a sigh, you say, “I just need you to touch me, Charlie. I want you.”

He runs his thumbs over your cheekbones and you can hear pictures being taken. You put your drink on the bar counter and step closer to Charlie.

Your eyes open and you find Charlie looking down at you. He says, “You know what this means for us, right?”

You nod and say, “Our on-the-low relationship isn’t as on the low now. I don’t mind that anymore because I’m tired of guys coming up and trying to flirt with me while I have a boyfriend.”

Charlie chuckles a bit as he says, “I hope that means I can kiss you now. It’s all I’ve wanted to do tonight.”

“Yeah,” you sigh.

With no hesitation, Charlie leans down and crashes his lips to yours. You press your body against his, grabbing his jacket and holding him close to you. You kiss Charlie back just as hard as he kissed you. Your eyes are closed again but you can see flashes behind your eyes. You pull back from the kiss and stare up at Charlie.

Both of you smile at each other as Charlie says, “You better be ready for what happens after this.”

You push Charlie’s hair away form his face and say, “What happens after this is you get on that stage tonight, you kill it, we go back to your place because it’s closer, and you get all the sex you want.”

Charlie’s face turns a little red and he says, “I will never get used to you saying something sexual to me. I hope you know that.”

“You better, Mr. Gillespie,” you tell him. “I’m not the innocent girl that you met a year and a half ago.”

He laughs and says, “Trust me. I know you’re not the innocent girl that I met last year. You’ve proven that several times at this point.”

With a smile on your face, you take Charlie’s hand in yours before grabbing your drink and walking back to the table with your friends. When you get back to the table, you scoot closer to Charlie and rest your head on his shoulder. Owen looks over and says, “Woah, being affectionate in public. This isn’t the best idea.”

You say, “It’s okay, Owen. Everything is okay.”

Owen looks confused as you look up at Charlie. Charlie looks at his best friend and says, “I kissed her. At the the bar when I went to check on her. Cameras saw so that’s going to be a huge thing in the morning.”

Jeremy says, “Well, congratulations on making your relationship public, I guess.”

The table laughs. Owen looks at you, Charlie, Jeremy, and Carolynn before he says, “I need a relationship. I feel so single right now.”

Charlie says, “You’d actually have to talk to people to get a girlfriend, Owen.”

“Haha,” Owen says, sticking his tongue out at Charlie. You laugh.

***

At nine, Madi, Charlie, Owen, and Jeremy all leave to get ready. They decided on Stand Tall for the number they’re going to perform. It’s almost 9:30 when Kenny gets on the mic on stage. “Hello, everyone,” he says. “Today, Netflix released season two of Julie and the Phantoms. To celebrate, I offered our band the chance to perform a song of their choice. So, let’s all welcome Madison Reyes, Charlie Gillespie, Jeremy Shada, and Owen Patrick Joyner to the stage for their performance of whatever song they chose.”

The crowd cheers as everyone walks onto the stage, taking their place. You and Carolynn get a front row seat while you both watch your guys perform. You notice Charlie took off his jacket and his tie. He also cut off the sleeves, but that doesn’t surprise you. The top few buttons of his white button-up are unbuttoned, showing off his chest a bit.

Mads begins to play the first few keys to the song.

Don't blink No, I don't want to miss it One thing, and it’s back to the beginning Cause everything is rushing in fast Keep going on, never look back

You smile and watch Madi sing. She’s insanely talented and you’re so glad that the world was able to hear her voice.

The guys nod their heads to the beat while they wait for their signal to begin playing. Once they get their cues, they begin to play one by one.

Right now, I'm loving every minute Hands down, can't let myself forgеt it, no Cause everything is rushing in fast Keep holding on, nеver look back

Charlie plays like he’s flickering on and off stage like he does on the show. You smile and admire your boyfriend. You know how talented he is, especially those fingers of his, but he never ceases to amaze you how talented he is.

And it’s one, two, three, four times That I'll try for one more night Light a fire in my eyes I'm going out of my mind

You smile wide when Charlie sings his line at the end of the pre-chorus. Then he begins to sing his part of the song and you dance with Carolynn. The crowd sings and dances behind you two.

The four of them finish the song and smile. The crowd cheers and you smile, looking at Charlie. He has the biggest smile on his face, which is covered in a layer of sweat. His hair is damp with sweat too. Charlie bows with his closest friends before putting his guitar on the stand. He jumps off the stage and comes over to you.

“I told you that you’d kill it,” you tell him when he gets to you.

Charlie laughs and says, “Oh, hush.” He pulls you into a soft kiss. You smile and kiss him back, making your relationship with him completely public. The people around you cheer a bit as Charlie pulls away.

You look up at him and say, “You’re going to have so much fun being able to hugs me and kiss me in public now, aren’t you?”

He smiles and stares down at you. Charlie says, “Maybe I’ll be having too much fun now.”

As you brush some of the hair away from Charlie’s eyes, you say, “Please try to keep the PDA to a minimum, Charlie. You do have a lot of younger fans. Save most of it for when we’re alone.”

“Like how we will be tonight?” Charlie asks, eyes hopeful.

You laugh and say, “Just like how we will be tonight.” Then an idea pops into your idea. “This dress is getting really hot. I might need to take it off soon.”

Charlie gets what you’re trying to say so he replies with, “Let’s go.”

He takes your hand and hops over the barricade. You smile as he leads you through the crowd of people. Charlie calls you an Uber so you can both go back to his place tonight.

[wifeboys]

Third Time’s the Charm // Wilmon

Summary: Wilhelm kisses Simon three times before he gets the hint.

Word Count: ~2600

A/N: A little in-universe fic to tie us over. Based on prompts from this prompt list *shamelessly plugs my prompts blog @deity-prompts *. Also I haven’t written fanfiction is a while so I’m a little rusty.

gif credits: @princewilhelm

Wilhelm kisses Simon three times before he gets the hint.

The first time is at Rosh's soccer final. The pair (and Ayub) had gone to every single game of the season, rain, or shine. They stood at the side lines. The night air gripped them through their puffy coats. Flood lights illuminate their breaths. Wilhelm and Simon pressed shoulders to 'help keep them warm'.

The game is intense. The ball is sent over and back again and again. Fouls are left and right. Fights even break out. The crowd hold their breath, each moment electric. Simon is so focused on the game that he forgets where he is. He forgets who he's with and who he is. All he can concentrate on is Rosh.

The whistle blows, once, twice, three times. Rosh punches the air with a victorious scream. The crowd erupts. Everyone rushes onto the pitch. They clutch each other into hugs, exchanging "congratulations!" and kisses on the cheek. Simon sprints to Rosh, grabbing her tightly. She slaps his back and yells something he can't hear. Ayub pushes him out of the way and hugs Rosh. Simon staggers back with a laugh. Wilhelm is in front of him. His eyes sparkle with happiness and Simon can't help but smile. Before he can hug him, Wilhelm places his hands on Simons cheeks and quickly kisses him. The kiss barely lasts two seconds, but time seems to freeze. Simon short-circuits.

Before he can process or kiss him back, Wilhelm is already hugging someone else and Ayub is grabbing Simon. "SHE DID IT! FUCKING YEAH!" The night moves on. Everyone goes out to celebrate, still full of energy until they part in the early hours. As Simon celebrates, he can't help but think about Wilhelm kissing him. Did he kiss him or did he imagine it? No, it definitely happened. He can't imagine the electricity pulsing through him. He can't imagine the rush and heat he felt.

But that doesn't mean Wilhelm wanted to kiss him. It was an intense game. Everyone was celebrating. It was probably just a "hey bro, we did it! let's celebrate!" kiss. Wilhelm would've kissed anyone, Simon just happened to be there.

That's what Wilhelm is acting like. He's hugging everyone he comes across. Simons not sure if that's because Wilhelm is a hugger or because he's buzzed on celebratory drinks. Either way, he's not treating Simon any different. He's still talking to him like they're regular bros who like regular sports and other regular things.

It was nothing, Simon decides.

• ❤︎ •

The second time is at Felice's birthday party. She spares no expense. The common room is decked with streamers, balloons, and stocked with alcohol. Everyone is wearing the most extravagant outfits they have. The birthday girl has braided her hair short as a boys, and wears a purple robe that reaches her heels. Simon wears a black, glittery blazer over his bare chest with waist high black trousers. The lack of shirt was probably a good idea, considering people keep bumping into him and spilling their drinks.

The music is practically deafening. You can't walk two steps without knocking shoulders with someone. Simon keeps to the back of the room, fiddling with the hem of his blazar as the party unfolds in front of him. Sara keeps him company, chatting his ear off about something he can't hear. The only thing he can focus on is a certain prince across the room.

Simon barely notices when Sara tugs at his sleeve. "Si! I'm going to find Felice. Don't just stand here for the whole night. Go talk to someone"

She disappears into the sea of drunk teenagers. There's no way Sara was telling him to go talk to Wilhelm specifically, but that's all Simon wants to do. Actually, he wants to skip the talking and pin Wilhelm against the wall.

But Simon can't do it. He's glued with his back against a wall as people make out around him. He can't mess things up with Wilhelm. He can't scare him off. He can't lose a great friend on the tiny chance he might get a boyfriend. Simon repeats this like a mantra to the beat of the music.

None of this stops him checking out Wilhelm, the crowd acting as a safety buffer. His simple yellow shirt is plain considering the occasion. He made up for it by covering his hair with glitter that has fallen onto his face and shoulders.

He watches as an already tipsy Wilhelm finishes his drink. He's surrounded by people (probably his friends). He suddenly cracks up at some joke they say. Glitter explodes into the air with the quick movement of his head. A shiny halo illuminates his face. God, he's beautiful when he laughs.

"Simon! Simon Simon Simon" Felice nearly falls on top of him. "I'm so glad you're here- and you look amazing"

"Thanks, so do you- and happy birthday" Simon has never been good at taking compliments.

"You're too kind. I'll admit, I can't get enough of my cape. Hey, you should try it on! Purple is definitely your colour"

"Oh no I couldn't-"

"Oh yes you could. Let's swap jackets. I promise I'll give it back"

Next thing Simon knows, Felice is slipping off her cloak-y thing to reveal a white blouse and black skirt. She takes Simon's jacket, even giving him a spin. "We look stunning" she says as Simon wraps her robe around him. It looks a bit weird on him, but it's soft and smells nice. Felice sips her drink, and frowns. "My cup is empty. Can I get you a drink?"

"Uh- sure"

Felice disappears into the crowd. Simon goes back to looking for Wilhelm, but he's nowhere to be seen. He scans the crowd carefully. Wow, there's a lot of people here. A lot of bodies. The air is thick. The music is too loud. The room is too small. Simon needs to get out.

He excuses his way towards the door, not stopping until he's breathing in the night air. He leans next to the door, careful to keep Felice's robe clean. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Simon can only handle parties for a short while before he needs a break.

He stares up at the sky. Deep breath in, deep breath out. The stars are like glitter. The moon shines brightly at him. Deep breath in. He can't find Wilhelm, but at least he can spot the Man In The Moon. Deep breath out.

He's grounded again. He knows he should go home soon, but he figures a bit longer inside wont hurt. He gets up to go inside and find Felice when the door swings open. A yellow shirt stumbles into the night, glitter sparkling in the moonlight.

Simon finally found Wilhelm- or, rather, Wilhelm found him.

Wilhelm finds his footing, looking around. He finally spots Simon by the door.

"There you are!" He exclaims. There I am?

If Simon moves fast enough, he can slip back inside before Wilhelm even notices him. He can grab Sara and pretend he never came to the party. Before he can put his plan into effect, Wilhelm is cupping his face again.

Wilhelm kisses him. Simon is quicker to react this time. He kisses back, his plan to escape already forgotten. Wilhelm pulls back for a moment to tilt his head to the side. Simon holds the back of his neck, running his fingers through his hair. Glitter falls around them.

Wilhelm's hands slip behind Simon's robe, pulling him closer. Simon shivers as his hands run up and down his back. He drowns in bliss, finally getting to kiss Wilhelm the way he always wanted to.

When Wilhelm finally pulls back, his eyes stay closed. "Oh" he sighs softly. "Oh . . . I'm about to throw up. Excuse me"

Without even looking at Simon, Wilhelm turns and staggers around the corner. Simon hears retching. His escape plan kicks in. He practically runs back into the party, nearly knocking people over as he finds Felice.

He finds her giggling with Sara, who's cheeks are blushes deep red. They swap their clothes back, re-completing Felice's outfit. She truly looks stunning, tonight more than ever. Up close, her hair is woven more intricately than he realised. It's as short as his but looks ten times better.

Oh God- with the short hair and purple cloak, he probably looks just like Felice. Especially to someone who's drunk. Wilhelm didn't mean to kiss him. He meant to kiss Felice. Now Simon feels like he's going to throw up.

• ❤︎ •

The third time is after Parents Day. Simon spent the days leading up to it avoiding Wilhelm. He probably doesn't remember the kiss at all but Simon wont chance it. He won't give Wilhelm the opportunity to reject him. This doesn’t stop him from looking at him for a little too long from across the room. This doesn’t stop Wilhelm looking back.

His ingenious “if I ignore him he can’t reject me” plan fails, however, when Wilhelm sits with his family as they eat. Simon can't take his eyes off him as he chats with Simon and Felice's family. Wilhelm combs his fingers through his hair, licks his lips, laughs along to jokes. Simon soaks up every minute of it.

Dinner plates empty. Belts are loosened. Waiters come around to collect dishes and Simon starts to panic. Wilhelm has been glancing at him again and again throughout the dinner. He's definitely going to corner Simon and let him down. Tell him to forget all about the kiss (if he even remembers it). Simon pulls out his phone.

Simon I need you to pick me up

Ayub Thought you were at the parents dinner Cant ur mom take u home?

Simon I'll explain later If you pick me up right now I'll be forever grateful

Ayub I'll be outside in ten You owe me one

Simon I love you more than life itself

Simon rests his phone on the table, slightly less panicked. As soon as people start getting to their feet, he bolts. Out the door. Our of the school. He only slows when his feet crunches on the front road's gravel.

Ayub arrives right on time. Simon jumps on his bike before he can ask what's going on. It isn't until the next day that Simon comes to a shocking realisation: he left his phone at Hillerska.

• ❤︎ •

"Didn't think I'd be back here so soon" Ayub says as he drops Simon off.

"I'll be in and out, I promise. Everyone's gone home so I'll be able to find it and grab it"

"Here, call yourself on my phone. You can follow the ringing"

"Where would I be without you"

Ayub tosses his phone and gestures for Simon to go. He pushes open the doors. Hillerska feels haunted without students bustling through the halls. It's like a museum. Simon opens Ayub's phone and calls himself.

It's probably in the dining room where they ate. He walks towards it, listening intently for his ringtone. What he doesn't expect is for someone to pick up.

“Hello?”

Simon stares at the phone for a moment before pressing it to his ear. ". . . Hello?"

“Simon? That you?”

“Wille!" Perfect. The one person he was trying to not talk to. "Sorry, I didn’t recognise your voice”

"Don't worry about it, I don't think you were expecting me to answer"

"Yeah, uh, you have my phone. That's why I was calling it. I must've left it here yesterday"

"Where are you? I can drop it off"

"I'm already at Hillerska so I can just grab it. Want me to come to you?"

"Just start walking, we'll find each other"

Simon decides to go in the general direction of Wilhelm's dorms. It really does feel like a museum. Each alcove is like a display he can't touch. His footsteps echo.

“So . . . what’re you doing with my phone?” Simon asks.

“I actually didn’t know it was yours. It was left on one of the tables, so I took it in case the owner came looking for it”

“And here I am”

“And here you are”

Simon can't help but smile. He's sure he can hear Wilhelm smiling too.

Wilhelm takes a deep breath. “I’ve actually been meaning to talk to you”

“Talk to me?”

“Yeah. Um . . . it's about Felice's party"

Simon stops. Here it is. Everything has backfired and now the one thing he didn't want to talk about has come up.

"Simon? You there?"

"Yes! Uh yes I am." He rubs a hand across his face. Play it cool. "What about her party?"

"I'm sorry that I was so drunk that night. I figured I'd need some . . . liquid courage but I guess I had too much"

"Yeah. It was a uh, a wild night" Simon feels like he's choking on his own heart. He distracts himself by looking around at the hallway. He's not even sure where in the school he is. He's more focused on not throwing up.

"Do you remember that night?"

Play it cool. "Anything specific you want me to remember?"

There's a moment of silence. Simon can hear Wilhelm's footsteps through the phone. "If you want to forget that night and move on like nothing happened, we can definitely can"

Simon doesn't want to forget. It's all he can think about.

"Do you want to forget about it?" Simon asks, swallowing.

Wilhelm's walking slows as he thinks. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable"

"I don't . . . I wasn't uncomfortable"

There's a beat. "I'm glad. That-that you weren't uncomfortable"

"I'm a little uncomfortable now" Simon laughs awkwardly. His tension eases a little when Wilhelm laughs too.

"I'm sorry. I just don't know how to talk about this" Simon kicks his feet against the floor.

"I have to say, I didn't think I'd be talking to you about this over the phone"

"I didn't think you'd want to talk about this at all. I thought you were going to avoid me forever"

"Hey, you're the one who was avoiding me"

"Yeah yeah I know" Simon smiles.

Wilhelm takes a deep breath and exhales. "I really wanted to kiss you that night. That's why I got so drunk I needed a confidence boost. It uh, it didn't help that you ignored the kiss at Rosh's game"

Simon's jaw drops in a smile. "I didn't ignore it! I just panicked. I figured it was a spur of the moment celebration"

"None of it was spur of the moment. I've wanted to kiss you for a while"

"You have?"

"You didn't notice?"

"Not at all. If I did, I probably would've kissed you"

Simon hears him stop and smile. “Simon, you are the smartest idiot I ever met”

He hangs up. He hangs up? Simon looks at the phone as if it holds the answer. His brow furrow as a hand grabs his shoulder from behind. He turns, that there he is.

"Hi" they say in unison.

Wilhelm's hands are on Simon's shoulders. He holds his gaze with a smile. Simon completely forgets how to breathe. All he can think about his Wilhelm being so close to him and his lips being right there because really they're right there-

"Can I kiss you again?" Wilhelm asks. Simon nods.

Wilhelm kisses him for the third time. It's hesitant- like he's testing the waters to see if Simon is willing to swim. Before he can pull away, Simon yanks him back in. His hands thread through Wilhelm's hair as Wilhelm wraps his arms around his waist. They pull each other impossibly close. It's their third-first-kiss and it is perfect.

[fruitcoops]

Guess the Two of Us

Hey folks! I’ve been watching Cut videos recently to get inspiration for more Lions social media fics and have found several wonderful ideas. This is based on the video where someone has to match up couples from a group people they’ve never met--I love O’Knutzy, but seeing as they’re not out yet, I did not include them in this.

Sweater Weather credit goes to @lumosinlove, but Grace is mine! Let me know if you’re still enjoying the social media fics :)

“Do I just talk to the camera?” a young woman in a yellow dress asked. Someone offscreen nodded and she smiled. “Hello, hockey fans! I’m Grace and I’ll be doing a video for the Lion Pride channel today.”

