#i know pat gets the most hate out of all the montgomery girls but i am here for JINGLE

[laurapetrie]

The most charming sound in the world . . . the low yielding laugh of a girl held prisoner by her lover. - patricia gardiner & hilary gordon, pat of silver bush / mistress pat

[justcallmefox89]

Artist in the Devildom

Jax has just arrived in the Devildom as the newest human exchange student at R.A.D.  With Arianthi and the seven lords of the Devildom to guide them this exchange year should be a breeze.  Right? 

Written from the perspective of my non-binary OC, Jax Montgomery.  Jax uses they/them pronouns.

This story takes place in the Truth or Dare AU where Mammon and Arianthi get engaged.

I would like to give a massive shout-out and heartfelt thank you to @fivenightsat-enbys​ for all their help and being so wonderfully patient with me and my questions.   

The flash of bright white light is blinding, and my body feels like it’s falling through an endless tunnel.  I know that this is allegedly safe, but that doesn’t stop me from scrunching my eyes closed and letting out a high pitched scream.  I’m still screaming when I feel my feet touch solid ground.  After a few seconds I simmer down and open my eyes, blinking away stars.  

Once I can see again I find myself standing in front of two men and a girl around my age, in an office that can only be described as rich old white man aesthetic.  Lots of large dark oak furniture, some obviously antique oil paintings of naked people and things I’ll probably have nightmares about later.  Gold lighting fixtures.

Into it.  Very into it.

I clutch onto my duffel bag and octopus plushie, shuffling my feet and giving them all an awkward wave.

“Yo,” I say, attempting a smile.  

Given the current state of my stomach and the fact that I was currently standing in the Devildom, face to face with some real life demons, it feels a little forced.  

Why did I agree to this?  Definitely, most probably, in the top three of my worst ideas of all time.  

The taller of the two men steps forward, flashing me an enthusiastic grin.  

“Jax Monteiro?  Welcome to the Royal Academy of Diavolo.  We’re so excited to have another human student here!” 

“Whoa!  Down boy,” the girl says, stepping towards me with giggle, patting the auburn haired man on the arm.  “Give them a second to adjust.  Portal jumping is harder on us poor humans than it is on you all.”

She holds out her hand.  “Hi Jax, I’m Arianthi Wolf.  I’m the ambassador to all the exchange students here at R.A.D.  And I’m a human student too, so you’re not all alone down here.”  

She gives me a soft smile of reassurance.

I quickly give her hand a shake, returning the smile, mine more genuine this time.  Arianthi is about six or seven inches shorter than me, with long curly black hair and bright green eyes.  A smattering of freckles runs across her nose and cheeks, standing out against her pale skin.  

I’d love to draw her.  

I’m itching to get my hands on my sketchbook.  

The guys too.  And this room is insane. 

She motions at the auburn haired man next to her.  He towers over her, looking like a giant standing next to a pixie.  I’ve always considered myself tall at 6′3, but this guy has a good six or seven inches on me.

This must be how mom felt when she asked me to get stuff off the high shelves at the grocery store.

“This is Lord Diavolo, founder of R.A.D., and the human, angel, demon exchange program here.  The goal is to bring the celestial realm, human realm, and the Devildom closer together and foster a better understanding between the three.”  She pauses for breath.  “He’s also the prince of the Devildom.”

Holy shit.  

“Do I need to like, bow or something?”  I ask nervously.  

Diavolo chuckles.  “Please don’t.  I just wanted to welcome you to the Devildom before returning to my duties.  Arianthi will help you get settled in and go over your course schedule with you.  You’ll be staying with her at the House of Lamentation along with the seven lords of the Devildom.”  He gives me a boyish grin.  “I hope your year with us is less eventful than Arianthi’s first year.”

“Diavolo!”  Arianthi gives him an exasperated grin while he waggles his eyebrows at her. 

He holds his hand up, laughing.  “Sorry princess, I couldn’t resist.”

Princess?  Oh, I’m totally asking her for a story time once we’re alone.

Diavolo motions the other man in the room forward.  He’s closer to my size, with delicate features, turquoise hair, and moss green eyes.  

“This is my servant Barbatos.  If you find yourself needing anything and are unable to reach Arianthi or any of the lords, he can help you.” 

Barbatos offers me a small nod.

“Barbatos is the one who really runs things here.”  Arianthi gives me a mischievous smirk.  “He’s also an amazing chef.  The best baker in all three realms.  His devilberry tarts are to die for.”  

She mimes swooning.

Barbatos beams at her praise.  “You flatter me Arianthi.”

Diavolo rubs his hands together, smiling.  “Well, we really do need to be going.  I have to welcome the new angels to Purgatory Hall.  I’ll leave you to it Arianthi.  Don’t worry Jax, you’re in very good hands.”  

He gives Arianthi a wink.

Hate to break it to you Diavolo but as cute as she is, I’m more interested in how good your hands are.

“Dia!”  Arianthi gives him a dirty look.  “Stop that!  I’m sure Jax doesn’t appreciate it, and you know Mammon hates it when you do that.”

Mammon?  A third player has entered the game.  This could be some spicy telenovela shit.  Must.  Know.  Now.

Diavolo just chuckles at her and exits the room, Barbatos in tow. 

“Okay, tell me everything princess.  I have to know.”  I smirk at her and she rolls her eyes good naturally. 

“Dia and I were a.....thing for a while.”  She waves her hand dismissively, looking slightly annoyed.  “He’s still a little in his feelings about things, but I’m engaged now.  Sometimes he likes to push my fiance’s buttons.  Diavolo is a lot of fun but he is a world class shit stirrer.” 

“Mammon is the fiance?”  I guess.

She gives me a soft smile.  “Yeah.  He lives at the House of Lamentation too, so you’ll be meeting him soon.  Anyways, we should get going.  Do you need help carrying anything?”

I hold up my duffel bag and my plushie.  “This is all I brought with me.  But you can carry Samson if you want.”  

I hand over the large purple octopus.

“He.  Is.  Adorable.  Levi would love him.”  She cuddles Samson close to her chest as she leads me out of Diavolo’s office.  

“So, right now we’re in the Demon Lord’s Castle.  Diavolo and Barbatos live here, and there are always some high ranking demons staying here too, trying to get in good with Diavolo.  You’ll be here off and on throughout the year for parties and things like that.  Hopefully you’ll escape the “bonding sleepover” ordeal I went through my first year.”  She shudders.

“Bonding sleepover?  Like a summer camp bonding sleepover?” I quirk an eyebrow at her.

She gives me a long suffering look.  “Dia is like a kid in a candy store when it comes to human world activities.  It was his idea.”

I chuckle.  “It was that bad?”

Arianthi holds up a hands and starts ticking events off on her fingers.  

“I got sucked into an evil possessed painting with some others and we ended up in the dungeon.  In the dungeon we were almost eaten by Henry 1.0, who may be the biggest snake to ever exist, like anywhere.  Then when we tried to get a picture of Lucifer sleeping we ended up getting chased by Cerberus and we wound up in the dungeon again.  Where Henry 1.0 tried to eat us.  Again.  And there was a pillow fight where everyone ended up unconscious except for Diavolo and Lucifer.  And me, but only because I was hiding under my bed.”

I stare at her, mouth open, debating if she’s being serious or not.  She looks back at me, face unchanged.

“Oh, wow, you’re actually being serious,” I say.  

I don’t know if I’m terrified or....nope.  Definitely a little terrified after that story.  And why did they want a picture of Lucifer sleeping?

As if she can sense my fear Arianthi gives my shoulder a comforting squeeze.  “I know it sounds insane but every day isn’t going to be like that here.  And you’ll always have someone looking out for you.”

I breathe out a sigh of relief and give her a quick grin.  “Thanks, Arianthi.”

We make our way outside, and I’m startled by the fog and dim sunlight.  

It’s the middle of the day, right?  Or does time work differently here?

I must look confused because Arianthi quickly explains.  “Time works the same here, but the weather is different from the human realm. We don’t get bright sunlight down here.”  

She shrugs apologetically.

“It’s all good,” I tell her with a smile.  “I figured things would be different when I agreed to all this.”

She giggles.  “At least they gave you some warning.  I was one of the first humans picked for the program and they just zapped me out of my apartment without warning.  One minute I’m on my couch watching The Great British Bake Off, and the next I’m down here.  Mammon and Asmo had to take me shopping for a whole new wardrobe.”

“Damn.”  I join in on her laughter.  “So how did you adjust to being here?”

Her mouth scrunches to one side as she ponders my question.  “It was hard, that first month.  None of the demons were really used to humans, and a lot of them didn’t want me here.  But I gradually got closer to the brothers and that helped.  Now it’s hard to imagine my life without them.  They’re family now, you know?”

I nod.  “Do you think I’ll have any issues here?”

“Nah.”  She shakes her head.  “I’ll be looking out for you and whatever classes we don’t have together you’ll have with one of the boys.  Lucifer made sure of it.  But if you do want to go out somewhere be sure to take me or one of them with you.  Some of the lower level demons are still assholes about humans being here.  I get a little more respect now that I’m Mammon’s fiancee and a full time resident of the House of Lamentation.”

We meander through the R.A.D. campus, Arianthi pointing out various buildings and explaining the curriculum to me.    

“Ok, so......the seven demon lords that we’ll be living with.  Lay it on me.  I wanna know what I’m getting into.”

Arianthi takes a deep breath.  “I’ll just give you the rundown from oldest to youngest.  Hold on, because this family is a roller coaster of ‘what the fuck’.”

I snort out a little laugh.  “I’m from Florida.  There is literally nothing here that can shock me.”

“If you say so,” Arianthi replies with a smirk.  “Buckle up buttercup, because we’re going to run through this fast.  Oh, and the brothers are ranked in accordance to how powerful they are, not their actual ages.  But they are all thousands of years old, in case you were wondering.   Anyways the oldest is Lucifer, the Avatar of Pride.  He’s Diavolo’s second in command down here.  Very serious, doesn’t laugh much.  He’s like the dad at the House of Lamentation.  But not the fun kind.  Don’t let any of the others talk you into trying to prank him.  Unless I’m in on it, because I’m always down for that shit.”

I have found my people.

“The second oldest is Mammon and he’s the Avatar of Greed.  Don’t leave anything valuable laying around or he’ll take it and try to sell it for some quick Grimm.”

“Wait?  Isn’t Mammon your fiance?”  I’m confused.

She gives me a self-deprecating shrug.  “The heart wants what the heart wants.  We’ve been working on the stealing thing, but at the end of the day he is the Avatar of Greed and it’s hard to control that.  He models too, to earn some extra Grimm.  I’ve been pushing for him to do more of that to curb the stealing.  Oh!  I forgot, Grimm is our currency down here.  I’ll hook you up with some so don’t worry about that.”

“Oh no you don’t have to-” I try to protest but she cuts me off with a smile.

“Really, I want to.  I want you to be able to enjoy your time here, not worrying about trying to find a part time job to earn some cash.”

“Lucifer is the house dad, but you’re totally the house mom aren’t you?”  

Seriously, this girl might be an angel.

She blushes a little.  “Um....guilty.  I sort of fell into it my first year here.  The boys needed someone to take care of them then.”  She pauses.  “They still sort of do honestly.”

I laugh.  “Alright, who’s next?  Hit me with it.”

Arianthi pauses, like she’s trying to come up with the right words.  “Levi.  Well Leviathan, but you can call him Levi.  He’s more introverted than the rest.  Very into gaming, anime, movies.......and a book series called The Seven Lords.”

“I’ve read that!”  I exclaim.  “Great series.  I brought some anime with me too.”

“Cool.”  She grins at me.  “Sounds like you guys have some things in common.  I bet he’d love to see some anime from the human realm.  He’s obsessed with Ruri-Chan too, but I’ll let him explain all of that to you.  He’s also the leader of Hell’s Navy because of the whole lord of the sea thing he’s got going on.  And he’s the Avatar of Envy, so try not to take any of the things he says too seriously when he’s acting jealous.”

“Wait, what?  Lord of the sea thing?”  

Mind.  Blown. 

“Yep.”  She nods enthusiastically.  “He can summon and control sea monsters and all sorts of underwater nightmare fuel.”

“Bad fucking ass.”

“Right?”  She laughs.  “On to the next.  This is where things get kinda weird.”

“Weirder than summoning sea monsters?”  I ask.

“Like daddy who is also my brother weird.”  She answers with a straight face.

“Get the fuck out of here,” I say with a laugh.

“Satan is the fourth brother.  He’s the Avatar of Wrath so try not to piss him off.  He’s very intelligent, loves to read.  But don’t touch his books without permission.  Actually, just stay out of his room all together.”

I look at her and smirk.  “This is all fascinating but I’m still waiting on the daddy/brother angle.”

She laughs.  “Ok, ok, ok.  When the boys fell from heaven Lucifer’s rage was so intense that it became a sentient entity.”

“Satan?”

She shoots me some finger guns.  “Exactly.  Lucifer and the other brothers raised him.  He gets a few characteristics from each of them, but he’s most like Lucifer.  Which pisses him off because he hates the thought of being like Lucifer.  And Lucifer doesn’t want to think of Satan as his son, so everyone just refers to Satan as their brother.”

I shake my head in wonder.  “It’s just like being back in Florida.”

Suddenly a white haired demon comes and grabs Arianthi from behind, picking her up and spinning her around.

“Yo, what the hell?”  I yelp in surprise.

The demon sets her down, hugging her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder and nuzzling his face into her neck.  Arianthi lets out a high pitched squeal as his hair and nose tickle her.  He eventually stops, staring at me suspiciously over her shoulder.  

“Hey babe, who’s he?”  

Awkward.........

Arianthi elbows his ribs.  “Mammon, this is Jax.  They’re the new human exchange student who’s going to be staying with us this year.  So be nice to them.”  

She stresses my pronouns and a look of realization crosses Mammon’s face.  

“Oh shit!”  He looks contrite.  “I am so sorry.  I shoulda thought before I said anything.”  

He releases Arianthi and holds out his hand.

I shake it.  “No worries.  It happens.  Thanks for apologizing though.” 

He gives me a crooked grin.  “Still, I am really sorry.  Won’t happen again.  And if anybody tries to mess with ya since you’re the new human around here, THE Great Mammon will handle it.”

Arianthi rolls her eyes fondly at me and shakes her head behind his back.  “I’m sure Jax appreciates the sentiment, but everything will be ok.”

I grin back at Mammon.  “Arianthi’s probably right, I should be fine.  It’s cool of you to offer though.”

Arianthi wraps her arms around his waist and looks up at him adoringly.  “But if any demon does try to give Jax a hard time I’ll tell my big, strong, handsome fiance and let him sort them out.”

Mammon puffs up with pride and he looks down at her lovingly.  “Damn right ya will.”  He presses a kiss to her forehead.  As he pulls away he notices Samson in her arms.  “Oi!  What is that?”

“Isn’t he cute?”  Arianthi holds him up and wiggles one of his tentacles.

I shrug and kick away a rock.  “He’s mine,” I admit.

“Cute as hell,” Mammon says, one slender finger reaching out to touch the plush fabric.  “Levi would love ‘em.”

“That what’s she said.”  I gesture at Arianthi.  

He chuckles, throwing an arm around her shoulders.  “I just wanted to tell ya hi baby.  I gotta run to the store real quick then get back to the house.  I’m on dinner duty tonight with Levi.”  

Arianthi stretches up on her tiptoes to give him a soft kiss on the lips.  “Ok, I’ll see you at home.”

“See ya later.  Bye Jax.”  Mammon gives us a small wave and starts to walk away.

“Oh!  Don’t forget that Beel had practice today so make extra!  He’ll be hungrier than usual!”  She calls out after him.

He turns around and blows her a kiss to acknowledge that he heard her.  She smiles as she watches him walk away, then turns back to me, serious.

“I really am sorry about that.  I’ve told everyone your preferred pronouns so it shouldn’t happen again and if it does -”

I hold up my hands and give her a small smile.  “Hey, hey, hey.  Shit happens.  And it’s not like he did it on purpose.  Plus he apologized, then offered to look out for me which was pretty cool of him.”

She still looks concerned.  “I just don’t want you to feel like you can’t be yourself.  Especially at home.  I want you to be comfortable here.”  

“It really is fine.  He figured out his mistake and apologized, and I bet it won’t ever happen again.”  I smile and gently nudge her with my elbow.  “And if anybody starts some shit I’ll just let the house mom take care of it.”

Arianthi gives me a soft shove and laughs.  “Damn right you will.  I’ve got your back down here.”

We start walking again.  

“Ok, who’s next in the line up?”  I ask.

She gives a big sigh.  “The Avatar of Lust, Asmodeus.  You can call him Asmo, everybody does.”

“Lust hmmm?”  I raise my eyebrows.

“He’s sweet, he really is.  Very into self-care and indulgence.  Just don’t spend any time alone with him until we know how his powers affect you.”

I look at her in shock.  “Are you saying he’d try to.......?”

“No! Nothing like that,”  Arianthi reassures me.  “Asmo would never force anyone to do anything they didn’t want to do.  But since he is the Avatar of Lust he’s able to bring out other people deepest wishes, kinda like a walking aphrodisiac.  Some people are immune to it, others can learn to block it out.  Those that aren’t have a tendency to.......overindulge in their most decadent desires.”  She gives me a pointed look.  “So until we know how you’ll react, no alone time with Asmo.”

I make my most serious face and give her a quick salute.  “Yes ma’am.”

She uses one of Samson’s tentacles to slap my arm and laughs.  “Smart ass.”

I smirk.  “Alright, Asmo is number five so who are the last two?”

Arianthi chews on her lower lip for a moment, as if internally debating what she wants to tell me.  Finally she gives me a small smile and starts to talk.

“Beelzebub is sixth and Belphegor is seventh.  We call them the twins though, because their father created them at the same time, and they’re extremely close.  They’re together almost all the time.”

I interrupt.  “Wait, their father?  Like God?”

Arianthi’s eyes grow dark and she scowls.  “He’s a piece of shit,” she mutters.

“Did you just call God a piece of shit?”  I ask her, shocked.

“When there’s a dad out there who can make my dad look like Father of the Year, then you know the guy’s a total ass bag,” she growls.

“You just called God an ass bag.  I feel like I’m missing a lot of backstory here,” I respond.

She shakes her head as if she’s shaking away her negative thoughts.  “I’m sorry Jax.  There’s a lot of history you’ll learn this year, and how the boys fell from grace is part of it.  It was hard on all of them, but Beel and Belphie took the hardest hit.  It will be up to them to tell you their side of things though, in their own time.”

“No worries.  I’ve got patience for days.”  I grin at her. “You’ve got serious beef with God huh?

“I’d throat punch him if someone gave me half a chance,” she answers seriously.

“You don’t look like it but you’re frightening.”  I laugh.  “But it’s the kind of frightening I want on my side at all times.”

She laughs with me.  “I told you I have your back Jax.  Always.”

“That means a lot Arianthi.”  

Not many people do now days.  

“So Beelzebub and Belphegor?”   I ask.

“Beel and Belphie.”  She smiles to herself.  “Beel is the Avatar of Gluttony, and his food intake is phenomenal.  Do not ever come between him and his food, and if you see a container in the fridge with his name on it, don’t even breathe near it.  He once wrecked the kitchen and one of the walls to my old room because Mammon and I ate some of his custard.”

I stare at her.  

“It’s like I haven’t even left Florida,” I whisper reverently, and she huffs out an amused laugh.

“A lot of people treat Beel like food is his only interest, but it really isn’t.  He plays sports and he works out everyday, so if you ever want to join him for a workout he’d be thrilled to have a buddy.  He’s really sweet, thoughtful, and kind.  And sensitive, but he tries to hide it so he can stay looking strong for the people he cares about.  He never wants to let anybody down if they need him.  He’ll open up if he gets close to you though.”

“It sounds like you guys are really close,” I say quietly.  

I wonder how Mammon feels about that?

She stops walking and turns to look at me, a shadow passing over her face.  “I’m an only child and my mom and dad weren’t very good at the whole parenting thing.  I wound up in foster care when I was 5.  Stayed there until I aged out.  I would have given anything for a big brother like Beel back then.  He’s really taken care of me since I’ve been here, and been nothing but supportive of me.”  She gives me a shaky smile.  “I’ve got my big brother now so I try to look out for him however I can.”

“He sounds like a really good guy,” I say, suddenly feeling guilty for my earlier thought. 

“He is,” Arianthi answers and we resume walking.  “Belphie is the Avatar of Sloth, so he’s constantly sleepy.  He can nap anywhere, and he gets super cuddly with people when he does, so if that’s not your jam be sure to let him know.  Don’t touch his cow pillow.  He’s pretty sarcastic and he can be hard to get to know, but he’s sweet when you do.”

We turn a corner and she stops in front of a large three story house.  Even though it’s well maintained and beautifully built something feels a little......off about it. 

This place would give the house from Texas Chainsaw Massacre a run for it’s money in the creepy as shit category. 

“Here we are!” she says brightly.  “The House of Lamentation, and your new home for the next year.”

My eyes dart around, taking in every detail of the house as we walk up the steps to the front door.  

Arianthi suddenly pauses with her hand on the doorknob.  “Jax there’s something else you should know about the house before we go in.”

“Ok?” I say, confused.

“Satan is a little bit of a crazy cat lady.  He’s rescues strays and keeps them until he finds new homes for them.  Lucifer says he can only have one in the house at a time, so you may occasionally be called upon to help hide one.  Or five.”

“Totally ok,” I answer with a grin, relieved that the big secret is just contraband kitties.  “I love cats so no problem on that front.”

She smiles at me as she opens the door.  “Great!”

We walk into the foyer and she shuts the door behind us.  

“Also, allegedly some guy murdered his whole family here a long time ago.  So this place is probably haunted.”  She smirks at me.

“Of fucking course it is,” I mutter, playfully giving her a dirty look.

“If it makes you feel better I’ve never seen any paranormal stuff as long as I’ve been here.”

“It does.  A little bit.”  I look over and smile at her.  “Oof!”

I ram into something large, solid and......warm?  I look in front of me and see a very large, very muscled chest.  I tip my head back until I see a pair of friendly violet eyes looking into mine.  

“Beel!”  Arianthi gives him a quick squeeze.  “This is Jax, the new exchange student.”

“Sorry for running into you,” I say.  “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”  

I take a step back so I can get a better look at him.  Like Diavolo, he is huge.  And built.  Really built.  His shaggy, bright orange hair highlights the color of his eyes.  

“It’s ok,” he tells me, smiling before he takes a large bite of the sandwich he’s holding.  He squeezes Arianthi back.  “Hey Arianthi.  When’s Mammon coming home?  He’s supposed to make dinner tonight and I’m starving.”

That smile is goddamn adorable.  

I shake my head.  

Get it together.  You’ve seen cute guys before.  But he is beyond cute.  And built.  And taller than me.  And if he’s everything Arianthi says he is............  

I quickly slam that thought back into its box and tune into their conversation.  

Arianthi is frowning.  “He should be back soon.  If he isn’t I’ll help Levi get things going so dinner isn’t late.”

He beams at her.  “Thanks Arianthi.”  He turns that megawatt smile to me.  “Do you need any help getting your stuff to your room Jax?”

I’m flustered.  Why am I flustered?  I don’t get flustered.  

“N-n-no.  Thanks though.”  I give him a small smile.  

Did I just stutter?  Oh god.  

I internally cringe.  

I see Arianthi’s eyes flicker between the two of us, and she gives me a mischievous smile.   

“We might need help later though.  In case they want another dresser or any of the furniture from my old room brought into their room,” she tells him.  

