#i kinda go back and forth on if he drinks alcohol. i dont and dont plan to but its just a thought

[ask-carmenpondiego]

Chapter 19: The World Will always Need a Good Librarian

Weeks go by and the most progress Carmen and the others had gotten is that the holes do form a star alignment. M had held it up and the light shone through onto a table. “Thats why! It was backwards! I recognize this constellation now! But that doesn’t really tell us where this is. These stars can be seen all around.” Asta exclaimed, looking at a digital map and globe. Carmen peered over Asta’s shoulder to look. “But technically there are places where they are not. See? It never crosses over these few places. So it narrows our search, marginally but it still helps. And these lines look like a meteor shower. If we can figure out which one, that narrows it down further!”

Blendin had visited that day, he was seen swiveling back and forth on the kitchen barstool he brought in so he could watch. “Hey Mom? Can that light be dimmed a bit? The scroll looks a bit textured. Kinda looks like a map itself with the different thicknesses making shadows.” Their attention suddenly went to the light against the scroll and not what shined through on the table. Kiros adjusted the light as M kept hold of the hide. With the adjustment, more shadows formed to what did look like a near 3D render of a topography map. The inked dots lined up with where cities or villages may be. “Clever boy! I didn’t even notice that! Thats perfect! Now these locations may not exist any more but land mass may not have changed as much. Let’s get this matched up!” Carmen grinned excitedly as Blendin kicked his legs happily.

He found that he liked hanging out with the Agents when they weren’t all about being criminals. He still felt a moral divide with the fact his family was pretty much a non murderous mafia, in his opinion. He didn’t know if they collected protection money or threatened to steal things if demands were not met but seeing his mom surrounded by walking apocalypses, by his technical terms, that was all he could imagine. Outside crime, he liked everyone, save for M. Then again M was not the most open to friendships to most people. Blendin found him a bit more abrasive than everyone else. “Can I get a snack, Mom?” Carmen smiled and one arm hugged him, barely tall enough to kiss the top of his head, “Of course you can. You remember the way to the kitchen, right?” Blendin nodded and scampered out towards the snacks. “The kid has a good idea, how about we break for now and pick this up after a bit of a refresher? We have been at this for quite a while and my eyes are ready to bug out of my head.” Kiros chuckled. Drake and Vasha agreed and seemed to have already grabbed a couple of alcoholic drinks.

Blendin opened the fridge and poked around a bit, grabbing some starfruit and blueberries. Wally sat up from reading a book at the kitchen island, “Hey there Kiddo. I think you are like the first kid I’ve seen that doesnt go straight for junkfood.” Blendin sat opposite of Wally and popped a few berries into his mouth. “Eh, I just dont like junkfood. I’m a vegetarian so this naturally tastes better than greasy chips or candybars. I mean I like them as a treat but if theres fruit, I’ll take that first over junk.” Blendin shrugs, peering over to his dad’s book, “Whatcha reading?” Wally smiled and lifted the cover, “I’m catching up on your sister’s novels. This is just the first book. She seems to have a lot of fun if all this is true. I’m sure she embellishes some for the excitement of the reader but overall its fascinating!” Blendin nods, scrolling on his phone, “Yeah she takes her work pretty seriously. I mean we hang out sometimes but she’s either prattling on about work or complaining about something. I think she’s going into an emo or angry phase. She’s just so tempermental.” Wally thought a moment, “And she’s two or three years older than you.. oh I see. Mare issues. She’s probably inheriting her mom’s cycles. Moody and needy for companionship, and your mom’s can get pretty intense. Speaking of, hey Lekir! You all on a break or something?” Lekir was walking in with Asta, “Yeah we’re done for the day. Ninoga and Kiros are keeping Carm busy… its gonna be a while, the pirates are enjoying the show. Bug boy is brooding somewhere trying to find eye bleach again.” She reached over and stole a piece of Blendin’s starfruit with a wink, much to his protest. “Hey! I had plans for that!”

“You snooze, you lose, bud. There’s more in the fridge!” She called back as she followed Asta to their room. Wally laughed as Blendin pouted. “Were you looking for special treatment? You’re one of the family. They all pick on each other in a loving way.” Wally smiled, turning the page to his book. “Dad, does Mom ever hurt anyone or threaten people?” Blendin asked hesitantly, Wally looked up at the ceiling a moment before shrugging and shaking his head, “I don’t believe so. If she did, it would be unintentional. She would rather strike without warning but keep everyone alive and safe. I’ve heard people call her the thief with a heart of gold.” Blendin smiled, “So she’s not a mob boss?” Wally laughed, “She may have a crime family but she’s no mob boss. I swear she wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“Don’t be too fuckin sure on that, she can have a mean right hook and a stinging slap when she wants.” M sauntered in and looked into the fridge, taking out a tupperware of odd looking dried meat. He leaned on the countertop and he gnawed on a piece. “Haven’t you and Mom been at each other’s throats since she came back from Siberia?” Blendin asked, trying to ignore the meat. M chuckled, “Don’t worry yer little twink head. We have our disagreements but she can’t resist my illustrious charm all the time.” Wally actually cackled, “Oh she can resist alright. Like full body shivers of disgust some days!!” Blendin frowned and asked, “Whats a twink?”

M pulled on the colt’s hoodie strings, making the hood cinch up around Blendin’s muzzle. “You’ll find out when yer older. Nothin to waste time worryin about right now.” He continued to chew on the dried meat for a bit more. “But yeh, she and I will be fine. Nothin ta worry about. She and I are dealing with a bit of a heavy side subject and tryin ta figure out how to fuckin deal with it before lettin anyone else in on it, to keep it from gettin too fuckin complicated. Ya know?” M picked out a piece of wood from his teeth and threw it in the trash.

Wally put his chin in his hand as he leaned on his elbow, “Does it perchance have to deal with that hunk of junk in your mech lab?” M waggled a piece of meat at his brother, “079 is not a hunk of junk, its just a self centered prick that has this attachment to Kiros for some forsaken reason.” Wally sipped his can of soda-pop. “I thought 079 is a nice ai. Its always nice to me, in a no nonsense way.” Blendin sighs, “I wish Mom would let me see the ai but she doesn’t think I’m old enough yet.” M roughly patted his back, “Probably for the best with how it is. It aint the easiest thing to get to know. And its also fer security reasons. She don’t let yer dad in there all the time either, just when he happens to be by her fuckin side does he get a chance to talk with it.”

“I dunno, it seems to be quite friendly to me. We always have a good time chatting.” Kiros chuckled, walking past, with a happy yet disheveled looking Carmen over his shoulder. Ninoga was following behind, “If you need us, we’ll be in the dungeon!” M drooped his shoulders, growling “Didja at least fuckin clean up in there?! I ain’t yer fuckin janitor!!” Carmen smirked as she hung over Kiros’s shoulder, she held up a middle finger and blew a sarcastic kiss to M just to rile him up even more, his insect chitter growing louder as he clenched his fists. “Mom has a dungeon? Like a brig or jail? Why would they be going there?? Did she do something wrong?” Wally and M both look at each other, M cackled loudly as Wally winces embarrassingly, rubbing the back of his neck, “Son, there are things that grown ups see as fun while kids like you find as punishments…” Blendin raises an eyebrow and glances over to M who had then started choking on his own spit from laughing so hard, punching his own chest to clear it up. “Like taxes?” Wally puts his hands together and to his lips as if to pray, and deeply inhales, “Nnnnnot quite. You see.. when a mare and a stallion like eachother alot..” Blendin slow blinks, “Mom and Lekir like eachother alot too. Just say its a mating thing. I’ll find out eventually.” Wally looked so relieved, “Oh thank Celestia. I thought I was going to need to give you the birds and bees talk.” Blendin shook his head, “I know biology but the details and subcategories haven’t been taught to me yet.” M catching his breath, still chuckling, leans on the kitchen island, “So you know what fucking is but don’t know the different combos that can be used in fucking. Got it. Hang around here, you’ll catch on quick.”

“She has a WHAT?! My stars.. they’re all just a bunch of criminal degenerates.. As your elder sibling, I forbid you from cavorting with the likes of them! What kind of role model is proud of being a sex crazed cat burglar?! I mean her last caper didn’t even make sense! A rusted box that she just went to destroy?! Is she going to destroy anything else?!” The young golden yellow pegasus paced around, screaming into her phone at her younger brother Blendin. She was just reaching her 18th birthday soon and she was almost free of possibly being in a criminal’s custody. She brushed her hair, the different dark silver and grey shades almost sparkled with just having been washed. “But I’ve spent time with her, she’s a good person! She actually cares about us!” Blendin’s voice came through the speaker as Daring still got ready for the day. “It may seem like that now but I promise you, she’s up to no good! She wants to use you and your Library knowledge to get your artifacts! Don’t freakin trust her or her goons! The sooner you cut ties, the better!” She huffs, glancing at the half opened box with an obsidian dragon in her closet and shuts the door. “Dare, she is really not that bad! She has fed me, shown me a lot of what you would consider secrets, even flown in her jet! I’ve seen her be protective! Even Dad vouches for her!” Blendin goes on as she sighs, “Blen, no. Don’t even count Dad into this. He hasn’t been there either for us, I can excuse the amnesia bit but he’s still too love blind to see what she’s doing to us! And she’s trying to blind you with shiny things to gain your trust into handing the entire Library to her! Why else would she stick us into these places if not to try to use us for easy access?!” She rubs her forehead, her feathers ruffled, “Blen, we have gone over this so many times! You’re just too young and naive to understand! I’ve been out in the world, you’re just starting to see it. Get more exposure of the real world without HER and then see what you’re being blind to.”

Blendin sniffles a bit, “I really hope you are dead wrong about her! She never puts me down like you do! She’s called me brilliant and clever! You just complain I’m too young and stupid! I know I’m not a prodigy explorer like you but you don’t have to treat me like that!” Daring winces, “Bro, I didnt mean it like that, you know that! I’m trying to protect you! You’re the only family I have!” Blendin sniffles a little more, “If you just give her a chance, you can have more than just me for family! You don’t have to do it all alone! You’re the one pushing away!” Daring snapped, “Its not that simple, okay?! Its not all happiness and rainbows! I’m sorry if I call you stupid but things like this you should be more smart with! Its not all found in books!” There was silence on the other end for a little while, “I… I think I better go, let you calm down a bit. I’ll talk to you later, Dare.” The phone clicked as the call disconnected. Daring threw her phone into her small mountain of pillows on her bed and sat at her little desk by her window, her typewriter sitting with a half page already written. She pushed it aside a little bit and set some books down, opening one to a page about legendary golden eggs of Babylon.

Blendin hung up the phone and sighed, looking at his dorm ceiling. He just didnt understand why Daring just didnt want to try getting to know her family more. Other than the stealing, he didn’t see what was so bad. He didn’t condone his mother’s crime sprees, but he saw that she was a good person over all.

A knock came from his door, a messenger handed him a letter when he answered, “The Keeper is giving you an assignment. Do your research and be prepared to depart by the date stated inside. Its your first one, Congrats, young Librarian!” Blendin beamed and thanked the messenger, closing the door before jumping around cheering. “I gotta tell Daring!.. I gotta tell Mom and Dad!!” He stopped and repeated as if just realizing for the first time, “I get to tell Mom and Dad..” he grinned and ran out of his room to the Ley travel doors, letter in hand. In the letter was his permit to use the doors to his needs.

At VILE HQ, Carmen and Lekir were just finishing up a sparring session for close combat. They had the sparring room littered with various padded objects like an obstacle course to simulate a crowded area. Carmen was more of the quick jab kickboxing type while Lekir preferred a more graceful tai chi approach. Carmen tried her stronger right hook as Lekir brushed it off and deflected, hooking her arm around and locking it, twisting and flung Carmen onto her back, hitting the ground with a grunt. The two girls breathed hard and took a break, laughing. Lekir grabbed Carmen’s hand and helped her to her feet as Blendin applauded, he had just seen the last bit of the fight and was highly entertained. “Hey Kiddo. Like how I just owned your mom?” Lekir laughed as Carmen punched her arm playfully, “Oh So you owned me? I’ll get you back for that.” Lekir raised an eyebrow and licked her muzzle hungrily, “Oh I’m sure you can try, but you know I dominate not only here but-“ Carmen laughs nervously and cuts her off, “So! What brings you around here unannounced, you usually give a heads up. Not that I mind, I just thought thats what you prefer.” Blendin bounced and holds up his letter, “I wanted to surprise you. I got my first assignment out into the world!! Its not for another six months or so but I need to do my research during the waiting period. I think its due to the location only being available during certain times. But I got in!! I’m a full Librarian now!” Carmen and Lekir both cheer as Carmen hugs him tight, “Oh my heavens! That is amazing!! Congratulations!! This is so wonderful!!” Lekir thought a moment, “We should celebrate with something special.. I know! Lets bring him to someplace authentic! Like Mexico or Italy! Where do you wanna go, Squirt?” Blendin adjusted his glasses, “Um.. I always wanted to try Korean HotPot.. their vegetables look so yummy there!” Carmen smiles, “South Korea it is! I think I know a good place in Seoul that you’ll love!” Blendin smiled, “Is it ok if I bring my best friend? He’s a Librarian too. He’s a mythical sphinx with Egyptian and Sumerian parents.” Carmen nodded, “Sure! The more the merrier! Tell you what, go get your friend and meet us back here in about an hour. And we’ll go get things set up with reservations. Ok?” Blendin nodded and grins, bouncing off back to his door portal. Lekir hangs her arm around Carmen’s shoulders, “You know you basically gave that boy a reason to ask his friend on a date, right?” Carmen chuckled knowingly. “I had a feeling, but I think he can handle it. He’s old enough to start figuring things out himself now. And what better way to test the waters than with some good news and good food?”

An hour later the front door glowed blue and Blendin peeked in and helped a young blindfolded winged feline across the threshhold. Blendin closed the door behind them and took off the blindfold, “Tahdah!! Look at this place! Isn’t it huge?!” The feline blinked and looked around, “Wow, its actually kinda modest. I was expecting a ginormous palace or something. Just reminds me of one of the big rich houses on old sitcoms, just modern.” Blendin grins and holds his hands in front of him, “Ok so… I know I said I wanted you to come with me for dinner, this isnt the restaurant. My parents and her group is joining us to celebrate. They offered to cover dinner and travel.” The Sphinx tilted his head, “I was gonna say, this place doesnt look like a hotpot place…. Holy shitake.. is that a demon?!… And a dragon?? TWO DRAGONS?! Dude… who the hell are your parents?!” He retreated behind the teal colt as he saw the VILE Agents start to heads toward the foyer in some of their nicer outfits. Carmen and Waldo walked out, she in a red and black blouse and pencil skirt and he was in his usual striped sweater and jeans. “Mom, Dad, Agents, this is Ty, my best friend. Ty, this is my family. Carmen Pondiego, Waldo Wander and the VILE Agents.” Blendin introduced everyone as Ty was still wide eyed. “Dude… you ARE aware your family is like… wanted in every country for grand theft, right?” Carmen chuckles and offers her hand to shake, “Ty, its a pleasure to meet you! We may be thieves but we’re probably the nicest and most honest thieves you’ll know.” Ty nervously shakes her hand as Blendin bounced, “So where’s the hotpot??” M tapped his wrist watch a bit. “Let’s see, its about 3am in Seoul. Lets speed that fuckin day up to say… 2pm? Was that the reservation?” Carmen looked at her phone, “Yep that should be right. Got the chronoskimmer warmed up?”

“Up and fuckin ready to roll.”

“Sounds good, ok kids, into the mech lab and load yourselves into the van.”

M rolled his eyes, “Its not a fuckin van, its just a pod, like an elevator. Its not that fancy yet. Not like a fuckin Delorean.”

Once everyone entered the mech lab, the roughly made multifaceted pod stood in the corner, just large enough to hold the entire group. M opened the tall hatch door letting everyone file in as he finalizes the destination and time. 079 looked less than thrilled. “Great, the circus is in town and the clowns are getting into their car..have a good show, dont get pie all over my consoles.” M flipped it off with his middle finger, “I’d offer you to come along but I ain’t gonna even miss ya, pixelbreath.” 079 sighed, “Oh please, do hesitate to call if you need me, rude one. I won’t be waiting up.”

With a flash, the group finds themselves in an empty alley near their venue in Seoul, South Korea, a few minutes before 2pm. The two young boys were looking at their phone clocks and looking around, “This is so lit! Its supposed to be in the middle of the night here!!” Ty exclaimed, Blendin looking at the sky and back to his phone, and over to M, “Uncle M, you did it! You actually made us go through time! This is amazing! Mom, after hotpot, can we go shopping?!” Ty’s face lit up, “Hey yeah! We could get some Korean manga and gachapon!” Blendin grinned excitedly, “Do you think they have the new anime figures out yet?! You know how Korea gets things way sooner than we do!” The two teens huddled together to excitedly discuss their current anime hyper-fixations, Lekir and Kiros gently nudged and herded them towards the restaurant. Carmen met the hostess with a bow and spoke Korean to her, explaining her reservation. The hostess was surprised and pleased, requesting them to follow her to their reserved dining room. As they were seated, they were presented with drinks and menus, the table having two heating plates and one large grill in the center. They were instructed how to use everything and how to cook everything. Within moments, the food and broths were served and the group feasted and cooked the foods.

There were laughters and conversations between them all, even Ty was warming up to everyone, asking some curious questions about different strengths and powers, while Blendin was trying to explain his first assignment to his parents, asking for pointers on how to prepare for it. What they found was that his assignment was very similar to the duck hunt they were on. Blendin got worried that both missions may disrupt eachother. Carmen put her hand on his and smiled, “Hey, don’t worry. We will figure something out one way or another. We’re looking for a duck and some regular eggs, you’re looking for some golden eggs. They seem to be from the same region so we can collaborate as much as we can without interfering with your Library mission. I just wish your sister was here to celebrate.” Blendin rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah, about that. She refuses to be in the same room as you. She tried to forbid me from even seeing you. She doesn’t get it. She doesn’t see what a good person you are. She’s more furious with you than dad, she just thinks he had amnesia and that you blinded him with love for your own gain. And she thinks that you are trying to blind me with good parenting just so you can get into the Library.” Carmen and Wally chuckle, “I have thought about hitting the Library a long long time ago but with their security and what they do to help protect the world, I’d rather save the library from other thieves rather than steal from it myself. I have too much respect for it and the Warehouse. Which is why I sent you kids there. I knew they would raise and educate you two the best way that I couldnt. I’m still trying to figure out what happened. I didnt feel like it was a safe environment for some young foals. We had to move the mansion around more than once because of some close calls but where its at now is the safest place we have. And you two are old enough to technically take care of yourselves. I just want to be a part of your lives before mine is over.” Carmen sneaks a glance at M who looks back at her then look away and busies himself with drinking nearly a whole pint of ale.

Blendin smiles and uses his chopsticks to grab some mushrooms from the grill and sets them on his plate with some daikon glazed with sauce. “We got a long time for that! I’m not even 18 yet! And unicorns technically would have a pretty good lifespan compared to other ponies. Not by much but a good few years longer. It might be due to their magic. How come I don’t see you use your magic, Mom? You always do it all the manual way.” Carmen sputters her drink a little, not expecting the subject. “Uum.. well. I was born with a bit of a handicap that got worse with the issue of a past trauma I had to deal with when you were an infant.” She clears her throat, realizing she hasnt spoken about it in years. “Let’s just say I’m unable to use magic without the attempt putting me into a coma. But you can! I’m so glad you can use your magic!” Blendin smiles but felt guilty for bringing it up due to her reaction, “I’m sorry, I didnt know.” Wally patted his back, “Hey, thats why you asked. You didnt know and thats ok. Its good to ask. Some people may not be ready to answer and they will let you know the best way they can. Ok? Nothing to be sorry about.” Blendin nodded, looking over to Ty. “I think I have one more question but I’ll need to wait for the right time for that.” Carmen smirks, “Take all the time you need, theres no rush. Especially when it comes to love.” Blendin looks at his mother, and blushes with a smile when she winks back, sipping her wine.

[brainrotdotorg]

I've been going back and forth on swap AU ideas for WEEKS now. The only thing I know for certain is that Kim drives a motorcycle and sings karaoke. I can't decide if he has amnesia. If he gets there first or harry still arrives to the whirling first. I just don't think swap Kim would be an addict, idk like I can see the vibe but I feel like it's missing the turning point. Like Harry was an alcoholic and an addict BECAUSE of Dora and what not, the closest thing we see Kim have to that is the vague implications of his grief over Eyes. The one vice he's shown in the game is his cigarette that has no ties to whatever he wants to achieve with the vice (Harry is trying to forget Dora or however you read it, he isn't just drinking to drink) and then I had this idea and before I build it in my mind I need peer review. So I thought. What if Kim isn't a mess because he's on drugs, what if in the swap AU he's a mess because he isn't. I was thinking after taking my own meds, that for as many people who depict Harry starting proper prescription meds post canon, I don't think I've seen any people think of it for Kim. So my thought was, what if Kim doesn't have all the skills and voices Harry has in his head. What if it's just one? What if it's Eyes. What if Kim in the swap AU went off his meds because it was the only way for Eyes to still be there. BUT I NEED PEER REVIEW BECAUSE A LITTLE VOICE IN MY HEAD IS SAYING 'dont do that. thats gonna read as insensitive' so this question isn't directed only at you but all of your followers. Would this be a compelling swap AU or is it just kinda offensive? - HM anon (side note congrats on 500)

Good question, and I dont think i can give a good answer. there have been a lot of posts disparaging the swap au because its implied to neglect the privilege that harry has as a white cop and says that it is inauthentic for kim to be able to get away with things that hdb does when the roles are reversed. i think theres compelling stuff to be said in eitehr direction (pertaining to realism versus just having a fun little roleswap idea) i can see this idea being a potentially interesting one, but not one i can accurately speak on/for/about because i am not on any kind of medication, i think!

the idea of kim having this like. mental projection of eyes that guides him even in death is very interesting, good god. kim still talking out loud to his deceased partner... thinking about the tribunal, eyes guiding kim's arm to help him line up the perfect shot...

[kusundei]

u guys r so weird like both of you .

no bcuz like ur both such hypocrites??? it started earlier at the breakfast where ur complaining ab him to his parents like whaaat.?? u bring up his issues w smoking and jts like ummm. u know our entire family smokes right. sam smoked too. like huh but no this is an issue with the baby now. ur so like oblivious to how addiction works its kind of crazy? like of course hes gonna have a hard time quitting hes been smoking for like 30 yrs idk man . same w the drinking like uhhh. ?? its also so odd to me bcuz ur complaining ab him being an “alcoholic” but he just sorta drinks a beer or two a day. YOU. were an alcoholic. dont forget that.

like u guys r so dumb bcuz idk i keep alternating back and forth on who i feel worse for but u both r doing practically the same thing to each other? ur complaining hes complaining. youre yelling hes yelling. you both r going out of ur ways to piss each other off and its so tiring???

no bcuz the way you were like “yeah and i was telling him that i dont care if youre stressed, i dont need to be your punching bag because its not my fault.”

do you hear yourself? do you not realize you do rhe exact same thing to him AND me? everyday? hell id argue jonathan is so much nicer ab everything despite how annoying it all is. YOURE just mad because youve never had someone actually retaliate towards ur bullshit. not that im choosing sides here because jonathan as well is also kinda fucked up but just like. youre both hypocrites, youre making things worse for the both of you. neither of u can acknowledge when to stop or when youre wrong and its sooo sickening.

it i could stand up for myself i wouldnt even. why? it gets me nowhere with you and jonathan as well because you two r one in the same. you will never acknowledge when youre wrong and you will keep fighting till youre both too upset to talk anymore. god u guys r so annoying sometimes and the fact ur shoving me in the middle???? YOURE making ME aggravate jonathan cuz its not like he can do anything to me but still..???? why do i have to be involved? why does jonathan talk ab me too? like what the heeelll.

as much as my uncle sorta made me mad sometimes i wish he didnt move out now bcuz . im alone here. i mean he just moved out yesterday but still im like.. ughh…….

[skeletalheartattack]

what sodas would boe like?

oh hm!!! i haven't thought about this before!! well i mean ive imagined him sitting at a bar somewhere alone and just drinking, and the liquid spilling down his mouth with every sip and just. getting his pants wet but... lets pretend skeletons can drink fluids for fun, and don't have to suffer the pee pants look :)

as much as I'd like to think me and him would share the same tastes... maybe he'd like root beer? Boe'd be a certified mug moment kinda guy i think. not like he'd understand what that even means, but still.

[naokyunnn]

Disciplining a bitch who’s all over your man

18+ themes!! alcohol, drugs, violence and shi

you’re kinda used to this, night clubs with sanzu with the other bonten boys and just drinking and swaying to the music, its all the same but tonight was different.

this girl had been all around sanzu ever since you go talk to your other friends on the other side of the bar, and how did you know about this? you’ve been eyeing them both— while also catching up with your friends.

the girl have her hands on his thighs— her face dangerously close to sanzu, who is out of his mind, his head thrown back and panting a little— with the strong substance that he’s been taking plus the liquor this isnt a first time, that when he’s high he confessed that whenever he looks at other woman he see your face and so you promise to always be on his side whenever he’s out of it.

and tonight is your fault— its not like you still cant stop this, so you hurried to their side, leaving your friends— but right before you could reach them the girl already kissed sanzu— high as clouds, he thought it was you.

“my, my……who’s this doll here akashi….haruchiyo…” controlling your anger, you smiled to her and sit on their table— she have this eyes, pretty wide in shock, oh how much you want her to cry

you’re well known as the bonten’s no.2 lover, everyone knows it.

and sanzu felt that bloodlust, he shot his eyes open and look at you— with the same expression like the girl

“what the— who the fuck are you-” he finally realized the situation, he wipe his lips aggressively— brows knitted together, his head back and forth to the both of the woman in front of him.

“strange, i thought you’re out of it— haruchiyo?” you smiled to him— he know this even tho his vision is funny and can’t almost process a thing, he knew he just fucked up. “i- i really am out of it, i thought it was you-” he respond, trying to be stable as possible because he’s that afraid to piss you off right now.

“that’s always your reason— got anymore new reason that i can believe? you’re funny” you shot back to him— letting your thoughts pour out of your mouth

“doll, sit properly will you? and listen—” you stopped midway, allowing her to do the things that you said to her to obey— you put your drink down and got closer to the girl. “what’s your name?” another question came out of your mouth

“m-misuri…..my name is misuri— maam…” she lowering her head down, probably embarrassed by the attention that she’s receiving— all of the people are looking at y’all direction— some even got their phones up.

“oh this girl is gonna cry” ran commented as he sips on his drink— sharing a gaze with takeomi who’s already standing up incase you got violent he’s there to stop. “i want a woman like her” mochi too commented “if the girly cried i’ll make money rain here” said koko— got everyone chuckling.

“misuri huh, misuri do you want haruchiyo?” you’re quick to grab her chin and make her look up “no— i- no i dont its okay, its my wrong i didnt know he had a girl” she explained— you, nodding taking her reason valid even though she lied— then you let go of your grip on her chin.

“okay— let me just tell you something” you said.

“that lips that you just kissed? those lips have been lapping on my pussy countless times— and if i see you ever again here you’ll regret it, go” shooing her away— she’s quick to excuse herself and now your attention is on sanzu.

“fuck— you know your power over me baby, im sorry okay? lets also leave—” he was about to kiss you put u slap his lips away, leaning over just to grab your bag “takeomi-san please drive me home” you smiled to the older man, he had no complaints about it so he just followed your way.

“man u fucked up big time, good luck to that” rindou teased earning a huff from sanzu obviously pissed on himself and to that girl who he thought was you “fuck off im leaving too, fuck this club” he grab his coat and work his way towards the exit— hoping that you and his brother are still on the way to the parking lot

sadly, you and takeomi already left that fast—“ahh she makes me crazy— its gonna be a long night for me” his head throb just by the thought of all the things you could do to him tonight, though he’s also excited about it i mean, he’s not afraid of a little pain plus he thinks you’re hot when mad.

if im not lazy i’ll make a part 2!!! (school is kraxy)

[kornito]

SOURCE: https://korngiant.tripod.com/kornisgoodforu/id10.html

Dead

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

All I want in life is to be happy", it's that simple. People say that it's become their own anthem. It's like whenever I start to feel good, something comes and takes it away and I feel like I'm nothing again, like I'm dead.

Falling Away From Me

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

The song is about domestic abuse and that there ways to get help whether it's telling someone or calling a help line, there are ways to get out of those situations. Noone has to be treated like that.

Trash

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

"Trash" is about how I threw my world and everything out. I threw her away. I threw my old self away. It basically comes back down to the sex thing. The battles I did on the road, this whole album is what I went through because I was on the road and I went crazy.

Beg for Me

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

"Beg For Me" is more of an angry thing because the whole thing for "Beg For Me" is the crowd. The only time I was good on tour was when I walked up onstage and that's what the song is about. Feeling wanted is something one thing I've always needed. I was shuffled around so much when I was a kid...Being up onstage was the only point was the only time when my anxiety would go away for an hour.