“Grace, do you keep up with the hockey world?” Marlene’s voice was a bit muffled behind the camera.

“Not at all, I’m more into softball, baseball, that kind of thing.”

“Do you live in Gryffindor?”

“Nope! I’m visiting family and I was in the coffee shop across the street when someone offered to have me film a video for the network.”

“We’re going to bring ten people out and you’re going to match the couples. Sound good?”

“Oh, god, this is going to be hard,” Grace laughed. “Sure, I’ll give it a tryrst.”

“Alright, the rest of you can line up behind her. Grace, I’ll tell you when you can turn around and start guessing. You can ask them to hold hands, kiss, dance, whatever will give you a better idea of their relationship.” Ten people walked out from behind the camera into a loose semi-circle. “Ready? Go!”

“Whew, okay, no pressure.” Grace turned to face them. “Okay, first one.” She bit her lip and scanned the group, then pointed to Lily and Natalie hesitantly. “You both look very nice and very intimidating. Could you come here for a second and hold hands?”

“Are you using new moisturizer?” Lily asked as she twined their fingers together; Kasey covered his mouth in the background. “Your hands are so soft.”

Grace looked between them for a moment, narrowing her eyes. “As much as you two would make an absolute power couple, I think you’re just really good friends. Who’s the guy that’s laughing over there?”

“I’m Kasey,” he said around his laughter.

“You’re her boyfriend, aren’t you?” She gestured to Natalie; he didn’t answer the question, but she nodded anyway. “Yeah, I’m calling it.”

“Nat, Kasey, you guys can stand over to the left,” Marlene said.

“I’m feeling a little better now, this is good!” Grace said as she faced the others again, bouncing on her toes a bit. “Tall guy and slightly shorter guy, can you come up?”

“Since when am I ‘slightly shorter guy’?” James grumbled as he walked over with Sirius.

“Since we met! I’ve always been taller than you.”

“The banter is a good sign,” Grace mused. “Hmmm. If you’re comfortable, could you give him a kiss on the cheek?” Sirius leaned down and planted one on James, who grinned. “This is tough. You’re either dating or just, like, peak best friends.”

“You can ask them to say, ‘I love you’,” Marlene suggested out of frame.

Grace turned back to them. “Could you?”

They faced each other and James took Sirius’ hands, looking deep into his eyes. “I love you.”

“Love you, too—” Sirius caught himself at the last second and Grace sighed.

“You were going to finish that with ‘dude’ or something, weren’t you?” she asked; his poker face broke immediately. “Damn it. I thought I had that one.”

“She’s good at this,” Lily commented from the line.

“Can you come to the front for a second? Sirius, you can head back.”

Lily stuck her hands in her pockets as she stood next to James. “I get the slightly shorter guy. Nice.”

Grace paused. “At first I was almost positive you were together, but now I feel like you would step on him. Is that rude?” Everyone else started cheering and she smiled as James flushed. “Sorry, you just have a presence!”

“Thank you!”

“Alright, I can’t decide. You can both go back,” she finally said. Remus gave Lily a nudge as she returned to her place and Grace’s eyebrows rose. “Sweater guy, can you step up to the plate?” Remus obliged and she tilted her head to the side. “So, I was going to say you were Lily’s boyfriend because of the little moment back there, but there is no way you’re heterosexual.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose as the rest of the group burst out laughing. “I mean, you’re right, but holy shit that was fast. Twenty-five years of pretending to be straight, wasted.”

“Hey, same!” They high-fived and she surveyed the other seven people. “Hmmm. Can the guy in the red shirt come over for a minute?” Talker walked over with a wide grin on his face. “Oh, the vibe is definitely there. I feel like he steals your sweaters.” Out of Grace’s sightline, dawning horror overtook Sirius’ face. “Can you hug?”

“Yeah, sure.” Talker held his arms out and Remus settled into them, giving him a tight squeeze around the chest.

“I can see it, I can see it,” Grace said, nodding. “Yeah, I think you two are a couple.”

“Three pairs left,” Marlene said.

“How are all of you so pretty?” Grace sighed as she turned back to the group. “Can the lady in the purple shirt and the one who looks like she could bench-press me come forward? What do you two do for a living?”

“Professional hockey,” Noelle said.

June grinned. “I’m a mechanic.”

“That’s so cool. Hmm. Could you slow dance for a second?” June wrapped her arms around Noelle’s waist, leaving a decent amount of room between them as they swayed. “You’re so cute together, oh my god.”

“Is that a yes?” June asked as they separated.

“Absolutely.” Grace blew out a long breath. Only James, Sirius, Heather, and Lily were left. “This is so difficult. How did it get harder with fewer people? Well, the lovely lady in the jacket has a rainbow pin, so I’m going to say you two are together. I am a hundred percent sure those two guys aren’t dating because of the ‘bro’ thing, but there’s nobody else left.”

“Do you want to do a rematch before your final decision?” Marlene offered.

Grace looked over at the group of already-paired couples on the left. She hesitated, then shook her head. “I know I got at least two wrong, but I don’t want to mess everything else up.”

“In that case, you’re going to face the camera and close your eyes. Everyone, get together with your real partners and put rings on if you have them.”

“Rings?” Her jaw dropped. “Some of them are married?”

“There’s one married couple and two are engaged.”

“If I accidentally ruined someone’s future, please know that I am so sorry.”

“There’s a very low chance of that,” Sirius said as he slid his ring on.

“Okay, Grace, turn around.”

Grace turned and covered her mouth with both hands. “Awww! How many did I get right?”

“One.”

“One?” Kasey and Natalie waved, and she sighed. “Please tell me you’re at least engaged.”

“Nope, sorry.”

“Shit.”

“Let’s start with this end,” Marlene laughed. “Pots, Lils, go ahead.”

“For the record, she could definitely step on me.” James grinned and kissed Lily’s temple. “We’re the married ones.”

“Wait, that’s so cute,” Grace said softly. “I totally see it.”

“So, why didn’t you pair them up?” Marlene asked.

“I don’t know! It seems so obvious now. How long have you been together?”

Lily leaned her head on James’ shoulder. “We met about eight years ago, had a baby last winter, and got married this past summer.”

“Congratulations!” June and Heather walked up next, hand-in-hand. “Well, at least I didn’t put either of you with one of the guys.”

June shrugged. “Noelle’s a cutie. If I wasn’t already engaged to the love of my life, I’d go there.”

“I put you two together because you had the jock-for-jock thing going, but this right here is couple goals.” Grace sniffled slightly. “Is it normal to get emotional about other people’s love?”

“You have three other couples to get through, you can’t cry yet!” Heather teased playfully as they moved to the end of the line.

Natalie winked. “You had us figured out right away.”

“Your boyfriend couldn’t stop laughing!”

Kasey snorted. “Sorry, it’s just that there’s a running joke among our friends that Lily and Nat are the true power couple. Even I didn’t notice the hand lotion, and we live together.”

She gasped as Talker and Noelle took their place. “Wait, what?”

“Surprise, I’m not a lesbian!” Noelle said, doing jazz hands. “Very flattered, though.”

“How do all these make so much sense?” Grace shook her head in disbelief. “At least I wasn’t wrong about the jock-for-jock vibe for one of the couples.”

Marlene stepped slightly into view. “Why didn’t you put Thomas and Noelle with each other?”

Grace shrugged. “They both had such good chemistry with the other people in the group. I’m sure I would’ve paired them up if I had seen them together, though.”

“Alright, final couple.” Talker and Noelle joined the back of the line; Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus’ waist as they stepped forward.

“You were right about the jock thing for two of the couples, actually,” Remus said with a grin. “Very impressive.”

“How did I miss this?” Grace looked at the camera crew, then back at them. “How the hell did I miss this?”

“Don’t worry, we were all oblivious for about three and a half months,” James said ruefully.

“Are you all friends?”

“All the guys play for the Lions, Gryffindor’s hockey team,” Marlene explained.

“The hockey questions make a lot more sense now. Does that mean you two play for the same team?”

“Literally or figuratively?” The corners of Sirius’ mouth twitched up as James rolled his eyes. “Yes, and yes. I’m the team captain.”

“I play wing,” Remus said.

“Did you two meet through hockey?”

Remus made a ‘so-so’ motion. “Sort of. I was the Lions’ physical therapist for two years before I was a player. We started spending more time together after Sirius broke his ankle.”

“Are you the other engaged couple?” Sirius beamed and held up his left hand. “Yeah, I thought so. Congrats, you’re both adorable!”

“Merci.”

“Do you want to sign us off, Grace?” Marlene asked as Sirius and Remus rejoined the rest of the group.

She turned to the camera and waved. “Thanks for watching, everyone!”

[kolsmikaelson]

fwb part three- sidney crosby

word count-2k+ | warnings- none i believe| join my taglist| gif credits to owner. gif is not mine.|pronouns used: they/them| not proofread but enjoy!

“I want you to meet geno.” 

Those were the words that had been ringing through your head for the past few hours since sidney said them to you. A simple six word sentence, yet it held so much meaning behind it, sidney didn't have to tell you that for you to know.Geno is his best friend, everyone knows that. It had been two and a half months since you and Sidney had confessed your feelings for each other. You had grown closer since that night, even going to games of his in his jersey,a gift from him of course. You spent so much time at his home and vice versa, although he had never come over when Jaz was home.

You had agreed to meeting geno after the next game sidney invited you to. Before the game had started you were sitting in the stands fidgeting nervously until Sidney skated your way and pressed his glove to the glass after kissing it. You did the same before he skated away mouthing a quick good luck and making a heart with your hands in his direction.

A few hours later the game ended with another win under the penguins belt. You walk towards where Sidney said the dressing rooms are located waiting patiently. Not even ten minutes later, Sidney walked out with Geno by his side, both with smiles on their faces. Sidney spots you and immediately rushes your way and wraps his arms around your waist pressing a kiss to your forehead. Pulling away he starts to introduce geno to you.

“Geno, this is y/n. Y/n this is geno.” he said with a smile adorning his face. Geno holds his hand out and brings you into a quick hug. “Hi geno. Great job out there tonight.” you congratulate him after seeing him get a goal earlier that night. “Thanks y/n.” he says as the smile on his face widens and a twinkle in his eye. “Ready to go?” he questions. With a confused look you turn towards sidney, “go where? What did you tell me?” you say with a laugh. Sidney shakes his head before explaining that Geno wanted to take you and Sid out for a late dinner, to get to know you better. Nodding, “Yeah lets go.” you murmur happily.

--------

Half an hour later you,sidney, and geno were sitting at a table at sidneys favorite restaurant. All three of you laugh till your cheeks are hurting from smiling and faces are warm from laughing. Geno had been making jokes all night trying to make you feel more comfortable around him, having sensed your anxiousness beforehand. You’d gotten up and headed towards the bathroom after finishing your food for the night.

“I like them. Seems good for you.” geno said when you were out of sight. Sidney could have sworn his heart got bigger at his comment. Happy that his best friend approved of the person he was slowly falling for. He hadn't wanted to fully admit it yet, still hurt from his last relationship, but he knew he was falling. He was falling for y/n l/n hard, and he could only hope you were doing the same. “Thanks geno, really. Means a lot to me.” Sidney stumbles over his words still lost in thought about you, a lovestruck smile on his face. This wasn't what was meant to happen between the two of you he thinks, he is glad it did though. Thinking about it now he doesnt think he could have done just no strings attached. He is sure that he would have fallen for you eventually. Moments later you're back at the table resting a hand on top of sidneys while talking about something new with geno. The feeling of your hand on his breaks Sidney out of his thoughts. It’s only when a waitress comes over and says it’s closing time that the three of you get up to leave.

When you’re all out in the parking lot, you and geno say your goodbyes to each other before you get into the passenger side of sidney's car, letting him and geno have their ‘bro moment’ with each other.

Once Sidney gets settled in the car he faced you and just stared. He didn’t think that tonight could have gone any better than it had. “So..how was it? Did you have a good time? Did you li-” you cut him off with a laugh, “it was fantastic sid, he’s amazing. Thank you for introducing me to him. I know how important he is to you.” “You know, he never liked my ex, at least not half as much as he likes you.” Sidney mumbles, “ i’m glad he likes you more y/n. I know i definitely do.” And with that, Sidney started the drive back to his home where you would be spending the night.

--------

The next morning you woke up before sidney, which almost never happens due to his busy schedule. You decide to take this time and admire him while he sleeps. All the tension left from his face, his chest slowly rising and falling. You know that with his one thousandth game coming up today, he was getting more and more nervous about it, but you believe in him, you know he can do it. You decide you wanna make him a special breakfast for the day so when he wakes up he doesn't have to worry about it.

Once you're in the kitchen, you get all the ingredients to make his favorite pancakes. You immediately start cooking in hopes that Sidney will still be asleep when you’re finished. Unfortunately for you sidney wakes up and finds you in the kitchen half way through you cooking. “What are you up so early for baby?” he mutters, only out of bed because when he reached for you he hadn’t found you. “I wanna stay with you for as long as possible today beforei gotta go to the rink.” he says into your neck, wrapping his arms around you. “Go back to bed. I wanna make this special since it’s your special day.” you shoo him away. Holding his hands up in surrender, “alright, alright, you better be back in bed soon. It’s cold without you.” he pouts. You nod before finishing the cooking and bringing it all to Sidneys room for him.

‘Ta daaa.” you say in a sing-song voice, making Sidney grin. Which only widens when you hand him the plate and what you say to him after. “Hey sid, i know how stressed you’ve been the past few weeks but i know you are gonna be amazing tonight. Win or lose. I’ll be cheering you on and you know I will be. I am so sorry I can't come to the game tonight but thanks for letting me be part of your special day either way handsome.” With tears filling his eyes,he pulls you close to him muttering his thanks over and over. You smile while watching him eat the breakfast you had made him thinking about how excited you were for that night. You told him that you weren't able to come to the game that night because of work, but you had actually contacted geno and had it set up so you could surprise him. “Time for you to get ready for your big day babe.” you say excitedly.

--------

It was finally time. You made sure everything was perfect beforehand. Sidney was watching his tribute video, teary eyed but the biggest smile you’d seen before adorning his face. It was finally the ending of the video which made you sigh in relief. Sidney thought the video had ended but when he hears your voice his head pops up immediately, watching the screen carefully. “Hey sid, i hope you know how proud of you i am. You’ll do fantastic tonight…” after a few more moments of your video you say one last thing,”Hey sid? Turn around for me would you?” confused he whips his head around , he sees you standing there in his jersey, with tear filled eyes you rush towards him and jump into his arms. “What are you doing here y/n? I thought you had to work?” laughing you shake your head, “nope, had to make sure i was here for your big day. Now get out there and kick some ass for me yeah?”

--------

You go towards the dressing room after the game, a big smile on your face, happy that sid was able to win his one thousandth game.

“Hey love.” you heard from behind you pulling you out of your thoughts. Whipping around, you come face to face with a smiley Sidney, as happy as you think you had ever seen him. He picks you up into a hug and spins you around. “Gimme your phone, I wanna take a picture of us to remember this night.” he says as he puts you back down. You pull your phone out of your bag and open the camera for him while he pulls you close and takes picture after picture of you together. He takes one of him kissing your cheek, one of you kissing his cheek, one of you both making funny faces at the camera, and the list goes on, but he calls geno over to take one last photo of the two of you hugging. “I think it’s safe to say we won't be forgetting this night any time soon huh sid?” you tease looking through the photos he took. “Lets head back to my place now yeah?” he asks after saying his goodbyes to geno. You nod grabbing his hand leading him into the parking garage.

Once you and Sidney are finally back at his home,you lead him into the kitchen where you had some of his favorite food prepared for him ahead of time, thanks to jaz who came over during the game to make it, and sat him down to celebrate the night. After you had both finished you led him towards the bedroom to celebrate his win a bit more for the night.

--------

The next morning you wake up with a smile on your face and a soreness between your legs from the night before. Sidney had his arms wrapped around you and they only tightened when you tried to get up. You nudge him softly mumbling his name, “sid, i have to pee let me up” only to hear a groan in response, “Five more minutes baby, please.” laughing you agree, “only five more minutes okay we both have to be up soon anyway.” you feel him hum into your neck in response “whatever you say baby, love being here with you.” your heart flutters at his statement , not quite sure if he really meant it considering he was still half asleep but you told yourself that he did mean it.

Five minutes later, just as promised, Sidney let you up and woke up for the day as well. You come out of the bathroom to the welcoming scent of sidneys cooking, walking through his room you grab a random hoodie of his and throw it over your bare body as you leave the room. You find Sidney at the stove and walk up behind him and wrap your arms around his waist while pressing kisses to his bare back. “Mornin baby.” you mutter into his back. He turns around in your hold and picks you up, wrapping your legs around him, clinging onto his body like a koala was one of your new favorite things. You hadn't done it many times before but each time was just as special as the last. “ that my hoodie babe?” he teases, knowing it is his with his number on the sleeve. “Mhm it’s soft. And it’s mine now.” you joke. With a laugh in his voice sidney agrees, “yeah okay baby okay.” with a shake of his head he sets you back on the ground and turns around to finish his cooking. “Hey sid,” you call out with a smirk, “yeah babe?” he questioned, “nice ass.”

taglist- @samsteel @joshsandersons @stars-canucks @2manytabsopen @only-goalies-allowed @passthehockeyplease @sidscrosbyy

[writing-reaper]

(tw: su!c!de) hello! I’m very sorry if this makes you uncomfortable and if it does please ignore my request, but i was hoping you could write for any/all slender bros finding out their s/o attempted by them celebrating a couple years clean? 💕 :)

ABSOLUTELY! This is my first request so I hope you enjoy! And a note to everyone, I’m sort of trigger numb because I’ve either read these things or have experienced them. ANYWAY! Enjoy!

(TRIGGER WARNING: mentions of Su!c!ide and drug use)

For this I’m going to say they’ve been dating for a little over a year

Slenderman

Two years clean is a huge accomplishment for s/o. After almost having a fatal overdose, everything almost seemed to fall into place.

You met the one and only Slenderman on a midnight stroll through the woods, blindly reading. It was only a week after you had been admitted from the hospital, but just a month later you were dating.

Slender finds you dressed up, putting on chapstick (or lipstick) in your bathroom.

He asks what you’re doing, clearly confused (he had a gift in his hands cause he wanted to surprise you.)

You then have the uncomfortable conversation about you and you’re best friends attempted suicide and how you were going out to dinner with her to celebrate 2 years clean.

Slender had this distraught aura around him when his s/o explained why her/him and her/his friend were trying to overdose.

S/o was very surprised to see him look so upset.

You were quick to assure him that you never were going to overdose again.

When Slender asked if you still had those feelings- the desire to die, you hesitate.

“I’d be lying if I said I haven’t. But I can say they’ve been coming less than they used to.”

Cue a long rant about you not telling him and him begging you to talk to him when you’re upset or having those thoughts.

The rant ends with him asking to go with you, this was a celebration after all.

Slender prioritizes the people that make him happy, and you are number one.

