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themadauthorshatter · 3 years ago

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OH MY, GOODNESS!

RED SCHOOL UA HEADCANONS/STORY!

Sorry for not picking this up earlier. This part we are focusing on Arc 2: where the RQ cast meets the SGE cast.

Sophie is über excited at meeting the crown prince, but Agatha is less enthused because she's a realist and doesn't know HOW the RQ crew is getting over to the SGE.

Tedros and his friends are ecstatic they're meeting the Nortan princes. They even wonder if there are more than just Cal and Maven.

The students are all on the hot topic of Nortans visiting, though Agatha is pulled aside by Hester, Dot and Anadil, who all express their anger and impatience at Sophie, who won't shut up about Cal in particular, even though he's betrothed. Agatha assures them everything will be fine when Sophie sees that Cal and Evangeline are an item. (Yeah right. Marecal all the way.)

In Norta, it's rumor city among the Silvers, who aren't exactly looking forward to entertaining a bunch of school children.

Our main three in Norta are talking about their upcoming excursion to the school in the Endless Woods, Cal being apprehensive to leave Norta practically unguarded for an unspecified amount of time, but excited at the idea of seeing new lands, Maven just not wanting to go because it seems like a waste of time, effort, and resources, and Mare not exactly sharing her thoughts because she'll be even further away from her family than before.

Evangeline is not amused. At all. She's just playing along until they get back and never have to deal with the students of the School for Good and Evil again.

Regardless, they don't know what could be there, so they need to make sure they're not potentially making any new enemies by this complete accident on Tibe's part. Or, that's his thought process at least. And he's only told Cal this information, as, from what he can tell, the SGE isn't Red and Silver and instead use magic, a concept only found in fairytales. With an entire school of teenage witches and wizards and warlocks, and maybe a dragon or two, assuming this place is prestigious and in the higher end, it's better to make an ally rather than an enemy. And the idea of warring aginst school children does not sit well with Cal.

In training later, though, Maven and Mare see that Cal is absolutely faking his excitement at least a little bit, like 58% faking it. It shows when Arven pits him against Evangeline, Sonya, and Elane.

He ends up nearly burning all three of them alive, lost in wanting to get the fight and group training over with so he can be alone and think his thoughts.

Silly, Cal. Maven is paying attention, and asks what's wrong.

Cal brushes it off and says everything's fine, but Mare and Maven know better, Mare having seen what liars look like and Maven knowing Cal for all his life.

Cal tries to a go about his day and ignore whatever he's thinking, which is difficult to do because Maven's following him. He turns and Maven stops, simply explaining that he's going the same way as Cal. They continue walking, but Cal notices that Maven's not really going anywhere, content to follow his bother. This results in a chase between the two of them, Cal jogying before speinting to shake Maven off his tail, succeeding when he loses Maven down a hall, as in he ran down the hall partially before hiding behind a wall and watching Maven sprint right past him.

Maven only realizes he got played when he can't hear Cal anymore.

He and Cal don't meet up for the night.

He talks about this with Mare, and brings up that Cal's avoiding him.

TV/Graphic novel perspective, over time we see Cal get followed by both Maven and Mare, though over this time Cal grows more agitated and looks more annoyed and tired as they continue to try to see what's wrong with him. Maybe we even get a gag of both Mare and Maven spying on Cal from behind a wall, hiding behind it when he looks over his shoulder, and then continue their spying when he looks back, confused, annoyed, and agitated.

After a week, Cal catches Mare and pulls her into a room before leaving and telling her to wait for him.

He returns with Maven, who's over his shoulder, trying to remain calm, because Cal's stronger and bigger than him, and even tries, in mild panic, to negotiating to not beat him to a pulp, because Cal looks ready to murder them both.

He sets Maven on his feet and tells them both very bluntly to stop following him; not only is it freaking him out, but his soldier instincys are going haywire and he will not heistate to attack them both, which he doesn't want to do because it won't end well.

Mare and Maven apologize, but, being concerned despite herself, Mare asks Cal what his problem is, seeing as how he's avoiding both her and Maven.

Cal gives them a tired look and takes a breath. "Fine."

CUT THE THE SGE!

Tedros, Tristan, and Chaddick are hanging out together away from the Evergirls, though Chaddick does admit that the girls are looking nice today(16 year old hormones, am I right?)

Tedros isn't listening, balancing his sword on his fingertips.

Tristan, arguably the most feel-y of the three, wonders if or when the Silvers will arrive.

Tedros doubts they will, but one can hope.

This turn if pessimism confuses both Tristan and Chaddick, and Tedros happily explains:

They're all just students. What would royals and nobles want with a bunch of schoolchildren? They don't even have magic, don't believe in it, don't know it, just don't have any magic. The closest thing they have to magic is their silver blood, and not even THAT is magic because of how limited it is.

That, and Sophie and the Nevers will probably drive them all away.

Speaking if Nevers, Chaddick admits how weird it is to see them getting showered and clean, presentable in case the Silvers arrive as a surprise visit.

It is odd, but it's in their best interest to play nice with everyone, and that unfortunately includes a very babbly, and planning-to-be-flirty Sophie.

Speak of the devil, Sophie emerges from the trees to find the trio, specifically Tedros, who she wants to talk to.

He leaves, lying that he has some homework to do.

He's really going to find Agatha, who's reading to pass time and get her mind off all the gossip.

They have a rocky conversation about the current events and even wonder what silver blood would even look like, if they ever get the morbid chance to see it.

Agatha asks why he's talking to her and Tedros sighs that he just wants to avoid Sophie, but also wants to be around someone who's smart.

She smiles and asks if he thinks she's smart, sort of silently teasing him as he stammers and tries to come up with a save for the tongue-slip.

He spots Nicholas behind her instead, eyes wide and red as he raises an axe over his head, aiming for her.

Tedros, thinking quickly, tackles him and throws the axe away, which knocks Nicholas out of his daze.

Tedros shouts at him, "What the hell was that?" but Nicholas only looks around, very confused as to how he got into the trees or even got hold of an AXE.

There's confusion all around as Nicholas stumbles away towards some friends, muttering about a headache he now has and how sore he now feels.

Agatha and Tedros only exchange glances, worried and confused.

Was it a curse? A hex? A spell? And how did he get a weapon from the Doom Room?

CUT BACK TO NORTA AS CAL HAS JUST FINISHED SPILLING THE TEA! All three are sitting in a triangle on the floor, because it's close to night time and, because I'm a sucker for parallels in a story, to establish that despite the age differences between them and the students, and the experiences Cal and Maven had on the war front, they're still kids too.

Mare fights the urge to dry heave and Maven only hums at how Tibe is actually paranoid enough to consider war against a bunch of kids.

Cal admits that, yes it is ridiculous, but he's still unnerved. It doesn't help that they're dealing with people who have magic, which is stronger than Silver powers, even Mare's lightning is possibly no match; magic is all encompassing while their powers are limited to one "element."

Mare, in an attempt to alleviate the atmosphere, wonders if everyone will even BELIEVE what Norta says about these kids, as magic doesn't exist in their world.

Cal admits he does not believe in magic. It's not that he's heartless, he's just seen too much to know better. As much as he'd like to, he knows that it's nothing but slight of hand and tricks to fool the other person.

Maven agrees, except he's known because of Elara, but he gives them an explanation closer to what Cal said, only changing that he saw a magic show and saw how the tricks were done to fool the crowd.

When they ask her, Mare admits that if she believed in magic, and if it was real, it would have made things different for her and her family, she also inwardly admits that she'd make things different for all Reds as well.

After a moment of silence between them, Maven asks Cal if he's heard anything about them leaving and visiting these endless woods, and Cal shrugs, sighing that it's all speculation and in the air. If they do go, it will be both brothers and their betrotheds, Elara, Tiberias, a few other High House children(Elane, Sonya, Olliver, and Ptolemus), and a few guards, one of them being Lucas. Volo Samos and the rest of Tibe's council will stay behind to keep Norta in shape while they voyage to the School, stay for a little bit, and then come back, assuming things go okay and don't take long.

WE ALL KNOW NOTHING EVER GOES RIGHT IN STORIES😈

Either way, they all take a breath and leave the room together, Mare hoping Lady Blonos doesn't scold her for being alone with both princes. Cal tells her not worry because they'll cover for her, saying they had a bet and Cal won. Maven mutters, "By default," and he and Mare jog away as Cal chases them, yelling that they'd better explain what that means before he gets his hands on them both.

TIME JUMP/FADE TO THE DAY THE NORTANS LEAVE FOR THE ENDLESS WOODS, THE FADE HAPPENING WITH A PAN TO A WINDOW AND THEN GLIDE DOWN TO THE DOCK!!!

Mare sighs up at the ship before boarding, noting a very anxious Cal looking over the walkway as he himself walks aboard, Evangeline striding ahead of him.

Maven chuckles that Cal's always been a scaredy cat around water, even if he doesn't want to admit it.

Mare admits that while Cal is acting like a child, it's actually a smart move to know yoursl own limits and weaknesses.

From his place higher on the ship, Tibe gives Mare a, "Well said, Lady Mareena," and admits he may have underestimated her ability as a strategist. Maybe her time around Cal and the other High House children is rubbing off on her.

Mare fakes a thank you and notices Maven looking away.

I have not forgotten how Tibe isn't as loving as Maven; no amount of tragedy is going to negate neglect.

Mare tries to back up the now crestfallen Maven, but Elara calls for her son, asking to speak with him alone, mother to son.

He agrees and walks off to meet her, looking back at Mare before he does.

Tibe watches them walk off, and we get a glare off between him and Elara before the Queen leaves to speak with her favorite son.

Once they're gone, Mare asks how he can stand a bitch like Elara. She gets they were arranged to marry, but two people cannot hate each other that much.

For context, Mare's been here for about 4 months. She's visited her family only twice and has had a lot of time with Silvers and dealing with Tibe, Elara, Evangeline, and anyone who isn't Cal, Maven, and Lucas.

Back on track, Tibe semi-scolds her that, as a lady of the court, she should know better than to be mouthy towards him.

Mare, kind of fed up with his BS, folds her arms and counters that as a princess and his future daughter-in-law, they should be comfortable with each other enough for her to ask such a question.

Tibe gestures for her to come closer and she approaches, close enough for Tibe to sneer at her that if she thinks he's letting Maven, his son, his boy, marry a Red rat like her, she's more of a fool than all of the Scarlet Guard put together.

Lost in her anger, Mare asks which he's more afraid of: Telling Mare the truth or having his court, and the rest of Norta, Red and Silver, find out their secret.

With a glare down, Tibe congratulates her on how she's picked up verbal combat, and that she's a good learner. He then admits that the two of them aren't very different.

It offends Mare DEEPLY and she asks what that means as Tibe begins walking away.

Another bit of context, there are two sets of stairs to the upper level of the ship, a left and a right. In a fun bit of camera work/detail for anyone paying attention. Mare would walk up the right hand stairs to meet Tibe and, when he walks down the stairs, he walks down the left hand stairs and Mare follows him, the two walking back to the deck, so Mare basically walked around in a big circle. Just a cool thing I'd add, maybe it'd be symbolic of her situation or of some kind of cycle, I don't know. If you have any ideas, feel free to tell me.

Back to the story, Tibe explains to Mare that they're trapped by who they must marry, or have married in Tibe's case.

Another small detail, on the upper level, Mare would be on the left hand side of the screen/panel and Tibe would be on the right, but on the deck they're sides change, Tibe being in the left and Mare being on the right.

I'm a sucker for small details, so sue me!

Back on track for reals, Mare's VERY confused because she thought princes, or kings, could choose who they could marry. Tibe agrees that, yes, that usually is the case, but the reason he couldn't really choose was because there weren't anymore Queenstrial participants for him to choose from.

"But you have two sons?" Mare ponders.

Tibe shakes his head and asks if she REALLY thinks ending an alliance with Volo Samos of The Rift is a good idea, based on what she's seen from his daughter, Evangeline, half-joking that he's glad Cal is her betrothed and a simple friend of Ptolemus, who's shown how much of a berserker he is. (Yes the Scarlet Guard attack on the Summer palace still occurs.)

Mare asks what he'd do if that was the case, and Tibe chuckles, saying he'd renounce the throne and give it to Maven instead.

The two only chuckle, not comfortable enough with each other to fully laugh, and then Tibe admits that while he isn't sorry for needing to keep Mare a secret, he is sorry that she's alone, and forced into a life she never wanted.

"If you're so sorry, then why not let me go home?"

"Lady Mareena, the high houses would end us both."

For once, Mare can't really tell if he's lying or not, but doesn't get a chance to ask as Tibe returns to the top deck, Cal walking around the desk to Mare. He notices that his father is walking away from her and she looks a little distraught and very confused.

Cal looks between them and asks what happened and Mare simply answers that she and his father were just having a talk before leaving to her room/cabin

It's going to be a long ride to the Endless Woods

This is Part 1 of Arc 2, they do say the second act is the longest.

Keep your eye out for Arc 2, Part 2, because THAT is where things pick up even more

Anyway, Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!!!!

#red queen #school for good and evil #red school #ua #au #mare barrow #maven calore #tiberias calore vii #cal calore #elara merandus #tiberias calore vi #tedros of camelot #spohie of woods beyond #agatha of woods beyond #sge tedros #sge agatha #sge sophie #evangeline samos

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unstoppableforcce · 4 years ago

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12 from the fluff list with Poe please?

“am I your lock screen?” — “you weren’t supposed to see that.”

pairing: Poe Dameron x reader (modern au by default of the prompt lol)

masterlist

a/n: sorry for any errors, I only read though it like once after I finished it lol

Music blasted through the whole of the apartment, even with the door shut in the bathroom while you washed your hands, you could hear every word. Though it helped that it was all amplified by the three distinct voices belting it out lyric for lyric in the kitchen.

As you dried your hands and came back out into the living room, you couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled out of you at the sight.

Poe at the stove, holding the spatula as a microphone. Finn with his face in the fridge but his his voice echoing back out as he shook his hips to the beat. And Rey, unashamed, muttering through each lyric as she snacked on the vegatables laid out on the counter.

“Are you laughing at us?” Poe interrupted himself mid sentence as he spotted you on your approach.

“I would never.”

Finn pulled his head out, looked to you and then to Poe and nodded in sync with him, “definitely laughing at us.”

You held your hands up in surrender and continued into the kitchen, not bothering to hide your laughter as you did. “I don’t even know what song this is...”

Reaching for Poe’s phone off the speaker where it was wedged next to the blender for maximum loudness, you swiped it open to see and was immediately taken aback by the photo showing behind the small bar from his music app.

They kept singing as you looked, Poe flipping the food over in the sizzling pan, and no one noticed you with the phone in your hand, leaning up against the corner of the counter. So you did what any rational person would do when they say they’re face on their best friends phone...

You kept looking at it.

It was a photo of the two of you, so it wasn’t the craziest of notions that he’d have it set as his background photo, but then again, it was just the two of you. Even when he was in your phone background it was because he was in a group picture.

This was just you two.

And you remembered the day he took it well too. It was on your birthday, or more aptly, it had been a few hours before your birthday.

Everyone had planned to go out the day of, but you and Poe had been running errands and ended up watching movies the night before when he realized that not only was it getting late, but the clock was ticking down to your birthday.

“You think the little ice cream parlor down the street is still open?” He asked as the credits began to roll on screen and your attention shifted back to him. “You know the little one with the pretty sprinkles...”

Looking at your phone, you shook your head, “it’s like 11:30 Poe, no where is going to be open.”

“The corner store will be.” He suggested and your brow just furrowed further as you say up from where you had melted back into the couch during the movie. “What’s with that look?”

“You really want ice cream? At this hour?”

“Well not at this hour, but in about 30 minutes.” He said eagerly before hopping up and grabbing his keys off the counter.

“What happens in 30 minutes?” That stopped him in his tracks, his hands throwing up at his sides before it snapped for you and you exclaimed “ooooohhhh my birthday!”

“Yes, your birthday,” he laughed, “did you forget?”

You rubbed your eyes and slowly pushed yourself off the couch, “only briefly, I’m still thinking about the movie...”

“It wasn’t a very good movie.” He kept laughing as you followed him to the door.

“Corner store ice cream isn’t going to be very good either.” You mocked back and the two of you remained enraptured in the same laughter as you walked down the block, dicussing just how bad a movie it actually was.

And once you were inside, you both rushed quickly to the freezer section, bending and reaching over one another to find what the both of you wanted, the laughter never subsiding.

You ended up with an ice cream sandwich and him with the fasted melting drumstick in the history of corner store ice cream.

That’s when the picture was snapped.

He wanted you to put a candle into yours to blow out as the clock turned over midnight so he could take a selfie to send in your groupchat but his was melting too fast. What he ended up with was the prefect picture of you laughing at him, angling your cream in front of your mouth as he licked the dripping ice cream from the bottom of his cone like a maniac.

That night, you rushed back inside before you ever saw the picture, much too concerned with asking for napkins while he struggled outside. But now was the first time you were really seeing it.

He had not only kept the photo, but he had it set as his background photo.

Just him and you.

And you both looked happier than you had seen either of you look in a photo in a long time.

“Are we about ready to eat, or is Rey full after all the carrots...” Poe turned over his shoulder as the song changed and his voice trailed off the second his stare landed on you. “Hey...”

“Hey.” You shocked yourself, feeling his eyes turn to you and hitting the off button, placing his phone back onto the counter. “Sorry, I wanted to know what song that was.”

“You’re fine...” he hesitated, uncharacteristically unsure of what to say.

Poe wasn’t a man who hesitated, he wasn’t one to bite his tongue or hold back in any way, yet he just turned back to the stove and the room fell silent besides the music blasting from the speaker. Looking to the fridge then to the counter, you found both slots empty, Rey and Finn having moved to the couch.

It was just you and Poe.

“Am I your lock screen?” You asked with the same hesitation he was radiating.

“You weren’t supposed to see that...” he muttered back, turning off the stove and turning to you. “It’s the picture—“

“From my birthday, yeah... I didn’t realize it turned out, I think I was too focused on the dripping ice cream.”

That pulled a small huff of a chuckle from his chest but did little to restore the cheery disposition that had just been lip singing to Britney Spears. “The messiest ice cream ever...”

“Yeah...”

Then the silence was back and neither of you seemed to like that much, both moving to break it in the same second.

“You weren’t supposed to see that—“

“It’s a really nice picture—“

You both stopped, laughing at each other like this wasn’t the most awkward moment the two of you had even had with one another.

He inhaled a deep breath and just finally let it out.

“I really like you, you know...” he sighed, brushing his curls back. “Like, really, really like you.”

“Really?”

He chuckled as you smile grew, “really.”

“I really like you.” You smirked back, taking a hesitant step closer. “Like, really really.”

He couldn’t take it anymore.

He leaned forward and grabbed your face with both of his hands, pulling your lips in to his for the quickest of kisses before you reacted and reached back into his curls and pulled yourself back for another.

“Are we going to be eating any time soon or?!” Finn shouted from the couch but Poe didn’t hesitate any longer.

He pulled back to respond with a quick, “you can wait!” back to Finn, then moving his lips back to yours, sighing to say, “I know I’ve waited long enough.”

#poe dameron x reader #star wars #star wars imagine #poe dameron #poe dameron imagine #drabble #fluff prompts

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rjhpandapaws · 3 years ago

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A Toast to What Could Have Been

Chapter 2: Me, Myself, and Connor

Richard wasn’t ready to go back to work at the station. He wasn’t going to be able to sit across from Gavin without breaking in some way. He was afraid he supposed, of what the close contact would bring. So he took all of the vacation time he had available. He had no plans to go anywhere. He just needed time to make the pieces of himself that he had left into something that could pass as something functional. He changed his hair back to the default because he had always liked that look. The sight of his LED after not seeing it for so long caught him off guard and he spent a long moment just staring at it. He watched it roll and blink in time with his thoughts. Yellow flashes mixed in with blue. Seeing it again was more reassuring than he thought it would be. It was the one thing about himself he had refused to change. Richard got the first week to himself. He spent a lot of it looking at or touching his LED as he tried to figure out what else was entirely his. He had even tried going through his clothes, but that had brought back more memories of Gavin than he was ready to deal with. He hadn’t gone back into the room since then. He didn’t need to go into stasis all that often, but when he needed to he would do that on the couch.

He thought about Connor a lot too. He balanced these things so well and Richard envied him. He made it look so easy. He had habits that were incredibly human; like the way he would wring his hands when he was nervous, how he shrunk in on himself when he was uncomfortable, or how he would listen to music out loud. He also did things that made it unmistakable that he was an android; the unintentional burst of static he let out when he was frustrated, how he would interface with just about anything, and the precision of his coin tricks. No one really seemed to be all that uncomfortable with him despite his past. Richard couldn’t understand it. On the Sunday that marked the start of the second week of his soul searching shut in there was a series of knocks at his door. He hadn’t told anyone where he was, and he certainly wasn’t planning to have company. The knocks came again and they were more insistent this time. He glared toward his door in hopes that would get the message across that he wanted to be alone. When his scan came back to show that it was Connor on the other side that plan quickly shriveled up and died. Common decency was the only thing that was keeping Connor from actively breaking down his door. He wasn’t above staying out there all day and just knocking until Richard got annoyed enough to actually answer the door. He decided to save himself the trouble and got up to answer the door.

There was Connor in a blank grey baggy hoodie and loose jeans. He looked comfortable, natural, and might have even passed for human if it weren’t for the LED at his temple. He smiled widely when he saw Richard. “Hey.” He greeted casually, “I wanted to make sure you were doing okay after everything with Gavin; and my messages haven’t been going through so I was worried.” Richard flinched when he heard the name, “I wanted to be alone.” He took a moment to collect himself and absently reached for his LED, “I have a lot to think about, but I’m fine Connor, I promise.” “Don’t lie to me Nines.” He replied sharply, “Please. I know what he meant to you. How much he changed you; but isolating yourself isn’t going to help.” Richard bristled. Connor could lay people bare so easily and it was uncomfortable. “What else am I supposed to do? I’m looking for anything I can call mine.” He realized his defensiveness was causing a bit of a scene so he stepped aside that way they could continue this conversation in the relative privacy of the apartment, “I have nothing Connor. His fingers are everywhere in here, on me, and all of the things I thought I knew about myself.”

“Did you really think you would find yourself in a place buried in the things he left behind?” Connor asked, “The first step is to clear that away and see what you have left.” Richard sighed sharply and it was laced with static, “I know, and I’ve tried.” He felt like he was admitting defeat, that he was failing in some way, “It hurts too much.” “Then let me help.” He said it in a way that made it clear it wasn’t the offer it sounded like. “Why?” Richard asked. “Because this isn’t something that you can do on your own.” He reached down and took Richard’s hand careful not to let his skin fall away, “Asking for help doesn’t make you weak. You aren’t failing in anything, I promise.” “Then why does it feel that way?” He pleaded. “Our code. We were made to be self sufficient, but they had no way to account for emotions.” Connor replied with a gentle squeeze to his hand, “That’s why I’m here, to help you through this.” Richard looked away from him and dropped his hand, “Where do we even start?” “That’s up to you Nines.” He said, “We can start with you or your space. Whichever is the easiest.”

He brushed his fingers over his LED as he thought about it. He had known that getting past this wasn’t going to be easy; not when Gavin had meant so much to him; but he hadn’t realized how many decisions he would have to make. He decided that they should work on the apartment. It would be easier because he still didn’t know ‘who’ he was and he hadn’t saved up enough money to move yet. “The apartment I guess.” He said eventually, “I want to be able to look around and not be reminded of him.” Connor smiled, “That’s a good plan. Let’s start with the kitchen and work our way back.” The bedroom would be the last stop if they followed that plan. Connor seemed to know that and winked when Richard turned back to stare at him. “Okay.” He said distantly. “Mind if I play music while we work?” Connor asked. It was another one of the very human things he did, “I find that it keeps me from thinking too much if I play it out loud.” “Alright.” Richard replied distantly. Connor connected to the radio in the kitchen with a few blinks of his LED. After a moment the kitchen came alive with the sound of some electro pop number. The bubbling sound was a pleasant change from the heavy silence he had grown used to.

Richard didn’t realize how alone he had been until Connor had come along to fill the empty space in his apartment. He brought with him sounds and signs of life. They didn’t get anywhere near done with the kitchen because Connor kept getting distracted by the music. It was nice. Richard came away with the knowledge that he liked techno pop and EDM, and that he hated techno metal. They were small things, but significantly more than what he’d had before. By the time Connor left for the day Richard felt a lot better. He promised to come by every day after work until they finished cleaning the apartment; and Richard found himself looking forward to it oddly enough. Richard let the music keep playing after Connor had left because he liked it. This was the first of many small steps, but he finally had something of his own. His name was Richard. He liked his LED and electro pop music.