Make Me Bad

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

I need to feel the sickness in you" ... It's spawned from f**kin', basically, from having sex. That's where that line comes from, but it means a whole bunch of things to me. "Make Me Bad" was about the battles I had being on the road, being married and being with other women. I'm not married anymore... beause of my lifestlyle, and I just couldnt do that to my wife anymore. So that ended. But does it make me bad that I have a dick and I have f**ken other feelings to be with other people? Why should I be with just one? It seems like human beings are genetically engineered to procreate. Thats what we do, f**k everything, and that's what our natural insides want to do. It is hard to find someone like that. But she was a good woman and I didnt want to keep on... I did the right thing, I was a man about it. It was better for me to tell her and let her go on with her life and find someone who could help her and be like that. So that song was spawned by that, does it make me bad to want to be with other women? In a sence it was my only drug, why... because I dont drink anymore, I cant drink. I've been sober for a year. I dont have any other vices. So at least doing that could be something.

Hey Daddy

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

"Hey Daddy" where I was schizophrenic and there were these voices telling me to do sh*t... To kill myself, basically. Daddy is one of my nicknames, so its like I'm talking to myself the whole time. It's hard to explain.

Dirty

Song Meaning: Jonathan

"I feel like a fucking whore to record companies." "You know how it is...the way we are used and marketed." "How they make all the money off us and we don't make shit!" "The only way we make money is to go out on tour and sell merchandise" "Basiclly we write all the music and turn in and they make all the money." "So I feel like that and also I feel like a slut cuz I'd go out at night and fucking girls and so I said fuck it, I'm going to do it. The only way to escape is to have sex." "Its all kind of different issues."

Its On!

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

It's On is my sh*t peer pressure song. Me being so stressed out going out and partying. Everybody's just going 'Come on dude, it's on.' That's partying, it's alcohol, cocaine, women. All that wrapped into one. I wrote a song about it. And the chorus I talked about Why am I really doing this? It's all my fault that I'm doing this because all the alcohol, the booze an the chicks do is just make it worse. They just rearrange all the problems in a different order that I can deal with at that moment.

Freak on a Leash

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

One of the best titles I've heard ever for a song. That's my song against the music industry. Like me feeling like I'm f**kin' a pimp, a prostitute. Like I'm paraded around. I'm this freak paraded around but I got corporate America f**kin' making all the money while it's taking a part of me. It's like they stole something from me, they stole my innocence and I'm not calm anymore. I worry constantly.

Got the Life

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

That's a song baggin' on myself. How everything's always handed to me. How I look up to God and don't want this anymore. Like I want something more out of life than all this. And I've got everything I really need but I sometimes don't like. I don't know how to explain it. I have to let it sit through the songs more to actually get into what I write. I truly know, really, the meanings of the songs almost. That's what I'm getting out of it right now.

Dead Bodies Everywhere

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

That was the song about my parents trying to keep me out of the music business. My father was in it and he knew how it was and I totally understand now that I have a son. I want Nathan to be a musician but I him don't want him to go through the hell I went through. That's the same thing my Dad was doing. A lot of people can relate to it, because it's like the Dad's wanting their sons to be football players and their sons want to be doctors or something. That peer pressure its like trying to make them something they're really not. And the Dead Bodies thing is like so I did it and all I got out of it was dead bodies everywhere and got all traumatized. Thanks a lot Dad, Mom.

Children of the Korn

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

That's the song that Ice Cube is on Cube came up with the title. I fed off of what he wrote, he was talking about growing up and puberty. Dictating what he can do, like how you gonna tell me how to live and who to f**k? And all this stuff. And I took that and in my stuff I was talking about being a kid always known as the f**kin' town faggot. It's funny how things change. That some of these people picked on me and all of a sudden look who's laughing now. Also in another of the verse I talked about all these parents f**kin hating me for what I do, saying I'm corrupting their children, but in turn these parents need to step outside of themselves and really listen to what I'm talking about. Then I think they can understand that they were kids before. They're just really quick to judge me. All the Children of The Korn are all our Korn fans. All those kids going through that sh*t and feeling what I feel.

B.B.K.

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

Big black cock! That's what I call a jack and coke. Those little glasses they serve in Europe and everything. That's what I named it, big black cock. And that's another song about me dealing with the pressures of this album and how I, you know, I'm trying to kill myself, but you know? Do I really want to kill myself? Things I'm just questioning myself. Most of this is self-structured.

Pretty

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

It's a story about this little girl that came into the coroner's office when I was working there and she was f**ked by her dad. She was an 11 month old little baby girl. Her legs were broken back behind her and he just f**ked her like a toy doll and chucked her in the bathroom. It was the most heinous thing I've ever seen in my life and I still have nightmares about it.

All in the Family

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

Fred was there after Korn TV and we said, 'Let's do a song together, Hey, man, let's go back and forth and rip on each other like an old school battle.' I don't know who's idea it was, I can't remember if it was mine or Fieldy's or Fred's but we came up with the idea and we started writing and we worked on it together. I came up with some bags on myself for Fred to say. It was all in good natured fun.

Reclaim My Place

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

This one is about the whole band and about all my life being called a homosexual. And then I became this big rock star in a band and I'm still called a fag even by my own band. So it's like I was f**kin' pissed off at them. It's like erase them all because I'm gonna reclaim my place and say hey, they owe a lot to me for what I did, and I owe a lot to them back. But, it still kinda sucks. I've never ever gotten away from that fag f**kin' title. Just because I'm a sensitive kinda guy. Kinda feminine it really sucks.

Justin

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

Justin, that was the kid dying terminally with intestinal cancer. His last dying wish was to meet us and it really freaked me out. That threw a whole bunch of new kind of pressures on my head. That's really intense. Someone's gonna die and his last thing he wants to do is come hang out with us. So I truly just freaked out. It's like why would you want to meet me? What makes me so special? And in turn I talk about how I admire his strength and his life. I couldn't stare at him because he was so content he was gonna die. No one could look him in the eyes. And I totally admire his strength. I wish I had it.

Seed

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

Seed. That's all about the same thing again. I laying in bed in my hotel room, thinking about do I really need all this stuff? All this pressure on me? Because I'm a stressed out freak. It's about Nathan, it's about every time that I look into his eyes, I see myself how I used to be, innocent and stress free. I'm kind of jealous of it. It really sucks, I used to be that way. It's like I have to work so hard at this thing in my life. I have to become a stressed out freak. I put food on the table for my child. Every time I look in his eyes, I just see myself staring right back at my @ss laughing. I was like care free, innocent as a child. It's really weird and I'm really jealous of it.

Cameltosis

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

That's a love song. It's about women in general, women who hurt me. It's Tre's lyrics. He's going on about chicks and my chorus is like I'm so scared to love anyone and really let them in after I got hurt really really bad by a girl. I've let Renee in a little bit, to be honest, but I'll never be that in love ever again. That's what I'm saying, if you've loved twice, you're gonna get f**ked, 'cause you usually do.

My Gift to You

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

Renee always wanted me to write her a love song and that's why I called it My Gift To You. It's my gift to her, you know how I get sick. I always had a fantasy of f**king her and choking her to death. I fantasize about what it would look like me in her body and watching me do it. So it's like a really sick f**ked up song. I did it totally like, I love her so much, I want to take her out of this world. It's really strange. She used to leave notes on my pillow like 25 ways she'd like to kill me. She's got this weird death fetish. We're kinda f**kin' freaky. She got it. She's all 'Thank you that's kinda f**ked up. I was expecting a f**kin' I love you, baby kinda song.' I'm all, 'No, you know me.' I mean I can't do that.

Chi

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

Chi is about a lot of alcohol and drug abuse. People turn to that when they have problems so that they won't have to feel their pain. The song was named after Chi Cheng from the Deftones. We named it after him because he used to call it reggae, and he loves reggae music.

Lost

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

It's the sterotypical thing about your best friend meeting a chick, and then you're nothing

Swallow

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

That's about being paranoid. Drug-induced paranoia.

Good God

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

It's about a guy I knew in school who I thought was a my friend, but who f**ked me. He came into my life with nothing, hung out at my house, lived off me, and made me do sh*t I didn't really wanna do." "I was into new romantic music and he was a mod, and he'd tell me if I didn't dress like a mod he wouldn't be my friend anymore."

"Whenever I had plans to go on a date with a chick he'd sabotage it, because he didn't have a date or nothing. He was a gutless f**king nothing. I haven't talked to him for years.

Mr. Rogers

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

Back in the day when I was a speed freak, um... even further back when I was a little kid watchin' Mr. Rogers, that sh*t was scary. He was a freaky old man... Land of Makebelieve and Mr. f**kinMcFeely and sh*t... made me sick. So back when I was doing speed, like for 5 or 6 days I'd be trippin out and my brain would start to get freaky and get schizophrenic and stuff, and I'd tape it and watch it everyday over and over... I don't know, I was sick in the head. As a kid he told me to be polite and all it did was get me picked on. I f**king hate that man. Thanks for making me polite and trusting everyone, and easy to take advantage of. So I spent 3 months on that one song, just tweakin' on it, and it was totally just my Mr. Rogers obsession, about how evil I thought he was. Pretty much drug induced.

K @ # Ø % (Kunt)

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

People think it's sexist but it isn't. It's more subconcious b*tching at all the women who've been with me in my life. It's not about women in feneral, just those women who hurt me." "Initially, we wrote it to send to American radio for a joke, because they always chop up all the other songs. So we were going to send a 'real' single seven days later."

A.D.I.D.A.S.

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

It stands for all day I dream about sex. It's about how much of a pervert my ass is, and how I daydream about what a stud I am. But when it comes down to it, I'm a f**king pussy and I'm in there jacking off.

a** Itch

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

That was the last song I wrote, and I was so burned at writing out lyrics because everytime I write I get depressed because I start thinking about things, you know? So the whole song is about that. In the chorus it says, 'Before day, my sun will be dying'. It's because I put myself on the line all the time and for what? Because people aren't going to be listening to it anyway.

Kill You

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

It's about a relative I first met when I was 12. I f**king hate that b*tch. She's the most evil, f**ked up person I've met in my whole life. She hated my guts. She did everything she could to make my life hell. Like, when I was sick she'd feed me tea with Tabasco, which is really hot pepper oil. She'd make me drink it and say, 'You have to burn that cold out, boy'. f**ked up sh*t like that. So every night when I'd go to sleep, I'd dream of killing that b*tch. In some sick way I had a sexual fantasy about her, and I don't know what that stems from or why, but I always dreamt about f**king her and killing her

Ball Tongue

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

The meaning of ball tongue is simple. Some thought it had to do with oral sex, but in fact its about a guy we had to work with on a t-shirt (Jeff Creath). He either had a pierced tongue or a wart or something on his tongue and he was a dick to us.

Different live: Jonathan goes into a Rap (by Coolio) Called "Loddi Doddi" in the middle of the song.

Clown

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

Korn was playing a show in San Diego for a clothing card. This skinhead guy came up and started flippin' me off. When we started, I bent down and the guy took a swing at me. Our tour manager, Jeff, got into it and knocked the guy out. I wrote this song about him: 'Scared to be honest with yourself/you're a cowardly man.

Faget

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

Everyone thinks I'm bashing gay people in this song, and I'm not. It's really about me going through high school being called 'pussy,' 'queer' and all that stuff, about getting picked on by all these jocks.

Shoots and Ladders

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

It was written because all these little kids sing these nursery rhymes and they don't know what they originally meant. Everyone is so happy when singing but 'London Bridge' is about the Black Plague. All of them have these evil stories behind them." "The lyrics are all from nursery rhymes, and a lot of nursery rhymes go back to the Middle Ages. They're actually pretty twisted if you know the stories behind them, like about Black Death and stuff.

Helmet in the Bush

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

It's about a speed problem that I had. You know, you do a lot of speed and -- if you're a male -- your penis retracts severly. The guy heard at the beginning of the song is La Caco, a friend of the band. His real name is Michael and likes taco bell. He's a really Nice Guy and he has been friends with the band for years

Daddy

Song Meaning, Jonathan:

People think daddy' was writen because my dad f**ked me up the ass,thats not what the song's about. It wasn't about my dad or my mum. When I was a kid I was being abused by someone else and I went to my parents and told them about it. and they thought I was lying and joking around, they never did sh*t about it. They didn't belive it was happening to their son. I don't like to talk about that song, this is the most I've ever talked about it...

[calunasteria]

please, xanny. | sanzu haruchiyo

"𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚."

- ever wonder how love will feel like if its with sanzu haruchiyo?

current word count: 2.3k

tw (throughout the series): mentions of drug use and abuse, manipulation (gaslighting) and toxic relationships, mentions of blood, death, and murder, rape (attempt), use of deadly weapons, slight nsfw (??) - kindly tell me if i missed one. thank you.

date started: 07/29/21 (wattpad) | 07/31/21 (tumblr)

date ended: -

02 ! please, xanny.

i still dont know sanzu's background/backstory so this might be inaccurate but i'll try to edit this out once i'm done with the story and once their backstory is out (akashi siblings).

note: not proofread

sanzu was never the type to associate and talk his feelings, emotions, and ideas out loud, not unless if it became too much for him to handle. he was never the type to play hero for someone he barely knows because his heart and mind can only let few people in. once he made up his mind about something, or fixated his loyalty for someone, it can never ever waver.

so for him to do such actions to help this girl infront of him, with tear stained face, ruined polo shirt, and ripped cardigan, under the hazy moonlight, with crisp consternation in the air - was definitely something he wouldn't do on normal occasions.

he doesn't know, his body, and his will just shifted and had a strong urge to help when he heard a familiar yet hoarse voice crying for help, when its literally 3 in the morning in a deserted area.

he and kasumi never shared a conversation before the incident, yet he always admired the way she carries herself with confidence, while her eyes says otherwise, for her ebony orbs were almost dead with dwindling light and maybe that's the reason why he, sanzu haruchiyo is somehow interested in her, inconspicuously.

_

bright, gleaming rays of the golden sun that passed through the transparent glass window woke kasumi up as it was another day, another day to deal with numerous shits with monotonous routines. but this time, she has an objective to go talk to someone. she has something to look forward to for today.

but was completely shut down when she can't get ahold of the man she was trying to find and talk to. he wasn't at his classroom. he didn't attend his classes either - he wasn't at the school.

why? did i do something wrong? kasumi cogitated. she was hopeful to bring him his jacket back and to formally say her thank you to him, but he wasn't even around. and after a few hours of thinking where he might be and why back and forth, she came to a conclusion that maybe he needs to do something else or that something came up that's why he was absent - but as another day goes by, she never saw sanzu haruchiyo again.

he was avoiding her. and she doesn't know what to feel. she was conflicted and amused because how can he avoid her when they literally study in the same school?

"if he doesn't wanna show himself to me, then fine. all i want to do was to say thank you." she sighed as she walked to their house. booming voices and gut wrenching sobs was heard inside, that caught kasumi's attention making her rush towards their front door, frantically opening the doorknob to see what was happening.

-

"man, she's still not here huh." kaoru pouted as she sat down on their usual place, but the only difference is that kasumi is not present. and its been days since kasumi stopped going to school and attending her part time jobs- and sanzu knows that something was definitely up. although he can't find any information about kasumi's whereabouts and he was somewhat frustrated so he decided to go on a local bar to drink something when he saw a familiar figure, face lying down on a table, multiple empty alcohol bottles found near her.

what the fuck is she doing here, haruchiyo pondered as he rushed towards the unconscious girl. "hey. wake up." he shook kasumi's shoulder making the girl grumble and squint her eyes towards the person who woke her up. her head was wobbly, and her vision was kinda blurry but she recognised the scent that was bewitching her system at that moment.

"sanzu!" she beamed, lifting her head up to see the man before her, eyebrows furrowing as he can now see her upclose - busted lips and eyebrows and an evident chestnut color with a hint of purple and blue bruise across her face. and he felt that again. he felt this urgency back then when he helped her on that night and here he is ushering and helping kasumi out to stand up, head empty just him following what his system is doing.

"stand up. can you walk?" he asked as he tried to hold kasumi up, her eyes unfocused and somewhat lost. "yep!" she chimed in trying to steady her movements as she was now aware that the person she was trying to find last week was now here in front of her.

"really?" sanzu lifted one of his eyebrows, as kasumi tried to shoo away his arms that was supporting her weight to keep her from falling down. "yes, now let me go." and sanzu did, making kasumi almost stumble down as her vision is still swirling, but sanzu caught her waist gracefully before she fell down.

"hold my hand, kasumi, or i'll carry you outside. you choose." sanzu offered and kasumi noticed the genuine concern hinted on his stern voice.

she took his hand all while sanzu swiftly intertwined their hands together, holding her closely, enough for her to feel his warmth that soothed her overflowing emotions these past few days.

he opened the door's car and guided her inside, setting her down carefully as he walked towards the driver's seat to go start the car.

"wait, where are we going? why did i followed you here?" kasumi blinked earning a small scoff from the man beside her.

"why don't you ask your alcohol intoxicated system, nakashima-san?" he was definitely grinning, but kasumi was too tired to argue and her head was wobbling around as if she's swimming in a tide pool.

"were sobering you up." was the last thing she heard from sanzu before car engine started and the scenery before her starts fading away into illuminated lights.

-

the car came to a halt breaking the deep reverie kasumi was in, and there she noticed that they were infront of a small coffee shop with a very people in, since its already midnight. "were here," sanzu spoke softly, as he grab another jacket on the backseat tossing it to kasumi who's still processing the things that are happening.

as she stepped out of the car, she was greeted by a sharp, cool, wintry breeze that hit her face gently. her vision is still whirling and she still feels lightheaded because of all the drinks she had but she's in a better state now than she was earlier.

the coffee shop was decorated with retro styled lightbulbs that hanged on wooden ceilings, walls with floating shelves that have books and two and tiny succulents, vintage designed portraits, landscapes, and paintings and the ambience tasted like vanilla and sleepless nights as the coffee's aroma permeated their sensation.

"what do you want to order?" sanzu asked, hands inside his pocket, eyes scanning the menu on the screen at the counter, still wearing his face mask.

"just hot chocolate." kasumi replied, as she fumbled with her wallet handing money to sanzu that just walked past her, quickly muttering her to just sit down and wait for him.

kasumi just stared at sanzu while she waited for him who was now at the counter, ordering and it was not long after he came back with a paper bag and hot chocolate on both his hands.

the paper bag contains a box of chocolate cookies that is freshly baked. "who's this for?" she asked, eyebrows raising at sanzu all while he just blankly stared at her.

"for you." he replied nonchalantly as he went outside the coffee shop, kasumi trailing behind him with so many questions pivoting in her head.

"but i only ordered hot choco? and here's the money. how much is the cookies though?" she protested, trying to keep up with his pace and she noticed that sanzu walked pass his car that was parked a few meters from the coffee shop.

"hey, where are you going? kasumi stomped her foot and sighed loudly because sanzu was ignoring all her questions and she doesn't even know where this man is going.

"sanzu haruchiyo!" she called out, still dizzy and frustrated because of how he ignores all her protests and actions and it was as if sanzu snapped out of his train of thoughts after he heard kasumi yell out his name, he then turned around to see her face tainted with color of crimson red, eyebrows furrowed, and a slight pout on her mouth.

"i'm sorry. just follow me, and you'll see." he went back to her with a few steps, taking the paperbag in her hand so she can drink her beverage while he walks towards the nearby beach. kasumi just followed silently, saving all her questions for later. the walk they shared was quiet yet comfortable even though the wind was all they can hear, and some car or vehicles driving past them.

once they reached their destination, kasumi's hot chocolate drink was long gone and the scenery before her got her awestruck and her breath was taken away.

there was no one on the beach except for them, the sound of the waves crashing was a melody in their ears, and the breeze that blew from the horizon tasted like salt and tranquillity. the sky was painted with dwindling gray, the darkest navy blue, and black ink, with the stars, constellations and crescent moon that adorned the cosmos.

they momentarily locked eyes before kasumi went ahead and ran towards the shore, the sweet and gilded sand soaked her feet was rough, yet the waves was gentle and caring.

everything was so beautiful.

she was beautiful, haruchiyo thought. as her raven hair rode through the wind current and her soft facial features was highlighted by the dim illumination of the moon.

kasumi was playing in the sand when she sat down and admired the sky's reflection on the ocean and it was not long after sanzu sat down too, his zircon gem colored eyes glimmering like the stars that hanged on the night sky. its a shame why he still has his face mask on though.

"thank you, sanzu. for everything," she smiled as she looked at him with adoration, their eyes locked with each other, both orbs filled with unsaid emotions, "but why? why are you being so kind to me? when you barely even know me?"

sanzu just stared at her, unable to answer.

because he himself doesn't even know the answer. why? why did he help her and why does he keep on involving himself with her?

"i don't know." he whispered, words getting lost within the soft breeze blowing from the horizon. "but how about you?" he spoke, as he look towards kasumi who's intently looking at him.

"what do you mean? i didn't do anything much." she replied, her heart getting heavier as the moment passes, being in that place now reminds her of the past she can never bring back.

"you have a bruise on your face. you have a busted lip. you weren't attending school and your part time jobs too. we came here so that you can atleast let go of all your problems." sanzu blurted out, making kasumi turn her head towards sanzu, eyes blinking with amusement while a soft chuckle escaped her lips, stretching it into a wide grin.

sanzu looked confused at her reaction, "no, its just that, you literally said a whole paragraph there, i was shocked. you never said anything more than 10 or more words." she explained, as she lay down on the sand, staring at the stars.

"its just, everything is so shitty. i just found out that my father cheated on my ill and sick mom and he raised his hand at her, and that everytime he'd go out he'll just go whoring around with his bitch downtown. and when i stood up for my mom? he beat me up too. god, when the fuck did it all went wrong?" kasumi ranted, tears falling down her eyes non stop as she let out everything that's been hunting her these past few days all while sanzu just listened intently, his heart sinking slowly in behalf of what kasumi had vented.

"there's no such thing as a perfect family, but that doesn't justify what your father did to you." he muttered, and kasumi sat up, wiping away her tears.

"say, sanzu-"

"haruchiyo." he corrected, voice unwavering.

kasumi was astonished. man, he was definitely full of surprises and as the moment they both share together, stretches on, she felt more and more comfortable with his presence. "haruchiyo, can you remove your mask, please?" she asked, and sanzu was taken aback by her request and he doesn't want to remove it yet his hands moved on his own.

why?

is it normal to feel so fucking connected to a person who doesn't even know you before what happened? to feel so comfortable to someone who barely knows you? to feel so secured with someone whom you only shared a few words and moments with?

he doesn't know.

he doesn't know anymore.

his long, slender, and veiny hands moved towards his face mask and finally removed them.

he thought that she might find it unpleasant, and hideous, just like what other people think, so he just hang his head low but then he felt her warm hands lift his chin up, there he saw her with genuine, fond smile, eyes full of affection.

and oh how sanzu fell in love that moment.

but of course he's not gonna admit it.

he just thinks that its the alcohol with her. yeah. she's still drunk, probably. the male mused, trying to convince himself.

both of them talked and stared at the stars for a long time before kasumi fell asleep. but then after that night, the girl disappeared. she never went to school ever again, nor to her part time jobs.

it was as if what happened that night was a dream.

[toplinetommy]

You Bring the Moon and Stars to Me (Part Six) - Tyson Jost

Synopsis: A Soulmate!AU where your soulmark only appears once you fall in love with your soulmate

Words: 5.6k

Warnings: none

a/n: thank you so much to @pizzasloot​ for proofreading!! as always, feedback is always welcome :-)

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

March 2019 - Denver, CO

Planning a 21st birthday party for Tyson was way harder than you thought it would be, plain and simple. You thought your college days, when everyone was turning 21, would’ve prepared you for a few more, but boy, were you wrong. When girls turn 21, they want the big balloons and the cake with the Barbie on it, but what about guys? Not to mention, Tyson wasn’t even American, so the anxiety made you think he wouldn’t care as much as a typical  21-year-old American would.

Nevertheless, with help from JT, Kerfy, and Sammy, you were able to pull it off. You were able to corral a good chunk of the Avalanche roster to attend the party, plus some of Tyson’s friends outside of the team. Tyson knew you were planning something big for his birthday, but he was unsure of what it was exactly other than throwing a pregame at the Rookie House and then going bar hopping downtown. 

While he and the rest of the Avs were at practice this morning, and while you and Caitlyn were on your lunch break at work, you snuck into the Rookie House to lightly decorate the place. You decided to get the typical big ‘21’ balloons in silver, alongside a hefty lineup of alcohol. You somehow convinced yours and Caitlyn’s boss to take a longer lunch, in exchange for not taking lunch the next day, so you were able to take your time and be there when Tyson got home from morning skate.

You had just finished laying out his birthday present on his bed when you heard the garage door opening, causing a flight of anxiety to course through you as you rushed up the stairs taking them two at a time. As you settle next to Caitlyn in front of the decorations, Tyson, JT, and Kerfy walk through the garage door together, still caught up in their previous conversation.

“Happy birthday!” The two of you yell excitedly, causing Tyson to turn his head from his friends and to the two of you in the living room. His face erupts in a smile, eyes moving back and forth between you and Caitlyn and the decorations that are set up. He’s in awe as he looks at the array of silver balloons, the small birthday cake placed on the coffee table, and the ‘finally 21 and legal in America’ banner. 

He reaches the two of you, giving Caitlyn a quick hug while thanking her before he embraces you in his arms tightly, “Thank you.”

He pulls away, and you rub your hands along his shoulders and biceps as he moves completely away. “You guys didn’t have to do this.”

“We know, but we wanted to,” you say, gesturing between you and Caitlyn. She smiles at you, hiding the fact that you essentially had to beg her to come help and that all of this was 100% your idea. Both JT and Kerfy comment on the decorations before disappearing into the rest of the house. 

“Where did you get this banner?” He chuckles, pointing to the black lettering being held up by a string. You and Caitlyn both laugh, knowing it was a funny and somewhat dumb addition to the decorations.

“This shop on Etsy does custom ones,” You answer. “I thought it’d be funny.”

“I love it,” He smiles, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and bringing you into his side. You check your watch to see the time, noticing that you and Caitlyn need to head back to your office soon.

“We have to get back to work, but I did get you a present. It’s in your room if you want to go open it?” You ask. He nods his head excitedly and the two of you go downstairs, leaving Caitlyn in the living room.

He sees the medium-sized gift bag sitting nicely on the edge of the bed, grabbing it, and sitting down. He opens your card first, reading it to himself. You watch as his eyes move left-to-right on the card, seeing a smile forming on his face from both the card and the extra note you wrote on it. He sets the card down next to him while patting the same spot for you to take a seat beside him.

You sit down, eyes on him as he pulls the tissue paper and the contents from the bag. His eyes scan over the small package of ukulele strings, setting them down to the side and digging in the bag again. He pulls each item out one by one, his smile only getting bigger as he sees a shot glass that says ‘legal as fuck, eh’, a pair of diamond-patterned dress socks, and a framed Polaroid of the two of you from Gabe’s wedding last year.

“Where did you get this photo from?” He asks, closely examining it. It’s a candid picture of the two of you that he had never seen before. Tyson’s shirt was unbuttoned showing his torso, much like the rest of the guys there, the both of you mid-dance and he’s holding your hands in the air. Even with how blurry and small the photo is, yours and Tyson’s smile are clear as day.

“Sydney gave it to me after the wedding,” You answer, looking up at him. “I kinda forgot I had it because I found it the other day when I was cleaning. It got under my dresser somehow.”

“Y/n, this is amazing,” He admires, setting the items down and turning to look at you. “Thank you, so much, really.”

You smile sheepishly, your cheeks warming at the extra attention. He’s looking into your eyes when you turn to face him fully and he leans in to wrap his arms around you, bringing you in for yet another hug. A loud yell of your name from upstairs causes the two of you to pull away slightly.

“I gotta get back to work,” you whisper. Even as you started to pull away, getting ready to leave, Tyson doesn’t let you go as quickly. He dragged the arm that was around your back to where your neck met your shoulder. It feels like time is moving in slow motion as his eyes glance to your lips before back to your eyes.

“y/n! We have a meeting in 35 minutes, let’s go!” Caitlyn shouts once again, snapping the two of you back to reality. You stand up, hugging Tyson once more as he thanks you again for the gift.

--

By the time most of the Avalanche roster had made their way through the front door of the Rookie House, Tyson was already four shots and a mixed drink deep. He had insisted he take one with you the second you got back to his house after work, and had convinced you and his roommates to take a shot before anyone else arrived. 

Knowing he was going to start feeling the effects of the alcohol soon, you pulled him aside to take photos in front of the balloons and banner you had set up earlier. You hand your phone to Caitlyn and lean into Tyson’s side, him squeezing you impossibly close, causing a laugh to slip from your lips. You pose for a few more photos before having some other people join in for group shots. 

Once you get your phone back you look through them all, finding the best ones to post on Instagram. You choose two: one where Tyson’s arm is wrapped tightly around your waist and you’re leaning into his side, your hand splayed in his lower abdomen. The second one is more on the candid side. Your eyes are squinted close and your mouth is open, mid-laugh from Tyson pressing his fingers harshly into your side. Tyson continues taking photos while you edit them and open up Instagram typing out a caption before hitting post. Tyson feels the vibration of the notification in his pocket and pulls it out reading the caption and swiping through the photos. 

yourusername: happy 21st to my superstar of a best friend. glad you finally dont have to use your big-shot hockey player status to get into bars now! cheers to you💥

He laughs before typing out a comment and sliding his phone back into his pocket. 

josty17: thx for exposing me🙄

The pre-game is in full swing by the time everyone’s finally arrived. As Tyson’s best friend and designated drinking buddy, you give yourself the duty to make sure he always has a drink in his hand. As you’re making him his final drink before heading out to the bars, his large body collided with yours. 

“Hey best friend,” he greets, teeth shining under his wide smile under the kitchen lights. 