And that gift turned into two the next day.

Trenderman

S/o tried to jump off a building 2 years ago, but was stopped by officials and admitted to the hospital for help.

S/o had worked for Trender long before her/his suicide attempt— when she/he first turned 18.

It came as a huge shock to Trender when he found out.

They were out with some models and Trender (he was there because he appreciates his employees, and his 1 year strong s/o was there) when one stood up and made a toast to his s/o.

“To s/o, who sits with us today, two years clean and making the most of her/his life.”

Cue Trender’s shock.

It wasn’t till after the dinner Trender had demanded an explanation. 7 years of knowing each other and the way he heard of it was through someone else.

Though Trender was grateful to now know.

You left him in the dark until you arrived back to his studio apartment, just trying to find out how to explain it.

When you found the words, you gave him a long explanation that ended up making you cry. You thought you could handle explaining it, but when you saw he was upset, you started feeling selfish.

When Trender’s s/o started crying he was quick to calm you down, telling you that he wasn’t mad and had no reason to be mad. He just wished that you had told him and that he hadn’t heard it second hand.

Trender held off on working that night to take care of you and explain that he would always be there for you.

Splendorman

Splendor was an online dating app gone right.

In the beginning, the relationship was just to start out simple, in fact s/o originally got into the relationship just to be in one after the suicide attempt.

Unfortunately, that’s when things got serious and s/o felt guilty.

It was only two months later when her college professor messaged her/him to congratulate her on 2 years sober.

That’s right, alcohol and drugs was her/his trial.

Unfortunately, s/o left her laptop open when she heard the oven go off (she and Splendor were making cookies) and he saw the email.

Though Splendor didn’t want to invade his s/o’s privacy, he caught the key words: bars, drugs, medication, alcohol, and dead.

He was shy about asking his s/o about it, worried she’d/he’d be upset that he invaded their privacy, but when he saw s/o flinch, he knew it was related to him/her.

You gave him a weak smile and before you realized it, you were crying. There were sloppy apologies, mentions of guilt, and a bunch of whimpers and sobs.

Splendor was confused— well, more shocked. You had always seemed so cheery and down to earth- the playful type who liked making stupid faces and calling themselves ugly when they made those faces in a picture (of course Splendor didn’t like that, but he always found himself laughing anyway, because you were adorable to him).

“Please s/o, calm down and then we’ll try to explain this a little better.”

It was a silent ten minutes of eating cookies and watching AFV before s/o abruptly turned off the tv to explain.

It was still a little messy, sprinkled with sniffles and whimpers. After was a bunch of apologies and quick explanation of how you loved him so much and didn’t mean to use him.

Splendor calmed you down once more and gave you a long, silent hug. He knew that sometimes all you needed was a warm embrace.

It was a long night of cuddling and Splendor “forgiving you” (he felt he didn’t need to, he only said it to calm you down. He understood that that’s why most people went into relationships and he was more than guilty himself.)

After a session at the college campus, you two spent the rest of the day together, baking and visiting the pasta and his brothers.

Offenderman

In this case, s/o had actually searched out the man who takes and kills women and men alike. Discovering their relationship was an accident.

2 years later without the desire to die, s/o sat down with Offender to tell him about his/her attempt to be murdered.

Offender was surprised to say the least, he thought she had just been looking for a hookup, but Offender also wasn’t unfamiliar with the craving of death. (In my vision of their world, Offender is, like in a few peoples worlds, a heartbroken psychopath.)

Offender didn’t make a huge deal out of it. In fact, he said told you that he was proud of you and happy that even after you came to him for him to kill you, you stayed with him (especially now that you don’t want to die.).

Despite not being upset about not knowing, he did want to know why.

It took a minute to explain why you came to him seeking death, but Offender nodded along and gave you a hug.

After your explanation, he asked if you still felt that way sometimes.

When he received a nod he let you know that he was there for you.

“I’m not great with emotions, but if you ever need me, I’m here for you.”

Your day went as usual, except that you took you out for dinner.

You knew he didn’t have to do anything special for you though, him just being there with you was more than enough.

(Sorry if that doesn’t count as attempted suicide, but he is a serial rapist so I figured it’d at least make sense.)

ANYWAY! I hope you enjoyed and to anyone reading: feel free to send me a request! This was fun to write and I’d like to write more!

[over-under-through1]

Brick and Buttercups friendship headcannons

judgemental homiez

like they’ll be staring from 4 yards away at Boomer and Bubbles unsuccessfully flirting and just look at each other like “... dude.”

except Brick has no room to judge cause he’s a TRAIN WRECK while flirting with Blossom

so Buttercup is kinda forced into helping him with that one cause “jesus christ I cant watch this anymore you’re embarrassing yourself man”

Buttercup is his number 1 wingman

when they work together they can get literally anything done

like, if the teacher pairs them up on a group project? it’ll get done in 2 days, there’s a light show, speakers are set up, they bring in horses, it’s just nuts

Brick finds out that Butch has a thing for BC and does some lowkey work to get them together that no one knows about

he finds out BC likes guys in flannels? he starts sneaking flannels into Butches closet

oh, did I mention that he only trusts Buttercup to drive his car? because yeah, that’s a thing

also if he’s driving everyone (and Blossom isn’t there cause duh) BC gets first dibs on the front seat (much to his brother’s discontentment)

BC lowkey blackmails Brick into making her food cause his cooking is the best

they started making fun of Mike and Mitch doing the “bro hug” by mimicking them but then they got into the habit of doing it so now that’s a thing

so you’ll just see Brick congratulating BC on something by doing the 🤝 pat on the back thing

okay at Brick and Blossom’s wedding the red’s had a squabble over who gets to have BC has their brides maid/grooms man (maid?)

Blossom won because sister rights but Brick was very petty over it

he did however have BC at his bachelor party (he and Blossom had their parties on different days so this would work)

also if you were wondering: yes, Brick was at BC’s bachelorette party

BC is the cool aunt and Brick throws a hissy fit over it. BC finds this hilarious

Brick and Buttercup both mutually agreed that all big time family dinners (i.e. Christmas, any of their birthdays, new years, etc.) cooking is up to them. the only other person who is even REMOTELY aloud in that kitchen is Bubbles but Butch, Boomer, and Blossom’s are banned on all accounts

Brick and BC have been forbidden from being on a team during full family game nights (these nights include the greens, red, blues, miblo,robike, the prof, the mayor, Ms.Bellum, and Ms.Keane so you know that there’s a lot of competitive vibes in that room) cause they either get WAY too competitive together and end up flipping the board if they loose or they win within the first 10 minutes of playing

also This Art by Red Can Draw basically sums up how I see their entire friendship

Blossom may steal his hat and wear it to show love, but Buttercup does it purely to annoy him. it makes her laugh to see flames coming out of his nostrils

Brick once asked Buttercup to braid his hair and it DID NOT GO WELL

NEVER. AGAIN.

there’s a reason why she keeps hers so short, she’s just not good at hair man

she’s what influenced Brick into getting his ears pierced

he cried like a bitch and she had to begrudgingly comfort him with a “😑😬” face the entire time

they tag team to calm down their counterparts because hey, yes, normally Brick and BC are the more volatile teammates, but when their counterparts get pissed it takes the works of both of them combined to get them to see clearly again

Brick found out about the shit Buttercup went through with Ace in the past (not gonna get into that right now) and he literally shook Butch and Boomer awake at 4am so they could go “teach that slimy little bastard a lesson he’ll never forget” (Butch didn’t know why they were doing this because BC threatened to demember Brick if he ever told him, but hey, any excuse to beat up the green turd he’ll accept)

I’ve mentioned this so many times before but the amount of ARSON JOKES Buttercup makes about Brick

it’s non stop and he hates it

“I WAS 13 YEARS OLD, UTONIUM!! LET IT GO!!”

I also said before that she sends him a fire meme a day and I’m sticking with that

90% of the time they call each other by their last names, otherwise it’s “BC” and “Cap Boy” and “your redness”

[buckybeardreams]

Unwanted

Chapters: 10/11

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Characters: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Brock Rumlow, James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Harley Keener

Additional Tags: Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alpha Steve Rogers, Omega Tony Stark, Service Top, Dominant Bottom, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Virgin Steve Rogers, Brock Rumlow is a Good Bro, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Romantic Soulmates, First Meetings, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sappy, Romantic Fluff, Awkwardness, Drinking to Cope, Self-Worth Issues, Insecure Tony Stark, Insecure Steve Rogers, Age Difference, Harley Keener is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Bonding, Claiming Bites, Claiming, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Non-Explicit Sex, Light Dom/sub, Mutual Masturbation, Coming Untouched, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Wordcount: 10.000-30.000, Knotting

Series: Part 1 of Second Chances

Summary:

Steve is a soft Alpha and Tony is an in charge kind of Omega with no desire to find a mate. He doesn't want to find his soulmate and when he does meet Steve he's determined to stay away from him. 

That is until he realizes just how right they are for each other.

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9 Ch 10 Ch 11

Can also be read here

Words: 1,583

Tony went to Brock's to tell him about winning the case against Obie and Pierce, and ended up making another less expected announcement. One that Brock followed up with good news of his own.

"Wait? You're pregnant?"

"Yeah, but don't tell anyone. We're not telling people yet," Brock told him.

"I'm sorry, what? If I hadn't just told you I was pregnant, would you not have told me?"

"Probably not."

"What the fuck, Brock? I'm your best friend!"

"Yeah, but you know I was an only child, Tony. Not from a lack of trying on my parents' part either. They went through three miscarriages before they finally used in vitro to have me. If this baby doesn't make it, I don't want to deal with a whole bunch of people pitying me while I'm grieving."

Tony reached over and pulled him in for a hug.

"Okay, I get it now, but can I at least tell Steve?"

"Honestly, it's inevitable. I went to the hair salon yesterday and my hairdresser told me that Jessica, some girl that lives in her apartment that I don't even know, was having an affair with her current lover's ex-lover, not to mention she's married with three kids. I spilled my guts the moment Sam got home. Keeping things from mates is practically impossible."

Tony bit his lip.

"I haven't told Steve."

"Of course you didn't. You just found out, Tony. You literally haven't even left the room and your phone is sitting on the coffee table. How would you have told him?"

Tony shook his head.

"No, not that. I mean that I'm pregnant."

Brock blinked at him for a minute before narrowing his eyes.

"Why?" He asked suspiciously.

Tony fidgeted nervously.

"I don't know how he's gonna take it," Tony admitted.

Brock rolled his eyes.

"Good God, you're pathetic," Brock groaned in exasperation. "Seriously? That boy lives to please you. He's gonna be thrilled that you're gonna need massages and foot rubs for the next nine months. Not to mention, now he's gonna have two people to order him around. He's gonna be so excited to spoil your little mini-me, Tony."

Tony glared at him halfheartedly.

"Yeah, I know, but I'm still anxious about it and I'm not entirely sure why. I know it's ridiculous and I know Steve's gonna be thrilled."

Brock eyed him for a moment.

"Yes, we've established that," Brock said, watching Tony carefully. "What about you? Are you excited about it?"

Tony bit his lip and looked over at Brock guiltily.

"I don't know. I know that I should be. I know that babies are like miracles and all that, but I never thought I'd have one. I never thought I'd have an Alpha and now I do, and now this. It's just a lot and I'm not sure if I'm ready. I'm not sure if I want a child."

Brock nodded.

"If you need someone to go with you to take care of it, Tony-"

"No, no, I'm gonna keep it. I already considered that, but I think I'll regret it if I do."

Brock frowned.

"There's nothing wrong-"

"No, I know, Brock. It's not that. It's just- I think I'm scared, because this wasn't part of the plan. Steve wasn't part of the plan and the plan has completely changed. It's a lot, but I was scared about Steve, too, and he's the best thing that's ever happened to me. Maybe this baby will be like that too."

Brock nodded.

"Okay, if it's really what you want then I'll support it and be happy for you. I'll support you no matter what choice you make, you know that right?"

"I do and I love you for that."

Brock rolled his eyes, but he smiled softly and pulled Tony in for a hug.

"Now let's talk nurseries," Brock said when he pulled back.

Tony grinned at him.

*****

"We're buying the bar," Tony said to the group. 

He had invited everyone over to Steve's place, since his place was bigger and neater and just overall better for hosting people. He chose to do this on a Sunday night, the only night that the bar wasn't open, so everyone could be there. Everyone was so excited about having won the case, but also scared about what that would mean for them. They had all figured when they first decided to take their boss to court that they would be left jobless regardless of the outcome. 

Clint raised his hand like he was still in elementary school and Tony rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Clint? Do you have something to say to the class?" Tony said sarcastically.

"Um... you're doing what?"

Tony sighed.

"We-" He said, gesturing between him and Steve, "Are buying the bar. This way we can all keep our jobs, have decent fucking pay checks, get the benefits we deserve, and just overall have a positive work environment. Sound good?"

There were murmurs and nods of agreement. Bucky stood up and grabbed the bottle of wine on the counter.

"Okay, well, I think we should all drink to that and to our new bosses."

"Yeah, um, we should clarify, that while I'm technically gonna be on the lease, it's really only because it looks good to have an Alpha on it," Steve said. "I'm an artist. Um, leadership? Yeah, that's not really my thing. Tony, though, he's gonna make a damn fine boss. So yeah, he's gonna run the place and work with you guys. I'm just gonna do the paperwork and manage schedules. That kind of behind the scenes stuff."

Tony giggled and kissed his cheek.

"Steve's gonna be a great co-owner and let me do whatever I want with the place, so I suggest you kiss up to me, if there's anything specific you want out of the renovations," Tony teased. "Steve will also be very busy raising our child and being a work-from-home dad while he paints and helps manage the bar.

Tony rested his hand on his flat belly and all the eyes in the room went wide and congratulations and cheers went off after a moment of shock. Steve was the most shocked though and it took him the longest to say something.

"Wait? Are you serious? Tony, if you're joking then tell me now before I get my hopes up."

"Nope, not joking," Tony told him with a grin, but a part of him was nervous that Steve would be unhappy about it.

"Oh my God. Oh my God! We're having a baby!" Steve practically shouted to the room in his excitement and scooped Tony up into his arms.

Tony laughed and wrapped his limbs around him, leaning down to kiss him.

"I can't believe it. This is amazing, baby! I'm gonna set up a nursery-"

"No, I'm setting up the nursery and Brock's gonna help me since he's also pregnant and we're gonna have matching nurseries."

"Right, right, then I'm gonna paint a mural on the walls."

"That's acceptable."

"Yeah and- Wait? Did you say Brock's pregnant?"

"Yeah, but you didn't hear it from me. They're not telling people yet," Tony told him with a wink.

Steve furrowed his brows.

"Who else would I have heard it from if they're not telling people?"

"I don't know. Sam?"

"But Sam would know that he didn't tell me," Steve pointed out.

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Not my problem."

Steve set Tony down when Bucky cleared his throat.

"Hate to ruin the moment, but I've got wine," Bucky said handing a glass to Steve before reaching for a glass on the counter, "and for you--"

"Oh, no, I can't--"

"It's grape juice, Tony," Bucky cut him off. "I wouldn't do anything to risk your baby."

Tony nodded his thanks and smiled at Bucky.

"Congratulations, by the way. On the mating and the pup."

The words seemed sincere enough, but Bucky's smile seemed off. Tony brushed it off though, letting everyone else come up and hug him and make him promise to invite them to the baby shower. It was a good day, everyone in high spirits, excited about the new baby and getting to keep their jobs. 

*****

That night at home Steve sat on the couch with Tony's feet in his lap, rubbing them.

"I'll do this for you everyday until the baby's born," Steve promised.

Tony smirked.

"Only until the baby's born," Tony teased, wiggling his toes.

Steve laughed.

"No, I'll do it every day until we die, because I love you more than anything in the world and I'd do anything for you, Tony, my beautiful Omega.”

Tony rolled his eyes, but smiled.

"Yeah, well, don't let the baby hear you say that. I'm pretty sure your world is going to expand the moment I pop this thing out."

"Yeah," Steve said dreamily. "I can't believe we're gonna be parents."

"Yeah, this kid's so fucked," Tony teased.

Steve grinned at him.

"We're gonna have the most spoiled, loved, and happiest baby ever. He's never gonna want for anything."

"He? What makes you think we're having a boy?"

"Or she," Steve amended. "I don't care either way. I just hope the baby's just like you."

"Well, jokes on you. This baby's gonna have blond hair and blue eyes."

Steve rolled his eyes.

"I didn't say the baby was gonna look like you, just be like you. You know, brilliant and stubborn."

Tony giggled and shook his head.

“Just focus on rubbing my feet, Alpha.”

“Yes, sir,” Steve teased.

[haliyam]

No matter what

eren x historia; yeager bro moments (or zeke wishes lol)

Summary: The time has come for Marley to choose its new Warriors, and Eren has a decision to make. (Also, "some things never change.") Warriors AU for erehisu day.

AO3 link if you prefer to read there

--

Happy erehisu day! I saw this amazing erehisu art by beforelightsout on twitter where Eren and Historia are Warrior candidates + Eren became a shifter. Since it's erehisu day and everyone has come out with such wonderful stuff, I wanted to contribute somehow and write something for that AU. I've been dying of work and a covid scare so I was running on the fumes of my love for this ship and everyone else's stuff and also VIBES while writing this in the last hour, so, it's barely edited, if it even makes sense. Sorry in advance. I hope you enjoy though! 

Also, for this AU (or really for the fic to work lol), my headcanon is that the war keeping the previous Warriors dragged on, so Reiner's generation don't get selected until they're this age (Historia and Eren are 17). As for Zeke... idk. Maybe Mr. Ksaver had more time too. Anyway who cares about Zeke here!!! (me I still do)

No matter what

“You know this counts as cheating.”

Eren shoots Zeke a look. They’re standing at the courtyard in HQ, watching the younger candidates wheeze through their training while Magath and his assistant instructors bark orders in the background. Days before selection, and with Zeke already holding the Beast Titan and Colt preparing to inherit, their generation doesn’t need to be put through their paces as often anymore—or maybe Commander Bruning is just letting them off the hook for the week.

They both doubt that. 

Up ahead, Falco trips over an unseen pebble, and Zeke sighs. 

“You don’t have to do this, you know?” he says, out of misplaced brotherly affection. Eren appreciates it, but that’s not what he needs right now. “You already have the armband.”

“This isn’t about me.”

“I know,” Zeke raises his hands in surrender, but the playful gesture doesn’t take away the scrutiny in his gaze. For all his levity, he doesn’t once glance away. Eren knows he’s seeing their father in him, trying to decide whether that’s a positive or a negative. 

“So?”

Zeke scratches the back of his ear. “You already know you’re in the running for the Attack Titan and the Armored Titan. Porco and Reiner are on your heels for the Armor. As for the Attack Titan…”

Zeke tilts his head in a shrug. Eren exhales, and then nods. “Thanks.”

His brother peers at him, a small smile curling at the corners of his mouth. “Thanks what?”

Eren is grateful, reassured, but not that grateful. “What am I, ten? I’m not calling you big bro.”

