#gosh slipping right into cloud 9 with this one

[downtherabbitholewithlucy]

✨Just an angel blessing your blog today✨

[4kimji]

Hii can u do gp reader x minji like doing it after minji performance?

hii ofc! i hope you enjoy !! <3

pairing: idol!minji x gp!reader genre: smut, fluff

you sit in the dressing room alone, waiting for your girlfriend’s group to come back from their music bank stage. they were promoting their ep "get up" which was a massive success.

massive success meaning minji had to stay away from you for longer than you wanted. but, that was all figured out since you decided to surprise her after being away from her for about a week.

after about five minutes, minji comes in, her face all sweaty. minji's tired expression changes to a soft, excited one. "oh my gosh! hi!" she exclaims, pulling you into a big hug. "hi, baby." you muffle into her right shoulder.

she pulls you out of the embrace first before locking her lips with yours. groans slip out of your mouth while whimpers come out of minji's. her body slumps down onto one of the waiting room couches, her hands rushing to pull her white shirt and matching skirt off.

you pepper her clothed cunt with kitten licks, but, she gets a handful of your hair. she tugs, "no teasing. please, i need you." before you can pull down her soaked panties, she does it before you.

minji moans due to the contact from the cold air in the room meeting with her needy clit. your breath hitching over her. as you finally dive your head into her thighs, your groans create deep vibrations into her which lead to minji's lewd moans blabbering out of her mouth.

minji's mannerisms were so hot to you, causing you to grind your hard cock on the floor beneath you. she grinds her pussy against your face, making your tongue slip deeper into her folds. "ah fuck, feels so good." she whines, hands toying with her bra straps while she squirms around on the couch.

minji's toes were practically curled all the way at this point. you were eating her cunt so well, she felt like she was on cloud 9. "I'm so close, babe." she yelps, feeling her orgasm near.

you decide to add your fingers to this sloppy mix, using your middle and index finger to make her orgasm come quicker. your tongue was slurping up all her juices while your fingers fuck her at an ungodly pace.

there were tears coming to minji's eyes at this point. "fuck!" she cries out, finally feeling the euphoria of her orgasm. after regaining her blurred vision, minji sees you still grinding against the floor.

"mm, are you still horny?" she asks, wanting to satisfy you just as well as you did to her. she guides you up from the floor, taking off your shirt when you land on the couch.

minji kisses you for a few more moments before finally taking off your boxers, leaving you bare. she changes her position, getting on all fours. "i-i'm clean." she mutters, giving you the "okay" signal.

you enter minji from behind, both of you guys letting out some kind of noise to let the other know how good it felt. you place your hand on minji's lower back, rocking her back and forth.

she yelps after feeling your cold hand on her, eventually getting used to the temperature. her breasts were slapping against her chest. you could watch the sight for hours, but for now you had to act like you weren't staring when she looks back at you, making sure you felt just as good as her.

the lewd squelching and slapping noises fill up the room, also joining in harmony with her moans and screeches. your hand lets go of her back, letting her fuck herself against you.

minji struggles for a few seconds before getting the hand of it, her head buried into the side of the couch. your fingers tangle up in her hair, pulling it with every thrust created by her hips.

her cunt clenched against your cock, leading you to snap and fuck your hips into her harder, desperate for both of your releases. "are you close?" you ask. she nods and lets out a whine. "mm, ok. cum with me baby, 'want to stuff you full." you groan.

her thrusts against your pelvis slow down. "f-fuck!" she yelps, both of your orgasms washing over at the same time. you remove your cock after cumming inside her walls, loose seed oozing out. minji collapses on the dirty couch, her face coated in sweat.

"i-i think we should go home now and wash up, don't you think?"

masterlist.

[missallsundayyy]

Could you write a story where Law takes Robin's first time and she's first all hesitant and shy about it? But he really can't control himself. Just read all your stories in your masterlist and my gosh it's beautiful

I TRIED MY VERY BEST TO WRITE THIS AND THANK YOU FOR READING MY STORIES I APPRECIATE IT ALOT 🥺❤️ PORN WITHOUT PLOT BCOS IM GOING STRAIGHT FOR IT. Thank you for requesting this fic i’ll try to cater to every request because I KNOWWW THE FEELING LIKE I GOT YOU! I even have a perfect picture to match the plot of the story xx

RESEARCH

“You’re a damn tease woman..” he scowled while attacking her neck giving wet open kisses all the way down to her collarbone. “I can’t hold myself back if you’re going to wear provocative outfits” he said, palming her left breast roughly.

“Mhmm la-law...please..” she whispered. He chuckled ceasing his actions, “You know how hard It was to convince your crew to let me borrow their beloved archeologist….to help me decipher my research…” he stopped to look at the now bare and naked beauty below him, her face away from him Her nipples were perky and erected and not to mention the size of her breast...it was enormous almost covered her whole entire face which was now looking at anything but him. She was shy and he most definitely didn’t expect this from the confident and collected Nico Robin. It was a whole nother persona right in front of him and he was enjoying every second of it. The woman below him could easily use her devil fruit powers and snap every bone he has and stop him but no...every touch he placed on her body made her caved into him. Her body sensitivity was heightened for him, his touch, his kisses and his presence. “ fuckk look at you, you’re so beautiful underneath me, bare like this and on my sheets.” he grunt, his boner was evident and growing harder and larger by the second.

“Baka! Don’t say embarrassing things like that” she squeaked out turning to face the pirate captain. He laughed “Your crew gave me only 2 days with you and at this rate i think i’ll use it to fuck you senseless here in my room since you prefer to be in here more. Maybe I'll take you in my operating room tool so that I could always remember you when we’re apart.” he said confidently.

Needless to say the historian’s face was beet in colour, she was embarrassed by his bold words and never did she expected Trafalgar Law to have such a foul mouth.

“La--law-kun, i--” Robin stuttered, finding it hard to put her words together. He has her right where he wants her and she is starting to get hesitant like could she even handle him. Maybe it was a bad idea to tease him too much. He had always known her ways of flirting with him but she guessed when she broke into his room in a white spaghetti strapped top that literally does nothing to hide her enormous breast with a pair of jean shorts to sneak around his room and see his personal collection of books he owned was apparently the last straw for him.

“Look at you, the pirate goddess with 130million berries, a strong willed woman with an extraordinary beam of confidence and elegance...looking so reticent and self conscious right below me.” Law said with a smirk lifting one finger to bring her chin up, facing her to him. “Don’t be shy with me Nico-ya, you’re the only woman that has successfully made me so riveted. Your beauty has captivated me since the day I first saw you and can you imagine how keen I was to know you when I found out how smart, wise and pacific you are.”

Robin was touched by his confession and before she could reply he continued “I like you Nico-ya. I like you so much and I’ll make you feel so good and I will only put you and your pleasure first.” His fingers were already ghosting her entrance that was already slick and wet, she was so horny for him and was solely turned on with just his voice and also mostly with how Law presents himself. He was in short, Robin’s type.

“So wet…..all for me” he slipped one digit in and she threw her head back with a whine.

“M...more please, go faster!” she moaned softly bringing her palms to cover her mouth. He smiled and added three of his fingers in all the way and lunged all digits in a quick and hot pace, he was fingering her and she wasn’t mentally prepared for such swift and agile pace because when she asked him to be fast she didn’t THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FAST. She missed the part where she was a complete total virgin but of course she wasn't entirely innocent either. She was still a woman with sexual needs but sexual intercourse was never relevant to her since she was dead focused with her life goal. She never did thought that pleasure would feel this fucking good or maybe because its him that's bestowing it. Law had awakened her needs and reminded her that aside everything else she needed this and she deserved intimacy and she deserved to be touched and pleasured.

Her vision was clouded with a layer of tears, her mind was hazy and she was on cloud 9 and he was only doing the bare minimum. He brought his hands and gripped her neck, bringing her back to reality.

“Feel good my love? Look at me c'mon..” when she locked eyes with the doctor she felt her insides throb more and not just from the invasion of his fingers. She could feel her juices gushing out and dripping on his hands from the way his knuckles or hand would ever so bump the side of her thighs. “Hhh-hai! Feels so...mhmmmm full” her eyes couldn’t take the intense pleasure anymore she had to break their gaze and her eyes fluttered and closed momentarily and he took the opportunity and dived face first into her wet hole and gave her a viscous long hard lick.

Robin’s eyes flew wide open with her both hands instinctively grabbing his shoulders and hair pulling it roughly.

“Ohhh!” she moaned out and he was eating her out vigorously, she was a lost cause the moment his mouth made contact with her pussy. He made her a moaning hot mess, her fingers raked his scalp, pulling and tugging his hair softly while pressing his face deeper into her cunt, ushering him to go intensely because she feels her high coming...and then…. He heard him groaned out and she moaned loudly. A burst of energy surged throughout her body, it was exhilarating, almost current like, she felt her orgasm ripping through. Was it cum? No...she didn’t think it was so what the hell was that feeling.

“Fuuuckk.” she heard him swore and she felt him stopping his assault on her. Her eyes fluttered open and her vision returned to her slowly and it slowly processed his face that was covered in strings of milky white liquid, he was taken aback by the sudden orgasm and didn’t expect her to even squirt from his tongue and fingers. Shit. Her body sprung up and her panic mode was on, she was beyond embarrassed and mortified she didn’t even know she was capable of squirting and she was now telling him how sorry she was, basically having a word vomit which was very out of character for Robin to be anything but calm and collected. But out of all the apologies and her trying to explain herself, he only caught and focused on one thing she had accidentally let slip out.

“First time..?? You m-mean? You’ve never done this Nico-ya?” Law’s lust was now uncontrollable, knowing that he was going to be Robin’s first and he would have the honour and pleasure of deflowering the beauty and the best part, this was all in his bedroom and he would always have the memory of his first time with her even when they were apart.

Robin shied away from his question and shunned her face away...this only confirmed Law’s question. Such a fierce woman and now was timid and innocent looking, all just for him. His feral and dominant side took over him and he grabbed Robin’s hands and pinned her completely down. Hands on both sides interlocked with each other in a death grip, he was literally panting from lust and he was turned on beyond words not to mention his cock was PAINFULLY hard and if he didn’t bury himself in her he would burst anytime soon.

“You’re so fucking cute.” he groaned at her facial expression. “I’ll make you feel good my love” he ended all talking there and plunged himself all the way in and because of how fucking wet her pussy was from the foreplay before it didn’t hurt her at all, strange because it was anything BUT pain. Robin had read in books how painful it was for women but all she felt was extreme and overwhelming amounts of pleasure. “Oh my god!” she screamed when he sheathed himself roughly into her and went in a god like pace.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck so tight!” he groaned and dipped his head down and took her mouth in his and they kissed, it was sloppy and borderline nasty and the sounds emitting from their kiss alone screamed HORNY. Robin was enjoying every second of this, she had never had sex and her first time was with the man that she was slowly falling for and someone she found so hot and attractive. All hesitance and shyness was thrown out the damn window when he took her roughly like this and she was a moaning mess, and her moans was music to his ears, it was so inviting and sultry he could literally fuck her the whole night. His cock reached all the right places and it was perfect for her pretty cunt, going in and out at a monstrous pace yet managing to stimulate her walls so well and hitting all the right nerves. He could hear the gushing and sloshing sound from their connection and how his precum was mixing with her own juices was now sopping out from her hole, fuck what an erotic sight.

“Ah...ahhhh law..please, oh my g--law ha... it feels so hot---” her hands fought his gripped and flew free and she gripped his shoulder for support and her hips rocked harder and towards his thrusts. Her mouth opened wide, head thrown back in bliss and Law buried his face on the crook of her neck and he fucked her hard for god knows how long because they were both so clouded with lust and both chasing their own high. “I’m goin--fuck...im going to fill you up like this if you keep clenching around my cock like that Nico-ya!”

“In me pp-pplease spill it in me, don’t pull out...ha ha ah ah! I-i’m go..going to cuum!” her legs shook and she vibrated in frenzy when her second high overcame her soul once again. She came with a loud cry and ropes and ropes of milky white cum gushed out from her sloppy hole making spurt sounds in addition to Law’s cock abusing her hole all the sound waves was heightened to him, his view of her large breast bouncing from their rocking, her hands holding and hugging onto him for dear life, her face contort to absolute pleasure, mouth wide open, moaning hotly and panting for air. She was so lewd right now and he knew there was no other woman that could take him like this and there was no woman he would rather pleasure than Nico Robin.

“F..fuck take it take it take it!” he grunted in her chest and came hard, shooting his load into her, painting her walls white and staining her innocence right there and then. “Ahh! I--its too full Law!!” she screamed loudly and both of them were sure that his crew could hear everything they were doing right now but he couldn’t care less. They both continued and rode through their highs and orgasm until they were satiated.

That night, they spent the whole night making love but mostly hard raw fucking, he explored every part of her and touched her in so many aspects and way possible. She lost count of how many times she cummed and how many cosmic orgasms she felt. He pleasured her like no other and he had branded sex with him into her very soul.

The bedsheet was now a MESS, it was stained with cum, sweat and saliva and it was fucking sinful to even get his ship’s cleaner to clean this mess for him. Law had fully exhausted himself and the goddess underneath him was close to passing out from all the fucking they did but he wouldnt let her drift asleep without cleaning her up properly.

“I’ve run a warm bath for us Nico-ya, let me clean you up properly and then i’ll rub you to sleep okay?” Law said lovingly while scooping her up bridal style, he was gentle with her knowing she was going to be sore everywhere, she was extremely brilliant for him and put up with his pleasurable abuse so of course she was receiving royalty like aftercare.

~BONUS~

“Neh Robin! Are you okay? You seem to be limping ever since you came back from your stay” Chopper asked worriedly.

“Fufufu don’t worry, it was just a little accident on the Polar Tang but Law-kun had already taken care of it” Robin assured her nakama. Chopper smiled “Well! If Law said it's fine then you should be okay soon Robin!” With that the little reindeer walked away finding Usopp who was fishing for their dinner.

Nami who was listening to their conversation wasn't buying her story one bit “So you and the captain of the Heart Pirates are boning each other huh Robin?” The orange- haired navigator hugged her best friend from behind, “We let you go for two days and you finally decide to make your move on him” Nami teased.

Robin giggled “I think he suits me well don’t you think so Nami?”

“Well you know what this means...girls night!!” Nami exclaimed, dragging Robin for an afternoon sun tan.

[onlyfreds]

Yours Forever | F.W.

Title: Yours Forever

Requested: Yes/No

Summary: It’s been a year since the war. Fred decides that he is ready for a new chapter in his life.

A/N: This is for @theweasleysredhair​‘s 9k writing challenge. Prompt #9 (You should just marry me) and #15 (You remembered) and the song “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars

Lyrics are in italics

Part 2

--

“You ready?” I asked my boyfriend, Fred, as I walked down the stairs of our flat.

My boyfriend turned to face me, “Gorgeous as always love.” He said with a small smirk.

He then picked up his jacket from the table, then he offered me his arm, “Ready to go on our date love?”

I giggled as I took it, “Always.”

--

After eating at the restaurant, we were sitting in a nearby park, watching the stars.

“It’s amazing isn’t it.” I suddenly said.

Fred looked at me, “What is?”

“6 years of dating and two near death experiences. And we’re still standing strong.” I contemplated. It’s been a year since the war. Fred would’ve been crushed by a wall if I hadn’t pushed him out of the way in time and I would’ve died if Fred hadn’t blocked the killing curse that a deatheater shot at me.

After receiving no reply, I looked over at Fred, his eyes were glazed, his mind was a million miles away.

“What are you thinking?” I asked softly.

He diverted his gaze back to me, before standing up and helping me do the same.

“Freddie, you’re worrying me.” I said as I placed my right hand on his cheek.

He gave me a small smile, “You think it’s amazing that we’re still standing strong after all these years?”

I gave him a confused look, “Of course I do, Freddie.”

“Then you should just marry me.” He said, as he got down on one knee.

“What?”

He pulled out a small box with a diamond ring inside, “Y/N, you are the most amazing and gorgeous person I’ve ever met. I honestly wouldn’t be here without you. I want to live my life to the fullest and I want you to be my side while I do it. You had me under your spell the minute I laid eyes on you, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I could never imagine my life without you and I could never see my future without you in it. So, will you marry me?”

My hand flew to my mouth as tears started to cloud my vision, “Yes! Yes Fred! I will marry you!”

“I love you.” He said as he slipped the ring on my finger.

“I love you too.” I said as he leaned forward and kissed me under the stars.

 6 months later

Since Ginny and Hermione helped with the wedding preparations and like Hermione, I was muggle-born, they agreed to keep some muggle traditions like the bride and groom not seeing each other until the wedding day.

As the rehearsal dinner ended, Fred was more clingy than usual.

“Do we have to be apart?” Fred whined as he hugged me from behind.

I chuckled, “It’s tradition Freddie. Besides, it’s just one night. Tomorrow, we’re getting married.”

He placed his head in the crook of my neck, “Can’t wait to finally call you Mrs. Weasley.”

But that little moment was interrupted when George yelled, “We have to go Freddie. Ginny already whacked me on the head, I don’t want to wait for Hermione to do the same.”

Fred and I laughed at his twin’s predicament.

“Just a second.” Fred yelled back before turning to me, “Can I have one last kiss.”

I gave him a confused look, “One last kiss?”

“As an unmarried couple.”

I smiled as I leaned forward and kissed him.

“I can’t wait to see you walk down the aisle.” He said.

I giggled, “And I can’t wait to see you at the end of the aisle.”

“Fred!” George yelled, “Hermione is going to whack me on the head if you don’t get your arse here in 2 minutes!”

“See you tomorrow princess!” Fred said with a small wink as he ran off to his twin.

 The Big Day

I looked at myself in the mirror, admiring how perfect my dress was. It was literally my dream dress. It was sleeveless and lace is scattered along the outfit. And the veil was topped off with a small tiara.

“You look beautiful.” Hermione said as she entered the room.

“Thank you, Mione.” I said, giving her a small smile.

Ginny then dashed into the room, “Oh my gosh.” She gasped, “Fred is going to cry.”

“Are you sure you want to marry my brother?” She joked. “Because I can make the perfect distraction while you slip out the front door.”

We laughed as Hermione playfully smacked Ginny’s arm.

I shook my head, “I’m fine Ginny. I have never been more sure of anything in my life.”

“Well then,” Hermione said, “We wouldn’t want to keep your soon to be husband waiting then.”

Our wedding was taking place at the Burrow just like Bill and Fleur’s wedding.

Molly was waiting for us by the opening of the tent.

“You look so gorgeous, dear.” Molly said as she gave me a hug.

“Thank you, Molly.” I grinned.

“Molly,” I said, tentatively.

“Yes dear?”

“Thank you so much for helping out but can I ask one more favor?”

“Of course, dear, it is your wedding day.”

“Can Arthur be the one to walk me down the aisle?” I asked. To say that I didn’t get along with my parents was the understatement of the century. Since they wanted a boy, they were “disappointed” to say the least. And it only made matters worse when I attended Hogwarts. They disowned me the moment I came home for the summer after my first year. The minute the twins knew about my situation, the Weasleys took me in faster than you could say, “The Burrow”.

Tears started to well up in Molly’s eyes, “Of course dear.”

She then called Arthur as the ceremony started.

“Thank you.” Arthur said as he took his place beside me, “for making my son so happy.”

I smiled, “If there’s anyone I should be thanking Arthur, it’s you and Molly. Thank you for raising the son who would complete me and make me happy.”

Molly was trying to hold back tears as she hugged me tightly, “My baby boy is all grown up now and I’m glad that he found someone so perfect.”

“Molly.” I said with a small smile, “Stop, you’re going to make me cry.”

The three of us chuckled as Molly handed me the bouquet.

I started to walk down the aisle.

Ginny was right, Fred had to turn around to hide his tears.

When we arrived at the altar Fred smiled as he said, “Hey gorgeous, is that the earrings you wore when we had our first kiss.”

I grinned, “You remembered.”

He chuckled, “Of course I do. I remember every memory we have.”

The ceremony then started.

Then it was time for the vows. I went first.

“Fred Weasley. My best friend, my partner in crime, my everything, my lover, and in just a few minutes time: The man I’ll spend the rest of forever with. I didn’t know what made me fell in love with him in the first place. Was it his dazzling eyes? Or his charming smile? It could even be his overall personality.” I stated, making everyone chuckled.