“Hey best friend,” you laugh, putting the cap back on the bottle of New Amsterdam in front of you. You grab the lemonade, opening it and filling the rest of the glass. “Here’s your refill.”

“Can we do another tequila shot?” He asks with pleading eyes. Luckily, he had an optional morning skate before their game tomorrow, while you on the other hand had an 8-5 job. The pleading eyes on Tyson’s face give you little room to say no, so you grab the bottle of tequila dramatically and the lime slices next to it. 

He grabs two shot glasses and you pour the shots, sprinkling salt onto yours and Tyson’s fists. You raise your glass to cheers his and give a quick toast,

“Here’s to being way more successful than I was at 21 and to this year being the best year yet. I love you and happy birthday superstar!” You cheer, clinking your glass with Tyson’s and downing the shot. 

Once Tyson finishes swallowing his shot, he cheers loudly, drawing the attention of those surrounding you. Tyson pulls you in for a hug, which is probably at least the thirteenth time he’s hugged you today, but you’re not complaining. 

“Thank you again for all of this, and for my gift earlier. This all means a lot.”

You laugh and shrug off the compliment, “it wasn’t just me, but you know I’d do anything for you and besides, you wouldn't have done anything big unless I took it over.” He laughs in agreement, knowing that he wasn’t one to pass up a party like this but would’ve never been the one to plan it for himself. 

Once he finishes the drink, the large group all starts ordering their Ubers or heading out in their own cars if they have someone to drive. Your group, consisting of Tyson, JT, Sammy, Gabe, and Tyson, all piles into the Uber that you ordered minutes ago. You’re all the first to leave, everyone in tow, all in agreement on the first bar to meet at.

As the night gets later, the rowdiness of the group of men you’re with only increases. It was a lot for you to handle at the start, the pressure to make this a good birthday for Tyson and being around so many of his friends in a larger than normal group only adding to it. The time was nearing last call at the last bar you were all at. The large group of broad hockey players had started to dwindle as guys headed home to get rest for tomorrow.

Tyson is starting to hit that stage of drunk where if he sits for too long, he’ll want to go to sleep, but at the same time, you can’t seem to keep him in one spot for more than a few minutes. Throughout the night, the boys had been feeding him shots, making sure that if they saw Tyson’s hands empty, they wouldn’t be for much longer. In order to keep him out for a little longer, you drag him to his feet from where he's sitting at the booth to the edge of the dancefloor where some of the guys are located.

As you approach Tyson, Gabe, and Nate, Tyson takes ahold of your hand, interlocking your fingers together, he leads you through the crowd. He looks back at you, with a wide smile as his expression is the only thing you see, the large crowd and bright neon lights turning into a blur. It was like he was trying to pull you closer to him with nothing but a subtle smirk and a twinkle in his eye; the twinkle in his eye causing you to match his smile with an equally wide one.

His shoulders are slouching and you’re somewhat surprised that his light blue button-up is still on over his black t-shirt and not tied around his waist, knowing he easily got overheated when he drank. Gabe embraces him in a bro hug, cheering loudly about how he’s still alive and that he better be ready for the game tomorrow. Tyson was well aware of tomorrow night’s game and made you promise him that you wouldn’t let him get too drunk, in hopes of his hangover being bearable in the morning. 

Because of this, you decide to leave the small group of guys to go get him water in hopes of clearing his head a little. When you get back to the group, Tyson doesn’t take notice of your sudden presence, even as you shove the water into his hands. “I think I’m going to invite her to Canada this summer,” he yells in a slur over the music to his teammates. 

“Who’re you inviting to Canada?” you ask, sticking your body fully into the circle. You stand next to him, hesitantly reaching for his free hand with one of yours to connect them again. He interlocks his fingers with yours without a thought and stares blankly towards you once the question has left your mouth. 

“Uhhh, no one,” he brushes off with a stutter. You look at him quizzically before ignoring what you heard, assuming the alcohol is what caused you both confusion. 

“Y/n, this is water,” he complains once he takes a sip. You laugh and roll your eyes at your friend. It was nearing one-thirty in the morning and he had already consumed more drinks than you could keep count of. He was clearly past the level of drunk, with how he was stumbling when he walked and slowly slurring his words as he spoke. 

“Drink it and we can get you another drink before we leave,” you negotiate. You assume he agrees to your negotiation as he chugs his water faster than you’ve seen him chug anything before. With his triumphant look as he shows you the now-empty glass, your plan failed you, and the guys surrounding you laugh knowingly.

“How about this? Nate and them will go get refills for all of us,” You eye Nate, Tyson, and Gabe as you speak. “And we can go get some fresh air outside and meet them back here in a few?” 

They all understand what you’re getting at, nodding their heads and saying they’ll see you in a bit before heading towards the bar. You tug on Tyson’s hand, heading for the front exit of the bar, maneuvering between the drunk and sweaty bodies. Once the Denver winter air hits both of your faces, you slyly pull out your phone to order an Uber back to his house.

You had let go of his hand once you got outside, and crossed your arms over your chest, phone still in hand. Tyson’s teeth chatter a little from the cold and he rests his head on your shoulder in hope of pulling any sort of warmth from your body.

Minutes pass by full of incoherent conversation from Tyson, most of it him telling you he’s cold and that he wants to go back inside, to which you respond with that you’ve only been outside for a few minutes. He easily believes the lie as another five minutes pass by and you’re shoving him into the backseat of an Uber. 

Once the door is closed behind you, he whips his head towards you, “Y/n! Where are we going? I thought we were just taking a break.”

“I’m taking you home, Tyson,” you explain. “It’s really late and you have a game tomorrow.”

He pouts at your explanation, but he stops complaining anyways. The bumpiness from the potholes on the ride home has him focusing on his breathing and leaning his head on your shoulder once again until you’re pulling him out of the car and to his garage.

He tries entering the code and after the fourth failure, you shove him aside, “What’s the code?”

“It’s 3717.” He mumbles.

You try the code and it doesn’t work and after your third attempt, it’s still not working. “It isn’t working, are you sure it’s 3717?”

“Nope,” He enunciates. 

You look at him with a deadpan expression, “Are you going to make me call your roommates to figure it out?”

“No, let me do it.” He asserts, throwing his arm over your shoulder and punching in the code, and the creak of the garage opening makes you let out a sigh. 

“What the fuck was the code?”

“A secret I’ll never tell,” he salutes, making his way to the mud-room door. As you walk behind him, you clench your fists in annoyance at your friend's actions, giving him the benefit of the doubt from his drunken state.

He stumbles up the small flight of concrete steps, walking inside and instantly heading to the kitchen to find some sort of snack to soak up the alcohol. The rustling of packages stops as Tyson whips around,

“I want a grilled cheese. Will you make me one? Please?”

You drop your shoulders in a groan, silently saying yes as you move to the fridge to grab the ingredients. You chuckle at the organic cheeses in the fridge and the weird oat nut bread he has. Tyson hops up onto the counter beside his stove, swinging his legs as he watches you prepare his sandwich. 

As you go to put the sandwich in the pan, his hand grabs yours pulling it back. “You forgot the pickles!” He exclaims, jumping from his spot to the fridge and pulling out a jar of bread and butter pickles. 

“That is the nastiest thing I’ve ever seen,” you fake gag. He places a handful of pickles on the sandwich and then moves back to his previous position on the counter. “I don’t think I can ever see you as the same person again.”

Tyson’s face fills with hurt, and you’re not quite sure if he’s faking it or the alcohol in his body actually makes him think that. 

“I hate pickles.” You state, eyeing him as you flip the sandwich over. 

“I feel like I’ve seen you eat one before.” He responds, dipping his fingers into the pickle jar and snacking on one. 

“Have you not noticed how I always give you my pickles when we eat out?” You ask, thinking back to the countless diner and sports bar trips where the first thing you’d do when you got your plate of food was give him your pickle. 

“Well, yeah,” he answers quickly with a shrug. “I just thought you did that because I like them so much.” He smiles at the memories, biting into one more pickles chip before clasping the lid back onto the jar. You smile softly at the thought, too, before turning off the stove and sliding the sandwich out onto a plate for your friend. 

He grabs the plate and instantly drags you down the stairs to his room where he plops on his bed, criss-cross applesauce, white Adidas still on his feet, causing you to rip his feet from underneath him.

“Tyson, your shoes are disgusting from the bar,” You puff, taking them off his feet since he was too preoccupied with his sandwich. He thanks you through a full mouth before you join him on his bed, folding your legs underneath you to mirror his position. 

“Slow down there, killer,” you joke as you notice how fast he’s eating and how many extra large bites he’s taken. He swallowed the last piece harshly before setting the plate on the ground at the foot of his bed. 

“Are you sleeping over?” He lays down, eyeing you with droopy eyes waiting for an answer.

“I can, but I have work early,” you remind him, shuffling to stand up from his bed as you itch the back of your arm. 

“So then you’re sleeping over,” He states matter of factly. His eyes are closed now as he senses the movements of you standing up from the bed. With it almost being two in the morning and you having work early in the morning, you really should get home but with the added time of needing an Uber from your alcohol consumption, you decide staying is best. You set a handful of alarms on your phone, making sure you leave enough time for you to drive back to your place, get ready, and then get to work, all before 8:30 am.

“Let’s get you changed. You want shorts?” You start. “They’re in your dresser, right?” You ask for clarification. You hear him say yes tiredly, and you start shuffling through the chestnut drawers.

“You know, I really wanted to kiss you earlier when you were giving me my gift,” Tyson thinks aloud in a mumble as he sits on the bed. The admission causes you to halt your movements in your search for shorts for him. “Would you have let me kiss you? Wait, no, don’t answer that.”

Him telling you not to answer pushes a wave of relief through your body, thankful for not having to answer that question. As you open the third drawer you think to yourself, would you have let him kiss you? You didn’t see the harm in it, knowing that most guy and girl best friends shared at least one kiss throughout their friendship. Even Caitlyn and Tucker had asked you on multiple occasions if you had kissed to which you always replied with a harsh no. 

You finally locate a pair of shorts and walk back towards Tyson, helping him stand from the bed to get changed. He’s just coherent enough to strip out of his button-down and white t-shirt; where he starts to struggle is when his hands reach the button of his jeans. He pushes them down his thighs, he gets stuck at his knees he starts to stumble, falling into the bed and you laugh lightly at your best friend’s movement.

He curses out a sigh, before sitting up and finally getting them off and pulling shorts on.

“You good there?”

“Yes, bedtime.” He huffs decidedly, shuffling up the bed and throwing the covers away so he can get under them. 

You stand up, moving back to his dresser and closet to find clothes to wear when you hear a whine from behind you. “Hurry up, I want cuddles.”

You laugh at his newfound neediness, something he always was around you but it came out much more than normal tonight. Whether it was from the level of drunk he was or just the new shift in the comfort the two you felt in your friendship. You reemerge from his bathroom, changed into a pair of his sweats and his Colorado Eagles shirt.

“I like the shirt,” he chirps, smiling from his spot in bed. He continues to watch you as you lay down next to him and text Caitlyn, asking her to call you in the morning just in case your alarm doesn’t wake you. He’s on his side facing you, one hand tucked under his head and the other moving to rest in the air as he makes grabby hands. “I said I wanted a cuddle.”

“Fine,” you huff, even though you’re smiling and scooting your body down and underneath his arm. Your fingers find their way over his rib cage, lightly scratching at the bareness of his back, just underneath his shoulder blade.

“I know I said thank you a million times, but thank you for such an amazing birthday.” He speaks, voice quiet for the first time in hours. 

You flick your eyes up to where his are a few inches higher, “I loved doing it for you, Tys. I’m glad you had an amazing day.”

He stares into your eyes a moment longer before shuffling up the bed a few inches so he can rest his cheek on your forehead. “Can you scratch my elbow?”

You move your fingers from his shoulder blade to his elbow, lightly scratching at the muscles in his triceps. He softly groans at the feeling and you bite back a laugh in reaction. Soon his breath is heavy over your face and you're trying to force the smile off your face so you can focus on going to bed. But it’s hard, being this close in proximity at such a high level of intimacy with your best friend is causing an explosion of feelings in your heart and a warmth occupying your body. You think to yourself how light you’ve felt all night by his side and you think back to his earlier comment about how he wanted to kiss you. Not even an hour ago the attempt would scare you away, but now, you’re not so sure. 

When you turn over to get in a more comfortable position, your eyes land on the new decoration on his bedside table. You squint your eyes to get a better look and you recognize it as the Polaroid you gifted him earlier in the day. The soft smile on your face nearly triples in size at the thought of him putting your picture near his bed and a little part of you wants to steal it back just for you to place it near your bed in your own home. 

At the feeling of Tyson’s heavy breaths at the back of your neck, you close your eyes and let out a content sigh. Sliding your head deeper into the pillow, you play with Tyson’s fingers on the arm that’s laid over you before interlocking them and falling asleep. 

The ringtone of your phone is what pulls you from your sleep the next morning. You try to find your phone with your eyes closed, but with no luck on your side, you squint open your eyes and grab your phone. Seeing as it’s a phone call from Caitlyn and not your alarm, also seeing that it’s already 7:45, you jolt awake. 

“Fuck,” you curse into the phone as you pull it to you ear, sitting up against the pillows. Tyson’s arm tightens around you, his figure Shull heavy with sleep. 

“Dude, I saw your car across the street. Please tell me you’re home and like getting a ride to work.” Caitlyn rushes out. 

“I fucking wish. You literally just woke me up, shit.”

“Y/n!”

“Please tell me you have clothes I can borrow and that we can carpool to work. I’ll owe you big time, please.”

All of the commotion doesn’t wake Tyson to your surprise, but as you sit up further in the bed as he starts to stir next to you. 

“I’ll be over in like ten, you’re literally a life saver.”

“It’s so early, shhhhh,” Tyson mumbles next to you, turning further into your body. You want to scream out of anxiousness and stress but Tyson resting his head onto your chest stops you and you lift your hand to comb through his hair. 

“I have work in like, 30 minutes,” and that statement jolts him awake just as much as the phone call not a minute prior did for you. 

“Oh, shit, sorry,” he rubs his eyes. He rolls over onto his back and you miss the warmth of both his arm and his chest against you instantly. You throw the comforter over you, standing up from the comfort of his bed. You stumble to find your socks and grab your outfit from the night prior, moving to the bathroom with the intention of changing back into it before changing at Caitlyn’s. 

“You can just keep the clothes,” Tyson starts, his eyes open now as he sits further up against his headboard. “I can get them back eventually.”

“I promise you’ll get it back, thank you,” you speak, turning back to the man in bed and going to hug him goodbye. It’s an awkward hug with how you’re standing and how he’s half laying down but he gives you a kiss on the forehead before bidding you goodbye. 

“Text me when you’re alive,” you shout as you finally exit his room. 

Once you’re ready and buckled into Caitlyn’s passenger seat, the two of you speed through the short commute to your offices. 

“Caitlyn, before we get there I need to like, unload on you.” You start shakily, playing with your phone in your lap. 

She glances at you before turning her attention back to the road in front of you. 

“So, remember yesterday when I gave Tyson his gift and I was kinda taking a while? Well, it’s uh, he almost kissed me that’s why.”

“What?!” She exclaims, whipping her head to face you as she comes to a stop at the stoplight. “You cannot be serious!”

“Yeah and then when I took him home, it was just a lot with what was going on.”

“Please tell me you guys did not hook up,” she groans, stepping on the gas as the light turned green. “You guys can’t finally decide to get together and have it happen when you’re drunk off your asses.”

“God, Caitlyn, no we didn’t ‘finally’ hook up or whatever,” you stress in confusion. “I just made him food and it was just, really domestic, and then when I was finding him clothes to change into, he was like ‘I wanted to kiss you earlier’ and asked me if I would’ve let him if he did.”

“And? Did you say yes?”

“First of all, why would you assume that I would’ve said yes? And secondly, no because he told me not to answer.” You brush off. 

“Y/n,” she starts, pulling into an empty parking spot. She puts the car in park and turns to face you fully. “Before I give you my speech, answer this: you would’ve let him kiss you, correct?”

Even though you barely have to think before answering, the question oddly carries a lot of weight and it scares you. “I think so, yes,” you nod your head slowly.  

“Okay, hear me out. You and Tyson are best friends and not just like normal best friends, you two are inseparable. And I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, because it’s not, but I think you need to start noticing the small changes you two have been making recently. You wouldn’t just let a friend kiss you, you’d only want that if you felt something more.”

Her rant makes you sink back into your seat, making you feel cornered in the small confines of the passenger seat of her car. The combination of your hangover, her speech, and it not even being nine in the morning makes your stomach churn. 

“Yeah, I guess so, I don’t know.” You ramble, grabbing your purse from the floor in front of you and opening the car door. “It all happened in one night, it’s a lot to take in.” You defend yourself as you meet her at the end of the car. 

“You guys have been going through some change for a while now, Jack and I have noticed it. Hell, I think some of the guys on the team have started to see it, too.” She insinuates with exaggerated hand movements. “Like I said back when you were with Aiden, you obviously waited to tell Tyson about him for a reason and that was almost six months ago. Think about why you did that, and I think you’ll know what’s going on.”

The two of you ride up the elevator from the parking garage to your office in silence after that. The statement by your friend doing circles inside your brain as you try to figure out the real reason behind all of your previous actions with Tyson. As the elevator doors ding open and the white lights of your office shock you, you opt for a closing statement. 

“I think it’s just hard because I’m clearly attracted to him, and I have been for three years now. Usually, with friendships, I lose that interest pretty early on and like, build a wall if that’s what you want to call it,” you start as the two of you make way down the hall to the break room in need of coffee. 

As you select a K-Cup for both you and Caitlyn a smile grows on your face as you continue. 

“But with Tyson, every time I see him I feel the physical attraction with him, which sounds kind of shallow since that’s all I’m emphasizing right now, but it’s not just that. He’s such a good human and a good friend and knows exactly what to say to me even if I don’t want to hear it and all of that coupled with how handsome he is makes me feel a lot of different things that I still can’t exactly put my finger on.”

You turn your focus to Caitlyn, who has a knowing look playing on her face, her arms crossed over her chest as she leans against the fridge,

“See, I think you’re starting to figure it out.”

You smile, grateful for your friends words of wisdom. Even If you wanted her to just spell it out for you, her talk still helped as the two of you go your separate ways a few minutes later once your coffees are poured and after you ramble on about your night with Tyson a little bit longer.

--

tag list: @reavenedges-lies​ @oilers2997​ @quinnsbxtch​ (let me know if you wanted to be added!)

[simpingw0lfi3]

eyes, nose, lips

i feel like writing something messy, something crazy, something nonsensical... today feels like a day where i put down my unkempt hair and jump on my bed, caring less if i punch a hole in my ceiling (i dont actually do this)

delinquent (kinda??) au - tartaglia

A finger trailed along the rim of the shot-glass, the deep amber liquid reflecting off of his sky-blue eyes. Disinterested with those who flocked around him in the bar, he flicked his finger against the glass, observing closely how the ice cube shifted as the warmth of the alcohol enveloped the icy but sheeny surface. Eyes quickly glanced over the choices of drinks on the shelf in front of him, the bottles glistening in the mellow light. Then they averted over to the bartender, observing how his hands tightly grasped over the metal container as he shook with vigour. Yet, none of this was any great entertainment. With a heavy sigh, he grasped the edge of the glass with his fingertips, rocking the beverage back and forth as he spun around in his chair, facing the swarm of people. But it was nothing like he expected - instead of watching bodies clamour against each other, or hearing the blasting music to ring in his ears, his eyes were fixated on the stage. The deafening sound that he’d expect from such a club drowned at the sight of her. There was no light within the building, yet there seemed to be a tangential light that dissecting through the ceiling, bringing all the attention to the woman in the black dress. You’d think that one wearing black would merge within the shadows, but there was something about her that the man couldn’t take his eyes off; it was a rather strange situation, for he would only seek excitement from brawls with others who deemed him weak, and here he was, wanting the tangible her in his embrace. Without much conscious thought, he set his drink down onto the mahogany wood, making his way through the sea of people while guided by the beacon of illusive light that surrounded her figure. 

Except he was greeted with an unsolicited darkness, masking the radiance he desired to grasp. 

And all of the sudden he was cold. They had asked to fight. And he, being one who enjoyed partaking in such activities, didn’t see a reason to decline. If they wanted to fight, so be it. One of them had escorted her out of the club, as if wishing to spare her the view of such discourteousness. The lady was in such a protest, it wouldn’t be a surprise if she hadn’t encountered such a situation before. Anger boiled inside of him as he finally acknowledged a fact; this woman, although a stranger, didn’t seem contented with such a relationship. And thus he promised himself to do everything in his power to protect her, liberate her from the cage she was confined in. He had the confidence.

Eyes.

His heart of ice must have melted at the sight of her - how her eyes glimmered in the dim disco light, like her pupils held fractured gems within. They seemed to curl up into crescents as she swayed to the music, and at the sight of her contentment he froze over. A blackened eye of his only darkened his vision so that she, the light, would guide him.

Nose.

A drop of blood trickled down his lip, his hand brushing against the warm liquid as he stared at the smudged redness now imprinted onto his finger. One, two, three, four... six, maybe? The men had conviction in their numbers, but he had conviction in his power; yet why was he losing? Not a single scratch on a single one of them. 

Lips.

In the darkness he imagined. A thumb grazing against her bottom lip, telling her it was going to be alright. How his eyes would linger on her plump lips longer than they should’ve, and a blush tinting her cheeks all the way to the tip of her ears. He staggered against the walls outside of the club, knees weak at his defeat. The men had trudged away, leaving his broken body to slump feebly, dragging onto the floor. Coughing sporadically, his hands haphazardly grazed against the cuts on his lip, the stinging sensation of the wound persisting a long burn.

“Y-you!” He looked up, and his sky-blue eyes had filled with desire and provocation once again. Was she just a figment of his imagination? A hallucination, from all the damage that had been dealt to him? But he couldn’t resist a hefty laughter at the sight of her. Her figure, her brilliance, her presence. 

So he looked up with a wide grin, ignoring his bruised eye and cut lip and fighting the urge to wince.

“Hey, Ojou-chan~”

[mikemoon]

( choi yeonjun, cis man ) have you seen MICHAEL “MIKE” MOON ? i heard HE is a COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR at SAN VERTO COLLEGE and an EMPLOYEE at HALL OF FILM. they’re 22 years old and they’ve been living in san verto for 6 YEARS. they tend to be CARE-FREE & ADVENTUROUS, but rumor has it they can also be GRUMPY & CLUMSY. [ tally, 25, gmt+4, she/her ] @foolsstarters​

tw // mentions of depression, cheating, divorce, underage drinking and smoking

michael moon, born myungjun moon –– choi yeonjun fc

birthday: september 9, 1998 - 22 yrs old ; virgo

cis man, he/him, bisexual

born and raised in philadelphia, pennsylvania

mike grew up being an only child, and always around the company of his mother in their house. his father was always traveling back and forth from south korea to the states for work. his parents have met at work on one of his father’s trips to the states, and they fell in love. his mother being american-born, she couldn’t really leave philadelphia. she loved it there. so they decided to keep it a long distance relationship.

sometime during those fleeting meetings, she had gotten pregnant with michael. and of course, his father spoiled them both, giving them everything they wanted. he never left them to fend for themselves. when the boy was born, his father named him myungjun, and his mother decided to name him michael for his english name. the nicknames jun, mike, and sometimes junnie were often heard whenever his parents or childhood friends called him.

up until mike was five years old in 2004, he’s lived with his mother, while his father was leaving and coming back for a week or two. but that year, he’s finally moved to the states and stayed with them for longer nights. he even finally married michael’s mother. of course, he still disappeared for a few days or weeks on end for work.

but that was also the year michael’s mother found out that her husband was with another woman. michael has never seen his mother break down like that before. sadly, the young boy was peering into the room when the fight happened and witnessed everything. his mother made her partner choose between the two women, and he eventually told her that he was going to divorce his first wife for her, and appeared to have gone through with his promise. because after that incident, he’s been around more often.

by early 2015, when michael had just turned 16, his mother had gotten a teaching job in ashdown academy, which resulted in their move to san verto, california. meaning, new school and new friends for mike. meanwhile, his dad was still traveling a lot for business and coming back whenever he could.

michael has grown up as a cheerful and energetic child. his friends at any school he went to would tell you how much of a great friend he is, how trustworthy and caring he is. it was so easy for him to make friends anywhere. he was the type of friend who would smile at you and listen to you talk on and on about whatever you liked, and the type who would cheer you on with anything you want to achieve. he wanted everyone to feel included and loved.

so it wasn’t that hard for him to get along with new people once he moved to town. he was a very social person. 

he was also the type of teenager who was out there doing things he wasn’t supposed to. he missed his old friends and his old home, but he wanted to have fun with all the new kids he was befriending. that simply resulted in him going to house parties as an underaged teen to ‘have fun’. his mother didn’t approve of him coming home very late at night, clearly smelling like smoke and alcohol. 

internally he was a depressed mess. of course, no one is completely happy as they grow up. his family was a mess, even if it appeared as fine to everyone else. his family life affected him so much while growing up. mike sometimes could disappear for a few days in his room, and it was always during some of his bad spells.

what made it worse was the day he found out the truth.

it was 2017 when michael walked into his father’s office in their house, looking for him to ask him about something. and instead of finding the man, he found a stack of papers poking from underneath his father’s laptop. upon closer look, they appeared to be divorce papers. michael’s heart sunk, thinking his parents were breaking it off.

michael is a curious kid, he couldn’t help but close the door and read the papers. but what he saw wasn’t his mother’s name, it was another woman. his heart raced, as he put things back where they were and immediately left the room. michael had found out one of his father’s many secrets. he never divorced his first wife all those years ago. he lied and somehow stayed with both women without suspicion... well, until now. clearly the other woman was breaking it off for a reason. 

michael couldn’t help his curiosity. he came back to the room later that night and snapped as many pictures as he could of evidence he could find. he even found his father’s phone (which was easy to figure out the password of) and found a plethora of pictures of the man with a different family, different kids and a different partner. he airdropped the pictures to himself to avoid leaving any traces behind and quickly left again.

a quick search on facebook, and he managed to find the first wife. it was easy with the name and pictures he had. if anything, michael prided himself on being a good internet detective... or stalker. he spent everyday trying to find the rest of the family on the internet. he found the woman’s young daughter on instagram and twitter, along with her older son’s accounts as well. it felt weird. it was a constant “now what?” for michael. he’s found them. what was he going to do now? he couldn’t just message them and tell them everything. and he couldn’t break his mother’s heart by letting her know.

except he had to let her know. he could never live with the fact that he knew his father was betraying her this entire time. and so michael told her everything, and after comforting her all night when she broke down yet again, she immediately ended things and asked for a divorce. now it was just michael and his mother, all alone. and for once, having to get by on their own.

thankfully they were safe, with his mother’s amazing money management skills, and the job she got at the academy, they managed to live their regular lives despite the heavy feeling of a broken family looming around them. the two just wanted to be happy again.

michael spent the next few years trying to lead a normal life. his mental health had gotten worse after everything he’s found out. he went to college, and he continued trying to do well in school. he really wasn’t the best when it came to grades, but he was trying his best.

and truthfully, he couldn’t help but make a few spare accounts on some social medias to follow his father’s other family.

but he eventually decided to just let it go, assuming they definitely knew about his mother and himself, which would explain the first divorce. so he decided to put it in the past and move on.

his mother has moved on as well. she found herself someone who actually cares about her so much (mike’s stupid ass has done a secret background check to make sure this dude wasn’t another cheater lmaoo) and now mike isn’t an only child anymore. it’s been 2 years since his little sister yuna was born, and he loves her so much. he still isn’t used to the idea of a new fatherly figure in his life, but he’s.... getting there. 

little dumb hcs

mike majors in computer science at san verto college, with a concentration in game development and design

hes a lil gamer boy,,, u KNOW he’s that annoying dude with a gamer chair that has a sound system in it khjkh

he posted a few videos on youtube but rly just ditched the channel after like a month. he still posts whenever he feels like it tho and it’s usually just.... messy gaming videos or opinions no one asked for

his dad’s dumb ass still doesn’t know it was mike who exposed him to his mother. he thinks she found the divorce papers on her own. therefore.... mike still gets money from his dad on a monthly basis and gets to keep the car he bought him for his 18th birthday lmaooooo a win 

you probably heard me say this before but.... theres a hc that mike is allergic to eggs. simply bc the idea of him shopping in the vegan section is funny to me 

this boy has a love for frogs ? idk where the obsession came from but you bet you’re gonna see a cute lil frog sticker on everything he owns. he doodles them on everything too ? it’s a habit at this point. he also knows random little facts about them and tells them to anyone who didnt ask for them 

. embarrassing but.. this dude... omg.... a big sana stan.... he has a photocard collection.... he went to a twice concert like 5 times.... dont be surprised if you see a feel special sana photocard in his phonecase.... im embarrassed of him 

he also has a hyunjin mcdonalds hashbrown photocard framed that a friend gave to him for christmas bc.. it’s a rare card,,, and you can see it on a table by the door when you walk into his apartment 😭

mike also has a habit of buying things he doesn’t need ?? he has a plushie collection that has been growing since he was young, and now is getting bigger with the rise of squishmallows

there’s this random hc where he drunk bought a cardboard cutout of john cena ,,,, don’t ask,,, it’s currently guarding his room back at his mom’s house djfhdj

can you tell mike is my most embarrassing , most chaotic character,, 

also he moved out after graduating school and when he started to attend college,,,, gimme some roomies pls

connection ideas ??

michael’s childhood friends; could’ve gone to the same school back in philly before he moved away ?? 

friends he made when he moved to town?? mike is very social and was... kinda popular in school, i’d say. he made friends with basically anyone he found interesting

michael’s ex; they could’ve ended on a bad note, or even on a good one and ended up being friends. im really up for plotting anything.

michael’s best friend; PLEASE i love wholesome best friend plots. it doesn’t matter if they met in san verto or philly

roomies pls !!! i would love it if he could have some roommates who have to deal with his very . peculiar decorating habits 

co workers ?? customers ? regulars ? he works at hall of film ! 

like this to plot or hmu !