Zeke lets out a long-suffering sigh this time, the kind he uses to guilt trip the others into helping him with paperwork at his age. “You used to be such a cute kid.” He’s quick enough to reach over and ruffle Eren’s hair, and then withdraw before he can smack his hand away. “Now you’re all grown up.”

Eren rolls his eyes, but claps a hand to his brother’s arm in earnest. “Thanks, Zeke.”

The man gives him a thumbs up, and Eren belatedly catches a sliver of gold pass one of the windows behind the courtyard ahead of the other girls. His feet take him forward before he can bid his brother goodbye.

“Go on,” Zeke says, right as Eren catches himself almost sheepishly. He goes to her without another thought.

--

There’s no big to-do when it comes to the selection process. Apart from their generation of candidates, there’s only Zeke, standing to the side with the other instructors who assist the captain, while Magath and Commander Bruning themselves stand together, as imposing as the day they first met.

Maybe a little less now that they’ve earned their stripes, training for a decade with the extension of the war in the South, but Eren can feel the pressure of this moment bearing down on him. 

The others have been chosen. They stand at the other side of the room, putting on their most dignified expressions and trying to contain their shock at their commander’s question. 

“There remain two Titans, Eren Yeager,” said Commander Bruning seconds, maybe a minute ago. Eren’s mind is still reeling. “Which of them, in your estimation, best suits you?”

“Me, sir?” he had asked dumbly in response. Bruning had only nodded.

It isn’t supposed to happen like this. From the group ready to receive their red armbands, he feels Marcel’s eyes burning into his side. Marcel, who was pulled aside by Magath and Bruning earlier today. Eren expected the same treatment—not this. Is this a test? 

Porco and Reiner stand to his left, behind him because he’s stepped forward, and he feels hazel daggers ready to strike at his back. He doesn’t care about them right now. It’s the blue to his right that envelops his all. The air is replete with Historia’s expectation, drowning out all the others in the room. He feels weightless in it, a drop in the ocean that is her existence to him. 

Eren knows he could be more. If he gives the right answer, she might just see him as more.

But Historia isn’t the ocean to these people. She’s a tool, or she could be, and he cannot let that happen. Eren remembers the ground under his feet and peers into the commander’s eyes.

“If I may, sir, I believe Braun has always had the most endurance among the candidates,” he says clearly, just like he’s rehearsed with Marcel. He tries not to imagine the way Historia’s stomach drops. “Nowadays he takes Leonhart’s hits like they’re almost nothing. And for myself—I’ve come to specialize in close quarters combat. The Attack Titan would suit me best.”

Reiner sighs in relief not far from him. Porco and Historia are utterly silent. He can’t even hear them breathing.

Bruning and Magath seem not to notice. They only exchange glances, and if they think anything of Eren answering more than what was asked of him, they say nothing. 

After a few nods, Bruning turns toward them with pride. “It’s as we thought. I see no reason why we should delay for pointless suspense or further deliberation.” With a small motion of the commander’s hand, Reiner steps forward. “Congratulations, Yeager. Braun. You have earned the honor of becoming the new sword and shield of our great motherland Marley.”

--

The room erupts with excitement as soon as the Marleyans are surely gone from the hallway. Eren is already headed for the door when Porco tries to grab him by the shoulder.

“Eren, what the hell? You know this asshole isn’t better than me!”

Reiner sneers at him from behind before Eren can even shrug him off. “Apparently the brass knew different, Pock. Don’t take it out on Eren—he only affirmed what they were already thinking.”

Porco growls, turning on Reiner instead, which means it’s going to be one of those afternoons. Eren is happy to turn back for the door—he feels bright blue trained on him now, and it’s all he can do not to scamper for the exit.

Clutching the cigarette pack in his uniform pocket, he manages to get as far as two floors down before Historia catches up. She’s been calling out to him since she gave chase.

“Hey!” she yells. He was stupid to head for their usual spot. There’s a corridor in this building that’s gone unused for a while that they found, once, when it was their turn for cleaning duty. It’s been theirs since then, and one of the windows has the best view of the city right outside the internment zone’s walls—and the zone entrance itself. So they don’t forget what they’re supposed to do. 

“Eren!”

She’s starting to lose her breath, unable to match his longer strides. His footsteps start to slow, right as they reach that window. He turns around when hers stop too.

Hands still in his pockets, he stares down at her. “What is it?”

Historia glares at him, dignified even as she tries to catch her breath. “What the hell are you doing?”

Eren fishes out the cigarette pack from his pocket and shows her. It’s really Zeke’s, but he figured he’d need it after today. He isn’t wrong. 

She scoffs. “Since when do you smoke?”

“I’m going to be a shifter,” he shrugs. “It doesn’t matter much now, right?”

Historia shakes her head, smart enough to ignore the diversion. “Eren, what the hell was that? I thought… I thought we understood each other.” Always to the point. “I thought you and I would become Warriors together. Change things from the inside and convince the others to do the same.”

The truth of her confusion, her frustration and growing anger pulls at him. She’s everything she didn’t used to be, back when she was still playing the perfect little Warrior who unnerved him so much. It’s exactly why he needs to keep a straight face. 

“Ah… yeah. Sorry about that,” he murmurs, his tone completely level, fingers pinching at the cigarette pack in his fist. “I just gave it some thought, and… I think Reiner would be better as the Armor, not me. So—that left me as the Attack Titan.”

The pain in her eyes is almost too much for him. If only they were cold, just like she’d been the moment he saw her true self for the first time. That way he could crystallize himself in them and shatter instead of having to face her like this. But she hasn’t been cold for a long while, and the warmth in her gaze even after his betrayal does him in. 

“You’re lying,” she realizes the moment his gaze flickers away from hers. Eren curses himself for it. “You once said you could always tell when I was being fake. You think, after everything we’ve been through, that I wouldn’t know it with you either?”

Eren bites his tongue and forces himself to meet those eyes again. He reminds himself why he did it. It’s all that keeps his hands steady as he carelessly flicks the cigarette pack open and reaches for a stick. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Historia swipes her hand at his, knocking the pack from his grasp. It hits the ground with a pathetic smack. “Don’t lie to me, Eren!” she says, pleads even when she’s angry, because they’re friends, aren’t they? If only that were all she is. “You know I deserve more than that. Why are you doing this!? We were going to become Warriors together. We were supposed to have thirteen years together!”

She’s free to vent her frustrations in the hallway like they always have with each other, voice shaky and shakier still as the grief escapes her. By the time she mentions that number, Historia is on the verge of tears, but she blinks them away with the fury that remains. How unlike him, who wants to fold more than anything, feeling like the slightest breeze, the slightest word from her can knock him over. He can only stare at the ground as he swallows down the emotion rising in his throat, and that’s when he realizes it. She’s right, like she always is. He can’t stand lying to her. 

The prospect of having to utter his next words terrifies him more than the idea of paradise. But he manages it, because she deserves to know the truth.

“You know why,” he says, trembling only at the last word. Shamefully, face red with self-disgust, he lifts his eyes to hers, fearing the worst. 

She catches his meaning. Of course she does—she knows him best. He expects her to leap at him, punch him, anything that will make the guilt of his selfishness ebb even just a little, but she only stands there. Shocked, and then her cheeks flush in only the most beautiful way. He already knows he’ll never forget how the light from the windows illuminates her face like this.

But then her brows furrow, shoulders raising angrily, and she stomps her foot on the ground. “Am I supposed to be grateful for that?” she snaps. “Should I say thank you for making this decision without me? What about what I wanted?”

“No!” Eren stammers, hands up in submission as if that will placate her. “Of course not! I didn’t do this for your gratitude!” 

“Then why did you do it?” Her voice is still raised, but her tone is resigned. Historia knows that even if she gets the answer, Marley’s decision is set in stone.

That’s the thought Eren takes comfort in. The tears that dampen his eyes are tears of relief, no matter his shame, no matter his remorse. And here he thought he’d grown out of this when he turned sixteen. 

Pressing his lips into his teeth in an attempt to maintain his composure, Eren lets his gaze drop again. “I want you to live,” he admits, so quietly she almost misses it. “I want you to grow up and have a family like you wished you could, if you weren’t pushed into this when we were children. Get married, have children you’re free to love the way…”

He trails off. The last thing he wants to do is mention her mother. He knows she understands when she doesn’t press him to finish.

“I want you to grow old,” he continues. “Live past thirty. Get to fifty, seventy… Then you can be as grumpy as you want to be without anyone saying it doesn’t suit you. I want you to be happy.”

A slight hiccup leaves his throat, one Historia misses only because she does the same. Eren swallows it down, but his nose is already stuffy. When he looks at her again, he’s the most serious he has ever been, and it’s no performance. He reaches for her hands. 

“I’m not prepared to sacrifice your life for our cause,” he confesses. Eren imagines he could bear never to look out that window and see the walls torn down, the way they’ve dreamt together for the past few years, if it means she will live to see it herself long after he’s gone. He’s not articulate enough to say it, his ears and his throat so full with everything he wants to tell her in this moment that he’s speechless. How can he be otherwise, when she’s looking at him like that? All he can blurt out is, “I’m sorry.”

A silence brews between them. Eren wonders if it’s time to step away, to leave her to her thoughts. Maybe he can still beg for forgiveness later.

He loosens his grip on her hands, meaning to wipe his eyes, and that’s when she seizes his. “You stupid crybaby,” she murmurs quietly, fondly, “do you really think I’d be happy knowing you sacrificed yourself for me? Why do you think I promised you that we’d complete our mission within the next thirteen years?”

Eren can only look dumbfounded. 

“I wanted to spend them with you, you idiot,” she gives him, even as her voice quivers with the same desperate longing he’s felt ache in his chest for as long as he can remember now. “I would have been happier spending thirteen years with you, fighting together, than sitting out the fight and living the rest of my life without you. Isn’t that what we agreed on? To work toward what we promised? Together? What did you think I meant by that?”

Eren opens his mouth, body drained of the cool facade he’s found solace in the last few weeks since he came to terms with his greed.

“Historia,” he breathes. Remembers to. “You—?”

She’s had enough of him, he can tell by the look on her face—but he’s wrong again, because Historia grabs him by the collar and pulls him down to her, meeting his mouth with hers in a bid to help him see the truth. His fingers find her face on instinct, lips parting as they kiss so he can partake of her further. 

A moment, a hum from her and something stirring deep inside him, and Historia pulls away as if in punishment. She’s flush again, glaring until those blue eyes soften at his stupid expression. 

“Get it yet?” she asks.

His thumbs slide across her cheek, a small grin pulling at his mouth. She really is the ocean, Eren thinks, and dives in again, drinking of those soft lips, drowning in the scent of her hair, the feeling of her hands sliding down his chest. She’s everything.

What feels like both a moment and an eon passes as they stand there, him bent down as he kisses her, her tiptoed to grant it to him, until they eventually part. Only a little, because they can’t bear the distance just yet. Just so their foreheads are pressed together.

“I’m sorry,” Eren murmurs, before he’s lost in her again. “I didn’t know.”

Historia’s lashes flutter as she blinks away her own tears. This doesn’t change the consequences of the decision he’s made on his own, but she knows she can’t give him up, either. When she opens her eyes, she’s more resolute than he’s ever felt in his life. “There has to be a way,” she tells him. “Go to Paradis. Retake the Founding Titan… and come back. Then we’ll do as we promised.”

“Change the curse,” he replies, like they’ve planned, looking out at the stars from his roof in the zone. “Free our people.”

Historia nods. “No matter what.”

“No matter what,” he agrees. 

She smiles, and he can’t help that the way her lips purse when she tries to stifle it moves him. Eren draws closer—

“There you are!”

—and nearly stumbles as he and Historia untangle their limbs from one another, practically standing at attention when they hear his brother’s voice and Marcel’s surprised ah.

Unfortunately, not even the most perfect posture can erase the affection still blooming in their cheeks, or the slight swell of their lips resulting from that affection. Or the smiles they just can’t help for one another.

Zeke squints. Also unfortunately, nothing gets past this asshole. “Oh, so it finally happened?”

Marcel glances between the two of them, coming closer. “Seriously?”

Zeke snorts, palm open to the new Jaw. “Pay up, Galliard.”

Marcel scoffs. “Come on. Is it really fair if you had inside information?”

“Are you kidding? My baby brother tells me squat.”

“Oh. Yeah, I mean I guess I understand that…”

Historia lets out a very audible sigh. “Can we help you?”

Marcel meets Eren’s gaze, gratitude and apology in his smile, while Zeke tries on his new Warchief role for size. He clears his throat.

“Now that Porco and Reiner have settled down, Bruning and Magath want to see us again. Discuss our steps going forward, run tests on the new Warriors… The works. Time to go.”

Marcel sighs. “Talk about eager.”

“All right,” Eren says, finally, because he prefers serious Zeke to his annoying brother right now. He feels vulnerable enough, and he doesn’t care to be that way in front of these two. Or anyone else but her, really. “Lead the way.”

Zeke and Marcel turn to leave, starting to argue the terms of their wager as they disappear around the corner.

Historia and Eren look to each other. A shy smile finds its way to his face as he offers her his hand. 

“By the way, Eren,” Zeke pokes his head into the corridor again, finger waving at the mess of sticks on the floor, “you owe me a new pack of cigarettes. And clean that up.”

Eren groans. “Shut up!”

“But that was my favorite brand! The things I do for love,” his brother whines, to Marcel’s quiet chuckling, and finally they leave for good. 

“Sorry about that,” Eren mutters. Not that Historia hasn’t seen him like this before.

She only laughs as she accepts his hand. When she shakes her head, smiling as she pulls him forward, he feels like they might actually do it. That they might be able to find a way past those thirteen years.

And even if they don’t, he can’t feel regret. As long as they’ve managed to accomplish their mission… No, as long as he can ensure that Historia lives on, he’ll pay any price.

No matter what.

//

I'll take any opportunity to give Marcel more screentime. Well, I actually debated with myself whether it would be Marcel or Bertholdt in the last scene, but Marcel made more sense so that Zeke could whine about being an older brother to someone who could relate. (And yes, Marcel and Eren made a deal to have Reiner become the Armor. I’M SORRY REINER)

Writing Eren's parts made me realize how much I'm in love with Historia??? Like I've always loved her but I guess I realized I'm IN love with her XD Also my hc is Eren here likes to think he's the strong one protecting them both or he at least likes to project that image to the others, but really he takes his cues from Historia who is much stronger emotionally and mentally imo. Idk, I just think she's the boss in this relationship (though of course they are able to be vulnerable with one another which is the biggest thing for me).

Anyway. Thank you for reading! Happy erehisu day!

P.S. I forgot to mention that 'Commander Bruning' in my hc is the guy who tells Magath that it's a good idea to use child soldiers as their Warriors. I imagine he was in charge of a certain number of Eldian soldiers, including the Warrior program, while Magath was the 'captain' who directly managed the kids until his and Bruning's eventual promotions when they were able to conquer nations with such success.

[kim-ruzek]

To build a life, let us share our past

Summary: Adam takes Kevin with him to pick out an engagement ring, wendy and Nicole comes up and Kevin tells Adam he needs to tell Kim about her.

Fix-it, technically.

Word Count: 3.5k

Read on AO3

Notes: So many little things would be better solved is Burzek just communicated, so I'm writing fix it fics for them all! I hope y'all enjoy!

“You’re going to ask Kim to marry you?” Kevin stares at Adam, with shock and disbelief. Adam likes to think he can read his best friend’s face expertly—maybe not as well as Kim, who has known Kev for longer, but well enough—and if Adam knows Kev, then he knows there is also amazement and love in his expression as well.

Adam hopes there is, at least. He hasn’t been with Kim long, just a year, as of last week. This is fast, Adam knows that. But it’s real, and he knows more than he’s ever known anything else that Kim is his future, his ‘One’. And Kevin’s their mutual best friend, his approval means more than anyone else’s to Adam and Kim, and Adam knows an engagement wouldn’t feel right to either of them if Kevin had problems with it.

“I love her, man. She’s it.” Adam says simply, hoping to infuse the words with all his love, respect and care for Kim.

“I know you do, bro. The two of you together... You know you two are my family and I couldn’t be happier,” Kevin is a man of little words, but every one is from the heart, and Adam knows how earnest he is.

“I’d say congratulations but that’d involve Kim having said yes, so I know you’re not just telling me this.” No one could say Kevin Atwater is not a smart man, or a quick minded one.

“I need you to help me pick out a ring.” Adam tells him.

“Me?” Kevin blinks.

“Yeah. I don’t, this ring stuff is confusing. And you know Kim, you’ll know what she likes.” Ensuring that Kim gets the ring she deserves, the ring she’ll wear for years to come, the ring she’ll love, is something that is important to Adam, is needed. And so much jewellery looks the same to him, but he knows, knows, that Kevin has more of an eye for this stuff.

“We did used to window shop, on our slower patrol days,” Kevin muses. His words rings a bell inside his mind, a vague recollection of Kim telling him that when she was talking about stories from patrol. He had forgotten all about that, but now he feels even more confident in his decision to ask Kevin for his help.

“So you’ll help me?” Adam smiles hopefully at his friend. Kevin grins back, pulling him into a hug.

“Yeah, of course I’ll help you! Let’s go pick out a ring for our girl.”

The ring shop feels daunting, glass cabinets everywhere, jewellery of all kinds inside, and well dressed employees standing, waiting. The store feels delicate, and Adam feels way too out of place. Too tall, too broad, to masculine.

Deciding to go on a quiet day that they’re on call feels like a mistake now, Adam being way too aware of his gun on him, and how clunky it makes him feel. The only times Adam’s, really, been in a jewellery shop has been after a robbery, and without glass broken everywhere and no cops swarming the place, he feels like an imposter, like he doesn’t belong.

Of course, he’s been in shops like this before not related to work. The times he’s gone to buy his sister, or mom jewellery, and of course when Wendy’s best friend, Sara, dragged him to the store to point out which ring Wendy wanted. Those times didn’t feel as tense, as suffocating, as if everyone is staring at him like this does, and Adam can only attribute that to being because this is so much more important than those times, that he’s aware this could put a spanner into an otherwise good relationship, that he has so much more to loose.

Kevin is beside him, and Adam’s glad once more that he invited Kev to come along with him as his presence is calming. Logically, it feels like he shouldn’t, Kevin is taller and broader than Adam, and his presence also feels too big and clunky for this delicate store. But Kevin doesn’t seem the slightest bit fazed, and that calms Adam’s nerves.

“Here,” Kev leads him to a counter with rings on display underneath. Adam tries not to focus on the worker giving them a look.

Kevin had picked out what store to look at, saying of course they could look at several, but that Kim has mentioned she’d want a ring from a smaller, more ethical shop. Adam recalls conversations like that as well.

Adam looks down at all the different rings, feeling overwhelmed by it all. He has a roundabout idea of what to get, nothing too big or flashy—that’s not Kim’s style, especially in their line of work, you don’t want something like that while interacting with criminals—but something simple in its beauty. Like Kim, Adam thinks. To him she’s flawless, effortlessly, and so, so beautiful.

“This is so hard,” Adam groans to Kev, running a hand through his hair.