“I always thought that love means going through immense pain or having your heart broken into millions of pieces or just full of regrets, basically. But Fred proved me wrong. He never made me go through pain, he never broke my heart, and I never have a single regret when it came to loving him.” I continued, making my fiancé smile.

“He always manages to make me smile. As cliché as it sounds, he is the ray of sunshine that shines through my darkest days. He has given me so much love and care over the years and I promise that I’ll always give you the more than what you deserve. I promise that I’ll always prank with you. I promise that I’ll always be by your side no matter what.” I said as I slipped the ring onto his finger.

“Your sister asked me if I was sure about my decision to marry you.” The group laughed as Ginny gave us a guilty smile. I turned back to Fred, not trying to hold back the tears anymore, “I told her that, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. If I lived a thousand lives, then I would choose you a thousand times. Loving you isn’t just a feeling, it’s an adventure. An adventure I’ll take with you even in the afterlife.”

At this point, it was obvious that Fred was trying to hold back tears but he still had his vows to say.

“Y/N L/N, how do I begin to describe her? The most amazing, the most gorgeous, the hottest girl I’ve ever laid eyes on. The moment I saw you, I knew that you were the one I was going to marry. I knew that you were the one I was going to start a family with. I knew that you were the one I was going to spend the rest of my life with. I found, and still find, every part of you attractive. From the sparkle of mischief in your eyes to your wonderful laugh. Even the way how you could wear a bucket of red paint and yell at me for hitting the wrong target.” I blushed as he tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

“Honestly, I would be lost without you. You are the part of my life that I can never live without. You have always been by my side. Through the ups and downs, the laughs and the frowns, the good ideas and the bad ones, the successful pranks and the less successful ones. You supported the joke shop the minute we pitched the idea to you. You’ve stayed with me through those late nights of brainstorming. And you willingly dropped out of school to open up the joke shop with us.” Molly gave a playful glare to Fred, causing everyone to was present to laugh.

“I would’ve died if you hadn’t saved me. I wouldn’t be standing here today, marrying the woman I love. Merlin, I don’t even know how I got you date me in the first place, let alone marry me. But I thank my lucky stars that I got you to say ‘yes’. I am the luckiest man in the world, because I can call you mine. I promise that I’ll always be with you, even in the afterlife. You complete me.” He said as he placed the ring on my finger, “Nothing else can complete me but you.” He finished, openly crying.

“With the power invested in me. I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” The minister smiled.

Fred pulled me into his arms and kissed me passionately, finally sealing the deal.

--

Later at the Reception

The party was in full swing. It actually reminded me of the parties we would have at the Gryffindor common room. So, it meant that we still knew how to throw a party. We already threw the bouquet and the garter, Hermione and Ron catching them respectively.

Then came our first dance as husband and wife. But, like always, Fred had something up his sleeve.

I gave my husband a confused look when George announced that he had a “little surprise”.

Music started to play as Fred winked and said, “You’ll see.”

To everyone’s surprise, he started to sing.

Oh, her eyes, her eyes Make the stars look like they're not shinin' Her hair, her hair Falls perfectly without her tryin' She's so beautiful and I tell her everyday

Yeah, I know, I know When I compliment her, she won't believe me And it's so, it's so Sad to think that she don't see what I see But every time she asks me, "Do I look okay?" I say

He then took my hand and spun me around as he continued,

When I see your face There's not a thing that I would change 'Cause you're amazing Just the way you are And when you smile The whole world stops and stares for a while 'Cause girl, you're amazing Just the way you are Yeah

He traced my bottom lip with his thumb as I giggled.

Her lips, her lips I could kiss them all day if she'd let me Her laugh, her laugh She hates, but I think it's so sexy She's so beautiful and I tell her everyday Oh, you know, you know You know I'd never ask you to change

He placed a small peck on my lips before continuing.

If perfect's what you're searchin' for, then just stay the same So don't even bother askin' if you look okay You know I'll say

When I see your face There's not a thing that I would change 'Cause you're amazing Just the way you are And when you smile The whole world stops and stares for a while 'Cause girl, you're amazing Just the way you are

I placed my hands on his shoulders as he swayed me on the spot.

The way you are The way you are Girl, you're amazing Just the way you are

When I see your face There's not a thing that I would change 'Cause you're amazing Just the way you are And when you smile The whole world stops and stares for a while 'Cause girl, you're amazing Just the way you are Yeah

 “Since when did you learn to sing?” I asked.

 He smirked, “Only for you. Love.”

--

Bonus:

 Soon enough, the reception was soon over. We were trying to help Molly clean up.

She waved us off, “We can handle this. Just go.”

Fred smirked, “Time to go to our own reception then.”

After bidding goodbye to his family, we apparated to the hotel we were staying in before going to our honeymoon.

I yelped as Fred scooped me up bridal style and carried me to our room.

“Mrs. Weasley, I guarantee you’re going to have the best night of your life.”

[oasis-for3v3r]

Cloud 9 <3

Prompt-reader is a famous singer and performs her first live performance with David Bowie, doing a duet of Under Pressure on Live Aid

David Bowie x Reader Platonic Pairing @laneofpennies​ @a-none-bee​ @angelofhell323​

Warnings: none unless you count descriptions of nervousness. And a lengthy fic

Okay, let’s do it.

Was the first thing you said to yourself. At eight am. On a Saturday. In the middle of July. You usually be sleeping until 2pm on weekends since you were usually so busy on the weekdays. Being Englands new up- and- coming musician is all. 

“Ow!” you said as your foot slipped on something and stubbed your toe on the edge of the dresser. You bit back a mirad of curses as you picked up the foul weapon.

Oh.

Sky Heavens- Head in the Clouds. Your first album. Of course. You were lucky enough to get one from the store. Nearly all of the record shops were sold out. You should be happy, I mean sales were doing great, and as for the royalties-

Oh my gosh how has it ben 25 minutes already?!. 

It was a very important day for you.. you were preforming for your first crowd ever. So of course you were excited. but more nervous because, it was your first time. And you had terrible stage fright. And you were doing a duet with David Bowie. Oh you almost forgot.

Your first performance was gonna be Live Aid.

As you tucked in your fancy bell-sleeved bloused you asked yourself a string of questions. For example:

How in the hell did you get into live aid?

What song were you gonna sing with David, er Mr.Bowie?

Were there gonna be high notes? Could you even hit them?

Am i dressing too casual?

Oh my gosh, were going after Queen.

Your final though was punctuated with a hailing of a cab. You felt dizzy after you entered the car so you focused on the horizon, which made your eyes get heavier and heavier until...

“Ma’am this is a cab not a daycare” the driver grunted.

Your head snapped up, wiping the drool off off your chin. You have got to stop making this a habit. You scolded to yourself.

Every time your legs hit the ground of Wembely Stadium, you could feel the muscles in your leg turn into jelly. Your heartbeat is playing the percussion. And your pretty sure that your haven’t taken a breath since coming out of the cab.

You finally taken a breather when you hear commotion coming from the nearest hallway. You saw so many stars you could’ve swore you were in space. You saw Elton John, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor, Brian May, (you couldn’t find John Deacon) Adam Ant was sitting on a couch reading a magazine. Next to him was Elvis Costello sticking straws down his hair, you were about to laugh when-

“Boo!”

“Jesus!”

 “No this is David.” joked a lanky man with blond hair, and a pastel blue suit, matching your all white outfit (with a pale blue headband) making you too look like the color of the sky.

“Mr.Bow- David, hi!” you exclaimed, trying to sound as cheery as possible. 

He hesitated for a moment looking in your eyes as if searching for something only for a moment. “Come into my trailer, i need to talk to you.” he says softly.

You followed him into what looked like a portal to the personification of serenity. There were books piled on top of a small table. A kettle burning on low. With not surprisingly, a pile of teacups littered on top of the counter.  You also noticed (on nosier inspection) small annotations scribbled in the corners.

“Y/N!!”

“YES” you exclaimed, jumping slightly. You have got to start paying more attention to your surroundings.

“Tell me whats on your mind, and be honest” his voice was filled with concern, but somehow still comforting.

You took a breath- seventh one today. And started:

“ I feel like everyone will be disappointed, when they see me. All I ever wanted to do was make music that someone will relate to and find comfort in. And now that I have that, which I am very grateful for, I have to handle the price of fame as well. People put celebrities on pedestals and if they make one mistake in the public eye the pedestal crumbles. And don’t even get me started on the media. And today one of the biggest days in history, and if I do bad, then i will not only disappoint myself but the families in Africa who are relying on me to succeed. And-”

“Y/N” David said sternly “Calm down, you will be fine.” He took a breather and said.” You remind me of myself when I was younger, a shy little Capricorn boy, I just wanted to make music, and the fame tagged along. Its what happens eventually. I just used theatrics to cover up the stage fright.” “Now I just focus on the crowd as if they were one person and give them ll the light I have.”

“As for you when singing Under Pressure with me- while singing Freddie’s part- I want you to take all of the audience’s energy, make it into light and give it towards the sky.” “Give everybody hope.”

Just then you heard.a knock at the trailer. it was time for you to get ready. 

You watched as Queen rocked the show. This was gonna be hard for you to follow up. You felt like this performance was gonna be talked about for decades. You felt pity for the future generations that wont get to see this. 

You watched with butterflies in your stomach, as you saw David perform TVC 15 which bleed into Rebel Rebel. You smiled with fondness, as the corners of your mouth twitched,(which happened often when you’re nervous). When you were turned around.

Moustace, Freddie Mercury.

“Hello, Darling. You’re going up next with Under Pressure, right?”

“Y-Yes ” you were shaking

“ Well don’t fuck it up darling. And make everyone proud.” He said with a smile (that was also in his eyes)

You nodded, and he turned you back around. Just in time for you to be handed a microphone and introduced by David.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome to the stage-for the first time ever- Sky Heavens!!!”

You heard more applause than you expected. But then again it was your very first time ;)

You heard the beginning of the song, and you knew you had no time to be nervous as you started:

Mmm num ba de Dum bum ba be Doo buh dum ba beh beh

Then together-

Pressure pushing down on me Pressing down on you, no man ask for Under pressure that burns a building down Splits a family in two Puts people on streets

Um ba ba be Um ba ba be De day da Ee day da- that's okay

So far you have just been looking at the horizon, seeing the sun begin its descent, little by little. 

It's the terror of knowing what this world is about Watching some good friends screaming, "Let me out!" Pray tomorrow gets me higher Pressure on people, people on streets

This is for peace and hope in Africa.

Chipping around, kick my brains around the floor These are the days it never rains but it pours Ee do ba be Ee da ba ba ba Um bo bo People on streets Ee da de da de People on streets

This is for anyone who has felt stress for being themselves

It's the terror of knowing what this world is about Watching some good friends screaming, 'Let me out' Pray tomorrow gets me higher, high Pressure on people, people on streets

The sun was setting now, making the crowd look like angels and your outfit dipped in the sun. David was looking at you with the biggest grin on his face as if seeing his child gain confidence. The high note was coming, and you were ready.

Take all the Audiences Energy

Turned away from it all like a blind man

Make it into light

Sat on a fence but it don't work

Give it towards the sky

Keep coming up with love but it's so slashed and torn 

Give everybody hope

Why, why, whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!

That was the highest note you had ever hit. The energy that the crowd was giving you was electric. You felt unstoppable.

Insanity laughs under pressure we're breaking

David was practically yelling into the mic, as he felt unstoppable with you too.

Can't we give ourselves one more chance? Why can't we give love that one more chance? Why can't we give love, give love, give love, give love Give love, give love, give love, give love, give love?

Because love's such an old-fashioned word And love dares you to care for The people on the (People on streets) edge of the night And love (People on streets) dares you to change our way of Caring about ourselves This is our last dance This is our last dance This is ourselves under pressure Under pressure Under pressure Pressure

On the final word you hugged David, he shouted in your ear so you hear him over the roaring crowd. “YOU DID IT LOVE!!! IM SO PROUD OF YOU111″

You look over his shoulder to see Freddie Mercury.

Clapping.

For You.

You felt as if there was the sun poured inside of you. As if you were weightless. You found your new home; on Cloud 9.

[juliathejoke]

-𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗲-

𝗦𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗮 𝘅 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: Sweet Pea gets super jealous about you and Reggie. Because Reggie is your best friend.

𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀:None, fluffy

-Gif not mine

___________________________________

Walking out of math class which was thankfully your last class for the day, Reggie followed close behind you. “What are you plans for today?” He asked you.

“Well Pea is picking me up so I’m probably just going to spend the day with him.” You readjusted your backpack and looked up at him knowing he was making a face, which he was. “Oh come on Reggie. I thought you would be use to this by now.” It had been a couple months since you got together with Pea and you knew they were going to have to adjust to each other but you didn’t think it would take so long.

“I’m not the one who has the problem hun. That’s all him.” You shook your head. They both blamed each other for there being an issue. The one of the real issues was that they were more a like then they had realized. And the other one was that they had to fight over you attention now.

“How about I stay to watch you practice and then I’ll have him pick me up after?” You watched the corner of his lips turn upward in to a smile. Knowing that only him and you would be happy with this plan, you texted Sweet Pea the sweetest text trying to make up for the fact that you would be missing time with him.

To Sweet Pea:

Hey babe! I am going to stay and watch football practice. So no rush on picking me up. I can’t wait to see you though Pea! I miss you so much. Love you! See you soon!

After a few minutes, the only response you got was an “ok”. Brushing it off, you looked a Reggie and smiled signaling that you were staying. He clapped his hands with a small yes slipping out of his lips. He threw his arm around you as you guys excited the school making your way to the stadium where he practiced.

Most of the guys were already there and the hoots and hollers came from Chuck and a few other guys as you got closer. You and Reggie looked at each other with a rolling of there eyes and a laugh. His teammates had always made fun of you guys and tried to get you guys together even though they knew you were with Sweet Pea. But of course Northsiders thought they were better and his friends definitely thought Reggie was better than Sweet Pea.

Reaching the track that surrounded the field, Reggie pulled you in fir a hug while kissing gaur forehead. Some thought that this wasn’t something friends should do but why would your friendship with him change just because you got a boyfriend?

You walked over to the bleachers, seeing that Veronica was there watching Archie you took a seat next to her. “Hey V. Long time no see.”

She looked up from her phone and smiled. “Oh my gosh Y/N! How are you?” She pulled you in for a hug after you sat down. “I’ve barely seen you since you got that new Southside boyfriend.” She wiggled her eyebrows which made you laugh at her. Your cheeks got a little red at the mention of Sweet Pea.

45 minutes passed that was filled with talking with Veronica and watching Reggie practice. It felt like the old days which was nostalgic but you did like the way things were now. When coach blow the whistling signaling to the players that practice was over, you and Veronica came down off the bleachers and down to the track.

Getting right off the field, Reggie came over to you. “Ew no. Go shower before you come near me.” He smirked with an evil spark in his eyes. This made you slowly step back from him while continuing to tell him no, but it only seemed to provoke him more.

What you didn’t know was that Sweet Pea was watching the little scene unfold between you and Reggie. He wasn’t happy about it to say the least. He was so insecure abut the fact that Reggie could give you more than he could. It hurt him to see that you could be just as happy with someone other than him.

Reggie now had been holding you by the waist in the air as you two laughed. “Reggie! Put me down!” After a few more minutes of messing around, he finally put you down. Archie and Veronica were still standing there and began to talk to you both. Standing up and straightening yourself out, Reggie threw his arm around your shoulders.

“Are you boys ready to win Friday?” Veronica asked Reggie and Archie. Both boys looked at each other smiling, began to nod. “Hell yeah. As long as my best friend finally shows up to a game I”ll be all set!”

You rolled your eyes at him. He knew that you spent Friday’s at the Wyrm with Pea, but you didn’t say anything not wanting to fight with him. You felt your phone vibrate in your pocket, Pulling it out, it was a text from Pea.

Here.

Pulling yourself from under Reggie’s arm, you looked around to see pea leaning against his motorcycle just outside the gate of the football field. “Reg, Pea is here so I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Ooo bad boy doesn’t look too bad on a motorcycle.” V said which cause Archie to roll his eyes and you to laugh. “He looks good all the time V. Come on now.” This time it was Reggie who rolled his eyes and Veronica to laugh. Walking away from your three friends, you waved bye.

Making it over to Pea, you threw your arms around him whispering in his ear, “I missed you babe.” He didn’t say anything in response, he just pulled you out of the hug and kissed you, hard. You knew that it was because of who was watching you two which upset you a little bit but you didn’t complain. Kissing Sweet Pea always put you on cloud 9.

He was the first one to pull away. Not saying anything, he jumped on his bike. Standing there stunned with how abruptly he did that. You didn’t want to cause a scene so you hopped on the back of his bike and he took off.

Driving though town with thinking that he was heading back to his trailer, he was going down a different path one that led to the Wyrm.  You pulled yourself closer to Pea and leaned in to his ear, “Why are we going to the Wyrm Pea?”

Again, you received no response from him which now confirmed that he was pissed. Sighing you pulled away from him slightly, well you tried, but he pulled you back even closer than you were before. Even when he was mad, he still needed you close to him. He needed that conformation that you were still there.

Arriving at the Wyrm, he immediately untangled you arms from him and went in not waiting for you. You sighed, taking your time getting into the bar. Walking in, you looked around for Pea and found him at his usual stool and table in the corner. Continuing to look around, you saw Toni and Fangs at a pool table. Walking over, Toni looked between you and Sweet Pea and connected to dots.

“You were with Reggie weren’t you?” Toni asked. You just nodded. It was almost sad that Toni didn’t even have to ask she already knew. “He’ll be over it just give him his half hour to cool down.” You nodded again. Okay it was sad now. She even knew how long it would take for him to come up to you calm.

When the half hour past on the dot, arms wrapped around your waist and kisses were placed on you neck. You leaned in to him, placing your arms on top of his. “I missed you too babygirl.”

“You know I love you and only you right?” You felt him nod against you. “And you both make me happy, but you make me a different kind of happy. The one that makes me feel loved and complete. The one that lasts forever.” He placed more kisses on your neck and squeezed your waist.

“I love you babygirl. You are mine.” He moved to the other side of your neck, the one your sweet spot, aka his favorite spot, was on. In between his kissing and biting at the spot, he whispered to you, “Mine.”

[moceit]

You want more mociet content?? Well, may I offer you this? Could you list some headcanons? I will write some stuff for you based off these headcanons when I get time. The best part? I'm doing it anonymously so you don't know who is sending this. Meaning, maybe other people might write or draw stuff to? Because it could be anyone. I just thought it'd be a fun little idea to get stuff on the moceit tag for people to enjoy.

Oh my gosh that's so sweet. Only do so if you have the time though! And please don't overwork yourself.

I listed off a few headcanons here

But here are a few more

Janus is a coffee person. Patton is a tea person. They make each other's favorite drink for the other person every morning (Janus makes tea for Patton. Patton makes coffee for Janus)

Janus is cold blooded, right? When the temperature cools down Janus ends up spending more time in bed, sleeping and keeping warm to regulate his body temperature. Patton will keep the house extra warm in the winter, lays extra blankets on top of Janus, feed him hot soups, and cuddle with Janus when he has spare time.

They have definitely been caught on several occasions dancing together in the kitchen in their pajamas at the middle of the night. Whoever catches them quietly retreats back to their room, not wanting to disrupt their private moment.

Before they got together it was actually Remus to be the first to realize the two of them had feelings for each other so he was the one to try and set them up on a date. He was the most excited when the two announced they were in a relationship.

While Janus does love a nice glass of wine in the evenings, he's never been drunk. He likes to be very attentive and aware of everything going on around him so he he avoids inebriation. Patton, contrary to his image, has gotten drunk on several occasions. When Janus knows that Patton's going to be drinking he'll abstain from alcohol that night so he can be completely sober to take care of Patton if he does drink a little too much.

Janus was the first to say "I love you." It was kinda an accident. Patton was doing something that Janus found adorable and he just let it slip out. Janus didn't realize he said it, but Patton noticed and froze slightly. He looks at Janus who is now very confused with a huge goofy smile on his face. Janus: "What?" Patton, shakes his head: "Nothing." He's on cloud 9 for the rest of the day but decides to not tell Janus what he said, and also spares his "I love you" for another time when he knows Janus is actually ready.

[meliakim]

Purple Seokjinie

Seokjin dyes his hair purple for Mun’s birthday.