[missivvy]

DRUNKEN PHONE CALL & CLUB THREAD - IVY X GUNNER

mentions: @gunnerhq this is so long, we apologise to whomever reads this entire thing but you won’t be disappointed. 

IVY: The girl held the phone to the ear as it rang. She waited 4 rings before he answered. She didn’t know why she was called him but she was drunk and needed to get her thoughts out. “Hello gun, how are you going tonight? Why did you decide to come back now? Why didn’t you come back sooner?” She slurred into the phone

GUNNER: His phone ringing wasn’t a big surprise, he had been getting calls from his family too often for his liking as of late. when he saw who it was, however, he was struck. that’s why it took him a few rings to pick up. His brows furrowing as he caught the slur of her words. “i’m… alright.” the last note came out barely audible as he was confused at her words, her questions. “i wanted to be in ana’s life. i… didn’t know how to come back sooner, i wasn’t ready. where are you? what’s goin’ on, ivy?”

IVY: ivy knew that ringing him was an extremely bad idea especially when she was drunk but right now she didn't care. he wanted answers from him. the girl smiled when he heard his voice. "well that's... good to hear" she said into the phone. it was so loud in the club so she was tucked away in a corner. "you should have just maned up and come back sooner. you could have just shown up like you did the other week. that seemed easy for you" she said slurring some more before taking a sip of her drink. "i'm out having fun. can't you tell. i'm trying to forget the male existence" she added

GUNNER: gunner was surprised enough at her call, her topics only added to that notion. “yeah,” he nodded as he spoke into the phone, his brows furrowing as her listened to her. “it was anything but easy. showing up to tell an ex you want to meet your child after running off before? total breeze, huh.” as he listened to the femme, he felt more concerned the more she slurred. it wasn’t even his place, but it was impossible to ignore. “kinda hard to forget the male existence talking to me,” he noted, before he let out an uncharacteristically soft sigh. “why’re you trying to forget the male existence?”

IVY: ivy rolled her eyes at the boy, she knew he couldn't see her but she did it anyway. "oh and you think it was easy raising ana on my own. total breeze" she said as she took yet another sip of her drink. she leant up against the wall as she was on the phone. she probably should hung out and not bother him and go back to dancing and having fun but she decided she needed to hear his voice some more. "that is very true. maybe i should just hang up. i dont know why i call" she said as she swayed a little, "oh haven't you heard? i thought you would have known about it by now" ivy said. "its been all over social media. i cant escape it" ivy said into the phone.

GUNNER: his teeth gritted together in a grimace, mix of acknowledgment that he deserved it and annoyance. “i didn’t ever say it easy for you either.” he let his head fall back onto the couch behind him, idly rubbing his temple. the mention of hanging up brought a nod she couldn’t see, even though he didn’t want the femme to do so. “maybe,” he conceded reluctantly, before his brows furrowed slightly. “i may have vaguely heard something but you might have to bring me back up to speed, vee.” gunner spoke. “i don’t pay enough attention to most news unless i have to.”

IVY: the girl took a final sip of her drink before she pushed it aside and swayed a little more. the alcohol from her last two drinks were slowly hitting her all at once. she was even more intoxicated then she was when she initiated this call. she knew she was just repeating herself from the last conversation that they had together. on her front porch but she didn't care. everything made sense to her. she needed to say this. 'gun, it wasn't easy. you would have loved her so much the minute you saw her" she said before shaking her head and hearing one of her favourite songs. "omg i love this song" she said laughing a little before continuing on with her conversation. "do you want me to hang up? are you busy?" ivy asked furrowing her eyebrows. the girl wish he just knew what had gone on and that she didn't have to explain it to him. "well, you see i was seeing this boy and i thought we were in love. turns out that was a joke. he ended up marrying another girl" she said. "fuck i need another drink"

GUNNER: there wasn’t anyone who could cut through his conscience the way ivy could, even now. it was a reminder of the guilt that lingered, his eyes shut at the impact of her words, though he wanted to pass it off as drunk conversation given the slurring and the loud background. “I didn’t think so. i…did. i didn’t see her in person but what i saw from just your posts, how could i not love her?” he could admit, to himself alone, that he spent the majority of the last few years trying to weigh between his options on coming back to see ana and how that was supposed to go after everything. it was a thought that weighed on his mind, but he fucked up his arrival back anyway. “what song’s playing?” her little laughs spiked his curiosity, though his brows furrowed at her question. “nah, not busy at all.” he lifted his head to look over the parenting books he had spent his week ingraining into his head as if that would help him with ana or the new baby. “ouch,” there were a million other thoughts that crossed his mind, none of which he could speak, but most prominent was the reality of wondering how anyone could leave ivy for another girl. “where are you?” he asked once again.

IVY: there wasn't enough booze in the world to make her forget the love she had for gunner. the way he use to make her feel and how happy she use to get while speaking to him on the phone. tonight's conversation brought back those memories. at all the people she decided to drunk dial it was him. for gods knows what reason that was. the girl had moved a little closer so she could hear the music and watch the crowd dance along to the song. she wasn't ready to hang up the phone yet. there would be plenty of other songs for her to dance too. she still had the entire night to dance. it made her heart skip a beat when the boy told her that he loved ana from just the instagram posts that she had put up. "you.. you.. kept tabs on us?" she asked clearing her throat a little. it wasn't what she expected. she wasn't ready for him to say that. ivy rang her hand through her hair. "Ghost, by Justin Bieber" she said smiling as the song played. it was one of her new favourite songs. "oh well that's good then" she said with a small laugh. it was late and by him not being busy meant he would be at home. next to her home. "yep. now you know why im trying to forget the male existence. you all hurt me" she said before listening to him again. "just a club downtown. don't worry im not driving. i've got a room"

GUNNER: it was always impossible to ignore ivy, so even if he buried his heart and built back his walls, he couldn’t complete leave her behind without some reassurance that she was okay. or at least, that she would be okay. he nodded his head despite the fact that she couldn’t see him. apart of him was certain she was itching towards hanging up, and he could understand the fact that his admittance wasn’t expected. he rubbed at his jaw as he spoke again. “yeah,” finding no words to elaborate on his answer. the male shifted his seat on the couch, deciding to sit up and look for his shoes while she spoke. “that is a good one,” he told her. “yeah, suppose it is good.” in comparison to what he could have been doing when she called, knowing he wouldn’t forget this conversation but if he had been out tonight he likely wouldn’t have been in the state to remember it. or perhaps he would, considering how easily the femme could sober him. even now, the verbal reminder of what he had visually immortalized in his mind cut deep. his grimaced. “yeah, well, men are stupid.” he deduced. “and I’m more worried over if you’re alone than thinking you’d be irresponsible enough to drive right now and if you’ll make it to your room safely.”

IVY: ivy swayed back and forth to the music shaking her head a little to get the strands of hair that were stuck to her back loose again. she was wearing one of her favourite dresses which showed off most of her features and was having a great time. she probably should have some water but she decided not yet as she still was on the phone with gunner. "you must have been a secret agent cause i didn't know" she said laughing at herself. laughing at the joke she had made. ivy wasn't a big drinker but when she did it was very amusing to bystanders. "it is hey, i think i've been listening to it on repeat" she said. it kind of related back to their relationship in a way but she wasn't going to bring that up. she couldn't stomach that. "so what are you doing if you aren't busy?" she asked as she stood up from the wall and slowly made her way over to the bar. she needed another drink. "men are stupid. very stupid." she said as she reached the bar and waited for her turn. while she waited she swayed her hips some more to the sound of the music. "i mean i'm not alone, there's a club full of people." she said smiling to herself and she looked around her. "well i'm glad you think im responsible" ivy said as she made her way to the front of the bar. "can i please order a shot of tequila and a lychee martini" she said before fumbling with her phone to get her card. "oop sorry. just had to pay for my drink. but im back now" ivy said before thanking the bartender and moving away from the bar and taking her shot. "man i love tequila"

GUNNER: it was hard to find her words amusing when all he could feel was a stirring sense of concern for the femme. he knew she wasn’t a big drinker, and that was one of the mounting reasons he was trying to figure out where she was at. “i’m very good with technology. pops would be so proud,” it was a feat to keep his annoyance with his father out of his tone, but his main focus was ivy. he hadn’t listened to the song too thoroughly, but the lyrics resonated enough. “repeat, huh? must really hold some meaning to ya.” he offered, unsure how true that statement was at all. clearing his throat, he looked down at his coffee table again. “just some reading, not exciting but any information helps with some things.” he spoke, shrugging his shoulders. he couldn’t help but let out a hollow half laugh, mostly for the reality in her statement. he couldn’t disagree. “i know,” he let out a sigh, hand brushing through his hair a moment later. “club full of strangers,” he felt the need to point out. “you usually are.” he added a moment later. he was momentarily panicked by the lack of her voice until she returned, though his expression soured with deepening concern. “vee, you should have someone with you. someone you know, and trust.” he knew that wasn’t him but he wanted to make sure she was safe.

IVY: "oh i'm sure he would be proud" she said rolling her eyes at the thought of his parents. he couldn't see her thankfully. they were the reason that gunner left her. left her along and pregnant. the girl pushed those thoughts aside. "gun its a real catchy song" she said smiling before tossing her hair behind her back as she waited for the bar. "oh reading, that's good of you. hope you are enjoying whatever you're reading" ivy said. not going too much into it. "yeah but i'm still not alone. im okay. im having fun. dancing, drinking" ivy said before speaking to the bartender. it wasn't long before she was back. ivy felt the burning sensation of the shot down her throat as she swayed along with the music, it was a more upbeat song now and its just what she needed. the girl took a sip of her lychee martini and it was delicious. "you know i am. dont need to worry" she said smiling to herself. "gun, i'm okay. there's plenty of people here. i made friends with the girls in the bathroom like i normally do. plus i just needed to let go. not worrying about anyone judging me for my actions." the girl said looking around. she knew that some people would judge her for going on this bender. for going out but its something she needed to do. she needed to let go and forget all the pain she was currently feeling. 

GUNNER: “goal accomplished,” he almost gagged on the words, his eyes rolling with the utterance. he didn’t want to ruminate on the topic of his parents, they always left a bitter taste in his mouth and served as a reminder of what he had done. “yeah, that too.” he agreed slightly absent, before a single sound of amusement escaped him at her words. “i appreciate that.” he focused back to his concerns with an ease, a sigh exhibited. “you can’t trust most people sober, drunk people dancing are even less trustworthy. fun is good until someone realizes you’re technically alone and something happens.” he was trying to reason, but he didn’t really have the right. she was a grown adult and his concerns were a selfish desire to make sure she was safe. when she mentioned not needing to worry, he shook his head. partially glad that she couldn’t see him, nobody could because he was in the comfort of his home. the concept of not worrying was impossible when he envisioned the femme drunk in a club without a friend. but as he let out a deep breath, he tried to be a little more understanding with ivy. “yeah, still not sure i like it,” he muttered, though he forced himself to relax at her next words. “who’s gonna judge you for a night out for once?” his brows furrowed, confused on that when there were plenty of people who did it.

IVY: Ivy knew that gunner hated bringing up his parents so part of her kept it short and sweet when he mentioned it not wanting to dig into anything deeper and the girl didn’t really care for them. “Yeah it is” she said laughing slightly going along with what he was saying. He loved how easily should could be addicted to a song and right now it was ghost and almost all the others songs that had played in the club so far. Everyone seemed to be having so much fun, not a care in the world and that’s what ivy needed. That’s what she wanted. Nobody really knew her or that she thought. She hadn’t seen any familiar faces so far. “Well I hope you’re enjoying the book gun” she said smiling to herself as she took another sip of her drink. Ivy stopped for a minute once she heard the words leave his mouth. If only she could have seen him when he said it. The boy was concerned and ivy could tell that. Even in her drunken state she could tell that he was worried about her. Worries that she was on her own. It was hidden hills. Her home she was safe, it never crossed her mind that she wouldn’t be. Before she knew what she was saying she said it. “Well come down here then if you are that concerned for my well-being” ivy said taking another sip like she hadn’t just told her ex to come to the club where she was highly intoxicated. “Well it’s ain’t just gonna be just one night and you know I don’t drink and when I do I go a little outta control and I’m kinda aiming for that. I don’t want to feel anything” 

GUNNER: as a boy with the world at his fingers, it could look ungrateful with how he disregarded his parents but after everything it was a wonder he could still make snide comments about them at all. he nodded, an unsolicited smile perked up at the sound of her laugh before he tamped it down. “thanks, i hope you’re enjoying your drinks.” even if he found himself concerned about her company, he hoped that going out was going to be the reprieve she was in clear need of. perhaps he was just distrusting of most people, but it was difficult to ignore the instinctual urge to protect the femme. even after his own transgressions. it was bizarre, truly, but he couldn’t help it. his brows furrowing, he pulled back to stare at his phone in confusion at her demand. and the fact that she could tell. “and impede on your fun night out?” he quipped, mostly trying to find a reason for his own mind to realize he had no right. despite that, he was still already moving off the couch and grabbing his car keys from the coffee table. “no judgment, you wouldn’t be the first or the last to do so. but you really cared for this kid, huh?”

IVY: ivy continued to sway as she was on the phone to gunner. enjoying every minute of her night so far even talking to gunner. "oh they are very delicious. i'm having lychee martinis. game changer i tell you" she said laughing as she took another sip. the girl admired the people around her, smiling and waving at bystanders smiled and complimented her on her outfit. she was really feeling herself tonight and she was happy that other people noticed that too. it was too late for her to take back what she had said. she didn't really want him to come down but she always did. a part of her wanted him here. it was probably the alcohol talking. "well if it gives you peace of mind,. you can sit in the corner. you don't have to be right with me" she said knowing that wouldn't be the case if he arrived. the way she was tonight. she knew that her sister and best friends would probably ring her next for even calling him and suggesting he come down but she didn't care right now. "yeah i know. but its not like me" she said before taking another sip of her drink. "well lets just say he told me he loved me and then the next day ended it and married the other girl" ivy said sculling the rest of her martini at the thought of how everything went down.

GUNNER: he couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped at ivy’s amusement with her drink. “so long as you’re enjoyin’ what you’re drinkin’, vee. sound like a damn good one.” he answered with a slight nod, despite knowing she couldn’t see him. he locked up his place and got into his car, knowing it probably wasn’t the best idea and it would only further antagonize the situation somehow. “sit in the corner? hm. maybe i will.” he could already envision it. he would have to fight tooth and nail to keep from invading his way into situations that didn’t concern him, though. he knew that. “you’re allowed to step outside the box every once in awhile. or as often as you like.” he spoke as he turned the ignition, knowing all too well the role of stepping out of the expected role he was given. “bastard,” gunner’s response was automatic, hand tightening on his steering wheel and his eyes rolling at the idea of anybody being stupid enough to do that to ivy. it wasn’t nearly as stupid as his own act, but the armani male couldn’t focus on that yet. “and you’re drinking about him? c’mon now. you could be movin on to the next. that’s the real revenge, ain’t it?”

IVY: the girl had now finished her drink and was craving another but she thought it was probably best to have a water. making sure that she stayed hydrated while drinking. "i am very much so. but i'm out so i gotta go get another" she said smiling before she headed over to the bar again. ivy couldn't help but laugh when he agreed to sit in the corner. "well that's totally up to you. just know i'm safe" she said before ordering another two martinis and a large glass of water before returning to her phone call. it had been going on forever now and she had missed talking to him for hours on the phone, she had missed him in general but she would never admit that to anyone. "i know but i've got responsibilities you know" ivy said before going back to where she was before taking a sip of her freshly made lychee martini. once she reached the table she heard the boy call damon a bastard. well she figured it was about him. the girl didn't disagree but she wasn't going to provoke gunner from doing anything knowing that he would. "not just because of him and i'm not just drinking, im dancing having fun" she said with a smile. "the nights still young gun. i've got plenty of time for that don't you worry" she said before actually realising what she said. they were exes but still its not a nice feeling knowing your ex is getting with someone else.

GUNNER: driving was where gunner found himself most centered and calm, even if he wasn’t feeling any of that as he listened to ivy speak about her now ex. ivy had always been another source of calm for him, but they were exes, too. “alright,” he conceded, both focusing on her speaking and driving. his eyes rolled at her acknowledgment and he snickered. “safe with strangers, yeah.” he couldn’t help his protective behavior, it mostly stemmed from his own experiences and his care for ivy. this phone call was the calmest conversation they had been able to have, and it was mostly because the femme was drunk. it was a bittersweet reminder of their old phone calls and all the little things about ivy that he missed, that he would have to bury in the morning. or when she sobered up all over again. right now he was too focused on being secure in her safety. “i know,” he murmured as the reminder weighed heavy on his conscience. there were too many things he had to say about the other ex that was none of his business to say, opinions on that one switch up that he held no right to. “dancing and having fun, too, is less depressing than simply drinking over it.” he decided, smiling in spite of himself. her following words brought a wry smile to his lips, and if it was hard to hear? that was his own fault for suggesting the very idea to ivy. “no worries here, you’ll snatch someone up in no time.” he forces the words out, finally pulling up to a parking spot.

IVY: if it wasn't for the alcohol runnings through her veins she would not be telling gunner about anything that happened between her and damon. she didn't need to but in this venerable state of hers she found her spilling all the information to her ex. the girl started to sway some more in place as a new song came on. the girl wanted to dance so she had to try and wrap this conversation up the best she could. "totally safe and sound" she said with a small giggle. it was true though, she was safe at the present and she didn't have a worry really. ivy took some sips of her drinks and her water before thinking about ana. she was grateful that her parent's took ana and didn't ask any questions about what had happened, cause they knew ivy would tell them when she was ready. "oh don't worry i've been dancing and drinking while i talk to you" she said smiling before finishing off her drinks. the martini's were like lolly water so it was very easily for the girl to finish both of them and her glass of water. "there are plenty of good look males here but remember im trying to forget the male existence so we may have a problem there" ivy said with a laugh. "well gun, its been great talking with you even though ill probably be bad at myself in the morning for tell you all this. but i gottta go. i need to get back on the dance floor" she said. "see you later neighbour"

GUNNER: gunner put his car keys in his pocket as he got out, listening to ivy speak. he paused, stood and leaned against his car as he held the phone up to his ear. it was impossible to not find himself amused with her good mood even though he was primarily concerned. he let out a sigh at her words. “i’m sure you’ll find a balance in all that. see you neighbor.” he offered in parting before he tucked his phone into his pocket and double check his car was locked before making his way into the club, dark hues scanning the crowds of people before he found the person he was looking for. it would be impossible to not see her, he realized, taking in the sight of her and the people close by.

IVY: ivy waited for his response before hanging up the phone, it was time for this girl to get back onto the dance floor. she put her phone into her purse before heading back onto the dance floor. as she reached the dance floor the song we found love came on. it wasn't the original. it had more of a beat to it. ivy ran her hands up her body and through her hair as she danced along to the music, letting it take control once more. she was surrounded by other strangers dancing along to the music. she was happy. nothing was going to change that. this is what she needed. she needed to let her hair go. the girl smiled and laughed as she danced along side people who had the same energy as she did

GUNNER: he was reluctant to intrude upon her good time, but gunner still couldn’t help himself when he was once again focused on the people are ivy. his own distrust leaking through and his jaw tensed as he made his way over, keeping his movement as casual as possible. “you look like you’re having a good time.” he interrupted upon making it to the femme, knowing he wanted to note that she looked good but that was certainly a breach in whatever boundaries existed.

IVY: with every beat of the music the girl found herself letting more and more go of everything. it was getting hot and sweaty and ivy was enjoying all of it. she hadn't been out like this is in such a long time and honestly she missed it. ivy was smiling and continued to smile when she heard a voice. she turned to find gunner standing not too far from where she was. the girl was shocked to see him here, it felt like she had just gotten off the phone to him not even five minutes ago. was he already on his way when she was talking to him. "i'm having a great time thank you. what are you doing here?" she asked looking at him but that didn't stop her from dancing.

GUNNER: stuffing his hands into his pockets, gunner made a half attempt to dance. or pretend to be for the sake of any on lookers and to not impede on the clear good mood the femme was in. be it a drunken state of mood or not, he would likely inadvertently ruin her mood sober enough over the next few weeks and months and years. without the intent, even. ignoring those thoughts, he offered an easy shrug at her question. “what can i say? i needed to make sure you were gonna be alright.”

IVY: ivy smiled as she looked the boy up and down, he looked good and she knew she shouldn't be thinking like that but she was. he looked good and she wasn't going to deny that and he came all the way here to make sure she was okay even after telling him she was okay. "i did tell you i was okay. from where you are standing am i okay" she asked with a small smile before dancing a little closer to him. "do you wanna get a drink?" she asked standing only a few centimetres from him and looking at him with a smile.

GUNNER: he offered a half smirk at her reminder of the answer she gave on the phone, another half shrug upwards. there was no real reason for him to be here besides his own personal protective nature and ironically finding himself not having a lot of faith in people. “you did, and you do look okay, but taking that risk? not a chance.” he answered, letting his gaze shift to the peripheral before he focused on ivy, closer to him. “nah, tempting idea but i drove and I’m only here to keep an eye out.” even if she was drunk, it was refreshing to see her smiling in his direction again.

IVY: ivy couldn't help but smirk back at the boy. there was history between these two and even though it was overwhelming him coming back into her life and him being part of the reasons she needed to forget everything, it didn't stop her from thinking how nice it was of him to come and make sure she was okay. he still cared, "no chance huh" she said smiling at him. "these people are just here having fun like i am" she said before taking his hand. "that's fair, but i need another drink so since you need to make sure i'm okay, you're coming to the bar with me." ivy said intertwining her fingers in his and pulling him in the direction of the bar. as soon as she left the dance floor she felt the instant relief of cool air. she didn't realise how hot it was getting on the floor. she smiled as the two of them walked to the bar hand in hand. it had been a while since they had done this. if anyone she knew saw her like this they would probably come and smack her hand outta his, but it didn't mean anything right now and she probably will be angry at herself in the morning for this anyway. the girl smiled at the bartender before order another martini, 2 glasses of water and a coke for gunner. "i got you a coke. i hope you still like that" she said looking up at him

GUNNER: it was impossible for the brunet to not care for ivy and her safety. even with his disruptive departure from her life, and his just as disruptive re-emergence. there was always going to be that part of the male, he had given her a part of him that no one else had at one point. his heart. “nope,” he popped the p in the word with a small, falsely wry smile. “yeah, well, i am all for them and you having a good time.” momentarily struck with surprise when she took his hand, but he didn’t pull his hand back. he was quiet to process her words and the familiar and foreign feeling of her hand in his again. “i can’t argue with that.” he conceded, not that he would have given the circumstances. his gaze shot to their hands at her intertwining their fingers for only a moment, already walking with the femme towards the bar. he wasn’t too worried about onlookers, he was, as he often was around ivy, focused on her. he knew this would only cause more trouble later, but it was far too tempting to briefly ruminate in the familiarity. “oh, thanks,” his brows furrowed in slight confusion. “coke is good.”

IVY: Times like this made ivy miss gunner and when they were together. If everything that happened with Ana didn’t happen then they most likely would be still together but then she wouldn’t have ana. She couldn’t help but laugh at the boy telling her nope. It was whatever it was going to be, he could be here if he wanted to be; she wasn’t going to stop him. She was far from caring about him being here. He wanted to be here and make sure she was okay and he made his appearance present to her so he was now stuck with a very drunk ivy. The girl thanked the bartender before handing him his coke. “Great then here you go. I also got you a water too” she said smiling as she took a sip of her martini. “Ahh refreshing. Just what I needed after my little dance session” she said leaning back against the bar and looking at gunner. “So bodyguard what is your plan?” She asked smirking at him

GUNNER: gunner knew things could have been different, if he was capable of admitting he was wrong. at least, if could have been different if that admittance came when ivy was pregnant. if he hadn’t gone and cause so many arguments. but living off his regrets couldn’t help him and it wasn’t going to bring any new information to the table. focusing on the task at hand was his only concern for the moment, he never wanted to see the femme hurt. that would never change, he hated when it had been his own doing and he hated the idea now and he hated the potential of strangers hurting her. “thanks,” he nodded, taking the offered coke and taking a drink from it. “dancing is definitely a work out of its own. you good?” he looked at the femme. “bodyguard, huh? my plan is just to make sure you have some fun, and make sure you get where you’re goin’ safely. or if you meet someone, guess i’ll dip out after making sure he ain’t suspicious.” he shrugged, ignoring the visual that tensed his jaw involuntarily. “your plan is dancing and drinking, right? any additions to that?”

IVY: ivy was very familiar with gunner looking out for her in social events like this, it was his thing. i didn't matter where she was, the boy would always make sure she was okay and make sure she was with someone. tonight she was going to forget the pain this boy had once caused her and just focus on the present. focus on her night out and the gunner that was standing in front of her. the girl smiled as the boy took the drink from her. "you're welcome" she said before taking another sip of her martini. she couldn't go wrong with this cocktail and but she should probably slow done on them as she had already had quite a few of them. "it truly is, i won't need to go to the gym tomorrow" she said giggling before continuing, "yeah i'm real good. are you good?" she asked. "yep. you're my bodyguard. yeah i know. don't you worry i am having so much fun. thank you for looking out for me" she said looking him up and down again. he looked good and part of her wanted to take him out of the dance floor and another part wanted it to just be her and him. she shouldn't be thinking like this but she couldn't help it. looking into his eyes, she knew how much he still cared for her and she cared for him, she always would. it didn't matter how much pain this boy put her in she would still care. he was the father of her daughter. "did you forget i want to forget the male existence. what makes you think i wanna get someone who will most likely break my heart" she said looking at him with a small smile before taking a sip of her drink once more. "my plan is just to have fun and try and forget the past 48 hours. i need to forget damon. i don't wanna feel this pain anymore. its the worst feeling gun. like why wasn't i enough" the girl said before downing the rest of her drink.

GUNNER: it had been awhile since gunner felt even a fraction of the need to protect anyone the way he always did with ivy. perhaps that said a lot about his world view. he saw the majority in a red haze of distrust and despite everything, ivy was seen in a delicate light he didn’t divvy out to anyone else. as he drank his coke, he offered a smile at her response to his thanks. the feelings that were surfacing in their current predicament were dangerous, so he had to work to ignore them. he did give her a thorough once over, arching up his brow. “you don’t need the gym period. but if it’s what you like to do,” he shrugged. he took in her words, hoping it wasn’t just a drunken feeling of good. “i’m good,” he nodded. he couldn’t help the slight chuckle at her words, but it was fitting to the situation entirely. “so long as you’re safe and having fun. no problem, “ he had to stop from saying that he always would look out for her, especially given the history, but it was true. it was a reflex when he believed she was in real potential danger. even if it was only his own concerns. he was reminded of his mistakes every time he looked into her eyes but he couldn’t look away for long. he would always care for ivy, she was the first and currently only person to ever pierce his heart. “who says it’s gotta break your heart? do a whole no strings attached thing, focus on feeling good and not falling in love.” he offered, even though he didn’t like either version. “that’s a good plan.” he nodded, feeling a familiar empathy for her pain as she explained it. “you got to know… you are enough. you are… it’s not you, ivy. it couldn’t have had anything to do with you not being enough. there’s no way.” he spoke matter of factly.

IVY: it was nights like this that brought back memories of gunner and ivy. memories of celebrating his wins, nights out, and just him. he was a big part of her life for such a long time and he always will be. despite the pain he had caused her.it was overwhelming amount of pain and whether it being the alcohol thinking or if it was actually what she thought. he was here. he had come back to get to know his daughter, as much of that idea scares her, the boy was trying. it still annoyed her that he had only decided to come back now, now that he was expecting his second child but just pushed that thought away. ivy couldn't help but laugh. "you know there's this thing in the modelling world where you have to keep looking your best even if you aren't feeling it. i'm just luckily i don't have any shoots booked until two weeks time because my agent would be pissed at me for tonight" she said laughing as she took another sip of her drink. the girl smiled at him. "well that's good" she said before taking a long sip of her water and then taking his hand and heading away from the bar. "well look around, i'm safe and having such a great time. i've probably had too many martini's but so be it. i'll probably have some more" she said slurring her words just a little as the last few drinks were catching up with her. ivy listened to gunner talk about it could just be something casual. that's how her and damon started and look how that ended. "you know i'm never good at the whole no strings attached thing. plus doing that defeats the purpose of trying to forget you all" she said laughing. "are also you being here defeats that purpose too" she continued. "but, i'm glad you're here" she said with a smile. definitely the alcohol talking and making her feeling like they had just met. tonight was to make her forget and now it was getting mushy with her words and thoughts about damon. "who knows what that boy was thinking but its made me feel the way i do. so lets forget" she said smiling before pulling him onto the dance floor. "come dance with me. like we use too"

GUNNER: for a moment, being here in this club with ivy had a familiar sensation to it. he couldn’t let his thoughts linger too deeply on that subject, knowing it wasn’t smart when he wasn’t here in the old context. he had come to the club to aide some desire to protect the model, even though he had no right. he couldn’t help himself from feeling protective though. even if the situation with ana and ivy was a mess, even if she hated him soberly, he couldn’t sit back and let the girl be left to whatever danger lurked in the dark. even if it was in his own head. and his return timing sucked. “if the model king world thinks you don’t always look your best, they’re blind and wrong. but at least you don’t have to worry about your agent tonight.” he nodded, finishing his coke and moving onto his water. he returned her smile at his answers. following her direction away from the bar, gunner looked around and he almost grimaced at the sound of her slurring. “well, it’s always good to be certain. i won’t tell you how to drink though.” he told the femme. he furrowed his brow and shrugged his shoulders at her words. “yeah, well, i have no answer for that one because it does defeat the purpose.” he admitted. and then he rolled his eyes, giving a wry smile. “but im more than happy to give you space to forget i just wanna keep an eye out. but… I’m glad you’re glad,” he figured it was just the alcohol. more than likely she would be pissed in the morning that she had even called him. “i know it had nothing to do with you being enough or he’s insane.” he spoke before letting it drop with a raised hand in surrender. she had pulled him onto the dance floor before he could really make a choice but could he deny her a dance? no. “okay,” especially when she seemed to be having a good time.