Beel gives us another easy grin.  “No problem.  I’ll be in my room if you need me before dinner starts.  See you later Jax.”  

He ambles away, munching on his sandwich.

“See you,” I call after him.  

I look to my right and see Arianthi looking at me with a shit eating grin on her face.  

“Shut up,” I mutter.

“He’s cute right?”  She nudges me with her elbow.

Oh my sweet baby Jesus yes!  

“He’s ok,” I say, trying to stay nonchalant.  “Seems nice.”

“Is nice Jax code for a “total snack”?  Or “I want to climb him like a tree and never come down”?”  She snickers, teasing me.

“Ok, you are officially the worst,”  I tease back, reaching out and ruffling her hair. 

“But am I officially the worst and right that you think Beel is a cutie?”  She raises her eyebrows.

I’m saved from answering by Mammon bursting in through the front door, two shopping bags in hand.

“Oi!  H-h-hey Jax.  Hi baby.”  A faint pink blush dusts his cheeks and he tries to quickly edge past us.  “Runnin’ a little late, gotta get dinner goi-”

Arianthi snags the hem of his jacket, stopping him his tracks.  “What’s the rush my love?”

“N-n-no rush.  Just wanna get dinner on time.  Ya know how Beel gets.”

What is he so nervous about?  

I’m suddenly very suspicious.

Please don’t be a fuck boy Mammon.

She pulls him closer and loops her arms around his neck, leaning in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.  “Mammon?”  

“Y-yeah baby?”

“Why do you smell likes witches?”  Arianthi keeps her voice light, arching an eyebrow at Mammon.

Ooh, I know that look.  Mom used to give me that look all the time.  Wait, witches?  They have witches down here too?!

“I maybe, mighta stopped at a little card game on the way to the store.”  Mammon’s tone is smug, despite the guilty look on his face.

Arianthi rolls her eyes, smiling.  “How much did you win?”  

“650 Grimm.”   He smiles back at her.

She holds her hand out in a “gimme” gesture.  

Mammon groans, reaches into his jacket pocket, and hands her a thick stack of bills.  “Come on baby.  Aren’t ya gonna let me keep any of it?”

She quickly divides the money, handing half to me and pocketing the rest.

“Wait, what’s this for?”  I ask, confused.

“We agreed that whenever Mammon goes gambling half of whatever he wins goes to you, so you’ll have Grimm for whatever you need here.  And the other half goes to a joint project we’re working on.”  Arianthi laces her fingers with Mammon’s and cuddles into his side.

Mammon’s irritation is instantly gone, replaced by a dreamy smile as he squeezes her hand and presses a kiss to the top of her head.  

“That joint project is going to be amazing.  I just know it,” he softly whispers.  

“What’s the project?”  I ask, curious.  “If it needs any artwork, I could totally help you guys out with it.”  

Arianthi disentangles herself from Mammon.  “It’s a surprise for his brothers.  It’s really sweet of you to offer Jax, but I wouldn’t want to bother you -”

“You won’t!  You wouldn’t be,” I interrupt.  “I feel bad just taking your money like this, even if you guys did plan it.  So let me help you out with whatever art you may need done for this project.”

“That’s really cool of ya Jax,” Mammon says, grinning at me.  “We appreciate it.”

“Seriously,” Arianthi echoes.  “I saw some of your art when I went through your student profile.  They are insanely freaking talented,” she tells Mammon.

I can feel my face turning red.  “I’m not that great,” I manage to mumble.

“Hey, if you’re good at somethin’ don’t go bein’ modest about it,” Mammon tells me.  “I gotta go get started on the food before Beel smashes down another wall.  See ya at dinner.”

“See you,” we respond in unison as he moves towards the kitchen.

“We should get you settled into you room,” Arianthi tells me.  “I’ll show you the kitchen after dinner; you’re on dish duty with me tonight.  I hope that’s ok.”

“Totally fine.”  We start climbing a set of stairs.  “So are you going to let me in on what this surprise project is?”

“Are you going to tell me what you really think of Beel?”  She counters with a smirk.

“Touche.”  I smirk back.  

“Ok, here you are.”  She stops in front of a closed door.  

“That’s Beel and Belphie’s room,” she says, gesturing to the door to the right of mine.  “And Mammon and I are to the left of you.  My private library and office is on the other side of our bedroom.  If you ever need to use it you’re more than welcome to; I never lock the door.  I’ll show you where everyone else’s rooms are tomorrow.”  

“Sounds good.”  I smile at her as she hands Samson to me.

“I’ll let you check out your room and unpack your stuff.  If you think of anything you want for your room we can go check out my old room tomorrow and see if you like anything in there.  I’ll come get you in about an hour for dinner.  If you need anything before then just knock, ok?”

“Ok.”  I open the door to my room, then think of something.  “Hey Arianthi?  Will my iPhone work down here?”

She shakes her head.  “No, but we’ll get you set up with a D.D.D., which is the Devildom version of an iPhone.  Barbatos is supposed to bring one by in the morning for you.”

“Oh cool, thanks.”  I smile at her and she turns to go into her room.  

“Hey,” I say quickly.

She pauses in her doorway and turns towards me.  “What’s up hun?”

“You would’ve made a really good big sister.”

She gives me a gentle smile.  “Thanks Jax.  That means a lot.”  

She slips into her room, softly closing the door behind her.  

I step into my new room and start looking around.  There’s a desk, a couch, a small dresser, and what has to be a king size bed.  

Fucking awesome.  And an en suite bathroom?  I officially love this place.

I drop my bag onto the floor and wander over to look out the window.  My room looks out over a wide expanse of forest.  

Pretty view.  

When I turn back around I notice that someone has left a pile of things stacked in the far corner of the room, next to my desk.  Someone has left me a bunch of............ art supplies?! 

 An easel, canvas, charcoal, sketchpads, pencils, oil paints; I eagerly rummage through what looks to be anything my little artist’s heart could ever possibly need or want.  

Arianthi.  Had to be.  Her thoughtful ass would do something like this.  

Grinning to myself I shuffle over to the bed and flop down, cuddling Samson to my chest.  

I think I’m gonna like it here. 

[trustmemonty]

14 The little spoon

The movie came to an end and Monty stretched and yawned. "I'm starting to get tired so I should probably go home", he said as we both sat back up. "Hell no!", I instinctively yelled at him. He looked at me confused and raised an eyebrow. "You do not get to suggest these kind of movies and then leave me home alone at two o'clock at night. Montgomery de la Cruz, If you leave me here now then I swear I will hate you forever!", I ranted, with panic in my voice. I could see him trying to hide a smile, and hold back a laughter. "Alright, alright. What do you want me to do? Sit outside the door and bark in case of any cats show up to harass you?", he said snickering. "Shut up! Let's go to bed", I said, giving him a real annoyed glare this time. He followed me into my bedroom and just stood there watching me as I climbed into bed. Lucky I  had been wearing my PJ's all day, so I didn't have to go to the bathroom alone to change. Monty just stood in the middle of the room, waiting for directions. "So do you have like a guest room or…", he asked. "Now, that would make me be alone in this room, and we both know that's not happening", I said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Come on, I saved some space for you right here", I said lightly patting the empty space on the mattress beside me, mimicking his tone and motion from earlier. "Really?", he said surprised, but the quite opposite of disappointed. "It wouldn’t be the first time", I said, referring to the time we fell asleep during a movie. "No, but this feels kind of different", he said. He had moved over to the bed, but he was still standing next to it. "Just get in before I change my mind", I joked. He took of his jeans, but kept the rest on. Monty crawled into bed next to me and I felt the warmth of his body as he placed an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him, making me the little spoon. "Good night", he whispered. "Good night", I whispered back. I was already drifting off to sleep, feeling completely safe in his arms.

I woke up before him again. I closed my eyes for a minute to soak up the feeling of his warm breath against my neck. Even in his sleep he was holding me tightly in his arms. I wanted this moment to last forever. It felt perfect. I turned around, facing him, and admired his sleeping face. I could not hold back a smile. He looked so peaceful. I leaned over and gave him a soft light peck on the lips. He furrowed his brows in confusion for a second, before opening his eyes and smiling softly. "Hi", he said in a horse voice. "Morning", I replied. "What was that for?", he asked, still smiling. "For being cute when you sleep", I grinned. "Don't watch me while I'm sleeping, you creep", he joked, making me giggle. I climbed over him an out of bed. I expected him to follow, but he didn't. "Are you just gonna stay in bed all day?", I asked. "No, not all day, just for a little while longer", ha said looking a bit uncomfortable. "Really? You can't still be tired. Come on, I'll get bored", I said playfully, and tried to pull the covers off him. He latched on for his bare life, panic in his eyes. "NO! You can NOT do that right now!" he said, sounding a bit too serious. " Chill out, it was just a joke. Are you okay?", I asked genuinely concerned. "Just go shower or something. I'll be out in a few minutes", he said. Was he mad at me all of a sudden? " Was it something I did?", I asked again. "No, it's not your fault… kind of", he said. It looked like he was blushing a bit. I sat down next to him and placed my hand on his thigh. " Is there anything you need, or anything I can do?". "Not that!", he said, acting like my touch was stinging him or something. He sat up a bit and folded his hands. "Okay, so do you not know what usually happens to guys in the morning? Especially those who haven't had sex in a while when he is woken up by a kiss and a girl freakin sitting on him to get out of bed?", he asked, obviously rhetorically. "No….. OH!", I finally caught on. Morning wood… "Shit, sorry. I'll leave", I said, holding in a laugh. "Either that, or you'll have to take care of it", he said smirking. I kind of loved, yet kind of hated, the way he could change things around like that. Go from being embarrassed about something to owning it like that. "Oh yeah? You want me to take care of it? You want me to make it go away?", I teased him, while straddling him. His hands grabbed on to my hips, and my hands wrapped around his neck. His eyes turned hungry and filled with lust. I rocked my hips slowly once, while leaning in and lightly brushing my lips against his. His grip on my hips tightened, and I could feel what he had been trying to hide throbbing against my thigh. I leaned in close to his ear and whispered softly "Just picture your grandma naked", and jumped off before he could realize what had just happened. "OH, for FUCK sake!", he shouted and covered his face with a pillow. I was laughing so hard I could barely stay on my feet. "Did it work?", I managed to say while gasping for air. "I hate you for that, but yeah, it worked", he admitted, glaring at me through squinted eyes.

We ate breakfast and talked for while at the kitchen table. I was happy to hear that he was excited to get the script for the play we were doing in acting class. I was a bit scared I had been pushing him too far when I insisted on him saying he wanted the male lead. I was really looking forward to preforming it with him, but also all the time we would have rehearsing for it. Things were looking really bright. After Monty left, I called Jenna and filled her in on the whole weekend, as promised. She was almost more excited about it than I was, and practically squealed on the phone when I told her about the kiss. "I knew it! You were the one he changed for", she cheered. "What do you mean?" "Last week I heard him talk back to one of his buddies in the hallway, telling him to stop being suck a dick to this guy he was harassing. And on Friday I saw him accidentally walking into one of the students he usually pushes around, and he just said sorry and kept walking. Haven't you noticed? He haven't given as much a snide comment to a single student in like… weeks", she said. I hadn't noticed, but as she got me thinking. I realized that she was right. I had not seen him picking on a single kid in weeks either. He really was trying, and I felt bad that I hadn't even noticed…

_______________________________________________________________

Please leave a like and/or a comment. Let me know what you think <3

[mayve-hems]

Amnesia | Luke Hemmings

Type: IMAGINE | ONE SHOT | MULTI CHAPTER

Summary: After his girlfriend killed herself, Luke is forced to come to terms with her death and her funeral

Word Count: 4.4k

Note: A sad and possibly triggering story. It’s short and not my best work, but I’ve tried my hardest and I hope you’ll leave a like! I’d like to thank my friend Jo for proofreading this story! Also, this is not my gif. 

Warnings: Cussing, mentions and scenes of self-harm, mentions of parental abuse, depressed Luke Hemmings, angst, suicide

Normal

Flashback

-

Luke presses part of the soft pillow to his ear, trying to drown out the thoughts flooding his brain. His head is pounding with thoughts from months ago, imagining her body right next to his. The blood pouring out of the wound, staining sheets, and his clothes. The shirt he wore that night was left at her house, discarded right there when he had to lift her dead body off the mattress. She was light in his arms; weightless like an angel floating in thin air. His blue -for some reason he wore blue that night- jeans are stuffed in the corner of his closet, soaked thick with blood down the front.

"You're an idiot," Y/N giggled, shoving a spoon into his mouth. His top jaw fell onto the metal, freezing his gums with frozen yogurt. "Is it good?" Y/N had the most beautiful smile Luke had ever laid eyes on. Her teeth bit down on her lip when she smiled, bringing her boyfriend's attention to the plump skin. Luke absolutely adored Y/N. She caught his eye in middle school, finally gave him a chance in high school, and had been dating since. Liz Hemmings described the couple as inseparable and loving. Every time Y/N had to go home from Luke's house, he'd walk her the seven-block distance, kissed her under the moonlight, and would walk home while on the phone with her.

Luke nodded his head, confirming what Y/N thought of her favorite frozen yogurt flavor. "Tastes just like you," Luke leaned forward to connect his lips with Y/N's. She tasted the yogurt on his lips, basking in the sweetness mixed with Luke. Her hand grabbed onto the collar of his shirt when he tried to pull away. Just to keep him close for a little while longer. Just a few seconds.

Luke bit into the skin on the back of his hands, suppressing a sob. She was gone so quickly; it took her almost no time to bleed out completely. Too much blood gone, and her heart was dead. There was nothing Luke could do to stop the bleeding. He regrets not opening her door sooner- he regrets waiting for her to say it was okay to go into her room!

"Is it hot in here or is it just you?"

Luke shoved Y/N's shoulder, pushing her into the grass a little bit as he continued down the sidewalk. "I hate you," Luke laughed off.

It's all his fault!

"Are you sure you're not tired? You've been running through my mind all day!"

"I am tired, Hemmings, but it's because it's the middle of the night,"

"Way to ruin it, dork,"

Luke rolled over, suffocating himself in a bedspread and duvet. His bare torso is hot and sweaty, but on the inside, he's frozen and cold, breathing in pieces of ice. He looks at the wall next to the side of his bed- the bed Y/N and he had pressed against the wall just days before her death so they could hang polaroids of them both. They made a heart out of the polaroids right next to Luke's windows, with 'Y/N & LUKE' written right above it. Though there were pictures of Luke with all of his friends too, most were of her. His favorite- a picture of her sitting on him with her head thrown back in laughter, wrapping her right arm around the back of his neck. She was smiling- cackling with laughter from a stupid pickup line. Ashton took it on Christmas. Luke remembered only because of her brand-new skinny jeans; she had gotten them that morning and tore them the same night. He wants to rip it off the wall, into pieces, and set every last bit on fire.

The only reason he didn't is that they're all he has left of her.

"What do you call a cheese you can't have- Wait!" Luke let go of Y/N's hand and turned to face her. She was buried in his favorite hoodie, letting it reach to her thighs. Luke just stared at her for a moment, forgetting his joke. He admired her: messy hair, ripped skinny jeans, combat boots, and his hoodie. He couldn't imagine an outfit that would make her look better. "What . . ." Luke shook his head, trying to resurrect the memory of the joke. "What's the cheese that you can't have?"

Y/N smiled that smile where her eyes would close. The smile that proved just how in love with Luke Hemmings she is. "What, Homo?"

"Nacho Cheese!"

Y/N tucked her face into her hands, laughing from idiocy, hilarity, and how excited Luke was to get it right. Luke pulled her hands away from her face, forcing her close to him. They kissed before continuing their walk around town. "You're stupid."

"Yeah."

Luke covered his head with the duvet. His mum taught him that if you're under a blanket for too long, you can suffocate. No new airflow- only carbon dioxide. He hopes he'll suffocate with her memory sitting on the tip of his tongue.

"Luke?" a voice came from behind his bedroom door. Somebody rasped their knuckles against the wood. "I know you're awake." Luke didn't dare make a sound or move. He wanted to be left alone without anybody bothering him. "Get up or I'm coming in." No reply. Calum shoved his way into Luke's room. He pinched his nose immediately. "Gross! You stink. When was the last time you showered?"

He showered the blood off his skin and from under his nails the morning that Y/N was pronounced dead. The sun was barely up, and he was mourning the death of his long-time girlfriend during a sobfest under cold water. Since that day, he has drunk a bottle of water in total and gone to the bathroom. "Get out." Luke's voice was raspy from dehydration and lack of speaking.

"Take a shower."

"I said get out!" Luke screamed. He clutched a pillow from his floor and shot it towards Calum as hard as he could. He hasn't eaten in a week; he has no strength to get the pillow hurled painfully at his friend.

"Take a shower," Calum said in a calm tone. He wanted to reason with his younger friend rather than anger him again. "Eat what your mom made you," Calum stared at the snacks Liz had brought to Luke over the past few days. She'll step into his room while he's sleeping and place something fulfilling on his nightstand and pray that he consumed it. "Her funeral is today. You have to go."

"You don't think I know that!"

"Luke," Calum whispered. "I know it's hard, but-"

"-But what, Calum?" Luke was on the verge of crying. Calum had only seen his best friend like that a few times in his life. "She's dead. The love of my life is dead because of me!"

"Luke," Calum whispered. The room was filled with emotion nipping at Calum's seams. Luke's feelings tore at Calum's nerves, feasting and shredding them until he was practically crying along with his friend. Calum swallowed hard. The older of the two restrained all of his feelings. "Please just get up and eat something. We're all worried about you."

Luke slid over in his bed a little bit. Calum sat down on Luke's grey sheets and opened his arm. Calum and Luke don't show emotion that much, though everyone has a breaking point. Luke drifts into Calum's body, shoving his head into Calum's chest. The olders arm falls and pats the younger body. "It's all my fault!" Luke violently sobs. He's soaking his friends' white shirt, but Calum doesn't mind.

When Luke first laid eyes on Y/N he had to do everything in his power to learn her name. His hand shot up in the middle of Mrs. Montgomery's math class, asking for the new girl to be his partner. Y/N smiled and nodded her head to the teacher, confirming that she wanted to be with Luke.

In her leather jacket and skinny jeans, she sat down right next to Luke. She moved a braid over her shoulder and leaned in really close. Luke could smell mint on her breath. "What's your name?"

"Luke," Y/N smiled at him. "What's yours?"

"Y/N!"

"That's really your name?"

"Yeah," Y/N snickered. "My parents were a little weird."

"There's nothing wrong with weird."

"It's not your fault Luke," Calum whispered. He continued patting the emotional seventeen-year-old. "It's none of our faults. You didn't know-"

"-Calum shut up," Luke whispered. He pulled away from Calum's shirt, feeling bad about leaving a trail of tear marks on the right breast. "You don't understand. I loved her so much, and it's all my fault."

Calum met Y/N before she met Luke. Calum thought Y/N was gorgeous too, but she liked Luke more than Calum. Her death had a huge impact on Calum, one of her best friends, along with Ashton Irwin and Michael Clifford. Luke didn't know that Calum had been in love with Y/N since they were young too. He wouldn't ever tell him that either.

"What if we pushed our Minecraft beds together," Luke whispered from behind Y/N as she stirred a pot of pasta. He wrapped his arms around her fragile body, resting his hands on her ribs. She laid her head against his on her shoulder. "Just kidding . . . . unless?"

"You're stupid," Y/N rolled her eyes. She tapped the wooden spoon on the edge of the black pot before setting it down on the counter. Her body flipped around to face her boyfriend. "But we should. I want a bigger bed to sleep on. I'll make you sleep on the ground." Y/N kissed Luke.

"That's not what I meant, Y/N,"

Y/N smirked and got on her tippy-toes to kiss Luke again. "I know."

Calum convinced Luke into getting out of his room. Liz almost fainted seeing her son walking through her house shirtless and without complaining. Luke stared at the ground as his feet shuffled further and further against the carpet. Liz perked up when her youngest son caught her eyes, but Calum's face told her that he was only out of his room by force.

"I'm gonna' go take a shower," Luke muttered, shoving back his greasy hair. He made his way into the cold bathroom and closed the door behind him. He didn't even turn on the light; he let the window in the shower illuminate the small room. He shoved his pants to the cold ground and stared at his dark reflection in the mirror.

Dirt stuck under his fingernails pretending to be black French tips. His nails would be longer, but he chews them off in his sleep when he remembers what she looks like. In the daytime, he gnaws on his raw fingers without realizing what he's doing. Luke's belly caves in on his ribs; his legs seemed to be a shade dark with dirt; his hands feel weak and bloodless.

"You have such a babyface,"

"Fuck off, Y/N,"

"You do!"

Luke brushes his hand over his rough face, feeling the facial hair just barely growing.

"I'll grow a beard just for you!"

"You could be growing that until the day I die and it still won't show up!"

"Try me, Y/N!"

He flipped around and punched the wall behind him. A dent doesn't form from his fist but red marks form on his knuckles. How could he just let her go like that? He continues punching until somebody knocks on the bathroom door. Luke halts his actions, feeling tears roll down his cheeks.

"I'm fine," he tells whoever is behind the door. "I'm perfectly fine."

-

Returning to his room, Luke feels weak and like he's on the verge of collapsing. He closes his door behind him and falls onto his freshly-made bed. It smells like laundry detergent and Y/N's favorite perfume. The smells seem to be mixed in a blanket Liz picked from his closet and threw onto her sons' clean bed. Luke sat in the shower long enough for Liz to tidy up his room- he's forever grateful that she did that for him. Though, he feels terrible that she's the one that had to clean.

"I'm cold," Y/N giggles. Her hair tickles the underneath of Luke's child when she snuggles even closer to him. "Why do you keep it two degrees in here?"

Luke breaks his concentration of Deadpool playing on his flatscreen. His sparkly eyes look around the room to search for a blanket. He tucked in his duvet and bedsheets when Y/N said she was coming over to watch a movie, and he didn't want to mess it up. He reached for the blanket just under his bed and laid it over his girlfriends' small shoulders. "I like the cold,"

Luke does like the cold, but when Y/N said she was on her period, Luke looked up different things to help. They had snacks laid out in front of them: chocolate, chips, doughnuts, fruit, pizza, leftover pasta, and nachos that Y/N said she was craving. Something told him that your body temperature goes up, so he turned the thermostat down and put joggers and a hoodie on. He'll give the hoodie to Y/N when she's almost asleep so she has something to clutch onto.

He never got that hoodie back. The blanket, though, now sits on his bed, covering the mattress. Luke can't cry though; he's cried so much in the past few hours all he wants to do is fall asleep. He resists the urge, though, when he sees the outfit Liz picked out for him on his bed.

He thinks of himself as a little kid- mommy had to pick out his outfit. He can't bring himself to make fun of it though. He just isn't feeling like it. He dresses in the black button-down and black slacks and attaches the dark grey suspenders to the front of his pants, then the back. It's not his style, but it's what Liz chose for the funeral. It still boggles his mind that he’s attending Y/N's funeral.

"What are the six elements of art?" Luke asked Y/N, resting his chin on the top of her head. His hand dipped into the purple bath water to wrap his arm around the front of her body. Y/N had a huge art final in the morning, but needed relaxation and to review. Luke's first plan was to take a dip into the ocean. The chilly air prohibited them from even thinking of resting their toes in the water under the moonlight. Luke drew a scorching bath and threw in essential oils he knows Y/N favors and the only bath bomb that he could find underneath the sink; she rested in his arms, on the verge of sleep.