*Mun’s POV*

“Oh my gosh, just give me a moment!!!” I said, trying to catch my breath after laughing so hard at Namjoon singing a karaoke song… er… rather, shouting it. Hobi and I were about to do a duet together, so I tried to compose myself. As soon as the music to our song started playing, I broke down laughing again, causing everyone to laugh with me. “I think Mun-ah must’ve had too much sugar tonight!” Taehyung commented, looking over at the giant birthday cookie that we had instead of cake.

I never liked making a big deal of my birthdays, but that is certainly not the case when it comes to my boyfriend. When my birthday came around two years ago, they were all in the middle of their Wings world tour, so I spent it alone… Seokjinie ended up video calling me after their concert that day, and we talked for hours, even though we weren’t dating at that time. I never bothered to tell him what day my birthday was, so Min must’ve told him about it.

Last year, Seokjinie got his brother to reserve his entire restaurant for us to have a party. All the members came, of course, as did Seokjinie’s family. We ate so much food that night and just had a great time being together. A couple days after that, Seokjinie released a cover of the song “Autumn Outside the Post Office,” which was secretly dedicated to me. This year we were in Busan, preparing for their 5th muster. I wasn’t sure if I was going to go with them on this trip, but Seokjinie insisted to the staff that I come, especially since it was around my birthday.

Even with being out of our hometown, Seokjinie still managed to make my birthday a special one. After their rehearsal the night before my birthday, Seokjinie, with the help of some of the staffs, went out and bought all my favorite foods as takeout. The party started as soon as it was midnight. He set up all the food in his hotel room, including a giant cookie instead of a cake, since I like cookies much better. He also somehow got his hands on a karaoke machine, so we had been singing for probably a couple hours at this point, and the later it got, the more I found things to be funny.

“Either she’s had too much sugar, or she’s just sleep deprived!” Jimin said with a laugh, trying not to move too much, as Min had reached the point of sleep deprivation and was fast asleep with her head resting in her boyfriend's lap. Seokjinie stood up and noticed that Min had passed out, and that Yoongi and Jungkook were about to fall asleep as well. “Ok, maybe we should end the party before anyone else falls asleep!” he said with a laugh, kicking JK gently as he laid on the floor. “That’s a good idea,” I said, getting up from my seat on his bed.

“Happy birthday again, Mun!!!” each member greeted me with a hug on their way out. “Thank you for celebrating the first few hours of it with me!!” I said. Jimin was the last to leave, carrying my sleeping sister in his arms bridal- style. “Here’s our room key,” I said, slipping it into one of his hands so he could tuck my sister in her bed in our room. “Happy birthday, Mun!” he whispered before heading out of Seokjinie’s room so that there were only two of us remaining. As I turned to Seokjinie, I saw him holding a small, wrapped gift.

“Here’s your first gift,” he said, sitting down on the bed. I sat down next to him and took it, gently unwrapping it. I smiled widely when I saw the 5x5 canvas with our two avatars from Animal Crossing on it, sitting side-by-side on what I guessed was a bench, though it honestly just looked like a brown blob. The grass was also messily painted and the sun and clouds in the sky were crooked. The two characters, however, were painted perfectly and looked like they came right out of the game.

“Aww, look it’s us!!!” I said cutely as I continued to study the painting. “I wanted to paint the whole thing, but after I finished the background, I decided I at least wanted our characters to look good, so I got Jungkook-ah to paint them for me,” he said with a laugh, laying back on the bed with his head propped up on his elbow. “And wait… are these the outfits we wore when we played Animal Crossing for the first time together?” I suddenly realized, looking back at him. He nodded and gave a satisfied smile. “Ah, you remembered!! That was the start of our online gaming together,” he said, sitting back up and facing me.

“It’s perfect, Seokjinie, thank you so much,” I said, leaning over towards him. He met me halfway and kissed me gently, resting his hand on the back of my neck as he did so. “I love you, Mun-ah,” he said afterwards, shaking his head while he said it, as if he couldn’t believe his luck. “I love you too,” I replied before leaning in and giving him one more kiss, which was interrupted by my urge to yawn. “You need to go get some sleep,” Seokjinie said, standing up and pulling me up with him.

“I have a full schedule of things for us to do tomorrow… or today rather,” he added, looking down at his invisible watch. “Yeah, you’re probably right,” I said, getting on my tippy toes and wrapping my arms around his neck. “Good night, Seokjinie! Thank you again for everything,” I said as I hugged him. He kissed my cheek and hugged me back. “Good night, my Mun,” he said sweetly before we both let go and parted ways. When I got back to my room, I was unsurprised to find Min fast asleep in our bed. I was already in my PJs, so I slipped into the bed beside her and turned off the light, falling asleep almost immediately.

He had told me that he would come by my hotel room the next morning at around 9, and then we would go out for breakfast. I was up before then, as was Min. I showered and put on a large pink shirt and overalls, completing my look with my usual pair of Converse. “You look cute!! What are you guys doing today?” Min asked me after I had gotten dressed. “I really have no idea… but I guess I’m going to find out!” I said, sitting down on the bed and checking my messages. “I can’t wait to hear all about it later!” she said, heading out the door, as she was going to meet Jimin for their own day out.

After a few minutes of reading and responding to birthday messages, I heard a knock on the door and opened it to find Seokjinie. He was dressed in a large pink shirt, skinny jeans, wire-framed glasses, and black converse, matching me like he had planned. The first thing I noticed though was his hair. It was styled back so that I could see his full face, but more importantly... IT WAS PURPLE. I grabbed his arm as I stared at him and pulled him into the room, closing the door behind him.

“Kim Seokjin!!!!” I said excitedly, putting my hands on his shoulders and forcing him to squat so we were at eye-level. I tilted his head at every angle as I studied his hair, smiling like an idiot the whole time. “When did you even have time to go to the hairdresser??” I asked, still so captivated by the sight of purple Seokjinie. He stood up straight and looked at himself in the mirror. “I dyed it myself last night… you can’t tell by how uneven it is?” he asked as he ruffled his hair slightly with his hands.

“No!! It literally looks so good, oh my goodness, I’m in love!!” I said with a laugh. He turned towards me with his dramatic “I’m so handsome” face as I continued to fangirl over him. He broke character when he saw how cute I was being and laughed. “Aish, Mun-ah! I’m so glad you like it! It’s your second gift,” he said. “Have the producers seen it yet??” I asked, knowing full-well that it was against the rules for the boys to cut or dye their own hair.

“They haven’t yet, but it’s not like they can fire me… the worst they can do is dye it a different color, but they will probably let me keep it since it looks so good,” he said, looking at his hair in the mirror again. “It really does though!” I agreed, hugging his waist from behind and peering around his wide shoulders so I could see him through the mirror. He smiled as he rotated himself in my arms so that he was now facing me, wrapping his arms around my waist and looking down at me. “Y’know, if they do let me keep it, the media is going to assume I dyed it purple for ARMY… just remember that I dyed it for you, since it’s your favorite color,” he said, reassuringly.

He began leaning down, as if to kiss me, but I teasingly stopped his lips with my hand, causing him to look at me with a small pout. I eased out of his arms and grabbed the polaroid camera he got me for Christmas. “I want to capture the purple Seokjinie while he’s still only mine,” I said. He made a cute pose, and I snapped the picture. As I looked at the undeveloped photo, Seokjinie pulled me back towards him, staring into my eyes with a surprisingly intense gaze. “I’m always only yours, Mun,” he said before getting the kiss that he wanted.

[mggpleasedontlookhere]

unexpected, expected beginnings

Summary: Working at the ice rink has been one of your favorite jobs, although it tends to lead you to reminisce on recurring memories of your past best friend and lover, Timothee. But, when an unexpected visitor comes through the door, will it leave you to start unexpected beginnings? or form a relationship from burnt bridges?

word count: 2,407                                                                                     reading time aprox: 10 mins

Multi-colored strobe lights glided and beamed throughout the ice rink, shining on the faces of people that were either steadily skating or helplessly clinging onto the railing for life. I found comfort in the cold crisp air as I stood idle by the rental skate hut, waiting for my shift to finish, at 8:30, in 15 minutes. 

I laid comfortably on my propped elbow, a smile crossing my lips as I watched the hesitant and naive expressions of those inexperienced skaters. A brief giggle would occasionally be let out as they would slip and tremble when letting go of the sides, in which they then hastily glue themselves to the wall once again.

I shook my head while checking the time, reminiscing on the days I began skating lessons with, my ex best friend and boyfriend, Timothee and how we would find reassurance when we’d watch each other tumble, yet get back up again. I remember it as if it wasn’t nearly 9 years ago, an 8 and 10 year old walking on ice like a baby elephant learning how to walk on it’s hind legs. 

Sometimes I’d wonder where Timothee was, though I’d have to scold myself for letting him cloud my thoughts once again. We had broken up after he had graduated high school, specifically after I had confronted him on a situation involving a girl that crossed certain boundaries he failed to understand and coincidentally after I’d trusted him with the sacred and vulnerable parts of me in bed, for the first time. 

I pressed my fingernails on the pads of my thumb, alternating each finger with different points of pressure as I always found comfort in the slight pain that it would bring. I thought of it as a reminder of reality and it helped me take my mind off of things by focusing on the feeling of discomfort it brought. 

With an exhausted sigh, I checked the time on my phone and saw I still had about 10 minutes to endure. I tossed the device to the side and began bringing out the disinfectant spray to deal with the used skates scattered across the counter, seeing that there were no more customers coming through.  

Although I spoke too soon as the sound of the revolving doors to the rink came to an audible thud which followed 2 other thuds. I didn’t even bother to turn around to know that there were 3 people that just had entered the building, but it came to a surprise when I found only one guy standing patiently in front of the desk. As soon as he saw me, he stared at me in bewildered shock as if I had caught him off guard. Consciously, I reached up to touch my face bashfully, instantly thinking if there had been something bizarre on it. 

He noticed this immediately and waved in off apologetically. “Oh no, I’m so sorry, that was quite rude of me” He chuckled lightheartedly, placing his hand over mine instinctively on the desk. “I-I thought you looked...familiar, per say” He explained queerly, taking his hand away and placing it on his chest diplomatically, looking at me with regretful eyes. 

“Oh that’s okay, don’t worry about it. I had thought there was something wrong with my face” I laughed off, tucking a stray hair behind my ear, smiling at him. 

“Well I find nothing wrong with your face” He confessed smoothly, beaming at me with an infectious smile. “Jonathan” He stated, extending his hand out to shake mine. 

“Y/N” I replied, returning the gesture, fighting off the rosy color threatening to paint my cheeks as I absentmindedly checked the time again; my shift ending in 5 minutes. “Can I help you with anything, Jonathan?” I inquired, remembering I was still on the job. 

“Oh yeah, I’m here with 2 other friends-well I’m more so third wheeling- but can I get 2 size 10s in Mens and a size 7 in Womens?” He ordered. 

“Where are these 2 other friends? Are they coming in later?” I asked, but then felt a little intrusive as I inquired about his business. Turning around, I looked through the racks of skates and found the requested sizes. 

“Oh I came in with them, they’re just getting lockers for us”

Facing him again, I handed him the 3 pairs with a smile. “That’ll be $21 dollars in rentals” I calculated, taking his credit card from him through this little transaction. “Okay you’re all set, enjoy”.

He silently nodded at me with a comical salut and began walking towards the side of the rink where the lockers were. Maybe it was the nosy part of me, but I extended my head to the side, attempting to see who he was talking about. Although, I wish I hadn’t as my stomach sank and saliva had got caught in my esophagus to the point where I started to cough violently.

In all his fame and glory, there stood Timothee chatting about, with a girl entangled in his arms. His green meadow eyes twinkled while talking to Jonathan, the luminescent fractals of color only enhancing his facial features.  

Hastily, I pressed my nails dangerously to my thumb, wincing as I broke the skin’s surface and drops of blood seeped through. “Shit” I whispered in pain, not knowing how to feel as the intensity of shock and emotional turmoil overcame me. 

I grabbed a band aid from the first aid kit glued to the wall, meanwhile checking the time. My phone read 8:34 and the wave of relief I received never felt so satisfying.

‘God I will be forever grateful to you, I pledge my full loyalty. Oh thank you, thank you, merci, salamat, gracias, obrigado, just thank you’ 

Swiftly, I grabbed my coat and bag from under the desk in indisputable excitement. Hoping over the desk and jogging towards the doors with a skip in my step, not even bothering to put on my jacket as I just wanted to be out of this trying atmosphere. 

Until, the unfortunate sound of my name echoed through the stadium. 

“Hey Y/N! Come join us” 

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I gingerly spun around, cringing when 3 pairs of eyes where on me. Especially the green eyes full of perplexity and awe as the mention of my name resonated with him. 

‘For fucks sake. You had one job God, just one job’

While my ‘graceful and elegant’ complaints permeated my head space, I put on a fake smile and pretended to listen with enthusiasm. “Oh no, it’s quite okay. I wouldn’t want to intrude” I rejected, hoping he’d withdraw his offer. 

“No it’ll be fine Y/N” He reassured, beckoning me with the wave of his arm. “Please, give me the honor of showing you a good time” He proposed with an exaggerated posh accent, bowing down at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

“Um...I mean” I locked eyes with Timothee, searching for any evidence of comfort or reassurance, but he was just as dumbfounded as I was. “Sure?” I replied, sounding more like a question than a straight answer. 

I rested my things down behind the desk, grabbing the pair of skates I kept by my desk and somehow got my legs to progress forward, feeling every fiber in my body ignite in anxiety as I got closer to the group. I maneuvered my way to the benches and began tying my laces agonizingly slow, hoping that Jonathan would change his mind, in which I would have a perfectly formulated response. 

Memories of ice skating with Timmy soon captured my thoughts and the nostalgia softened any resentful bone in my body. I bit off the loose skin on my lips, steadily reinforcing the knot I had made with the lace and with a sigh, I got up with heavy weights on my shoulders. 

A bubbling sensation of apprehension arose from my stomach as I stepped onto the ice, feeling the sudden change of surface area on the pads of my feet. The luxury of maneuvering through the ice smoothly gave me confidence at the encounter, especially when Jonathan complimented my abilities. I avoided any eye contact with Timmy and kept my head low while I approached Jonathan’s side, but also making sure that I seemed present and interested for his sake. 

We made a few rounds around the rink, Timothee somehow separating from the both of us to come to his girl’s aid whenever she failed to keep her balance while ‘skating’; well, more so pushing off the wall 90% of the time. Although she was quite pretty, she had brunette hair that ran long till her waist and radiating tan skin that looked like the sun puked her out. Timmy grabbed her hand, pulling her next to him as he held her up, laughing in the process as she still slipped and slided. 

Rolling my eyes in resentment, I crossed my arms diving deep into my thoughts.

‘Gosh, imagine not knowing how to skate properly’

 Wait, why was I judging her? I could possibly not be thinking about this now. I’m with an amazing guy with a charming personality. But the thing is, I barely even know Jonathan. But I’m supposed to be having a good time, right? I love skating. But you did love Timmy more, didn’t you?. But, Jonathan has pretty eyes. Well, where do you think your fascination of pretty eyes came from? 

An incoherent grumble slipped out as my mind malfunctioned, putting it into overdrive while also, cutting Jonathan off as he was speaking about something I had completely tuned out. “So that was my tri- Wow was my story that boring?” he asked unsurely, rubbing the back of his head while trying to remain a cool exterior. 

“Oh my god, I’m so- I’m so sorry, I just blacked out there” I covered my face with my palms in embarrassment, my sentence coming out mumbled. “I just...I guess I just have a lot to bear in mind” I justified pitifully, glancing at the young and happy couple frolicing around on ice a few meters away from me. 

Jonathan followed the direction I was looking at and nodded. “Penny for your thoughts? Reminiscing on before?” He inquired, biting his bottom lip. 

I spun around in a haste, titling my head to side. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand” I explained, confused at his ambiguous question. 

He pulled me off to the side, leading us to where the penalty box was. “I have to be honest with you, I knew who you were before we initially met” He confessed, looking at me with a conciliatory expression, like if he were a little kid confessing that he broke his mother’s expensive china and was ready to repent. 

“I’m still not understanding” I responded cooly, pushing myself away a few inches, increasing the distance between us as an uneasy feeling crept under my skin. 

He lifted himself onto the open side of railing, patting the seat next to him, in which I carefully reciprocated, still leaving that distance. He looked up at the high ceiling, swinging his feet in thought, before saying nonchalantly, “I know that you and Chalamet over there went out” He looked over at me with a calm expression, gazing at my dismayed reaction. 

As an attempt to keep my composure, I twiddled my thumbs, pressing onto the bandaid as I swallowed the improper slurs I would’ve used if I was on my own time. “I-um” I started, scratching the back of my head in order to process this new information or if my ears were deceiving me and this was all one big trick. “What do you mean- like how do you- like what?” Shaking my head, puzzled with confusion, I hopped off the side and stood on my skates, peering at him. 

“I know you and Timo-” he began again

“Yes I heard, but how?” I cut him off rudely, not wanting him to repeat the same phrase like he did, as my ears might threaten to fall off and die at the sound of his acknowledgement, ending up like pruned up male parts. 

Shrugging his shoulders, he soon hopped off the railing too, explaining, “Me and Tim go to university together and you were the first thing me and him ever talked about. I remember he would go on and on about you after your guys’ break up” He professed, fixating his attention to Timmy. 

I know I shouldn’t feel like this, but the devil on my shoulder claimed this to be a small petty victory. It’s very infantile of me to even consider so as this was almost a year ago and I should be moving on to become an independent woman, or as my horoscope on Monday said so. 

With all these recurring feelings and hesitations, all I could do was chuckle and dive into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. I bent over grabbing my knees as the hysterics came over me, tears brimming at the corners of my eyes. 

Jonathan soon joined the infectious bubble of laughter, adding onto the entire comical event. “Are you okay?” He asked, in the midst of giggles and stifled coughs. 

I placed my palm over my chest, inhaling and exhaling in order to slow my heartbeat to be able to respond. Jonathan then came in close proximity, wiping away the happy tears that shed down my cheek, taking in my tomato like appearance with eyes full of wonder and content. I stared back up at his in enjoyment, coming off the high we were just put in. 

“I’m sorry, I find this all to be hysterical” I admitted, stepping away from his caress and smoothing out the pleated folds that had appeared on my sweater from when I bent over. 

Although something did come into mind. “Why did you ask me to skate with you, if you knew me and Timmy had a thing back then?”

“Well I mean, I’m not the type of guy to pass up opportunities, and who would pass up a chance to spend time with a pretty girl like you?” He declared, showing off his pearly whites, just like when we had met. 

“But isn’t that like, breaking the bro code or something?”

“Well I mean, Timmy’s out on his- what 4th, maybe 5th date this month- I’m sure he won’t mind” He justified, chuckling light-heartedly. 

-

Narrator’s POV

With that the two skated away worry-free, completely oblivious to the pretty-eyed, brunette French boy that stole brisk glances at the interaction of his best friend and his ex-best friend.

part 2

---

A/N: That’s part one, I know there wasn’t a lot of Timmy’s presence here, but I promise in the next one there will :) it’s a new year and I guess it’s senior year of High school that’s getting to me lol

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

Happy FFWF! Can you take us behind the scenes of your favorite fic that you've written? How were you feeling at the time? Did the ideas come easily to you, or was it a complicated process? If you have any bts fun facts or notes, I would love to see them!

happy ffwf!! and oh gosh, i don't have a favorite fic. i post a fic, love it for about a month, then look back and cringe 😂 i'll pick a random fic that i don't Hate yet djfsdjaskj

okay. let's do where you belong, since you can get some amy loreTM out of it lmfaooo. here's the fic summary:

“Wait, what do you mean ‘that’s good enough’?” Bucky managed to ask, matching Sam’s stride before he could be left in the dust on the docks.

Sarah gave him a small grin that Bucky couldn’t help but return. “C’est mignon, Sam—”

“No, no, we are not going there,” Sam interrupted, shaking his head at his sister before returning his attention to Bucky. “And I just meant that it’s good you don’t know French.” A smirk slipped onto his lips. “We can talk shit about you in front of your face and you won’t have a clue.”

(The Wilson family speaks Louisiana French. Bucky doesn’t. He finds a home with them all the same.)

this fic is set within ep. 5 of tfatws, and it's technically an au, but only like a few inches to the left, yk? the main differences are a) the wilson family speaks louisiana french (duh) and b) sambucky crumbs, bc who am i without ship crumbs. ANYHOO. i'll take your questions one at a time!