IVY: it was all too familiar them being together on a night out, dancing, having fun and just being together and tonight wasn't any different it was like old times. times that she had missed. "yeah most people say that but you know apparently they know what's best" the girl shook her head. she was relieved that she hadn't had a shoots booked and she didn't have to worry about the repercussions of her night out. she had booked for three nights downtown and she was going to enjoy every minute of it. do whats best for her and have a good time. "very grateful i don't have to worry about them. i can have fun and not wake up and know im going to have a billion calls from them" she said with a small smile as she directed them to the floor. "appreciate your support. ivy couldn't help but laugh. tonight she wanted to forget about the male existence but now she found herself with gunner here and to be honest she wasn't complaining. “That’s totally up to you. If you want to stand in the corner and observe than you do that. But right now I want to dance. I want to dance with you” she said smiling before taking both his hands. It was so confusing, the other day she was so angry at him and now she just wanted to be near him. Wanted to have fun with him. Probably the alcohol talking but so be it. Gunner would always be a big part of her life even if she didn’t let herself believe it. Ivy knew he was right deep down but it was hard to think about that since of everything that had happened. She just shrugged it off not wanting to let her thoughts ruin her night. “It will be fun I promise. You use to love dancing with me” she said laughing as her hips started moving with the music. the girl couldn’t stop herself from thinking about the fact that gunner answered her drunken call and then drove all the way down town to make sure she was okay. Where was that when she was alone every other time she had gone out. But he was here now. He had made the effort which just shows her that he does wanna try.

GUNNER: without all the pain he caused and the absence he left behind, tonight would have been a regular occurrence with ivy. gunner didn't need that verified, but it was a bittersweet message to swallow. "they don't, but if you want to stick with it... i'm not gonna start bashing the business." he decided, even if the very notion had left a distasteful sense behind. he let out a short chuckle at her words, nodding at her following words. "it's always good to get away from all the calls and people naggin' you for something." not that he had too much experience in that, gunner armani was given far too much privilege with his surname alone. the idea of bothering him with anything was preposterous to most people, and he didn't answer those calls most of the time anyway. he had further disconnected after his brush of reality. "i try." he smiled in turn to her laughter, a sound that was still all too contagious even in her current state. "it's actually in accordance to your wants, if i'm ruinin' the night by bein' so close, just let me know." he offered a shrug, but then she went and said she wanted to dance with him. and really, how was he supposed to observe from the corner after that? his hands in hers, he glanced down and did his best not to let his gaze linger before he offered her a small smile. gunner couldn't help but note that this would be, perhaps. his best memory of ivy in recent times. knowing how sour it would likely be the next time they talked. if she wasn't forgetting the male existence and drinking into oblivion again. bittersweet, but he would have to settle for it. it had been so long since she was smiling at him, so he wasn't going to ruin it intentionally. "how could i forget?" he raised a brow, and in turn he followed up with moving along with the music and the woman in front of him. it wasn't hard for the brunet to face most people, but facing ivy amor after all he had done? it was one of the hardest things he had ever done. facing ana, when it got down to that time, would be the hardest thing he would have to do and he knew he was going to replay that regret of leaving for the rest of his life. but he didn't want to waste any more time.

IVY: ivy loved her job but it came with responsibilities and when she had gigs lined up she couldn't let her guard down really. she couldn't be irresponsible with her drinking. she was grateful for the time off especially after everything that she had been going through. "i generally enjoy my job, there so many different opportunities that it allows me to get. just sometimes its a little hard thats all" she said as her words started to slur a little more. the girl knew gunner's opinion on the modelling industry and she was grateful that he always use to make her feel like she was normal and that there wasn't anything wrong with her just because a agent said it was. ivy smiled at gunner. "if you were ruining my night, i would have told you to leave ages ago, so we good" she said smiling as they headed for the dance floor. in this moment she was forgetting everything. it was just both of them, the dance floor and music. not strings, no baggage, just fun. the girl swayed her hips some more as she smiled at the boy and running her hands through her hair. "i don't know, some people forget that sorta stuff" she said as she tilted her head back a little and the music took over. the girl danced alongside gunner with a smile. ivy knew that tonight meant one step forward for them, hoping that she wasn't going to be too annoyed with herself in the morning. ivy danced around gunner, trailing her fingers from his chest to his back with a smile. by this time the alcohol had truly gone to her head, from all the dancing her head was spinning slightly but she tried to push through it, stumbling a little before adjusting herself with a smile. "i'm okay" she said smiling at the boy

GUNNER: gunner nodded in response to the femme's admittance, he was aware of just how the modeling industry could be. if he hadn't ever been with ivy, he might have felt less disdain for it, but he had. "glad you enjoy it, sucks that it's gotta be so difficult." he spoke, taking note of the increasing slur in her words. his brows already furrowing in his concern, even with the smiles she offered. her words brought a short lived sense of ease, but he focused on their dancing and keeping an eye on vee. "some people ain't me." he offered with an all too arrogant smirk, before it fell from his lips once more. there was mounting concern for the end result of the night, the safety of ivy and knowing she was definitely only getting drunker. when she trailed her fingers from his chest to his back, that should have been a sure enough sign, but when she stumbled and he braced to catch her before she could actually fall, he knew it was time to get her home or on her way home. "yeah, well, i think it's best you get back to your room for the night. don't need you getting anymore drunk and endin' up actually hurt, vee." he told her.

IVY: ivy was always thankful how supportive gunner was even if he didn't 100% agree with the industry. "most industries have some sort of difficulties don't they" she said looking up at him. the girl couldn't help but smile when he said he didn't forget. it meant that the memories that they had once shared weren't forgotten. they were certainly never forgotten in her mind, just pushed back a little to stop her from getting upset at the thought of them. the girl danced, laughed before she stumbled and couldn't help but laugh as the boy caught her. with her head spinning the way it was, it was probably time for her to head back to the room even though she didn't really want to. she started to dance again, as the boy spoke.  ivy knew he was right but she really didn't want to admit that. "oh party pooper you are" she said giggling before she stopped dancing. "how do you even know where i am staying mr" she asked putting her hands on her hips with a smile

GUNNER: "yeah, i suppose they do." gunner allowed, though he hated to admit to it, it was a factor even within his line of preferred work. he returned the smile she offered, feeling an unrecognizable sense of self-loathing slithering into his veins as he did. as he was reminded of all the good memories they shared, and then simultaneous was rewarded with the vivid recollection of their last few weeks together. her laughter reminded him that they were in the present moment, in the club, and getting ivy safely back was a priority to whatever dark hole his thoughts was shifting to circulate. "i am?" he arched a brow. "so be it, you'll feel at least a small amount better if you leave now." he told her, and his head cocked sideways at her curiosity. "i could figure that out within a few minutes, lots of resources at my fingertips, but i actually was figuring you may have retained that information long enough to tell me. or relay it to a taxi if you'd prefer that ride home than one with me." he admitted, looking at her stance with a small smirk etching over his features.

IVY: ivy just smiled at him as he spoke. it was like every industry it had its ups and downs, its challenges, the perks. it was just normal. times like this just made her wish that everything they had gone through didn't. she wish when tomorrow came and she was sober she could be like this with him but she knew that wouldn't be the case. there was still so much pain and confusion. "well you see by taking me away from the party, thats a party pooper" she said pouting. "hmm, can we get something greasy before you escort me back to me room" she said laughing. "okay mr detective. lead the way" she said ignoring the part about a taxi for a minute. "i am sure your car is more comfy than a taxi and a lot safer might i add" ivy said.

GUNNER: he hadn't been back long, and the armani male had figured it wouldn't be as tricky to enter back into ivy's life without the burning reminders. he forgot, apparently, how deeply the woman had left an imprint on his life and his believes. he nodded, offering a chuckle at her words and the pout. "i'll have to deal with the title." he shrugged. at her question, he nodded, knowing trying to get some food down would do a little bit of good. "alright, yeah, we can stop by a drive thru." he promised. "all these fancy new nicknames." he teased, eyes rolling playfully before he started to lead the femme towards the exit. "i'd definitely agree, especially to safer, but i'm not lookin' to cross your boundaries." especially knowing the likely purpose of her getting a room was to not deal with him. or at least partially.

IVY: "yes you will" she said smiling at him. she loved that she was able to joke with him, it felt like old times. ivy made sure she had her purse and her phone and room key before nodding at the boy when he agreed on drive thru. "okay deal." she said smiling as he lead her out of the dance floor. "well i love giving you nicknames" ivy said as they reached the exit. the cool air hit her face and the girl couldn't help but smile. it felt so nice. "gunner, its fine. where's your car? i need something greasy" she said with a small laugh as she waited for the boy to guide her to his car.

GUNNER: her return brought out a low chuckle, gunner shook his head. as they got to the exit, he cocked a brow at his ex with a small smile. "it would be a shame to stop you from doing something you love." he decided, the night are was more of a relief for the femme, he knew given her state, but he felt more at ease without the proximity of strangers. he motioned his head towards the direction of his car. "this way, let's get you some greasy food." he agreed, leading her to his car and opening the passenger side door to help her in and make sure she didn't end up face first into asphalt or concrete or his car door. none of those would he been pleasant for the femme.

IVY: ivy smiled as she walked alongside gunner. she couldn't help but giggle at the other's response. she was beyond intoxicated name, the fresh air was soothing but her slurring words and blurry vision told her otherwise. she was grateful to have gunner her and him taking her home. "it would be indeed" she said laughing. "what are we gonna get. im intrigued" she said with a smile as the boy lead her to his car. ivy knew it was his car the minute they were close to it. it hadn't changed. this car brought her so many good and bad memories. she thanked gunner as he helped her into the car before she shut the door. ivy rested her head on the headrest and put her seatbelt on. the seats in his car were always so comfy. she smiled as she sunk into it a little. "the seats still comfy"

GUNNER: when he slid into the driver seat, buckling in and starting the car up, he offered the femme a chuckle. "i was assuming the closest burger and fry place for greasy food, but if you have another preference just shoot it out." he offered. gunner hadn't entirely thought about the car he was driving or the familiarity of it that would send him back. to moments in time where he and ivy had more good memories than even the bad that registered. he shoved those thoughts away. "don't know how anybody drives a vehicle if the seats are comfortable enough." he returned with a small smile, pulling out of the parking spot and driving off.

IVY: ivy curled herself up in the passenger seat, a sense of familiarity washed over her as she sat there. the girl glanced over to the boy. he always looked so handsome driving. but she quickly changed her thought process. "burger and fries sounds like a plan" she said smiling. "no suggestions just greasy food" ivy said with a small laugh. "well i mean after all these years they are still comfy" she said looking at him. she couldn't help it, she was very drunk and he looked handsome. "so mr detective, have you worked out where we going after the greasy food?"

GUNNER: as he drove towards a close by restaurant, he focused his gaze on the road. knowing looking over at ivy would only send him reeling back in time and send another wave of guilt through him. “as long as it works for you.” he nodded, sparing a brief glance her way when she clarified and he chuckled. “yeah, some things don’t change i suppose.” and some do. “your hotel? can’t be too far from home.” he arched a brow as he decided that.

IVY: Ivy watched between the boy and the road as they headed through the downtown streets. She was thankful for gunner being there and now taking her back to her hotel. Despite wanting to forget everything, she would rather know that he still cared than not. “It does” she said smiling as she saw the big sign for the burger shack. “Ooo yes, burger shack. They do really good shakes” she said giggling. “They really don’t do they” she said before her hand rested on the hand rest which wasn’t too far from where gunners side of the vehicle was. “Oh my detective you are good. It’s actually just around the corner from here” she said smiling at him.

GUNNER: it didn’t take them long to pull up to the first place that came to mind nearby the club, burger shack. “are you wanting a shake, too?” he asked as he pulled into the drive thru, looking over at the femme. he offered a nod at her question, gaze shifting to her hand and feeling all the more like this was an alternate reality and hating the bittersweet aftertaste of the moment. “what can i say? i take my job seriously.” he spoke, teasing and offering a low chuckle despite himself.

IVY: The girl nodded, “yes please. Chocolate shake thank you” she said with a smile as she wiggled in her seat so she could see the menu as they pulled into the drive thru. “Can I have the big shack burger in a medium” she said looking at him with a smile. Before sitting back in her chair but leaving her hand where it was only a few inches from his. It brought back so many memories. “I can see that. You’re very good” ivy said with a laugh as she watched the buy order the takeaway.

GUNNER: relaying her order and waiting for his total, gunner pulled up to pay for her meal. “let me know if the food is good when you get it. gotta live vicariously through your stomach.” he was merely teasing, having decided against getting himself food because he wasn’t hungry. he glanced over at the femme as he waited for them to get her food and shake ready. “it is very easy to see.” he joked, unable to keep a smile from his face before he was grabbing the bag and the shake being held out to him.

IVY: ivy looked at him as they waited for the food to be ready. "why aren't you getting anything?" she asked him shaking her head a little. "but this place is always good, so you're gonna miss out" the girl said with a small giggle as she sat back in the seat. she was still very much feeling the affects of the alcohol and she was excited to get this food into her. "yes" she said looking at him before watching the boy grab the food and her shake. "oh my gosh, it smells so good" she said smiling as the food was handed to her. ivy crossed her legs on the seat and opened the bag before taking a sip of her shake.

GUNNER: gunner arched a brow at her question, “cause you need it more than me and I’m not hungry.” he offered. and he laughed slightly at her follow up. “besides, it’d be cold by the time i get to it.” he admitted. when the food was finally handed over, he couldn’t help but laugh a little at her reaction as he pulled out of the drive thru and drove towards her hotel.

IVY: ivy smiled as she pulled the fries and burger out of the bag and placed them on her lap. she was grateful for the boy and felt bad that he wasn't having anything. the girl looked between him and the burger. "here take the first bite" ivy said holding the burger up to him, "you can't do all this driving and bodyguard work and not eat" she said with a small laugh.

GUNNER: gunner glanced over to the femme and then at the burger held out to him, shaking his head with his most reassuring smile. “vee, i appreciate it but i really ain’t hungry right now. i promise, if i was i would have gotten something.” her next words brought an easy chuckle from his mouth. “i’ll eat later, bodyguardin’ and drivin’ ain’t all that appetite inducing.”

IVY: ivy looked at him for a minute after he shook his head and listened but taking the burger back and taking a bite of it. "well you're missing out" she said smiling. "please make sure you eat okay." the girl said before turning to her fries. this is just what she needed. greasy food, chocolate shake and then a good night's sleep. she mentally reminder herself to take some aspirin before she went to sleep. the girl had some on the side table in her hotel room. ivy looked between him and the road before taking a sip of her drink and noticing the sign to her hotel. "its the next one up on the right" ivy said with a small smile looking over at gunner.

GUNNER:“i bet i am,” he agreed as he returned his focus to the road ahead. it was very much like ivy to offer anyway. and be concerned about him eating. “i will,” he promised. when she pointed out her hotel, he followed her direction and found a spot to park long enough to make sure she made it to her room.

IVY: Ivy smiled as she enjoyed her food. She knew the boy would have gotten something to eat if he was hungry but being who she was, ivy had to offer him some of hers. The girl nodded as she ate some of her fries and took a sip of her shake. It was probably the best shake she has had in a while but who know that may just been cause she’s drunk. She had finished her burger by the time gunner had found a parking spot. It was just what she needed. “Thank you for dropping me to my hotel” ivy said as she placed her fries back into the bag and took off her seat belt. 

GUNNER: gunner took a moment to look at the femme as he cut the engine. “thanks though.” he added, an afterthought that wouldn’t have surfaced in anyone else’s presence with genuine intent. “you going to be alright on ya way up? i can make sure one of the staff helps you to your room or whatever you need.” he offered, arching a brow and still feeling concerned given her state but knowing when not to invade. it was better he didn’t overstep too far, it was miraculous she had even allowed him the momentary opportunity to assure her safety. for his own eyes.

IVY: Ivy looked at him with a smile. “No worries” she said before taking a sip of her chocolate shake. As she wiggled the seatbelt from her arm. Ivy turned in her seat to look at gunner. “Yeah I think I’ll be good, I’ve got my purse, keys, Phone and food” she said with a small giggle. From where they were parked she could see her balcony. She couldn’t help but laugh a little. “That’s my balcony just up there on the 8th floor. I can wave at you so you know I got to my room safely” the girl said before grabbing her things and opening the door.

GUNNER: gunner nodded at her words, turning to face the femme as she worked out of her seatbelt. “alright,” he conceded. finding his gaze towards the balcony she mentioned, and again, he nodded as he memorized the balcony. “i’ll be waiting for that wave. be careful. be safe.” he warned as she exited the car.

IVY: ivy smiled at the boy before getting out of the car and looking back over to him. "oh i know you will be" she said with a smile. "thank you again for taking me home" the girl said before closing the door and heading inside. ivy stumbled slightly before straightening up and heading inside the lobby. it didn't take her long to get from the lobby to the lift to her hotel room. ivy unlocked her door before throwing her purse onto her bed and heading out to the balcony. of course he was still there. she smiled before looking down at gunner in the car. "now you drive home safe okay" she said waving at him with a smile

GUNNER: waiting until he saw ivy at the balcony she mentioned, gunner offered a returning wave and a small smile. he started his car back up after making sure the femme was in her room and safe, starting off back to his home.

-end of thread-

[notveryglittery]

home for the holidays (& home is where the heart is)

summary: declan and patton spend the first night of winter break vacation together.  words: 3,300 / ships: romantic moceit  warnings: sympathetic deceit, slight panic, very brief alcohol mention, accidental burn injury. let me know if there’s anything else! author’s notes: ok this is the first thing i’ve managed to write in a month and i’m kinda proud of it?? it’s a human/college au in which the sides + thomas are on winter break, visiting and staying at a cute cabin in a small town near school. this is the snowed in prompt from @sanderssidescelebrations!! check the end for a few more author’s notes :) i hope you enjoy!!

read on ao3 / @fandersfic-patceit 

This was all going exactly according to plan.

Scowling out the window and at the storm outside, Declan huffed in frustration. His breath fogged the glass and he rolled his eyes. What was he supposed to do now? Not only was the snow supposed to have waited until tomorrow to come through, he wasn’t supposed to have been trapped in this cabin when it did. It wasn’t like they were at a loss for heat or supplies; everything was in working order and the kitchen was well stocked. It was that it was “they” to begin with.

Quite suddenly, the cheerful notes of a Christmas song he was only vaguely familiar with began to play from the entertainment center. Declan turned to face the sound to find Patton beaming at him, hands fidgeting with the hem of his sweater.

“I thought it was a bit quiet!” Patton chirped, gesturing to the speakers. “It was a little eerie with just the wind and well, uh, you know how I am with… uhm. Silence.” Patton’s voice trailed off as he looked away and the air in the room grew thick with tension.

Declan, despite his slightly foul mood and the unfortunate circumstance they were in, found himself gazing at Patton with an expression that Roman would call “twitterpated.” Shaking his head to snap himself out of it, Declan closed the distance between them, and threw an arm around Patton’s shoulders. He tugged Patton along towards the kitchen, gesturing with his free hand as he did so.

“If we’re going to be stuck here alone for the night,” and Declan prayed it would be just the one night and that the others would make it back by tomorrow afternoon because he was so sure he could handle any more than that, “we might as well make it worth it, right?”

Patton brightened instantly, nodding with fervor. “I was going through the pantry! There’s all the fixings to make cookies! Oh! There’s pizza in the freezer, too!”

Declan watched fondly as Patton slipped from his hold and hurried around the room, throwing open various cupboards to retrieve everything they’d need. Sure enough, the counters were soon covered in various containers of flour, sugar, and chocolate chips as well as enough mixing bowls to make four different kinds of cookies. Declan wouldn’t be surprised if it came to that.

While Patton got together the baking station, Declan prepared a frozen pizza (Hawaiian and Declan supposed he’d allow pineapple on pizza this time around since it happened to be Patton’s favorite) for when the oven finished preheating. Patton was going on about what a bummer it was for just the two of them to end up stuck at the cabin. This had been a winter break getaway for their group of six but the tragedies struck one after the other.

Roman forgot an entire suitcase worth of clothes at school and so he’d had to go back for it, insisting that Logan join him because his phone was low battery and what if it died while he was on the road, and he couldn’t find his way back without GPS? Logan knew the quaint little town like the back of his hand, having grown up in it. He hadn’t complained, claiming that he’d like to grab a few textbooks, anyway, so that he might get some studying in during their down time. Patton had, of course, insisted that there would be no school work during vacation and made Roman pinky promise he wouldn’t let Logan go anywhere near his own dorm.

Virgil and Thomas, on the other hand, went out to buy a few bottles of various cream liqueurs to mix in with their hot chocolate and coffee. None of them were heavy drinkers but just the right amount of alcohol in a warm drink sometimes made the difference, especially after finishing finals. Every time they’d nearly been ready to leave the store, a message would be sent to their group chat, asking for them to get this or that as well, which prolonged their trip just enough.

The storm hit so suddenly, the entire town seemed to go on lockdown in minutes.

Virgil was rapid fire texting them, panicking on whether or not Logan and Roman had made it back to campus in time, and asking if the cabin still had power. The pair weren’t finished with their drive just yet but they’d cleared the inclement weather by quite a few miles. Patton and Declan still had electricity but the snow was coming down far too fast and heavy for them to do much. Besides, there were only two cars and it wasn’t like they could get anywhere better.

For the next half hour, Thomas kept them updated on the fact that it seemed they would be stuck at the grocery store until morning, when the streets could be cleared. Virgil had argued with the store owners that they couldn’t just stay there but when a police officer arrived and deemed it too dangerous to be on the road, Virgil had finally relented. Besides, their car didn’t have snow chains on the tires, and after some coaxing from Thomas, it was decided. Thankfully, the proprietors were ridiculously prepared for such a dilemma, and had blankets to go around and keep their customers warm.

“Dee. Sugar?” Patton spoke, pulling Declan from his wandering thoughts.

Warmth spread along his cheeks as he gaped at Patton. “Pardon?”

Patton looked up from where he was pouring flour into a bowl. “The sugar?” He asked, tilting his head. “Or am I making these cookies on my own?” His tone was light and teasing and Declan wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take and it had barely been two hours.

“You’d burn them without my help,” Declan said, eyebrows raising in what was sometimes a pretty good tell that he was fibbing. Not that it would have mattered since Patton seemed to have a sixth sense in knowing whether or not Declan was telling the truth. This was obviously a blatant lie to anyone who would have heard, anyway, because Patton was literally majoring in culinary (pastry) arts.

Declan assisted where he could, even if that just meant cleaning up the dishes and workspace as they went. The pizza went in the oven while Patton was mixing in the chocolate chips. Declan leaned against the counter, arms folded loosely over his chest, and watched. The playlist Patton had turned on earlier was blaring Mariah Carey, because of course it was, and Declan let the sappy song wash over him. Patton hummed along, tapping his feet and bobbing his head.

Before Declan could tear his gaze away, Patton spun to face him, holding the wooden spoon to his mouth like a microphone.

“Make my wish come true,” he sang, throwing one arm into the air. “Baby, all I want for Christmas is you~”

Declan couldn’t believe this was how he died.

Patton sashayed and shimmied around the kitchen. He certainly wasn’t coordinated when it came to singing and dancing but he was having so much fun and Declan felt very much so like he needed to stab something to earn back his cool and aloof exterior. His phone, thankfully, chose that moment to start ringing.

Patton looked to him curiously but Declan waved dismissively as he headed to a quieter part of the house to answer the call. The moment he was out of view, Patton returned the wooden spoon to the bowl and grabbed his own phone so quickly he nearly dropped it into the cookie dough. Opening Facebook messenger, he found his direct messages with Virgil, and started typing.

snow angel: ajskdfkjlhsf snow angel: viRGIL HELP snow angel: he’s so CUTE i dont know whAT TO DO snow angel: please can you mAKE IT BACK TONIGHT

For thirty agonizing seconds, the texts went unread.

Until they suddenly weren’t and a bouncing ellipses appeared as Virgil began to reply.

ghost of xmas present: oh my god ghost of xmas present: pat, seriously?????? ghost of xmas present: we have talked abt this. like… a LOT

Patton worried his bottom lip between his teeth and glanced in the direction Declan had left. Who knew how much more time he had??

ghost of xmas present: PLEASE just tell him already snow angel: WHAT snow angel: i canT DO THAT snow angel: i dont even know if he likes me back!!!!!!!

(Thomas watched, half amused and half intrigued, as Virgil slapped a palm against his forehead.)

ghost of xmas present: ok patton. listen. are you listening. snow angel: linda, listen ghost of xmas present: … ghost of xmas present: if you confess and declan doesn’t like you, then i will literally buy you all the ingredients to make your own cookies for the rest of our lives.

Patton was going to open his own bakery. This was a pretty big offer. He paced back and forth a bit, debating. Even if he told Declan how he felt and the feelings weren’t returned, Patton knew they could continue to be friends. Their group was too tight knit to let something like that tear them apart. Sure, it’d hurt for a little bit, but Patton could handle that. … Right?

ghost of xmas present: oh, speak of the devil

Patton jolted, rereading the message three more times just in case.

snow angel: virgil???? what do you mean?????

It remained unread.

ho ho homicide: this had better be good dec the halls: he’s jusT AWFUL what do i DO ho ho homicide: you goddamn disaster gay dec the halls: i absolutely hate him dec the halls: i can definitely handle this ho ho homicide: ok slow down dec the halls: everything is great dec the halls: the building is on fire and this is fine ho ho homicide: DUDE ho ho homicide: shuT THE HELL UP ho ho homicide: lisTEN TO ME dec the halls: linda ho ho homicide: wow you two are made for each other

Declan tripped over the rug in the bedroom he was currently pacing and nearly slammed face first into the corner of a dresser. He hated when Virgil said things like that, it wasn’t fair. He threw himself onto the bed and buried his face into a pillow until his phone buzzed, alerting him to another message.

ho ho homicide: i will let you have one of my most prized records if you confess to patton and he ends up not liking you back.

Declan thought about the Fall Out Boy vinyl Virgil had scored during Black Friday, the last of its kind without spending money (that no college student had) on shipping.

dec the halls: deal

He pocketed his phone and returned to the kitchen. Patton was rolling the cookie dough into balls, all perfectly sized and placed evenly on the baking sheet. His hair looked a little messier than it had when Declan left; there was flour in it that had not been there before. Patton paused and smiled at him. It was the soft smile they all knew he had reserved for things he was especially partial to, like cats and dogs and… Declan realized suddenly that he caught Patton very often looking at him with that grin.

“The pizza is done,” Patton said, gesturing towards the oven with a nod of his head.

Declan blinked out of his daze and pulled on a pair of oven mitts before turning the oven off momentarily, taking their dinner out from it, and setting it aside to cool.

“Important call?” Patton asked as he adjusted the oven’s temperature.

“Just Roman,” Declan answered, “he’s very excited about being back at school already.”

Patton giggled. “Poor thing. I think he was the most excited about this trip.”

“I don’t know,” Declan countered, dipping a finger into the bowl and scooping a bit of cookie dough out. He popped it into his mouth and let his eyelids flutter shut at the taste. When he opened his eyes, Patton was staring rather unabashedly at his lips. Declan smirked. “All this quality time together sounded terribly unappealing, if I’m being honest.”

Patton’s gaze snapped up to meet Declan’s. “Are you ever?” He asked quietly, shifting closer.

Declan hummed, brushing a hand against Patton’s forearm. “When it matters most.”

The oven beeped, re-preheated, and the two leapt apart as if electrocuted.

“These cookies aren’t going to bake themselves!” Patton exclaimed, grabbing the tray and, with movements far more uncoordinated than usual, went to open the oven door. Declan was no stranger to disaster (as Virgil had just so kindly reminded him) and so while he anticipated what would happen next, he wasn’t quick enough to prevent it.

The tray clattered to the tile as Patton yelped in pain, lurching away and shoving his thumb into his mouth. The balls of dough went rolling across the floor and the oven door slammed shut as Patton recoiled from it. Declan had an arm around him in seconds, guiding him towards the sink.

“Hurts,” Patton whined from around the digit, tears gathering in his eyes.