Y/N thought about her answer. "Color, form, shape, space, texture, and-" her brain was buffering, forgetting the last element she had to study. She turned her body so her shoulder was up against Luke's chest, their legs still tangled into a mess on the bottom of the porcelain tub. " . . . uh?"

"Y/N, you know this,"

She looked up at her gorgeous boyfriend through her eyelashes, clinging onto the memory of Art I. She ran a wet hand through his quiff, dampening the strands of hair down to his head. "Your hair is so soft." He laughed, but still pressed further for the answer. "Line?"

Luke leaned his head down to press his lips to hers. "Correct."

Luke stares at his hands while he sits at the breakfast table. Calum and Ashton shove a jar of jelly between the two of them. Calum sets the jar on Luke's untouched plate. Luke stares inside at the fruit-flavored gelatin without responding. The glass canister is almost empty with a full serving left at the bottom. It clings to the sides with a spoon mark on the bottom where somebody just shoveled it straight out. It's Y/N's favorite flavor- the type he only bought for when she was hungry.

Her voice is screaming at him. "This is all your fault, Hemmings!" She's screaming at the top of her lungs inside of his head- he's ears are the only ones that hear her screaming. Luke's skull throbs while she screams. He can't even hear Liz asking if he's okay. "This is all your fault!" Y/N continues to scream. In an attempt to make her screaming stop, Luke picks the jar from his plate and drops it into the trash can. With a booming sound, the glass breaks into pieces at the bottom of the bag. The screaming continues; she's all he can hear. "You killed me, Luke!"

Liz turns her son away from the trash can. His body jumps in surprise at the feeling of somebody's hands touching him- he's a killer. He doesn't deserve love. Her mouth opens and she speaks, but her voice is absolute silence to Luke. He squints at her. He can barely make out her frame, feeling the world spin on a single point. Luke feels dizzy, about to fall over on top of his mother. Liz barely catches her son and guides him back to his seat. His head falls into his empty plate where the screaming continues.

"We should adopt a dog!"

"You can barely take care of your little brother, Y/N,"

"Yeah but he's an unlovable prick. A dog is different."

Luke tries to telepathically tell his recently-adopted dog to come to jump into his lap. Frank ignores his father's fake telepathic abilities and continues laying underneath the table. Frank's an old pug, abandoned at the animal shelter. Y/N's house didn't want it and the Hemmings did. Frank is a Hemmings no matter what.

"I want to run away,"

"But I'll miss you."

Everybody is a Hemmings.

"But I hate my parents and the way they treat me!"

Luke wraps his arm around Y/N, cuddling his head into her neck. They're constantly cuddling, laying together, kissing, or just holding hands. Luke is affectionate and wants to just show how much he loves his girlfriend.

Including Y/N.

"We only have a few more years. Then we'll be out, living in Paris and enjoying tea and crumpets at the top of the Eiffel Tower,"

"I hate tea."

"Mhm,"

Luke gave her a promise ring over a year ago; a beautiful silver ring with 'HEMMINGS' engraved inside of the band in his handwriting. On the outside was her last name in her kindergarten handwriting. Luke was close with Y/N's parents before her death to the point he'd spend time with her little brother when she was at practice or out with other friends. They would play Fifa, or watch TV, or do something stupid. He was always welcomed there- and her parents expressed such excitement when he asked for Y/N's young handwriting. They thought it was adorable and would probably get her out of the house quicker if she had a high school sweetheart.

"You killed me!" Y/N screamed in Luke's mind.

"I love you, Lu,"

"I hate you, Luke!"

The last thing that Y/N ever said was 'I love you, Lu,' with a kiss seconds before her heart stopped and she continued bleeding out. The images of blood shown in Luke's memory. Both of her arms had been stained red from the non-reversible wounds she inflicted on herself. The goddess-like teenager didn't leave behind a note, didn't tell anybody, didn't even give off a sign that she would follow through with self-inflicted harm. Luke only went to her house against her will because he wanted to calm her down from crying.

"What's your favorite . . . drink?"

"I'm really into water," Luke smirked before dripping his head under the surface of the ocean. His long body dove down and grabbed her ankles. The giraffe lifted her feet from the sand and forced her into the Aussie water. She smashed into his legs after a loud splash.

"Luke!" everybody at the table screamed, catching Luke's attention from Y/N's screaming. His head shot up to stare at everyone. Calum's different shirt; Ashton's perfect hairstyle; Michael's black hair; Andrew's black suit; Liz's fancy dress. They all just stick into his mind and grasp his attention long enough to hear what they're pleading out.

"What are you thinking about?" Michael finally asks.

"It's my fault." Luke chokes out before shoving two pieces of crisp toast into his mouth. Bare toast- without butter or jam. He has to swallow hard through the scratchy feeling of toasted bread falling down his dry throat.

"What's your fault?" inquires Liz.

Luke ignores her. His hands reach for another piece of toast before he stands up and scurries back into the comfort of his bedroom.

-

"Woah, Hemmings," Calum wavered his hand towards Luke to grab the bottle of tequila out of his quivering hands. "Calm down there, man. You'll get alcohol poisoning." 

Luke wanted to tell Calum that was his plan. On an almost-empty stomach, Luke was developing a drunk sense, quickly. From just a few chugs out of a fifth of tequila, his head was starting to feel fuzzy and his thoughts were beginning to blur. He swung his feet back and forth off the ledge of the rock he planted his butt on. He studied the water below; a dark blue color with rocks surrounding the edges of the ravine. "How deep do you think the water is down there?" Luke asked, pointing towards the blue. With Calum distracted, he grabbed the bottle back and took another swig. "Twenty, thirty feet?" 

"No clue," Calum replied before snatching the bottle away from his drinking friend. A bit of it spilled down Luke's face and onto his dress shirt. Payback for Luke soaking through Calum's with tears. "Supposedly if you jump from here you'll be killed instantly. Either that or you'll drown before you get help." 

"Huh," Luke answered. Ashton sat down right next to Luke with another bottle of alcohol. Michael was on the opposite side of Calum, messing around with a game on his phone. All eight of their legs continued dangling down the side gorge, touching their feet to nothing but actual air. "Ash, how deep do you think the water is-"

"-Luke I have no clue," Ashton interrupted. He handed Luke his personal bottle and let the golden blond chug until he could no longer swallow. It didn't take that long. The elder took the bottle back and let the younger lay drunk head on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" 

"Not a single bit," Luke whispered. He thought he could hear the sounds of water hitting the rocks. "My girlfriend killed herself and it's all my fault." This was the place they'd always get drunk; Y/N, Ashton, Michael, Luke, and Calum would sit right here on this exact rock and drink until they couldn't walk. Michael hates tequila, so they'd always choose him as a designated driver after they'd all be wasted. "I wish I could wake up with amnesia." 

"Why?" 

"To forget everything," Luke shrugged. He didn't want to remember a single memory. Not a single thing, but every little sliver of the gorgeous girl was running through his brain on a slide show. "Like the way it felt to fall asleep next to her or-" Luke swallowed the memory on his tongue. "I can't escape the memories, Ash." 

"None of us can, Lu," Ashton replied. He didn't mean it in a hard, Get Over It, way, but it slipped out of his mouth. Luke must have not taken it that way because he continued staring at the sunset. "You're never around anymore. We miss you." 

"No, you don't." Luke took the bottle away from Ashton for another chug, trying to kill the hardest memory. "If I woke up with her right beside me like this was just . . . a twisted dream," Luke pressed the lip of the bottle to his mouth and began drinking again. He broke the seal on his mouth when his eyes began watering. Luke pressed the bottle into Ashton's chest. "I'd hold her so close and she would never slip away."

"Luke," Michael called out. Luke shot a look at his black-hared friend wearing a backward snapback. Michael's eyes connected with Luke's. "It's going to be okay. You'll be able to get over this." 

Luke laughed. "No, I won't," 

"Y/N?" Luke knocked on Y/N's door for the fourth time in a minute. She didn't answer, just like the three times before. She let out a strangled cough and another cry. "You called me crying. I . . . I brought you some flowers, and my hoodie, and-" Luke looked down at his hoodie. He dropped the flowers to the floor so he could peel the sweatshirt off his body. It's her favorite one. "Please," Luke groaned before knocking again. She didn't cough, or cry, or do anything. That's not right. 

"She called me before she slit her wrist," Luke looked out to the sunset. "She called me!" He screamed with all his might. The alcohol was wearing off. "And I waited outside of her bedroom door to be let in, while she was dying." 

"Y/N?" Luke knocked again. Y/N made no sounds. That's not like her. He pushed open the door to see the worst scene right in front of him. She was laying on her unmade bed with blood pouring out of her skin, surrounding her body in a puddle. Luke dropped everything in his hands to grab her body. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and tore the blanket away from the wall to soak up blood and press into her wounds. Her mouth made a stinging noise as he screamed to the emergency operator. 

"I waited to go into her room, and I killed her." 

"She didn't kill herself because of you!" Calum yelled. "It's not your fault, Luke! Her parents made her feel bad and-" 

"She called me to talk and I said that I was busy!" Luke screamed with such emotion Michael felt it. "As I said I would come over, she ended the call. So it's my fucking fault, Calum!" 

"She killed herself because of her parents," Ashton whispered. "Not because you couldn't talk. They proved that while you were on the phone she was already bleeding out." 

"I could have saved her!" 

Y/N died in Luke's arms right after pressing a cold, bloody kiss to his lips. He tasted metallic and in the next moment, she was limp. 

Luke stood up from the rock formation. He was teetering dangerously close to the edge. "I just wish . . . " Luke swallowed. 

"Luke, step ba-" 

"-I just wish that I could wake up with amnesia." 

"Luke!" Ashton called out. "Step back from the ledge before you get hurt!" 

Luke turned towards his friends. Ashton's hands reached for Luke, but the younger boy batted his hands away. Calum and Micahel tried to reach for Luke's arm, but Luke shoved everything stretching towards him away. He didn't want to be caught; he didn't need somebody to hold him. "I wish that I could wake up with amnesia and forget everything." Luke's heals were barely on the Earth anymore. He stretched his arms out beside him as if he were balancing on a beam. His eyes shut. He friends reached for body parts to grab and clothing to catch, but it was too late. He was already falling into the water.

-

Request here

[hecohansen31]

A Change Of (H)air & Other Things: (Outpost! Michael Langdon+Short!Haired Reader).

A/N: Ok, so I basically cut my hair a few weeks ago and I mean... I am not the typical “I need long hair” girl, I honestly tried to most thing with my hair (I even dyed them purple!) and cutting them seemed a new way to start and do thing, mostly because long hair doesn’t really suit me (I have really thin hair, so... the longer the more you can see this). 

Still I don’t know why, but this time I felt extremely self-conscious of the cut, mostly because it is the shortest I had in many years (a lot of people told me it really suits me, still, so I am gaining a bit of confidence) (+assholish roommate, told me I look a lot like a child with short hair, soo...).

And this is why I wrote this little thing over here...  (Also long hair girl you look beautiful all the same and I honetsly envy you all because YOU ARE SO PRETTY! And I swear I will write something soon with long haired reader so I can make it up to all of you! Also please don’t feel like you can’t read this story just because you don’t have short hair!)

SUMMARY: Life at the Outpost is pretty boring, mosty when you are separated from your love and waiting for him... and this prompts a little change with the help of a fellow survivor...

WORDS: 1,7 K

WARNING: Mention of Sex, and Hair Pulling... (also just Outpost! Michael being a little shit).

She had had to endure the thought of being separated from Michael for much more than she expected, and she honestly still didn’t approve the idea he had had.

But had she had any other possibility other than follow his orders in order to control Mead-bot and what the others survivors felt like, trapped in the ancient walls of Outpost 3?

And swiftly you had gotten to know all of them, even the Grey.

Michael had gently made you a Purple, knowing what was expected from a Grey.

Although you had insisted that being a Grey would have allowed you to move more freely around the Outpost, but Michael had put up a fight about this (“I won’t let you risk your life, when you can do the same sitting down and calmly drinking tea” “We won’t be drinking tea, Michael, and you know how much I hate silly conversations with all my heart and I will never pass off as an high-end girl, with…” “I don’t care, (Y/N) it’s already decided!”).

So she was stuck there, waiting for him to sweep her off her feet, and, although she pretended she was bored beyond herself and hated the entire Outpost 3, she tried to brighten each day, thinking about how he would come to save her.

She had never believed in princes and fairytales and such things, still she knew he would come for her.

It was the only thing that made her deal with freaking Venable, eat the horrible rations and put up with the fact that nothing was exciting or interesting and this boredom had prompted her to actually try something new: cut her hair.

She had been the normal and usual girlie girl, with long hair, but according to Gallant’s expert analysis her “double splits had double splits”, which meant that not only her hair were unhealthy but also it lost a ton of volume which sadly meant that her hair were thinner and not that shiny.

“But have no shame and worry, my little mademoiselle, I shall do my best to make you look like a top model” and he had, cutting her hair in a high-fashion way, promptly cutting a lot more than she thought and this changed a lot her appearance.

She personally thought she looked cute, very stylish and elegant, but she was also scared about what Michael would think of it.

She wasn’t one to expect some man to order her life around, but for ever being unsure of her appearance had given her that pitiful feeling of always having to appease to somebody.

So, she sometimes twisted her hair hoping they would grow faster, but a month after her cut her hair stayed into place, and Michael arrived.

When a cooperative member was announced to be expected, she immediately felt relieved, still not letting her hopes shine too bright.

They weren’t supposed to know each other.

And she had been a good actress (better than Madison Montgomery for sure…) and had played her own role perfectly, still, when she saw him, she felt like air had finally been delivered to her lungs, after too much time spent without it.

And she couldn’t hide those emotions that well, but he was perfectly capable, showing no emotion not showing any sign of recognition, when their eyes met each other, instead swiftly moving from her face to Coco’s and she had to hide all her disappointment for his distant behavior, watching her elegant violet shoes.

She had to wait for three long days till her interview and she was halfway through stabbing him with a fork when he pushed her against the door, just as she walked through it, kissing her passionately, meanwhile he hitched her dress up her thighs, groping the supple skin he found.

She smiled into the kiss, apparently, he had indeed felt the distance and the missing  the time they hadn’t spent in each other arms.

-… I missed you so so much, little one of mine- he whispered in her ear, meanwhile moving down to her height comfortably to admire her, and she almost thought about hiding her face, feeling under the scrutiny of his harsh eyes, the beautiful shades of blue had suddenly darkened, and she could only guess why -… and you changed a bit…-.

His hands moved to her hair, letting them fall down his elegant jeweled hands, she had a similar type of rings on her matching fingers, much smaller and discrete but she had to hide them, except the one on her ring finger, the dark diamond one,  which shone just as much as its light version; it had been the last thing he had gifted her before the mission at Outpost 3, a promise of what was to come when they made it to the Sanctuary.

He caressed her for so longs, but she still whimpered when he let her go, his hand still on his thigh, squeezing it gently.

-You look even more beautiful- he finally blessed her with a compliment, and she blushed as a school girl, which prompted her to elbow him.

-Only more beautiful? – she replied, finally gaining back her voice and her fierceness, the one thing he loved so much, in fact his eyes shone with amusement.

-I am so proud of you with the way you behaved- he caressed her chin, moving to her cheeks hoping this would calm her down, but he left her waiting voluntarily to test her out, and she still had that fork, hidden somewhere in her clothes -… everybody seems to trust you and honestly Timothy seems to have a special feeling for you-.

The jealousy was elegantly hidden, but she could feel it, it was a weakness which prompted him to let her go, and let her settle elegantly in an armchair, in front of his desk.

-And then I should be worried by the way Venable think that she can control you, or of Coco’s dirty thoughts? Or… wait you have a taste for innocent girls, so… Mallory? – he huffed at her insinuation, before moving to his seat, in front of her.

-We are back together, and you are already testing my patience, love of mine? – he mumbled, moving his hand forward, which prompted her to adjust hers in order for them to meet halfway and for them to entwin together.

-You love me too much, to be annoyed with me for too much time- she replied, instead, smiling daringly which prompted a tiny smile from him and a pat on her hand.

-You could never annoy me, you could never anger me and you could never lose me- it was his vows to her, the one he had pronounced before they had to separate themselves, after she had said she was scared.

Scared he would come back and not love her, because he found something better (“a nice pretty rich heiress, smiling down at you with her blond hair all perfectly done”, “you do think that my love for you is that superficial? That superficial to change for a pretty smile? Oh, love you don’t understand than how deep-rooted my love for you is”).

-I love you, too, Michael- she replied, leaning up to kiss his lips, a sweet chaste kiss was led on his lips -… you are even prettier with the long hair-.

He smiled on her lips, and she was glad to have that beautiful sight right in front of his eyes.

-Thank you, I thought that somebody had to have long hair- he sweetly mumbled, teasing her –… and short hair looks cuter on you, my pretty girl, you look like a Hollywood diva-.

-Gallant will be proud that even the freaking Antichrist loves his work of art- she mumbled, feeling giggly and girly, clearly Michael’s compliments and presence, he knew he was better than any alcohol to get her dizzy.

-I am honestly considering bringing him in the Sanctuary so he can keep on making my wife pretty for me- she almost fell down as soon as he retreated back after that word was spoken.

-Your wife? – she mumbled instead, playing his game -… after the chaos with Gallant I will have to keep an eye on you-.

-You can already, I don’t want you to get back to your room, for tonight, sleep with me- he finally let down the indifference mask, the malice mask he had worn for the entire time at the Outpost.

He was exhausted, although he tried his best to be happy for her, he was tired and she wanted nothing more than to give him relief.

-What about Venable? – she asked sweetly, almost with a sing-song voice (for the entire time she had been there, she never thought that woman held some kind of power on her, but she had to act as if she were and sometimes it got to her, mostly when Venable made fun of her for “not being as bright as the others”).

-You seriously thought that her stupid rules, would stop me from having you right on this table- and from exhausted, he moved to his beast side, the one that she wasn’t scared of.

Instead she was turned on.

Turned on by the way he gripped her and also by the way she could control him meanwhile he strongly had her.

-You have made me wait for too long, maybe I already took care of it, maybe with Timothy…- she mumbled, just teasing the beast, who looked at her with a “you wouldn’t dare” -… he was here, when you weren’t-.

-… you wouldn’t…-  but she just smiled shyly, biting her lip, before bolting out of the armchair, running for the door, but she was again smacked against it, a raging erection pressed on her heavy gowns, but the strong grip with which he pushed her against the door was enough to make her feel it -… I am going to make sure that after all this boyish fucks, you get one from a man-.

And as he gripped her hair, she was happy that they weren’t too short for that familiar pain.

[billyboisfangirlarmy]

Dare Me

It all started with a dare…

Part 1

Henry Bowers x Sister!Tozeir

What happens when (y/n) Tozier (older sister to Richie Tozier) is dared to share a quick kiss with the most feared bully in Derry, Maine? What will her younger brother and the losers think about it? More importantly what will Henry think about it.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

(y/n) POV:

I look at myself in the mirror fixing my hair to sit exactly where it should without any problems. “Gosh you look the same every morning! Does it really take more than 20 damn minutes every damn morning?” I roll my eyes and look at my little brother. “You’ll never understand the power of being pretty Rich.” I pat his head and walk past him letting him have access to the bathroom.

As I make my way down the stairs I grab my backpack, purse, and keys exiting the house to my car. “Are we picking up anyone today?” Richie asks getting into the front seat. “Eddie wanted a ride.” I close my door and press my foot to the gas to get moving.

As we round the corner I see Eddie standing at the end of his steps rocking on his heels. RIchie rolls down his window poking his head out. “GET YOUR ASS IN HERE ED!” Eddie shakes his head silently laughing. As Eddie reaches for the back seat I stop him from opening it. “Rich get in the back.” “What? Come on! Blood is blood!” “That may be, but manners always come first. Back seat now.” I sarcastically say to him smiling. Eddie climbs in the front with a wide smile. “Aww see? Look how happy you made your best friend!” I pinch Eds cheek making him blush while Richie crosses his arms in a huff.

The ride to school was short, but fun. Jamming out to music and watching the boys dance always brighten my mornings. I park on my side of the curb (Mine because Richie took it upon himself to spray paint the pavement marking it as my spot). All three of us exit the car and walk up the steps leading into the school. Going through the halls we pass the Bowers gang for the first time today.

I place my hands on their shoulders and continue forward passing the gang. Their eyes burn into my brothers and Eddie’s frame. All eyes except one pair. Henry Bowers, the leader, was staring right at me with a hateful stare. “Take a picture Bowers. It’s going to last longer.” He soffs rolling his eyes. Patrick Hockstetter attempts to step towards me with a determined glare, but Henry stops him muttering how “She’s a waste of time”.  

I push the boys out of sight from the gang and kiss both their heads. Eddie takes the peck generously, but wipes the germs off his head seconds later. Richie struggles against me, but that’s all the fun in it. “I’ll see you at the end of the day. Be good!” I pace myself skipping 2 steps at a time as i rush to my english class. My heels reach the entrance of the classroom right as the bell rings. Mr. Capaldi (Ca-pal-dee) eyes meet my figure and he smiles. “(Y/n). Glad you made it! Please take your seat.” He smiles at me softly.

“Why thank you Mr. Capaldi. Did you have a good morning?” I giggle and make my way to my seat. “As well as it can be. Having you in this class makes it worth the time.” He says in a dream enhanced state. I place my hand over my closed lips holding in a laugh.

Yes I completely understand some of the male teachers here in the school find me… Charming… but i would never use that to my advantage. At least not on purpose. It just seems to happen that way.

“Kiss ass.” I hear a voice call from under their breath. I turn around to see Henry. I look over to where his usual seat is and notice Victor Criss all alone looking half asleep. “Why are you sitting behind me Bowers? Feel the need to be closer to me? It’s quite a common thing.” I say completely ignoring his comment.

“Fag moved me for talking. Now i’m stuck here. Fucking sucks.” Henry huffs resting his head against his fist. I shrug and turn back around seeing as he’s no longer important.

After 20 minutes of class I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn to see Henry again. “What?” “Do you have a pencil?”

I rummage around in my bag making noticeable noise, but Mr. Capaldi didn’t say anything. “Here.” I toss the pencil over my shoulder at him. He fumbles but catches it in his hand.

Minutes pass and i feel another tap on my shoulder. “Pst… Hey Tozier. You get the last question?” “Yea it’s-” “MR. BOWERS!” Mr. Capaldi's loud voice breaks our whispering. “Are you talking in my class? Right after I moved you?” Henry throws his hands up in unbelief. “And when Tozier says anything you just turn your head.” Mr. Capaldi crosses his arms with a shocked look. “How dare you! I treat my students equally.” Henry rolls his eyes laughing. “Yea. Only when you want some of that tight pussy from Tozier.” I gasp and turn around with a pure pink flushed face.

Mr. Capaldi looks at Henry and points to the door without words. Henry listens shaking his head mumbling perv as he went by the teacher.

As the class winds down to an end my mind is still buzzing.

Why would he say that? Even if he does have an attraction to me  why would Bowers even care?

-

I walk out to my car seeing my girls leaning against it. “Hey it’s my lady friends! What’s cooking good looking?” Richie slides over reaching up to try and wrap one of his arms around Carly’s shoulders. “Aw Rich, how many times do I need to tell you?” “At least once more.” He begs. I shake my head and push him towards his door. “What are we doing tonight?” “Well Belch got some new strains from Patrick.” “Pizza, blaze, and sleep it is then.” All three of us laugh.

Now is probably a good time to explain. See in all my years since I can remember, I’ve had two best friends. Julie Huggins, and Carly Montgomery.