“Take your time, bro. It’s a process, just don’t stress.” Kevin calmly says back. Adam looks at his friend, speaking again as he remembers the whole purpose of him inviting him along.

“You seen anything?”

“I’m here to help you. And I will. But you know her better than anyone, even me, so just look yourself first. We have time. We can come back.” Kevin reasons.

“Right, right. I don’t know, man, it was easier with Wendy. She had already picked out the ring herself, and her friend told me which one. But this? Kim deserves the best, I just don’t want to get it wrong.” He laments.

The experience of picking out the ring for Wendy wasn’t exactly a magical experience or anything particular special. He showed up, rung his card, and that was that. And at the time he was grateful for the simplicity of the whole matter, and although right now a part of him wishes this was that easy, Adam knows, deep down, that as stressful as this is, he prefers this experience more. That he’s involved, that he’s excited, that he knows beyond everything that he wants to spend the rest of his life with Kim. This is everything that experience wasn’t, and Adam knows he would take on all this stress a million times over for Kim.

“Nikki was even easier. I mean, 40 dollar ring, impulse proposal? Guess though, this just says I’m getting it right this time.” Adam continues to muse out loud. Kevin gives him a strange look.

“Nikki? Were you engaged to another girl?” He questions and Adam is reminded that although it feels like he’s known his best friend forever, they haven’t even known each other two years yet, that there’s things he wasn’t around for. Adam’s social circles up until he was pulled from the academy was the same he had for years, and Kev’s met a few of his mates, so Adam forgets that Kevin and his friendship is still so recent.

“Yeah, I was. When I was like twenty, for like three months. It was a train wreck. A drunken thought took seriously,” Adam explains.

“I get you, bro.” Kevin says, but still, he’s looking at him curiously, a thought clearly on his mind. “Does Kim know?”

Adam raises an eyebrow at him. “Uh, I don’t think so? We don’t really talk about that stuff.”

“Do you think you should?” Kevin asks pointedly. Adam frowns.

“It was years ago, why should I? There’s no point just randomly bringing exes up,” he dismisses.

“Bro.” Kevin gets in front of him now, redirecting his attention from the rings. “You’re picking out an engagement ring for her. She needs to know you’ve been engaged twice before you propose. Because it will not go well if you don’t, trust me. I know you don’t mean anything by it, but this can quickly become a big deal.” Kevin’s tone is loving, caring, but firm.

“Just think about it. You were engaged when you met. You propose after a year. She finds out you had another fiancée. I know you love her, I know you’re meant to be, but just think about it from how it could look from her perspective.”

Oh.

Kevin’s words are wise, and realisation, and understanding of what Kev’s getting at, dawns on Adam.

“Yeah. Yeah, good point. I’ll tell her tonight.” Adam immediately agrees. “Just need to make sure not to tip her off to why I was thinking about my exes,” he grins at him.

“That’s a difficult task. She’s a quick one, Burgess is.” Kev replies, grinning himself. “But I’m sure you’ll find a no doubt disgustingly cute way to distract her.”

As his best friend, Kevin has unfortunately heard way too much about the inner details of their lives, details that since Kim is basically like his sister he’d have rather not known. But Adam can only focus on feeling sorry for him for a second, as he’s distracted, his eye catching sight of a ring in another counter.

“Kev. Look. This one.” Adam points it out to him, knowing, feeling, deep in his heart, that he had found The Ring, the one perfect for Kim. And by the looks at Kevin’s expression, his awe and smile, Adam thinks his friend agrees with that.

“That’s perfect.” Kevin grins at him.

“So, movie or tv?” Kim asks him as she adjusts the temperature on the oven. It’s the evening, and they’re at home—at his place, technically speaking, but he’s here and she’s here, which makes it home.

Kim had beat him home as usual, had let herself into his apartment like she always does, like they always plan, like they do automatically now without so much of a thought as their lives become more and more entangled with each other. She had already showered and gotten out of her work clothes by the time he had gotten home himself.

Kim’s dressed casually, lazily, only in some of her leggings and one of his old shirts with her hair tied up in a bun that’s coming undone. It’s a simple look, a no thought look, a behind the scenes, after look, a look for when Kim just wants to relax, to not be officer Burgess or even really a person, just Kim. A look for when she’s just her, unwinding from the day—a look only he is privy to.

Intimacy isn’t just knowing what the other likes in bed, how to make them blush, or what their favourite colour is. It’s this. It’s how they are with you in down time, the simple and unguarded way they are around you, how you’re not really no longer another person but almost an extension of themselves, that they can be who they are with no doubts or anything needing to be held up or any illusions to be set. Just them.

Adam wouldn’t exactly class himself as a romantic, far from it. And before Kim, he had seldom noticed these thing, not taking much note of the significance of it. It wasn’t important before, now it is. Maybe perhaps because Adam’s a cop now, he sees such things and it’s given him an appreciation for these sorts of things. Maybe because Kim was shot, Kim was kept captive and beaten, and being with her as she healed gave him a whole new look on what intimacy and love truly meant. And maybe it’s because Kim is his one, his reason for being, the beat of his heart.

Kim is an over thinker, in the most adorable of ways, and Adam thinks that if she was in his mind right now, her thoughts would be churning, trying to pinpoint the exact moment he started to appreciate things like this, because that’s who she is. Adam, he’s an over thinker in his own, different kind of way, but not this, this, Adam spares no real thought on it.

He doesn’t care about the whys, just what is, and he’s just grateful that whatever the reason is that these are things he notes now because getting to embed this memory into his mind, embed how his heart flutters at the thought of their causal intimacy with one another forever into his memories, is something he’s so, so appreciative of.

“Adam?” Kim calls to him, bringing him out of his mind, and to where she stands, still in the kitchen, waiting expectantly. “Movie or tv? And don’t think you’re going to be able to pull the tired card, you know the rules. One of us picks movie or tv, the other picks what it’ll be. Not one of us deciding both.”

This is how their evenings go now. When Adam was in his early twenties, the thought of having such a routine, of staying in most nights, of this normality, would be a suffocating one, but now the thought of spending his days like how he did is the suffocating one. That the thought of spending the rest of his days like this, with Kim, eating their dinner together and just cuddling, is one that fills him with content and his mind how back to the purchase made earlier, of the ring they picked for her, of how he imagines it’ll look on her finger.

“I’m not trying anything,” Adam replies, smiling at her. Anyone else, perhaps, that would make them let it go, but Kim narrows her eyes at him, questioningly, as if trying to suss him out.

“But darlin’, today, I was thinking,” he begins, his heart beating quickly as he hopes this will come across as casual as it’s meant to be. Hoping that she won’t realise there’s a deeper reason behind his sudden curiosity, of him bringing this up.

“That’s dangerous,” Kim has a glint in her eye. And Adam, despite himself, despite how she’s teasing him, smiles at that because goddamn, he loves this woman.

“Ha ha,” he replies dryly, before adjusting himself as he prepares to say his next sentence. He’s sitting on the sofa, but facing backwards, leaning his arms of the top of it so he can look at her as he speaks.

“I was thinking, with how we got together and all, you know we didn’t exactly go through the typical new relationship stuff. Like the ex talk and whatnot,” Adam hopes, prays, that his tone remains stable, casual, that he hasn’t activated that excellent cop instinct of hers and that she’ll sense there’s something deeper driving this conversation.

He wants to halt, to stop this, to not go near any topics that will tip her off to him having brought a ring, but Kev’s words echo in his mind and he knows he has to. Has to, if he wants to make sure that when he puts that ring on her finger, it stays on. Kevin is her best friend, the man Adam went to for help with the ring because no one else knows her this well, and so Adam takes what he says, his advice, very seriously.

“Hm. I guess we haven’t.” Kim says. There’s a slight guardedness to her tone and Adam wonders if there’s perhaps a deeper reason behind them not having this conversation before, besides them beginning the relationship in the way they did.

There’s a part of him that’s curious, that needs to know everything about this incredible woman, but there’s also a part that hurts, aches, at the thought of what possible bad experiences she could’ve had with exes, that has made her tense slightly in such a way. A part of him that wants to just reassure her that his bringing this up is not to dig into her past, but for him to share his, so that they can build a future.

“Well, you know about Wendy, obviously.” Adam cringes at having to mention his most recent ex, at the memory that he was in a relationship when he first got into her. Wendy is seldom mentioned, a part both of them would prefer to forget about, him particularly, with his assholeish behaviour—not his finest moments, that’s for sure. But he has to, has to start the conversation so casually like this is just what he thought while at work.

“Hm. Yeah.” Kim is just mindlessly reorganising things in the kitchen now, a tale-tail sign that she does not appreciate the reminder. Adam focuses on keeping himself calm, casual, so that he doesn’t accidentally start an argument.

“What about you? Did you date when in the academy?” Adam asks.

“I was busy. I’m a woman and all, I had to be the best.” Kim replies and he almost flinches at the edged tone to her words. Adam wonders if it’s still because him bringing up Wendy, or something else, and everything in him screams abort mission but he needs to, needs to, tell her about Nicole.

“What about when you were a flight attendant? Did you date much?” Trying to keep his tone light and not too curious, too pressing is proving hard, especially when this has nothing to do with her, and everything to do with him.

“A little.” She’s reorganising the cabinets now. Her tone is guarded, cool, and Adam’s split between whether to continue from where he is or if he should go hug her. Not wanting to make her think that he’s wondering about her clipped responses—knowing Kim, that’s even more dangerous territory—Adam decides to stay put, no matter how much his arms ache to have her in them.

“What about high school? At work, seeing all these teenagers insist their adults just remind me of my own teenage antics,” Adam offers up his own past a little, putting the attention back on him. There’s a lot of ‘teenage antics’ in his history, not much of which he’d particularly like to get into, but if Kim asks, he will. Because she’s clearly uncomfortable, and he’s doing that, and so he’ll be uncomfortable instead. He’ll do anything for her.

“I bet, canaryville,” Kim turns to look at him, smiling, her tone light for the first time in this whole conversation. Adam seizes the opportunity.

“God, the things I got up to. I wanted to be a cop, even back then, although I didn’t think it was in the cards. But you wouldn’t think it. I was canaryville through and through.” He reminisces. “The Beverly in me came out in my twenties, although canaryville, I’ll always be a canaryville boy. Got me the job, so there’s that. There was a time though that I really could’ve became very canaryville.” This is all stuff he’s touched on before with Kim, but she’s listening, intently, to him, because she always regards as whatever he says as important, just another reason he so desperately wants her to be his wife.

“I was even engaged at one point. Not Wendy, to this girl when I was twenty. You know, real puppy dog love. But marrying young isn’t uncommon in canaryville and well, I was young.” Adam casually drops. Kim was leaning against the counter, just listening, but at that, she pushes herself to stand up straight, staring at him.

“You were engaged? Before you were engaged?” She stares at him, shocked.

“Yeah, for like three months. Got engaged in the summer, we’d called it off by Halloween. We were young, thought we were in love, her mom was pushing her to move to Canada with her and wasn’t taking our relationship ‘seriously’ so we thought hey. I proposed with a 40 dollar ring,” He keeps his tone casual, even still, making sure to avoid details like they had only dated a year. Kim needs to know this, but she’s an over thinker, and if he tells her that and then proposes after they’ve been together only a year themselves, she’ll go into overdrive. That is not what he wants.

“I can’t believe you’ve been engaged not once, but twice,” Kim, thankfully, sees the humour in all this, all her defences dropping again. Adam feels a weight lifted off his shoulders that this went well, that she’s not mad at him.

“Third time’s the charm, hey?” Kim then says, grinning at him. Only for a second, before what she said registers and the grin has gone, replaced with a deep blush and wide eyes. “I mean, I didn’t mean, like us, not that I, uh—” Kim stumbles over her words, her adorably anxious mind in overdrive.

“Darlin’. Relax. I know what you meant,” Adam reassures her, standing up now to go to her. He kisses the top of her forehead, calming her thoughts, and smiling into her, allowing himself to feel happy that it appears that Kim’s at least briefly imagined them getting married, and that she seems open. His heart feels a little lighter, less nervous and more excited, and more confident in his decision to buy the ring.

“Now, is our food nearly done? Because we’ve got to choose; a movie or tv,” Adam diverts the conversation back, needing Kim to not focus on the thought of marriage too much, not when they’re a few weeks away from the surprise.

A surprise that Adam cannot wait for, which he notes as he watches Kim, smiling at her as she moves and talks to him, feeling more and more in love with her with every passing second.

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #475: Two Guys and the Farm Boi (RWBY)

12:00 p.m. at Vauco

Oscar: (Looks Around his Surroundings in the City of Vauco) This place is even more lively than I thought it would be.....

???: Yo! Lil' Oscar!!

Oscar: (Turns and See Two Familiar Faces Making their Way Towards Him) Oh. Mr. Wukong and Mr. Vasilias. Good Afternoon.

Neptune: (Chuckles Lightly) C'mon, man. Mr. Wukong and Vasilias are our old men's names.

Sun: (Ruffles the top of Oscar's Hair with a Bright Smile on his Face) He's right, kiddo. Just Sun and Neptune are fine with us.

Oscar: (Chuckles Lightly from the Hair Ruffling) R-Right. Sorry about that. I'm always like when I with people.

Sun: It's all good. I take your going solo today?

Oscar: Yeah.....The gang already left to another mission they were mission assigned to an hour ago. They're worried about my safety as usual so they wanted me to stay here. Are you guys going out on a mission too?

Neptune: Nah. We already finished ours yesterday.

Sun: Neptune and I are heading to the beach. You wanna come with?

Oscar: (Genuinely Surprised) Wait. You really want me to come with you guys? I-I mean, I don't wanna be an bother or anything.....

Neptune: (Smiles Brightly) Of course we want you to come with us. It's a perfectly good chance for us to get to know each other more, you know?

Sun: (Smiles Softly) And you're definitely not a bother to any of us. You're one of our pals. (Ruffles the top of Oscar's Hair) And any friends of Blake is a friend of ours.

Oscar: (Smiles a Little) Well....if that's really what you guys want, then count me in.

Sun: (Pumped his Fist up in the Air) Alright! Operation: Three Bros at the Beach is Go!

Neptune: Yeah!- Wait. (Turns to Oscar) Shouldn't you tell the others that you'll be gone all day first?

Oscar: I wouldn't be so worried about that. I already written a note back in the hotel room, saying I'll be back and everything. Plus, I already texted Ruby earlier just in case.

Sun: (Shrugged) Good enough for us. Now let's hit the beach!!

.......................................................

Neptune: ('Took a Deep Breath') Okay......Here goes nothing.....

Neptune slowly but surely begins to trying setting his foot down on a very small wave of water.....only for the larger wave to appear

Neptune: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! (Immediately Runs Away from the Waves) NOT WORTH IT!!! NOT WORTH IT!!! NOT FRICKIN' WORTH IT!!!!!

Oscar: (Stares at the Whole Scene in Complete Disbelief) So..... He's afraid of water....

Sun: (Already Facepalms in Embarrassment) Yep.

Oscar: But.....His name is literally Neptune.

Sun: ('Sigh') Yeah.....I know......

.................................................

Oscar: (Raised an Eyebrow in Confusion) You wanna do what now?

Sun: (Smiles Brightly) Set you up on a date, my guy.

Neptune: You technically are teenager after all. Nothing's wrong with meeting the ladies your own age.

Oscar: That is true and all, buuuuut....I think I'm gonna pass on the offer.

Sun: Seriously? How come?

Oscar: Well....To tell you guys the truth, I...(Starts to Blush a Little) Kinda already got a girlfriend.....

Neptune: (Eyes Widened in Shocked) NO WAY!! For real?!

Sun: Dude! Congratulations! Who's the lucky lady?

Neptune: If you don't mind us asking, of course

Oscar: W-Well....T-The girl I'm.... currently dating now is.....(Took A Deep Breath Before Speaking Again) Ruby.

'Record Suddenly Scratch'

Neptune: (Let his own Drink Slip off from his Hands While Being Shocked by Oscar's Answer) ............

Sun: (Eyes Widened in Complete Surprised) ...............Ruby. As in Ruby Rose.

Oscar: Yes.

Neptune: As in the girl with the red, hoodie like cape thing.

Oscar: Yes......

Sun: As in the girl with a giant scythe, gun hybrid for a weapon.

Oscar: (Facepalms While Sighing in Embarrassment) Yes............

Neptune: As in the same girl who likes eating chocolate chip-

Oscar: My god, you guys, yes! It's Ruby. As in Ruby Rose. The same Ruby with the red hoodie cape, a red scythe for a weapon, the one who loves cookie, and the leader of her own team, with a 'W' on it's own name. That's the Ruby I know and love!!

'Silence'

Oscar: (Blushes in Bright Red) S-Sorry! I.... Didn't mean to yell like that.... Really didn't even know what went over me there......

Sun: Dude..............(Smiles Brightly) That is so awesome!!

Neptune: (Smiles Brightly as Begins to Ruffles Oscar's Hair) Yeah, Lil' man! ('Sniff') You're already making us proud here......

Oscar: (Sighs Heavily in Defeat Before Slowly Smiling a Little) Thanks......You guys. Really.

.........................................................

Neptune: (Stilling Running Around in Fear) AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Oscar: Okay, Seriously. Should we try to calm him down or........

Sun: Nah. He'll tire himself out...... Eventually......

...................................................

Oscar: Okay. I think that's enough about me in this conversation....What about you guys? Are either of you dating anyone?

Sun: Nope. We're still single.

Neptune: (Smirks Confidently) Not to brag for anything, buuuuut....I usually get all the digits from every girl we see and meet.

Sun: ('Heh') Yeah right. I bet all of them gave you fake numbers after your so called 'Neptune Charm' goes haywire.

Neptune: (Glares at Sun) Hey! My charms never gone haywire!

Sun: (Raised an Eyebrow) Oh really? Then name me one girl you actually got a real number from.

Neptune: (Was About to Give Sun a Definitive Answer.......Only to Realize He Really Couldn't Think of Anything and Begins to Look Away, Pouting) W-Whatever!

Sun: Uh-Huh. (Turns back to Oscar) Now, as what I was still say, Mr Failed Ladies' Man over there and I are still in Singles-Ville. I did had a crush on a girl once......

Oscar: Really? Did it work out between you two?

Sun: Eh. Not really. I realized sooner or later that the girl wasn't really into me like that. She....Already had eyes on someone else.....

Neptune: (Frowns for his Best Friend) Dude......

Oscar: (Frowns as Well) I'm sorry, Sun......

Sun: (Chuckles Lightly) No need to worry about me, you guys. I'm still good friends with the girl and everything, I'm just not the one she's looking for romantically. I promise you there's no hard feelings between any of us.

Neptune: (Place his Arm Around Sun in a Supportive Matter) Well.....if you're really okay, bro, then that's good enough for us.

Oscar: Yeah. A-And I'm sure you'll find someone for you eventually. So try not to give up hope yet, okay?

Sun: (Smiles Brightly) You got it! Thanks, guys.

..................................................

Illa: (Makes her way to Sun and Oscar While Carrying an Unconscious Neptune) I finally calmed Neptune down......