“I know,” Declan reassured, “I’m sorry. Here.”

He turned the faucet on, testing the water before tugging Patton’s hand down towards the stream. Patton hissed as the liquid first came in contact with the burn but only a moment later, he was half slumped against the counter and half into Declan as the pain lessened.

“You don’t need to apologize,” Patton said, looking up at Declan, who had him wrapped still in one arm. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“I could’ve been paying less attention,” he disagreed. 

“We were pretty distracted,” Patton offered, hesitantly.

For a moment, nothing followed but the sound of running water and Perry Como singing about how there was no place like home for the holidays. Declan thought that home is where the heart is a silly notion but Patton was notoriously referred to as the heart of their friend group and he actually liked the sound of that quite a bit—

Patton had looked away. He turned the faucet off and pulled from Declan’s embrace.

“I’m going to check the medicine cabinet in the bathroom for something to put on this,” he murmured, leaving before Declan could say anything else.

The playlist came to an end and silence fell once more over the cabin. Declan, almost mechanically, used the remaining dough to make another batch before carefully putting them into the oven. He set the timer for less time than probably necessary (better safe than sorry). He cleaned up the mess off the floor and set the dishes in the sink to soak.

Wandering out of the kitchen, Declan found the outlet in the living room that Patton seemed to have planned to plug the fairy lights into. He’d brought them from his dorm, hoping to make their stay feel cozier, and had strung them up when they first arrived. It hadn’t taken long with Roman’s help. Declan turned them on and they bathed the room in warm yellow.

“Oh,” came a gasp from behind him.

Declan looked to find Patton, hands clasped beneath his chin. His thumb was bandaged.

“It looks beautiful.”

“Not nearly as lovely as you.”

Patton, eyes wide in awe and mouth parted slightly in surprise, truly did make quite the vision. His curls were messy still with flour and his cheeks glowing just rosily enough. The purples and blues of his sweater complemented him nicely and Declan couldn’t take it anymore. If anything, he’d get that Fall Out Boy record out of this.

“I like you.”

“I like you!”

Spoken within the same breath, Declan and Patton stared at one other in disbelief.

“Wait.”

“What??”

Another moment of stunned silence before Patton began laughing.

“So much for never having to buy my own stock,” he said between giggles.

Declan would ask later.

“You…”

“Yeah!” Patton answered earnestly, swooping so quickly into Declan’s space, it made him dizzy. “Yes! I do. I have! For… oh, it feels like ages. Do you remember sophomore year when they set up that event in the quad with just, like, all the dogs in the world? And they were letting any student that wanted to play for as long as they needed? To relax?”

Declan nodded.

“I saw you there with the smallest little yorkie and even as I made sure to meet every pooch I could, you still gave the most attention to her, and I was just… drawn to you, I guess.” Patton paused, before adding jokingly, “or maybe it was that she was the last one I needed to pet.” 

Declan nodded.

“You were kind of closed off and even when I did manage to get something out of you, I couldn’t make heads or tails of what you were saying. I remember thinking that you had the prettiest eyes…”

Declan blinked. He’d grown up with kids thinking his mismatched irises were weird and while that certainly wasn’t the case any longer, it tended still to be a sore subject for him.

“Eventually, you just handed me that pupper and walked off. I thought I’d never see you again.” Patton frowned. “Until… well, you know the rest!! Roman invited us to an after party for that year’s show and… there you were.”

“Here I am,” Declan whispered, feeling a bit like he couldn’t breathe.

Patton chuckled, glancing down long enough to find one of Declan’s hands and take it in his own. When he looked back up, he kept his gaze somewhere just over Declan’s left shoulder.

“I guess I sort of wanted something to happen on this trip but I didn’t wanna get my hopes up…”

A particularly strong gust of wind rattled the window panes and Patton flinched at the noise. Declan fully snapped out of his reverie. He pressed his free hand against the small of Patton’s back and pulled him closer, tucking Patton’s head underneath his chin.

“We were juniors and we had the same free time on our Tuesday-Thursdays,” Declan said, shifting so that it wouldn’t be as awkward to talk given their position. “Logan joined you sometimes in the library to study but… usually you found the sunniest spot and every time I walked by, you just…” Declan paused long enough for Patton to pull back in concern and look up at him.

Declan floundered. “You were just hideous, all radiant in the light and so relaxed and focused, it was the worst, my stomach flipped at the sight… Because I was just so. Nauseous.”

Patton snickered, using their still connected hands to lead the way to the couch. They settled into it comfortably, sitting closely. It took some time but they talked about their feelings and what they’d do next and how soon they’d tell the others. It was a bit of up and down, what with Declan’s penchant for lying, and Patton’s tangents, but they got there. Were it not for the oven reminding them of the cookies, they might have stayed curled up together forever.

Eventually, however, they were settled again with a plate of cookies and pizza, some Netflix original holiday movie on in the background while they flirted and teased. A selfie was sent to the group chat towards the end of the night from Patton and followed with a few winking emojis from Declan. Had they not silenced their phones and returned to their movie, they would’ve seen just how many messages came through afterwards.

(merry bitchmas ⛄️: aksjdfhlkdsjfhksjdfh jingle hells 🔔: FINALLY merry bitchmas ⛄️: i’m sCREAMING oh chemistree 🎄: He really is. thomistle toe 💋: !!!! congrats guys!!! merry bitchmas ⛄️: i thi nK I’m go nNA FAINT oh chemistree 🎄: Please do not. oh chemistree 🎄: Oh, and congratulations, you two. It is about time. jingle hells 🔔: this is absolutely thanks to me btw. yw.)

shout out to @purelyanxious, @nopartyuntilanxiety, and @moon-of-the-stars for the words “stab, gay, beautiful, lovely, fairy lights, yellow” and picking deceit and patton as characters for this fic ;) 

virgil’s nickname in his chat with patton is “ghost of xmas present.” patton gave it to him because he considers virgil and their friendship a gift. 

group chat in order of appearance goes: roman, virgil, logan, thomas. thank you to @moon-of-the-stars for logan’s nickname! 

this was intended to be background romantic logince and you’re free to see background romantic thvi as well, if you like! i’m also kind of imagining logan and virgil are brothers. 

“ho ho homicide” snatched from this art by @poppiesss

and finally, this moceit fluff is for @do-your-socks-have-holes-in-them <3

[rallis-fatalis]

Little Moments

Life's all about the little moments. It's about playing with friends, and watching sunsets, and being with someone you love. It's about living in the moment and loving it too. Even a rambunctious blue dragon and a hopeless Fremennik bard can have such moments. Though for Rallis and Olaf, their pile of little moments would eventually lead to something maybe not so little.

It was a particularly quiet day in Relleka, the last solemn days of Winter fading away into Spring. Most people were huddled somewhere warm or passed out drunk in the Longhall. There was a line between how much alcohol kept a person warm and got a person drunk, but it appeared some people never bothered to learn. Active and moving unlike the rest of the people in the hall was Olaf. He was lost in his own little world as he walked the length of the room, back and forth, trying to figure things out. He grew antsy when he stayed still for too long, especially when he was trying to think.

"What the hell are you doin', bard?" a man with a half empty tankard called to him from a bench. "With all that pacing, Yrsa'll have to make you new shoes again!"

"I'm just thinking," Olaf said without stopping his march along the room.

The man snorted into his tankard. "Dont hurt yourself now."

"Thanks, I'll try," Olaf replied with an equal amount of snark. He stopped his pacing in the center of the room, directly across from the man. "You know the dragon that visits every so often? Rallis? Or Denkir I suppose."

"Kinda hard not to know her," the man said between drinks. "She's a bloody talking dragon!" Rallis had been visiting often since her completion of the trials six months ago, using the town as a sort of home base. The dragon made her rounds enough for everyone to get to know her whether they wanted to or not. She had especially become fast friends with Olaf, at first just having a nice time talking the day away, but soon evolving into lunch dates, duet performances, out of town adventures, and more. There wasn't a day that went by where he didn't wish she could stay forever or he could travel alongside her.

"She's so interesting," the bard started, already completely enamored. "And not just because of what she is. She's so sweet and kind too. I want to get to know her better, like really know her, but I want to do something nice for her as well. I just don't know what! What do dragons even like?"

The man looked at him oddly. "You sound like a boy trying to plan a date. Don't get too carried away now." The bard would think that notion idiotic. A date?! You don't date your friends! And that's all she was! The man put his drink down. "Wait a minute, you mean to say you heard nothing about dragons on all your trips around the world?"

Olaf thought about it for a moment. "Hmm... I suppose I did hear things. Not much though. I'd love to know more." He really only had a few myths and hearsay to go off of. Not many people were willing to tango with dragons in any part of the world, and the lack of information showed. Most he had were old stories and tales of mass destruction. Not like that applied to Rallis! "I suppose I'll work with what I've got," he mumbled to himself and ran off with a noncommittal thanks.

The man raised his tankard to the bard as he dashed out the Longhall. He shook his head when he was sure the bard was gone. "What a hopeless romantic."

A few days later, Rallis came to visit. She bounded into town with a smile, waving hellos to everyone. She still wasn't quite used to being called Denkir yet, forgetting to greet some of the people who said hello to her using that name. She caught up with Askeladden by the market square, threatening to smack a gull with a giant fish he had presumably stolen. Rallis barely spoke to him when she did her trials, but she became fast friends when she learned how much he loved to play around. Rallis laughed and joined him with a fish of her own (though she actually bought hers) and the two laughed like idiots as they chased each other with smelly beatsticks. Everyone watching rolled their eyes and ignored them, save one person who couldn't help but stifle a snort of laughter as he watched Rallis trip and fall, fish bat sent flying into Askeladden's laughing face. The bystander walked over to help the dragon up.

"Hello, Rallis. Welcome back."

She turned to the voice and smiled, taking its owner's hand. "Hi Olaf!" The bard pulled her off the ground. "Nice to see you again!"

The boy ran off, realizing his playmate was off to talk with boring adults now. "How have things been?" Olaf asked as he walked her to the Longhall.

"Alright I guess. Been helping my new friend out in Ardougne lately. She's so nice! And her family is too! Though it's been one crazy adventure. How about you?"

"It's been alright," he said. He smiled down at her. "Better with you here though." Rallis giggled at the comment and all but bounced into the hall with him. Some of the people inside waved hello, more than a little red in the face and tipsy. Rallis smiled and waved back. Olaf pulled up a seat for her and sat across the way, waving down Thora for a drink and food. She scoffed something about a tab not being paid and walked off with a glare. Olaf rolled his eyes and turned back to Rallis. "I'm glad you came by. I actually had some questions for you if you'd be willing to help me."

"Sure thing! What's up?"

"Well, I've been wanting to learn about dragons," he started. That immediately got her interest. "I've heard some tales here and there over my travels but I wanted to make sure they were correct and learn anything else I could."

"Of course! I'd love to help!" Rallis said cheerfully. "What do you want to know?"

Thora came back carrying two glasses of ale and two plates of roasted chicken. Rallis couldn't help but drool. If that was the same chicken that was roasting over the fire not a minute ago it was bound to be amazing. It certainly smelled incredible. Thora muttered something about not being able to leave until she was paid to the bard and flashed the knife she used to cut the fruit for her drinks at him, making his face grow pale. She left before he could reply.

He would think about that later, though. "I've heard this one a lot," Olaf continued as if nothing had happened. "Is it true dragons collect treasure?"

Rallis was already stuffing her face with chicken. She was not wrong, it was amazing. "Well, it's treasure to us," she said between mouthfuls of food. "Not all dragons collect gold or gems or what humans think of when they think treasure. We collect what we consider treasure. For example, I collect woad leaves not gold."

He took a sip of beer with a thoughtful hum. "So it's different for every dragon. How interesting. I wonder why all the stories only ever portray them as gold hoarders." Rallis shrugged. "Is it true they like music just as much?"

"Oh yes!" she nodded. "You can calm nearly any dragon with good music. Dragons are beautiful musicians themselves if you listen too. Mom sings so nicely." She smiled as she remembered her mom singing her and her brothers to sleep when the nights were rough. She missed her mom. She'd have to pay her a visit soon.

'Oh I know how beautiful a dragon's music is,' he thought with a blush. He dared not say that out loud. "So they like music and treasure, but is there anything else?"

She had to think for a moment. "They love to fly high in the sky, where there's no limits." Her ears drooped a bit. "I wish I could fly... I like to walk instead." Olaf frowned at that. He supposed you'd need something bigger than deformed bird wings to lift off the ground. 'Must be frustrating having wings but not being able to fly.' He chewed on a chicken wing, not missing the irony in that. Rallis gave her glass a sniff and recoiled with a grimace. How anyone could drink such foul tasting and smelling stuff, she didn't know. Her face lit up as she thought of something else. "If they trust you enough, they love to be pet too. Behind the ears or between the wings and they'll just melt. And warm places are the best!"

"I see," he said, making sure to remember everything she said. "That makes them seem so adorable! Not like the monsters the stories make them out to be. This has all quite fascinating. I can't thank you enough."

"Despite what human stories say, we aren't monsters! And any time! It's nice to see someone interested!" She grinned ear to ear. "If you ever want to know anything else, let me know!"

They finished up their discussion and food, Rallis' plate picked clean. It was just so good. Her drink remained untouched and Olaf couldn't help but chuckle. "A Fremennik not into ale? I afraid that's cause for exile," he joked.

Rallis wrinkled her nose in disgust. "No way! That stuff is gross! You know what's good? Fruit juice! It's sweet and good and doesn't taste and smell like old burnt sock!"

"You mean this gross stuff?" he teased as he slammed back her entire drink. He wiped his mouth and laughed at the face she was making, something between  impressed and horrified. "Oh that's nothing. You should see how much Manni can drink. Speaking of, how did you even get his vote if you don't drink?"

"Oh, you know! I just did!" she said nervously. "Anyway! Was there anything else you wanted to do?"

"Yes, actually. Come on!"

The two left money behind on the table and ran off. They spent the entire time together, nearly five days, and made every moment wonderful. When it came time to leave, he felt sad to watch her go. She was so charming and entertaining and really brought life to this dreary fishing town. It would be all the more quiet and drab without her. They waved goodbye and she ran off in search of another adventure. Now armed with information, Olaf got to planning. He'd have to have some surprises ready for the next times she came back! Friends did nice things and surprises for each other after all! And friends were all they were!

Winter was finally coming to a close the next time Rallis visited. The season gave one final hurrah and covered the town in ice and frost and cloaked the forest nearby in a blanket of snow. Rallis slunk into town with a shiver. It was much colder where her new kyatt friends were, but for a reptile even this lessened amount of snow was dangerous.

Few people were insane enough to stand out in the cold doing nothing all day, but that certainly didn't stop Sigli who was stood like a statue at the entrance to Relleka. His hooded head was topped with a pillar of snow. He had to have been standing still there for a while for all that to pile up! Rallis waved hello and trudged over to knock the snow off, frozen unicorn horn decreasing to a more large forehead shape. Sigli pat her head with a smile to which the dragon purred and bounded into the Longhall. She could feel the ice melt off her scales instantly upon entering, warm fire and smiles greeting her.

"Hello~!" Rallis trilled.

A group by the entrance raised their drinks to her in greeting before continuing their conversation. Manni sauntered over, red-faced and drunk, and plopped a tankard into her hands. "Hey Denkir, buddy!" he drawled. "Here have this! It'll keep you warm."

"Thanks..." she smiled. As soon as Manni turned around she slid the drink across a nearby table. She'd rather freeze to death than drink that swill.

Rallis spotted familiar faces closer to the fire in the center of the room. Brundt was chatting with a small group, fully engrossed in his chat. With a devious smile, she crept behind the Chieftain and covered his eye with both her hands. "Boo!"

The man laughed. "Hello Rallis!"

Rallis' ears drooped. "Aww you knew it was me so quickly!"

She let go and let him turn around. He tapped his eyepatch. "You covered the wrong one. The four-fingered blue hands are quite a giveaway."

She pouted for a moment, but quickly began to giggle as he pat her head. Then suddenly something cold exploded against her back with a poof. Bits of snow flew off her wings as Rallis spun around to find Askeladden with the most devious grin on his face and snowball in hand. "Welcome back, dragon!"

The boy threw his last round of ammunition, snowball missing Rallis and exploding against some poor soul farther away from her, and ran away with mischievous laughter. Rallis grinned and readied to run after him, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She turned around with a questioning chirp before smiling again, this time hiding a snicker. It was Olaf, face serious and head topped with freshly thrown snow. She couldn't hold her laughter in, giggling as she pointed at his snow covered head. "Snolaf!"

Olaf's serious facade melted into a smile as he laughed and rubbed the remainder of the frozen fluff off his head. "It's nice to see you again, Rallis." He placed a dollop of melting ice atop her nose. "I didn't expect you'd be here again so soon! But the surprise is a pleasant one indeed. How are you?"

"Cold and ready to play!" she shouted. "I must strike back!" She pointed to the entrance of the Longhall where Askeladden was sticking his tongue out at her, more snowballs at the ready.

"You can't go out in the snow like that!" Olaf exclaimed as he motioned to her light attire. "You're not even wearing shoes!"

Rallis scowled at the idea. "Shoes... are awful! I refuse!"

"You don't even have appropriate clothing! No cloak or hood or anything! Even your playmate has at least that much." Rallis side-eyed the taunting boy to see Olaf was correct. The kid was bundled up like an overstuffed pillow. "Come on, if you want to go in the snow you need more than a scaly skirt," Olaf told her as he dragged her away by the arm. He knew just where to get her some clothing.

Yrsa threw shirt after shirt, glove after glove, every article of clothing and more at Rallis. At this rate she was going to be buried alive under all of this! She groaned at Olaf as the pile of clothing in her arms grew larger. "Do I really need all this? I was in the snow with the kyatts just fine earlier."

"I may not know how dragons work, but I'll assume it's a miracle you didn't get sick then! I know enough to know reptiles shouldn't be in the snow."

Rallis rolled her eyes as Yrsa threw one final piece of clothing into her arms, a thick white cloak. "Just return it all when you're done," she sighed. "And preferably not torn to pieces like last time."

"Can do!" Rallis chirped. Two more shirts, an extra pair of pants, one more pair of gloves, and a cloak later, Rallis was bundled in an embrace of fluff. On a normal day, she would've been itching to get out of so much clothing, but she had to admit it was pretty cold and this felt nice. None of them could figure out how to get the earmuffs to stay on and a hat would just be ripped from her horns. Rallis sprinted out with a thank you as Yrsa brought over a pair of shoes to try on, eager to play and be far away from those evil foot contraptions. Olaf ran after her with a thanks as well, followed by shouts for the dragon to slow down.

Yrsa groaned and began to fold and put away the extra discarded clothing when she saw a small pouch left on her table. Curious, she opened it. Inside was a small note with some of the worst handwriting she had ever seen.

"I said I'd pay you back for the clothing for my trials. Thank you so much again! Rallis."

"That's sweet." Yrsa looked back into the pouch, expecting maybe a hundred gold at most. It only felt like a hundred pieces after all. But when she dumped the pouch onto the table, her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. She looked back to the note, then the pile of money, then out the door, back to the note, back to the table. It wasn't gold pieces that fell out of the bag.

"FIFTY BLOODY PLATINUM?!"

Maybe Agnar was on the right track thinking the dragon was rich.

Rallis sprinted after Askeladden, pelting snowball after snowball at the boy. The two howled with laughter as they ran through the snow covered forest and played. Olaf huffed as he trudged along after them at a much slower pace. Leaving those two unattended in the frozen forest probably wouldn't be a good idea so he followed behind. Or he would have if he could keep up. How those two were moving so well in the thick layer of snow he had no idea! Every step felt like a chore for him. He was already tired! Though, he supposed watching Rallis' smiling face and hearing her adorable giddy laughter was worth a tiring trek in the snow.

Olaf had been following their footsteps in the snow, but one incorrect step had him falling into a pit with a yelp as the snow fell away. Rallis and Askeladden stopped horsing around at the sound of their tired ward crying out. At first they were worried, but their worry melted to mischief when they found the man simply sunk into the snow up to his waist. He couldn't move an inch.

"A little help would be grand!"

Rallis and Askeladden looked to their trapped companion then to each other and both came to the same conclusion with a devious smile. The two scrambled to make as many snowballs as they could and pelted the trapped bard with them.

"How unfair! How cruel! I can't even fight back!" he yelled with feigned hurt. The snow stuck to his clothes as the snowballs exploded on impact and Rallis and Askeladden quickly decided to have a competition on who could cover the man in the most snow faster. Askeladden had a far lead with how good his aim was, but Rallis was not about to lose! While the boy was busy focusing on trying to get snow to stick to Olaf's cloak, Rallis snuck off to climb a nearby tree. Askeladden hadn't noticed her absence until he realized her laughter was gone.

The boy looked around for his friend. "Where did you go, dragon?"

The two heard a snicker above them and looked up to find Rallis perched on a snow covered branch directly overhead. It looked ready to snap from the weight of all the compiled snow and the dragon. She grinned wickedly and started to make the branch sway.

Olaf realized what she was doing quickly. "No no no! Rallis please don't!"

Too late. The branch creaked and dropped all its snow. Askeladden and Olaf's yells were cut off with a muffled thwump as they were buried under a mountain of fluff. Rallis bounced on the branch, laughing like a maniac. "I win! I win! I--!"

SNAP!

Already weak from Rallis' shenanigans, the branch could no longer hold her and her energetic bouncing. It broke with a loud crack and sent her plummeting to the ground. She disappeared into the fresh fallen pile of snow, leaving a hilariously dragon shaped indent in the ground.

Askeladden popped out of the snow and laughed at the dragon. "Serves you right! And that was cheating! I still win!"

Rallis groaned as she crawled out of her snowy cushion and flopped on the firmer cold ground. Olaf shook the snow off his head with a brrr. He looked like a gopher with just his head sticking out of the snow like that.

"Well I don't think it was cheating," Rallis said. "We should let Olaf decide!"

The man in question was now freezing and even more trapped. Outside of his head, he couldn't move at all. "I say it's a tie," he told them. Both of them immediately opened their mouth to argue but Olaf quickly hushed them. "So I have a tiebreaker in mind! Whoever can help me out of the snow fastest wins! Get to it!"

More focused on beating the other, neither of the two realized their competition was a ploy to release their living target from his snowy prison. The two dug as fast as they could, but Askeladden was no match for a beast with claws. He couldn't keep up if he wanted to. Rallis stood triumphantly as she hauled Olaf out of the snow, an explosion of powder puffing up as he shook the snow off. The boy huffed but smiled.

"That was a lot of fun!" he said. "I need to go home, but we need to play more often!"

Now that they bothered to notice, it was starting to get dark. Nightfall certainly came quickly in Winter, and they had left to play late into the day as well. Rallis frowned at the setting sun. Now she wished she had come by a lot earlier. It would be wise for them all to make their way home before growing lost in the forest at night. However, Askeladden was running off before either of them could offer him an escort back. Hopefully the boy wouldn't get lost.

"He gonna be okay?" Rallis worried. "It's getting really dark."

"Yeah, he'll be fine. He knows his way around." Olaf looked over at the dragon and realized just how tired she was now. She was so energetic and excited just a minute ago, yet now she was shivering and swaying as if ready to fall over. "You okay?"

Rallis nodded slowly. "I'm just really tired all of a sudden."

He put a hand to her head. "Maybe because you're ice cold! You really can't be out in the cold, can you?"

"It's not a good idea, no. When have you ever seen an ice dragon after all?"

"We need to hurry back then. Once the sun is gone completely it gets freezing out here. Come on, let's get you out of here."

Olaf led Rallis through the forest, setting sun turning the snow to amber. "It's so pretty out here," Rallis whispered as she trudged along.

"Mhm. You should see the swaying tree when the sun sets. It's like it's made of fire and the river turns gold. That old tree makes everything around it enchanting."

"That does sound pretty. I'll have to see it when I visit again. I didn't hang around when I made my lyre there."

"Next time we'll go! It's a dat-- uhh... day! It's a day... we'll spend there!" Olaf sighed and shouted in his head. 'Good job, dumbass. Real smooth.'

Rallis was none the wiser. "I'd love to! Maybe when it's not so cold."

The two made it back to Relleka as the final rays of sun faded under the ocean to the west. Rallis was ready to fall asleep the cold was making her so tired. "You really aren't doing so good, are you?" Olaf worried. Rallis whined and shook her head. "Come here, let's get you out of the cold."

Olaf pulled her along to the edge of town, far from where she though they were heading. "Isn't there fire in the Longhall?" she asked

"Yes but by now everyone's going home. It won't be as warm. I've got blankets at my place too and you can sit right next to the fire if you like." They came to a small home at the edge of town, close to the back entrance to the stage. He opened the door and held it open for her with a smile. "After you."

Rallis shuffled inside, Olaf followed behind her. He lit the lanterns hanging by the entrance and got to work on a fire. Rallis looked around with interest. It was so much different from her house, so much smaller and less colorful, but still charming. The house itself was really just one giant room, a fireplace against the far wall lit up the entire place nicely. A worn rug sat in front of the fireplace for anyone to lay on, a nearby table was covered in papers and ink bottles and books, a knife acting as a paperweight for one of the larger paper stacks. Another table sat to the other end of the room, this one much more clear. All that sat on it was a piece of bread on a plate from earlier in the day. Bookshelves, drawers and cabinets, and shelves lined the walls, most topped with some kind of wood carving. Rallis hid a smile when she spotted her silly drawing from her trials framed and sitting on one of the bookshelves. An unmade bed sat in the corner hidden away from everything else, blankets trailing onto the floor and on top of a pile of clothing. Olaf groaned at the sight and walked over to take care of the mess.

"Sorry, it's not usually this messy," Olaf apologized. "My brother was staying the night and he forgot to take care of this before he left I guess. He's always forgetting things." He sorted through the clothing pile and frowned at a shirt. "I don't even think this is mine. He can't even remember to take his own laundry with him."

Rallis sat down by the growing fire and watched her friend. "You have a brother?"

"Yeah. His name's Falo. He doesn't live in Relleka anymore. He has his own place near Seer's Village. He comes up here to say hello every now and then though. And he leaves at least one thing behind every time."

"Falo? Isn't that just your name but--?"

Olaf sighed as he tossed the clothing into a closet. "Yes, yes it is. Our parents weren't exactly creative. They came up with one name and couldn't think of another. So they just did the same name but backwards. Ridiculous, I know."

"I think it's adorable," Rallis laughed.

Olaf pulled some blankets out of the closet and draped one over his guest. "This oughta help." He sat down next to her and wrapped the other one around himself. "I can get more if you need it."

Rallis shook her head. "No this is fine, thank you." She snuggled into the warm blanket. "It's so soft." The fire melted the cold away, and combined with the blanket Rallis started to feel better immediately.

"You look better already. Hope today was fun for you."

"Are you kidding?! It was so much fun! I wish we could do it again! But I really have to go tomorrow... I just came by for a day to say hi."

"Doesn't mean next time won't be fun as well." Rallis smiled and started to nod off. "So do you have any siblings?" Olaf asked. "I've just got the one brother."

"Yeah, I've got two brothers. They're blue black dragons and super fun and silly."

The two chatted the night away in front of the fire until Rallis fell asleep against Olaf's arm, snoring away under the blanket. He carried her off the floor and tucked her in bed. She probably needed the warmth of the covers a lot more than he did after today. He grabbed more blankets for himself and lined the floor with them to sleep on and hid under another. Olaf smiled as he started to drift off thinking about the day. Rallis really was a ray of sunshine, cutting through even the drab grey boredom Winter brought. Just another boring day changed into a snowy day of fun and he couldn't have been happier. She was just so cute when she smiled and laughed, he couldn't help but be happy around her. Next time they would definitely have to have another play date. And that's all it was! A play date, not a date date. You can have play dates with your friends and think about how cute they are as they have fun in the snow and how pretty they look as the sun sets on them in the most beautiful way. Friends can totally think about stuff like that! And that's all they were.

Rallis thanked Olaf for everything the next day and went to get her clothes back from Yrsa. Rallis didn't understand why the woman hugged her and was on the verge of tears when she came in, but she seemed happy at least. The dragon smiled as she hopped off toward adventure. She couldn't wait for the next time her travels brought her back.

It was the heart of Spring the next time he saw her, a beautiful sunny day that brightened everyone's mood. Rallis bounded into town with a smile and a fistful of flowers. She had picked them on her way to town and handed them to everyone she saw. She handed one to Sigli who smiled and knotted the stem around his bow, Askeladden who gave it to his pet rock, and then bounced inside to run up to Brundt with a hug and slipped one under the strap of his eyepatch, flower curling half around his ear and half around his face from its awkward pinning. They chatted and caught up with a smile and a laugh before Rallis moved on, slipping a flower into Manni's drink. She handed one to Thora and spun around to find Olaf cheerfully watching her hand out flowers.

"Olaf!" Rallis bounced over and grinned.

"Rallis! So good to see you again! I see you're a flower lady today."

Rallis nodded and slipped a flower behind his ear. His face dusted pink at the gesture and played with the little white daisy. "White because of your cape!" Rallis stated proudly. "There are so many flowers out! It's so pretty!"

"It is indeed," Olaf said as he admired the other flowers in her hand. "How have you been?"

"I've been good! Was doing some work in the area and wanted to stop by. I should be here for a couple days before I have to head back out."

"We should make every day count then! It's Spring! Let's have some fun!"

Rallis jumped with an excited chirp at the prospect.