#A Toast to What Could Have Been #past reed900 #potential rk1700 #dbh Nines #dbh Connor #dbh fic #dbh

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savagearchangelforthewin2-0 · 4 years ago

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An Unexpected Visitor (The Good Place) - Pt. 1

Title: An Unexpected Visitor

Pairing: Shawn x Michael (The Good Place, post s4 finale)

Word Count: 2392

Warnings: None

Summary: While becoming accustomed to being human, a task he has been failing miserably, Michael is met by an unexpected visitor right outside the door of the apartment he occupies by himself. An acquaintance from his not-so-distant past that he wasn’t expecting to see again for quite some time.

A/N: Hey, y’all! This is the first time I’ve posted some of my own writing in a while. Please ignore any typos, I don’t really proofread my fanfics anymore. I just do them for fun while I work on bigger writing projects. I hope y’all enjoy this one (hopefully my writing has improved since last time)! I think Tumblr is in need of more Michael x Shawn content! Also, I’m not exactly calling them chapters, but this is a little story that will have more than one part!

It wasn’t often that Michael had visitors. Although he had already spent several months on earth among his fellow humans, which is something he still hadn’t gotten used to saying, he had yet to make very many friends. Unfortunately, the tips that Eleanor had given him on being human were far from helpful. It wasn’t, in fact, normal to ask your twenty-something-year-old neighbor if she wanted to come into your apartment for dinner after only knowing her for five minutes. Due to the process of trial and error, it took him a few tries before he realized that he was scaring his acquaintances. It didn’t help that he looked like he was in his 70s and on the brink of death. He mentally cursed Eleanor’s essence, wherever it was now.

All that being said, the point was that Michael had little to no friends, which is exactly why it came as such a surprise when he heard the doorbell at the front door of his apartment ring several times. There wasn’t exactly anyone who WOULD come ringing his doorbell. Initially, he had ignored the noise because he didn’t realize what it was. Still becoming used to humans’ technology, he didn’t know that the small tune was meant to grab his attention and inform him that someone was waiting for him at the door. While skimming through a book on quantum physics, a subject he never thought to be especially useful, it struck him that maybe, just maybe, he should check the front door. Part of him hoped that it would be his neighbor who he had accidentally scared away.

Dropping the heavy textbook to the ground, Michael pulled himself off of his brown, velvet couch and made his way to the door. After he managed the dozens of locks, because he learned that safety was key, he swung the door open. His cheerful smile was soon replaced with a look of confusion, his eyebrows furrowed and his head cocking to the side ever so slightly.

“Oh, don’t act surprised to see me, Michael.”

“Shawn?” Michael said in disbelief. “I- What are you doing here?”

“Are you going to let me in?” Shawn asked expectantly, his arms crossed and his whole body being very stiff in general.

“I’m not sure,” Michael hesitated, narrowing his eyes and giving his ex-coworker a look of distrust. With a soft gasp, he suddenly slammed the door on Shawn’s face, proceeding to then peek at him through the peephole of the door. “I’m dead, aren’t I? I’m dead and you’re my architect, darn it. I knew I shouldn’t have eaten all of those boxes of Kraft shells and cheese,” he said miserably. “Oh, all of the damn cholesterol. I just really liked the little shapes of the pasta-”

“What are you going on about?” Shawn snapped, cutting him off (which was something he should’ve done sooner). “You aren’t dead, you idiot,” he continued. “I’m not your architect. I would rather have my head flattened under a steamroller than have to endure the excruciating task of being your architect. Would you open the door?”

“Tell me why you’re here and maybe I’ll let you in,” Michael decided, still wary of Shawn’s appearance.

“Michael, open the door,” Shawn insisted.

“No.”

“Michael-”

“No,” Michael stated stubbornly, leaning against his wooden door to keep it shut.

“Oh, I get it. You’re afraid of me,” Shawn taunted. “Becoming human has made you go soft, huh? That’s fine, you could never quite match my superiority. This is probably for the best.”

Soon after, the door went flying open. In its place stood a very disgruntled Michael, arms crossed and nostrils flared. The amused smile of Shawn’s face proved that, whatever game they were playing, he had just won.

“For the record, I’m not afraid of you,” Michael scoffed. “Never have I ever been afraid of you, in fact. I mean, you’re true form isn’t even that intimidating. You’re only a 896 foot-”

“I wish you would stop wasting time with all of that talking. You look better when you’re quiet,” Shawn interrupted with a sarcastic smile on his face. He quickly pushed Michael out of his way and brushed past him to enter the apartment. He immediately began to scan the short hallway and the room surrounding him. With his nose wrinkled, he turned back to look at Michael, who had already shut the door and locked it, with disgust.

“You live like this?” He asked.

“What?” Michael responded defensively. “It’s nice.”

“That’s exactly the problem,” Shawn retorted. He turned his back to the other man once more and reached over to displace a straight picture frame that sat on the wall and make it crooked. “You like it like this? Where’s the mess, where’s the chaos?” He questioned. “Being human really has made you soft, huh?” He stepped further into the apartment to continue looking around.

“It’s called basic human expectations,” Michael explained, “and, believe it or not, I prefer this over guts thrown all around and blood staining the floor. Here, you don’t have to worry about stepping in puddles of blood and it soaking through your shoes.” He shuddered at the thought as if remembering how disgusting it felt.

“Hmm,” Shawn replied thoughtfully, knocking over a small glass figurine that was set up on the bookshelf. When it didn’t break, he swiped it off of the shelf entirely so that it fell on the ground and shattered.

“If you could please refrain from breaking my things,” Michael said with a long sigh. “Alright, I let you in. Now, what do you want? It’s not my time yet, I’m not that old. You can’t legally kill me, that has to be against something in the judge’s rulebook.”

“As tempting as you’re making it, I’m not here to kill you,” Shawn replied, flicking over another small figurine. Reaching out, he slipped a book out of the bookshelf, opened it up, briefly skimmed through it, then ripped it clean in half.

Michael opened his mouth to speak but defaulted to sighing in defeat instead. Whatever Shawn was going to do, he was going to do whether Michael liked it or not. In fact, if Michael didn’t want him to do it, it was just more likely that he would do it.

“Are you going to tell me what you’re here for?”

Shawn said nothing, still doing the exact opposite of minding his business and going around the apartment. While he truly was fascinated by all the different trinkets, objects, and works of art that adorned the apartment, he was more interested in getting his hands on things to break beyond repair. Plus, he found joy in hearing Michael sigh with annoyance and aggravation. As he looked around, an item that caught his attention was one sitting on the coffee table right in front of the couch. As far as he could tell, it was a glass statuette of… a shrimp.

“A shrimp?” Shawn questioned, picking up the weighted figurine.

“Put that down,” Michael said immediately, lunging forward in attempts to get the shrimp back from his former coworker.

“Why?” Shawn asked, backing away. He childishly extended his arm in front of him to keep the distance between him and Michael while he held the figurine close to his chest. “I’ve broken so many of your things. Why is this any different? Honestly, the way you reacted just makes me want to break it even more,” he said with an amused hum. “Tell me and maybe I’ll spare it.”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I do it to remind me of…” Michael trailed off, not too eager to share his feelings with his arch nemesis for the past eternity. With a sigh, he continued, “I do it to remind me of my friends. Like, I have some of the boring, senseless books that Chidi would always read.”

Shawn glanced his peer up and down with a look of disgust on his face. He wasn't exactly gentle when he set it back down on the coffee table but at least he didn’t try to break it. Adjusting the lapel of his suit, he looked around even further, no doubt trying to find something that he could destroy.

“Are you done being chaotic?” Michael asked.

“Never,” Shawn retorted, finally giving his, hopefully, undivided attention to Michael.

“Shawn, just tell me why you’re here,” Michael said. “No more games. I wasn’t expecting to see you at least for another twenty years. Why do you show up all of a sudden while I’m trying to live my life peacefully as a human..?” He stopped and let out a gasp. “Oh no, everything’s gone wrong again, hasn’t it?”

“What?” Shawn said, eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“It’s all a big mess again!” Michael walked over to his couch and sat down, feeling defeated. “You’re coming to get me because something went wrong with the experiment and I need to be a demon again. I don’t get to be human Michael anymore.” He planted his palm on his forehead dramatically. “Oh, it was fun while it lasted! I’ll miss Fergie. I’ll miss Kraft singles even though we all know it isn’t real cheese. I’ll miss seeing children fall down a flight of stairs and get up completely unscathed.”

“Would you stop talking?” Shawn groaned as he rolled his eyes. “No. No, the experiment is going along just fine. It’s… perfect, actually, I must admit.” He glanced over to Michael and offered a mild scowl. “Don’t let it get to your head though. I was fine with the old way of doing things, too.”

“Didn’t you tell me that being with me is the most fun you had?” Michael asked, confused.

“That isn’t how I worded it,” Shawn snapped, raising his head a little higher. “I said that fighting with you has been the most fun I’ve had.”

“Okay, and..?” Michael waited for the other to continue.

“And that statement still stands,” Shawn said with a quiet huff. He glanced Michael up and down with a distasteful look on his face. “Traitor. First you left me when you started getting all warm and fuzzy with the humans, then you left me to become one of those warm and fuzzy humans!” He finished with a mock gag.

“So, did you just come here to remind me that I was a traitor? That couldn’t have waited until I died and you saw me again?” Michael glanced around, still not catching on and picking up what Shawn was putting down. “That doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

“You know, if there’s an award for having the thickest skull, you are the one and only nominee,” Shawn commented offhandedly. “That’s not the point I’m trying to make right now.”

Michael cocked his head slightly and raised his eyebrows, still terribly confused by what on earth the other man was trying to tell him. “So what is the point?” he asked.

“My point is that you were- are my arch nemesis and suddenly you think you can just up and leave?” Shawn scoffed, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall opposite to Michael. “You think I’d be okay with that? You think I would just let you go?”

“So, you ARE taking me back to become a demon again?” Michael questioned.

“No- I’m- I don’t have the power to do that,” Shawn hesitated. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

“I don’t know what there is to get!” Michael exclaimed. Suddenly, a thought struck him and, following a gasp, he put his hand over his mouth and stared at Shawn with wide eyes. “You missed me!” he shouted, jumping up from the couch. “You just can’t bring yourself to admit it, can you?”

“I didn’t say I missed you!” Shawn argued. “I’m just not used to having no one to fight.”

“So, what, you decided to become human just so you can keep fighting me?” Michael wondered aloud. “That’s stupid. You’re actually a good architect, why would you leave that position?” He paused for a moment, raising an eyebrow. “That is unless you do really miss me.”

“I never said that, and I never said I became human!” Shawn replied.

“You had to have become human, there’s no way they let you come down here otherwise,” Michael pointed out. “Unless you snuck down here to see me,” he suggested.

“Stop making assumptions,” Shawn shot back.

“You missed me, just admit it!” Michael said cheerfully, doing a small victory dance around the coffee table. “Oh, boy, my first friend since becoming human!”

“Who said I was your friend?” Shawn tried to say although his protests were completely ignored by the other man as he celebrated. “Did you miss the whole part where I called you my arch nemesis.”

“Yes,” Michael stopped his little dance, “but you coming here means that you care… And it means that you missed me!”

Shawn opened his mouth and tried to think of something to say, but all that came out was a series of unintelligible noises. He had no rebuttal, especially since Michael was spot on with his assumptions. Frustrated and unsure what to do with himself, Shawn reacted in the only way he knew how, by expressing anger by shouting and slamming doors.

“Shut up, Michael. You don’t know if any of that is true,” Shawn said, upset. Before Michael had a chance to respond, he stormed out of the apartment and slammed the door shut behind him, leaving Michael alone in his apartment once again.

Michael felt disappointed, he couldn’t deny that. It was nice to see a familiar face, although not a very nice one, after being surrounded by strangers and failing to make friends for months. He wondered if maybe he was out of line for the things he said and that the assumptions he made were wrong. Moments later, however, there was a knocking at his door in which he got up to answer it once again.

Surprised once more he was to find himself face to face with Shawn again.

Shawn slumped over slightly and let out a defeated sigh.

“Not- Not because I’m human or anything… because I would never do that for YOU… but I can’t go back to The Good Place right now… and I need a place to stay.”

#the good place #nbc the good place #michael the good place #shawn the good place #michael x shawn #fanfiction #the good place fanfiction #writing #author #eli scribbles #reformed demon boyfriends

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raviposting · 4 years ago

Text

Hey guys! I have another fic out for Luther & Allison’s dynamic - I’ve tagged folks who liked my excerpt post, please message me if you want to be untagged! :)

Thank you to @ginnxtonic & @superhero-bastards for beta-reading!

Crossposted to AO3 (properly formatted here!)

Summary: Luther and Allison have been doing things in reverse their whole lives, so it’s no wonder that it applies to their relationship as well. A character study on Luther and Allison’s journey to being romantic, to friends, to siblings again.

Note: I wasn’t entirely sure how to tag this fic so I thought I’d describe it here for people to determine for themselves if they want to/can read it. For shippers - this fic does not support or promote their relationship; I believe that Luther & Allison’s dynamic formed as a trauma bond and I really wanted to explore that concept, so this might not be the fic for you though if it is, great! For non-shippers - I wanted to explore their relationship and see how they could become genuine friends/platonic in canon. As I’m going through their dynamic there’s going to be incestuous undertones for the first part in particular.

Whichever way you fall on that please just be warned on that before you read, as your own comfort when reading comes first. Thank you!

Fic: The Days that Were (And Are to Come) under the cut!

Number One found out that Number Three was his soulmate on September 26, 1996.

The six-year-old had been sitting with Mom, watching Cinderella again - their favorite movie. Well, Mom’s favorite, he reminded himself. He liked Superman and King Kong, but Mom really liked Cinderella and none of the other siblings really liked watching it so One would sit with her, his eyes tracing between the sparkling spirals as Cinderella got her magical dress and his mother sighing contentedly when she did so.

“Sublime,” his mother would say, every time without fail. One didn’t understand why she would choose this routine, of sitting on the couch and watching the same movie, having the same reactions night after night after night after night, but the content smile on his mother’s face told One that there was something there for Mom.

The rest of the movie went on as planned. Mom would clap in delight at the pumpkin getting changed into a carriage, sing along to all the songs, and sigh and say, “Look, darling, she’s meeting her Prince,” when Cinderella and the Prince locked eyes.

Except for September 26, 1996, when Cinderella and the Prince locked eyes, Grace sighed, and said, “Look, darling, she’s meeting her soulmate.”

One looked away from the screen, a brush of panic hitting him. He didn’t know that word. He racked his head for every word his father had taught him, every language he could think of, but his mind was blank. Mom looked over and frowned (a frown that looked more like a smile, it seemed like Mom’s default mode).

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” she asked, and One looked up. The smile was back on her face when he looked at her. The light of the television reflected back onto one of her eyes like a monocle of light. It seemed wrong, threatening somehow, and something about the image was screaming to One that he couldn’t tell her that he didn’t know what the word meant.

Besides, he was Number One, he was supposed to know what every word was. He took pride in it every time he got to show up Number Two in their lessons and Dad told him, “Good job, Number One,” when he explained the difference between arthropods and molluscs, while Two had sulked in the corner with his head down. He couldn’t just not know something now.

“Nothing,” he said in response, and ran upstairs, ignoring Mom’s call asking him if he was okay. He was running down the hallway when he bumped into Three, and the two of them went sprawling onto the floor.

“Sorry,” One said, getting up and holding out his hand to Three.

“It’s okay,” she said, grabbing his hand and using her free one to rub the back of her head with a wince. “Where are you going?”

“I…” One paused, debating if he should tell her, but then Three smiled encouragingly. It was a true smile that reached her eyes, and there was no...wrongness to it, like there was for Mom.

“I need to look up a word,” he admitted. “Mom said soulmate. I don’t know what it is.”

Three tilted her head to the side, her nose scrunching up in thought. “Me neither,” she said, and she turned, walking towards the library. “Let’s find out, then.” One looked at her, walking confidently towards the library room. She didn’t even seem to really care that she hadn’t known, just seemed set on finding out, and One marveled at that confidence as he followed behind her.

It was at the library that they pulled out the large dictionary and searched painstakingly until they got to “soulmate”, and One read:

A person who is perfectly suited to another in temperament

A person who strongly resembles another in attitudes or beliefs

“Well that doesn’t make sense,” One sighed. “Mom was talking about Cinderella and the Prince. I don’t think they fit this.”

“Why don’t you just ask Mom?” Three asked, and One shook his head, the same flash of panic he had felt earlier rising up in his chest again.

Three must have sensed his panic because she reached over, taking One’s hand. “You can trust Mom,” she said, squeezing his hand. “Mom is here for us. She’s not going to be mad.”

One looked down at their hands, thinking of Mom’s plastic smile, illuminated by the pale glow of the television screen, her posture upright and her limbs looking not-quite right. He wasn’t sure if he trusted her, but he did trust Three.

“Okay,” he said, and squeezed back.

Three didn’t join him, saying she needed to help Four - or Mallory, the name he was trying out for the week - pick out another name, so One slowly walked back downstairs alone. Mom was still there, hands clasped in her lap and the movie still playing, the smile still on her face. If One looked closely he thought he could see something glistening in her eyes, but it was probably the reflection from the screen.

“Mom?” he asked, and she turned from the screen, her smile widening when she saw One.

“Sweetheart, where did you go?” she asked, reaching out to cup his face, and One moved back instinctually. Her hand paused and dropped to her side, but the smile never left.

“I needed to look up a word,” he said slowly and stilted. “Soulmate. You said it earlier, but I still don’t know what it means.”

His mother laughed, the noise somehow blending in perfectly with the music still blaring from the television. “Oh, silly, you can always ask me!” she said.

“A soulmate is…” she paused, and her eyes looked far off and her smile dropped ever so slightly - probably, One assumed, to download information on everything there was to know about soulmates for him, and just as expected, her eyes cleared and she looked back at him, looking sure of herself.

“A soulmate is someone who loves you entirely, and you love them the same. You both support each other, trust each other; that bond cannot be broken, no matter what or no matter how much time passes. That person is your person for life. Does that make sense, sweetheart?”

One nodded, and she smiled brightly again. “There. It’s like I said, you can always ask me, sweetie,” she said, and she moved, slightly slowly, to envelop One in her arms. He let her this time and he heard her sigh happily, but One was barely paying attention to her, his own smile wide on his face.

He had heard the definition and knew without a doubt that he already had a soulmate. He always knew their bond was important, but after Mom told him what soulmate meant he knew that it was more than he ever thought about.

A soulmate, he thought to himself as he walked up to his room. I have a soulmate.

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Bad love, bad love and misery….

The song droned on through the radio as Three and One looked through the baby naming books.

“Hm...Kurt?” One asked, and he and Three looked at each other, imagining it, before shaking their heads in unison. One sighed, placing the book on an ever-growing pile next to him.

“I’m never going to find a name, Audrey,” he groaned, and Three tried not to flinch at the name.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Three said. “Klaus changed his name tons of times before he picked one, Five and Seven still don’t have one.” One didn’t seem convinced, so she went on. “And hey, I don’t even know if I like mine,” she confessed.

One sat up, his face rapt with attention. “You don’t? But you were so excited,” he said sadly. “You were saying how much you love Audrey Hepburn and this would be a great name for yourself.”

Three sighed. “I thought it’d be nice, but it just doesn’t feel like….me,” she said. She hadn’t even realized what the issue was until she had said it - it felt like she was just wearing the name, not that it was hers. She wanted something that was hers, completely and wholly. Aubrey wasn’t her, it was a costume, a mask that she could put on as easily as if it was the mask on her uniform.

“Do you want to change it?” he asked, and Three thought to herself. She had been feeling it for a while, but she had told herself that when she announced her name, that was it, it would be the only one and that was it. She had gotten excited, told One all about it, then told the rest of the family and they all said how wonderfully it fit her and by the time Three realized that it wasn’t working for her anymore it had been so long that it felt dumb to change it now.

But One was looking at her, his eyes wide and non-judgemental, just filled with concern and understanding, and Three couldn’t think of what she was worried about.

“I actually have one in mind,” she admitted, and One’s eyes perked up, encouraging her to go on. “I think one of my favorite things about the whole name thing is trying to find one with you. Listening to Luther Allison’s songs on the radio, going through all these books over and over and over again, it’s all really...they’re my favorite moments,” she said, feeling shy all of a sudden - no clue why, One wasn’t going to be mean about it anyway. “And I think I like Allison, for my name,” she admitted.

“I think it’s great,” One said, smiling at her, and Allison smiled back.

“Then I’m Allison,” she said brightly, and she looked back at One. “I think there’s even a name there for you, if you ever want it.” One locked eyes with her, and she knew, she knew that he got what name she thought would work for him. It was how soulmates worked, as One had described to her only a few years ago. She knew he understood her as much as she knew that he would choose that name eventually, just as she knew that he wasn’t ready to use it right now and not be Number One all the time, but that he’d get there anyway.

“Maybe,” One said softly. “Maybe...you can just call me it when we’re alone? For now?”

The thought of Allison being the only one to call him by his name made her heart beat a little faster. No one else would know - it’d be their own special soulmate secret, something so special and unique that even Dad wouldn’t know about it.

“For now, Luther,” she said, and Luther smiled. The two leaned back on their spots on the floor, staring up at the ceiling, the only sound being their namesake’s music and the sound of each other breathing. Allison couldn’t see him, but she knew Luther was smiling just as she was smiling.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head towards Luther, glad to have her safe strong beacon here with her in this moment. She reached out until she felt his hand, interlocking it with her own, and they stayed there, quiet, away from the rest of the world.

We have it, she thought to herself, giddy with joy, knowing, knowing Luther was thinking the same.

A name.

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Allison had known a surprise was coming, but she hadn’t thought it was this. A part of her wanted to tease Luther and say that he just had to show her up, after she had decorated their little hideout into a beautiful tent scene, but looking at the necklace in her hands she couldn’t find the words.

No one had ever gotten her a present before, ever. She remembered this necklace, they had killed some robbers at a jewelry store weeks ago and Allison had peered over while Luther threw a robber through the window, had gasped at how pretty the necklace was, and squealed when the terrified clerk said, “I c-can engrave it for you, on the house.”

They had contained the scene and Dad had swooped in, so Allison had gone off to talk to the reporters and rumor one into taking some headshots of her, but she had noticed Luther hanging back, and now, looking at the necklace that just said A+L she knew why.

“Do you like it?” Luther asked. He seemed nervous, though Allison couldn’t figure out why when she was so happy it had to have shown on her face.

“I’ll never take it off,” she said, and she meant it. She smiled down at her necklace and then back at her brother. “Oh!” she said, getting up for the rest of her surprise. “I almost forgot. I brought one more thing.”

She put on the record and outstretched her hand towards Luther. She had seen him on their designated fun and games nights, whenever Mom would put on her Disney or romance movies. Luther always watched with rapt attention, even when he was pretending not to, and he’d sigh wistfully whenever there was a ball, looking longingly at the screen as the prince and princess glided across the ballroom floor.

Allison didn’t have a fancy ball gown or a prince’s outfit, but Luther didn’t need a costume to feel that way anyway, and she thought she could give him this.

He was about to grab her hand when Dad burst in, telling them what a disappointment they were, that he never wanted them in here ever again, and Allison flinched, moving ever-so-slightly behind Luther. Dad left and Allison slowly packed up her things, turning off the lights that she had so carefully strung up earlier that day and getting ready to take them off when Luther stopped her.

“Don’t,” he said. “Dad...didn’t say the lights and tent couldn’t be up.” It was a rare bit of not-quite disobedience from Luther, and Allison looked back at him and nodded.

“Yeah,” she said. “We can keep them up. We can come back on Saturday.”

Luther gave her a weak smile back. The two walked back silently to their rooms, and Allison stopped Luther, giving him a kiss on the cheek. She felt him still briefly before he relaxed and grinned, bringing his hand up to his cheek.

“Good night,” Allison said, and Luther stammered out a good night back.

Allison curled into her bed, clutching her necklace and smiling as she dozed off to sleep.

In her dreams, she saw herself in a long red dress, dancing with Luther clad in a suit, and the twinkling lights shining bright in the background. They twirled in the moonlight, her A+L necklace spinning with the two of them, and when he dipped her, Allison would hold his cheek and lean in, and he would as well. They’d kiss, just like in the movies they watched, and Allison would lean against him and just take in the moment as they swayed together, only enjoying each other’s company.

In her dreams, they danced all night.

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Diego leaves a few weeks after Ben’s funeral, yelling at their father in a way that reminded Luther all too well of a small cocky thirteen-year-old who had slammed a knife into the table four years ago.

“We’re kids,” Diego had said, pointing his finger at their father. “Kids. You’re supposed to protect us, we’re not supposed to do anything else but live our lives. You’re the one who failed us and Five and Ben, you piece of shit. We deserve better, we can go,” he had said, looking around at his siblings. Vanya was huddled in the corner, staring straight down at the floor, and Klaus seemed only vaguely aware of what was going on, his eyes an all-too familiar glassy shade that indicated that he was really only there physically. Allison locked eyes with Diego, and Luther puffed out his chest, standing next to Dad.

“If you want to leave, Number Two, you can,” Luther had responded, and Allison and Diego stopped their staredown.

Diego had looked at them all and sighed. “Whatever,” he said, grabbing his duffel bag. “You can all go to Hell. You especially,” he said to Dad. “They don’t know any better but you do.” With that he went off to the hallway, lingering a bit to say something to Mom, and then the door slammed and Diego was gone.