How were you feeling at the time?

i was ECSTATIC to have so much canon content set in louisiana, which ofc meant it was time for me to project my la experiences onto the characters, right? (yes. yes it was. except i didn't directly project. but the Vibes. the Vibes are there.) i also happened to prepping for my la french final at the time, so this fic served a multitude of purposes: me cramming in la culture (food, language, music), me studying for my final (by writing characters speaking la french, it helped me prep for my exam. i kid you not), and FLUFF (found family and pre-relationship sambucky). i was on cloud 9 during the entire writing process

Did the ideas come easily to you, or was it a complicated process?

the ideas came pretty easily, i would say! there were at least two scenes that i ultimately scrapped, i think, or merged somehow with other sections. so yeah, i wasn't really struggling with ideas for the story 😂 if anything i was like "okay girl, stop trying to fit Everything into this oneshot" fhjdksjjsks

If you have any bts fun facts or notes, I would love to see them!

fun fact: i normally write fics by hand first (although im actually trying to ease myself from that habit a little bit bc sometimes it's just not feasible), but this story i did not do that because of a TIME CRUNCH. i wanted to post the fic before the final ep of tfatws came out and the fandom exploded (since i knew an influx of content was inevitable). i somehow succeeded, posting it the day before the final ep was released! also fun fact: i checked my la french attempts in google translate as i wrote just to see if they'd be at least mostly understandable since i knew there would be at least one person who used google translate as they read (which i was right about, lol). and for the most part, all was well! however, funny thing. "bougre" in la french essentially means "buddy" or "guy," but that is not the case in referential french 💀 google translate interpreted it as "bugger" and i was dead on the floor seeing that, let me tell you

[katehuntington]

Title: Ride With Me (part eight) Fandom: Supernatural AU Characters series: Reader, Dean Winchester, Bobby Singer, Ellen Singer-Harvelle, Jo Singer (Harvelle), Benny Lafitte, Ash Miles, Garth Fitzgerald IV, Castiel Novek, and many more. Timeline: 2008 Pairing: Dean x Reader (eventually) Word count: 5550 words Summary series: Y/N is a talented horse rider who is on her way to become a professional. In order to convince her father that she deserves the loan needed to start her own farm, she goes to Arizona for six months, to intern at a ranch owned by Bobby and Ellen Singer. Her future is set out, but then she meets a handsome horseman, who goes by the name of Dean Winchester. A heartwarming series about a cowboy who falls for the girl, letting go of the past and the importance of family.  Summary part eight: It’s one of those days for Dean where everything that can go wrong, goes wrong. After one hell of a day, Bobby has to break the news to Ash, who doesn’t take the lay off well. Warnings series: NSFW, 18+ only! Fluff, angst, eventually smut. Swearing, smoking, alcohol intoxication, alcohol abuse. Mutual pining, heartbreak. Crying, nightmares, childhood trauma. Description of animal abuse, domestic violence, mentions of addiction. Financial problems, stress, mental breakdown. Description of blood and injury, hospital scenes, character death, grief. Music: About Today - The National (final scene). Check out ‘Kate Huntington’s Ride With Me playlist’ on Spotify! Author’s note: Thank you @kittenofdoomage and @girl-with-a-fandom-fettishfor helping me. You girls are awesome betas. Thank you for your endless patience!

Ride With Me Masterlist

     7.30 AM, Monday morning. Several hundred hooves tremble the ground. Earthy colored dust has turned into dark mud overnight as the heavens unleashed a rainstorm that still hasn't stopped from raging down. The cattle moos anxiously, trying to stick together as a herd. Bobby’s dog, Rumsfeld, barks over the sound of it all, his enthusiastic calls trumped by the shouts and whistles of the wranglers.       "Yah!” Dean shouts, cutting off young stock that threatens to fan out.

     Droplets as big as marbles fall from the grey sky, the water caught in the brim of his hat pouring from it whenever he tips it down. It’s unusually cold this morning without sunshine to burn the night away. The long, leather coat he’s wearing protects him from that, but the rain started coming through the seams on his shoulders and elbows two hours ago and a steady drip down his neck has drenched his shirt already. Dean has been in the saddle since four o'clock, ever since the thunder woke him up and an eerie gut feeling began to unsettle him. Something was wrong, he felt it in his bones. As he stepped out onto the porch, he immediately noticed the distressed young stock on the wrong side of the fence. Apparently, the cattle panicked in the thunderstorm, took down a gate, and escaped the pen, splitting the herd in two. They were absolutely all over the place, roaming over more than forty acres. With a buyer coming in at 9 AM, he had to gather the two hundred cows and bulls fast, if he wanted to avoid a financial disaster.      So here they are; wet through, tired and miserable, trying to maneuver their horses on the slick surface. A perfect start for this dreadful Monday.

     A sharp whistle reverberates through the valley, requiring his attention. It's Bobby, looking over the mayhem from a small hill, calling his horse to a stand. “Dean, stragglers!”      His head wrangler notices three steers swaying away from the herd. Dean turns from the tail of the group and pushes his horse forward, but immediately senses the loss of grip in the slippery mud. Led’s hind legs skid from under his body, forcing the buckskin to the ground. As the horse's knees buckle, the experienced rider decides in a split second not to leave the sinking ship. Instead, he skillfully sticks to the saddle like he’s glued to the leather, and moves his weight to level out the balance. At the same time, he pulls Led’s nose from the ground and gives enough free rein right after, simultaneously pushing his heels into the horse’s flanks, encourages him to give it his everything to get back on his feet. His quick thinking enables the stallion to break the fall and thankfully; Led steadies himself. Dean breathes out; that was way too close.      “Well done, bud,” the rider soothes, ruffling the Quarter’s mane, glad that he was able to prevent a possibly painful crash.      “Hell of a save,” Benny comments from several yards away. “You alright?”      “I'm good,” Dean assures his best friend. “We need to round them up fast before this whole pasture turns into a mudslide.”      He pushes Led forward, who picks up speed carefully, smart enough to not make the same mistake twice. It takes a while to make up for the lost time, but then he wings the three bulls, guiding them back to the group. Slowly but surely, the wranglers manage to maneuver the large number of animals back into another secured pen. It’s past eight o’clock when Jo closes the last gate and they can all take a breather. Too bad they cannot head back to bed just yet, the day has only just begun.      “Next time you wake me up in the middle of the night, make sure it’s because there’s some hot gal waiting for me on my doorstep,” Ash mocks as he slows his horse down.      Dean looks aside, grinning at the guy that’s in charge of the cattle. “You have enough problems controlling your cows, let alone women, Ash.”      Benny laughs at that, so does Jo. He’s sure Bobby would have laughed at it too, if it wasn't for the troubling decision that has been made. The ranch owner rests his hand on the horn, taking in his dream team as the rain finally stops falling. Today is the day that he will sell over three-fourths of his cattle. Decades of blood, sweat and tears, sold for a dime. Damage control, they call that. It ain't pretty, but it’s necessary to prevent this place from drowning. What else is necessary is cutting down on personnel. Collateral damage is the term, Bobby believes. There’s that word again: damage.      “Is Rufus still dropping by at nine?” Dean, who held up his horse to ride next to his uncle, checks with him.      “Yeah, but you know Rufus. Could be eleven just as well,” Bobby mutters, aware of his old friend’s carelessness.      “Better ask Ellen to break out the Johnny Walker Blue if you're aiming for a good price,” his right hand suggests, before he halts at the tack up area.      The sound of horseshoes splashing on the wet surface draws Y/N’s attention. She parks her broom against the stable wall and peeks around the corner, spotting the wranglers under the Yucca tree, which seems to cry silently as tears of rain drip down from its branches.      “Garth! They're here!” she shouts at the stable boy on the other side of the barn.      The slender guy pops his head out of a stall, then walks out and closes the door behind him. Like the wranglers, he and the intern got up at four in the morning as well. During the weekend the stables aren't mucked out, which adds to the work on Monday, and with Bobby, Jo and Dean handling the breakout, the two of them had to feed and turn out the animals as well. Getting up early was the only way to get all the work done without falling behind.       As the dark rain clouds pass, everyone on the square gets off their horses. Y/N walks up to Bobby, sensing the low morale. No wonder, because all five wranglers are soaked, probably sore and tired too.      “I got him.” She takes over his chestnut named Seger. “Ellen has breakfast ready for you.”     “Thank you, Darlin’,” the old man mumbles, stiffly making his way to the cafeteria.      While tying up Seger, Y/N watches the ranch owner hobble off, wondering why he seems so burdened. When she glances back to loosen the horse’s cinch, a handsome cowboy catches her eye on the other side of the chestnut. Dean takes off Led’s bridle, the last waterdrops rolling from the dip of his hat. Mud splatters have sprayed across his leather overcoat, his boots covered in dirt. There are smudges on his face, along with a weekend stubble still on his strong jaw. The knuckles of his firm hands have a blue shade, so do his lips; he must be so cold after four hours in the pouring rain. With sympathy, she looks at him.        “Hell of a morning, huh?” she comments, trying to make small talk.      Dean looks up and pauses his action. He seems a little surprised by her voice, as if only just now he realized she was behind the horse next to him. The line parting his lips breaks in a small smile. It’s the first time he hears her use a word as such. His language is terrible, he throws in a variation of the words ‘fuck’ and ‘shit’ wherever it fits. But Y/N on the other hand, coming from upstate, says ‘gosh’ at most, and uses terms such as ‘for heaven’s sake’, which he finds quite cute. Apparently she’s adapting to her company.       The wrangler scoffs. “You can say that again.”      He unbuckles the cinch and removes the saddle from Led’s back. The mud sticking to the saddle pad is hard to miss and it catches the intern’s eye. Led must have hit the ground at some point, how else would the animal have dirt caked thick in his coat on his entire side?      “Did you fall?” she asks.      Dean chuckles, slightly amused, while he puts the heavy saddle on the bar his horse is tied to as well. He heard that, the worry in her voice.      “Led slipped, but he was able to steady himself,” he reassures.      The cowboy returns his focus to the buckskin next to him as he turns the faucet of the water source. Led might be wet through just like his rider, but he’s covered in filth as well, and that's no way to bring a horse back to his stable. He quickly hoses down his Quarter, while Y/N washes Seger’s feet. When she’s done, she follows Benny and Jo as they return their horses to the stable. Coming back to pick up the saddle, Y/N finds her supervisor crouched down next to Led’s left front leg.      “Shit…” he curses, feeling the cannon bone.      The saddle is left on the bar. Instead, Y/N comes to see what Dean is annoyed with. With just one glance she can determine the swelling on the back of the leg, a little above the fetlock joint.      “Tendon?” she assumes, petting the horse on the shoulder.      Dean carefully feels the tissue, causing Led to flinch. It’s painful, but with all the fluid that is building up around the injury, it’s hard to tell what exactly is causing the reaction.       “Could be. He seemed sound after he tripped,” the wrangler contemplates. “Can you jog him?”      “Sure,” she replies, after which she unties the horse.      Y/N leads the beautiful Quarter in a straight line and starts to run after a few yards. With the first stride it’s already clear that Led is anything but even. Only the  click-clack  sound of Led’s shoes on the surface is enough to state the obvious.       “Well, that ain't good,” Dean sighs as Y/N walks the palomino back.      “You didn't feel him at all?” she checks with the wrangler.      “The poor bastard must have worked through the pain. He’s a tough horse,” Dean ponders, running his hand down Led’s face with sympathy. “I'll cool his leg for a while. Can you get a rug for him?”      “What about you?”       He shrugs selflessly. “I’ll skip breakfast.”      “You’re not skipping breakfast. You've been working nonstop since four AM, you deserve a break,” Y/N decides, strong-minded. “I have cooling leg boots which Led can wear while he's stabled. It works better than cooling with water.”      “Alright then.” He smiles, appreciating her firm response.      He takes over his horse and leads Led back to the barn without hasting him. Silently, Dean turns the Quarter in as his intern walks to the tack room to get the leg wrap and a rug, followed by a stop at the cafeteria to pick up two cool packs from the freezer. On her way over, she notices the handsome wrangler staring at nothing in particular, lost in thoughts. His fingers absently rub Led’s withers, who on his turn bends his neck and seeks the cowboy’s free hand, nuzzling his nose against his skin, as if he is trying to comfort his rider in return. Although it’s a heartwarming sight to see the man having a moment with the beautiful animal, Y/N can sense something is off about him. Not that she knows him all that well, but she can tell that he’s carrying a crippling weight. He’s quiet, for one. No smart answers or perky remarks that could easily be mistaken for flirting. There is also something about his eyes, something weary.       “Here you go,” she says, handing over the boot.      Dean takes it and straps around the injured leg, while Y/N lays a fleece rug on Led’s back to prevent the horse from cooling down too fast. When the wrangler rises to his feet and lets his fingers glide through Led’s golden coat while waiting for her to secure the rug, the silence is awfully evident.        “Are you okay?” she asks carefully.      Dean glances up, caught off guard by the question. For a moment he reckons she’s asking because of the almost crash and now Led’s injury, but when his eyes meet hers, he sees that the question is more layered than that. His first instinct is to throw her a cocky comment, that a little mud isn't ever going to bring him down, but he decides against it. He’s not sure if his hesitation is caused by her ability to read between the lines, but the young man suddenly feels vulnerable, intimidated even.      “Yeah, I'm fine,” he says. “Let’s eat. Don't know about you, but I'm starving.”     She fakes a smile. Of course, she could eat after a morning like today, but she was hoping Dean would take the opportunity to get it off his chest.       A pleasant heat and the smell of bacon and toast welcome them like it does every working day, when Y/N pushes open the door to the cozy personnel hangout. Ellen’s breakfast is always something to look forward to, but today it’s a true gift from heaven. The rest of the crew sits down after having changed into dry clothes and wait impatiently for their bacon and eggs, as Bobby finishes his plate first. When the door creaks, Ellen looks up from behind the stove.      “Oh honey, look at you,” she says when Dean follows you inside. “Did you drown out there? You're soaked through.”      Her nephew hangs his dripping coat and Sheplers on the hat rack above the heater and is welcomed by his aunt with a clean towel, a warm flannel and a pair of jeans      “Why don't you freshen up first and put on some dry clothes. Wouldn't want you to catch a cold,” she insists.      “Thanks, Ellen.” Dean takes the neatly folded pile from her arms after which he places a short, genuine kiss on her hair and moves to the backroom to change.      Y/N can't help but smile when she sits down, delighted to witness the wrangler’s soft side for the second time today. The warmth spreads through her like the hot coffee that she swallows down and settles in the pit of her stomach. She folds her fingers around the mug as she takes another sip, peering over the edge at the man she is losing her heart to as he closes the door behind him. A kick against the shin awakens her from a trance, the action causing her to almost choke on her coffee. Jo sits across the table, her deadly glare demanding to get it together. Flustered and caught, Y/N averts her gaze at the plate that Ellen just set down under her nose.       “Dig in while it’s still warm, sweety,” she insists, oblivious of how the intern feels about her nephew.      Y/N does so, partly as an excuse to not look Jo in the eye and be confronted with her judgment. But when Dean enters the room again, cleaned up and wearing a comfortable red plaid flannel, she just has to take him in for a second. Before Jo can kick her leg again, someone knocks on the glass window from outside the cafeteria. Everyone looks up at the doorway when an old friend of Bobby’s appears.      “Well, I'll be damned,” Ellen says, delighted. “If it ain't Rufus Turner.”      The African American with a pearl white smile and a rascal look in his eyes enters the cafeteria.      “Ellen Singer, you haven't changed a bit.” Rufus takes his hat off for her, but then he turns to face her husband at the head of the table. “But you on the other hand,” he pats Bobby on the back, “- you got old.”      The joke attracts a laugh from the others.      “Good to see you too, Rufus,” the ranch owner responds.      “Grab a plate and dig in. There’s plenty,” Ellen offers.      “I’d love to, but if you don't mind, I wanna get down to business. I've got places to be later.” He puts his hat back on and turns to the rest of the company. “Mind if I steal him for a bit?”      “By all means, steal away.” Ellen smiles politely.      Bobby gets up and excuses himself. When he has left the room, the workers finish their breakfast. Nobody says anything, and although Y/N doesn't understand what has caused the grim mood, she keeps her mouth shut. Instead, she takes in the people surrounding her. Jo, Ellen, and Dean seem to ignore the elephant in the room, while Garth, Benny and Ash exchange puzzled looks. Rufus’s visit to the ranch has stirred things up. Who is he? A business partner? A trader, maybe?           When the break is over and the crew gets back to work, the air is more suffocating than it is on a hot day. It has nothing to do with the weather, though.      “Why is Bobby selling stock?”      It’s Ash who asks as the gang walks down to the paddocks between the stables. The question breaks the silence, but it also adds to the tension. Jo and Dean exchange a look, but both keep quiet, which isn’t sufficient for the worker with the odd haircut.      “That’s why Rufus is here, ain’t it?” Ash pushes, a worry in his tone that seems foreign for the carefree guy.       The head wrangler sighs and turns to his friend.       “Look, business has been slow, y’all know that. Rufus is here to discuss the value of the cattle, to explore our options,” Dean tries to reassure not just him, but the rest of his staff.      When he can read from Ash’s face that his reassurance doesn’t have much effect, he adds a few words he might regret later.  “No need to worry just yet. We’ll figure it out. Now let’s get to work.”      And so everyone does, some left with a few questions, but the leader of the team has managed to take away most of the concern. All this time, the intern hasn’t said a word. The young woman with a master’s degree in business and a nose for bullcrap only observes. She observes Dean, when he glances at his cousin, troubled, right after Ash walks off to fill the hay barn in the main pastures. She observes Jo, who looks at the ground and keeps quiet, as the two of them walk over to the paddocks to turn the horses in. She observes Bobby Singer and Rufus Turner, who are seated on the back porch of the house, accompanied by a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue, tied up in a dialogue that seems to be a negotiation more than it is a casual chat. She observes the handshake, the ‘glad to do business with you’ grin on Rufus’s face opposite of the defeat in the ranch owner’s eyes. So much for not needing to worry just yet.