Sun: Tased him?

Illa: Yep.

Sun: (Turns to Oscar with a Smile) Oscar, I like to introduce you to our new friend, Illa.

Illa: (Smiles Softly to Oscar) Hello.

Oscar: (Smiles Softly as Well) Hey.

..............................................

Oscar: So......there you have it. Professor Ozpin isn't really dead. He's.....Been inside my self-conscious this entire time. Hence the reason why I decided to travel with the gang and became a wizard in training. (Sips on his Drink)

Sun: (Shocked in Awe) Woah........

Neptune: That's.......Pretty sick, kiddo.

Sun: But in good way!

Neptune: Yeah!

Oscar: (Very Surprised by Sun and Neptune's Optimistic Behavior) Wait. You..... really mean that?

Sun: Definitely.

Oscar: So...... Neither of you guys are mad at me? Or not even try to let your frustrations out on me or anything?

Sun: (Frowns Sadly in Surprised) What? Buddy, no. We wouldn't do that to you.

Neptune: (Frowns as Well) Yeah. Why would you think we would- (Eyes Widened Once Realize Something) Oh...... I'm..... guessing the everyone didn't take it too well once they found out the whole news, huh?

Oscar: ('Sigh Heavily') Yeah........ Let's just say that the past few months and almost year of my quest wasn't anywhere of being a happy time....I got punched in the face, shoved into a wall, get yelled at on some occasion, and I was even shot at one point..... All because of everything that deals with Oz and Salem's past together. It's also because of their stupid truth issues, but that's beside the point.

Neptune: Ah....Dude......

Sun: I'm sorry, man.......

Oscar: It's alright, you guys. I just......('Sigh') Sometimes, I wish everyone in the entire world would stop seeing me as Oz, his host, a meat shield or whatever. And I know that Ruby and the others already love me for who I am and all, but even that doesn't stop everyone else to think otherwise. Like they're expecting me to have all the answers when I don't even know a damn thing anymore. It's just gets..... really tiring, you know?

Sun: Hey, man.......(Smiles Reassuringly) We totally get where you're coming from in all of this.

Neptune: (Smiles Reassuringly as Well) Yeah, man. I mean, granted, we can't entirely relate with the whole wizard-professor being inside your head or anything, but we do get what it feels like to being put on too much pressure and expectations from some people.

Sun: You don't need to keep worrying about what other people think about think about, Oscar. Because to me, Neptune, and all of our other friends, you are definitely your own person. And if anyone thinks otherwise, then that's all on them. They'll never to see how cool and amazing you really are to us.

Oscar: (Begins to Smile Sincerely as he Wipe a Tear off his Eye) You guys, I......Thank you. Thank you so much.

Later that Mid Evening.........

Oscar: (Happily Walking Alongside Sun and Neptune) Thanks again for inviting me to the beach with you guys. I had a really great time today.

Sun: (Smiles Brightly) Not a problem at all, Lil' Bro. Thanks for hanging out with us.

Neptune: (Smiles Brightly as Well) Yeah, man. You're a pretty cool kid, you know that?

Oscar: (Rubbing the Back of his Head Back and Forth While Blushing a Little) Thanks. You guys are pretty cool too.

???: (From a Distance) OSSSSSSSCCCCARRRRRR!!!!!!!

Neptune: (Noticed a Group of Very Familiar People Making Their Way to From a Distance) Wait......Is that......

Sun: Could it be......

Oscar: (Eyes Widened in Fear) Not again.........

And just like that, Oscar immediately gets hugged tackled by none other than Nora Valkyrie and the entire JNPR Team.

Oscar: (Already in a Group Hug) Guys! Come on! Again?!

Nora: (In Tears While Hugging her Baby Tight) Oscar Everlynn Pines!! Where the heck have you been young man?!

Jaune: Do you have any idea how much you made us worried today, mister?!!

Ren: (Gives Oscar a Fatherly Glare) You made me cry.....

Nora: You made your dad cry today, Oscar!!

Oscar: ('Sighs in Embarrassment') Didn't any of you read the note I wrote back in the hotel room?

Pyrrha: (Blush a Little) We..... Didn't had the time to go back to the hotel and look. (Frowns Worryingly) Still, you should've told us you were going to do something today before we left this morning. (Gives Oscar a Kiss on the Forehead Before Hugging him Again) You had us all so worried.

Oscar: I know. I'm sorry......

Sun/Neptune: PYRRHA?!

Pyrrha: (Turns to see Sun and Neptune Staring at Her with a Very Shock Expression) Oh. (Smiles Brightly) Sun and Neptune. It's so nice to see you two again. Thank you so much for watching over our baby boy for us.

Sun: P-P-Pyrrha.....Y-You're alive!

Pyrrha: (Giggles Softly) That I am.

Neptune: B-B-But you were on the news...... During the Fall of-

Nora: Nooope! Never happened!

Sun: But-

Nora: Nope! Everything is just fine! Pyrrha is fine and well again. And nothing bad will ever happen to us again. EVER AGAIN!

'Silence'

Oscar: (Facepalms In Complete Embarrassment) I'll explain everything back at the hotel........

Sun: Thanks, bro.

Bonus

Ruby: (Gives Oscar an Adorable Smile)

Oscar: (Very Confused by the Smile) ......What?

Ruby: (Gives Oscar a Loving Hug) You said you love me!~

Oscar: (Eyes Widened While Blushing Bright Red) How.......

Ruby: Blake told me that you told Sun that I'm the girl you love. Is that trueeeeee?~

Oscar: ...........(Groans in Embarrassment While in Ruby's Embrace)

Ruby: (Giggles Softly) I knew it. I'll take that as a definite yes~ I love you too, Oscar~

@optimisticfruitcup

@keyenuta

@miki-13

@albion-93

@maripr

@ma-lemons

@littlemisssquiggles

@rozanime

@oscarpineprotectionsquad

[anomander-dragnipurake]

Possessed Part 2: Chapter One: Bored

Originally I was going have the fic end on the open ended bad ending of King Boo winning but while I was writing the penultimate chapter of that I had an evil idea occur to me and felt called to do it so I did. (This next part is kinda spoilers for said evil idea which is revealed in fic at the very start of chapter 3, meaning 7 overall, this part 2 revolves around it so it's not a huge deal for it to be spoiled but if you want to find out what's up with what's happening when our characters do don't read the next paragraph.)

While writing the part where Luigi feels King Boo's emotions about his victory over the Mario bros in such a way that I wrote it as if I were writing from King Boo's POV, I had the thought of what if overtime because of this possession arrangement, their minds became closer and closer so that they started experiencing each other's thoughts and emotions in that way more and more until they essentially felt like or became the one entity instead of two? And then I was like, oh that's like fusion from Steven Universe but very much unwanted from both parties and very, very bad for poor Luigi because he's fusing with evil, violent King Boo. And then I had the idea for the scene that requires the new 'attempted murder that looks like attempt suicide' tag (happens next chapter, I'll probably put a thing at the top, saying how to skip it if you want) and that sealed the deal on me writing this.

I don't know if everything in it makes complete sense or if everyone's completely in character (especially E. Gadd, I never feel like I know what I'm doing when writing him but I do my best and that's all I can ask of myself) but it was a lot of fun to write regardless so I hope y'all enjoy it too. :)

‘I think I’m starting to get bored of this,’ King Boo said as they woke up.

Groggy and hungover from last night’s drinking, it took Luigi a couple seconds to parse what King Boo had just implied. Really? He didn’t dare hope… did he? He’d just about given up on this nightmare ever ending. The only solace he’d found was that King Boo liked to ‘escape proper consciousness’ as he liked to put it, meaning sleep, alcohol, and whatever drugs he could find to experiment with. It was highly unpleasant but at least Luigi was only partially aware of his situation for sometimes hours at a time.

‘Yep.” King Boo sat up and looked around. They were on a rooftop, neither of them remembered how they’d gotten here. King Boo didn’t care though and Luigi was having trouble doing so either. ‘I think I experimented with about everything I can get my hands on. Also, you’ve stopped caring about stuff and that’s just plain boring.’ And as nice as this little vacation was, he really needed to get back to his boos soon, he was their king after all. … That wasn’t a thought Luigi was supposed to be privy to. ‘That’s another reason I want done with this.’ King Boo couldn’t be having Luigi knowing all his thoughts and feelings and the longer they shared a body, the more often that was occurring when he didn’t want it to. He couldn’t seem to do anything about it which was why this arrangement needed to end sooner rather than later.

He stood and walked them over the edge of the roof to look down at the street below. It wasn’t a super long fall but it would probably hurt quite a bit. King Boo was tempted to jump off to see just how bad it would be.

Please don’t. Luigi would rather not take any more injuries than he already had. Even if lately King Boo possessing him seemed to make his body heal faster than normal, it still hurt. You were thinking about letting me go?

‘I didn’t say that, just that I’m getting bored of this. I need to decide if I should let you go or kill you.’ As far as Luigi could tell, he was honestly undecided. He could probably press at King Boo’s mind to find out why but didn’t dare. … If he did, that’d be weighing the odds against him.

Uh… all righty then. I vote you let me go.

‘Killing you would be fun though.’

Not like this. You’ve already defeated me. And Luigi was still ashamed of it. He should’ve been able to fight back but… it had just happened so fast. Wouldn’t it be better if you… let me live to be tormented by that and… the fear that you’ll… come back and do it again? He understood King Boo far too well for his liking at this point. Being dead himself, he didn’t consider death to be a horrible fate.

He laughed out loud. ‘True. I could also turn you into a painting to crown this victory for ever.’ And if he ever wanted a meat suit to play around in again, he’d have it right there.

Luigi did the mental equivalent of a gulp. You could do that too. It’d be easier to rescue him from a painting though, right? … Theoretically yes, but King Boo wouldn’t let that happen. … It might be the best Luigi could hope for though.

Another laugh from King Boo, this one only Luigi could hear. ‘I guess it’s decided then, a painting it is.’ He stepped back from the edge at last and started for the door that should lead into whatever building this was. Luigi groaned and pulled his mind in on itself as much as he could. Being turned into a painting was better than death though and probably better than his current circumstances so… maybe this wasn’t so bad?

A few days later

King Boo’s kingdom was unsurprisingly a haunted forest.  One could tell at a glance it was haunted due to the tall spindly trees being dead and dark. There even seemed to be an almost visible murky atmosphere to the place before they’d even stepped foot into it. Which they had had to do because there weren’t any roads that led into it and certainly not enough space between the trees to allow for a car to pass through.

There didn’t even seem to be any path leading in. King Boo ditched Luigi’s car and strode right in, ducking underneath a low hanging branch.

The pace he set was steady but slow, he was in no hurry. Which was fine, it delayed how long it would be before Luigi ended up as a painting. … It was night though; the woods were spooky and dark, lit only by the partly clouded moon overhead and King Boo’s crown. And it was absolutely crawling with phantoms, fleeting past Luigi’s peripheral vision and making all sorts of spooky noises just out of sight. If he had any control of his body, he’d have been shivering and jumping at every single sound, real or imagined and probably running the exact opposite direction

King Boo of course wasn’t bothered, he strode confidently through the dead underbrush and around the scary looking trees. ‘How are you still afraid of ghosts? You’ve defeated how many with E. Gadd’s stinky vacuum?’ He made a loud exaggerated gagging noise to emphasize exactly how the felt about said vacuum. ‘And we’re not even that scary to begin with.’

Luigi didn’t get it either. It was illogical but they were still scary. He’d been working on that with Polterpup but then… this happened. King Boo scoffed and kept going.

Eventually they reached the clearing in which King Boo’s mansion took up majority of the available space. It was old and scary looking but not as large as Luigi would’ve thought it would be. Which didn’t mean it was small by any means but definitely not as big as Peach’s castle.

As they approached the entrance, three boos came shooting out, phasing through the door. Internally Luigi jumped and screamed, the only thing worse than ghost creeping through the shadows was ghosts popping out at him. … King Boo found that was funny, he should’ve tried jump scaring Luigi more, maybe one of his past schemes would’ve been successful if he had.

The boos looped around, slowing to a rest in front of King Boo and Luigi. “Welcome back boss,” the boo on the left said.

“You still have Luigi,” the middle added.

“What are you going to do with him?” the right boo finished.

King Boo gave them a genuine smile, not his typical evil one but one that felt as if he was just happy to see his boos again. Which was such a strange feeling from him, it was actually creepy.

“I’ve decided to turn him into a painting,” King Boo said, pushing down his annoyance that Luigi was more privy to his thoughts and feelings than he was supposed to be.

The boos laughed in near unnerving unison that sent a shiver down Luigi’s metaphorical spine. They followed King Boo back in as he entered.

Inside was a surprisingly grand living room. A large cushy sofa with matching chairs and cushions took up the bulk of the floorspace on top of a thick rug covered in intricate designs. A gorgeous crystal chandelier huge down from the ceiling, the dancing light from the fireplace, reflecting off its dangling bits, giving it an almost sparkly look. There was a large painting of an abstract night sky hung above the fireplace, completing the fancy feel of the room. If it wasn’t for the many boos and even a few standard ghosts suddenly all turning to look at him, Luigi probably would’ve found the place quite nice.

Abandoning their comfy seats, all the boos and ghosts rushed to crowd around King Boo. Being surround by a horde of boos was perhaps the scariest thing Luigi had encountered in a while. … All they did though was welcome King Boo home and congratulate him on his victory over the Mario bros. They all seemed happy to have their ‘boss’ back and King Boo was glad to be back.

‘See? Not so scary.’ Well… Luigi still didn’t like it no matter how ridiculous King Boo thought he was being.

Once all the ghosts had finally had their say, King Boo ordered them to take down the night sky portrait and put it in the music room. He then ordered another boo to bring down an empty painting frame that would take its place. It was rather obvious what that empty painting frame was for.

How aware would Luigi be in the painting? Mario and the toads had all said they didn’t remember anything of it so maybe it’d just be like a long sleep. Which honestly wouldn’t be so bad even if it lasted for forever. But… what if one was aware while in a painting but didn’t remember anything of it when they came out? Did that even make sense?

‘When I was trapped in that painting you and E. Gadd put me in, I was aware of every moment of it,’ King Boo cut in with an inward snarl. ‘So I really hope you will be to.’

Luigi whimpered but did his best not to think about it anymore. … Except the boo ordered to retrieve the empty painting frame choose that moment to swoop back into the room and present it to King Boo, holding it ready for him.

‘Anything else you want to say to me? Beg for mercy perhaps?’ King Boo hoped he would, it’d be a great send off. If Luigi was convincing enough, he might even…

No! Luigi could feel the lie in that thought. He wasn’t going to get mercy no matter how much he begged so he wasn’t going to. Just get it over with already. It’d be better than having his body controlled by King Boo for even a second longer.

King Boo chuckled. ‘Finally, some backbone. Very well though, this was fun. Maybe I’ll pull you out occasionally to play around some more. For now though, goodbye.’

He called on his power, causing his crown to glow brighter. There was an uncomfortable pulling sensation on Luigi’s soul and… King Boo’s magic sparked and fizzled out. … They were suddenly both very worried and Luigi couldn’t tell where his concern ended and King Boo’s began. … King Boo pushed that aside though and tried again, putting more force behind it. … It still didn’t work, the same thing happened as before, only more intense.

Growing desperate now, King Boo tried again. This time he kept pulling past the point of discomfort until… it felt kind of like their souls were struck by lightning as his magic sparked again, sending a tremor through both of them that translated into a physical shudder.

“What’s wrong boss?” the boo holding the empty painting asked as they all crowded a bit closer.

King Boo looked up at him, his hands trembling a little as he forced an unsteady smile. “I think I might be stuck in here.”

[dopposhusband]

I know I say it all the time, but I wanted to tell you directly for once: I think the stuff you write is genuinely great! Whether it be a few headcanons, a fic or a description of one of your AUs, I really love them! They're well written and always interesting to read, so thank you for posting your stuff! I'll always be looking forward to more! Once again, I have another question about your boys! Do you have some friendship HCs? Either between them or in general? ^^

@yokairu​ Youre the absolute sweetest!! It means the world to read that, I owe you so much, thank you! I wrote a whole thing about Doppo having friends once at three in the morning and its been sitting in my drafts for a few weeks so I thought the ideas I had there would be interesting here! I also put a lil hc what I think being friends with them would be like too!

Doppo doesn’t really have any friends outside of Jakurai and Hifumi which is a huge shame because I think he could get along with everyone! He really deserves more people to care about him!

💼 Dice inviting Doppo to try a more adventurist life for a night, have the two go gambling and drinking together. I just want Doppo to be able to loosen up and have some fun and I also want Dice to understand just how much of Doppos apology loops come from such an abusive work life. They’re complete opposites and they could learn something from each other!!!

💼 Doppo being a big brother figure for Ichiro, Doppo is literally the walking definition of exhaustion and having to take care of two baby brothers must’ve been tough on Ichiro. So Doppo can understand having to hide more negative emotions from his years hiding them from co-workers, managers, customers, and maybe even his own younger brother. Doppo might not be able to help carry the burden Ichiro has but let him give him like a nice lil head pat, tell him hes doing a great job!!!

💼 Also speaking of buster bros, Jiro and Saburo??? Like imagine Doppo teaching Saburo how to use Microsoft Excel!! Jiro catching Doppo on his lunch break and begging him to buy him lunch too, then Doppo complaining about how much his job sucks and Jiro giving him some of the worst career advice ever.

💼 Rio teaching him how to make all kinds of drinks and foods he can eat to relieve his stress and tension. Just Doppo out in the woods to clear his mind from the bustle of the city, taking in fresh air and just relaxing. Having someone like Rio who isn’t too talkative but is always willing to let him vent then after hes let it all out he can just lie back and look at the stars!!

💼 Even though Ramuda and Matenrou are on very tense terms but having him make clothes for Doppo. It could just be something small like a nicely designed tie but it’d be enough because itd liven him up knowing that this is something no one else in the world has!! And just having him model for Ramuda at all, it would be such a good boost to his self esteem and hed get to wear all kinds of pretty outfits!!

💼 DOPPO BOOK CLUB!!! DOPPO BOOK CLUB!!! On Doppos days off he host a book club with Gentaro and Rosho! They all talk about books they’ve read, Doppo usually only talks about chapters rather than full books because he rarely has time to read. Gentaro constantly lying about the ending of a book to goof on Rosho and Doppo but always feeling a little bad when Doppo takes it seriously and gets all bummed that it was taking him too long to finish.

💼 Sasara the funny clown man trying his damnedest to make Doppo laugh at one of his jokes!! The salaryman is sad too much he deserves a good laugh too and sometimes Sasaras funny so its perfect!!