His father was silent and turned, walking back to his office.

“Wait, don’t you have anything to say?” Allison asked, anger overwhelming her voice.

“Training will be at 7:00 AM sharp tomorrow,” came the response, and the door was shut. Klaus laughed, muttering out a figures, and sprawled onto the staircase, staring at an unseen ghost and mumbling something about Ben. Vanya had disappeared from her corner on the stairs; Luther hadn’t even noticed when she had left.

Allison clenched her fists, strolling over to the office, and Luther grabbed her arm right before she could turn the knob.

“What are you doing?” he hissed, and Allison narrowed her eyes at him.

“I don’t know yet,” she said. “Either Diego’s coming back home or we’re not having training tomorrow, it depends on my mood when I walk through the door, okay?”

“You can’t,” Luther whispered.

“I can if you let go of my arm,” Allison said. The two stared down at each other, and Allison narrowed her eyes. “I-”

Luther dropped her arm. “Allison,” he said, looking at her. “Please.”

Something flashed in Allison’s eyes, too quick for Luther to properly figure out, and she dropped her hand from the doorknob. “Fine,” she said, turning around and stepping easily over Klaus as she left, not turning back once.

He found her later in their usual spot, crying and picking at a loose thread on the hem of her shirt.

“I’m sorry,” Luther said, sitting next to her. Allison’s fingers stilled.

“For what?” she asked.

“For making you mad,” he said, and Allison sighed.

“It wasn’t you, Luther,” she said. “It was Dad. We’ve had nonstop training since Ben died, and I just want - we can’t go on like this, Luther. Diego got that.”

Luther pushed down the reflexive annoyance at the comment. “Diego doesn’t know anything,” he said breezily. “He thinks that just because he has a few friends outside the academy that he’s better than us. He’ll be back groveling for Dad and the rest of us in no time.”

“But what if he doesn’t?” Allison said, resuming picking at the thread on her shirt.

“Then we don’t need him,” Luther said. “Allison, we don’t need anyone except each other, okay? It’s just like when we were kids, I always had you, and you always had me, right?”

“Right,” Allison said. “Yeah, you’re right. I always feel safe with you,” she said, looking up at Luther, her brown eyes wide and earnest. “Like nothing in the world could ever get to me as long as you were there.”

“I don’t want to lose that,” Luther said, and Allison nodded.

“Me neither,” she agreed, and there was a content silence, until Luther broke it with a question he had been wondering for the entire day.

“Allison, were you going to...rumor me this morning? With Dad?” he asked. Allison had used her power on their other siblings before, he’d see her trying to use it on Klaus to fix his addiction (something that would last about a week before it wore off), or to tease Diego; back when they were young she’d use it on Five so he couldn’t leave arguments when they were going back and forth. He hadn’t thought she’d ever use it on him, and the thought had made him feel special.

“I…” Allison sighed, putting her head in her hands. “I’m sorry Luther, I was. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Not try to rumor me?” Luther tried to joke, but it came out flat, and he cursed himself for the insecurity leaking through his voice. There was an awkward silence, and he reached over, gently clasping both of Allison’s hands in his own. They hadn’t done that before but he had seen it in movies and thought it’d feel awkward. It did, kind of, but it felt nice too, and Allison smiled at the motion, which gave Luther the courage to say what he needed to next.

“Allison, I will always have your back,” he said. “You can always count on me, okay? But I need to count on you too, and I need to know that you won’t rumor me.”

“I won’t,” Allison said, the answer coming so quickly and easily that it made Luther’s heart swell.

“I...also need you to not rumor Dad,” he said, and Allison wrinkled her eyes in confusion, and he felt her hands twitch ever-so-slightly under his own.

“But I thought you just said that we’d always have each other’s backs,” she said slowly.

“We do,” Luther said, trying to figure out where the confusion was. There shouldn’t be an issue after all, if they were together, they were in the house, and Dad knew what was best for both of them. There wouldn’t be any problems, he and Allison and whoever else wanted to stick around and listen would be heroes. They’d live a good life.

“It’s either I don’t rumor you, or I don’t rumor Dad,” Allison said, moving her hands away from Luther. Her eyes steeled over, and Luther found himself reeling back a bit from her. She couldn’t do both?

“I can’t do both,” Allison continued, as if she had heard his unspoken question. “I’m sorry, I can’t, Luther. Not even for you. I just need to know which one you’d rather I do, okay?” Her tone was softening, and she looked at him, but it didn’t comfort him. For the first time Luther felt like he couldn’t figure out exactly what was going on in Allison’s mind. There was something in her face, a desperation, her eyes searching for an answer that Luther didn’t think he had. It was as if he was getting one of Dad’s pop quizzes, and he hadn’t prepared for the possibility of one.

Which one would he rather have?

He thought about telling Ben that his powers were good enough for him to fight, and Ben’s casket getting lowered into the ground. Of Klaus, talking to friends no one else could see at the dinner table and the glint in his father’s eye, and the next week when Klaus came back quieter, and the months after when he started rolling joints under the table. Of Five, who had told their father how much better he had gotten at using his powers, and his portrait, hanging over the mantle to showcase his mistake for four years and counting.

“Don’t rumor Dad,” Luther said, and Allison nodded.

“I won’t,” she said, though it seemed less sure than the first time she had promised, and then she sighed, bringing her hand up to massage her temple. “I have a headache, I’m sorry, so I’ll be - I’ll be off,” she said. She smiled at him, but it seemed weak, not reaching her eyes, and Luther couldn’t help but feel like he had just failed whatever test he’d been given.

She brushed past him and stopped at the door, her hand on the knob. “For what it’s worth, I don’t want to ever rumor you either,” she said, and then she turned the knob and was gone.

Luther sighed, and turned to leave. It was fine, he thought. This was the better decision. It was. It was a good decision. He gripped the doorknob and turned it, telling himself that he didn’t mess up, that there wasn’t anything wrong, that there was nothing he was missing, and by the time he exited he stood a little taller and his chin was up. The moment was difficult and hard but it had to be done, and he knew he and Allison would come through it stronger than ever. He knew, he knew, he knew.

It was a good decision. It was.

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“You’re leaving?” Luther asked, staring at the bags Allison had packed.

“Luther,” Allison said, her eyes filled with pity and sadness. “We knew this was coming.”

“No, we did not,” Luther said, even though he knew, deep down, that there wasn’t much shock there. Allison’s smile had seemed more strained lately, and she had locked herself in her room when Klaus had gotten kicked out a year prior, even longer when Vanya had unceremoniously left a few months later. The comments that she and Luther should run away together had increased, now no longer something she’d say in the safety of their hideout but something she’d say freely and carelessly: after missions, disposing of bodies, after Dad would turn a corner.

Luther would remind her that they had each other, hoping it’d be enough, but he guessed he wasn’t.

“I need to go out and live my life,” Allison said. “I’m just…” she sighed, searching for the words. “I’m just Number Three here, or the Rumor outside. I just want to be Allison.”

“You’re Allison to me,” Luther said, and in his mind he saw Allison’s eyes light up with the realization, that he saw her just like she saw him, that it didn’t matter what name anyone else thought of for them because they had each other, and she’d run into his arms and he’d hold her and they’d keep each other safe. She’d promise that they’d never leave each other like the rest of their siblings that had abandoned them, that she couldn’t even imagine that she had been about to do it.

Yeah, he could see it now, them dancing in their attic with the twinkling lights, playing some Luther Allison on tape. He hadn’t danced with Allison since Dad had interrupted them all those years ago. He’d do it for real this time and not let anyone interrupt, even Dad, because Allison was important. Allison was his soulmate and soulmates never left each other, ever, they protected each other and stuck through all the hard times and never wanted more because their soulmate was that more.

Allison shook her head no, shattering the plans already forming in Luther’s head. “I’m glad I’m Allison to you,” she said, walking over to him, suitcase in hand, using her other hand to gently cup his cheek. “But I need to be more than that.”

Luther shook his head. “No,” he said. “If you leave then, I’ll be-” he stopped, wanting to say he’d be alone but not feeling like it was right, somehow. He’d have Mom, he’d have Pogo - Pogo was his best friend, he wouldn’t be alone but there was something about Allison leaving that left him with a vast emptiness inside anyway.

“Come with me,” Allison insisted. “We can go somewhere, together. We know where the others are, we can see them from time to time but it’ll be the two of us, just Luther and Allison. Not Space Boy and Rumor, not One and Three, just Luther and just Allison.”

Luther tried thinking about it, a life outside the house. He didn’t even know what he would do, and the thought of it scared him. Allison didn’t know either, she was just stepping out into a world that would gleefully rip her apart if it could, just as it did with Ben, and Five, and Klaus, and what he was sure it was doing to Diego and Vanya right now.

“We’re better off here,” he said. “Allison, you have to stay here.”

He hadn’t meant for it to sound like a command but it did, and Allison sighed. “Luther, you have to let me leave,” she said, and Luther hated the resignation in her voice, and for a moment he hated her for having it. It wasn’t him wrecking their life, it was her, she just couldn’t see it clearly.

“No,” he said. “Allison, I - I won’t let you leave,” he said desperately, trying to think of how to get her to stay when it hit him. Of course, of course - he’d take her dancing and do whatever else she wanted for the day, just a few more moments and she’d get it, she’d understand, they could fix this, they could fix this.

“Luther,” Allison said, and Luther was pulled back to the Allison in front of him, tears pricking at her eyes as she touched her forehead to his, and Luther sighed in relief at the motion, and smiled when she said, “I love you, you know that, right?”

“I do,” Luther mumbled. He loved her, and she loved him, and their love was stronger and more important than anything else that was thrown at them. It was going to be alright. They were going to fix this.

“I heard-” Allison started, and Luther backed away, his eyes wide. He shook his head, shooting a rare look of anger at her.

“Allison,” he said, the pleading in his voice evident, and Allison gripped her suitcase, seemingly steeling herself. As if she was the one who was hurting here. As if she wasn’t intentionally throwing their world upside down because she couldn’t handle a few more years of Dad.

“I need to leave. I’m sorry,” she said. “I heard-” she started again.

“No,” Luther said, but Allison went on, the tears already clouding her image of Luther and the betrayal clear on his face.

“- a rumor.”

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A baby.

Allison had a baby. A baby girl. Claire. Claire Green, Allison had said after a beat. Luther tried not to wince at the full name but he was sure Allison felt it all the way over the phone and there was a five-second-pause that felt like the five years Allison had been gone. Allison was as flawless as ever, however, picking right back up to describing her daughter and steamrolling the pause to the ground.

“It’s amazing, Luther, she’s amazing,” Allison said. “Her hands are so tiny, but she’ll grasp onto my finger and won’t let go, and then it feels like she’s the strongest thing in the whole world.”

Luther stored that in the back of his head, knowing it was metaphorical but wondering all the same if Claire shared a power with him, and the thought made his chest ache.

“I’ve heard kids can do that,” he said, chuckling a bit, and he could hear the smile widening on Allison’s face.

“You know, I always kind of shook my head at people talking about how having their kids is life-changing, but they’re right,” Allison said. “I was scared, I was so scared Luther, this entire time about being pregnant.”

Luther hadn’t known that, but he nodded along as if he did and as if she could see him.

“When I went into labor, God, it’s stupid but I kept getting so worried Luther. I even thought that maybe I could just rumor her to stay in a little longer because I wasn’t ready, but then she was out and they put her in my arms and…” she sighed, and he could imagine the same faraway smile she had when she had announced to their siblings that her name was Allison now, soft and sweet and eyes sparkling with opportunity. “They put her into my arms and I realized something. I’ve never loved anyone more than I love that little girl.”

Luther’s mouth was thick, the aching in his chest getting tighter and tighter until he choked out a strangled, “I’m so happy for you, Allison” and a more sincere, “You deserve this.”

“You should come visit,” Allison said. “Diego and Vanya said they’d come, and Klaus…well, he’s Klaus,” she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice before it softened again. “I would love for you to meet her.”

Luther imagined visiting, seeing Allison and Claire and...him, even. He and Diego could be civil for a day or two, he could make small talk with Vanya, and most important of all, see Allison. Allison and his newfound niece. He hoped she’d like him. He had seen videos of babies being placed in strangers’ arms and immediately sobbing and he had the sudden image of Claire being placed into his arms, locking eyes with his form, and bursting out into tears. His eyes shifted from the phone to his arms, the skin black and wrinkled and bushy.

“Luther?” Allison asked.

“I ah….” Luther drifted off, but on the other end he heard a man’s voice. “Babe?” the voice said.

“Sorry Luther, I have to go,” Allison said quickly. “It was...good talking to you. I missed you,” she said.

“I missed yo-” Luther started, but he heard the line click and the dial tone of the phone. He hung it up as gently as possible, and shuffled back to his father’s office, knocking quickly at the door before entering.

“Allison had her baby,” Luther said. “A little girl named Claire.”

Mom gave a gasp of joy and clapped her hands, and Pogo smiled, his face softening with the news.

“Isn’t that wonderful, sweetie?” Mom asked Reginald, and she looked back at Luther, her eyes twinkling. “I’m a grandmother, we have a beautiful little girl named Claire!”

His father didn’t look up from his desk. Save for his pen stopping midway through whatever notes he was taking, Reginald didn’t seem to give any indication that he had even heard Luther. “Does the child have abilities?”

“No,” Luther responded.

The pen started up again. Mom’s smile stayed plastered on and Pogo’s face wrinkled back into his neutral sad state, and Luther waited, allowing the silence to overtake them all.

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“Moon sure is beautiful tonight, huh baby?” Ray asked, and Allison ripped her eyes away from the window.

“Hm?” she asked.

“The moon?” Ray repeated. “You’ve been staring at it for the past few minutes.”

“Oh, yeah,” Allison said, smiling at her husband. “It’s beautiful.”

Ray looked at her for a bit, knowing something was up, but he didn’t press on, and Allison loved him for it. He had been so understanding and patient with her, accepting her, “My life is...complicated,” as an answer to who she was. He had told her that it was all right, that he was planning on sticking with her for as long as God gave him on this Earth and that when she was ready, she could tell him.

She had kissed him then, smiling through her tears because here she was, offering nothing to this wonderful, kind man and being given the world in response.

It made her feel wrong, somehow, not telling him about her family. They’d find her, one day, and she didn’t know how Ray would react to meeting them with no warning, or when Five would inevitably fix the problem so they could go back to 2019. He’d probably come with her - she hoped - but then he’d have to adjust to 2019, and meet Claire and… Allison clutched the dishrag in her hands, forcing herself to think about anything else but her baby girl. She’d think about her every day, missing her daughter’s warmth, her smile, even her tantrums that Allison had so foolishly gotten irritated at so long ago. She would give everything up, her abilities, her life, her marriage if it meant she could hold her daughter for just one more day.

It hurt too much to tell Ray, and she wouldn’t even know where to begin. With the powers she had, the other siblings who were probably somewhere else right now causing havoc? She could hear him now, asking about all of them. How could she explain Ben without breaking down? How could she explain Luther?

It was easier to just keep quiet, even though every lie by omission felt like another bandage was placed across her throat, building and building until she couldn’t breathe anymore.

So she looked at the moon, and imagined her siblings were out there staring up at it as well. Sometimes she’d look up and imagine it breaking apart, the pieces hurtling towards her, and she wondered if Vanya ever looked up at the moon and felt a sense of dread. She’d look up and remember cursing at it when she had gotten Luther’s message that he was going on a special mission to the moon, looking up at it and hating that he was there, alone, hating Dad for sending him there and hating Luther for going and always wondering if it was so he could avoid attending her wedding and meeting Claire.

Her thoughts were filled with all her siblings, but Luther took up the most space, almost as much as they did of Claire and thinking about him filled her with both longing and guilt. She told herself it was fine, just her thinking of her favorite sibling, but in her most desperate of moments she knew that thinking about a favorite sibling shouldn’t make her feel like she was cheating on her husband.

She had been asked once, from one of her colleagues, if she had ever had a significant other and Allison had hesitated before saying no. It had felt like a lie and her friend had raised her eyebrows, disbelieving, but had let it drop. When Allison mentioned her siblings and brought up Luther the same look had crossed her friend’s face, and after an awkward silence, her friend mumbled out, “Well hey, no worries, at least you guys aren’t really siblings.”

That hadn’t sounded right either, but Allison couldn’t pinpoint why and trying to think about it more made her feel like she was standing back at the Academy right before Dad was ready to scold them, so she just nodded and said, “Yeah, technically we’re not siblings anyway.”

She could imagine the hurt on her other siblings’ faces, but saying she and Luther were only siblings felt wrong too, as if she was betraying someone no matter what she said.

How could she explain any of that to Ray? He may be the world’s most understanding man, but there was only so much that any person could accept. How could she explain that she loved him, really truly loved him, but that she had this bond that she couldn’t shake and didn’t think she wanted to shake anyway? How could she explain that Luther existed in this odd in-between of relationships in her life, a not-quite something but a not-quite nothing, that saying that he was her brother felt like a glorious truth and a stab in her heart at the same time? She couldn’t explain it to herself, much less Ray.

Ray walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her shoulder. “I’m going to go to bed, all right?” he said, and Allison nodded, the thoughts of Claire and Luther and the rest of her family taking up too much occupancy in her mind for her to properly speak without breaking down. He kissed her cheek and untangled himself from her, and Allison heard him walk up the stairs to go to bed.

One day she would tell him. She would sit him down and explain everything, start to finish, and hear what he’d have to say and accept it, no matter what it was. She would.

For now, though, Allison stared at the moon.

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A file.

Luther’s life had been reduced to a short, one-page file. Or well, his new life. His new timeline life? He wasn’t too sure.

Either way, his name was Tom now, and he was a mechanic living in town. He had a twin brother living in Europe, he was British now, apparently, and he was dating a woman named Amy.

It was short, but apparently all that Dad could find on their new selves. He’d clearly invested as much time finding their alternate-selves as he had in ever raising them with any care in their lives. Not that it was any big difference from their own timeline’s father, Luther thought, remembering the reports he had found under the floorboard, with only a hint of bitterness. He had given up a life, love, his body for his father’s mission, and Dad had just tossed him aside like garbage and found a new group of children to raise.

He choked down his bitterness - it wasn’t going to help his siblings, and there was no use trying to hash out his issues with a father who didn’t care, anyway.

“Find out anything about yourselves?” he asked. Five looked down before tossing his file on the table.

“I’m galavanting around Europe, apparently,” he said dryly. “This me is a…. hippy who wants to backpack across the world,” he said, the words dripping with venom.

“Philosophy professor in Florida, which is horrifying,” Klaus groaned. “Philosophy professor is bad enough, but Florida?”

“I’m in Mexico,” Diego said, and when the siblings looked at him to expand he looked down and shrugged. “I do interior design, and if anyone makes fun of me -”

“-I’m dead,” Vanya interjected, trying to be casual, though the wobbling of her voice betrayed her. “Just died as a baby, according to my file.” Klaus started to move towards Vanya, but she shrugged him off. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it to be a thing, it just came out. We can move on from it.” The now was unspoken but clear.

There was an awkward silence, and Allison spoke up. “I’m in town,” she said, trying her best to sound cheery, even as she shot her sister a concerned look. “My name is Amy Jackson, and it doesn’t say much else about me.”

Luther looked at her, then back to his file. “Well that’s funny,” he said. “My girlfriend’s name is Amy.”

The silence got even louder and awkward, and Allison stared at the floor. Five sighed, and Vanya broke the silence.

“Okay, I think I’m fine with being dead now,” she said, and Klaus laughed.

“Hey, at least you two can do your whole, ‘technically we’re not related’ thing in this timeline!” Klaus added, and Luther opened his mouth to argue, and then stopped. Did he want to argue?

Allison grabbed his file from him and was reading it over. “It doesn’t say a last name,” she said. “It doesn’t mean it’s me. There’s a lot of Amys in the world.”

Diego opened his mouth, ready to tease, but Five interjected, saying that love lives didn’t matter but that they should at least check out the leads, and that they had the most information on Luther so they’d go and find him and go from there.

Luther was glad to have Five there, and even more glad when Allison said that she wanted to keep an eye on the rest of the Sparrows and the rest of their siblings agreed, leaving just Five and Luther to stalk his other self from afar.

The ride to the not-him’s house was short and quiet. Luther sprawled himself in the back seat, looking out the window as Five drove, not even caring enough when he saw people staring in shock as they drove by. When they pulled up to the house, Five turned to Luther.

“You know, when you see him, he won’t look like you, not exactly,” he said, and Luther shrugged.

“I know, I’ve thought about it,” Luther said, though he hadn’t, really. His thoughts had been wrapped up in Allison-slash-Amy and he hadn’t remembered that, save for being slightly stronger than other people, he would be normal in this life, in more ways than one.

Five looked at him, and turned back without a word.

They waited for a while, until Luther was sure that maybe his other self wasn’t going to ever leave his house, and then the door opened and he stepped out. He was whistling a tune, not a care in the world, absentmindedly checking his pockets and then turning at a woman’s voice yelling, “Wait, babe!” and the door opened yet again.

A young Asian woman ran out, holding out car keys, and his other self laughed and thanked her, and she kissed him quickly on the lips before going back inside.

The relief that Luther felt was immeasurable. It’s not Allison, he thought, giddy with the knowledge, and then the guilt and shame washed over him immediately. It wasn’t a bad thing if it were her anyway, because it was okay here. Allison was his rock, if she was his rock here it’d be even better. Right? He loved her, she had taken up every thought in his head every day that he had been without her, so why did he feel so much relief knowing that his other self wasn’t with her? Was he only in love with her in their own fucked up world? Was that why he was happy that he wasn’t with her here?

The revulsion grew in Luther’s throat as he remembered his father’s voice in his head, telling fifteen-year-old him that he was unnatural. Maybe Dad hadn’t turned him into a monster. Maybe he had just exposed what was already there, an abnormality that was already festering the shape of a human, and just made it obvious to the outside world.

Five didn’t say anything on the ride back home, instead just shooting him glances when he thought Luther wasn’t looking. Maybe he thought Luther was disappointed, or he could tell that Luther was conflicted - or rather, conflicted about not feeling conflicted. Luther wasn’t sure - he never knew what was going on in that little guy’s mind, but he was thankful all the same for him. Five wasn’t going to push for Luther to talk about his feelings, and Luther wasn’t exactly even sure about what those feelings were.

All he knew was that he needed this timeline fixed soon.

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When the timeline is fixed and they get their own Ben back, it’s the miracle of miracles, and Luther allowed himself to swoop up his siblings, lifting them up off the ground as he enveloped them all in a bear hug.

Allison went back home, briefly, promising to come back with Claire, and the thought filled Luther with anxiety but he nodded and smiled and told her to come back soon.

She did, and it all came crashing down again for Luther.

There was a little girl, about five years old now, holding onto Allison’s hand. Her eyes were wide and she was staring at them all with nervousness and excitement. Ben had approached her first, cautiously saying that she didn’t know this, but that he’d seen her as a baby with their Uncle Klaus. It was as if a dam had broken, and the other siblings gathered around their niece, some for the first time and others for a second.

Luther backed out of the room as quietly as possible and went back upstairs, to his hideout.

Allison found him there, half an hour later, and Luther sighed when he saw the sadness on her face.

“I’m sorry, Allison,” he said. “I want to meet Claire. I do. It’s just…” he trailed off.

“Just what?” Allison asked, sitting down across from him. There wasn’t any judgement or resentment in her voice, just sadness, and it occurred to Luther that no matter what he said, Allison was probably feeling it just as much as he was.

“What are we?” he asked Allison, and she looked down at her hands. “I feel like - I know that we’re siblings, but there’s….” he trailed off again, trying to think about it. His mind went back to Jack Ruby, sliding over Allison’s information with the comment, “You really know how to pick ‘em,” which had rubbed Luther the wrong way but he knew he’d be a fool to snap against.

Everything about that had felt a little wrong, from Jack knowing where she lived to him asking in the first place. When he had asked Jack to find her, Jack had asked if she was an ex, and it didn’t feel particularly right to Luther (she was his sister after all, and besides that she couldn’t be an ex if nothing ever happened between them, technically), but it had been simpler to just go, “Yeah, something like that,” in response. When he had heard Raymond Chestnut say Allison Chestnut, the words had been a punch in the face, but surprises of surprises, Raymond was kind to him and when Allison didn’t want to leave, Luther had felt another punch, but this time for Raymond and the overall unfairness of the world that Allison couldn’t be with the man she loved. When he had given Allison CPR, he’d felt the relief of her living, the thrill of almost-kissing someone, and then the immediate shame and awkwardness as he desperately tried to apologize.

He hadn’t known when that conflict happened. Maybe with the wrongness of asking Jack’s help or meeting Raymond, or maybe before that when he had bulldozed Vanya in his quest to avenge Allison in a revenge plot that she hadn’t asked for, or maybe long before that, in the back of his head even when he’d gravitate towards Allison with their soft touches and lingering looks. He’d always known she was his sister and he always knew that he loved her, but both had existed in two separate spaces in his head until somewhere along the way the cognitive dissonance had disappeared and something that had seemed so simple and easy to Luther suddenly felt complicated and uncomfortable.