Julie Huggins is (you guessed it) Belch’s twin sister. Let me tell you they are FAR from similar. Carly is the smart popular pretty girl with money from daddy to spend on her shopping spree. Most people think she’s a brat, but we’re the two girls she’s managed to keep around. You see this is my gang compared to Bowers. The girl gang has got class, smarts, and looks while the Bowers gang is horrific and feared in the town of Derry.

Later in the night I pick Carly up and we arrive at Julie’s in no time. I knock on the door barely holding my stuff. The door swings open to reveal Belch’s face. He frowns and huffs. “Damn thanks for the homely welcome B.” I walk inside anyway and place my bags on the floor.

“Is that my girls?” Julie struts out with a bottle in hand. “Hey Jules. I thought we agreeed.” Belch points at us. “Hey I don’t know what he’s talking about, but I take offense!” I laugh and race up to meet the bottle in my friends hand.

“We agreed to what?” “The guys are coming over. You said you’d make sure you three would be far away.” Julie gestures up to her room with a smug smile. “And we will be. If we need anything I’ll be the one to come down and get it. You won’t even see us.”

“You’re saying both of us will be in the same house? In the same 40 foot radius?” “I’m not sure if that’s accurate, but yes.” Belch says with a small smile. “Ok.” I turn the bottle up and quickly drink the bringing liquid. “They’re not going to be here until 8 so in the meantime do you girls want to get blazed?” Blech pulls out a foil package and pulls out a blunt. “Oh save that kid stuff for the boys. I got something better.” I unzip my bag pulling out my water pipe with the glass contorting and looking like its knotted together. “Woah.” Belch places his blunt on the table and raises his hands up. “I’m down.” Everyone else shrugs and laughs as we begin the smoke sesh.

20 minutes later we’re all laugh our asses off and going crazy with jokes. Belch hits his knee laughing extremely hard. “See look! It’s a smile! I knew you liked me! You’re my brother too now!” I move myself between Belch and Julie smiling at them. “Gosh I wish Henry didn’t hate you.” I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. “Why’s that?” “Because you’re awesome. If we all hung out it would be great! Plus you girls would make our reputation better. We wouldn’t get banned from places in town if you were with us!”

As the silence dies a open my mouth. “Why does Henry hate me so much?” “I’m not sure. One day he saw you talking to Danny Motreat and got all worked up. Started saying you were a whore and saying all these things about you. Said you were pregnant by some older guy.”

“THAT’S WHO STARTED THAT? I got asked my whole 8th grade year what I was going to name the baby.” Why would he do that? I was just a kid! Why so sudden? A knock on the door rings out and the three of us girls hop up and make our way to Julie’s room.

[papipopsicle]

DISCO INFERNO

Pairing: Billy Hargrove X Reader

Genre: fluff, v v slight angst

Summary: In which the usual basketball practice is cancelled, and Billy is surprisingly happy when he finds out why.

Warnings: swearing, mentions of abusive parents, racist father, Steve being a shitty friend.

Words: 3K

feedback is always appreciated

"I actually hate you."

"Love you too." Y/N replied and rolled her eyes as the brunette she called her best friend practically threw his lunch tray against the table top. Nancy jumped at the noise, her wide eyes bouncing from the two then back to Jonathan's hand in hers under the table. "Mind telling me what's made you harbour such strong feelings towards me?"

"You just had to steal the gym on the one day we play basketball, didn't you?" Steve huffed, sending the girl a playful look of annoyance. In all honesty he really didn't mind, it meant he'd have a couple hours free to catch up on an essay due earlier today.

"It's not my fault the school is cheap and the studio now has a crater in the roof from the storm." Y/N pulled at the sleeves of her baby pink bomber jacket and shivered at the thought of leaving the warm confines of Hawkins High School, "Maybe it's a sign that you should join, Stevie, we're always looking to diversify the group with more male dancers."

"Fuck off." The boy shoved Y/N's shoulder lightly with his and the four carried on eating like normal. They were an unlikely group of friends, an ex-flame and ex-friendship turned into a new flame and a new friendship.

The day droned on as it always did and the final bell sounded throughout the building. Kids eagerly ran to their lockers and out the large entrance unable to stay in school for a moment more than necessary, but for Y/N, her day was only just starting. She weaved through the crowds, going against the current and deeper into the school until she found herself in the girl's locker room. Y/N greeted the other girls already there and quickly changed into a pair of pink leggings and a baggy black top, throwing her Hawkins High sweatshirt on top. She tied her y/h/c hair into a ponytail and double knitted her trainer's laces before making her way to the gym.

"Training's cancelled today, Hargrove." Montgomery shouted down the corridor, watching as his friend paused his movements and turned around, "Dancers are taking over until they fix the roof."

"That's bull." Billy groaned, his hand running through his long hair in annoyance. Basketball meant not needing to be a chauffeur for Max and not having his father on his back for another couple hours. Of course he had P.E tomorrow but that didn't make a difference.

Monty shrugged, "Its not like we can do anything, the Principal basically licks Y/L/N's arse for fun."

That stifled Billy. He'd slept with half of the cheer squad by week two in Hawkins. There wasn't a girl in his year he didn't at least know the name of, not that he ever used their name. "Y/L/N?" He asked casually, intrigued by the idea of fresh meat.

"Harrington's girl, Y/N. C'mon, you've seen that ass." The boy joked with a smirk, but when Billy simply knitted his eyebrows together, Montgomery hit the boy's chest out of shock and began walking towards the gym dragging him behind, "Mate, you're about to owe me big time."

The two athletes snuck into the bleachers undetected and as soon as Monty pointed her out as the girl leading the group warm up session, Billy's heart sped up. Of course he recognised her, but he didn't like the reasoning behind it. Sure, she had an amazing body, one the boy next to him clearly enjoyed jerking off to, but it was always tucked safely under Steve's arm in the halls. He was her own personal bodyguard. Billy's memory was still fuzzy from the events at the Byers' house three months ago, but Y/N was vividly part of that disjointed memory.

She demonstrated a host of stretches for the group to mirror as 'Immigrant Song' blasted through the large gymnasium. Both boys were in a trance at that moment and completely forgot that they couldn't play basketball, almost happy about it. Billy found himself in awe at the pure joy lacing the smile on Y/N's face in that moment, like nothing else mattered to her other than living in the moment. The girl dropped into the splits and that's when Billy lost it, his heart racing a million miles an hour at her confidence and finesse.

Montgomery shook his head and patted Billy's shoulder with a chuckle, "I bet she's so fucking dirty when Harrington isn't around to keep her in line, you know, daddy issues, that kind of shit."

The boy kept talking but Billy zoned out, not caring for his remarks. He hadn't even noticed Monty's disappearance for another half an hour after that. It may not have seemed like it, but the blond really was trying to change his ways one step at a time, one of those steps being not talking about or treating women like pieces of meat. It was a work in progress, but Y/N wasn't going to be a step back.

He stayed for the next two hours, sat on the uncomfortable wooden benches in the bleachers, completely mesmerised by the way Y/N moved with so much fluidity and grace. Only towards the end of the session after perfecting the new routine had Y/N burst her little dance bubble long enough to notice Billy. She sent him a warm smile, one he was sure he didn't deserve after what she must have seen at the Byers house, but he didn't think twice before returning it.

The music was all deafening disco apart from the odd Led Zeppelin, Scorpions or Metallica song standing out like garish yellow highlighter on a pristine white page of notes. Billy enjoyed it those though, humming along and forcing himself to hide the grin that tugged at the corners of his lips as he noticed Y/N singing along too. She winked at him and slid to her knees, fully committing to the worlds most embarrassing yet incredible air-guitar solo. Y/N giggled and began the usual end speech encouraging everyone to carry on with as much enthusiasm and all that bullshit.

When she had gathered all her belongings and turned off the stereo, Y/N turned back to the bleachers in hope of seeing Billy still sat there, but he'd somehow left as secretively as he came. She pouted but quickly stopped her mind from going down that route before it even had the chance.

Instead of getting changed back into her earlier clothes, Y/N shoved them into her gym bag and left the girls locker room in search of her ride. It was hailing heavily outside, the small pieces of ice beating at the building's roof and just as she peered out of the window into the car park, lightning struck, thunder following seconds later. Y/N jumped, always skittish in storms. She couldn't see Steve's signature car in its usual spot, even in this weather she'd know his car from anyone's. Surely he wouldn't have left her without at least saying, especially in this weather. But minutes passed and there was no sign of the BMW anywhere.

Y/N groaned and whimpered at the thought of walking in the torrential rain, why had she let Steve convince her into giving her a lift instead of taking her motorbike? At least then she'd get home quicker. Scouring the car park for any other viable options, she noticed Billy's car and honestly couldn't choose which was worse; walking half an hour in this weather and probably dying from the worst cold in history, or asking Billy for a lift. She'd take a hailstorm over his reckless driving any day.

Billy Hargrove was damaged, Y/N didn't know exactly what he'd been through, but it wasn't pleasant. He had now real regard for his own life anymore, let alone other people.

It took a few seconds to gather enough courage to exit the school, and by the time she had, she was soaked to the bone immediately. Y/N heard her name being called over the rain and soon a large black jacket was held above her head as a makeshift umbrella. It was a leather jacket to be exact, Billy's leather jacket. She looked up at him in confusion and was quickly pulled back into the school's foyer.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Billy asked rhetorically and put his jacket over her shoulders in attempts to bring her some warmth, but it only shrouded the girl in his scent. She didn't take any notice of his harsh tone, and instead pulled her hair out of the jackets collar as he continued ranting loudly, "Do you know how dumb it is to walk in this, Y/L/N? You'll freeze before you get home. Harrington will blame himself if you die and then he'll blame me if he finds out I let you walk home in this. I don't need him badgering me about your death for the rest of my life, so, let me drive you home?"

It was more of a request than a question, but either way Y/N had a snarky response lined up as she pulled the jacket closer to her frame, "I'd rather be hit by your car than let you drive me in it, love."

"Fine." Billy's voice came out in a low grumble and he took a step towards the girl, now only centimetres between them, "You can drive."

Y/N's mouth gasped open in shock, Billy was emotionally attached to his car, it was the closest thing he had to a functioning relationship. She didn't know whether it was appropriate to laugh or not, but when he held his keys out on front of her face for her to catch, Y/N raised her eyebrows, "Wait, you're being serious?"

He shrugged with a carefree smirk plastered across his face, jangling the keys a little, "Just take the damn keys before I realise how stupid this is."

"Excuse you, I'm an excellent driver, your baby is in good hands." Y/N smiled widely, one that made the dormant butterflies in Billy's stomach flutter about and do somersaults.

She pinched the metal key ring before he had the chance to retract it, and skipped gleefully over to the double doors. The girl turned back to see him still stood in the exact same position mulling over whether this was a good decision or not. "Hargrove." Y/N huffed out.

He sighed and finally came back to reality, zoning in on the y/h/c girl to find her intently watching him with a small smirk playing at her lips, "If you land even one fucking mark on the paint job, you're dead, got it?"

Y/N looked up at him, now standing right beside her in front of the doors, wide eyes acting startled by the words before crinkling as she let out an obnoxiously loud giggle, almost snorting, "Ouh, I'm so scared. Three, two, one, run!"

The girl sprinted out of the double doors quicker than the last flash of lightning, using Billy's jacket as a hood while unlocking the Camaro in haste, throwing her bags in the back and starting the engine. Billy soon joined her, his hair sopping and shirt stuck to his chest in just a few seconds.

He was about to ask her what was taking so long to start driving, considering pushing herself into the back seat and driving himself, but Billy turned from frustrated to weirdly warm and fuzzy as he watched the girl slip her arms into his jacket. It didn't fit her well, swamping her small frame and looking bulky over her sweatshirt, but somehow it was still an adorable sight.

The rain and hail beat against the roof constantly, filling any space for conversation, but he still put the radio on in case the air became too silent. Surprisingly, she hummed along to the Mötley Crüe song and drummed her fingers against the steering wheel while leaving the school car park. He noticed she was hesitant, which was pretty standard considering the weather.

Neither teenager tried to make conversation, and his eyes trailed across the exposed skin of her hands after a couple minutes of staring out the window. A few white lines mirroring gashes and wounds littered her flesh, and he wondered what the cause of such scattered scars might have been. He stopped starring like a crazy person and focused on the way she handled his car with so much care and affection, finding it oddly endearing.

But soon Y/N had pulled into her driveway and cut the engine. She turned to him and sent the boy a small yet warm smile, "Thanks for not driving me."

He shook his head with a chuckle, suddenly so self aware of the situation. A pretty girl was in his car, wearing his leather jacket, looking up at him with 'fuck me' eyes. It was a circus act at this point, trying to do something nice but ending up in the same place, well not always the same place physically- the backseat most times, rarely their bed, and never his. Billy leaned closer, his breath hot against Y/N's cool skin, and just as his lips were about to touch hers, the girl jerked back just realising what was happening.

She looked up at him sincerely, placing her hand over his on the centre console, "Don't kiss me. You let me drive your car home from school, this isn't the end to some elaborate date."

Y/N moved to get her bags from the backseats, only to have Billy cut off her movements, "You drove me home, didn't you?"

The question sounded a little strange at first, but the girl registered what he meant and bit the inside of her cheek before nodding, "A lot happened that night, a lot that can't be changed or taken back. Not that I've made it clear, but I have a bit of a soft spot for you, Hargrove. You've done a lot of unforgivable things, you know that, I'm not going to lecture you. But I understand why you did them." Y/N didn't know whether to carry on, she didn't want to leave the car but evidently this was a heavy conversation and a rather uncomfortable one at that.

She unclasped the seatbelt and turned to face the boy with a warm expression, "The only boy I've ever brought home, Nathan, he was the sweetest human on the planet. Considering we were fifteen, he treated me like a princess, always buying me little gifts and taking me on adventures. But my dad couldn't see past the colour of his skin, and then he decided to throw the entire twelve piece set of china-wear at me until I promised not to see him ever again. If I'm right, our dads are pretty similar in that regard. I get you don't want that to happen to Max, that it was your personal way of protecting her. It doesn't excuse anything you've done, not in the slightest, but I understand."

Silence enveloped the car and Y/N dared to look up at Billy, finding his facade of egotistical male dominance shattered. She didn't brush aside his problems, but didn't treat him with kid gloves either, he didn't know how to respond but he was still just as in awe of the girl in front of him now, a few escaped tears trickling down her soft cheeks, as he was with the confident dancer.

She cleared her throat and sent him one last smile, lighting his insides into an inferno like a match, and Y/N reached for the door handle. Billy tugged her back physically this time, holding her so tightly with so much hidden emotion in the embrace. She burrowed into the crook of his neck and hugged him back with everything in her, hoping he'd somehow realise he wasn't alone on this road of tragedy.

"If I'm not at school, I'm usually here." Y/N pointed towards the house, lingering close to Billy still, "I know I'm not much, but I can distract you from how shitty life is and the inevitability of death if you ever want me to." She giggled, her tone light as a feather but her words heavy with meaning.

"Or if you ever want your jacket back." She winked, wrapping the leather garment around her figure tightly and getting out of the car. Billy slid into the drivers seat and watched in amusement as she fumbled with her keys and entered the house, only after looking back with a dazzling smile and another wink. The door shut quickly to keep the house warm and then boy pulled away from the driveway, wondering how this girl had entered his heart so quickly and when exactly she'd be the death of him.

Y/N skidded through the house with a less than happy demeanour, hitting the number two key on the house phone and hearing two rings before someone picked up, "Hello?" She greeted through gritted teeth, needing to know which family member was on the other end.

There was some indistinct shouting before her best friend finally answered, "Y/N/N? Oh thank go-"

"Where the fuck did you go, Harrington?" She seethed, it might have turned out okay for her in the end but that didn't excuse the shittiness of Steve's actions. He didn't know Billy let her drive, and she was going to have fun making him work to get that apology accepted.

"Please don't hate me, but I gave Nancy a lift."

[kingkeerys]

the art of chasing ♔ billy hargrove

concept: steve has a female best friend and billy has taken it upon himself to flirt with her just to piss steve off. that’s it. that’s the plot.

a/n: i don’t know where this came from. it just sort of happened. it’s not really an imagine bc i don’t like writing in second person or even first person, hence the reason the girl actually has a name. but i guess it can classify as one. i’ll be glad to write more if people enjoy it. also just a disclaimer, i don’t condone billy’s behavior in the show. i know he’s an asshole. but i do love dacre montgomery, so. this happened. also this has no timeframe, it’s just basically taking place randomly in season 2. each scenario is numbered separately that way i can write however many i want whenever i want. sound good?~~

just a young gun with a quick fuse,

i was uptight, wanna let loose.

i was dreamin’ of bigger things and

wanna leave my old life behind.

#1

“’Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit…’” he reiterated in a high-pitched rendition of Nancy Wheeler’s voice.

Annie’s eyebrows rose as she replaced a few things in her locker.

“Ouch,” she said, frowning a bit. “Are you sure she knew what she was talking about? I mean, she was drunk. She might not have even heard what you said. Drunk people usually don’t.”

Steve Harrington gave her a dubious look as he leaned against the locker next to hers. He inclined his head, a strand of brown hair falling down over his forehead.

“She knew,” he said. “She heard me loud and clear. Good to know the last year has been nothing but bullshit to her.”

“I mean, she has been through a lot,” Annie reluctantly added, closing her locker with a sigh. “With her brother’s friend and then Barbara. You said it yourself, she’s been distant lately ever since her friend was declared… well, you know. It’s probably just stress.”

“I thought you hated Nancy,” Steve squinted over at her, as if betrayed that she was suddenly taking his girlfriend’s – ex-girlfriend’s? – side for once. “And now you’re defending her?”

“I don’t… hate her,” Annie disagreed carefully.

It was mostly the truth. Annie had a hard time hating anyone but if there was a person that came close to it, it was Nancy Wheeler.

She never understood the hype around the girl. Sure, she was pretty with a bright pair of blue doe eyes and she didn’t seem stupid considering her grades, but Annie never saw the appeal. She became exasperated when Steve started to chase after her the year prior and she tried to be the pliant, accepting best friend whenever Nancy was around for his sake, but that was as far as it went. Nancy seemed like a very two-dimensional person - almost artificial but not completely fake, like she tried to be a good person but it was for all the wrong reasons.

Not that Annie had any right to judge considering she’d only spoken about ten words to the girl. She couldn’t even pretend like she knew her personally so her judgement was all speculation at this point, and Nancy had never been directly rude to her whenever Steve had her around.

She did feel bad when her friend Barbara went missing though because, unlike Nancy, Barbara had been very approachable and kind. And it was clear that her disappearance really struck a chord in Nancy, causing her to go off the rails a bit and act slightly less goodie-two-shoes than usual. Again, not something Annie could judge since she was a bit of a goodie-two-shoes herself, but it was still a change worth noting.

Annie assumed Nancy’s situation with Barbara would be the equivalent to Steve going missing. If she lost him she didn’t know what she’d do. It made her sick to her stomach just thinking about it.

So no, she didn’t hate Nancy. But she didn’t like her either.

“And I’m not defending her,” Annie continued, pulling herself back into the present. “I’m just trying to see the story from both sides. But I’m sorry she said that to you,” Annie gave him a sympathetic look.

Steve heaved a deep sigh and turned to where his back was against the locker. He tilted his head back, his head hitting dully against the metal door.

“It’s just stupid. Things weren’t this complicated last year.”

“I know what you mean,” Annie nodded, reflecting on the past couple of months. “Ever since Will Byers went missing it’s like there’s been this chain reaction. Everything’s just been… weird.”

Steve snorted. “You have no idea.”

Annie glanced over at him. “What are you going to do?”

Steve mutely shook his head. Annie immediately understood what that mean. I have no idea.

She opened her mouth to say something else, maybe give him a confidence boost or talk negatively about Nancy to make him feel better, when loud laughter stopped her short.

She peered around Steve and spotted one of the banes of his existence prowling down the hallway with a bounce in their step. The boy’s snakelike grin stretched wide across his face the second his eyes found Steve’s miserable form and Annie felt dread pool in her gut at what might transpire.

“Why the long face, Harrington?” he mocked, the boys behind him muffling their laughter into closed fists. “Couldn’t get it up her skirt last night? Too much bullshit to satisfy the missus?”

Steve’s jaw clenched at the backhanded comment.

Annie placed a hand on his arm, quietly hoping he wouldn’t take the bait. Thankfully he kept his mouth shut, though his eyes were sharp as daggers.

The boy guffawed at Steve’s cold look before he turned his attention to Annie as he passed by them.

“Hey there, cutie,” he winked, flashing her a dazzling smile full of white teeth and Annie stiffened, her insides feeling hot. That was new. He’d never acknowledged her before on any of his other verbal attacks at Steve.

Steve must’ve noticed this too for his posture straightened and he kicked away from the locker, his shoulders squared as he stared the boy down, mentally debating with himself whether he wanted to instigate a fight or not. His glare didn’t go unnoticed and the boy laughed loudly again, covering his mouth with a bejeweled hand in callous mockery before him and his posse disappeared around the corner in all their denim-clad glory.

Annie released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and she glanced over at Steve who was still staring in the direction the boy had disappeared in. It was obvious his feathers had been rustled, no doubt the boy’s intentions from the get-go.

Annie patted his arm and his shoulders slowly lost their tension.

“He’s such an asshole,” said Steve sourly.

Billy Hargrove certainly was an asshole.

He tormented others for his own personal enjoyment and more often than not Steve was on the receiving end of it. Annie couldn’t think of two people that were more opposite than Steve and Billy. They were night and day personified and that was probably one of the reasons why Billy felt the need to make Steve’s life a living hell. That and the fact that he just could.

There were few things Billy didn’t get away with, which was irritating to Annie. If there was one thing she hated more than people breaking the rules, it was people who allowed those rules to be broken.

Billy was a boy of average height and stocky build with blonde hair that fell just below his neck in an unkempt sort of way that could only be described as deliberate. His trademark was his acid-washed denim jacket and sun-kissed skin that had spent years under the California rays.

That was probably one of the reasons most of the girls at Hawkins High were enamored by him. A west coast boy with above average looks and a devil-may-care attitude to boot? They couldn’t get enough of him. Another factor that seemed to piss Steve off to no end. A very small portion of that could be jealousy, Annie deduced. Being envious of the same sex’s appearance wasn’t limited to only girls. But mostly she knew he was just baffled by all the attention he got.

Because Billy was an asshole.

“I know,” Annie said calmly, shaking off her jitters. “He’s just trying to get under your skin. I wouldn’t worry about him.”

“Hard not to,” Steve countered. “He’s fucking everywhere.”

The bell rang and Annie tugged on the crook of Steve’s arm with an encouraging smile.

“C’mon, let’s go to class. We can get ice cream after.”

Steve let her lead him down the hall with a reluctant half-smile and for the moment Billy Hargrove and Nancy Wheeler were only distant worries.

* * *

not a yes sir, not a follower

fit the box, fit the mold

have a seat in the foyer

take a number

i was lightning before the thunder.

#2

“Did you do the math homework?”

“Is that even a question, Steve?”

Steve grinned despite himself.

“Overachiever,” he said fondly. Annie laughed as she moved forward in the lunch line and grabbed a clean tray from the pile.

“’Overachiever’ doesn’t mean someone who does work that’s required of them,” she said humorously. “That’s just a basic achiever.”

“Whatever,” Steve brushed her comment off, though his eyes were sparkling. He grabbed a tray of his own and placed it on the counter, sliding down the line as he gazed down at the steaming food with a scrunched nose. “What is this?”

“Pork I think,” Annie surveyed the heaping pile of brown goo in front of them with trepidation. Did pork usually have that much gravy?