The two spent the day being goofs, playing and singing and dancing and acting out stories. They even began to attract an audience and had story time around the Longhall fire by nightfall. Soon half the town joined in with food and drinks and laughter as people got on stage to act out hilarious tales. Rallis told the story of her trying to fly off Eagle's Peak with nothing but gnome glider wings and dramatically jumped off the stage like a bird fully expecting to flop on the floor, but Olaf caught her. The two laughed as the others howled over her silliness. It was a lively night, one Rallis was glad to be a part of.

The next day, Olaf woke up early, long before most everyone else. He was packing something, looking over his shoulder every now and again as if worrying someone would see. It was a basket, and a reasonably sized one at that. He stuffed it full and ticked off every individual item before nodding. He then grabbed a blanket and folded it around the top. With another nod and a smile, he made sure he was presentable and strode over to where his dragon friend was resting.

After much hemming hawing and yawning, Rallis woke up and was practically dragged out of town by Olaf. She quickly perked up at the sights and smells of Spring, happily skipping along with him. They chatted and laughed as they walked the dirt path heading east. The man soon strayed from the road and led his companion up a small hill. A giant winding tree sat atop it, radiating magic. Bunnies hopped around its base, butterflies fluttered overhead, and birds sang in its branches. With the way the sunlight shimmered off the tree's falling magic, it was like something out of a fairytale.

Rallis gave Olaf and the tree a nervous smile. "I'm not making another lyre, am I?" she joked.

The man laughed as he put the basket down. "Hahaha, no! No I'd say not!" He flipped out a fletching knife. "Unless you want to." He smiled jokingly and she snorted at his jest. He put the blade away and unfolded the blanket with a flourish. He put the basket on it and motioned for her to join him as he sat down.

Rallis cocked her head. "What is this?"

"A picnic!" he said and patted the blanket once more. "Come!" She chirped curiously and flopped onto the blanket. "The town can be rather drab, don't you agree? I thought going out and away would be a nice change of scenery." He flipped open the basket and started pulling out an assortment of goodies. Rallis was practically drooling. Cheese, bread, apples, and more came out of the box, as if it was bottomless. Olaf pulled out a bottle and handed it to her. "Thought you'd like this a bit more than 'burnt sock juice.'"

Rallis undid the cap and gave it a sniff, ears perking up in delight. "Fruit!"

"Mhm. Got it from the gnomes. I think they called it lemonade? It's really sweet."

Rallis took a sip and fell in love with the stuff, tail wagging happily. The two snacked and chatted and laughed the day away, lost in their own little world. It was like the rest of the world didn't exist. No one else was around, no one to bother them, they could be as loud or as silly or as dumb as they wanted. Rallis managed to lure a rabbit out of its hole and the two watched with a smile as it ate a piece of apple they tossed it. Rallis played around, hopping around the tree like the rabbit, and ultimately tripped over her own feet and rolled down the hill. Olaf laughed and slid down the grassy slope to join her, offering a race back to the top to which she eagerly complied. Olaf lost. As a reward, he played and sang for her. Rallis chimed in as well, making it seem like the wind itself was singing alongside him.

The day was starting to come to a close, sun beginning to set and cast the world in a pale orange light. It made the river in the distance shimmer like glass and the tree behind them look like it was made of amber. Rallis was curled up on the blanket like a dog, eyes starting to close. The food, the playing, the sun, it was all starting to make her sleepy. "You were right," she started quietly. "It is pretty here at sunset. All bright and orange..."

Olaf smiled. "Told you. It's probably the prettiest thing for miles in the boring north. Well, almost the prettiest." He glanced over to the dragon at the last comment and couldn't hide the blush creeping along his face. The sky and river and trees weren't the only thing made more beautiful from the sunset. The dying rays almost seemed to make her glow like fire, her own scales and the ones of her outfit shimmering like jewels. He shook his head to get his mind off such things and fiddled with a flower he picked nearby. Even still, he couldn't help but smile as he saw Rallis close her eyes, content.

He stopped toying with the flower. He didn't know if this was overstepping a boundary, but...

He slowly reached over and timidly scratched her behind her ear. Her head shot up in an instant. Olaf pulled his hand away. Why did he just do that?! Did one pretty sunset make him lose all sense?! "I'm sorry!" he apologized. "I just-- I mean you said before how dragons liked to be pet-- And you were tired so I thought--"

Rallis snorted at his blubbering and rest her head back on the ground. She said nothing, just went back to semi-sleep. He thought about doing it again. She didn't say not to do it, after all. While one part of his brain shouted to not be an idiot and the other part screamed to just do it, his hand had a mind of its own. He cautiously scratched behind her ear again and this time she didn't jolt up. Olaf grinned as he continued to pet her, scratching behind her other ear next. He almost stopped when she started to growl but he quickly realized she wasn't growling, but purring like a cat! The idea that she was like a pet cat that loved scratches and pats and treats made him chuckle to himself.

Remembering what else she had said, he traced his hand to her back and scratched between her wings. They flared open as he scratched and Rallis couldn't help but let out a happy growl. That wasn't an easy spot to reach and it felt great. The man couldn't help but find this all rather hilarious. Were all dragons like this? He pictured a giant beast threatening to burn the lands only to be taken down by a well-placed back scratch.

"You are funny, you know that?" he said with a laugh.

Rallis cracked an eye open to look at him. "So are you. I haven't had anything close to a picnic since I was back on the other side of White Wolf. It was fun, thank you."

"It was fun. When you come back, let's do it again."

The two packed up, wanting to be back in town before nightfall. Rallis trotted alongside Olaf, grinning like a fool over the events of the day. "You know," she started. "I used to be scared of humans. I thought they were all mean and scary. Guess I was wrong, huh?"

Olaf understood the sentiment. Being a monster in this world probably wasn't the most ideal situation, what with all the monster hunters out and about.

"I've found lots of people are nice." She bounced in front of him. "You're nice! Super nice! The nicest human!"

He bashfully rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess. That's just what friends do. And you're the nicest dragon."

Rallis grinned a toothy grin and giggled as she hugged the man. His face turned pink as he hugged her back. Rallis started to skip ahead of him, humming a tune without a care in the world. Olaf trailed behind a little more slowly, thinking about things. Mainly just how silly Rallis was and how he hoped she'd be back soon. It really was painfully lonely without his new friend here. And that's all she was! A friend! Friends went on picnics and sang for each other and spent every waking moment thinking about each other and how beautiful they were, right?

She left the next morning promising to return soon.

Months passed, then seasons. Spring ended, Summer came and went, Fall was starting up. Olaf was growing worried. Rallis came by to say hello very often when first exploring the north, and she continued to make time to come back even when exploring farther and farther away. Even when her trips took her long distances away, she would come back once or twice a month to say hello. But for two whole seasons to pass without a word... it felt wrong. The others told him he was being stupid. She was an adventurer after all. She traveled far and had things to do. It didn't comfort him any more though. Something really did feel off.

Rallis did come back one Fall afternoon. She shuffled into town, tired and dragging her feet, no usual chirp and cheer. Some of the residents gave her an enthusiastic hello, wondering where she had been, but she just gave them a silent wave and walked on, not speaking a word.

Footsteps rushing her way made her turn around and find her bard friend running over to say hello. "Rallis! Oh it's so good to see you!" he said as he hugged her. He could feel her tense from it and mentally slapped himself for rushing in like that and making her feel uncomfortable. He immediately backed off with a nervous cough. "Sorry! I just missed you. It's been a while. Oh wow nice scarf! Is it new?" She looked at the ground nervously as she pulled at the white scarf around her neck. Something wasn't right. "Hey, what's wrong? Is everything alright?"

Her ears drooped, her eyes turned red, she tried to hide her face and a sniffle. Olaf put a hand on her back and coaxed her out of the open. "Here come inside. It's warm and quiet there." He led her to his place and sat her down at a table, ensuring no one else could spy. "No one can hear us now. Why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

Rallis swallowed and shook her head no, trying not to cry.

Olaf went to a knee and tilted her head up, forcing her to look him in the eye. She looked so sad, and so worried and conflicted. "You can tell me anything," he whispered. "I won't hurt you. I promise. Whatever's on your mind, I'll help however I can."

She watched him, as if assessing the validity of his statement, and ultimately relented. She motioned for paper and something to write with. Olaf grabbed some nearby and handed it her way. She only wrote four words, messy and barely legible, like chicken scratch.

'Throat cut. Can't speak.'

Olaf didn't understand what he read, didn't believe it even. "W-What? No, that can't be right!" It was just four words but they didn't make sense, it just didn't compute.

Rallis fiddled with her scarf, scared and nervous, before pulling it off. The sight it hid made Olaf's heart stop. Long and wide across her throat was a long nasty silvery mark, like an evil grin. A darker deeper slit ran perfectly around her throat while paler jagged silver marks bordered it, like the scales had been torn off violently. It was a nasty sight to be sure.

"Oh my god..." Olaf gasped as he looked it over. He gently reached out to touch the mark but she pushed his hand away, putting the scarf back on. "Oh my god... Rallis... I'm so sorry."

Now he was almost crying. He hugged her again, not ever wanting to let go, like if he held her tight enough she'd never leave and get hurt again. 'How could this happen? How?!' his thoughts screamed. He started to tear up and held her tighter. 'I don't want to let go. Not ever. I should have been there. I should have protected you. Damn staying here if it means you getting hurt like this!'

All he could mutter were sorrowful apologies as his thoughts raced with what ifs and reprimands. Rallis gave him a comforting nuzzle and pulled back to see his face, giving him a confused look as if to ask if he was okay.

Olaf couldn't believe her, worrying about how he felt when she had nearly died. He shook his head with a smile as he wiped a tear away. "You nearly died and can't even speak and yet you're worrying about me? Don't. You're the one who's hurt." His frown returned. "God Rallis I'm so sorry. I should have done something..."

'It's not like there was anything you could do,' she wanted to say but couldn't.

"If I wasn't here! If I stayed with you, I could do something! If I went with you when you left, maybe it wouldn't have happened! If--"

She shushed him with a finger to his lips. She sighed, wishing she could tell him it wasn't his fault, there was nothing he could have done, that his place was here and he did nothing to feel so bad about, but she couldn't speak a word. She was happy he cared, though. She was happy to have someone worry about her and want to stay by her side. It was nice. Getting attacked and nearly killed was horrible, but at least the aftermath wasn't all bad. People cared about her, and after what had happened that meant a lot.

At her behest, Olaf stopped his fretting and rambling. "You'll get your voice back," he said, as if trying to convince himself as well. "And that will heal, and everything will be fine, and no one will ever do such a thing again. Everything will go back to normal! Right?"

Rallis nodded and smiled for the first time that day. Everything would be fine, he was right! Maybe it would take a while but everything would work out in the end. She felt a lot better now after spending weeks moping about and feeling betrayed and disowned. She gave Olaf a thank you smile and a hug.

He returned the favor but he still felt awful. He felt like he could have done something. Maybe he should convince Brundt to let him leave again and follow her on her adventures. Maybe he should try to convince her to stay here. Surely there was something! But he didn't know what. Every idea had double the flaws. All he knew was he never wanted to see the friend he'd grown to love with all his heart ever hurt again. Well, okay, maybe 'friend' wasn't all she was.

[idabbleincrazy]

Invisible Touch Ch.5

Pairing: Gabriel x Reader

Word Count: 2614

Warnings: um...pining?, like seriously, you might end up screaming “just kiss already!” other than that none that i can think of. 

Summary: y/n and Gabriel go to a bar in town and its karaoke day. 

A/N: I know I said I might do a time skip but this happened instead (gotta follow the muse where it goes, right?) and tough as it was to write, I had fun writing it. Song is from Moulin Rouge (if u have never seen it, u should!) Quotations in italics are the lyrics. I truly hope you guys enjoy this chapter! 

Y/f/a/d= your favorite alcoholic drink

You had finished your lunch with Gabriel without incident, finally able to have a conversation that didn’t leave you fumbling for words or wanting to flee in embarrassment. He had been quiet at first, watching you eat for a few minutes, and you had started to feel self-conscious. Thankfully, just as you could feel the flush starting to rise to your cheeks, he began talking. He didn’t further explain this morning’s upset, and you were loathe to bring it up either, so you decided to just let it go. The two of you carried on, talking about this and that, every now and then Gabriel reaching across the table to take a fry from your plate, dipping it into the chocolate frosty he had snapped up.

When you had finished eating, you continued to talk for about an hour, till you got a call from Sam asking you to go look up something in the library. You excused yourself and went to go find the book Sam had named. You quickly found the book, which was just within your reach and spent the next twenty minutes flipping through the pages and relaying the information, stopping every now and then to send him pictures of symbols that you couldn’t quite interpret. After hanging up, you put the book back and went back to the war room, slightly surprised to see Gabriel was still there.

“Boys need help with their homework” Gabe questioned, an almost annoyed smirk on his face.

“Yeah, seems they came across an older nest of vamps than they’ve encountered before. Sam said they’re stronger than the others they’ve fought, even the ones that aren’t pureblood. They got half of them before the rest made their escape. It might take an extra day to track down the rest.”

You sat back down at the table, propping your feet up. You considered something for a moment before speaking again. “You know, I’m getting kinda bored just sitting around here, want to go do something?”

“Like what?” Gabriel looked at you cautiously.

“Well, it’s five o’clock, somewhere right? How about we go to a bar, there’s one in town we haven’t been to yet.” You cocked an eyebrow at him as you spoke, wanting desperately to get out of the bunker for a while.

“Uh, sure. We taking one of the cars from the garage, or would you rather I just zap us there?”

“It would probably be best if you took us there. That way I don’t have to worry about driving back”, you respond, getting up from your chair to pull your phone from your pocket.

You quickly look up the address of the bar and an inconspicuous place for Gabriel to snap you to. You hand him your phone to look at the map and make your way around the table to where he is now standing. He hands you back your phone and grabs ahold of the sleeve of your shirt, careful not to brush against your skin, lest he cause another spark from the contact. You close your eyes as you feel reality shift around, and when you open them again you are standing in the alley behind the bar. The two of you walk around to the front of the building, Gabriel’s hand lingering on your sleeve, the warmth from his touch slowly sinking through the layer of fabric.

You walk in and stand in the doorway for a few seconds as your vision adjusts to the sudden dimness. As you look around, you are surprised by the rather sizable crowd in the bar. It may be Saturday, but its barely 2:30 in the afternoon, you weren't expecting the town to have so many day-drinkers. The bar is rather large, bigger than the other two you had already gone to with the boys.

As you and Gabriel head up to the bar, you notice why the place is livelier than you thought it would be. Set up at the back of the building is a stage with a banner over it reading Karaoke Saturday. When you get to the counter, you find a flyer and quickly scan it for the start time. It started in a hour. You figure all the early birds are getting a head-start on fueling up on liquid courage.

You order a (y/f/a/d) and Gabriel orders a Purple Nurple, at which you just shake your head, having heard the story of how the boys first met Gabe over a decade ago. He slams back the shot, orders another and tells the bartender to keep them coming as you go to find an empty booth. Gabriel sits down, handing you your drink as he sets down his second shot along with the beer he ordered. You quirk an eyebrow up at him.

“You never cease to surprise me, Gabe. Beer and a drink that’s basically a cranberry-vodka? Neither of those are particularly sweet. I’d have figured you'd order something with an umbrella.”

“Nah. When it comes to drinks, the simpler the better. ‘Sides, it takes a lot more for me to even feel a buzz, remember?” He took a swig from the beer, letting out a contented sigh as he set it back down and looked at you.

You nodded at him in slight wonder and took a sip of your drink. You noted that the bartender hadn't skimped on the alcohol like most other places do. You made a note to yourself not to drink too much too fast. Didn't want to go making a fool of yourself, now did you?

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

An hour and two drinks later, you were feeling well relaxed as a man got up on the stage and announced the start of the karaoke, calling up the first person on the list. As the music started, you couldn't help but smirk as you recognized the beginning of The Offspring’s ‘You’re Gonna Go Far Kid’. It was one of the songs that never failed to make you think of Gabriel. You looked over at him to find him considering the stage with a wistful smile on his face.

You went up to the bar to get another drink, letting the music surround you. The guy singing wasn't half-bad, and it sounded nearly as good as the original. By the time you got your drink and headed back to the booth, the next person headed up to the stage. The opening guitar work of Pat Benatar’s ‘Invincible' rang out from the speakers as you sat down.

The power of the music and your third drink thrummed in your veins, making you bolder than you had thought possible at the moment. You considered yourself for a second before turning your attention to Gabriel.

“Hey, Gabe, you ever done karaoke”, you asked the archangel, a nervous flutter running through your chest.

“Of course”, he replied. “Hard to spend so many centuries down here and avoid that gem of human creation. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I was wondering if you'd like to do a duet with me”, you asked with hope in your eyes.

“Huh. Sure, cupcake. What did you have in mind?”

You flashed him a quick smile as you got up to find the sign-up sheet. “It's a surprise. If you don't know the words already, I'm sure you can just snap them into your memory.”

You signed the both of you up and went back to the booth, determined to be just buzzed enough to push back any lingering doubts and fears by the time they called your names. Over the course of the next half hour, you finished off your drink and two shots of whiskey, feeling pleasantly tipsy but still sober enough to talk without slurring. Your nervousness abated, you watched Gabriel closely as he consumed more Purple Nurples. As the current song faded, you straightened up and prepared yourself mentally, knowing you were next on the list.

The man came back on stage and called out your names. Gabriel got up first and reached a hand out to you to help you out of the booth. As your hands touched, instead of the electric shock you had experienced this morning, you felt a tickling warmth spreading from his hand to yours and up, throughout your body. You smiled up at him and the two of you made your way up to the stage.

The man in charge handed you your microphones and you waited for the song to start. As the name of the song appeared on the screen, Gabriel let out a small laugh and looked over at you. “Really, sugar?”

“What, it's one of my favorite movies! It makes a perfect duet.” You crinkled your nose and held in a giggle.

The two of you turned to face the bar patrons as the words to “Elephant Love Medley” showed up on the screen.

Hoping the crowd was buzzed enough not to care that the beginning of the song was more talking then singing, Gabriel began, taking of course, the part of Christian, while you would be his Satine.

“Love is many, splendored thing, love lifts us up where we belong. All you need is love.” His voice carried through the speakers, a voice that at the same time as being non-threatening, commanded to be listened to.

You gulped and quickly put on the British accent that you were quite proud of as you spoke out your part. “Please, don't start that again.”

Back and forth you went as the music kicked in. When the time came to actually sing, he turned to face you. You noticed he was acting just like Christian did in the movie, right down to the hand gestures, so you decided to do the same. Chuck knows, you've watched the movie enough times to have Satine’s part memorized.

You turned away from him at the line “You crazy fool, I won't give in to you” and back again at his spoken “Don't”, now fully immersed in the performance. What you hadn't expected was the way your heart clenched as you looked into his eyes as he softly sang out “dont leave me this way”. You took a breath as you quickly prepared for the next verse, praying your voice wouldn't be as shaky as you suddenly felt.

“You'd think that people would've had enough of silly love songs.” You managed to squeak out, thankful that this part of the song was softly sung in the movie too.

“I look around me and I see it isn't so, oh no.” Gabriel took a step toward you as he sang.

“Some people wanna fill the world with silly love songs.” Breathe in, breathe out, don’t look him in the eye.

Another step. “Well, what’s wrong with that”, step, “I’d like to know”, step, his hand reaching out to you and caressing your chin, nudging your face up to look at him, “’cause here I go, again.”

As his verse continued, you could feel the warmth from his touch spreading through you once more, your nervousness ebbing away and your heartbeat calming again. You stared back at him, leaning in to his touch, your resolve to see this through hardening. Smirking, you sang back at him.

“Love makes us act like we are fools. Throw our lives away, for one happy day.”

“We can be heroes”, he belted out, his hand sliding away from your chin, reaching up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind your ear. “Just for one day.”

Slipping back into the scene you were playing out, you turn away from him, shaking your head. “You, you will be mean.”

“No, I won’t.”

“And I, I’ll drink all the time!” You prepared for the next few lines, reminding yourself it was just a song, he was just performing for the crowd.

“We should be lovers”, he crooned.

“We can’t do that.” You looked back at him, your head cast downward, looking up at him through your lashes.

“We should be lo-oo-overs,” Gabriel grabbed your hand, pulling you around to face him, caught up in the song just as much as you were. “And that’s a fact.”

“No, nothing would keep us together.”

“We could steal time, just for one day.” The look in his eyes sent a shiver down your spine as you continued singing to each other, forgetting that there was anyone else in the room.

“We could be heroes, forever and ever”, your voices joined together in a delicious harmony that would’ve given Nicole and Ewan a run for their money.

As the operatic crescendo built up around you, you felt your heart thumping loudly in your chest and you could feel a tingle of electricity coming from his hand again. This time, it didn’t shock either of you but instead was gentle and soothing. Neither of you noticed when the music ended. You just stared at each other until the noise of the applauding crowd broke through and you let out a breath you hadn’t even realized you were holding. You smiled at Gabriel and quickly ducked your head as you felt a blush rising to your cheeks.

“Gabriel and (y/n), everybody!” The announcer came back on stage to retrieve your mics and the two of you headed back to your booth.

“Wowzers, (y/n), I had no idea you could sing like that! You should do it more often.” Gabriel looked at you warmly as you sat down. “Let me go get you something to drink, you must be parched after that performance. Another one of those?” He gestured at your empty glass.

“No, I’ll have a beer this time, thanks Gabe.”

As he went to get the drinks, you took the moment alone to contemplate the craziness that had just occurred. You were ecstatic that nothing had gone wrong up on stage, you had gotten through it without completely embarrassing yourself. But, those looks Gabriel had given you had thrown you for a loop. You were wary not to get your hopes up that the lyrics of the song had meant the same to him as they had to you. You were glad that the two of you were able to finally get along and didn’t want to push the issue and end up ruining everything again. Unfortunately, you also had a nagging curiosity about why his touch no longer shocked you, but still emitted a type of energy you hadn’t yet encountered with other angels. It might be because he was an archangel, but you had a feeling it went deeper than that.

You were brought back from your thoughts as you saw Gabriel coming back with the beers, and you smiled at him as he handed you one of them. “You know, you were pretty awesome yourself, up there. I guess I should’ve expected it though, seeing as how you are the archangel of languages.”

“Heh. Well, someone’s done their homework, haven’t they? And, yes, singing happens to be one of my many talents.” He flashed his flirty smirk and raised his eyebrow.

The two of you drank your beers and listened to the next three performers in silence, this time just enjoying each other’s presence, no trace of the normal awkwardness you usually felt. After you finished, you asked Gabriel to snap you back home, not wanting to travel past the mellow buzz you felt into the nauseously drunk category. Gabriel went and paid the tab and you walked out and back around to the alley you had arrived in. Once again, you closed your eyes as reality bent around you, waiting till you felt ground firmly beneath your feet before opening them again.

Gabe’s Babes: @liloldlou @calamitychaos

Rich’s Bitches: @warlockwriter @archangelgabriellives @green-draws0 @waywardtricks @hankypranky @briars-glenn @thewhiterabbit42

Invisible Touch: @somewhatnatural @missihart23 @whodoesntlovefanfics @baritonechick @nobodys-baby-now @marichromatic @black-angel-bahamut  

tags are still open.

[writingart21]

BTS Scenario

Boyfriend and bestfriend dont get along.

(This isn't edited and kinda drawn out but i got bored💕💕requests open🌹🌹)

Jin

Your bestfriend had been through culinary  school in vegas back home in the states, she could make nearly anything but when she outcooked your boyfriend Seokjin and you said she was the best cook ever the wide gap between the two grew wider. Your bestfriend simply didn't like him. You had grown up together and were like twelve when you bought your first leather jackets together always living life to the ultimate edge never liking baby pink or teddy bears but blood red and grizzly bears, motorcycle riding six inch high heel wearing bestfriend didnt think he was tough enough for you, and well he didn't like her cleavage bearing t shirts, knee high stilettos and idgaf attitude he thought she was a bad influence on you and couldn't imagine you acting like her twin.

You sat on the couch together as he expressed his distaste for her attitude looking through old pictures of you and her wearing similar clothes and the same bright red lipstick back to back in most, your short hair that brushes your collar bones was waist length in the pictures the same as hers now the glasses that sat on your nose now were missing in the pictures as you flipped the camera off your rebel days were long gone no longer filled with teenage angst. The day started out on memory lane but ended with you and Seokjin fighting. You left crying and calling (y/f/n) as you walked home not even an hour later she came home early from work to your shared apartment bringing your favorite ice cream and candy at first it was you crying and venting to her as sappy rom-coms played in the background you both makeup free and wearing pajamas sitting in your bed eating ice cream waiting in the pizza delivery when the doorbell rang (y/f/n) went to answer it slipping her unicorn slippers on she opened the door to see Seokjin instead of food  "Your not pizza." She went to close the door but Seokjin caught it looking her up and down he took in her appearance black oversized hoodie and shorts and black square framed glasses all the way down to the unicorn slippers no makeup and most tattoos covered she looked almost docile "I'm sorry, to both of you, please let me come in, Ahh i have cookies!" He said and when she heard cookies the door opened all the way letting him step in seeing you standing behind her his first thought was to hug you, second to apologise and third to give the cookies to your bestfriend staring him in to oblivion, "You know what Seokjin, I like your cookies." (Y/f/n) said as she sat down on the couch cookie tin in hands any sign of attitude banished by food "I'll give you the recipe if you give me your brownie recipe deal?" His voice echoed over your head as you were still enveloped in his chest your friend shouted "deal" as she walked back in to your room for the ice cream. "Do you think she still hates me?" He asks as you pull him towards the couch you couldn't help the smile on your face as the words came out of your mouth "If theres one thing she loves more than being a hard ass and me, it's food. Keep being cookies and she might just propose to you." (Y/f/n) head popped out of the room almost whispering "This is true." His windshield wiper laugh filling the room with her snort like laughs  following.

¤

Suga

You laughed as your bestfriend and boyfriend joked back in forth (y/f/n) was picky when it came to people and she liked your boyfriend this wasnt a first since she liked your middle school boyfriend they played football together on the weekends but since then she stayed out of your relationships as much as possible your boyfriends were not quite her favorite type of people to be around your friend was definitely one of a kind as she danced like a fruitcake in front of the toy store with Yoongi on the way home you guys went to the arcade with the rest of the boys Yoongi splitting from them to walk you both home even with their shenanigans you got home fairly quickly kissing Yoongi goodbye before jogging up the stairs behind (y/f/n) she was in a rush to get home waiting on a call from her parents back in the states time zones affected them both her father had been in and out of the hospital with a blood clot since last week this wasnt the first time since this happened to him you wish it was the same result as last time but this time it was fatal you still here her mom's words ringing in your head "Honey it reached his heart and he reacted to the medicine incorrectly we've lost him baby" her voice breaking as she tried to be strong enough to tell her only daughter he passed away two days ago and her mom just got home from staying with yours, you watched as she cried and she packed a few things (y/f/n) was sleepy and broken hugging her goodbye was the hardest thing you had to do she got on the plane the next day back to your home state. You couldn't leave because of your job threatening to fire you, missing the funeral was almost a relief to you since your grandmother's left a bad impression with you.

When she came back two weeks later she was nearly a different person she wanted to be free of troubles she wanted to go out and drink and live her new lease on life was freedom.

So you went out with her she acted like she was seventeen again dancing under the lights not like her twenty three year old self who was responsible and predictable her hips swung against some guy she was dancing with she had stars in her eyes and a smile on her lips but she was also drunkenly numb you thought that was enough for tonight the guy she was dancing with wasn't even attractive and looked sleazy as you dragged her away from the dance floor and out the door you laughed with her walking around the corner to your shared apartment once her drunken happiness turned into a hangover the next morning she was angry at you for taking her home last night, from the guy she was dancing with, she started the fight but you said the first insult "You wanted to stay with some sleazy slime ball, of course you would you've lost your mind" saying the later part under your breath but with her super freak hearing she snapped back "Sorry not every one can be as perfect as Yoongi." Slammimg her empty coffee cup on the counter your face dropped "What is that even supposed to mean (y/f/n)" your eyebrows knotted together "Oh you know what i mean your perfect boyfriend perfect personality perfect looks hes just fucking perfect" she sat her head down groaning as she raised her voice hiding in the oversized sweater "You like him." Was the only thing out of your mouth of course she liked him you saw the way she was around him "I'm sorry." Her voice shaking as she cried into her arms "It's fine, just forget about it. Do you want more coffe?" Brushing her confession off and wiping the counters down for the third time.