They weren’t a relationship, but they weren’t a normal pair of siblings either.

“You feel like we’re in an in-between type of space?” Allison asked. “Like - we know our other siblings are our siblings, but that with us, it’s just a little different?”

Luther nodded, the relief hitting him as Allison spoke. “Yes, that exactly. And it makes me feel weird, Allison, because I’m thirty-two now, technically, and I’m only just now realizing that it’s not a normal thing. And I just-” he sighed, and the rest of his words came out in a panicked rush. “I want to meet Claire. I really do, Allison, I swear. I want to be the best uncle that I can be, but I think about her calling me Uncle Luther and I just can’t handle it.”

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t worry,” Allison said, reaching out to grab his shoulder, and Luther stopped rambling. “I know,” she said, and he saw the tears in her eyes but they refused to fall. Instead, her grip only tightened on his shoulder. “You don’t need to see her now, and we can wait until you’re ready.”

“What if I’m never ready?” Luther asked, staring at the floor, and Allison sighed, though her hand never left his shoulder.

“Then that’s fine too,” she said, and Luther knew she meant it, that if need be she’d always tell Claire that Uncle Luther had something to do and wouldn’t hold it against him, because she was far more adjusted than he was even if she felt the same bond, and far kinder and forgiving than Luther ever was.

It wasn’t fair to her, though. It wasn’t fair to Claire. It probably wasn’t even fair to him, though he couldn’t think of why it wasn’t.

“Allison?” he asked, ripping his gaze from the floor. “Can you rumor me?”

Allison blinked, and her hand finally dropped from his. “I - rumor you?”

“Rumor me,” Luther said. “It’s okay, I want it. Just rumor me, and I can be around you and Claire without a problem.”

“It’s not how that works, Luther,” Allison said. “You know it’s not. My rumoring only lasts a week, tops-”

“Bullshit,” Luther said, and he didn’t mean for it to sound so harsh but it did. “Vanya’s block lasted until 2019.”

“She was five, Luther, and Dad kept her drugged up and kept gaslighting her to think that she was normal, this is different, you’re an adult. I’d have to rumor you every single week to not have feelings.”

“Then dammit, Allison, do it!” Luther cried, hitting the floor with his fist. The motion made Allison flinch slightly and the tent to finally collapse around him, and Luther put his head in his hands, trying and failing to stop the tears.

“Luther,” she said, leaning back towards him. “I did this to Vanya. I did this to Klaus. It doesn’t work. I don’t want to control another sibling, okay? I won’t do that.”

“Please, Allison,” he said, trying to wipe at the tears that just kept on coming. “I just want to be normal.”

“Stop saying that,” Allison said, and he looked when he heard the anger and the break in her voice. “You keep saying you’re not normal, you are. Maybe we’re a bit unconventional, sure, but you’re not some monster.”

“But-” Luther started, and Allison shook her head, wiping furiously at tears starting to form.

“And if you are then I am too, so stop saying that, okay?”

Luther didn’t think he was all that normal if he was a half-gorilla man who was in love with his sister, but he never wanted Allison to feel that way either, so he nodded, and Allison softened. She started moving the collapsed tent away from Luther, letting it fall on the ground in a heap.

“Look... I used to get therapy, sometimes,” she said, untangling the string lights from the tent’s cloth. “I probably should have gone more often than I did, and I rumored half of them, but for the times I didn’t it was... good.”

“You think I need therapy?” Luther asked. That didn’t feel like something a normal person got to him.

“I think we all need therapy,” Allison said, wrapping the lights around her hand. “And it’s great, Luther, it is. You pay someone to just sit there and listen to you talk, and they’re not there to judge. Their entire job is to just help you.”

Luther was quiet, and Allison moved on to the crumpled cloth on the floor, folding it neatly and putting it next to the string lights.

“Rumoring you isn’t going to work long-term,” she said. “And it wouldn’t be your own thoughts anyway. Claire deserves better than that. We deserve better than that.”

Luther wrapped his hands around his knees, thinking. “You’re getting therapy too?” he asked.

“I’m getting therapy too,” she affirmed. “Think about it.��

With that, she reached out her arm towards his face but then seemed to think better of it, opting instead to pat his knee before going back downstairs, where their siblings were still talking and Claire was yelling with laughter.

Luther listened to the sounds, wishing he could go downstairs, and he wrapped his arms tighter around his knees. He wanted to be able to talk to Allison the way he did Klaus, or Diego, or Five. He wanted to see his niece, and give her a piggy-back ride and be an uncle. He wanted to have a family.

Maybe therapy wasn’t a bad idea after all.

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Therapy was weird.

It was good too, Luther thought, but mostly weird. He liked Dr. Martin, so that was good. In their first session she had asked him about why he had come to therapy and he had talked to her about Allison, and the moon, and his body. He had expected a “and how does that make you feel” and had been ready to bolt right then and there, but she had just said, “The moon? Interesting, tell me more about how you lived there,” and he had perked up and talked. They had spent the rest of his first session talking about goals for Luther - a “be able to feel like I can meet Claire” goal at first.

She hadn’t even broached the body stuff until a few sessions later, and then slowly as they went on she asked more about his siblings, slowly getting to Allison along the way.

Luther was learning a lot about himself. Mostly that he carried a lot of guilt, like Dr. Martin suggested. He should have been the protector of the group as Number One. He hadn’t protected any of them, not even Allison, she had told him what she wanted loud and clear with Vanya and he had bulldozed over the both of them, so wrapped up in thinking that he was protecting them, all of them, that he had hurt his siblings all the more. Alongside the “be able to meet Claire” goal he added another one: Apologize to your siblings.

He wrote all this down and more in the journal that Dr. Martin had given him (he needed to ask her for another one, the book was down to its last few pages and Luther had so much more to say). He had written about his childhood, and growing up in his house, and he had been upset, at first, when he read it all out. There was so much that he had thought was beautiful and special about growing up in the Academy, but reading it out on paper just felt so…sad. He wondered if this was how Vanya had felt when she had written her book, and the story that felt like a traitorous ramble started feeling more like an insight into her mind, and he wrote another goal in his journal: Re-read Vanya’s book.

He was also starting to get his relationship with Allison. “Have you ever heard of trauma bonding?” Dr. Martin asked.

Luther had blinked, taken aback by the word. “Trauma bonding?” he repeated, trying to bite back the initial thought he had. I don’t have trauma. The thought still reverbated in his mind from time to time, but he’d only have to take one look at his journal to remind himself that he felt sad for the child in the journal, and that if he felt sad it probably wasn’t a happy childhood.

“Trauma bonding,” Dr. Martin said, nodding. “When two people grow up in a toxic environment, they may develop bonds with one another. This may be between an abuser and their victim, or individuals suffering the abuse together. I think it sounds like what happened with you and Allison. You were both a safe space for each other that you couldn’t find anywhere else in your home, and these strong emotions were interpreted as attraction.”

It sounded beautiful, in a way, even though Luther didn’t think it was meant to be taken that way. It also made sense, if Luther were to think about it. They had always been pillars of support to each other, had been one another’s confidants and shared their hopes and dreams with one another, always circling back to each other when they were upset and hurt, which in their home was almost all the time. Their entire relationship fit so perfectly and neatly into two words.

It was on Luther’s mind when he and Allison met up later that month, as they did nowadays. It felt off, planning their meetups, and Luther constantly had to remind himself that it wasn’t a date, but it was also something to look forward to rather than how they used to meet. He had gone from seeing Allison every day to not seeing her for years, to the random pop-ins with the apocalypse and all and it was nice, knowing there’d be a day designated to talking to Allison, hearing updates about Claire, and them both talking about therapy if they wanted, and how they were doing.

The lunches were hard, at first, there was so much that was still so difficult to say between the two of them, but then one day Allison had started showing him new photos of Claire and telling him stories about how she had Five wrapped around her finger, which Luther found hilarious, and they were slowly getting back to themselves. They talked, slowly, about therapy and how it was going, and each lunch got a little bit easier and a little less sad each time, and Luther was excited, for once, to share something from therapy with Allison.

“Trauma bonding, have you heard of it?” he asked after a quick hello and hug, and Allison nodded. Luther grinned. “It’s what we have!” he said, leaning back in his chair. “There’s a whole name for it, something that other people have and share, and we have it.”

“I’ve heard it,” Allison said. “I don’t love it, though,” she admitted. She saw Luther’s face fall and added, quickly, “I’m not saying that you can’t, Luther. You can. Maybe one day I’ll like it more, maybe I just don’t like the phrase, I don’t know. It’s okay if it works for one of us.”

“Oh,” Luther said. It felt a little confusing, for him to cling so happily to the phrase while she did not, but he thought he understood. “What do you think of us?” he asked.

Allison picked apart the cookie on her plate, until it was crushed into small crumbs. “Do you remember when you told me we were soulmates?” she asked.

“Yes,” Luther said, feeling a bit apprehensive. He remembered being a six-year-old hearing what a soulmate was and all he could hear was trauma bond trauma bond trauma bond, but he couldn’t and wouldn’t tell Allison that it was so clear to him now what it was.

“I think...we’re still soulmates. Not - not in that way, I’m not saying I think we should get married or that I even want to - no offense -” she added, as Luther’s face betrayed a bit of offense at the comment. “I just think, well - dammit why is this so hard?” she asked, crushing the last bit of her cookie.

“I know,” Luther said softly. “I don’t think it’s ever going to stop being hard.” That was something else he had to come to terms with in therapy. He had thought that having a name to his issues would make them all go away - body dysphoria, child abuse survivor, trauma bond - but while they helped him figure out what was wrong they didn’t make any of those feelings actually go away. “Maybe a bit easier, but always just a little bit hard. We have each other, Allison, and we always will. It’s okay if it’s hard to say.”

Allison looked at him and smiled. “That’s why I think you’re my soulmate, you know that, right?” she said. “I don’t think they have to be romantic, they’re just people who are always going to be with you and support you. I feel safe with you, Luther, like I can be myself completely, like if I fell off a cliff you’d be there to catch me and help me and that I could do that same for you. You’re my soulmate, Claire is my soulmate, the rest of our siblings are my soulmates. That’s what I mean.”

“I think that sounds beautiful,” he said, and he meant it. He wasn't sure he agreed, but he was starting to get what Allison meant about them having different definitions and that being okay. He had a trauma bond, she had a platonic soulmate. There was something there that intersected and he tried to figure it out. A trauma soulmate, he thought briefly, but he didn’t say it because it felt a bit stupid to say out loud and he didn’t want to minimize the moment. Instead, he took a breath and said the other thing he had wanted to tell Allison.

“I think I’m ready to meet Claire.”

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Claire looked up at him with wide eyes, her neck craning up as she tried to meet Luther’s face, and Luther laughed despite himself.

“Hey Claire,” he said, crouching down and smiling at his niece. “I’m your Uncle Luther.”

The words still felt like a punch in the gut, but nowhere near devastating as he thought they’d still be, and when Claire smiled and said, “I knew that!” he felt a warmth that made the punch worth it.

They spent the day at the house, Claire asking every single story about their old missions and space and Luther happily obliging. She grabbed onto his hand at one point as she looked around his room, pointing at the replicas of rockets he had hanging around and pulling him forward as she looked at all of them. Luther let her drag him around in a daze, as Claire kept on talking and asking questions. There were no questions on why she hadn’t met him before, no shrieks of fear at his size, no expectations besides fun stories about the Academy that she had already heard a million times before from their other siblings.

When Allison said they needed to get Claire back to her father’s house, Luther felt a pang of disappointment, but it went away as quickly as it appeared when Claire said, “This was fun! See you later Uncle Luther!”

And he did, over and over and over again. Sometimes he’d be with her and one of their other siblings, sometimes it’d just be Allison and Claire only, sometimes Allison would let him babysit and it’d just be Claire hanging out with her Uncle Luther, which was the nicest of all.

One day they were out at the aquarium, Claire pointing at different fish and oohing and aahing at how pretty they were (Luther agreed), saying she thought she’d love to be a shark (Luther would rather be a dolphin), scrunching up her nose as she tried to read the descriptions and asked him what on Earth a mollusc was (Luther didn’t know). It went on and on for every exhibit, and Luther loved every moment of it. It was when Allison was letting Claire pick out something from the gift shop that a woman walked up to him, beaming and saying that she thought they had the cutest family. Luther blinked once in confusion and looked back at Claire and Allison before saying to her, “Oh, no, that’s my sister and my niece.”

It was later, when Allison was putting down a tired Claire to bed that he thought about what he said, and he paused before admitting to Allison that he hadn’t ever said she was his sister to someone else that easily and quickly before. It had always come with a bit of hesitation in his mind, a weird little pause before he’d mutter “yeah, kinda” to whatever the person’s assumptions were. He told Allison about it and she smiled.

“I’m proud of you,” she said, smiling, and she bumped his shoulder with her own when he didn’t reciprocate the smile. “What’s wrong?

“It feels good to hang out with Claire. It makes me feel...happy,” he said. “She doesn’t have any bad memories of me, and she just thinks of me as fun Uncle Luther. That’s it. I like being that person.” He frowned then, and went on. “But I also feel like I lost something, you know? Like I’m mourning the fact that I didn’t hesitate. And I’m getting there with you, it’s like every day it’s a little bit easier and I start thinking of you like I do my other siblings, but it feels like a...loss, somehow?” he finished lamely. “Sorry, it’s dumb, I know it’s what we want.”

“It’s not dumb,” Allison said, a twinge of annoyance clear in her voice, as it always was whenever Luther said something self-depracating. “I get it. I’ve been going through the same thing,” she said, and Luther looked over in surprise. Allison had been honest about therapy and her feelings, but she had seemed so put-together since she had started. She’d speak about everything in her sessions with such a certainty. Besides, out of the two of them she was the only one with previous husbands, and she had gone on dates here and there with other people with such ease that Luther had assumed that she had managed to quickly work through whatever feelings she had for him.

Allison got up, grabbing a bottle of wine from her fridge and pouring it into two glasses before setting one in front of Luther. “I’m glad,” Allison continued. “I’m glad we’re friends now, and I still feel like I can tell you everything, but you’re right. Things are different now.”

Luther nodded, and a silence fell between them, though he couldn’t determine if it was an awkward one or not.

“I think,” Allison said, looking past Luther and at Claire’s closed door. “That it’s okay though.” Her eyes moved from the door to Luther and she smiled. “It’s like our relationship with Five, or Ben, or Vanya now. They’re never going to be the same as they were before Five disappeared, or Ben died, or Vanya didn’t know about her powers, and maybe that’s okay. It’s not a relationship dying, it’s just...taking on a different form.”

“Huh,” Luther said, mulling it over. “I think I like that.” Maybe he wouldn’t have that hesitation before saying Allison was his sister anymore, and maybe a part of him would always feel a little bit guilty about that. Maybe one day he’d find someone who he could actually be with, genuinely and completely, and he could talk freely and openly about it as much as Allison did to him, and maybe it’d be a little bit awkward, but they’d get through it all the same.

And maybe that awkwardness wasn’t bad either. Clinging onto the past had proven unhealthy for them, but trying to brush it under the rug and ignore any lingering jealousy or awkward moments wasn’t the way to go either. He liked the thought of building this new bridge with Allison, an awkwardly built one that probably looked a little lopsided, but a strong foundation all the same, and mentally, he added a new goal to his journal: Appreciate this new relationship with Allison, always.

Allison raised her glass, smiling at Luther. “To moving forward,” she said.

“To moving forward,” Luther repeated, and the two clinked glasses.

Tagging: @let-the-whump-commence @pennsylvanya @uaklauslovesdave @hamdehlesmis @odrantheseeker @angel-starbeam @dykerory @rulerofturtles @milkylai @of-sunshine-and-sea @superbandnerd99 @tuafives @kalinara @challengerblue @trulyalpha @ostentatiousalibis @thingsanthoughts-on-lifeanfandom @imarealdad @sparrowchristopher @the-maidofmischief @daisyrose1966 @soaring-falcon @adelheid32 @69-octane-69

#tua fanfic #the umbrella academy #luther hargreeves #allison hargreeves #tua fic #janie writes stuff

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uraharasandals · 4 years ago

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How about a fluffy (or perhaps smutty) scenario where the reader comforts Akutagawa in regards to the shit Dazai put him through? I want my edge Lord to realize that he doesn't need Dazai's praise because he is amazing and beautiful on his own. Make our boy feel loved 💜

Uhhh, so this kinda got out of hand at the end, but I hope you like it! I have a terrible grasp of Akutagawa's personality AND how his fluff would manifest with a partner but somehow I appear to write fluff with him the best? Anyways enjoy!

Lazy July afternoons were the epitome of bliss. It was a brief window of time in which the world wandered by without a care, in which, as the sun sets and tendrils of sunlight trickled through the window, the summer heat gets into everyone's head and frankly, no one has the energy to do anything except take a nap.

And that was precisely what you ended up doing. Cocooned in a nest of blankets and nestled in a warm bed with the air conditioning on full blast, there was no other place you would like to be right now. Add to the fact that Akutagawa's body temperature was a default freezing, it was a nice past-time for a summer afternoon; it was as if you had no care in the world.

Shifting across the blankets to find a cooler spot, you were about to fall back into dreamland when you heard a wince from Akutagawa. Normally you would have ignored it and went back to sleep, but the moment there was a tight grip on your arm draped across his abdomen you knew something was wrong; Akutagawa may be hostile to touches from time to time, but he had never stopped you in the middle of something.

"Are you okay?" Alertness started coming to your brain, though it was still slow; there was still a hint of sleepiness coating your tone as you sat up, taking care not to brush against him, lest you trigger something else. You weren't sure what had happened, but you guessed it may have something to do with the scars blooming all over his body. He had willingly exposed himself to you once, when you dressed a flesh wound on his chest, and noticed the network of criss-cross scars, as well as what looked like small punctures on his skin (quick research made you realise that those were bullet marks, and you were shocked at that). Experience taught you that scars tend to leave ghost trails of pain even long after the wounds have closed, and judging from the extent of injuries Akutagawa suffered from, your accidental brushes might have forced a dizzying wave of pain back into his system.

"Fine." Despite his words, you could see the flash of pain that went across his face, and you sighed. "I'll go get some painkillers; wait here." As you prepared to - unwillingly - get out of bed, Akutagawa caught at your hand, managing to hold onto your little finger, giving a small tug; this was a clear sign he wanted you to stay, so you did, though kicking the blankets away to watch over him properly.

A quick glance at Akutagawa's face made you realise that it was no longer contorted in pain anymore, and he was just lying there, as if contemplating something. You raised your eyebrows at this, but said nothing, letting the silence be broken by occasional splutters of the air conditioner and the spilling of sunset into your bedroom; the sunlight fell short on his face, but illuminated his cheekbones and eyelashes, startling you with the seeming display of youth.

Had Akutagawa really been this young? His mannerisms and speech frequently persuaded you otherwise, but after you reasoned that there was no way you would've chosen someone notably more mature than you, you realised that he was. His time in the mafia had hardened him; his mentions of his superior, a man named 'Dazai', reflected to you a certain degree of hardship and torture he was subject to in the organization, which would likely have forced him to grow up as well.

For that moment, you found yourself bearing hate for a man you haven't even met, much less having a grasp of his personality.

"What's wrong?" You were the first to break the silence, as always; the words escaped from your mouth quietly, as if you didn't want to break the sudden tranquility in the mood. The singular moment that took your eyes to meet his was enough to catch you off guard, and another insistent tug made you fall back onto the bedsheets with a small groan. Before you knew it, his eyes were inches away, the tip of his nose - cold - brushing against yours, in a distance close enough to kiss. Heat crept up your cheeks, but you forced yourself to maintain eye contact with the man in front of you. Then, he opened his mouth and a single statement tumbled out, "You're too fragile."

"Says you?" Eyebrows raised, you ran the pad of your thumb lightly down the hidden scar on the column of his neck. Immediately, he gave a small wince. "Since when did strong and tough mafiaso get triggered by scars, I wonder." You shouldn't tease him like this, cruel words with a sarcastic edge, especially not about his scars, but you couldn't help it; the more you thought about who inflicted those on him, and how he still suffers from them, the more you feel anger rising within you -- and somehow you had decided to take it out on him.

The effect told hold -- too well, you thought bitterly -- and his eyes narrowed at you, the fire kindled within them again. Just as you were bracing yourself for the onslaught of Rashomon, he suddenly deflated, and guilt crossed his face. "You were right."

"I - I am?"

"Yes. If only I was as strong as Dazai-san - "

His words were immediately cut off. Akutagawa's lips were still freezing beneath yours, which sent a shiver down your spine, but it was worth the surprised - or what passed for surprised - look on his face as you pulled away. "What was that for, _________?"

"You're already strong enough, Ryunosuke." You probably shouldn't, after a narrow escape from the tiger's fangs, but you reached up and wrapped your arms around his neck, where another criss-cross patch of scars sat. Luckily, he only stiffened under your hold. "Remember? Otherwise I would've died." Untangling an arm, you pulled down a corner of your shirt to reveal the thin strip of white skin tissue running across your shoulder, shivering slightly from the sudden exposure.

His face was hidden from view, but you could feel his icy fingers fluttering above the wound hesitantly. "The bullet...." One of Port Mafia's enemies had decided to take down Akutagawa - their so-called 'trump card' -- sometime ago by kidnapping you, his dearest person, holding you hostage, and intending to kill him as soon as he showed up. Little did they underestimate their power, and he had wiped them out in a matter of seconds, though one last brave attempt by the sole survivor had left you a souvenir dangerously near your neck; a true shot that missed thanks to Akutagawa. "Does it...still hurt?"

"A little." You admitted, and was about to pull away from him when you felt a pair of -- still freezing -- lips press onto the wound. An embarrassing gasp escaped from you as your hands tightened around his neck, which turned into a moan as he diligently worked his way up the column of your neck, ending with a sharp nip right behind your ear. "R-Ryunosuke!"

"And aren't you just like me, __________." You thought he was mad, but a look at his face revealed the beginnings of a smirk tugging at his mouth. "At least I wasn't the one attempting to be strong," You huffed, sitting up. "I, unlike a certain someone, know my boundaries."

"Do you?"

Akutagawa, magically, lost the staring contest.

"Anyways, I was serious about what I was saying earlier, Ryunosuke." You leaned back against the headboard, shifting a little to let him have some sitting room next to you. The fading sunset traced out a line of sunlight right across his shoulder, which ran across the scar on your still exposed shoulder. "You don't have to compare yourself against anyone else because you're already strong enough." Reaching over, you clasped his hand, feeling your warmth bleed into his. When he attempted to open his mouth -- no doubt the beginnings of an argument -- you immediately cut in. "Especially not against Dazai-san. I don't care how good he might be, he'll never be you, Ryunosuke."

"Me." There was a hint of bitterness underneath. "What about me?"

"You're amazing." You shifted closer to him, and began to pick your next words carefully. "You were able to survive his training. I don't think anyone else would've been able to do that so well. You also have proof to show for it, see?" Bringing his hand up, you started tracing his scars. "The fruits of your success." Turned over; the star-shaped paleness inside his wrist. "The proof of your hardship." One jagged line running up his arm and disappearing into his shirt. "The - "

"Was that the prelude to your testing my resolve?" Somehow, you found yourself pinned underneath him, his knees holding your legs firmly in place; his ankle dug sharply into yours, but the suddenness somehow made your brain register only the proximity of his face from yours, allowing for a tiny 'oh' escaping from your mouth.

"I didn't - " A small voice at the back of your mind was reminded vaguely that this scenario had played out only seconds ago, but they soon faded into nothing as his tongue worked roughly against yours, forcing its way into your mouth and effectively cutting off the stem of words you were about to say. "If that was a test of strength, I would say I passed it successfully, no?" Mind still spiralling into a whirlpool of confusion, you barely registered his words and the fact that his fingers tilted your head so that your eyes bore into his, which had turned dark.

"Or do you need more proof of my so-called power*?"

Brief note: Because the word for 'power' and 'strength' in Japanese can be used interchangeably, Aku could also have said 'strength', which may have another meaning ;)

#bungou stray dogs #akutagawa imagines #Akutagawa #bsd imagines #bsd #akutagawa ryunosuke #Fic #Anon #asks

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imnotasuperhero · 4 years ago

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No one said life gets in the way (It’s just us from here) - Wandanat

Soooo.. I’ve got this requested as a song drabble. But ya know.. this bitch got her feelings all over the place so she created this beuatiful 1k-ish baby out of literally a bigass keysmash.

Huge thanks to @alwaysblackbirdbluecookies for requesting this story!! You’re a blessing Cookie. I love you, my fav gremlin. I hope you enjoy this one.

Also, I want to thank @marvelfansince08love for betaing this. You’re amazing, Angel.

Title: No one said life gets in the way (It’s just us from here)

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Natasha Romanoff

Summary: Wanda doubts her relationship with Natasha. Is this really the end?

Or, a fic based on the song Every time you leave by I prevail.