     The early morning rain has cooled down the dusty lands and doesn’t allow the temperature to rise like it did the previous days. Clouds keep rolling in from the east, cutting off the sun. This weather suits Y/N better and she works extra hard now that her body doesn’t seem like it’s overheating. It gives her a good feeling that she is able to take some of the load from the other workers. Dean even allowed her to train two of the horses, since he had a meeting with Bobby. He didn’t return until an hour before supper. After dinner, Benny and Garth head to the shed to fix the tractor, that on top of everything else, started spilling oil. The rest of the crew is about to retreat back to the bunkhouse, when Bobby calls back one of the workers.      “Ash?” he says, his voice matching his serious expression. “Can you come into my office?”      “Sure thing, boss,” he responds, joining the ranch owner.      Dean can read from Ash’s facial expression that he’s uneasy, but doesn’t have a clue what is coming for him. The ranch hand who is in charge of the cattle probably assumes that Bobby is going to update him on the reason why Rufus was here. Shit, he wishes it was just a simple briefing. Poor bastard…      The head wrangler exhales as he walks on, shaking off the cold that hasn’t seemed to leave his body after the rainy morning. Jo follows him silently, kicking the clotty earth with her dragging feet, hands shoved down in the pockets of her denim jacket. Y/N is on his other side, wonderingly looking over at them every now and then. She has kept quiet long enough. So when they step up the stairs to the porch first, she drops the bomb.      “So, Ash is getting sacked, huh?”      Dean has stopped in his tracks and instantly shoots an angry glare at Jo. “You told her?!”      “I didn’t tell her jack shit!” she counters, insulted.       “She didn’t need to, Dean,” Y/N backs her up, having turned around before opening the front door. “Livestock sales have plummeted nationwide, yet Bobby is selling now, so times must be desperate. With no cattle to handle it’s only logical that Ash will be let go in order to cut down on costs. I have a business degree, remember? I can do the math. Here, you guys look like you can use these.”      During her flood of words, she had strolled to the fridge, taken out three beers, and popped the caps off with an opener. Not sure if he should be impressed or feel threatened by the intern’s knowledge, Dean takes the drink and has a swig of the brew. She’s right about more than a few things; he needed a beer.      “Is Bobby breaking it to him now?” she wonders.      Dean glances over at Jo, who leans back against the kitchen sink, nursing her bottle. It’s not something they would usually discuss with interns, but since she already seems to be fully aware of the situation and he trusts that she will keep this between them, he confirms with a nod.      “Damn…” Y/N ponders, biting her lip as her eyes drift away to nothing in particular. “How long has he been here?”      “For about five years now,” Jo thinks back, clearly sad about having to say goodbye to a good friend. “I can remember the day he arrived. He caught Dad’s eye at the Holbrook Rodeo, where he worked in the arena. He couldn’t keep a job long enough to rent himself a roof over his head, mostly because of his looks and his ‘fuck you’ attitude, but he was good with the bulls. That’s when Dad asked him to come work for him and for the first time, Ash found a place where he belonged. He’s been here ever since. Never stayed in one spot this long. Mom and Dad have a habit of taking the misfits under their wings.”      It’s quiet for a few long seconds, as Dean recalls Ash’s early days on the property. Then he goes back further, to the day he himself set foot on these lands, with nowhere else to go. They did exactly the same for him as they did for Ash; offered him a comfortable bed, warm food, a rewarding job. A safe haven where they didn’t have to worry about how to get through tomorrow, where they didn’t have to be scared. One would perhaps expect Bobby and Ellen to take Dean in, him being their nephew. But it didn’t matter that the funny looking bullfighter called Ash wasn’t related. He became family, too.      “How do you think he’s going to take it?”      It’s Y/N who breaks Dean’s train of thought.      He ponders for a moment before he answers. “I dunno. He’s a pretty chill guy these days, but this is so much more than just a job.”      Dean pauses, putting himself in Ash’s shoes for a moment. Who is he fooling? His friend is going to lose it.      “Guess we’re gonna find out in a moment,” Jo says, nodding at the portrait outside.      Y/N glances through the dirty window while Dean holds the bamboo fly curtain aside to step onto the porch. It’s Ash who approaches the bunkhouse, but he doesn’t have the swagger he usually has in his stride. The ranch hand is looking down at the ground, the soil he used to call home. Every muscle in his face tensed, balled fists move alongside him with each step. Dean watches the guy for a brief moment, then descends the stairs to meet with him, but Ash does not want any of it. Instead, his friend walks past him, dismissing the head wrangler.      “Ash. I--”      The words trigger something in the lean guy, because after taking two strides up the steps, he turns around, a pair of piercing eyes startling Dean.      “You knew, didn’t ya?” he questions, his voice heavy with frustration.      Dean needs a moment to recover, staring up at the cattle worker, but Ash doesn’t grant him that time.      “That whole ‘no need to worry, we’ll figure it out.’ It was bullshit and you know it. Hell, I ain’t surprised if you’re the one who decided that it was my ass to fire.”      There isn’t much Dean can say to that, because it’s true. He did know, he knew for a long time, and yes, it was him who told Bobby it had to be the man who’s standing before him right now.       “We…” Dean pauses to correct himself, because Ash is right; this is on him. “I didn’t have a choice.”       “Oh, but you did. Instead of telling me that things were gonna be A-okay, you could’ve told me what was gonna happen. But no, you were too fucking scared to look me in the eye and tell me the Goddamn truth,” the worker says accusingly.      Dean stares back at him, his jaw flexing, but then he looks away as he swallows down the guilt. He knew those words were going to bite him in the ass. When he straightens himself again, Jo has appeared in the doorway, with Y/N right behind her.      “Ash, we’re all sorry it went down as it did, and we wish it didn’t have to be like this--”      “Then why the fuck do I have to leave?!” he shouts at the daughter of the ranch owner, his eyes noticeably shimmering in the lights above the porch.      Jo isn’t impressed with his anger, on the contrary; she replies professionally calmly.       “I hate to see you go. Shit, we all do. But the ranch isn’t going to survive if Dad doesn’t cut costs,” she reminds him. “There’s barely any cattle left to maintain, and you were hired last.”      “Right. The ‘last in, first out’ rule. Then tell me, what the hell is  she  still doing here?”      Suddenly, the newest crewmember is dragged into the argument as Ash nods at Y/N. Her heart skips a beat when it dawns on her what he holds her accountable for; he thinks she stole his job. Shocked, Y/N looks at the man who directed the focus on her. It’s a side of him she didn’t know he had and is overwhelmed by the accusation, causing her mind to fail miserably when trying to form any kind of response. Feeling helpless and exposed, she glances at the other two, desperate for back up. Thankfully, the head wrangler got the message, because seeing Y/N’s expression change from compassionate to fearful, triggers something inside him.       “Y/N’s an intern,” Dean returns, the tone of his voice colder than a moment ago. “Y/N is still here because she doesn’t cost Bobby anything.”      But Ash disagrees. “She’s another mouth to fill, just like every single one of us. She has a horse here who needs a shit ton of feed--”      “- and she works hard for that,” Dean overrules him, staring him down. “Look, man. I know you’re pissed, I get it. But don’t you put this on her, it ain’t her fault.”       “Are you saying I don’t work hard for my pay?!” Ash snaps back angrily.      “I didn’t say that,” Dean rights, gesturing with a lowering hand to calm down. “I’m saying that down the line, Y/N is a free hand.”

     Ash scoffs at that, biting his lips as he looks away and clenches his fists, his knuckles pressed together in order to manage the exasperation. He’s so hurt and upset that he doesn’t even think about the consequences of the words that follow.       “Oh, she’s a free hand, alright,” he states, shooting the guy opposite of him a penetrating glare.       Jo gapes at Ash, mouth falling open, then turns her head to witness Y/N having the exact same reaction. Dean stares at Ash too, first in astonishment, wondering where he got the nerve to insinuate something like that. Within a second, that emotion is pushed aside by brewing anger. The need to defend her honor causes him to step towards Ash intimidatingly, but Jo gets in between before things escalate.      “Whoa, now! Can we just keep it cool and not get nasty?” she demands, having both Dean and Ash at arm’s length.       But Ash, apparently, isn’t done. “You’ve always been a screw around, man, but shit, I did not expect you to stab me in the back just to get in a girl’s pants,” he sneers, pushing Dean’s buttons and seriously applying for a punch in the face.      “This is fucking bullshit, Ash, and you know it!” Dean counters, so worked up over the allegation that his heart is beating out of his chest.       “Okay, that’s it! If you don’t shut your mouth right now I’m gonna pull out that mullet of yours!” Jo warns Ash before she turns to Dean. “And you need to walk it off, right now!”      The ranch owner’s daughter pushes him back gently in order to raise her finger at him sternly. He steps away, offering a little air to the suffocating clash, and so does Ash.      “Don’t bother, I’ll leave.” He scoffs. “That’s whatcha want, ain’t it?”       The cattle worker turns around, the rage slowly seeping from him, leaving the space for sadness and disappointment to fill. Y/N watches the guy, still mind-blown by all the words that were said, but now that a fight is avoided, she can only feel pity. The blame that he put on her and on Dean is only a response to his world crashing down on him. She cannot really condemn him for lashing out. After ten or more steps, the guy in a dirty shirt and a plaid jacket with the sleeves ripped off turns around. Normally everything about the guy is either hazardous or comical, depending on how well you know him, but not now. Not now that his eyes are glistening in pained emotion.     “This wasn’t just work, y’know. This is my life. This is home,” he says, his arms spread in desperation. “I thought that all of us here - that we were in this together. That we don’t turn our back on family.” He pauses, eyes fixed on Jo, then on Dean. He continues with a broken voice. “Y’all did exactly that.”      With those words, he turns away and heads off to his cattle, like he always does after dinner. Silenced, the three watch him leave, until Dean sighs and looks around lost, as if he hopes to find answers in the earth-colored gravel. He doesn’t look at Y/N, he’s doing everything to avoid her questioning, sympathetic gaze. When the air gets too thin to breathe, he walks away in the direction of the barn, off to his horses. The intern allows her eyes to linger on the defeated figure that becomes smaller as he drags his feet down the worn path to the stables, the grey sky above him that darkens by the minute only adding to the grim atmosphere. Instinctively, Y/N reaches for the handrail of the steps down the porch, intending to follow him, but Jo stops her.      “Let him be for a bit.”      Y/N halts and listens to her friend, then lets a breath slip from her dry lips. “So no one wins today, huh?”     “Nope. Not today,” Jo responds, moving through the doorway after throwing a glance at Ash’s silhouette in the far pasture. “Comin’? I have a bottle of something a-hell-of-a-lot-stronger-than-beer stashed somewhere.”       Y/N huffs and turns to join her. Jo pours her some rum in a jar, which she sips on silently as she looks out the window, watching the day end. But the alcohol cannot wash away her thoughts that are with the two ranch workers: the one who lost his friend, and the one who lost everything else as well.

Told you guys there was gonna be angst? Thank you for reading. I appreciate every single one of you, but if you do want to give me some extra love, you are free to like or reblog my work, shoot me a message or buy me coffee (Link to Kofi in bio at the top of the page).

Read part nine here

[justanotherfanfic]

All The Stars

summary: being in love with your best friend is hard, especially when they’re too oblivious to see it was you all along

warnings: be prepared to smile and possibly cry

pairing: peter parker x reader

word count: 3.5k+

a/n: THIS IS SO CUTE! I’M SO HAPPY WITH THIS!

THE PARTY WAS supposed to start in almost an hour. You protested from going to the party. You refused to go even a few miles radius from the house. Unfortunately, Ned, Peter, and Michelle had different ideas for you. It has been a few days since you hung out with the group together, you've tried avoiding them for a while but they've been begging for your time and felt like the group needed a good night out to catch up.

You finally made it to the party after a half an hour drive. You pulled up the same moment Peter and Ned did; the music vibrating your car and body even though you were across the street from the house. You got out of your car as you waved at Aunt May.

"Wow [Y/N]! You're looking better every time I see you!" Aunt May complimented. You blushed as she laughed. "I hope to see you over soon!"

Your blush quickly went away as your body now became tense. "Yeah, sure!" You shyly spoke. You felt like you had a patchy friendship with Peter at the moment. Of course, Peter was oblivious to it all.

"Of course Aunt May!" Peter smiled. "She's coming over next week for sushi night."

You half smiled as you waved goodbye to Aunt May and turned around to see the house where the party was occurring. You saw Ned start making his way towards the house as you stared at the people spilling out of the house. There were dozens of people from all different grades. You hated to admit it but it was a beautiful home. The beautiful home that belonged to Liz. You already felt weird being there so you stayed back for a moment trying to reason with yourself that you belonged there and how you needed to have fun.

"Hey, are you fine?" Peter questioned as he came from behind you.

You felt your breath become uneven as you stared at him, "Uh, yeah. Yup. Perfect!" You laughed nervously.

Peter smiled and put his arm over your shoulder, "C'mon it's going to be fun!"

You felt yourself relax under his touch and felt your feet walking with him. You both walked into the house behind Ned. The moment you and Peter walked through those doors you felt his arm drop from your shoulders. You frowned at the lost contact but tried to remain positive.

"[Y/N]!" A voice shouted over the music. You looked around until you saw Michelle waving at you. You smiled as she came up to you and hugged you.

"Ahh! It's been a while! How have you been?" She asks after saying hi to Peter and Ned. The group started conversing and having fun. You danced, cracked some jokes and had drinks (soda of course). It was all fun, it made you remember how much you missed your friends. It all stopped when you noticed Peter's body tense up. You looked over at where his eyes were fixated on. You weren't surprised to see Liz at the end of it.

"She's beautiful," You all heard Peter whisper. You felt your heart break at the sentence. You didn't want to say anything. "I'm going to ask her to Homecoming."

"What? Why?" Ned interjected, knowing your true feelings for Peter.

"Because she's perfect Ned." Peter smiled as he continued to look at Liz. You looked away from Peter and started playing with your plastic cup.

"You haven't even spoken to her, Peter." Ned reasoned with him. "Stop daydreaming and start looking at the hard facts. Plus, I heard there's someone that likes-"

Your head snapped up at Ned while your eyes widened. Before Ned was able to finish his sentence, Liz started making her way to your group.

"She's coming! Everyone act natural." Peter pleaded to his friends. You scoffed as you chugged the rest of your soda.

Your mood shifted as Liz came up to the group, "Hey Peter!" She greeted as she held her alcoholic beverage in her hand. Typical. "Hey Peter's friends." Michelle and Ned said their hellos as Peter remained silent. He was in awe as he couldn't believe his eyes.

"A hi would be nice, Peter." Liz laughed.

"H-Hi!" Peter stuttered our.

You frowned as you looked to the floor. You began to ignore the conversation between the two, they were clearly in their own world so you decided to step back and walk away. Ned noticed your loss of interest at the two and followed you.

You were right. You knew this was going to be a bad idea. You wanted to stay home and relax. You didn't want to be at the party surrounded by underage drinkers and perverted teens.

You started wandering around the house as you then made your way up the stairs. You wandered around the hallway as you enjoyed the somewhat quiet part of the house.

"[Y/N]," A voice spoke. You turned around to see Ned. You didn't reply, you stared at the hallway mirror in front of you.

"I know Peter doesn't mean what he says," Ned started to speak. He was always the type to try mend things for his friends. Try to fix problems that sometimes be too big for him to fix.

You looked at yourself in the mirror.

"What's wrong with me?" You finally asked after a moment of silence.

Ned empathized for you, "There's nothing wrong with you. Peter just can't seem to focus on what's really important - you."

You felt tears start burning through your eyes. Nope. No. You are not going to cry. Especially at a school party. You began to blink rapidly but it seemed to make it worse. Ned frowned as he tried talking to you more. You shook your head and began walking away. You didn't want to deal with this. Ned called out to you but you started picking up your pace. You quickly made your way back down the stairs and shoved your way through bodies.

You didn't notice that you shoved Peter. He looked up seeing you wipe a tear away as you headed straight for the door. He felt his senses kicking in; there was something wrong. He quickly followed you out the front door and to your car.

You sat in the car and covered your face, sobbing into your hands. Anger, rejection, and heartbreak clouded your soul. You hit the steering wheel multiple times with the palm of your hand. A sting began to linger on your hands from the impact. You shouted in anger in the car, the vibration of your voice shaking your body.

You leaned into the wheel and cried over it, the scene playing in your head over and over again. Why were you so stupid? Why were you in love with Peter? He's your best friend, there shouldn't be anything else to it.

A tap on the window caused you to freeze, you looked up slowly and saw the one person you dreaded to see - Peter Parker.

His face turned into concern as he saw your crying state. Your cheeks and nose were flushed from the crying. You rolled the window down and tried to avoid any eye contact.

"[Y/N] what's wrong?!" Peter shouted as he realized the situation was much more worse than he anticipated. You shook your head and stared at your lap, too embarrassed to say what you were feeling.

"I-I gotta go..." You mumbled.

"[Y/N] you can't leave now, not at this state." Peter urged and grabbed the car door, “Please come inside and we can talk about it.”

You shook your head and gave him a pained smile, "Go have fun Parker."

Peter was now the one to shake his head, "No, not with you like this."

You sighed and closed your eyes, a tear slipping down again, "Peter please I don't want to be here."

"Why?" Peter whimpered, he was desperate to know what made his best friend so upset.

"PETER!" You shouted and stopped yourself. "Just- please. I need to be alone."

Peter blinked, his grip on his car was released as he took a step back. He stared at you as you avoided eye contact. You both were silent before you gripped your wheel and prepared to drive. Before you left, the only two words that could come out of your mouth was, "I'm sorry."

"Me too." Peter whispered. He was sorry he couldn't be there for you. He was sorry he couldn't understand what made you so upset. He was sorry for not realizing this sooner. He was sorry for being a horrible friend.

You drove off, your rear view mirror showed Peter standing in the middle of the street staring at you leave. Gosh, Peter had the urge to chase after you and force what was wrong out of you but he knew that would be the worse thing he would possibly do.

He needed to make sure you were safe. He wanted to make sure that you wouldn't do anything stupid. So he ran back into the party and started looking for Ned and Michelle. He saw them talking to a few Juniors from school and whispered to Ned, "What happened with [Y/N], Ned? Who did that to her?"

Ned sighed, he knew exactly why you were so heartbroken. You, Peter! Ned wanted to shout, but he knew it wasn't his place to say so. Ned looked at Peter and shook his head, "I can't say."

"What do you mean?" Peter started to get slightly angry. How could Ned know but not Peter? He knew you longer, how does that make any sense? You both told each other everything.

"It means- I can't say Peter. You need to ask [Y/N] yourself," Ned finished.

"I did! She doesn't want to tell me!" Peter started to get louder. Ned shushed him and lead him outside. They squeezed their way through sweaty, drunk teenagers. Finally after what felt like ages, Ned and Peter walked outside past the glass sliding door.

It was dark already, Peter remembered it was about 9:45pm when he was looking for you. It's was probably 20 minutes that past and he was still confused and hurt by what has been happening. Emotionally exhausted, he sat down on one of the wooden steps from the deck. He stared up at the stars and tried to relax. He tried to calm his nerves and shook his head. He needed to see you.

"Peter..." Ned sighed after contemplating what to say for the past few minutes. He knew Peter was oblivious about your feelings for him. Ned knew he had to try to introduce the idea to Peter even after hinting at it for the past few months. "Have you noticed anything different from [Y/N] these past few weeks?"

Peter stopped and thought for a moment. She's gotten quieter. She doesn't smile as much. She drifts away from the group a lot. She ditches class often. She-

"Yes." Peter interrupted himself from the list that came into his head. His hands were holding each other, anxious on your safety and feelings.

"When did that start?" Ned continued.

"I don't know..." Peter drifted off. Now that he had to think about it, he couldn't pin point the exact reason. He knew you were stressed about school and your family. He didn't think it was this terrible.

"Peter think!" Ned urged as he shook Peter's shoulders. Peter was caught off guard by the urgency of Ned's voice.

Peter did try, he can't really think at the moment. Dozens of things popped into his head. Stress from being a superhero, finals, family, friends, and now you. He truly thought he would be able to balance everything at once, but apparently not.

"I- I don't know..." Peter became frustrated. He grunted as he put his head on the palm of his hands. He was disappointed at how badly his friendship with you was becoming. He was not ready to lose you. He loved you, he cared for you.

Ned gave out an annoyed groan, "Peter you may be the smartest kid I know but when it comes to love you're so damn clueless."

Peter gave him a look, "What are you talking about?"

"[Y/N]..." Ned sighed. He knew he shouldn't be saying anything. He made a promise to you that he wouldn't tell Peter. You didn't want anyone to know, hoping it would ruin yours and Peter's friendship. But by the looks of it, it's already deteriorating. "She loves you Peter."

Peter stared, not knowing what to say.

"[Y/N] likes you as more than a friend." Ned finished. He hated breaking his promise but he also hated seeing you so miserable. "Ever since you've been talking about Liz more often, [Y/N] has been heartbroken. She was distancing herself because she couldn't bare seeing you without feeling hurt. Of course, she didn't say anything because she wanted you to be happy. And, well, tonight kind of set her off. Having her hear you talk about how amazing she was and how much you wanted to ask her to homecoming was too much for her." Ned stopped to gasp for air. He hadn't talked that fast in a while. But, he knew it had to be said before he backed down.

Peter turned his head back back into the sky. He then thought about all the moments you both had within these last few years. How close you both were. Peter wanted to slap himself. How could he not notice? Every time you both talked about crushes, you would remain quiet about it while you let him gush on about Liz.

"Why am I so stupid?!" Peter yelled in anger. Ned agreed.

Peter felt his mind pouring out memories of you both staying up late talking about your favorite movies on the phone. Having sleepovers while both of your parents teased you both. How cute your smile was whenever you got nervous around him. How you would always sit on the table to the far corner of the school cafeteria because you knew that Flash would always sit towards the middle. How you would dance to any song, no matter how stupid or boring it may be. How much of a prankster you were and always tried to sneak one in every other week to your group of friends. How you loved Spider-Man and defended the hero after someone would ridiculed his techniques and morals (even though you had no idea that Peter was actually Spider-Man). How no matter how terrible you're feeling, you always put everyone else before you.

In that moment, Peter Parker knew that he was going after the wrong girl this whole time. How you were there this entire time. How you stuck by his side no matter what had happened to him. How much of an amazing girlfriend you've been. Peter wanted to die right there and then. He stared back at Ned, "I'm in love with [Y/N]."

"Hell yeah you are!" Ned cheered. "Took you long enough to realize."

Peter smiled at Ned and hugged him. He then quickly got up from the steps and began running across the backyard, away from the party. He knew he had to see you. This time, it was to tell you something important. It was to confess his feelings for you.

You were relieved to find out that your parents were gone on a date. This meant you had the place to yourself. You didn't want to deal with anyone, especially tonight. You kicked off your shoes and tossed your purse to the side as you made your way to your bedroom.