Three months later after she had calmed down and even started hanging out with you and Yoongi again. You guys were at the dorm half celebrating half partying you had entered a rap battle against Taeyhung and (y/f/n) vs you and Namjoon, Suga and Hobi playing as the judges. It was obvious to anyone in the room thats you were drunk it was also obvious that Tae and (y/f/n) had slaughtered you and Joonie, JHope high fiving her followed by Yoongi doing the same you had never been good at losing you even put yourself with the internationally known rapper seeing her smile and Yoongi on her side laughing with her opening another drink and passing it to her jealousy filled you and you went and sat beside her opposite from Yoongi "You like the attention your getting from him don't you." You said whispering well what you thought was whispering was more like talking at normal volume when both her Yoongi knotted their eyebrows looking at you "What are you talking about? (Y/n)." Her voice actually a whisper "Im surprised your not trying to get all the attention from them. Are you still in love with that sleaze ball from the club?" You laughed at your joke the boys all looking towards you, your friend tried to play it off as she hid her face in her hands "I was wasted (y/n)" she giggled Yoongi reached over her lifting your chin not saying anything making eye contact was enough "You weren't wasted when you kept talking about how perfect that guy was, what did you say, oh yeah personality, hair, voice. Maybe you should've slept with him before he got a girlfriend, but thats not gonna stop you right the fact that he's not single" your voice deepening each time you mentioned him. Alcohol never mixxed to well with you, you avoided it like the plague for this exact reason. (Y/f/n) looked at you, face serious "Stop, please (y/n)." Her voice even and deep with warning "Why, we both know the guy were talking about isnt that slime ball from the club." By the time this left your mouth everyone was looking at you and her waiting her reaction Taeyhung stepped foward "Wait are you gay (y/f/n)?" Shock in his voice as he looked at her "What, no.Tae why would you even ask that?" She replied sobering up from the confrontation she was facing Taehyungs eyes lit up as he stepped back "I thought she was trying to out you." Before she could reply you did "She's not gay, she practically hoped off a-" Out of all people Yoongi cut you off "You need to stop." His voice rang out stopping you from continuing your insult only to start another "Ofcourse you'd stand up for her shes probably sleeping with you, 'That guy' is you moron." Not only insulting her but him too you watched as your friend reached over and slapped you with so much force your head turned "Fuck you." Her voice rang out before she practically jogged to the door slamming it behind her you ended up sick and staying the night with Yoongi he was still angry at you but took care of you. After your hangover was half way gone you walked home. Yoongi was angry at not only you but (y/f/n) too. Opening the door to your shared apartment seeing your friend on the couch with a red puffy face because of you she was just getting over her fathers death and finnally stopped crying only to start again because your drunk mouth you didnt even have to apologize as she wrapped her arms around you when you sat next to her but that didn't stop you from begging her forgiveness "You probably still feel like shit... so its okay, karma" her voice lead off with laughter you looked at her nodding "trash is how i feel, i was a bitch to you and Yoongi is probably done with me" your head resting on her chest she let out another laugh "Ice cream?" Her voice promising a happy frozen neverland.

Yoongi showed up later that day seeing you two cuddle up on the couch with enough ice cream for a soccer team you each had a spoon digging in and watching reruns of family guy on Netflix He put distance between himself and (y/f/n) sitting at the end of your feet on the couch it was quiet for about six minutes before you spoke "I'm sorry, I dont want you to be uncomfortable around each other." Looking at both of them seeing their reactions (y/f/n) smiled at you Yoongi reached over and pushed your hair back "It's good we're good." Her voice rang out "But i have a question." Worry hit your face "did I really say I loved that weirdo from the club?" You relaxed and laughed nodding your head vigorously almost choking on your laughter her face bunched up as she whined out an eww before laughing with you Yoongi looking at you both like you lost your mind "Look, you dont understand he was like and Italian looking rat" she said towards yoongi tears in both your eyes from laughing to much.

¤

JHope

Dancing with your boyfriend and your best friend was supposed to be fun but not when your best friend and boyfriend hated each other. Complete opposites that didnt attract, JHope was happy and energetic and sweet, (y/f/n) was quiet and sleepy and slightly rude but in a loveable angry fuzzy little bunny kind of way they clashed when y'all would dance together not agreeing on a song not even a genre but when they did it was beautiful like woah mystical unicorn beautiful they danced perfectly in sync with the music flipping on the exact same beat as the music ended "Oh (y/f/n) you did well!" Jhopes voice echoed in the practice room you watched as she nodded towards him before slinging her bag over her shoulder bidding farewell to the boys gathered in the corner as soon as the door shut Jhopes voice rang through "Ah jagiya why is she so mean" he looked at you with sad puppy eyes you laughed at him slightly before hugging him  "She's not mean." Looking up at him his eyebrows knotted "Why does she hate me then?" He was joking but also literally asking before you could answer Sugas voice broke the air "Let go eat." Smiling as you pulled Hoseok behind you out the door.

You would take that day over and over again rather then today Jhope was being himself maybe a little extra and (y/f/n) wasn't having any of it what so ever you sat back on the couch stunned as she screamed at Hoseok insulting him and being over sarcastic as her hands reached to her hair she let out one final blow "I can't believe my best friend is stupid enough to like someone as fucking gay as you"  her voice rang through the room loud and clear making suga and namjoon cringe with the volume Hoseok wasnt the type to be confrontational but today was different as he insulted her right back "Yeah you would know gay because your so inlove with your danm self, yet your self esteem is so low, your such a bad friend to call her stupid, your such a bitch." He ended the fight as soon as he was done your best friends seething anger was gone her voice was calm and only a decimal above a whisper "Your right im a bitch, a bad friend and have low self esteem, you wanna know what else im bad at forgiving, go fuck yourself both of you." Her voice may be calm but her aura was deadly as she grabbed her phone off the table you were gonna stop her but as soon as you got arms length her voice shaky and thick she breathed out "Dont fucking touch me." Turning away from you and walking out the door Hoseok still standing in the same position nobody understood what she said like you did you were the only person she had ever forgiven you made mistakes and hurt her unintentionally before with your last boyfriend maybe that was another reason she didn't like Hoseok you couldnt stop your tears they were warm on your cool cheeks Hoseok hugged you, you grew up together she was your rock she would protect you with her life but today might have ended it all, you looked up at him tears in your eyes you didn't know what to say this was all your fault you could of stopped the fight before it escalated to this your best friend was gone and your boyfriend was holding himself back from crying with you he apologized over and over again but it didnt register in your mind. Who would've thought Hoseok would propose three months after that you contacted (y/f/n) through out the months only receiving a cold shoulder until tonight you went ro your shared apartment to pick up the rest of your stuff walking through that door seeing her leaned up against the wall bottle of liquor in her hands another a few feet away prescription pills spread out on the floor tears streaking her red face her head slumped up against the wall eyes closed music blaring she disnt move when you opened the door you walked towards her Hoseok turning the speakers down drowning put the heavy rock music your hand shoved at her shoulder lightly trying to wake her again saying her name shoving harder smacking her face trying to wake her up your voice rang out to Hoseok begging for help as you started crying shaking her now slumped over form on the floor she wasnt responsive ending up at the emergency room she didnt wake up even after her stomach was pumped they had to inject her with adrenaline to get her faint heart beat back it grew louder over the time she was transferred to ICU with a seventy two hour suicide watch as they did multiple test on her heart in the end you and Hoseok saved her life just in the nic of time you moved back in with her and shes helping you plan the wedding you and Hoseok switch back and forth on taking her to therapy once a week. She apologized and forgave Hoseok the moment her eyes opened in the ICU and asked you for some odd reason if you would take her to the beach you didnt explain what happened she already knew.

¤

Rap Monster

You opened the door to see your bestfriend, you greeted her with a bright smile and surprised hey as she walked in past you "Look, Monnie my girl is your girl. In two differnt ways so put your heels on were going out." She stated walking towards the navy blue couch he comfortably lounged on he looked up at her holding her gaze before letting a sigh out standing slipping his trainers on it was waste to fight a fight you knew you were gonna lose, She linked arms with him tugging him towards the door "I love you Y/N"  she said turning the door handle before he could make up an excuse "I love you too, Bye baby love you." You said knowing that you couldnt change your best friends mind as her red bottomed heels sounded across the cement outside the door "I love you kitten" your boyfriends voice rang out before the door closed behind them. You sipped your tea wondering what she had planed for him.

They sat down at the sports bar across the block the bartender greeting (y/f/n) by her last name "You betting tonight?" The bartender asked as he threw the hand towel over his shoulder pouring drinks for both of them "Nah, not today Mark" her red lipstick rimmed the glass of whiskey as soon as the words left her mouth Mark looked down and shook his head "That's a shame dear. Your sitting with a genius man word of the wise, don't bet with her" leaving them with a smile and tending to other customers Namjoon drank in silence next to her until the game was over and five or six drinks gone it was late maybe two in the morning when the conversation picked up on a deeper level, Astronomy turned to the philosophical meaning of life as the night got later stumbling inside giggling like school girls at five in the morning wasn't their smartest move as soon as they slipped their shoes off they were hushed by you and Suga the only other person who was still up surprisingly still working on a saturday night / sunday morning your bestfriend looked at namjoon standing up straight acting like it wasn't her laughing like Seokjin made her favorite dad joke again Namjoon straightened to looking at her with wide eyes before they both broke out in giggles shushing each other stumbling towards the couch together it took about ten minutes before they crashed sleeping propped up on each other you thought to yourself that this was your moment as you took your phone out snapping picture's  (y/f/n) mouth open slightly sitting sideways her headleaning awkwardly on Namjoons shoulder and his up against the back of her hair both letting out snores. They might not be buddy buddy but they were hangover homies the next day.

¤

Jimin

Ballet dancing was your bestfriends life well that and being the life of the party one of her boyfriends joined you and Jimin for dinner tonight, after an awkward dinner you ended up at a club with her dragging you out to the dance floor hips grinding and bodys smashed together her eyes had the streak of wild light as the rooms energy tried to catch up to her the thumping bass speakers matched the rythm of her hips as she directed you, your body joinig her. The explicit lyrics falling from her plump lips as her energy enveloped you, your lips whispered the words in match with her your hips following hers dissconecting from the world for a moment as Jimin's eye's lingered on you your's showing the wild streak just like hers the purple and green strobe lights reflected back to him off your wild orbs dragging him in as he pulled you off the dance floor he was no longer having a good time but you didnt notice the guys watching you and (y/f/n) slowly closing in like predators, He did. He pulled you out to the parking lot behind the club before speaking "Let's go home, Im tired." His eye's staring back at you looking puppy-ish, You had a stressful day no week at work and wanted the release, needed the release "Tired of (y/f/n)?" You asked rolling your eyes at him attitude clear in your voice he tried to explain but you cut him off before he could continue "You know what im tired of, You both hating each other." You were angry most likely induced from the alcohol in your bloodstream his voice kept ringing in your ears but at this point you weren't listening until (y/f/n) stepped in the glow of the neon sign her voice laced with venom "Slut!" She scoffed stumbling toward you "If that's what you think of me why let sweet little (y/n) around such a dirty whore" slurred insults passed her lips you dont know if it was the drinks or the commotion but tears started running down your cheeks dragging black mascara smears along with them falling faster after each insult they through back in forth at each other, you were full out sobbing now as you spoke "Stop, Both of you, Acting like children, do you both hate me." You cried as you leaned against the dirty wall about to fall to the ground both Jimin and (y/f/n) rushed to help you. "Just take care of her Park." Her voice thick as she kissed your head and turned walking away from you, you would of replied or kissed her cheek and told her to be safe if you knew that was gonna be the last time you saw (y/f/n).

It had been four months you called her voicemail answered everytime and went by her apartment called her work but she hadnt shown anywhere walking in from work you slipped your shoes off reading the text from Jimin asking you to come eat with him and the boys sending a quick reply slipping in to something more comfortable before heading to the dorm when Namjoon opened the door and stepped aside allowing you to see straight past him your eyes widened and throat closed you froze seeing a makeup free bestfriend not even a trace of mascara she always caked her face she was a prima ballerina it was just in her nature her hair tied up and lips chapped she still held the same wild energy in her eyes as her smile stretched rushing in to your arms Jimins voice rang out "Surprise." You ended up circled around the couch together with the boys for a story time Jimin and (y/f/n) told you about her visits to the rehab center, therapist and Jimin going with her to her AA meetings.

¤

V

"Y/N" your best friend whined out throwing another gummy bear at you she was on the floor infront of the couch you and Tae were cuddled up on she wanted to go out instead of sitting inside since it was the first sunny day after a week straight of grey skies and rain but your warmth wasnt from the sun outside but from the slightly annoyed hooded man behide you she threw another one geting you out of your daze as it hit you on the cheek bouncing off and hitting Taeyhung in the face he pushed you off him "Go and take her with you" He picked up the gummy bears and threw them on the floor your freind picking them up let out a sign "It was an accident don't get your panties in a twist and stop acting like a dick" she stood grabbing her jacket before leaving you both in shook at her abnomal outbreak as the door slammed behind her your bestfriend was the most innocent gummy child you had even known turning towards him qeustioning him without speaking "It's just a tantrum, she's being childish (y/n)" he rolled his eyes slightly smacking his shoulder signing in dissapointment as you got up slipping your shoes on they were both being childish it seemed to you Taeyhung tried to hug you from behind and appoligizing "Save it Tae, I'm Going home." you slung your bag over your shoulder Suga opening the door before you could walking in as you walked out you heard him ask Tae what happened...

The next morning you walked in to your favorite coffee shop the scent of esspresso filling your lungs as you took a deep breath even for the begining of spring its was unusually cold your eyes scanned the room and (y/f/n)'s hair caught your eyes sitting with Taeyhung out of all people neither of them were answering your text this morning you just thought it was too early for them they waved you over smiles on both of them Taeyhung spoke "do you have plans today kitten?" you sat still shocked at the sight shaking your head no "Good then you can join me and (y/f/n) at the cemetery today" Tae finnished reaching for your hand to hold, your eyebrows knotted up in confusion "Yesterday was Goldies birthday how could you forget so insensitive" Tae joked sucking his theeth in between scolding you, you looked at your best friend why would they be going to the ccemetery to celebrate her gold fish's birthday then it clicked Goldie had been flushed out to the big blue and (y/f/n) outburst yesterday was based on the demise of her tiny finned friend "First, we have to stop and get flowers." you said grabbing your friends hand linked between both of them you left. The entire way there Tae tried his best to cheer up (y/f/n).

¤

Jungkook

One word to describe two people who were oh so dear to you 'Competitive' the games between your bestfriend and boyfriend never ended and when they did it was never good it felt more like a fight then a game both Jungkook and (y/f/n) would get harsh sometimes vulgar. You sat between the two on the couch as they played overwatch yelling at eachother for no apparent reason Jungkook jumped up off the couch claiming the win with a victory shout "Your such a child." Your friend sucked her theeth putting the controller down Jungkook looked past you to her beginning another argument "Don't be a sore loser, take it back, child." His voice taunting her if it wasnt for their completely different looks you'd think they were siblings they insulted each other back and forth starting a pillow fight hitting each other until your voice rings out "Your both children." They stopped as you raise your voice Jungkook looking at you his hair in every direction "He started it, he's the freaking child." (Y/f/n) voice broke as she stood up hitting her knee om the table sucking in a breath you rushed over to her helping her to the couch checking if she was okay you three ended up watching a movie you picked instead of letting them fight over which one two movies later and Jungkook was getting antsy as you and your cuddle buddy giggled at the whispered jokes "I feel like the third wheel when (y/f/n) is here." Jungkook whined "Loser." Your friend joked back at him his reaction told you enough tou didnt need to hear the whispered insult directed back at her as he stood up and ignored your pleas walking off to his bedroom slamming the door behind him your friend rolled her eyes slipping her shoes on and leaving but not before letting one more whip out "Is he your child or boyfriend?" She didn't slam the door just shut it and left leaving you to clean up the mess walking in to Jungkook's room "Is she your friend or your child" he mocked (y/f/n) as he pulled you down to lay with him "Kookie, why?" You relaxed into him he knotted his eyebrows together "Why lay with me, Jagiya?" He tried to be cute, your eyes stern but heart skipping a beat "She gets under my skin" his voice muffled by pillows the door swung open showing Hoseok with (y/f/n) over his shoulder laughing like maniacs "I found her in ths parking lot!"Jhope laughed as he threw her on Jungkooks bed she laughed her way up towards the pillows laying on the other side of kookie the only free room left after half an hour of silence (y/f/n) spoke "Hey kook, I'm the third wheel okay." Her voice mouse-y almost you liked there bickering and play fighting but you loved when they got along his arm wrapped around her shoulders before falling asleep with you on his chest and (y/f/n) on his arm.

[parksfabray-blog]

Stand By Me | Dominer

Who: @dominicjamesjones, @skypucks, & @pfabray

When: Friday, January 12th 2018

Where: Dom’s place

Notes: Parker goes to Dom’s place confronts him on why he has been distant and she gets heartbreaking news.

Triggers: Death, Alcohol.

Skylar knew that today was important for her to be there for her friend. Granted she didn't feel right about being there, like she didn't feel right be there a year ago. She placed the empty bottles on his counter and walked back into the living room where she came from "Im gonna go, I didn't find anyone to cover my shift, but obviously there's water in your fridge." She said as she fixed her hair as she looked at her friend. "Are you going to be okay if I leave? If not, I can text Parker and Im sure she'll be over here in two seconds."

Dom had been drinking a little bit but wasnt completely wasted, at least not like the night before. Today was a hard day and he wished he could just fast forward it all. He didn't want to feel it anymore. That loss the day his grandpa died. He was sitting on the couch and the one person that he called but shouldnt have was Skylar. She was the only one that understood. She was there that night when he got the call from his mother. He didn't even get to say goodbye. "It's fine" he shook his head. "You can go if you want I'll be fine" he stood up and felt dizzy a bit. "I'll walk you out." he said nodded towards the front door of his new house. Dom blinked slowly and he moved towards the door. "Thank you." he spoke. "For being here. I'm sorry I'm a mess."

Skylar slowly nodded. "Alright." She said softly and watched him stood up. "You dont have to, its fine." She followed him towards the door and stopped as she looked at him. "Not a problem, we're friends now right? Nah, no need to apologize. Really, you're allowed to grieve and work through your grief." She gave him a small smile before she gave him a hug. "Now, call that girl of yours." She gave him a knowing look and opened up the door. She started to walk and stopped before she turned to face him. "I mean it Dom. She needs to know."

Dom hugged her back briefly and he walked her outside. "I know I know. I'll tell her." He nodded. Dom paused as they were outside and he leaned over and pulled her into another hug. "Thanks again. I just..needed someone you know." He watched her leave and as he walked back inside he got his phone out to text Parker. -hey, so i need to talk to you about that thing that I told you i wanted to talk to you about. can you come over?- He pressed send and starred at his phone waiting for a response.

Parker was glad that Avery's regular babysitter was able to watch her, since she couldn't help but think about what was going on with Dom. She didn't want Avery to worry about her. She slipped her hands into her dress pockets as she paced back and forth, waiting to hear something from him since he ghosted, kind of anyways. "Fuck it." She grabbed her keys, grabbed her phone and headed over to his new place. She made sure that her door was locked and headed over to his place. Parker felt her heart dropped when she saw Skylar leaving his place and hid some bushes when she saw him outside with her. Was it the thing he wanted to talk to her about? She couldn't believe this was happening, nothing was making any sense. She poked her head above the bush and saw him pulled her into a hug. No, no. This was insane. She felt her phone vibrate a bit later and pulled it out. She stood up once she knew that Skylar was gone and headed up to his front door. -I'm at the front door.- She pressed sent, pocketed her phone and felt her blood boiling.

Dom sat up straight on the couch when Parker texted back so quickly. That was fast. He frowned and then went to the front door. He was a little tipsy but not drunk drunk. Not like she's seem him before. He opened the door and smiled. "Hi" he said. "What did you do run over here?" he asked a little sad chuckle came from his lips. He let her inside. "I'm sorry its still a mess. I havent had the motivation to unpack just yet" Dom wasn't in his usual chipper mood and for good reason. But Parker seemed upset maybe? "Is everything okay?" he asked.

Parker took a couple of breaths as she tried to control her emotions and looked up when she heard him open up the door. "Hi." She said softly and shook her head. "No, I was actually on my way over here." She looked at him, knowing that he was tispy and swallowed hard when she heard the chuckle. She shut the door behind her then moved into the living room, liking the place better than her own and closed her eyes. "No, um. I need to know if Skylar and you are back together because I refuse to be that girl who had high hopes of us getting back together when apparently she's over here and how much have you drink? Because if you're going to be drinking again, then Avery's not going over here until you're sober a.and I wont be with you if you're heavily drinking again and." She rolled her eyes at herself since her nerves got the best of her.

Dom frowned. "What?" he was so confused and Parker seemed so upset. He knew that telling her what he wanted to know was going to break her heart. "Im sorry, I'm sorry" he walked towards he and put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm not with Skylar. I'll explain okay. Just let me explain. I had a couple drinks I know I'm sorry. I just...today is a hard day." he couldn't help it when the tears started to fall from his eyes. He shook his head and sat down on the couch. "I don't want to tell you. Because I don't want you to feel the way I'm feeling right now and how I felt this way last year." he was almost balling now. "You might want to sit down" he said as he looked up at her.

Parker looked at him before she let out a breath and rested her head. "Thank god or I mightve done something stupid. Im sorry, Im sorry." She said. She looked up to see tears rolling down his cheeks, making her on the verge of tears and wiped them from his cheeks. "Baby, what's going on." She sat down next to him and rubbed his back. "Hey, whatever it is, we can work through it together as a team." Her head was spinning in all kinds of different directions now.

Dom shook his head. "I shouldve told you last year. But we werent in a good place and I didn't know how. I didn't want to break your heart again. I just couldnt." he swallowed thickly. "Grandpa passed away last year. Exactly one year ago today." He looked at her and he started to cry again. "Im sorry I didn't tell you. I just couldn't." he shook his head. "Skylar was with me when I found out. We were trying to be friends. Like actual friends and this whole week when the anniversary was coming up I panicked and she came over. We're jsut friends kinda of...not really. It doesnt matter though and I'm just so sorry."

Parker furrowed her eyebrows again as she rubbed his arm and stopped when she heard that grandpa passed away. "No." She said as she stood up, taking a deep breath and started to cry as she walked away from him. "No, not grandpa. H-How?" She swallowed hard as she tried to focus on him and sat down as she couldnt focus on him anymore. Her grandpa, the one family member who adopted her into the family. The other person she wanted to see while they were in Ohio, was gone. She buried her face in her hands as she bawled, feeling heartbroken and wasn't for sure what to feel. Between hearing that grandpa Jones was gone, the fact that Skylar was with him when he found out and the fact that she had been with him this whole week. She wasn't only grieving one death and heartbroken because of losing grandpa jones, but she was heartbroken to learn that Dom had kept this from her and had his ex there instead of her. The supposed be the love of his life, the mother of his child. "I-I don't care, you should've told me that he was gone, Dominic. I would've been there despite being in a bad place, not her." She looked up at him. "H-He was my grandpa too a..and now he's never going to meet his great granddaughter because of me and how selfish I was when it came to keeping her a secret from you guys." She let out a shaky breath as she rubbed her hands on her shorts and sniffed as she gotten up. "Do you have anymore alcohol?"

Dom hated to see her cry because it made him cry in return. He shook his head. "I know I know I should have. I'm sorry Parks. I'm so sorry" He frowned and shook his head. "You did what you thought was best and I should have told you. I didn't want to hurt you again. I didn't mean for Skylar to be there. I didn't want her to be there but she was and I can't change that. I can't change any of this and I just...I'm sorry." he took a deep breath and looked up at her as she stood. "Yeah in the kitchen." he said.

Parker "No, I didn't. Its obvious I didn't. Between two years ago and now, I didn't make the right choice." Parker said as she looked at him and shook her head before she let out a bitter chuckle. She walked into the kitchen, grabbed whatever she could find and took a swig of it. It had been years since she had straight alcohol, but she needed it. She spotted some whiskey, drank some and put the lid on it as she swallowed it. She could feel herself kind of tispy, but she wanted more. More to numb the pain. She grabbed the bottle, sat down in front of the couch and took the cap off of it before she took a drink from the bottle.

Dom watched her walk off to the kitchen and when she came back he looked over at her. They sat on the couch in silence for a long time. It felt like forever. He reached over to hold her free hand. He said silent not really knowing what to say. What could you say at a moment like this? He already apologized and explain. He felt horrible. He didn't want her to feel the same and here she was drinking on his couch, a place he never thought she would be.

Parker sniffed as she licked the whiskey from her lips and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand that held the bottle to get the rest of it off of her lips. "Was the funeral nice?" She finally asked softly as she looked at him and looked back ahead after she put the cap back onto the bottle. "I take it that she went with you there too?" She shouldnt be like this, but she was distraught, heartbroken and not knowing what else to say.

Dom frowned. "I wouldn't know. I didn't go" he said looking down at his lap and away from her. He couldnt look back at her and see the hurt in her eyes. "This week was the first time I talked to Skylar since last year.. Is that what you are really upset about here? That she was there and not you?" he asked finally looking over at her and shaking his head.

Parker glanced over at him and pulled her hand out of his hand before she placed the cap onto the bottle. "I honestly don't give a damn about Skylar now. I was a little upset at the fact that she was there and not me, but right now Im really upset at the fact that you didn't tell me that grandpa jones passed away when it happened. Im really upset at the fact that you chose to keep that information from me and I get that why, because you're in the grieving process and sure we were in a bad place, but I would've put that to the side to be there for you because I knew how much he meant to you and to your family." She swallowed some as she looked at him. "You didn't want to open up to me right away and wanted to wait to tell me. I get that, I do but dom. We're trying to be a couple again but we can't when one of us closes the other one off." She placed the bottle onto the floor and looked at him. "Your issues are my issues, your problems are mine. Your loses are mine." She swallowed hard as she studied him and shook her head. "We cant be Dom and Parks if we don't tell each other things. If we don't then we're going to end back in the place when we broke up the first time. And I am glad that she was there for you, because at least one of us were and is there for you."

Dom shook his head. “Really because it seems like oh do when you’re passive aggressive with me about her.” Dom stood up. “I told you why I didn’t tell you and yeah maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do but you have no right to blame me for not telling you when you kept a big ass secret from me for two years. It’s just as worse and hypocritical.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to fight with you today parker. Not today. I just can’t. I’m sorry and I’ll say sorry over and over again as much as you want me to but I can’t change it.” He had so much more that he wanted to say but he just couldn’t. It was exhausted and felt like before they broke up when they fought all the time. He looked at the floor. “I’m sorry,” He said quietly with sadness in his voice. He could feel himself starting to cry again.

Parker shook her head when he apologize. "No, don't be. You have a point. Im the one who should be sorry." She whispered after she let everything that he had said settled in and sat away from him. She wasn't for sure what else to say, so she stood up, grabbed the bottle of whiskey and placed it on the counter. She quietly found a box that was marked glasses, grabbed two and filled them with water after she washed them. She placed a glass for him in front of him and sat down where she was at and placed her glass next to her. "I think you should stay with Avery and I, I don't want you staying here by yourself. If you want, that is. Im not going to force you to stay with me though. I'll sleep on the couch and you can sleep in the bed."

Dom took the glass from her and he took a big gulp. He closed his eyes and ran his hand over his head. “Okay.” He agreed. “No it’s okay I don’t want to be alone tonight.” He moved behind the couch and put his hand on her shoulder. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll pack a bag.”

Parker nodded. "Okay." She spoke softly. She closed her eyes when she felt his hand on her shoulder and bit down on her bottom lip as she stopped a sob from escaping. She nodded again as she grabbed her water, took a drink, placed it next to her and pulled her knees close to her chest. She let out a shaky breath as she placed her hands on the back of her neck and rested her forehead against her knees. She knew that they would be back where they were because of her and they didn't that. Especially when there was their daughter now.

Dom went to his bedroom and packed a small bag of clothes. He moved back out to the living room seeing parker crawled up in a little ball. He frowned and moved quickly beside her. “Parks.” He said her name and pulled her into a tight hug. “Come here.” He spoke.

Parker wrapped her arms around him and stuffed her face into the crook of his neck. "Im so sorry." She whispered, knowing that she had a plan to take their family to visit grandpa Jones now.

Dom held her close and rubbed her arm reassuringly. “It’s ok” He whispered. “It’s gonna be okay.” He held her close for a while and pulled away slowly. He looked at her and touched her cheek. “I’m sorry too.”

Parker felt him rubbed her arm and let out a shaky breath. She sniffed as she nodded against him, wiped away some of the tears before she looked at him and shook her head. "You dont have to be sorry." She gave him a small smile and looked at him.

Dom looked down at her and he nodded. "Yeah I do" he kissed her forehead and pulled her closer. "Who's watching Avery right now?" he asked. He didn't want to walk in all crying and stuff with some babysitter he didn't know.

Parker shook her head. "No because you had a point." She whispered as she closed her eyes when he kissed her forehead and rested her head on his shoulder. "Her regular babysitter, Monica that watches her during the week and she's over there at her house." She swallowed some as she let out a breath.

Dom nodded. "You wanna get into bed and just watch movies all night and get a big tub of ice cream?" he asked. "Like we used to? Order pizza then?" he asked. Dom wanted to distract himself from the day. And he knew she probably needed it as well.

Parker sniffed as she nodded and stayed close to him. "Yeah and I'll tell Monica that Avery can stay there tonight. She has a daughter who's Avery's age and I don't want her to see us like this. Not yet." She closed her eyes as she licked her lips and listened to his heartbeat.

Dom nodded. "Yeah me either." he took a break. "You wanna just stay here for a little while then" he said as he kept her in his arms. He didn't want to let go. Ever. He wished he could keep her safe and stop all the hurting she was feeling right now because he knew how it felt. He was feeling it too.

Parker "Yes please." Parker replied as she rubbed his arm the best she could do and closed her eyes. She stayed quiet for a while before she opened up her eyes and looked around the best she could. "By the way, when we do order pizza, you're gonna answer the door."

Dom nodded. "i can do that." he smiled. "Lets go back over to your place yeah?" he asked. Dom stood up and he reached out his hand for her to take. He helped her up and kept her hand in his as he picked up his overnight bag. He walked out the front door with her and they walked down the road hand and hand towards Parker's.