Wordcount: 1270

Read on Ao3

Waking up to an empty bed yet again, she understood why they said work and relationships don’t go well together.

You see, as of lately, Wanda has been feeling her relationship slip through her fingers. And the fact that she seemed to be the only one fighting for it, wasn’t helping at all.

She wasn’t a fool to believe everything would be rainbows and sunshine, much less in their line of work. But she did expect Natasha to work her part which, she did during their honeymoon phase. But with missions being a constant and their mismatched schedules, they barely got to spend time together that wasn’t while trining or they occasional missions together. And she wasn’t sure if she could keep things going on. She wasn’t that strong.

Making her way to the kitchen, her hot body welcomed the cool of the hardwood floor beneath her bare feet.

“Morning, kid.”

Wanda accepted the offered steamy mug with a smile. “Just because you’re ancient doesn’t mean I’m a kid,” she smirked, moving towards the toaster. She sipped from her tea enjoying the warmth.

“You know what, Maximoff?” Wanda giggled at the smile she could hear in Steve’s voice.

“I love you too, Blondy.” She blew him a kiss before turning back to her current task, enjoying the quietness of the early morning.

It wasn’t till much later in the afternoon that she heard the elevator’s door open revealing Bucky, Sam, and Natasha, their faces tired and with a few scratches.

“Welcome home,” Wanda greeted them. Her eyes unconsciously moving towards the redhead standing a few feets away.

“Hi Wan,” Natasha smiled at her before walking away. To get cleaned up, Wanda cheered herself. She knew how awful Natasha felt before her much needed cleaning ritual. God, she really hoped it was that and not the bad ideas her mind was producing.

But it seemed that luck wasn’t on her side since a refreshed Natasha walked straight to the library without sparing her a glance. Needless to say, her heart shattered a little more at that moment. ‘Maybe they weren’t meant to be,’ Wanda thought to herself retreating to her room.

Her heart clutched at the thought of the upcoming break-up. Her mind replaying happy moments as a default mechanism. She wasn’t ready for it yet.

“Why you crying?” Soft fingers brushing away the tears she didn’t know she was crying, brought her back to reality. She didn’t even hear her door opening. “You weren’t in our room,” Natasha clarified.

“Our room?” Wanda couldn’t help the anger bubbling inside her. “It’s always been your room, Natasha. I just happened to be an unwelcomed occupant.”

“Why you- I’m lost?”

Wanda couldn’t help the dry laugh that scaped her. “Of course you have no clue. For being a super spy, you definitely suck sometimes.”

Wanda snapped away from Natasha’s touch. It was as if she’s been burned. The honest confusion in those green eyes did little to ease her anger.

“Can you quit being a bitch?” Natasha countered. “I’m honestly having none of this.”

“Of course you’re not. You barely pay attention to us,” Wanda swallowed the lump in her throat in order to speak the words. “You barely notice me,”

“I- I’m sorry.” She spoke before walking away leaving a furious Wanda behind.

Wanda’s words accompanied by the hot tears were a kick to her chest. Was she really this dumb? Scratch that, dumb didn’t even cover it.

“Aha!” Natasha patted her back mentally when she found what she was looking for. “I hope this works,” she murmured making her way back to her still -hopefully- girlfriend.

Her legs carried her to her room, mind going a mile per hour at the need to fix this.

She could always ask FRIDAY to open it, but she knew better than that. Even if she knew these next moments were crucial to fix what was left of their relationship.

Knocking on the door, she waited for the ‘go-ahead’. “Wan, please. Open up,” she begged. She could feel the sweat starting to form in her palms. Heartbeats increasing its speed. “Baby, I’m sorry, please open up.”

God, she really screwed it up, didn’t she?

Just when she was about to walk away defeated, the door finally opened revealing an upset Wanda.

“Messing doesn’t even cover it,” Wanda interrupted making her gulp.

“Please, hear me out?” Natasha felt her legs trembling under the scrutiny of those reddened eyes. Breathing a little easier when the witch stepped aside. “I know I messed-”

“What’s this?” The witch grabbed the offering object inspecting it. The cold of the metal, a contrast to her warm fingers.

She took a few deep breaths, trembling when Wanda closed the door behind them. She raked her brains for the right words to say, but she came up empty.

“I bought it in one of the missions. It reminded me of you,” Natasha explained timidly. Wanda’s heart jumping at the thought of being remembered. “It represents you.”

Wanda caressed the soft little power stone. Its purple color a nice contrast to the platinum of the spiral surrounding it. “It’s beautiful,”

“Just like you,” Wanda could feel the smirk in Natasha’s voice. Her stomach feeling funny at those words. “I love when you get flustered,” Natasha laughed at the pink appearing on her cheeks.

“I hate you,” Wanda couldn’t help the little giggle that scaped her.

“I know,” Natasha sobered the tone of her voice.

Wanda was about to explain when she was stopped by a hand cupping her cheek and soft lips kissing her forehead. “I know, and I’m so so sorry.”

Natasha realized how Wanda must feel. All those times Wanda begged her for something but she wasn’t reciprocating it. She couldn’t blame her for being an asshole of a girlfriend.

Wanda opened her mouth but closed it at the last minute, something Natasha thanked her for, with a small smile. “I love you, Wanda. And I can promise you I’ll never ever stop loving you,” she looked for her eyes, hoping Wanda could see the honesty in hers. “I should’ve known better than to neglect you these past few weeks. I should’ve known better than to shut you out.”

“I’m sorry for hurting you. I should never ever give you for granted, and I just did that,” Natasha took Wanda’s hand and brought her to her bed.

“Oh, Nat. Of course, I forgive you,” Wanda kissed her palm. “I just… I wish you talked to me about whatever it is on your mind, baby. You know I would never think less of you.”

“I- I promise I’ll make it up to you. To us,” she squeezed Wanda’s hand.

Clutching the pendant in her hand, Wanda lost herself in Natasha’s eyes. Breathing in all the honesty she found there. “Can we really work this out?” She needed the reassurance. “I don’t want to lose you,”

Natasha leaned over for a kiss. All the love and passion in it warming Wanda’s chest. “I promise,” Natasha spoke after they broke apart for much-needed air. “I promise I’ll give my best to fix us and then some more just in case. You’re my happy ending, Wanda Maximoff. And I’m sorry I didn’t show you. But I’m gonna do it from now on. Every day.” Natasha finished and Wanda didn’t need to read her mind to know she meant it.

Maybe love and work can mix after all. It just needs compromise and communication. Something Wanda could totally work with, and Natasha too, now.

Wanda kissed her again, sealing the pact. “I love you too, Natasha Romanoff.”

#songfic #wanda maximoff x natasha romanoff #wandanat #scarletwidow #requested #cookie.tag #thank you #ily cookie #my writing #vee loves lay

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dlwritings · 5 years ago

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Got Your Six | Tom Holland | pt 6

series masterlist found here

general masterlist found here

pairing - mob!Tom x reader word count - 4,956 warnings - swearing, guns

summary - Tom and Harrison agree to teach April and (Y/N) how to defend themselves, and Tom and (Y/N) make a few other deals of their own.

(previous) (next)

I kept rereading the words on the paper over and over again:

She sure is pretty, Tom. You should take better care of her. We’d hate to see someone take advantage of such a sweet girl.

Eventually, my hands started shaking and my eyes got blurry with tears. “Fuck,” I muttered, putting my hand on my forehead. “Fuck. Fuck!” I looked up at Tom, wiping away a tear that had fallen. “This is bullshit! What the fuck does this even mean?” Tom put his elbows on the table and his head in his hands.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. Everyone turned their heads to look at him, and I wondered if Tom apologizing was a rare occurrence. From what I knew of him, that didn’t surprise me.

“I don’t understand,” April said. “Why are Mackie’s guys after you all anyway?”

“It’s my fault,” Tom admitted, still not looking up at us.

“It’s not,” Harrison argued with a shake of his head. “And you’ve gotta stop telling yourself it is.”

“Why would it be your fault?” April asked.

“I’m the one who moved us from London to Mackie’s neighborhood,” he explained. “He’s been after us for five years. I took his territory, and he wants it back. If I had kept us in London-”

“-we would’ve had a different set of problems in a different country,” Harrison said. “Trouble’s gonna be wherever we are. We just have to deal with it.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment, then Harry sighed. “Okay,” he said, “we’ve established how they know who April and (Y/N) are, but how did they know (Y/N) was out?”

“And why are they going after (Y/N) and not April?” Sam repeated.

“Well,” Harrison said (slowly, like he was hesitant), “April is associated with me, right? She’s my girlfriend. (Y/N) is, in turn, associated with Tom.”

“How am I associated with Tom?” I said. “By default?”

“I mean, you guys were dancing together at the club that you said Mackie’s guys were at,” April said. “I guess it kind of makes sense.” Tom and I made eye contact for a slight second before we both looked away.

“All that aside,” Harry said, “I still don’t get how they knew (Y/N) was out. And how they knew that’s where she would be.”

“Is someone watching us?” I asked.

“No way,” Tom said. “No one could be watching the house. There’s no way.”

“Okay,” I said. “Then I don’t get it.”

“Let’s forget about how this happened for a second,” Harrison said. “The thing we should be focusing on is making sure that you guys know what to do if this happens again.”

“What does that mean?” April asked.

“I think we should teach you about the job,” he said, “and how to protect yourselves if something happens to you.”

“Like self defense?” April said.

“Like self defense,” Harrison repeated with a nod. April and I looked at each other before we both nodded.

“Okay,” April said. “If that’s what you think is the best idea.”

“I do,” Harrison said. “Tom?”

Tom shrugged. “I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

“Great,” Harrison said. “So I’ll help April, you can help (Y/N)?” I rolled my eyes, and Tom sighed but nodded. “Why don’t we get started right away, then,” Harrison said. “You girls go put on some gym stuff and come right back. We’ll take you down to the gym.”

Even though this was not how I wanted to spend my morning, I knew Harrison was right. We needed to know how to defend ourselves if something worse were to happen than what happened last night. So, I went into my room and sifted through my clothes before pulling out a pair of cropped leggings and a grey v-neck t-shirt. While I was putting my hair in a ponytail, there was a knock at my door. “Yeah?” I called. Instead of April like I assumed it would be, it was Tom. “Oh,” I said, dropping my arms to my sides. “What are you doing here?”

“Can I come in?” he asked. I realized that he actually hadn’t stepped into the room, which surprised me. It was way more like him to just walk right in.

“Uh, sure,” I said. Tom nodded and walked in, closing the door behind him and putting his hands in his pockets. “You’re being weird,” I said.

“Sorry,” Tom said, shaking his hair through his hand. “I just think that we should fix this-” He motioned between the two of us.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I snapped. “Fix what?”

“Jesus,” Tom mumbled. “Do you have to be so dramatic about everything?”

“I’m dramatic?” I shouted. “Let’s talk about how you stalked me and followed me!”

“And saved your life!” Tom shouted back. “God, you’re so, so-”

“So?”

“So infuriating!” Tom said. “And if you expect me to help you defend yourself, we need to stop being at each other’s throats all the time!”

“I’ll stop if you’ll stop!” I shouted back.

“That’s what I’m saying!” Tom said. “I’m saying that I’ll stop! I’m saying I’m sorry I’ve been a dick, and I want to stop! So let’s fucking stop!”

My shoulders dropped a little bit. “Oh,” I said. I poked my tongue against my cheek and looked around the room awkwardly. “Okay. Yeah. I guess you’re right.” I paused. “So this is like a truce?” Tom cracked a grin.

“Yeah,” he said. “I guess it’s a truce.” I stuck out my hand for him to shake. “Truce,” he said, gripping my hand and giving it a firm shake.

“Truce,” I repeated. His hand gripped mine for a moment longer than expected, and when he pulled away he put his hands back in his pockets.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “Just let me grab my Nikes.”

(Tom stared at her ass as she bent over to grab the shoes that were on the floor, but he looked away just as fast.)

The truce felt weird and slightly unbelievable, but after what happened last night, I knew I needed to learn how to protect myself. I figured that would be easier if Tom and I weren’t constantly fighting, even if our feelings of non-hatred were forced or pretend.

Tom lead me downstairs to the gym which I had no idea even existed. It wasn’t as nice as the rest of the house. It wasn’t like a five star gym. It was like a dull room with a boxing ring in the middle, some weight-lifting machines in one corner, two treadmills in another, and then a few punching bags along one of the walls. April and Harrison were in the middle of the ring stretching. Tom and I went to join them. We did a few basic stretches before going over to the punching bags along the wall. Tom held mine while Harrison held April’s. “Okay,” Tom said. “Let’s wrap your hands.” April and I nodded, so Tom and Harrison each started wrapping our hands. “You start by putting your thumb in the loop,” Tom explained as he did it for me. “Then you’re gonna go three times around the wrist-” He did. “-then three times around the hand.” I was completely mesmerized as Tom wrapped my hand so intricately. “Now, we’ll make three x’s. We’ll go back behind the thumb, and then bring it between the pinky and ring finger and then bring it across the back of your hand and back around your thumb. The second x, you’ll do the same thing except between your ring and middle, then again but between your middle and pointer. Then we’ll go once around the thumb, flip the hand over, and go three times around the knuckles.” We had a little bit of the wrap left, so Tom explained that we’d use the rest of it just by rewrapping the wrists and knuckles a few more times before securing it at the end.

Tom looked up at me after wrapping my first hand and gave me a small smile. “Do you want to try this one on your own?” he asked, taking my other hand and lifting it. I shook my head no.

“You can do it,” I said. “Don’t wanna do it wrong.” Tom just chuckled a bit and nodded, repeating the process on my other hand. When he was done, I thought I noticed him brush his thumb across my wrapped knuckles. I convinced myself I imagined it. “Alright,” he said, clearing his throat a bit. “Let’s do this.”

Tom and Harrison showed us how to plant our feet and told us to punch the bag in sets of three -right, left, right- using the proper form. They said we would do this in twelve sets of two minutes with thirty second rests in between. “Make sure you keep your thumb on the outside of your fist,” Tom said, taking my hand and adjusting how I was making a fist. “If you keep it inside, you’ll break your thumb.” April and I both started hitting our bags, and Harrison started teaching us some lessons.

“If you are in a physical fight,” Harrison said, “go for the vulnerable body parts- eyes, groin, and throat.”

“And if you end up getting taken,” Tom said, “do your best to not get taken to a secondary location.”

“If a car starts to drive alongside you,” Harrison added, “turn around and run in the opposite direction. It’ll buy you some time. But if you do get grabbed and shoved in the trunk, knock out the taillights with your foot and stick your hand out so cars behind you can see you. Do anything so that someone can see you.”

“Don’t some cars have those handles that pop the trunk from the inside?” I asked, wiping some sweat from my forehead.

“Chances are if you’re put in a trunk, they’ve already taken that out,” Tom said. I nodded and continued hitting the bag. “Now,” he said again, “let’s go over the rules.”

“The rules?” I repeated.

“This family runs by twelve rules,” Tom said, holding my punching bag more firmly as it swayed a bit. “We call them the Holland Family Commandments.”

“Cute,” April said, throwing another punch.

“Important,” Harrison emphasized. “If you guys hope to survive, it’s important you know all twelve.”

“Alright,” I said. “Go on and list ‘em.”

“The first four have names,” Tom said. “Number one is omertà. It’s the code of silence”

“Never ever talk to the authorities,” Harrison said.

“Omertà,” I repeated. “Got it.”

“Number two,” Tom continued. “Family Secrets. Members can’t talk about family business to non-members.”

“So,” April said, wiping some sweat from her forehead. “Is this technically breaking that rule?”

Tom shrugged. “There’s an exception to every rule.”

“Or are you just admitting that we’re part of the family now?” I joked.

Tom scoffed and grinned. “Careful what you wish for, love. But no, you’re not part of the family.”

“But I’d say you’re connected enough,” Harrison said. “It’s in your best interest to hear the aspects of the business that will help keep you safe.”

“And it’s not like we’re telling you about or taking you on jobs,” Tom said. “Listing our rules is different than talking about business. I’m pretty sure you can find a list of mob family rules online.” We all chuckled, and Tom nodded for us to start our next set. “Number three,” he said, “is Blood for Blood. If a family member kills another family member, no one can commit murder in revenge unless the boss -me- gives permission.”

“Number four,” Harrison continued. “No fighting among members.”

“Pretty self-explanatory,” Tom said. Tom and Harrison shared a look I couldn’t decipher but didn’t say anything. April and I both nodded, so Tom continued. “Those four are pretty standard in every family,” Tom said, “but the next eight have been a staple in our family since my granddad was the boss.”

With each punch I nailed against the bag, Tom listed a rule:

“Number five: every month, members have to pay the boss and give them a cut on any side deals. Number six: never be seen with cops. Seven: don’t go to pubs and clubs alone. Always bring another family member.”

“That’s why Tom had to come when we went out that night,” Harrison explained. “It kind of just goes with the idea that there’s strength in numbers.”

“Right,” Tom said, then continued. “Eight: always be available for duty. Nine: appointments must be respected. Ten: wives and significant others must be treated with respect. Eleven: when asked for information, the answer must be the truth. And twelve: money cannot be appropriated if it belongs to other families.”

After his speech, I didn’t hesitate to start asking questions. “Where do the members get the money to pay you?”

“Any deal that goes down or assignment I give usually involves money,” Tom explained. “Whether it’s a major assignment or something a family member picks up on their own, I get some of the cut.”

“Well that doesn’t seem fair,” I said with a slight smirk.

“The life of the mob, baby,” he teased. I chose not to let the nickname get to me and instead laughed and rolled my eyes.

“What kind of assignments do you do?” April asked.

“It varies,” Harrison said. “Sometimes we get hired to take someone out, sometimes we work with local businesses and tell them we’ll protect them in crime-ridden neighborhoods if they pay us.”

“Sounds like a scam,” I said.

Harrison shrugged. “Sometimes it is.”

“We really do try to be honest in as many areas as we can be,” Tom said, “but that’s not always possible.”

“So you call yourselves a family,” April said, “but you and Harrison aren’t related.”

“Family is just how mobs refer to each other,” Tom said.

“And you’re the boss?” I said. He nodded. “What’s everybody else?” “Well,” Tom said, “Harrison is my number two. Officially he’s called the consigliere. Harry and Sam are considered capos. They each have men under them that they order around who do the work that we don’t. That’s what Paddy’ll be eventually, too.”

“Paddy?” April asked.

“My youngest brother.”

“How old is he?” I asked.

“15,” Tom said. “He’ll join when he’s 16.”

“Wow,” I set, stepping back from the punching bag for our next thirty second break. “That’s young.”

“That’s when everyone starts,” Tom said. April stepped away from her bag as well, and we both drank a bit of water.

“How long have we been doing this?” April asked.

“That was our twelfth set,” Harrison said, squeezing April’s shoulder. “Good job.”

“That was rough,” I admitted.

“It’ll get easier the more you do it,” Tom said. “Now, though, I think we should take five and then start working specifically on self defense moves.”

The five minutes went by way too fast, but I didn’t complain. The four of us got into the ring, and Tom and Harrison started walking us through a few defenses. “If someone grabs your shoulders or latches their hands around your neck-” Tom did to me as he was describing. “-step back and duck under their arms.”

“And tighten your neck,” Harrison added. “Give yourself a triple chin.” April and I both giggled as Harrison showed us what he meant. “You want to make your neck as hard as you can because it makes it more difficult for them to penetrate you with something.” We moved to the next position.

“If they get you in a chokehold,” Tom said, putting his arm around my neck while standing behind me, “don’t try to pull their arm away from you. Look what happens when you try that.” I did as he said, and Tom just lifted me up and walked backwards. “Boom, now you’re in the van.” I nodded as he put me back down on the ground. “Instead, you’re kind of going to do the same thing. The same kind of ducking under them.”

“This is more like unraveling from the chokehold,” Harrison said. “You’re going to want to turn your body in the direction of the opening.” He motioned to the arm that wasn’t around April’s neck. “Step forward with your left foot, back with your right foot, and unravel yourself from my grip.” April did as he said, slowly, following along with each direction. “Then,” Harrison said, “push me away, and take off.”

We practiced those routines and a few others until April and I were sufficiently exhausted. “You girls did really well,” Harrison said. Tom nodded along with him and tossed me my water bottle.

“We really appreciate this,” I said. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Harrison said.

“Whoo,” April breathed out, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. “I think I need a shower.” She looked at Harrison with a devious smirk, and I gagged and rolled my eyes.

“Oh!” Harrison said, his face lighting up. “Right. That’s a great idea.” April sent me a wave as she and Harrison jogged out of the gym and back upstairs.

“Charming,” Tom said with a grin. I laughed and nodded, starting to unwrap my hands. “You really did do well,” Tom said. “I know it’s hard, but you’re off to a great start.”

“You think we’ll do this everyday?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I think it couldn’t hurt.” I nodded and handed Tom my wrap so he could wind it back up.

“How often do you do hand-to-hand stuff?” I asked.

“I come down here about once a day,” he said. “If my schedule’s free enough.”

“No,” I said. “I mean, like, when you’re actually out there doing stuff.”

“Oh,” Tom said, furrowing his eyebrows as he finished winding the first wrap. “I don’t know. I guess I do more with guns than anything else.” I nodded and finished unwrapping my other fist. It was weird having casual conversation with Tom that didn’t feel like it was fueled by anger, hatred, and disgust, but I supposed it was something I could get used to.

“Could you teach me?” I asked. He took the wrap and cocked his head to the side.

“Teach you?”

“How to use a gun,” I said. Tom raised his eyebrows before looking down at the wrap to roll it back up. “You don’t have to,” I said, feeling my heart start to hammer in embarrassment. “I just know guns aren’t April’s thing, but I, I don’t know. After everything that happened last night, it’d be nice to know how to use one in case-”

“I get it,” Tom said, cutting me off and nodding. “I completely understand. I, sure, yeah, I can teach you.” I gave him a short nod.

“Cool,” I said. “Thank you.”

“Do you want to start today?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” he said.

“I don’t really want April to know we’re doing it,” I said. “I think it would weird her out.”

“That’s fine,” Tom said. “I’ll tell Harrison to keep her occupied for an hour. I’m sure that won’t be a problem.”

“Great,” I scoffed, shuddering a bit. “Great and gross.”

Tom laughed. “Come on. You can go shower, and we’ll make some lunch. You’re probably hungry.”

“Starving.”

After I showered, I changed into some jeans and a black t-shirt that said c’est la vie in small white font. We ate lunch -sandwiches- and Harrison and April went out to get some coffee. It was a good thing I had asked for the day off, because we had no obligation to be anywhere. When they were gone, Tom asked if I was ready to go practice shooting. I nodded, slipped my black Nikes back on, and followed Tom outside.

I hadn’t realized how big their property was until we started walking across it. We had been walking along a sidewalk for about five minutes when we came across another building, still in their gated property. Tom opened the door for me, and we both stepped in. No one else was there, and Tom told me it was because the range belonged to them and them alone.

Tom walked me over to the arsenal. Tom stared at it for a moment before reaching for a small-

“Pistol,” Tom said, finishing my thought. “A 9mm pistol. It’s what a lot of beginners use for self-defense.”

“Okay,” I said. I reached for the gun, but Tom pulled back.

“Hang on, babe,” he laughed. “There’s a lot we’ve gotta walk through before you even hold this.”

“Alright,” I said with a grin and slight eye roll. Tom pressed the button on the side of the hand grip, and something ejected from the handle.

“This is the magazine,” he said. “It holds the bullets. This one’s empty.” He had grabbed a box of bullets from one of the drawers and showed them to me. He inserted the bullets one at a time with the rounded side forward until the magazine was full. “Now-” He pushed it back in briskly and firmly until it clicked. “-you lock it into place.” He turned the gun and showed me a small lever on the side. “This is the safety,” he said. “You always want to make sure that’s on unless you’re ready to shoot. That’s how idiots blow their dicks off- by shoving it in their pants with the safety off.” I laughed, and Tom grinned. He nodded his head for me to follow him over to the cubicles where you actual shoot at the targets. It looked like the shooting ranges you would see on cop shows. Tom turned the safety off and put his palm on top of the gun. “You pull this back,” he said. “It’s called the slide.” He used his palm to pull it back. “Now you’ve chambered a round. Since this is semi automatic, you’ll only have to do that once. Not every single time you fire.”

I nodded and watched as he properly gripped the gun. “Hold it in your dominant hand, and make sure your pinky, ring, and middle fingers are on the grip. Your pointer should be outside of the trigger. Do not put it on the trigger until you’re ready to shoot. Your finger’s gonna slip, and you’ll shoot before you’re ready.”

“Right,” I said with a nod.

“Put your thumb around it,” he said. “You hold it firmly, but don’t put a death grip on it. Now, ideally, you’ll have both hands free. Not like you’re in a movie, you know, like a gun in each hand.” I smirked and nodded. “So you’ll hold this gun in both hands. You’ll put the heel of your other hand on the exposed parts of the grip. This thumb should be right under and a little bit farther up than your other thumb, and all four of your fingers should be wrapped around the base of the grip, just under the trigger guard and around your other hand. It’s going to feel weird, but the more often you do it, the more normal it’ll feel.”