“Beef stew,” one of the lunch ladies glowered at Annie, insulted with her assumption. Annie flushed and she heard Steve snicker next to her. The woman held a spoonful of the liquid up in question and Annie tried to smile through her embarrassed cringe.

“I’m a vegetarian,” she lied, trying to sound polite.

The woman rolled her eyes and grunted before slapping the chunky serving onto Steve’s plate instead. He grimaced but quickly covered it up with an overzealous smile that made Annie want to laugh too.

They continued moving down the line, holding their plates out for various side dishes that were offered to them.

“So, about that math homework,” Steve prompted as they neared the register, flashing his brown eyes at her. Annie pursed her lips at her best friend but ultimately caved, shoulders slumping.

“Fine, you can copy it,” she relented, trying and failing to sound disapproving. She lifted a finger. “But just this once. Maybe you should look into finding a tutor.”

“I hear you’re free,” Steve suggested with a mischievous grin.

“Suddenly my schedule’s all booked up,” Annie retorted. Steve huffed a laugh through his nose. “Aw man,” Annie frowned, eyes scanning the refrigerated shelves in front of her. “They don’t have any more oranges.”

“Health freak,” Steve quipped.

“Says the athlete with the low carb diet,” she fired right back. Steve stuck his tongue out at her.

Annie grinned to herself. He was in much higher spirits lately despite the continued rockiness of his and Nancy’s relationship, or lack thereof. She was relieved to see his chipper side returning, stewing silently in his renowned energy. She wasn’t sure but she had a theory that him spending more time with the kids – Dustin, Caleb, and Nancy’s younger brother, Mike – were the root cause of his improved mood.

“Does this look low carb to you?” he motioned to the vile brown liquid seeping into his side of macaroni.

“That doesn’t look like anything edible,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I should’ve packed my lunch today. I really wish they had oranges. I wanted an orange.”

“I’ll buy you an orange later to make up for the homework,” Steve said, sounding both exasperated and amused. Annie smiled proudly.

She was getting ready to be next at the register and she got her money ready to hand to the lady waiting, only to feel someone saddle up next to her and ultimately cut her in line.

A scowl pulled at Annie’s brow and she opened her mouth to retaliate, only to have the objections die in her throat at the sight of who it was that cut her.

Billy Hargrove was smiling at the lunch lady, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he marched himself to the front of the line with no disregard for courtesy. Her eyes flitted downward and her scowl deepened. He had an orange in his hand.

Whilst Annie remained stubbornly quiet, Steve had no reserves and he glared venomously at the curly-haired boy.

“Hey,” he snapped, leaning around Annie to get a view of the boy. “Get to the back of the line, man.”

“I’m sorry, do you hear something?” Billy asked, apparently to the lunch lady as his gaze didn’t waver from hers, tapping his ear in false curiosity. “It’s like this weird buzzing sound.”

“Nice one, dipshit,” Steve retorted. “Real mature.”

“Language,” the woman admonished without much heat. Steve gave her a slack-jawed look.

“Sorry, ma’am, I just wanted to let you know that I can’t pay today,” Billy said, voice pleasant. The act was so convincing that Annie could almost believe he wasn’t a terror to be around. The woman narrowed her eyes at him, obviously displeased.

“This is the third time this week, Billy.”

“I know. I just need one more day. I’m only getting this,” he held the orange up. He smiled charmingly again. “Please?”

His blue eyes glittered like the ocean and apparently not even the older women could resist his rugged allure. She sighed in defeat.

“Alright, tomorrow then.”

“Thank you, ma’am. I sure do appreciate it,” he gave her one last winning smile before turning to face Steve. The once amiable, school b0y smile transformed into something more poisonous. Steve held his ground, accepting the stare-off and Annie glanced between the two of them warily, once again afraid of all the potential fights that could ensue, but Billy broke the gaze before any of them could play out. He looked down at her and smirked easily, outstretching the orange. “Here, sweetheart.”

Annie stared at the orange for a full five seconds before cautiously accepting it. Billy bestowed her with another wink and his eyes flashed sharply up at Steve whose glare could melt skin before he turned on his heel and waltzed off, ever the image of satisfaction and arrogance. The intense musk of his cologne hit Annie on the back end and for a second she couldn’t think straight, only able to shake herself out of her stupor when Steve sniffed next to her.

“He’s doing this on purpose,” Steve muttered, eyes dark and murderous. “He’s fucking with you to fuck with me. Asshole.”

“Language, Mister Harrington.”

Annie quickly handed the woman her money when the woman prompted her with an impatient look. She waited for Steve to pay for his food and then followed him to a nearby table that didn’t have any other students. They sat down across from one another and Annie realized Steve’s mood had turned sour from the encounter.

“Fucking Billy,” he glanced over his shoulder across the room and spotted Nancy sitting closely with Jonathan Byers, murmuring conspiratorially to him and sitting closer than necessary. He turned back around. “Fucking Nancy.”

“I’m sorry, Steve,” Annie said for lack of anything better. She stared down at the orange, turning it over in her hands.

Weird.

[sweetvengeancee]

My champion (Zach Dempsey x Reader)

Warnings : Sad Zach, make out sesh, (mentions of sex ?), also English is still not my native language. Word count: 2283.

A/N: I posted my first imagine a few days ago (about my love, Montgomery, you can read it here) and you guys were just so nice, I received so many kind comments. I know I said it would be my first and last imagine, but I decided to continue writing. I hope you all like this one too xx.

Looking up at the clock, Zach sighed. They had less than fifteen seconds to go, and were ten points behind the other team. There was no way on earth that they could win this time. He turned his attention back to the game, watching as Justin ran towards the basket while dribbling the ball. The crowd cheered as he scored, giving the boys hope to continue the match. The bleachers were filled with cheering teenagers and some parents who came to see their sons play. Most of them were from Liberty High, as they were playing there, but a good third were supporters of the other team. Liberty High managed to score once more before the horn went off, signalling the end of the game. But it wasn’t enough.

Zach groaned, crouching down and letting his head fall into his open hands. Someone tapped his back in a comforting manner, probably Justin, be he did not look up. Instead, he stayed there, with his head hanging low, trying to catch his breath after the intense game. The season has just started and it was the very first match they lost, so he knew it wasn’t the end of the world. But God, was it frustrating. Zach hated losing, failing. He hated when his team would lose a game, he hated when he would fail a test. It did not only make him feel like a failure, but also a disappointment. A disappointment to his friends, to his family, to his girlfriend.

Loud laughs and screams from the other team filled the emptying gymnasium as they celebrated their victory. Zach could hear a few boys snickering as they passed him, heading to the locker room, but he decided to ignore it. He wasn’t one to pick fights.

Y/N stood on the bleachers, her eyes focused on her boyfriend who was still crouching in the middle of the hall. Her heart ached at how defeated he looked at that moment. She knew that Zach would beat himself up, he always did even though she had told him times and times again that it wasn’t his fault; that their team couldn’t win every single game and that the most important thing was to give their best. All she wanted to do was to run up to him and hug him, hold him close to her and rub his back, whispering that they’ll do better next time. But she knew better than to do just that. Y/N knew that Zach needed time after a defeat, so she decided to give it to him. She waited as the gymnasium emptied itself, and then left herself. She decided to wait for her boyfriend and their friends in the parking lot, near Zach’s car.

Jessica and Justin got there first, making their way over Y/N holding hands. Y/N smiled at them and embraced them quickly. She could tell that Justin wasn’t happy with himself either. His eyebrows were in a permanent frown and his lips in a thin line. He was trying not to show how crushed he was, but Y/N had known him for over five years and knew him all too well.

“We’re going to hang out at Bryce’s with the others, you wanna join?” Jessica asked, intertwining her fingers with her boyfriend’s. Y/N thought about the offer, it wouldn’t be too bad, right? Usually they had parties at Bryce’s place after the Tigers won a game, but a get together with a few friends might actually cheer her boyfriend up. She was going to accept and say that they’ll be there in a few, until she saw Zach exiting the high school building.

“Uh, I think we will pass this time. But you have fun, guys.” She patted Justin’s shoulder and hugged Jess again before the couple left, heading to Jess’s car. One look at her boyfriend was enough for her to know that he wasn’t in a partying mood tonight. His eyes missed their usual spark, his grip on his sports bag was so tight his knuckles turned white. Zach took his time making his way over to his girlfriend, his steps long but slow.

“Hey there.” Y/N said softly, putting her arms around his neck and embracing him tightly once he was standing right in front of her. Zach’s head landed on her shoulder and she could feel him let out a long sigh. Her brows furrowed and she bit her bottom lip in concern, pulling away from him as he didn’t hug her back and looked straight into his chocolate brown eyes, waiting for an answer.

“What are you still doing here?” He mumbled, making eye contact for the first time since the end of the game. He didn’t mean to sound rude, though, and she knew it. He was sad and probably a bit ashamed. The boys had spent so much time practicing for this match, as they knew that the team they were playing against was really good. But it was all for nothing, or at least that’s what he thought.

 “Waiting for you.” Y/N said, taking his sports bag from him and putting it in his car’s trunk, ignoring his eye roll.

“I want to be alone, Y/N.” Zach pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched his girlfriend. She turned around to face him, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“No, you don’t.” She took a step toward him, putting her hands on his chest. “You always say you do, but you don’t.” It was true, he knew it. He’d always push her away when he felt like this, but he’d run back to her only a couple of hours later because she was the only one who could make him feel better. A small smile appeared on his face, which made Y/N let out a sigh of relief before she continued. “So, how about we go to Rosie’s, then head back to my place?” She questioned, her eyes sprinkling with hope. Y/N’s enthusiastic expression made Zach’s heart melt. He chuckled as she got on her tiptoes to press her lips to his for a quick but sweet kiss and she knew that he couldn’t resist her now.

“Fine.” Zach put his hands on her hips as she pulled away and leaned in for another kiss, making her giggle. It was crazy how much calmer he was already. Minutes ago he was planning to go home, give the punching ball that he had installed in the basement a few hits, and go to bed – ready to forget about this awful evening. But now all he wanted was to cuddle his girlfriend the whole night while eating some take out from Rosie’s.

Pushing her hair behind her ears, Y/N made her way to the passenger seat, immediately plugging her phone to the radio and blasting her favourite song of the moment. Zach shook his head in amusement, a smirk playing on his lips at the sight of his girl singing along to the music. He started the engine and drove off, soon joining her as they both sang at the top of their lungs. As the couple approached the little restaurant, Y/N was a giggling mess. She looked at her boyfriend as he tried to rap along an Eminem song. He was doing great at first, but then the pace accelerated and she couldn’t hold her laugh in anymore. Y/N unplugged the device from the radio as Zach parked the car, her Y/E/C still looking at him lovingly.

She couldn’t believe that she actually had him. After all these years of crushing on him, he was finally hers. Zach Dempsey was one of the kindest guys at Liberty High, with no doubt. He was everything she has ever wanted, and more. Smart, charming, funny, and extremely good looking. He made her feel things she had never felt before. She felt safe, loved and cherished. She felt like the luckiest girl on the entire planet with him. Y/N didn’t understand what Zach was doing with a simple girl like her, but she wasn’t going to complain, right?

“Let’s go.” Zach’s soft voice brought her back to reality. He winked at her and gave her his famous smile, making her blush before getting out of the car and opening the passenger door for her. Y/N bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to stop herself from laughing, but cracked a big smile at him nonetheless.

Taking her fragile hand in his significantly larger one, the brown-haired boy led his girlfriend to the little restaurant. They sat in their usual booth at the back as they waited for their order.

“We really sucked, huh?” Zach whispered, his mood suddenly changing from joyful to defeated once again. This wasn’t a surprise to Y/N though, she knew that cheering him up wasn’t going to be an easy task. She sighed, placing her hands on his across the table. She gave them a quick squeeze and a sent a reassuring smile in his direction.

“You didn’t. You were all great. You, Justin, all of you!” She was hoping to get a reaction out of him, a smile, a hum, a simple nod would have sufficed – but she got none of that. Instead, Zach was just staring at their hands as Y/N started drawing circles on them with her thumbs in a soothing manner. “Babe, look at me.” She demanded and he slowly obliged.

“We fucked up, that’s all.” He mumbled stubbornly, making Y/N scoff, which caused him to quirk an eyebrow at her.

“You lost the game, yes. But it’s not a big deal. You were good, but the other team was good too. You’ll do better next time. Stop beating yourself up. You’re always going to be my champion.” Zach nodded at her words, smiling as the word champion left her mouth. She would always call him that, whether they won or not. “Now let’s go home.” She said as the waiter brought two plastic bags filled with food to their table. Zach paid for the order before Y/N could even take her wallet out of her pocket, making her groan and him chuckle. They made their way out hand in hand, quickly getting into Zach’s car and driving to Y/N’s house.

Y/N’s parents adored her boyfriend, so they did not mind him spending time at their house. Her mother was so fond of the young boy, always telling her daughter that she should hold him. It took a bit more for her father to appreciate him, but after three months of them dating he understood that Zach’s intentions were good.

Making their way upstairs, Zach and Y/N waved to her parents who were sitting in the living room, watching a movie. Y/N shook her head at her mother, who was about to say something, probably ask how the game went. Her mother shoot her a knowing smile while nodding, then turned back to the TV.

Zach climbed onto Y/N’s bed after putting the take out on her desk. He watched as his girlfriend made her way over to him, lying down next to him and cuddling into his side.

 “So… Movie?” Y/N asked, her hand moving up to his chest as his arm made its way around her waist. Zach pressed his lips to her forehead, making her hum and snuggle closer to him. He cupped her face with his hand gently, tilting it up so he could kiss her properly.

 “Thank you so much for everything, babe.” He mumbled against her lips before kissing her again, but this time more forcefully, totally ignoring her question. Y/N internally rolled her eyes, but did not complain. In fact, she pulled him closer to her by his neck, deepening the kiss as she slipped her tongue into his mouth, making him groan. Zach swiftly moved them so he was hovering over her, his arms on either side of her body. Y/N’s fingers played with the little hairs at the base of his neck, which she knew was going to drive him crazy. She couldn’t help but giggle as Zach rolled his hips into hers, again and again.

 “What are you laughing at?” He broke the kiss, looking up at him with eyes filled with lust. Y/N bit her bottom lip at his appearance. His pupils dilated, his hair messy and his lips swollen from her kisses. She wanted to do so many things to him, but she knew she couldn’t. Not with her parents awake downstairs.

  “You know we can’t do that.” She said softly, her lips brushing against his. Zach groaned, his head falling into the crook of her neck, leaving a few kisses there. Once again, she was right. Y/N’s parents might be accepting of their relationship, but he knew they should not push things too far. The girl kissed his temple, her hands running up and down his back as they laid there for a few more seconds, just enjoying each other’s company.

“We should eat, the food is getting cold.” She pushed him off of her softly and got up to take the bags from the desk, bringing them to her bed. Zach was still lying there, facing the celling. “Come on, we can eat, watch a movie and then when they’re asleep, maybe…” She did not finish the sentence, she did not need to. The boy’s eyes widened, full of hope and lust once again. He smirked at her, making her roll her eyes as he moved to sit next to her. He smiled to himself, pecking her lips one more time. He couldn’t wait to see where the night was going to take them.

The end was terrible, I’m really sorry about that. This whole thing is a flop tbh.

Tagging @xbarrjallenx, @ans-atkins, @arch1eandrews (cause you’re total Ross trash hun)

I actually have a few ideas for another Monty imagine, a Justin one and a Jeff one, but I don’t know if I should write them?? Anyways, let me know if you’d like that!

[multifandomfreakshow]

Second-Hand Apology (Zach DempseyxFem!Reader)

Okay so, don’t hate me for this. But I started watching 13 Reasons Why, and I fell in love with Zach Dempsey fast & hard. Naturally, I started thinking about him. Then I started writing about him in a reader insert kinda way.... and now I have an actual fic. Because I’m in love with him. It isn’t as long as the other one’s I’ve written, but I had to get it out of my system. SO HERE IT IS KIDDIES I LOVE ZACH DEMPSEY AND IM NOT SORRY ABOUT IT. 

Let me know if y’all like it and want more 13 Reasons Why fics!

This fic is rated SFW!

Trigger Warnings: Sexual objectivity/ Sexual Harassment/ Bullying )

You felt nauseous.

Ever since yesterday afternoon, when you’d caught wind of a “Hot or Not” list about the girls in your grade. And you heard somewhere you were on it.

The following afternoon, when you saw just about every guy in the sophomore class crowded around Alex Standall’s locker, you felt like any minute you’d keel over and hurl. And when you decided to see what all the fuss was about, just about every guy let out a wolf whistle when they saw you, obviously staring you up and down. 

You felt a sour taste in your mouth over just how uncomfortable you felt, and when you shoved through everybody. Bryce, leaning next to Alex’s locker, had that predatory look on his face that always gave you chills. Justin was patting Alex’s back, Monty was cackling as he read them aloud. He seemed to notice your presence, though, and hesitated his reading with a smirk on his face. 

“What great timing, huh boys?” 

Bryce was staring you up and down, and Montgomery’s voice was resonating in your ears. “I’d say Alex got this dead on. ‘Best Tits - Y/N.’”

 The crowd of boys all heckled and laughed along with Justin, you noticed Zach Dempsey standing behind him with a weird look on his face.

 Bryce started towards you, “Gotta agree, bro.” Your legs were frozen in place, And your heart was pounding in your chest as his hands slipped up the outline of your hips, waist, to the sides of your bust, “Really a… work of art. What’d you eat to get so-“ His hands made contact there, the heels of his hands pressing against the sides of your bosom firmly, “filled in?”

 There was an outcry of ‘Hell yeah!’s and ‘Daaaamn’s and you felt like the world was closing in on you. Bryce’s eyes were staring down at you so coldly, devoid of anything but wolfish lust, and it was enough for you to throw your hands out and shove his chest. He took a step or two back, a confident smile on his face. You were speecheless, frantically looking around to see a sea of eager eyes staring straight at your chest, smug smirks, small chuckles under breaths. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you all?” You managed, your hands shaking. Marcus slipped past you, casually brushing his hand against your ass, giving Alex a high-five when he reached him, “Hell yeah, man! Nice fuckin’ job, you made some good calls.” You were staring at Alex, and he was avoiding your gaze.

“S’a compliment, babe, don’t be so seeerious.” Justin sneered, gesturing to you when he drew out the “e”. Bryce clapped his hand onto Justin’s shoulder, his eyebrows cocked cruelly, “Yeah, let off some steam, maybe you’d get a lil cooler without your shirt on.” 

The crowd of guys let out a loud cloud of agreement, and when you whipped around to stare at them all with wide eyes, you even noticed a few girls at the edge of the crowd regarding you judgementally. 

Soon enough, the boys were chanting, “Take it off! Take it off!” 

The walls were closing in, and your vision was clouding, and once again you felt someone brush the side of your bust with a hand. You slapped at it, letting out a choked cry, “DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!” 

The crowd only seemed to laugh harder. You wiped the tears from your eyes with the back of your hand and you glared at Alex. 

“Fuck you, Alex. What the hell did I ever fucking do to you?”

He was silent for a second, but with Bryce egging him on with elbow nudges and Justin waiting for his retort, he plastered on a smile with a confidence you could see right through and mumbled back. “Your fault for flaunting your tits all the time.” 

Once more, the bark of laughter hit your ear drums like a clap of thunder. Your eyes were tearing again, and you glared down the line of Marcus, Bryce, then Justin, then Alex. Your gaze shifted to Zach, who was staring at the ground. Then, as violently as you could, you shoved back through the crowd of assholes that teased you and pulled at your bra straps until you started running down the hall. 

Tears were streaming down your face by now, and it seemed every guy you ran by gave you that same disgusting leer and every girl looked at you condescendingly. It was getting hard to breathe, and you were lucky enough to find an empty classroom down a relatively quiet hallway. You shoved the door open and then closed it behind you, stumbling to the teacher’s desk and planting your hands there. 

You were blubbering quietly, hoping not to call any attention to yourself. The last thing you wanted was Porter finding you and prodding you until you snapped and got yourself suspended. But it was too hard to hold in, and your sobs echoed in the darkened room only to make it feel like the walls were closing in. Your legs gave out from under you and you fell to your knees. Curling up against the base of the desk, you cried quietly into your hands. 

What had you done to deserve that kind of harassment? You kept to your group of friends most of the time, you were kind to just about everyone in school, even polite to assholes like Bryce and Justin. But still, somehow, the universe decided to bite you in the ass. You knew this list wouldn’t blow over quickly, and guys would keep making comments that made your skin crawl. You felt slimy, and disgusting, and the tears wouldn’t seem to stop.

 The bell rang, but you were fairly sure there was no class this room during this period. However, as you sat quietly crying to yourself, you noticed a silhouette on the other side of the door and tensed when the door knob turned. You tried your best to wipe all the tears from your face as if it would make you look normal despite the definite red and puffiness of your eyes.

Judging by the large height of the person, you could assume it was a guy and you prayed you wouldn’t have to fight off a creep. However, as the door slowly opened, you were surprised to see Zach Dempsey was the one pushing it. Immediately, you straightened up against the desk and growled at him. “If you’re here to fucking harrass me, save it because I’ll rip off your fucking-“ 

He threw his hands up defensively after he closed the door behind him. “Woah, calm down. I’m not here to piss you off, I swear.” Even if the dark, your eyes traced over the lines of his face from where you were sitting.

 “So why are you here?” You ventured in a hoarse voice, sniffling, and slowly rising to your feet. He walked from the closed door, past you, to sit on the side of the teacher’s desk farthest from you. He wouldn’t seem to look at you, instead his gaze was fixed on the door and he shrugged nonchalantly. 

“I uh… I just wanted to see where you went. Make sure you were okay after all of that.” Hesitantly, you hopped onto the desk next to him with a distance between you two. His answer ticked you off. 

“Why care now? You didn’t say anything while all those dicks were groping me.” You muttered, wiping a stray tear from your cheek just after it had fallen from your eye. Zach hazarded a look then, at your face, and when your eyes met he awkwardly looked back down to his lap. “I’m sorry about them. Yeah, they’re my friends but they can be real assholes when they want to be.” 

You rolled your eyes and rubbed your upper arms. “Tell me about it.”

There was idle laughter outside the door as a few girls passed, and you clearly hear what they were laughing about. “Did you see it? She ran away crying like a baby. It’s just a fucking list!” 

There was a pang in your chest, and Zach shifted on the desk next to you. There was a stiff silence between the two of you until he spoke again, quietly, but you noticed he was facing you now. Slowly, you turned your body to look at him too. 

“They’re wrong. About that. Alex never should’ve written that list. And you don’t deserve guys grabbing you all the time.” His face indicated that he was being genuine, and he even looked a little bit remorseful. You noted his handsome features, and wondered why he bothered taking the time out of his “popular person” agenda to apologize to you. You kept your eyes on his as long as you could, the let them fall onto the desk between the two of you.

“If they’re your friends, why are you here? Shouldn’t you be, like, laughing along with them?” He shifted uncomfortably, then stood up as if he was getting restless from sitting.

His hands clasped behind his head and paced around before stopping in front of you and dropping his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Because I’m not, like, that big of an asshole like they are? You probably don’t believe me, I’m with them all the time, but I’m not like them like that, Y/N. They look at you and they see an awesome rack,” You scowled just a little bit, but he scrambled to save himself, “O-Or they look at Hannah Baker and see a really nice ass, but they don’t see that those girls on that list are people and that’s really fucked up. It’s a game to them, but when…” 

Zach took a breath, running his fingers through his hair. His eyes were pained as he stared back at you, and his voice was quiet and sincere. “Just now, when you ran away in tears.. that’s not a game. That’s not funny, and they’re pricks for laughing about it. And I’m sorry they hurt you like that… and that I didn’t tell them to fucking quit it.” 