You threw your keys onto your nightstand and turned on the little lamp, allowing the room to have a dim light, enough to maneuver around the area. You then threw yourself into your bed after the long, emotional drive home. You curled up into your bed as it began to rain outside. You've always loved the rain, you loved the peaceful noise it made as it pattered on the fire escape next to your window. You enjoyed how it caused the weather to become colder so you'd be able to snuggle into your blankets and watch movies all night.

You sniffed as you thought about all the movies you both used to watch before he became different. You missed the sleepovers you both used to have. How you both told each other every secret you could both think of. How you both were there for each other whenever the other was upset. It all changed when she came along. You weren't the jealous type, especially if the person made Peter happy.

You felt stupid at how you were being selfish. You knew Peter didn't like you back, so why be petty about it? It's only going to hurt yours and Peter's friendship. It's already damaged as it is, from the looks of it, it seems like it'll take a while to repair it.

You grunted as you stared up at your glow-in-the-dark stars that were glued to your ceiling. You and Peter always loved counting them whenever he slept-over. There was always a saying he used to tell you, "Whenever I look at the stars, I think of you."

How stupid of you to fall for him. He only saw you as his best friend, someone to talk to about his crushes and how stressed he was with family and school.

You continued thinking to yourself until you heard a loud tapping on your window. You sat up quickly in fear. No one taps your window. You live on the 10th floor of the apartment complex. Who the hell is at your window?

You grabbed your chemistry textbook from your nightstand as you slowly walked to your window. You moved the curtains to the side to see, Peter?!

He was looking at you with sorrow. The rain was pouring down at this point and soaked his entire outfit, down to his socks. You quickly opened the window to let him in. The sound of rain became louder for a moment before you closed the window again.

You stared at him with wide eyes before you started running around your room trying to find something warm for him. "You're soaking wet! Here, use this towel to dry off and change into these! They're my dad's so don't worry. I think there should be-"

Before you could continue, you felt his cold, wet hands grab your face. You shivered under his touch as he stared into your eyes. You didn't know what to say; you didn't know what was happening.

"I should've done this a long time ago," Peter whispered as he slowly leaned into your face. You closed your eyes as you felt his lips press onto yours. You felt your body relax as you put your arms around his body.

You both then moved and slowly laid down on your bed. You both continued to kiss passionately as you both heard the rain outside. You didn't want this moment to end. Your felt your mind racing but calmed down and thought about you being in Peter's arms. You both didn't stop kissing, making up for lost time.

After a while, Peter finally pulled away. You opened your eyes and processed what had happened. His arm was hugging your body close to his as his other hand was brushing his fingers through your hair.

"What was that?" You whispered as you felt relaxed with the contact. You felt yourself snuggling closer into him, trying to warm him up.

Peter stared in admiration. He felt at home. He now understood what Tony said about being in love and how the world stopped whenever he was with the love of his life.

"I love you [Y/N]. I always have, I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner," Peter blushes as he waited for your reaction.

You beamed up at him as your body became energized, "I love you Peter Parker. Always have and always knew."

You both laughed as you both pulled your blanket on top of both of you and began watching movies while the rain was pattering against the window. You insisted that Peter needed to change because he was wetting your bed and how he would get sick. He shook his head and pulled you closer to him, stating that he didn't want to leave your side, he just wanted to be with you. You gazed into his eyes as you felt whole again. You felt Peter complete the piece in your life, you sensed that both of your lives were going to change for the better.

[captainmeowvelwrites]

You Times Two (Ch.2)

Pairing: Marinette/Ladybug | Adrien/Chat Noir Words: 4147 Summary: Ladybug knew this was necessary. She was the Guardian. He had the Cat Miraculous. But when his suit evaporated in a glow of pale green, she sure hadn’t expected him to have something far more precious: her heart. Cross-posted: AO3 and FFN

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ...

Recap: Previously, on You Times Two... Ladybug learnt her kitty's secret identity, invented a new language, and threw her yoyo off the Eiffel Tower. Her word vomit reminded our dear, sweet Adrien of someone, but true to form, he just couldn't figure out who. Will LB find her yoyo? Will Golden Boy get a clue? Will a half-reveal make even a shred of difference? Or are these lovelorn dorks just beyond help at this point? Read on to find out!

---

Chapter Two

Ladybug plopped onto her balcony, the planks squeaking beneath her feet. She latched her yoyo around her waist and stole a glance over the ledge, finding closed curtains and an empty street. No witnesses to her arrival.

At least something was going right this evening.

In hindsight, finding her yoyo had by far been the easiest part of the night. She'd found it dangling from the roof of a horse-themed carousel, the ride glowing like a yellow beacon to anyone near the Eiffel Tower after dark. Thankfully, it'd been too high for just anyone to reach.

But with her super agility?

Not a problem.

Ladybug hurried to the skylight hatch, fixed into the balcony floor, only to squeak as she stubbed her toe on a potted plant, then stumbled over another. Both were new additions, and easily overlooked at the best of times. Tonight, they were basically two bullseyes for her unrivalled clumsiness.

"S-Sorry, Sunny," she stuttered, glancing at a single, yellow flower. She turned to a cluster of bright purple ones. "You – You too, Patty."

She yanked the hatch open and dropped onto her bed, the glass shuddering as the door thumped shut above her. A desk lamp cast its glow upon her lean frame, highlighting her silhouette as she stumbled down the ladder with about as much grace as a potato.

"Spots off…"

Those two words, usually full of quiet confidence, instead shook in tandem with the rest of her.

In a flash of pink, Marinette stood where Ladybug once had, and Tikki emerged at her side. Her powers might've just been the only reason her legs hadn't liquified sooner, for she instantly sunk to the wooden floor.

With a quiet gasp, Tikki swooped to her aid. "Marinette?" she said, waving a tiny hand over her chosen's vacant eyes. "Marinette, it's going to be okay!"

Marinette remained silent, save for the long, croaky groan that slipped through her lips.

A frown filled Tikki's face. Like magma below a dormant volcano, a whole chamber of thoughts bubbled and boiled beneath Marinette's skin, ready to explode. Whatever she was staring at, she wasn't truly seeing it.

Tikki had expected as much—and knew there was more to come.

"This whole time," Marinette eventually breathed, more to herself than her kwami. "Chat Noir… has been Adrien." The phrase squeezed through her lips, as though that fact hadn't quite rooted itself in her brain. "Adrien—my Adrien."

No, he wasn't hers anymore.

In fact, he never had been.

Her throat closed, throbbing and aching, as though an unseen hand had snaked itself around her neck and refused to let go.

"This," Marinette choked, "isn't a disaster." Tears blurred her bedroom, but refused to fall. "This… is the apocalypse!" She flew to her feet, gripping her scalp as she started to pace. "Adrien is Chat Noir. He's always been Chat Noir. He's been my partner… this whole time!" She gasped, the gravity of those words slowly sinking in. "Oh my gosh, I've been rejecting Adrien… for Adrien… this whole time!" Her eyes shot wider. "No, even worse than that. I've been pushing Adrien away. I've been telling him I'm in love with someone else! And after being in love with me for so long, he's actually given up and moved on – to Kagami!" She released her grip on her scalp to instead cover her face, hiding a wounded look. "How can I possibly face him, Tikki?"

Before the kwami had even opened her mouth, Marinette peeled her hands from her face to reveal an entirely new look; one that shined with purpose and promise. "Wait, how silly of me. I don't have to face him. I can just start a new life!" She pressed her palms together, her face brightening. "Yeah. I'll sell my designs, save up some money, change my name to Bridgette and learn to juggle five – no, six – pineapples." Her plan played out in her head like a filmstrip, foolproof. "Then I can join a travelling circus, leave this whole mess behind me and—"

"Marinette," Tikki cried, flapping her hands out in front of the girl in question. "You're being silly! You can't—"

"You're right," said Marinette, a line etching between her brows. "I can't juggle to save my life—I'm way too clumsy!" She launched a triumphant finger in the air. "I know! I'll grow a beard. I'll become Bridgette, The Bearded Lady – yeah, that has a nice ring to it – and then the circus will have to let me—"

"Marinette!" The weight of Tikki's tone had her screeching to a halt, her plans crashing around her. "Don't you think you're overreacting a little?"

"Tikki!" Marinette shrieked, worry clouding her features. "I'm already a complete mess around Adrien – and now Chat Noir too. How am I supposed to save Paris like this?" She dragged herself to her desk and slumped into her hot pink revolving chair. "Not to mention he and Kagami are a thing now. And I've been hanging out with Luka—"

Luka…

An hour ago, the mere thought of the blue-haired boy sparked a light in her eyes, a rising joy in her chest, a fluttering in her stomach.

Now, her heart dropped like lead.

Maybe Master Fu had been wrong about her. She'd led Hawk Moth right to him, and that failure was the only reason she'd become the Guardian. What if tonight was her second mistake? What if learning Chat Noir's identity had only made things worse?

For a fleeting moment, she realised Tikki had already known Chat Noir's identity. Throughout her decision-making process – in which she'd weighed the pros and cons of knowing Chat's identity to her little, red companion – Tikki had known and hadn't once nudged her one way or the other. If she’d thought this was a disaster waiting to happen, surely she would've said so. Did Tikki think she could handle this?

The pang in her chest faded, if only a little.

Yet, tears swelled behind her eyes, only kept at bay by a few well-timed blinks. "I thought," she murmured, her chin meeting her chest, "I'd finally accepted that Adrien would never be more than just a friend. I thought I was moving on, but"—her fists shook in her lap—"now that I know we had a chance together, I… I don't know what to think…"

"Okay," Tikki said, rubbing her neck with a sheepish smile. "Maybe overreacting was the wrong way to put it." She settled on the desk, its white paint stark against her crimson skin. "Yes, Adrien's the one who's been fighting by your side this whole time, but he's still the same Chat Noir he was before. The only difference now is that you know who he is."

"That's exactly the problem, Tikki!" She slid a few inches down the back of her chair, its squeaks faint to her ears. "The fact that Adrien is Chat Noir only makes things worse!"

Tikki tilted her head, seeking further elaboration.

With a sigh, Marinette straightened where she sat, rooting her feet firmly on the floor. "You remember Chat Blanc, don't you?" Her eyes sunk to her lap, where her thumbs circled each other in an endless loop. She lost herself in vile visions of crumbling statues, a world of rubble, and a pair of icy blue eyes—as chilling as an arctic blizzard.

Chat Blanc's words, dripping with malice, bounced about her brain like a razor-studded pinball. "Things were purrfect until Hawk Moth found out about everything." She could still hear the soft clink of his claws as he’d crept along iron scraps of the Eiffel Tower, eyes peeled for his prey. "Once the cat is outta the bag, it's only a matter of time until everyone knows. It was our love that did this to the world, M'Lady!"

Marinette's eyes squeezed shut, willing away the living nightmare.

Such attempts were in vain.

Instead, she was clad in red and black latex, and Chat Blanc stood tall across an immense, iron beam. She was trapped and he knew it. He skulked closer, white light surging at his fingertips, his body framed by a city of ruins. "You know that by merging our Miraculous together we'd be granted one wish, right? Any wish we wanted." Desperation had clouded her vision, her eyes darting left, right, left again—searching for an escape and finding none. He'd drawn closer still, ready to destroy her with a single touch. "Well my wish would be to fix everything, so we could be in love again…"

Again…

That single word screamed in Marinette's ears, refusing to be ignored.

"The simple truth is you don't love me anymore," Chat Blanc had later cried, his voice thick with grief, "so I might as well destroy you, me, our memories… everything!"

That final word echoed through Marinette's mind, like she was hearing it again for the first time. Her hands curled into fists, trembling in her lap, colour draining from her knuckles. Even now, those tormented cries – Adrien's cries – rattled her to the core.

So lost.

So broken.

So devoid of hope.

How could she possibly risk putting him through that kind of pain again?

What if this time it was her that became a brittle statue beneath a sea of ruins, turned to dust by the slightest touch?

Wiped from existence by a single mistake.

Her mistake.

A mounting weight clamped down on her chest and in that moment, she choked down a sob that threatened to spew forth. "Tikki, if our love caused all of that…" Her lips curled and shook, a knot twisting her stomach. "If it brought about the end of the world…" Finally, tears tumbled freely from her eyes, dotting her lap and dying her pants a darker shade of pink. She buried her head in her hands and sobbed, each one racking her shoulders. "I… I don't think I can ever tell him who I am, Tikki. And I never thought it would hurt this much!"

Tikki's eyes creased. "Everything's going to work out, Marinette." She glided onto her shoulder and patted it lightly. "You just need to give yourself some time to let this all sink in, okay?"

"I… I know." Her words came out low and shaky. "Hawk Moth targets people who feel"—a sob shook her shoulders—"like there's no way to fix their problem." She sucked in a breath, only just stifling another sob, and released a wobbly sigh shortly after. "But what can I do, Tikki? I'm just so confused!"

“You'll figure things out, Marinette.” Tikki beamed at her. "You always do."

---

For the rest of the night, she somehow kept the tears at bay. That might've been, in part, because her parents had soon returned from a date, raving about the delicious meals they'd just had and the quick, yet cheery service. Any other night, the hopeless romantic in her would've absorbed their every merry word. Tonight, however, while they'd distracted her a little, she'd still been so out of sorts they’d later popped their heads through her bedroom hatch, questions at the ready.

"Oh, I'm just tired," Marinette insisted, resorting to the same lame excuse she'd used on Chat. By this point, she wasn’t exactly lying. "Actually, I was just about to get ready for bed."

So she did.

And from one mundane task to the next, a new realisation would force its way into her racing mind.

"Oh my gosh, Tikki!" she shrieked, a baby pink hairbrush clasped between her fingers. "I've kissed Adrien – twice!" Her hand flew to her lips, only for a pained grunt to leave them as her hairbrush greeted her face.

…

"No wonder," Marinette garbled through a mouthful of toothpaste, "Adwien shounded sho mush li' Chat in 'at movie." She spat into her bedroom sink and rinsed out her mouth. "He was voicing himself!" Her hand slapped her forehead. "That's why he stuttered so much when I said he sounded almost exactly like the real Chat Noir!"

…

A gasp escaped her lips as she hopped around the room, struggling to shove a leg through her pale pink pyjama pants. "Oh man, Tikki!" She stumbled into the nearest wall, grunting from the pain. "Remember that time Adrien said what a knightmare? That's totally something Chat Noir would say." She thumped her head against the wall she'd just greeted. "Duh! It was so obvious!"

…

"Tomorrow's Friday!" Marinette shrieked, clambering into bed. "You know what that means? A joint patrol! With Adrien!" She dragged her hands down her face. "Disaster!"

…

Marinette burst upright in bed, her blankets hugging her lean frame. "The day after tomorrow is Saturday." She turned to Tikki. "And isn't Alya having people over for video games – including Adrien?" She placed a finger to her lips, considering the situation for a moment longer. "Nahhh. I doubt his dad will let him come." She almost hoped for that very scenario, and that made her feel terrible.

…

The lights were off and yet, as she'd expected, her mind was still reeling from the evening's events. "Hold up," she called into the dark, hearing Tikki straighten on the pillow beside her. "The day after Saturday is Sunday. And I'm meant to go to the movies – with Luka!" Her brain was a scrambled mess, bouncing between two modes – repressed tears and unholy screeching. "How am I supposed to hang out with Luka when all I can think about right now is Adrien?" She chewed at her lower lip. "That doesn't seem very fair on Luka, does it?"

"Marinette," Tikki yawned, "it's very late."

Marinette squinted into the darkness, faintly making out her kwami's tiny silhouette. She looked to be rubbing her eyes.

"I'm sure," Tikki murmured, "you'll think up a solution once you've had a good night's rest. Being tired never helps an anxious mind."

Marinette sighed. "You're probably right." She fluffed up Tikki's pillow, then her own, and slumped against it. "Good night, Tikki."

"Sweet dreams, Marinette."

---

A ghostly voice sang out her name.

Her eyes eased open.

Moonlight flooded through the skylight hatch above, fixing on her like a spotlight.

"Marineeette," the intruder sang again.

She shot straight in bed, hairs prickling on her neck. Her eyes darted every which way, as she peered over her blanket, out into the darkness that shrouded the space beyond her bed.

Her name came again, this time as a feral hiss.

Marinette's stomach coiled. Her muscles ached, adrenaline rushing through her veins, preparing her for the worst.

A black paw slithered out from the shadows, its claws clutching the foot of the bed frame. "There you are!" Another paw followed, tearing the end of her bedspread, and two cat-like eyes emerged, glowing green, framed by a mask as dark as the room around it. An eerie grin stretched his lips far wider than humanly possible. "Do you wanna know my secret, Marinette?" snarled Chat Noir, twitching and jerking as he dragged himself toward her like a possessed China doll, "I'm in love with a girl and her name is Kagami!"

Marinette jolted awake, a screech hurdling from her throat. Her eyes dashed around a room that this time, she saw quite clearly despite the dark.

In an instant, Tikki was hovering straight ahead. "Marinette," she cried, alarm riddled through every syllable. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?!"

"No! I mean, yes. I mean—" Marinette forced a smile and scooped her kwami up in her palms. "It – It was just a bad dream," she insisted, and pecked Tikki's tiny cheek. "Nothing to worry about."

Even in the low light, she could see that Tikki wasn't buying it. "But your hands… They're shaking!"

Marinette drew her kwami close, nuzzling her briefly. "I know you're worried, but trust me… I'll be fine." She ignored the pointed look Tikki gave as she placed the little kwami on the pillow beside her. "It's like you said." She yawned, slumping into her pillow. "I'll figure this out."

She had to.

Her eyes slid shut, but she hardly managed one more wink of sleep after that.

---

The morning sun soaked Marinette with its warmth, its rays spilling over the rooftop of Collège Françoise Dupont. Her eyes – brimming with focus – darted right, left and right again, as she tiptoed up the school steps.

These last twelve hours, her brain had been torturing her. And naturally, it had chosen now of all times to remind her of the day a film crew had broadcasted her bedroom – more specifically, her bedroom walls – for all of France to see.

For Adrien to see.

Pink grazed her cheeks.

The morning after, she'd failed to enter school undetected.

This time would be different.

Today, she was the epitome of stealth.

And failing that, she was also late—on purpose, for once.

After all, it's not like Adrien could strike up a conversation with her if she was late, ergo she'd have no chance to rouse suspicion with her word vomit. This time, her plan was foolproof. She was sure of it.

The familiar ring of a bell echoed out into the street, where morning traffic rumbled. She heard a groan from the hefty, oak doors at the top of the stairs.

"Wait!" Marinette called, stumbling up the steps. "Wait! I'm almost there!" She squeezed through the doors just in time, seeing the school groundsman step back with wide eyes. "Made it," she breathed, gripping her knees with a sigh of relief.

A couple of doors on the second story clicked shut. Students had already flowed into their respective classrooms, leaving the courtyard empty. There'd been no akuma attacks this morning either, so Adrien had no reason to be late.

"Perfect."

Determination filled her face as she threw herself against the nearest wall. She slunk around the edge of the courtyard, over to the locker room swing doors, remaining unseen. That is, if you didn't count the school groundsman, who watched on with a quirk of his brow and a tilt of his balding head.

Other than that, she was practically invisible.

With a triumphant grin, Marinette shoved the swing doors aside, expecting rows of lockers to fill her vision.

Instead, she was greeted by a grunt and a pair of familiar green eyes.

She'd shoved the doors, all right.

Straight into Adrien's face.

Straight into Chat Noir's face.

The universe hated her. True or false?

Horror tainted her features, putting his pained expression to shame. "Kill me," she muttered, watching as he gingerly rubbed his nose, blinking incessantly.

Adrien looked up at her. "Hm? What was that?"

Marinette went rigid, clinging to the straps of her backpack. "Uhh! I said excuse me! No—sorry!" She shifted from one foot to the other and back again, avoiding his gaze. "Yeah! Sorry! That's what I vent—meant!"

"Don't worry, Marinette." He showed a small smile as he placed a hand on her shoulder, his ring in full view. Her insides flipped at the sight of it. "Trust me, I've been through worse."

Had he said that twelve hours ago, she would've been intrigued. Now, she knew exactly what he meant. If there was one guy in Paris who could take a beating, it was Chat Noir.