Tom adjusted how he was standing and explained it to me as he did. “Shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent,” he said. “Square your shoulders and lean forward a little bit. Just your torso. Keep it close to you until you have your target. Figure out which eye is your dominant eye.” He looked at me. “It’s not always the same as your dominant hand. We’ll figure that out when you’re holding it.” He put his arms out straight in front of him. “Don’t lock your arms,” he said. “Just like your legs, just stay a little bent at the elbow. Then, aim, and fire.” I cringed, ready for him to shoot, but he didn’t. “I won’t shoot,” he said, putting the gun down and turning the safety back on. “Not when you don’t have your ear protection. But before we even do that, we need to find your dominant eye.”

“Okay,” I said.

“Make a diamond with your hands,” Tom said. He took both of his hands and put the four fingers on his right hand behind the four fingers on his left hand and slightly overlapped his thumbs so that there was a small circle between his thumbs. I did the same and held them in front of me. “Now-” He turned and faced the wall. There was a circular analog clock hanging on the wall. “-put that clock in the middle of your circle.” I mimicked him. “Close your right eye,” he said, and so I did. “Can you still see the clock?”

“Mhm,” I hummed.

“Okay,” he said. “Now, just to double check, open your right eye and close your left.” I did.

“I can’t see it,” I said before he could ask.

“Good,” he said. “That means your left eye is dominant, so that’s the eye you’ll aim with.”

“Okay,” I said.

Tom and I both put some big earmuffs on and slid on safety glasses. We kept one ear open so we could hear each other speak. “Show me what to do,” Tom said to me. He handed me the gun, and I took a deep breath the minute it was in my hand. It felt weird and heavy and wrong. “Talk me through it.”

I nodded. “I’ll check that it’s loaded.”

“Eh,” Tom said, making a fake buzzer noise.

“I already messed up?” I said, dropping my shoulders.

“Check the safety,” he said.

“Fuck you,” I said with a laugh. “I saw you turn it on.”

“Don’t care,” Tom said, grinning. “Check anyway.” I rolled my eyes and did, “making sure the safety was on” before moving on to the next step.

“Now,” I said, “I check that it’s loaded.” I ejected the magazine, proved that it was loaded, and clicked it into place. “Pull the slide back.” I did. “And hold it-” I looked at Tom. “-correctly.” He smiled and nodded. I was standing in my cubicle lane, but I turned my body so I was facing the targets. I held the gun how I remembered Tom teaching me to.

“Freeze,” Tom said. I did, and Tom moved behind me. “Can I help?” he asked. I nodded. “Alright, I’m gonna put my hands on you, okay?” I nodded again, surprised that he was asking for so much permission during the process. He probably didn’t want to startle me into pulling the trigger. He adjusted my hand a bit and moved my arms so they weren’t as locked as I had had them. “Alright,” he said, his lips close to my exposed ear. “Now, remember, use your dominant eye to aim.” He was whispering, and I could feel every breath he took. “Look through that little notch on the top of the gun,” he said. “That’s how you aim.” I nodded and did as he said. There were two targets on the silhouette. One was on its chest, the other on its head. Tom finally stepped back from me. “Obviously you’re aiming for the x in the middle,” he said, “but don’t get mad if you miss.” I nodded and put my earmuff over my ear.

“Aim,” I whispered to myself, looking through the notch, “and fire.”

I pressed the trigger one time and let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding. I clicked the safety back on and set the gun on the counter. Tom pressed a button on the side of the wall, and the target mechanically moved towards me. The minute it was in front of us, I took off my earmuffs and let them hang around my neck. My jaw dropped, and Tom was silent.

I hit the x I had been aiming for.

Right in the middle of the head.

“You sure you haven’t done that before?” Tom asked. I just shook my head no, still shocked at myself. Tom cleared his throat but also laughed. “Well, shit,” he said. “You’ve got a better shot than Harry.”

“I can’t believe I did that,” I said. I looked at Tom, feeling a smile spread across my face. “Can I do it again?”

“Alright, Bonnie,” he laughed. He pressed the button to send the target back. Once it was in place, he put his earmuffs back on. I did the same. I resumed the shooting position and fired off the rest of the chamber.

By the time I was done, I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face. “I’m so good!” I cheered, bouncing on the balls of my feet.

“You are,” Tom laughed with a nod. I reached out and squeezed Tom’s bicep

“Thank you,” I told him. “For teaching me and, and -I don’t know- being nice to me I guess.” Tom gave me another short nod and a tight-lipped smile. I handed him the gun and we both started putting away the earmuffs and glasses.

“Now,” Tom said, taking the gun and emptying the magazine, “no matter how good you actually are at self defense, you should always make sure someone’s got your six.”

“My six?” I repeated, cocking my head to the side.

Tom chuckled. “Your back. Everyone in your family should always have your back, but you should have one person whose loyalty you never, ever doubt. No matter how often you fight or argue or disagree, you need to know this person will always be looking out for you. For me, it’s Harrison. For you, it’s probably April.”

“How do you know he’s always got it?” I asked.

Tom shrugged. “Just do.”

I nodded in understanding, and Tom and I left the shooting range to go back to the house, walking in comfortable silence.

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

TAGLIST

#tom holland #tom holland imagine #tom holland x reader #tom holland fluff #tom holland angst #tom holland smut #smut #marvel #mob!tom #mob!tom holland #got your six

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bubblyani · 5 years ago

Text

Excuses

(Reggie Kray x Reader)

A Reggie Kray One Shot

Rating: Mature (18+)

Anon Request -Hello! I was wondering if I could request something w/ Reggie Kray. I was hoping you could do something where the reader is basically best friends with Ron but has been secretly dating Reggie for a while and after some time Ron gets curious as to why they both disappear from time to time and kind of walks in on them making out or something then after that day Ron always pokes fun at their relationship whenever he can? You don’t have to write it if you don’t want to but thank you if you do😊💙

Author’s Note: I really hope I did the request justice. Nevertheless, I enjoyed writing it as always. Gave me an excuse to delve into the Legend OST too which was fun. Enjoy!

“So Y/N…”

You stood there before him, nervous yet impatient. Nothing seemed more important than to hear what else he had to say. Involuntarily settling yourself on the chair opposite him, you felt your heart beat out of your chest with such intensity.

Was it possible that you were about to face the ruin of everything?

You wished you knew.

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

(2 days ago)

“ I can see it now. You ...him...with a bunch of rugrats running around the house”

You chuckled, “What have you been smoking Ronnie Kray?”

The E.Pellicci, the pub where the Firm occupied, the place where you worked, and the place where conversations like this was not of the rarity. Chewing down his lunch, Ronnie pointed his jeweled index finger at you.

“I’m telling you...David, he seems right up your fuckin street”

Ronnie Kray may be many things, a Kray twin, a gangster, a possible madman, a loving son and surprisingly your best friend, but a matchmaker? Most definitely not. At least not in your eyes.

With eyebrows furrowed, you had a hard time trying to suppress your amused laughter as he continued to rave about a nice chap he met the night before.

“Well...” you began, with your hands on your hips, “...given how much you’re fond of him, I’d say you’re a lucky lady” you said, ending with giggles before you started to wipe the table next to him.

“I told you I’m a giver, not a receiver” Ronnie said through gritted teeth, “I’m no fuckin faggot” he disliked being teased.

“True...you’re not” you replied, looking at him, “You just like fucking them instead” you added, with a wink. The man behind the bar let out a soft chuckle.

“Getting feisty isn’t she, this one?” He said. Shaking your head, you laughed.

“Hehehe...Thank you, Big Charlie” you said, looking over at your boss.

“The fucking point is, right, is you didn’t show up on Thursday night” Ronnie said, not letting the matter go “Where were you?”

You didn’t know whether he really did hope for your company. Nevertheless, you were touched he cared enough to inquire.

“One of my friends...” you said, leaning against a table “She was...” pausing, you continued, “...in trouble”

“Well, you could’ve just told us...” Ronnie replied, “Big Pat could have taken care of it” he said, indicating the tall, strong man that stood by the door.

“Yeah, well as much as I love Big Pat...” you turned to him whilst wiping your hands with your apron, “ I don’t think this was the kind of help he could give” your voice turned soft as a whisper.

“Message received love” Big Pat smiled as he nodded slightly. You nodded back in kind. “Well I’m sure David will come by tonight to Esmeralda's...Oi Reg!” Ronnie cried out as his brother Reginald Kray entered the pub.

“Yeah well I’m not sure if I’m up for it” you said, “Would you like something Reggie?” You asked, turning to him.

“Just coffee, thanks love” he said, making himself comfortable sitting opposite his brother. Ronnie groaned in disappointment, watching you grab the coffee pot.

“Ah, don’t be such a miserable cunt now”

“Easy there, mate” Reggie interrupted him with an extended arm “Don’t need to go that far”

Chuckling, you walked over to them, “And that��s why you need to be more like Reggie here...”you addressed Ronnie, as you placed the cup of coffee in front of Reggie “You’re such a sweetheart Reg, I’m surprised you don’t have anyone”

“Well, who says I don’t, love?” He said with a grin. You raised your eyebrows, “My my...the plot thickens” you scoffed.

“Well isn’t that lovely Reg...” Ronnie said finishing up the remnants in his plate “I hope I like her” he chewed it with sarcasm, making you giggle.

“Right, I’m off” he said, getting up, “Now don’t you dare forget tonight Y/N” he added as you came over to pick up his empty plate.

You shook your head, “Not promising anything Ronald Kray”

“Ah! Stubborn Cunt you are”

“Come on now, mate” Reggie came to your aid once again. Ignoring all that, Ronnie exited the premises.

You turned to the remaining Kray Twin, “Need anything else, Reggie?” You sounded polite.

“All good, thanks”

The next hour passed by with so much to do. At least from your part. Big Charlie might end up conversing with whichever customer that entered, therefore most duties fell on your shoulders, and you did not mind. Your time was spent productively. No matter who came and left, Reggie Kray remained. With a cigarette in hand, he sipped his coffee. Refills were needed, but he minded his own business.

By around 3pm, the place began to slowly grow empty, leaving Reggie looking confused. Especially when he saw the chairs being put up on the tables.

“Finishing up early Charlie?” He asked.

“That’s right, Reggie” Big Charlie replied, putting on his jacket “It’s me Missus’ birthday”

“Go ahead Charlie, I’ll lock up” you said, as you began to mop the floor. Finishing up his coffee, Reggie got up.

“Right, I’ll keep an eye on her, don’t worry”

With Reggie’s assurance, Big Charlie exited the pub. Watching him walk out, you hoped all would go well while putting up the closed sign. Before you could even shift your thoughts, you felt the atmosphere in the room change, as you felt Reggie’s hands rest on your waist. Turning you to him in a flash, he pulled you close, forcing the mopping brush to drop hard on the floor, while his hungry lips attacked you with much force.

This sort of surprise, this sort of encounter, was nothing unfamiliar.

Kissing him back with equal need, you wrapped your arms around his neck, savoring his kiss flavored with coffee and tobacco, as he lifted you up to place you on the nearest table.

“Fucking hell...” he breathed into your lips, “...this is getting so hard”

“What?”you said playfully, “You mean this?...” you asked, with your bare knee grazing his clothed manhood.

“Cheeky...” He said, giving you a kiss ,”... I mean, sneaking around like this”

Sighing, you nodded. You did not disagree, for he had point.

The fact that you and Reggie Kray have been secret lovers for almost a month, does not make it easy to find the time to be alone together. That time was scarce, it was limited. Pretense was a default mode. And when you made love, indulgence and appreciation was represented by muffled cries or suppressed moans.

“So…” he said, stroking your cheek, “Esmeralda’s tonight?” He asked.

“Oh…” you began, leaning forward to brush your nose against his neck, “I will be at home” you whispered, “…waiting for you” purring, you looked at him before you bit your lower lip.

“As long as you promise to be quiet” Reggie teased, urging you to scoff softly.

“Shut up and kiss me”

The mopping brush will remain on the floor for a few more minutes, until these secret lovers decide to part their lips from each other.

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

(The next day, 1 day ago)

The snap of Ronnie’s fingers sounded so loud, bringing you back from your trail of thoughts while staring into the distance with a glass of sherry on your hand.

Close friends and members of the Firm gathered for a meeting at Kray’s matriarchal household. Once important matters were discussed, then came drinks and catching up.

“What do I have to fucking do, to get you to come to Esmeralda’s again? Put a red carpet?” Ronnie sounded soft, yet irritated.

“Well...that would be nice actually” you sniggered for a second until Ronnie looked away. “Awww...” you cooed, upon seeing his stubbornly upset face, “I’m sorry darling...” you said , leaning in to peck him on the cheek, “I wanted to but...I wasn’t feeling well”

His grunt of forgiveness saved you in the end.

“But I bet you must have had a smashing time” you said, trying to cheer him up, “Wasn’t Reggie there?” You asked, subtly motioning towards him who conversed with Albie in the far corner.

“No...he wasn’t” Ronnie replied, lighting up his cigar “was probably out with his new missus I’m sure”

“Yeah, probably” you muttered, hopelessly taken by how handsome Reggie looked. Only to realize Ron was sitting next to you.

“Wait a Minute, The the last time you weren’t there, so was Reg...” Ronnie began, suddenly in the midst of realization. You grew nervous.

“Really?” Hurriedly, you got up casually ,”Would you excuse me...” you said, as you left him to this thoughts.

As he watched you walk away, as he took a glance at Reg sneakily peaking at you passing him by, Ronnie couldn’t help but wonder.

“Fascinating..” he muttered.

Walking briskly, you found Mrs. Kray busy in the kitchen.

“Oh let me help with that Mrs.Kray” you said cheerfully as you released Violet Kray from washing the plates.

“Ah…aren’t you such an angel” she said, her tone filled with fondness over you. You beamed.

“Actually, Y/N…” she began, “Would you mind terribly if I ask you for a favor?”

Turning to her, you looked at her with eagerness.

“Anything Mrs.Kray”

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

(This morning)

Shutting the car door, Reggie stood in front of the house, filled with doubt.

“Somethin’ wrong Reg?”

Peeping from the window, Frank Shea asked while sitting on the driver’s seat.

“No...” Reggie replied, with his hands in his overcoat pockets, “Just wondering if mum is alright. She was fine last night”

“Well, all she told me was she wanted to see you...” Frank said, “... maybe you should check on her to make sure”

“Hmmm...right” nodding, Reggie set off towards the house, while Frank watched him with a grin on his face.

Knocking on the door was the only option for him, since he forgot the keys in such a hurry. First knock, no answer. Another attempt made, still nothing. Before he could knock once more with concern, he heard a female voice.

“Who is it?” Oddly sounding familiar.

“It’s Reggie...”

His defenses were torn down the moment your inquisitive head popped out from the door.

“Y/N?” He asked, confused.

“And Good Morning to you too” you replied, your hair tied in a soft high bun. Sighing, Reggie moved forward, “Where’s mum? Frank said she was asking for me” his entrance forced you open the door, backing up, “ Didn’t even have breakfast cause I was worried .Fucking starving st-“

He paused, lips parting with surprise the moment he fully turned to face you, and your eye-opening attire.

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

Loving Reggie Kray was indeed wonderful. But it brought out the adventurous side of you as well. Hence, you did not bat an eyelid to miss a chance to spice up a Sunday morning.

Dressed in nothing but a silk robe and lace panties, you made sure your ensemble seemed complete with garter belts and stockings, along with his favorite pair of heels you owned.

Caressed by the softness of the silk, your skin seemed more alive by his stare, which then had turned more towards lustful than confusion. And though you did not see yourself, you were certain your nipples reacted to his stare in an instant, given the fact it appeared to look like two mountain peaks covered with a veil of silk.

“Mrs Kray asked me to watch the place...” you spoke casually, “while she’s away to meet a friend” you said innocently, “ I was just passing the time and missed you oh so badly...” pouting as you watched him slowly walk towards you “I hope you’re not cros-“

His passionate kiss hushed you in an instant while grabbing you by the arm. “With you...never” he whispered , resuming his kiss and deepening it quickly. You heard yourself moan without shame when you felt his hands hold you by the upper waist, allowing his thumbs to encircle your nipples over the silk robe. Fireworks setting off between your thighs, you held on to him by his belt.

Breaking away, he took his time to undo the knot, opening your robe to find those buds fully erect and receptive. You swore you heard him exhale loudly.

“You still hungry?” You asked, pressing yourself against him. Shaking his head, he looked at you.

“Nah..” breathlessly, he replied.

“Well ...” you began, stroking his visible erection over his pants,

“I am”

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

Worried of his brother’s absence, it was no surprise that Ronnie would stop by the house. Frank’s confused expression did not seem to sit well with him as he entered the house.

“Reg?”

Opening the unlocked door, Ronnie looked around with caution as he entered the house.

Worried of his brother’s absence at E.Pellicci this morning, it was no surprise that Ronnie would stop by. And Frank’s confused expression did not seem to bode well with him either.

“Mum?”

With no sign of his mother, he began to scan for signs of intrusion in the living room and kitchen. The steps he took on the staircase were slow yet careful. The moment he reached the top, he paused by a sudden noise. It was a grunt. And it seemed to be originating from Reggie’s room. Drawing out his gun, he slowly walked towards it. Halting by the closed door, he heard another grunt

“For Fucks sakes…” Reggie mumbled,“Hold still...”

Worried, Ronnie did not wait any longer. With all his strength, he kicked the door to watch it open wide. With his gun pointed, Ronnie entered the room, only to drop his jaw with shock. For he saw it all in an flash.

You and Reggie together. Reggie, his brother, sitting comfortably on his bed, eyes closed in upmost pleasure while you stood on your knees between his thighs. Silk robe absent from your torso, your bare back writhed while you held on to his erect shaft, head bobbing back and forth as you feasted on him.

And he also saw how you both retracted in lightning speed, covering oneself and looking away in sheer embarrassment.

He saw it all indeed, with eyes so wide.

“The fuckin’ hell is this?”

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

(Present)

Heels clicked as you ran, as you ran through the streets with worry. This morning was certainly did not not take the adventurous route you expected. And it certainly proved to be nothing but embarrassing.

You wanted to see Reggie. You did not see him since he quickly persuaded Ronnie out of the house this morning after the reveal. Thank goodness he did, for you were able to dress, all the while gathering all forms of composure.

Hoping he’d be there, you slowed down the moment you saw the pub within your eye-line. You took deep breaths, calming oneself before entering. You longed for answers, you longed for reassurance. But as you entered, and found both brothers there, you weren’t sure what you longed for anymore.

“Right on time Y/N…” Big Charlie called out to you, “Go on and serve this to Ronnie now will ya?” He said, unaware of the situation as he handed you a plate of food. Fully aware of the fact you’re currently on the clock, you nodded curtly.

The incident flashing before your eyes on repeat, you walked over to them with such difficulty.

“Here you go Ronnie” you sounded meek, putting the plate down in front of him.

You stood there before him, nervous yet impatient. Involuntarily settling yourself on the chair opposite him and next to Reggie, you felt your heart beat out of your chest with such intensity. Was it possible that you were about to face the ruin of everything? Your friendship with Ronnie? Your relationship with Reggie?

You wished you knew.

“So Y/N…” he said.

Involuntarily settling yourself on the chair opposite him and next to Reggie, you felt your heart beat out of your chest with such intensity. Especially when Ronnie began to continue:

“How the fuck did my brother taste?”

Your eyes never grew this wide with shock, until today.

“W-What?”

Slamming his fist on the table, Ronnie Kray began to burst out laughing.

Rolling your eyes, you could not help but bow your head down with embarrassment. As you watched him point at the both of you, you knew you will not hear the end of it.

“Oi!! It’s not funny Ron...” Reggie snapped, placing his hand on your shoulder.

“Maybe for you...” Ronnie said, clapping his hands , “but it fuckin is for me” he added with joy.

“Oh my god...” you shook your head.

“Oh my god...??” He repeated, leaning in “Did you shag her up good to make her say that, Reg?”

Face turning tomato red, you were drowning with embarrassment as you put your head on the table, unable to look at your friend.

“Y/N and Reggie! Fuckin brilliant!” Ronnie cried out, stuffing a cigar between his teeth.

Turning your head, you stealthily caught Reggie’s glance. With his hand moving to your back, he winked at you in comfort.And that’s when you finally found your smile. A smile of relief. With a realization.

For the secret was finally out in the open. And thankfully no bridges were burnt down because of it. Nothing was to be sacrificed either. A little embarrassment from Ronnie Kray was worth enough to bring in freedom to this blooming love, and a halt to all those silly excuses.

___________________________________________

A/N: To the Anon who requested to this, I hope you enjoyed it. And to the other readers i hope the same <3

Tagged: @starlightmornings @rogerfxckingtaylor @thisisjeany

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ella-se-vuelve-loca · 5 years ago

Text

Chapter 9

Grand Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Previous Chapter

“Can you guys hear me?” I heard Chris ask the cncowners on his live stream he’s doing with Zabdiel. They waited a few moments as comments started pouring in greeting them. “Aye! Hahaha how is everyone? Good?” Chris asked as Zabdiel was reading some of the comments.

Ring

I looked down and saw that (Y/N) was calling my phone. A smile immediately came onto my face as I answered her call.

“Hello?”

“Hey!” It’s like I could feel her smiling on the other line.

“What’s up?” I asked and I could hear some shuffling in the background. “Well, I finally checked out that Netflix Series you were telling me about.”

“Oh, really?” I chuckled. “And?..”

“You were right.. It’s so addicting!” I laughed and played with some of the rings on my fingers. “Right? I told you. I have good taste.”

“I can’t believe I’ve been putting it off for this long. I’m such an idiot.” She laughed as I leaned my head back on the chair I’m sitting on. “I meaannn… you’re not wrong. You can be a dork sometimes.”

“Speak for yourself. You can be a dork as well.” She immediately fired back at me. “Yeah, but I’m your dork.” I mumbled and made sure no one else could that but her. I looked back over to where Chris and Zabdiel are siting and I realized that they were both looking at me... I guess I might’ve been laughing too much? I shrugged my shoulders at them as they got back to talking to the cncowners.

I stood up from my seat and started walking towards the door to go into the hallway. “A dónde vas?” Zabdiel asked as I opened the door, holding the phone close to my ear. “I’ll be right back..” I said and made my way out of the room. “Hey uh now that I have you on the line with me, can I ask you a quick question?” I asked.

“Sure! What’s up?”

“Are you free tomorrow evening?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Mhmm there’s a place I would like to take you and I think you’ll really enjoy it.”

“Where would we be going if I say ‘yes’ to this little adventure of yours?”

“It’s a surprise. All I ask is that you might wanna wear something comfortable and to bring a sweater.. so, what do you say? Will you go out with me tomorrow?”

“I’d have to say that you are something else, Joel.” She laughed. “But sure, I’m free tomorrow. Is there anything else I should bring, Pimentel?” She joked. “Only your cute self.” I smiled as I could picture her blushing at my comment. “Where are we going?” She tried once again to figure out my plans.

“Ah-ah-ah I see what you’re trying to do there. Nice try, but like I told you, it’s a surprise.” I looked back at the door where Chris and Zabdiel sat inside. “Darn it. I thought you wouldn’t catch it and tell me without even realizing.”

“I’m just that good.” I chuckled. “Anyways, I’ll pick you up at 8?”

“It’s a date.”

“I’ll see you then, princesa.”

“I’ll see you then.” I smiled and hung up the phone after we said our goodbyes and walked back into the room occupied by two of my friends. “Hey, guys.” I spoke as I walked towards them both. “What are you guys doing?” I asked.

“Estamos haciendo un Q&A.” Chris said as he looked back to the screen and picked out a question to answer. “Who were you talking to just now?” Zabdiel asked as I looked down at Chris. “I think it was just a friend of his.” Chris spoke for me and brushed it off as Zabdiel slowly nodded and got back to answering questions. I patted Christopher’s shoulder as if saying “thank you” that he covered for me.

That was way too close.

I forgot for a second that they were doing a live and I could’ve blown this whole thing up within seconds. She has to stay a secret. When I break this off with her and get Emilia, then it’ll just be between us and the public wouldn’t know about this. I know this is still very douchebag of me doing this, but I can feel it. I can feel this going my way soon and I’ll get what I want in the end.

I can feel something is about to change or like something is about to happen. I just don’t really know what yet…

“So you’re really not gonna tell me where we are headed?” She asked me as she strapped her seatbelt on and looked over at me. I shook my head and started driving away, heading over to our destination. “I thought you said ‘patience is a virtue’?” I smiled. “Besides, it’s not that far from here anyways.”

We continued to talk as soft jazz music played in the background until we finally made it to where I had planned our date. “We’re here.” I said as I unstrapped my seatbelt.

“The beach?” I nodded and opened my car door before running over to her side and opening her side of the car. “Thank you.” She smiled and at me and got out as I stood behind her. “The water is gonna be cold if we get in.”