👔 Being friends with Doppo changes the longer you know him, at first he’ll be very nervous and overly considerate, but after a long while he’ll eventually relax. He worries a lot about being a burden or about you thinking being friends with him is an obligation so you’ll have to be the one to initiate conversation with him at the beginning. Once he feels confidant that you really care about him then comes the second hurdle of him feeling terrible about never having any time. Time is an issue for Doppo but he tries his hardest to always answer whatever texts you send him and he always extends an invitation to you whenever he can! Slowly, he’ll also be more open about his emotions, not like he isn’t already but he’ll be less worried about expressing them. He’ll be less indecisive on vocalizing his annoyance if you do something that bothers him or if you’re doing something stupid alongside Hifumi. He’ll still be apologetic but less so when it comes to him keeping his ground because you guys are close enough for him not to worry about bending over backwards. Its all a long process but if you do make it to the end you have a very loving friend who is just glad to have you around!

Ichiro needs more people to hang out with, people he can de-stress with when he’s away from his brothers. MC BIG BRO DESERVES A BREAK!

🎧 I know I ship with IchiDice but the two would make great boyfriends and regular friends! Ichiro tends to avoid things that he’s too young so he can’t go gambling instead he gets Dice addicted to a gatcha games. Dice isnt huge on the anime stuff but he sure loves hitting those SSRs! The two are always talking about their pulls, bragging about the good and complaining about the bad almost 24/7. On the other side though when a day gets too stressful Dice is more than okay to listen to Ichiro vent a little, although it is rare and its not like Dice gives good advice but its nice to have an outlet. In return Ichiro always lets Dice crash at his place whenever he hits a massive losing streak.

🎧 Ramuda constantly complains about Ichiro and his brothers clothes so he has an excuse to make them new ones. He also loves texting Ichiro just to chat, always using stickers and litters his texts with emoticons.  。.:☆*:･'(*⌒―⌒*))) °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄) ヽ(￣ω￣(。。 )ゝ

🎧 Okay, now hear me out, Rio and Ichiro. It’s the strangest combination but Rio is just such a sweetheart, after the DRB he came over to the Yamada household to check up on them and bring them food. After a little while of gaining his trust Ichiro would slowly warm up to him, I mean he helped with chores and cooked for them. (Even tho the food is a little suspicious being made literally anything) It must be hard to take care of two kids when you’re still a kid too so Rio wants to try and help a little.

🎧 I think there isn’t enough of a focus on him being on good terms with Jakurai and the two being friends. Like Rio, Jakurai worries about Ichiro and how much of his childhood was taken away from him so whenever the two are together he tries to take up the responsibility of paying or driving so he can relax. He takes him and his brothers out fishing occasionally, how much they catch depends on how much Jiro and Saburo argue though.

🔴 Ichiro is an absolutely amazing friend to have! Although his brotherly instincts can make him a little overbearing sometimes, always inviting you over for dinner or reprimanding you if you do something a bit more reckless. He loves involving people in his interests so if you even hint about anime or hip hop he’s on you in a second to drop everything he knows about the subjects, he has whole list of series, artists, and light novels he can’t wait to share! Of course he loves to hear about whatever you’re interested in at the time too and tries to get into it too! Day offs or slow days are anime days so be prepared to get hit with a spam of messages from Ichiro to watch that anime he kept talking about!

Dice travels literally all over the place, he deserves to know pretty much everyone, honestly.

🎲 Jiro and him are some rowdy boys, they get into all kinds of trouble! Whenever Jiro goes tagging sometimes Dice will tag along if he’s too broke to be gambling. If Jiro has any extra cash on him he’ll take Dice to get something cheap to eat since he can’t have him starving himself. Honestly, Dice is like having another older brother except he’s more embarrassing than Ichiro could ever dream to be.

🎲 He usually ends up seeing Samatoki at some of the casinos around Yokohama and like the true idiot he immediately begs for money, not the smartest thing to do to a yakuza but this is Dice. After being yelled a firm no, he’ll usually bum a smoke off him and the two will chat for a little. Sometimes if Samatoki is feeling friendly he’ll tell Dice about any gambling rings happening and if hes being even friendlier he’ll warn him about the dangers too.

🎲 Jyuto and him have run into each other a couple times although it was mainly him having to be escorted off private property. Every time Jyuto gets a call about about someone trespassing he gets so exhausted the moment he shows up and its just Dice again. After being pretend arrested Dice always ends up begging Jyuto to drive him to Rios camp.

🎲 Hifumi has found Dice in the alleyways he takes to the train station, the two usually chat on the way back to his apartment because Dice can’t say no to Hifumi’s cooking. After eating everything Hifumi would make him he’d usually either beg for gambling money or just enough to get back home. Although, on winning days he’ll visit the club, request Hifumi and a champagne call as thanks for feeding him with an extra bonus of downing a whole bottle of champagne. 

🎰 Congratulations you have gotten your very own stray cat! Dice is constantly coming and going so don’t be surprised to wake up and find him sleeping on your doorstep or couch if you gave him a key. He’ll be looking to you for food and the occasional pity 10,000 bills because he swears THE NEXT ONE IS THE WIN PLEASE. You never have to worry about telling him no though, his ability to go from groveling to standing on his feet to just chat is at a record speed. He usually spends his time gambling but if you can’t then he’s more than fine just talking a walk through the town pointing out places where he won or places he lost everything and had to hide while he waited for Gentaro. Past all the begging he’s a funky boy here for a good time and when he hits that 777 you are definitely one of the first people he goes to when its time to celebrate! 

[salmonthestoryteller]

Afraid

Animal Kingdom Fanfic

(Fair warning! I’m only halfway through season 2. This is set in S1, but I probably still have errors because I don’t know about things referenced in the  later seasons)

The thing was, Adrian had never been afraid of Deran.  He’d known what he did - what his family did - to maintain their lifestyles. No details, of course. No one outside the family had details. People whispered about the possibilities behind their palms. Each guess more outlandish than the next if the drinks and drugs were flowing.  But nobody actually knew anything.  That was pretty much the point.

Adrian had fallen in with Deran and Craig in school and in those days the three of them had gotten into all sorts of trouble. When they were younger Deran used to say that Adrian had one of those smiles that made all the women coo and made the cops say, "Are you lost, son?" instead of, "Clear out, you punks!"

He'd been scared of Pope since they were young.  Pope was always a little off, and he spooked him. "He sees everything, you know." Julia remarked one day. That had him looking over his shoulder for weeks afterwards until Deran finally asked him what was wrong. When he'd finished laughing, he'd told him Julia had been messing with him. These days he wondered if Julia hadn't been right.

Baz he hadn't been scared of when they were kids. Baz had always seemed careful with all of the younger kids. Gentle even. Then puberty had hit and Baz was both less gentle and more attentive to what they were doing. Puberty was a mess for every kid, but Adrian spent his figuring out that his friends slowly hardening physiques were much more attractive to him than any of the skin mags Craig kept shoving at him. He'd asked Deran about the skin mags, and when he'd admitted they didn't do anything for him either it had given him a false sense of security. Hindsight had 20/20 vision.

Craig had shot up like a beanpole - no muscles at first and clumsy in his new height. It made him stick out; drew attention. Made it harder for them to be covert about pulling stunts and shoplifting. Deran didn't gain height as fast but was slowly gaining muscle in a way that Adrian thought was both unfair by comparison and distractingly attractive.

Deran was the one who thought to use Craig's new height to distract the cashier while he himself did the five finger discount.  Adrian had never stolen anything before - he'd always been lookout and distraction. Having his best friend shove his hand down his pants to hide their shoplift goods had made him a nervous wreck in more than one way.

Having to confess to Baz what they'd done didn't help. Baz had started pushing back against Pope's until then unquestioned authority. One of the ways he did it was by grilling them about their mischief and giving them a hard time for it.

Having a sexuality crisis over your best friend in front of said best friend's elder brother? Baz had kept glancing at him, and his cheeks had flared red in shame every time. There was no polite way to explain he'd popped a boner over having Deran put his hand down his pants. He kept saying he'd never actually participated before. Being jeered for being scared was better than what Baz might do to him if he knew the truth.

Baz and Pope's rivalry made him see him in a new light and it wasn't pretty. So, yah, he'd been afraid of Baz before.

Craig made him nervous when he got too high, but the only time he'd probably actually been scared of Craig was in high school. He hadn't come out, but there had been plenty of whispers. Then he'd lost his virginity to a foreign exchange student and Craig had found out.  Craig had grown into his height in high school. No longer clumsy, and with new muscles to match.  Being friends with him and Deran made people think twice about laying into him despite the rumors.  A part of him figured once Craig knew the truth that would change.  That he may even target him the way he picked on some of the other students when he needed to make it clear he wasn't someone to mess with.

When Craig had cornered him on the beach to ask about the rumors he honestly thought he might beat him up, and he'd been scared.  He still looked him in the eye and admitted to fucking the guy.  Craig's response had been so anticlimactic to his fears.

"So you're like gay?"

"Yah."

"Huh."

"That a problem?"

"Well, I don't dig guys so I don't know the guy's number.  I mean, should I be riding you for giving up your V card to a dog or congratulating you for losing it to someone hot?"

If his laugh was slightly hysterical he decided he couldn't be blamed. This was not the conversation he'd expected. "He was hot."

"Well, alright, man, way to go." He'd pulled him into a headlock to noogie his head hard.  He'd given a shout, and struggled despite knowing he was no match for Craig's new muscles.

His throw away comment at the end was, "Hey, see if you can get my baby brother to finally lose his virginity. He's so damn frigid."

He'd thought at the time he meant to encourage him to hook up with one of the girls that were always at Smurf's parties. Years later he wondered if Craig hadn't been suggesting something else entirely.

Deran and he had fought over the foreign exchange student. They were on the outs for over a week about it and he didn't understand how it was his best friend who had the issue with his sexuality and not Craig. Then Deran had cornered him late one night in the showers on the beach and stuck his tongue down his throat. Apparently they'd been having two different fights.

Despite the kiss, they didn't hook up in high school. Deran refused to talk about the kiss and things between them grew tense. Then a group of homophobic assholes had decided to try to corner him at school. Deran had broke in - fists flying and together they'd taken them down. They'd both gotten weeks of detention for fighting, but it was better than suspension and it had resolidified their friendship.

If "just friends" was something he wasn't sure he wanted from Deran now that he'd kissed him, he'd pushed it down. Deran never came out and continued to hit on girls. Given Craig's reaction and Deran's "Fuck Baz. Fuck Pope." attitude he didn't think it was his brothers' opinions holding him back. It was Smurf's.

Smurf terrified him. Not when he was younger - when it came to kids Smurf knew how to make them love her. As he got older, though, and understood things better, that changed. As did the way she looked at him. He wondered if she suspected his feelings for her son. If she secretly knew Deran's orientation and either blamed him or considered him a security risk. Someone Deran might dare to care for more than the family. More than her. He knew what could happen if you made Smurf an enemy. Julia and her falling out made it clear even her own family wasn’t immune to her wrath.

He’d run into Julia one day by chance years later.  High as a kite by the bridge late at night.  “Still staying on Smurf’s good side by not fucking my brother?”  She’d asked him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  He’d replied, because Deran wasn’t out and had made it clear he never intended to be.

“LIke hell you don’t.  Our baby boy Deran always looking at you like he wants to eat you.  Smurf always glaring at you like it’s your fault.”

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her words made him nervous.

“You can fuck him, you know.  She doesn’t care about fucking.”  She had waved her hand as if dismissing the idea.  “And you can even love him.  You’re not family, so it’s okay if you love him.”  She’d leaned in close then, as if sharing a secret. “The problem is if he loves you.  Cuz family isn’t allowed to love anyone but Smurf.”

There had been something manic in her eyes that night.  Something that reminded him suddenly that she was Pope’s twin.  “I have to go.”

Julia had stepped in front of him, blocking his way, an unpleasant grin stretching her face.  “Holy shit, he loves you - doesn’t he?  That’s why you aren’t fucking.”

Belize was years in the future, and he had shaken his head at her words.  “You’re wrong.  About everything.”

Julia shook her head.  “Nope.  See it wasn’t the drugs - Craig can be as bad as me.  It wasn’t the stealing - her baby boy - ha! - your baby boy skims the top sometimes. It was the love.  I was supposed to be like her.  They were supposed to love me, but I wasn’t supposed to love them.  I wasn’t supposed to have favorites.  Everyone was supposed to think they were the favorite.  That’s how you keep them in line.  If you can’t do that.”  She shrugged.

“You’re high.  You should sleep it off.”  He’d try to get around her, and she’d grabbed his arm - leaning into his space to whisper in his ear.

“Baby bro always got mad when he saw you with one of your boys.  Glaring like he wanted to fuck you right in front of everyone.  Maybe you’re right to not let him.  Maybe you should be careful. Codys don’t like to share.  If you let him fuck you, that’s it.  You’re his.  Never forget that.”

Julia scared him that night.

But Deran?  Deran didn’t scare him.

Even when he had J help beat him because J had caught them together and Deran was desperate to cover it up.  He wasn’t scared of Deran for that.  He was furious with him.  Then he’d had the gall to ask for the rent?  Fuck that, and he’d told him so. Deran had backed down.  Had covered the rent - must have stolen it from one of Smurf’s hidey holes.  He calmed down, but he knew things couldn’t be the same.

Belize had been a dream, but everyone has to wake up from a dream sooner or later.  He’d been caught in a haze since.  Sneaking around with him.  Weeks between seeing him.  Watching him make out with numerous girls in front of his brothers to maintain his facade.  Somehow the dreamy feeling of Belize hung on his peripherals, blinding him the moment Deran touched him.  But the beating was a wake up call.

They didn’t want the same things.  Deran would never make a life with him, and he wanted that.  So while Deran stayed away as he healed up, he’d run into Dave.  He was far from perfect. Couldn’t surf worth shit.  He was a good guy, though. He was also out.  There was a chance for a life there.  Then Deran had started coming around again.  Not for sex at first - just a check in.  To see if he’d broken their friendship when he’d broken his ribs. He’d cared for Deran too long to stay angry.

Then Deran met Dave and things went south fast.  He’d been scared before he knew it was Deran that night.  The moment he’d seen his face, though, he wasn’t afraid anymore.  Apparently having Deran break into his house in a jealous fit over him seeing another guy was a turn on. Who knew?  He’d been as angry at himself as Deran for the lapse.  He was supposed to be moving on with Dave, not falling back into things with Deran.

And the way Deran spoke pissed him off.  Reminded him of why this couldn’t work.  He wanted someone to have a life with.  Deran didn’t want that.  Was too ashamed - too scared - to try for it.  So he’d lashed out.  Dragged up the spectre of Smurf between them, where it had probably always been but never been spoken of.  He’d thought when Deran left, that would be it. That would be the end.

Then he’d gotten a call from Dave who was at the hospital.  He didn’t even need the whole story to know who was to blame, but he’d listened anyway.  He’d also hated himself a little for thinking - you barely made it two miles?  Because he knew he could go longer.  He reminded himself comparing Dave to himself, or Deran, always Deran, wasn’t fair, but it was there in his head anyway.  ‘Deran and I could have gone twice that length.’  They’d done long distance swimming for training in Belize.  He’d never forgotten, and he was sure Deran hadn’t either.  That was one part of this message - this chump isn’t good enough for you.

One mile most people could have managed with their lives on the line.  Farther than two would have been a death sentence for a lot of people. Two was stretching it, and dangerous for someone without practice.  If Dave had been a poor swimmer he could be dead and not just shaken.  He reminded himself of that. Reminded himself what the other part of the message was. This was Deran saying if Adrian didn’t get Dave out of the picture, he would.  That he could.  It was easy for him.

Still he hadn’t been afraid of Deran.  He’d been angry.  Storming to the beach to face him down with what he’d done.  Angrier with every mile because Deran had no right.  He hadn't even come after him - he’d come after Dave.  He’d known him long enough - knew all his weaknesses - he had known that would be a far more effective message to him.

He’d try to act clueless, but Adrian wasn’t buying that shit.  Furious, he’d dragged up Smurf again.  If he pushed hard enough, he could push him away, right?  Make him lash out.  Just end things once and for all.  Fucking him wasn’t more important than him insulting his family.  Because to the Codys family was everything. Apparently he’d miscalculated somewhere along the line, because instead of lashing out Deran had been smug.  “I’ll see you tonight.”

A part of him was shaken.  What the heck was this?  They’d been friends since childhood.  No matter what sexual tension had threaded that friendship through adulthood, they’d stayed friends until Belize.  Belize had felt like a romance, but since returning to California that feeling had curdled.  Stolen moments of passion.  Nothing more.  Nothing deeper.  He’d thought at the least their old friendship meant more than their fucking if he ended things.  Instead, for the first time, Deran was using his family’s power against him to make him do what he wanted. Making him jump like a puppet on a string.

Julia’s words played in his head on repeat. “Codys don’t like to share.  If you let him fuck you, that’s it.  You’re his.  Never forget that.”

And the crazy thing was, he still wasn’t afraid.  He was confused, and hurt, and angry. He didn’t understand why Deran, who was terrified of discovery, would insist on binding them together this way.  Why it was more important than their old friendship, even.  Deran could find someone else to fuck. To pay off for their silence.  Why twist their friendship, their relationship, this way?  And how could he think there would be no consequences for trying to twist him into his plaything?

Bringing up the notion he’d use Pope against him had been a knife of his own choosing. A part of him knew that he would never actually send Pope after him like he had with Dave.  That hadn’t been the point.  He hadn’t wanted him injured, he’d wanted him punished. He wanted him to… to what?  Stay with him? Be with only him? But not openly with him. How did everything get so messed up?

Deran hadn’t kissed him since Belize.  He hated him for kissing him that night.  For his desperate plea for them to be okay after he’d twisted them into such strange ugly knots.  How could they be okay in that moment? How could anything be okay?

Julia’s words were in his head again.  “You’re not family, so it’s okay if you love him. The problem is if he loves you.”

No, he wasn’t afraid of Deran.  But with Julia’s words in his head, the Codys power more evident than ever to him, and his and Deran’s relationship twisted and rotten between them, he realized he was a little afraid of himself.

Because despite all that he still loved Deran.  Even as he told him he didn't. Even as he finally found the right words to make him walk away.

Fini

If there was something that struck me about the unhealthy twists and turns Adrian and Deran's relationship took in s1, it was at no point was Adrian afraid of him. Not after he'd beaten him to hide their relationship, not after he had Pope dump his boyfriend in the ocean. Each time he confronted him, and he was angry at him. Never afraid.

I rewatched their final S1 scenes, wondering if he was afraid then, especially since he brings up the possibility of him setting Pope on him, but once again his stance isn't one of fear. Frustration, because Deran refuses to even care about what he did. Hurt that Deran would do this to them. Resentment that he was trying to force him to do what he wanted

But once again he doesn't seem afraid to me.  He's not afraid to tell Deran to his face he can order him to do whatever he wants because his family's power, but that power will never make him love him. (Which is essentially what he's saying when he says "you can't make me have feelings I don't.'')

I also think he was lying. He very much had feelings for Deran still. He wouldn't be so hurt if he didn't. I don't blame him for saying he didn't, though.  Not with Deran's actions during s1.

I didn’t need to fall into another show, but here I am.

[downn-in-flames]

9.9 Out of 10, Highly Recommend (chapter 1)

2 bets. 10 days. Endless shenanigans.