The silence afterwards was making him shift where he stood, but you were at a loss for what to say back to him. You never expected that to come from him. He was right, that you saw him and expected him to be as much of a dick as his friends. But he wasn’t lying, you could tell in his eyes just how badly he wanted you to believe him. He was risking something by going out of his way to comfort you, and you realized then that you weren’t crying anymore. You mimicked his actions, running your fingers through your hair to smooth it out. Zach looked at you expectantly. 

“I believe you.” You murmured finally. 

Relief washed over his face, and it made you crack a bit of a smile. That seemed to make him happy, and he grew a soft half smile. Your chest tightened. He really was handsome, even in this hardly lit classroom. 

You swung your legs over the side of the teacher’s desk and murmured kindly, “Thank you, Zach. Really.” You laughed a tiny bit, “If you didn’t come along, I’d probably still be crying on the floor.”

His lips pursed into a line, and he looked sympathetic.

You looked at him curiously. “What class are you missing for this?”

 He stopped to ponder it, and his face fell when he came to the realization. “Oh fuck… bio. Shit!” 

You felt a tinge guilty, but smiled empathetically. “Sorry. But I do have to say I’m honored you’re missing such an important class for me.” 

Once again, his face shifted into a lopsided grin, and he took just a bit of a step closer to you. You could smell his cologne. He looked at you bashfully, “You’re worth it.” 

You bit your lip as your smile grew into a grin, “So are you going to go back to class? I’d hate for you to miss any more than you have to. And you’ve already helped out a ton, I feel way better.” 

Zach pulled his phone out of his pocket and clicked the home button. His nose wrinkled. “It’s like, the middle of class. Doesn’t make sense to go now.” 

The silence came back again, and you slowly slid back to your feet so you were standing in front of him. There was still an acceptable distance between you two, and you crossed your arms loosely over your chest. “Well, what, are we just gonna keep standing in the dark here?” You joked.

He scoffed as he tapped away on his phone, you assumed he was replying to a text message, “Well, we could do that. Or…” He looked up from his phone, “We could go do something else. We have what, an hour and a half left today? What do you say we ditch and go do something fun?” He had one brow perked, waiting for your response. 

Sarcastically, you perked a brow right back and put your hands on your hips. “Zach Dempsey wants to miss school just to hang out with Y/N? This is wild.” 

He chuckled and shifted his weight to one leg to lightly kick your shoe with this, “Yeah, yeah, I’m a school nerd, I get it. Y’wanna go do something or not?” 

You weighed your choices in your mind. You could stay in this dark room, all alone, until the bell rang to sit through the rest of the school day. You could wait around in class, wondering why you were dumb enough to turn down hanging with Zach Dempsey. 

Or… you could ditch this prison building full of idiots, get to know Zach and maybe even… 

You reached up boldly to prod the middle of his muscled chest with your index finger, “Show me a good time, basketball star.” 

He laughed and grabbed your hand from there, pulling you towards the door. His hand was so warm… You squeezed it, and scurried along next to him into the hallway. 

The two of you peeked out, making sure no teachers were there to catch you, and you hurried to the nearest exit. You hopped onto his Audi and drove off to your date with Zach Dempsey.

[nocteverbascio]

lintz - what i left behind (1-3/?)

Pairing: Sydney Katz/Maggie Lin Summary: AU. Post S3, when Sydney leaves, she leaves for good. Without realizing it, Maggie feels like something is missing in her life. The story where Sydney leaves breadcrumbs for Maggie to follow but Maggie doesn’t realize it. A/N: talk to me about this ship, it’s my first time writing for it and i wanted to do something different for it because 1) i didnt want maggie to start over moving to london, 2) i wanted to highlight more of sydney’s ambition/accolades, and 3) distance alone was more than enough. besides, who doesn’t love a good slow burn?

ao3 link

i.

Maggie Lin was now Dr. Maggie Lin. For real.

And it felt like she was on top of the world.

Then she wasn’t.

Things changed suddenly and quickly. Joel is dead. Alex is on maternity leave. Rian is gone. Zach is so different she doesn’t know who he is anymore.

More importantly, she didn’t know who she was anymore. She thought things would change after she became a doctor. That opportunities would open up for her. She was a goddamn doctor, so why does it feel like something’s missing?

And she can’t seem to forget Sydney.

Not long after Alex goes on maternity leave, Sydney is suddenly packing her bags too.

“I’m leaving for a study in Cleveland for a couple of months,” Sydney cuts to the chase. Maggie doesn’t get to ask when Sydney goes through a few patients that she wants Maggie to look after while she’s gone.

She doesn’t even get to say goodbye. It doesn’t seem like Sydney really wanted her to either because the next day she’s gone without another word.

Maggie tries not to think about Sydney like she’s the reason she feels off balance and empty. She just feels like there could be more that she could be doing that wasn’t at Hope Zion. Maybe.

“Dr. Katz highly recommended you.”

Maggie fights the urge to smile too much because after about 6 months of radio silence with the exception of referrals of Sydney’s patients to her via Dawn, something about Sydney thinking of her just warms her heart. It makes her feel like she could do anything.

She asks for the day to think about it. There’s a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that Hope Zion is her home though and Cleveland, as well as, hundreds of other opportunities would always be there.

“Flowers? Don’t you usually receive them?” Alex asks as she sits across from Maggie.

Maggie sits up in her seat and closes her laptop. She bites her lip as she drums her fingers contemplatively on the cover. “Just wondering if I should get them as a thank you,” she vaguely responds.

“Thank you for?”

Maggie shrugs, trying not to make it a thing. “Just a recommendation that’s all.”

“The out of town position you were mentioning?” Alex connects the dots.

Luckily, Maggie doesn’t have to answer when her pager goes off. “I think it was just a random thing, it’s nothing,” she says as she reads her pager. “I’ll talk to you later.” She leaves the room quickly, grabbing her lab coat on the way out.

In the end, she doesn’t send Sydney the flowers to thank her. Sydney didn’t even let Maggie know the job offer was coming her way. Nor does she let her know when she’s coming back. Because she doesn’t and Maggie finds out from the staff OB who keeps throwing cases at her like it was her job to take care of them.

Maggie takes them in stride. She’ll get her moment at Hope Zion soon. She’s sure of it.

ii.

Maggie is taking a nap in the on call room when she hears the door open. She doesn’t move because if someone needed her she’d get a page. She’s been at the hospital for almost 2 days now because the ER has been giving her some opportunities to scrub in.

There’s a light shuffle towards her and it falls quiet.

If there’s one thing Maggie hates is being drawn from her nap for no reason. She opens her eyes slowly and sits up. “What?” she croaks out as she rubs her eyes.

Alex stops at the little light near the desk like a deer in headlights. “I didn’t mean to wake you,” she says softly.

“It’s fine,” Maggie says because it’s Alex. She loves Alex. She crosses her legs on the bed and rolls her neck. “Did you need something?”

Alex purses her lips before holding out an envelope to Maggie. “This came in the mail for you,” she says.

“Sorry,” Maggie immediately says as she takes the envelope. “I forwarded all the mail to my new address months ago.”

Alex shrugs. “It’s okay. I feel like we haven’t seen each other in so long.”

Maggie smiles in agreement. “I know right? It’s just been busy.” She glances down at the envelope in her hand in confusion. ACOG? She opens it up as she continues speaking to Alex. “We haven’t been able to get a drink and we are definitely due for one.”

“Or twenty,” Alex jokes, curiously glancing at the letter. “So….ACOG?”

“Yeah, I’m confused too?” Maggie pulls out the contents to read. “It’s an information packet to the annual conference in San Diego.”

“I hear it’s rainy this time of year,” Alex casually says.

Maggie shakes her head, trying to recall if she’d ever sign up for information. “I don’t remember signing up to go actually. I’ve been so busy.”

Alex shrugs. “Maybe it’s a sign. You did specialize in OB.”

Maggie pushes the contents back in the envelope. “I did but it’s not like many cases have been coming my way. I feel more like Zach right now than anything else.”

“The conference might be good for you to make connections,” Alex suggests.

Maggie is about to respond when her pager goes off. So much for a long nap. “Yeah, maybe,” she offhandedly says as she shoves her feet into her shoes and throws the letter haphazardly into her locker before grabbing her white coat. “I’ll think about it.”

She ends up thinking about it. ACOG would be a great opportunity for her to make connections and learn new things. She feels a bit out of touch with her specialty and she knows she shouldn’t feel that way. But it just doesn’t seem like enough.

Nothing ever seems like enough.

Maggie ends up working her ass off to make some extra money. A weekend in San Diego doesn’t sound so bad when all she has is work. At least she can get some con ed credits for going.

iii.

When she gets to the convention center, she sees lanyards on lanyards along with white coats everywhere. It feels like a hospital but at the same time, she’s never felt more at ease being somewhere. Maggie feels her heart swell being in a place where there were people like her.

“Hi, Maggie Lin,” she states.

The girl at the registration desk looks young. There’s still a bright shine to her eyes as she looks up at Maggie. “Dr. Lin, nice to meet you!” she says as she taps at her computer, assumingly looking for her name.

Maggie feels her heart swell. It never gets old being called doctor.

Another woman comes by with a clipboard, fiery red hair standing tall and elegant. Maggie stops staring at the young girl gathering her conference material to stare at the woman. She unconsciously bites her lip because there’s regality to the way she strides towards them.

“Everything okay here?” she asks, her lanyard falling forward. Dr. Addison Montgomery. It’s the Dr. Addison Montgomery.

“Yep,” Maggie dumbly answers even though the question is directed at the young girl behind the registration table.

“Yep! Just giving Dr. Lin her conference material,” the girl answers politely. “Enjoy the conference.”

Dr. Montgomery turns to Maggie. And Maggie swears she’s never met the woman before but the redhead stares at her as she slips the lanyard over her head. “You’re Dr. Maggie Lin.”

Maggie stares in confusion because she knows only one other redhead and that’s Sydney. This is far from Sydney. And by far, she means tall and famous. “I am she,” she responds. “I’m sorry, have we met?”

Addison laughs as she takes a step aside and Maggie follows, trying to keep the line going. “Canadian doctor from Hope Zion right?”

“Yes?” Maggie starts. “I’m sorry, we haven’t met have we?” She feels like such a broken record before one of the most famous neonatal surgeons in America.

“I’m Addison, I work in a private practice,” she answers holding out her hand for Maggie to shake. “I know your mentor.”

Maggie is half tempted to ask if it’s Jason Kalfas but she’s sure she’s not being asked about him. “Syd?” she unconsciously clarifies.

“Yes, Dr. Sydney Katz,” Addison reaffirms. “She was just here not too long ago.” Maggie feels her heart skip a beat at the mention of Sydney.

“Here as in…”

“She was in the area doing research at UCSD and I needed a consult.”

“Oh,” Maggie tries not to sound disappointed. “How is she?”

Addison gives Maggie a confused look. “She’s great. I mean she’s a very...professional.” Maggie smiles fondly at this.

“That she is.”

“But she was really helpful, brilliant doctor at her age. She mentioned you a couple of times.”

Maggie tilts her head, remembering that this isn’t the first time Sydney’s done that. Except that time, it was to her fiancee at the time, which was extremely awkward.

“All good things,” Addison adds quickly. “She says you’re a very talented doctor.”

Maggie laughs to herself. “I’m sure she’s just being nice. The OB front at Hope Zion hasn’t been very fortuitous recently.”

Addison pats Maggie on the shoulder with familiarity. “Well, I’m sure that’ll change after the conference. If you ever want to stop by my practice this weekend, let me know. I’ll be happy to have you.”

“Wow, thank you,” Maggie says quickly. “I really appreciate that, I’d love the opportunity to see how a private practice runs.”

Addison smiles brightly like she knows something. “Dr. Katz mentioned you were enthusiastic about learning new things.” Maggie blushes. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a card. “Here’s my card, just give me a call whenever you’re free.” She glances at her watch. “Sorry, I have to help the keynote set up. I’ll see you around.”

Maggie looks at the card in her hand. Dr. Addison Montgomery. Then it occurs to her. “Addison?”

Addison turns around.

“Is Syd--Dr. Katz here?” Maggie asks quickly.

Addison shakes her head. “She said she had another opportunity on the East Coast. Boston, I think.”

“Oh,” Maggie feels her heart drop. Sydney would be in Boston, probably Mass General or something highly ranked. It’s so her. “Thank you. I will see you around.” She waves the card. At least there’s something good that came out of the conference and it hasn’t even started yet. She didn’t come to the conference because of Sydney. But it felt like something to know Sydney still talks about her.

[hamilficsfordays]

New Beginning—Chapter Eight: Tragedy-Prone

Disclaimer: I don’t actually speak spanish so I apologize if any translations are incorrect

Also posted on Ao3

Summary:  Autumn in New York has arrived and school has started for everyone including Alexa. Unfortunately, that’s not the only thing that has started.

Rating: M for language (in English and Spanish), teen binge drinking, mentions of rape

Words: 7828 (rip me)

Askbox / Masterlist / Chapter Seven / Chapter Nine

Tags:

@promisesandmore @justanotherfanficreader and @huffleheyguys who asked me to tag them in literally any writing.

September in New York meant the start of school. The slight excitement Alexa had was shadowed by the overwhelming fear of seeing the boys who violated her that night again. Still, she pushed on.

“There’s no shame in being homeschooled until we can transfer you to Brearley next semester.” Lin offered that morning while en route to the school.

“I’m not going to rot in that apartment for the next four months, Lin. I need to do this.”

She had on a plaid green skirt, a white polo, black stockings, and a long sleeve green cardigan. This was within the required uniform standards Alexa carefully adjusted the sleeves of her cardigan to make sure they were covering the bandages on her arms while staring up at Lin from the chair on the subway. The train was packed, full of others headed to work or school that morning.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, glancing down at her, attempting to read her face. She rolled her eyes, a light smile.

“Remember what Dr. Montgomery said?” she reminded him of the doctor’s appointment they’d been to the day before.

“As long as you take your meds as needed, you’ll be fine.” he repeated.

Alexa carefully pulled a full pill bottle of Zoloft out of her messenger bag, She took one pill and washed it down with a sip of water from a plastic bottle that she’d been holding on to. “I took my meds today, okay? So stop panicking. You’re more worried than I am.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Would you like one?” she offered, smirking.

“Very funny.” he glanced out the train window in search of a number as the train slowed to a halt.

“This is our stop.”

-

They arrived at the school shortly after.

“Okay, I gave you a free ‘worried parent’ pass to travel with me to school this morning. Your pass has now expired.” She gave him a light pat on his arm. “You no longer have permission to escort me to school.”

“Do I have a hug pass?”

“Those can only be redeemed at home or not ten feet from my school.”

Lin hugs her anyway, kissing the top of her head.

“Why do I make rules if you’re just going to break them?” she demanded, feeling him laugh against her.

The laughing stopped however as he saw Eric approach the school after exiting his town car. There was a smaller more sheepish boy by his side, looking slightly on edge, though Eric being beside him seemed to ease his tension slightly.

Alexa caught a glimpse of what had made Lin so serious, feeling a wave of fear wash over her as he looked their way.

He approached them then, the smaller boy beside him.

“You really shouldn’t be over here,” Lin started, stepping in front of his daughter. “It’s dangerous. I wouldn’t want something to happen to you.”

“Lin,” she stepped in between them, facing her father. “You can’t threaten someone my age. No matter how much they genuinely deserve it.”

“Ease off, George Lopez,” Eric started. “I’m here to apologize.”

They both stared straight at him, taken aback by his words. Frustrated, he glared at the younger boy beside him who nudged him forward, urging him to continue.

“Sorry for…” he sighed, glancing in another direction. “Hurting you a month ago. I was a jerk and you didn’t deserve it.”

“Hurting me?” she shot back. “That’s the best you can do?”

Alexa glanced at the boy beside him, who seemed to be curiously fixated on Lin.

“Is that your conscious?” she asked, directing to the younger boy. “He’s not large enough for you to compensate.”

Eric was enraged then, stepping close to her and leaning in.

“Don’t talk about my little brother, okay? I apologized, so get off my back.”

“Did you apologize? Is that what they call an apology where you’re from?”

“Oh my god, you’re Lin-Manuel Miranda!” Grabbing everyone’s attention beside Eric was the smaller boy, pushing past the two teens to stand directly in front of the older man.

“I listen to In the Heights like, religiously. I mean I did, before Hamilton came out. Now I listen to that religiously. I’m Daxton,” he took Lin’s hand, shaking it furiously. It’s an honor to meet you!”

“Th-thank you?” Lin politely smiled back.

“What the fuck is In The Heights?” Alexa demanded, receiving a confused look from both Lin and Daxton.

“Only his first musical and winner of Tony award for best musical of 2008! I was friends with this boy at my old school who was like—well he was Spanish—and we would always spend weekends at his place where he would try to rap all of Usnavi’s lines. It was amazing. You’re amazing.”

“You have another musical?” she asked, prompting another confused look from Lin.

Alexa glanced at Daxton, at Eric, and then back to Daxton.

“Oh my god.” she finally said. “Your brother came out and you gained a conscious.”

“Shut up.” Eric shot back.

“Eric and I have been trying to get tickets for Hamilton since it started at the Public. Right Eric?” he nudged his older brother eagerly.

“Dax really likes the show—” he tried.

“Me?! You sing Yorktown in the shower like every night!”

“Oh my god.” Alexa stifled her laughter, Lin doing the same.

He kissed the top of Alexa’s head again. “Have a good day.”

“You’re gonna have to be more genuine if you want to see that show, Eric.” Daxton folded his arms, glaring knowingly at his brother.

“Okay well… We should go.” Eric lead his brother away, glaring at Alexa who only smirked back.

This would serve as the highlight of her morning, a morning otherwise full of being called a slut or being told that she deserved it while walking in the hallways.

“Hey, how much for a lap dance?” Across the hallway from her locker, someone tossed a wad of dollar bills at her to a chorus of laughter.

And to think Lin and V are paying $47,000 a year so that I can get treated like this she thought, closing her locker and kicking the wad aside as she headed to her first class.

The class was small, quiet when she walked in. She recognized no faces, a relieving fact.

It was AP US History, a class she was destined to fly through—at least partially.

“Sorry, I’m late!” A small, blonde, white woman who could’ve easily passed for a student rushed in, papers in one hand and coffee in the other. “Mama needed a little pick me up before class started.” She shook her paper coffee cup.

There were a few chuckles, though most of the students didn’t find it amusing.

“Okay well, welcome to AP US History. I’m Dr. Rhodes, but you can call me Annie, and this year we’ll be learning how our country came to be. Included in that learning will be a single chapter on Civil Rights that’s only short because this book was written by a bunch of white people.” she laughed, prompting no reaction from her students but a small smile from Alexa, the only non-white person in the room.

“Let’s start with attendance.” she pulled out a single paper from the stack in her hand, listing off each name one by one until she got to Alexa.

“Alexa Jordan?” she asked. Alexa raised her hand.

“The same Alexa Jordan who’s the daughter of that handsome gentleman who wrote Hamilton?”

“Uh… Yeah?” she laughed, feeling the other students’ eyes on her. “I guess?”

“You know I was a TA when I was getting my masters at Yale… They’ve got a lot of love for Hamilton over there. Several of his original documents stored away. I think you and your mancandy father would have a lot of interest in that.”

There was an awkward silence.

“In fact, let’s all go! Road trip!”

More silence.

“No? No Hamilton fans here? You guys are missing out. That show is AMAZING—”

“Okay, can we actually talk about something important?” A girl in the back interrupted.

“Well excuse me,” Dr. Rhodes glanced at the attendance list again to find the girl’s name. “Hazel! I hate to admit it but you’re right. Let’s get started with the rape, pillage, and murder of hundreds of thousands of Native Americans when the white man first arrived here by ship.”

At the end of APUSH, she headed to her locker only discover an array of papers taped to the front.

“Oh great, another smear campaign.” She thought, starting to tear them off. A quick glance at one, however, changed her perspective.

Sign up for the Drama Club! This year, with special permission We’ll be producing a production of Hamilton: An American Musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda

She glanced at each of the posters, all of them identical. A safe way to pander she figured. With no friends and virtually no one to talk to, she essentially had nothing to lose. She’d made a mental note to head to the school theatre at the end of the day.

She caught a glimpse of Eric headed down the hallway toward her that made her shiver involuntarily. He made a passing comment at another girl that Alexa couldn’t hear. Her retaliation, however, was loud and clear.

“¡No me jodas, Westly!” she shouted, loud enough for everyone in the hallway to hear. “At least I don’t have to drug people to get them to have sex with me. ¡Chinga tu madre!”

“Like anyone would ever want to sleep with you. Don’t you have houses to clean?” he shot back, rolling his eyes. He didn’t stop to converse but continued walking down the hall. “That’s right pinche puta, keep walking!”

When he approached Alexa, she froze. Though she had stood up to him that morning, the harsh fear that came up whenever he approached didn’t seem to go away. Without Lin, she was alone.

The last time she was alone with him, it didn’t end well.

“Oh hey, looks who’s all alone with no daddy to defend them.”

He grabbed her arm forcefully, holding tight despite her attempts to pull away.

He leaned in close, paralyzing her with fear.

“Can I get you anything?” he whispered, recalling what he had said to her that night. “A drink? Maybe something a little more exciting?”

His grip on her arm tightened. She was struggling to manage a response as she continued to attempt to free herself.

“What do you feel like swallowing?” he recited.

There was a sudden jolt as the other girl shoved Eric away from her.

“You wanna fight someone?” she shoved him toward the lockers. He was clearly intimidated though he tried to hide it. Despite him being a few inches taller, the girl overpowered him in overall strength.

“Fight me, bitch!” she continued. “My father is a professional wrestler! I dare you to come at me. ¡Besa mi culo, puto!”

She had him wedged between herself and the lockers. Seeing him clearly shaken up was enough to get Alexa to take a sigh of relief. She moved away from the scene until her back hit the lockers on the other side of the hallway. When there was nowhere else to go, she slid down to the floor, watching the scene unfold.

“Whatever,” he tried to brush it off. “I don’t need to fight you. It would be a waste of my time.” he managed to fight his way out of the small space and fast-walk down the hallway.

“This isn’t over, Pendejo!”

She barely noticed the girl offering to help her up as she sat on the ground, processing what had just happened.

“Cabron,” the girl remarked, watching Eric walk off as she offered Alexa a hand. She took it, slowly pulling herself up.

The girl was Latina (unlike every other student besides Lex it seemed), unmistakably tall and rather muscular, but ever confident with herself.

“Thank you,” she finally said, brushing her skirt off. “He’s um… he’s kind of intimidating.”

“Ay, no, You wouldn’t say that if you saw the way he cried like un bebé when he was being pulled away in a cop car from that party last month.” she chuckled.

Alexa’s eyes lit up at the thought. “Wait, you were there?”

“No, but it was on New York One the next morning.” she chuckled at the memory. “Lo que es un bastardo.”

The shorter teen almost felt kind of stupid for being so afraid of him. The other girl picked up on that.

“Amiga, I’m sure he really fucked you up. He’s a pendejo and you’re allowed to handle that however you do. Just don’t let him steal your light. He doesn’t fucking deserve it.”

A small smile formed on Alexa’s face. “That was really profound.”

She shrugged. “Si, I know, I’m like a fucking latina Shakespeare.”