“True, but we’re not here to swim..” I slowly turned her chin towards where we were going to be seated at and leaned down close to her ear and spoke. “We’re just gonna have a little picnic.” I chuckled and took her hand in mine, pulling her towards me as we walked on the cold sand. “It’s simple, but sometimes simple is the best way to go.”

She looked at the picnic I had set for the both of us and smiled. “It’s perfect. I love it..” We got ourselves settled on top of the blanket as I had a spare one next to me. Instead of sitting down, we ended up lying down on our sides, hoisting our bodies up by our elbows. “Uh.. champagne?” I asked as I held up the bottle from the basket next to us as she held up the two glasses. “Of course.”

We both clinked our glasses together as she took a sip. I couldn’t help but notice how.. beautiful she looked tonight. I don’t know if it’s the sunset beaming on her skin or how little makeup she wore, but something about her was just drawing me in. I took a sip from my drink and placed it on top of the blanket.

“This definitely is a nice surprise.” She spoke. “I’m glad you like it..” We both looked at the waves in front of us and could hear the water crashing together. “You said you thinking spot and one of your favorite places to be was underneath a.. willow tree? That’s what they’re called, right?” I asked as she nodded.

“Well, my thinking spot is when I’m around water. Whether I’m at the beach, or I’m on a bridge that’s over some water, a swimming pool or even in the shower.” I chuckled. “Something about it is just so relaxing to me and I feel like I can breathe.. be lost in my own thoughts.”

I’ve never really confessed this to anyone, now that I think about it.

Her thinking spot is under a tree and mine is by an ocean of some kind. What goes better than land and water?

I looked up at her and saw her glancing over at the small waves as she let out a sigh. “It’s a good place to think. It sure is beautiful..”

“Yeah.. very beautiful..” She glanced back at me and noticed how I was looking at her and not the view in front of us. A blush spread across her cheeks as she played with the glass of champagne in her hands. I reached over to the basket and pulled out two sandwiches and handed her one.

“Would you care for a sandwich, m’lady?” I asked as she laughed. “Don’t mind if I do, good sir.” She took it out of my hands and took a bite. “Mmm.. avocado?” I laughed and nodded. “Yeah, I like to add it to my sandwiches. It gives it a whole new taste and takes it to the next level. If you don’t like it, I have a few ones that don’t have any.”

“Are you kidding? This is so good! Kind of reminds me of a torta, I’m not gonna lie.” She laughed and took another bite. “A lot of people don’t like them and I’m always like how can you not? It’s delicious.” I took a bite of my own and smiled. “It’s a good fat.” She laughed.

We continued to chat and eat while it got darker and darker.

“Okay okay uh if you were in a TV show or movie, would you rather be the hero or the villain?” I asked her as we looked up at the stars above us from were we lied down. “I think I’d like to play the villain just because I feel like you get to have more fun. I mean don’t get me wrong, It’d be cool to play the hero but… the costumes and the dialogue of the villains always look so much cooler, in my opinion.”

“Really?” She nodded and asked a question of her own. “If a genie granted you 3 wishes right now, what would you wish for?” I thought for a moment as I absentmindedly played with a strand of her hair. “Uhh.. pfft.. to eat anything and never get sick or fat, to get mi caballito azul back and.. for this moment right here, right now, to never end..” I looked down at her and I swear the stars didn’t compare to how pretty her eyes looked in the moonlight.

“… Wait.. what’s your caballito azul?” She asked and I laughed. “Long story short, when I was little, I l grew up with my grandparents and I used to have this blue toy horse and I would always play with it. One day, I lost it and I would cry out ‘Caballito azul! Caballito azul!’ and I never saw it again.”

“Wow, must have been so traumatic for you.” She laughed. “Hey! I’ll have you know it was haha!” I looked back up at the sky and sighed. “Okay, my turn… what’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done in public?” She immediately covered her face and groaned. “There’s so many things, oh my God! I was dreading this question!”

“C’mon! Tell me one!”

“Uh.. okay, I can tell you one thing I did when I was younger.”

“I’m all ears.” She chuckled, cleared her throat and began telling her story. “So, I’m a pretty clumsy person by default, okay?” She laughed. “One time, I was trying to get the attention of this one guy I liked when I was younger and for so long, he just didn’t seem to notice me. The one time he decides to look over my way, I’m going up the stairs and.. haha I fucking trip and my body just slid when I got to the top. I was mortified!”

I burst out laughing as her face turned completely red. “I was like ‘Oh! Well, he notices me now when I’m doing some stupid shit. That’s just great.’ I couldn’t believe it.” She chuckled. “How do you fall going up?”

“I don’t know! I just did!”

“But that’s – ”

“I know!”

“So did he – “

“Nope.”

“Damn.”

Our laughter died down as I found myself looking into her eyes once again. Why are they so captivating? Why can’t I look at anything else but her? A slight breeze hit our skins as I saw her shiver a little besides me. “You cold?” I asked. “Just a little..” I sat up as she followed my movements while I grabbed the extra blanket I had brought just in case it got a bit chillier. “Here..” I placed the blanket onto her and she held it close to her body. “Thank you.. aren’t you cold too?”

“Nah, I can handle it.” I brushed it off and looked back at the waves. “I don’t want you to be cold, and it’s not fair that I’m the only one with a blanket, that you brought by the way. Plus, I have extra room so..” She came closer, her body next to mine, and shared the covers with me. “There, now we can both be warm.” She smiled at me as I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Thank you..”

Silence…

I hoped she couldn’t hear the sound of my heart thumping rapidly inside my chest. I’ve never held someone like this so close to me and feel so.. comfortable. It just feels so right. I looked down at her and slowly lifted her chin up so she can face me properly. My eyes drifted from her own to her mouth. I parted her lips open slightly with my thumb as my hand went to cup her face and glance back up into her eyes.

They look so soft. I wonder what they would feel like.. against mine.

I slowly leaned down and hovered mine over hers, testing to see if this is okay. She didn’t pull away as I stayed there for a moment, hesitating if I should do this.

I want to.

I really, really want to.

“… Are you.. gonna kiss me or not?” Her voice was so soft that I almost didn’t catch it. It was almost so hard to believe.

I slowly pushed my lips against hers and it felt as if time had stopped and nothing else mattered but her. I moved strands of hair away from her face while she played with my curls. This feels.. good.. too good. It was like a fire ignited inside my bones and I became addicted to how soft they felt against mine.

We pulled away and it was as if I came back to reality and remembered where we were. I looked back up at her and smiled. “.. Come back here..” I pulled her in for another kiss and held her body close to mine, smiling against her lips.

“I had a really great time tonight, Joel..” She spoke as I had walked to her to doorstep. “I did too..” It was as if we were both thinking the exact same thing because the next thing I knew, I had her pinned against her front door while locking lips with her.

I don’t want to stop, but I have to…

One of my hands were on her hips while the other was pinned over her head. We pulled away and I could feel her breath against my own as I gave her one last sweet short kiss. I slowly pushed myself away from her and started walking backwards.

“Goodnight, (Y/N)…”

“Goodnight, Joel…”

I smiled at her and made my way back towards my car. I got inside and waited for her to go in her house before I started driving away.

Only one word came into my mind at this moment.

Woah…

Next Chapter

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snarkwriteswrasslin · 5 years ago

Text

FFT: sweet boy; jungle boy

Notes:

So this was originally sent in to my asks on my main by @adampage and I had to post it here, give it it’s own lil space. Was really having fun writing this. Really do enjoy writing Jungle Boy, so maybe you guys will see him more on here? who knows..

Summary:

Bianca’s sister brings her along on the cruise. Where she meets Jack. And perhaps a cruise ship flirtation begins? Fluffy af.

Warnings:

uhh.. fluff. that’s it.

Pairing:

Jungle Boy x OFC, Bianca

“Wow… This is..” Bianca trailed off mid-sentence, trying to find the right word to properly express herself in this situation. Her eyes darted around and by default, she found herself squishing a little closer to her older sister because there were just so many people. So.Many.

“Amazing, right? This is gonna be so much fun!” Allie hugged her younger sister tight, giggling as she did so. “ I’m so glad you decided to come with me instead of going to Cancun with Pip and the other girls from your dorm.” Allie released her sister from the hug and after spotting Butcher, Blade, and MJF, she made a beeline straight for them. She didn’t even realize that Bianca wasn’t with her until she was over where they were, talking to the three men.

Bianca took a deep breath as big brown eyes darted around the sheer mass of people milling around on the deck of the Norwegian Pearl. “It’s certainly something.” Bianca swallowed hard as she said it, trying to get her bearings and get used to the gentle swaying of the docked boat.

… This is going to be fun. You’re spending time with your sister. You’re on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean… The thought was meant to be reassuring, but somehow, it also slightly freaked the 20-year-old brunette out also. She’d never been on a cruise ship before in her entire life.

This kind of stuff was Allie’s thing, not her own. Not that she wasn’t determined to enjoy the occasion and come away with memories from it, but she just.. Wasn’t the outgoing butterfly her older sister was.

Hence her, a college student trying to major in Early Childhood Education and her sister, the glamorous and badass professional wrestler that everyone knew from AEW. If she had the choice, she’d still choose her way hands down.

Not that she didn’t secretly envy her sister’s ability to win over crowds and get on television in front of millions of people every week, of course. She just knew that her even attempting it would lead to a mass panic attack on her part.

Somewhere in the time she’d been talking to her sister and managed to get lost in her own thoughts, her sister had taken off, making a beeline for friends of hers. It left Bianca to stand there, a hand in her hair and her nose wrinkled as she shuffled her feet awkwardly and her eyes darted around in the hopes of finding her sister. “Damn it, she always does this.” the words were muttered softly just as someone crashed full force right into her back and she stumbled forward just a little bit.

The husky laugh had her stomach fluttering lazily and a pair of strong arms wrapped around her midsection keeping her from crashing to the deck. She turned around, swallowing hard as her eyes settled on him.

“I’m so sorry. So sorry.” Bianca said it in a rush and her stammered apology was met with his puzzled stare. JB chuckled, shaking his head. He let her go so that she could stand and raised his hand, dragging it through a wild mess of light brown curls. “You didn’t do anything though?”

“I should’ve been more aware of what was going on around me?” Bianca questioned, her eyes settling on his and almost immediately getting lost in the depth of them. JB found himself stepping just a little closer when he saw the breeze sort of swaying her. As his hand brushed her hip, she bit her lower lip and raised her hand, fingers tangling in the ends of long dark hair.

“It wasn’t your fault. Trust me.” JB insisted. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t just drag himself out of the depths of her eyes. The wind picked up just a little more and she swayed where she stood a little bit as a result. Before he could stop himself, his hand was gently gripping her hip and resting there lazily. “You’re not used to boats, are you?”

Bianca’s cheeks heated and she gave a soft laugh as she shook her head no. “I’m also not used to there being so many people. And naturally, my sister, she.. She basically hauled ass the second she spotted some of the guys she works with.”

“Your sister works with AEW?” JB studied her intently. No, she didn’t look familiar at all, he’d never seen her before in his life. But he just felt this.. Strong magnetic pull to her.

Bianca gave a soft laugh and nodded. “Allie.”

“Oh, Allie! That’s cool. I’m actually on the roster too. My name is Jack.” Jack chuckled as he found himself gazing intently at her lips. And then, alternately, her eyes and the dusting of pale freckles over the bridge of her nose. She was honestly, hands down, the prettiest girl he’d ever seen before in his life. And he got this distinct feeling that maybe this one time, whatever he happened to feel just might be mutual. She certainly seemed to be staring right back, giggling quietly, blushing and fidgeting. Not to mention, he found himself realizing it, she keeps moving to stand closer to me with all these people around. Kinda like she feels safe.

That thought had a bit of a smile playing at his mouth.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jack. I’m Bianca.”

“Binx, there you are! I was wondering where you got off to. C’mon, I wanted you to meet the guys.” Allie appeared at her side suddenly, talking a mile a minute and laughing.

Bianca took a deep breath, her nose wrinkling. “Just a minute, I’m kinda talking?” Bianca muttered to her sister as she looked over at her, kind of trying to subtly nod towards Jack and hint that she’d really like to continue talking to him.

Allie glanced from Jungle Boy to her sister and back again, giving her sister hints of a teasing look. “Oh. Oh. I’m gonna go up to the bar with the guys and talk strategy. You two have fun. And Jack?”

“Yeah?” Jack met Allie’s gaze and he almost wanted to laugh when she eyed him and replied calmly, “Hurt my sister and I hurt you, kid.”

“Jesus, Allie, just goooooo!” Bianca was blushing almost scarlet red as she gaped at her older sister. Naturally, Allie was going to turn this into a big deal when it was merely two people talking to one another.

… oh, but I definitely wouldn’t mind if there was more to it than that… the thought settled lazily in her mind and wouldn’t be ignored or denied, no matter what she tried. As soon as Allie was out of sight, Bianca flashed a smile at Jack. “So, do you maybe wanna show me around, Jack? I’d really like that.”

Before he even got a word out, Marko and Joey were rushing towards him, hollering his name, laughing and shoving at each other and when they stopped beside him, at him. The two were already soaking wet, they’d obviously gone straight up to the topmost deck and dove into the pool. Joey shook out his hair and both JB and Bianca shared a look and wiped at themselves as water settled on their skin.

“There you are, buddy! We were lookin all over for you!” Joey stopped short, a teasing gleam in his eyes and a smirk on his face almost the second he realized that Jack wasn’t alone.

Apparently, the reason JB hadn’t been right behind them ready and raring to jump into the pool, was because he’d seen a girl and unlike usual, he’d struck up a conversation.

“Who’s your friend, Jack?” Joey asked the question not meaning any harm or anything whatsoever in asking it, but he got the distinct feeling that for whatever reason, Jack was not taking the question that way. And that Jack was maybe even a little wary and jealous because he’d asked it.

Jack didn’t know whether to clench his jaw and glare at Joey or chuckle and smile. He also didn’t know why he suddenly felt… Well, protective. Daresay even a little jealous and wary at Joey’s gazing at her and the questions he was asking, in the tone he was asking them in. He stepped closer to Bianca before he even realized it, standing behind her. The way he stood revealed that her head hit perfectly in the center of his chest and the thought had the slightest hint of a smirk tugging at his mouth.

Bianca glanced from man to man, her cheeks heating in a deep blush. She found herself sort of getting the sense that right now, for whatever reason, Jack was on edge and as a result, she felt herself getting a little edgy too and stepping closer to Jack as a result. The back of her head rested almost lazily against the center of his chest and she finally managed to speak up.

“I’m Bianca.”

“Yeah, I met her when Stunt was being a dick earlier and shoved at me when we were running past her. Kinda fell into her.” Jack uttered calmly, a quiet chuckle as soon as he’d said it.

Joey chuckled and nudged Marko. “Hey, let’s leave these two alone. We’ll see you later, right Jack?”

“Yeah, later.” JB answered, giving Marko a firm silencing look as soon as Marko went to open his mouth to say something.

After his friends walked away, Bianca turned to face him, staring up at him in curiosity. “Everything okay? You tensed up..”

JB chuckled. “Everything’s fine. C’mon. I believe I promised to show you around the ship?” he slipped an arm around her. Not only so they wouldn’t get separated in the large and growing crowd around them, but just because he… Wanted to. He needed to make one thing absolutely clear to the guys he worked with.. And to anyone else on the ship.

Yeah, maybe he was unofficially officially calling dibs on the petite brunette his arm was currently around.

They pushed through the crowd and Bianca spoke up, raising to tiptoe to whisper against his ear when he found somewhere to stop their walk. “Hey, if you wanna, we can go up to the top deck where the pool is… With your friends?”

JB mulled it over and shook his head, chuckling. “Nah. This is fine. This is better than fine, actually. Are you hungry? We can go find food..”

Bianca’s smile could’ve outshined the sun in his opinion and he reached out, smoothing brunette strands back behind her ear as the wind blew them into her eyes all over again. She gave a soft laugh and nodded, holding her fingers up just a few centimeters apart to indicate that she was maybe just a little hungry.

JB laughed and smiled at her. “Yeah, we’ll go find somethin’ to eat then.” they started to walk again, finding a relatively quieter restaurant on the deck and making their way inside, choosing a back of the room booth with a decent view of the ocean through its window.

They picked up the menus, scanning over the food choices quietly. There wasn’t any really heavy and uncomfortable tension in the silence. It felt nice to Bianca. To just sit across the booth from him in silence. That being said, she did realize that they could get to know each other better. He seemed to have the same idea, because he started to ask her questions about herself.

She’d answer, asking him questions in return, gaping when she realized that he’d been doing this essentially his whole life. JB wanted to kick himself when he asked her about college and she said something about being an elementary science teacher and he responded with something he had no doubt in his mind Janela would’ve said, immediately following with an apology, “Yeah, if you’d been my teacher I definitely would’ve paid more attention… Shit.. I’m sorry, that was so lame.”

“No, no.. You’re good. It’s flattering?” Bianca bit her lip as she felt herself blushing all over again, bold enough to meet his gaze and wink. “ I might have to watch your match tonight, actually. Just to see you in action.”

“Oh, I’d totally like that.” JB said it quick. Almost too eagerly. He almost wanted to choke himself just so he’d stop saying things off the top of his head, but he had a feeling that no matter how hard he tried to stop himself from doing it, he’d never be able to with Bianca. He felt relieved as soon as he realized she seemed to be having the same issue.

“Well then, in that case.. I’ll come watch you guys tonight. Ignore me if I yell something stupid that pertains to another sport, I’m… a goofball.” Bianca wanted to punch herself. There was a line between being a flirt and being an airhead and secretly, she was afraid she was blurring it at best and crossing it at worst.

JB laughed and shook his head. “Oh no, nope. I’m definitely going to remind you what you yelled later.”

“Nooo.” Bianca raised her hands to her face as she gave a soft giggle that made him smile even more. JB reached out, grabbing her hands and lowering them. And yeah, maybe he sort of held onto them a little longer. “Don’t do that.” he muttered it softly, not able to stop himself before it came rushing out. “Hides that pretty face.”

“Shhh. You need glasses, sir.”

JB swallowed hard at the teasing way she said Sir. He wouldn’t admit to it just yet, but hearing her say it like that.. Definitely stirred him up. He chuckled quietly and shook his head, leaning in a little. His hands still rested on top of her hands on the tabletop between them. “ No, I don’t actually.”

Bianca’s teeth snagged at her lower lip and his eyes darted down to it, the subtle movement calling even more attention to her mouth, not that he hadn’t been paying attention to it enough already. She laughed softly and shook her head, disagreeing. “I think you do.”

“Nope.”

“Yep.”

#jungle boy fanfiction #jungle boy fanfic #jungle boy fic #jungle boy oneshot #jungle boy imagine #// fluffy af #// that's pretty much the only warning #// cruise ship romance ftw

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stellarlex · 5 years ago

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The Fog is Lifting (2/?) - Miraculous Ladybug

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As everyone got settled down and began passing along the box of snacks, Mylene began to settle into her default state.

Wary.

Despite wanting to share the evidence she'd just gathered, she'd held off, deciding that it would be best if they were in a more secure location rather than stand in front of the empty school. At that point, Mylene realized that while she'd wanted them to gather for a meeting, they hadn't actually discussed or even agreed on the place to do it. Thankfully, Alya, who was more than experienced with half-baked plans and ideas thanks to being Marinette's best friend, easily found the solution.

She suggested her own place in exchange for helping watch over her rowdy younger sisters. It'd just so happened that her mother had an overnight shift at the Grand Paris Hotel, and thanks to a new animal display at the zoo, so would Alya's father. At first, it'd been decided that Alya's older sister Nora would be watching the twins, but after some Cesaire finesse, a deal was struck where Nora would have the night off and they would watch the twins while having an impromptu sleepover. A brief period of getting parental consent and gathering their own necessities, and they were all gathered in Alya's living room. The twins had already been put to bed after a while of playing around, and thankfully went down without much of a fuss. With Ella and Etta out of the way, they were now waiting for Mylene to speak, since she was the one to call the meeting.

Oh joy, she thought. All eyes are on me.

Yay.

Thankfully, it was Alix who gave Mylene the opening she was struggling to come up with due to their scrutiny.

"Alright Mylene, you wanted a meeting, you got a meeting. Now what's all this crap about Marinette and Lila that's so bad that we had to keep everything hush hush? And what about that video you didn't let us see? Not to mention following Lila."

The others nodded in agreement, and Mylene took a deep breath in, and let it out. She had to remember that this was bigger than her. This was not just for her friend, but their friend, Marinette, and Mylene felt that she owed it to Marinette for everything she'd done for everyone in this room to fight on her behalf. Especially since....well, they didn't exactly take her seriously and brushed aside her feelings and concerns as nothing but petty jealousy.

This was her chance to make things right.

"I called this meeting, because after seeing some things today, I believe that what Marinette was telling us about Lila is the truth, that she really is a liar and has been lying to us from the very beginning." Mylene said, making sure to look each of them in the eye as she spoke to convey how serious she was being.

A few moments passed, before a snort was heard and raucous laughter filled the room as the other girls began to laugh. None were laughing harder than Alya, who was leaning against Alix to support her weight as she held her stomach with both arms, a tear making it's way down her face.

Alix recovered first, her voice still bubbly with laughter as she pointed to Mylene. "Has Marinette been filling your head with nonsense again? Seriously what'd she say this time, that Lila lied about Jagged stone having a cat? Or her Tinnitus? Come on, Mylene get real."

Mylene watched, saddened and horrified as the other girls agreed with Alix's statement, still somewhat laughing. Is this how Marinette felt, she wondered. Is this how Marinette felt when she came to them, herself included, to tell them about Lila? Betrayed, sad, and horrified that the people she trusted didn't take her seriously? That no matter what she said, no matter how much longer she'd known them, that it was her word against Lila's?

Blinking back tears, Mylene clenched her teeth and her fists. Oh no, she thought. Not this time. This time was going to be different, because she was going to make sure it was different. To see what Lila truly was, and then not be believed because of pretty words and even mocked......

To know that Marinette had gone through this, and that she herself had once participated in it, made her feel deeply ashamed.

And angry.

"This isn't a joke! I'm telling the truth!"

Silence followed Mylene's outburst. Of course it did, when was she ever one to yell and be angry? When was she ever the one to command attention and respect?

Never, and that's why, as she watched all of the girls straighten up and lose their humor and mirth, Mylene herself began to straigthen up herself. She would not be meek under their stares and their jeers. She would not be dismissed. And most importantly, she wouldn't let them treat her the way they treated Marinette.

"Alright Mylene, lets not give Hawk Moth any extra ammo tonight..." Alix said, her eyes glancing around for any sign of butterflies. The others nodded their agreement, their expressions now apprehensive after Mylene's outburst.

Mylene clicked her tongue and glared. "This isn't a game Alix. I'm being serious. Marinette was right. Lila is a liar and things haven't been right ever since she came here."

Alix glared right back, crossing her arms and legs. "And how do you figure that? What did Marinette say to convince you that Lila is a liar? Lila has been nothing but nice since she got here. It ain't fair that she has to be victim to Marinette's stupid jealousy."

"She didn't say anything." Mylene said crossing her arms right back. She wasn't gonna let Alix intimidate her. "Everything that I'm about to tell you, happened today, while Marinette was either alseep or elsewhere. Marinette is completely innocent in all of this."

Mylene then turned to Alya, who, despite Mylene's outburst, seemed to still have a bit of humor in her eyes. "Alya, you were sitting next to Marinette before you switched with Adrien, right? You even boarded the train with her if I'm not mistaken."

Alya nodded. "Well yeah, she is my best friend. Poor girl was so tired, and she said that she'd been up late trying to figure out a way to confess to Adrien. She was so happy when I showed her the picture of her and Adrien asleep together." Alya then proceeded to pull out her phone and show said picture, which of course was adorable.

All the girls, even Mylene cooed over the picture before Mylene shook herself and began to get serious again. It wouldn't do to get distracted, no matter how cute the picture was. "Okay, do you at any time remember Marinette and Lila interacting during that first train ride to London before Max's mom was akumatized?"

Alya's expression changed as she began to think, her brows furrowing and her lips down-turned just a bit before she shook her head in denial. "No, Marinette was pretty much just staring at Adrien before she fell asleep. I walked to our seats with her. Before long she was out like a light."

Rose raised her hand, and Mylene nodded at her to answer. "Mylene, what's the point of all these questions? We all know that Marinette and Adrien fell asleep together. Where does Lila fit in with that?"

Mylene nodded and turned to address them all equally. "This is to establish that Lila and Marinette had no contact during that first train ride, mostly due to Marinette being asleep."

"Yeah, and what's the point of that?" Alix said before grabbing a croissant and taking a large bite, which she then used to point at Mylene. "What does anything about that have to do with Lila?"

Mylene frowned. "It has everything to do with Lila, since while Marinette and Adrien were napping together, Lila glared at Marinette then got up to interrupt them before Alya thankfully stopped her."

Mylene could see the skepticism in their gazes, but it was Juleka who chose to challenge Mylene's words.

"Mylene, we all heard what Lila said. She was just gonna ask Marinette to help her with her motion sickness. That's not really proof that Lila is a liar."