Her fingers toyed with the bottom of her black cardigan, the events of last night replaying in her mind like a humiliating home video. "I'm so clorry—err, clumsy. And sorry. I'm so sorry!" She spared a moment to inspect his face; it looked as flawless as ever, but she still had to ask, "Are you gay—" She zapped upright. "Okay!" she screamed, "I meant okay! Are you okay? Uhh – Not that there's anything wrong with being gay. I'd still love – I mean, like you – just the gay—way you are!" Her face must've looked like a stop sign by now. "Not – Not that I think you are gay. I mean, there's salami—pastrami—Kagami!"

Marinette's stomach soured at the reminder of the girl who held his affections. She could just feel a frown emerging as she tugged her backpack closer, itching to dump its contents into her locker.

Adrien tilted his head, confusion swirling in his stare. Only then did she realise his eyebags, dark and puffy, might've just rivalled her own.

Guilt hissed accusations in her ear.

She was the one responsible for them.

She just knew it.

"I'm… I'm okay, Marinette," Adrien stammered, lurching her back to reality. He scratched his cheek, his eyes drifting to the ceiling. "I'm just, uhh…" When he looked back at her, he smiled, though she didn't miss it falter. "I didn't sleep too well, but that's not your fault."

"Yeahhh," she drawled, "I mean no! No, it's not." She turned away to slap herself, hoping it'd help her to regain some sense—emphasis on some.

"Hey," Adrien said, his tone much lighter.

Marinette stood stiff as a plank as she re-faced him, at first thinking he planned to call her out for slapping herself. His smile said otherwise.

"I know I've said this before," he continued, that soft smile growing, "but your hair still looks really pretty when it's down."

"Wait, what?" She reached for her pigtails and instead found loose strands. Oh great. Not only had she forgotten to style her hair this morning. She'd forgotten to even brush it. If she'd looked like a stop sign before, she must've looked like a dang fire truck by now.

Marinette rushed her fingers through her hair, wishing she could jam her head in the nearest locker. "Oh, I… uhh… slept in." She smoothed her hands over her scalp. "I – uhh – yeah. I actually had a bad sleep too! I must've – erm – forgotten to brush—I mean, tie up my hair. Y'know… from the no-sleep." She giggled, peering up at him from through her dark fringe.

Adrien laughed into his hand. It was reserved, refined, careful—nothing like the snickers, smirks and guffaws of his alter ego. "Well," he said, bringing a hand to his bangs, "how about we match?" He ruffled his hair, flashed a grin, and suddenly, all she saw was Chat Noir.

Somehow, it put her at ease… if only for a second.

She smiled—small, but genuine. "I've… never seen your hair like that." It wasn't a total lie. "It suits you, Adrien."

For some reason, that comment had him glowing. "You really think so?" His grin only grew and, in that moment, ladybugs fluttered in her chest. "Thank you, Marinette!"

"No problem, Chadrien."

Marinette froze.

"Adrien," she screeched, stooping her head low in apology. "That's what I meant! Not – uhh – that other thing." A nervous giggle escaped her as she glanced over his shoulder, where her locker awaited her. "Boy, am I tired, huh? 'Cause I have absolutely no idea where that came from!" His lips parted, but her gasp cut him off. "Oh no!" she cried, clasping her hair. "The well—shell—bell rung, like, five minutes ago!"

There was a spark of realisation in Adrien's eyes. "Oh," he faltered, glancing at the exit over her shoulders. "Well, how about I wait for you outside?" His smile was softer again. "It's probably better to interrupt class once rather than twice, right?"

Marinette stilled, taking in his smile. She could already hear the onslaught of questions Alya would send her way if they arrived to class together—late. "Oh, no no no no!" she said, waving her hands like a maniac. "I mean, you… you don't have to." She gave a quiet giggle. "You grow—err, go first. I don't mind being the one to interrupt the second time."

"Please." Adrien held up his own hand far more gracefully. "I insist."

Fighting back a grimace, Marinette nodded stiffly, as though the motion pained her. Not far off, if she was honest. "I'll smell—err, see you outside then." She stepped to her left, but he stepped the same way.

"Sorry," they said in unison.

Marinette dipped her head, pink pinching her cheeks, and lumbered around him to her locker. The doors swung shut behind her, announcing that she was alone.

Immediately, she smacked her head against her locker, over and over, like a broken record. Maybe she'd finally – literally – knock some sense into herself.

She'd probably be here a while.

"Well," Tikki said, peeking up from Marinette's pink side bag, "that could've been worse."

Marinette stopped to glance down at her kwami and the strained smile she wore. That smile said the one thing Tikki didn't: it could've gone a lot better too.

"I knew the first half of our conversation was going suspiciously well," Marinette muttered, pouting.

Tikki arched a brow. "You think it went well?" She went taut at the mortified look her owner sent her. "I mean, yeah – it went so well!"

Marinette threw her head back and let out a throaty groan.

[perditaalottachocolate-blog]

Spring Fever (3)

@adrinetteapril 2019 story

Chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | art | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | art | 18 | 19 | 20 |

AO3 / fanfiction.net

Chapter 3. Embarrassing

In which Adrien is a keeper

Adrien shot out of his seat as it was on fire. Then he remembered his manners and with a flourish he let Marinette go out first. She smiled sweetly and joined Alya on their way to the locker room. Adrien followed nearby, the rest of the class at his heels so he needed to move fast.

He grabbed his spare t-shirt and a bottle of deodorant from his locker and made a beeline for the bathroom. When he emerged few minutes later, leaving the godforsaken cheese odour in the past, Marinette was still beside her locker chatting with Rose and Juleka.

Adrien’s heart did a little somersault. It looked like he had less and less power over his own organs. His cheeks already stung from the fierceness of their color but he soldiered on. He sent the girl an apologetic smile, but she didn’t seem bothered by his antics during the trip. Considering her own tendency to slip, squeak and stutter, he supposed she’d seen or experienced worse. He returned to his locker to take out some textbooks. Judging by the sounds of retreating steps and fading voices the girls were already leaving.

Good. He really could use a breather.

Tap.

His left  foot took a step towards the locker room door. Without his intention.

Tap.

His right foot followed.

He was so shocked he didn’t even try to stop.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Another step and another. Adrien was staring at his feet in wonder.

Bam!

He walked right into the opened door of Chloe’s locker.

'Adrikins!’ she exclaimed. 'Are you all right?’

'Fine!’ he chirped, rubbing the bruise on his forehead.

His feet froze in place. He looked up only to see Marinette at the entrance, staring at him worryingly.

‘Is everything okay?’ The love of his life spoke and he no longer heard babbling Chloe.

‘Peachy!’ he squeaked in reply. He had been sure he’d never again hear those frequencies after his voice changed.

Marinette didn't seem convinced. ‘Maybe you should go to the nurse?’

‘I'm fine!’ Adrien insisted.

He noticed that he must have finally managed to freak her out because she never moved from the door. He couldn’t decide if this was a bad thing (because obviously she should already be here next to him, comforting him and tending to his bruise, which would be nice, because she smelled so lovely and Adrien get a grip on yourself, you hopeless dweeb), or a good thing (because he was a big boy who would not make a fuss of one lousy bruise, he was great all by himself, even if all he wanted was to never part with the love of his life, and Adrien focus, because you’re staring and rambling out an inner monologue, that’s not healthy). He took a deep breath. ‘I’m fine,’ he repeated in a calmer voice.

‘You know best,’ she shrugged and turned to resume her walk towards the classroom.

This time Adrien felt the pull that demanded he follow. He tried to resist, focusing on keeping his feet under control when the upper half of his body disobeyed him. He swayed forward and almost fell to the floor.

Something was pulling him after Marinette, an invisible force that literally dragged his body over the school grounds in the direction she went. All he could do was to try and stay more or less upright and appear to be walking intentionally. The result was… well very much zombie like until he finally stopped resisting.

And the grander the distance the stronger and more persistent the pull was, spurring him to move faster in his chase. He regained control over his limbs about a meter and a half around the girl, at the threshold of their class.

Marinette spun around at the sudden movement behind her back. His lips automatically stretched in a smile that he wished was more worthy of a model, less awkward and less toothy, too. His teeth apparently wanted to greet her very much. Adrien very much wanted to grit them but he didn’t dare at a moment like this.

The love of his life reciprocated with a reluctant smile and a raised brow. Her eyes searched his face blinking a few times. Adrien’s chest puffed at the attention. He felt emboldened enough to risk a small wave. To his utmost delight Marinette giggled and it was as if Venus herself spilled the finest pearls over the Dupont college’s floor.

'Marinette, you coming or what?’ Alya’s voice cut into what he liked to believe was adorkable silence. He wasn’t sure where the little pink bubbles came from, but the love of his life looked absolutely stunning with them as the background.

'You’re blocking the door!’ Another person shouted.

Embarrassment flashed in Marinette’s eyes as she stuttered. 'Right, right. I’m sorry. I’m coming, I’m coming!’

The sweetest of apologetic smiles tugged at her lips. She didn’t turn, just made a step back to enter the class.

Adrien’s right foot obediently took a step after her.

Damn, he forgot about that. The look of painful surprise on his face made Marinette freeze, but when he didn’t move she made another step back.

Adrien’s left foot stepped forward immediately.

The girl tilted her head. Her kind eyes got larger as she stared at him. Marinette wasn’t the kind of person to expect mocking from him, especially since he literally did nothing more than follow her.

Keeping her gaze fixed on him she stepped left.

Adrien’s right foot followed.

Her brow quirked and a shadow of smirk danced on her lips. Still watching him she took a step back, then chasséd sideways.

Adrien’s feet didn’t even ask, just carried out the instructions of the love of his life.

Marinette chuckled and spun in a pirouette, moving a little bit away from him. This time his feet spared him further humiliation and just stepped forward. He noticed that with each step the distance between them got smaller.

The girl made another step and her back hit the teacher’s desk.

Adrien had no other choice, the pull was too strong to disobey. He was right in front of her, only centimeters apart. His hands reached for her waist and it took almost superhuman strength to make them land on the desk, bracketing her sides instead. He gripped the wood so hard it creaked ominously.

It might have been his imagination, but the air between them seemed to be charged with static electricity. He took a deep breath and a delightful scent of spring filled his lungs, taking him straight into the garden of Eden.

‘Can I help you?’ Marinette’s voice brought him back from cloud nine. She looked to him. A little bit uncertain, but definitely not afraid. Rather patiently waiting for the moment when things start to make sense.

‘I just…’ gosh, he must have looked like a complete idiot! And he couldn’t do anything about it. Resigned, he decided he was hopeless enough to try it. ‘I just like to be close to you,’ he muttered for her ears only.

Marinette flushed bright pink at that. It was definitely a good color on her. Adrien instantly started to think of all the things he could do to make her blush more often.

'Ekhm, ekhm,’ Miss Bustier cleared her throat.

This time it was the love of his life who squeaked. She grabbed his hand, sending goosebumps all over his skin, and then she proceeded to drag him to his desk, taking a seat behind. It was close enough for him to stay in one place, even if the hair at the back of his neck rose and the faint tickling of the pull continued throughout the last of their lessons.

[dulharpa]

this is for hayley! @whistlingwillows a dear friend <3333

it’s meant to be a birthday present haha. i just want to shower you in love;;; so thought maybe i could go through as many of your fics and comment on them :^)))

(TO EVERYONE ELSE: please go to @whistlingwillows blog and read her fics!!! they are SO FCKIN GOOD AND AMAZING AND UGH HER MIND (it’s a lot of mcu and her bucky and steve fics are a*. i DEFINITELY RECOMMEND))

i wish you a VERY happy birthday and i hope we stay friends for many more years <3333333333 

i’m going through your masterlist heehee ;)))

ah first off, nice theme! i never could rlly see it before because i’m always on mobile heehee. also sorry for not reviewing them before??? i don’t usually read fics on tumblr as you’ve probably guessed;;

anyways, IM GON REVIEW THE SHIT OUT OF THESE >:DDDD

far from home -  bucky x stark sister!reader

firstly, i like how youre introducing the reader from buckys pov, like you can sort of already gather what shes like from them

‘Bucky can hear Tony’s soft inhale, feel the intensity of the man’s glare directed at Steve. He shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but a twitch of muscle would be enough to alert both men that he’s here. With the amount of tension crackling in the air, a brush against the wall would be equivalent to a thousand cymbals crashing in cacophony.’

IM CRYING ALREADY. the imagery in here is GLORIOUS. your tone here is so fitting! oo and the alliteration here is perfecto

ooooooo!! the backstory coming in  👀👀

‘despite what some people think that Steve and Captain America are two different personas, there will always be parts of Steve in the Avenger, and parts of the Avenger in Steve. They both want to believe in something good. They are, after all, one in the same.// Just as how Bucky and the Winter Soldier are the same man despite everything. HYDRA simply amplified the hate, fertilized the seeds of rage, curated the quiet thunder within his soul, within James Buchanan Barnes so that the Winter Soldier could thrive.’

yIKES! lol this is very character study like! nICE. it hurts tho, my poor children, i love you both 

oo ‘starlight eyes’ that is a very nice way of describing them

‘“Then what was London?” The protesters. “São Paulo?” The earthquake. “Vancouver?” Freezing cold water.//“Look, I care if Stark’s gonna run us over trying to find her. I care enough because she’s part of our team. Come off it, Steve. I know she can take care of herself. I’m gonna take a nap. Dr. Cho said no partying post-Singapore and what do you know, we throw the biggest party ever.’

ooo singapore uwu and london? (coincidence? haha jkjk) and the hints abt reader and buckys background are so good?? but so annoying??? like i just wanna KNOW yknow?? 

‘The water runs copper and the sting bites at his palm as he tries not to think. Tries to focus on the numbing cold that runs over his skin.’ 

your imagery is so vivid?? im actually in awe??? i am so regretful i havent kept reading your fics. like i know they are amazing, i just keep putting them off??? idk man. hopefully this makes up for it (gd tho, im still not done with commenting on one fic. this is what im doing with my motivation teehee ;)

‘ He feels weak. Tired. He wants to go back to bed but he also wants to stay out in the sun for a few hours more. The sun kisses his skin through the windows and he squints against the blue sky, wondering ‘

mood during this quarantine lol

‘“Oh, right.” Your voice is flat, uninterested, cold, as you stare at him. “You killed my parents.”Shit.‘

 OUCH LMAO THATS C O L D, O GOT +100 PHYSIC DAMAGE FROM JUST READING THAT

ooo robin as a nickname noice. very much gives me batman vibes lol

oh! and the way of doing the ‘flashback’ is neat! very original. it both tells us what happened AND buckys reaction to it again. he can re-analyse himself and reader. very cool

‘If you walk away now, don’t bother coming back!” Silence. Bucky can hear his own strained breathing, your soft sigh as you soaked in his ultimatum.’

👀👀 yikes that ultimatum. :// not good bucky. tbf theyre both trying to hurt each other but Yikes

eyy!!! readers pov!! finally! and the switch after we find out the outsiders pov? brilliant

oh no :(( more angst

‘When’s the last time you saw your therapist?”“Don’t have one. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”’ they BOTH need therapists;;;;

very good fic!!! :DD they rlly do hate each other! i definitely like how you went back and forth with the timeline! it gave me a v strong idea on what yn was like even before we rlly got introduced. i am now very curious on where reader is? i love your characterisations! 

i will read the 10k+ fics but heck the last one took me ages lolol (i will comment in the future tho!! i promise <3 ) (that took me over an hour jjhghgdjh)

slipping away- amnesiac modern bucky x reader

omg,,, AMNESIA! >:DDDDDD

‘ Put your fucking seatbelt on’

oh no, istg theyre going to have a car crash arent they (’ doesn’t put the seatbelt on to spite you.’ NO PLEASE PUT IT ON U DUMBASS)

ok,,,,, at LEAST he put it on before he got hit, thank heck. but still. youre so cruel to your poor characters lmaoo

oh gosh

‘You fall apart slowly, like pieces of you peeling away until you’re nothing more than your broken heart. The sobs that wrack your body are relentless and you shove your forearm into your mouth to muffle your cries. You want to bite into your skin. You want to distract yourself from the agony tearing you to shreds. You want to feel anything but the pain.///Tears sweep into your hair, cloud your vision and your whole face floods with heat as you try to breathe through the pain. You’re cleaved into pieces on that bed, eyes squeezed shut as the tears keep flowing, and your throat burns’

this hurts damn, it is so vivid?? i can really feel it 

i am so glad you got into writing yk?? so glad

NO PLS, TELL HIM. TELL HIM :((( ‘shes nice once you get to know her?? shes known nat for years now!! years!!

oh god ‘he looks younger without the burden of your time together’ this is so angsty omg

‘Well, he was stumbling through his apology and I just let him finish.” Your body fills with warmth as you remember his embarrassed smile, the way he shoved his baseball cap farther down his head, chin tucked to his chest, trying to hide that face. “When he was done, I opened my mouth to say something polite but what came out was ‘You look like someone I’d very much like to kiss’.”

this is so soft i stg im crying in the club

OH SHITTTTTTTTTTT , you left it off like that!!! thats so cruel!!!! i can’t!!! how dare you!!!! :””””””((( im typing this with tears in my eyes ill have u know!!

anyway!!! very good fic!! you could honestly make that into a longfic very easily lol. i felt too many emotions :(( 

i was just about to say where is the fluff!! where is it!! when i saw the next one and yay :))) pls i cant have more angsty stuff rn

.

cookies and rings and things bucky and reader

‘how much do you love me?’ ‘count the snowflakes, multiply by a million’

did you have to start the fic off with such a SOFT line? its so soft! so TENDER 

‘He wonders what kinda insane person wears socks without any clothes on, but then decides that it’s the kind of person who’s fallen in love with him.’  jesus, the soft moments filled with love are the greatest <3

you can write fluff so well, whyd you have to pain me with all that angst ;””””) (1/10 hurt, 9/10 comfort is the way to go lolol) (jkjk ill read the angsty ones too when i have the spoons) (gonna reread that hydra steve one and ik thatll fuck me UP)

‘ Then, he can feel the cold metal of the ring she slid onto her own finger less than twenty-four hours ago and realizes that he had thought a lot of things shouldn’t be possible, and yet they still are. ‘

you literally brought me to tears reading this softness, you have truly found my weakness

‘ She’s so damn gorgeous with flour on her face and eye bags beneath her eyes that he’s sure she will inevitably make his heart burst ‘

he already likes her so much! i can’t believe this is affecting me so much :’)

‘Bucky is quite sure Sam is in love with his girlfriend in the fact that he’s in love with the fact that his girlfriend is possibly in love with Bucky’

this is so soft??? sam loves reader bc reader loves bucky sm. pls my hear <3333

you do fluff SO WELL DAMN 

‘F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice echoes in his small little perch and he still thinks it’s weird without having the side effect of Stark in his suit chasing after him to hear the A.I. but he shoves that uncomfortable feeling of the dead man out of his head. That is too much regret to unpack right now on a mission. ‘

yike bringing back that reminder oof

but thats so soft??? (i am def overusing soft but,,,,, i love it and the vibe) she sent him cookies! god i can feel the love  

‘She expresses her feelings through cooking, which Bucky has learnt the hard way. One time, they got into an argument over something stupid—he can’t even remember what started it—and came to the kitchen at 2AM to see her sitting at the kitchen island crying her eyes out and surrounded by baskets of muffins.’

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 my hEART

you show how much they love each other in so many ways??? i am dying

“Alright, I like it.” Rolling his eyes, he pecks her forehead and she smiles victoriously. It’s so adorable that Bucky, with less than three hours of sleep, adds, “God, I want to marry you.//”“What?”//Oh.Shit.

oh my god! i am literally tearing up!!! AGAIN!!!!!!!!

oh shit o am literally crying

your fluff got me crying harder than your angst i hope youre happy

I really hope you enjoy reading this?? i keep forgetting to like text you but i wanted to do something for your birthday. especially in quarantine when everythings gone crazy. one year i swear ill do something REALLY good for you. not making promises bc i hate if i dont. but ill like, learn how to podfic because you D E S E R V E  I T 

ive spent like three hours doing this lolol 

thank you so much for everything hayley!

[mimik-u]

Flower Child (Chapter 9)

Title: Home (III)

A/N: 

The last of the Beach City filler episodes "Home" installments—I swear, lol. Thank you guys for sticking with "Flower Child." I appreciate each and every one of your Kudos and comments; they never fail to make me feel like I'm on top of the world. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Next week, we'll be back to Empire City, and for the first time in this fic, I think we'll play around in Steven's point of view for a little while. ;)

(Pearl sketch at the bottom.)