{A Brooklyn 99 meets How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days Jily fic}

Read it on: HPFT | AO3 | FFnet

THE BET

At 10 pm on a Tuesday night, James Potter and Lily Evans are both rather impressively drunk.

They don’t know this particular fact about one another though, because they’re at bars across town from one another, with totally different groups of coworkers.

Although if you asked Lily, she really wouldn’t be surprised to learn that James was drinking on a Tuesday - that’s not too far out of character for him, anyways. James, on the other hand, would be absolutely gobsmacked to learn that cookie-cutter rule-follower Lily Evans was getting smashed on a weekday, when they’ve got work tomorrow.

She has good reason for it though - she’s celebrating. She’s only found out earlier today that she’s getting promoted to sergeant in a new department, which is just one step closer to her dream of becoming captain of a whole precinct and then commissioner of the entire NYPD.

In other words, her entire 25-year plan is right on track.

“The precinct is going to be weird without you,” Mary says, taking a sip of her beer.

From anyone else, that would be a mild compliment at best, but from Mary, that’s practically the equivalent of an overly emotional hug, sobbing and all.

Mary may be one of Lily’s closest friends, but she’s always been an impressively impassive and private person, even with people she’s known for years.

“She’s right,” Marlene adds. “Who’s going to get onto Black every time he decides to do something ridiculous like fill the vending machines with rotting vegetables?”

“And then stop Lupin from punching him, because we all know how he feels about the office vending machine,” Mary quips.

It’s an odd thing to be passionate about, but Remus has an impressive level of dedication to the office vending machine, which is in all honestly probably older than all of them and can only be filled with candy bars because anything larger gets stuck.

Lily laughs - it’s louder than her normal laugh, a sure sign that she’s surpassed Three-Drink Lily. “You’ve got Kingsley and Dumbledore for that.”

Marlene rolls her eyes. “Please. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great at their jobs, but when have they ever been able to rein in Lupin and Black?”

“When have I ever been able to rein in Lupin and Black?” Lily replies, before frowning at her now-empty fourth drink.

“You’re able to rein in Potter, and Potter is able to rein in Lupin and Black.”

Lily scoffs at that, because, in her opinion, she doesn’t have much control over Potter either. And if she were more sober, she’d elegantly manoeuver right around that particular topic of conversation, because it’s a viewpoint she’s always differed with her co-workers on.

But she’s just crossed the threshold into Four-Drink Lily, and Four-Drink Lily has conversational grace equivalent to Peter doing ballet. That is to say, none whatsoever.

“I’ve got no more power over Potter than either of you.”

Marlene giggles at that. “You can tell yourself that all you like, but you know he has a thing for you.”

“Trust me,” Mary adds. “I have to watch him make heart eyes at you all day long. He definitely likes you.”

Mary’s desk does face James, so that claim is actually pretty plausible.

Lily still doesn’t buy it though. “Oh please, Potter doesn’t like me. He likes the idea of me.”

“Meaning?” Marlene prods.

“He’s created some idealised version of me in his head,” she says. “I’m the hot coworker who sits at the desk next to him - it’s practically a fantasy situation. And as such, he’s built me up in his head as this dream girl of his - and that’s the girl he has a crush on. Not me.”

Mary rolls her eyes. “Fuck, I’m going to need another drink if you’re going to psychoanalyze people this hard tonight.”

“Can you get all of us another round while you’re at it?” Marlene asks. “It’s your turn to buy anyways.”

“One beer, one whiskey Diet Coke, and one cosmo, coming right up.”

“You’re a doll, Mary,” Marlene replies, knowing full well that the term of endearment will annoy her coworker.

“Fuck off, McKinnon,” Mary retorts, before getting up and heading over to the bar.

Marlene almost immediately turns back to Lily. “Why are you so convinced he doesn’t actually like you? What proof do you have of that?”

“Potter’s the idealistic type, we all know that,” Lily replies reasonably. “He decided I’m his dream girl when I got assigned the desk next to him, and hasn’t paid attention to any evidence to the contrary ever since.”

The other girl eyes her skeptically. “And that evidence is?”

“We’re so different.” Lily has no idea how that’s not abundantly obvious to everyone.

Lily’s the type of person who has a 25-year life plan. James is the type of person who can’t think more than three days in advance - it’s why most of the precinct has taken to sending him calendar invites for every little thing. Lily color codes her sock drawer, and James has had the same empty Coke can sitting on his desk for the past four months and eight days.

She’s kept count of it. It’s been on her nerves for four months and seven days.

“They say opposites attract, you know,” Marlene replies, smirking. “But really, I don’t think you and Potter are actually that different. Yeah, you’ve got different habits and whatnot, but at the same time, you’re both fuelled by the same things. I know you say he’s blinded by a version of you that he’s created in his head, but you’re blinded by an imaginary version of him too, babe.”

“Am not,” Lily answers stubbornly.

“Honestly, if you just gave him a chance, I think you’d find that you two are good for each other.”

Mary returns with their drinks at that moment, which gives Lily a little bit of time to think through Marlene’s comments.

Lily would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t find James good-looking. It’s kind of hard not to find the boy attractive, what with the dark, messy hair, the sharp jawline regularly dotted with stubble, and the cute little dimple on his right cheek that pops out when he smiles. Not to mention that he’s over 6 foot and decently built - a bit on the skinnier side, but Lily’s always kind of preferred that to the gym bro archetype - all of which puts him firmly in the realm of exactly her type.

He’s also actually pretty funny, and some of his overly dramatic antics serve to lighten the mood on particularly stressful days at the precinct. And he was the first person to congratulate her today when the news broke that she was getting promoted.

So yeah, she’s definitely attracted to him, at least a little bit. But she’ll never admit to that - it’d practically be social suicide amongst her co-workers - and they’d inevitably blow it way out of proportion. Thinking a guy is cute and funny doesn’t equate wanting to spend the rest of your life with them, no matter what Marlene may believe to the contrary.

“I’m telling you, I doubt he’s actually into me like that,” Lily finally says, taking the first sip of her fifth drink. “He wants one part of me, and that’s it. The rest is something he’s created in his own mind. He’d take me for a ride, realise he doesn’t actually like the real version of me, and drop me.”

“And I say you’re wrong,” Marlene replies, taking her cosmo off of Mary’s hands.

“I’m actually with Marlene on this one,” Mary says. “He’s into you, full stop.”

Lily hates being outnumbered. And she also hates being told that she’s wrong, which is probably what fuels what she says next.

“I guarantee you that, if Potter knew what I’m like in a relationship - what he’d be signing himself up for in going out with me - he’d realise he’s not actually into me,” she tells them both. “Fuck, I’d even put money on it.”

“And I’d put money on it that he’s half in love with you, and ‘knowing what you’re like in a relationship’ wouldn’t change that one fucking bit,” Mary replies.

“You’re wrong,” Lily replies, looking Mary dead in the eye.

It’s a dangerous decision, getting into a staring contest with Mary, who could probably kill a man with a glare alone, but Five-Drink Lily isn’t afraid of anything. Even if she is pretty sure Mary keeps at least one knife in her combat boots at all times.

“What’s the wager?” Marlene says, breaking Lily’s concentration.

“What do you mean, ‘what’s the wager’?” Lily asks.

“Well, you two both just made a bet, and I’m just curious what’s actually on the table here.”

“That wasn’t an actual bet!” Lily defends immediately.

Mary scoffs. “Yeah, because you know you’ll lose.”

Lily whips around to look at Mary again. “I do not! But a real bet has to have a comprehensive set of rules associated with it, not just vague statements.”

“Let’s make that ‘comprehensive set of rules’ then,” Mary replies, and the use of air quotes has Lily feeling like her friend is most definitely mocking her. “You leave the office in ten days - that’s a built-in timeline right there. Starting tomorrow, you go after him. You take him out on a couple dates or two - no sex required, unless you just really want to, in which case, go for it I guess. You ‘show him your real self’ - but you’re not allowed to dramatically sabotage anything either. If he’s done with you by the time you leave the precinct, you win. If he’s still half in love with you at that point like I know he will be, I win.”

The speed with which Mary just came up with a fully-thought-out proposal almost shocks Lily, but then again, Mary’s only been drinking beer the entire night and has an alcohol tolerance equivalent to her and Marlene combined. So she shouldn’t be surprised, really.

“I can’t date a coworker,” Lily replies.

“Black and Lupin are fucking engaged,” Mary retorts. “You absolutely can date a coworker.”

Mary’s not wrong, per say. There isn’t anything in their HR manual about dating coworkers; it’s a rule Lily’s instituted for herself moreso than anything formalised by the NYPD. Future commissioners don’t get themselves involved in office romances.

“You can suspend your own rules for this,” Marlene adds, all but reading Lily’s mind. “You’re leaving in ten days - there’s no consequences to this like there would be if you still had to share a workspace afterwards.”

She… does have a point.

“Lily’s just making up excuses because she knows I’m right, and she knows she’s going to lose,” Mary says casually, taking another sip of her beer.

Sober Lily is already competitive as hell, and drunk Lily is that intensified tenfold.

“You’re on, McDonald,” Lily says, slamming her drink down on the table so aggressively that a little bit sloshes over the side. “Loser has to sit through one of Peter’s homemade cheese tasting demonstrations - and eat all of them.”

Betting money might’ve been the original proposal, but the comedic value of forcing Mary to sit through Peter’s impassioned explanations of all the possible cheese varieties is worth far more, from Lily’s perspective.

“And has to organise Black’s Drawer of Horrors,” Mary adds, grinning wickedly.

One of the drawers in Sirius’ desk has been filled with a whole host of terrifying objects over his tenure at the precinct - ranging from prank toys to food that’s probably sat there for years. Even Lily, who gets a thrill out of organising pretty much anything else, doesn’t want to get near that thing with a ten-foot pole.

But Lily won’t have to. Because she’s going to win. “You have yourself a deal,” she says, holding out a hand for Mary to shake.

Mary reaches out and shakes it, gripping just a tiny bit harder than necessary. Lily resists the urge to cringe at the force of it - that’s exactly the display of weakness Mary wants to see.

Marlene looks up from the message she’s been typing on her phone and claps her hands delightedly. “Oh, this is absolutely the kind of office excitement we’ve been needing!”

Lily arches an eyebrow at her. “We work at a police precinct. You really think that’s not exciting?”

Marlene shrugs. “Taking down crime rings and whatnot is cool and all, but the juicy gossip is what I’m really here for.”

Lily shouldn’t even be surprised by that, really. Honestly, Marlene could probably have a pretty decent career in reality TV if she ever decided to leave the precinct.

“There’s not going to be any juicy gossip,” Lily says. “James is going to go out with me twice, realise I’m not what he signed up for, and that’ll be the end of that. No juicy gossip involved.”

“Whatever you say, Lil,” Marlene laughs.

That’s really all there is to it, Lily tells herself. She’s going to win this bet, start her new job, and forget all about James Potter and his stupidly perfect jawline.

On the other side of town, James is on his fourth beer and absolutely thriving.

The four of them - Remus, Sirius, Peter, and him - are on a mission to taste-test every brewery in New York City. They’re nowhere close to accomplishing that goal yet, but they’ve made pretty decent headway and enjoyed acting like overblown beer snobs in the process.

“Ah yes,” Sirius comments, holding his drink out in front of him. “The hops in this brew are particularly pronounced.”

“There’s an earthy aftertaste to this one,” Remus adds, swirling his stout as if it’s a fancy glass of wine.

“And this one tastes like piss,” James replies, completely ruining the fake-classy theme Sirius and Remus had going with their commentary.

“Come on, guys!” Peter says earnestly. “Beer tastings are meant to be a serious affair!”

Sirius isn’t swayed at all. “They’re meant to get us drunk, Wormtail.”

James always wonders what other people must think of them when they hear the group of men calling each other by weird nicknames like Wormtail and Padfoot. In all honesty, James himself isn’t quite sure why the names have stuck as long as they have - they were originally inspired by the first major crimes each detective took down when they were all assigned to the newly-formed 73rd precinct, and they’ve lingered ever since.

Peter took down an organized crime ring from the inside - he was the rat, as the ringleader so eloquently called him in court. Hence, Wormtail.

“You sound like Fenwick,” James adds, before draining his glass.

“Nah,” Remus replies. “None of us are drinking pilsners. Ergo, couldn’t possible be Fenwick.”

They all laugh at that - Benjy Fenwick’s obsession with pilsners has definitely become a running joke throughout the office, despite the fact that the guy doesn’t even work there.

“You’re also nowhere near as much of a dick as Fenwick was,” James tacks on.

Sirius looks up from his phone. “Fenwick wasn’t actually that much of a dick. You just didn’t like him because he was fucking the love of your life.”

James crinkles his brows in disgust. “Fenwick is definitely not the love of my life.”

Admittedly, yeah, Fenwick isn’t ugly - he actually kind of resembles a guy James had gone on a couple dates with in college - but he has the all the personality of a loaf of white bread.

Ergo, very much not James’ type.

“You massively misinterpreted the usage of the word ‘fucking’ in that sentence,” Sirius corrects. “The love of your life is the person he was fucking.”

“Evans isn’t the love of my life either,” James replies defensively.

Well, not yet, at least. James could definitely see her becoming the love of his life though. He almost spilt his coffee all over himself the very first day she showed up at the precinct (he managed to contain the spill to one sleeve, in the end) because fuck, the detective he was supposed to be sharing a desk with shouldn’t have been that beautiful.

And then she opened her mouth and James started falling for her even more.

So yeah, at this point, he’s pretty hopelessly smitten.

And because he’s utter shit at hiding his feelings, all of his friends know it, most of the precinct knows it, and hell, Lily probably knows it too. Trying to argue to the contrary is a bit of a hopeless endeavour.

Remus looks at him skeptically. “Maybe not love of your life, but pretty damn close.”

James shrugs, picking up another one of the IPAs they’ve got on the table. “Doesn’t matter much though - she’s leaving the precinct in 10 days and I won’t have much reason to see her after that.”

When he first heard the news of her promotion, he’d secretly been kind of sad that he wouldn’t have an excuse to see Lily everyday anymore. But he also knows how important getting a promotion and moving up in the police department is to Lily, so he’d given her a bright smile and congratulated her anyways.

“Or, you could actually make a move sometime in those 10 days so that she actually wants to hang around with your dumb ass even after she leaves.”

James glares at Sirius.

“But you don’t have the guts for that, do you?” his best friend challenges.

“Pads...” Remus warns.

Padfoot, like the dog. Inspired by the major drug operation Sirius had sniffed out.

Sirius waves off his fiancé. “Prongs, you’re my brother, so I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you’re absolutely shit with people you’ve got a crush on, and Evans is no exception. You just make doe eyes at her from afar and that’s not going to get you anywhere.”

He’s obviously trying to get a rise out of James - giving him shit for all sorts of things that he knows James can’t stand being called out on - and maybe a more sober James would recognise that, and let Sirius have his fun without rising to the bait.

But that’s not the state that James is in right now.

“I am not shit with people I’ve got a crush on,” he argues. “I just happen to respect Evans’s boundaries because I don’t think it’s very professional to openly flirt with a coworker in the workplace.”

It’s not like the NYPD is known for its sexual harassment policies, so honestly, James probably wouldn’t get in any sort of trouble if he did decide to repeatedly ask her out on dates until she relented, but he’d never want to make her uncomfortable like that.

Hence, his (slightly pathetic) pining from afar.

“I’m not asking you to get a harassment complaint filed against yourself,” Sirius replies immediately. “In fact, I rather like Evans, so if you do manage to do something that warrants a harassment complaint or makes her uncomfortable, I’m formally obligated to kick your ass. But I’m just saying, this is your chance to shoot your shot before she’s no longer one desk away from you.”

Peter laughs. “Please. Prongs could never get Evans to fall for him in that period of time.”

Prongs could refer to the antlers on a stag - and James does love rocking a good pair of reindeer antlers from time to time - but the true derivation of that name was from James escaping and diffusing a hostage situation using nothing but an unloaded gun and a fork.

But damn. Hearing that insult from Peter stings - after all, the guy has had an even longer dry spell than James has. Really, he’s got no right to go around critiquing James’ wooing skills.

“Could too,” James replies childishly, only barely resisting the urge to stick his tongue out at his friend.

“Care to make an official bet on that?” Sirius asks, smirking. “I’ll take you up on that one - loser has to sit through one of Wormy’s cheese demonstrations.”

“Oh yes!” Peter claps his hands together delightedly, completely missing the point that this is a form of punishment for losing. “I’ve been needing more people to practice on!”

“I’m not making a bet on Evans,” James replies obstinately. “She’s a person, not a prize to be won.”

“Technically, you’re not betting on Evans,” Remus replies, serving as the voice of logic at the table. “You’re betting on your own abilities. If you win, you’ve managed to actually nail the partner of your dreams; if you lose, no one is any worse off than when you started. This is an entirely non-objectifying situation on all accounts.”

When Remus puts it like that, James has to admit that he’s got a pretty good point. And there’s no possible outcome to this that hurts anyone. Well, other than James himself if he fails, but honestly no more hurt than if he’d never even taken a chance with Lily to begin with.

He just has to… actually manage to charm the woman that’s shown absolutely no romantic interest in him up until this point.

Should be easy enough, he thinks to himself, and almost laughs aloud at his own internal sarcasm.

But he’ll also never turn down a bet - especially not when all his friends have been giving him so much shit all night. James Potter is a lot of things, but a coward is most definitely not one of them.

So he turns to Sirius, grinning wickedly. “You’re on. But two rules: you three can’t interfere at all, and no one tells Evans about it until it’s over.”

Sirius looks vaguely surprised. “You’re actually taking me up on this?”

“Come on, Pads, you know full well that I don’t back down from a challenge.”

James isn’t lying on that one. It’s gotten him into a fair share of sticky situations - most frequently with a particularly problematic cop in the Major Crimes Unit, who has basically made it his life’s goal to antagonise their whole precinct (but mostly James) on a regular basis.

“Plus,” James muses. “You’re right. I’ve got ten days until I’ll never see her again - if there’s ever a time to take a risk, it’s now.”

“You do realise she’s still going to be friends with all of us, and she’s only moving - ”

“Moony, hush,” Sirius waves a hand in front of Remus’ face, stopping him from finishing that sentence.

The way Remus earned that nickname - and the way he stopped a major car chase in progress - is still a story that none of the boys can get through without laughing.

“So we’ve got ourselves a bet, Prongs?” he continues, extending a hand out to James. “If Lily falls in love with you by the time she leaves the precinct, you win; if she wants nothing to do with you, I win.”

It feels like there’s a significant gap between ‘falling in love with him’ and ‘wanting nothing to do with him,’ but James doesn’t give that technicality too much thought. This is his dignity (and a cheese tasting with Peter) on the line.

So he takes Sirius’ hand, giving it a firm shake. “Let’s do this.”

Ten days from now, he’ll have made Lily fall for him, proving his romantic competence once and for all. His friends will inevitable find something else to give him shit for, but James will thoroughly enjoy his bragging rights.

Or alternatively, he’ll be sampling Peter’s homemade gouda, but James isn’t letting himself entertain that outcome right now.