“I’m sorry, what did you say your name was?”

Lex suddenly realized she may have been coming on too strong and felt the need to explain herself.

“I mean since you’re the only person at this school who hasn’t called me a slut so far and we hate the same person so I figured—”

“Camila.” she cut her off. “Call me Cami.”

“Cami,” Alexa repeated. “Okay.”

“Relax amiga, if you hang around me, everyone will be way too afraid to call you a puta.”

That afternoon, Alexa ventured to the basement where the theatre was located. As she opened the door to the house, she was overwhelmed by the large population of fair skinned students. As she herself was half black, she stuck out like a sore thumb as she had all day that day.

There were several glances in her direction as she entered to room, most of them other girls staring curiously. She sat in the last row, hoping to remain out of sight.

As she sat, she bumped into someone.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” she quickly apologized, glancing up at the stranger.

The cute stranger. The stranger whom she happened to recognize from her AP US History class that morning.

He had short brown hair, a clean-shaven, cute face and wasn’t particularly thin or muscular, a fair mix of both. At least, that’s what she could gather from under white dress shirt and tie.

He seemed to be fixated on her features as well—her light brown eyes, her curly jet black hair, her smile which was in full force.

“It’s okay.” he finally said, a smile forming. “I’m sure you’ve been getting much worse treatment all day.”

“You don’t even know.”

He offered his hand. “I’m Dan.”

“Alexa.”

“Alexa,” he paused, taking in her features once again. “I know I literally just met you, but is there any chance you would want to grab coffee after this? I know a place around the block.”

“Uh…” she paused, glancing around at the other students. “Just us?”

“Well… Yeah.”

She glanced down at her phone briefly, taking note of the time. She had promised Lin that she’d be home by 3, and it was already 2:45.

“Sure.”

Are you home yet, mija?

As Alexa moved above ground after the meeting had ended, she received a very telling text message from her father.

Hanging out with a friend. I’ll be home for dinner.

As soon as the message had sent she turned her phone on do not disturb, wanting to give Dan her full attention.

She did just that as they sat at the cafe around the corner.

“So where are you from?” he asked, once they had ordered.

“I was born in Florida, but I mostly grew up in rural Alabama.”

“Y—” he glanced at her briefly, waiting for the punchline of a joke. “Really?”

She nodded. “Exciting, I know. The south is already bad enough if you’re black let alone adopted, but I moved around a lot ended up in New York over the summer.”

“Oh, like, in foster homes?” he asked. “I’m sorry if that’s weird to ask—”

“I’m not ashamed of my past.” she crossed her legs under the table, her ballet flat grazing his leg. “Just grateful that my current foster parents stepped in when they did.”

“Right, yeah.” he smiled.

A waitress stopped at their table, setting their cups of coffee in front of them.

“My story isn’t nearly as interesting.” he started, taking a sip of his own. Just grew up in Williamsburg. Still in Williamsburg.”

“Oh, Williamsburg! That’s so cool! I’ve always wanted to go there. I heard it’s supposed to have like… The best coffee in the world.”

“It definitely beats out this Manhattan crap.” he quipped, receiving a steady laugh in response.

“My mom mostly works mostly across the country as a producer and my dad’s a musician.” Dan continued. “He’s on tour pretty often, so he’s out a lot too. It’s just me and my fourteen-year-old sister Rebecka.”

“On tour, huh? Anyone I’ve heard of?” she added a touch of sugar to her coffee, using a spoon to stir it in.

“I don’t usually like to talk about it…” he started, blushing.

“It can’t be worse than being related to the guy who wrote Hamilton.” she pointed out with a smile.

“It’s uh… it’s George Abrams.”

Alexa nearly dropped the cup that she was carefully holding in both hands. “Your dad is George Abrams? He’s like a 90’s rock legend.”

Dan shrugged, still blushing. “He’s just my dad.”

“Right,” she nodded slowly. “No, that’s cool. I mean I can’t even begin to relate your experience to mine. You were kind of born with a famous parent. I obviously didn’t have the same experience.”

“You get used to it after a while. Although I will admit, some of the stuff that he has collected from his world tours over the years is insane. You should come by and see it one time.”

“That would be awesome.” Her hand instinctively reached for her curls, a move that typically only occurred when she was flirting.

Am I flirting? she asked herself, glancing carefully across the table at Dan. He was all smiles, his eyes fixated on her.

I guess it can’t hurt she concluded, placing her other hand flat on the table in hopes that he would take the bait. He did, reaching his own hand out to graze hers.

A shrill ringing sound emerged from her messenger bag and interrupted them.

“Sorry,” she pulled away, frustrated, digging for her phone.

It was Vanessa calling.

“What?” She demanded, obviously upset.

“I need you to pick up Sebastian from daycare.” Vanessa started, disregarding Alexa’s irate tone of voice.

“I’m in the middle of something.”

“Lex, I’m serious. I need your help here.” her mother insisted. “It would mean a lot if you could do this.”

“I just told you I’m in the middle of something! Have Lin do it.”

“He went to the theatre early. You told me you wanted to start relating to me more—this is a great way to start.”

Alexa rolled her eyes as she hung up, tossing her phone back into her bag.

“Is everything okay?” Dan asked, watching her put her things together.

“Not really… I have to go.”

“Oh,”

“Yeah, my foster dad and I are really close. With my foster mom, however… it’s a work in progress. I need to go pick up their son. I’m really sorry.” She pulled out her wallet, tossing a ten dollar bill on the table.

“It’s okay, I’ll just see you at school tomorrow.” he stood up.

“Yeah, of course.” She hugged him, kissing his cheek as she pulled back. “See you tomorrow!”

-

The next morning was an uncomfortable one. Alexa awoke nauseated, bloated, and triggered by the smell of breakfast cooking.

As she left her room that morning dressed for school and headed to the kitchen, an all too peppy Lin greeted her, singing at the top of his lungs.

“Goooooood mooooorrrrrniiiing, Gen! Happy second day of schooooooool!”

“Dude,” she groaned, setting her bag down on the table as she sat. “Please.”

“Wouuuuuld you like some breeeeaaakfast?” he offered, directing to the pan he was busy cooking with.

Alexa dry heaved, disgusted at the sight of bacon frying in the pan.

“I’ll pass, thanks.” “It’s the most important meal of the day!” he reminded her, holding up a piece of bacon with the pair of tongs in his hand.

“Seriously, I’m fine. That smells disgusting. My digestive system has been terrible lately.”

“Oh speaking of,” he paused, placing the bacon onto a plate nearby and turning the stove off. “Have you done your treatment since you got out of state care?”

Alexa groaned. “I did it just before I left.”

“That was almost two weeks ago.” he pointed out. “You’re supposed to do it twice a week.”

“I’ve been… busy.” she insisted. “Readjusting to life back at home and starting school… my immunodeficiency hasn’t been a priority.”

“It has to be. No wonder your stomach is so messed up.”

“My stomach is always messed up.” she pointed out.

“You know what I meant.” he paused, placing the bacon onto a plate nearby and turning the stove off.

“If you’re done lecturing me on my health, can I go to school now?”

“I’m not done,” he took a piece of bacon from the plate, taking a bite and offering some to her. She quickly refused. “It’s unrelated but important. Vanessa told me about yesterday—”

“You mean how she insisted that my go pick Sebastian was somehow going to improve our relationship?”

“Not the words I would’ve used, but yes.”

“I was busy. I was having coffee with a new friend and she kind of ruined it.”

“Lex, V is doing her best to relate to you, but it can be tough sometimes. You and I had plenty of time to get to know each other over the summer at the Public. Give her a chance to do the same. She’s a great mother.”

She shook her head. “I don’t do well with mom’s.”

“Did something happen in the past?” he curiously pressed.

“Nothing that I’m willing to discuss over bacon.”

“Vanessa’s nothing like that.” he insisted. “She’s the kindest, most genuine person I’ve met. She wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Alexa rolled her eyes.

“You gave me a chance and you said you’d be willing to do the same for her.”

“Maybe I’m not there yet.”

“You guys could bond over something you have in common.”

“Yeah, you always know how I talk about wanting to be an engineer.” she rolled her eyes again, the sarcasm thick.

“Hey, you and V both love frozen yogurt… maybe you could go get some together.”

She dry heaved again. “Could we not talk about food right now?”

Before he could respond, she rushed off to the bathroom.

Hunched over the toilet, she vomited once, followed by several dry heaves.

As she stood up, preparing to re-brush her teeth, she saw Lin standing in the doorway in the mirror.

“Are you okay?” he asked, a concerned look on his face.

“Never better.” she quipped, reaching for her toothbrush. “I think I’m gonna skip breakfast.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t go to school today.” he suggested.”

“Lin, she started. “I’ve gone to school in much worse condition. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay…” He walked back down the hallway towards the kitchen. “But if you want to go home, just give me a call! And remember what I said about Vanessa!”

-

The train ride to school that morning was almost unbearable. Partially because of nausea, but also because certain muscles in her body had become overwhelmingly tender. Her messenger bag sat uncomfortably on her shoulder, heavily irritating her chest. By the time she had reached her destination, her symptoms had not improved. She slowly trudged to her locker only to find Dan waiting there to greet her.

“Hey,” he smiled before getting a closer look at her. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I thi—” her sentence was cut short by the feeling of bile rising in the back of her throat. She rushed to the bathroom across the hall, locking herself in the handicapped stall before releasing the containments of her stomach—which wasn’t much—into the toilet. She hunched over, feeling the cramps in her torso worsen as her stomach contracted.

When it was over, she was on her knees, her hair carefully hung on the outside of the seat.

She sighed, standing up and moving towards the sink to wash her face.

When Dan saw her exit the bathroom, he offered his only unopened bottle of water. She graciously accepted.

“Are you okay?” he asked again.

“I’m pretty sure like ninety percent of what just came out of me was stomach acid, but yeah I’m fine.”

“Good.” he pulled a ten dollar bill from his pocket, the same one that Alexa had left on the table the day before. “Hamilton’s glad to hear that.” He handed the bill to her.

“What is this?”

“You dropped it yesterday.” he reminded her.

“Yeah… to pay for my coffee.”

“I took care of it. Here, you can keep it.”

“Dan…” She attempted to hand the bill back. “It’s fine. I can pay for my own coffee.”

“I know, but I took care of it.” He thought back to her rush to the bathroom earlier, eager to change the subject. “You should probably eat something before class. At least it’ll keep the stomach acid down.”

“Come with me?” she asked. Dan nodded and they made their way to the dining hall. Inside was an array of breakfast options that were certainly worthy of a hefty tuition. With it came an overwhelming aroma that made Alexa dry heave as soon as she stepped in the room. She stepped back out to avoid worsening the feeling.

“I think I’m just gonna go to class,” she suggested. “I’ll see you around.”

At noon, the cramps had seceded while the other symptoms worsened. While the other students entered the cafeteria for lunch, Alexa stood outside.

The smell was unbearable. She had no desire to get sick for a third time that day and gave in, headed to the nurse’s office.

She’d listed off her symptoms, the bloating, nausea and vomiting, the fatigue, the cramps, and the muscle tenderness. The nurse, a middle-aged white woman who managed to look consistently bitter, visibly rolled her eyes in response.

“Are you sexually active?” she asked, reaching into her desk.

“No.”

The nurse glanced up at her. “Miss, I can’t help you if you’re not honest with me.”

“I’m not,” she shot back. Being a virgin wasn’t exactly something she wanted to brag about, but it was true.

The nurse pulled a small cardboard box out of her desk, handing it to the teen.

“Go to the restroom, follow the instructions on the box, and bring it back when you’re done.”

The box clearly read Pregnancy Test across the front, which made it clear to Alexa that the nurse didn’t believe her.

“Whatever.” She scoffed, bringing the test with her.

In the tiny bathroom stall, she removed the test from its packaging and stared back it. It was taunting her with its simplicity.

She removed the cap on the far end, carefully sliding it between her legs and using it as instructed. The results were still pending as she capped the test and walked back to the nurse’s office.

A change on the display alerted them to the results, a plus sign.

“You’re pregnant.” the nurse announced unenthusiastically.

“This is a joke.” Alexa rolled her eyes back. “You clearly don’t know what you’re doing. I told you I’ve never had sex. That test is probably defective. It looks older than you.”

“I can’t say we’ve had a pregnant girl at Columbia Prep before, but I suppose there’s a first for everything. Especially considering your…” she paused. “Situation.”

“What situation?” Alexa demanded, glaring at the nurse. “That I’m black, that I was adopted two months ago, that I live in the heights or that my parents are Latinx and therefore unfit?”

The nurse ignored the question, unwilling to put her job at risk. “If you’re still feeling sick, I can call your parents and have one of them come get you. Just move to the cot over there.”

“Racist.” she muttered under her breath, angrily grabbing her bag as she made her way to the cot on the far end of the room.

-

“Okay let’s skip ahead to light cue 145, sound cue 11, and stage cue 78.”

At the Richard Rodgers theatre, the cast and crew were changing up some of the show’s lighting cues a few hours before the afternoon matinee at 2 pm. The stage manager was hard at work, directing everyone through the motions so that they could enter the correct cues into their system.

The actors were still, silent onstage waiting for direction while the lighting technicians were quietly discussing the correct cues upstairs. In the midst of a silence, there was a loud ringing noise, someone’s cell phone.

Tommy Kail, working alongside the show’s stage manager, glanced up at the stage for the source of the sound. “Who didn’t turn their phone off?”

All of the actors onstage glanced at one another briefly. Once Lin realized it was his phone, he blushed.

“Oh shit, my bad!” he pulled his phone out. “That was me.”

Hesitating for a moment, he glanced at the call not recognizing the strange number and picked it up. “Hello?”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “Take five, everyone. Lin has a very important phone call to take.”

Everyone else left their positions.

“Sorry, who am I speaking with?”

The voice of an older white woman greeted him, making it clear that she was unsure of how to properly pronounce his name and wasn’t going to bother to try.

“This is Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is this?”

“I’m the nurse at Columbia Prep. Your daughter Alexa is in the infirmary with me and she needs to be picked up. She’s been vomiting all day and—”

The nurse paused. While it may have been practical to inform him of the pregnancy test, she wasn’t sure it was her place to do so. From the other side of the room, Alexa sat up from her curled fetal position. She waited, holding her breath, to see if the nurse would say anything.

“Well, she’s not feeling well.”

“Is she okay?” he demanded, the concern in his voice catching the attention of those in the theatre. “Did anyone get hurt?”

“No sir, not mentally. She’s just physically ill.”

“Oh,” he took a sigh of relief that he wasn’t proud of. The fact that he was so sure she’d had a mental breakdown that involved another student getting hurt was nothing if not slightly unsettling. He was grateful that wasn’t the case. “So she’s with you?”

“Can I talk to him?” Alexa demanded, interrupting their conversation.

“She wants to talk to you.” the nurse announced as Alexa slowly walked back toward the desk.

“Hey, Lin.”

“Hey kiddo, still not feeling well?”

“I must have a 24-hour virus or something. My hormones are off.” she glared at the nurse. “I think I should sleep it off.“

“I’ll come and get you.” he offered, already headed to his dressing room to pick up his things.

“What? No, you’re at work. I’ll just sleep in the nurse’s office until school ends. You shouldn’t leave, it’s too important.”

“Too late, I’m already leaving.” He threw everything he needed into his bag before slinging it over his shoulder and heading toward the exit. “Stay put. I’ll be there soon.”

There was a number of questioning looks he received on his way out.

“Lex is sick.” he explained to the stage manager, who seemed suddenly concerned.

“Oh, is she…” he paused, pretending to scratch his arms.

“Oh, no.” he was quick to reassure them that this wasn’t a mental breakdown similar to the one she’d had a little over a week beforehand. “She’s just been throwing up all day. I’m gonna go get her. Put Javi in for the rest of the run through. I should be back for the matinee.”

Lin opted for a cab uptown, arriving promptly and heading to the infirmary to find his daughter curled up on a cot at the far end of the room.

When she heard him come in, a look of concern crossed her face.

“What are you doing here?”

“I told you I was coming.”

Alexa glanced at the nurse, who seemed confused at their exchange. She lowered her voice to a whisper.

“I thought we agreed you weren’t coming because work is more important?”

“We never agreed on that because it isn’t true,” he whispered back. “Come on, I’ll take you home.”

“But…” she seemed desperate for answers. “Work is always more important.”

It was clear that something had triggered her, though Lin wasn’t sure what it was.

“Little girls who stay home from school get punished.” the thought passed through her consciousness as if she’d heard it yesterday, though she hadn’t heard the phrase in years.

Suddenly she backed away from him, up against the wall.

“I’m fine. I’m not sick. I’ll go to class. I’m sorry for making you come all the way over—”

“Hey,” he sat beside her on the cot, trying to interrupt her thoughts for a moment. “You didn’t make me come here. I wanted to come, okay? I’ll take you home and you can sleep it off.”

As expected, her medication helped her calm down a lot faster than she would typically be able to on her own. She paused for a moment.

“I promise, nothing bad will happen to you,” he reassured her. “We’ll go home, you can get some sleep and hopefully you’ll start to feel better.”

“You promise?” she pressed, still hesitant.

“I promise.”

She grabbed his hand for support, following him out of the infirmary and to the cab waiting outside.

“Just hang out here. I’ll make you some tea.” As they got home a few minutes later, Lin helped her over to the couch, putting a blanket over the length of her body before moving away to the kitchen. She had calmed down significantly on the car ride home, taking long calming breaths to ease her anxiety.

“So did the nurse say exactly what was wrong with you?” he questioned from the kitchen.

“Uh,” Alexa paused. While she was certain she wasn’t pregnant, having never had sex, she wasn’t too open to the idea of sharing everything that happened with him. “Nothing useful.” she finally said. “Just offered to call you.”

“You’re right, that isn’t very useful.” He placed the full kettle on the stove, before turning on the burner and returning to the couch to sit beside her. “Maybe we should take you back to the doctor.”

Alexa rolled her eyes. “Hopefully they’re better at their job than that shitty nurse is.”

“Are you hungry? Did you eat at school?”

She shook her head before placing a pillow underneath it to protect her neck. “The smell of everything made me want to vomit.”

“Hold on,” he stood up, headed back to the kitchen. “I think Vanessa bought saltine crackers last week.”

Digging through the pantry, he found a small box of saltines in the back with the package half empty. He grabbed the whole thing, handing it to her.

“That’s all we have, but I’ll go pick up some more—”

Alexa made a noise of protest, turning onto her stomach. “You should go back to work. That’s more important.”

The kettle began to whistle, calling Lin to attention before he could respond.

“Lex, do you want anything in your tea?”

“A spoonful of honey please.”

“Got it.” He prepared it as requested before carefully handing it to her.

She sat up and took a sip, sighing, content.

“This helps a lot.”

“I’m glad.” he kissed her forehead. “Are you sure you don’t want me to pick up more saltines?”

“Go back to work. I’ll be fine here.”

“Okay… but call me if you need anything.”

“Phone’s on,” she assured him. “I’m probably just gonna take a nap. I’m exhausted.”

“Alright well… V’s going to some work event later and I’ll be on tonight, so we’ll probably both be back around midnight. Unless you need me to come back—”

“Oh my god, Lin, go back to rehearsal.”

Lin smirked, picking up his bag and heading out of the apartment.

-

On her own, the silence was deafening. She could feel the fatigue overwhelming her, but sleep was far off. On paper, she had almost every symptom of early pregnancy. She never really had consistent periods, didn’t she need that to get pregnant?

No. No way. She couldn’t be pregnant because she was a virgin. Virgins didn’t get pregnant. Well, except for that one tv show, but that was fake and didn’t count.

The test I took must’ve been defective she assured herself. If I took another test, there’s no way it would come up positive.

That reassurance, however, did not help her get to sleep any faster.

She threw the blanket off.

“Fucking fine.” she groaned and took a large swig of tea from the mug before picking up her messenger bag and heading out.

The nearest pharmacy was five blocks away, a small business on the corner. She headed in, gravitating toward the refrigerated aisle. She grabbed a large can of Arizona tea—only a dollar, respectively—and left in search of her other purchase.

There they were, at eye level between the tampons and the condoms—pregnancy tests. She examined them carefully, reading each label and what special feature they boasted.

She could feel her heart pounding, her palms sweaty.

This is ridiculous she thought to herself. I’m not pregnant.

One box, in particular, caught her eye, a test boasting its ability to show how far along you were. It came in a pack of two, which she grabbed and headed to the register.

Behind the counter, the foreign older gentleman glared at her as she approached with her items.

“You’re too young to buy this.” His thick accent intruded her overwhelming thoughts.

“There’s no age limit on buying pregnancy tests.” she shot back.

“A young body like yours is too valuable to carry a child.” he insisted. “You could do much better with it elsewhere.”

“Do you want my money or not you fucking pervert?” A wad of cash in hand, Alexa glared at the man behind the counter as he placed her items in a small black plastic bag.

“Twenty-four fifty,” he announced, taking the twenty-five dollars she handed him. He passed two quarters back, watching her carefully as she left the store.

Before heading down the street, she pulled her phone out of the pocket of her skirt—her uniform still on from her time at school—opening Spotify. A quick typed search for In the Heights brought up the album of Lin’s first broadway show, a production she’d virtually never heard of. Cautiously, she tapped the first song, placed her headphones over her ears, and took the slow route home, open Arizona can in hand.

The song was still playing as she got home, tossing the now empty can in the trash. She made her way to the bathroom, the box burning a hole into her palm

She tossed the instructions aside for later, sitting on the toilet seat and carefully positioning the test between her legs.

Once it was over, she recapped the test placing it flat on the counter. It was a three-minute wait.

I’m not pregnant. I’m not pregnant. I’m not pregnant. I command myself not to be pregnant.

The test flashed a result on its screen, a tiny display that read

Pregnant

2+

Alexa dropped the test, her heart pounding. This couldn’t be real. It had to be some kind of dream.

She grabbed the instructions, skimming them again, desperately seeking answers.

Under her result read a paragraph about conception, how the result had concluded that she conceived three or more weeks prior.

“What the fuck,” she managed, trying not to hyperventilate. She pulled her phone out, stopping the music and pulling up her calendar in the hope that a date would jog her memory of something. Perhaps an artificial insemination that she’d agreed to in an exhausted state—being a surrogate mother was a well-paying gig nowadays.

She scrolled back to two weeks prior. Nothing. Three weeks. Nothing.

“This makes no sense,” she said aloud. “There is no way I could possibly be pregnant. I’ve never had se—.”

There it was, a Thursday four weeks back. There was an event marked on her calendar entitled:

Party tonight at CP!

Memories flashed through her mind of the following day, where she was offered a Plan B pill at the hospital, took it, left to shower, and promptly got sick only minutes later giving it virtually no chance to enter her system.

She could feel the breath leave her lungs all at once, her mind going numb.

She had never considered this.

It wasn’t something one considered after having been through what she had.

She dropped her phone—or rather, it fell out of her hands—landing on the tiled bathroom floor. She put the test into the garbage can, covering it with the other items to keep it out of sight.

Her instincts brought her to the kitchen, where she easily bypassed the child lock on the liquor cabinet. She pulled out an unopened bottle of whiskey, an unopened bottle of vodka, and dug through the freezer for a tequila bottle stashed away.

The three bottles in front of her on the counter, she debated which one would be the easiest to chug. She opted for the vodka, popping the cap and downing the bitter liquid. She hesitated for a moment, the burn in the back of her throat causing her to cough, but continued anyway. It would be unpleasant, sure, but it was the easiest thing she could think of to get rid of the thing that was supposedly growing inside of her. Within minutes, the bottle was empty.