AO3

01.

The sand pushed against Garnet, but Garnet pushed back, dragging her feet through the coarse grain that seized at her with millions of grasping hands. Fingers around her swollen ankles. Claws. But she did not stop; she could not afford to stop.

She was afraid that she would let the sand bury her if she did.

The yellow dunes a monument to her cowardice.

To every instinct that had told her to run.

The sun carved itself into her back; she ran to invite its pain, not in spite of it.

Her tank top was slick with sweat, pressed against her skin like a white tattoo; she ran and half-wished the garment would choke her.

Damn coward that she was, she ran.

And she did not look back. The sharp heaving of her chest felt like knives.

One full hour of this—don’t stop—two—don’t look back—and then suddenly, without warning, Garnet’s powerful legs buckled underneath her and she pitched forward in the sand, choking, teeth gritted with the salted grain. She coughed violently, and black spots sprayed across her vision as she fought to maintain a tenuous grip on reality, but it slipped away from her as she dipped her forehead against a fallen, sweat drenched arm. The sun bore down on the back of her exposed neck. Her breath clouded in the pocket between her face and the hot sand. The ocean seethed against the shore.

Garnet closed her eyes.

She let go.

And a memory stole in—soft, vulnerable, a moth fluttering next to a candle.

It was twilight, and the setting sun slanted through the blinds to soak the painfully white walls. An orange that seared. A deep purple that left a bruise. An angry pink, like the aftermath of a blow. Garnet sat on the edge of the railed bed, hands clenched until they were gray on her lap.

And she was still, dreadfully still—a statue on the verge of erosion.

“Garnet?”

She didn’t hear him at first, couldn’t hear anything past the blood boiling in her ears and the unholy trembling of her bones, her chest, her stomach.

“Gaaaaarnet,” he persisted, a teasing edge to his voice. “You’re missing the best part! Toast just broke up with Milk because she thought he was cheating on her with Cereal, and now they’re both crying about it on split screens! Oh, wait—no! I spoke too soon! Toast, Milk, and Cereal are all crying on triple split screens! Gosh, this is good stuff!”

It was Monday night, which meant that a new Crying Breakfast Friends was on. A show about clinically depressed breakfast items, it was somehow Steven’s favorite.

He liked to gush about it.

This was normal, she told herself.

This was normal. She bit her lip so hard that blood welled where she split it.

This was normal. She couldn’t look at him.

This was normal. His empty catheter bag hung limply off the side of the bed.

“Pearl said that I need to, uh, critically examine the stuff I watch, though, so if I’m being honest, the problem here is kinda forced. Cereal is obviously not into romantic relationships, and she just views Milk as a friend, which is totes cool, but I appreciate the character development they’re giving her.”

Kidney failure.

He had kidney failure.

He was thirteen years old, dammit, and he had—

“Because you see,” he continued over the sound of a closely whirring machine, over the sound of her spiraling panic, “Cereal never shows emotion. Like, ever, and she really values her friendships with both Toast and Milk, so this being the thing that breaks her is actually kinda sweet.”

Dr. Maheswaran’s lined face had fallen into geometric disarray when she had told them, all of her harshness slipping into nothingness, into a helplessness they had only seen her wear once before.

The day of Rose’s funeral.

“I’m sorry,” she had whispered. “I’m so sorry that this has happened.”

“And what I’m trying to say, Garnet, is that you’re spacing out right now, and it’s really scaring me,” Steven said, his voice vulnerable with the admission, cracked.

The words were distant to her, landing in her ears but traveling no further. Even so, Garnet painfully drew her head up to look at him; it felt as though there was a weight upon her neck, a yoke, an iron clasp, a world.

His dark eyes burned into hers, and they were the only things that did; the rest of his features were pale, ghostly, having long lost their beautiful olive tint to sickness.

He was thirteen.

He had kidney failure.

“Please,” he murmured softly, extending his chubby hand towards her—as far as all of the tubing and wires would allow. “I need you to be here for me, Garnet. If you’re scared, let’s be scared together.  Because I’m kind of scared, and everyone else is gone, but you’re here, and yet, you’re not really here, and I—”

She was slow, slower than she usually was when it came to comforting Steven. He scraped his knee after falling down? Easy. She could scoop him up into her strong arms and blow raspberries onto his tubby belly until he forgot the sting. Emotional episode of Crying Breakfast Friends? She’d pass him the tissue box seconds before he even opened his mouth to ask for it.

But this?

This?

This was uncharted territory—for Steven, for her, for Greg, Amethyst, and Pearl.

So she was slow, achingly slow, to close the distance between them, to wrap Steven into her arms, to place her chin on the crown of his curls.

But she managed it.

(How? She couldn’t say.)

She rubbed soothing circles into the small of his gowned back and whispered, “I’m here.”

I’m here.

I’m here.

I’m here.

In the warm shield of her arms, Steven began to cry.

Barely five minutes had passed, but they felt like an eternity as Garnet finally pushed herself out of the sand and into a tentative sitting position, lightheaded from the heat and yet heavy with exhaustion. She could have floated away; she could have melted into the ground.

But both of these options were untenable.

She had to—she stumbled gracelessly to her feet—get to—she palmed a sweaty hand across her face—Steven. A low growl tore through her teeth as she began to run.

The sand pushed against Garnet, but Garnet pushed back, hands scissoring the still air, thighs burning with the exertion. She felt the clever trappings of the yellow grain, felt the particles climb up her skin and entreat her to stay, but she did not stop; she could not afford to stop.

She had a purpose now.

Something… someone… to run home to.

One full hour of this, but not quite two—she was fast, determined, indomitable—and the beach house came into view, snugly perched on the cliff, its railings newly livened up by a multitude of colorful balloons. Garnet only slowed to a walk when her foot found purchase on a stair, lead pooling suddenly onto its weight. 

Nearly four hours of running, and she’d forgotten her water bottle in her haste to leave. Her lips, her throat, her entire body were scorched, but she paid no mind to these little details as she dragged herself up the stairs, one sluggish foot after another. 

She had to—she crossed the wooden deck—get to—she wrapped her glistening fingers around the door handle—Steven.

Garnet opened the door.

A whoosh of cold air rose to greet her, and she was able to pry her eyes out of their half-lidded weariness. The ceiling fan in the living room whirred. Kneeling next to the coffee table, Peridot and Lapis looked up from where they had been counting plastic utensils.

Peridot opened her mouth as though to speak, but someone else beat her to the punch.

“Garnet?”

Her head shot to the left, and there Steven was—sitting on his bed, his pale face awash with relief.

She was slow, achingly slow, as she climbed the couple of steps leading up to the loft.

But she didn’t have to go much further.

Steven slid off his bed and met her halfway, curling his arms around her sweaty leg.

“I’m here,” she said softly, placing a tentative hand on his curls.

I’m here.

I’m here.

I’m here.

(And I’m sorry.)

“Ugh,” he replied with a grin, scrunching up his button nose, “you stink, Garnet.”

02.

Naturally, the fish fry was a success—as it always was with Pearl at the organizational helm.

Only a handful of people lived in Beach City, true, but this very handful invited their friends and family from neighboring towns and cities, and fifteen odd people somehow became nearly one hundred. By five, around seven hundred dollars had been raised, and they hadn’t even looked at the bids for their silent auction yet! (Vidalia was offering up some of her artwork, and Boardwalk vendors like Mr. Fryman and Kofi had been gracious enough to donate services like free catering to the pool of available items.)

Leaning against the porch railing, Pearl surveyed the view in front of her and waited for the swell of pride that usually congratulated her after a night of such accomplishment. Garnet and Amethyst had arranged round tables all over their little stretch of beach, and sitting at the front of the deck, a long, rectangular table boasted scant and scattered piles of white to-go boxes, the pitiful remnant of what had once been teetering pyramids. (Surely, people would snag the last couple on their way out, just to have leftovers for tomorrow.) The sun, golden and blurred around the edges, sunk into the low neck of the horizon, casting lovely, shimmering images on the ocean just beyond the beach. People were laughing and talking and dancing to some hip electronic song that Vidalia’s DJ son was blaring through his tall speakers.

The day had been perfect.

So why did Pearl feel like she was about to throw up?

Maybe it was the way various people from town kept coming up to her and asking after Steven. They meant well, but their sympathetic eyes and the pity in their voices and the subtle relief in their faces (I’m glad it’s not me) started to blend and grate after awhile.

“Ah, poor Universe,” Mayor Dewey sighed, tsking lightly. “It just doesn’t seem fair, does it?”

“Sweet kid.” Barb Miller knocked her affectionately in the shoulder (nearly barreling her over in the process). “I just dunno if I could do it if it was my Sadie.”

“You tell Steven that he’s welcome to come to Funland at anytime, ya hear?” Mr. Smiley smiled, all teeth, brimming with an ungodly kind of optimism.

“He’s not looking good, is he?”

“You guys are doing the Lord’s work.”

“Has there been any news?”

“I’m bringing a casserole over soon!”

And on and on. Pearl’s hand drifted to her stomach, and her eyes drifted down to one of the tables closest to the house, where Garnet was sitting alone, her expression seemingly vacant behind her trademark sunglasses. But Pearl was perceptive, and what’s more, familiar with Garnet after nearly two decades of being her roommate. The sculptured lines of her muscles were tense, electric with nerves. Her legs were crossed, but the foot she had on the ground bobbed out of time with Sour Cream’s music.

Maybe it was the knowledge that tonight, she’d sit across Garnet and tell her about the contents of Dr. Maheswaran’s letter. She’d have to watch as Garnet’s stoic features would crumple as she registered the words feeding tube, how her hands would clench tightly on her lap in the place of spoken words. 

Maybe it was the fact that Steven had only picked at his grilled fish tonight, had nibbled on an unsalted french fry or two before shoving his plate away apologetically.

“I’m just not hungry.” He’d said the same thing about his pancakes this morning. He’d thrown up the one pancake that he could stomach.

Or maybe it was the way Amethyst’s brown eyes had dulled after Pearl had grabbed her arm earlier this evening and told her that they were going to have a family meeting on the deck.

“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” Her voice was quiet, scratchy in all of her vulnerable places.

Pearl stifled the urge to look away and could only manage a curt nod.

“I figured as much,” she sighed, pulling a hand across the back of her neck. “Dr. M was really antsy this week. Guess that can’t mean anything good.”

She searched for Amethyst now and found that she was with Steven. They were sitting on the shoreline, backs to the house, eyes on the setting sun. She had one plump arm slung around his shoulders. In the dying light, her long hair was a brilliant silver stream.

Jealousy nicked at her with an unexpected sting, a little paper cut right across her sternum, one inch long.

She wanted to know what they were talking about.

Wanted to cling to every word that came out of his mouth.

Every moment… every hour, every minute, every second… was precious with him nowadays.

He was an hourglass turned over, slowly trickling away.

Maybe she’d go down there and join them…

Maybe that would abate the awful mess of her stomach…

Maybe was her constant refrain tonight.

Uncertainty was the word.

“Ya’ve done it again, Pearl.”

Pearl blinked, and with a jolt, realized that Greg had joined her on the balcony, an appreciative grin stretched across his red face as he greeted her. In an old, white tank top and ripped jean shorts, he was just as Greg as ever, but his bleary eyes betrayed him (just as Garnet’s foot did her and Amethyst’s dull expression spoke volumes). His tired gaze slid to where Steven and Amethyst sat on the beach, following where hers had just been, and his smile seemed to take on the subtle tinges of sadness as he absorbed the simple image.

She regained her composure with a tiny cough. “Ah, thank you, Greg. I’ve been meaning to catch you by the way. We’re having a family—”

He cut across her as kindly as anyone cutting across someone could manage. “—meeting tonight. Yeah, I know.” He jerked his thumb down below. “Garnet told me.”

“Oh.”

“Mhm.”

They lapsed into silence. There was nothing left to say; there were oceans. (But neither of them were particularly good at navigating the rough waters, so they remained silent in an attempt to not choke on salt.)

The party swirled on without them.

People laughing.

Talking.

Dancing.

Enjoying themselves.

They were all but alien creatures, every single one of them.

How were they so happy?

So carefree?

How was their world not bleak and gray and centered around a little boy named Steven?

“Pearl?” Greg asked after a long while.

“Hm?” She slid a curious glance his way, but he never took his eyes away from the darkening silhouettes of Amethyst and Steven; they were but specks in the distance now, bathed in the dusky sun.

“Do you remember what Rose used to say about sunsets? She had this whole speech about them, and I can almost hear it in my mind, but I honestly can’t remember it word for word.” He chuckled lightly and tapped the side of his balding head. “The years are catchin’ up to me, I guess.”

The mere mention of her name sent an involuntary shiver down Pearl’s spine. She wanted to hug herself; she wanted to wrap herself around the name and be left alone to mourn for it, but all the same, she knew instantly what Greg was searching for in her memories.

Her voice was thick as she volunteered it.

“She loved sunsets,” she whispered, looking down at her hand on the railing. Pale and cold, it was knotted with tiny goosebumps; the wooden grain beneath it was simply knotted by time and wind and salt. “And when she was… sick, you know, she used to say that sunsets were lovely ways to think about life and death and everything in-between. They’re explosions, riots of color that precede beautiful, star-strewn nights. She—”

Pearl faltered; she couldn’t go on.

“She said she was a sunset, didn’t she?” Greg said softly when he realized this. “She said that we shouldn’t grieve for her… that we should appreciate the night she leaves behind.”

She couldn’t say yes so much as she could intimate it.

She nodded very slowly and tried to smile.

He shot her a watery grin in return.

The first stars began to pop up in the vast canvas of sky; Steven lifted his arm to point at them.

03. 

By seven, nearly all of their guests had finally left; what stragglers remained helped clean up. By eight, the beach was all but pristine, the fish fry eradicated from its silky existence. All that remained were the multitude of collapsed tables that they had leaned against the deck for the night. Greg would take ‘em back to their storage unit sometime tomorrow. By nine, Steven had taken his bath and was tucked into bed by all four of his guardians.

“G’night, Stu-ball.”

“Goodnight, Steven.”

“Night.”

“Don’t let the bed bugs bite, Ste-man,” Amethyst grinned before promptly attacking his blanketed feet. 

He giggled, the others stepped down from the loft, and then he surreptitiously whispered out of the corner of his mouth, “The window!”

She winked at him conspiratorially before descending herself.

When everyone was in their respective rooms, getting into their pajamas, Amethyst snuck into the darkened living room and moved deftly towards the corner that was opposite to Steven’s loft; with its L-shaped bench and plush cushions, it was more or less a reading nook for nerds like Pearl and Peridot to make themselves comfortable in. Glancing around to make sure that no other adult was observing—she was pretty sure she could detect a dark pair of fourteen-year old eyes glinting at her from across the room—she unlatched the lock in the window that overlooked the deck and pushed the glass an inch or so upwards. A narrow strip of humid air snuck its way into the cool room.

She gave Steven a thumbs up she wasn’t entirely sure he could see before scurrying off to her own room to pull on her own nighttime gear (a tank top and booty shorts, of course).

By 9:30, their little coterie was assembled at the white table that perched conveniently on the far corner of the deck, asses already chafing in the uncomfortable plastic chairs. (“I’ll eventually get us cushions,” Pearl often claimed. “I’m just waiting to find a set that complements the house best.” “Jesus,” Amethyst moaned in return.) Pearl sat lightly at the edge of her own chair and squinted at a tiny slip of paper that was barely illuminated by the soft, yellow porch light; Amethyst immediately recognized it as one of the papers that Dr. Maheswaran had wanted her to pass on.

As furtively as possible, she snuck a glance at the crack in the window that no one had yet to notice, thrilling a little at their clever subterfuge.

“So, uhh, what’s in that letter, Pearl?” Greg asked, nervously eyeing the note. He didn’t know the contents—none of them did—but there was something in Pearl’s features—something dark, something bleak—that spoke to their worst assumptions. Amethyst stiffened in her seat to prepare for the blow, never quite letting the window leave the periphery of her vision as she did.

Shit, maybe she shouldn’t have done this.

Pearl opened her mouth and then promptly shut it, and then opened it again but no words came out. Silently, she passed the paper to her left, to Garnet, who scanned Maheswaran’s piss poor handwriting before shoving the paper into Greg’s surprised hands.

She didn’t have her sunglasses on.

Her eyes, one blue, the other brown, stared wildly into space.

Amethyst was suddenly stricken of the image of a wounded animal—cornered, desperate, doomed.

“No, no,” Greg shook his head, his low voice rising with each denial. “It’s too soon for that. We can’t be there yet. He’s still eating. He’s—” The note had crumpled in his large hand.

“He’s puking up nearly everything we give him,” Pearl said lifelessly, staring down at the table. “That can’t be healthy for him.”

Amethyst impatiently snatched the letter from Greg’s clenched hand. “Lemme see!”

She smoothed out the wrinkles as much as she could manage and read:

Pearl,

Steven’s health has declined considerably in the past few weeks. You all have probably noticed it and let me be quick to assure you that it isn’t because any lapse on your behalves. Chronic kidney disease tends to progress faster in adolescents.

All the same, he’s lost seven pounds since May, and with the onset of anemia, he’s at risk of losing even more, amongst other complications. My advice to you this week is to ensure that he strictly follows the dietician’s recommendations for caloric intake. Additionally, he absolutely must take those iron pills in order to encourage red blood cell production in his body.

If I find that his condition has worsened by the end of this week, then I think our best step forward is hospitalizing him again, so that we can supplement his nutrition with a feeding tube—

She didn’t read any further, didn’t have to, dammit, and she cast the offending object away as though burned. Wrinkled and worn, it landed in the center of the table, an eyesore that drew all of their baleful glares.

For the most part, the letter was fine.

Hell, it was in the ballpark of the kind of stuff Dr. M usually sent.

It was just those two words.

Feeding tube.

He might need a feeding tube.

Greg was right.

They couldn’t be there yet.

It was way too soon.

“Dammit,” she said aloud, only remembering at the last second that it was carrying to ears beyond the ones at the table. (With every passing second, with every new drop of horror pooling in her belly, Amethyst regretted letting him listen in. He’d just been so persuasive on the beach, so ready to accept the consequences of what he could possibly hear… but even if he was prepared, she wasn’t so sure that she was.)

“Crude,” Pearl sighed, pinching the bridge of her sharp nose, “but accurate.”

Garnet shifted in her seat, her mouth set into an impossibly firm line that only budged when she spoke; her words were tense, pushed out through gritted teeth. “So what now?”

“Pardon?”

“What do we do now?” she asked, as though it was the most obvious question in the world, and perhaps it very well was. Dr. M had given them a possible consequence, and now they had to do their best to avoid it coming into fruition—if that was even possible.

Amethyst pulled the paper back to her side of the table, glanced over it one more time.

My advice to you this week is to ensure that he strictly follows the dietician’s recommendations for caloric intake. Additionally, he absolutely must take those iron pills in order to encourage red blood cell production in his body.

“I guess we just try to follow Dr. M’s orders,” she shrugged when no one else was forthcoming, but even the act of shrugging seemed like a betrayal to the situation at hand. Her mouth was achingly dry. “Make sure he eats, give him his medicine, and yadda-yadda-yadda. It’s not a lot to work with, but it’s, like, better than nothing.”

“Well said,” Greg murmured, and to her relief, both Garnet and Pearl eventually brought themselves to nod.

“Better than nothing,” Garnet repeated, seemingly to herself. And then her bicolored eyes seemed to focus, as though drawing themselves back to the present. She blinked once and offered a lopsided grin to Amethyst, and Amethyst felt a sudden rush of grateful heat clamor up her cheeks. It’d been far too long since one of those had graced her features.

“Then I suppose that settles that,” Pearl said with visible relief, reaching across the table and reclaiming the note. She appeared a little less harried now that they had established a game plan. “Before we disperse, we should probably cover our finances for—”

Amethyst hadn’t even opened her mouth to call Pearl lame when an ominous plunk resounded from inside the house—dull but louder than it should have been. Closest to the window, but not facing it, Pearl whipped her head around and ascertained the crack with a choking gasp.

“Has that been open this whole time?!”

Amethyst suddenly found herself very interested in a lightning shaped crack in the table, but luckily enough, Pearl was more focused on examining the source of the noise—please be one of the cats, she hoped against hope—than actively being suspicious about a window that they usually kept closed all the time. She sprung gracefully from her chair and opened the door as quietly as she could possibly manage, sticking her head in to look.

“Oh, my God! Steven!”