"Oh really? Then why wouldn't she go to the bathroom first if she was feeling nauseous? She was walking pretty fast towards Marinette. If she was actually sick from motion sickness, it would be pretty bad if she had gone to Marinette and accidentally puked on her wouldn't it? And if Lila already knew that she gets motion sickness, why didn't she prepare, or even go to Mme. Bustier about her problem? This was the first time we'd ever heard her say she gets motion sickness, and it seems pretty convenient that this illness excuse comes up right when Alya catches her trying to wake Marinette up. But I watched Lila when we went to the last car of the train to safety. Despite floating in space she didn't look nauseous at all. I would think that if she really was motion sick, that her stomach wouldn't have agreed so well with zero gravity. But she looked perfectly fine."

Alya rolls her eyes. "So what are you trying to say? That Lila was trying to break up Marinette and Adrien sleeping together?"

Mylene nods. "That's exactly what I'm saying. While we were all thrilled at them being together, Lila was the only one who wasn't. I was sitting up in my seat to watch Marinette and Adrien's nap just like the rest of you, but I was the only one who was able to see Lila's reaction clearly. She glared at Marinette the moment she saw her together with Adrien, and then immediately got up to try and wake Marinette up. She even glared at you and Sabrina when your backs were turned, right after she said that Sabrina was being sweet for helping her with her motion sickness."

"But that's impossible," Alya said. "Nino told me, that Lila told him, that she didn't like Adrien like that. Why would she try to break Marinette and Adrien up on the train if she didn't like him romantically? I'm telling you, Marinette's just jealous. She always gets like this when it looks like someone is after Adrien, you all know this. We've seen it."

The others nodded and Mylene glared at Alya, who frowned back uneasily. "Mylene, you're starting to creep me out. What's really going on here?"

"What's going on here, is that you're all treating me like we treated Marinette whenever she told us that Lila was lying. How is it that when Marinette and I, two friends who you've all known longer than Lila say that she's lying, suddenly it's like we're the liars? You're dismissing both Marinette and I's feelings and the evidence that I have-"

"What evidence?" Alya said, crossing her arms. "Because all I'm hearing is everything Marinette was telling us, and even then she couldn't prove anything. I'm telling you, I know that girl. This is just jealousy. She'll get over it and see that Lila is cool."

As the others began to agree with Alya, Mylene realized the truth in what Alya said. Marinette had been prone to jealousy in the past. It was just a fact, but that fact made all the difference as Mylene put on her most serious face and addressed all of them.

"If everything you're saying about Marinette is true, then what's my motive?"

Alya turned back towards Mylene, a confused frown on her face. "What do you mean what's your motive?"

"I mean, Alya," Mylene said. "What's my motive for siding with Marinette? It can't be that I like Adrien. We all know that I love Ivan and have never even thought of Adrien that way. So I can't be jealous of Lila like you claim Marinette is. In fact, I was right there with you all dismissing Marinette's claims whenever she told us Lila was a liar. And we've all established that Marinette was sleeping and had no prior contact with Lila before Lila attempted to wake Marinette up. I certainly didn't speak to Lila, and she didn't say anything to me. What reason do I have to turn against Lila and side with Marinette Alya? And you also talk about proof, but what proof do you have that Lila isn't a liar? Did you ever check out any of what she was telling you for your blog?"

Alya looked smug and was opened her mouth to speak before pausing and closing it, a contemplative look on her face. She looked up at Mylene, who just crossed her arms and smiled a bit, smug and confident. "Don't worry, I'll wait. Take all the time you need."

Alya frowned but went back to thinking. Everyone watched Alya's face morph into different emotions. Contemplation, annoyance, frustration, the last, and something Mylene had been hoping to see.

Doubt.

Alya looked around at the others, finally appearing to be done thinking, and all former traces from her earlier humor were now completely gone. "Girls, Mylene has a point."

Alix, Juleka and Rose looked at each other before Alix turned back to Alya. "What do you mean? Don't tell me you buy this."

"I mean," Alya said, frowning a bit. "that Mylene doesn't have a motive. She was right, she doesn't like Adrien and loves Ivan. I certainly don't remember her talking to Lila during that first train ride, nor the second one either. In fact, I remember her sticking close to Ivan during the entire trip...."

"And I stuck with Ivan the entire trip, before and after what I saw go down. I kept my eye on Lila after that. After what I saw, just being around her gives me the creeps."

"Oh come on!" Alix said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "That's going too far Mylene. Lila gives you the creeps now? I'm not buying it. You know what, I'll give one major motive as to why you're saying this, you're Marinette's friend. Look, I understand you want to stick up for Marinette, but I'm telling you this is just more of her shenanigans. We've never seen any evidence of what Marinette was accusing Lila of, and she's never been able to prove any of her accusations. Lets also not forget how she treated Kagami either when she came along. Face it Mylene, Marinette's nonsense is getting to you."

Mylene was about to was about to speak but before she could, a quiet voice interrupted her.

"Are you saying that you aren't Marinette's friend, Alix?"

Everyone's heads turned to Juleka, who was staring Alix down with a deep frown on her face. Alix, who was looking as shocked as everyone else was by Juleka's question, glared at her. "That's crazy! Of course Marinette is my friend!"

"Well based on what you're saying and how you're saying it, it certainly doesn't sound like Marinette is your friend." Mylene said, crossing her arms.

"Oh come on, you know what I meant! I love Marinette just like everyone else here does. I just don't believe what she's been saying about Lila. I don't know what you saw on the train Mylene, but I'm sure you're mistaken."

Rose, who was grasping Juleka's hand, spoke next. "But, if we're Marinette's friends, shouldn't we at least give her the benefit of the doubt? She's never even been like this with Chloe, and Chloe is mean! Marinette has always been there for us when we needed help, or at least tries to. We owe it to her to at least hear her out, and we haven't been doing that. And speaking of Kagami, didn't Marinette help Adrien on his date with Kagami, and make up with her on Friendship Day?"

"That's.....actually true." Alya said as she tapped quickly on her phone and showed Marinette's Instagram, where there was a picture of her and Kagami together getting juice after the city wide game had ended. "Even when we were plotting to get her and Adrien together when he went to London with Kagami, she didn't go through with it and tried to confess by herself. I mean, it didn't end like she wanted but as far as we know, she didn't even speak to Kagami then..."

"Well....I guess that's true.." Alix said. "But if she could make up with Kagami, why can't she do the same with Lila?"

"Well...." Alya said, frowning a bit. "When Lila came back, Marinette was telling me and Nino that on Lila's first day, she followed Adrien and Lila. She was pretty adamant about Lila being a liar, and that's never changed..."

"Really?" Rose said. "Did she tell you anything else about why she followed them?"

Alya shook her head, her gaze on her hands in her lap. "Well, no...She didn't get a chance to finish because Nino and I interrupted her, and that's when that whole napkin thing happened...."

"I remember that." Mylene said as she looked down in shame. "I thought Marinette was being mean and chewed her out with Kim....She looked so hurt and frustrated that we didn't believe her and then just walked off...."

"You know," Alya said as her face became contemplative. "Now that I'm thinking it about it, that whole napkin thing was kind of weird."

"What do you mean?" said Alix, who now seemed to be more open to accepting that things weren't adding up.

"Well, I mean, napkins weigh nothing. And when Marinette called out Lila about her wrist, Lila kinda just looked around at everyone for a few seconds, and then that's when she dropped the napkin and showed that she was in pain...Then there was that whole thing about the napkin gouging out eyes and....."

Alya's frown deepened, her face turning into one of skepticism..."Wait that doesn't even make sense...The napkin wasn't even aimed at Max, and he wears glasses..."

Rose looked at Juleka, as she too began to frown. "Come to think of it, that delayed reaction to catching the napkin doesn't seem right. I remember believing Marinette about Lila faking it before she told that story about that napkin."

Juleka nodded. "When Lila looked around at everyone, it was almost like she was scared that we believed Marinette..."

Mylene mentally cheered. This was what she wanted. They were thinking critically now about everything Lila had said and done. She needed them to see the inconsistencies for themselves so that they would have no doubt about what she was telling them.

"Look, some things are weird, I understand that. But there's still no proof that Lila is lying or that she has it out for Marinette." Alix said. Though, Mylene thought, it does look like what everyone was saying was getting through to Alix. She looked unsure, and even now Mylene could see that Alix was mentally going over things in her head. Her eyes were troubled and her fists were clenched.

It looked like it was finally time to bring out the video. But first...

"Speaking of proof," Mylene said. "Alya, what did Lila say to you before she took a croissant? I know you saw that look on her face before she took one."

All eyes turned to Alya. "What look?" Juleka said as she clutched Rose's hand even tighter.

"When I offered Lila and Mme. Bustier a croissant, Lila had this look on her face like she was grossed out. But then she apologized and said that her stomach still wasn't completely settled from the train ride, so she wasn't too keen on food. She took one anyway and said that she'll eat it at home when her stomach feels better, and that she was excited to finally try one of the Dupain-Cheng's famous pastries. Then she went home."

Alix nodded and looked a bit relieved. "See Mylene? Lila just wasn't feeling well. She was even excited to try out Marinette's family's pastries."

This...This was her chance Mylene realized, before pulling out her phone and going to the video. She then reached for the remote, turned on the T.V., and connected her phone to it.

"I'm sorry Alix," Mylene said as she pressed play, the video playing on the T.V. "but I highly doubt Lila was as excited as she said she was."

They all watched as Lila walked to the end of the street, took the croissant that she was given in kindness and said she was so excited to try when she felt better, and chuck it violently into the garbage can. They saw her face change into something they didn't recognize, a sneer that could curdle dairy, and eyes that could make anyone cower. They saw as she looked satisfied with what she'd done and continued on her way home, unaware that her true self had been caught on video.

Unaware that she had been unmasked as the villain instead of the victim she made herself out to be.

And as Mylene looked at each of the girl's faces, she could tell that they finally, finally, believed her.

"Hey, is that Lila on T.V.?"

Everyone's heads turned to the voices, and saw that it was Ella and Etta, who were sleepily rubbing their eyes.

Alya got up then and went to them, trying to coax them back into bed. "Come on girls, you know it's too late for you to be up."

"Awww," they said as they began following Alya's lead back to their bedroom. "we wanna watch Lila's movie too!"

Alya paused then and shook her head. "That's not a movie."

"But Lila said she knows movie stars!" Etta said as she crossed her arms. Ella adopted the same stance as well before speaking. "Yeah, and when is she coming over again? We want a rematch at her game!"

"What game?" Alix said as she and the others, including Mylene, came to stand next to Alya.

"Her rap game! The one Alya played with Marinette!" They said in unison.

Alya seemed to freeze then, before frowning and kneeling down in front of Ella and Etta. "You mean Freestyle Clash? Lila told you that she made that game?"

"Well," Etta said. "She didn't tell us."

"Yeah, she told Chris when he was here." Ella said.

Mylene saw Alya's hand begin to tremble before she curled it into a fist and relaxed it. She stood up, and then began leading the twins back to their bedroom again. "I'll ask Lila about coming over again. For now, back to bed." Alya said, as the twins entered their bedroom and she closed the door after them.

She stood in front of their door for a few moments, her head bowed and her hair shielding her expression from them, before suddenly turning around, her eyes full of righteous fury. She whipped out her phone tapped a few times and put it to her ear.

"Wait," Mylene said with horror. Was Alya actually gonna call Lila?! "Alya who are-"

Alya's hand went up, cutting off Mylene as whoever she was calling finally picked up.

"Marinette? Hey, the girls and I are at my house for a sleepover. Think you can come over? Cuz we need to talk."

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

@akana-sama @heredemaquam

#miraculous ladybug #ml salt #ml fic #ml season 3 #startrain #mylene haprele #the fog is lifting

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haltandcatchfiretothemax · 5 years ago

Text

FEMSLASH FEBRUARY 2020 #22: In which Cameron and Donna get dressed

[CN: gender non-conformity and related bodily discomfort with gendered clothing; non-graphic references to being harassed for gender non-conformity]

Ed’s note: @dealanexmachina sent me a prompt, and this is a follow up to the post it originally inspired!

(PREVIOUSLY)

Two nights before the gala, Cameron showed up to Donna’s house for their nightly work date carrying a garment bag. “Uh, is it cool if I leave this here? And like, maybe I could just show up early and get dressed here, before the party?” Donna eyed the garment bag with apparent interest. “I called Risa, and her partner, we went shopping, and I saw their tailor.”

Donna’s face lit up. “So it worked out then? That’s great! Let me put this in my closet….” Donna got up and started toward her room, and Cameron went with her. When they got there, Cameron handed the bag over, and Donna hung it from a hook on the back of the door. Then, she asked, “Hey, can I look? I’m curious about what you wound up picking out.”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Cameron had said, uncertain.

Donna unzipped the bag, and when she saw the gray blazer inside, she smiled.

Nervously, Cameron laughed, “What?”

“Nothing, it just reminds me of a blazer you used to wear when we first moved out here,” Donna said. “The one that fit you really well. You had some stuff back then that started to cross the line from ‘oversized’ to ‘it looks too big on her,’ but, you also had stuff that looked really nice on you.” Donna gently touched the blazer’s lapel, and without meaning to, imagined smoothing out the blazer while Cameron was actually wearing it, and Cameron smiling back at her as she did so. Face feeling warm, Donna zipped up the bag. “So how was it? Shopping, I mean? It wasn’t terrible, was it?”

“Eh,” Cameron sighed. “It wasn’t terrible, Risa actually came with me?”

“Aw!” Donna exclaimed. “I wish I could’ve been there!”

Looking very uncomfortable, Cameron had said, “It was a lot. It wasn’t just shopping, it was like…what I imagine therapy is like. And why I’m not interested in therapy.”

“Oh?” Donna frowned.

Cameron shook her head. “There was just, a lot of ‘why do you think wearing dresses and other women’s clothes causes you so much discomfort? Why do you think you’re feeling discomfort right now? What are you worried about, Cameron, why does this scare you?’ It was a long day.”

“Oh. Well, did it work?” Donna asked.

Tentatively, Cameron said, “I found something to wear, so, I guess?”

When Cameron showed up at Donna’s house, two days later, an entire hour before the gala was slated to begin, the only thing more shocking than her punctuality was how she looked: Donna, in a dressing gown herself, her hair already set in curlers, opened her front door expecting to find a delivery person or early guest, but there was Cameron, in a button down flannel shirt and her overalls, carrying her backpack as always, but with her hair clearly just washed, moussed, blow dried, and smoothed into place, and her (barely detectable) makeup already done.

“Okay, the shocked look on your face? Is not a compliment,” Cameron snapped.

“It’s not shock!” Donna had protested. “It’s just…you look great.”

“Well,” Cameron pushed past her, “when I get back to the salon, I’ll be sure to let everyone there know you approve of my makeover.”

Haley and Vanessa had just sat down at the dining room table with Vanessa’s tarot cards and guide book. They watched as Cameron came in, Donna following her. Vanessa whistled, and called out, “Foxy lady!”

Cameron blushed, but then she stopped and turned to Donna. “See? That felt like a compliment.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Not that I came here like this looking for compliments.”

Vanessa and Haley looked at each other, and then back at Cameron and Donna.

Unsure of what else to say, Donna defaulted to momsplaining mode. “So, Cameron is here, for the gala!”

“Gala tiiiime, excellennnnt!” Vanessa sang.

“Are those the same overalls you wore last year? When you fell into the pool?” Haley asked.

“A fashion statement that’s bold in its casual whimsy,” Vanessa said.

“She’s got a more formal outfit to wear,” Donna said. “She went shopping with Risa.”

Voice full of sudden yearning, Haley said, “I wanna go shopping with Risa,”

“Can I also get in on that?” Vanessa asked. “Because I’d like to see that.”

“Would you, though?” Cameron squinted. Clutching at the straps of her backpack, she warned them, “Risa doesn’t let you just pick things out and try them on. She makes you talk about your feelings.”

In unison, Vanessa and Haley both said, “That sounds like her.”

“Well prom is coming up, right sweetie?” Donna asked. Haley gave her a look, and then Donna said, “There’s also graduation. Maybe if Risa wouldn’t mind, we could all go?”

Flatly, Cameron said, “I love you all, but that still sounds like hell on earth.”

Vanessa and Haley laughed out loud, and Donna, struggling to suppress her own laughter, grimaced broadly. “Speaking of which!” she said. “It’s almost time. Wanna go get dressed?”

Haley and Vanessa looked at each other again.

Still feeling incredibly self-conscious and put out by the entire thing, Cameron said, “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Okay! You girls have fun, and, I guess we’ll see you later?” Donna said.

“We will definitely be here,” Vanessa said.

Donna started toward her bedroom, and Cameron went with her. Haley watched them, and under her breath, she said, “God I wish Joanie was here to see this.”

Vanessa smirked at her.

In her bedroom, Donna grinned, “You really do look very nice. I know it’s different and that we’re teasing you about it, but it’s not because it didn’t turn out right.” She quietly closed the door most of the way without shutting it entirely. She turned back to Cameron, and said, “We’re mostly teasing you because you seem like you kind of hate it.”

Cameron shrugged off her backpack. Face scrunched, she said, “I do kind of hate it. I hate how it always feels like I’m dressing up for someone else, or some secret universal beauty pageant, even though I’m not really.”

Donna sat down lightly at her vanity. “Well, in that case, next year, change of plans. Instead of a gala, I’ll have a hayride, so you can wear your overalls, and I can wear my cowboy boots that still haven’t seen the light of day in this state.”

Cameron smiled tentatively, arms crossed over her chest again. “I’ll invest in a new flannel shirt for the occasion.”

Picking up an eye shadow brush, Donna said, “Your clothes are still hanging in the same spot in the walk-in, if you wanna get dressed in there?”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Cameron said. She looked around the room uncertainly, as if looking for directions, or maybe an excuse to do something else, and then she turned and went into the closet.

Donna swept some slightly shimmery taupe eye shadow onto her right eyelid, and then blended it out through the crease. She did the same to the second eye, and then picking up a black pencil eye liner, she awkwardly said, “So this is fun, huh…? Just…gettin’ ready together…having’ fun….”

As she unbuttoned her shirt, Cameron said, “Yes, my high school dreams of being best friends with the pretty, popular girls is finally coming true.”

Donna used a stiffer brush to smudge the minimal amount of eye liner she’d just applied close to her right eye’s lash line. She pictured Cameron, struggling to put on clothes she didn’t love for a party that she didn’t want to go to. “You know, I’m glad you’re here?” she called out. “I really hope it won’t be completely miserable for you, though.”

Pulling on her brand new trousers, Cameron said, “Well, there’s gonna be food, and you’ll be there. It’ll be like every night that I’m here, just with like 50 other people. I’ll manage.”

Curling her eye lashes now, Donna gazed into the mirror, and again, without really meaning to, imagined Cameron, on the other side of her closet door, carefully getting dressed for her gala, and was overwhelmed by a surge of affection. She felt herself start to flush, and then looked in the mirror, and saw her cheeks glowing red. She took a deep breath, and said, “Well, I appreciate it. And who knows, maybe you’ll even have fun, and meet some new people?” She moved on to applying her mascara as calmly as she could.

Tucking her shirt into her trousers, Cameron grinned, “Stranger things have happened, right?”

Donna was tapping on some concealer when Cameron quietly stepped back into the bedroom a couple minutes later. She sat down on the bench in front of Donna’s bed, and pulled a pair of pointy black brogues out of her bag.

Donna glanced back over her shoulder. “Those look really nice.” When Cameron didn’t say anything, Donna asked her, “So, when Risa asked you what you’re ‘scared of,’ and what’s making you ‘uncomfortable.’ What did you say?”

Lacing the first of her shoes, Cameron said, “I told her that I’m scared of looking and feeling silly and like an alien, just like everyone else is. And then she was all, ‘No, be more specific. Dig deep for me, Cameron.’” It had been scary at the time, but Cameron grinned. She put on her other shoe, and said, “So I told her about how finding pants that fit me is really difficult, because they’re always too short, and usually, they’re either weird and baggy, or they’re too tight and show how skinny my legs are. To which Risa said, ‘Well my heart bleeds for you, every pair of paints making you look tall and slim must be a horrendous burden to bear.’”

Donna giggled so hard that she doubled over slightly, and had to put down the blush compact she’d just picked up.

Cameron sat up, and was quiet for a second, as she listened to Donna, and watched her shoulders shake with quiet laughter. When she finally snorted and then made herself stop, Cameron continued. “Uh, I also realized that I’m weird about fabrics? It’s not just how fancy, formal women’s clothes are cut, the fabrics are like, itchy and weird to me, and like, just thinking about it makes me weirdly anxious?”

Sympathetically, as she blended out her blush, Donna said, “Some fabrics really do feel horrendous, and they don’t breathe well enough.”

Donna had just barely finished her sentence when Cameron blurted out, “When I was a kid people used to make fun of me for looking like a boy. When I was in high school I realized that what they were really saying was that I looked like, you know. Like I didn’t like boys, and that I must like girls.”

Donna looked up from the three lipsticks she’d been trying to choose from, and half turned back toward Cameron. “What do you mean, what people were saying? Did people actually say things about that to you?”

“People mostly thought it, I think,” Cameron said, hunching over in her seat. “There was this one guy I went to high school with who used to bother me about it, like, a lot, like it felt like he lived to bug me about it. My guidance counselor said that maybe it was because he had a crush on me. Which, the feeling really wasn’t even remotely mutual.”

Donna, both lost for words and still struggling to pick a lip color, didn’t say anything. Haltingly, Cameron added, “It took me a really long time to admit this, part of why it bothered me so much is that I wasn’t really interested in boys. And it felt like something must be wrong with me. And pretending that I was didn’t help, it just made me seem weirder, and more awkward, and, fake.”

Rolling her eyes slightly, Donna said, “ I wasn’t interested in boys in high school, either.” She finally decided on the deep rosy nude lipstick and swiped it on.

Surprised, Cameron sat up. “Really?”

Donna scoffed into her vanity mirror as she started to pull the rollers out of her hair. “I mean, I dated some, in high school, and I fooled around with a couple of boys. But it wasn’t for them, it was for me, because I wanted to go out, and because I wanted to try things, and seeing what being that kind of girl was like. I didn’t really like anyone until college, I was on my own, I was studying what I was interested in, and I met Gordon, and….”

“Your astrophysicist?” Cameron finished for her.

“Yes,” Donna said quietly. She stood up quickly, raked her hair into place with her fingers, and said, “I’m gonna get dressed, though.” She disappeared into her closet, where she started to hyperventilate for a moment, before she made herself calm down and focus on putting on her dress, and stepping into her shoes, and going back out into her room.

“Hey,” she said, trying to sound relaxed. “Uh, I’m almost ready, I’m just gonna put on some jewelry, so....” She hurried back to her vanity, where she put on a watch.

“Okay,” Cameron stood up. She started to pull her blazer.

Donna turned back to her as she was putting in the second of a pair of small gold hoop earrings. Momentarily forgetting what she was doing, Donna said, “Wow.”

She was wearing the blazer over a plain black crew neck top, which was tucked into her high-waisted gray pleated silk tweed trousers, which were being held up by a pair of plain black suspenders. As if on cue, the color rose in Cameron’s cheeks. “What?”

“Nothing,” Donna shook her head. “You just do that so well.”

Cameron cackled as she smoothed out her clothes. “Do what well, exactly? Look confused about my gender and sexuality?”

Donna didn’t want to be overly serious, but she also couldn’t bring herself to laugh. “You look good, Cam,” she grinned. “Not every woman can carry that off.”

Cameron slid her hands into her pockets. “Thanks.”

Donna stepped tentatively toward her bedroom door, and then she stopped to look in the full-length mirror that was hung there. Having worn a long, flowing, sleeveless, bright red dress the previous year, Donna had chosen to go shorter, slimmer, and darker for this gala. A deep wine red sheath with a slightly looser bodice and sleeves, the hemline fell several inches above her knee, and the neckline was high. Donna wasn’t typically one to second guess these kinds of choices, but she looked in the mirror, and worried that the dress was too short. She smoothed out the bottom half of the dress, hoping it would look longer, and then started to compulsively smooth her hair down.

Exasperated, Cameron joined her in front of the mirror. Firmly, she said, “Donna. You look fine.” She looked into the mirror so she could catch Donna’s eye, but then saw the both of them, standing next to each other. We match, Cameron realized. They didn’t literally match, but they looked like they went together. Cameron had never felt that way standing next to anyone else.

Donna looked at her, saw that she was looking in the mirror, and then looked into the mirror with her. I do look fine, she thought. And we really look nice together. Donna smiled at the mirror.

“You look better than fine,” Cameron said, feeling mildly anxious. “You look really nice, as always.”

“Thank you,” Donna said. “Shall we?”

Cameron nodded, and Donna stepped forward and pulled open the door. She walked through it, and Cameron followed her.

#...so a lot of this was really just me wanting to reflect on cam's s3 wardrobe and her promo portrait especially #no ragerts!#even with how long this got!#and how much trouble i had picking their clothes!#femslash february #femslash february 2020 #fic #fan fiction #cameron howe #donna clark #donna emerson #haley clark #vanessa!

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