The other two bottles stared back at her, making her feel self-conscious. She left the kitchen, pacing the length of the entire house before returning to the same two bottles. Her hand reached for the empty vodka bottle, holding it for a moment before smashing it against the granite countertop. It shattered, leaving glass everywhere and cutting her palm open.

“Fuck,” she winced, clutching the palm to her chest. The blood quickly spread to her white polo, a fact that she didn’t seem to notice as she reached for the whiskey.

Twisting the cap open, she felt nothing as the bottle reached her lips, swallowing as fast as she could. The whiskey was stronger, more demanding. She could feel her throat screaming for a break, but she pressed on until the bottle was empty. The dangers of her decisions were far from her mind as she dropped the whiskey bottle on the tile floor. It didn’t shatter like she hoped it would.

She could feel the alcohol coursing through her as she paced the house again, her hand leaving a trail of blood as she walked.

Returning to the counter, the last bottle sat, waiting for her. She pulled the cork out, taking a swig.

It came then suddenly, like a truck hitting a brick wall. The effects of her binge drinking arrived hard and fast, knocking her down. She managed to pull the tequila off of the counter with her, the glass shattering on the floor beside her as she lay, numb.

-

“Do you think she’s allergic to something?”

Lin shook his head. “That can’t be it because she didn’t eat anything this morning.”

Vanessa held her sleeping son close, waiting for Lin to pull out his keys to open their front door. They were greeted by an empty couch, a surprise to both of them. Lin glanced at his watch.

“It’s after midnight. She’s probably asleep.” he concluded.

“I’m gonna put Sebastian to bed,” she whispered, starting toward the hallway. As she passed the kitchen, however, she paused, speechless, staring at the ground.

“What’s up, V?” he moved to her side, curious as to what she was so preoccupied with. His jaw nearly hit the ground at the sight of the kitchen floor.

Alexa was there, unconscious, broken glass and spots of blood surrounding her. Her hand was obviously impaled, a large puddle of blood surrounding it.

“Holy shit.”

[star-trekkin-across-theuniverse]

Floating, Pt12

Word Count: 2665 Tags: @medicatemedrmccoy, @from-kitten-to-kitsune @suzen23smith @outside-the-government @sistasarah-sallysaidso @nymphadora-blurryface @bluebird214

I crossed my ankles at the commissary table, trying to be mindful that I’d worn my uniform dress. I was absolutely starving as a result of the previous day’s panic attack. My body had blown through any reserves I had. And I was stuck with replicated food. Even though I wasn’t on duty, because I was scheduled for Alpha, I was unceremoniously tossed from my quarters about two hours into shift so that the ship maintenance crews could move me into my new family quarters. So I was sitting in the commissary, nursing a coffee and reading a study on Gorn obstetrics that McCoy had contributed to as I ate. I yawned, and stretched and tried to get more comfortable. It wasn’t happening. Instead, I found myself searching out the gym, and changing into my running gear. I flipped my comm open.

“Erikssen to Scott. Can you adjust the relay to the motion lights on seven for me? I want to go for a run,” I asked.

“The motion detection will roll on for you as you run, lass. Just as I said last night.”

“Okay, when you have a moment, I’d like you to come check things out on seven because they are slow and they are dim. In the meantime, I will be running laps in the dark,” I snapped.

“It just so happens that I have time right now, lass. I’ll meet you there,” he retorted. I hadn’t actually met Scotty face to face yet. I took the turbolift to seven and stepped off into the black. The lights at the turbolift came on dimly. A few moments later, the turbolift opened again and a guy that I could only assume was Scotty stepped out.

“Doctor Erikssen?” He asked. I nodded and he offered his hand. “Montgomery Scott.”

“It’s nice to finally put a face to your name,” I smiled. “So about these lights?”

“They do seem a wee bit dim. If you’ll step away from the wall there, I’ll check the controls.” He brushed me aside and popped a panel open where I’d been leaning. He fiddled with the wires a little and poked around before shutting the panel and heading down the dark corridor. I had to walk quickly to keep up. At the end of the corridor, the main control panel for the level lit up as Scotty approached it. He flicked through the schematics and pictures that flashed across the screen quickly, muttering to himself the whole time. I felt a little extraneous.

“There,” he pronounced and turned back to face the corridor back to the turbolift. The lights were still dim, but they were all on. As we walked back to the turbolift, they lit up to the usual brightness of the other floors. “When we installed the new motion detection algorithm, the unoccupied levels were set for full dark and dim light. The sometimes used levels were set for dim light and full light. I thought I’d flagged this level because I knew Doctor McCoy was doing remedial training with you down here, but it must have been missed.”

“Thank you for taking the time to come and check,” I offered. “I really do appreciate it.”

“You’re two peas in a pod, you know,” Scotty laughed.

“He’s not scared of anything,” I replied, rolling my eyes.

“He’s terrified of flying, hates the transporter and is rather unhappy with the idea of space,” Scotty rattled off. “Makes your fear of floating seem pretty small, doesn’t it?”

“He is not.”

“Pay attention next time you beam down to a planet with him to teach,” Scotty challenged me with a wink. “And in the meantime, enjoy your run.” He stepped back on the turbolift. I paced to the end of the corridor and tapped the control panel. I found my drive and flicked through it until I found my workout playlist, and set it to play overhead across the level before slowly jogging down the hall to make sure the lights kept up. Before long my muscles limbered up and  I got lost in the music. I stopped running when the music cut off mid-song.

“Erikssen to Medbay, stat. Erikssen to Medbay, stat.” The overhead would have only cut in for a shipwide broadcast. I checked where I was and sprinted back to the turbolift. As the lift moved, I pulled my t-shirt up to wipe the sweat off my face and dashed down the hall as soon as it opened on the Medbay level. I ran into the main ward, and saw no one moving to help anyone.

“Christine, I was called stat?” I called to her. She looked up from the nursing station and nodded toward Leonard’s office. I headed toward Leonard’s office and saw he was sitting talking to someone I couldn’t see. As I rounded the corner into the office, the person he was speaking with started laughing and I shrieked.

“Katie!” She stood up and ran into my arms and suddenly the water works started. I couldn’t stop myself. I held her out and looked at her. Her hair was lighter, probably from a summer of outdoor fun. And she was taller than she’d been when I’d been home studying for my exams. “I can’t believe you’re here!”

“Why do you think it was so important that your quarters be changed today?” Leonard laughed. “I’ll let you two get reacquainted, but I still want to see you at shift change to check you over from last night.”

“Thanks for getting her here so quickly, Leonard.” I managed to pull away from Katie long enough to throw my arms around him. He patted me awkwardly on the back before prying himself out of my grip.

“Children need their parents,” he said. “I’ll see you at shift change. Your PADD has an action list that Starfleet wants completed regarding Katie’s relocation.”

I turned to my daughter, and felt my eyes filling with tears again. Eight years. Eight years I had only seen her on holidays, reading breaks, exam prep times. And now she was mine again, finally. She smiled at me, a lopsided, nervous smile that reminded me of her father when we had first been dating. Her soft, little girl shape had changed, even in the short months since I’d seen her, and she was starting to look more like a teenager. I pulled her back into my arms again, smoothing the soft, ginger hair she’d also got from her dad. “I promise I’ll only smother you for a few days,” I whispered to the top of her head. I felt her small body laugh, and pull away.

“It’s okay, Mama, I get it.” She laced her fingers in mine and smiled. “So show me my new home?”

I wasn’t sure we’d been moved into our new quarters yet, and decided to check my action list before we left the Medbay. Christine handed Katie her own PADD. “Your mom sometimes gets distracted by work when she gets on that thing.”

“Not today. Today is just checking what things need to be done that can be wrapped into a ship tour,” I laughed.

I’d shown Katie most of the nooks and crannies I’d discovered on the ship. She knew how to get pretty much anywhere from Medbay. I decided to check in with maintenance to find out if our quarters were ready, and led her toward them once I had the all clear. The space was nearly the same size, but had two bedrooms joined by a shared bathroom. Katie’s things had already been dropped off in her room, and I allowed that she should start unpacking so I could take a shower. I’d been touring her around in my running clothes and was getting cold as I cooled off. When I was ready, iit was everything I could do to pry her away to finish up our tour.

“But where else do we need to go?” She asked, digging through a box to find the ratty teddy bear her dad had given her on her first birthday. Captain Fluffybuns was a stuffed rabbit that had been available at the Academy bookstore while Elias was a student. Captain Fluffybuns was actually an admiral, but I hadn’t known that when Katie was a baby.

“You haven’t seen the education centre yet, and you haven’t visited the bridge to meet the command crew. After that, you can head back here, if you want, but I need to see Dr. McCoy,” I explained.

“Why do you need to see him?”

“Just a check-up,” I lied. I didn’t need to worry her about my own fears on her first day in space. She laid Captain Fluffybuns on her bed, and then changed her mind, picking him back up again.

“Can I bring Cap?” She asked. I shrugged. She tucked him under her arm and followed me out of our quarters and down three levels to the education centre. The primary school teacher, Mr. Yim, approached us.

“Dr. Erikssen!” He shook my hand. “And you must be Katherine. Dr. McCoy let me know you’d be coming. I requested your educational record from home, and I have to say, young lady, I’m looking forward to introducing you to advanced engineering and robotics.” He led Katie over to the science lab and showed her around. I hung back, watching her as she took in everything around her with wide-eyed excitement. It might not have been the science academy for gifted students on the Yorktown, but she was certainly not going to be held back by being on the Enterprise. Mr. Yim laughed and led Katie back over to me.

“Did you like what you saw, Katie?” I asked. She nodded eagerly.

“She asked if she could come back later today,” Mr. Yim explained. “Whenever you had time to let her, I’d love to see her down here. I’ve got a few exercises for her that will help us determine what curriculum she needs to follow, and the sooner we get that settled, the sooner we’ll have her assigned to the appropriate class.”

“I have to see Dr. McCoy in about twenty minutes, but I was going to tour her to the bridge before that. She can come back then?” I asked.

“Perfect. I’ll make sure she’s back to quarters in time for dinner.” He nodded. Katie retrieved Captain Fuzzybuns from the science lab and waved at Mr. Yim before we left.

“Did you see that lab, Mama? It was incredible. Mr. Yim said I can’t blow things up unless I am supervised. And then he told me he loves to blow things up.” She came up with an unending list of experiments that would require her to cause explosions, and right as I was beginning to wonder if she was enthusiastic or dangerous, the door to the bridge slid open. We stepped out, and I put a hand up to stop Katie from rushing forward.

“Permission to enter the bridge, Captain?” I asked. Jim glanced over, eyebrow raised, and then smiled.

“Come,” he waved us over. I led Katie behind the chair so she could look out the viewscreen.

“Katie, this is Captain Kirk. He is the commanding officer of the ship, so if he ever tells you you need to do something, you should probably listen,” I introduced her. It felt awkward. Jim smiled.

“It is nice to meet you, Captain Kirk.” Katie used her more solemn and serious tone.

“You can call me Jim,” he grinned. “Now, who is your friend?” Katie flushed and tried hiding her bunny behind her back. Jim raised an eyebrow and reached behind her, pulling him out of her hands. He smoothed the ratty ears, and tweaked at the threadbare command shirt.

“That’s Captain Fluffybuns,” Katie admitted. Jim grinned. There was some muffled snickering that came from in front of Jim and looked over and saw the young ensign, Chekov. His shoulders were shaking.

“Well, I’m afraid you’ll have to tell Captain Fluffybuns that there’s only room on the bridge for one captain,” he chuckled. “I’m glad to meet you, Katie. Your mother’s been a good addition to the crew, and I know you will be too.”

“Thank you, Captain,” I smiled. “Come on, Katie, I’ve got to see Bones.”

Uhura put a hand on my arm to stop me before we left the bridge. “Katie, I’m Nyota. If you ever need anything and your mom is busy with work, you can comm me and I’ll help you out.”

Katie looked from Uhura to me and back to Uhura. “Thanks, Nyota,” I smiled, and continued to lead Katie out. “Nyota is the first person who spoke to me on the ship. We met on my transport. She is the communications officer.”

“How many languages does she know, Mama?” Katie asked. I shrugged.

“I’m not sure. Probably all of them,” I admitted as we stepped on the turbolift. I heard an amused noise from Uhura’s station and leaned out of the turbolift to wink at her.

I dropped Katie back at the education centre and headed back to Medbay with a sense of dread. I wasn’t sure what McCoy was going to say or do. Worrying about my place in Starfleet had become such second nature to me over the years that now that everything with Katie was squared, I was worried that my panic attack would somehow negatively affect me. I found myself walking slower than I usually did. Christine stopped me on my way to Leonard’s office.

“You look like you’re headed for a hangman’s noose, Bryn,” she announced. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I lied, plastering a fake smile on my face to cover the dread. “Just a quick follow-up with Doctor McCoy about my anti-grav session last night.”

“Well, chin up then. Your girl is here, and all is right with the world,” she chastised. I felt my smile soften.

“Sure feels that way,” I admitted. McCoy stepped out of his office, looking around. His eyes locked on me, and he nodded toward the office door. He allowed me to pass him, and then hit the button to slide the door shut.

“Sit,” he demanded. I flopped into the chair and sighed. “Dr. Noel has agreed to give you some counselling to develop some coping strategies about your fear. She told me I’d been approaching this all wrong and that rather than tearing the bandaid off, we should have been easing you into increased drills.”

“I don’t need counselling,” I balked. He raised an eyebrow. “I’m not going for counselling. I’d rather just keep doing drills.”

“If I order you to, as your CMO, you have to or you’ll be put on medical suspension,” he threatened.

“I don’t want to go,” I said. “Please?” He sighed and rubbed his temples as he sat down across from me.

“I don’t have a background in psychology, kid,” he started. “But maybe if you’d tell me why you don’t want to go, I can figure something out.”

“I’m not broken, Bones, that’s why,” I snapped. “I got hurt, and now I’m scared. That’s a totally normal human response.”

“I know that!” His voice was louder than he realized, I think, because he flinched. “I’m worried about you, kid. I can’t have you falling apart in an emergency.”

“I won’t,” I swore. “Just let me lick my wounds in private.”

“You know I had to add this to your medical chart,” he started. I pursed my lips. “I didn’t add it to your personnel file.”

“I appreciate that.”

“We’ll cut back on drills for the next few weeks until Katie is settled. Just once a week.” He tapped his PADD and looked up at me with a sigh. “You need to at least talk to Dr. Noel about her offer.”

“Will do.” I nodded.

“I mean it. I will be checking in with her,” he warned. I nodded again and stood up.

“If that’s all?”

“For now.”

[leagueofawesomedudes]

Week 5 Preview

LOAD Week 5 Preview

Fellow Germans, welcome to your LOAD Week 5 preview. We’re a quarter of the way through the season and your three time reigning champion has reclaimed his rightful spot at the top of the standings. Bow down peasants. Thinking about winning a fourth straight championship gets me harder than seeing Jared without a shirt on. Dom came into the league swinging and looks like a formidable challenger to take me down, but until someone else reclaims the title I’m going to keep swinging my monster hog around any chance I get. Deal with it. In other news... the Browns are still fucking awful, Chad did anal with a random on Sunday, and Tj said he’s going to quit fantasy after this year. If I remember correctly, I’m pretty sure Tj had similar complaints last year as well about the “fantasy gods” being against him. Sounds to me like a guy that can’t take the heat when the going gets tough. Everyone deals with injuries, so let’s all cue up our tiny violins and shed a few tears for Tony. The Squad is going to be splitting up this weekend with half of us heading back to Homecoming and the other non-fun half staying back in Cleveland to watch the Browns lose to the fucking Jets in person. I really hope we win but jesus fuck last week was brutal. Meanwhile Dom is going rogue and staying in Columbus to try and fuck some female he’s in love with (dude wants to have sex with a girl, what a fag). Alright enough bullshit let’s get into the matchups.

2 Gurleys 1 Cup vs. G-reg 3rd Leg

I’ll go ahead and get my own matchup out of the way first. Bennett congrats on getting your first win two weeks ago, but those may be few and far between the rest of the season, and don’t expect win number two to be coming this week either. Bennett has a lot of confidence in his team now with his savior, Doug Martin, coming back from suspension. I hate to break it to ya pal but he’s not that fucking good. I will admit, his white power duo of Rodgers and Jordy has been paying off in a big way this year, but that’s about all he’s had going for him thus far. I expect that to continue with the Packers playing a weak Cowboys defense that just got wrecked by the Jared Goff and the Rams. I’m sure those two will connect for some major points and even Cooks is bound to go off against Tampa Bay’s league worst pass defense, but those three aren’t going to be enough. My receivers leave a lot to be desired, but my three headed monster at RB should have another huge week to pick up the slack. Bell has a great matchup against the Jags, Hyde gets the Colts who are giving up the most points per game in the league, and Gurley is going up against a Seattle defense that’s giving up 5 yards a carry this season. Last but not least, Famous Jameis is going up against the Patriots defense that has been absolutely shredded by quarterbacks so far, so expect a shootout. Bennett is going to hate seeing that big dumb nig scoring tuddies all over his starting defense. Side note, it also wouldn’t surprise me if Bennett benched Rodgers and started his man crush Mitch this week. Seriously man you should do it, that’s what a real friend would do. This one might be a little closer than I’m making it sound, but I still take the W this week.

2 Gurleys 1 Cup > G-reg 3rd Leg

Hollas Heavy Hitters vs. Ain’t EZ Bein Breesy

Due to the first round of bye weeks there are a few shitty matchups this week and this is one of them. Two early season bottom dwellers are going at it as Holla takes on Solden. If Solden put as much thought and effort into fantasy that he does trying to get laid every single night he might actually be a pretty decent manager. Just kidding Solden, but seriously though if you showed as much enthusiasm for your fantasy lineup as you did last Friday night at Dom’s when you wanted to go out at 9:45 pm and not “stay in all night and not get laid”, you could really make some noise. Holla loses Matty Ice and Freeman to the bye week. Dak is a solid backup but has a mediocre matchup against the Packers. What’s really going to hurt him is not having a respectable RB to plug in this week for Freeman. Paul Perkins and Jeremy Hill are trash options so Holla’s going to need a lot out of Shady in a good matchup against the Bengals to make up for it. On the other side, Solden loses his Brees, Pryor, and Ingram so he’s getting hit harder by this bye week than Janay Rice in an elevator. On the plus side, his receivers all have some pretty decent matchups and Gronk is going up against the worst pass defense in the league. It may come down to whether or not Alex Smith has another big game which would also hurt Holla’s defense on the other side. Also important to remember, Holla is going to be bouncing around in Athens this weekend so there’s a good chance he blacks out and forgets to set his lineup while he’s balls deep in some freshman. This one could really go either way (kind of like all of us on the weekends) but I’m going to give the edge to Holla with the bye week being too much to overcome for Solden’s team.

Hollas Heavy Hitters > Aint EZ Bein’ Breesy

Jon SnOBJs vs. The Brady Bunch

Our own El Presidente finds himself in last place after a two game losing skid, and it hasn’t been pretty. After swindling AB away from Solden to pair with OBJ, it looked like Chad was going to be the team to beat going forward. Needless to say that hasn’t been the case. Chad might be killing one too many brain cells with his excessive Titos intake, because he’s had some trouble getting his lineups right and benching the wrong guys. That being said, Chad is too good of a manager and I think he starts to turn things around this week. *Insert standard “boring Doug joke” here*. QB advantage goes to Doug, Brady is going up against the worst pass defense in the league...no further explanation needed. That particular matchup could get uglier than the blood bath Chad left behind in the room at the Double Tree last year. I’m going to give the WR advantage to Chad. All three of his receivers have plus matchups, especially Randall Cobb against Dallas. Devante Adams is more than likely out this week (fuck me right) so Cobb is going to see more targets against a bad secondary. If AB and OBJ both go off like they should, that’ll give Chad a big cushion. On the other end, Doug gets the advantage at RB with Kareem and Bennett’s favorite color of RB, Christian McCaffrey. I like Chad’s TE matchup with Brate going up against the Pat’s awful pass defense, whereas old man Jason Witten has to go against a Packers D that has shut down opposing TE’s, advantage Chad. This one comes down to the flex position and Bilal Powell coming off a big week going up against our perennial playoff contending Browns makes it an easy choice, Doug wins a close one.

The Brady Bunch > Jon SnOBJs

Crows before Hoes vs. Little Diggs

Pot Stirrin’ Paul faces off against LOAD rookie Dom this week. Paul’s pot stirring tendencies continue to go unchecked as he continuously tries to tear our friendships apart and no one says anything. Ever since he became official with Bean his pot stirring antics have been nonstop, it’s almost as if he doesn’t need us anymore and could care less about the consequences. It’s funny how these two are matching up this week because Dom also knows a thing or two about stirring the pot among a friend group, right Solden? Let’s pull a quick tequila shot and take a look at this matchup. Dom is putting a lot of faith into Mariota playing this week, otherwise he’s going to be scrambling on the free agent market for a QB last minute. It’ll be interesting to see what Dom’s RBs can produce with both Montgomery and Gordon banged up. At full strength Dom’s lineup has the advantage across the board but it looks like this one will be close with the injuries in play. Mike Evans and Larry Fitz have perfect matchups for Paul this week. Paul’s hoping that Watson can continue his hot streak but that may come to an end against the undefeated Chiefs. Paul can make things interesting if Ajayi finally produces this week but Dom has a huge advantage with Kelce and Diggs in the TE and flex spots. This one will be close, but in a phrase he’s all too familiar with, Paul is going to come up a little short.

Little Diggs > Crows before Hoes

*MATCHUP OF THE WEEK*

The Injured Reserve vs. Julio Tones

On paper, this matchup looks to be the most competitive going into the week, earning Matchup of the Week status. More importantly, the two roomies square off in matchup with both hoping to go to 4-1 and remain atop the standings. Earlier in the article I mentioned how Tj has had some injuries to deal with, and to his credit he had a brutal week. Losing Carr for a few weeks and Dalvin for the year would piss anyone off, but I doubt any of us would be pussy enough to want to quit after that. Just kidding Tj, we all know you just want to “enjoy the games” and not have to worry about fantasy. But I think I speak for all of us when I say none of us feel bad for you. You got lucky with the Zeke situation and it was your decision to draft a quarterback that was going to be questionable for the entire season. Moving on, I almost forgot to even mention Cholly. That’s probably because he doesn’t come around very often I sometimes forget he’s even our friend. I’ve seen more of Bennett in the past month and he lives four hours away. But looking at the matchup this is going to be a good one. Tj did a good job plugging in guys in place of Carr, Julio, and Dalvin and has a sneaky nice lineup this week. Casey’s biggest advantage is his receivers, and this one is going to come down to Tj’s running backs. Zeke should have a huge game against the Packers, but unless Blount and White can find the endzone once or twice, it may not be enough. Cholly should get consistent production across the board. With Ertz going up against a stingy Cardinals defense and the lack of production from T.Y. without Luck, I don’t see enough big scores to overcome Cholly’s squad.

The Injured Reserve > Julio Tones

Alright fellas that’s all for this week. Hopefully none of you are too offended and I’m sure none of my picks will be correct but as long as I get the win this week I don’t give a shit. Solden, Tj, Paul, Chad have fun soaking with each other this weekend and bring a few W’s home for the Tribe and Brownies. Dom, good luck with your dream girl, hopefully she lets you eat her ass. I’ll do my best to make sure Holla doesn’t end up in the Hocking River again but I can’t make any promises. Love you all and I’m glad we’re all friends......yes even Doug.